On the runway in Houston

Written at 8 p.m. Central time:

We had dinner in a fancy seafood restaurant in the airport, keeping an eye eventually on the Louisville-Arizona game. We've occasionally had some trouble staying organized and we'll see how well we all get along. This trip is different from the 2007 trip in that there are only six people, and so we can't play social musical chairs as much. Obviously, in El Estor we're going to spend time - as individuals - with different host families and in worship, meetings, and social gatherings with friends old and new in Izabal. We're already immersed a little in Spanish-speaking culture. There's some Spanish in the Houston airport, and we've talked with some of our fellow passengers - Spanish- and English-speaking - including a U.S. woman who is living in Guatemala for a year or two. If this trip is anything like the last trip, we'll get lots of time to know each other (the six of us) much better.

-- Perry