Even though seventeen of us arrived yesterday, today is the “official” first day of our final GRACE ’08 mission trip.  The remaining twenty-five folks arrived safe and sound today arriving at the mission house around 3:00PM.  Some of the Michigan folks were delayed getting to the Detroit airport due to snow but they all made it safely – praise the Lord! 

Mark Mast and the Canadians went to The Potter’s House today and had a good day of ministry.  (I am not sure if they saw T.D. or not)  They also stopped by Amor del Nino to visit with Steve & Shyrel.

The other four of us went to Casa Aleluya this morning and began laying the tile in the building simply known as the gringo dorm.  It was a good start to what we hope will be a successful project on this trip. 

Our prayers and sympathy go to Mike Geerlings and his family as Mike’s mother passed away last night.  Obviously, Mike was not able to make this trip because his mother was so low physically.  Please keep the Geerlings family in your prayers. 

Tomorrow marks the beginning of the house building.  Our goal is fifteen houses.  Pray that we will have a good day. 

What a day of traveling!  As far as I know at this point, the Yankees arrived home safely (I know they had gotten to Detroit and were driving home) and Davy Bosarge made it safely home through New Orleans.  Glory to God!

The team members on Delta had a slight problem in Atlanta – they cancelled our flight from ATL to Gulfport.  So, Delta gave meal vouchers and a hotel room to each passenger.  However, seven of us made the decision to rent a car and drive arriving home at 1:45AM today.  The remaining fifteen team members will arrive on two different flights with the latest flight scheduled to arrive in GPT around 10:00AM.  Glory to God! 

We serve an awesome God and we thank Him for all He did in our lives this past week even with the flight problems.  God knows!   

It is a little before 3:00AM and the Michigan crew plus Davy Bosarge are about to leave for the airport.  It will be a long day for the Michiganders as they have an extended layover in Houston. 

Yesterday was a very good day.  The folks who hiked (actually the rode horses) Picaya had an awesome time.  Doug Wiltjer stayed behind and washed vehicles – what a great servant’s heart!  The others came home and helped finish washing the vans, mowing the lawn, et cetera.  We had a good share time last night which was a good way to finish the week. 

Pray for us as we travel today.  The Alabama team will leave here at 8:30AM and is scheduled to arrive in Gulfport at 9:45PM.  Thank you for your continued prayer support. 

Good afternoon from Pollo Campero.  We have had internet connection issues since late yesterday afternoon.  Our friend, Kirk Lightfield, is diligently working to correct the problem but to no avail up to this point. 

Yesterday was another good day as noon saw us completely finished with all fifteen houses – dedications and all.  A group then headed to Casa Aleluya while the rest of the team went to the seminary to replace a roof that had been blown off by a storm and to paint. 

We hosted Jack & Carolyn Ciak’s dorm for pizza.  It was different as we were without electricity for about three or four hours.  Pizza by candlelight – so romantic!  The girls were great even though one was dressed in an Auburn outfit thanks to Kim French – how disgusting! 

Today, almost the entire group is hiking Picaya.  I must be getting soft in my old age!  Actually, this team has worked really hard and really fast.  Also, it is raining here today so any outside work would have been hindered.  When the others return, we will wash vehicles and get ready to head home. 

Chris has done a good job of uploading the pictures and I appreciate his efforts.  Check them out via the gallery section on this site. 

Pray for us as we leave in two waves tomorrow – the Yankees leave early and the Bama folks a bit later but both groups get home really late.  I appreciate you taking the time to read these entries. 

This entry is way late as it is now 6:15AM on Wednesday morning.  We did not have internet service last night and just got it back.  So, I apologize for the tardiness of this post. 

Tuesday was a good day for our team as we built five more houses bringing the total to fourteen that are up.  One team completely finished i.e. front on, door/window installed, et cetera three houses.  We found our tools for the concrete and were able to put cement in six more.  So, we now need to build one more house, pour cement in six, and put the finishing touches on twelve. 

