Day 6 ~ Kissimmee, FL continued

WOW, WOW, WOW!!! What an amazing time of ministry last night was. I'll get to that in just a minute but first let me catch you you up to speed...Yesterday morning began around 7am for the adults and about 8am for the kids...us adults like to hit the showers first..heehee! This is a great facility and we have 2 showers in the girls bathrooms and 3 in the boys. After getting dressed, Miss Vickie and I got the breakfast table setup and helped everyone get their cereal and breakfast bars. Of course, most of the adults went straight for the coffee first...LOL. Shortly after breakfast, Mr Brad took a few of us on the bus and we made a trip to the Laundry and WalMart. Miss Carla and Mr Wendell went to the local laundry and washed all of our PEAK shirts and pants. Myself, Miss Vickie, Mr Carl and Pastor Allen headed to WalMart to pick up supplies for the food over the next few days.

We performed two times yesterday, once for VBS at City of Life Church and then again in the evening in the main sanctuary. VBS was good, we had about 30-40 kids there and they really seemed to love our dances and skits. We did a full set and I think their favorite was a skit called "To Be Loved"...it's really funny and the little kids seemed to just love that one. A couple of the kids gave their testimonies and at the end we all prayed and asked Jesus to come into their hearts :) I met so many little girls that just filled my heart with joy! I wanted to just put them all in my suitcase :) One little girl was named Faith and she was so talkative...she was Hispanic with black curly hair...oh my word, a doll!!!


After VBS we ate lunch at the church...they have an amazing kitchen here and I am so thankful for the help of Miss Nicole, Miss Donna & Miss Vickie as they all pitched in and helped me get lunch prepared and served for everyone. We made chili dogs w/cheese, potato salad and chips...they were really good :) After lunch we had a short break before getting changed and going into the sanctuary. I got some great video so hopefully when I get back I can get it all uploaded :)

Last night's service was amazing...the worship was great, the message was great, the PEAK team was on fire and they got to line up and pray for the congregation. It was amazing...I can't wait to hear all of the stories about what was prayed for and who got saved. All I know is that lots of people were set free and chains were broken off...as an adult, it was absolutely mind blowing to me to see these kids...4th-6th graders...praying with such intensity, they were anointed and they were moving in the spirit...WOW!!!

After service it was back to the gym and time to get supper on...My partners in crime, Miss Nicole and Miss Donna were ready to help again and we served up some chicken nuggets, corn on the cob and mac & cheese...I added lots of butter and extra cheese, yummo...In the name of health, I'm looking out for your kids ;) wanna make sure they are getting their calcium...LOL. We even got some little chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Me and Famous Amos made the cookies.....well, he made them and I passed them out ;) I have to tell you that every kid on this team is so awesome...part of the serving means that they have to help clean up, help set up for meals, help wash dishes, help unload groceries, help carry coolers or props...whatever needs to be done...and they NEVER complain. They do whatever is asked of them, sometimes doing it before it is ever asked! So cool! Super great group of kids!!!

After dinner we all chilled for a short time before lights out at 11:30pm...thank you Jesus! The earliest night we have had so far and boy was I ready for it! We actually got 8-9 hours of sleep last night...ahhhh, that's the sound of pure joy :) I've decided that next time I am investing in some type of eye cream that actually eliminates bags and tired eyes...LOL and just FYI the Ponds Rejuvenate anti wrinkle cream...yeah, that stuff don't work! There isn't enough makeup in the world to cover up my eye bags right now...LOL. Funny thing is...I don't even care! It's all worth it for what is happening on this trip. All the laughter and tears are so worth it, but nothing quite compares to the overwhelming joy you feel when someone comes to know Jesus or when their life is changed right there before your eyes...it's unexplainable!!!

