Tanzania Water Well Update, Day 7, February 19, 2009

Today was a hard hot day. We drove to the SE corner of our focus area to a village called Dete. The purpose of this journey was to decide on possible locations for a water well. Dete is only about 22 miles as the crow flies from the Lutheran Junior Seminary (where we stay) but it was a 2.5 hour drive over road that several times tested the abilities of our 4-wheel drive vehicle. By the time we got there I had a significant headache.

We hiked around the area and found 3 possible drilling locations. Based on the depth to water in nearby watering holes, two of the locations might yield water at a fairly shallow depth. The third (located by the church) would have to be drilled deeper. All in all, I'm optimistic about being able to bring clean water to the village. God is good.

At one of the watering holes, a Bari Baig livestock herder had built pens immediately next to the water supply. Less than sanitary... The pens were made out of tall sapling trees that were basket woven around tree posts that had been driven into the ground. It was very interesting.

There are many Bari Baig in the Dete area. Because they raise livestock, they are quite wealthy (like their more famous counterparts the Massai). Unfortunately, they are most known in the area for their drinking, which I saw first-hand. A sad prayer concern. According to Pastor Herb Hafermann, very few Bari Baig have been saved. They continue in their animist ways and are not open to hearing about the gospel.

Upon arriving home, I had a 2-hour meeting with Bishop Jacob Mameo, Robert Spitaleri, and Grant Miller. (Asbury has teamed with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania to do our work.) The meeting went exceedingly well. I am very confident that our work here is making a big impact on the Kami people and that there is complete unity between our two groups. Praise be to God.
Mark Dalton

Tanzania Water Well Update, Day 6, February 18, 2009

Habari from Ed, John, Grant, and myself. Today we traveled to two villages to find places to drill water wells. The first village we went to was Mazizi. (Whenever I talk about going to a village, what I never mention is the condition of the roads. In short, the roads to all villages are nothing more than a poor 4-wheel drive trail. Assume that all roads are really bad.). Mazizi has been a challenging village for us to find a sustainable source of good water. The first well we drilled there was great... until the well collapsed. The second well yielded water that is a little too salty. We found a spot today that we think will yield good water. Pray that it be so.

We were reminded of the physical reason we are doing this when an elderly woman showed up at the local watering hole. A bucket of putrid chocolate colored water was filled and Pastor Leonard Mwimbe helped her to hoist it onto her head. We then walked with her 0.9 miles, up hill, back to Mazizi. A 5-gallon bucket of water weighs 40-pounds... Leonard estimated her age at 70. Think about it.

We next went to Maseyu where Pastor Mwimbe's wife Catherine served us a full lunch of rice, chicken, and gravy. After lunch we hiked around looking for a good spot for a well. The spot we settled on is in a low spot in a farm field near the hole that they currently use for a water supply. It doesn't look any better than the one at Mazizi.

We are praying that the two well locations chosen today will alleviate some of the suffering of the people here.

Tomorrow Ed and John will leave us for 2-days to go to an animal park. Please pray travel mercies for their journey and that communing with the animals will only heighten their appreciation for the creativity of our Creator. The rest of the contingent is going to make a very long journey to a very remote village called Dete where we will decide on one or several preliminary locations for a well. Please pray that God will see us safely there and back, and that He will grant us wisdom and vision to pick a good spot for a well. Bwana Asifiwe (Praise God)!
Mark Dalton

Tanzania Water Well Update, Day 5, February 17, 2009

Today we went to a village called New Land for a church service. Before the service started, we went to check on the water well that Asbury drilled in 2004. The well is still producing good water and looks to be in very good condition.

We also checked on the bee hives. Asbury's missionary, Robert Spitaleri, helped introduce a newer style hive that allows for more honey production. New Land is currently the only village where bee keeping is being done. It was wonderful to see that there were hives there labeled for other nearby congregations.

Following the church service, we were treated to a wonderful lunch. We ate so much that we didn't eat any dinner.

In the afternoon, I had a meeting with Pastor Hafermann to go over our 2009 budget and discuss finances and future projects.

