I Am The Green Monster!

One of the locals dressed up everyday as Captain Jack Sparrow for Kids Camp.  All the kids loved him, and on the second day he received an enemy.  I was approached minutes before service started and asked if i would get in a green monster costume and go taunt the kids, then fight captain jack.  It turned out that the monster costume looked a whole lot more like a frog prince.  The first day went great, except that the only thing covering my face in the costume was a pair of aviators i borrowed from Matt.  Within a few hours, two thirds of the camp was attacking me, screaming, "Chaunce is the Green Monster! Chaunce is the Green Monster!"  I denied every accusation, saying i was in the bathroom or i was eating lunch, so it obviously couldn't be me.  On the last day, The Green Monster had a turn for the better, and was renamed Greenie The Great.  After camp, I admitted to the kids that i was indeed the Green Monster.... the end

Chaunce

The Longest Day

Well it all started around 5 this morning in Ireland time and we still haven't arrived home. after the 8 hour flight we spent 9 hours in the Atlanta airport going stir crazy and waning to go home. I will say that the past week has been one of the most deadly weeks ever (deadly equals sweet in Irish). I made a bunch of new friends that I will never forget and worked with some of the craziest kids ever.  God is doing amazing things there in Ireland and will keep doing great things. Thank you to everyone for the prayers and thoughts while we were gone!

Mitch

Capers Cove

I had an incredible week!! I spent the majority of my days working with kids during the kids camp.  It is one of the most tiring things I have ever done.  The great thing is that I feel like I have been rewarded more than I ever have in my life.  We got to spend all day encouraging kids and playing with them.  More than that we were able to speak life in to every kid at that camp, we told them Jesus loved the and how special they where over and over again.  By the end of the week you could see the fruits of our labor begin to show because the kids where encouraging one another, and sharing their precious zany bands.  It was so much fun to join in and dance with these kids, worshiping God without caring what anyone thought because every kid was dancing before the Lord with the same abandonment.  This week has been incredibly rewarding and loads of fun!! thank you to everyone who was a part of sending us!!

Dillon Etter

Finally, Ireland...

The kids camp was a huge success.  We are excited to share with everyone when we get back.  The team did such a great job.  We all celebrated on Friday night by going to GBK (Gourmet Burger Kitchen) with everyone.  On Saturday, we got up bright and early and went on a tour of Glendalough, a monastic settlement founded in the 6th century.  After that, we traveled to Bray which is on the east coast of Ireland. We ate fish and chips and enjoyed the sound of the sea.  Our day ended in Dublin where we did some shopping and ate dinner.  Everyone had a great time and enjoyed the opportunity to really see Ireland.  We are again joining Open Arms for their Sunday worship services.  Tomorrow will be a hectic day as we will have to get everyone to the airport, checked-in and through immigration before boarding.  Hopefully our last few team members will post something today.  See ya' tomorrow night.

Matt

k;[nnnn;'oo., nn nn

Whew, what a trip!  I did not know that missions work was this difficult.  Let me tell you, it's exhausting.  I feel like we've been here for a month and it's only been 8 days.  Everyone here is super nice.  I'm hungry.  I especially like Sean Duncan, one of the pastors on staff.  He's my favorite.  This Eric Redmond guy is super scary though.  I'm still not sure about him.  I have worked so hard this week.  You know it is not easy being this cute and cuddly.  Daddy did such a good job doing the lessons.  I'm excited to hear what he will say today in church.  Wow, I'm hungry.  The entire team has been great.  I've enjoyed hanging out and getting to know everyone better.  I'm really, really hungry.  Anyway, I guess I better finish getting ready for church.  I need to do my hair and put a bow on.  I hope everyone back home is doing well.  I really miss Madie and Evan.  They are the best sister and brother ever.  Now I'm tired. God bless.

Stella
The Hardest Working Team Member

Hello from Ireland, Keri here!!! Let me first start off by saying, I miss everyone very much and I cannot wait to see everyone again, especially my family! :) It's 8 days into our trip now and there's a lot that's happened (especially funny things), but since everyone has done so well in keeping you updated with that, I thought i would just share with you some of my thoughts.


