Flexible is Our Middle Name :)

Hello from Orlando! This is Sarah and Ericca reporting to you about our disappointing, hot and wonderful day. We are very thankful for the good (and air conditioned) night sleep we got last night and the hospitality of the New Tribe Mission where we are staying.

We were blessed to serve at Neighborhood Alliance Church most of the day. Jennifer interned at this church in 2006. We painted their ENTIRE youth building which required many rolls of tape, rollers, brushes, blue, green and white paint. A group of us also worked on weeding the mother of all weed patches. These weeds resembled octopuses but instead there were hundreds of "tenticals" sprouting from the main body. It was like a ball of yarn with no end. Zach commented that "there better not be any weeds in God's kingdom".

This afternoon we received news that Tropical Storm Emily had slowed down and we may not be able to get to Haiti at all. Thankfully, just hours later we got word that it had dispersed and we are on track to leave for Haiti on Saturday Morning! This whole trip so far has been an emotional roller coaster but we have learned that God's plan is perfect and not what we expect. Because of our delay, Doug was able to present the Gospel message to a group of middle schoolers using the pool at our hotel. Through this, one of the moms of a student came to know Christ. Because we were not able to leave for Haiti this woman now has new life in Christ.

We feel like even though our plans have changed we are still positive and know that God will use us for His purpose which is always a good thing to remember.

We had a wonderful surprise for dinner tonight! We were able to get an awesome deal at a local Japanese restaurant called Kobe. They prepared our (huge) meal right in front of us along with entertainment. The food was delicious and most of us couldn't finish our meal (midnight snack!). We were thankful to share this new experience as a team.

When we returned to our hotel we had some team time. We sang worship songs while Rae played guitar out on the front lawn. The grass here is very spongy - about 6 inches tall, trimmed. A small dog could be lost in this place. During group time it was nice to debrief about our highs, lows, accomplishments, disappointments, how we saw God work today and what we are thankful for.

We were able to spend some time with a couple Floridians today. Along with that and the time we've been here we've learned a couple things:

• Most of their roads are white


• They don't have Famous Daves


• Their grass looks like football turf


• None of their cars have rust


• They don't know what a blinker is (if you use it you're giving away your plan of action)


• This is a really hot time in Florida so it seems like most people prefer to stay inside


• They have palm trees


• They have "blind mosquitoes" that don't know how to bite...If only we could bring that species back to MN with us!


• They have crocodiles in the lake behind our hotel

On the docket for tomorrow:

In the morning we'll be packing up to leave for Fort Pierce later in the day. We'll pack up supplies for Haiti and then hopefully stop by the Wycliffe Center for a tour and to learn more about Bible translation. Then tomorrow night we'll sleep at a hotel and wake up early to leave for Haiti!

We feel your prayers and miss you all.

See you soon!
Ericca & Sarah