Dave Barnes of Corona, CA calls the group of more than 80 men (with a large contingent of first timers) to the dining room for the late night orientation. He jokingly scolds one of the bunk rooms. "We're here less than an hour, and it already looks like a tornado has hit!" At least I think he was joking... Pat Schmeling of Faith Mission welcomes the men, and turns it over to the leadership team. Pat will have more to say in the morning as we prepare to head across the border for our first time this trip.
Bob Krull of Palo Cedro, CA has a few words for the drivers and shotguns: be safe and be serious. He covers basic rules of the road in Texas and Mexico. Mark Cygan of Riverside, CA announces the prayer team for tonight. Prayer is an important part of this trip, and there are prayer leaders and team members every night.
Marty Read of Riverside goes into the details we need to know to survive the week: Devotion starts at 7 AM. Sharp. If you don't know what shirt color to wear for the day, wait a few minutes -- there will be 10,000 guys wearing the right color.
Then the serious business. "Wherever we go, we need to remember we are guests," he's says. "No wandering off on your own," he adds. And for some men, there will be challenging times, where they need to step away and take a breath. "If you see one of the new guys struggling, go talk to them," Dave Barnes added.
Tonight, men were also called on to receive their three-year jackets. While many in Southern California making the third year plunge, were recognized at a meeting last Saturday, not everyone on this trip is from SoCal. Martin Foster of Georgia, Dan Bruxvoort of Iowa, Lincoln Yee of Ohio, Ben Sullivan of Oregon -- and Pat Schmeling of right here in Del Rio, were all recognized.
Dave Barnes closed the meeting with some reminders. Don't get all caught up in this being about the projects. We're here to impact lives.Have a servant's heart.
Be open to whatever God has in store for you, adds Marty. Oh, and of course... The color of the shirt for Tuesday is"Gravel."
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