Compass Home
Student missions blog updates from 2012. Read them here.
or visit http://www.thecompassstudents.blogspot.com/
On Sunday, July 16th, 9:30am, both teams will be sharing testimonies, songs and a slideshow at The Compass Church, Youth Basement. Please come join us!
July 5th - Jamaica Team Arrives Safely!!
Hello everyone! We've arrived safely and smoothly to sweltering Jamaica. Travel was timely and smooth. We had a successful orientation with the staff and fellow churches and have been able to bond as a team and get to know each other too! It's been a long day but worth every minute. We're excited to continue to glorify God through our words and actions. Continue to pray for all the teams.
~Kelsey, Jamaica
July 6th - Pray for health, safety, and a good attitude!
Hey everyone. We've slept through our first night away from home and everyone's alive. Dead tired, but alive. Funny thing about mission trips. You never get enough sleep. Never. And then you spend your day working hard and losing all your energy, so what do you do when your done? Play some football (soccer for you guys back home) of course! It's awesome though, because no matter how stupidly you spend your energy, God gives you more. So early in the trip, I've already encountered God in so many ways, and when you leave your comfort zone inside your home on your coach, you can see His power, grace, faithfulness, and love in a way it can't be seen anywhere else. Pray for safety. Pray for God to meet our needs. And finally, pray we aren't comfortable or within our comfort zone, but that we are always ready to serve others at our own price. Love ya mom, dad, Douglas and Rach. See ya Friday
~ Matthew, Jamaica
July 6th - Hi everyone! Grace here. :)
We were very blessed to have a safe trip here with no lost luggage. However, there was lots of rain and apparently Jamaican roads don't drain well. We were driving through lakes of water; ones of which we most definitely need in Naperville. When they drive, there is lots of honking and apparently the dashed lines in the road don't matter...I'd probably have a panic attack behind the wheel here! Driving here was really an eye opener as to how much that we really have. The houses were so small and the people have so little.
There was garbage and some of the houses were in ruins. God is so good to us and we are really blessed. Please pray for those people; the area we are in is pretty poor, so some of the people we've seen have been begging in the streets and it is really sad to see. We made friends with the dogs here that turn into guard dogs at night but are very friendly during the day!! There are roosters that make a lot of noise in the morning, so it's almost as if we don't need to set an alarm, but we are so tired that I don't trust myself to wake up to it.
We also met a little boy on the compound who is completely blind, and he is so sweet!! His name is Romero, and it is his 11th birthday today, as well as Jackson's 18th birthday :) Today, we woke up and had breakfast and had a devotional. We did a Jericho walk around the compound and prayed and it was really cool to be able to see and hear God. After that, we went to a Hostel, which was for all men and was a rehabilitation place for alcohol and drug addicts. That was probably the most dirty place that I've ever been in. There was literally a centimeter of dirt and dust everywhere. There were cobwebs and trash everywhere.
However, we got it cleaned really quickly and wound up leaving an hour earlier than expected! Peanut butter and jelly for lunch. We were blessed to get quarters of sandwiches, some people got halves. When we got back, my room was in for a big surprise. One of the toilets had been overflowing for four hours and had left a good two inches of water on the floor of our room and all over the bathroom. So much for that nap before dinner! We wound up sweeping out water for another hour and a half and were really blessed to have other girls volunteering to help us.
We had to move out some of our stuff to air it out and hang it on the clothes lines. This includes the beds, because there was no way we could sweep around them. After that, we had dinner and then came the team olympics! That was pretty fun, except for the fact that our team got rocked in flag football. :( Darn.
But that's okay, we did pretty well in kickball!! Wooo! After that was done and we couldn't see the ball anymore, we had another devotional and worship time. Small groups followed and then it was shower time. Boy did that feel good, it is sooooooooooooooooooooooo sticky here from the humidity! Alrighty, done with my novel. Please pray for safety and for the children during the week! We are going to Dunns River Falls tomorrow so safety for that too :) God bless!!
~ Grace, Jamaica
July 7th - Dunn's River Falls- Jamaica
Hey everyone! This is Jackie. So today we all took a day and went to Dunn's River Falls. The bus ride there was a little rough though. A lot of people got car sick and didn't feel good for the rest of the trip there. I for one got sick but was perfectly fine once we got off the bus. long bus rides = torture. Anyways, it was absolutely beautiful there!
