So...you know you're getting owned when you see a 60 year old man stand on his head...he even did some random tricks while he was up there...I can't even stand on my head...and I'm definitly not 60.

We played at our first correctional center today. It was so sweet to worship with these guys who love God with all thier hearts. It was also so humbling to be there. You go in thinking that you have some corner on God or Christianity. At least for me I've never been to jail or "sinned" that much. I mean, I was homeschooled, I'm perfect right... ;) But then I realized after seeing these men who love God so much that thier faith is much more child-like and honest than mine has ever been. They know that they NEED God. I'm rather jelous of them, I wish I had that kind of faith.
Without Wax,
Rebekah

Grace...

Tonight I was in prison. I played my guitar and sang. I worshiped with 37 inmates and my team. And I can't remember when I've been so blessed before.

I guess I kind of knew what to expect. I've done prison ministry with CTI in Mexico and have been blessed. Still, it continues to astound me how God fills me up with His love and grace in these moments.

We simply sang a few songs, performed a drama, not that big a deal. But the appreciation on these men's faces was sincere. I guess I should say, MY appreciation for them and their ministry was sincere.

These men come from all different backrounds, they've made all sorts of choices, choices that I make everyday as well. Who knows but God all their lives have entailed?
As I listened to their prayers, prayers for their children, for soldiers in Iraq, for Israel, for us.... yes they were praying for US and our ministry and for the people we will be ministering too, I almost cried. God is so amazing isn't he? His grace amazed me tonight. So how fitting to close the evening out we sang about it

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
that saved a wretch like me
I once was lost, but now I'm found was blind
but now I see

Hallelujah grace like rain
falls down on me
hallelujah all my stains
are washed away
washed away

I feel encouraged now to return to training. My purpose is clearer, it's simply this: to be available for God, whatever He wants of me...

Knowing full well in all of this, without His grace...I am nothing... Paz todos!
Can't wait to see 14:21 and chat about your road experience!

this is Vanita signing off....

#4 already?

yeah....I guess I am getting scared at the thought of not being able to post any episodes while we are in Hong Kong, so I am cranking these bad boys out day after day. Hope you enjoy!



------------

On another note, I came across this in devo's today and really wanted to share.

Psalm 139

1 O LORD, you have searched me
and you know me.
2 You know when I sit and when I rise;
you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3 You discern my going out and my lying down;
you are familiar with all my ways.
4 Before a word is on my tongue
you know it completely, O LORD.

...

7 Where can I go from your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.


Dang son, The God who created everything in existence is in LOVE with you. Do you know that?

I forget it far too often.

-joe

Video Journal #2 AND #3

#2



--------

#3





-joe

Belated Picture

This is Vanita masquerading as Laura posting a photo for team 14:21s Canadians... but i am hoping that the rest of you Americans will enjoy it too! Sorry it took longer than expected... paz todos

It's a hard-knock life for us...

Well folks, tonight I'm writing to you from a house with a hot tub, a pool table, a espresso machine (and a host mom that used to own a coffee shop- oh sweet mocha... here we come!), as well as an actual movie theater in the basement, complete with 3 rows of movie seats! Yeah... life is rough for us out on the road! :) Today marks the one week mark for 1422. It's hard to believe that we left only a week ago. Here's a quick overview of all the things we've accomplished:

1. We ate dinner at the world's first Pizza Ranch. (Hull, IA)
2. Vanita had her very first cafeteria lunch.
3. We went over Sioux Falls in a barrel (Well.. okay... maybe we didn't go over them... but we did see them..)!
4. We witnessed the Iowa Firefighters Convention parade. This is a once a decade opportunity!
5. We've learned to communicate using only a series of gurgles, squawking noises and eye contact.

Oh... there are so many more things we've done that I can't capture in this blog. On a more serious note though, there have been tons of things we've just in this short week. Personally, I am totally overwhelmed by the hospitality we've received. In the towns we've been to, there were always people there, waiting to open their homes to us and offer us love for the short time we're there. If you were to ask me how I've seen God moving in this past week, I would tell you it was through the people we encounter. Whether it was the host families, the contacts we've had at churches and schools, or just the people we talk to after a concert, I've heard God speak to me through those people. Sometimes it's words of encouragement, shared wisdom, or just an enthusiasm about our message, but in all of it, I am reminded that God is moving all over this world, and we are privileged to be part of the movement. It's also great to know that it's a universal movement and that you are all part of it as well! Ta ta for now!

P.S. To 1421- Vanita is about to post a picture from me to let you know we were thinking of y'all. To all of the non-Canadians on the team, you're included in this... we just didn't think to take a picture of the American flag as well!

even more life on the road with 1422

CHAPEL AT UNITY CHRISTIAN HS


TEAM WORSHIP TIME IN SIOUX FALLS


JOE BONAPARTE

1422 ON THE ROCKS



...and this episode's video installment:
THE THINGS WE DO FOR YOUTH GROUPS:

Episode 1

Beginnings of tour

Hey everyone! It's so exciting and surreal to actually be on the road. We've technically only been on the road for 3 days, but we're already becoming a family. We're currently staying in Edgerton, MN and have done 2 school concerts. It's really great to have people to have an audience since the past 3 weeks we've been playing to ourselves and the trainers. Some prayer requests are: continued team unity, opportunities to share with the students we meet before/after concerts, strength and courage to share what God has laid on our hearts. Thank you for all of your support and prayers! We'll be back to Willmar before you know it :)

more life on the road with 1422

CHAPEL AT WESTERN CHRISTIAN HS

MR. GOMEZ SHARES...

KIDS IN THE HALL:

WRONG TURN, LADIES?

RECRUITING TIME AT WESTERN CHS:

and this episode's video installment:
DIRECTIONS ACCORDING TO GOMEZ:

Life on the road with 1422

Pictures tell the story best:

SERVICES AT OLIVIA UMC:

FLECK FALLS OUT...




LAURA... (well, just Laura I guess):



MATT (IL) SHOWS CORN TO JOE (CA) AND JOE (NY):


GOMEZ GETS SCHOOLED:

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video must be worth... well... a lot more:

VAN LIFE:

We Leave for Tour Tomorrow!

As I write this from the "front" desk at the cti ministry building I can see Eliot and Matt playing hackie sack outside, Michelle is walking back and forth in front of me with her macbook, Vanita is walking up the stairs singing, Deshi is in her cubicle behind me "working" (i say "working" because having just got a wallpost on facebook from her I wonder how much work goes on in there ;) ) and there is an unmistakable buzz in the building because we are hitting the road for our first tour tomorrow!

There are so many things going on right now, and I don't have anywhere close to the amount of downtime to write them out on here...but I just want to ask for your prayers for the team and myself as we head out into the literal unknown to gain "context" on what we've been having drilled into us for the last 3 weeks of training.

Brooke just High fived me for buying her the tackiest socks ever at the dollar store.

David Lanning just walked by, poked his head into Chris Reeds office, looked at his watch, and then ran down the stairs.

