WOL Kickoff 2008

We had an awesome kickoff this evening. We met at church, got everyone signed in and sang some songs with some members of S.O.S. (Saving of Souls) Christian Band. Phil shared a message on pursuing eternal treasures and then we split up into teams and went on a pursuit of our own...a scavenger hunt. Each team had to find clues at various locations in Rensselaer. Some were pretty challenging but all teams completed the route and it was a great time.

Here are a few pictures from the evening...

Brazil Trip - Days 9 & 10

We departed from Grupo CEO at 5:20 am on Saturday, August 2. We arrived at the airport in Fortaleza about an hour later and got set to check in. This all went very smooth. Now after a week in Brazil it was time to say good-bye to Bill and Erika. It's amazing. Months and months go into the planning and preparation and suddenly you find yourself saying good-bye as the trip comes to a close. We got through security with no problems and then it was off to Sao Paulo. This flight lasted about three and a half hours. We then had a layover in Sao Paulo for about nine hours. Some of us slept and some of us played cards. There wasn't a whole lot to do. We walked through a few of the shops anticipating our last flight.

Finally, at around 5:00 pm we were able to go and check-in. Thankfully, everyone had all the correct paperwork and we didn't have any problems with anyone losing any documentation to get us back home. The process of getting through security and customs seemed more lenghty but that's the way it is with international travel. After a little waiting at the gate it was finally time to board United Airlines Flight 842 to take us to Chicago. It wasn't a full flight and the more savvy of us were able to snag a better seat! It's a lot easier to find a position to sleep in two seats than it is in one. For future mission trips, I highly recommend we purchase a business class ticket for the youth leader. He really deserves it. :)

Ten and a half hours later, we land in Chicago at 5:30 am CST on Sunday, August 3rd. We quickly got through immigration and our luggage picked up. It was a welcome site to see the Davis van pulling up to collect our luggage. Ron, Tim, Scott, Roger and Heather were all there to greet us. I (Phil) am still mad at Jessi for not letting me hug Heather first!

We stopped at a breakfast buffet on the way home and chowed like crazy. We did eat but travel is wearying and plane food is very average.

We rolled into the church parking lot at 9:30 am CST and all got together for a prayer of thankfulness. It was an awesome trip and the Lord worked in us mightily.

Thank you all for your prayers, blog comments and support!

Brazil Trip - Day 8

Today was an R & R day at the beach in Fortaleza. Erika's parents hosted us and had a magnificent lunch for us of chicken, salmon and other fish. The ocean was beautiful and it was great to soak up the rays and swim in the ocean.

This evening we had a huddle with the Moore's and the others here at Grupo CEO. We all shared what impacted us the most. It was a most memborable evening and week. So hard to say good-bye.

Please pray for us as we begin traveling early Saturday morning. Our flight leaves at 6 am CST.