All Posts By

Kayla Balangue

Jul 07 2023
5

Update #9 Central Europe

By | 2023 Teams, Central Europe

Hi everyone! Welcome back to our final in-country blog update. It has been a whirlwind of a trip, but there has been so much to reflect on. Starting where the last blog left off, we picked up work again at the farm, excited because we have completed more than our local friends had anticipated! Isaac wants me (Soph) to say that he and Noah weeded a field with a sickle (a “sharp murder tool”), while the rest of the team got leeks and peppers planted just in time, and we were able to plow a field for the next set of crops that will go towards a women’s’ shelter!

After the farm, we started a new camp just for two days, with slightly older kids, and it was amazing as well. We got to worship alongside some very talented musicians in their group, play soccer in a big stadium, make friendship bracelets, and take our Bible skits on their final tour (until we reenact them with you 😉 We arrived in the middle of a thunderstorm for the last day, which made our lesson about Noah’s Ark and the flood very realistic! God knew our lesson plan 😉

Because that was our last camp, we had another round of heartfelt goodbyes. We fell in love with each group of kids this trip, and will carry their names and stories with us from now on. However, we look forward to lifting them up in prayer for years to come, and maybe we’ll meet again!

We have been studying love, patience and faithfulness alongside our campers, and have been learning a lot about ourselves and our faith as this trip comes to a close. We spent yesterday debriefing and decompressing, reflecting on the people and experiences that have made the trip what it is. We are truly grateful to have gotten to this point (and impressed at the lack of fighting even when we are tired! This is truly a dream team). We also got to check out a bath house yesterday and soak in hot springs mineral water!

After debriefing, we got to have a traditional Eastern European dinner last night at a restaurant, celebrating with the family and field workers that have been integral to our ministry and our encouragement. That tasty dinner was followed by a jubilant session of local folk dancing! (not to mention a couple American songs that got slipped in, like Cotton Eyed Joe). It was a sweet and celebratory end to our time here.

Today we all spent the morning cleaning (and the ladies’ apartment was blasting Taylor Swift’s new release to stay motivated). We are finally all packed up! We are at the airport now, full of stories and excited to come home but knowing this place will be hard to leave.

And, on behalf of the students on this team, we adore & want to thank our fearless leaders Farnum and Myrna Smith, the most adventurous, supportive, grounded, and compassionate people we could ever have been blessed by. We know we are your favorite team ever 😉

Thank you, family and friends, for your support and continued prayers as we embark on the last leg of our trip. We will see you soon 🙂 Slava na boga! (Praise God!)

Jul 06 2023
1

Update #7 Caribbean

By | 2023 Teams, Caribbean

Update – Monday-Wednesday

After an eventful weekend, each of us went back to our ministry sites.

Sites

At Education, on Monday, we had a very chill day and just planned for the week ahead. This week, Mark, Spencer and Sofiya are leading all the activities. On Tuesday, we taught the kids a lesson about Jacob wrestling with God. We arm wrestled each other and played games inside because it was raining. On Wednesday, we had a slip-n’-slide and water balloons. The kids were very excited to be splashed and we had to refill several 5 gallon water jugs for them. We did not get on the slip-n-slide because we were filling water balloons, but the kids got all of us wet. Mark had to chuck his phone across the yard so it doesn’t get wet. When it was time for water balloons, the kids had to answer a Bible question correctly to get a balloon popped over their head. They got very disappointed whenever they did not answer the questions correctly and had to get in the back of the line. After water balloons, the kids split up into two teams and played tug-a-war but the catch was that the rope was soapy. Mark and Spencer joined the teams and Mark’s team won twice. But no thanks to him. He said he didn’t even pull on the rope.

At Medical, Monday, July 3: Harpreet and Cheyanne went to the hospital clinic in which they saw about 10 patients. On the first patient, Harpreet got to feel the head of a baby in the womb at 33 weeks. Additionally, they both used the ultrasound to see the heart of the baby, hear the child’s heartbeat, and saw a pap smear. Cheyanne assisted in birth control implant removal.  During the afternoon, after having lunch in the plaza, we had a home visit to a mother in the community and two-year-old’s house who was super sweet and gave us candy and repetitively said “please don’t leave, I don’t want you guys to leave.”

