We Made It

Well, 2 days and one additional country visited.....we made it home. Actually we made it home late last night from Atlanta so in case you are following us just know that all is well with our team. However, our friends in Guatemala are not fairing as well as we are. Currently they are dealing with flooding, mudslides, tropical storms and an earthquake so help us maintain the focus where it rightly lies. This was never about us making it home (though we are grateful for that) but about the Gospel being proclaimed and Jesus being magnified in Guatemala. Keep our friends from Guatemala, whom we love deeply, in your prayers.

Heading Home!!!

I just heard from J and the group has made it to their seats on the plane. The are due to arrive in Atlanta at 5:56 our time. Thank for you all the prayers! The team had a great morning getting to the airport and through customs with no trouble. What a blessing! I am so ready for the group to be home, as I know so many of you are as well. As excited I am we to see them, I want to make sure to not forget the people of Guatemala as they have endured not only a volcano, but also a tropical storm ripping through their country. Please remember these people in your prayers as they try and recover and rebuild their lives.

Wesley

Update from El Salvador

I just talked with J and everything is going well so far in El Salvador. They arrived safely at the Sheridan in San Salvador earlier this afternoon and were able to grab a late lunch at the hotel. J has confirmed the flights for tomorrow and arranged for transportation to the airport. They are now just relaxing and enjoying some downtime in the hotel before dinner tonight. They will be heading out at about 9 in the morning to head to the hotel and will fly out about 12:30. They will finally make it home to Jackson around 10:30 tomorrow night. Thanks for all the prayers thus far that you have lifted up for our group. Keep them coming! God has been so good and we trust that the group is held in His hands. I will post tomorrow when I hear that the group is boarding the plane.

Wesley

On the Road Again

I just talked with J and the group is seated on the bus waiting to hit the road. Everyone has a seat and all the luggage is stored. J says the bus is just as nice as the pictures on the internet! It is supposed to take 4-5 hours but J is not sure if that includes stops, customs, etc. J will call me as soon as they arrive in San Salvador and I will begin the phone tree. Pray for an easy trip today and for God's protection as they travel. YEAH for the team being one step closer to home!!!

Wesley

NEW PLANS.

You guys know by now that, due to a volcanic eruption, we were unable to leave Guatemala City today. The airport is closed and no flights are going in and out of Guatemala City until the ash clears; the situation is similar to what has happened this year in Iceland if you have heard about that. But BE ASSURED - WE ARE SAFE. We have had a temporary delay and this morning we have seen God provide for us in every way. Here's the new, finalized plan, by which we will arrive in Jackson on Sunday night.

Tomorrow morning we will travel from Guatemala to San Salvador, El Salvador. (All international flights are being diverted to San Salvador so this is why we are going here). We will leave the Holiday Inn in Guatemala City at 6:30 AM on the Pullmantur bus - www.pullmantur.com if you are interested. The bus will drop us off at the Sheraton Presidente Inn of San Salvador - http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sheraton/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1597 where we will stay the night. It takes roughly four and a half to five hours to get to San Salvador, and the bus company arranges for ALL of our customs operations. This bus is very safe; this hotel is very safe; El Salvador will be very safe. We will be able to get home much quicker and be able to all stay together if we take the flight from San Salvador instead of waiting for the Guatemala City airport to open again.

Sunday morning, we will take the Sheraton shuttle to the San Salvador airport. We will leave San Salvador at 12:55 on Delta flight #374 to Atlanta. We will then leave Atlanta on Delta flight #1135 to Jackson, arriving in Jackson at 10:25 on Sunday. This, ironically, is the exact same Atlanta flight that we would have had if we had left today. We, essentially, have much the same plans as if we had left this morning.

We know this is a lot of information to grasp at once, but know that everything is under control. While this has been a somewhat confusing and unexpected turn of events, we are entirely safe and entirely ok. We have checked out information on the internet, Steve has assured us that this is an excellent way to return to the States, and we have worked out details with our travel insurance.

God has provided for us so well and we are thankful for the opportunity to trust Him more! I wish you could see the reaction of the kids when they found out we were staying another day...they all cheered and are so excited to have more time to work and to play. So, once more, be assured - all is well at La Senda and all will continue to be well. Thank you so much for your prayers! We will keep you updated if anything changes, but tickets are all purchased and confirmed so we believe this is the final plan. We are excited to see you in Jackson on Sunday night! If you have any questions, please post comments and we will get back to you as quickly as possible! For now until we leave in the morning, we will continue the good work God sent us here to do.

--Katie

Internet is down

Hey everyone,
Everything is fine but the computers are down thus blog posting is a bit difficult. We are heading to Antigua tomorrow so we will try to update later on tomorrow when we return.

Turn Your Swag On!

Hey guys! Im Madison Bell and I am a going to be a sophmore at Ole Miss in the fall. This is actually my second time at La Senda because I came with the group from the Chap last year. Today was quite exhausting but our efforts did not go unrewarded because we got alot done. The day began with Morgan leading daily morning devotion while the rest of the group got started cleaning bathrooms and planting. J went with Steve into Guatemala City to get some plants and such. Mrs. Suzie and Mrs. Susan continued to take care of the food and such we ate aswell as heading up our planting efforts. Laura and I also painted a room in the area we are staying. (On a side note: if you are ever thinking about putting concrete blocks for your wall and painting them, I would highly advise against that! Trust me I speak from experience!) We also continued to work on "the dig". We also enjoyed spending a little time with the kids when we ate a tradional Guatemalan dinner with them and make a video showing our "swag". It was another great day at La Senda. I thank yall for your prayers and ask that you keep Zach in them as he the daily morning devotions tom as well as the rest of us because it is our last full work day and we have hopes to finish up our to do list!

Adios,
Madison