This week has come and gone so quickly. It has been an incredible experience and a trip that we hope to do again. We were challenged in new and exciting ways and were deeply touched by the lives and the love of the children of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Many of them we will never forget.
Thank you to everyone who kept an eye on the blog this summer. It was a difficult task to try to find time to post pictures and updates - especially this week in NYC. I hope you enjoyed what we could do, and forgive me for not doing more.
From Italy, to Passport, to CLUE Camp, this summer has been full of unforgettable experiences. Please continue to ask our students to share their stories and pictures. There is so much to tell.
We look forward to being home and seeing all of you again soon. Please pray for our safe travels tomorrow and we will see you Sunday.
Friday, July 30, 2010
Sunday, July 25, 2010
NYC - safe and sound
After an approximately 12 hour turn around, we returned from Passport and packed up and left for CLUE camp in NYC.
We loaded up this morning, 15 youth and 6 adults. Aside from heavy traffic, we had no issues and a good trip.
We arrived at Metro Baptist Church around 6pm. We quickly unloaded the bus and shuttled it across the river to a parking lot at a church in Jersey.
After getting settled in, we went to dinner at the famous Dallas BBQ. We were treated to large platters of Baby Back Ribs, Pulled Pork and Beef Brisket BBQ. It was very good.
Metro Baptist is only a few blocks away from Time Square, so after dinner we walked up to see the bright lights of Time Square. We did some sight seeing and got a group picture and called it a night.
Tomorrow is a very important day. Our Manhattan team will stay here and worship at Metro. They will then have their camp orientation here after lunch. Our Brooklyn team will board the subway in the morning and go to Greater Restoration Baptist Church where we will worship and have lunch and orientation. Tomorrow we will meet our partner churches and the CLUE camp staff members who will be leading us through the week. It is also our last opportunity to add the finishing touches to our camp program. Please pray for us as we prepare for camp.
We are already having a great time. Thank you Marty Cash and Ward Richardson for safely delivering us to Metro - we really apprecoate your help. Thank you for praying!
We loaded up this morning, 15 youth and 6 adults. Aside from heavy traffic, we had no issues and a good trip.
We arrived at Metro Baptist Church around 6pm. We quickly unloaded the bus and shuttled it across the river to a parking lot at a church in Jersey.
After getting settled in, we went to dinner at the famous Dallas BBQ. We were treated to large platters of Baby Back Ribs, Pulled Pork and Beef Brisket BBQ. It was very good.
Metro Baptist is only a few blocks away from Time Square, so after dinner we walked up to see the bright lights of Time Square. We did some sight seeing and got a group picture and called it a night.
Tomorrow is a very important day. Our Manhattan team will stay here and worship at Metro. They will then have their camp orientation here after lunch. Our Brooklyn team will board the subway in the morning and go to Greater Restoration Baptist Church where we will worship and have lunch and orientation. Tomorrow we will meet our partner churches and the CLUE camp staff members who will be leading us through the week. It is also our last opportunity to add the finishing touches to our camp program. Please pray for us as we prepare for camp.
We are already having a great time. Thank you Marty Cash and Ward Richardson for safely delivering us to Metro - we really apprecoate your help. Thank you for praying!
Friday, July 23, 2010
Chilly Upper Lip
Im sorry to say that I don't have pictures to show you right now, but I still have to tell you this cool story. Earlier in the week I posted the story of our High School girls' Temporary Tattoo parlor and how they were accepting donations for the missions offering, to be collected during Thursday night's worship service.
Well, chaperon Dwight McKee was so moved by the girls' creative and thoughtful endeavor, that on Tuesday they all made a deal - if "Temp Tats" could raise $200 by Thursday night, Dwight would shave off his mustache. He has had a mustache for 30 years now! This was a bit deal.
Everyone banded together and rose to the challenge. Temp Tats went into full swing and all of their "customers" were very generous with their donations. By tonight, Thursday, half the camp was tattooed and even more importantly, Temp Tats had collected $361 for the missions offering!
I wish I had pictures to show - they will be coming - but Dwight was true to his word. We all gathered around as Jamison Lloyd went at his beloved mustache with a barbers care. Sorry Kelly, but it was certainly for a good cause! :)
The mustache is gone and the offering is in. What a night!