Tuesday, July 4: In the morning, we visited a student international clinic in the mountains where we saw patient’s from the village community in the mountains. Harpreet and Cheyanne did check in and blood pressure and heart rate. We also had lunch there made by the owner’s wife who made extremely delicious food – plantains, beef stew, rice, and salad. During the afternoon, we toured the local hospital and clinics. 

Wednesday, July 5: Today we visited the second student international clinic in the community at Dr. G’s church, where we saw a few patients due to the immigration control officers being out in the community. Cheyanne and Harpreet got to distribute medications to the patients today. After lunch, they visited the local hospital clinic and saw a patient in which we removed another birth control implant. After clinic, we went shopping in the market to buy Sofiya souvenirs.

For the media site, Alyssa visited 7 different sites in the span of 3 days to get as much video and picture content they could for the end-of-the-week video presentation. 

 • Baseball where she got to watch the kids play a Baseball game!

 • Special Education

 • Mata Gorda Education Site where she tried a chicken foot and met the cutest little girl named Brini

 • Assisted Technology where she met the cutest little bunny ever

 • El Callejon Education Site where Mark and Sofiya played charades with the kids

 • Volleyball 

 • Medical site where their lead physician led worship before checking in patients and Cheyanne gave a devotional.

On Tuesday she started editing her recap montage that she’s going to present to everyone Friday and it looks so cool! She is having a BLAST with media 🙂 

At Volleyball, we were very hands on. I wasn’t really sure what to expect for the site, but we really just got to play volleyball with different kids ranging from 7 to 19. Depending on the practice we would be assigned different tasks. With the girls varsity we practiced with them and it was like we were just a part of the team. On our second to last site day, we got to coach the Jv girls and I made them do some conditioning with wall sits. It was a mix of a setting drill and conditioning.

The boys team was always trash talking us girls. Don’t worry we talked to our site leader to learn our own DR slang to throw at them. In the youngest girls, there is a 7-year-old girl, N, who is so spirited and just a big ball of mischief and wonder. She would have us all high five her and then she would charge us and try to tickle us. She did this every day for two weeks straight. Despite that, she was always so dedicated and always wanted to learn, even if it was on her own time. I completely adore all of the tiny gremlins I have served. Over this mission, I haven’t been too sure of why God sent me here in all honesty. After loads of prayers, worshipping and simply spending time with the community, I realized that just being here is enough and having the opportunity to teach these kids and spread the word of God to them is like nothing else. It is so cool that even with a huge language barrier, with volleyball and the Lord, we don’t need words. God simply shines despite that. We also got DR ice cream today, which was more like a popsicle, but I will always accept an excuse for sweets. (Jordynn)

Activities

On Monday after dinner we had a poverty simulation game. Everyone was split up into teams which represented families. Each family was given different amounts of money and had to make ends meet here in the Caribbean on different incomes. Women worked in cleaning, men in agriculture or construction, and children in shoe shine or for an extra fee went to school. Before each round ended, each family member had to eat and drink, families had to pay rent and draw a life happens card which could be good or bad. There was also a CDC where families could get benefits. Alyssa and Harpreet’s families ended up losing their house because they could not pay rent. Cheyanne and Spencer were in a family together and did pretty well. Mark let his youngest kid die because they could not afford food. Jordynn’s family did illegal stuff to survive. Sofiya’s family stole money from Mark’s family so one of their kids could eat. Technically they could’ve paid it back later because they ended up doing not all too terrible, but they forgot. It was a lot of fun and we learned a lot and would like to keep helping our sites here so they can minister to the community here.

On Tuesday, we had a 4th of July party! We had hot dogs for dinner and then went outside to play volleyball and corn hole. There was music playing and Mark was the DJ. A fan favorite. There was a very pretty sunset which we got to see from the lookout tower. We came back down and Cheyanne and Jordynn were dancing to “Firework” when two little girls ran over to them and took their hands to dance together. It was very cute. After sunset, we had sparklers and glow sticks and a bit later we had a private firework show just for us. We partied it up to everyone’s favorite music and finished the night on a very good note with “I Thank God”.

