14 is Just a Number

For the past few years, the groups that have come down to the Bahamas for this trip have been getting larger. So much so that last year we decided to break the trip into two weeks. Even by doing that, our numbers were still pretty large. So this morning as we waited at church for the team to arrive, it was pretty weird only having to count 14 orange shirts. That's the smallest group we've had since the original 16. All through the day it seemed that we were missing someone. For those who have been on past trips of 50 people, it seems pretty odd. And everything went much quicker today - from getting organized at church, the check-in lines at the airport, to passing food at dinner, initiation, etc. We were finished with all of the day one "have-to" activities so early, that we were able to play three rounds of "Empire" tonight. It was the least stressful first day yet. The group is getting along really well. There's a nice mix of young and old, veterans and newbies. We spent the afternoon at the beach and pool getting to know one another and sharing backgrounds. We are fortunate that tomorrow we will be attending a service where Raoul will be preaching. And we will spend the afternoon heading down to Uncle Leo's house to do a quick survey of the materials needed and to play with some of the kids. We were also able to meet up with our three missionaries who've been here for the past two weeks. They were so excited to see some familiar faces (and get some needed items from home). Even though we are only a team of 14, we know that God's plans are perfect for us, no matter the size.