BTW, this year's Passport offering is going to Water for Life International. Similar to Watering Malawi, Water for Life is a non-profit organization that helps to drill wells and provide potable water for impoverished villages in Africa. It will also go to support the CBF field personnel who are working with these communities where the wells are being drilled.
Well, chaperon Dwight McKee was so moved by the girls' creative and thoughtful endeavor, that on Tuesday they all made a deal - if "Temp Tats" could raise $200 by Thursday night, Dwight would shave off his mustache. He has had a mustache for 30 years now! This was a bit deal.
Everyone banded together and rose to the challenge. Temp Tats went into full swing and all of their "customers" were very generous with their donations. By tonight, Thursday, half the camp was tattooed and even more importantly, Temp Tats had collected $361 for the missions offering!
I wish I had pictures to show - they will be coming - but Dwight was true to his word. We all gathered around as Jamison Lloyd went at his beloved mustache with a barbers care. Sorry Kelly, but it was certainly for a good cause! :)
The mustache is gone and the offering is in. What a night!
BTW, this year's Passport offering is going to Water for Life International. Similar to Watering Malawi, Water for Life is a non-profit organization that helps to drill wells and provide potable water for impoverished villages in Africa. It will also go to support the CBF field personnel who are working with these communities where the wells are being drilled.
Grace Notes
One of the choice groups is called "Grace Notes." This group explores different ways of worshiping through music. Olivia DeCapri is one our students in Grace Notes this year. This morning, during opening celebration, Olivia and other grace note campers led us in worship for one song. They sang Chris Tomlin's version of "Amazing Grace/My Chains are Gone." They did a great job!
Olivia also performed tonight during the Passport talent show, along with Hannah Hayes and Tyler Chalkley. They all did very well. I will have to tell you about that in a different post.
It Honor Camper Time!
Every morning, during morning celebration, the camp honor council announces their honor camper selections from the previous day. The council is made up of one representative from each church group. This year our honor council rep is Wesley Owens. The council members observe campers during their choice, and one camper is selected from each choice for each day. Honor campers are selected for being especially positive, helpful, respectful, encouraging, attentive, etc.
Here is Wesley announcing the Honor Camper for Mission 2.
Several Second Baptist youth have been selected as honor campers this week, including Tyler Chalkley and Charlie Jones.
Several Second Baptist youth have been selected as honor campers this week, including Tyler Chalkley and Charlie Jones.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Follow
Our theme word today was "Follow." We began the day with a personal devotional time reading John 10:25-30.
We are learning that if we Trust God, and entrust our lives to him, then we will Follow him where he wants to lead us. We have been focusing on Jesus as our Good Shepherd who we trust and follow. As his sheep we are promised the gift of eternal life, we are promised that we can never be snatched out of his hands, and we are promised that when we stray, our Good Shepherd will call for us, and we will hear his voice and return.
It is such a joy to go through these themes and scriptures each day and see our students really get it. Tomorrow we will learn to "Share."
We are learning that if we Trust God, and entrust our lives to him, then we will Follow him where he wants to lead us. We have been focusing on Jesus as our Good Shepherd who we trust and follow. As his sheep we are promised the gift of eternal life, we are promised that we can never be snatched out of his hands, and we are promised that when we stray, our Good Shepherd will call for us, and we will hear his voice and return.
It is such a joy to go through these themes and scriptures each day and see our students really get it. Tomorrow we will learn to "Share."
Choices - Missions
Passport Choices is unique in that the students decide when they arrive at camp how they will spend their choices time - 11am-2:30pm. There are nine different choice opportunities ranging from missions to music, drama to Soul Food (a cooking track that emphasizes hospitality). Within the missions "choice" there are 4 different missions opportunities.
I have been assigned to drive the bus for missions group 2. Every day we go to a local park called Creft Park. We then send Passport students and chaperons into the surrounding areas to collect the children and bring them to the park for 2 hours of play, crafts, basketball, face paint, games, and other fun activities. Here are some pictures of the kids we get to work with every day, along with the two Second Baptist youth who are in missions 2 - Jacob McKee and Wesley Owens.
I have been assigned to drive the bus for missions group 2. Every day we go to a local park called Creft Park. We then send Passport students and chaperons into the surrounding areas to collect the children and bring them to the park for 2 hours of play, crafts, basketball, face paint, games, and other fun activities. Here are some pictures of the kids we get to work with every day, along with the two Second Baptist youth who are in missions 2 - Jacob McKee and Wesley Owens.
