Vacation with a Purpose

The vision for the family trip came from Kami. After a weekend visit in winter of 2012, she shared her vision for a trip where families can do mission work and enjoy vacation time. Raoul and Karen ate it up. What a great way to introduce young children into the world of missionaries. But like any new idea or vision, there's always doubt about how it will look once its been set in motion. Well, it's pretty safe to say that it has been a huge success for the three families that took the plunge. We have been able to combine the satisfaction of working hard to help the people of this island, playing hard on the beach and in the pool, and worshipping hard during our evening devotion times in both whole group and family settings. We've split the first four days between working at the feeding center and the village. Work at the feeding center included landscaping and spreading stone for the prayer garden, and scraping and painting the front fence. In the village, we finished painting a house the senior high group started last week and we built a small deck for the shanty house the senior high kids worked on. It was also a great time watching the kids from our group interact and play the village kids. In the afternoons, we've spent plenty of time swimming, snorkeling, and relaxing together. But we've also tried to explore some of other things the island has to offer. Yesterday, we all went to dolphin cove for The Dolphin Experience when we got to get in the water with a dolphin. We even got kissed! Tonight we spent a few hours at the port shopping and having a relaxing dinner at Le Med. and tomorrow some of us will try parasailing or take the glass bottom boat tour. But my favorite part has been the devotion time. With the help of Pastor Gloria, Kami chose some great scripture and wrote thoughtful questions that everybody can answer and share. Some of the things my kids have brought up have been awe-inspiring. These three families have become one large family this week, and I am so happy to have shared this experience with the Outcalts and Mannarinos. I hope that more of you will pray as a family about choosing a "vacation with a purpose" instead of just a vacation next summer.

More Godwinks!

I wasn't planning on blogging this week. Fourteen days of it was getting pretty tiresome. But there have been some pretty amazing Godwinks the past two days, so I think He really wants me to share. So as I've posted the past two Sundays, the sermon has alluded to many of the topics that we had planned to discuss or were on our hearts, but this week's sermon took the cake. The preacher, Brother Gibbs, was the third one we had in three weeks. His sermon was pretty much about how the family is the basis for society, and without a complete family unit, society will struggle to exist in the way that God had intended. But wait....there's more!! He went on to quote some scripture. Yup, the trip's verse for the week. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6. All the adults looked at each other in amazement that he would have chosen this topic and this verse to share. Then this afternoon after a day of work painting and then hiding from the rain, we returned to the hotel. I noticed someone waiting for a taxi that looked familiar. It was an old co-worker of mine from my summer camp days. He and his wife and friends were on a cruise and had gone out on a excursion. They were waiting to return to the ship, but were getting kind of nervous because the taxi was late. We struck up a conversation and he shared that he was a youth group leader at his church in Downingtown, maybe thinking about going into the seminary. He shared a little about how he came to Christ, but the story was short because I was getting ready to head to the beach with the family. Then I thought about the opportunity that God was placing in front of me. I needed to take my friends to the harbor and share my story about how we came to this beautiful island. We talked for the 20 minute ride about how we both came to Christ, how he was looking for something on this vacation from God and that this meeting was exactly what he needed. He asked that I share with him all the information about Karazim ministries and what we do here. This is huge because Karazim continues to struggle with getting groups here. It is a forgotten missionary location, unlike Haiti and the DR which seem to attract so many (not that anyone should ever feel bad about people serving Him anywhere). The number of groups was extremely low this year and Raoul and Karen have been working very hard to get word out about their ministry, so hopefully this will be the start of another possible group. Also, today was a great day for Karazim since they were able to get a new short school bus on the island. This one came all the way from Ohio, brought by some new friends of ours, Travis, Brian, and Emily. Karen was able to use some of our leftover supply money to offset the $3000 it cost to import the bus, and today the group from Titusville became the first to get a ride on the 20 seat, air conditioned bus. Finally, the family trip has gotten off to a great start. We have had three great evenings of family devotions and games, two awesome work days at the feeding center and the blue house we started painting last Thursday (it rained today so we had to cut the village work short), and lots of great food from Karen!! The kids are enjoying getting down and dirty, but also have been great sharing, praying, and praising God!! If things keep going like this I'll be blogging a few more times!!

