Saturday - 28 June - Homecoming

Today we complete our trip.

Our shuttle driver this morning was from Peru. He had been here 16 years, and spoke excellent English. We had an extended conversation all the way to the airport. When we tried to tip him, he refused several times. Finally he said that we had paid him in advance by our work in Haiti.

At the ticket counter, there was a college student in front of us whose bag exceeded the size limit by one inch. His mother had traveled with it many times without problems. It is a different time, and the ticket agent said he had been reprimanded for letting people slip by, so he could no longer do that. Now the young man was stuck with stiff overage fees, a flight leaving in less than an hour, and no money to pay the fees. Someone on our team covered his fees. The ticket agent was delighted and thanked us for being Good Samaritans.

TSA continued their record of confused performance - one guard telling me to take my notebook through the metal detector with me - the next guard sending me back to leave my notebook with the first guard. The third guard made Fred prove that his cigarette lighter worked, and then confiscated it as unallowable. Bear in mind this lighter has been seen in 3 other US and 6 Haitian security checks this trip.

Please pray for the Department of Homeland Security. Our safety lies in the hands of under-trained and disgruntled people. So today before we took off, God has showed us the face of love and the need to spread his love.

Finally we arrived in Newport News. Now THAT seemed surreal! The first people to greet us home were Jane and Bill Martin! They had scheduling changes, evidently, and were headed out as we were coming in (we thought they might have greeted us in Atlanta, but this was a great surprise anyway). Outside we were greeted by Bob and Iris Lewis - Iris had bags full of breakfast on ice, bless her! Deb Vollmer was there, Hiromi O'Keefe, John and Delores Fleming, Dick Gray, Dan Little's girlfriend, Andrea, Mr. Little, Ann Meyers... Please forgive me if I left anyone out...it was like a whirlwind to me. After we got our bags, we gathered around for a prayer of Thanksgiving, and then we went home!

We came, we served, we loved in Christ's name. We are done here for now and we are returning to our church - the people we love. Our mission is not done... there are Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth. They all need to experience the love of Christ. What did you do today to spread the Good News?

Bondye beni ou (God Bless You!)