Cresthill Mission Reports

Nicaragua Partnership Project

March 2002 - Day 1

From: Terry Dupont
To: Lynn Stephens
Sent: Monday, March 11, 2002 7:58 AM
Subject: First Day

We are all just crawling out of bed, getting ready for the first day in Somotillo.

The day of travel went extremely well, with certain events already starting to meld the group as a team. At the airport we had more bags than we were allowed, with some over the weight limit. So Tim Ray and Paul Cooksey headed up the repack team, while Bruce Wills coordinated the bags at the counter. For those bags underweight, Paul used Spanish New Testaments as ballasts to bring them up to weight. For those bags that were too tall, Tim would perform his flying Zamboni move, and those bags would magically get several inches shorter.

At the end we had one or two bags too many still and Bob Johnson rescued us by returning to the airport to take the excess home. The last bag had candy, Bibles, balloons and toys. Certain members of the team saw no reason to send them back to Bowie, so a mini-fiesta was held at the airport and these were given away.

The rest of the travel day went very smoothly, and we all arrived at Terry's house after midnight, had a mini feast and settled in for the day.

Today we are going to get settled in Somotillo by noon. The Praise Team will meet and greet the First Baptist Praise Team, and hold a jam session together. Then in the evening four teams will travel to different villages to hold the first night of the "Crusade". The portals of Heaven will be swelling with new children.

At the same time Tim Nagel, Ginny Perry and Pastor Toby will start the installation of the new computer laboratory with the fifteen computers we have brought with us. Also the medical teams will get together with Doctor Gonzales, and plan the "medical journey" for Tuesday. Several hundred "patients" will be treated each day. Our medical team is led by Allison and Christeen, the interns from New York City that are heading up this effort. Lastly we will start coordinating with the Strasser's about the "library" of books that we brought, and ask them to coordinate the "children's scholarship" program that you all have committed to, sending each child to school for ten dollars a month.

Have to go. Look forward to our report on the days activities later.