Promises, promises

Our weekly devotional was centered around Ecclesiastes 5:4 - "When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow." Pretty heavy stuff for a bunch of teenagers. We talked each night about the promises that God has made to us and how we should turn to him in all times, trust that he will meet our needs, and he has a plan for us. We tried to convey to the students that world may meet you needs temporarily, only God can will be there all the time. So it's easy as we pretty much in a "Christian Utopia" so to speak on this trip. We pray before every meal, pray when we get to a worksite, pray in small group, fellowship without any outside distractions from technology, and scream out "We love you Jesus!" before jumping in the ocean with our clothes on at 8:30 at night. It's easy to be a Christian when you're on this trip, and last night one of the activities is to make a promise about what you're going to do when you get home to keep this fire going. And for two weeks now, I've heard a lot of students say they were going to share their story, attend church more frequently, and not put God in a box on a shelf. But now is the hard part. Going home. Distractions. Friends. Phones. You name. There are countless ways for these young (and some old) people to begin to turn away from God. And as I said during the closing service, making and keeping promises and commitments defines who you are. Your character is based on how well you keep your commitments. So many young people are concerned with making everyone else happy that they will say whatever it takes, not realizing that their word is their vow. And whether you are the one making the promise or having the promise made to you, we just throw it out there without thinking about the consequences. Choosing friends, boyfriends/girlfriends, and making life decisions are around every corner for these kids. We can only remind them that what they do now is a reflection on their character. How do you want people to think about you? Someone who can't be trusted? Someone who allows others to walk all over you? God does not like to be made to look foolish, and I don't think we do as well. So next time you have are faced with a situation, choose your words wisely. "It is better not to make a vow than to make one and not fulfill it." Ecclesiastes 5:5. So for all of you who promised to bring someone next year or promise to join for the first time, you know where to find me because I'll be waiting for you.

It's a Wrap

We don't give ourselves a lot of credit sometimes. We always think there's more we could do. We're very hard on ourselves if we don't meet expectations. But the thing is, when the week is over we always accomplish more than we were supposed to. One project this week was to put sheetrock and a new floor into Mr. Leo's house. We did that, but also put in a new window, a wall air conditioner, and a little desk as well. Another project was to put interior walls into the shanty house, and paint the interior and exterior. We did that plus painted bible verses, flowers, and other pictures to help decorate it. The last project was to paint the outside of Miss Camille's house, plus put sheetrock and paint a new addition that was built last year. Done. If that was all we had to do, there would have been about 10 people doing nothing today, so Raoul put us on the next project, to paint the exterior of a new house down the road. We didn't finish painting the entire thing, but over half is finished with the rest being painted on the family mission trip. Our team this year transformed three 1/2 houses, affecting over 2 dozen people. But we also transformed lives. The woman who will live in the shanty shared with that team how she wanted to take her like by throwing herself under a car, but that getting this new home had given her hope. Miss Agnes praised us and Jesus for the work being done on her home, even as she suffers daily with many medical ailments. And the kids. So many kids. Each day there were over 20 kids that came to draw, paint, make jewelry, play soccer and football, wrestle, sing and dance. These families have very little. They live in a trash infested areas, some with no running water or electricity. But they are a people of faith, trust, and hope. Raoul has said before, "Poverty is not the absence of things, but it's the absence of hope." As our team reflects on this week and prepares for going home, I believe that we will begin to turn away from the things that we use to make us feel better, and turn to the ONE who promises to be there always.

All In

Wednesday is always a crazy day on a mission trip. The initial walls of nervousness, being unsure of your place on the team, and uneasiness about working on the jobsite are gone. But now the problem is the end is creeping ever closer - and we all know it. Normally Wednesday is a great - only two more days until the weekend, but now that means only two more days until we go home. So that's why it's usually the most emotional days of the trip. Throw in the beach service too - well you see where this is going. The day began with some rain. For about 2 hours it poured off and on, but luckily the two bigs jobs were inside. But that still left about 15 people looking for something to do. It was frustrating for a while, but there were plenty of kids to play with and little odds and ends to keep us busy. Once the rain stopped, a group went to play basketball, another went to the beach area thats just a few hundred yards away, and another began the second coat on the neon yellow house. As we wrapped up for the day, the goals we had set for ourselves were almost complete. Two homes need areas sanded and primed, the shanty needs the interior painted, and there's a new home down the road that needs to be scraped and painted. All this by 2:30 so we can head to the port. Looks like its going to be another Woodside work week - exceeding Raoul's expectations for us. Tonight's beach service couldn't have been better. The Holy Spirit was making it's presence tonight - the weather was perfect, the testimonies were moving, and the kids were opening up. We had two members give themselves to Jesus tonight! After we wrapped up our last song, "How He Loves," Greg spoke about a passage he has been reading in Malachi on how God loves us, and what that means. We all sort of dip our toes in the water, get our fill of God, and then run to shore, thinking we got it covered. Then we go to our knees and turn around; then our waists. But even though we might get deeper each time, we don't go all in. He said he's not afraid any more to give it over to Him, trust Him, and go all in. He emptied his pockets, took off his shirt and ran straight for the ocean, inviting us as well. The only thing about this was it was 8:30 and we had already showered after work!! But we followed, jumped in the ocean hugging and laughing and crying! There was a different attitude as we walked back to the hotel. We have one day left to finish the work. We are going ALL IN!

