I suppose one of the unintended outcomes from any mission experience no matter how well or how poorly it is organized is how it moves you beyond your comfort zone and into the Kingdom as Jesus described it. Beyond the boundaries of the ordinary, you are challenged get to know other people, learn to adapt to uncertainty and face yourself, both your strengths and your weaknesses honestly. Mission trips are designed to push you in two directions simultaneously, they should teach you to be a giver of hope and at the same time reveal something about your own need for grace as seen through the eyes of other people and cultures (but by the grace of God, there go I). In these mission adventures, I find I am forced to work through surprise challenges and discover all those little idiosyncrasies that come out as when I let my guard down or am pushed farther than I expected from lack of sleep or exhaustion. All those little weird behaviors I usually can control or keep hidden behind well crafted disguises, pour out. Mission trips also help you to learn, of course, the depth of generosity, compassion, and warmth people have that often lies dormant in our culture that is too busy to notice, but then seems to burst forth in unusual ways in the Haitian environment. I am very proud of how this group has bonded together, endured the challenged with humor, supported and encouraged each other through their bug bites and swollen faces, and served each other dinner, washed dishes and clothes and sacrificed their place in the shade so someone could get a bit of refreshment. They're reward was to experience a brief glimpse of the Kingdom of God as Jesus described it. I feel they have represented the First United Methodist Church family with great distinction. For most of this journey, we have been travellers and sightseers, Christian pilgrims seeing life and faith through the eyes of our Haitian brothers and sisters. I always seem to come away from these trips humbled by the Haitian openness and generosity and stirred by what life can be and perhaps still could be for us if we could just let go of our competitive spirit, but I will leave that discussion for another day. Today, however, we take up paint brushes to add color, warmth and light to some rather drab rooms. This is Tuesday in our story if my reckoning is correct, the day we painted rooms, hung stars and pictures, met with Denise, and prepared goodie bags for our last day. The day started by taking Pastor Rick Phillips and Olivia back to their group but made a 'quick' stop at the Haitian version of Lowes. There really is a place where you can buy most commercial building supplies, although in limited varieties. Are you surprised to learn the commercial supplies are very close to the US Embassy? Unfortunately taking them home and stopping at the supply store took about three hours. We left the girls at the orphanage to paint in our absence and when we returned they were exhausted, but we presented them with the coconuts as a peace offering. All I can say is it was a new experience for them. Tony and I started painting and were joined by some of the older Haitian boys (Israel & Daniel). We finished the ceiling and walls and then added some stars as a little surprise. The concrete seemed to drink in the paint like a sponge and we quickly went through 10 gallons, but we did finish the job even if we could only do one coat. The rooms were transformed with color and became bright when the sun shone in. In the afternoon we just rested and played with the boys who finish school by noon. By about 4 pm, Denise Marie Saint Fleur arrived and we sat down under the eucalyptus tree to share our thoughts about the future and the hope of transitioning the boys to independence. Denise understood, from her own painful experience as an orphan, the importance of having a plan to move the boys, who she said were floundering, to independence and full life. She knew they needed help, guidance and someone to ask the hard questions and then help them find the right answers. "Not everyone," she said "is made for higher education. We must recognize that some will be craftsman and help them to find the right apprenticeship." Denise understood what we had only been sense and was willing to help in anyway even before we talked about supporting her efforts financially. She knows first hand how hard their life will be if we fail to provide the structure to live independently. She felt she would work easily with Bato and Gina and would engage the boys later, but she was confident she could be successful and so were we. We were all so excited about the potential of Denise's wisdom to help and to guide the boys to a full spirit filled life.