Syria: Day 5

Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 1:16 PM
Subject - Syria: Day 5

Hey y'all!

Today was more of a lighthearted day, we had field day with the kids! It was such a blast! :-)
We tried playing relay races, but it ended up chaotic, in a humorous way. lol Just handfuls of 5 year olds running every which way with huge smiles on their faces! All they knew is they wanted to run and they wanted high fives! lol It was awesome!

After field races, we split the kids up into age groups and had bible time. Marianne and I had the 8-12 year olds today. John Card and Adam had the 13-16 year olds, Graham and Russell had the other group of 13-16 year olds, Kristen and Marcos had the 4-7 year olds and Carolyn and Lauren had the 17-20 year olds. During the time we were with the kids, I could over hear Graham making witness bracelets with the kids. (complete with leather rope and colored beads) I am not kidding, he must have made about 50 bracelets today! Marcos and Kristen taught the little ones the song, "Joy Down in My Heart" which they LOVED! lol It was soooo adorable! Marianne and I taught the kids how to do cartwheels (I broke a nail....darn! lol) and taught them how to play tag. The boys LOVED to run and chase! Especially the faster kids which presented a challenge. John and Adam had their kids draw out what they desire most, and then draw out what God most desires for their lives. These children are so sweet, and many of them are very bright. Please p that they are able to be at the center of God's will and are in tune to what He has for their future.

Later on after dinner, John Card taught on hope at the Iraqi refugee service. It was a great message. The church was PACKED! In fact, we couldn't even find seats. The crowd overflowed out of the sanctuary and into both courtyards and the stairs. He specifically mentioned the verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, which was awesome. After the service, Pastor Samara had mentioned to him several stories of folks who had attended service. One guy was a Lieutenant in the IRNG, and had to flee because he was in danger. Another was a woman whose husband and son were killed, and another gentleman had his leg removed by terrorists. For myself and many in our group, it was humbling to know that John's message was reaching an audience which had endured such traumatic events. Clearly, the HS was at work and it was so cool to hear about the seeds that were sown.

Our debriefing sessions each night have been great. We have a wonderful community amongst our team members. Tonight, Marianne and Adam shared their testimonies in the group. It was awesome to hear how God has impacted their lives and how He is continuing to reveal Himself to them, not just through this trip - but also through everything they have experienced throughout their lives. It is an honor to serve with such a Spirit lead team, truly makes all the difference in the world. This trip isn't about us, but about Him and letting Him use us where we are, and it becomes more evident each day that our p's are being answered.

Thanks so much for all the Astros and Texans updates. John has requested a "Trozzo analysis" on the Texans picks. :-)

Also, thanks for the info on the flood. It really helps us know how to p for y'all back home, and how to prepare for returning to Houston.

Just wanted to really thank you so much for the messages you have been sending. I know you are taking time out of your day to respond to an email that you know is going to the masses. We sincerely appreciate it, and the team has read every single response. It is so humbling to know we have such support, p's, and encouragement from home. The team has definitely been impacted from knowing how many people care to send words of encouragement. So, thank you!!!

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KB