Wow! There They all go.

We took the last of the the MSOS teams to the airport today and almost all of them are now on the plane. The only exception is the team I took at 5am. I had just gotten back to the base after dropping them off when I got a call that their flight was cancelled. A piece of their plane fell off. Hmm. Delta Airlines. Gotta love 'em. Of course, we're all glad the airplane chose to start falling apart while on the ground. Those Delta people. There always has to be a problem with them.

Last year they told one of our students that her 1 lb.-over-the-limit keyboard would cost $450. We were informed that any amount over the weight limit was an automatic $450 minimum charge. Of course, this information is nowhere to be found on Delta's website. They only list domestic luggage standards. If you follow links on the website to international luggage information, they take you to Delta's domestic luggage information page. This is so that their check-in agents can pull a random figure out of the air, most likely based on something important like which breakfast cereal (if any) they chose that morning. Hmm, Rice Crispies - today it'll be $800.

Enough ranting about airlines. I think the more one flies, the more one realizes that "customer service" and "airline industry" are mutually exclusive terms. Shoot, I think I'm ranting again. Sorry.

This has been a fun MSOS to be a part of, even though we won't be involved with the whole thing this year. It seems we have almost a surplus of high quality individuals this time (if that were possible). I must admit, we were quite jealous when watching people leave for outreach.

It's great to see the students' excitement as they prepare to leave. Many of them have never left the country. They all seem ready for whatever God has for them--ready to see God do incredible things. I have no doubt that He will.

Please pray for these guys as they go out. Most have ridiculously long journeys ahead and won't have the privelege of sleep for the next day or two. Pray that they all keep good attitudes as circumstances get more intense. Pray that God does use them in ways beyond their imaginations.

Bec and I are just about ready to leave Montana. It will truly be a sad goodbye. We're leaving behind some of our best friends in the world (world being literal in this case). I've found it's often easier, though, when you're the one leaving. We have adventures ahead of us. We will drive away from here on Saturday not knowing when, if ever, we'll be back. We do know that both of us will be leaving part of our heart behind in this beautiful place.

God bless you all!