It's June!

By the time you read this it will be June and we are down to about 50 days until our departure. I am amazed at the speed of the past year.....wow.
Are you ready?
Here is a summary of some of the information you will recieve over the next few weeks.

• You are going to get an email or snail mail invoice letting you know how much your balance due is. We really need to get all balances cleared by July 1. Thay means that July 1 is when I need to have your check.
  
• You will be notified of your departure time, date, city, and your locater number. All tickets are e-tickets amd most everybody travelling from the same location will have the same locater number.
  
• Please note that there are some departures on July 23 and some on July 24. This is just American Airlines working to accomidate as many as possible on a given date. We just ran them out of space. For those of you not coming until the 24th - don't worry, we won't build all the houses, pack all the food, or get too much done without you.
  
• I am planning a conference call with several of the group leaders and will notify you by email of the time, date, and dial in number.

All of you can help me plan the work by letting me know an estimate of your benevolent funds,.
Please feel free to call or eamil this information.
We will pre-purchase the wood and food so it will be waiting on us when we get to Honduras.
I love all of you and can't wait to say -
Another great day in Honduras.
Marc

Memorial Day

This weekend is one that is set aside to remember the fallen soldiers that gave their lives for the freedom that we in the USA enjoy. I am blessed because others died for me.
I am especially blessed because Jesus willingly carried the cross up the hill at Calvary to die so that I might live. Let's remember our soldiers this weekend and Jesus every day. Let's also remember the living sacrifices of Jesus' soldiers that are on the ground around the world fighting for the cause. This weekend, drop to your knees and pray a special prayer for the following - Tim, Gena, Dylan, & Dalton Hines - Joe Merillat, Nate Reeves, Mark & Lori Connell - all of these brothers and sisters are working full time to make our work in Honduras - work. Pray for missionaries around the world, for the team at Los Pinos that will be going to Mexico later this year. Pray for my friends that have gone as a team to Costa Rica. Pray for the villages of Santa Anna and Ojojona where a new church will be planted this summer. Pray for God to supply the financial tools that we will need to build and fund a new children's home in the Santa Anna community. Pray for the mission teams from Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, Louisiana, & Georgia that will be traveling and working in Honduras in the weeks before we leave. Pray that the fields will be ready for the harvest when we arrive. Pray that God will pour out his love on the people of Honduras through our hands, our words, and our action. Pray that God will deliver the resources for the work that he has planned for our team.
I love all of you and I am praying for you as we prepare for our mission. If any of you have prayer needs, please post them so that we can all pray together.
Marc

This week was the beginning of the summer TORCH Mission season. My friend Terry Reeves and a group of about 40 are in Honduras and are busy working in the Valley of Angels. You may have read about the Hurricane that went through Central America over the past couple of days but, that wasn't enough to stop the work. The team was able to build 2 houses in the pouring rain.
Terry's team will leave in about a week and will be immediately followed by a group led by my friend Mark Connell. Mark's team will be about 80 strong and is mostly from Birmingham, Alabama. As soon as the Alabama team is gone, a mixed team from Florida - Louisiana - & North Carolina arrives - followed by Tennessee - then Florida and Georgia - and finally OUR TEAM!
Our little group of 160 will be blessed to work in many of the same areas that the 350 or so before us have been working. A lot of seeds will be sown before we gwt to Honduras and we need to be praying for a big harvest. For those of you that have never been on a TORCH Mission, get ready - you are going to have a life changing experience. For those of you that are going back a second time and area wondering if the second time can be anywhere as good as the first - you will be amazed!
Please pray for every team that we will be following. Pray for our work and that God will continue to bless us with the tools that we need to serve him. We need to work for our benevolent and building fund unitl the day we leave. Be bold in asking people to provide for food and building funds.
If you are interested in reading mission reports from other teams, you can get a link in the TORCH section of irccorp.org. You can also get direct links at Tim Hines site at waywalkers.blogspot.com
Get Ready For
Another Great Day In Honduras

