Strong Enough

Good day to all of you back home in the United States. I hope you are all doing fantastic!! Today was another great day; we were joined by a few more preachers in Costa Rica for the Gospel Meeting this morning. It was great meeting them and working with them. This morning we were on the bus by 6:45 am to go to the church for Breakfast. This morning we had rice and beans (pinto) and cheese and of course the best coffee ever!! (Starbuck don’t stand a chance!!) After breakfast we had morning devo. Nick Brosous gave us encouraging word this morning from Philippians 3:16. All of us know what is said in this verse. It reminds me of a song by Matthew West. I would like to share the lyrics to the chorus with you.

I know I'm not strong enough to be

everything that I'm supposed to be

I give up

I'm not strong enough

Hands of mercy won't you cover me

Lord right now I'm asking you to be

Strong enough

Strong enough

For the both of us

Sometimes, I believe we forget just how strong our God is. Sometimes we think we are not strong enough. Nick also shared with us 1 Cor. 10:13. God will not allow us to be tempted by anything without a way of escape. He will never give us more than we can handle. At age 17, Nick presented us with a great lesson. Thank you Nick.

After our devotional our VBS team went to a school to do lesson two. We had 250 kids in attendance. They participated and interacted with us. Kim Fussell has done an excellent job with telling the stories and Terry Reeves skits are unbelievably inconceivable (yes that is suppose to be funny). Terry did a wonderful job on the skit and has done a wonderful job leading our team.

While VBS was being conducted there was also a ladies class and a Men’s training class. Joe Roberts and Thad (sorry do not know the last name still working on that) conducted in the men’s training. Forgive me, but I am unsure who lead the ladies class. I promise to get that information and relay it to you all. There was also a group that stayed to fix lunches due to the ladies class.

At about 12 we met at the church for lunch. We had sandwiches and fruit. We were able to fellowship with all the brethren for a while before we divided up in teams to go door knocking. We had about 6 or 7 teams (maybe more) that went into the communities to study and invite the community to the meeting. We were able to knock doors for about one hour to 1 ½ hours before the rain came. It rains just about everyday, but we have been lucky. Today was the first day it rained during the day for a long period of time. So we went back to the church to wait until it stopped; however the end did not come. We were able to mingle with others, so that was a blessing. We shared a lot of laughs and made more memories to cherish. We came back to the hotel to clean up and prepare for worship.

We made our way back to the church for supper at 5:30. For supper we had chicken, rice and beans, and corn pudding (yes corn). The food has been so amazing. After supper we had worship. Rafael Barrantes prepared a great sermon. He taught about the mercy of God. He taught us not to think we have sin that cannot be forgiven. He discussed the love of God and said that, as our Father, God will always forgive us if our heart is right. God knows our hearts and knows if we are sincere when we ask for forgiveness. It was a very good lesson. After worship we greeted our brothers and sisters. We then had closing announcements and came back to the hotel. We ended the night earlier than usual so each person would be able to complete their Journals and truly reflect on all that God has done.

The work in Costa Rica has been awesome!! Personally, I have enjoyed the evangelism. Please continue to pray for the work and for the Gospel meeting. We have had four baptisms thus far with two more nights of the meeting left. Remember to keep not only our travels in your prayers but also the preachers that have traveled throughout Costa Rica to be here to help. Good night to you all!!

In Him

Brandy Barnett

I Belong to Jesus

Today was another day full of great things. God has shown His greatness throughout this trip so far. I hope you all are doing wonderful and have been blessed as well. Today started later than what we have been starting. We had to be on the bus by 7:45am to be at the church for breakfast at 8am. This morning we had sandwiches bananas, and most important of all COFFEE!! I know some of you are probably thinking “Sandwiches? For Breakfast?” Well we did and they were very yummy!!

Once everyone was finished with breakfast we had worship service with our brothers and sisters. I’m not sure if I have done any good at all explaining the times we have shared in worship with our Costa Rican brothers. Brother Christian (from Costa Rica) has been leading us in singing. The church here provides everyone with a songbook. This allows us gringos (Americans) to follow along and attempt to sing with the right pronunciation. It is such an incredible experience!! Ben Wright directed our thoughts with (Rafael translating) in Bible class this morning. He discussed the importance of taming the tongue. After Bible class we were able to meet some of the local members. Our new brothers and sister in Christ were there as well, Isaac, Charles, and Betsy. After a few minutes of greeting we began worship. We sang praises in Spanish and English. After a few songs, Wayne Scott provided our lesson with Diego as his translator. After the sermon we had the Lord’s Supper. Once we shared in the remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice we were able to fellowship with one another with a meal. For most of the TORCH members, this is a different experience, one that has been very rewarding. I’m not sure if I can put the feeling I personally have in words. Many of us have made several friends. Even though there is a Language barrier we still communicate with one another through gestures. It is truly a God thing.

Once we finished with Lunch we came back to the hotel to prepare for VBS. We also had a small group that were going back to the Church to paint and finish bookshelves. Keith Fussell provided Counseling sessions as well for a few individuals. The VBS team went to the Church, but there were only a few children. The team decided we would take the lesson into the community. We went to one neighborhood and went down the streets asking children and adults to come and watch the skit. It turned out to be a HUGE success. The kids really enjoyed the skits. The once participating in the skits did a wonderful job and were such great sports. It is extremely hot here and each member put their costumes and went on with the skit of the conversion of Paul. After the skit was complete we decided we had time to do one more, so we went to another neighborhood and did the same thing. (on a side note, the children that did come to the church came with us to help get other children to come). Once again, it was a success. At first I think some of us were upset that we did not have a big group at the church. However, after taking it to the neighborhood I think everyone agrees they like the idea, and nothing can stop God’s work.

After VBS we went back to the hotel to clean up for supper and worship service. For supper we had rice, beans, and chicken. Oh and I have to tell about the drink they served. It was really really good. It was banana and lemon mixed together. Now I know this might sound nasty, but you are terribly mistaken if you think so, but do not try and make it using only banana and lemon. It might be really bad if you do that. Apparently they also use a type of syrup that is not found back home…L After supper we started worship. Once again we praised God in song with our brothers and sisters. Afterward the preacher in Buenos Aires (Daniel Chavez) provided the sermon. He talked with us about how we are not our own. That we belong to Jesus. It was a very good lesson. Afterward we learned another brother was added to the church during the time the VBS team was away. If you are decent with number you will know that God has four new children in His family, and we have 3 brothers and 1 sister. God is so Good!!

It has been such a great blessing to be able to be here in Costa Rica with our local brethren. I can not believe we will be at day 5 tomorrow. Thank you so much for your prayers.

In Him

Brandy Barentt

If you would like to make comments feel free. My email is brandyb06@gmail.com.

Rejoice!!!

Rejoice in the Lord ___?___

Fill in the Blank…

I hope it does not take you long to complete the statement. However, while you are taking time to think about it, I would like to share with you all the unbelievably amazing day they our group was able to have.

We woke up and were on the buses to the church by 7am. This morning the ladies served us rice and beans with a type of sour cream and of course LOTS OF COFFEE!!!!!!! (On a side note the sour cream really isn’t sour cream, I’m just not sure how else to describe it, it was yummy though). After breakfast we met at the church to have morning devotional. Andrew Allgood led us in a few thoughts.