Everyone here is healthy. Blessings to all.
Mark Dalton

Tanzania Water Well Update, Day 4, February 16, 2009

Today was an errand and meeting day for us. The team went into Morogoro to exchange some money, visit a well pump supplier, and have Grant Miller’s old SUV checked out by a mechanic before going into the bush the next few days (New Land tomorrow, Mazizi on Wednesday, Dete on Thursday, and Lubaya on Saturday). Please pray for safe travel.

This afternoon we met with two of the Pastors here at the seminary (Paulo & Mike). After good conversation, we ended the meeting by praying together, lifting up their concern for their students and teachers here at the seminary.

I finished the day with a business meeting with Pastor Hafermann to make sure that all of the ministry bases are covered financially.

The highlight of my day arrived as a surprise. My dear friend Pastor Raymond Dunia was able to travel from his remote village to see me. The reunion was wonderful!
Blessings, Mark Dalton

Tanzania Water Well Update Day 3, February 15, 2009

Today we travelled to the village of Gezaulole for worship service. We first went to the village of Maseyu to pick up Pastor Leonard Mwimbe. While there, Leonard’s wife Catherine served us tea and “doughnuts”.

Upon arriving at Gezaulole, we first went to the water well site where the surface pumping mechanism was recently stolen. The well at Gezaulole was the first one drilled by Asbury, and is very productive. It is speculated that someone stole the pump to sell it for scrap iron. We are evaluating what can be done to prevent theft in the future. The situation is sad as the women now have to walk downhill almost 2 miles in order to fetch 5 gallons of polluted water to carry on their heads for the uphill walk back to the village. A prayer concern.

The worship service lasted about 2 hours. Leonard (Asbury sponsored him through seminary) did a great job. The sermon was on the sower (Matthew 13). After worship, there was a small auction which brought in extra funds for the coffers.

When we dropped Leonard off at Maseyu, Catherine had a veritable banquet ready for us. It was really good: rice, chicken, beans, oranges, bananas, potatoes, and papaya. All washed down with good old Coca Cola. That’s all for now.
Blessings, Mark Dalton

Tanzania Water Well Update (Day 1 & 2) Saturday, Feb. 14, 2009

Ed Lusk, Grant Miller, John Simmons and I all arrived safely to Tanzania without incident. Thanks to all for your prayers.

As you know, one purpose of our trip is to improve our water well evangelism. To this end, one of our tasks was to evaluate a new water well drilling contractor. Today we were able to visit the site of a water well that is being drilled for another Christian group. The well is being drilled by a company called Majitech (maji is Swahili for water). We stayed for about an hour, observing and talking to the drilling rig operator (driller). We were quite impressed with both the equipment and the driller. We were also reminded that “this is Africa” when the well construction operation had to be shut down because the PVC well casing had not been delivered (it was supposed to be there last Monday…). We hope to meet the owner of this company before we leave here. Please pray diligently that we are able to find a long-term solution to the water well drilling problem as the need is very great.

After lunch, we drove from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro. It took us almost 4 hours to make the 100 mile drive. The drive was slow due to the traffic being very heavy. I got to make the drive with Bishop Jacob Mameo and a missionary who works for him, Barbara Robertson. Our time together was very rewarding.

Tomorrow we’re going to go to the Massai cattle auction which is always very interesting. Thanks for your continued prayers.

In His grip, Mark

Day 2
This morning was spent planning the rest of our days here.

In the late morning we went to the Massai cattle auction which is about a 30 minute drive north of Morogoro. This was my third time to go. I had a good time watching the expressions on the faces of Ed Lusk and John Simmons who had never experienced anything like it. Somehow being in the middle of hundreds of Massai warriors and their cattle all in one place just never loses its awe factor.

Tomorrow we will worship at Gezelole.

Mark

Honduras Update, January 15, 2009

We are having such a wonderful time! It has been so fun seeing Jon and Emily and getting to see how incredible they are with the people of Mogote. The Lord is doing huge things in this ministry, in Honduras, and in our hearts. As a team, we have laughed, prayed, cried, built a house, loved on kids, made a lot of crafts in kindergarten, fed a village, sorted clothing to give, and seen Jesus in many, many ways.

