Praise God from whom all blessings flow

Has anyone out there noticed how fast the days are passing by, or is it just me? I keep getting e-mails from people saying that they can't wait for the trip and it can't get here fast enough, while I am sitting here trying to slow things down and squeezing every second out of the day! Margaret and I are averaging about 7 hours a day on Honduras stuff right now, not to mention all of the other stuff we do. Steve Kemp and I were talking the other day and have decided that we can't wait to get to Honduras to enjoy the slower pace down there! And anyone who has been down there can attest, the pace is not slow in Honduras!

As far as updates are concerned, I am happy, grateful, thrilled, pumped, and jubilant to tell you that the container is in Honduras! It arrived in port late last week and hopefully Mark Connell and Tim Hines are in the process of getting it to Tegucigalpa. Unless something goes terribly wrong, which it should not, our supplies will be in the warehouse waiting on us when we get there. I have pretty much marked it off of the "stressed out of my head" list. T-shirts are done and will be shipped to me Tuesday and should be in my hands Thursday. I spoke with the printers and everything is still on track to be done Thursday for me to pick up. Water bottles are supposed to arrive Thursday also. I ordered $6,000.00 of medicines for our clinic this year and the medicines have already arrived. This will be the best stocked pharmacy we will have ever had on a trip! I have talked with Mark Connell and all of our buses, vans, trucks, drivers, etc are set and ready to go.

So, Thursday will be a very busy day for us here. I am hoping to have some volunteers here Thursday afternoon to help sort, count, and box up t-shirts, journals, water bottles, etc. so that we can get them in the mail Friday. If all of that happens as planned, the vast majority of the "stressed out of my head" list will be crossed off and I will be a happy camper. Friday I also go to the bank to order my money. For large withdrawals, you have to order money a week in advance to make sure they have enough on hand to fill our need and to service the regular daily customers. I will then head over to Nashville this weekend for the last fund raiser Western Hills church is doing and attend Erin Mann and Eric Yow's wedding. Yes, this is the same Erin and Eric who will be with us on the trip this year! Talk about dedication!!! Will and Allison West, you might have started a trend.

HERE IS THE PACKING LIST FOR THE TRIP. Anything in BOLD is either required or highly recommended... everything else is just important.

Bible; toilet paper; Pepto Bismol; toothbrush; tooth paste; soap; hand-wipes; hand sanitizer; Imodium; shaving cream / razor; wash cloth; extra towel (towel is provided at the mission house and hotels); deodorant; Q-tips; insect repellent (Cactus Juice brand highly recommended); vitamins; PASSPORT; camera; film / memory cards; deck of cards, rain jacket; watch (water proof); work clothes (disposable); personal medicines; hammer; flip flops (for the shower); work shoes (2 pair of closed toed shoes); work gloves (disposable); laundry bag / large trash bag; flash light; alarm clock; duct tape; spending money ($100 - $150+); Hat; water bottles; sunscreen (psf 20+); paper / pencil / pen; backpack; Spanish / English dictionary; snack foods; Gatorade / Kool-Aid / Crystal Light; pocket knife; sunglasses; Sharpie; Band-aids

Besides the items listed on the packing list, we need everyone to spend a little bit of money and bring the following things with you for the trip. the items listed did not make it onto the container before it was shipped that we need for the different projects we will be doing. You will be able to get all of this stuff easily for under $20. Shop wisely, some of this stuff will be cheapest at the dollar stores instead of Wal-Mart:

1 box of gallon size zip lock storage bags; 1 box of quart size zip lock storage bags; 1 bottle of baby shampoo; 1 bottle of de-tangler / cream rinse for children; 8-12 bars of soap; 2 hard plastic soup bowls (white if possible); 3 metal forks and spoons.

The zip locks are for the food give aways and the hygiene packets that we will make and give away at the medical clinics. The shampoo and cream rinse will be for the girl's "make over" project called Daughters of the King. Our team of volunteers will be going into a village and do a "day spa" for the little girls in the village. We will wash hair, do fingernails, toe nails, give out costume jewelry, and give each girl a t-shirt that will say "I am a daughter of the King!" and a new pair of flip-flops. The soap and shampoo will also be given away in the hygiene packets. The bowls and silverware will be given to a feeding center (The Manna Project) that serves hot meals to 100-200 children a day. In other words, the money you spend for this stuff is going to make a huge difference in someone's life!

Now, that covers what you are supposed to pack. There are several things that you are asked not to bring on this trip. Everything we do is for a purpose, and we ask everyone to adhere to these requests. We are on a media fast during the trip. Things that distract you from the focus of this trip are discouraged. We want you to be focused on the trip and meeting and mixing with the team members while on the trip. Please do not bring the following:

Cell-phones (you can use your cell phone for an alarm clock ONLY); lap top computers; Walkmans; I-Pods; books or magazines; hand held electronic games; etc.

We will have computers set up at the Mission House for people to use from time to time to send e-mails back home. There will be sign-ups to use the computers and a time limit per person. Remember, there will be 160 of us on the trip. You will not be able to use the computer every day and the amount of time you have on the computer will be very limited. For those on the trip that must have access to the computer (college students taking on-line classes, adults who have to access the computer for work purposes, etc) we will have additional computers set up for you to use. In addition, we will have emergency phones that we can use to call the States if needed. Please remember, the blog will be updated daily and people back home will be able to keep up with us and read about the activities, projects, and ministries that take place.

Much more information will be coming as the trip grows ever closer. Please e-mail me if you have any questions or comments. If you are a group leader please make sure this information is passed on to your team. The count down has started. 16 days and counting! Mark Connell / Larry Sawyer's trip just finished up with their trip this past weekend. Tim Hines / Gayle Davidson's team arrived and is on the ground now. Things are rolling and great things are being done in the name of Jesus. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him all creatures here below. Praise Him above ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen!

Terry