We are super excited about ministry today as we are headed to a shelter in Sanford, FL...can't wait to see what God does there :)

Day 5 ~ Leesburg & Cocoa Beach

Finally have a few minutes to upload a blog, so this one contains pics :) Please forgive any errors or misspelled words as the late nights and early mornings are really catching with me...I have fallen asleep at least 4 times while trying to type this...LOL


On the way to Leesburg we made one last stop in Cocoa Beach...Ron Jon Surf Shop...the kids really enjoyed going in and seeing all the surf boards and neat souvenirs. We filmed a short video clip for Oasis to show in Wednesday night's service. It was a lot of fun.
We made it over to Leesburg and got setup to do ministry at the Christian Care Center. There were about 12 kids and several adult leaders that came to watch our program. I have to tell you that this was the most difficult day so far for me personally. I had a really hard controlling my emotions and found myself crying frequently. I was working backstage helping with props like I always do, but today even hearing the songs made me cry. I think the location and the people present just made the lyrics mean something different to me today. I was asked to intro a song and I was kind of nervous about it, but once I got out there I was fine and I had a good time doing it. The only thing was I had to look all those babies in the eyes...doing so opened my heart in a way I wasn't really prepared for. I knew that today would be hard for me...mainly because I am a very emotional person and seeing kids without families would tug at my heart strings...I knew that going in. What I didn't know was how touched i would be when I saw beyond their eyes. I instantly saw the hurt and the lack of understanding...some of them don't really even know why they are there, the emotions that they had and the desire to be loved was incredible. I thought going in that I would be immediately drawn to the smaller kids because by nature I really love the little ones. Today however I was moved by a young man, a 13 year old boy named Curtis. I don't know what it was about him but if I could have brought him home with me today I would have. He was so sweet and so loving to the other kids. He kept hugging them and being their friend, it was priceless. But his spirit was so kind and sweet, I could see that he really loved out dramas and dances...it was almost as if he wanted to be a part of them too. In fact he joked as we were gathering our stuff to leave that we could put him on the bus too :) I told him I wished I could! He came up for prayer during the altar call and Pastor Denisa prayed with him to accept Jesus :) he also asked for prayer that he would be reunited with his mom & dad. He's been at the center for about two months already. There was just something about him...I promised myself that I would pray for him as often as I can.We had another child come up for salvation too :) and there were several prayer requests for family reunions and healing, there were also some that requested prayer for friends or family members and one of the workers asked that we pray for her and her twin daughters as she prepared to take custody of her three grandsons because her son (the dad) had just been put in prison and the mom was headed there. She was granted custody pending paternity tests and she wanted prayer that it would all go smoothly and they would be able to adjust.
The orphanage was so kind and provided lunch for all of us. It was such a nice treat to spend some time there. It was hard leaving all those precious children behind though. I wish I had a house big enough to take them all!

After lunch we packed up the bus and headed back to Cocoa Beach to get ready surf camp in the evening. On the way we made a stop at a Publix for some supplies and some medicine for one of the kids. Our team sustained a few new injuries today so we are currently riding in the bus with several of the team members under the care of Nurse Nicole :) Miss Carla's ankles are swelling for some reason and so she is elevating her legs with ice and some anti-inflammatory meds. Lyndsey heard some type of pop in her knee during the Gospel According to Disney, so she is iced up and elevated too. Chase also seems to have pulled something in his back, so it's ice for him too. Please keep them in your prayers for quick healing.

We had devotions on the bus again and everyone seemed to enjoy chiming in with their thoughts.

