Safe Travels

And We're Off

Our mission team left  for Santiago, Dominican Republic on June 12, 2014 in the very wee  hours of the morning. There were lots of tired, blurry eyes but the overall feeling of the morning was excitement.  We arrived in Santiago Thursday evening, on schedule, without a hitch.  We had two first-time flyers and they did great!!  Praise to God for safe travels.

Very early on Thursday morning... everyone was tired but excited to get to Santiago.

Dexter and Kenna Update

Kenna is flying solo this trip to the Dominican (pun intended... she's a pilot) so this will be the only 'Dexter and Kenna' update to share.  Here they are saying their goodbyes...it might be a long ten days for the two of them but we promise to keep Kenna smiling while she is away from her sweetheart.

Airport Fun

The girls of the team (minus one).

Possibly the most photogenic of the bunch.

We had a layover at JFK airport in New York.  Lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings sounded good... until someone found a bug in their lettuce.

Three wonderful ladies from last June's mission team couldn't travel with us this year so we found a way to take them along anyway.

Santiago

Arriving in Santiago, we were welcomed by Tim Houck and his son, Carter.  They have arranged a van and driver to drive us to the places we will be traveling to each day.  We arrived at our rental house at about 7 pm and got settled in. 

The team relaxing in the main living area of the house.

The home we are staying at is located in a barrio.  We have loud music playing outside our windows, car horns blaring, motorcycles buzzing by, dogs barking and other sounds of a Santiago barrio.  We have a colmado across the street from our rental house where we are able to buy soda, water and other small items.   It is authentic Dominican in every sense of the word.

These images were taken out of a window of the rental home.  This street runs in front of the house.

Today we saw the Lord work in many ways.  We are grateful to Him for the safety we had in our 3000 mile trip.  Not only did he keep us safe, but He also blessed us with a smooth pass through ticketing and security.  From there we had quick flights that were generally smooth.  Our layovers were excellent giving us a good rest while allowing plenty of time to get from one gate to the next.  The house we are staying at is also a tremendous blessing.  We praise you Lord for your providence in this and hope our action bring glory to your name in all things.