Everyday we are blessed by the children from these neighborhoods. Already they have shown us so much love and trust. There has been a Passport missions group coming to this park every week for the past 6 weeks. We get to benefit from their hard work and faithful service. The children immediately trust us and the parents are happy to send them out every day to play with us at the park. They love to get piggy-back rides and are not bashful in their requests for a ride. Most of the time they simply say - "Put me on your back!" And we are glad to oblige.
Today one of the young children did not speak any English and Wesley, knowing a little Spanish, was happy to befriend him and help him communicate with the rest of our Passport group.
Flashback - 60's Dance Party
This year's theme for the Tuesday night dance was the 1960's. As usual, our students did not disappoint. Time was well spent shopping a Goodwill, tie-dying t-shirts, and "bumping" hair. We were a groovy lookin group. 
We had a good variety of 60's fashion. One highlight from was the Scooby-Doo inspired group of Jamison, Sarah, Lindsey, and Preston. Not only were their outfits great - they were so great that they won "Best Outfit" at the dance. You will remember, this is now a distinction which Jamison Lloyd has held for 2 years in a row!
The Scooby-Doo crew after winning their prestigious award!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Temp Tats for Missions
Our apartment of completed 9th and 11th grade girls have found a fun and creative way of filling their free time this week. They have opened up “Temp-Tats” A temporary tattoo parlor. Passport campers can come by outside their front door and get their choice from a variety of pirate, games, rock-roll, and other themed tattoos.
They are accepting $.25 donations for each tattoo and all donations will go to the Passport missions offering collected at the end of the week.
It is a great way to meet people from camp and raise money for missions. I am writing this post from the Temp-Tats parlor and there is a line of 6+ “customers” from other churches waiting for their tattoos. They have nearly sold out of their initial inventory and a new stock of tattoos is in route from Walmart.
The word is spreading and the popularity is growing. What a neat idea!!
They are accepting $.25 donations for each tattoo and all donations will go to the Passport missions offering collected at the end of the week.
It is a great way to meet people from camp and raise money for missions. I am writing this post from the Temp-Tats parlor and there is a line of 6+ “customers” from other churches waiting for their tattoos. They have nearly sold out of their initial inventory and a new stock of tattoos is in route from Walmart.
The word is spreading and the popularity is growing. What a neat idea!!
Camp Photos - Login
Every day Passport staff is posting pictures on the Passport camper photos area of the Passport website. You can check out this weeks pictures by going to -
http://www.passportcamps.org/campphoto/files/wingate6.php
The login word is "sole" - currently they have posted pictures from Sunday - of our groups as we arrived, of each of the Bible study groups and of our adult leaders. It looks like there is maybe a 1 day delay in their posts.
http://www.passportcamps.org/campphoto/files/wingate6.php
The login word is "sole" - currently they have posted pictures from Sunday - of our groups as we arrived, of each of the Bible study groups and of our adult leaders. It looks like there is maybe a 1 day delay in their posts.
Wet, Wild and Crazy Kids!
Tonight’s evening activity was a Rec competition. All the Bible study groups competed against each other in messy, wet relay race events. Upon arriving at camp our students were assigned to Passport Bible study groups. Their group ID is stamped inside their Passport - Red Triangle 53, Black Circle 81, Blue Square 46, etc. Everyone had a great time and the winning team was Red Triangle 53 - there are a bunch of Second Baptist Students in that group. Check out the video of Alex DeCapri and Jamison Lloyd going down the giant slip-n-slide.
Trust!
Our four theme words for this week are Trust-Follow-Share-Serve.
At Passport, the theme is presented each morning with a scripture passage during our morning quite time devotions. The theme and scriptures are then emphasized during our opening assembly, Bible studies, choice group discussions, evening worship service, and church group night time devotions.
Throughout the day our students have been thinking about and talking about their trust in God. Our scripture passage was Matthew 6:25-34. During Bible study and devotion times we talked about the times when it is difficult to trust God and how we know we can always trust him to work out his purpose in our lives. What a great theme to start the week with!
At Passport, the theme is presented each morning with a scripture passage during our morning quite time devotions. The theme and scriptures are then emphasized during our opening assembly, Bible studies, choice group discussions, evening worship service, and church group night time devotions.
Throughout the day our students have been thinking about and talking about their trust in God. Our scripture passage was Matthew 6:25-34. During Bible study and devotion times we talked about the times when it is difficult to trust God and how we know we can always trust him to work out his purpose in our lives. What a great theme to start the week with!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
We have arrived!