I never ever ever thought I could be one for insane schedules and pressure, for 3 hour long recruiting meetings, or for ALOT of hard work day in and day out (packing up and loading stages into trailers, constant errands, paper work, rehearsal, concerts, recruiting, and rinse and repeat)...but as michelle walks in the front door and flashes her awkward home schooler smile, and as eliot comes in...followed by brad probably heading down to the hangout spot in the team room, I can sit back and know that amidst all this craziness, I am finally home.

Anyways, here are a very SMALL amount of pics of life at training the last 3 weeks through my eyes...

-Joe Gomez

Hey

Here we go again!! Well here I go again. It's been so much fun being back for another year, I can't wait for you all to meet the team and I can't wait to see a bunch of you again and meet some of you for the first time. We're (14:22) in the middle of training here in Willmar, MN with a week left to go before hitting the road. We can't wait to be on the road. Our first service is at Faith UMC in Olivia, MN and then we're going down to Iowa for a bit. Stop by this site again to see what we've been up to.
Without Wax,
Rebekah

Welcome the new crew!

Our 2007 - 2008 fulltime ministry season starts tonight as our next group of fulltimers arrives here in Willmar for training.

Members of 14:22 this year are:

• Rebekah Fleck
• Matt Duncan
• Joe Gomez
• Vanita Joines
• Joseph Lee
• Brooke Pearson
• Laura Schuh

Look for pictures and bios soon on CTImusic.org

Farewell stateside, hello world!

Greetings!

As we gear up for summer, one thing we don't want to let fall by the way side is you, all of those who have been rooting us on throughout our year with CTI. We have been back in Willmar for a few weeks now, going out on the weekends, doing parternship drive. While we weren't able to connect with as many people as we'd hoped, we also had some great opportunities to talk with supporters, past and present, to keep them connected with the ministry and thank them for all they've done. Thanks for the continued prayers and financial support of this ministry! It's been a huge blessing.

This past week has been spent debriefing our year, saying goodbye to our team as it's existed since the start. While we are looking forward to what lies ahead for the summer, it's bittersweet to say goodbye to people you've spent a year of your life with, our CTI families who have become near and dear to our hearts. It's a bit surreal to know that while my team will still be in my life for a bit, it will be different. As I look back on the year, I can't help but remember many of the amazing people I've met along the way. I have been blessed in ways I can't explain by some of you, people who just met me and my team, and took care of us like we've known you forever. Thank you for all that you've done! I will treasure the memories from this year forever, as I know my team feels the same way. It's a unique opportunity to be a part of CTI for sure, and while it wasn't all peaches and keen all the time, I have grown more through it all than I ever could have imagined. And for that I'm truly thankful.

So, thanks again for everything, for putting us up in your homes, for coming to our shows, for the prayers and words of encouragment offered. They have had more of an impact than you could possibly know. Please be praying for us and for all those who will be coming on summer teams. Sending six (that's right, I said --six-- for those who haven't been able to check updates much) teams overseas, and that is no small task. Check the CTI website for updates on locations and teams. We are excited to have y'all here, summer teamers!! Keep preping and we'll see you soon!

Blessings on all of you!

Signing off,
Tiffany (and CTI 14:22)

Safe!

Hey guys!

It's official, we are safely back in Willmar and have finished up our Spring Tour. In fact, we are done touring as a team. That's right, it's sad, but we still have a few weekends away before our final concert on June 10th. If you're in the area, come check us out then, we'd love to see y'all. Thanks for the prayers and support! We have greatly appreciated the support or every one of you. We couldn't have done it without the prayers and backing of the Lord. We serve an awesome God, don't we?!

Anywho, I wanted to touch base and let y'all know where we're at. Please do keep those prayers coming as we gear up for partnership drive and then as we dive into summer. We're excited to meet those who will be joining us for summer and excited to see some of you again as you fly out to be part of the ministry. Also wanted to say hello to 14:21! We're excited to see you guys again soon. We've been praying your tour is going well. That's it for now.

Blessings,
Tiffany

Multi-Media Update

Well after noticing how few pictures and video have been uploaded lately I decided it was about time just that to happen. Cuz... well I like pictures, they're easier to read than text. So here is a somewhat eclectic collection of pix and one short movie.

This first very... uhh ... pink-- picture, was taken in probably the girliest room I've stayed in thus far. I'm trying to think of a word to describe it, umm I guess the best thing to say is that it was very ... pink. But none-the-less very comfortable and great hosts.

I call this pic: "Slightly Edited Cactus in the Desert with Mountain in Background Taken Mid-Day but Customized to Look as Though it Were at Dusk"

I know you don't have to tell me; I'm very good at coming up with concise, all-detail-encompassing titles

Now ladies and gentlemen, if you would direct your attention southward, this is a picture of us hiking in NM on a very beautiful day.

Hey Jon!

14:22 on the rocks

AND fresh off the SD card! These pictures were taken this morning right here in Lakin Kansas. Jon and I's host parents own a power-parachute! (or para-plane) So this morning Mr. Rice took us up in the air for an action-packed, fun-filled, death-defying, flight! Ok, maybe not death defying, but it was pretty exciting! So please excuse the dramatic emphasis.

Clear prop! Hang on! Here we go! "put the mic a little closer to your mouth" Can you here me now?

Wonder what would happen if I pulled on these strings......

And with that symbal God promised never to flood the earth again.

Just a couple more days of tour left then were back in Willmar. -A decrease in prayer support is not insinuated or implied whatsoever in the previously stated sentence. Party of the first part still covets prayer, including but not limited to lots of prayer!-

THANK YOU! :-)

Goodbye AZ, Hello NM

We officially left AZ yesterday after a very enjoyable, and ministry effective time. We just played in a town called Show Low AZ the night before last. We were actually mostly playing for Awana's kids. I really enjoyed it cuz I love kids, and it seemed to go very well. In fact a little 10 year old girl gave her life to the Lord during the Creation drama! That was really exciting for me. It's just great to know that God is using our ministry to make an impact. We drove here to Rehobath NM, at a school where most the kids are Navajo Indians. Just played for the middles school chapel this morining and went hiking in the desert this afternoon. And I am now being told that we are gunna go out for supper so.... I guess I'll sign out.

updates from Show Low

What a time we have been having in AZ! We have not only thawed from the snow in Minnesota (who knew it would warm up AFTER we left?! Come on now!), but we have met some great peeps along the way, Christian's family for instance. Thanks for taking such great care of us, Petersons! It was a pleasure to meet you. Also wanted to send a shout out to Trevor. We are excited to see you again soon. Glad to have you on board for the summer!

We have officially spent our last day in the great state of Arizona and are headed back to New Mexico today. We have done some great shows, and for the most part are healthy... That is except for me. My team has definitely been great troops to be down a vocalist yet again. At least this time I can still help with everything but the music. Oh the joys of allergy season! If you could pray for continued health for the rest of the team so we can finish strong and for my voice to return to normal soon, that would be wonderful. No worries, I'm taking care of myself and I'm on the mend. But the prayers are greatly appreciated.

Thanks to those who have welcomed us into your churches and homes this tour! We pray it has been a blessing for you, as we have enjoyed out time so far and look forward to meeting more amazing people over the next week. 14:21 - we're praying for you! I hope you guys are doing well. Finish strong, friends! That's all I've got for now. Thanks for your support, y'all!