After the devotional we went to the park and divided into groups with a translator in each and passed out invitations to the Gospel Meeting at the Church beginning Sunday. Once we had worked for about 30 minutes in that area we loaded the buses to clean up so we could return to the Church to take part as witnesses of a wedding. This was a huge treat for all of us to witness. The couple that was getting married (Betsy and Charles) also arranged to be baptized the same day. The Wedding ceremony was conducted in Spanish and translated in English by Diego. It was such an honor for us to take part in this union between these individuals. We were asked to stay for the reception and fellowship with our local brethren. The food was incredible. A few of the TORCH members (Nick Brosous) had a bit of a shock when they took a bite of the carrots. The carrots had been shredded and soaked in jalapenos, and when one took a bite, that person became VERY HOT!!! The food was really good; yes even the carrots in there hotness were good!!

After we had eaten the group loaded the buses to go through the town door knocking. We did this for about an hour, then returned to the church to witness the newly weds baptism. It was so beautiful!!

After the baptism we came back to the hotel to cleanup so we could return to have dinner and worship. For dinner we had noodles in a cheese sauce with bread and pineapple!! I have personally not had a meal that I have not liked, so please do not worry about us not being fed.

After dinner we worshiped with our brothers and sisters. We sang songs in Spanish and English. Once the lesson was complete we had another brother added to the family (if you do well in math I’m sure you have realized that equals 2 new brothers and 1 sister totaling 3 added to the family)

For our evening devotional Joe Roberts led us in a few thoughts with Diego translating. Honestly, I have know idea how to put his lesson in words that could illustrate how well both Joe and Diego did. The translating was extremely funny, due to the story Joe used about a joyful parakeet. Joe used sound effects and body language to tell the story, and Diego translated both words, body language, and sound effects. The point of the story was no matter what we should all Rejoice in the Lord always, even when we have a bad day like the parakeet who was sucked up a vacuum cleaner, put under a ice cold water, and then was dried by a hair dryer (yes picture that being translated).

If you haven’t already completed the Statement here it is. Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS!!!!!!.

I hope you all are having a wonderful time back home. We miss you all and look forward to seeing you, but until then have a wonderful night!!!!

In Him,

Brandy Barnett

Great Things

To day was the first day of “Great Things”!! Our morning started out early. We all were up and on the bus by seven and went to the Church for breakfast. The ladies of the congregation did and will be providing our meals for the trip. This morning we had rice, beans, eggs, and bread. Now for those who do not know, beans and rice are going to be with just about every meal. The ladies did a fabulous job with the meal.

After breakfast we met for our morning devotional thought. Terry Reeves provided the thoughts for this morning. Terry discussed a story about Max Lucado. Max is a well-known author and also a missionary. Terry told us a story about Max praying the Lord will provide him with “great things”. After his prayer the phone rang and a lady asked him to take her to the doctor. Terry wanted to emphasis that no matter what it is, if God has led us to help in His name, it is a Great Thing!!

Once the devotional had finished the VBS crew came back to the hotel to divide supplies, run through the skit, and prepare costumes. The remaining team members stayed at the building to paint, build book shelves, and clean around the build to prepare for a wedding and the Gospel meeting beginning tomorrow.

Before the VBS team made our way to the school we were provided Lunch prepared by the ladies. WOW!!!!!! All I can say is…..WOW!!!! The ladies have done an excellent job preparing the meals, and its only the first day!! We had fish, salad, rice and beans!!!! We also had passion fruit juice!!! YUMMY!!!!!!

Once the VBS crew was “prepared”, and full of yummy food, we loaded the bus and made our way to one of the local schools. We had about 90 children in attendance. Kim Fussell told the story of the Conversion of Saul, while Kattia translated for her. The children seemed to enjoy the story. After the telling of the story we prepared a skit of the event. Our AWESOME VBS team did an AMAZING job with this. They did the entire skit in Spanish. The Children really enjoyed and interacted the team. Once the skit was complete we had four stations the children went to, where the received a snack, a craft, watched a puppet skit (which was prepared just minutes before), and participated in a game. It was an awesome experience and the children we great.

We then met up with the remaining team and went to the local park. Here we sang and several of the local men present devotional thoughts for the community and invited them to the Gospel meeting. All this was broadcast on the radio thanks to Daniel Chavez (the preacher).

After the time in the park we came back to the hotel and cleaned up a bit before going to the building for supper. For supper we had rice, potatoes, meat and avocado. WE had this red Kool-Aid as well that tasted like bubble gum!! Have I mentioned that the food is FABULOUS…well it is FA-BU-LOUS!!!!

Once everyone was finished with the meal we had our evening devotional. Wayne Scott provided us with a great lesson. He asked if anyone of us had ever been scared. He then said we all have something to fear, Satan. He used Luke 22:31 to explain how Satan sought Peter. If he tried to win Peter, then Satan will try to seek us as well. Wayne encouraged us to watch out because the devil is after us. He encouraged us to turn to God as well. He says, and I know, that God is greater then any of our enemies!!!

After devo we did “Where did you see Jesus?” Jesus was seen in many of the people on the trip and with the amazing Costa Ricans. Jesus was seen in the VBS crew for stepping up at the last minute. Jesus was seen in Terry Reeves for his willingness to plan and organize trips for TORCH groups. Jesus was seen in the Ladies in the Church for their hard work and happy spirits. He was seen in one of the bus drivers for assisting with some of the translating. Jesus was seen in Daniel for his hard work and continuous work here. He works so hard and is so energetic and loving. He works hard to ensure everyone has a chance to here God’s Word. Daniel is the most awesome person I personally have ever met!!

Once we were finished we loaded the buses and made our way back to hotel. Some went back to the church to move dirt for the wedding and some went and played soccer. All in all it has been a great start to a great trip. God is in complete control and has been seen in everyone and everything!!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We do miss you all back home, but there is work to be done and God has given this group the opportunity to assist in His work.

God Bless,

Brandy Barnett

Cristo Vive En Mi

Christ live in Me!!

We have finally arrived!! I hope all of you back in the States are doing fantastic!!! For those who do not know me, my name is Brandy Barnett. I will be keeping you all updated throughout the trips in Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras. I hope you all will keep up with our travels and continue to pray for us. The group members will have access to the internet when available. Due to the media fast they are not suppose to access any social networks just email. Please be patient with the post if there are any delays, we are not guaranteed internet access each night. So let the work begin!!

Today has been a day full of travel!! Our group had several travel from different parts of the U.S. The team consists of about 43 ½, give or take. Once we arrived in San Jose we claimed our luggage, met at the buses, loaded the buses, then went to a food court to eat. After eating we loaded the buses then made the four hour trip up, around, through, over, etc a huge mountain!! The trip was beautiful. Many people attempted to sleep, some sang, some chatted, some told jokes, etc. Apparently there was this AMAZING sunset that I missed so I really cannot describe that, hey what can I say one needs beauty sleep. But ultimately we arrived at our destination, the wonderful Buenos Aires, Costa Rica. We are currently working on our rooming situations which seem to be a little crazy, so instead of “Welcome to Honduras” we are now experiencing “Welcome to Costa Rica” side effects. In all seriousness though we are grateful we have arrived and are ready for some much needed rest. It looks like we will have a pretty long day tomorrow, so until then….buenas noches!!!

In Him,

Brandy Barnett

Oh and if you have any questions regarding the blog feel free to email me at brandyb06@gmail.com.

Ready... set... go!

Well, it is time! After months of time thinking, dreaming, and planning mission trips it is time to go! Wednesday afternoon a small group of us leave west Tennessee by church bus to Nashville to meet up with about a dozen more. We will attend Bible class at the Rural Hill church of Christ, see some old and dear friends, and then begin our all night drive to Atlanta. Several of us are flying on Spirit Airlines and the flight leaves at 7:00 am. 40 of us will rendezvous in San Jose, Costa Rica, Thursday around lunch time to begin our mission trips.

