All packed and ready to move out

But feeling a bit sheepish about two 48+ lb. bags! (50lb is the limit, and I'm close with both the suitcase and the hockey bag)

The word from an inside source (Becky S.) is that the crew landed safely, and that in spite of a shortened stop in Charlotte (can I call it, or what? :-) ), all the luggage arrived safely in Montego Bay! Praise the Lord! The same source, however, tells us that they are struggling to get a reliable internet connection, so I don't have any more information from Jamaica.

Awana tonight, then up "dark and early" to get to the airport at 5am tomorrow!

Leaving on a jet-plane...

This morning at 5:00 am(!) the first wave of the team met at the P.E.Trudeau airport. We hope that they were able to get all their luggage onto the flight - perhaps even with some of the luggage-premiums waived for humanitarian reasons! According to schedule, they will be arriving in Montego Bay at around 2:30 pm, but if their flight was anything like my train this morning, the big snowfall last night might have caused some delays. Let's pray that the luggage makes the only-one-hour connection in Charlotte!

And I have only begun to pack!!

Fifty extra pounds of luggage!

Last week, the "school" project team met at Brent's to discuss all the things that could be done for the neighbourhood school. The list was necessarily on the ambitious side as there may be some items that we discover to be infeasible when we arrive. We are considering:

• painting of buildings
• general repairs and maintenance
  
• reading circle
  
• basketball hoop
• tetherball
• four-square courts painted outside
• climbing wall

and Brent is even consulting a contractor who might re-asphalt the playground area!

We are also bringing balls, treats, balloons and props for teaching and play with the students. Being around 180 children for an entire week demands at least some interaction!

This morning, we had our final planning meeting, and the logistics of travel were worked out. This afternoon, Jon arrived to deliver a 50lb hockey bag full of school supplies and children's clothes. This will be my second checked bag. Of course, this means repacking the entire thing! I now have a mattress, a mosquito net, all manner of odds and ends, and I am hoping to have some luggage space remaining for things like clothes!

Roast beef!

This afternoon, some of the ladies of the church, including some of the wives of our team-members, put on a delicious lunch for the entire church. This gave us an opportunity to share some more details of the trip with the entire congregation.

Prayers were said and some donations were made. It is a great feeling to be working on a worthwhile project together with so many wonderful people.

My first planning meeting

Ok. It seems a little more real now... and very much closer!

This morning was the second general planning meeting for all those going to Jamaica at the end of the month, and the first that I've attended. All sixteen of us were present. And it sure looks like we will be busy!

We talked about mosquito nets; we talked about fancy tools for fence installation; we talked about connectivity; we talked about suitcases; we talked about food; we talked about water -- and all before 9:20 in the morning!

The big project will be installing 400ft-ish of fence. We're not talking about a friendly neighborhood fence, either. Buried one foot deep. Three-foot cement footings for the fenceposts. Lots and lots of work. The project manager for the fence is Marc, and he's already done Monte Carlo simulations of worker efficiency to reduce risk on this one.

The next big project explains the need of the fence: we will be installing an internet cafe. An existing shed will be refurbished, and made habitable. It will be fed electricity and four laptops will be installed with a wireless router.

Other projects include playground reconstruction and the painting of a number of buildings in the neighborhood.