Surf camp was amazing. They had us do one song, Monster. The surf kids loved it! They started out the night again with worship and then led into our dance. After that they asked the kids to come up and give "God Moments", their version of testimonies. There were several really cool ones, but there two that really stood out to me. The first was a young girl who attended surf camp last year and was given a rock in the her welcome pack. Each kid got a rock and they all had something different written on them. Her rock had the word family on it and she was a little taken aback by that. She told of how she came from a really dysfunctional family and she didn't know her dad. She said that she felt that God had told her during camp that she would be able to connect with him. So months later she found him on Facebook and sent him a message that she was his daughter. He was receptive and now they have a great relationship and her mom has rekindled their love and they were back together after 16 years. She said that God did such a big thing in her family and He knew exactly the plans He had for her when He gave her the rock with the word family on it :) The second was also awesome...it was a young man that came forward to say his God moment occurred during the song we did and he thanked us for coming and speaking to him through the dance. He said that he never makes good decisions and even when he does he feels like they are the wrong decisions. He went on to say that through the drama he realized that he can control the monster that fights him by asking Jesus to help him :)
After surf camp, we encountered our first bit of rain since we have been here...when we went to leave the bottom fell out. We got back on the bus and had a time of reflection with Mr. Wendell. Just thinking about what had happened over the last few days. The kids all shared their favorite part so far, what had touched them the most. It was really neat hearing all their answers. I couldn't help but think that we always say we do what we do even it's for just one...an audience of one...we really mean God, but it made me think that even if no one got it yesterday...one did! At the orphanage and at surf camp. Pretty cool!!! I'm sure it was way more than one...but the one was willing to testify that they did.

We stopped at IHOP for dinner around 10pm and everyone enjoyed a great hot meal. We finished up about 11:30pm and hit the road again to drive about an hour to our overnight stop in Kissimmee, FL. We arrived safely around 1:30am and got the bus unloaded and everyone got their air mattresses all setup. We finally got to bed a little after 2am...we are in the gym and have divided the room into sections, one for the boys and one for the girls.
Hope to be able to update again today...provided I can get internet :)

Day 4 ~ Cocoa Beach, FL.

Yesterday morning we packed up the bus and left Ft. Myers headed to Cocoa Beach, FL. We made a few stops along the way and everyone did really great on the bus ride. we had our devotions on the bus again, we talked about be undone in the presence of the Lord...how King David was so in awe of the presence of God that he danced right out of clothes...he felt so small in comparison to God that he knew he couldn't compete in his kingly attire, he wanted to be so undone in God's presence. Much like how we are to be when we are dancing and performing on this trip. We talked about how we perform for an audience of one...God. That we are not to be focused on performing but rather ministering and letting God use us during that time...giving it our all and letting God do the rest.
We arrived at Cocoa Beach in the afternoon and got checked into our hotel. We quickly changed and headed down to Lori Wilson park to try and locate the surf camp people. They had already left for the day but we did find their tents, so we got a glimpse at were they hold camp :) We had about an hour to spend at the beach and believe me the kids were thrilled! They loved playing in the waves and "body surfing". I actually didn't brave the waters, I'm too scared of sharks...lol. But I did get in about hip deep and enjoy the warm water and waves. It was a beautiful sun shiny day.
After the beach, we headed back to the hotel for some super quick showers and then back to the bus to head over to First Baptist Church of Cocoa Beach where the Club Zion Church of the Youth surf camp service was being held. Man, what a cool concept! I never even knew such a thing existed. But there we were in the middle a church, filled with over a hundred kids aged 12-19 wearing board shorts and tank tops. The pastor is a man named Keith...picture a middle aged man with bleach blonde hair and typical surf attire....that is Pastor Keith. A really cool surfer dude whose heart for the youth is so evident from the moment you meet him. They had a band made up of 3-4 young guys and they started the service with worship. They moved right into some giveaways, one kid won a new surf board and another a new bmx bike. Pastor Keith began by saying that he wanted each kid to feel special, he said we did all of this for you...not you as a group...you as you...just you. He said if only one of you had showed up to this camp, we still would have done all of this for you. He then explained how that is what Jesus did...he gave his life for just one...so that everyone would have the chance to be saved and know him. He went on to say that he wanted to the kids to be open to what God had for them over the next 4 days of camp...he said after these 4 days you can go back to what ever it is you want to do...but for the next 4 days be open and let God have His way and show them what He can do for them. I thought that was pretty cool! There was a time of Q&A with some some really cool retired surfers...these dudes were legends and the ones who really started professional surfing in Cocoa Beach. They were serious competitors with hundreds of trophies between them. The camp kids were in awe and really loved hearing their surfer stories. After some testimonies it was our turn to minister and the kids performed Hey Hey, a black light dance...everyone loved it! It was a great night!
After leaving the camp we headed to McDonald's for a late dinner. It was my first time helping with the food orders for 31 people...it was interesting to say the least, LOL but we survived and everyone was so thankful for the food and fellowship. We got back to the hotel about 11:30pm and the kids headed up to the rooms to hit the hay. Miss Carla, Mr. Carl and I headed down to the hotel laundromat wash and dry all the PEAK shirts and pants. I headed to bed around 2:30am and left Miss Carla and Mr Carl to finish up the last load...they finally hit the hay around 3:30am...We had to get up by 8am to make it breakfast and back to the bus this morning. Thankfully we all made it up bright eyed and bushy tailed...well, that might be a slight exaggeration...LOL but we did all make it to the bus on time :) And the best part was that your prayers are working! My eye is so much better...barely swollen and only a little sore. Thank you so much for lifting all of us up in continued prayer...you guys rock!
This morning we hit the road early as we are headed to the children's orphanage in Leesburg, FL. It is about an hour and a half drive from Cocoa Beach. We will be staying at City of Life Church in Kissimmee, FL for the next few days...time to break out the air mattresses :) We will be heading back to Cocoa Beach this evening to minister at the surf camp again.
Stayed tuned! More to come about today's events in a later post :)