Months turned into weeks, and then weeks turned into days. And now we are counting down the hours! In less that 18 hours all of the work that I can do from here is done and I will be in the field working and checking emails. All of the Torch gear has been mailed off and received (as far as I know at least!), the last checks have been mailed off today for things I can pay for here in the States, money has been withdrawn from the bank, and laundry is in the machine... I will finish packing tonight and then (hopefully) get a good night's sleep tonight. If that happens it will be a first!

I know the Costa Rica team is pumped up! I have received dozens of emails and phone calls in the last 24 hours from team members checking in, making sure they haven't forgotten anything, and to find out if there is any last minute things they can do before we leave. For the Honduras team, you are still sitting there wondering how all of this was done WAY before the typical deadlines! Awesome, isn't it? We have finally chased down the last bit of the missing paper work (I will be nice and not mention names or express my real thoughts on this...) collected final payments, and the Honduras team is about ready to go.

Let me post an article I found last year that it very informative and helpful; it is called the 10 commandments of flying. Flying would be much more civil if everyone took time to remember that they are sharing tight, cramped quarters with other people and the following 10 commandments would make the skies friendlier:

1. Be a pro, not a rookie

Don't clog the line at the security check point by being unprepared when you finally get to the X-Ray conveyor belt. While standing in line use the time wisely. Remember EVERYONE has to do this so be ready before you get there: Have a belt? Take it off and roll it up and place it inside one of your shoes (that you have to take off); Already have your cell phone, keys, watch (if it has a metal band), and change inside you carry on bag; Keep you passport and airline flight info with you when you go through the scanner; grab your stuff on the other side of the scanner and walk away to a place to put your belt and shoes back on (unlike the rookies who will stand by the X-Ray machine to do this).

2. Hurry up and wait?

Why is everyone in such a rush to get on the airplane? There is no prize for being on there first and the plane doesn't leave until everyone is on... so why rush? Wait until your group is called. Relax, your seat is going to be there... after all, you are going to be sitting in in for a while!

3. Learn how to count to 1

All major airline carriers limit carry-on luggage to 1 piece of hand luggage and 1 personal item (such as a purse, briefcase, or laptop). It does not mean all of these listed PLUS a shopping bag, a sweater, a pillow, a giant water bottle, and an European shoulder bag. 1 means 1. Learn to count to 1 and make everyone happier.

4. Learn to be literal

A carry-on means a carry-on... you should actually be able to carry your luggage down the isle without smashing it into other people's heads. You should also be able to lift it and place it in the overhead bin without the assistance of a 6'5, 315 pound offensive lineman from the Steelers. If it is too big, too heavy, and won't fit into the overhead bin without forcing it... it is not a carry-on bag. Bit the bullet and check it in and pay for it.

5. De-leverage

When you have to get out of those comfy seats, don't grab the seat in front of you to pull yourself up! It is about as annoying as the little kid that sits behind you kicking the back of your seat during the entire flight. Use your armrests to push yourself up.

6. Look back Jack

Before you recline your chair, take a look behind you to see if you are about to upset the apple cart... or computer, or hot cup of coffee!

7. Use your inside voice

Remember, you are not the only one on the plane. Use your inside voice (quiet) on the plane. If you are in a group with cool matching t-shirts, don't draw any more attention than you already have... by talking to someone 6 rows back in your outside voice!

8. Be polite

Stay out of the isle. Sit in your assigned seat. Go to the restroom only if you have to go to go. Don't hit the call button unless it is important... attendants have plenty to do. Be nice!

9. Your mom doesn't work on this plane

Clean up after yourself. Don't stuff trash into the pocket of the chair in front of you or throw it on the floor. Nobody likes to see a coffee cup crammed into the seat pocket or gum sticking pages of the flight magazine together. Throw your stuff away when the attendants come by with the trash bag.

10. On your mark.... get set.... wait!

As eager as people are to get on the plane it is amazing to note that they are even more eager to get off of the plane. Shockingly, there are no prizes for those who get off the plane first. Unclicking the belt buckle and leaping to the isle as soon as the ding is heard is not an Olympic sport so just stay seated... and wait. The etiquette is simple, exit by rows. It actually works amazingly well. After all, you are going to have to wait for your luggage anyways!

Do these things and you will fly like a pro and won't look like a rude, selfish rookie. Don't be the one everyone talks about after the flight unless of course they are saying wonderful things about you and your courteous, professional manner you displayed by practicing the 10 commandments of flying.

I look forward to seeing you in Central America! Pray for the Costa Rica team and read the blog to keep up with our work! The time has come and the Lord reigns. God bless our efforts.

TR

It is almost time!

Today our nation celebrated Memorial Day, a day set aside to remember those who have found and those who died defending the rights, privileges, and freedoms we hold so important and what sets us apart from the other countries of the world. I frequently see bumper stickers and billboards which state "Freedom is not free." that is very, very true. Great prices have been paid in order that freedom might exist today not only here, but other places as well. I know most of you, like me, have family members that are or have served in the military and I am very proud of them. It is very humbling to know that others, people I do not even know, that are standing in the gap for me right now. To say thank you is but one way to show appreciation. Memorial Day is but one day to honor those to whom honor is due. I hope we never forget the price that has been paid for us because there is no way we can ever repay it. Thank you!

Spiritually, the same thing is true. Every Sunday is a memorial day in which we honor and remember Jesus who paid the ultimate price for our freedom from sin. This freedom too came at a huge price. Jesus willfully came and died to take our place and to take our sins to the grave with Him. To say thank you is but one way to show appreciation. To remember Him and to obey His commands and wishes is another. I hope that we never forget the price that was paid for us because there is no way we can ever repay it. Thank you!

The Costa Rica team is now just days (1 week) away from leaving!!! Things are in a frenzy around here as we are getting the last minute things done in preparation for departure. Tomorrow (Tuesday) boxes and packages are being mailed out all over the place to get t-shirts, journals, water bottles, and rain jackets to everyone before we leave. It has taken us hours of sorting and double checking everything before packing them up and sealing the boxes. Depending on how fast the mail travels everyone should have their stuff by this weekend.

I am going to the bank tomorrow to let them know that a big withdrawal is coming (big for me anyways... for banks it might not be that big of a deal...). The supplemental travel insurance HOPEFULLY will be taken care of tomorrow... I am still waiting on 1 application to arrive... I can't order until I have every one's applications so I can get the right information off of them. Once that is done all of the major things that are pressing will be just about complete and I will be able to get to bed and get some sleep. I feel like I am aging in dog years!

Now would be a good time to go over your packing list, locate your passport (you would be surprised how many people panic the night before they leave because they can't find their passports!), and start prepping for the trip. Now, I know for some of you that you are laughing right now, and that is OK. Believe it or not there are people that really do get ready for the trip days ahead of time and do not wait till the last minute. I of course am not one of them, but there are some out there! Please make sure you have contacted your insurance company and your bank to let them know you are going to be out of the country... they need to know. If you take prescription medicines, now would be a great time to make sure you have plenty of medicine before you leave.

I will be sending out emergency contact information very soon for you to leave at home in case someone needs to reach us during the trip. Please remember that phone calls back to the States is for emergency purposes but emails and fax will be available on limited basis. We will be posting information about the trip everyday on this blogspot so make sure everyone knows the blog address so that they can read the daily updates to see what we have been doing! Brandy Barnett and her assistants do a great job tracking the events of the day and posting photos too. Also remember that we are going to be on a media fast. Cell phones, I-Pads, computers, I-Pods, etc. will not be used on the trip. We want participants to focus on the mission trip and getting to know people on the trip and not retreating to ear buds to listen to music, texting on cell phones, or hoping on a computer to check Facebook.

More information coming soon. I can't believe it is almost here! Take care and I will talk to you again soon!