Finding our Purpose

One of the beautiful parts of Worksite Day 2 is that people begin to find their niche in the village. Everyone felt a little more comfortable on the worksite. We were more aware of the village and understood our roles. The work today was more purposeful, more focused, which led to a lot of progress. We also had a few less people at the village which helped to divvy up the jobs. 6 people, led by Pastor Greg of course, stayed back at the feeding center to mix and pour concrete for a new grease trap. (And he thought he wouldn't see concrete this summer!) So that left 27 of us to break into 4 groups. The shanty, a 10 x 10 one room 'house', got the rest of its walls and ceiling installed, and its exterior was painted. Mr. Leo's living room got the rest of it's drywall up, and now they are heading into the kitchen to fix the floor and put up more drywall. The neon yellow house got a nice coat of paint and the 'addition' got the rest of it's drywall up. And of course there are kids, kids, and more kids. They painted, made jewelry, braided hair, and played soccer and frisbee. A much smoother day all around than yesterday. We are actually at a point that we are looking to have another job again tomorrow because we are at points on some of the projects that we will have too many people. Raoul keeps saying he has a project for us that will last a whole week but we keep working too well. The evening activity tonight was the traditional Tuesday night Flyswatter hockey championship. And for the third year in a row, the team led by none other than Tom Burke - the Cheetahlicious Christians - took home the Stanley Conch Trophy. I shared with Raoul last week about this and he is having Marlon and EJ from the wood carving ministry make a trophy for us. It should be finished tomorrow. Our small group time focused on Romans 8:28, and how God's has a plan and purpose for us, and we need to trust that this promise won't be broken. Many found their purpose for today's work, and felt that God had put them in the right place. Now we have challenged them to continue to search for His purpose in other areas of their lives, both here on the trip and when they return home. Their growth from Saturday to today has been remarkable. Please continue to pray for all of us as we keep making progress.

A Great Start

As I was going over the list of the team this morning, I came to the realization that out of the 33 members that are here this week, only 4 have been here more than 2 times. 29 team members are either on trip 1 or trip 2. After last weeks group of only 8 new members, I had to recalibrate my mind around that fact in all areas of the trip - hotel etiquette, meals, timing, etc. But I was most anxious about how the team would adjust to their first work day in the village. This can be a rough morning for some who are not prepared for the things they will see - delapidated homes, garbage in the yards, the size of the homes, etc. Also a concern is how the kids will react to the type of work they will be doing, especially since most of them have never done this before. But for a group as inexperienced as they were, you couldn't tell. Once Terry, a contractor from Ft. Lauderdale who helps Karazim, explained the jobs, the leaders took them to work. There is a shanty house that needed walls put up, a house that needed a new ceiling and walls, and an addition that needed sheetrock and exterior painting. And as always, there are kids. After a slow beginning, we really started to find our groove. There were laughs and hugs with the children, the sound of circular saws and hammers, and lots of conversations with new friends. Before long, you couldn't tell who was new or old! One particularly amazing thing happened today with the children. A group of us went for a walk to an area called "Mermaid Pond." One six-year old girl who couldn't swim was pushed into the pond by another child. Before anyone could get help, Becca jusmped in to save her in the over 5 foot deep pond. Praise Jesus! After dinner and some beach time, we got a little sandy with our beach ball relay and ping-pong ball games. Gotta keep these kids (and adults) having fun!!

