This image above is the group dancing to La Macarena on the boat going into the marina!!

Today (Saturday June 26) and tomorrow (Sunday) will be exciting! Today we started off early with a very small breakfast but it was to experience how poverty affects most of the world. We learned more about Compassion International’s campaign One Meal, One Day in which on October 20, students around the country and world will be giving up eating lunch and donating that money to help feed starving children all over the world.

After that the entire group from LEAD 222 walked over to Jerry Nelson’s home and learned from Jerry about what it looks like to be a leader in this world. Jerry has started over 40 successful companies such as TicketMaster and the Troon golf courses. He is a wonderful man of God and gave us all things to remember.

A couple groups then went down to Chileno Bay to do some snorkeling and swimming and had a great time there. Tthe highlight of the day for most of us was a 2 hour sunset cruise in the Sea of Cortez where we enjoyed good music, good friends and most of all God’s AMAZING creation!! We then had dinner in downtown Cabo and had great food and conversation.

What a fantastic day! In the morning we continued work around El Refugio. The entire team worked incredibly hard and accomplished a lot. The concrete work was completed with the guys literally running the wheelbarrows full of cement 50 yards from the mixer to the pour. The gazebo is going to be fabulous when completed.

The brush teams and climbing wall teams also made huge progress. The climbing wall tower is now completely scraped and painted and the wood wall plates that will be mounted to the tower are close to complete.  Soon we will be moving the tower into place.  The brush team cleared a 500 square yard area, on a steep incline, using machetes. It really improves the look and view, and everyone enjoyed the work.

As great as the work was, however, the best part of the day was VBS. The kids from the surrounding area started arriving at the gates two hours before VBS was to start. We had over 120 kids – and for a first day of VBS that is a record! The program, crafts and games were enjoyed by all and our kids did a fantastic job running the event. Typically, the second day of VBS is even better attended, so we are expecting a crowd!

We appreciate your continued prayers!

The Quito Quest Team

We had another spectacular day today. We were able to spend time with Brock and Nancy Luginbill (not sure I spelled that right), at La Raco – their skate ministry in Quito. We also are getting excited to start VBS tomorrow. Please pray that we show God’s love to the children who attend.

The Quito Quest Team

June 22, 2010

Today was the (almost) final work day. A few projects need to be completed in the morning, but, for the most part, most projects were finished.

A quick update on the continued projects from Monday:

• The team working at a local home primed and painted a whole garage, and completed repainting the base of the home. The house looks so much better thanks to all the students’ hard work!
• The group working at the Thrift store continued their remarkable progress, finishing painting the floor, completing some new shelves, and re-painting the bathroom. All-in-all, a huge help to the Thrift and, consequently, a huge help to the community that depends upon it!
• The group working upstairs on the lockers continued to do an awesome job. Many students have remarked how many construction skills they have learned this week by working alongside our adult leaders. The cabinets are all built — they just need to be finished painting in the morning. Once the painting is complete, all the moms and their kids will have brand new storage units for their possessions. Truly a remarkable gift, and one that glorifies God.
• The painting crew continued to work around the Roseland center, and the place looks like new.
• The VBS crew had a second day of lessons for the youngsters, and the experience was as much of a blessing as the previous day.
• Finally, a team of a few of the more “artsy” students, plus a few leaders, worked on “beautifying” the Roseland kitchen and back hallway, adding Bible verses and artwork to serve as a daily remainder of who our Lord and Savior is. It looks amazing!

Another great day serving our God. Tomorrow, we will finish up a few jobs, clean, pack, spend some time at the beach, and head home! Your kids can’t wait to see you and tell you all about their experiences.

God bless,

The Roseland Team

Here are pictures from Monday.

For an update on the specifics of the day, check out the previous post.

Thanks!

The Roseland Team

June 21, 2010

Today was the second full workday, and all the projects we started on Saturday were continued onto today. You’ve never seen such a sweaty group of kids!

Just a quick update on all the individual projects:

• The group working at a local home got rained out in the morning, but in the afternoon went and worked, scraping old paint off of the garage so it can be repainted tomorrow.
• The group working at the Thrift store continued to paint, improving the floors and the walls, as well as continuing to clean and organize the items for sale.
• Another set of kids worked upstairs in the temporary housing for local homeless women and children, hauling out old lockers and cabinets, and erecting new ones. The room already feels transformed by the new storage units.
• A large number of kids painted the downstairs hallways and offices. A fresh coat of paint makes a world of difference for a neighborhood that doesn’t have that very often.
• Finally, a group of girls ran a Vacation Bible School session for the youngsters of the homeless moms upstairs. They played games, sang songs, ministered and were ministered to.