TR

It's here!

We just got home late Monday night from a week's vacation (yes, an actual vacation!) and a trip to Birmingham to visit with Nathan and Karen and to go to Karen's graduation from UAB optometry school. We now have our second doctor in the family (Judy Mitchell was our first when she got her Dr. of therapy from Belmont a couple of years ago). Karen and Nate are now off to St. Petersburg, Florida, where she will complete her residency at the V.A. Hospital. She begins July 1 for a year long program. I guess we will have to tough it out and go visit them while they are there!

This week almost seemed like Christmas here. I have been patiently waiting for all of the stuff to get here from the silk screen shop for the trip. Monday the main team t-shirts came in, 4 boxes in all. Of course I opened every one of them! The shirts look great! Tuesday a second set of shirts arrived. Wednesday the rain jackets AND water bottles came in!!! Did anyone hear me say, "Oh yeah!"? Everything looks really good, especially the water bottles. I was nervous since we had to go with another style but I am quite happy with them. Our living room is filled with all of this stuff and is in the process of being sorted into sizes so that we can begin putting together every one's orders. The last piece of the puzzle, the Torch journal, is almost done and should be going to print later today or Friday. Everything should be ready to go and in the mail no later than Tuesday of next week!

Payments and checks have been flooding my mailbox this week as well. REMEMBER, THIS WEEKEND IS THE DEADLINE IF YOU ARE MAILING A CHECK TO ME! Starting Tuesday (Monday is a Federal holiday) any outstanding payments or donations has to be in the form of cash. I will not have time to deposit checks and have them clear in time to withdraw the money for the trips.

The container is off and away! Gayle Davidson and crew from Melbourne loaded the 40' container and it was trucked to Port Everglades Tuesday and was loaded on a boat headed for Honduras. The projected arrival date for the container is June 2nd. Our team ended up with an amazing 450 boxes of supplies! Thank you so much for all of your hard work and effort to collect, sort, box, and label supplies. A very special thanks to those who traveled to Melbourne to delver the supplies. Steve Schneider, from Mobile, Alabama, receives the Road Warrior Award for his efforts! According to Gayle Davidson, Steve is worth of double honor for what he went through to get his supplies to her. Let's just say he went the extra mile and we will let him tell his story! Years from now it will reach legendary status.

The Costa Rica team is now exactly 2 weeks away from departure today! Last minute arrangements and plans are being worked on and should be completed this week. There is still a lot to do and I only have 24 hours in a day to work on them. I am going to bed late and getting up early (I guess I am conditioning myself for the trip sleep schedule too!) to get it all done. Lots of emails will be sent out in the next few days but hopefully most are reading this blog. The Honduras team is now less than a month away from leaving. Even though the Honduras team has a bit more time to get ready, it will be here before you know it. but for me everything has to be done in the next 10 days. And I have to tell you, I am excited!

In the next few days I will be posting all kinds of information from items to pack to take with you to travel suggestions to make the trip go a little bit smoother. A lot of you will need to do some things that will require a bit of time and work, but it will all make your trip better. So make sure to check the blog daily as updates are posted. Hasta luego!

TR

Some days are like that, even in Australia

Have you ever read the book, "Alexander's terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day?" If you haven't, go out and get it and read it. If you have, you will totally understand why I am referencing the book in this blog.

As our trip rapidly approaches, we have experienced the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. In the book Alexander has a horrible day with a string of events that just doesn't go his way... at all. From not getting a pair of shoes he liked to "accidentally" calling Australia on his Dad's phone, he just had one of those days. The book puts humor to the fact that things don't always go as you wanted or hoped, and that you just have to accept the fact that some days are just like that... even in Australia, where Alexander wants to move to in the book. Well, let me share with you our version of the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

I have been working daily for the past 3 weeks on the art work for our t-shirts, rain jackets, and water bottles. Emails and art work has been going back and forth as I worked to polish and perfect what I wanted on all of the stuff. I received orders, sizes, colors, and things where just clipping along beautifully, until it was time to actually place the order and "run with it." This past Thursday, when I placed the order and finalized everything, I received an email from the print company that the water bottle we had picked out was out of stock and would not be available until September. They had searched and could not find a suitable replacement. Great news 3 weeks before we are supposed to leave. So 24 hours of searching and calling finally found a 32 ounce bottle similar to the one we wanted and the order was placed... now we are playing a waiting game to see if everything will come in by May 27th so I will have enough time to mail everything out to team leaders.

Over a week ago Daniel Chavez contacted Minor Perez and I asked for money so that he could go ahead and pay for some of the things that he needed do to get ready for our trip to Costa Rica. He needed money for the hotel in Buenos Aires, money for the bus rentals... money to buy food and to rent a house for a week for all of the extra workers coming in. He needed to pay for the TV and radio advertisements he did for the campaign, money to buy paint and brushes for the service projects. No problem. Minor and I calculated the amount, Daniel sent us his bank information, and I went to my bank to wire the money. No problem. I wired about $11,000 to Costa Rica that very day. The bank confirmed the wire went through and was in the National Bank of Costa Rica. The next day we receive information that Daniel could not withdraw the money because it was more than $10,000 and that his account had been frozen. The bank thought it looked a bit suspicious. It took almost a week before Daniel could convince the bank that we were a mission group and not drug runners!

Got an email from Steve Schneider from Mobile asking for contact information for Tim in New Orleans so he can make arrangements to take his boxes of supplies over to New Orleans to the container going out from there. I gave Steve Tim's email address and received a copy from Steve contacting Tim. I also received a copy of Tim's email response asking Steve to call him because there has been a change in plans. Tim is now taking all of my supplies, along with his, to Melbourne to ship out because only 1 container is now going instead of 2. Steve now has to take his stuff to Melbourne instead of New Orleans before the 20th so that it can make it on the container. I then receive an email from Gayle stating that Steve's truck broke down on the way to Melbourne and is having all kinds of trouble getting his stuff to her.

Ken Haab called me last night. He was contacted by American Airlines stating that anyone who purchased an airline ticket after February 1st cannot check 2 bags on the flight for free but will have to pay $30 for the 2nd bag. By the time I got off the phone with Ken I realized I wasn't even surprised, and that I must now just go ahead and change my name to Alexander. Maybe I could go by Alex, or even Al. However, anyone who helps me organize trips, and is a veteran to all of this knows that this happens all the time. It isn't even a trip without stuff like this happening. These are the bumps in the road, the hiccups along the way, that you deal with as you prepare for a trip like ours. After all, in the book Alexander gets upset over lots of things. He doesn't get a prize in his box of cereal, but he does get cereal. He doesn't get fancy tennis shoes, but he does get shoes. Alexander got what he needed, not necessarily what he wanted. And the same thing will be true for us as we get ready for this trip.

This doesn't mean we don't keep planning. It doesn't mean we don't try to plan the work and then work the plan. Quite the opposite. The only way to make a trip like ours run smoothly is to set due dates, plan schedules, and implement them. When a bump comes along, you deal with it and continue on your way. You adjust, fix, or solve the problem at hand and go on. I have used the analogy of a duck swimming on a pond. From the surface you see a duck swimming on the top of the water of the pond, gliding along with such beauty and grace. The duck looks so calm and he does everything with such little effort from your view point. What you don't see is what is going on under the water. Those little webbed feet are busy at work keeping the duck balanced and on course so that up top everything looks so smooth and perfect. Just know as you get ready to go on your trip, many people are busy at work getting everything done so that our trip will run as smoothly as possible.

