Saturday in Panama

Well the mission is complete, or at least for right now, and we are on our way home. I am part of the second group that left Santa Cruz this morning at 6:30 am, the first group left at 2:30 am, and we are now in Panama waiting out our 7+ hour layover. We will arrive back at Washington Dulles tonight around midnight.
To pick up where I left off Thursday afternoon........The Monte Blanco staff invited the entire team to a 7 pm dinner and told us to dress in our best clothes. We walked into the dining hall to find it decorated with a tropical flair, the staff decked out in fine duds and Jimmy Cruz playing acoustic guitar for our entertainment. The staff greeted us in a receiving line then went on to Thank us in a lengthy explanation of what our work meant to them and blessed us in prayer for all we had accomplished. Tom then , on behalf of the team, thanked the staff for the care they gave us during our stay and reminded them that we did not do this work for us, that we indeed did it for the children of Bolivia and the Glory of God to make a difference in their lives. After a wonderful dinner and a huge 3 layer cake for dessert, we gathered in the auditorium. First we were shown a video about I-TEC from its beginnings to it's various projects around the world, followed by 2 videos highlighting Monte Blanco and the children who have attended camp there. The evening was filled with team members sharing their reasons for being in Bolivia and what the 2 weeks there meant to them, along with prayers of thanksgiving for what the Lord helped us to accomplish.
As I sit here in the airport exhausted..... wishing I was still in Bolivia....... reflecting on the past 2 weeks, I must say that I could not be happier to have been on a team with such great people working on such a meaningful project! The friendships that were made between team members and with the staff members at Monte Blanco are the kind that will be rejuvenated again and again on future mission trips. On the bus ride back to Santa Cruz yesterday Tim Ramsey said "missionaries are a unique bunch, they are people who are willing to leave their home and their loved ones to go to a foreign land and work in culture they probably don't understand. That takes a certain amount of thrill seeking adventure mindedness and a divine purpose that many people don't understand". I am happy to say that I do understand and I feel very privileged to be in that group, as a member of this I-TEC Team!

The Team

Monte Blanco staff

The long drive to the city

The Plaza and Cathedral in Santa Cruz

The gang enjoys some fresh ice cream

Low land artisan crafts

Up and away, Santa Cruz

On the way to Panama

The hammock shop

Again We can't thank you enough for following us on this project and praying for us every day. There will be many more trips in the future that will need your prayers, and I certainly hope you can follow us along!