Today our cordinator for this trip was on a walk through Dublin with Lauren and I on our search for fish and chips. When the beach was in sight and we were approaching our destination, she asked us what we have learned on this trip or what our experiences have been. Do to the lack of time, I didn't really ever get to share...but it definitly got me thinking! There is soo much I've learned from this trip however, one thing in particular really sticks out to me! Back at home our motto is Loving God/Loving People, and we are constantly reminded to look at things like a newcomer. This was always something I knew was important, but how was I suppost to know what that feels like? I grew up here! Coming here allowed me to be put in that position and help answer a few questions.


However, rather then discovering all these things I could come back with and maybe help solve potential issues, I was instead blown away by the spirit of perfection these sweet people attained. I was never at a loss for welcoming, direction, influence, or even the one that is special to me, company. :) They are some of the nicest people I've met in awhile! I don't really think it would be fare to just say that it's there culture though, because we came across plenty of people who could of done with out us there and made it known. No, they are different for a reason. It's important to them so they are making the extra effort to be that way, and I'm blown away by there kindness! I came looking for questions we could help answer at Woodlake, instead I found an incredible roll models. Don't you love how God knows what we need more than us? :)


We all know every trip isn't without it's hick-ups and we've had our fare share... but what we have all gotten out of it far out ways those little things! This trip has been a huge blessing to say the least! :)


Keri

Payback...

Dillon and Chance pranked Phil and I at the airport on our way to Ireland.  For details, read this earlier blog.  We vowed to get them back.  After we had arrived and met the pastors, a plan began to hatch.  We knew that timing would be important so we waited until Friday afternoon to make our move.  Here is a quick summary of our revenge: Dillon and Chance were called out of a team meeting by Liz, the pastors wife.  She escorted them to the church's counseling room and sat them down with PJ, the pastor.  They both proceeded to lecture the guys without really telling them what they did.  After they were finished, they left the room for Dillon and Chance to have some time together and discuss.  They returned with both Phil and I and continued to lecture the lads.  After we let them off the hook, Chance told us that he knew it was a prank and that he thought the girls were trying to get them.  Honestly, I was a little disappointed as I wanted them to feel just a little bit of fear after the stunt they pulled at the airport.  However, after watching the attached video, I was happy to see that they were a little more nervous than they let on.  I'll let everyone be the judge.  Remember, he who laughs last, laughs best.

The thing is, this would not have been possible without the assistance of the church staff.  PJ and Liz Booth, Sean Booth and Eric Redmond were all instrumental in pulling this prank off.  We have been blessed to work with such a great church.  I'm sure it will be said many times, but we have all fallen in love with the Open Arms family.  I hope everyone has enjoyed this as much as we have.

Matt

Deadly Prank

Hey everyone, this is Laura! Long time, no see!!!

While in Ireland I've been learning some awesome new words to bring back and start a new trend in the states. Here's a list of what we've found interesting:

Dodgy = Shady/Sketchy
Cheeky = Mischievous/Smart aleck
Rubbish = Trash
Plasters = Band-Aids
Plattes = Braids
Jumper = Hoodie
Bin = Trash can
Deadly = Wicked/Awesome
Savage = Cool

I'd like to say that we've been having an amazing time here in Ireland working w/the kids camp. The kids are practically in awe that we're from America. It's been so much fun helping them learn about Jesus through their different activities. I have to say, it's quite exhausting! :D

After kids camp everyday, we pass out leaflets in the area (similar to how we do it at Woodlake). By the end of the week we will have passed out around 1000 leaflets. Which is A LOT, let me tell you! What's even cooler is that the mailboxes are slots on the doors.

After 2 hours of passing out leaflets today, while we were on our way to pick up the rest of the gang, the driver told us that he had a message from PJ (the head pastor). Once everyone got in the van he said that we would continue to pass out leaflets for 2 more hours and skip our planned events for the evening, including dinner. As soon as a I heard that, I about DIED! Especially since it was cold and rainy, just like typical Ireland weather. A few kilometers down the road though, he turned around and told us he was just joking. Such a relief came over us; several of us almost started crying with joy! It was totally a deadly joke! Well, that's all for now...see you next time!

