UPDATE 2: Soccer, Internet Wars, Travel, Study, and General Insanity

Greetings from Citerna,

I have been trying to add more pics to the site but the internet being so slow makes it virtually impossible to do. I apologize and will continue to try. I also apologize for not writing sooner. The life of a student here is a bit crazy. So I will try to give you a quick synopsis of what has gone on for the past week.

WELCOME TO A BRAND NEW GAME: SOCCER
Now, for those of you who know me well, you know I am a huge American Football fan. I played it since I was in middle school and I love to watch and play whenever I can. I honestly would love to strap on some pads and play again but I am so out of shape it would be embarrassing.

Also, if you know me well, you know I am not a fan of soccer. I used to play it when I was a kid but I have not played since. Before I came to Italy, I thought soccer (or calcio in Italian) was one of the most ridiculous sports in the world. I am just being completely honest when I say I thought it was a bunch of people that couldn’t cut it in a real sport. Yes, I was close minded but I plead ignorance. Since we came to Italy, we have been surrounded by Calcio and I am thankful.

Every few days, we drive down the hill to the town of Monterchi and play Italy’s favorite game after class. During our first trip to Florence, Jonathan bought us jersey's in the three colors of the Florence team. Each person was given a jersey and the colored teams (Red, White, and Purple) would play against each other in a 7 vs. 7 game. I am on the white team. First to score would stay and the losing team would trade out with the waiting team. Sometimes we would play for 4 or 5 hours and not get back until dinner time. Since we started this tradition, I have gained so much more respect for the game. It is so much more than people kicking a ball around. It even gets rough (which, being a football player, I like) and can get you in shape if you play long enough.

One of my favorite memories is after we played the second time, a local guy (sorry, I did not catch his name) came to watch us play. Jonathan talked to him for a bit and then told us that the guy’s team wanted to challenge us American’s to a game later that night. I was up for anything. So we went and played against this team. The field in Monterchi is dirt with a bit of grass. The field they told us to go to was turf and fenced in. This change in field was new for us but it really did not phase us too much. We played the Italian team from Citerna. These 7 guys have been playing together since they were 6 years old. They grew up together and know how each other play. They even play on the local club team together. I thought we were going to get stomped by this team. After loosing 3 soccer balls to the darkness surrounding the field and the rough and tumble game we played against the Italians, 2 and a half hours later, we came out of the cage VICTORIOUS!!! 12-11. The game was a great game and we all got in to play.

This past Friday, we went down to Monterchi and played against each other again after class. We came out of Hotel Sobaria to the porch to get ready to leave. We looked out over the mountain and saw that a storm was building and coming our way. I thought they would cancel the game but Jonathan is one of those people that would not allow anything but God to come between him and playing the game. So we made the journey down the hill. We knew that the storm was about to hit but, not being from the area, we had no clue that the weather was going to be so bi-polar. We got to the field and White and Purple started to play until suddenly, the bottom fell out. We continued to play in the rain anyway and was having fun slipping and sliding until I started to get hit by something hard falling from the sky. IT WAS HAIL!!!!! Pea size hail had begun to fall and began pelting us on the field. When the hail size began to grow larger, Jonathan told us to get into the bus. We all climbed in and waited out the storm.

All of the sudden, a weird figure began to come towards the van and knock on the door. We couldn’t see that it was Andrea Kelly through the fogged up windows of the van. We had forgotten her at the Hotel and she walked all the way down from Citerna. She was soaked from head to toe and looked a bit like a drowned rat. It was quite amusing to tell the truth. After the rain went away, we resumed the game. By the end, everyone was muddied up but no one had anything on Nick (Warren) O’neal (Another Faulkner Crew Member). He played his position of Keeper hardcore for the Purple team. Both the goals had a huge batch of fresh mud on in front of it so whenever he would save the ball, he would dive into the mud. He was quite the spectacle to see him after we finished playing.

I'll keep you updated as we continue to play. Injury reports, trades, and contract signings will be in my next update. So stay tuned.