On Wednesday, we had a worship night where everyone could spend their own time with God. There were candles lit and worship music playing. We were reading our Bible, journaling, painting. Everyone was praying for each other and singing along to the worship music. In the end, everyone got in a circle and worshipped and we again ended the night with “I Thank God” which has become kind of like a theme song for us. It was such a blessed time with the Lord and we all were spiritually filled for the last couple days of the trip and as we had back home.

Thank you for your prayers and support. Please pray for us as we wrap up our time in the Caribbean and especially for there to be no delays getting back to Sacramento in the next couple days.

Jul 05 2023
3

Update #3 Southeast Asia

By | 2023 Teams, Southeast Asia

Hi family and friends!! This is Hannah and Jenna 🙂

The past few days have been deeply moving and powerful. We spent Monday visiting the sites of a devastating genocide that occurred here just a few decades ago- it is plain to see how much the people here have suffered so much loss and are still in the early stages of recovery as a nation. We will not soon forget the suffering that these families have undergone and the story that they have to tell. The hopefulness and perseverance that the people around us carry with them is beyond inspiring and we are humbled and grateful to be here with them. God is ever present in their trouble and is doing beautiful things in this city and in this country. 

As we were ending our day, we were reminded of God’s grace and provision for His people as it began to heavily rain! It rained so incredibly hard it felt as though heaven was crying alongside us through all that this beautiful place has gone through. Due to all of the heavy rain, we had to wait until it lightened to be able to leave. The streets began to be flooded and it took us quite a long time to get home! Praise the Lord, our amazing bus driver got us home safe and sound! (Jenna) 

On a bit of a lighter note, we are BIG fans of our bus driver! Monday morning he took us to a local fish market where we toured the street lined with fish- both dried and fresh, where we also got to try durian for the first time! Contrary to what we expected, it was fresh and sweet and so so delicious! 

He also was so kind to welcome us into his home in the countryside, where his wife had prepared all kinds of amazing and colorful tropical fruits. We filled up on rambutan, watermelon, oranges, dragonfruit and mangosteen which were all incredible! We laughed and laughed with our driver and his beautiful family, and then he walked us across the street to a lotus farm full of the most beautiful and delicious smelling lotus flowers. He picked flowers for his wife and taught us how to fold the petals and how to eat the fruit of the lotus, and how to pop the unripe fruits on each others foreheads (it was a shocking experience for some- haha) It was the most special afternoon! 

The past two days have been spent painting a mural alongside our wonderful friends in their work here to bless the city. The mural we have been graciously given the opportunity to work on is outside of the school that our partners run for the most underprivileged children of the area. It has been such a blessing to see how much we can get done in our project with 8 sets of hands, as well as the unexpected help of some of the school staff members here. They are truly wonderful people with servant hearts and we have learned so much for them already! (Not to mention their painting skills 😉 – Hannah

While the rest of us were painting, a few of the teammates have been able to ride along with the workers here to bring kids to kids camp each day! They have had the most amazing time, and the kids instantly bond with them! When we are walking in the street, kids get super excited to see us in love to practice in English whenever they can! Even through the language barrier, we have made meaningful connections with many kids! They really enjoy sitting and watching us paint the mural while also trying their best to have conversations with us! It is so precious seeing the joy on these kids faces! 

We’ve been able to make great progress on the mural that we are working on! Hannah came up with the design, and it is absolutely beautiful! Everyone at the school absolutely loves it! It was really beautiful to see the mural starting to come together and such an honor to see and work alongside Hannah and her beautiful artwork! -Jenna 

We are so excited and blessed to be here and will check back in soon!

Jul 04 2023
3

Update #6 Caribbean

By | 2023 Teams, Caribbean

# The Weekend Update

### Saturday, July 1

Today started off with us being able to sleep in until breakfast at 8am. Mark, being the coffee addict, went running towards the dining hall right on time for breakfast. When Cheyanne and Harpreet arrived around 8:10, the rest of the team was still in their beds. One of the summer interns ordered Cheyanne to bring the rest of the team to breakfast as they needed us to eat something because of how long our day was going to be; however, they had limited food that our team could eat. Mark, being the college professor, said “college students don’t eat breakfast for 4 years.” 

