Managua, Nicaragua - December 20, 2016

Palo Verde Jungle Tour

It's hard to believe that we left Canada over a week ago. We landed in Liberia, Costa Rica and spent three relaxing days in Liberia before heading by bus up to Granada, Nicaragua.

While in Liberia, we took a tour on the Tempisque River called the Palo Verde Jungle Tour. We saw many different species of birds as well as crocodiles. On the trip back to our hotel we stopped along the side of the road and were treated to an up close encounter with a howler monkey troupe and were able to take a few amazingly closeup shots of a mama howler and baby. Lunch was at Rancho Los Coyotes where we enjoyed some excellent local cuisine as well as a demonstration of how local pottery is produced.

Crocodile on the Palo Verde Jungle Tour

Mama Howler monkey with baby

The bus transfer to Granada was uneventful and we enjoyed a week of relaxing and preparing for the Regional Convention in Ticuantepe. One morning we joined the local Granada congregation in service. Our group was assigned search work as well as inviting all English speakers we found to the Regional Convention. Pat and his partner had a long chat with a fellow in the territory and was able to show him the convention trailer video. The young guy said that he would try and attend.

Katrine

Being able to attend the Regional Convention here was a highlight of the week. Not just the program, but to be reunited with all our friends in one place was indescribable. Our ribs still ache from the long, hard hugs we received. The local brothers worked long and hard to prepare in welcoming brothers from remote parts of Nicaragua. For the first time brothers and sisters from Costa Rica journeyed to Nicaragua for the Regional Convention. We were so thrilled to be in attendance when two young sisters from Pearl Lagoon were baptized.

Katiel

Reuniting with friends from Leon

Welcoming brothers & sisters to the Regional Convention

Welcoming the brothers & sisters to the Regional Convention

With the Pearl Lagoon Congregation

Today we are finally heading for Corn Island. After much thought and consulting with the experts, we have decided to ship our 3 heavy bags on the Captain D and take a flight out this afternoon. We are excited to be finally getting to our destination and will update with pictures as soon as we can.

We are Returning to Nicaragua!

Where has the time gone? We can hardly believe it, but we have been back in Canada for 3 years!

Pat finished chemo and radiation in 2014 – he was glad to get that behind him. However, for most of 2015 we were waiting to find out if he was in remission. He had two “iffy” scans and we didn’t find out that he was out of the woods until the end of August. Woohoo!

 

Once the relief set in that Pat was in remission, we started to think about the possibility of returning to Nicaragua. So…we have good news to share – we are going back to Nicaragua in December! Only 44 days to go!

 As much as we loved both Leon and Pearl Lagoon, we won’t be returning to either of those places. After a couple of vacations in Cuba we realized how much we loved white sandy beaches, palm trees and easy access to snorkeling. So, our plan is to move to Big Corn Island where we will be able to enjoy the beach life in abundance.

We must say, that we really appreciate the loving support we’ve received over the last 3 years helping us to conquer the CANCER beast. Without the support, sometimes daily, from our close friends and a fantastic team of doctors and nursing staff, it would have been even more difficult than it was. Also, the support that we received from Debbie’s place of employment has been truly amazing. A huge THANK YOU to everyone!