THE “STUDY” PORTION OF STUDY ABROAD: NOT THE MOST FUN WORD IN THE DICTIONARY

So, to tell the truth, we did not know how rough the whole “STUDY” portion of “STUDY ABROAD” was going to be. Honestly, the program should come with a warning label or something telling people if you do not know how to buckle down and focus on studying, you might not want to do this trip. It is so hard to be in class here because there are so many new things to discover. You want to go out and explore the city and see the sites. However, classes everyday make it hard to make trips outside of Citerna. Also, the fact of studying for each class makes it harder too. Now, I do admit we do get breaks from classes more then people back at home. Whenever we go on class trips, we usually have either an abbreviated schedule or just cancel classes all together. Those days are nice but when you do not get back until late at night, it is hard to study for your 7 am class the next morning or your online classes as well.

Most of us have found remedies for this dilemma through going into town and studying or studying out on the porch of Sobaria. The scenery is beautiful and the locals walking by make you feel like you were on campus studying outside. Others have banded together to study and have made success that way. As for me, I do both. Currently I am helping teach Leah Introduction to New Testament Greek while she is here. I am sort of her T.A. (TEACHERS ASSISTANT) for the class since I was the only one to survive intro last year. We usually go study on the porch. So do not worry parents. We are studying and turning in our work. We are doing fine with school. It is just a bit rough.

INTERNET: THE BATTLE FOR THE BEST CONNECTION

Ok, if you want to see the war of the century, you need to look no further than the halls of Hotel Sobaria. Since we Americans come from a land where internet is fast and stable, a lot of us have been trying to get the best connection to the wireless network here in Sobaria. Why? Because the internet is slow. VERY SLOW (that is if you compare it to what we are used to back in the states). Imagine having the capabilities of wireless with the speed of dial-up. (YOU SEE THE PROBLEM????) This slow connection makes it hard to download pictures/videos to the net/ blog/ Facebook/ MySpace, makes it hard to Skype back home so we can talk to our families, hard to download the files that are due for our online classes, buy plane tickets for free travel etc. It is especially slow when the porch of Sobaria turns into a Facebook Fiesta/ Internet Café every night.

There is a lot of complaining about the connection to the internet here in the hotel. However, I find myself grateful that we even have the internet. This summer, I worked at a church that had no wireless or dial-up connections (SHOCKING, HUH???) Whenever I had to look something up, I had to use the internet on my blackberry. NO FUN!!!! Jonathan was telling us that we are the stars of the internet world here in Citerna because we are the only ones with a Wireless Network with in miles of here. Some people in town would come to the hotel just to use the connection for a bit. So whenever people complain, I just remind them of the fact that we could have no Internet. Parents, thank Jonathan when you get a chance that we can even communicate on the internet. He set it up so we can use it and that it is SEMI- fast. Be thankful.


THE FUN PART OF “STUDY ABROAD”: OUR TRAVELS

Over the time I have not written, we have done some traveling.

Wednesday the Tenth, we made and all day trip to Siena and San Gimignano. Siena is a town right outside of Florence. Back in the times of the Renaissance, towns acted like their own countries. They had their kings and leaders and battled other towns to try to take more land. Siena and Florence have been rival cities ever since then. Even though Florence took them over in 1555, the rivalry still remains between the cities in sports and other events. The city itself is made up of Seventeen Contrades, or Burrows. Each Contrade has its own flag and colors and the people that make them up show a lot of pride for their individual contrade. The Contrade pride truly comes out on July 2nd and August 16 the dates when the Palio di Siena is held. The Palio is a traditional medieval horse race that is run around the Piazza del Campo each year. This event is attended by large crowds, and is widely televised. The Seventeen Contrade vie for the trophy: a painted flag, or Palio bearing an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Ten of the seventeen run in each Palio: seven run by right (having not run in the previous year's corresponding Palio) and three drawn by lot from the remaining ten. A horse is assigned to each by lot. Though often a brutal and dangerous competition for horse and rider alike, the city thrives on the pride this competition brings. The city is Beautiful. I have some pictures of the city from the Torre del Mangia. I'll try to post them.