We have safely arrived at Passport Choices in Wingate, NC. Our group consists of 30 youth and 6 adult chaperons. We are looking forward to a great week. We have had dinner and are preparing for opening celebration.
Thank you for your prayers. More pictures and updates to come throughout the week.
Friday, July 16, 2010
Bye Bye Italy - Hello Wingate!
No, you are'nt lost. The Italy blog is now the Passport blog - and after that it will be the CLUE camp blog. Different name - same URL. This way you can use the same link to follow all of our Youth Missions Adventures.
We leave for Passport Sunday morning, 8am!
Thanks for keeping up and for keeping us in your prayers.
We leave for Passport Sunday morning, 8am!
Thanks for keeping up and for keeping us in your prayers.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Come si dice in Italiano? Ripeta, per favore.
Perhaps the greatest challenge of this entire trip has been the language barrier that exists between our group from Second Baptist and our host church and the surrounding community. I for one drastically overestimated how much English our hosts would know. Other than Gabriela and two others from the church, Massimo and Evana, the rest of the congregation speaks almost no English. This has proved to be a difficult barrier to overcome in basic conversation, but our group and the congregation of Ariccia are both up to the tasks.
Conversation involves a lot of patience, a lot of repetition, and a lot of charades. Its amazing how much you can communicate with some improve acting. Our whole group has done a great job at stepping out of their comfort zones and meeting the challenge of communicating and building friendships in spite of the language difference.
Conversation involves a lot of patience, a lot of repetition, and a lot of charades. Its amazing how much you can communicate with some improve acting. Our whole group has done a great job at stepping out of their comfort zones and meeting the challenge of communicating and building friendships in spite of the language difference.
Concerts in Review
Today we completed our last of three concerts in Italy. We performed the musical drama “Celebrate Life” - which tells the gospel story of the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus through song and narrations by characters Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
One of the riches blessings on this trip has been sharing the stage with the members of the Ariccian church. The 4 narrators for the drama were Alberto (younger) Alberto (older), Christina, and Alessandra. They memorized all of their narrations and delivered stellar performances at every show. The best part was that they spoke their lines in Italian. The whole production was a beautiful bilingual blend of Italian and English.
Our first performance was Friday evening in Albano Italy. If you are traveling from Ariccia to Rome, Albano is the first town you reach after leaving Ariccia. Gabriela Lio, our host pastor in Ariccia, also pastors an ecumenical congregation in Albano. They worship in an old church that has been restored and is now a community worship center. The acoustics were incredible. We performed before a respectable Friday ngiht crowd and after our concert Gabriela collected an offering for the Italian Baptist Medical Missions program in Zimbabwe Africa. It was exciting to see how our missions efforts were being multiplied in an unexpected way to help the Italian Baptist mission work in Africa through our presentation of “Celebrate Life“.
Last night’s (Saturday) performance was at the church in Ariccia. It was a packed house (for a small church) and very hot. Our group rose to the occasion and performed a great concert. I was sure that someone would faint during the concert, but everyone made it through. The audience was so appreciative and very encouraging.
After the concert the audience was invited to a community sized meal in celebration of the birthdays of two of the congregation - Spartacus (a WWII veteran) and Aurora (a young girl 7 or 8 whose father works in the bakery next door to the church). It was an incredible feast with lots of singing, laughing, and eating.
This morning we sang at the Taylor Institute in Rome Italy. The Taylor Institute was established by David Taylor of Virginia USA after World War II to help the widows, orphans, and elderly of Rome. Today the Institute serves as a retirement home for the community. Sadly, 4 years ago, due to lack of funding they had to close their centers for the orphans and families.
We performed for the 11am worship service for the Baptist congregation that worships at the Taylor institute. The performance went very well, the best of the 3, and again money was collected for the Italian Baptist efforts in Zimbabwe.
After worship we were treated to lunch at the Taylor Institute with the members of the community. It was touching to talk to several who came to the institute 30+ years ago as orphans or widowed mothers who still leave nearby and continue to volunteer and help lead worship, activities, and programs at the institute.
One of the riches blessings on this trip has been sharing the stage with the members of the Ariccian church. The 4 narrators for the drama were Alberto (younger) Alberto (older), Christina, and Alessandra. They memorized all of their narrations and delivered stellar performances at every show. The best part was that they spoke their lines in Italian. The whole production was a beautiful bilingual blend of Italian and English.
