Here we go!

GOD IS GOOD!
We are about 24 hours from departing for Buenos Aires, Costa Rica for the first of three mission trips this summer.  The past 2 weeks has been as crazy as any I have seen.  For real!  Our trip down south to take supplies to load in the container at Islamorada was crazy and will go down as one of the more memorable trips I have taken.  It will be a funny story in the future but blowing up the engine in the church van (literally, as the song goes, "Great Balls of Fire!") at 2:00 in the morning during a torrential down pour was anything but a laughing matter (on Mother's Day no less).  Meeting Pete, the tow truck operator, who got himself stuck in the mud while trying to rescue us, was interesting to say the least.  Being from Alabama and Joe and Steve Jones being from Mississippi, you would think we would be able to understand southern/country accents pretty well... but Pete was in another league of his own!  It took 2 additional tow trucks and the State Troopers shuting down I-65 for about 45 minutes (don't you know how popular we were for the drivers backed up for miles!)  However, on the flip side, we got the container loaded in a record 1 hour and 15 minutes, including Steve Schneider's last minute run from Mobile with 141 boxes of supplies!  To make it even more amazing, the truck left Islamorada at 11:00 am on Wednesday AND THE CONTAINER WAS IN HONDURAS FRIDAY NIGHT!  Has be be an all-time Torch record for fastest delivery!!!  GOD IS GOOD!

After getting back my job was to finish the journal, which was about about one month late.  I wrote the first 6 days to the journal with no problem but then finals, school ending, closing the door, and a multitude of other things (including writer's block) set in and the journal just sat on the computer, staring back at me daring me to finish it.  This past Monday (4 days ago) I woke up, took the bull by the horns, and conquered the rest of the journal in about 6 hours.  I got it to the printers at 9:00 pm on Monday and they said my 230 copies would be ready Thursday afternoon.  Cutting it close, but hey, I am used to that!  To my amazement, I got a call Wednesday afternoon around 3:00 from the printers telling me the journal was already done!  GOD IS GOOD!

But the biggest stresser in my life has been the government of Costa Rica.  During spring break we met with everyone that was anyone to find out exactly what we had to do to get our medical team and medicines into Costa Rica for the mission trip.  They gave us the list, told us to have it to them 30 days before arrival, and I set out to do all the things they asked for with the help of many people, including Minor Perez.  We turned everything in 30 days in advance, and began the waiting game.  1 week ago they dropped another stipulation on us that caused us to scramble once again.  Wednesday (2 days ago) we still had not received the paperwork needed and my stress level with to code red.  Then Thursday night, 1 phone call changed it all.  Minor called and said he had the needed documents and sent them by email to me.  I forwarded the documents to everyone carrying meds in by suitcase to make sure copies of the documents were in each one, and now, less than 24 hours before departure, everything is done!  GOD IS GOOD!

So, Saturday, May 26th, 54 begin the mission trip to Buenos Aires.  During the trip we are going to conduct a 4 day medical clinic at 2 different Indian Reservations; 5 days of VBS at 4 different schools (about 1,000 children total) with Kim Fussell teaching; 5 day gospel meeting with Joe Roberts preaching; 4 day men's seminar class with Wayne Scott teaching; 4 day ladies seminar class with Linda Moran teaching; 5 day children's class with Debbie Kirk and Brooke Smith teaching; building a classroom for the church; door knocking; and other projects I don't even know about yet that Daniel Chaves, the preacher, has planned for us!  It is going to be a busy trip to say the least! 

Keep us in your prayers.  GOD IS GOOD  and he is faithful.  May He alone be glorified in what we do.  ARISE!

TR