Later that day, we went to a smaller town called San Gimignano. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance era, it was a stopping point for Catholic pilgrims on their way to Rome and the Vatican, as it sits on the medieval Via Francigena. The city's development also was improved by the trade of agricultural products from the fertile neighboring hills. The city flourished until 1348, when the plague that affected all of Europe, compelled it to submit to Florence. The Plague stunted the growth and today it is said that San Gimignano is a Renaissance Town “stuck in time”. The town has many towers that were used as defensive measure. They were great for people to hide in and to make their enemies have to fight up the tower to get them. They were also great for pouring hot tar on to enemies as well. Each tower was owned by a wealthy family and the families would battle each other for the tallest towers, making a statement of the power they had over the town. San Gimignano is also home to arguably the worlds best Gelato (Ice Cream). They local Gelatoria has won the Gelato World Championships 3 years running and is a crowd favorite.

This past Saturday, we made another visit to Florence. The group had much more free time to explore the city. However, rain did put a damper on things for a bit. A group of us went to the Duomo, one of the most Beautiful and largest cathedrals in the world. We went inside to explore. After we met with the group and went to Galleria dell'Accademia to see the works of the great Michelangelo, including the world famous THE DAVID. This statue is considered one of the greatest sculptures ever conceived by man. After this stop, our group made our way to a view point that’s name escapes me at the moment, but I think it is called Michelangelo Square. It is on top of a hill and gives you one of the most incredible views of the city. We also enjoyed what Jonathan thinks is the best Gelato in the world up there as well.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Either Tomorrow or Wednesday, we will be leaving for Rome and spending three nights there. I will update you as soon as possible about our trip. Also, the 24th - 28th is our first free travel days. I am going with a group to Sevelle, Cordoba, Madrid and Barcelona, Spain. I'll update you as soon as I can on our trip and will try to get other students to write a synopsis of their trips.

Conclusion:
This is all I have for now. I hope all is well where you are. Continue to pray for our continued safety. The week has been crazy but we are still going strong. Love y'all and PRAY HARD!!!!


In and because of Him,
Your brother in Christ
KC
Συνέκδημος υμων
(THE FELLOW TRAVELER OF YOU)

Update 1: A report and review of the week

Greetings from Citerna, Italy: one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

Once again, I apologize for not writing sooner. As soon as we hit the ground in Rome, we have been on the run. It has been a crazy week since we left America and it has been INCREDIBLE!!!! Allow me to tell you of our travels so far.

Day 1 and 2: The Beginning of a Beautiful Journey (Tuesday, September 2^nd – Wednesday, September 3^rd, 2008)

At 12:00 pm, I left my home and headed to Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta to catch my flight to Rome later that afternoon. My father drove me to the airport and my mother met up with us on the concourse a bit later. We sat in the airport concourse gently talking about nothing while waiting patiently on my flight taking off in a few hours. You could tell that my parents were excited for me but wanted to selfishly keep me home. I felt loved as we talked about my plans for free travel and about what I needed to do when I got to Rome. Finally, the time came for me to board. It was a time of fear for me because I didn’t know what would await me on my journey. I almost felt like Odysseus in the Odyssey, beginning my journey that would be told for generations (not by the world but by my family). Exciting, yes, however still very scary.

Getting on the plane almost became a tragedy for me. I said good bye to my family and I got on the airplane when my zone loaded. When I got past the Gate agent at the top of the jet way, I showed him my passport and my ticket and got on the plane like I have always done on my international travels. I got to my seat near the front of the plane and I began to get situated. I put my bags down and having a window seat, I had to cross over a gentleman already sitting. I put my computer in my seat and my HUGE hiking Kelty ® backpack in the overhead compartment. I began to unpack things I would need for the flight (Books, I-Pod, etc.) when the realization hit that I COULD NOT FIND MY PASSPORT. A feeling of sheer terror at the thought of my trip that I worked so hard for ending before it ever began fell over me. I searched franticly through all my bags for my passport and probably walked up and down the jet way three or four times looking for my passport. I knew I had to have it to get on the plane so I knew it had to be near me somewhere. The airline workers noticed my distress and asked me what was wrong. When I told them I couldn’t find my passport, they had everyone searching for it frantically. The gentleman to my side started checking around himself to make sure he did not have it either. It was one of the scariest times of my life. I began praying to God that I could find my passport. That my trip would be successful and that some how, some way, I would be able to find one of the most important documents I could ever have for international travel.

