IMPORTANT INFORMATION!!!

This Sunday is a very important day! Given the scope of a trip like this one, we only have the ability to hold 2 ALL TEAM fund raisers - this Sunday is the first one!

In case you haven't had a chance to read the letter (that should have already arrived at your home!), ALL STUDENTS are expected to help out with this fund raiser! Here are the most important details that you should know:

- ALL STUDENTS who are planning on going on this trip are expected to attend the 8:10 AM service so that they are available to help with all of the details of making the chili supper happen in the North Campus during the 2nd and 3rd services... again - ALL STUDENTS!!!

- Each family should provide a desert cut into 24-30 generous portions (if you are bringing cookies, 2 cookies is a portion) as well as 3-4 medium/large tomatoes cut into wedges.

- Please plan to stay until everything is cleaned up and put away (it won't take very long if everyone stays and stays motivated)

If there is a part of this that you are unable to fulfill, please contact me ASAP (you can reach me at the Church office during the day @ 419.636.1362 or email me @ jeremy@newhopecc.org)

Big Hurdles!

The hand of God was moving today! I am so confident that this trip will be an ENORMOUS success in the lives of students - God is continuing to protect this trip and help all of the details to fall together!

One real trial that has been developing in my mind lately relates to the capacity for the trip. When I made the airline reservations a couple of months ago, I only made 25 (thinking that the price would scare a ton of students... and parents.... away). Well, that has not been the case (to say the least).

For the past several weeeks, I have been tossing and turning at night trying to figure out how we will accomodate all fo the interest in this trip above the 25 seats that I have already reserved. I have been going over every scenerio...

• I have already increased the number of students to the capacity the group reservation will allow on our flights down to San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
• I have thought about the possiblity of sending 2 separate groups and leaders and meeting in Honduras (what a nightmare!!!)
• I have thought about renting vans and driving to airports as far away as Chicago to board larger planes (to no avail... the problem is from Atlanta to San Pedro Sula).

Then this morning, I had an epiphany!!! What if we purchased additional tickets indivually (more expensive) for the people that I have that I KNOW are commited to going (like leaders for instance) leaving the reserved group tickets for students.

So, first thing this morning I took our group reservation itinerary and looked into purchasing tickets to match that itinerary. The very kind man at Delta looked up our grou locator number and told me that somehow our flights had been changed and now we were booked to fly into Atlanta where we would stay the night and fly out to Cincinatti and then to Toledo the next morning! MY JAW DROPPED!

I spent the next 3 hours confirming the issue, connecting with our travel agent, re-confirming the issue and re-booking our flights out of a different airport with a completely new schedule in order to avoid the expenses of an overnight stay (and van rental, food, etc) for 30 people.

All of this because I called to work out another evidence that God is working (overwhelming interest in serving in Honduras). Think about it... if I had thought of this idea weeks ago, we would already have had those tickets when this change was made and not only would we have lost money, but we would have not known about the issue!

Everyone, I am CONFIDENT that God gave me this idea this morning - otherwise I would have missed knowing about this HUGE issue!

Would you PLEASE join me in praying that I would be sensitive to what GOD wants from this trip? I am confident that God is going to do some amazing things in the lives of students!!!!!!

Jeremy