Sunday, Feb. 8

Aside from Dan Kraeger and Al Neuhoff being taken into a back room, beaten up and waterboarded for about a half hour, we made it through the airport with our luggage and supplies. Just kidding. But it did make for some excitement. Our missionary, Quique Fernandez, came to the rescue. Afterward, he said to Doug Schneider and me, "Welcome to the life of a Missionary in Latin America.

We met Guido and his wife, the pastor of "Manantiel De Vida," "Fountain of Life," Church, as well as several of his church leaders. He is a great guy, full of energy, love for the Lord, and an obvious passion for the Medical Mission to successfully minister to his community. Today, we will lay out a strategy for effectively working the clinic both at the church and some surrounding homes. We are hoping to reach as many needy patients as planned beforehand, but do it in a manner that does not create crowds waiting for care. The church will be arranging for appointments so that people come and are immediately seen. They are very excited about the potential impact for this week.

We also will be joining in their worship service this evening. Enrique will be sharing at a service commissioning a missionary the church is sponsoring. It will be great for our team to see the heart this church has to reach not simply their own community, but the whole world.

The game plan for tomorrow is to have a portion of the team setting up the clinic and a portion of the team going to the earthquake area with some Christian Costa Rican and government doctors and seeing if we can offer our services.

The team is getting to know one another today and enjoying the beautiful tropical surroundings. Sorry about mentioning that for those of you in the frigid north. Once the real working week begins; however, working together as a team will be paramount, and it is nice to begin connecting with the different team members with tropical breezes, "Casa" juice, Costa Rican Coffee from the surrounding mountains - - all under palm trees.

Please pray that this collection of great individuals with all the varied personalities and skills available make the most of opportunities God provides us. We earnestly desire this to be a week that makes a difference in all our lives.