A few minutes later, the gentleman sitting in front of me found my passport in his seat and held it up. I WAS SO RELIEVED!!!!! I thanked him with every fiber of my being and thanked all of those who searched for it for their help. I remember sitting down in my seat, slightly embarrassed, soaked in sweat, my heart beating 1000 beats per second, thanking God that I found my key to Europe. I could finally relax and know that this point is where God wants me.

The flight took off about an hour late, but I did not care. I was on the plane. I was on my way, with my passport, for the journey of a lifetime. My mom continually reminded me that I might never get to see these places again in my lifetime so make it count. I prayed that I would make this trip count and that I would get to see things that I could tell my children about and that I would be blessed to be apart of this program.

The flight to Rome was very smooth and very sleepless. Even being under the influence of Benadryl, I only got a few hours of sleep. The flight was about ten hours long and I just remember staying up and watching movies whenever I wasn’t eating or sleeping.

At about 8:30 AM (2:30 EST) on Wednesday, September 3rd, I arrived at Leonardo Di’Vinci Airport in Rome Italy. I got off the plane and finally got my luggage and met up with the Faulkner Group at the airport. We met up with Jonathan Edwards, the leader of our group and he directed us to the buses so we could get to our new home CITERNA!!! The city of Citerna is a little town nestled in the mountains right on the border line between the provinces of Umbria and Tuscany. It took forever to get to but when we arrived, we were greeted by Freed-Hardeman Professor, Jim Gardner. We unpacked in our rooms and rested until the Freed group arrived. We ate dinner as a family and began to meet each other.

Day 3: Orientation and Welcome!!!! (September 4^th, 2008)

The day started out with waking up to the local rooster crowing at day break. WAY TOO EARLY FOR US!!! The group met for breakfast and went to our orientation class for the semester. The professors introduced themselves and talked to us about making this trip count. We also held our first classes of our semester.

Allow me to explain how our classes work. Classes are an hour and twenty min long unless specified. Each student has odd day and even day classes. On the overall schedule, all the class days are numbered 1-40. Whenever a class day is odd numbered, students will attend odd classes and whenever a class day is even numbered … You get the idea. Anyway, we has odd day classes throughout the late morning and afternoon.

After dinner, we had our Benvenuti party. We met downstairs in the classroom and played games to get used to the idea of living with each other for the next few months. If you think that Faulkner is small, try living with the same 50 people twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. You see the same people every day. It can get real interesting. We played guess who, a game in which each person writes an interesting fact about themselves and everyone guesses who it is. We also played musical chairs and then we broke up for the night.

Day 4: Meeting the Town: Even Class Days and Citerna Fun!!! (September 5^th, 2008)

Nothing really exciting happened today. The only real exciting thing that happened was our meeting some of the local teenagers of Citerna. We have gained many friends within the city. People in Italy are INCREDIBLE to strangers that they see are trying to learn the language and culture of their country. I have never met more accepting people in my life. While we were exploring the town, we met a girl named Linda. She lives in Citerna and is fifteen. She speaks almost perfect English and has acted as a translator between us and the people of Citerna. She has introduced us to most of the teenagers in Citerna and has helped us form relationships with them. We have found that Italians listen to a lot of American music and this connection has acted like a bridge to close the translation gap.

Day 5: OUR FIRST TRIP: CORTONA!!!! (September 7, 2008)

After our classes ended at about 3:00 on Saturday, we took our first trip out of Citerna as a group to the town of Cortona. This name may look familiar to you readers out there. The city of Cortona is the setting for the movie and book Under the Tuscan Sun. The group was given time to explorer the town and marketplaces and take in the beauty of this Tuscan Paradise. Below are some pictures of our trip:

DAY 6: SUNDAY: FLORENCE AND THE UFFIZI MUSEUM

Sunday started EXTREMELY early for all of us this past Lord’s Day. The whole group had to be on a bus at 6:30 AM to go to the town of ARREZO. From Arrezo, we took the train to Santa Maria Novela Station in the great city of FLORENCE. From the station, we took another bus and a strenuous walk to the Locali Di Riunione della Chiesa di Cristo (the Local Congregation of Florence). Jonathan and some members of the church that spoke English and Italian lead the services for the morning and we enjoyed great fellowship with our Italian brothers and sisters in Christ.

