Hi team,

I talked to out contact today and got as much information as I could about what we would be doing, where we would stay, what we would need, etc. So here is the information that I gathered.

Is there a dress code? No there is not a dress code. However, some of the villages we will be visiting prefer the ladies to have dresses below their knees- Especially for church. We will be getting in and out of the back of a truck so you will probably need your cloths to be free flowing so you can get in and out of the back of the truck without your cloths ripping. Tank tops are allowed, just make sure your cleavage is not hanging out. He seemed pretty relaxed on the dress code but just make sure you dress appropriately. It will be hot so bring cloths that are appropriate for summer.

There is a full time doctor on staff so if any of us get sick we can see him for free. The only cost will be for the medicine if he does not have it at the house.

Will we need a tent, sleeping pad, sleeping bag, or pillow? Not for the trip. The A.I.M. staff says that we will need sleeping bags and pillows for training camp. In Nicaragua, we will be sleeping on bunk beds and all of our sheets and blankets will be provided.

We will be able to call the U.S. for free and there is internet on site. We will discuss the internet and phone policy as a team.

What kind of medicine do you need? He suggested getting some kind of malaria medicine. From experience, I know that doxycycline is the cheapest route to go but you have to take it every day. There are some medicines that you can take once a week but they are pretty expensive. This is up to you. Personally, I am taking some vitamins. I was taking vitamins the entire time on the World Race and I only got sick one time. That was because of a chicken that we ate that was not sanitised properly. I would suggest multivitamins but once again, that is completely up to you.

What shots do you need? They suggest Hep A and B and an updated tetnis. This is totally up to you and is not required but to be on the safe side, it would be good to have these.

When will we leave America? When will we get to Nicaragua?   

Continental 5229

Depart: Atlanta- January 17- 1:05PM

Arrive: Houston- January 17- 2:27 PM

Continental 1421

Depart: Houston- January 17- 6:00 PM

Arrive: Managua- January 17- 9:22 PM

What kind of ministry will we be doing? This is always subject to change so please don't get mad if we don't do any of what I am about to say. Saying that... I did get a good idea of what we will possibly be doing.

We will be visiting villages. On our visits we will be hanging out with kids a lot. We may teach English, play sports, do bible studies with them, etc. I have played baseball most of my life and know that Nicaragua is a country that loves to play baseball. So I am going to be bringing a baseball glove. If you want to play then bring a glove.There will be a lot to choose from so we will discuss what we want to do as team.

We also may be building a house for one of our cooks and putting a roof on one of the cooks house. We may do some painting so bring some cloths that you can paint in. This is a basic idea of what we may be doing but we will discuss it more when we get to Nicaragua.

Do we need adapters? No. Everything is americanized.

Do we need towels? No. They will provide all the towels we need for taking showers. There is a girls dorm and a guys dorm that hold 20 people in each one. There are 2 showers in each dorm and 4 flush toilets. No squatty potties. wooohoooo. The showers are cold water only.

What kind of toiletries will you need? He said there are some grocery stores where we can get soap and shampoo and they do have some name brand stuff. However, I also understand some girls like to have a special kind of shampoo and soap. So if that's you, then your free to bring your own stuff for the entire time. If that's not you then you can buy toiletries in Nicaragua. It may or may not be in the team budget. Shawndell and I will have to go over all of that when we get there so I can't make you any promises right now. I would suggest bringing some toiletries to get you started. You will need some stuff for training camp.

Last thing... We will have guards there 24 hours so we will be safe.

I hope all of this information is helpful to you. If you have any other questions then feel free to comment below, email me or Shawndell, facebook us, or however you want to do it. We would be more than glad to answer any of the questions you may have.

Blessings,

Ryan Hurd

ryno0424@yahoo.com

901-652-9058