A Terrible Start

Please be praying for Steve this week as he travels about 20 hours north to an Ilongot tribal village to do a church planting training there in the tribe where I (Jen) grew up. He got off to a bad start last night. He had planned to take the night bus to Manila last night, and he was told that the last one left at 10pm. So he spent all day in a village having a Christmas party and doing the next lesson (on the Birth of Christ - that was just the way it worked out!). He arrived home at 5:30 pm and spent the next few hours getting ready. Then he left for the bus station at 9pm to be sure to get a good seat so he could sleep on the way - once they arrive in Manila, he will have to drive the remaining 6 hours. That was when he discovered he had been given wrong info - the last bus had just left! So he and the 2 pastors accompanying him took a trike to a bigger town 4 miles away (normally trikes are only used for distances less than 2 miles since they are not very fast). They waited in that town for a passing bus for a passing bus for nearly an hour before taking a trike 25 miles north to the city of Naga. Remember how trikes are usually just for short trips?!? Because of poor roads (no freeways here!) this trip normally takes us nearly an hour in our truck - they did it in a trike loaded with SEVEN adults and all there stuff! Here is a pic of the kids and I in a trike so you get an idea of how crazy that trip must have been:

I have no idea how long that trip took them, but they had heard that there was a bus that leaves from Naga for Manila every night at midnight so they wanted to catch that one. They arrived well before midnight, but found out the midnight bus had left EARLY!!! Things are never on time here in the Philippines, nevermind early! So they spent the night in the bus station (bus stations here are way worse than any bus station in the States) and caught the 5 am bus to Manila. Remember, immediately upon arrival in Manila, they have start driving north to make it into the village before dark - if that is even possible now. I told Steve he should try to sleep on the bus so he will be rested enough to drive - he texted back that he is car sick so he can't sleep! Please pray for Steve as he is exhausted beyond measure before even starting into a grueling week of teaching and sleeping on a hard floor. To top everything off, he pulled a muscle in his back the day before he leftand was taking prescription-strength pain meds just to stand up! He needs our prayers this week!