Love you Feller family! Can't wait to see you again. :D

Laura

Stretched Like Zany Bandz!

We have successfully completed four days of camp with Open Arms Church. There has been lots of hard work and numerous hours of making sure the kids we're with have the best time while they're here. We were blessed with a huge amount of Zany Bandz from a Woodlake Church member which we have been passing out to all of the kids at the camp. Mind you, Zany Bans are "all the rage" with the kids in America. Now with Woodlake's help Zany Bandz will surely become in international phenomenon. If you're unfamiliar with Zany Bandz that's okay, I'll see if I can explain. Zany Bandz are rubber band like material that have been molded into a certain shape. There are tons of different shapes to choose from. The great thing about them is that they can be stretched to fit on your wrist and when you take it off your wrist it "bounces" back to it's original shape...there you have it folks...Zany Bandz.

Our entire team has been stretched like Zany Bandz on this trip. I've been so impressed with the morale and attitude of everyone on our team. No matter what has been asked of each team member they have done it with a great attitude and with love. In many cases the things that have been asked of us have stretched us like we've never been stretched before...including me. Teaching kids is a passion of mine, one that I won't soon give up. This week, however, I have been asked to teach the lesson each day which consists of four times per day. I've been asked to teach the lesson to the kids on Sunday during church and just last night I was asked to be the main speaker at the youth service. Major stretch for me. It is very exciting though! Some of the team will be helping with the kids service on Sunday and some of your teens will be sharing things God has done in their lives in the youth service.

God is stretching us all in major ways and it's a great feeling.

Phil

Encounter Ireland...

Here is the video that was prepared for Encounter Youth last night.  Just wanted to share it with everyone.

Matt

a funny thing happened on the way to shopping...

It's Melissa again, blogging over breakfast.  It's about 8:30am, and I'm in the middle of a bowl of cornflakes and a cup of hot tea...

Yesterday after the kids left around 3pm, we thought we were going shopping.  Dillion, Chance, and Mitchell have been working like crazy all day, lugging things here and there and chasing kids and keeping up with some of the boys.  So they were off to an afternoon of fun.  We ladies were ready to go shopping at a beautiful outlet mall nearby when we heard that the pastor needed to pick up some donated food.

Open Arms has a Teen Challenge here, and the church received a call Wednesday morning offering to donate 1500 hamburger patties and 200 pizzas.  Well we Oklahomans know you don't pass up food.  So they took the van to pick it up, only to realize how much food that really is.  Freezers and refrigerators aren't as big here, and they don't really have deep freezers.  So they got to deliver it to several homes to try to store it all, and they brought the last of it here...

Between the food for the kid's camp and the donated food, it was starting to be a tight fit.  So we got busy freeing the cellophane-wrapped pizzas from their boxes and stacking and stuffing them into the freezer.  The meat had to be unboxed, too, to make room for everything.  The good news?  We're definitely not hurting for food!  And if we needed to, we could easily have a feeding of the 1500.  I have to say, those hamburger patties were great, too. We had some for dinner at the home of one of the women at the church (she even made some Ranch dressing for us!), and Sunday after church we'll take care of some more of those patties when we have another barbecue with the youth group.

I've got to sign off now... Time for a Kid's Camp meeting in about 15 minutes, and I think it's pizza for lunch!

A Double Dose of Stephanie

From the Stephanies...


This kids camp is broken down by age for class rotations (bible lessons, dance, games & crafts) and then by teams (multiple ages) at the beginning and the end of the day. Stephanie P. works with the 4, 5 & 6 year olds for class rotations, while Stephanie R. works with the 11 and 12 year olds. Both Stephanies work together on the Sticky Stingray team along with several Irish students.


Everyday Matt and Mitch have games for our age groups to play. On Tuesday, our game was suggested by Pastor Phil. We were selected to be the lucky assistants for our respective age groups. The kids split into two teams and tied pipe cleaners in our hair. Imagine our long, pretty hair full of 15 kids' grubby little fingers. Yup! Your imagination serves you well. Here is a picture of what our kids created!

