Never a Dulles Moment

It is 6:00am EDT and we are now at Dulles airport. We have seven hours until our next flight in which to occupy ourselves. Our leader Lori has suggested teaching us a song, but everyone keeps disappearing.

Josh, however, did not fare the overnight journey very well. Despite his accommodations on the plane, he could not get comfortable. Seems he has found his "comfy" spot.

And We're Off!!!

The day has finally arrived, and we are at SeaTac airport waiting to board our flight.  we arrived at the church at 2:00pm to get the last of our goods in the bags and get loaded up for the airport.  If we thought the first round of packing was chaotic, we had more stuff than we had room for, so we frantically stuffed suitcases that had any indication of room in them.

So now we are at the gate, waiting for our flight.    many
Many of us feel like we are on a ride at the amusement park. There is all the anticipation waiting in line, and now were are strapped in.  The ride has begun, and we are comitted.  It's not like we can get off in the middle!

We are all relieved and grateful to be a part of this adventure, and excited that we are on our way.

Packing, Prepping and Commissioning.

The anticipation is increasing as we get closer to our departure date.  As many mission teams know going before us, the more we have set in stone, the more ambiguous is our task ahead. 

On Saturday afternoon, we spent a couple of hours packing our extra suitcases, and preparing ourselves for this journey.  This is our church's first trip to Ethiopia, so there is some uncertainty as to what we will encounter over there. 


With the remaining time after packing, we spent some time going over some final details and praying for our trip.  Even this close to departure, there are still issues that may prevent one of our team members from traveling.  Two others are traveling ahead of us, so we pray that we will all be united in Addis Ababa.



After our time of packing and prayer, we went upstairs for our official commissioning.  There is nothing quite like the feeling of being prayed for and supported by a significant portion of your congregation, loved ones and friends, that affirms that your journey is bathed in prayer.  No matter what presents itself before us, it is no bigger than the God who goes before us, and we will be testament to His grace and power every moment we are there.

There is only a few days left before we embark on our adventure.  Please pray that all of our preparations and last-minute logisitics get resolved before we embark on our trip.

How we got here...

On January 23, 2011, twenty members of Lighthouse Christian Center gathered together for our first mission trip meeting. As with most missions teams the spectrum of participants was varied. Some of us knew each other well, other were acquaintances and some of us were complete strangers to each other.

Over the next seven months we met regularly; planning, praying and bonding. The net result is a cohesive team, ranging from senior high students to grandparents, all ready to share the love of Jesus with the widows and orphans in Ethiopia. The team has already seen God's provision for the team and for individuals as we continue to seek Him and follow in His footsteps.

This is the beginning of our story as a team and our journey. We thank you for joining us as our adventure unfolds.