It Happened Again Part 2

I hate to sound like a broken record, but it's getting pretty crazy when we go to church. Our verse for the day is from Philippians 4:19, "And my God will meet all my needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus." So what does the good Rev. Rolle preach about today?? Needs and the spiritual discernment it takes to separate which needs are important. As always, the group members turned and looked at each other with astonished expressions. One member asked me if we planned that. Nope. God planned it. When you get a Godwink like that, you have a good feeling about your trip. After lunch we got to work at the feeding center. We built more fish traps, fixed the trash area gates, mixed and poured concrete for a new grease trap (Greg loved that!), painted the front steps and around the windows, and cleaned both eating areas. With 20 new members, the leaders were curious to see how quickly the group would integrate and find their niche while working. It didn't take long to see that these kids were ready to work. Even though we finished a little bit quicker than Raoul thought (which is typically the case), there wasn't a lot of standing around as they searched for work to do. After a delicious spaghetti dinner, we came up with teams names and flags. The team name has to connect to the team bandanas. Here's what we came up with. Sunset Servants - Nick P, Dawn, Becca, Ethan, Katie H. The Wild Way - Jesse, Fred, Karen, Sarah S., Dani. Fruit of the Spirit - Dan, Colleen, Leah, Tina, Katie W. Cheetahlicious Christians - Tom, Clare, Michael, Casey, Sara R, Abby. Chubbs - Greg, Thomas, Laura, Paige, Megan, Sarah B. Hope - Ken, Trish, Nick J, Anna, Sara D, Hannah. Of course we ended the night with the first day of small group devotional time. From the short discussion the leaders had at the new leader's gazebo, it sounded like each group had a great conversation and is really ready to let God work some of His stuff in them this week. On a personal note, I've been doing laundry since 6 pm. Not lots of laundry, just one load. The dryer turned my clothes from cold wet, to hot wet, to hot damp, to now almost hot dry. Ah, the joys of mission work.

The Changeover

The last few days have been crazy down here. Emotions are all over the place. The fun from yesterday's beautiful "God in Nature" day, the joy of closing service, and the sadness this morning as the first group gathered their things and said goodbye to the Flamingo Bay one last time. And only a few hours later, a whole new group arrived wide-eyed and excited for what will come this week. So I guess I'll start with "God in Nature" day. This is Raoul and Karen's way of saying thank you to us for all of the hard work we do during the week. It's a chance for them to take care of us. The day starts with a little cleanup at the feeding center, and then back to the hotel to get ready for the boat ride to the cove. The ride takes about 30 minutes on Raoul's donated boat, Southern Lady. He uses it for days like this, but also for transporting items back and forth from the States because it is cheaper that way. One of the fishing ministry boats also came along to take some of us out to hunt for star fish, sand dollars, or other fish that may be around. The rest of the group snorkeled, swam, looked for shells, or just hung out. We grill hamburgers and hot dogs and just enjoy each others company for our few remaining hours. With some time to spare before dinner, we squeezed in a game - Flyswatter Hockey. This year the Cherry Bombs took home the Stanley Conch Trophy with a last minute goal to win 1-0. We always wrap our Friday with a great service about the weeks verse - "When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow." Ecclesiastes 5:4 - and talk about how we will use this verse in our lives when we return home. This morning was a little somber as the coffee gang hung at the gazebo one last time. There were a few tears and lots of hugs as the first weeks group took off, and I'm happy to hear that they got home safe and sound. But as soon as we left the airport, it was business as usual. There was a little over an hour until the new group arrived and a few chores needed to get done, like buying laundry detergent! Once the group got to the hotel, there was a little delay in getting all of the rooms cleaned and ready, so they explored the beach and the pool until they could get changed. But that was resolved quickly and it was off to play! We ate dinner at the pavilion, played our icebreaker games, and even got into our teams. No team names were created yet - that's for tomorrow. We wrapped up the day with a great game of Dizzy Izzy bat race. The kids seem to do just fine, but the adults can't seem to stay on their feet! Luckily, no one fell into the ocean like last week. On the way back, the conversation turned to the weather and how much cooler it is in the Bahamas than back home. That's sort of funny because this week will be much hotter here than last week. Looks like they brought the heat with them! We are very excited to see what God has in store for this team of 33 missionaries.