Our first performance was Friday evening in Albano Italy. If you are traveling from Ariccia to Rome, Albano is the first town you reach after leaving Ariccia. Gabriela Lio, our host pastor in Ariccia, also pastors an ecumenical congregation in Albano. They worship in an old church that has been restored and is now a community worship center. The acoustics were incredible. We performed before a respectable Friday ngiht crowd and after our concert Gabriela collected an offering for the Italian Baptist Medical Missions program in Zimbabwe Africa. It was exciting to see how our missions efforts were being multiplied in an unexpected way to help the Italian Baptist mission work in Africa through our presentation of “Celebrate Life“.
Last night’s (Saturday) performance was at the church in Ariccia. It was a packed house (for a small church) and very hot. Our group rose to the occasion and performed a great concert. I was sure that someone would faint during the concert, but everyone made it through. The audience was so appreciative and very encouraging.
After the concert the audience was invited to a community sized meal in celebration of the birthdays of two of the congregation - Spartacus (a WWII veteran) and Aurora (a young girl 7 or 8 whose father works in the bakery next door to the church). It was an incredible feast with lots of singing, laughing, and eating.
This morning we sang at the Taylor Institute in Rome Italy. The Taylor Institute was established by David Taylor of Virginia USA after World War II to help the widows, orphans, and elderly of Rome. Today the Institute serves as a retirement home for the community. Sadly, 4 years ago, due to lack of funding they had to close their centers for the orphans and families.
We performed for the 11am worship service for the Baptist congregation that worships at the Taylor institute. The performance went very well, the best of the 3, and again money was collected for the Italian Baptist efforts in Zimbabwe.
After worship we were treated to lunch at the Taylor Institute with the members of the community. It was touching to talk to several who came to the institute 30+ years ago as orphans or widowed mothers who still leave nearby and continue to volunteer and help lead worship, activities, and programs at the institute.
Where has the time gone…
So my warm and fuzzy idea of spending my evenings quietly reflecting on the day and blogging for everyone back home was quickly derailed by late night dinners and early morning wake-up calls. In Italy, lunch starts around 1:30pm and dinner isn’t until 8pm or so. Every night we gather at the church in Ariccia for dinner and are treated to 4 courses of pasta, meat, salad, and desserts - most nights with multiple desserts. We normally leave the church sometime between 10pm-11pm.
After dinner, (and gelato) when everyone has arrived back at the hotel we gather as a group for some time of reflecting on our day and sharing information for the next day’s activities. We are then led by Youth Ministry Intern Philip Riley in a nightly devotional. Philip has done an incredible job facilitating these times and helping our group to share where they have seen God throughout the day and how we are growing in Christian community - koinonia - with our brothers and sisters of Ariccia.
After dinner, (and gelato) when everyone has arrived back at the hotel we gather as a group for some time of reflecting on our day and sharing information for the next day’s activities. We are then led by Youth Ministry Intern Philip Riley in a nightly devotional. Philip has done an incredible job facilitating these times and helping our group to share where they have seen God throughout the day and how we are growing in Christian community - koinonia - with our brothers and sisters of Ariccia.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
More Italy Pictures!
Some of the team swimming in Lake Albano.
Mr. Miller with Gabriela and Angelo.
A beautiful view of Italy.
This was taken on our walk to the church on the way to dinner.
Caroline, Katie, Victoria, Sarah Bradley, and Emily during our day in Rome.
The posing with a wonderful view of Italy.
Mr. Miller and Mr. Heese enjoying lunch in Rome and sportin' some wonderful sunglasses.
Welford, Becky, and Abby in front of Trevi Fountain.
Pictures from Italy!
Picture are worth a thousand words! We hope you enjoy!
-Katie Perkins
Abby is our best "tool" for communicating with the Italians.
This is the first night in front of Renato's bakery. Renato is the husband of Gabriela, the pastor of the Italian church.
Some of the girls in front of Lake Albano.
Some of the boys in front of Lake Albano.
Our 4th of July dinner at the church. (fried chicken, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and much much more!)
Eating pizza in Rome.
Some of the group in front of the Colosseum.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Busy, busy, fun!