After the worship service, we changed clothes and made a mad dash to a bus stop so we could get to the other side of the city where the Uffizi Museum awaited us. The museum holds some of the most famous paintings known to man: La Primavera, The Birth of Venus, etc. We spent a few hours looking at the wonderful art in the museum and then departed to enjoy the rest of our time in the city of Florence. Below is a few pictures and videos of the sights and sounds of one of Italy’s most Exquisite cities. Enjoy:

Conclusion:

Our first week has been exciting. We have a long way to go but we are doing well. We are tired, but doing well. I will try to update the blog once a week. Love y'all and PRAY HARD.

In and because of Him,
Your brother in Christ
KC
Συνέκδημος υμων
(THE FELLOW TRAVELER OF YOU)

WE ARE HERE!!!!!!!!!

Greetings from Citerna, Italy.

We have finally made it. The Faulkner crew that is. The rest of the group, the Freed Crew, is still on there way and will not be here for a few more hours. The group is tired but we are well. Pictures of the group and the BEAUTIFUL Hotel Sobaria will be added within the next few days. I hope this note finds you all well.

Love and peace be to you all,
In and because of Him,

Συνέκδημος υμων

WOW!!! GOD IS GOOD!!!!: An Update on the Status of the Trip!!!

Greetings from Atlanta,

I just wanted to update everyone on the status of my trip. Currently, I am still at home in Atlanta waiting for the trip. We are inching ever closer to our September 2nd departure and as it stands right now, we are currently less than a week away from our trip.

A few big things have happened since my last note. The leader of the group, Dr. Terry Edwards, from Freed-Hardeman University, had open heart surgery a few days ago. This surgery was a surprise to everyone and was a last minute thing placed upon Dr. Edwards. Therefore, Dr. Edwards could no longer go on the trip with us. This was scary because the trip was kinda up in the air for a bit. However, another Professor from Freed decided to step up and take his place. Dr. Edwards son, Jonathan, has currently filled the rest of the position of being in charge of the trip while the new Professor from Freed will be doing the teaching. Dr. Edwards is doing fine from all reports. He is gaining strength everyday and is currently resting at home comfortably. Meanwhile, Jonathan left yesterday to set everything up for us in Italy. He should be arriving some time today. Please pray for his safe travel.

WHERE WE WILL BE LIVING

I also now have an address for you to reach us via snail-mail if you so choose. The location we are staying at is:

Hotel Sobaria
Via Dela Pineta 2
06010 Citerna (PG)
ITALY

Below are some more pictures of Citerna and Where I will be staying.

The following link will lead you to a video that will let you see what the hotel is like. The video is of a dance class that is happening at Hotel Sobaria and lets you see some of the great sites we will be seeing in our new hometown of CITERNA.



ANNOUNCING MY USTREAM WEBCAST
We are getting more and more excited every day about this trip. I hope that all of you will keep checking this blog often for updates from me as we go on this journey of a lifetime. However, I also will have a webcast on USTREAM.TV while we are in Europe called the FCU/FHU STUDY ABROAD CONNECTION. This webcast will serve as a means of communicating back to the states so we do not spend money talking on the phone. It also provides parents, family, and friends another means of communicating with their loved ones while they are in Italy.

If you look under the section called “links” on the right of this screen, you will see a link that leads to our webcast. All you have to do is log in and get an account with USTREAM (WHICH IS FREE!!!!) and you can chat with us via the computer. Each show will have a chatroom available that my fellow travelers and I will be able to see. You can ask us questions, send messages to us and hear stories of our travels and studies. Our goal is to try to webcast some of our devotionals over the internet. Thirty minutes before and after our devotional, I will allow my fellow travelers to get on the camara and talk to people that are online if they wish. That way, if they would like to set up a time with some people back home to meet up on the site, they will be able to chat with them for a few minuets and communicate with there loved ones. If you have any questions about the webcast, let me know. There is no definitive scheduale yet on when we will brodcast but we will have an idea when we finally get to Citerna.