So, we are coming down the home stretch. Remember, all money in the form of checks MUST, MUST, MUST be in my possession by May 28th (11 days from today!!!). Any money after that date has to be cash and cash cannot be sent in the mail. After May 28th any remaining balance has to be paid in cash in Costa Rica or Honduras, depending on which team you are on. Photocopies of passports are due now. We MUST have photocopies of ALL passports before we leave the country. Margaret will be giving me an updated list of things that are missing from everyone and I will be passing that information on ASAP. Time is beginning to run out and the stress level is rising. due dates are rapidly approaching and the pressure is on. Everyone has to do their part to make this trip go smoothly. Don't be the bump in the road or the hiccup that we have to deal with here. Do your part so that we can do ours.

Let me know if you have any questions. My excitement for the trips is blended with stress and concern but one thing is for sure, we are about 3 weeks away from launching out for Central America!!!!! Can you believe it? After all of this time we are just about there. The count down clocks on the blog says it all... ready or not, here we go! Hasta luego me amigos, Dios te bendiga!

TR

Gear for sale

As our trips rapidly approach, some of you might already be starting to round up items from the packing list for your trip. 2 items on the list that are of importance is a rain jacket and a water bottle. Now, some of you might have old water bottles and jackets to take, which is great. Others might need to go out and buy these before the trip. I have a suggestion for you! We are having custom water bottles and rain jackets made for our trips this summer. Now, it is totally up to you, but you have a chance to buy some cool gear and let the profits of the sales go towards our work fund or you can save a couple of bucks and let the profits go to some store that does not have the people of Honduras and Costa Rica in mind.

The water bottle this year is very cool. It is a 32 ounce polyurethane bottle with a heavy duty screw on top with a pop up spout. Charcoal grey with Torch logo imprinted. These bottles retail in stores for $19 but we are selling ours for $12.

Rain jackets are water resistant with hood and draw string. The jacket folds up and is stored inside the front pouch pocket and can easily be stored in your backpack. It comes in 4 different colors! Red, Navy, black, and royal blue. Retails for $26 but we are selling ours for $22. Comes in sizes S-3X. Torch logo imprinted on left chest.

Orders must be placed by May 11th to give the supplier time to get the order ready. Contact me by email to place an order. Groups go through your group leader to place orders. Remember, profits will go into our work fund this summer to help assist in our projects! Hope to hear from you soon!

TR

What do you do when the wind blows?

An old farmer owned and operated a large farm outside of a small town in Indiana. He was in need of help and put an ad in the local paper seeking a farm hand. A handsome young man drove up to the house a day later to ask about the job. During the discussion, the farmer asked for the young man's qualifications. With an air of confidence the man replied, "I can sleep when the wind blows." Puzzled by the statement the old farmer scratched his head for a moment. He wasn't sure about the statement but the young man was kind, polite, and looked like he could handle hard work so he was offered the job.

Just a few days after the young man began work the old farmer and his wife were suddenly awakened in the night by a violent storm. The quickly set out to check things to see if everything was alright. As they headed for the door they noticed a good supply of split logs neatly stacked by the fireplace. As they circled the house they noticed that the window shutters had been closed and securely fastened. Inside the storage shed they found all of the farm tools neatly arranged and stored. The tractor was in the over-sized garage and the barn was properly locked. Animals were in their stalls and the horses in the corral. The finally made it to the guest quarters to check on the young man. The man was in bed and asleep. All was well.

It was then that the old farmer understood the young man's words a few days ago, "I can sleep when the wind blows." Because the young man did his work properly and faithfully when the skies were clear he was prepared for a storm if it ever came upon him. So, when the storm came, he was fearless and slept in peace. It isn't the things you do but the things left undone that gives you heartache and grief.

As our trip grows every nearer, it is my hope that we have done the things needed ahead of time properly and faithfully so that we will be able to sleep soundly at night while in Costa Rica or Honduras! 6 weeks and counting before our first group departs. Lots of work still to do. Lets get to it.

TR

Time line updated!

April 21, 2011. Time line for those who need to know -

Wednesday, May 4th: Deadline for supplies being brought to Henderson, TN to go to New Orleans, LA for the container
Thursday, May 5th: Deadline for all supplies being loaded on the container in Melbourne, FL
Saturday, May 7th: Deadline for all supplies being loaded on the container in New Orleans, LA
Sunday, May 24th: Deadline for all paperwork, photographs, passport copies, etc.
Sunday, May 29th: All money and unpaid balances due. No checks accepted after this date, cash only from this point on.
Wednesday, June 8th: Interns and extended team leave for Atlanta
Thursday, June 9th: Costa Rica team arrives and begins work
Sunday, June 19th: Costa Rica team returns to the States; Nicaragua team arrives in Managua
Tuesday, June 21st: Extended team and advance team arrive in Tegucigalpa, Honduras
Friday, June 24th: Honduras team arrives
Monday, July 4th: Honduras team returns to the States; extended team departs for Santa Rosa de Copan, Honduras
Monday, July 11th: Extended team departs for the States

Supplies being sent to Honduras are due VERY soon. So far a ton of stuff has been collected, sorted, boxed, inventoried, and labeled. The Bell Shoals congregation collected a whopping 107 boxes of supplies! Steve Johnson and company have already delivered their boxes to Gayle in Melbourne. Ken Haab, in Islamarada, FL, has been collecting supplies for several weeks now and are nearly ready to take their supplies to Melbourne. Diane Adams will be taking supplies from Sarasota too. Up here, the Pennsylvania team brought down their supplies a couple of weeks ago. Theirs, along with supplies from west Tennessee and middle Tennessee, has totaled 106 boxes so far. Today more supplies arrived here at F-HU and we will be having another packing party in the next couple of days! I will also be ordering a pallet of Romen Noodles and some playground equipment to go on the New Orleans container. Tim O'Dell and the Cookville team have collected over 100 handmade dresses that they will be bringing down with them in their luggage. I believe the Mobile, AL team has collected several boxes of supplies as well that will be going over to New Orleans. I am estimating that we will have well over 300 boxes of supplies going to Honduras this summer!

LOTS of money that has been paid in has gone out in the form of deposits for hotels, bus reservations, etc. In just a couple of weeks I will be purchasing the supplemental travel insurance policies for everyone. The Torch admin fees will also be paid during that time. T-shirts are about to be ordered and journals will be printed within the next 3 or 4 weeks. In other words, we are on the move and the train is about to leave the station! Although a few have completely paid off their remaining balances, MOST of you are in the count down before final money is due. 38 days to be exact! If you are not in crunch mode, it is time. The next 7-8 weeks are going to fly by and there is very little time to waste. MANY still have not turned in vital paper work and several have not sent me flight information yet! That was due several weeks ago... I must have this information ASAP.

I will keep you updated on information schedules, etc., as I receive it. Man am I getting excited! Stay tuned, much, much more to come soon!

TR

What would you do?

