Three days until Honduras!

Dear all,

Hey! Sorry it's been so long since my last post...it's been a crazy time. Those of you who get e-mails from me know that I've moved, and I am really excited about my new place...it's one bedroom, just a 15 minute walk from the train station where I catch the commuter rail to go to work every morning I'm in town. Much better than the 30 minute commute just to the station I had before. Plus, being one bedroom, I can finally have people over and the like...I've really missed that from my days in Illinois. Woo-hoo!

So...I've been on the road, and I have mixed feelings about whether to continue the job or not. Each trip reminds me of both the good and the bad of this position: the bad, that I need to deal with airports and I have to be in "ready position" all the time (i.e. I can't just take 10 minutes to unwind if I feel I need to), but the great that I get to see really cool things and meet great people. Right now, I'm in Cape Canaveal, FL, where they launch space shuttles. I took the tour on Sunday, and it was awesome! Got to see the launch pad, the countdown box they show on TV, and the room where the launch of Apollo 8 (the first one to circle the moon) was controlled. Last week, I got to see a good friend I hadn't seen for 2.5 years. When would I have the opportunity to do so much that I've gotten to do with this job again in the future? But then, there are the trips to places like Midland, MI, and Rochester, NY that just make me go...blah.

Speaking of which, here's my upcoming schedule:

Oct. 1-5: Doing a service project at an orphanage in Honduras. More below.
Oct. 15-19: Austin, TX. Looking like it will only be two days.
Oct. 22-26: Raleigh, NC. Looking like it will be 2-4 days, but not all five.
Nov. 3: Friend's wedding near Philly. YAY!
Nov. 5-9: Rochester, NY. Yuk.
Nov. 12-16: Natick, MA. Training at our headquarters.
Dec. 10-14: Minneapolis. BRRRRRR.

Now...as for Honduras. There are 6 of us from work going to the El Hogar orphanage. Honduras is one of the poorest countries in the Americas, and that was before Hurricane Mitch ravaged it in 1998. El Hogar takes in kids who don't have parents and puts them through their school. This year, for the first time, they've started to accept girls as well as boys. I know a couple of people who went last year, and they said it was awesome. It's been 8 years since I've done a trip like this, and I'm nervous, but looking forward to it. It's been a while since I've been kicked this far outside my comfort zone, and I can't wait to see what God does. El Hogar is a Christian ministry; however, most of the people I'm going with are not Christians (I believe the only other Christian is the guy who's organizing the trip.) The plan is for me to drive directly to Miami tomorrow (Thursday), then meet up with the team on Saturday (9/29) morning at Miami airport, where they're connecting. Then I'll fly back next Saturday (10/6) directly back to Boston. It'll be quite the culture shift...I'm staying on South Beach in Miami, then going to Honduras. Yikes!

Alright...all prayers would be greatly appreciated, for the team, for the kids, for myself. Thanks and talk to you on the other side of the trip!