Four Days... um... Zero Days Left!!

We had our last meeting this past Sunday, time is upon us. We went over some packing list items, itinerary updates, gifts, and schedules.

Itinerary Updates

We made sure we all downloaded the airline applications and made sure that everyone knows how to be travel ready. An update is, since we are landing in Pucallpa around 8am, we weren’t going to be able to check into our hotel until 2pm. That complicated meals and luggage security more than we’d like. So we will be staying at our hotel a “second night” so that we can go directly to the hotel to our rooms and breakfast!

We also got a rough estimate of what our week will be like in Villa America! A basic format of the week is that after breakfast the men and women will load up into the trucks and head out. The women will be at the local schools in the morning (changing in the day). The men will be at Villa America technical college assisting in construction until the early evening. After lunch, the women will join the men at Villa America and assist with school clubs, kids clubs, and other activities being held until we drive back to Isco for the night.

Communication & Blog News

With lack of cell service, or at least limited service if team members decide to get an add-on international plan, we have all started a WhatsApp group chat and included our translator, Giulianno! We are super excited to see him again. We have added a gallery to the blog site so as team members all upload pictures, you can begin to see them as we share them! Hopefully service works enough to get everything loaded 😀🤞🏼

If you’d like to get short, team wide updates, this is the link the team will be posting at. But you’ll have to reload the link daily for it!

https://app.managedmissions.com/OurStory/2859/94739

Gifts

Gifts! The bibles have been distributed! As I won’t be having to pack so many on my own! Allen, took the image of our team shirts and printed them out as stickers, allowing us to add the stickers to each Bible. He also added them to the tape measures he is gifting so that the construction workers have a Bible verse.

Matthew 28:18-20 ESV [18] And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. [19] Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So that’s pretty neat! I think other members of the team will be taking some collapsible water bottles for the workers. Soccer balls for kids club. And school utensils for Villa America.

Devotionals & Music

The Turners put together a devotional book for us to have some individual devotional times during our trip. The hope is to also have team devotionals during breakfast and then a debrief at night before bed time. Doyle has been working on some songs to sing in both English and Spanish for church on Sunday. The plan is to do How Great is Our God; and potentially Open the Eyes of My Heart.

Last Minute Packing Questions

At the end we went over some packing list questions and just reminders that are needed before we depart. We are on the last few days as we pack, but the last minute items. Order fans, clothes, trinkets, etc. And spray our clothes with permetherin.

Prayers

• PRAISE God we’re fully funded!
• Pray that our families here in the States will be safe and taken care of
• Pray for health (as I am sick) before we embark and for a healthy, injury free trip for the team
• Pray for the Blocks Pray for travel safety and ease of travel
• Pray for memory for the orality story
• Pray for the hearts set before us
• Pray for our own headspace and hearts to be ready when we leave
• Pray for God’s hand to be seen

And, We’re at the Airport

With all the things to get done, we didn’t get this published until now, while we are sitting at the gate in the airport. We are excited to get going and be sure to check the gallery page for pictures as some are starting to be uploaded.