"We look forward to another great year as we continue to serve our brothers and sisters in Central America. We are pleased to announce that we have been invited to serve the future missionaries in Nicaragua this April and anticipate treating 400 to 500 young men and women. As many of you know we held a brigada in Managua two years ago this past November. I have spoken with the leaders there and they are very excited about our returning to their country. Our wonderful Honduran friend, Elder Durate of the Seventy, was recently given the assignment of Nicaragua and what a thrill it is to be working closely with him again. He sends his love to all of you and is anxious to see you again in Nicaragua."
"Most of the [missionary] groups have journeys of under three hours. However, there is a group from a remote area of the country that has a 26 hour bus ride each way to and from the clinic. They will be traveling mostly on very rough unpaved roads in 90 degree plus weather. Mission President Frautz estimated some 65 to 70 future missionaries will make this journey."
"If anyone is not convinced the service we are providing is meaningful and appreciated by these people, they might ask themselves the question: Would I spend 52 hours on a hot bus on extremely rough road to get my dental work and preparation for a mission completed?"
It's pretty exciting for Brad to be going. We've got a bit to do before he leaves, but it will all work out. Brad's going to be assisting the dentists while they work on the pre-missionaries. He might even get to do x-rays since he is x-ray certified.
Brad leaves in just four days. I'm getting nervous for him to go the closer it gets, even more than Brad is nervous. I hope he'll be safe, but reading about how Americans have reported increasing "muggings, robbery, kidnappings, and worse" does make my stomach squirm a little bit to say the least. Most of the time he will be in church buildings and in guarded hotels, but there will be times when he will be outside of these protected areas. The organizers of this trip are trying really hard to make sure everyone is safe (they've even hired armored cars to drive with them wherever they go), but they have advised everyone to still be careful. Please pray for Brad while he is in Nicaragua. I'm sure he'll be fine, but prayers couldn't hurt. Still, I'll be counting the days till he gets home.