We had the privilege to worship with our italian friends on Sunday. Welford gave the sermon as Gabriella, the pastor of the church, translated. We then joined our friends on the back porch of the church to fellowship and eat lots of food. We will definitely not come back hungry! Their hospitality and love ceases to amaze us. We were immediately thrown into their arms with hugs and kisses. Even though we lack our Italian communication skills we have quickly learned that love is a universal language and that there is nothing that can separate us from loving God's people.
Since Sunday was the Fourth of July, our Italian friends helped us celebrate by cooking hamburgers and hot-dogs, potato salad, potato chips, and decorated the porch with American flag tablecloths. They certainly made us feel right at home and continue to offer so much love and graciousness.
Today (Monday) we toured basically all of Rome in a matter of 7 hours! Our feet are hurting tonight! That's for sure! But what an amazing, breathtaking, spiritual experience. Each night we have a group debriefing and devotion that Phillip Riley leads and every night he asks us, "
Where did you see God today?" The answers of course are very diverse, but all so encompassing of our time here and the blessings that God has allowed us to experience. Some one mentioned tonight how God continued to provide water when we were most in need. It just so happened that we toured Rome during probably one of the hottest days so far and how we were constantly needing to stay hydrated. Interesting fact is that in Rome, the fountains are all drinkable water and are spaced out all over the city, but we would always stumble across one just when we started looking for it.
Sorry for the mini, delayed update, but thanks for reading our blogs and praying for us! It's 2:48 am in Italy.... Buona notte (good night).
Since Sunday was the Fourth of July, our Italian friends helped us celebrate by cooking hamburgers and hot-dogs, potato salad, potato chips, and decorated the porch with American flag tablecloths. They certainly made us feel right at home and continue to offer so much love and graciousness.
Today (Monday) we toured basically all of Rome in a matter of 7 hours! Our feet are hurting tonight! That's for sure! But what an amazing, breathtaking, spiritual experience. Each night we have a group debriefing and devotion that Phillip Riley leads and every night he asks us, "
Where did you see God today?" The answers of course are very diverse, but all so encompassing of our time here and the blessings that God has allowed us to experience. Some one mentioned tonight how God continued to provide water when we were most in need. It just so happened that we toured Rome during probably one of the hottest days so far and how we were constantly needing to stay hydrated. Interesting fact is that in Rome, the fountains are all drinkable water and are spaced out all over the city, but we would always stumble across one just when we started looking for it.
Sorry for the mini, delayed update, but thanks for reading our blogs and praying for us! It's 2:48 am in Italy.... Buona notte (good night).
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Meeting the Church in Ariccia
After some much needed rest at the hotel on Saturday afternoon, we walked to the church for dinner. We were welcomed by our hosts, the congregation of La Chiesa Cristiana Evangelica Battista, Ariccia, Italy, led by their gracious pastor, Gabriela Lio.
We were served family style with our new friends. The food came course after course, and it was all delicious.
Tomorrow we will join the church for Sunday worship. Our group will sing several songs, with Solo's by Bill Miller, Katie Perkins, and Philip Riley, as well as some group ensemble pieces. Welford will preach and lead the Lord's Supper with Gabriela Lio translating into Italian. After worship we will share an Agape meal with the congregation. It promises to be a wonderful day!
Blessings on your worship back home!
Travel Details
Friday evening we flew out from Washington-Dulles at about 7pm. Between the flight duration and time change we landed in London Heathrow at 6:30-7pm, but to our bodies, it was still 1am. We flew on a comfortable Boeing 747, watched movies and slept as best we could.
Everyone was in great spirits when we landed in London, dispite the lost night of sleep.
We flew from London to Rome and arrived to find that all of our baggage had also successfully arrived and our friends from Ariccia waiting for us outside. As far as international travel goes with a group of 22 - our trip went more smoothly than one could ask. We were certainly blessed with timely flights, quick lines, and a group of students and adults who were on the ball.
We threw all of our luggage and team members into vans and sped off to Ariccia. If you are following along on a map at home, Ariccia is aprox. 30 miles south of Rome. There are three towns in succession, Albano, Ariccia, and Genzano. Our hotel is in Genzano and the Church is in Ariccia. The two towns are a beautiful 20 minute walk apart.
Off to Ariccia
Friday afternoon we left Second Baptist at 1pm to head for Ariccia Italy, via Washington Dulles, London Heathrow, and Rome. After many hours of time changes and lost sleep we arrived in Rome aprox 1pm on Saturday afternoon. We were tired but very excited.
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