Blessings,
Tiffany

Hello Spring Tour!

Greetings from Arizona!

We have spent this past week (well, not really a week, though it has felt like it at some points!) working out way southwest from MN. What a trek it has been! Close to two thousand miles in just a matter of days. Talk about some close, personal van time! But, we made it down to New Mexico for a show in Mescalero on Tuesday. What a time we had there! Thanks to those who came out. It was a great start to our last tour as a full time team. But don't you worry, folks, we'll be going strong for a few more weeks yet and then helping out with summer, so we aren't going anywhere yet! :) Well... we are going places, but that's relative. You understand what I'm trying to say!

From NM, we have made our way to Tuscon then Phoenix. Go Sundevils! (Is that the right sports reference here?) We are looking forward to meeting Christian's fam, as he is from here and seeing his old stomping grounds. Many good times ahead. We had a blast with JSM last night and then Valley Lutheran HS earlier today. Thanks for the enthusiasm guys! We hope you had as much fun as we did.

I think that's it thus far. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We are all currently healthy and hoping to stay that way. We also covet your prayers for traveling mercies. We made it down here in one piece and we would love to stay that way all the way through. Thanks for your continued support! We look forward to those who we have as of yet to meet for this tour.

Blessings,
Tiffany

One more time...

It only seems appropriate to leave a message as we venture to leave the state...once again.

We're just about to journey off on another adventure to the South Western United States. I'm ready for some Tex-Mex and Cowboy hats... OK, OK...I won't go too crazy, but I know that Christian will sure join me on the Mexican food. Our first few days will be travel days, we'll be puting about 1400 miles on the van the first few days. Departure gate: Willmar, MN...Destination: Mescalero, NM. I've heard that it has been nearly perfect weather down there and its only getting better! (i.e. 75 degrees moving to 85 and 90 degrees)

So, our whole team is well now...hopefully the warm dry weather will keep us that way, but as we journey, please continue to pray for us. Please pray for our safety as we will journey about 4000 miles in roughly 20 days. Please pray that our team stays healthy and we can all finish strong. Please pray that God sustains us through rest of our time together for the work he has called us.

We hit the dusty trail in the morning, so we'll see ya in three weeks! God's Peace!

He is risen!

Happy Easter!!! I hope this finds you well on this blessed occasion.

We're coming up on meeting back up after a much needed break, and look forward to meeting more of you on the road as we gear up to head out again, this time to Arizona and New Mexico, two states I haven't been to yet, very exciting. I know this past week has been full of rest and relaxation, and I'm geared up to meet back up with my team and see what the Lord has in store for this next tour. Keep checking back for updates, and I hope you have a great time with your friends and fam today!

Blessings,
Tiffany

Spring Break

Hi there!

Well Team 14:22 is enjoying a week or so off for Easter. I can't really speak for the rest of the team, but I'm certainly having a great break. It's been great to have my parents visit from Australia. We haven't been doing a whole lot - mostly just hanging out and enjoying seeing each other again.

It was a blast to have Mum and Dad see us in Mankato at our final concert for the tour. They'll be heading back home in less than a week now, and the team will be back together again for our final tour! My, how time flies.

I'm sure we'd all love prayer for a refreshing, rejuvinating break. And also that we would feel prepared to face our last tour. Also the office staff have many really important decisions to make regarding the Summer Teams that are approaching, so if you could keep that in prayer too that would be wonderful!

Thanks for checking out our blogspot! God bless,
Carolyn

Rapp'n it up

Alright well we have just one more concert left to finish up the winter tour. After ten weeks of touring down to florida and back up the east coast we are now in Hudson WI were I can see MN out my window. We are traveling to Mankato tomorrow and we'll be doing our last concert in the evening. Carolyn's parents (all the way from australia) will be there to! Which she is slightly excited about. Or at least I assume that since she reminds us ever other hour or so. So that'll be fun. -Well It's been a great tour, I've really enjoyed it. Got to meet alot of great people, see some cool sights, and minister to many people. Kind of a happy/sad thing that its almost over. I enjoy being on the road and meeting new people all the time, but I'm also excited to go home and spend some time with my family. This tour has really been a growing but enjoyable experience. I praise God that we've made it through another tour, and we're still all in one piece. -Back to MN tomorrow!

signing out,
Josiah

Fun times

We have spent a very relaxing week in Rockford, Illinois. Well actually, the quaint little township of Cherry Valley, Illinois. Anyhow, we were hanging out with Josiah's folks for 5 days and they were so much fun to be with.

Every morning except for Sunday, when we had an early church service, we slept in. That was great - (Mum, shield your eyes for a sec) I think I was getting up around 9/9:30 each morning. Hey, sleep is healthy!

We spent a lot of time relaxing and hanging out at the house. Playing board games, an array of musical instruments (of which I was rather woeful), being soundly beaten at Nertz (card game) by Mrs. Sjostrom, and watching movies. We were treated to some amazing meals, too. Yesterday we had the opportunity to go to Chicago and we had a lot of fun visiting Navy Pier and the Museum of Science and Industry. Oh, I forgot to mention. The boys had an airsoft battle in the woods behind the Sjostrom's house. Wow, they really got into it and came out with some war wounds. We also played some tennis at a nearby court, but we were rudely interrupted by the dramatic arrival of a police officer who proceded to arrest Josiah. He was soon released when the rest of us attacked the police officer with our tennis raquets.....actually no. The officer was (still is, to my knowledge) a family friend and decided to play a trick on us just for fun.

So now we have one week left of our tour before we have around 11 days off for Spring break. And after our lovely refreshing week, I think we'll all have enough energy to finish strong.

Keep those prayers coming - we appreciate you!
Until next time,
Carolyn

A Conversation

Hi from Ohio,

After triangulating and crisscrossing paths around the Chesapeake Bay area and having a ton of fun (and getting completely confused at times and paying a ton of money in tolls) we have for the past few days been traveling in Ohio where it is it has been raining. Adam and I had a chance to get together and answer a few questions about tour and life in general.

Adam: So what did you do today?

Rebekah: We drove about two hours this morning and then set up for a concert at Bowling Green Christian Academy. We played for a chapel in the afternoon and the kids had a ton of fun at the concert. Have you been having a good week?

A: Its been pretty fun, I guess…We haven’t had any big news…I did get the opportunity to spend 6 intimate hours with our dear van “Evan” and our Trailor “Buck”

R: Why, what happened…

A: They kicked me…What about you, have you had a good week?

R: Well I’ve been a little frightened by the drivers, their love of energy drinks and long road trips. But, hey, it’s been raining and since I LOVE rain it’s been good.

A: Well that’s interesting…

R: So what did you sing this week?

A: Umm, I don’t remember…It all blurs together after a while. My favorite is the humpty dumpty song though…oh, wait that was last year…

R: Last year…? What set you back so far?

A: I think it was the Energy drink I had this morning…

R: I didn’t realize they had gotten so far in time travel yet.

A: You’d be amazed what they’ve come up with so far. By the way, who are they?

R: I think “They” are really just “The Man” but that would mean that they are Christian and for some reason I doubt his ability to create something that complex. But he does amaze us in many ways…

A: Uhhhh……OK. Moving on…If you were a pop tart what kind of a pop tart would you be?

