Band of Survivors Team Update 24 - Thursday, July 17
Today was one of the best days at cfot. Ok first this morning we had worship and Pray the bible. After that we had lunch which was great, straight after lunch we started cleaning because today is our last day at CFOT. We cleaned for about three hours which was ok. Next I had a prayer shift which was great. Then my corps officers came, the wonderful Josh and Jen Polanco. They cooked for us, and the food was amazing. They are AWSOME cooks. After dinner me, Nate Irvine, Nate Holt, Lemard, Justin Rose, Ricardo, and Stephen played a game of basketball which was great. Last, but not least, we went to the classroom and watched a slide show of all the pictures that were taken of us the whole month at Band of Survivors. I have truly enjoyed Band of Survivors. I’m also extremely happy because after band of survivors I’m going to CBLI.
GOD BLESS!!! RYAN A.K.A GOOGI
Friday, July 18, 2008
Band of Survivors Team Update 23 - Wednesday, July 16
Raven Gougis
Raven Gougis
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Band of Survivors Team Update 22 - Tuesday, July 15
Well today was an interesting day. We had two speakers telling us about Human Trafficking and how is still going on now days. When I saw the video I was amazed how people are and take advantage of this world. But then I was thankful to God for guiding and being with us everyday and everywhere. Afterwards, we did a Human Trafficking Outreach. It was great! I was excited and glad I had the chance to warn people about what is going on nowadays. To be honest some people were rude but other than that I had an AMAZING time! Also, Lindsay, Liz, Addie and I helped Cathleen cook dinner. It was pretty cool hanging out with her. We had the opportunity to talk more and get closer with each other. It was a fun time. Then, we played Capture the Flag. It was pretty hilarious and fun too. Just seeing how we grown so much closer with each other. It’s amazing how God is. Ever since I got to BOS I’ve been blessed so much. I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to experience all this. It’s wonderful helping people, telling people about the good news and how they can help the community as well. Overall, this day was GREAT!!!! I know God is going to be with us and help us do His will. Also, before I end this just forgot something to write here…..I also was tackled by NATE IRVINE pretty bad but it was funny I guess…..Good time with the team.
- Maggie Garcia
Well today was an interesting day. We had two speakers telling us about Human Trafficking and how is still going on now days. When I saw the video I was amazed how people are and take advantage of this world. But then I was thankful to God for guiding and being with us everyday and everywhere. Afterwards, we did a Human Trafficking Outreach. It was great! I was excited and glad I had the chance to warn people about what is going on nowadays. To be honest some people were rude but other than that I had an AMAZING time! Also, Lindsay, Liz, Addie and I helped Cathleen cook dinner. It was pretty cool hanging out with her. We had the opportunity to talk more and get closer with each other. It was a fun time. Then, we played Capture the Flag. It was pretty hilarious and fun too. Just seeing how we grown so much closer with each other. It’s amazing how God is. Ever since I got to BOS I’ve been blessed so much. I’m thankful that I had the opportunity to experience all this. It’s wonderful helping people, telling people about the good news and how they can help the community as well. Overall, this day was GREAT!!!! I know God is going to be with us and help us do His will. Also, before I end this just forgot something to write here…..I also was tackled by NATE IRVINE pretty bad but it was funny I guess…..Good time with the team.
- Maggie Garcia
Band of Survivors Team Update 21 - Monday, July 14
Dear Friends,
So, like after an hour or so, Mike’s class ended and we all were prepared for our highlight of the day, the time that we looked forward to. It was time to go to WHIRLYBALL, a place where “Bumper cars is kind of mixed with basketball and football”. It’s kind of hard to explain in writing, or (typing per se). So when we arrived to this place called WHIRLYBALL, we all were pretty eager to start playing because of our competitive personalities were pretty edgy at this point.
So after we actually start WHIRLYBALL, Nate and his posse which consists of (Stephen Rivero, Andres Villatoro, and Michael Steinsland) Takes the lead to create a team by the name of “TEAM KILLER PITHON” which actually has no meaning and is very much lacking intimidation, but they get into these cars and try to dominate every team that steps on the court. (See there were two options of car colors) Red and Black. The red cars were really fast and on the other hand the black cars were kind of not so fast. Nate’s team stayed in the red cars which was a huge disadvantage obviously.
So after a couple rounds of driving around, the staff comes with some pizza, and it was soooooo good. There were 3 choices, Cheese, Pepperoni, and Sausage. I ate so much. I was having the very perfect day at this point. Just as I thought my day would never decrease in excitement and joy it did. I encountered a very unfortunate series of events. Even typing it would not explain this situation well enough. See it kind of started with me having faith in a chair, and believing that the properties of gravity and the principles of the chair would hold me up as I eased in for a comfortable seating position. I knew that the 4 legs appeared sturdy enough to support my weight just as every other chair appears to be safe. So I go in and take a seat and the chair just collapses. It was excruciating pain, and furthermore I was pretty embarrassed. Not only at the fact that I was probably experiencing one of the most excruciating pains I ever felt in my life, but also at the fact that my face was kinda smuggled into Liz Brundige’s body. It was just as weird and uncomfortable as it sounds. So after this incident, My day was downcast and melancholy. I had shins that ached like crazy and my character was embarrassed.
After coming back from Whirlyball, we had a class hosted by none other than Audrey Hickman, and Kirsten Aho. It was a pretty fun classed because it was interactive. The only thing is I kind of forgot what the class was about in general, all I remember is acting like a angel in a skit. Later as the day winded down, we had Cell groups and played a really intense game of spoons, where Nate Irvine (THE NATHAN IRVINE) literally tackled someone for a spoon just so he wouldn’t be out the game. ( I won’t go into detail because I don’t have much time but just to wrap it up it was a Really really intense game. After all the day was over, we ended with dinner which was hamburgers and some other stuff, like hotdogs, and some other stuff I can’t remember. Then I went to my apartment, which I share with my cell group and we ate some junk food until we couldn’t consume anymore and we went to sleep.