We are blessed to be here and are so exctied for the next few days! Thanks for praying... You would be so proud of this team, I definitely am.

Kori

Rio Bravo, Mexico Men's Construction Team

First day went well. We arrived early so we did a little shopping at WalMart and ate some good ol’ chic-fa-le. We didn’t have any trouble crossing into the border. A federali inspected our vehicle a little bit but eased up when we told him we were a church group going to build some houses. As we crossed there was a slight silence. A few questions like “do the people really live in those houses?” and remarks of grief, thinking we had it bad in the U.S. It’s a true eye-opener seeing such poverty and observing them being thankful for the things they do have. They might not have an Xbox 360 or the newest purse—actually most of them don’t even have shoes, but what they do have is their family. The smiles on their faces playing soccer in rubble that you wouldn’t even want your dog to walk on, but they’re truly happy and that’s all that matters.We unpacked and set up everything early so we hit the town. Headed to the famous “shed” for some good ol’ Mexican tacos, where a wonderful guy came up and sang for us (wait until you see the video). Second day started a little bumpy, my alarm didn’t go off. I’m lucky I made it to breakfast—thanks to my brother. We loaded up the vans with lunch and water and headed out.

Arrived at the worksite, anxious and excited. Gloves on, boots tight, ready to rock n roll. Our bricks were quite a bit further from the house than we wanted, but so were team #3’s. So, being the nice gentleman of team #2 we marched over to help them move their bricks onto the foundation where the house will be built. (For some reason team #1 was nowhere to be found. It figures—ha-ha. We were successful in moving all their bricks, so they returned the favor. We got to work. Guys started sifting gravel and preparing for the mixture of mud (cement). Then the fun began—laying bricks, letting the meistro (boss) fix all our mistakes so the walls weren’t built crooked. Then the fun started falling out of the sky—shaped in little raindrop forms. Some continued to work while others took shelter under a pavilion. Then it started raining really hard, so we couldn’t exactly make a good quality product with a wet soupy cement. At that point we went for shelter. Then magnificently it started hailing. Yes: hailing! In Mexico! We headed hurriedly to the vans. Getting back to the VIM. Calling it a day just in time for lunch. As everyone gathered I began looking for my brother to share some stories.

At one point along the way we noticed a car was on the side of the road, knee-deep in water. A woman’s head popped out, a face begging for help. Her car was stuck in the mud and there was another woman and a toddler inside. So I asked if I could help. I got into her car, took about five minutes but I got it unstuck and had to drive it down the road to dry land. If you could have seen the woman’s face of gratitude, it was amazing.

I’ll keep you posted!
Shannon Ortman

Monterrey, Mexico Medical Update

Another beautiful day in Monterrey. We have been blessed with lovely weather, so sunny and pleasant. Each morning has been cool, the afternoons warm, but dry and comfortable. The city is basically a desert valley, surrounded by dramatic mountains. Markedly different than Tulsa!

We moved our clinic today to Mission, a village about twenty minutes farther than Zapata. It is even poorer, with dusty, dirt roads winding through shacks made of wooden pallets, corrugated tin, and items scrounged from the junk pile. Stray dogs and chickens roam freely. Other than roosters crowing occasionally, it is very quiet: no radios or televisions, no cars or truck traffic, no sounds of industry.

This poverty was reflected in a different type of clinic patient than our previous days'. Not as many cavities, as they don't have access to the same sugary--and relatively luxurious--treats. Instead, more profound gum disease that puts all of their teeth at risk. Lots of uncontrolled high blood pressure and diabetes. Several children came in with the physical symptoms of vitamin deficiencies. On the one hand, it felt good to be able to serve, as their needs were so great, anything helped. On the other, it was somewhat depressing, as you know you can't change their underlying problem: extreme poverty. That last part, however, is very convicting to continue to serve however you can as a mission volunteer.

Altogether, it's been a great trip: our team has worked well together, our different skills and personalities have been complementary, God has been good and provided for us--as always.
Leslie Roark

Monterrey, Mexico Medical Update

Friday, November 7

Our second day in Monterrey started much more smoothly than Thursday. After another delicious breakfast, we traveled to Zapata where we were alread set up to see patients. There was a line of people waiting to see us, and our day was very productive.