R: Oh buddy, I always have a hard time answering these questions cause they seem all innocent but they have these deep underlying meanings as to who I am. And I’m not sure I want to be so tied down by the asking of just one question about food. If I say that I want to be a chocolate frosted (which are my favorite) that might mean that I have a deep need to indulge myself or maybe that I like pink ponies (which I really don’t have an opinion either way). So in answer to your question whichever one makes me most like me. What about you?

A: Frosted strawberry…I don’t know why. Story of my life…looks good but is bad for you to eat.

R: I think we should stay away from these kinds of questions.

A: Yeah, good point…that was a bit awkward...So, name your favorite place you were at this week?

R: Where were we this week? (after discussing for five minutes where we’ve been this week) I think it was in Delaware, we had a concert in the evening on Sunday and the next day we had a day off and Jo, John, Carolyn and I went bike riding. It was so nice to get out into nature instead of being cooped up in Evan all day. What about you?

A: I would have to say that my favorite place that we stayed at without a doubt was, as a matter of fact, the very place that you previously mentioned in your statement, except I slept. It was good.

R: Wow that was a long way to say that your favorite place was a bed….

A: Well it wasn’t the actual bed, but the fact that I slept…it was amazing!!! Isn’t it great to sleep for 30 hours straight? Have you ever done that before?

R: Once when I was really sick. It was over the 2002 Olympics and I fell asleep through the best parts. I was quite sad…but then I fell back asleep, so I guess it wasn’t so bad. You?

A: No…So, the big question…Coke or Pepsi?

R: Whatever! You know it is Coke, all the way baby. It’s so nice. Although the Coke in Taiwan was a little weird so I would have to go with Pepsi there. So since we are watching to Tube right now I have to ask flat screen or old school?

A: Only if its High Def!!! I don’t watch much TV, only movies…So I would go High Def Flat screen…So tonight, our hosts are making us a superb dinner, I can smell some wonderful chicken cooking upstairs…you hungry?

R: Oh yeah, although I did have a great snack of Thin Mints (you know Girl Scout cookies). But that smell is really good…we’ve had some great meals this tour.

Question from Christian: Where is your favorite place to eat on the road?

R: By far Chick-fil-a.

A: Umm…I would definitely say Moe’s Southwestern Grille. The Homewrecker is amazing…ok, so I’m getting really hungry now…let’s go upstairs and eat…

R: What a great idea…"I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship".

Pennsylvania

Hello there!

So, it's been a bit since we updated, so let me see if I can catch y'all up on where we've been and what we've been up to. Maybe later someone will post some pics, from for now you'll just have to settle for reading about it. ;-)

We've spent the last week or two since Virginia doing laps (really, driving loops) from state to state, namely PA, Delaware, and Maryland. It's interesting for me, the Seattlite, to go so quickly from one state to the other like every other day. We can't do that in the Northwest. But, it's been good times. We're getting to see lots of the east coast states, which I have never been to before. Very exciting. Monday, however, was our day off. We spent the day in the other Washington, that's right, D.C.!! Very fun! Most of us had never been there before, and man alive, did we ever go through there fast. We had limited time (considering how much there is to see in D.C.) and we did the whirlwind tour. I took tons of pictures (which is my nature), and am excited to say I have now been to the nations capitol. It was thrilling, and exhausting.

Needless to say, we've been keeping busy but having a good time. We've had fun meeting more and more people. Thanks for all your generosity and hospitality! We've been spoiled by so many of you. Anyway, thanks for everything, to those who we've met along the way.

Blessings,
Tiffany

Greetings from PA

A big hello from CTI 14:22! We have had a rather....interesting week. Josiah blogged on Wednesday 10 or so days ago, so let me update you on what's been happening for us.

Since then, we've visited the Emergency Room twice and Urgent Care twice for 2 of our team members! Tiffany and Rebekah have been under the weather. Rebekah recovered fairly quickly...well after we changed her medication - the first lot she was given gave her acid reflux :-S And Tiffany took forever to get better! She was in bed as much as was possible during our travels. She was incredibly dizzy and weak and couldn't walk much at all without assistance. But last night we were blessed at New Life Evangelical Lutheran Church. They had numerous nurses and a doctor, who spoke with Tiffany and ended up taking her to the ER again last night. But this time, she was treated much better than the first time she went and actually got a diagnosis. Apparently she had a Potassium imbalance and so they gave her some Potassium to fix that up and she's been up and around walking by herself! It's so great to see her looking so much better. It's incredible the difference in her between last night and this morning. Praise the Lord, He's answered our prayers.

I wanted to mention the detention center we went to this past week. It was so cool to see the kids there responding to our concert. It excites me to see these young kids who have messed up in life and have found hope and new life in Christ. You can see it in their faces and it's inspiring to see how excited they are about Christ. I was really touched and encouraged.

And I also wanted to send a big thank you to everyone at New Life Evangelical Lutheran Church. We had such a wonderful, inspiring time with you guys this weekend. Thank you for your generosity and for taking such good care of us all.

So after a difficult week of cancelled and delayed concerts, struggling with 2 people down and now finally back to normal, I've learned yet again to rely fully on God's strength and allow Him to be all that I need.

Thank you for your prayers! We appreciate y'all heaps. (How's that for a combination of Southern US and Australian?!)

Until next time,
Carolyn

Sunny Florida, Hot-Spot'n in the McDonalds Parking Lot

What a great blog title huh? Well it was plagiarized. Christian was just commenting on how beautiful life is right now, and I stole his sentence. Yes we’re still in Florida but not for long. We are driving to Fernandina beach today, and that’ll be out last Florida stop. The tour has been going well. We’ve been in quite a few different places in Florida now, been swimming in the ocean thrice, and been doing quite a few concerts.
A few of them stand out. We played at probably one of the biggest stateside high schools we’ve done. Apparently it was kind of a last minute thing, but we got there and I think the message we had to share was very effective there. A lot of the time it’s pretty hard to get high-schoolers involved, ya know just because when you’re in high school you’re too cool for anybody else. This particular concert they were very receptive, they even stood up and started singing with some of our songs without us asking them too. And that’s, from our experience, pretty rare in high schools. Afterwards several of the kids came up to me and told me how encouraged they were by it.
Another school we played at really stood out to me too. As we were being prepped by the vice-principal beforehand, she told us the school was just starting to go through a revival of a sort. So she was excited for us to be there and had some pretty high expectations. But as it is in some schools when we started playing they were a little too cool for us, and right towards the end of our concert the lady we had been talking with got up and expressed how grieved she was at their response. She talked for a couple minutes and during that time the Lord laid a pretty clear message on my heart for the kids. Just about living your life to please Him and realizing that we will report to God someday for our actions and not to our friends. I was able to talk to a few younger kids after the concert and was able to speak some encouraging words into there lives.
This Sunday we played for a Presbyterian church and I was assigned to give my testimony by our faithful set list writer Carolyn (who we appreciate very much for always getting the set lists done, and who isn’t thanked for that near us much as she should be, whom we collectively appreciate very much for that) As we we’re playing the song that preluded it, the Lord led me to focus more on a different part of my testimony than I usually do. Led me to share some things that I get a little emotional about, so I got a little teary eyed. I mean of course I didn’t cry, cuz I’m a guy and guys don’t do that but nonetheless I had a problem with the plumbing in my eyes. But I’ve found that transparency and honesty are the best way to communicate effectively. After the service several people came to me with moist eyes thanking me for the encouragement they received from it. It is so awesome to be used by God! Seriously its one of the most fulfilling things and ya know what? You don’t necessarily have to be doing something like what we’re doing. Everyone’s mission field is different. Just ask God to use you where you’re at. If we make ourselves available to God he will use us.

