Actual Post Date: July 13, 2010 (after returning from Peru and back on the grid)

July 3 arrives and it's time for the Mission Trip Guitar to be on it's way to Peru. The flight from Colorado Springs to Houston presents the first challenge. It's a small regional jet that has a full coat closet (where I hoped I would be able to stow the guitar on both of our flights). It looks like it's going to get gate checked. Unfortunately, these little jets are hardly big enough to stand up in - with my buzz cut, I can feel the ceiling of the jet tickle what little hair I have on my head as I walk to my seat. Any taller and I'd be doing a Quasimodo imitation to lurch down the aisle.

Well, the pilot hears about a guitar going to be stored underneath and he volunteers to take his roll-on luggage into the cockpit, making just enough room for the MTG to stay above deck. Whew!Here's a photo of me wearing the MTG in the Houston airport - safe and sound - so far.
When we get on the plane in Houston for the flight to Lima, it's a packed flight - no open seats and they are offering deals for people to delay their flight. This is a bad sign for above-deck storage for the MTG.Sure enough, MTG has to get gate-checked and go below decks. Not a good sign at all. Any guitar player that has been online has seen the 'United Breaks Guitars'video on YouTube. For those who haven't, here it is:United Breaks GuitarsNow our flight was Continental, which is a United partner, so I was a bit worried. My wife Rachel reassured me that there were too many God moments so far in the story to have it arrive in Lima broken into pieces.

She was right. Here it is, safely arrived in the Lima airport along with the rest of our team.

Next in the journey was the 9 hour bus ride from Lima, which is at sea level, up and over the Andes mountains through a pass that was 15000+ feet, then back down the other side of the Andes into

the Chanchamayo region of Peru. Fortunately, there was ample overhead storage in the bus. At least the guitar didn't have to share quarters with the driver - who apparently sleeps in one of the cargo holds.

I'm really glad that it didn't get placed under there because the hold was jam-packed with luggage and produce that was being transported from Lima along highway 20 towards

the jungle area of Peru where our final destination was the village of Pampasilva - about 20 minutes farther down highway 20 from La Merced, where our hotel was located.

I used the guitar a couple of times during our stay at the

project before presenting it as a gift to the senior pastor of the church. The kids loved strumming while I fretted chords.

I discovered that the pastor of the church where we were doing our mission work is an

accomplished musician. The church did not have an acoustic guitar and a random survey of some of the folks thought that they could use one. I ended up giving the guitar to Pastor Jaime. Here's a photo of both of us right after I gave him the guitar. He was very appreciative of it.

So the question is: Do you have a potential Mission Trip Guitar lurking in a closet, or under a bed, that could be put to good use?