WOW!! Today has been amazing. This morning we started out by singing in prayer and then we had a little bit of free time to do some snorkeling. I saw two sting rays and an eel. It was exciting.

 But the best news is that Rachel is pregnantand we are all so very excited for her. She is due in January and will find out during her second trimester the sex of the baby.

 By mid-afternoon we were all swimming with our dolphin pal, Eva. Dolphins are truely majestic. Just being able to watch her swim up close was unreal. Everyone got the chance to do the Dolphin kiss, the hold, the belly ride, and the boogie board ride.  Dolphins can swim up to 25 mph in the water so when you swim with them you were going pretty fast.

Right now we have some down time to rest and journal a bit. Tonight Emma, Mike, and Patrick will help with some turtles untill 6 AM tomorrow. The rest of us will help in the morning with the Humane society.

I can already see that this week is going to be one that we will all remember for the rest of our lives.

Peace.

JB

For the beauty of each hour, Of the day and of the night, Hill and vale and tree and flower, Sun and moon and stars of light.

That was a verse from this mornings worship. We talked about the wonders of water....Something you might not think about on a daily basis. Being from Dallas, we don't get to experience the awesome power of water. But as I sit, I am looking out at the beach. It is a presence of something much more powerful than I could have thought. As waves roll in and crash on the sand you can't help but stare.

On today's agenda, our first group will be going out with the turtle brigade, we get the opportunity to swim with dolphins, and we celebrate the news that Rachel and Mike are EXPECTING A BABY!!!

All of these will be explained in great detail tonight
Keep us in your prayers

Yours Truely
JP

Ladies and Gentlemen, may i have your attention please?

Well, here we are and with minimal mishaps! True we did fly right past the eye of a hurricane, and we almost thought we were abandoned by our rent-a-car company. Yet here we are well fed and fully stocked for the week to come!

Tomorrow we start on our mission. The meeting where actually details will be disclosed will start as soon as we log off. I guess this means adios untill tomorrow. So untill tomorrow, sleep well and keep us in your prayers.

yours truely
JP

I'm incredibly excited.  I've particiapted in or led about 50 mission trips over the course of my life, but this is an all-time first for me.  Every mission trip that I've been on has been humanitarian in its focus.  For the first time, I'm taking a group of teenagers on a mission trip that is focused on the needs of the environment. 

 In two days, myself, two adults and eleven teenagers will fly to one of the most beautiful places of God's creation to connect with nature while taking care of it.  We're going to spend a large amount of our time working through the night (from 9:30pm - 6:00am) assisting turtles as they lay their eggs on the beach.  We'll also work at cleaning beaches, assisting with the turtle project facilities and working with the local humane society. 

As we prepare, I'm praying that our teens will fall in love with God, the work of God's hands and will want to care for it more and more.

If you watch our blog this week, you'll hear from members of our youth group, adults and more as we do what we can to follow God's command to be stewards of this incredible earth.