Ice cream. Oh the very mention of the word. Soft serve. Hand dipped. Homemade. Store bought. All natural. Vanilla. Chocolate. Mint chocolate chip. 32 flavors. Ben and Jerry. Bryers. Hagen daz. One of the major food groups. Nero, during the 4th century BC, started the craze by bringing ice down from the mountains and crushing it and mixing fruit into it. By the 13th century Marco Polo brought back to Europe the milk and ice method from the Chinese. By the 18th century Italy and France was making sherbets. George Washington ate it. Thomas Jefferson's favorite was vanilla. By 1851 in was being sold in stores. Don't you love studying history? Along came the ice cream sandwich. And in particular, a company that made Klondike Bars. And their clever and nifty little catch phrase, "What would you do for a Klondike Bar?" Great commercials! Oh the things people were willing to do to get a Klondike bar! Of course, the point of the advertisement was to get people to think that people would be willing to do just about anything to get one. And they sold a LOT of ice cream bars. Right now some of you might be thinking, "You are right! I would do just about anything for a Klondike Bar!" What would you do? So, how did the Klondike Bar become so successful? After all, there are dozens and dozens of ice cream companies out there that offer hundreds, if not thousands of products. How did Klondike separate themselves from the pack? Well, they took something that was well known, something that people felt like they needed, something desirable. They produced a product that was practical, unique, and affordable. They built up a loyal consumer base, and then hit a home run with the advertisement catch phrase. Make sense? Did it work? So, let's use the Klondike bar's amazing little catch phrase, change up just a little, and use it in another way, shall we? Let's go with, "what would you do to go on a Torch trip?" Well, let's see, we found something that was well known that people felt like they needed to have. Mission work is the heart and soul of Christianity and evangelism. Christians feel the need to do mission work and have a passion for it. We took the concept of mission work and made it practical, unique, and affordable. We took the words of Matthew 25 and developed a program that incorporated the things Jesus talked about in that chapter. We refined the ministries, streamlined methods, and made trips that were available for most people on a budget that most people could afford. Then we built up a loyal base, or core group, of workers that have come year after year. We don't have a clever jingle or catch phrase, at least not yet. Now, I am not saying that Torch Missions is a company with a clever Marketing and Public Relations department. Far from it. I just happen to see some things that are in common. But you know what they say, the best advertising is by word of mouth by satisfied customers. Sure, we set up booths at youth rallies and lectureships. We visit congregations and make presentations to schools, youth groups, and churches. We have pamphlets and booklets and banners and posters. We have slide shows and DVDs. But to be honest, that is not where we get most of our team members. Most of our team members are recruited by the people that have gone on our trips before. They know what we do, why we do it, and what they get from it. They believe in Torch Missions, and because of their convictions, they bring others with them to share in the experience. So, back to the question, "What would you do to go on a Torch trip?" Work a second job. Take on a paper route. Bag groceries on my day off for tips. Wash cars. Baby sit... a lot. Sell my truck. Use part of my school loan money. Cash in an insurance policy. Use the savings I built up to buy a car. Have a yard sale, and then another, and another, and another. Bake pies and cakes. Clean the church building. Build a homemade putt putt course for people to play. Put on a murder mystery dinner show. Have an auction. Sell BBQ ribs and chicken. Paint Christmas decorations. Dress up like Santa and use White Out to make my eyebrows white. Have a golf tournament. Have a spaghetti dinner and sell tickets. Flip pancakes and cook sausage. Sell refreshments at a ball game. Do yard work and cut grass. Sell doughnuts before school starts. Hand paint tennis shoes to sell. Use up all of my vacation time for the year to go on the trip. That is what you would do. You would do this and more. Because every one of these examples are true examples that someone did to go on a Torch Missions trip. Why? Because it is worth it. Pure and simple... it is worth it. Of course, there are lots of people that don't like Klondike Bars. Some people don't like them and they haven't even tried one. But their minds are made up. They look at people who are willing to do almost anything to get a Klondike Bar as someone that is weird and one brick shy of a load. They don't like it, want it, and because of that do not get it. The same thing is true for mission work to Central America. They don't like it, want it, and because of that do not get it. They think it is a waste of time and money and think you are weird and one brick shy of a load. They just don't get it. I feel sorry for them. I really do. Because once you get it, you GET IT! Have you got it? TR

It's all in the details

To the surprise of most, I did not pull any April Fool's pranks today. I really didn't. And even more shocking, no one pulled any on me. That's OK with me, I really don't need April 1st to pull a prank... just ask Diane Adams or Tara Shay. Sometimes I do my best work in Honduras. Time will tell what this year's trip might bring... we do have a LOT of new people going this year! However, April 1st means other things to us. Specifically, it begins the final count down for all supplies that will be shipped down to Honduras. 30 days and counting, give or take, until everything needs to be sorted, counted, boxed, labeled, and inventoried. I will be emailing specific instructions to team leaders next week concerning all of this. The better organized we are on this end will help make the job of unloading and unpacking on the other end. 24 of us will be in Honduras a couple days ahead of the main team getting things ready. Our specific job will be to organize the boxes according to content into several different groupings: Men's clothes; women's clothes; children's clothes; infant clothes; shoes; toys and stuffed animals; school supplies; medical supplies; hygiene supplies; tools; medicines; Bible and VBS supplies; etc. Once the main team arrives we will sort the supplies even further according to male/female clothes and by sizes; male / female / children's shoes and by sizes; sort the 50+ different medicines and break the bulk items into prescription sized pill bottles; sort the school supplies; sort the VBS supplies; sort and package the hygiene items; etc. It is a lot of work but the better organized we are the more efficient we are when it comes time to give the supplies away to those who need it. We will do the same thing with bulk foods. We will order huge amounts of beans; rice; sugar; flour; spaghetti noodles; tomato sauce; shortening; bullion cubes; coffee; etc. and will break the items down into family sized portions and assemble food bags. We will also buy fresh food such as carrots; cucumbers; onions; potatoes; cabbage; oranges; etc. and will make family sized portions to be given away. Depending on how much money we raise for the work fund, we might be able to distribute food bags to over 1,000 families this trip (or about 5,000 people) which could amount to over 100,000 meals (3 meals a day for 1 week). . I have talked to Gayle Davidson and Tim Hines this past week concerning the containers. Plans have changed slightly and most definitely to our favor. All supplies being collected in Florida will still be sent to Melbourne, Florida, where Gayle will make room for them on her container that is being loaded and shipped out the 1st week of May. Any supplies that are being collected elsewhere will be sending their boxes to New Orleans. Tim has a container that is going out the 2nd weekend of May. Both containers will arrive in Honduras before we get there. I will be driving a truck down to New Orleans the 1st weekend in May so if you can get your stuff to me I will be glad to take it along with the things we have collected here. Jenny Lovell continues to do a great job raising money for our work fund. She has had donations for dedication houses, money to buy Bibles, funds to help buy medicines, and donations to help with the cost of shipping our supplies down. Remember, the more money we have in the work fund the more houses we can build, food distributions to give away, Bibles to give away, and special projects like banquets for Jesus we can do. With a team as large as ours, our only real limit is how much we have to fund projects. We are capable of doing multiple tasks every day during our entire trip to Honduras. On the Costa Rica trip, things are well on their way to being organized and ready to roll. 36 of the 42 team members have now bought their airline tickets. Hotel rooms have been reserved (3 different locations). Buses have been reserved. Daniel Chaves has organized work projects for us... we literally start work 3 hours after we arrive in Buenos Aires! Door knocking teams will be going out every day that we are there; 5 nights for the gospel meeting; 4 days of VBS; 3 days of training classes for men, women, and children; service projects; painting projects; visitation; benevolence projects; and fellowship. Joe Roberts, from Eustis, Florida, has already written his lessons on church growth. Keffee Morrow has already written her lessons for the ladies bible class. Carla Richardson is working on the children's Bible lessons. Kim Fussell has written the VBS lessons and we will be using them in Costa Rica; Nicaragua, and Honduras. Puppet skits are being planned for both trips. Drama skits are being written for both teams. Minor Perez has been working like a mad man calling and emailing Costa Rica making plans and reservations. translators have been recruited and secured and ready to go. Margaret has been updating spread sheets like crazy. I guess what I am trying to say is a LOT OF STUFF HAS BEEN DONE ALREADY! This is, by far, the most organized we have been by April 1st. My biggest task now is writing the journal and getting it printed and finishing the t-shirt design and getting them screened. Thanks to all that have been working so hard to get things ready for this trip. Many of you are collecting supplies for the trips. Others have been raising money for the work fund. Keep up the good work. Keep finding ways to keep people focused on the trip and to get more and more people involved in the trip. It is awesome to hear about the things groups are doing! This weekend Kittanning church of Christ in Pennsylvania is having a putt-putt tournament. What makes this special is the fact that there is not a putt-putt course within 45 miles of Kittanning... they are building their own at the church building! 18 one of kind holes are being built and designed by members at the congregation. Unique? Sure! Sound like fund? Absolutely! They are also doing a murder mystery dinner before the trip. Western Hills church of Christ in Nashville is gearing up for a huge yard sale, spaghetti luncheon and auction, and a baby back rib sale. The Florida Keys group is bagging food at a local grocery store and selling pizza at a community event. Let me know what other groups are doing! I would love to share your stories!!! I keep watching the count down calendars for Honduras and Costa Rica. I keep scratching off things on my "to do" list. I keep tossing change into the jar (spending money for the trip... it is amazing how much money we collect every year by just saving change!). Stay tuned, more information, stories, and thoughts for the day are coming. Las primeras cinco personas que leen esto y me entran en contacto con recibran una bottella de agua libre de la TORCH. Hope to hear from you soon! TR