continuing on in Florida

When all things are said and done, I never could have imagined what the Lord had in store for this year of my life. Not that it's over yet or that I have a full understanding of everything that has and will happen, but tonight, at this point when I'm sick at home instead of out with my team, all I can think is that the Lord definitely had a plan for this year I never could have anticipated. I throw in that I've been sick and I'm at my host home b/c my team decided for me that I needed to be here instead of out with them. You see, I've been sick the past few days, and though I tried this morning to be with them, I ended up in the van sleeping b/c I just wasn't up for it. No complaints from my team, no hardships that I'm still not feeling better. Not that I expect them to treat me poorly b/c I'm sick, but I know it's hard when you're one person down on set up and tear down. Back home I always pushed myself too far, did what I needed to do until I physically couldn't do it anymore, if I didn't do it, then it just wouldn't get done. But here... we're a team, like it or not, good or bad, we're a family out on the road and that encourages me, challenges me even. I have been challenged and loved on and stretched by these six people for the past six months in ways I could never have dreamed of. And I'm blessed.

So, I want to blog this week, I was thinking later in the week to see what else happened, and I like to rant, as I'm sure you've noticed from previous posts, but I was thinking, maybe I'd change the tone this go around. Not so much. I just keep coming up against these joys and challenges and it's hard to truly express on here just how life on the road is, but I can say for sure that I'm thankful the Lord has a plan. I'm blessed to be where the Lord has lead me for this time in my life, and I'm taken aback time and again at how much I have to learn from CTI, from my teammates, and from life on the road. So, here's to all those who have impacted my life thus far in this journey! I think of many of you often and am blessed to have had the opportunity to meet you, whether for a day or a week. Thanks for your prayers, I don't think we can ever say enough just how much we value your support of each one of us an individuals as well as each one of us as a team. Cheers!

So I don't have much to say...

But they really want me to blog, so here goes a random rant about nothing:

We drove across Alligator Alley today. I was hoping to see some actual alligators. But no, for an hour and a half (we're in a van with a trailer, it takes us awhile to get places) we drove and saw trees and marsh and fence, but no alligators. I was looking too (got a crick in my back and all(I'm from KY I'm allowed to say crick)) Not that I want to go pet one (I'm not narcissistic after all), but to see one in the wild that would be too cool. But alas I was let down, I guess I will have to let that wait for another random trip across Florida.

We played at a school (Ft. Lauderdale Christian) this afternoon that was a ton of fun. Plus they are starting a worship band so we got to listen to them for awhile. Off to Titusville for Sunday morning worship.

Yeah Florida

Well we are now in Florida! Yes, and it has been pretty warm so far. The people that live here think its cold, but it seems really warm to us. We’re at a special operations air force base. Our contact is Captain Chaplin Watson. We’ve had a great time so far. He took us to the National Naval Aviation Museum a couple days ago! That was pretty cool. We’re also working with retired Chief Master Sergeant Cope. He works at the Chapel now. Well anyway he gave us like an air force briefing yesterday. We got to try on these aviator helmets, and suits and gas masks and radios. And we got to use some super nice night vision goggles!

This is Chritian wearing a parachute

And Adam wearing a helmet/face mask






That was pretty cool, then he gave us each a rope cutter and a military knife!

They’re pretty sweet too! For lunch we went to a sports bar on the base and played pool. Just from us interacting with each other, and having fun; Three different people came up to Chief Cope and are now interested in his ministry at the base. That was cool cuz I mean we weren’t even like trying to witness or anything but just by our actions God used us.
We went to the beach today. There was a seafood restraunt on the ocean so we ate there and then went outside to the ocean.

It was kinda chilly so we didn’t go in…. Well actually Jon went in and swam for about a minute. Yeah it was pretty chilly.
Tonight we had a concert at the base. They actually sold like a hundred-twenty some tickets for it. It went very well, and now some people that hadn’t come to church before are going to be coming to the Sunday service! So that’s pretty cool.
Well its like one thirty, and I have to get up at six thirty so I'm gunna hit the sack.

Navarre, Florida

I never thought I'd say it, but it is nice to be down here in Florida away from the cold and snow! Ah, how could I say such a thing?! Well yes, I do love the snow and it's still a bit of a novelty for me, but it's cold and wet and gross when it gets dirty. And I never thought I'd say how warm it is at 50 Degrees F. But after negative 5, 50 is pretty warm.

So yes, here we are in Navarre, Florida. It's nice and warm and we're having a fantastic time. Let me give you a run-down of the past few days....

A memorable moment for us as a team was on Wednesday last week when we visited a quilting group at a church in Iowa. They gave each of us a quilt! The quilts do take up a lot of room in the van, but boy are they nice and warm. Thankyou!!

Friday was a special day for me because it was Australia Day :-) We were driving for a lot of the day, but I made sure to wear my Aussie hat and keep Wobbly (my puppet kangaroo) entertaining everyone. And I sang the national anthem for my team (and one of my team mates - who will remain nameless - made me sing the first line during our intros that night at our concert!)

We spent the weekend in St.Louis, Misouri. We visited the Chinese Gospel Church and had a lot of fun doing a concert Saturday night and playing for the service Sunday morning. There were a few CTI alumni there, so it was fun to meetup with them. It was also the 19th birthday of our very own guitarist, Josiah. His family came down from Illinois to visit, and they took us all up the big Arch that afternoon!

Our next stop was Nashville, Tennessee. We did a concert at a homeless shelter, after helping serve lunch to the men. Our contact there was last year's fulltimer, Jeff Goins. Thanks for organizing that venue, Jeff! Rebekah's parents were able to come down and visit and it was really nice to finally meet them.

And as mentioned before, we now find ourselves in Florida. We've hooked up with some more CTI alumni here and we're doing quite a bit with the Chaplain at the Airfoce Base. We had a pretty cool day today, getting to know a little more about things here in the airforce. We had a demonstration of all the life support equipment - helmets, parachutes, breathing apparatuses, fire suits, night vision goggles (they were the coolest things ever!). We have a few concerts lined up over the next few days. We're looking forward to checking out the beach tomorrow! I daresay I won't swim, but I'm sure some of our boys will be game!

Thanks for your prayers! Until next time, Carolyn

On The Road Again....

So we begin, Winter Tour 2007. Where DO we begin…Maybe I’ll back track a bit. We just finished up partnership drive, a great time of year for everyone at the ministry. Our team had a good growing experience through the partnership drive. Calling people you have never met or talked with to ask for a partnership (i.e. continued support) is a difficult task. We learned that we need to step outside of boundaries, get out there and just do it! I particularly enjoyed the experience, it really stretched me, and gave me a chance to talk and connect with some really neat people. We wrapped that up on Thursday…Friday, we had a prep day for tour. We took care of last minute things that needed attention and cleaned up the ministry (the norm before heading away for a while).