The team quit the house building at 2:00PM in order to go to a village to distribute food and clothing while another team did the same at Palabra Viva (Paul & Cristy’s church).  Ben Taylor preached in that church.  The distribution in both places went well.  A special thanks to those folks who gave clothes, shoes, toys, et cetera in order for us to minister in the name of Jesus. 

Today, we will hopefully finish the house construction and begin the dedication process.  The Lord continues to bless us with absolutely awesome weather and we are grateful. 

I have heard that Shirley Bosarge (Tina Sprinkle’s mother) is in ICU.  Joey Switzer will have surgery this morning in Mobile.  I think Sarah Thornton’s surgery is today also.  Please join me in praying for these folks and their needs. 

Lord willing, I will post another entry late tonight.  Please know that everyone is doing great!

Again, I am not going to bore you with a lot of details but suffice it to say that we had a good Monday.  The day began with our usual morning Bible study time at 7:00AM and we were in the vans rolling down the hill around 8:30AM.  We went to a village located about twenty minutes from the mission house and built a total of 8 1/2 houses.  Three of those received cement.  Our cement crew was limited today as we don’t have but one set of tools.  Hopefully, we can remedy that problem tomorrow. 

We arrived back at the house around 7:00PM having chosen to just keep working as the weather was absolutely picture perfect!  Rita Arriola had led in preparing a traditional Guatemalan meal for us to enjoy and it was fantastic! 

Our plans are to continue building tomorrow and do village ministry tomorrow night.  Everyone is doing great and the attitudes are superb!  Remember, Chris Taylor is uploading pictures to our photo gallery section of this website so check them out!  Keep praying for us! 

I was reading a blog entry the other day and it was long.  I tired of reading it and simply didn’t finish but realized that folks don’t necessarily want to read long entries.  So, I will try to be informative but not let this entry go on forever. 

We had a good Sunday.  It is now 10:00PM and the upper & lower rooms are filled with folks spending time in fellowship by playing games.  Chris is uploading pictures to the gallery on the website so check them out! 

We had a two hour plus worship service tonight in the upper room.  Kristen & Ross DeYoung led our musical worship as John Vickers accompanied them on the guitar.  Ben Taylor, seminary student from Mid-America, brought us a message from Matthew 7:15 – 23 and other selected passages. 

It has been a blessed day from the service at Alpha & Omega this morning to the fellowship time tonight and all in between.  Pray for us as we will hit the ground running in the morning building houses.  My plans are to update each night – probably late so check the website each morning. 

I noticed that Sunday’s blog did not completely come across but needless to say, it was great!  Monday has been a great day as we started with beautiful weather.  The volcanoes were very clearly defined.  One of them in the distance was sending out plumes of smoke.  It was nice to see a clear day.  We had a great devotion time shared by Vernie Sullivan from Martin Bluff Baptist Church.  He did a wonderful job of declaring our “trust” in the Lord.

We immediately took our first medical team of one doctor, Dr. Steve Fineburg, and several medical and non-medical members to Santo Domingo Xenacoj.  They treated 187 folks and four of them received Jesus as their Saviour.  Praise the Lord.  They were immediately given to the local pastor to minister further to them.  I appreciate the excellent organization of the medical team and their expertise.

Our last two team members just arrived from the U.S. and that in itself is a special blessing from the Lord in that Beverly was able to get her passport renewed today and, with her sister, caught their flight at 1:00PM.

We built 6 houses with three of them finished with cement.  The last house still needs its roof.  They will all be finished tomorrow with the remaining walls and doors put on and we hope to build 5 or 6 more if good weather and our sore muscles permit.  Everyone had a great attitude and with a little coaxing even the shy ones hammered the nails.  Of course, a few just loved playing with the children and interacting with the adults.

Tomorrow our medical team will be in El Durazno with several non-medical members switching out at noon so that all who want to participate may do so.  I am especially grateful that Kittie Camp will be working side by side with her grandson, Wes Bates, on the medical team.  I will be preaching in Paul and Cristy’s church tomorrow around 4:00 p.m.