Headlines in the news

If you don't keep up with the news, you are missing out on some interesting stuff. Apparently, God had a wife... but the details were edited out of the Bible by the men who wrote it. Sammy Hager (former Van Halen lead singer) was abducted by aliens. There is no Hell, according to Bob Bell, the minister at the Mars Hill Bible Church, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Barry Bonds thought the steroids he was receiving was flax seed oil. Really? I mean, REALLY? Balderdash! (word was used last Sunday in worship assembly and I am now dedicated to using this word as much as I can) Oh, and Madonna's plans to build a school for girls in Malawi is over before it ever got started. It seems the $3.8 million that was donated is gone without a piece of land purchased, a brick laid... just outlandish expenditures on salaries, cars, and golf course memberships for the "handpicked" staff. Balderdash! (Can you imagine what TORCH could do with $3.8 million?)

On the other hand, good news is out there. You just have to look for it. sometimes you have to look for it really hard. Most of you know I am a die hard Alabama fan. I bleed Crimson. Well, I guess everyone bleeds crimson, but I bleed with a capital C. Anyways, Alabama football is a pretty big deal to me and I try to follow the news on the team, players, coaches, etc. I mean, after all, I live in a men's dorm with guys from Texas, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Ohio, Wisconsin, California, South Carolina, Mississippi, Georgia... when trash talk starts up you better know your stuff. I pretty much live for this ya know!

So, I read an article that really caught my attention. And it had nothing to do with bench presses, 40 yard dashes, or agility drills. It was a story about some Alabama football players and how they spent their spring break. With head lines the way they are these days, if you hear college students and spring break in the same sentence, you are about to read something that is not for the faint of heart. Some of the things that go on during spring break around the country is not suitable to be written, especially in this blog. But not so fast, not all news is bad... or shocking. Sometimes news is positive and uplifting... you just have to read about it in the middle of the paper for this rarely makes front page news.

The main character of the article was Barrett Jones, one of my favorite players for the Crimson Tide. Barrett is a junior offensive lineman for the tide, and a big man on campus. I mean, he really is big. 6'5" and 311 pounds big. All SEC, All American big. National championship ring big. He is a big man with a big heart. Last year Barrett went on a mission trip to Haiti during spring break to do earthquake relief. He flew into the Dominican Republic and then took a 6 hour Jeep ride into Haiti to work with other teammates and classmates in a variety of projects. It made such an impact that this year he went back with more players and a larger group (31 total) including his younger brother and mom and dad. For spring break this year they worked with construction of a school, worked at an orphanage, and worked in a feeding kitchen to feed the hungry. Spring break was more like spring work, especially knowing that spring football practice was starting up as soon as he got back to Tuscaloosa. But he said he wouldn't trade the experience for anything. "You go over there and see someone who literally has nothing, who lives under a tin roof in a mud hut... it really puts things in perspective as to how fortunate we are."

Sounds familiar, doesn't it? How many of us have said the very same thing? We might not be All American football players or even people that even get press time for what we do, but we are all in this together. Helping others. Helping those who are hurting. Helping those who are down trodden. Helping those whose lives have been shattered. Helping those who cannot help themselves. Providing food. Providing water. Providing shoes. Providing clothes. Providing medicine. Giving hope. Giving mercy. Giving peace. Giving ourselves. Giving Jesus. Not because we have to, but because we want to... answering the call that God gave when He said, "Who will go?" "Here am I, send me! Lord, send me!"

Many are answering the call. Many are putting on their traveling shoes. It won't be long till it will be time to pack our bags, grab our passports, and roll up our sleeves. I can almost smell the diesel fumes, feel the saw dust on my neck, and taste the papusas . I can almost hear the laughter from the children and see those big brown eyes. If this is your first trip, it won't be long till you will be saying the same things. For those who are not going this year, you are feeling the withdrawal pains. Many are called but few will answer. Yet God will take those which are brought before Him, and will bless us, and will use us, to do His good will. And in all things He will receive the glory and honor. We are His chosen vessels. God has prepared good works for us to do, and we are lucky and fortunate enough to be a part of it! How cool is that!

"But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." I Peter 3:15 We worship a might God. We serve a glorious Savior.

.

"O, what a glorious God! O, what a powerful Savior! All creation cries out around You, holy is the Lord. O, what a glorious God! O, what a powerful Savior! Mercy , grace, and goodness surround You, o-oh what a glorious God, o-ho, what a glorious God!

You speak with a voice like a crashing cymbol, o-oh, what a glorious God! You stretch forth Your hand and the whole world tembles, o-oh, what a glorious God.

Your rose from the dead to redeem Your people, o-oh, what a glorious God! You give us strength and we soar like eagles, o-oh, what a glorious God!

O, what a glorious God! O, what a powerful Savior! All creation cries out around You, holy is the Lord. O, what a glorious God! O, what a powerful Savior! Mercy, grace, and goodness surround You, 0-oh, what a glorious God, o-oh, what a glorious God!" Don Moen

TR

March madness!

Spring break is in its final days here at Freed-Hardeman. In just a day or so students will be rolling back in from their well deserved break. Nearly 65% of our student body participated in mission trips during break, both stateside and abroad. The men's and women's basketball teams played in the national tournament, and the baseball and softball teams were traveling and playing in Florida. Others stayed here to do student teaching and a small number actually went home or elsewhere for a week off. 7 weeks of classes and this academic year is over! Wow.

Margaret and I were able to get away for a few days and went south. Way south. Florida Keys south! We went down to visit with Ken and Sandi Haab who live on Islamorada. They are heading up a team of 17 from the area and we had a cookout Monday evening and did a Q&A session with them. One of my former youth groupies (I guess that is the term...) Katie Haab, aka KTV, lives there too (and is indeed related to the other Haabs mentioned). It was really fun to see here all grown up and a Lipscomb alumni. While we were there we went to a HUGE seafood festival on Sunday afternoon, deep sea fishing (yes Steve, I did catch some fish!), and ate at some great restaurants. We also got to spend a day with friends from Miami and play a round of golf (pretty good day, only lost 6 golf balls!). Most importantly we saw the sun, enjoyed some great weather, and got a little R&R.

As you might have noticed, I have added a countdown for the Costa Rica and the Honduras trips. Just under 12 weeks for the Buenos Aires and under 14 weeks for Tegucigalpa. For most, the time can't go by fast enough... for others (like me!) it is going by way fast. Wait, let me put some emphasis on that... WAYYYYYYYY FAST!!! Trying to keep up with 175 people is not an easy task, no matter how much time you have. I know I say this a lot but with time zipping by at such a rapid clip it seems I need more time than what I am allotted. But all in all things are progressing well.

