The Journey Ends for Four of Us

Hi everyone, David and Shelly here. We are sad to announce that the journey to Honduras for us and for Sherri and Cliff has ended as of tonight.

After a long day at Halifax International Airport, American Airlines has canceled our flight to New York. The earliest possible re-booking was Tuesday afternoon at best and then there would be all the re-scheduling with TACA airlines into Honduras…the end result was that we probably would not get to Honduras until late Wednesday or possibly Thursday. All four of us are at peace with the fact that for some reason this trip was not meant to be for us and our itineraries are now completely cancelled and American Airlines is refunding the tickets.

We all ask that you please pray for The Laidlaws and The Lights - for their safety and for their spiritual protection. We are all sad and very disappointed to not be joining the rest of the team. We are definitely there with you in spirit and look forward to reading of your experiences.

God is in this trip and He will accomplish the mission!

 

The Difference 10 Minutes Makes

David here. Well, today certainly has not unfolded as anticipated. What would a group trip like this be without a little drama…

Shelly and I were scheduled on a 6:20AM flight out of Halifax this morning through New York and arriving in Miami just after noon. The plan was that we would take 24 hours to rest in Miami Beach before uniting with the Laidlaws and Lights on Saturday for our journey to Tegucigalpa.

Shelly and I walked up to the American Airlines check-in counter at 5:30 and were told they had “closed” the flight 10 minutes prior and we were not allowed on. Apparently, the “rule” is that they cut off the passenger list 60 minutes prior to take-off. So, it was our fault. That said…I have been flying minimally twice a year for 18 years to the US and this is a first (it is also the first time on American Airlines…and the last).

Again, it was our fault - I admit it. However, the rudeness of the AA representative was almost unmatched in my travel experiences. She was cold and unsympathetic and really unwilling to “try” to help us reschedule. She said she booked us on a flight Saturday afternoon, but when we later went on the AA web site, our reservation code was coming up as “itinerary canceled”. I then spent 35 minutes on hold with AA customer service. Finally Cindy answered and she informed us that the AA rep in Halifax had completely canceled our entire travel itinerary and we were not booked on the flights on Saturday at all! Fortunately, Cindy empathized with our plight and reworked things as best she could.

There was also a long ordeal with TACA Airlines, our carrier from Miami to Tegucigalpa…but I won’t bore you with that anxiety. The result is that Shelly and I are leaving Saturday afternoon from Halifax, spending Saturday night in Miami, and arriving (as far as we can tell) on Sunday night in Tegucigalpa.

I am exhausted and going for an afternoon nap.

 

Ready For Take-Off!

Hi, David here. This week has been a whirl-wind of activity. Work really has been overwhelming…just trying to get a million things done and taken care of so that the corporate world is at peace while I am away :-)!

Here it is, Thursday night at 7PM and finally finished. Before I put the computer away and finish packing. Shelly and I leave at 6:30am. The only good part is that we arrive in Miami just after noon and we get a day of rest in Florida. We meet up with the Laidlaws and Lights at the Miami airport around noon on Saturday and then we head for Honduras.

I am very excited…but also afraid and apprehensive as well. I have never seen 3rd-world poverty first-hand and I really think it will crush me on the inside. It will definitely be a culture shock. Pray for me. I know this will be a life-impacting journey.

As far as I can tell, our hotel in Tegucigalpa has a business centre with computer and web access, so we intend on keeping you updated each day.

Let the mission begin!

 

Getting off the Rock !!!

Well this has been an adventure and we have not even started. I think I am being tested from the get go. It is Wed March 05th and I am trying to get to Halifax so that I can join the team for our “real” departure on Friday. As has been the case on several of my trips between Halifax and The Rock one flight has been cancelled and by back up plan has been delayed. I keep telling myself “this is a test” I need to breathe … in with the good air out with the bad. I am so looking forward to this mission. But can we ever be ready for what we are going to experience?

 

Freezing Rain and Time to Pack!

Shelly here.  And glad for the freezing rain and school cancellations.  It gives me a much needed day to prepare for Honduras (laundry, packing - what to take, what to leave) and also to create sub plans for this Friday and the Monday after March break.  (Sorry Ed, I heard your flight from NF today got cancelled).  Feeling excited but also a bit nervous - wondering what we might be facing in terms of conditions, how we are going to communicate through cultural and language barriers, praying that all of us will remain healthy while down there….any and all prayers back home here for us will be most appreciated.  I invite you to post comments and questions - I promise to answer them all to the best of my ability with the technology access that I’ll have.

 

Only 3 more sleeps (4 sleeps for Cliff & Sherri)!

It is hard to believe that our trip is almost upon us. We are all very excited and in the final stages of preparation to head to Tegucigalpa. While most of the group is leaving on Friday, Cliff & I will wait patiently until Saturday. We will look forward to posting our journals for your review each day…..we expect there will be lots to share with you! Until next time, or as they say in Honduras, Hasta luego y Adios! Sherri & Cliff Flint

 

The Dump

One of the Compassion Canada projects we will be visiting is serving the community that has grown up around the city garbage dump. We found a video on YouTube that will give you a glimpse of life for these children. The organization that this video refers to is AFE and we will likely be meeting with some of their representatives while we are there.

 

The Blogging Begins!

Hello Friends of LifeBridge!

We are so glad that you have chosen to stay in touch with us as our team of 12 travels to Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

This will be the place where we provide you with updates on our experiences and encounters as we represent God and LifeBridge in Honduras March 7-16, 2008. As long as we get computer access, we’ll keep you informed!