We saw over a hundred patients, with illnesses ranging from the common cold to cardiac problems. One elderly gentleman made an impression on us because of the before/after contrast he demonstrated afer receiving a pair of eyeglasses.

Our team's daily Bible reading focused on mercy and compassion today. We didn't know when the day began how these qualities would be reflected in our experiences. The dental schedule for the rest of the day was full by 1pm, with people lined up in chairs waiting for their turn; however, three patients arrived late with major, obvious dental needs. Our entire team came together to work things around to accommodate these extra patients, as we were all overcome with a desire to help those in distress and improve their quality of life. It made for a long day, but everyone was peaceful and fulfilled as we returned late Friday night.

Another special aspect of the day was that it was two team members' birthdays: Don England, Asbury member and frequent mission team member, and Juan Carlos, a young man from Monterrey serving as one of our translators. Both seemed thrilled to be celebrating their birthdays by serving others, which was great to be a part of. We were able to take a quick break and enjoy another of Humberto's fabulous, home-cooked, Mexican meals and participate in a traditional, Mexican birthday event: breaking open a pinata.

It was a long day, but a rewarding one.
Leslie Roark

Monterrey Medical Team Update

Good news from Monterrey!

After a delicious, home-cooked Mexican breakfast, we divided into two vans: one on to the colonia to set up the clinic, the other to the airport to pick up our remaining supplies from customs. By late morning, we were reunited and seeing patients. All told, we saw over 60 patients, some medical, some dental, some optometric--some all three!

We enjoyed some fellowship and the evening meal at the clinic, and then returned to Monterrey for ice cream and a late visit from Dana and Tom Harrison and other special guests.

We are all tired, but it's not the weary kind: instead, I think we all feel the satisfaction of a long day's work done well. Thank you for remembering us, and for continuing to pray for us and our patients!

Leslie Roark

Monterrey, Mexico Medical VIM team update

Greetings from balmy Monterrey! Thirteen volunteers for this medical mission departed Tulsa at dawn Wednesday morning; after a quick layover in DFW, we arrived at our Mexican destination. Two others had landed earlier today, joining another pair who came yesterday to prepare for our arrival.

Fortunately, we had an uneventful trip: on-time departures and arrivals, our bags were waiting for us, no one got lost. We encountered a glitch once here, though: the customs officials were reluctant to release our medical bags, carrying all of our supplies that would allow us to provide medical services at the clinic starting tomorrow...boxes of eyeglasses, crates of dental equipment, cases of medications, all somewhere in the airport. Our team leader and a fluent physician spent literally hours at the airport negotiating with officials for our supplies. Even the local bishop, who was at the airport to pick up another Methodist guest (coincidence? I don't think so), was unable to facilitate the disposition of our goodies before we left today. We are optimistic that we will be able to retrieve them tomorrow on the way out of town; however, any prayers that would pave the way for an easy pick-up tomorrow morning would be welcome!

So, learning a little bit about patience and flexibility. We ate lunch in the airport, and I hate to say: we came all the way to Mexico to eat at Carl's Jr. Only here, a six-dollar burger is a nineteen peso hambuergesa.

We drove through big-city traffic to the church offices, and settled into the dormitory. It is modest, but clean and pleasantly cool. We walked to the nearby John Wesley Seminary, where the Director and a first-year student gave us a tour. The building is over a hundred years old, and they were rightfully very proud of their facilities. They were also very specific in showing us how previous construction crews from Asbury and elsewhere had helped improve their building; their gratitude was evident, and they were quick to acknowledge God's hand in their lovely church home.

We're getting ready to eat dinner here, have some devotional time and then--hopefully--to an early bed. Our group is all getting along well: we really do all have different, but complementary gifts, and it has made a long day enjoyable and interesting. Please remember us all in your prayers tomorrow as we collect our supplies and travel outside the city to serve.