Wrapping up

The last day on the worksite can always be an emotional roller coaster. We are excited to see how the work will all come together to complete the work, but extremely sad to leave all of our friends at Miss Velma's. The day began like a team preparing for a big game - a positive energy and anxious to get rolling. The task at hand was to complete the landscaping work, paint the remaining three rooms. and lay the floor in Miss Velma's new room. All this before 2 pm so we could get back in time for our port night. Each team broke into action as soon as the morning prayer was over, and we were on our way. The transformation of the new room was the biggest accomplishment this week. The walls were respackled and taped, painted, and a new plywood floor was laid, covering the holes and patches that were not very successful. The rest of the rooms were touched up, furniture was put back into place, and life in the house was getting back to normal. But what is normal for these new friends of ours? Some of the kids told me today that the only time they feel loved or special is the week we spend in their house trying to make their lives better. When that bus pulls away on the last day, a lot of those tears are not just because they are going to miss us, it's because for the next 51 weeks, there is very little hope for them. There is a pain and despair that we can never understand. They'll try to hide it with their smiles and waves, but you know its there, waiting to explode the second the bus is out of sight. But this just gives us more motivation to come back. Even though our project is complete in Eight Mile Rock (except for a few little things), connections we've made and the relationships we've created will last longer than the paint on the walls. As we get ready for a day of great fellowship enjoying some of the beauty that this island presents, we must give thanks for all that God has given us this week and remember just how fortunate we all are.

Here Comes the Sun!

Early this morning I was speaking to Collette, the nice woman who works at the front desk at the hotel. She said that the weather wasn't going to get any better today. Obviously this news wasn't what we wanted to hear, but we had made it work so far. As we made our way to Miss Velma's, the skies looked like she was right. But something strange happened today - it didn't rain. Yep, that's right. It didn't rain. It sprinkled a bit here and there, but no rain. And you know what that means - we got a lot of work accomplished. The picnic table was cut and assembled, two bedrooms were completely painted, and the other ones got the first cut coat. But the biggest transformation was made in the classroom, where the walls were decorated with the bible verse Miss Velma picked along with other pictures. The room just shouts that God is here in this place. The landscaping continues to improve with the removal of a lot more brush and weeds. And as always, the longer we are there, the more children that show up. We did have a team stick around the feeding center to help patch a hole in one of the storage units so it wouldn't leak all over the tools and power equipment. Knowing we only have one day left on the sight to finish up the work has us all motivated and determined to get going again. The traditional Wednesday beach service was on our minds all day, praying that the rain would hold off so we would be able to enjoy the beauty of God's creation together. It was a beautiful evening and an even more beautiful service. The group is really becoming a family this week, and we are all looking forward to seeing what God has in store the last two days.

This is getting old

The sun this morning was bright and hot. It was looking like maybe it would work out today... but during the ride to Miss Velma's - well I bet you know what happened. Rain. A lot of rain. Until 1 pm. So once again, our plans had to change a bit. The outside work had to wait until the rain stopped and we concentrated on finishing the bedrooms. We broke into our groups to prep for painting. By the end of the day, the younger girls' pink bedroom looked awesome. Closets were installed in the boys room and the priming was completed. And the older girls had a new closet and a new purple room. The classroom area was also painted, and that crew is ready to decorate the walls. Once the afternoon rolled around, it was time for some serious yardwork. The chainsaws, machetes, and axes were in full force trimming bushes and chopping trees. Our nighttime activities were cancelled because guess what it started doing on our way home from dinner. Yep. It rained. A lot. The part that hurts the most is the postponement of the much anticipated game of the trip - FLY SWATTER HOCKEY!! Hopefully we will be able to find some time to squeeze it in before it's all over. And as of this right now (10:45) it's still raining. And it looks like its going to rain again tomorrow. But the one thing the rain is not doing is dampening our spirits. We've accomplished a lot so far and with two work days left at Miss Velma's house, we are confident that all of the jobs will be completed. And of course the laughter is louder than ever with stories and games. This is a great group of kids with a lot spirit and energy. Looking forward to what they will do next.

Rainy First Day

The team anxiously traveled to Eight Mile Rock this morning to see Miss Velma and the kids, and we weren't disappointed. They were waiting at the door for the bus to arrive. There were hugs and smiles all around. Surprisingly, the work that was completed last year has held up very well, except for the weeds which were pretty much out of control. We soon got our marching orders from Miss Velma. Finish her room, which needed to be spackled, sanded, and painted; spackle, sand, and paint Denzel's room; build a closet and paint the girls room, build a closet for Olivia's room, and transform one the rooms into a classroom for Miss Velma to teach in. The exterior work that needed to be done was to clear some weeks, cut down four trees, and build a new table. Before we even got ourselves settled, the skies opened up once again like a big wet blanket. The usual first day hesitations about where to go and what to do were magnified as 24 people stood in the house hoping it would stop. Not long after, it let up a little bit and we broke into our rooms to get to work. However it didn't last long. The rain came and went until about 3, but by then a lot of the work inside was finished, and there wasn't enough time to start something new. The bright side to all of this is that it's a lot nicer here in the Bahamas temperature wise than it is back home. So after dinner we were able to head down to the beach for another round of games (the Cherry Bombs won 2 out of the 3) and we were able to relax outside comfortably until small groups began. We ended with another great discussion about one of God's promises to us, and wrapped it all up in Jeff's room sharing stories and laughing a lot. All 24 of us in one room (thanks goodness it wasn't mine!)