LEAH MOSS: ITALY EXPLORER

Furthermore, I am also going to put a link to Leah Moss' blog ITALY EXPLORER on the right hand of the screen as well.. Leah is one of my best friends and she will be blogging during the trip as well. This way, you all will have more than one point of view of what is going on during our trip.

You can also click here to go to her blog.


That's all for now. I will probably update again before the trip with a list of stuff that I packed so future generations of Study Abroad students can learn from my mistakes and triumphs and with more information as it comes along. I hope all is well where you are.


Love and peace be to you all,
In and because of Him,

Συνέκδημος υμων



P.s. I just got the news today that I will be blogging on two blogs. My blog that you are currently viewing, and the official Faulkner and Freed-Hardeman Study Abroad blog. This blog will be the some/what official record of our trip. Click HERE to check out the new blog. You can also click the link on the right hand side of the screen.
KC

WOW..... DID I DROP THE BALL OR WHAT!?!?!?! : An Apology

Greetings from the ATL,

I hope that this post finds you all well.

As we all know, Summer is over and I really dropped the ball on keeping everyone updated on what happened in Florida. I apologize and hope that will not happen again while I am in Italy. I hope that you all will keep looking on this blog as I travel on what promises to be a journey of a lifetime. Please pray as I make preparations to leave the states. Here is the latest news on the trip.

Officially, we have 13 days till departure. I know my countdown clock on the right hand side says 12 but we have been pushed back a day due to some unforeseen events. We are officially leaving on Tuesday, September 2nd. Funny enough though is the fact that I will not be traveling with the group over to Italy but will be meeting them there thanks to my father's free flight privileges that pass down to any dependents under the age of 23. My flight will leave at about 4:35 PM on the 2nd and will touch down in Rome about 8:25 AM on the 3rd. The crew from Faulkner will have a much longer day ahead of them starting out about 6:30 AM. They will be flying on Northwest and will be flying from Montgomery, AL., to Memphis, TN., to Detriot, MI., to Amsterdam, The Netherlands and finally to Rome, Italy. I will be arriving an Hour and a half earlier than them and will be meeting Dr. Edwards, the man in charge of the whole trip that is affiliated with Freed-Hardman University in the Rome Airport. The Faulkner group will be flying for 26 Straight hours so please pray for them.

Officially, the count is going to be 55 people on the trip (if you include both Freed and Faulkner). Currently, Faulkner has just started their classes on the Montgomery Campus yesterday. I was there for Freshman Expierence as a mentor but since I have no classes to take on campus, I have no place to stay on campus. Since I will be leaving from Atlanta, I decided to stay with my parents at my home near Atlanta. I am begining to pack up things and making my list on what to take.

Now I do admit that I can pack to much stuff so this craziness of packing light is all new to me. I am praying that I will be packing light enough so I do not kill myself trying to lug too much around on my travels. I am also learning and researching how not to dress like a tourist. The handbook that the students going on the trip received speaks plainly on how dangerous it is to travel around dressed like a tourist because people will treat you differently and can also target you easier for pickpocketing and scams. This is a new concept for me but I am learning quickly.

Another thing I am learning is how to pack under limits for flight. This part is tough because we have to pack enough clothes to live on, enough stuff for our studies, some textbooks for some of our classes and much more. It gets crazy and the littlest things seem to put you over weight sometimes. I know I will just have to figure it all out. Pray that we succeed.

I'll keep you posted on more as I hear it. Pray as we make final preparations for my journey. Love yall and take care

Love and peace to you all,
In and because of Him,

Συνέκδημος υμων


P.S. Please be sure to check out the new web cast on UStream. The group and I will be streaming live a few nights a week so we can communicate back to the states via Web cam and we will also have some of our devos streaming as well. A more definitive schedule will be out soon. The link is on the right hand of your screen. Thanks.


KC

Week 1- Moving Down: Beach Balls, Rubber Bands, Brush Fires, Printer Ink and Getting Things Done.

Hey family,

Sorry it took me so long to write. I’ve been extremely busy trying to keep up with things down here. Honestly, it has been a bit crazier ride than I thought it would be. Nevertheless, I am optimistic and keep doing the best I can.