After breakfast, we loaded into a couple open-top buses to go river rafting. Upon reaching the river rafting place, we put on life jackets and helmets and made our way down towards the river. The team had to split up into two groups: Harpreet, Spencer, Alyssa, and Jordynn were on one raft, while Mark, Cheyanne, Sofiya, and another high school student were on another. Before being launched into the water, we had practice on paddling forwards and backwards, leaning in, and getting in. After practicing a few times, we were launched into the water. As we made our way through the “tutorial” part of the river and to the waiting area in the water, we will now give you an acronym form Mark’s encounter on the river:

M- My river guide didn’t give me guidelines

A- Active tourism comes with it’s cost regardless of waivers

R- Rock. As in half way through rafting my head completely rammed into a rock

K- Knowing I might have a mild to moderate concussion, I continued rafting for the next hour and a half

Shortly after Mark hit his head on a rock, Cheyanne (who was in the same raft) was flung out into the river when another raft collided with theirs. Thankfully, Mark and the raft guide quickly reached out and were able to pull her back into the raft before the next set of rapids. Sofiya had a hard time with these crazy events happening on her raft, but was able to make it through the river having fun. Meanwhile, Harpreet, Spencer, Alyssa, and Jordynn were breezing through the river while having a great time enjoying nature and brainstorming annual reunion travel plans.

Everyone made it to the end of the river rafting (relatively) safely and we headed back on the buses to the SI base for lunch and some downtime.

Later that afternoon, our team was broken up into smaller groups to go on a shopping expedition in town. We took the buses into town and spent several hours visiting several gift shops, a supermarket, coffee and smoothie shops. Towards the end of the day, we all regrouped at a churro and ice cream plaza. 

After returning to the base, we had dinner and headed up to the base’s outlook point to enjoy the view and chat.

To end the evening, we played a game called “couch”, which is just like musical chairs, except you replace the chairs with a couch and the music with a memory game.

After the game, we headed to bed after a long, exhausting day. 

# Sunday July 2

On Sunday we were up and ready for breakfast at 8am, as we were scheduled to leave for church shortly after. However, as is a slight theme with our trip, due to some issues SI delayed our departure for church for an hour and we ended up going to a different one than planned.

Despite this, our church visit was quite nice. The sermon was completely in Spanish and they didn’t have a translator that week, but Alyssa stepped up and was able to fill the role and translate the sermon to English for us and another group visiting from the US.

After church, we returned to the base for lunch and some downtime before heading to the Jarabacoa Country Club (which was about 15 minutes away from the base camp) around 2 pm. Upon arriving to the country club, Mark, Harpreet, Alyssa, Spencer, and Jordynn headed to the bar to get (virgin) piña coladas and food, meanwhile Cheyanne and Sofiya headed into the pool. After ordering food, Harpreet went on an adventure in the woods to check out the river, while the rest of the team ate fries and pizza and enjoyed their drinks. 

After a while, Mark headed into the pool, while Alyssa, Sofiya, and Harpreet went and played in the river. After coming back, the team played UNO and Monopoly until around 5 pm, when Spencer, Mark, and Harpreet headed to the pool table to play pool. At 5:30 pm, dinner was served. For dinner, we had rice, chicken, potato salad, and bread with coke and grape soda. We had various conversations while eating, but a couple highlights were titanic sinking and possibly getting Mark to shave his head and beard for $50,000 to fundraise for future trips. 

After dinner, we headed back to the base, where we had about 4 hours before lights out at 10 pm. We practiced for worship as we are leading worship tomorrow (Monday) morning. After worship practice, we headed to the porch to do team face masks (this is a Mark Moore team leader tradition). After face masks, we hung out and then headed to bed.

Prayers:

1. Team bonding 

2. Leaning into the Lord and hearing from Him during this trip

Jul 04 2023
11

Update #8 Central Europe

By | 2023 Teams, Central Europe

So we were reading the Book of Acts…and we ended up in Greece to visit the Biblical cities of Philippi and Kavala (in Biblical times it was known as Neapolis!). 

Honestly, Greece was amazing and we saw so many unique sites in just one day. We all piled into the van at 7:00 AM, tired but stoked, and trucked along for about 4 hours until we reached Lydia’s Baptistery! It’s a historical memorial to Lydia on the land that she was baptized! We even got to touch the river that she was baptized in! It was so cool! Being able to stand in the area that she was baptized in was incredible!

