Family Alive

Brian, Kristine, Analise, and Josiah Toone

Nicaragua

Nicaragua at a glance
Total population (2007):5,603,000
GDP (per capita):$971
(United Nations Statistical Database)

Our trip at a glance
Dates:Dec 29, 2008 - Jan 11, 2009
City:León, Nicaragua (See map above)
Purpose:Nuevas Esperanzas (Opens in new window)
Countdown:0 days 0 hours 0 minutes
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If you would like to support us on our trip, please consider making a donation.
Two worlds collide Dec 29, 2008 - Jan 11, 2009

The Toone Family


Brian and Kristine 2001-2003
Pictures from 2001-2003 when Kristine was a full-time
missionary in Nicaragua


The Toone Family in Nicaragua 2008-2009
We took nearly 1000 pictures and video, so it was
really hard to choose - but these are my
three favorite pictures from our trip.
Thank you so much everyone for your support!


News and updates

1/22/09

Kristine has posted Part 1 of her reflections on Nicaragua

1/19/09

The collage pictures above have been updated with my favorite pics from our 2008-2009 trip.

1/14/09

I have posted the best of the rest - i.e., pictures that I missed in earlier posts.

1/13/09

I have posted pictures from our trip home.

1/11/09

After 18 hours of traveling (we left our hotel at 6:00AM and arrived home in Birmingham just before midnight), we have finally made it home!

1/10/09

Today was a busy final day: read about it in Adios a Nicaragua.

1/9/09

Emotional day today with lots of processing and reunións.

1/8/09

Awesome day today visiting the villages of Gracias a Dios and La Palmerita.

1/7/09

Kristine has described our visit to Chinandega and I have posted more pictures.

1/6/09

More pictures of volcanos, life in Nicaragua, and more - along with a timeline giving a rundown of our day today.

1/6/09

I am working in the Nuevas Esperanzas office today helping brainstorm a longterm plan for the Nuevas Esperanzas website. Kristine and Abigail took Analise and Josiah to the Nicaraguan preschool to do a craft with the kids there today. Hopefully we'll have more pictures to post this evening!

1/5/09

We are doing well here. I just won a bike race yesterday in Managua (incredible almost unbelievable opportunity that sprung up over the weekend), and I posted more pictures.

1/4/09

Kristine has made two more posts: a brief update on our trip and a Nicaragua FAQ.

1/2/09

We have been struggling to find an internet connection, but I have managed two posts now: one with pictures and one with a brief narrative of our trip down.

12/31/08

We made it! So much exciting things - I am writing a quick blog post and will link to it shortly.

12/29/08

We are in the final stages of packing. We leave at 3AM (central time) to drive to the Atlanta airport to catch our 8AM (eastern time) flight.

12/20/08

I have posted more information about where we are staying including a detailed map of the country.

12/19/08

We have found a place to stay! Hotel San Juan De León

12/13/08

Our fund-raising dinner was a great success! We raised over $1300 towards the cost of our trip. We are so thankful to our Clearwater family and all who came out to the dinner last night! Check out the menu from the the awesome dinner that Powers made for us.

12/12/08

A prayer card for our mission trip is now available online.

12/12/08

We have planned a fun surprise activity for the kids that's Nicaragua divertido clásico. Don't miss it!

12/12/08

You are cordially invited to a support-raising and informational dinner this FRIDAY (Dec 12th) from 6-8pm in the Oasis at CLEARWATER COMMUNITY CHURCH where we will be talking more about our trip. Please RSVP to Kristine Toone if you can make it!

12/11/08

Now accepting Paypal donations. Just click the "Donate" button above to get started! Email Kristine Toone if you have any questions!

The background story

We’re glad you found this page! We are going to León, Nicaragua for a family mission trip from December 29 to January 11. Brian and I are so excited to share with everyone on this journey. Check back to this page for updates during our trip! It’s awfully scary and overwhelming to think about this in several ways (financially, physically, emotionally). Traveling with 2 preschoolers is going to be hard, and though I know Nicaragua well, I’ve never experienced it with kids.

In case you’re just hearing this… we’ve been wanting to go back and visit my old home and mission field for a while. Our dear friends Andrew & Jane Longley are running a ministry called Nuevas Esperanzas, which took over some of the work I was a part of with Mercy Ships. Financially, this doesn’t seem like the most opportune time, but when God calls, it’s up to you to step out and follow His leading. So we’re taking him on His word that He’ll provide financially to make this trip a reality, and we’re trusting that He’s got exciting things in store for us as a family.

Already we’re seeing His hand in this. Our tickets were a bit cheaper than we expected. There was discussion about possibly driving to Miami (12 hours) to fly from there because it was much cheaper. But we found good tickets from Atlanta (just 2 hours!), so that saves us quite a few hours in the car. We also invited our good friend, Abigail, to come with us. She’s been my “right-hand woman” since Josiah was born, and she babysits the kids weekly. She’ll be a great help with the kids, and I’m so excited to get to share Nicaragua with her! Nicaragua and the people there are so very dear to my heart.

There will be lots more chatter about Nicaragua to come, I promise. But if you’re reading this and you’re in the Birmingham area, you are CORDIALLY INVITED to a dinner we’re hosting at Clearwater Community Church on Friday, December 12th from 6-8pm to share about our trip and the ministry of Nuevas Esperanzas. There’s no charge for dinner (which will be FABULOUS – by a great local chef!), just whatever donation you’d like to give, with all proceeds going towards our trip. Please comment or email us if you want more info or directions! We’d love to have you there!