For those who don't know what it is, it was pretty much this water fall thing that we were able to climb. Just about everyone climbed it. Okay so on the more serious note, Dan offered baptisms to those who wanted to. I took advantage of the offer and got baptized today! Not many people can say that they got baptized in the Caribbean Sea in Jamaica.
Honestly, it was a cool experience! I am so glad I made the choice I did. Just in the few days that I've been here, God has opened up my eyes and made me see what is truly important in life. So today was a pretty amazing day. As of now, we are all sitting around, playing cards and just having a good time with each other. Ummm.. please pray for the safety of everyone as we are out here and serving. okay bye!(:
~ Jackie, Jamaica
July 7th - I don't watch my watch anymore JAMAICA
Today we all got to go to a beautiful waterfall. I got to climb up the waterfall and it was awesome! I had so many wipe-outs going up the falls. After all the climbing we got to buy some stuff from the people at the falls. God has really given the Jamaicans the beautiful gift of wood carving. I was blown away by how much the carvings were detailed. I loved learning the meanings behind the carvings and to see how much pride they have in their work. I met a man that was in love with my "I don't watch" watch, the mission trip watch. He told me how he never had a watch and he loved the watch. So I told him that it meant nothing to me and if he really wanted it he could just have it.
We soon agreed on a trade. He gave me a wood carving that meant a lot to him. Once he put the watch on, his face lit up, and he acted like he was the coolest man ever. He was strutting his stuff. It made my day to see this man be so happy over this watch. Then later for dinner I had some awesome Jamaican food and enjoyed the locals saying some really funny things. There was a band in the food court we were in that played some wicked music.
A few of us got to dance for the locals. he showed them all the crazy American dance moves we have. Having to leave the food court was no fun. Back at the compound later tonight, Joey Bernas and I decided to create the new and awesomely amazing fantastic card game: Higher or Lower. To both of our surprise, the girls liked the game. I am so excited to be a part of something much bigger than me and this trip. I love seeing God move in the man with the new watch. I can't for the rest of the week!
~ JORDAN, Jamaica
July 8th - No Internet access here in Puerto Rico
No Internet access here, so posting blogs will be tough. Even though we got here in the PM, everyone feels like we had a full day here. Our A.I.M. hosts are cool and fun. We had plenty to eat for dinner and then surprise root beer floats! Puerto Rico has official rain forests! It's muy bonita! (very beautiful) Tonight we talked about doing different things to find a different result, and how we can use that idea in our relationships with God. And we had a meaningful time of worship and prayer. Tomorrow we head out to our sites to put on camps for kids - we are in teams for games, music, crafts, and Bible teaching. The students are basically responsible for pulling off the camps! Everyone is in great spirits and excited to see God move in our lives and in the lives of those we serve.
~Puerto Rico
July 8th - Church Sunday - Jamaica
Hello! Jonathan here. We've been crazy busy all day and everyday! There's so much to talk about but dinner's in about ten minutes so I'll have to make it quick! So far my favorite memory is eating dinner at this one restaurant where not only was the Jamaican style chicken delicious but our server was hilarious. He joked about being a prophet and knowing our futures and he also told us what celebrities we looked like. He said Dan looked like Chuck Norris and me Jackie Chan (what surprised me though was he told someone else they looked like Keanu Reeves but for those who know me, Keanu's totally my doppelganger).
Another favorite memory of mine was having the opportunity to help clean this one building in downtown Jamaica. You'd have to see it to believe how dirty it was but lets just say it made cleaning my room a vacation. It was really awesome because we were able to help the people out and have fun at the same time getting to know each other. I've been going to the Compass for awhile and now finally I can put some names to the faces I've been seeing every Sunday and Thursday! As of today though we had the amazing opportunity to go attend a Jamaican church.
The people were very very very welcoming! It was cool listening to how (and how much!) they worship. And my favorite part was how there was time for people to give their testimonies. Hearing all the different people's stories was really moving and inspiring. Lastly, I just want to make a shout out to team "Neu New Yous." We might have failed most of our Olympic games today against the other groups but we totally rocked the knowing-your-leader challenge and the football throw. Go team! Alright people are leaving for dinner so I got to ta ta for now. Thanks for reading and see you later!
