Day 2 - finally arrive in Gallup!

 

I promise we will get up to speed with the blogs eventually but our schedule has already been really full.

On our first night we stayed overnight in the Romney Motel in Seligman on Route 66.  It is run by Sri Lankans and they were fascinated to hear of our mission there last year.

We were back on the road by 6.30am most of us not having had much sleep at all but all more rested than if we'd kept trying to drive I last night.

We stopped for a quick team photo at the iconic Delgadillo's Snow Cap.  It was shut but you could still wander around the collection of old cars and petrol pumps.  It was already warm ...  I forgot to say that the temperature when we arrived in Las Vegas topped 40 degrees C/110F.

Today as we drove along the Interstate 40 and climbed gradually to the almost 7000ft above sea level in the high dessert where Gallup is the temperature remained high around 93 degrees F not sure what that equates to in centigrade.

Around 2 hours into the journey (133 miles) we stopped at the corner in Winslow, Arizona, for our breakfast and to stretch our legs.  We were recommended a fantastic place and we all had a variety of meals that became 'brunch' as we didn't have another meal until the evening.  It was fun ordering off a menu of typical southwestern USA food including eggs with polenta and green chilli sauce! New did our daily devotional a around the table.

On the road again it was quite a drive and at one point we encountered an incident where more than 12 police cars with flashing lights and incident tape we're dealing with something on the other side of he interstate but needless to say impacted our side too slowing us down a bit.  We lost an hour as we crossed from Arizona to New Mexico arriving in Gallup at about 2.00pm.

Then it was a crazy hour and a half unpacking finding the stuff we left behind last time and setting up the team rooms.  We made a quick change into our blue team tops for our visit to meet the mayor Jackie McKinney.

Downtown in the blistering heat we all went into the municipal building to meet him in the boardroom.  It was a really great time of reconnecting and chatting through the challenges that Gallup faces and the things we will be able to do.  He has organised us to witness the intertribal ceremonial parade from bleachers by the El Morro theatre with him tomorrow as honoured guests of the city!  Wow!

We popped into the café to say hello to the new owners to see if we can do some stuff in there some time.  Not sure if this will work out at this stage but we will go back and see.

Back to Joshua Generation church we were treated to Navajo Tacos and then planned the evening service ... We led worship, did the new version of the 'changed' drama, Helen shared testimony, Julie and Colette sang and Dave preached.  Richard, Sylv, Margaret and Bobbie took the kids work.

We were all pretty shattered by the end of the service around 8.45pm but have been made to feel so welcome.  It was so god to reconnect with so many of these people we have known now for many years ... Dennis, Peewee, Jessica, Johnny Blue Eyes and his family, Cindy, Martin, Brian, Monique, Richard, Nate and his family, Promise etc etc

We have been made to feel so welcome.

Needless to say we did a quick raid on Walmart confining it strictly to essentials ... Breakfast things
and a hairdryer!

Tomorrow is a packed programme including feeding the homeless.  Tonight Dennis sent back a 'holy kiss' to Olivia who couldn't make the mission ... So if you're reading this Livvie here it is!😘