Thanks Pastor Phil!!!

We've learned one thing about Irish and African children. They don't really understand what it means to line up. We've started to call a line a queue instead. We think they seem to understand that a little better. We both feel like we are being stretched outside of our comfort zones. I don't think back home you would have caught either of us letting children mess with our hair. It's amazing what happens when you're pulled outside of your normal situations. We've been able to really connect with these kids. Many of them are dying for attention, and it's great to be able to provide them with positive influences...even if for a week.

Stephanies Pickney and Rhodes

Kids and canvassing...

The last two days have gone by quickly.  So far, the camp has been a big success and the kids are all enjoying the activities.  Our team is doing a great job.  I will let them blog about the details.  Each day, after camp is over, we have gone out into the community and canvassed nearby neighborhoods with invitations to visit Open Arms.  We've covered a lot of ground in the last two days and we still have a box full of cards to deliver.  Everyone here is so much fun.  As I am writing this, we are all sitting in the attic with a few of the church staff members, laughing and having a good time.  Tonight, we are planning on watching the 'football match' with everyone (that's a soccer game for those that are not as international as we are).  It should be a good time.  I'm happy to report that everyone is doing well and there have been no injuries, serious or otherwise.  We are still a little tired, but the attitudes have remained surprisingly positive.  That is all I have to report for now.  Hopefully, the blog will be active tonight...

Matt

Slam Dunk

As told by Melissa... We all know that Pastor Jamie is ready to put us to work. It turns out the same spirit of employment is working here in Ireland! Sunday morning started with a wonderful time of praise and prayer with the staff of Open Arms Community Churh -all the workers for youth, children's, worship and morning service.


I had the privilege of attending their children's church. The worship team for the kids' service was so energetic and we transitioned into the song "Your Name", the Spirit of God was so strong. Their children are a mix of two primary ethnic groups -Caucasian Irish and African, who emigrated or whose parents emigrated. It was beyond beautiful to watch a perfect blending of two very different cultures as they came together to praise God. As we hit the chorus of the song, I saw the words "Your name, let the nations sing it louder" enacted before me. As God shows himself strong and mighty in this church, a shelter to those in need, and the nations very literally unite to sing His praise every time the doors are open.


After worship, offering (which they call Slam Dunk!), and a game, the kids split up into what we would call connect groups by age. One of the teachers, named Praise, asked if I would like to help with her class (kids between 8 & 9 years old). I joined about 14 kids for their story about Gideon. After the lesson, the kids had questions for me and about America -if I have ever seen the President, what countries I have visited, about where I live and more. They were so excited for kid's camp and to get to know more about us Americans. We've been encouraged to focus on the individual child, and I can't wait for the friendships made to grow throughout the week!


Melissa

Irish Living.... :)

So i don't really know if we've all realized that we actually ARE in Ireland quite yet...it's kinda crazy! We're all sleeping at the church....all the girls upstairs in the attic, and the boys in the nursery. They have been super, super hospitable to us the entire time. We all have mattresses, sleeping bags, pillows, and towels that THEY supplied us with! In Ireland though.......it is perfectly bright outside from 4:30 AM until 10:30 PM! Which makes it just a little bit difficult for us girls to sleep when there is a skylight in the ceiling right above mine and lauren's beds! Last night Laura woke up at four and thought we were gonna be late for breakfast! Ha! I think the daylight may have slightly deceived us tonight cuz we went for a walk, and didn't make it back until after eleven! And it was JUST THEN becoming dark outside...

Not too long ago i enjoyed a very nice shower. VERY nice and warm....... Whereas yesterday the majority of our showers were ice cold! Literally THE COLDEST SHOWER OF MY LIFE! Some of us girls even considered shedding a tear or two. i didn't even leave the water on most of the time.....i just poked my head under the water, got it wet enough to wash my hair, then turned the water back off! After all of us became extremely worried that our showers would feel like ICE WATER everyday, we learned that they had just forgotten to turn the hot water heater on! Praise the Lord!