~Jonathan, Jamaica
July 8th - No Internet access here in Puerto Rico
No Internet access here, so posting blogs will be tough. Even though we got here in the PM, everyone feels like we had a full day here. Our A.I.M. hosts are cool and fun. We had plenty to eat for dinner and then surprise root beer floats! Puerto Rico has official rain forests! It's muy bonita! (very beautiful) Tonight we talked about doing different things to find a different result, and how we can use that idea in our relationships with God. And we had a meaningful time of worship and prayer. Tomorrow we head out to our sites to put on camps for kids - we are in teams for games, music, crafts, and Bible teaching. The students are basically responsible for pulling off the camps! Everyone is in great spirits and excited to see God move in our lives and in the lives of those we serve.
~Puerto Rico
July 8th - Day Three in Jamaica
I can't believe we're almost done with our third full day in Jamaica. It's flown by so fast. I can't believe we only have four more full days. There have already been so many blessings during this week. We're blessed to have our own beds (which are actually pretty comfortable), showers everyday, bathroom in our rooms, food everyday, wonderful people to surround ourselves with and of course, an amazing God to praise for our blessings.
The culture here is very different from our own. Today, our group got to go to four different Salvation Army Churches. My group went to the church on the compound. The people there were so full of energy and life. The pastor took time to welcome all the new people and they even sang us a welcome song. Our service lasted for two and a half hours. They sang birthday songs and anniversary songs. It really felt like they cared about each member of their congregation. They were so full of life and joy, it energized all of us. The sermon was about God's Plan and it was a perfect thing for us to hear on this trip. It felt as though God was speaking directly to us. I feel so honored to have been able to experience such a wonderful service.
The moment that has stuck out to me the most of this trip was during church today. I had been having a rough morning and was crying in the church. These three little Jamaican girls noticed and immediately came up to me. They asked me if they could sit by me and asked what was wrong. They didn't know who I was or what was going on in my life, but they cared about me. Thinking about it, how many Americans would go up to a stranger that was crying? It's just not something that I see very much. It just testifies to the character and the compassion of these people. I pray that I can be as bold about compassion as those little girls.
Tomorrow starts our VBS and Sports Camps, so we're going to be really busy. Please pray that we would be able to show compassion and love to the children we meet. We will have VBS from 10:00-12:00 and Sports Camp from about 1:00-2:30/3:00. In the VBS, we will teach the kids songs, learn a memory verse (Psalm 3:5-6) and then we will teach them the story of Samuel and Eli (1 Samuel 3:1-10).
Once that's done we'll play games, do a craft, and end the time by have free play with the kids. Then all the kids will go home and have lunch and return at one for sports. We are splitting our group into three teams that will meet at three different churches. This way, we can rotate the sports at each camp. So there will be basketball, football, and soccer. The sports camps are to teach the kids healthy habits like: stretching, warming up, cooling down, getting enough water, and exercise habits.
Of course, the main message is to love them like Christ would and to shower them with that love, as we don't know all of their family situations. So please pray for the hearts of these children and for love and patience for us.
Have a blessed week and I can't wait to share more stories when we get back! Jesus loves you :)
~Megan, Jamaica
July 9th - Puerto Rico Day 2
Today we woke up excited to do ministry...but first cereal and PB & J sandwich making for lunch. Our devotions this am have us thinking about the rhythms of life and how God speaks to us in the highs and lows. we thought about how our stories intersect with God and others. Our song team winged three great song with movement and the bible verse team told us about Samuel and Eli. God knows all our names and calls us. The games team kept us occupied while we waited for lunch...very late...for our VBS campers.
~K., Puerto Rico
July 9th - First Day of VBS for JaMaIcA
We had our first day of vacation bible school today. Because there are two other groups with us here we were able to cover three separate locations. I was at a location with all compass people. (Jordan, Patty, Kim K, Emily Backode, Emily L., Mollie, Joey, Russell, Olivia, Jackie, Matt W., Jenna, Nicole, Jonathon and myself) We arrived late because of transportation complications. When we arrived we ate lunch and gave piggy back rides and learned names and just interacted with the kids.
The ages ranged from an 8 month old to 16 year olds. There was about 60 Jamaicans there. I was the "captain" which included making sure everything was running smoothly. We started with songs and motions, then moved to teaching a memory verse (Proverbs 3:5 and 6), then bible story (for today was just a game about listening) and then more games! We split the kids in half and some made crafts while others played Simon Says and Red Light Green Light. After that we just played around with all the kids.
