And They're Off

The date is Monday, June 13th, the 2010-2011 SPU academic school year is officially over! Congrats to the team lead, Chad Meis, for graduating yesterday! Now the team can take a break from book work and get excited for "real world" implementation of the knowledge they have gained thus far. Today, our Guatemala team is packing away like crazy fools and are getting ready to depart for their 3 week trip! They will be leaving TOMORROW at 8am!! Have fun getting up that early! :)

The team has been preparing for this trip all quarter. They have diligently been meeting every Monday evening to discuss what to expect and what they will be doing. They also spent a wonderful weekend getting to know each other and bond as a team at the team retreat, which was graciously hosted by the Meis family! Special thanks to them for all they did to make that retreat a success! With all of the hard work and bonding the team has put in this quarter, they are finally ready to get out there and share the Good News of God along with their knowledge and abilities as engineers to serve others.

Let us keep all eight students in our prayers as they embark on this amazing experience they are about to go on. Let their travels be safe and their hearts be open. I want to leave the group with two things. The first is an Irish blessing for safe travels and they go on their way. Secondly, is a prayer for an open heart so that they may receive all that God has to show and teach them during this experience.

Irish Blessing For Safe Travels:

May the road rise up to meet you,
May the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
And the rains fall soft upon your tracks,
And until we meet again,
May God hold you safely in the palm of His hand.


Prayer for an Open Heart:

Loving God,
You promised to transform our stony hearts into hearts of flesh,
Free us from selfishness and indifference.
Increase our capacity for mercy, empathy, understanding, and tenderness.
Purify us so that we may see you in the poor, the lonely, and the brokenhearted.
Draw us into your great heart, and unify us so that our hearts beat as one.
Fill us with such zeal for our faith that it illuminates every part of our lives.
We pray this in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.


Many safe travels to:

Chad Meis (team lead)

Cam Iseri

Devyn Byrnes
Dillon Gere
Heather Garcia

Katy Gross

Laura Moser

Parker Barnett

You are all in our thoughts and prayers!