Ten more days

This is my initial post on this blog. I wanted to start it before the trip to record some activity leading up to the big day. We are leaving in about a week and a half. We had our last team meeting yesterday, and we seem to be bonding more as the departure date gets closer. Eleven of us are going, all from Willow Creek Community Church. There is a hint of pride among us as we consider that this is the first short-term mission trip by a "Section Community." Let me explain. The church is considerably large, so in an effort to make the church experience more user-friendly, the congregation has been organized into smaller units by seating section in the auditorium. Some sections have affinities such as creative arts, motorcycling, military family, the outdoors and several others. Many sections are just a microcosm of the entire church whose make up crosses generational, economic and cultural boundaries. Our section, 103 F, is just this kind of diverse group. The El Salvador mission team also reflects that diversity. Our training sessions have been preparing us to be flexible, open and gracious in our attitude toward each other and the Salvadorian people with whom we will be connecting. This will be a learning and even challenging experience for all of us, each in slightly different ways. We hope it will be a positive one overall for everyone.