Leslie Roark

Monterrey, Mexico Construction Update Friday, Oct. 17, 2008

On Wednesday the guys spent a long, hot day working on the roof while the rest of us prepared for MBS which was held at a very poor, nearby village. The children responded positively to the songs, puppet show, Bible story and craft. They were such a joy with their big brown eyes and eager grins. Cindy took a photo of one little guy and then showed him the digital image on the back of the camera. The boy was unresponsive so Cindy took a picture of the boy with his mother and showed him the new image. His little face erupted with a smile when he realized he was the boy in the picture. We assumed he has never really seen himself before.

On Thursday we welcomed cooler temperatures and a little rain. The guys finished the big roof project which seemed much less strenuous in 60 degree weather than it did in 90 degree weather. We returned to the poor village for the second day of MBS. The children streamed down the dirt road behind the van and we discovered a large group of little ones waiting for us at the gate when we arrived. After the lesson, we distributed 70 sandwiches, drinks, crafts and gift bags.

Our girls are having a wonderful time. Yesterday, Humberto and Myrtha's seven year-old granddaughter, Joseline, spent the day with us. They played hard all day, worked a little, and even discovered a litter of newborn kittens. This week Sophia is one of the puppeteers and sometimes shoots video. Olivia is one of the song leaders and helps me hoist buckets of sand with the homemade pulley. They're both excellent helpers when it comes to prepping and crafts. They are holding up well despite the long hours, and the experience is priceless! The team is being so sweet with them. It's such a blessing.

Friday Humberto has promised tamales for lunch and John (Morrow) has promised to make flan for dessert--so we are calling him "Flan Juan" now. We'll try to finish by 7:00 pm tonight as we are scheduled to have dinner at Humberto's church with the Seminary students (and maybe the Bishop too, I'm not sure). We will see you soon! Stephanie

Monterrey, Mexico Update October 13, 2008

We are feeling fine! We are tired and a little sunburned, but it’s the good kind of tired! The kind you get when you’ve worked hard all day, in the fresh air with good friends. It’s the kind of tired that makes your appetite voracious, and makes everything seem funny.

We started by filling buckets of sand and hoisting them up to the roof of a third story building via the “human conveyor belt.” We estimate we moved between 2000 and 3000 pounds of sand (all before lunch). Then some people filled buckets with gravel (probably another 2000 pounds worth) and lifted those onto the second story with a homemade pulley system. At the same time, others were clipping wire and twisting it into pig-ties, while others were tying rebar. Then the guys got to carry four 130 pound bags of cement around the building and up a flight of stairs. Since we had a lot of material to move and only four fellows to do it—we had to put “all hands on deck.” Men, women and children contributed their labor, the Lord provided strength and stamina--and the day’s work was super productive.

We had a great turn-out for MBS, and the crafts were a big hit. The children were precious, and such a joy. Again, everyone contributed and the Lord provided to make the first day of MBS a successful one. We worked out some kinks later in the evening and we expect tomorrow’s MBS to go even better.

We are being well cared-for by our hosts, we are eating like kings, and the team is functioning like the body of Christ. It’s a real team effort with everyone working hard, doing their part and having lots of fun.

This is a great team, and a great place to be! Stephanie

Monterrey, Mexico Update October 12, 2008

Hola!

The first thing we saw as we neared Monterrey was the top of a mountain peaking through the heavy cloud cover. As we dropped below the clouds on our approach we observed a huge, industrious city surrounded by mountains on every side, with housing additions creeping up the steep slopes--the only space left for growth. The travel was easy and even customs was a breeze.

We’ve eaten like kings since we arrived: For lunch we had fresh guacamole, Mexican queso, homemade tortillas, grilled steak and spicy salsa! Later we enjoyed HUGE scoops of mango, strawberry, and chocolate ice cream. We did some sightseeing, first from a high spot in the center of the city, where they fly a huge flag, and later from the SAMS Club, where the team bought supplies of food and water. We unpacked and hit the sack around 10:00 PM.

Sunday morning we savored another wonderful meal, had a devotional then headed off to a worship service at Vina del Rey (Vine of the King) Christian Community. The congregation sang songs for over an hour, then prayed, then sang some more, then prayed some more, then sang some more, then people from the congregation shared testimonies (including a few from our team), then they sang and prayed some more! We recognized many of the songs (such as How Great Thou Art, and several Chris Tomlin songs) and even though we didn’t know the Spanish words--we knew the tunes.