Saturday Morning (01.20.2007)…4:15 am, my alarm goes off [insert groan here]…paralyzed by my impulse to stay in bed because it is way to early to be moving, I struggle to shut my alarm off…4:17am, my alarm goes off again [insert longer groan here]…I grasp for air as I jolt with the pounding of my incessant alarm, shutting it off again…4:18, once again…I begin to remember I set my alarm to snooze about 30 times so I would wake up…why……

I left my hosts about 4:45 to make a quick stop at Super America before I pick up the troops…MUST HAVE CAFFEINE!!!! After quickly picking up the girls we make our way to the ministry, quickly pack the luggage and pull out around 6:15…[still thinking too early]…after 2 hours to Carver, MN, everyone wakes up as we stop for breakfast at the funny farm (My Parents). We have a wonderful breakfast, and the question comes up to snowmobile…Can we please? The snow is so nice and its beautiful out and…ok, well take the sled out for a bit…everyone got their chance to ride and we gave Carolyn a nice white-wash (since in the states, she had been curious about what it was…)

After Many hours in the van, we make our way to Farmersburg, Iowa, which is where we are residing until Friday Morning (01.26.2007). We have met a lot of neat people so far and are truly blessed by the churches here, especially Pastor Bruce Hanson. He is doing so much for us. We have played two public schools so far here and they have both been exhilarating!!! We are having a blast and everyone is really excited for all that is to come...

Until next time…this is Adam (take me to your leader) Falkenstein…signing out...._____

yeah, winter tour!

Winter Tour has been off to a great start, thanks to the amazing people here in Iowa! That's right, we've spent the last few days going to some places near Farmersburg (for those who know where that is) and we have been so blessed by the people here. Talk about hospitality! Thanks, Pastor Bruce and all those who are here taking such good care of us.

On a more personal note, I'm excited to see what the Lord has in store for me and my team this tour. I have definitely had my personal triumphs and defeats, but more than anything I am ever dependent on my ever present Jesus. Taiwan began a process in me that I am excited to see the Lord continue. One of the biggest lessons I started to learn (and I emphasize started to learn) was about letting the Lord be my everything. Overseas, in particular, holds a challenge in that I can't just jump on the cell phone or into my car to go see or talk to anyone I want. I have my team, which is a blessing, but what happens when they aren't able to meet my needs? I have always believed that the Lord is enough, but never in my life has that been so challenged as it has been since my start with CTI. The Lord is the only one who can love me the way I need to be loved ALL the time, and I desire for the Lord to be my everything. So, as this tour progresses, I look forward to the many challenges ahead in this area and others, though of course I won't be excited about the trials at the time, I know I will be thankful for them later.

So, that's it for now. I hope this finds all of you well. Keep checking back for more updates from all of us more regularly, as we have access (which in some places I'm sure might be a challenge, but we'll do our best!).

Blessings,
Tiffany

And we're off again....

Hi there families, friends, supporters, and others interested in how CTI 14:22 is going!

We are doing well. As Tiffany mentioned in her post, we are just finishing off our 3 week stint of Partnership Drive. On alternating nights, we and team 21 hit the phones between 6 and 11pm (to catch people in all 4 time zones). We had over 1200 numbers (I think!) to ring and had a goal to raise $20,000 for CTI. We have our last shift tonight and have just a few more numbers left. People have been giving very generously and so far we have received around $16,000.....some of that in real money, most of it in pledges. And quite a number of people have said they want to give, but are praying about how much, so we're expecting more to come in the next few weeks as people decide and send in donations.

Praise the Lord! He is providing. We're expecting to have a large amount of Summer team members this year - hopefully 6-8 teams (60-90 people), so every bit counts! Thank you so much to those who have supported CTI this Partnership Drive and also in the past. As a current full-timer, I can see it making a difference.

And let's not forget the prayer support, which is just as important! Bright and early (actually, it will still be dark at 6am....) on Saturday morning, we leave for our Winter Tour. It will be a whopping 10 weeks of driving, playing concerts, connecting with people, and sharing Christ's love. I'm sure you can imagine all the things we'll need prayer for!

*safe travel
*healthy bodies and adequate sleep
*servant hearts towards those we minister to out on the road and also towards each other
*team unity as we continue to bond as team mates and family
*enthusiasm/strength/encouragement/refreshing for the times when we're drained and need to refocus on what God has called us to

Thanks and God bless. I hope we will be more diligent to keep in touch with you all via this blogsite this tour, so keep checking back each week!
Carolyn

life in Willmar

We have been back in Willmar, as Josiah wrote before, for a week now and we're having a great time. Partnership drive is here and we're having a blast connecting with lots of our supporters, and we're getting some rehearsal time in and getting reaquainted for the new year. I must say, I did enjoying seeing people back home and getting a chance to actually sleep, but it is also good to be back with my CTI family, to be back in the swing of things here and getting geared up for winter tour. I'm excited for all the Lord has in store for the next step of our journey.

So, not too much new here for now just wanted to touch base. I hope you have all recovered from the New Year celebrations, it was more than a week ago afterall... ;-) More to come soon!

Blessings,
Tiffany

Willmar Once Again

Back in Minnesota again. Just got back from Urban 06. Urbana is a HUGE missions confrence with a bunch of speakers and different ministries represented at hundreds of boths in a huge confrence center. There were about 22,000 people who attended! David Lanning(CTI president), Melody and Beth(recruiting department), Jimmy (CTI Alumni), Ruthie(from the other fulltime team), and Carolyn and I went to represent CTI. We had a both set up and recruited people for at least 6 hours straight every day! It was crazy! There were so many people there. We also had an audition room set up. The first day I recruited all day, which was hard cuz I am so not used to talking that much. But it was quite enjoyable getting to chat with so many different people. The next two days I switched off half way through the day in the audition room, and the last day I spent the whole day in there. That day Carolyn and I auditioned 49 People! And David Lanning auditioned another 16! All the days combined we auditioned I think 120 people. (my number may be slightly off) We also got 400 some short applications from people interested in our ministry! So praise the Lord! We are hoping to send out 6 to 8 summer teams this year. please pray that we would be able to utilize the opporitunity we have here, and that the right people would join us.

This is me and Luke(CTI Alumni) talking to someone at the recruiting booth

This is one of the sessions in the Edward Jones Dome. I think Rick Warren was speaking this night

shout outs and overviews

For those who haven't heard, we have arrived safely back in the States! After many, many hours of travel and a day that never ended (we did gain back 14 hours afterall), we arrived safely back to greet the staff and our counterparts who'd gotten back from Bolivia. It was a bittersweet occasion to say the least. We are glad to be back, but we will for sure miss Taiwan too.

