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We have made it back!

It was a little close in Houston making the connection because the immigration and customs lines were so long and it took a while to get through that. Just as we all made it through that we just made the last call for boarding on our Philadelphia flight.
Only 2 of our bags did not make it but will be delivered sometime this evening.

Thank you again for all of the prayers and support, it truly was a great trip and a great group to be serving with.

Phil's 2nd Go Around

Life is a board game, how you gonna play it? There are certain reasons everyone is on this trip and they vary from one side of the world to the other. I am truly blessed to be apart of such a strong team and also be a leader for the high school kids. I never would of thought I would of gained what I did on this trip until now. The way God works in my life is amazing and I couldn't be at a happier state of mind that I am in today. Everyday, we as a team have built a stronger relationship with God and He has moved each and every one of us in the direction of the light. The one on one talks with the students I had were not only important to me, but I feel that I have helped them believe in themselves and to be happy in life. The conversations that have come and gone with the the team will never be forgotten and I believe that all of us have picked the right card from the deck and are waiting to see what God has planned for us next. I think the biggest thing I have personally learned is that God has a plan and to trust in Him. No matter how many ups and downs you have in life, you will get to where you belong with God by your side. So now the question for you to ask yourself is, "What do ya think?"

Thursday "the extra day"

Today has been our "extra" day. If you are unaware after the trip was planning and tickets were booked the airline told us that they were not flying to Philadelphia on Thursday nights, we would have to spend the night in Houston. Spend the night in Houston was not in our budget so after a few tenthly conversations with United Airlines they switched us to an all Friday flights and no spending the night in Houston, because it is cheaper to live an extra day in Honduras than Houston.

We used this day to be our day of anything extra that we needed. Extra time doing the construction work that we may need etc. However, with the great work ethic of this group everything was completed by Wednesday and we had no plans for today. In the morning the group went to West Bay beach, which is one of (if not #1) beach in the world as far as beauty and not crowed. I contacted Coconut Tree Divers and they gave us a great rate on a 2nd dive that 7 people took advantage of and we had a morning and lunch of resting and having fun, recharging our batteries for traveling tomorrow.

When we returned home, several of the children from the children's home came to our house and were playing on the dock with our team members before we headed up to the orphanage for our dinner party full of pizza and fun.

Things are going very well, please continue to pray for us as a group and great travel tomorrow. Thank you, we love and appreciate you!

Wednesday

This morning was spent going to Brandi and Yougin's house to finish hanging and mudding the drywall. Part of the group was doing this while the other part was visiting again with others in their village, the rest of the group was helping Yourgin in his garden weeding and thinning out his corn crops.
Part way through the morning several of the team members went with Bethany to the medical clinic on Roatan and got to tour the facilities, and possibly where Bethany will do some of her practicums (medical residency) next summer.
In the afternoon the group went back to Corazol to distribute the supplies that the team brought down.  It was great to see the families from the first sports camp again.

Sydney's Take

Hey guys! First off, I hope everyone is doing well back in the States! I have experienced so many great things in such a short amount of time! Words cannot begin to describe just how kind and caring the people of Roatan are. It's so amazing watching people who have so little, give so much! So far we've been to a school, two sports camps, and we've been to the orphanage every night, and every second of it has been great. It's awesome being able to bond with the kids and people, and learn how they live. It's crazy to process just how much the people go through, and how strong they continue to be. Being on this trip makes me so thankful for everything I have, as well as the family that provides it for me. It's such an eye-opener, and I wish everyone could experience all of the amazing things that the team has. As we near the end of the trip, it's very bittersweet. Leaving the children that we get to meet is harder than I thought, they are so loving! As soon as we meet them, they run up to us and greet us with huge hugs! I feel so blessed that I had the opportunity to join the 2013 team and help make such an impact. Although I don't want to leave Roatan, I'm excited to return and be able to share more about my trip and just how amazing it was, and will continue to be! I love you guys, see you soon!
<3 Sydney

Sarah's thoughts

Hey its Sarah! I have been loving my time here in Roatan. The people here are so kindhearted and so welcoming. I love being here and the fact we only have a few more days here it breaks my heart! The culture here is so different then at home. Being here makes me realize how much more grateful i should be for what i have at home. All the kids at the orphanage are so much fun to hang out with and getting to know them has been a great experience. Im so glad i we could help everyone we have so far on this trip and im just so happy i got to be apart of it. I cant wait to tell everyone about the trip at home. I love and miss everyone at home. See you all soon!

                                                                                     

Tuesday

We have spent the morning working at Yourgin and Brandi's house. Part of the team spent the time  hanging drywall in their house and the other part spent the morning walking around their village try to help out anybody they can from raking leaves to making tortillas.

The afternoon we concluded the 2nd day of the sports camp in Jutagolpa (hoot-ta-galpa), which is an awesome sight where the field is in the valley of the jungle hills and the kids and teenagers are so excited to come because they rarely ever see people from the United States.

The team's health is in good shape. Please continue to pray for unity, grace, and energy as we wind down our time here. Please keep in prayer our travel arrangements, we do not have a long layover time in Houston and we want to make sure we can make it through US Customs and make our flight to Philadelphia.

Thank you for your love and support.

The View from the Skeye

Hey it's Skeye(: Being in Roatan has been such a life changing experience. So far this trip has been wonderful! I love having the opportunity to serve the people here. Everyone is so kind and welcoming. The kids are great too and just loving them is such a great thing to do! It's so different from anything I knew before. The culture here is so amazing. Yesterday we had the chance to go to a Honduran church, and it was so crazy! You could just tell the people are so passionate about God and their faith is so strong. It's been great having Todd and Bethany with me to help guide me in the right path to building a closer relationship with God. He is truly doing some amazing things for everyone on this trip, as well as the people here in Roatan. Today we walked around the colonia and it was a work out. The hills were so big and I couldn't even imagine having to walk up it everyday with groceries to my house. I can't wait to see how the rest of the trip plays out! I love and miss everyone at home! <3 Skeye

Emily's Thoughts

Being here in Roatan is amazing! I love getting to know all of the people on the team and creating new friendships. I was a little nervous because I didn't really know many people at the beginning of the trip other than my sister, but it was awesome how welcoming everyone was. Interacting with the kids is so wonderful and I am connecting with so many of them, I am going to be so sad when we have to leave and say goodbye to all of them. We went to a Honduran church service last night and even though I could not understand a single word they were saying, I could certainly feel the presence of God. This trip is definitely an amazing experience and worth every penny, scuba diving was unbelievable! I got to see God's wonderful creation under the sea and I will never forget that experience; I would definitely do it again! Mom and Dad, I can't wait for you to get to experience the Honduran culture when you come down here in the fall, I know that you will love it just as much as I do! I miss all of you and although I would love to stay here, I am excited to come home! Mom, I just want to tell you "happy belated birthday," since I didn't write on the blog yesterday. I hope you had fun at the game! I love you all so much and can't wait to come home!!
~xoxo Em