The return to Merida has been a great success so far, praise the Lord! It has been so great to be back with my team and with the students here. There has been lots of hugging and catching up. Without a doubt I feel loved by everyone I work with here.
I had a little over a week after coming back to readjust and get ready for our National Conference. It was a lot of work for our staff team of 35 to put on the conference, but to see God at work in the hearts of the 200 students that attended made all of the exhaustion worth it. More than that, it was an honor to be a part of creating an atmosphere where students were able to get away from their daily routine and be refreshed and challenged in their walks with the Lord.
I thoroughly enjoyed goofing off with my friends from the staff teams in other cities in Venezuela, getting to know students from all over the country, praying over students in Spanish, and, yes, playing on the teeter-totters with my teammates. My health held up surprisingly well with all of the activity and stress, so that is a great praise. We are home again in Merida recuperating from the conference and getting ready to take a well-earned rest on the Venezuelan coast. 
Trust me, I'm in this picture. See that bright blue spot in the upper right-hand corner?