Much has happened in the month we've been gone. I know the Lord has continually stretched me, and I'm sure the rest of my team, out of our comfort zones and blessed us tremendously in the process. Sandra, our translator, was one of the most amazing gifts to all of us by far! We are priviledged to have gotten to spend a month with her and are going to miss her very much. I also wanted to give a shout out to all the other YWAMers we came in contact with. Thank you for your passion for the Lord. Your desires to serve Him are truly inspiring and we can't thank you enough for all that you are doing there and all that you did to bless us as a team. And to those who came out to see us at our concerts in Taiwan, thanks for being such great audiences! We had a blast and pray for you all.

On average we did 2 concerts a day, though we were spoiled and had a few days off to go shopping, do laundry, go to Taipei 101, whatever we wanted. We played in universities, prisons, school, parks, churches, just about anywhere that would let us in, or out as the case may be (we played many outdoor concerts). Overall, it was an amazing experience that can't quite be captured on paper. Nonetheless, there will be many stories to come. So, keep checking back for more. For now, though, thanks for the continued support. We greatly appreciated your prayers as we were overseas (even though we weren't able to communicate directly here) and now while we're back in the States. You guys have been wonderful! I hope this holiday season is treating you well!

More from Taiwan

Here's another post via e-mail from Tiffany:

So, we have less than a week left here in Taiwan and I can't begin to tell y'all how amazing it has been. Oh the stories we will have to share once we can access this site agai But for now, I wanted to share with you something I was challenged with earlier today.

I've been reading through David Crowder's Praise Habit. I thought it would be appropriate and I've heard it's a good book, so I brought it along. Let me tell you, a-mazing! It's been very challenging and encouraging for me to go along with my devos. Being a worship leader himself (in Texas, but also ever heard of the David Crowder Band?), it's been great to have some insight related to praise in this time when we're doing music often (that is our foot in the door for ministry, right?). Moving along, in this chapter he's been talking about Psalm 50--go check it out for context, and here's part of what I read:

"He states that He doesn't find fault with Israel's blood sacrifices. But then He begins to question. He asks why He should want them? Did He not creat the bull and goat? Do we think he is hungry and in need of them to feast on... Then after this rhetorical line of questioning, He makes what I think could be a defining statement for our understanding of praise. The sacrifice God is looking for. . . praise.

What?... Let's try to reframe GOD's address and perhaps make it cut a little more for our moment.

'I don't find fault with your singing of songs. But do you think I'm in great need of music? Do you think it is too quiet where I am? Did I not make the air molecules to vibrate and dance in such a way to let melody float from here to there? Do you think I am in great need of hearing these songs that were my breathings in the first place?' "

Ouch. Now, don't get me wrong, God's rebukes are definitely loving. It's things I believe wholeheartedly but then lose sight of in the midst of travelling from here to there and doing two to four shows a day (in Taiwan two to three). I want so badly to sound great for the Lord, and then I lose sight at times of what or Who I'm doing this for in the first place. I've been challenged lately that while I want to sing well for the Lord, that's not what's most important. Sharing the love of Jesus is what counts, loving on people is first priority, and if I'm so wrapped up in the music and how much I want to praise God just through that, then I'm really missing the point of why I'm here. Our ministry is more than music, and if my heart's desire is to truly live in such a way where praise is my habit, then I need to get beyond the music and learn to praise Him in the midst of every day life. Singing does not equal praise, and while I've known that somewhere in my mind, it's a great reminder especially for this season in my life.

Anyway, that's all I've got for you for now. I hope all of you are well! We'll be state-side again soon, so keep those prayers coming and keep checking back for updates. -Tiffany

Brief update from Taiwan

Tiffany sent this along for me to post:

Greetings one and all! We have not intentionally neglected any of you, our faithful readers. However, we do not have access to this website, thus we have been remiss.

Our time in Taiwan has been good thus far, we have had no casualties and few illnesses to speak of, so that's a praise! We are halfway through our trip and wishing we could have shared more with you up to this point, but there will be many stories to come! So, you'll just have to wait in hopeful anticipation till then. For now, we appreciate your prayers and support. Stay tuned for stories, more pictures and all kinds of goodies from our trip. Thanks for your patience and sorry about the technical difficulties.

-Tiffany on behalf of 14:22

Safe arrival...

An e-mail from our contact in Taiwan, received this morning, lets us know that the team has made it safely (albeit tired!) to Taipei!

Keep looking here for updates, either from the team or from us here in the office.

Hello Taiwan!

It's come up quick, but we are back in Willmar and preparing to head off overseas for a month. It has been a whirlwind so far and we are excited about all the Lord has in store for our international tour! Just wanted to touch base before we headed out and say thanks for the prayers. Keep them coming!

Yeah, Nyssa!

We are currently in Idaho, having a wonderful time. We've been here for four days now (well, four nights at least, so technically today would be day five) and we're having a fabulous time. Our hosts are taking wonderful care of us!

I just wanted to give a shout out to The Lighthouse in Nyssa, OR. What a wonderful church family! We were all blessed to meet and spend time with the people there. Our team was given the opportunity to take over service and lead worship, do one of our dramas and give two testimonies. Each person in the congregation was an absolutely joy and blessed us tremendously. Thanks, Lighthouse, for everything! It has been a pleasure.

Comments

I'm not sure why, but all of a sudden I had 26 comments to moderate- some a week or more old. So there are some new comments on some old posts for everyone's reading pleasure.

Hello world

It was brought to my attention last night that in our busyness, we have neglected to mention on here where we are going internationally. So, without further delay, the winner is.... *drum roll please* TAIWAN. Our team will be leaving in less than a month for one month's time to work with a YWAM base there. VERY exciting. Be sure to stay tuned!

Closing of the Prison Tour

Well yesterday we had our last concert with Prisoners for Christ. For the last two weeks we have been traveling around the Seattle area to a bunch of different detention centers, rehabilitation centers, and prisons; doing between 1 and 4 concerts a day! Prisons have become one of my favorite places to play. We have had our most lively interactive crowds at prisons, and our most "singing to a brick wall like" crowds. Either way it has been a really good excperience just knowing that most of the people in the room aren't Christians, and you know that the've had some not so good things going on in there lives. Going into these places we were able to be one of the few outside influences on the prisoners. Through the many prisons I've been in and out of in the last couple weeks, we have seen God doing work through us. We've seen people laugh, sing along, cry on several occasions, and have had people ask us some good questions.

-We played in a juvenile maximum security cottage one day, and afterwards they let us spend time with the kids. I got to talk with quite a few of the guys, and one of the girls there actually asked us to pray for her, so the girls on my team got to pray with her.-Another day we went to a rehab center (where the prisoners go shortly before they are released back into society.) We just brought acoustic guitars in and sang some songs with them, including a few songs by request. The people in charge there had us stay an hour past when we were supposed to leave, just because the guys there talked and interacted with us so much. Which appatently they have a hard time getting them to interact with anyone.

-Then just last night we played at another juvenile center. I actually have family in the Seattle area (the Taylors) and they met up with me and I took them to prison! Aren't I a nice guy. Yeah we were able to get two more passes for them and they came in and watched the concert. The concert went very well. Most of the kids were pretty receptive to it. After the concert we were allowed to shake the kids hands. One of them asked us were to find the story of peter denying the Lord three times. Another kid asked my to write a note in his Bible for him. That was pretty cool, I just wrote a note encouraging him to keep following after the Lord. Also after the concert the Chaplain informed us that the Lord had really touched one of the counselors who was in the room that night, through our service. He said the music, the drama, and just the way we interacted really made an impact on this counseler. Apparently the guy had kinda been on the edge, really struggling with his faith, and the Chaplian said he thinks our ministry may have saved a marriage that night. It's always neat to see the direct results of the Lord using us.