Then, we piled into the van again and drove to the Philippi Museum, which was filled with historical monuments and statues from the Biblical period. Then, we walked outside to tour the ruins of Christian Philippi! This was so cool to walk the same streets and places that Paul did. We also saw the Philippine prison that Paul was held in. Honestly, this was so cool to see where Paul wrote Philippians. He wrote such an encouraging book of the Bible while withstanding discouraging circumstances. And if the weather was anything like it was today, Paul was probably pretty uncomfortable and sweaty. 😂 Anyway, seeing his actual prison cell really put the book of Philippians into perspective for me and gave the book an extra layer of meaning for me. 

After touring the museum, we had the BEST Gyros in the entire world. They were so delicious! 

Next, we were heading to Kavala. We all hiked up to a fortress way on top of the hill and saw the most breathtaking views of Kavala. We had fun climbing through the fortress, which was from the time of Paul! 

Then, we were free to explore the city! We roamed the streets, looking at souvenir shops, trying interesting Greek Frappes, and swimming in the Mediterranean! 

We then stopped in a cool coffee shop and bought coffee grounds!

For dinner, we accidentally walked onto the pier, thinking that’s where dinner was, but lo and behold, it was not the right destination. However, we got some great pictures out of the escapade! 

Luckily, the dinner location was quite close and we all tried amazing Greek food! However, Sophia was not a fan of harvesting the shrimp herself…

Now, the day has come to a close and we stayed in a great AirBnB. Experiencing Greece on our rest day was such an amazing experience! 

But don’t worry, it has not been all play and in the last few days since the last update, we have worked hard on finishing up our second VBS Camp! We have made great relationships and have been blessed with the opportunity to make an impact on these children though the Lord! ❤️

To my friends and family, I love and miss you so much! Also, you can rest assured that I have been diligent in closing my bags when walking around so I have yet to get anything stolen. Love y’all! ❤️

-Danyelle

Things to pray for: 

  • continued strength, as I think a lot of us are starting to become very tired
  • That our last VBS would be fruitful and make a lasting impact on these children! 
Jul 02 2023
4

Update #2 Southeast Asia

By | 2023 Teams, Southeast Asia

Dear Readers,

It’s April and Maddie, here to update you on Days 1 & 2 of our trip! 

We began with a 13hr flight that consisted of many naps and movies. After a small layover, we caught another flight that brought us to our destination! Thank you for all the prayers for safe and smooth travels!

Upon arrival, we met J, the AIM representative who will stick with us throughout our time here! He introduced us to our driver, B, who bussed us to our hotel. On the ride there, J told us to stay near the hotel for the day. This was because the streets were very busy, due to the election parade happening! 

After settling in, we walked across the street to dinner! Let me tell you, trying to order a hot-pot dinner for 8 people in a foreign language is a bit difficult! Eventually, the servers just brought out a bunch of food for us and we began concocting our delicious hot pot soups! We all tried new foods and enjoyed every moment of the experience. The restaurant staff ensured that we had a welcoming experience by playing a country song on the speakers, just for us 😉

On day 2, Sunday, we attended church. Good thing B taught us Khmer on the way there, because we were asked to introduce ourselves to the church in front of the congregation. We tried our best to speak Khmer and the congregation was so sweet! It is truly a beautiful thing to see how, even though we are on the other side of the world, we still worship the same almighty God. They provided in-ear translation devices for each of us, so we got to hear Pastor R’s powerful message of justice, mercy and humility. A little boy who sat next to Erin took a special fascination to the maps and pictures in her Bible. 🙂

After church, we headed to the soccer fields. This is where Maddie displayed professional soccer skills. Maddie, Jessup’s very own Goal Keeper, had the absolute time of her life. She was even asked to play Goalie for the highly skilled older-boys team in training! The rest of us huffed and puffed as we took turns playing Kings Court version of soccer with the smaller kiddos. Although the language barrier was a challenge, it was so rewarding for all when we found ways to communicate with one another on the field, mostly using hand signals and facial expressions. 

