Hey Geronimo! Send Some Smoke Signals

Departure from Deming today was a bit confusing. We belong to Campers on Mission (COM), an arm of the North American Mission Board. As we travel, we check the COM internet bridge for needs of churches along our route. Mostly, we are looking for painting assignments. We had been contacted by Tommy, the Arizona Regional Mission Strategist (ARMS). He had promised to investigate the needs of various churches and get back to us. Having heard nothing, it was time to leave Deming, and were not sure where we were going. Finally noon was approaching, and Jerry announced, "Since we have heard nothing from Tommy, we are heading to Fort Huachuca, AZ.”

Along the way on I-10 West, Gloria, always fascinated with trains, was hanging out the car window taking pictures of a long Union Pacific freight; it was also headed west polluting as it traveled. As it curved behind the mountains, the cell phone rang! It was Tommy saying we were definitely needed in Douglas, AZ, a city of 14,000 people on the Arizona-Mexico Border. We quickly checked the map and took the next exit for Route 80 south. The drive was beautiful but with few businesses or homes; we stopped only once to take pictures at a monument commemorating Geronimo’s last surrender near Apache. We were surprised to see a school bus heading through the stark, dusty, lonesome desert. It disappeared into the hills, delivering its children, we know not where. “What do these children do for fun,” we wondered?