They loved our funny dancing and wanted as much attention as we could give. We are all excited to go back tomorrow and we will be even better at teaching and playing and entertaining all of them! It was truly great!
P.S. Dad I'm having a no-showering competition with one other girl so I haven't showered yet! And I DON"T PLAN ON IT! :)Love everybody and God bless you,
~Hannah,Jamaica
July 9th - #JamaicaRocksMon
Herro, my name is Joe Bernas.Wow. Today was a fantastic day. We arrived at the church where we were helping out for VBS about two hours late, but the children did not care at all. They were just extremely happy to see us. When they saw us, their faces just lit up immediately and it felt great. Everyone that Hannah listed in the previous blog posted had so much fun helping out all the kids.
Matt and I played football (soccer) with the kids who were very good. Matt and I got destroyed by the kids because they are really good and, well.. we just aren't. It was still extremely fun. Teaching the kids the Bible verse definitely my favorite part. Just watching them do the hand motions that we had for them and them saying the verse was just an amazing experience. Singing with them and dancing with them was also very fun.
So in the end, I had so much fun helping out all of the kids and I cannot wait to go back and help them tomorrow. Peace out girl scouts!Ps. I would like apologize for any of the grammatical errors in this blog post. Please, oh please do forgive me. I love you all. I just got the record for the longest blog post time-wise. An hour and eight minutes.
~Joey, Jamaica
July 10th - Organized Chaos
Where do I even begin? We have officially been in Jamaica for six days now and the time, as the old cliche goes, has flown by. We started out the day by praying together, as we have every morning. As we were praying, a tropical breeze blew past all of us.It was not like any breeze we have felt here in Jamaica. It was God surrounding us and talking to each of us in His own way.
It was the perfect way to start the day.To continue, today was the second day of vacation Bible school. Yesterday was organized chaos, but today was completely different. Although there was some chaos, today turned out way smoother. There is several groups that represented our church today. We are split up into groups and sent out to different places to run the Bible school.
My group and I, same as yesterday, went to the Kingston Salvation Army Church. When our bus pulled up at the church, it was a matter of seconds before kids swarmed us and embraced us with open arms, just like Jesus would. Our Bible school consisted of normal activities a vacation Bible school would. We started out with songs that got the kids pumped and ready to go. They were the upbeat, dancing songs. Then we split the kids up into two different groups, one group older the other younger kids. Stevie and I were in charge of games. For the older kids we played four square, which was an instant hit.
The goal in four square is to be king of the court basically. For the younger kids, we played red light green light, which is a game I played at Awana as a child. We had two games planned for the younger kids, but red light green light was a crowd pleaser, so we played that most of the time. The kids did not even care what we played, if we played with a stick and a rock, they would of loved every moment of it, because they were with us. We also told them a Bible story about Samuel and Eli. I met one girl who really bonded with me. Her name is Trashawna. She is 12 years old. She clung onto me every chance she had.
Even though we did not say much, we still had a strong bond. I found out she loves doing hair, so she braided my whole head of hair. Something so little and meaningless meant the world to her, so I'm glad I could provide that for her. Something that struck my heart hard, was what this little girl said to me. She could not of been more than 5.
Her hand was wrapped in a bandage, that was dirty and filthy. I asked her what happened to her hand, thinking she had just scratched it. She looked up at me and told me how she had injured it. I did not know what to say, I was at a loss for words. The way she said it, it wasn't a big deal to her.
The whole day she was running around, playing like nothing was wrong. I know if I even had the slightest headache, it would ruin my day. It just amazes me how happy she was after something like that. Then we made a craft. After that we sent them home for lunch and ate lunch as well. Some of them did not have a lunch to go home to, or lived to far to go home then come back, so they stayed at the church with us.
It was sad to eat hot delicious food in front of them, when they need it more than us. We did not have enough to share, so we could not give food to them.Then after a lunch break, the kids came back for a sports camp. Each day the kids are taught a new sport. However, the space we have to play in is almost non existing, so we had to work with it.
Today we played with basketballs. Sometimes we will have a battle of the sexes with the sport we are playing.I remember as sports camp was going on, a 3 year old boy, named AJ, wanted me to hold him the entire time we were playing. I met him yesterday, so we already knew each other. The way he would cuddle into your arms was so amazing.
