Some Pictures from the Orphanage

Pictures of the Group

Madalyn's Moments

This week here in Antigua has been one big experience! GOD has shown me so much. This week we have visited so many many places and people. The most memorable things here that GOD has given me to experience is the orphanage. As we walked in, i had a very weary heart-felted spirt. The first thing that GOD had Challenged me there was feeding a 6 Year old boy who had a muscle problem, and also was blind. As i was sitting there feeding and holding his head up with my hand, GOD was speaking to me so much of how Grateful i am and how much he had blessed me with people who love and care for me no matter what i look like or how GOD made me to be, that truly was a blessing and an honor to be there. Being here at the Antigua Church services was a true delight for me! i wish we Could have 5 hour Church services every sunday! :) being able to experience being anointed was my FAVORITE part! that was the most honoring thing that i have ever experienced in my life! many of my family members have been anointed and in the ministry, which is what GOD has called me to, and it is a true blessing. GOD has challenged me with things that i struggle with and i have been able to get rid of here and GOD has challenged me to do and be the same missionary here at home! i thank GOD for Ron and Janice as well as Tony and Angela, they have been a huge part in this ministry! and i thank GOD for every thing that he has challenged me with and the things that GOD has called me to do.

~Madalyn mills <><

Pictures from trip

ZZZZZZZZZ

Sorry that know one blogged today. Everyone here is exhausted and half or fully asleep. We will post tomorrow from a few people. I will post some pictures soon. Have a great night and we love and miss you all.

The Children At The Wesleyan Academy

Even though we have been out of school for a couple of weeks, the children in Antigua are still in. Their school year doesn't end till the middle of July. Whenever we first got to the academy this morning they had already started class for the day. Everyone on the team was wondering if we would get a chance to met some of the children. We hoped to connect and play some games with them before our day was over. Little did we know that we would definitely get to see them a lot.

During their lunch break and also during some free time, one by one the children started to walk up to where we were working. At first some on them didn't know what to think about us, but as we started to talk they grew more and more comfortable with us. They were asking us questions and laughing at some of us doing funny things.

Whenever they saw a camera they would run up to you and pose like crazy. All of them wanted to have their pictures taken, but they also wanted to see the pictures afterwards. Even though I almost got pushed into a pan of paint and into a tree, the excitement that was in their smiles will never be forgotten.

It was so neat to sit and listen to them tell us about their school day and what they liked and disliked about it. At the academy they have two buildings. The smaller of the two is for the little kindergartners and the larger one is for all the other children. I think that it is amazing that they have all the different age groups in one big building and that the teacher can keep up with it all.

The children definitely helped make the day much more fun and made it go by faster. When we got ready to leave the children didn't want to walk away from the cars. We had to ask some of them 4 or 5 times to move so we could go. They asked us numerous times if we were coming back tomorrow and when we said that we were they had the biggest grins on their faces. As we were pulling out of the school many of them stood there smiling and waving good-bye, some of them even ran after the van (inside the fences of course) I can't wait to see them tomorrow and I hope to continue to connect with them .

Written By: Kaylee

Work Day One

Today we started work on the now district office for the island. We were asked to paint the front today and will be back to paint the side on Tuesday. The cool thing about this building is this was the first home of the first missionaries to the island.

Amazing Gift

The most amazing thing happened to us this morning in church! The people in the church welcomed us with open arms. One of the reverends anointed our team with oil. After the reverend anointed us, the congregation gathered around us and prayed. They prayed for our safety and seeds that we will plant in the lives of the people around us. These were the people that had only met us 5 hours earlier. They loved us and cared about us so much that we felt at home.

This wasn't the first time we felt that they showed their loving life style. The people down here are not judgmental, and they accepting of us. We are being shown how to love with open arms and how to go out of our way to making others feel welcome. If we can make an impact on their lives' like the way that they have already impacted our lives' this is going to be an unbelievable, life changing experience.

Written by Amber and Tiffany

Thoughts From Trey

Me and this kid really got to know each other . it was the first night we arrived at Antigua. we all got there early to hang out with everyone; we started talking and i think we really bonded throughout the night. he was one of the many many friendly people there. so far it was me best time at Antigua :)

Pictures From Saturday Night Youth Rally

Day One?

When you sign up for a journey you never know what you might get. Two days in an airport, sleeping on the floor, names not in the computer, two hour delays. Whatever the road ahead, we will get to Antigua.

Well with the arriving of two different planes from two different airlines with two different groups we made it to Antigua. Praise God.

The Adventure Begins

Four o'clock in the morning came really quickly to an already tired crew of fourteen. Several tried an "early to bed, early to rise" method, but the consensus of the excited teenagers (and the two wishing now they had the youthful vitality of teenagers) was a "stay-up-as-late-as-we-possibly-can-and-not-sleep-through-our-alarm" strategy. Either way, it was a tearful goodbye for the group of parents, spouses and children. The Antigua crew went on their way to Charlotte for an early morning flight check-in & those of us left behind went on our way-some to work, some back to bed, some to breakfast.

Fast forward to a check-in line longer than the Mississippi River and taking arguably the same amount of time to navigate through. The airline over-booked the flight and the crew got bumped. Their compensation was one adult and five "experienced" flyers (students) being booked on a flight out of Charlotte, bound for Miami tonight (Friday), then a flight on to Antigua tomorrow (Saturday). Additionally, one adult and seven "new flyers" (most never having flown before) leave Charlotte tomorrow morning on a similar flight plan as originally booked through Atlanta then on to Antigua. Ironically, both flight itineraries bring the crew (on separate airlines) into Antigua within half an hour of each other Saturday early afternoon.

Rick & Becky Hendricks, along with myself and two kids eager to have a few extra hours with Daddy, drove the church vans to Charlotte to, if nothing else, be a familiar face in a sea of unfamiliarity. We met a very tired, very hungry (did you know that all airport restaurants are past security check-in and unattainable without a boarding pass???), very frustrated and very stressed group of fourteen. A quick bite to eat outside of the airport settled the crew and then off to a mall to kill some time & relieve some stress. One crew returned to the airport for check-in and one crew found a reputable hotel in which to lay their head and sleep for six hours before heading back to the airport, prepared to be first in line to ensure check-in.

Needless to say, if you are not already aware of Satan's plans to thwart God's work, allow this blog to serve as a reminder to commit to praying for this team. As I write this now, a crew has successfully arrived in Miami and are checked into their hotel and another is en route to the airport for a second sleep-deprived night of waiting.

Please pray that:

1) God's supernatural strength would fill each and every one of those kids (and Tony and Angela, too) to endure with grace and a Christlike attitude the hardships they are already encountering.

2) God would pave the way for smooth traveling from here on out (going & coming home) and protect them.

3) God would restore vision and purpose to those teens discouraged by this snag.

4) ...... however else God leads you to pray for this crew.....

A bit of business... if you read this blog and the many more to come this week, the crew would really appreciate hearing a word of encouragement from home, whomever you may be. Allow me to tell you how to do just that. After reading, click on "comment", write what you want to say and announce who you are("a note from Jillynn" or something similar) , type in the strange looking "code" underneath (sometimes they ask you for it and sometimes they do not), make sure you have clicked "anonymous"(I know this sounds confusing, but unless you are a regular "blogger" this is the easiest way!), then "publish comment" and you should be part of the online blogging world!