Greetings, October, 2003

The countdown is on! I'm here in hot humid Venezuela awaiting my flight north to the USA. My laptop computer is hot; Everything here in Caracas is hot!

My twenty days in this country have gone by quickly, almost too quickly, not quite three weeks from start to finish. By tomorrow, I will have taken ten flights totaling about twenty hours, almost half of these hours spent flying over the jungle in a small single engine plane. On almost every trip I have taken to South America, I have had some adventure high point; this trip rolled along unbelievably smoothly. Many were praying; I appreciate that. As always flight costs and expenses did not come from funds designated by you folks to the poor in Mexico.

During most of this time, I was able to maintain communication with my San Diego world. It's still hard for me to comprehend today's technology much less use it.

In my short time here, I spoke about twenty-five times to quite a variety of people. My time with the Yanowamo of Coyo and Parima seemed especially profitable. More than thirty years of visits with these people is proving profitable at this point. I have hiked with them, hunted with them, eaten with them and lived with them. They listen to me, and that's encouraging. I can say things the missionaries can't say. I can reinforce the missionaries.

Clouds rain and thunder much of the time reminded us that we were still in the rainy season.

Across the border in Mexico, things continued pretty much as usual. To the kids in the orphanages as well those in our seven barrios starting back to school become the focus of many.

Tomorrow morning, I return home. I'll be leaving this humid green world and returning to a dry and dusty Mexico, a world with which I'm much more familiar.

Again may I sincerely thank you on behalf of myself, my staff, and our many children and mothers, for standing behind us as we minister to the poor in Mexico. We appreciate your prayers and faithful investment in our ministry.

May God bless you.