Signing off

Time for another blog :-)

Well hello and g'day everyone. I thought it was about time I did another blog so here goes......

We've been kept very busy the past week and a half. Leslie, our Prisoners for Christ contact, has been taking us to all these prisons and detention centers around the Seattle area. We've been doing 2, 3, sometimes 4 concerts a day, and traveling lots in our big green van. Most nights we haven't gotten home until 11, 12 and even 1am sometimes. So I think it's fair to say we're all pretty exhausted right now! We'd really appreciate your prayers for energy, enthusiasm and also health. A few of us have been fighting the deadly cold/flu thingy that loves small, close groups of people.

The prisons and detention centers have been an eye-opening experience for me. I had no idea what they were like, but now I'm getting used to all the security and seeing the inmates in rubber flip-flops and orange overalls. Do Americans call them overalls? Just wondering. Those all in one suit thingys where the pants are joined to the top. Anyway, they're not very flattering. It's hard to imagine sometimes these people are actually criminals. When you get the opportunity to talk to them, most of them seem pretty ordinary type people. It's kinda weird knowing you're being watched by security cameras all the time. We walk through corridors and have to wait for every door to be opened. By the time we get to the door, it unlocks by itself because the security people can see you're there waiting to get through. I'm glad they let us through! Prisons are not very inviting.....just in case you were wondering! Lots of cement.

Well well, enough reflections on prison life. Time for some well earned rest I think.

Goodnight.

Mosaic Ohana!

We seem to be lacking in our blogging abilities lately, so thought I'd step up to the plate and take a shot at it, yet again. We're still in the Seattle area, been keeping super busy with Prisoners For Christ (thanks, Leslie, for hooking us up ALL over the state), which has been amazing. It's different absolutely everywhere we go, but it's been a blast. We've also done a couple school chapels (what's up, NSCS and SCS?!). That's been a blast. My father had us over one night for two fabulous meals, we've also gotten to lead worship at a church in the area. Needless to say, it's been busy but wonderful.

On a more personal note, I also have gotten to see my family, which is always important, this being my hometown and all. We just spent the evening with my small group, or at least most of the team did anyway. What a blessing! The welcomed all of us with open arms, as is the New Hope way, and blessed each of us tremendously. Thanks for being so wonderful, friends! It was wonderful to see you once more.

Shocking Illustration

This is us learning how to play the best game ever invented..

This is us about six hours later, discovering the full potential of this amazing device!

Simply shocking

So I'm out spending a week on the road with the team in splendid Seattle...

After spending the morning with the awesome kids and staff of North Sound Christian School (congratulations to all of you who sold lots of magazines & stuff...) we spent the day hanging out with Tiffany's dad, who cooked us up two amazing meals.

But it was the time between the meals that will be remembered, for during that time, we were introduced to what we can only describe as the "shock game." Forget the hot tub, puzzles, various wooden parlor games, Jenga made from 2X4's and pick-up-sticks on the scale of lawn darts... this one had us all captivated.

It goes down like this: up to four people grab one of the game's removeable metal handles with a button on top. A red light in the middle of the game flashes while a nerve-wracking and altogether musically non-pleasing theme song blares on for a random amount of time. The light eventually turns green and the music stops... at which point you are supposed to press the button on top of your handle. If you're the last one to buzz in, (or if you jump the gun) this thing shocks the eyeballs right out of your head.

It's got two intensity levels, and an "extreme" setting where EVERYONE gets lit up when the light turns green except the first person to press their button.

We played this game for hours. I don't know why.

Christian and Josiah definately pushed the envelope with some of their more "creative" handle-holding techniques. I suspect some video footage might be posted here eventually.

These boys aint right...

yeah, Pacific timezone!

So, we're not exactly in my hometown yet, but we have officially changed timezones and are now in my home state. Needless to say, I'm really excited! In less than week I'll be home and introducing my wonderful team to many of my friends and family.

In the meantime, here we are on the eastern side of Washington, meeting more wonderful people. We did back to back concerts tonight and had a crazy (in a good way) responsive audience. It was definitely exillerating. It's been neat seeing our team grow more and more in the weeks we've been together, through work and through play. We're learning more and more about each other and I have definitely been challenged in my relationship with the Lord. He is growing all of us individually and together. Words can't begin to desribe all the Lord has done and is doing, but I'm so thankful and blessed to be part of this ministry for this year.

Finally, Internet access!

Finally, I'm able to get online to do a blog! I've been without internet access for a week which is why I haven't blogged for ages :-)

Well we've been having a great time on tour so far. I'm loving the long drives in the van - especially really early in the morning....I got some great piccies on Adam's camera this morning of the sunrise. I'm also loving meeting all our amazing host families! You guys who have housed us and welcomed us into your homes have been such a blessing! This ministry would not happen without your generous hospitality, so thankyouthankyouthankyou!

I've particularly enjoyed the highschool chapel services we've done. You highschoolers really get into it and your energy spurs us on! Looking forward to many to come :-)

bye for now,
Carolyn

Washington, here we come!

Needless to say, I'm more than a little excited that as of tomorrow we will be in my home state. In less than a week my team will be introduced to many of my friends and family. I'm super excited! Of course, I don't want to overlook all the wonderful people we've met along the way so far. I'm hanging out at my host fam's, doing laundry, checking e-mail and of course updating all of you wonderful people about what's up with us.

We have spent the last week or so running (okay, driving) all over Montana for these great shows. I wrote about one or two of them already, but wanted to give a shout out to some of the other places we've hit. Helena, where we were a few days ago, was a blast. Had a great time with the students and our host fams. Last night we did a concert at a church in Boulder (don't know where that is? That's right, it's a quaint town out in Montana) -- had a good time doing a show last night there. Got up super early, and drove into Manhattan, where we will spend our last night in Montana for this tour (at least if I'm remembering correctly, you can check the website if you want to know for sure). All in all, second week in, we're all still alive and kicking and can't wait meet even more of you.

Blessings

no worries, we rock on!

What's up, Montana! That's right, we have not gone silent intentionally. Rather, we have been without internet access for a week. We apologize for our lack of communication. We've talked about it but been without means to an end. So here I write.

We are well into our second week on the road and have had many adventures thus far! On Sunday night we performed our longest concert yet (by far!) -- 2 1/2 hours. Let me tell you, it was an honor to take part of an outreach like that in Boulder, MT. Things went off rather well, although we did incur some injuries. One of the most memorable to speak of was one of our dear guitarists, who made a leap off stage in the middle of a song, went to leap back up and missed. He's got some war wounds for sure to speak of. We hope that very gracious moment was caught on film. We shall see.

Other than that, it has been different living out of a suitcase and living off of the amazing hospitality of others. Thanks to those who have hosted us along the way! We have all been MOST blessed by all of you. More to come, and soon hopefully...