Airline Tickets

We are in the process of matching names with all of the airline reservations that we have. In November we made several blocks of reservations to lock in a fairly decent price. You'd be amazed to know that our team is now an exact match for the number of tickets that American Airlines offered us in November. To me, this means that God has had this team planned out for a long time. It shouldn't surprise any of us that the number of seats from every location is an exact match to the number of people that are needing seats from those locations. If this happened in just one place, we could call it a coincidence but, we are using 7 departure cities and they are all an exact match.
WOW!
I will be emailing your info within the next couple of weeks. We are all e-ticketed and everybody except the Hot Springs group will be on American Airlines.
Won't be long now!
Marc

Let's Build Some Houses

I am hearing a lot of good things about planning and raising the money for our mission to Honduras. Good things are happening every week and as usual, everyone that has comitted to go on this mission will find that God will provide the way. Pray and be confident in that.
We can't forget that just getting to Honduras is all that we need to be doing. Our team will clearly have the greatest potential of any TORCH Team - EVER! However, potential can only be realized if we are all working toward the same goal. That goal is not just getting to Honduras, it must include a plan to raise working funds for the houses that we plan to build, the food for the hungry, the medicine for the sick.
I'd like to hear form any and all of you about how your group is doing in this area. Are there any challenges out there? Post some news and let's build some houses!
(if you don't want to post, send me an email and I'll post it)

Things You Should Know

In a couple of months we are going to be in the final preperation stages of our mission and I am hoping that everything will be in place, all the bills paid, and all the planning done. I've done this for several years so, I am not too confident that this year will be any less hectic than all the others.
Oh well! I do know that every year that I have taken a group to serve God and the people of Honduras is better than the year before. It is always hard to believe that it can get better, but it does.
I do have some info that you need to have so you won't be surprised.

• The first news is that the airlines have changed the checked luggage rule to a maximum of 50 pounds per checked bag. There is a 2 bag per person limit too. You can still take a carry-on and I strongly recommend that you make that a back pack.
• Other airline news - the airlines have implemented a rule that requires that your passport is valid for more than 90 days whenever you board the flight to Honduras. I'd recommend that you get your passport renewed if it is due to expire this year.
• In some years we have been able to pay your exit tax out of the registration fee. Our budget this year is very tight (airfares are higher and bus fuel will be more expensive) and you will need to bring $30 to pay your departure tax. We will collect this whenever you open your bank account.
• When you bring cash, please remember that our bankers will be selling limpera in packets that are worth $20. That means that big bills are very difficult to work with. Please bring your cash in $10 or $20 denominations.

I am also getting request from many of you asking "what should I bring?". Well, now you have the answer. Here is your list of TORCH 2005 supplies.

List of Stuff

July 23 – August 6, 2004

Following are a few of the things that everyone needs to bring.

• MAKE SURE THAT YOU HAVE YOUR PASSPORT! We will check everyone before we leave. (Do not pack your passport in luggage to be checked)
  
• Make a photocopy of your passport and keep it separate from the original.
• Bring a minimum of $150 to $200. Also, you’ll need to budget $30 for departure tax from Honduras.
  BRING YOUR MONEY IN $20 INCREMENTS!
• Church clothes - guys need slacks and a collared shirt, gals need a dress.
• Work gloves, hammer, hat(s), sunscreen, & shoes or boots for work.
• Snacks for lunches. Peanut butter, granola bars, & power bars all work well. Think portable & think about sharing.
• Be sure to bring your Bible & a notebook to keep a daily journal
• Canteen, backpack, and knee length shorts, (no tank tops)
• Tylenol, Pepto Bismol, Imedoium, & small first aid kit. Insect repellant , & (personal hygiene – ladies)
• Pillow, toilet paper, hand sanitizer, soap, & toiletries.
• Bags of hard candy to give to kids
• Camera & Film – digital is at your own risk!
• Maximum of 2 checked bags (50 pounds each) and 1 carry-on.
• NO WALKMAN/ CD PLAYERS / MP3/ I-Pod/ etc.
• No expensive jewelry & no hoop earrings.