So far, I have been here for 12 days. It seems like I just got here a few days ago but time flies when you are having fun. Allow me to catch yall up on what has happened so far:

MOVING DOWN:
May 8th, I moved down to Satellite Beach, FL. This area is in a region called the Space Coast because we are right next to Kennedy Space Center, where they launch rockets and people into outer space. It is a beautiful area. It was an eight and a half hour drive. Probably the longest drive in my whole life. (To be perfectly honest, I am dreading the drive back already.) It was a boring drive because I was driving by my self. I had no one to talk to and it was just me and the road. I used that time to talk to God about the summer and pray that I will be able to help the teens I will be working with this summer and that I do not loose my passion for Ministry. I knew I was officially in Florida when I saw an alligator, lying on its back with all four legs up in the air in the middle of the interstate, dead as a doornail from being hit by a car or large vehicle. Where else can you have such exotic, and extremely large road kill????

After the marathon drive down, I finally made it to my new home. I am living with my old roommate and one of my closest brother in the faith C.J. Salie and his family in a city called Melbourne. It is about 10 min away from Satellite Beach and is a thriving town. When I arrived at about 7:00 pm, we went ahead and unloaded all of my luggage and moved it inside to the guest room. Then we went to Satellite and to the Church of Christ at Oceanside, my new church home for the next 12 weeks. We went and offloaded my extremely large library, my tools and research, and my teaching tools that I will be using for the few months. If you would like to see a video tour of Oceanside Church, please go to my video blog on Youtube, coming soon.

The next few days, I just hung out with the teens and with C.J. and got to know the area.

BEACH BALLS:
However, on Saturday, I took my first actions as a youth intern. If you did not know, there is not a youth minister at Oceanside. Only elders, deacons, and an evangelist. Therefore, I am going to be the acting Youth Minister for the summer. It is somewhat scary that I have to do the job, however, I have learned if I rely on the members of the church and on my church family, I will
get done what needs to get done. But I digress.

Like I said, Saturday the 10th was when I made my first group action as a youth minister. That
day was my first devotional. Moreover, It was my first Moceanside devo. allow me to explain this term. In the area, there is about six congregations of the Lord’s family. The closest one to Oceanside is called Melbourne Church of Christ. It is a thriving congregation of 200+ and is about 20 min. away from Oceanside. There is a very strong bond between the youth groups of both congregations. Many of the Melbourne teens come to Oceanside events and vice versa. Every 2nd Saturday of the month, the congregations take turns hosting a joint devo with both groups at the respective congregation’s church building. The kids started to call it Moceanside Devos because of the use of both names and it has stuck ever since.

Well, it was Oceanside turn to run the devo. I wanted to make a good impression on the Melbourne kids so I prepared a great devotional about Ephesians 4:11-16:

And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, (12) to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, (14) so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. (15) Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

I am a huge fan of object lessons. Christ used worldly objects to teach Heavenly Truths all the time. Although Jesus is so much better at this than I am, I decided to give it a try. I compared these verses to a Beach Ball. If you want to see it, I have it on video. Just head over to YouTube and look for one called BEACH BALL FAITH. We had the devo on the beach by the way. It was AMAZING.

Sunday the 11th was easy going. I went to church and they announced my arrival and a few events on the calendar that the Elders and I already worked together to plan. That night, after the devo, I took some of the teens to see a movie and we called it a night because a lot of the teens had school the next morning.

MONDAY –FRIDAY:

Monday was my first day working at the building. For my internship, I have to have office hours to get credit. I’m at the building everyday Mon-Fri from 9 AM – 2:30 PM. I had already moved into the office so I did not really have to set up much. C.J. came to the building with me to help out with some projects I needed to get done. The whole week was dedicated to making a notebook for the parent’s to have at the Parent meeting I set up on Sunday. Below are some pictures of what it looked like and what it had in it. It was full of information about the summer, about me, and about my ideas on youth ministry (Thank you Kyle Cantrell for the idea). It turned out really cool. However, I had to by a lot of ink for my printer because I printed a lot of it in color and they do not have a color copier. I have never used this much ink in my life. I hope that this is not how it will be the whole time I am down here.





