Spending 9 of your 26.5 hours on the TransAmazon Highway waiting for your bus to get through a massive mud bog is a great reality check.  How do I handle adversity?  Discomfort?  How do I treat my fellow travellers when I am dehydrated, dirty and tired?  What’s your reaction when you fall into mud up to your thighs?

               Well our youth came through with flying character.  They handled the extremely exhausting adventure like seasoned veterans in the race of life.  My love and admiration of them grew as I saw them encourage one another, laugh and sing while sitting in the dark beside a roadside bar in the middle of nowhere. We desire is to see these young leaders grow into oak trees that will reach out and provide shade and care for others who are hurting.  This gruelling road trip illuminated just a bit of what Jesus can do with our lives  if we let Him.

Deanna.