Hopefully that gives at least a little glimpse into what our days looked like today! There are some dirty hands and knees, some paint in hair, and a few tired, but satisfied faces. Certainly, serving our Lord isn’t easy work, but not much is more rewarding and worthwhile!
God bless,

The Roseland Team

p.s. Hopefully some pictures will follow shortly

Hello from El Refugio,

We had another AWESOME day today! We spent the day with the El Refugio staff leading us through a nine station Amazing Race. Each station in the race was preparing us for our work over the next two weeks. For example, each of our teams were to invite a child to VBS, learn a memory verse in Spanish, try the high ropes courses and find our way around camp. It was a great way to prepare our team for VBS and our work around camp.

Tonight we will continue with our campfire time where we worship, encourage each other and have team devotions.

We are so thankful for all of your prayers,

The Quito Quest Team

After a long flight, we arrived in Quito, Ecuador at 2:45am. Getting to bed at 3:30am, we awoke for an early breakfast at 7 (we were pretty tired…).  For our first full day here, we were fortunate enough to go to church in the city of Quito, where they invited us for lunch. The service was an hour and a half with singing, a short skit, and a message from the pastor. It was very different and exciting! Following lunch, we boarded the buses to a historical cathedral; it was AWESOME!

We’re currently getting ready for dinner and our devotional time, and hoping that we can get to bed a little bit earlier so we can catch up on some sleep.

For those Dad’s out there, Happy Father’s Day! We miss you and love you!

The team wanted to send a quick note to everyone to let you know we arrived safe and sound – although late. The customs line was long (we did not arrive at El Refugio until 2:00 a.m. ), but even standing in line you could see friendships developing between everyone on the team. Everyone is excited, expecially as they woke up this morning and saw  God’s beautiful creation.

We are off to church this morning and hopefully will have a more lengthy blog post tomorrow.

Thanks again for your prayers and support,

The Quito Quest Team

So many memories to choose from and most will not soon be forgotten. This picture represents much. Couple of things I won’t forget and how they are impacting me still.

1. As far as the eye can see. Hundreds of thousands living like this. In “homes” that are 8 feet by 8 feet and often with 4-8 people living in them. A stark contrast to the day spent in the lush lands of the Lion King and all the animals of the Safari. “As far as the eye can see” and it shouldn’t be! Really it just shouldn’t be. But it is! Yet the ALSO is that the “Church” is alive in Kenya and even in communities like the one in the photo, God’s people–His Church is making a difference. What has impacted me about my experience is that what looks like NO HOPE as we listened to the story of the Mathare Community is that HOPE is present. Authentic community is present. And God has not abandoned His children. He knows each one by name. More on the power of a name later.

2. The River Runs Through It. It is somewhat difficult to “see” because the color does not appear to be that of water…but in the lower left corner of the picture is the river that splits the Mathare Valley in two. Again a significant juxtoposition for someone like me who has snorkeled in the Bahamas and fished in the streams of Yellowstone. What the picture does not show is how dangerous that water becomes when the rains come. The dangers of traveling at night when one can’t see their hand in front of them and yet the water is a torrent next to them and rushing down through the shanties into the river. Additionally, a picture does not indicate that the river plays the role of a “toilet handle”. Everyone throws their garbage of ALL types into the river with the expectation that it goes away.
So I’m thinking a bit more critically how blessed I am when I wash my hands, teeth, and clothes. Or take a drink or even walk outside at night next to a street light that illuminates the water passing alongside the street drains that have signs “no dumping”. We are blessed. I am blessed and it causes me to ask the question, “What is my responsibility?”

3. No…roads, clean water, toilets, and little electricity. And little money to even buy the “sweets” that the children wanted from us Muzungas (crazy white man). But as I indicated above…the answer is NOT paving roads, purifying water, building toilets and adding electricity. The answer is listening to people (their story), building relationships, and empowering what God has already put in place even in the Mathare Valley — His Church. It is the body of Christ building up the Body of Christ both in the Mathare Valley and in Geneva TOO that will TRUIMPH.

My thoughts have been a bit scattered, but I have learned that the POOR WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US (Mark 14:7a) and the Kenyan Church has reminded ME that “I” have a Mathare Valley in my own life right here in the Fox Valley!

~ Pastor Bruce