All in all, the first 2 days have been absolutely amazing and moving. As we take in our surroundings, the reality of the reason we’re here has really begun to set in. Psalm 23 has been a comfort to us. Please pray for emotional rest and protection, and that we will continue to have humble hearts of service and gratitude. 

Thanks for reading! 

Jul 01 2023
1

Update #5 Caribbean

By | 2023 Teams, Caribbean

Thursday and Friday were our scheduled days in which we woke up for quiet time and chapel in the morning. After breakfast, we got ready to head out to our respective sites.

Education Site – Mark, Sofiya, and Spencer

We arrived at the site to excited kids opening the door for us. They high fived all of us and one of them even gave us a hug. There were 7 or 8 boys and 1 girl on Thursday. On Friday, we were joined by 2 more girls and 1 more boy.

The kids are on summer break from school so we don’t actually have lessons. This was just a way for the children to have something to do and hang out together. We read a Bible lesson with them and sang some songs first. On Thursday, we played “Pin a Tail on the Donkey”. The kids were so excited to have us, they screamed for Spencer to go first. They were calling out directions toward the donkey picture so we learned some Spanish direction words. On Friday, we watched a soccer movie, but kids got bored pretty quick. One of the girls tried braiding Sofiya’s hair and Mark taught one of the boys how to play guitar and played a secular DR rap song that he shouldn’t have played. Spencer played tag with the rest of the kids. 

We turned off the movie and instead played DR (Spicy) UNO and Dominos with the girls.

The boys picked up a ball and went outside to play kickball. They would always kick it outside the fence and then jump the fence to go get it. Some even climbed up on the roof to get the ball.

The kids got picked up right before lunch and after lunch, one of the summer interns did English lessons for high school and college students. On Thursday, we learned about animals. The lesson went both ways: they learned English and we learned Spanish. On Friday, we didn’t have English lessons so we cleaned, painted tables and played board games with the teacher assistant.

Volleyball Site- Jordynn

We had two bases. One base was at our home base and the other was at a gym like structure. My team got to meet so many different kids ranging from 7 to 19  girls and boys. My site is all about giving the kids in this town a community and family so they stay out of trouble in the streets. We literally played volleyball with their different teams for six hours straight. Before every individual practice someone shares a devotional and we pray so that God can be connected in the passion we share of volleyball. We all come from such different backgrounds and the language barrier was very difficult when learning drills for the first time, but it didn’t stop the laughter and joy that we all shared together or the cheers when we had a good play. 

During dinner in the community we went to one of the JV members houses and played DR Uno. It was so hectic and fun. We also shared slang from both sides of our homes to practice the language.

On Friday we shared our testimonies with the coaches and our site teams. We went to a place where two rivers meet and where cows and horses roamed freely. This whole trip I have been so scared because I didn’t understand what God’s purpose for me here was. When it became my turn I felt that God was telling me that it was finally my time to share my true testimony and it was then that I felt so much support and love. 

This entire trip so far has been nothing but joy and community. It is truly a blessing. 

Media Site – Alyssa

On Thursday it was Alyssa’s 22nd birthday and she spent her day doing what she loves; taking photos and videos that tell beautiful stories! 

The media department is cool because they get to visit all the different sites, taking pictures that showcase the Gospel message. When taking pictures they think about 4 different components; creation, the fall, redemption and restoration.

At the women’s site, she taught a little girl how to use her camera and the little girl went around and vlogged everything, it was ADORABLE! On her visit to the school where Sofiya, Mark and Spencer were, she almost got knocked out with the kickball TWICE.

At the Physical Therapy Site, she tried the best sweet coffee she’s ever tasted – she loves sugary coffee and so she absolutely LOVED it. 

She ended the day with the “Happy Birthday” song being sung by the team and a cinnamon roll from town that was gifted to her! 

She’s been having so much fun at media site and can’t wait for the final banquet where she gets to showcase her photos and videos to the rest of the base 🙂  

Medical Site – Harpreet and Cheyanne

On Thursday, day 4, Cheyanne and Harpreet went to one of the free clinics in the morning during which they saw ultrasounds and a birth control implant. Cheyanne got to do an ultrasound on a pregnant patient. In the afternoon, we visited a leader’s house who was paralyzed from the waist down. During both of these visits Harpreet was mistaken for being a local and even got hit on by a patient during the morning clinic. 

