Trip dates are here!

It’s November and you know what time it is, Thanksgiving and the posting of the summer mission trip dates! It is so hard to believe that it is mid-November. Even though I have been crying the blues about how cold it has been up here in Tennessee, it reality it has been quite pleasant. But the changing of the leaves and the dropping of the temperature has led us into the last part of 2006. So we wrap up the year with holidays and thanks for all the good things we have enjoyed this year.

I love Thanksgiving. It has always been my favorite holiday. Even though my birthday is attached to it; that has nothing to do with it. I love Thanksgiving for a lot of different reasons. The food, of course, and football games on TV. Seeing and visiting family or talking to them on the phone. And of course, reflecting on the good things that God has blessed us with for the year. And I think that is so important, to sit down and think about all of the wonderful ways God has blessed each and every one of us. Because He has, and so much more than we realize. Being grateful for all of the things, both large and small, should be the focus of this time of the year. And reaching out, helping out, and giving, so that others can enjoy a glimpse of happiness.

So, from all of us to all of you, happy holidays, and in particular, Happy Thanksgiving!!!

On a different note, it is time to announce the dates of the mission trips for 2007. I have had so many phone calls and e-mails asking that I felt the need to post them now so that everyone can start planning their calendars, start their fund raising, and arranging for time off. Although the details are still in the work, the dates are ready, so here we go:

Tuesday, December 26 – Tuesday, January 2: Christmas break trip to Honduras. Cost for this trip is $273.00 PLUS your airline ticket. If you are interested in this trip please contact me ASAP because flights are filling up fast!

Saturday, March 10th –Saturday, March 17th: Spring break trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. We will be working with Tim Hines in a special work camp assisting in multiple projects in and around the New Orleans area. More details will be coming concerning this trip.

Sunday, May 20th – Wednesday, May 30th: Honduras trip #1. This trip will focus on work in Tegucigalpa and surrounding villages. Primarily a college age trip but is open to anyone that wants to go. More details about this trip coming soon.

Monday, June 4th – Thursday, June 14th: inaugural Torch Missions trip to Brazil. This trip will be to Recife, located on the northeast coast of Brazil. This trip plans on having a medical team, construction team, evangelism team and more. This trip has very limited space. More details coming soon.

Sunday, July 1st –Wednesday, July 11th. Trip #2 to Honduras. This trip will work in Tegucigalpa, Choluteca, and San Salvador. This trip plans on having a medical team, construction team, evangelism team and more. Flight plans include flying into Tegucigalpa and out of San Salvador, El Salvador. More details coming soon.

Friday, July 13th – Sunday, July 22nd: Honduras trip #3. This trip will work in Tegucigalpa, Comayagua, and San Pedro Sula. Flight plans include flying into Tegucigalpa and out through San Pedro Sula. This trip plans on having a medical team, construction team, evangelism team and more. More details coming soon.

Details are subject to change, all information at this point is tentative. Costs for the trip will be announced as soon as I can get some solid quotes concerning airline tickets. All trips have limited spaces available. The sooner you can contact me with your date requests and estimated numbers the better. Once numbers are set work plans can be ironed out and scheduled.

One of the new procedures this year will be the way we book our airline tickets. Each group leader will be given flight information (carrier, flight dates, flight numbers, etc.) and each group will be responsible for booking their own tickets. There are several benefits to this and it gives group leaders the responsibility of handling any ticket changes (it takes me out as the middle man) and payments. It will also give the group leaders the ability to pay for tickets by cash, check, and credit card. It also reduces the amount of money that I have to handle on this end. The money that will be sent to me will pay for lodging, exit fees, t-shirts, journals, bus rentals, bus drivers, container shipping costs, etc. I think this will make the trip run much smoother and efficiently.

I am looking forward to another wonderful year of mission work together. So much has been done in the past few years and yet there is so much more to do. Doing kingdom work is one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things we can do while we are here, wouldn’t you agree? I am looking forward to hearing from you, may God bless you as you prepare to get ready for the 2007 mission campaigns.

Adios mi amigos, Dios te bendiga! Hasta luego!

Terry Reeves ( reeves.tr@gmail.com / 941-928-1085