Day 3 ~ Ft. Myers, FL continued...

Hi there :)
I am happy to report that everyone is feeling much better and ministry Sunday was awesome! We ministered at the skating rink and there were about 40-50 kids here...we did a large set of dramas and skits as well as a few testimonies and of course we had an altar call and prayer time. The kids did great and we had two kids accept Christ :) There were lots of other really cool prayer reports, my favorite was from a young man who came up for prayer because one of the dramas really ministered to him. It's called Family Tree and it's about listening to your father tell you that you will never be anything, just what he was...a drug dealer and a criminal. At the end the kid learns that he doesn't have to be that branch of his family tree...that he can be something different...start a legacy all his own. The chorus is "this is not my destiny, this is not my legacy" and when he accepts Christ and changes his life the chorus says "this IS my destiny, this IS my legacy"! The young man, said that his dad was a drug dealer and had told him that he would never amount to anything and he was destined to end up like him. This young man wanted so desperately to be different. It was really awesome seeing God minister to him at that moment. You could see God changing him...so awesome!
After ministry, the skating rink provided lunch of hot dogs and drinks. We then got to go roller skating :) The kids LOVED that! We had planned on spending the night in the skating rink on our bed rolls but mush to out surprise the wonderful people at the rink offered to pay for us to spend another night at the hotel :) such a blessing!!!
After skating, we headed out to a local mall to kill a little time until we could get back into the skating rink dinner and devotions. The kids had a blast exploring and the adults enjoyed the little break.
It was back to the rink for dinner that the rink provided (another HUGE blessing). They had made pizzas and drinks and then it was time for devotions and team building games. We all really had a great time with the team building games and the devotions were very moving. After devos, we gathered for prayer time and man what a time it was. We started by praying for the coming days...one by one we prayed that God would do specific things on each of the remaining days. We prayed for the kids in the orphanage and for the women and men in the shelters and for the surf camp kids. We also prayed for the people that would be at the churches we are visiting. We even covered their staffs in prayer. When that was all done we moved into prayer time for each other...we formed two lines and every single person prayed for each kid and adult on the team. It was pretty amazing!!! We finished up by praying for Pastor Denisa and Pastor Allen and their girls Lauren & Lindsey (both are counselors). It was such a great night but it made us very late getting back to the hotel. We finally got to our rooms and got settled around 2am.
Hoping to get a blog up about yesterday later today...we have had really late nights and not a lot of down time where I had access to the internet :( Hopefully later today I will be to catch things up to date :)
To be continued...

