¡Estoy en Mérida!

Well.. We made it!

The trip down was pretty uneventfull.. little bumpy on landing both in to Mexico City and Mérida, which made all the kids on the plane laugh geefully and the adults clutch their arm rests.

The plane from the ATL to Mexico City was great. Free selection of movies and Alan got to watch Georgia play baseball on ESPN2. All and all, uneventful, every one got to the airport right on time and we had time in the ATL to get a quick bit to eat, and to make sure we all had water for Mexico.

The ride from Atlanta to Mexico City was about 3 hours.. and we had a two hour lay over in Mexico City which was just about perfect as the airport is VERY big, (well.. it is a big city!). The only confusing part was they did not publish the gate until 45 mins before the flight

.. so we were going on faith that we were in the right general area.. (we were!)

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Where are we Going

When I mention to people that I am going to Merida MX on a mission trip.. I am often asked. where is Merida.. So here is some info on Merida.

Merida is on the Yucatan Peninsula, which is in southern Mexico. It is with in driving distance of Cancun and it is very close to Chichen Itza. It is the capital city of the Yucatan. The city was founded by a Spanish Conquistador , but it was built upon the Mayan city of T'ho.

Send Off!

This afternoon we had our send off party! I think we are all kinda in shock that the time has gone so quickly and that we are leaving in less then a month. We are all so excited about what are are going to learn about God and Merida.

Who We are- Leslie

Leslie.. Our Leader!

She began her friendship with Jesus Christ as a child and has grown to love Him more through the years. She began attending church at North Point in 2001 and switched to Buckhead Church in 2003. She has been involved with small groups since 2001 as a group member, a group leader, and a volunteer helping others get into small groups. She has also served with the singles' ministry, Host Team, and Production Team. In 2006, God began growing a passion for missions in her heart. Her first mission trip was June 2007 to Shalom Church on the Group Life trip that Lila Peete led. She was very excited to be invited to lead the Merida Connections trip because she has a passion for intercessory prayer and a special place in my heart for Shalom.

Who we are- Grayson

I grew up on an island off of South Carolina named Daufuskie. When I was a child my parents made the decision to expose me to different religions so that I could decide where I felt most comfortable. Christ has always been a part of my life but it wasn't until I was in college that I began to trully seek a relationship with him. My sophomore year in college I decided to become Catholic. After a year of classes on Catholicism, I was baptimized and confirmed that Easter. As I grew older I began to grow further away from the church. I still wanted God in my life but I was lost as how to go about that. In 2006, after much encouragement from friends, I attended Buckhead Church for the first time. It was an incredible experience! I then started Starting Point and began to understand and develop a personal relationship with Christ. This year I became involved with Waumba Land, and have loved every minute of it. I never thought I would go on a mission trip but one day it just struck me and I felt called to do it. Each day I work to become closer and closer to Christ. I am so excited about our trip and I love our group!

Who we are- Alan

He have been attending North Point / Buckhead Churchfor 6 years. He currently serve as a small group leaderfor 7th graders with our middle school ministry.College football is my favorite sport but I love allsports. I like any food. He really can't explain why he signed up to go to Merida. God has done all the work.

Who we are- Molly

Molly

She grew up inNY State, and has been in Georgia for 10 years.. and has been attending Buckhead church for the past 6 years and has loved learning about God and how her faith and dependence on God has grown. She currenly serves in the preschool enviroment with infants and serves as a Small Group leader. She is excited about the trip to Merida and the opportunity to meet new people and see God through different eyes. She has a heart for volunteering and also serves with the American Cancer Societ and Susan G Komen for the cure.