On Friday, day 5, we visited a medical hospital and saw patients there. Cheyenne assisted in a birth control implant. After morning clinic, we went to the plaza and had lunch, ran into the SI CEO and his team at the plaza. In addition to hearing K’s (the nurse) and Dr. G’s (OB-GYN physician) testimonies. After lunch as we headed to our Mamas and Babies home visit, it was pouring down rain while we commuted with the family and neighbors over homemade coconut pastries and soda. At said visit Harpreet held the sweet 11 month old baby, while K educated the mama on her second pregnancy.

For dinner on Thursday, we went to different host families’ homes. We got to meet families who live here and got to know them. We ate, talked, and played games, and it was a lot of fun. On Friday, we had game night. Alyssa won the first game and Cheyanne won the second one.

Prayer Requests:

 1. Homesickness

 2. One of our site leader’s son is sick so please pray for a quick recovery

-Caribbean team

Jul 01 2023
3

Team East Africa is back home!

By | 2023 Teams, East Africa

Team East Africa landed safely in Sacramento on Saturday around noon. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for this team before, during, and now after their trip. It is evident that God was present with this team throughout their trip as they witnessed his many blessings.

Please continue to be praying for the East Africa team as they recover from jet lag and may experience reverse culture shock, especially as we enter 4th of July weekend. Pray that they would be comforted by the Lord as they remember and miss the people they met in East Africa and that they would lean into their relationship with God as they begin to debrief and process these past two weeks.

Make sure to ask your team member about their experience and how you can be praying for them and supporting them specifically now that they’re home! We thank you all!

Jun 30 2023
5

Update #1 Team Southeast Asia is safe & settled!

By | 2023 Teams, Southeast Asia

Team Southeast Asia made it to their destination late Friday night CA time, and midday SE Asia time! Join us in praying for them as they get settled into their hotel and ease into the time change, the new culture, and the ministry!

We are so excited to see all that the Lord will do in and through them in these next two weeks! We will update again in a couple days when the team has a post ready.

Jun 30 2023
6

Update #7 Central Europe

By | 2023 Teams, Central Europe

Hello family and friends! Welcome back to another day of Central European storytime. This is Sophia speaking, coming at you live from home base on our apartment couch. It was another long and wonderful day in the grassy hills of our host country. We kicked it off by meeting at 6am to work on the farm (no doubt this blows the minds of most of our loved ones 😉 We were able to beat the heat thankfully, as half of us cleared a field while the other half weeded the greenhouses and planted some new vegetables like bell peppers! Knowing that this farm will directly benefit a women’s shelter ministry keeps us motivated even as we dodge snails, repair stubborn rakes, and dream of our beds. Heading back to the apartment after was glorious, and we may never take a shower for granted again. 

      Next up was buffet-style lunch at one of our favorite local cafes (I ate a savory crepe and tomato-feta salad, yum) and then we headed to visit the gift shop in our church next door. The next hour or two were free for us to explore, and we made sure to investigate snacks at the grocery store, clothing boutiques, and obviously the local gelato stand as we experienced more of the lovely town.

     Finally, we loaded back into the van to roll to the second camp location, mildly torturing each other with riddles and camp games and singing as we enjoyed the countryside. Honestly, we were nervous to start over, but we are also excited to see who God has put in our path. And, thankfully, He’s keeping us busy with another welcoming and wild group of kiddos and teens to spend time with.

     After our evening drive home, the ladies were blessed with a subsequent challenge of our door lock being jammed, which was solved relatively quickly but I am including for the comedic value of our frustrations (check the selfie).

     All in all, we have been more than blessed so far by the hospitality and beauty of the culture here. Every day is full of people and places that grow us and show us new ways God is moving as we learn to better study and live out the Gospel and love the people around us. Plus, we’re inching closer and closer to having the alphabet here memorized, and can at least hold a conversation in the local language. We are beyond grateful for each other (even on the long days), for the field workers and translators that partner with us, and for the prayers and support of the people we love. And, we are slowly getting better at European futbol. Love you x2 family!