It is that time of the year when people are submitting requests for vacation time for next year and youth ministers are setting up summer calendars. Several have called and emailed asking for the summer dates for next year so after spending a lot of time staring at calendars trying to make everything fit, the 2013 dates are ready. As always, it looks good on paper! Hopefully this will all work out and work out well, and even more importantly I hope the dates will fit the schedules of all of those who wish to go on a trip this summer.
The first trip is a closed trip, meaning at this time I am not recruiting participants. Coach Jonathan Estes, the baseball coach for Freed-Hardeman University, is teaming up with TORCH to conduct a mission trip this summer to Panama June 2-11. As of now the trip is closed and is going to be offered only to the players, coaches, trainers, and immediate family of the players, along with a few interpreters. The team will be playing baseball in one of the baseball academies of Panama, working out with 17-21 year old players there and playing exhibition games at night. During the day we will be working with local congregations doing service projects and mission work.
BUENOS AIRES, COSTA RICA - JUNE 11-21. The trip to Costa Rica this year will again be in Buenos Aires working with Daniel Chaves and his family. Over the past 2 years of work there we have been able to do a lot of work and plan on building on what we have started. The trip will include door knocking; VBS classes at the local schools; devotionals; gospel meeting; men's Bible training seminar; women's Bible class; service projects; and medical brigade. The trip also includes a retreat in northern Costa Rica to La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano. Along with sight seeing we will go to the Baldi Hot Springs Thermo Resort for a day. Cost of the trip is $820 per person plus airfare and spending money.
HONDURAS TRIP #1 - JUNE 22 - JULY 2. The first trip to Honduras will spend 1/2 of the time in Choluteca, working in the village of Agua Agria, with the local church. Timeteo Estrada is from here and will be working with us. Plans will include expanding the playground we started this past summer; additional construction projects; VBS, gospel meeting; work on the school buildings; and medical clinic. The second half of the trip will be in Tegucigalpa where the team will construct houses; distribute food, clothes, and shoes; visit Hospital Esquela, the Blind School, and Didasko; along with other service projects. Cost of this trip is $820 plus airfare and spending money.
HONDURAS TRIP #2 - JULY 4-14. The second trip to Honduras will work in and around Tegucigalpa (Mololoa, Nueve Oriental, Santa Ana, San Miguel, etc.). This trip will build houses; distribute food, clothing, and shoes; VBS; visit Hospital Esquela, Blind School, Special Needs Orphanage (Bencaleth); work at Didasko Orphange; The Manna Project Feeding Center; FEMOSA Day Care; providing lunch at the city dump; service projects; devotionals; and more. The cost of this trip is also $820 plus airfare and spending money.
There are openings for all 3 trips (Costa Rica, and Hondo #1 & Hondo #2). Applications are ready and can be mailed or emailed to you. As always, the money for the trip pays for the following: airport taxes, tips, and fees; all lodging (hotel rooms or retreat centers); Torch tee shirt; country exit fees; ground transportation (bus rentals, bus drivers, insurance, fuel, parking, etc); truck rentals (insurance, fuel); delivery fees (for lumber, food, etc); Torch journal; work fund (tools, equipment, lumber, tin, bulk foods, etc); most meals; supplemental travel health insurance; IRC administration fee; and misc. expenses (stamps, postage, envelopes, shipping, storage, etc).
The theme for this year's trips is "The Power of 1: Ephesians 4: 4-6 / 1 Body, 1 Spirit, 1 Calling, 1 Hope, 1 Lord, 1 Faith, 1 Baptism, 1 God! It is going to be a great year and I look forward to working with you.
Feel free to contact me for more information or to get materials sent to you. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you. Take care and God bless. One in Christ!
TR
