Dear folks,
Just a note to report what’s happening, since we haven’t met together since Presbytery meeting! We’ve gotten everything packed in the Presbytery crates: dental medicines, general meds, glasses, toys, etc. We ended up having to take one extra crate for dental equipment for a total of 9. so we had to pay an extra fee, but luckily, American is not restricting baggage on International flights (yet!).
We gathered at 4:30am at the Charlotte Airport and whisked right through check in and even security in 15 minutes!! A record in my book! The only mishap being that one of the ladies who was bringing her daughter to the airport side-swiped a deer outside Sharon, breaking a headlight and stoving in the driver’s side of her car. No one (except the deer) was injured, but they were a bit shaken, especially at such an early hour on unfamiliar roads.
We’re now in Miami awaiting our American Airlines flight 953 to Tegucigalpa. There is a tropical storm in Central America, but so far (10 am) there are no delays and we are just waiting for the next leg of the trip. We are scheduled to arrive at 12:35 pm and be picked up by Tim Wheeler with Heifer International. We will be going to La Esperanza in the Western part of Honduras and will be working in three different villages before beginning our return trip on June 7.
Because the flights to Charlotte on Saturday were booked solid, we will have a layover in Miami on the way back, getting back in on Sunday, May 8. at 12:55 in the afternoon.
Tim has planned for us to stay in a hotel in La Esperanza, and commute to the clincs each day. I don’t know which one yet, but hopefully will know that later today.
I have a GSM mobile phone with us. Theoretically, I should be able to make and receive calls in Honduras. Our plan is to be in daily contact through an email chain that will be sent out by Keith Karriker stateside. I’ll make sure that Mark and Dot get copies of the daily updates. We will be recording raw video clips to be used for day by day podcasts on the presbyery website when we return The format for the podcast will be: establishing shots from that particular day, a short interview with one of the people we serve that day, a shout out from a different team member each day and a power point copy of our devotional that day…if we can record some music to use we’ll do that too!.
We are a little concerned by tropical storm Alma which is passing over Central America at this moment, but at this time (10am) the flight appears to be on time!
grace and peace to you all,
Fred Powell