Day 3 ~ Ft. Myers, FL

Good morning everyone...
I don't have much time so this will be a really short post. Yesterday was a long day on the bus...about 8 hours to reach Ft. Myers. It was a great ride and everyone did awesome :) We had devotions on the bus and then some worship time...AWESOME! God was so present at that time...really neat to see the kids worshiping and writing in their journals what they are expecting God to do today! We stopped several times and arrived at the hotel before dark...we went to eat and then got to stop and check out the skating rink where we will be ministering today. Pretty Cool!
After that we headed out to WalMart to grab some supplies and then it was back to the hotel to practice a drama...needed to perfect it before this morning :)
The early morning hours brought us some issues...we had one of the girls start throwing up, by 4am I got the call that Faith was also throwing up :( It hasn't stopped there...we have several others sick as well...at this point we are figuring it was the food from dinner. I woke up at 7am to a swollen eye...not sure what it is going on there, it wasn't there at 4am...but we all know that Satan attacks when he knows you are about to do something BIG for God! so please pray that everyone gets better and we can impact lots of kids today!!! God is bigger than any sickness!!!
The skating rink is a Christian facility that hosts Skate Church every Sunday...they bus in a lot of kids from the surrounding area and most of them are unchurched...they come for the service and then to skate for 2 hours for free. Pretty awesome!
We are super excited about today and can't wait to see what God has in store!!!

More to come...
Until then...
KEEP PRAYING :)

Day 2 ~ Perry GA

Faith & Mama before boarding the bus

Good morning from Perry, GA. :)
Yesterday was a long drive into the night, but all went smoothly and everyone enjoyed talking and playing games on the bus. A few of us adults started nodding off about midnight, but most of the kids stayed up and had fun :)
My primary job is food prep, so I got my first lesson in making sandwiches on the bus, while it was moving...eventually I got my sea legs, LOL and got the hang of it...BIG thanks to Mrs. Vickie, who jumped in and showed me how to work short order. One of the adults walks the aisle and calls back the order, I make the sandwich...they have a choice of turkey or ham, white or wheat and mayo, mustard, cheese. Another adult delivers the order and a junior counselor gets everyone their drinks and chips. It was an adventure...but when all was said and done...it was pretty fun :) And my ham and cheese was awesome!!!
We stopped around 11pm at a QT...a kids paradise...LOL. They have giant slurpees for $0.79 :)


We stopped last night about 2am in Perry and stayed in a hotel. By the time we got the bus unloaded and everyone into rooms we hit the hay around 3am...Up this morning at 8am for breakfast at the hotel and we meet back at the bus at 10:30am to head to Fort Myers, FL. where we will be staying the night in another hotel and then starting ministry on Sunday. It is about an 8 hour drive without stops, so I am thinking we should be there in about 10 hours.

I'll update more as soon as I can...until then, here is a picture of Miss Katie giving Bella a little back massage this morning. Gotta work out those muscles before getting back on the bus ;)

Today is the day!!!

Well...today is the big day :) We leave this evening around 6pm and will be driving into the night to reach Florida by tomorrow. We will be gone 10 days and each day is filled with tons of ministry outreach. Faith and I are so excited!!! I have to admit I am a bit nervous...I have never been on a real missions trip before and I certainly have never left my hubby and son for such a long time...that in itself feels really weird. I am just filled with tons of emotions today...excitement one minute and tears the next, I know they will be just fine but it still feels strange leaving them behind.

We are all packed and will be headed out soon to meet the team at the church and start boarding the bus...I feel like I have forgotten so many things...that's pretty normal for me even on a regular vacation, much less a missions trip ;) I'm certain of one thing...I didn't forget the sunscreen...LOL I made sure to get plenty of 50SPF so these two fair skinned country girls don't burn their butts while we are gone ;)

I want to say a BIG thank you to each of you that donated money for this trip! It means so much that we have people who support us in ministry! Because of you we have both met every penny of our trip goals. SO EXCITING! God is soooo good :)

I am hoping to take lots of pics and maybe even upload some video along the way so you can keep up with us and what we are doing...so stayed tuned and I will try to update every chance I get...provided I can locate wireless internet, that is!

Thank you again so much for partnering with us to make this trip possible...you guys are the BEST!!!

More from sunny Florida....
Love ~ Angel & Faith