And We're Off - Take Two!

All things work together for good to those who serve the Lord!!

We make plans. God laughs. So yesterday, we drove from Richmond to Reagan National in D.C., at the crack of dawn, to head out on the mission project. When we got there, we were told that all the flights to and from Newark were cancelled. No flights through other hubs. No flights on other airlines. We had to face the reality that we were going to lose a day of the trip. We reload all the luggage...and yes, the plexiglass...and go back to Richmond. We were disappointed. I was a bit frantic. But God is good all the time. I am surrounded by wonderful people. Derek reassured me and prayed. That was the best thing. One of our missionaries, Mindy, got busy rearranging hotel reservations, transportation, translators...everything. I have a fabulous travel agent, Sherry, that started dealing with the airline to make sure that we were well represented. (can you say complimentary economy plus seats for a lot of the journey?) If you want to take a group somewhere, I'll give you her number!

Now here we are! All of the plexiglass was checked onto the flights with absolutely NO issues. The first leg to Chicago was wonderful, and we are looking forward to passing through Houston on our way to Lima. If you would, pray that our entry through Peruvian security goes well. Do you remember the game show where everyone yelled, "No Whammies"? Well, we're praying for "NO RED LIGHT"!!!!

Much love to all of you! We appreciate your interest and support!!
Mo

And We're Off!

After a three month hiatus, P3 rides again! In a few short hours, another team from Parkway will make their way to Lima, Peru for a nine day mission project. This time, my entire household is going (woot!) as well as a wonderful and talented man from the church, Jack. Our focus for this trip is to construct plexiglass and wire cases for the Carhua mummies that I have talked about before. We spent two hours tonight packing 150 pounds of plexiglass into homemade cardboard boxes - and one suitcase!! We also plan to visit our orphanage, host several evening fellowships, and visit with the schoolkids I have grown to love. Truly, God has plans for this week that we haven't even begun to imagine.

Prayer points:
1) Pray for safe and uneventful travel. The weather forecast for the east coast calls for thunderstorms. Ugh. Please pray for flights to go as planned.

2) Pray for the health and welfare of the team. All of the Sheppards have been there before, and ALL have suffered from the altitude in one way or another. This will all be brand new to Jack, so pray that his body adjusts well, also. We don't want anything to hinder the ministry, so feeling good is very important.

3) Pray for the plexiglass. Seriously. It could get lost, damaged, and (most scary...) held up by customs. It is oversize and overweight. Someone is going to question it. Pray that we will be able to get the needed materials into the country with the least amount of trouble possible.

4) Pray for the people. We will be encountering so many people this week - in the airports, in the stores, in the villages. Pray for their hearts to be open to hear about the greatness of our God. Pray for divine appointments - and that we don't overlook them as we try to "get it all done".

5) Pray for family back home. We are all leaving people behind for a week. Pray that our loved ones have an easy time caring for our families, our pets, their lives.

Jon said something interesting yesterday as we discussed our departure time (5:30 am... in 5 hours...). He said, "Well, our part will be quick since we won't have any goodbyes." That made perfect sense. Everyone I live with is going with me. I have already said goodbye to parents and friends. But then I started to think about how awesome those words are going to be someday. There is a day that is coming when we will all be together - all of us - with ALL of our loved ones that EVER lived. And there will be NO. GOODBYES.  EVER. Wow. And to top it all off... we'll be worshiping our Heavenly Father, talking with our Savior, walking with the apostles. Does it get any better than that???

I'll post a team picture as soon as we take one. =/  It's been a busy few weeks and pictures weren't a priority. If you feel led, shoot us a comment or a facebook message. It does our spirits good!

I'll end with a quote I love that sums up how I feel about going back to my second "home":

"The place God calls us to is the place where your deep gladness and the world's deep hunger meet." ~Frederick Beuchner

Benediciones!
Mo