Presleys.....i love and miss you guys! Bub...i found an Irish version of YooHoo! It's called Yahoo i think! I wanted to buy it for you but i wouldn't be able to get it home on the plane! i'll get ya somethin better, don't worry. ;) Loveee youuu! <3

kylieee valene

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6!

This is Lauren,


well hello there lads! i really am in the land of the Irish! First off, i just want to say that we are having so much fun bonding and getting to know the people at the church! I so am excited to work the VBS!


So do you want to know why the title of this message 1,2,3,4,5,6?! Well i will tell ya! Chance being number 1 (which he is very proud of), me being number 2, kylie being number 3, keri being number 4, laura being number 5 and last (but not least) dillon being number 6. It all started in the airport because matt watson feared losing the minors! Randomly throughout the day matt yells for a "safety count" and we all have to yell our number! It is very fun and exciting!

well i am very tired and jet lagged still! so i am off to bed!
ps. i love you family!


lauren b:)

Internet Junkies

Stephanie P. posting here...


We've been in Ireland a little more than 24 hours, and I believe we've been craving time on the Internet since hour two. After an awesome day with the congregation of Open Arms Community Church, we headed to find a wifi hotspot! We found a McDonald's with wifi that was only a 5-10 minute walk!


I've never been so excited to see these arches before in my life!

(Source)

The McDowell's have a data package on their phones so they can tweet, Facebook and email, but Matt, Danielle and I were struggling. I think we each tweeted like 5 times in 30 seconds when we got there (proof below). We tried to pass around our phones and let each of the minors (LB* has a funny story about them coming soon) Facebook or email home, if they wanted. If your child didn't contact you, just know we gave them the opportunity! :)

We finally have access at the church, but it is pretty limited to blogging and ministry needs. I have a feeling we'll be walking to the Golden Arches every day!


Stephanie P.

Ireland...

Throughout the trip, I will provide a running narrative of our trip.  Hopefully, this will allow the rest of the team members to be more personal and share their experiences without worrying about staying true to a timeline.  We arrived in Ireland around 8:25am (Ireland time) on Saturday morning.  We breezed through customs and were picked up by a leader from Open Arms Community Church, our partner for the kids camp this week.  This is also our home for the next few days.  Some of the church members are cooking for us throughout the week.  We have been well fed so far.  To fight the jet lag and stay awake we toured the Japanese Gardens and Irish National Stud Farm.  On Sunday we attended the morning worship service as well as the afternoon youth service.  Everyone is having a good time and we have made many new friends.  We're all looking forward to the start of 'Caper's Cove' tomorrow morning.  It was a little eye opening for most of the group to see that the gospel message is consistent throughout the world.  Jesus' love translates into every language and culture...

Matt

the first prank

Well me and Chance enjoy a good prank so we decided to get in trouble at the airport.  NOT! we walked around the airport after just arriving for about 15 mins looking for security, after a long search we finally found a oriental woman in a business suit, and she was looking legit.  We asked her to walk into TGI Fridays where all the leaders were eating lunch and say that she caught us being bad!  She quickly agreed so she led us into the restaurant where everyone was eating.  Hanging our heads while she told them that she had caught us causing trouble.  Matt and Phil both looked like they were about to explode!!  Phil was the first to speak loudly saying i can't believe you guys already got in trouble!! After a long pause we exclaimed gotcha and all was good but we freaked them out, starting off the trip on a great note!!

-Dillon and Chance <3

Atlanta...

We are in Atlanta and just finished lunch. Our flight leaves at 7:25 (EST) Friday night and we will arrive in Ireland at 8:30 (Ireland time) Saturday morning. This will be the easiest way for the team to communicate to a large group of people. Over the next ten days, we will all be contributing to the blog and signing each post. Of course, we're assuming that we'll have access to internet in Ireland. Everyone will blog at some point, even baby Stella. We are all excited about this opportunity and appreciate everyone that made it possible. We will be sending video updates for Wednesday night, July 7th and Sunday, July 11th to be shown at Encounter Youth and Woodlake Church morning service, respectively. Keep checking back as we will blog every chance we get...

Matt