The Mexican people are so demonstrative and hospitable; they greeted us warmly with hugs and kisses, and small gifts. They’re also animated and passionate when they worship. The WHOLE congregation sings at the same volume and intensity as Chris Cleveland does when he leads worship at the Venue. The people clapped, and danced, and wept. It was wonderful to participate with them! At one point, Pastor Guzman went straight from praying into a song, and he was dancing around and clapping! (I want to ask Pastor Tom why he never does that.)

We stayed for a pot luck lunch at the church afterward, and then we visited this wonderful park where a huge artistic event was in progress. Hundreds of artists were recreating classic works of art with sidewalk chalk. It was amazing to see. After that we toured the Juan Wesley Seminary which is housed in a beautiful 100 year-old building. It was clean and modestly furnished, with a well stocked library, classrooms, chapel, offices and dorm rooms. We look forward to joining the seminary students for a meal on Friday night.

We spent the evening preparing for tomorrow’s MBS. This included practicing the puppet show, and the songs, and gluing stuff together. It’s after 10:00 PM now and everyone has retired to their rooms. The windows are open, and the fans are blowing. Outside, some insects are chirping. Before bed my daughters prayed, “Thank you Lord for this WONDERFUL day!”

Yes, thank you Lord for this wonderful day! Stephanie Hurd

Central Asia Update Oct. 9, 2008

Salam(Hello),
Today has been such a nice day. We started our morning at the Vo-tech with some history of CARD and a tour. We heard such great stories of children who had no future before CARD and now they have a trade and are able to have confidence in their future. The children are such a delight to see. They are excited to have the opportunity to learn. Some of the team helped create Wheel of Fortune for the English students to practice spelling. It was properly called Wheel of G-town. Our special treat was the cooking class. We made homemade fudge brownies and started the Hobo Stew. It was great to laugh and continue to build relationships. There is a special young girl whom the team has seen the last couple of years. Seeing her is a sweet reunion. Our guys finished the baby’s gate and went to hang it at the baby’s home this afternoon. This will be great help when trying to separate the children from the toy room.
This afternoon was probably the highlight of the day. We returned to the psychiatric hospital to pass out the photo albums to the women and watch an art class. The ladies were so grateful for the photo albums. It was thrilling to see their faces light such a dark place with some joy. One woman said that “we make her heart beat faster with joy”. She had tears filling her eyes and it was a bitter-sweet moment. The art is quite amazing. They are ALL far better artist then we could think of being. We were honored enough to be able to purchase some and help them feel special for their ability.
The men had a chance to pick up a basketball game with some of the young men at the Vo-tech. It quickly turned into young-vs-old (American-vs-Central Asia). It was funny, one young man kept telling Matt to “take it easy”. It has been a blessing and has brought joy to our hearts to be able to share in their lives.

Central Asia Oct. 7, 2008

Hi everyone, we had a looonnng but uneventful trip from Tulsa to Chicago to Frankfort to B-town to G-town. We left Saturday morning and arrived in B-town Sunday night, getting into the hotel around midnight. Sleep? No. We had a good night's sleep and then did some walking Monday morning into the old part of the city, where the rug sellers are. We walked along the seawall, and had a wonderful lunch on the 16th floor of our hotel, overlooking the city and the sea. They served fresh tomatos and cucumbers, plus coriander (cilantro) and dill and onions...call all of that salad. Then we had a dish served in a flat dish over a coal, of chicken, eggplant, potatoes and onion that was delicious. After that, into cars for the hair-raising trip to G-town. Oh my. Not for the faint of heart. Nor was the potty on the stop we made...frightening. Who knew a two lane road could really have 3 lanes? Evidently our driver knew. We made the trip in about 6 hours. We followed for about 2 hours of the trip, then headed further west into the high desert area. G-town is in the more northwest area of the country. We saw people along the road selling fresh pomegranets, apples and fish. We arrived in G-town around 7:30 and had tea and supper, and a lovely visit with our hosts Neil and Lucy. We got to bed around 11ish. Today (Tuesday) we were late risers, but ready to go by 9:30. We visited the baby orphanage, and held babies, played with toddlers, and did some cleaning of toys in one room. Right now they have 11 babies and several toddlers. Not all are orphans...just can't live at home right now. Precious children all. Then we visited long-time friend Sevinche at her home and had cake and tea. She is a delight, and enjoyed hearing about the people she has met over the years. Tonight we are having supper, prepared by Sevinche...and it looks wonderful. The men worked on the toddler gate for the orphanage today, then took a little tour of the town. They also sat in on an English class. I'm still feeling a bit jet-lagged...or a lot...so some of these sentences may not make sense. I can see pomegranets having heavy on the tree outside the window right now. The temperature is perfect, and the humidity is low. The sun is beginning to get low, but the temp is still warm. It was chilly in the room last night but we had thick comforters and slept very well. All is well, and we will bring home stories! We send lots of love--Cindy Read