We decided to wait until tomorrow morning to share as some of the “older ones” were ready for bed asap.  We are thankful to Sharon Jardee and Louise Morris for their terrific meals.  Tonight was deeeeelicious! 

A special first Happy Anniversary today goes to Rebekkah Bates as she is at home while Wes is here with us.  I see how so many of the folks on this trip have been used of the Lord and had a special purpose for being here.  This is so far a great trip.

Our prayers go out to many of our loved ones back home, especially to Jeff Camp who had surgery today and  Joey Switzer who is seeking the Lord’s help medically, and to those who have lost their loved ones.  We understand Bill Unrue is in the hospital and our prayers go out to him and Bea.

Today was a first for me.  We had to stop in the middle of the highway as there were a couple of wild turkeys that decided they were going to direct traffic.  I’ve seen many turkeys being raised by individuals on this trip. 

Blessings to all, especially to the family members of our team members.

Bro. Jerry

Wow!  We had a great day today!  We started the day with a ladies’ devotion led by Kittie Camp.  Several ladies shared how much they appreciated her devotion and what a wonderful job she did of sharing.  I could hear them from downstairs as they were having too much fun upstairs.  That’s a good thing as they fellowshipped together in the Word.  The men were led by Bro. Gerald Whitmore and he did a wonderful job of sharing on the parable of the fig tree.  Great devotion.

After our devotions, we headed to The Rivers of Living Water Evangelical Church (English translation so I’m told) where Pastor Walter Aju ministers.  We walked in and the graciousness of the church people was overwhelming.  We hugged, shook hands, hugged again, shook hands again…you get the picture.  The music was wonderful.  Pastor Walter came and asked me to preach.  I really wasn’t ready to preach but, from my youth, I’ve been taught that a man of God must always be ready to give account of what the Lord has done for him.   We were blessed as the church had an American born gentleman in the congregation who graciously offered to translate.  So on the spur of the moment, I preached and he interpreted.  What a fantastic opportunity, though I buffeted myself inside for not doing what I felt was a better job of sharing.   Mike, the translator, did a wonderful job trying to translate my yankee, southern, & midwestern slaughtering of the English language.  Bless him Lord as I fear he will never be the same again!

After the service, we went to Las Antorchas and had a great meal.  We asked Pastor Walter and his family, as well as Mike, to join us for lunch.  Lunch was excellent as always and the owner, Philippe Rambert, was very kind and gracious.  Then it was off to the market to shop till they dropped.

A van load came back to the house as they did not want to shop (Can you believe it?).  Yours truly was one of them!

I (Bro. Jerry) am sitting in the worship area of the mission house, alone, as I type this blog.  I can hear several of the folks getting ready for bed.  We arrived about 9:30p.m. and Bro. Kerry and Willie were right behind us.  It is now 1:21a.m. Sunday morning and all is well.  The day was a good day considering so many things could have gone wrong but did not.  O, rest assured that we had our share of challenges and I must admit that none of them seemed to deter this group.  This is going to be a real interesting and, I believe, a very pivotal week in the ministry of Martin Bluff Baptist Church. 

Pray for Beverly Small and her sister, Faye Craven, as they wait in New Orleans until Monday to get a renewed passport for Beverly.  Her passport was not expired but it went through Katrina and was damaged  beyond use.  They elected to stay behind and try to get this matter taken care of so that both of them could join yet a third sister on the trip who is already here at the mission house.

Tomorrow should be a special day as Kittie Camp, whose husband this building was dedicated after, will be sharing with the ladies while Gerald Whitmore will share with the men.  Then it’s  off to a Spanish speaking worship serivice and on to the restaurant and shopping.  I think Tena has BIG plans tomorrow but I hope not.

All of our folks are well and are very anxious to see and do. 

We have so much to be thankful for.  The bus driver, John, was a great driver, we had a heaven sent lady, Tammy, at the check in counter to help us at AA., we made it safely here despite my driving, and we have already had a good few moments together.

More hopefully tomorrow,

Bro. Jerry