Post D.R. Trip thoughts...

So...

It's Easter Sunday morning and I've got a bit of time. So I began to think back on the trip last week. (Mostly because this morning everyone that I've met has asked me about the trip.) I began to think about the highlights of the trip... what are things that I won't ever forget about this mission trip?

First... I won't ever forget Alyssa's baptism in the Ocean. What an incredible way to end a week of mission's work and a trip... with a baptism... in the ocean nonetheless!!! I've baptized a lot of students over the years, but this one is definitely in the top 5 as far as memorable baptisms.

Second... this group of students. We had the perfect mix of students this year. They played well together... they worked well together... they got along great!! I'm sure there were some little arguments and tiffs along the way that I'm not aware of, but from my perspective, they hung well together. As the leader, it's always a blessing when it works out like that. It always seems to be the case that there are a couple of students on every trip that don't want to work or play well with others... that was not the case this year. Great, great student connections.

Third... being apart of building a church that will bring others to Christ. What we did last year was incredible... don't get me wrong. One of the greatest things about last year was where we were working. We spent all week digging a well and working in their active garbage dump. This year, we spent our week tying rebar that would support the floor of the church. Thousands of feet will cross that floor... and thousands of lives will come into contact with the living Jesus in that church that we helped to construct. Those 13 students, 4 leaders and Fox Valley Christian Church will forever have a part in that church, those people who come to Christ there and Gabriel's ministry to Santiago.

Fourth (and finally)... the continued connections with members of G.O. Ministries. Last year, we worked with Jen Goodenough (it's really her last name... seriously...) and Eric Leach. This year, we had a chance to work with Jen again and Isaias (Gabriel's youngest son). It was great to have a chance to continue to work with familiar faces. BTW: If you are reading this and you are considering doing a short term mission trip with your church, G.O. Ministries is a great organization to work with... they are truly top notch!

It was truly an incredible trip... for so many reasons that I don't have time or space to list. It will be one of my top 5 most memorable trips for sure.

BTW: This isn't the last of the pictures... if you've enjoyed these pictures, I'm going to post some more because there were many that didn't make the cut during the week. But I'm going to post up the "best of the rest" pictures this week. So check back this week for more glimpses of the trip!

Jim