Another Great Day

It's 8:45 PM on Thursday and we just completed our 2nd of 5 full days of ministry to children.  The day went very well.  Once again our morning was spent singing, interacting with Dr. Paws in a skit, and rotating through 4 learning stations.  We also got to watch a video with pictures of some of the kids involved in the first days activities. We are beginning to plan what songs and skits we want to use in our closing program in front of the parents on Monday evening.

Dale and Janet Watts

 We are missing a couple of our teammates that were unable to make the trip at the last minute because of significant medical concerns.  Janet Watts planned and coordinated our morning elementary program.  She selected the curriculum and planned the schedule.  Had she been able to make the trip, she would have been the morning team leader.  She filled this same role in 2012, so she brought a lot of experience to our team. She also has an  infectious positive spirit. You can understand why we miss her. Dale was to be the IT guy for the whole conference. In 2012 he spent night and day working on the computers of conference attendees. I know they are missing his services.

Playing with Lego's

Our afternoons provide lots of different opportunities. Each child can select from a number of different crafts throughout the afternoon or to go out to the pool.  We usually end our afternoon with a video to get the kids settled down and wait for their parents to come and pick them up.

One of the parents told me jokingly today that we are doing too good of job because her kids don't want to leave at the end of the day.

Decorating her t-shirt

Samaritan Woman stopped by

They love watching videos

Great First Full Day

Pool time

Our team of 16 completed its first full day of ministry to 50+ children ages 2 months to 12 years of age.  Things went pretty smoothly.  The kids are engaging in our morning program of worship songs and drama. They are quickly learning all the motions that go with the songs. We are even hearing them singing or humming the songs while doing crafts in the afternoon.  This is greatly encouraging.  Each of the children will get a cd of  all the songs to take home with them.

For our team, our day begins with team devotions at 7:15 each morning and a review of the day's plan and then breakfast.  The kids arrive at 9 AM.

 For our elementary aged children the morning consists of a time of worship, games, snacks, drama, and learning stations. This goes from 9 AM until 1 PM when we break for lunch. The afternoons consist of electives such as time at the pool, crafts, board games, and movies. These activities go from 2 PM until 7 PM when we end for the day and go to dinner. For the babies and preschool children it is games, stories, lots of play time and some naps! As you can see our days are pretty full.

Our team is doing great and is staying healthy.  Please keep us in prayer for stamina and good nights rest.

Craft Time..Decorating t-shirt

Game Time

Visit by Zoo Keeper Dr. Paws

AND WE ARE OFF AND RUNNING

After a very busy day on Tuesday of getting all of our classrooms ready, some final training, and lots of time in prayer, the time to meet the kids finally arrived.  Our team of 16 was introduced on Tuesday evening at the conference opening session and we gathered up the kids and headed through the hotel to the wing of rooms we will be using all week.  Lots of smiles and excitement and a few tears from a couple of the young ones who weren't too sure about leaving mom.  Our theme this year is "Weird Animals". It talks about how each or us is unique and how much the Creator loves us.  We have an awesome team.  The young team members have really stepped up to lead the each days opening and closing worship times with our elementary kids. It's now Wednesday morning and we are getting ready for our first full day of serving.

Our program leaders practicing their moves

Gail Tait showing her area display

Please keep us in your prayers.  Team is full of energy and feeling great.

Faith taking a break

Some of Jordan's team doing motions to the music

Getting acquainted

We Made It!

After 49 hours, 6 different airline terminals, in four different countries Mike, Gail, and Jordan made it to Izmir Turkey. We left Portland at noon on Friday and arrived in Izmir at 9:30 PM on Sunday. We made it to our hotel and to bed at 1:30 AM Monday.

Short night.  Up at 6 to breakfast, catch up with the rest of the team and headed out to get all of our equipment and supplies ready for our children's program which starts Tuesday evening.

We are starting to see families that we have gotten to know over the past four years.  They keep stopping us and thanking us for coming back.  The team is well and doing great.


Our Team!



First time all together for training

Keep Praying

Update from beautiful Calgary, Canada!  Mike, Gail,and Jordan spent a restful night at the Delta Hotel at the Calgary airport as the guests of Air Canada!  Our plane from Portland to Calgary was 90 minutes late yesterday so we missed our connection to Frankfurt. Had they just held the plane 15 minutes we and about about 30 other people could have made it.  We are now at the Calgary airport heading to Toronto, Munich,and then Izmir.  We will not arrive in Izmir until 1:15 AM Monday morning.  The rest of our team arrived in Izmir a couple of hours ago.

In our training we talk a lot about SURF (servant-hood, unity, respect and flexibility). Well, we are getting to practice all of those qualities on this trip. I guess the leader/trainer needed this as much as any one on the team!!!

We will update again when we get to Munich.  Keep praying for us as we continue on this journey.  Also pray for the rest of the team that they can get our ministry rooms setup at the hotel.

Blessings,

Mike

Please Pray!!!!

• Gail, Mike (team leaders), and Jordan missed their connection in Calgary, Canada to Frankfurt, Germany due to late departure out of Portland.  We are spending the night in Calgary and are having lots of trouble being re-booked.  Right now we cannot get into Izmir, Turkey until 1 AM on Monday. We have team training scheduled for all day on Sunday and Monday.

Greatly appreciate your prayers!!

We are heading back to Turkey!

A team of 16 people will head out on June 13 and 14 to serve 60 children while their parents attend a conference.  The team is coming together from three different cities across the US.  Portland, Oregon, Lynchburg, Virginia, and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.  For some on the team this is their third time serving in this way, for others it is their first time to travel outside the US.  Hope you will check out our blog throughout our trip and keep us in your prayers.  Let the adventure begin!

Jordan

Gail and Jenny

Faith

Rachel

Mike &  Gail

Haley

Cora, Rose, Joy, Cindy
Judy, Randy, Chip, Ted