It Happened Again!

Each year we attend a church service - obviously. When we began in 2005, the island was hopping with Wednesday evening services. But recently, those services have died down. A few years ago, we changed our trip from Sunday - Saturday to Saturday - Saturday, in order to attend a Sunday morning service. But no matter which church we attend, the sermon always seems to a connect to our trip, and this year was no different. The scripture was the Parable of the Good Samaritan, one that we have all read and heard a hundred times. But when the pastor spoke, the message a little different. He was preaching about the difference between pity and compassion. His phrase was pity + action = compassion. People needed to take action to demonstrate mercy on those who need it. He commended our group for coming and showing compassion to the people on this island. It might not seem like a big thing, and some might not even pick up on it, but as we exited the church this afternoon it was clear that God was already letting us know that He was going to be looking out for us this week. After church, we headed to the feeding center to do some work. Originally we were to paint some of the exterior, but because of the rain we had to change plans a little bit. Karazim has a building a block away that is going to be used as a training center for the jewelry ministry that they began a few years ago. We needed to assemble some furniture and move items from the feeding center. This turned into a complete overhaul of one of their storage area - empty, organize, trash, move. We also worked on building more fishing traps to be used by the fishing ministry. Finally, we cleaned and organized a few other smaller storage areas. After dinner, we played a few beach games - a relay race and tug-of-war. No major injuries - just some pride was wounded. The day ended with our first small group devotion time. Nothing ends a day better than time in the word with these insightful kids. (Except maybe story time with Jeff Hill. Topic of the night - scariest moment of your life. I'll let your kids fill you in!)

Chantal Can't Stop Us!!

One of the concerns I always have is the threat of a tropical storm or hurricane. Only once - our first year - did anything remotely get close. So when Tropical Storm Chantal started brewing, I was a little worried. As of Wednesday, the forecast had Chantal pretty much slamming Freeport this afternoon, which caused me, and I'm sure many of you, some mild heart palpitations. Fortunately, the storm moved off to the east of us and we were out of a direct hit. As this morning approached, we were looking forward to a great day of fun and excitement for our first day on the island. We arrived to the airport in the knick of time, because as we were checking in, the line behind us exploded! We gathered at our gate with almost an hour to relax and began to get to know each other. Well that hour became over 2, as we soon found out one of the flight attendants was ill and they needed to find a replacement. Not a problem if the first replacement showed up, but he was AWOL and they called on a second. She arrived shortly after 11 am, and we finally took off around 11:30. During the flight, the veterans shared stories about the first day's activities and how warm the ocean water is and how hot the sun is. But as the plane descended, we all noticed something that we haven't seen before - rain. Not just a passing storm cloud, but an overall rainstorm. Nothing but gray skies all around. Remnants of Chantal were hanging around and we were on the fringes of it. It let up a few times so we headed down to the beach and pool, but then the skies opened up again. We were a bit defeated because it looked like the storm would last and a few of our first night activities would have to be postponed, but as we ate dinner in the pavilion, the clouds disappeared and the sun began to shine. The icebreakers and first few games were on!! We were divided into our small groups/teams to come up with names and create team flags based on the bandanas we were given. Merica's Missionaries - Craig, Deb, Dani, Scott, Kelsey, Jenn. Cherry Bombs - Lizzie, Julie, Sarah, Cyrus, Jacki, Dan. The Awesome Arks - Jeff, Trish, Leah, Ryan, Jess, Ali. Team We Will Not Hide Our Faith - Kate, Warren, Carrie, James, Ellen, Cam. We wrapped the night up with a killer game of Dizzy Izzy Bat Race on the beach. A few people almost ended up in the ocean, but most just ended up in the sand. Considering what could have happened today, we think it was the perfect start to the week.