We are here to show God's love, but also show them our love, but they are giving us even more love than we are. As AJ was done being held, a little girl wanted up. The kids desire for us and our vacation was never ending, but so is God's love. I've been on missions trips before, but this one has a different feel to it, it is more real. God's presence is truly here./div>
~Haley , Jamaica
July 11th - Jamaica missions day 3 of vacation bible school
Hello readers. Today was our seventh day in Jamaica, and our third day doing VBS and Sports camp for the kids. Today we attempted to teach the kids to listen to god in VBS and went to the park to play soccer with the kids. Before we ever started the VBS we were told to love the kids because we want to show the love of Christ and show them the love that they might not find at home.
Today I saw how some kids are treated by their family when one kid was yelled at and hit by his older sister. I felt horrible when I saw this and I really wanted to help him. Seeing this, my eyes were opened to what some kids here go through every day. We have one more day of VBS left, so we're praying for what will go down then. We really hope to impact their lives and help them to have a relationship with Christ, but for now; we have some painting to do in the school.
~Jonny, Jamaica
July 11th - Puerto Rico, Never want to leave!
Hi everyone! Shannon here. Puerto Rico is everything and more. Today was our second to last day with the kids, unfortunatly. Those kids have literally stole every single one of our hearts. You could just tell by there need to be noticed and the look in their eyes that they LOVE this VBS and us. It is literally as humid as it could be but its the kids who get us through the heat and just enjoy eachothers company. I have become closer to people I thought I was already close to. I dont want to go home and leave these kids! We also went to a nursing home today . These amazing people loved having our company cause you could tell they dont get it much. The language barrier was no problem thanks to the Lord giving us ways besides words to love on eachother. Never want to leave even though there are loud roosters in the morning, cockroaches, SUPER cold showers, and hot weather, it doesant matter. God has really put his hand on Puerto Rico and it amazes me everyday. Pray for us!!
~Shannon, Puerto Rico
July 11th - JAHM-AH-GOO-AH
Wednesday. We're now at the middle of the week, and we're nearing the end of our trip. Our incredible, life-altering trip. Seriously, every part of this missions trip has been an experience that defies explanation or belief. From Jamaica-style church on Sunday to the gauntlet of over-wound children that we've faced every day this week, this group has worked like dogs for God.
We're exhausted, we're hot (and sticky...that's a new one for me.), we're losing our voices, and we're doing less grumbling than our own stomachs, but I know I speak for this entire group when I say we're loving every minute of it and will be sad to leave on Friday.
This trip has changed things for many of us. Many of us have been pushed out of our comfort zones, be it through hunger, prayer, physical endurance, or myriad other obstacles Satan has placed in our way. Even the chocolate has melted; they thought of everything. But we all needed that in some way. We came on this trip, seeking to serve God and to allow Him to transform us, and that's exactly what he's doing.
I myself came on this trip almost reluctantly, worrying that I'd miss my course registration window or fall behind on the long, winding road to college next fall. But I prayed that God would end those worries, that He would allow me to see what opportunities He'd afford me on this trip, opportunities to transform and to build in my relationship with Him, and, consequently, this trip has become life-changing for me.
In the same way, this trip has drawn us all closer to each other and closer to God. I've never been on a trip like this, where three church groups from such different geographical and experiential backgrounds have come together to make one solid, cohesive set of hands and feet for Christ. It's refreshing to see conversations spark between members of different groups, to have no anxieties talking to people whom I've never met. It's God's presence; there's simply no other explanation. He's everywhere in Jamaica and around this team, and He's given us the confidence to serve him unreservedly.
So, here I sit. Wednesday. It's 10:30 at night, and it's still 80 degrees. Everyone is unwinding, getting ready to turn in and recharge for tomorrow. Well, not everyone; there's a card game going strong across the way, and Round 3 of a water-chugging contest is beginning in front of me. By all accounts, we are tired and sore, but as I look around, all I see are smiles. God chills.
~Jackson, Jamaica
July 12th - Last Day in Jamicaaaa!!!
Despite it being the last day of such a long trip, there were still so many new things. Not only did I discover the joy of Jamaican ice-cream in the rain, but also the pain in parting with people I've only known for a few short days. After I had dragged my tired body out bed and ridden the bus over to the church it was discouraging to see that not many kids had come back for the last day of VBS, but gradually they began to trickle in time for round two of songs. Seeing the smiling faces of the few who had joined us was an energy boost in and of itself. I went from a drowsy trance on the bus to practically hyper.
