August 31 2009 Perhaps You Think I Work All The Time But Today I Took The Day Off And Went To Nicaragua To Relax With Friends

I was really tired, so tired, in fact that I had turned off my cell telephone, which I never do. I called Kansas, talked to my family, told them I was going to take two days off and that I would be “out of pocket”. I packed a few things and drove with Chepe to Choluteca to see my friends Sonia and Sergio Lovo. Chepe was under threat of death if he tried to make any decisions regarding the weekend. I was too tired to drive, too tired to do anything but relax. I didn’t want to do anything unless I wanted to do it.

One of the things which Bob Harrison of Harrison International Ministries has taught me is that I must take time to relax. Sometimes it is very hard to do so, but I find that when I do take that down time, I am much more productive and I return to the ministry the following day with much more excitement.

When we arrived in Choluteca at the famous Hotel Flamingo, owned by my friends, I checked into my room and fell into the bed, asleep within minutes. Chepe chatted and kept them company while I rested. Several hours later, I got up and then felt somewhat decent. My friend Sonia was tired too and we chatted for a while and then decided to make an unplanned, spur of the moment trip to Nicaragua to visit some of her husband’s family and some friends.

Off we went! Sonia and I were in the front seat, Chepe and Sonia daughter were in the back seat. In a few short hours we were sitting at the table of friends and family in Ocatal, Nicaragua laughing and telling stories. Several hours later, after munching treats and drinking coffee around the table, we all decided to go to the local diner to eat. Most of the family members sing, so they grabbed a guitar and off we went.

The diner is an old adobe building, wood chairs with animal fur and skin seats. We ate typical food and sat around and sang until midnight. There were at least a dozen of us and none of the other patrons seemed to mind the music or the noise.


On the way from Ocotal to the coffee farm the following day.


The farm is so lush it looks like a jungle.


Sonia Lovo at the farm, on the porch.


Some people had to work a little...


And some had to study a little...


Chepe relaxing on the porch.


Sonia Lovo daughter and her beautiful smile. Sonia is in medical school now and I count her as a side effect of the SMART Medical Teams. As a child


Teresa Searcy (me) and Sonia Lovo (mother)




The farm owner and one of his sons.


Chepe relaxing on the porch.


Look closely and you can see a green parrot.






When we first arrived at the coffee farm, I was surprised at how lush and green it was.


Looking off the deck of the farm house, it looked like a jungle.


We stopped and visited more family and this creek was running down behind the house.




Wild orchids were on the other side of the creek.