Estonia Camp Gideon Team, July 5, 2008

Hey everyone! This is Sterling giving the daily update. We started out today with an end-of-camp worship service and award ceremony. The "American" team was actually given a huge bar of chocolate in thanks for coming to Camp Gideon. After a quick lunch, we had to say our goodbyes to the campers. It was extremely hard. All of us got very emotional. After saying goodbye, we cried our way to a nearby castle in Narva, which we toured. Right before we left, the girls decided to dress up in 18th century Russian clothes so Ryan and I decided to join them. Then after the castle we returned to camp, played a little soccer and took a dip in the Baltic Sea, which was about 15 degrees Celsius. It was another great ending to a great day!

--Sterling and the team.

Estonia Camp Gideon Team, July 4, 2008

Hey everyone! This is Jennifer. So I was supposed to write this on Friday night but we have been pretty busy lately. I'm sorry. Well Friday was the last full day of camp and it was definitely a great way to end our week even though they changed the schedule on us for the day! After breakfast we started the day off with some worship which was so good! After the worship service, the campers had small groups so our team went back to the cabin and listened to some techno and rock. Sterling was climbing all over the furniture because he got so into it. It was hilarious! After that was sports time where we played jump rope, water balloon volleyball, and this game where you get into a circle with your opposing team and try to get them out by having them knock over a bucket. They all were so much fun but now we are feeling a little sore! Then we went to lunch and after that was crafts which was kinda sad because, other than Amy, only a few people came. But it was okay because the campers were all in their sports groups getting their skits and videos prepared for the night. Later after dinner, we went to the brown building for church. It ended up that we watched all the team videos and skits. For us, they were funny but the campers found them hilarious! I guess it just wasn't translated the best. Haha! After that it was time to get snacks. Then we went back to church for worship and a short sermon. The worship was AWESOME! Almost all the campers were in the front or in the aisles dancing! It was amazing! After it was over, it was time for bed. And that was pretty much the end of great day!

--Jennifer and the team.

Estonia Camp Gideon Team, July 3, 2008

Well I'm (Kevin) doing the update again tonight because the girls are at a midnight chapel service and the boys are showering. (The boys thought they might have gotten too sweaty during the sports activities today.)

I am really proud of our youth! The boys presented a great devotion this morning. Then they all helped the worship band lead the worship service. Tiffany played drums, Sterling played bongos and Erin, Hanna and Jennifer sang. They really did a great job. They have also been doing a great job with the crafts and sports. They are participating in all of the small group activities and making some great friends. The camp leaders and the campers really seem to appreciate us.

Artur, the camp director, is really sick and needs your prayers. He started feeling bad yesterday morning and was pretty sick by early afternoon. His wife, Valetina, said that his doctor called it something like Rosa and that it is caused by stress. This is the 4th time he has had it. I think that is probably Shingles. Please pray for a seedy recovery for him. Also their son Erikki has been in the hospital because cut part of a finger off and cut his hand on a power saw a couple of weeks ago. I think that it got badly infected. Anyway I imagine that Valentina's stress level is pretty high right now and could use some prayer too.

Thanks again for your prayers and support!
--Kevin and the team.