God blessed me with unbelievable energy to just love on the kids despite the heat and lack of sleep over the previous week. It was a great way to finish despite how hard it was to leave them at the end of the day. I was there to love on the kids and yet they just poured into me so much with their affection. Everyone wants to feel accepted and loved unconditionally and these kids, regardless of hard pasts and poverty or abuse, showed no trace of bitterness or resentment or self-pity.
They had joy and just wanted to show someone love and it was truly a blessing to experience that, return it, and use the opportunity to point them to a God who can love them infinitely more deeply than anyone can even imagine. Our craft for the day was for the kids to draw what it is that they want to be when they grow up. This one little girl named Geneva drew a picture of herself and when I asked her what her dream was she replied in a soft, thick accent, "when I grow up, I wanna be a princess." It was so sweet and I had the opportunity to tell her that her dream had already been fulfilled because God is a king, and as His child she is His princess.
As hard as it was to hug her goodbye at the end of the day and explain that none of us were coming back again, I was reminded that like the sparrows the Lord loves them and will care for them. The first step of my mission is done and now what I have left to do is keep each and everyone of those precious kids in my prayers. It's tempting as I look forward to going back to a nice house and a clean bed and shower and a pantry full of food and a loving family to forget that I didn't come here for myself.
There is no reason my life has to be truly different when I go home. There are people back home with hearts as desperate for love and girls who dream of being princesses. They may wear a different face and different skin color but they all want the same thing. It is my prayer that God will use me and everyone of my teammates to spread the same kind of eternal, unconditional love at home as well.
~ Jamaica
July 12th - The 8th and final full day in Jamaica
As the week has progress each day has gotten harder and harder to wake up but telling ourselves one day left we managed to get up and get ready for another day to serve Christ. The VBS went really well for all groups but it was heartbreaking to see the kids ask us if we were coming back tomorrow or next week.
The kids are all very excited for a festival called "Fun in The Sun" which sounds similar to our Ribfest because there are rides, music and food. I wish we could stay for the festival but I think we are all ready to go home. After we said heart-wrenching goodbyes to the kids, we went to go do some activity but it rained so instead we got ice cream. We were all very very disappointed. We came back to the compound and colored each other. At first I wasn't sure what to think, but it was a lot of fun.
Then, we had an awesome worship time. The night continued to get better when we shared testimonies from this week; some made us laugh while others made us emotional. The testimonies were amazing. After worship time, most of us started packing to avoid any 6:30 am mistakes. While some of us were packing others were taking showers. A first time shower for some of our peers.
Unfortunately the showers shut off during their showers so the girls washed their hair using a hose in the grass by the dorms and used buckets to clean the soap off. While the girls were figuring out their shower predicament, a few boys were shaving their heads. Can't wait to see what tomorrow will bring.
~Emily, Jamaica
July 12th - The 8th and final full day in Jamaica
Hey hey! its Stephanie this trip has been amazing for me i really learned how to open myself and admitt my flaws so i can go home a changed person. The kids we worked with this week where sooo sweet and cute they taught us some new songs like "big foot little foot" and "tangeld up in jesus". i also learned a new song called the hippo song it was great. i also got the pleasure to meet some new people in the other church groups. so with all the great things on the trip the best thing i learned is u need to just stop and listen to what god has got to say..............
~Stephanie, Jamaica
July 13th - Jamaican me crazy with this packing.
Hey everyone, its Jackie. So we woke up bright and early to pack. We leave our housing sight at 9:30 to head to the airport. This week was absolutely amazing. Please pray that there are no complications as we are coming back home. Also, pray that both our trip and the Puerto Rico trip arrive at O'Hare at the same time. Chicago, HERE WE COME!!
~ Jackie, Jamaica
July 15th - Home from Jamaica and Puerto Ric
So all 56 of us are home safe and sound! It was really cool to have the teams meet up at O'Hare Airport on our way home from Jamaica and Puerto Rico. Hugs, stories, songs and laughter were all shared on the bus ride home together....a great end to two amazing trips. Thank you so much for your prayers!
It was hard for all of us to leave the countries we spent time in, all falling in love with the children. Many new friends were made, many addresses, emails and Facebook addresses were shared. God is so GOOD!
~ Patty