While at the office, I am also trying to keep up with Greek. I am currently translating a picture of the plaque at Mars Hill that has the whole Sermon of Paul on Mars Hill. It is truly a masterpiece of excellence in Logic and Eloquence. I am also taking an online class in Psychology. I have to take it so I can take more classes at Faulkner next year.

I also took the time to check up on some of the Teens in Palm Bay area. If you did not see on the news, I am about 15 miles from the Brush Fires in Florida. I am not in any danger but please pray for the 165 families who no longer have homes. A lot of my teens had to evacuate their homes because of it. We are safe, but continue to pray for us as we are still helping those who need it.

Wednesday Nights, I have to teach the teen class. Currently, we are studying something that I have been working on in my own life: SPIRITUAL MATURITY. The object of Youth and Family ministry is to make spiritually self-reliant, mature Christian Adults. Therefore, we are studying the differences of immature faith and mature faith. As Christians, we mature in spiritually much like we mature physically, mentally, and emotionally. It takes time, hard work, and patience while the Spirit works within us. Pray for me as I lead this class that the teens will take it to heart and learn more about what we have to do to mature in faith.

RUBBER BANDS:
Every Saturday night, the youth group has a devotional. Very rarely do they not have a devotional meaning I am always having to think up new devotionals and help plan food and activities and such. This past week, the devotional was at the home of John Branard, one of the Elders of the church. He and his wife opened up their home to me and a shocking 24 teens at the devotional. It seems like the teens are really getting excited about me being here. They really have been inviting friends from Melbourne church and from other areas to come and be apart of our youth group.

That night, I talked about rubber bands and how they are like relationships. I had them all stand in a circle and I passed them all one rubber band. I told them to hold their rubber band in their right index finger and to hook their other index finger in the rubber band of the person to their left to make a circle. I told them to take a few steps back until all the rubber bands were about to break. Their was a lot of tension in the circle. Then I told them to come back in a bit and we discussed how relationships have tension sometimes. Nevertheless, we should acknowledge the tension and come back together to make the relationship stronger. If you want me to send it to you just ask. It ended

That is what I have been up too. I can see a lot of spiritual growth happening and we have not even started the summer yet. I am getting closer to the members and teens down here in Florida. I love how they always want to spend time together as a group and fellowship with one another. It is a true blessing to be apart of the family of God, is it not????


Please be keeping me in your prayers as I am working for the kingdom. I hope this note finds you all well and in the service of the King. If you need anything, please let me know. I am in constant prayer for you all. It is pleasure to be your servant and brother in Christ.

Love and peace to you all,
In and because of Him,
Your servant,
Συνέκδημος υμων

SOOOOOOOOOO..... Family rocks and I decided to make some changes!!!

Greetings,

Soooooooooo... if you did not know, I am back in Peachtree City for a bit. It's been a crazy ride so far trying to get back home and trying to pack everything for my internship in Florida. I have been trying to get things done but it has been really hard due to the lack of sleep. Just be praying for me.

Like I said, I am back at home. There is no place like home. Especially the people at home. I got home last saturday morning at about 12:30. On Sunday, I went to one of the congregations in the area called Fayetteville Church of Christ. As soon as I walked in through the door, I was bombarded by most of the members with well wishes and congratulations. Unknowingly, my mom, in her pride in my accomplishements as her son, decided she would tell everyone about my job in Florida and the award I recieved for the semester I spent studying Greek. I had no idea how many people would come up to me before and after services. It was a good feeling. Even the preacher, Jeff Wilder, spoke well of me in the pulpit. I was touched that my spiritual family was so welcoming and supportive of my ventures in this life.

While talking with Jeff, he asked if I would be able to write a newsletter every few weeks to keep everyone updated on what I am doing down in Satellite Beach. So I decided I would use this blog for that as well. I will be sending out the blog to everyone that wants to keep up with my journies in Youth and Family Ministry and My journies abroad. That way, I do not have a blog that will just sit idly by until september.

I love you all and will miss you dearly. I can not wait until I move down. I will keep everyone posted on my progress.


Love and peace to you all.
In and because of Him,
Συνέκδημος υμων