And They're Off...Finally!

written by Joanna Lackey - Mom of the Super Twin Team

We took Joy and Zeke back to the Columbus Airport this morning and this time we 1) gave them a cell phone - which they'll send back with one of the other team members - it won't work in Peru and 2) stayed at the airport until their plane left Columbus! We did neither of those things on Saturday. There have never been any "hiccups" with past trips and we assumed everything would go as scheduled this time as well. Little did we know that LaGuardia Airport in New York would have a bomb threat and as a result flights all over the country would be delayed and canceled. Joy went through about $10 using the pay phone to call us, Shane Tucker and Mackenzie Taylor from LifePoint Church, trying to find out how to handle the situation. Our family was already in West Virginia when we learned that the kids could not get a flight out of Columbus that would arrive in Atlanta in time to connect with the rest of the team and in fact they would be bumped until today. So Mark and I drove 2+ hours back to Columbus to get our extremely frazzled 22 year-olds. As it turned out Joy, Zeke and Grace were able to sing at my brother Todd and sister-in-law Leah's church yesterday morning and then we all attended their baptism last evening - that was a very happy time!!!

Today their flight left Columbus right on time and arrived in Atlanta right on time. They found the gate to their connecting flight to Lima just like old pros and that flight left as scheduled and arrived in Peru about 10 minutes ahead of schedule. When Shane Tucker - bless his heart...he'll need to sleep for a week when he gets home - and the team arrived in Lima Saturday night, he scrambled to make arrangements for Joy and Zeke to be taken care of by our IMB (International Mission Board) missionaries of the REAP North Team. They have been absolutely wonderful! Members of their team have talked to both Joy and I today and they certainly made both the kids and the rest of the family feel much more at ease about the whole traveling to a foreign-speaking country alone thing!!! Shane pre-arranged for a taxi to take them to their hotel and one of the REAP North missionaries will be there to see that they are checked in properly. He also arranged for a Peruvian translator to meet them at the hotel in the morning and ride the bus with them to Tapacocha - can't wait to hear the stories about that trip. They will call me from the pay phone in Tapacocha tomorrow evening - we hope!

We are so thankful to the Lord for giving Joy and Zeke the opportunity to serve Him in Tapacocha. It's obvious to us that Satan is trying to stop them from reaching their destination. The events of Saturday were only the climax of a huge barrage of attacks on our family in direct opposition to this trip. But our God is faithful and we wait in great anticipation of what He's going to do to glorify Himself in Tapacocha, in Joy and Zeke, in our family and in our church.