85% of the Costa Rica team have purchased their airline tickets. 69% have turned in all of their paper work. 85% have paid their deposits. For the Honduras trip, 79%have purchased or have tickets bought or secured, 88% have turned in paper work, and 91% have paid their deposits. Good numbers for sure, and I am hoping that we will have 100% on all categories at the end of the month. March 31 is the deadline for all paper work, deposits, and airline flight bookings. Check with your team leader if you are not sure which percentage you are in! Trust me, they know...

We are 5 1/2 weeks away from the due date for supply collections. All supplies need to be sorted, boxed, labeled, and inventoried before we send everything over to the Melbourne church of Christ to be loaded on the container. I will be sending our specific information soon on specifics on how to sort, label, and inventory your supplies. Our shipping manifest must be very specific and very complete. Each box or item must be labeled and numbered. Those that have done this before know the routine well and it is a pain but a vital necessity to make sure our container goes through the Honduras customs agency without any hitches. The better we do our job on this end speeds up the process of getting our container out of Porta Cortez and on to Tegucigalpa.

Speaking of supplies, I need to get a estimate from everyone on what they have collected so far and quantities. I need to know what supplies need to be emphasized for a final push before we leave. Right now the most important single item we need is toothbrushes. Hopefully everyone has already talked to their family dentist to get them to pitch in with donations. If not, Dollar General, Family Dollar, Fred's, and Dollar Tree is your best bet to buy toothbrushes. Wal-Mart, Target, and K-Mart do not carry inexpensive toothbrushes like the other stores mentioned. Quantity is important, we need approximately 5,000 toothbrushes for our hygiene packets. We try to put 5 brushes in a packet with 1 family size tube of toothpaste (the math whizzes out there already figured out we need 1,000 tubes of toothpaste). Disposable razors are also high on the list.

Our order of pharmaceutical medicines just arrived here in Henderson today. This is great news since it arrived 3 weeks ahead of schedule! (Yes, scary thought) With the payment of the medicines, along with deposits that need to be sent out in the next 2 weeks for hotel reservations, our Torch funds will be nearly depleted. This is just a subtle reminder that if you have not sent your deposits in we need them! Everything has a purpose behind it.

I want to thank all of you that have been working so hard for the past several weeks, even months, getting things ready for the trips. It is not an easy task to get your team to turn in applications, get rules sheets and Spanish release forms notarized, and collect money. It certainly is not easy doing fund raisers (although some of the things I have heard about sound like a ton of fun!) and trying to get donations for the work fund. Collecting supplies can be a bit of a pain too. Oh, yeah, don't forget those essays and letters of recommendation. Just remember, everything is done for a reason. Sometimes the big picture just doesn't come into focus till later on... sort of like those 3-D movies! (OK, maybe not, but at the time is sounded like a good analogy)

But, remember the purpose behind all of the madness... there are literally thousands of people that are crying out for help and guidance, praying for relief and a helping hand... not knowing that God has formed a group of people from all over the place into a team that will do His good will in due time. You are a part of that team and a part of His plan. That should send chill bumps down your back. It should humble you. And it should pump you up! Man, you got to love this stuff! Think of how many people that you know and have talked to that wanted to go on this trip but can't for one reason or another. But you get to go! You get to participate! You are a part of God's team. Whether you are literally going on the trip or supporting the team with donations, funds, or supplies, a difference is going to be made in a few months.

March madness... it is not always about basketball. Sometimes it is just the craziness that happens as a group of God's people work to get ready to do something remarkable. I like it... I like it a lot. Hasta luego!

TR

what do you see?

What do you see when you look in a mirror?

This might seem like an odd question, especially coming from me. But tonight, after sitting through our Sunday night mission group devo and Spanish class, watching a movie with friends, and doing my nightly lobby and duty and monitor's report, I sit in a quiet apartment with thoughts racing through my head. It is almost mid-March and I have been spending 2-3 hours a day working on plans for the mission trips, booking tickets, contacting hotels, and sending out emails and making phone calls for weeks. It has been a tremendously fast paced time with very little down time, let along quiet time. But now, at 2:30 in the morning, it is quiet and I have time to think.

Anyways, back to the question. What do you see when you look in a mirror? I don't like looking in a mirror. At all. I don't like what I see. For that matter, I don't like looking at recent photos in which I am in for the same reason. All I can see are flaws. The buzzed hair. Receding hairline. Wrinkles. Greying hair. The weight. Man, the list could go on and on. However, whether I like it or not, the mirror is a reflection of what I LOOK like. And sometimes, maybe most of the time, that is what I notice. I notice what I look like when I should be looking to see WHO I AM. For you see what I look like has little to do with who I am.

Sometimes I look into a mirror and I stare into my eyes. I try to see who I am. I try to see beyond the physical and look at what is behind the flesh and bone. I try to see who I am, what I have become, and what I want to be. I try to see the inward, the heart and soul, the inner man so to speak. I try to see what others see. Sure, I know what I physically look like and I know what they see that way, but what do people see when they look at me? What type of reflection do they see of my inner man? What do they see when they see my heart and soul? Do they see what I see or do they see something else?

James 1:23-24 talks about a man looking into a mirror. "Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it-not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it- they will be blessed in what they do." What is James talking about??? How can someone look into a mirror and forget what he looks like? Most of us spend a good deal of time looking in a mirror, whether we like it or not. After all, we want to look presentable. Nobody wants to go around with a piece of green yuk stuck between your front teeth, right? Most people are going to remember what color their hair is (usually), the color of their eyes (or color of their contacts), shape of their head and amount of facial hair. James certainly can't be talking about physical appearances.

But, what about the inner man? When you look in a mirror, what do you see THEN? What do you see when you are not looking at the length or color or style of your hair? What do you see when you are not looking at your cheekbones, lips, and skin tone? What do you see when you look at your character? Your moral stance? Your convictions? Your pride? Your integrity? Your perseverance? Your honor? Your conduct? Your loyalty? Your beliefs? Your patience? Your attitude about others? Your willingness to serve? Your Christianity? You see, your inner man can change. It can change daily! If you don't stop and take a good long look at yourself every now and then, you really can forget what you look like!

I am not the same person I was years ago. I have changed. When I run into someone that I have not seen for a long time we both usually have the same reaction. Neither of us look like we did the last time we saw each other. Aging does that... we assume people will look and ACT differently. We expect it. Physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Hopefully a maturing process has taken place. Paul writes in I Corinthians 13:11: "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish things behind me." As we age and mature we change from a child, physically and spiritually, to an adult, physically and spiritually. And the changes are constantly happening. We must constantly be looking into the mirror, the word of God, to take a good look at ourselves to see who we are and what we look like. Otherwise we could walk away and forget what we look like and reflect the world and what it is and represents. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love of the Father is not in them. For everything of the world,- the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life- comes not from the Father but of the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever." I John 2:15-17.

When I look into the mirror I see a changed man. I see a person who is changing every single day. I see a man who is trying to become more and more like Jesus but falls short on a regular basis. I see a man who falls down and gets back up. I see a man who is running the race and striving for the prize. Running, walking, and even crawling at times. But always trying to move forward and upward. Trying to keep my eye on the goal.

When you look into the mirror do you see a kitten or a lion? A prisoner or a conqueror? A run away slave or a faithful servant? A peasant or a child of the King? A loser or a victor? A worthless life of a priceless soul? Discarded or redeemed? Lost or saved?

What do you see in the mirror?

TR