And We're Off!

Much like famed traveler Waldo, Wesley is on an adventure! It began this morning before the sunrise - a time of day most of us have only seen a handful of times.

The next twelve hours took our two cars, crammed with luggage and students, across Eastern New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma. Although the hours of travel were fatiguing, the tedium was alleviated by naps, snacks, and Catchphrase.
A few rest stops and fast food meals later, we arrived in Joplin at the First United Methodist Church. We're looking forward to sharing our accommodations with a group of twelve students from Marquette who arrived yesterday. Tonight we'll have a brief devotion and (hopefully) a full eight hours of much-needed sleep. Tomorrow morning, fully revived by a hearty breakfast, we'll head to the Americorps HQ to receive our job assignment and start work.

On our way to First UMC, we got a glimpse of the havoc wreaked by last year's tornado. Tomorrow, in the sunlight, we'll really see the extent of the devastation from which the City of Joplin is still recovering. We've already been amazed by the generosity of First UMC and our Albuquerque family who supported this trip. We're sure that, starting tomorrow, we'll be amazed by God's plan for us and the other volunteers here - to rebuild and restore hope to this brave community.
Thanks for following us on our blog (Waldo, as you can see above, is literally following us). A different student will be posting news of our adventure each day so you can see what we're up to!