Dear Friends,
So, like after an hour or so, Mike’s class ended and we all were prepared for our highlight of the day, the time that we looked forward to. It was time to go to WHIRLYBALL, a place where “Bumper cars is kind of mixed with basketball and football”. It’s kind of hard to explain in writing, or (typing per se). So when we arrived to this place called WHIRLYBALL, we all were pretty eager to start playing because of our competitive personalities were pretty edgy at this point.
So after we actually start WHIRLYBALL, Nate and his posse which consists of (Stephen Rivero, Andres Villatoro, and Michael Steinsland) Takes the lead to create a team by the name of “TEAM KILLER PITHON” which actually has no meaning and is very much lacking intimidation, but they get into these cars and try to dominate every team that steps on the court. (See there were two options of car colors) Red and Black. The red cars were really fast and on the other hand the black cars were kind of not so fast. Nate’s team stayed in the red cars which was a huge disadvantage obviously.
So after a couple rounds of driving around, the staff comes with some pizza, and it was soooooo good. There were 3 choices, Cheese, Pepperoni, and Sausage. I ate so much. I was having the very perfect day at this point. Just as I thought my day would never decrease in excitement and joy it did. I encountered a very unfortunate series of events. Even typing it would not explain this situation well enough. See it kind of started with me having faith in a chair, and believing that the properties of gravity and the principles of the chair would hold me up as I eased in for a comfortable seating position. I knew that the 4 legs appeared sturdy enough to support my weight just as every other chair appears to be safe. So I go in and take a seat and the chair just collapses. It was excruciating pain, and furthermore I was pretty embarrassed. Not only at the fact that I was probably experiencing one of the most excruciating pains I ever felt in my life, but also at the fact that my face was kinda smuggled into Liz Brundige’s body. It was just as weird and uncomfortable as it sounds. So after this incident, My day was downcast and melancholy. I had shins that ached like crazy and my character was embarrassed.
After coming back from Whirlyball, we had a class hosted by none other than Audrey Hickman, and Kirsten Aho. It was a pretty fun classed because it was interactive. The only thing is I kind of forgot what the class was about in general, all I remember is acting like a angel in a skit. Later as the day winded down, we had Cell groups and played a really intense game of spoons, where Nate Irvine (THE NATHAN IRVINE) literally tackled someone for a spoon just so he wouldn’t be out the game. ( I won’t go into detail because I don’t have much time but just to wrap it up it was a Really really intense game. After all the day was over, we ended with dinner which was hamburgers and some other stuff, like hotdogs, and some other stuff I can’t remember. Then I went to my apartment, which I share with my cell group and we ate some junk food until we couldn’t consume anymore and we went to sleep.
Band of Survivors Team Update 20 - Special Edition
The following Update is a Special Edition because it takes you back in time to Wednesday, June 9, 2008. Enjoy:
Getting out of bed was a little hard this morning, as we have all been pouring ourselves into the work we’ve been doing. We started off the day with cell groups, which is a time that I always look forward to. The group of girls that I have in my group is just amazing; Alejandra, Moteka, Raven, Maggie, and Lilly. I have loved watching them grow in their walk with the Lord, and it has been great watching them love each other, pray for each other, and support each other. They not only do this for each other, but for me as well. The support and love that they show to me everyday, is such a blessing from God. As we continue to go through the book of Galatians, it’s great to be able to discuss how the book is relevant to our lives today. There are so many times when I feel that I’m learning more from the girls, rather than the other way around….
Yesterday was our first day doingVacation Bible School at Midwest corps, and it was great! The kids are all so bright and VERY full of energy, which can be a good thing and a bad thing. Many times they are so energetic, that they have a really hard time focusing. Everyday that we have with them, we start off with an opening program which includes us teaching them a new song for the day, a new bible verse for them to memorize, and a daily truth for the day. Today’s topic was “Jesus is God’s Son,” and the daily truth was “I know Jesus is God’s son. I can celebrate who He is.” The kids memorized Matthew 16:16, which says “I am the Christ, the son of the living God.”
On Tuesday, we had observed that the old kids, ages 10 and up, were not getting a lot out of what we had planned. They seemed a little too old for the crafts that we were doing, and they didn’t seem to be paying much attention during the bible lesson. We decided to change things up a bit, so we planned something totally different for them; something relevant to what they are dealing with. We chose to go over three topics: school, peer pressure, and betrayal. So that Wednesday, we talked about school and the different issues that they are dealing with; issues that involve drugs, bullying, fighting, teachers who don’t seem to care about the students. I would ask them questions to start a discussion, and the teens really seemed to enjoy being able to talk about this stuff. At the end, we presented the gospel and talked about the sacrifice that Christ made for us all. Three of the teens made the decision to accept Christ! God is so good and faithful! Lisa and I were able to take them aside, talk to them about their decision, listen to their confessions, and pray with them. I felt so blessed that God chose to use me as His vessel, even though I am so unworthy.
When we got back to the CFOT, the worship team for Friday’s Prayer and Praise night practiced, while the rest of the leaders planned out the prayer stations for Friday. We chose different issues thatChicago
The time flew by! We all will be heading home in a little over a week…I pray that while we go through this last week, God will continue to work on us and prepare us to go back to our families, friends, corps, and communities and spread the gospel, as well as all of the amazing things God did through our time together.
I would personally like to wish my sister a very happy birthday, which is on July 14th. So, happy birthday, Jennie! I love you! God bless you all! Bootsma!
-Amanda Keene
The following Update is a Special Edition because it takes you back in time to Wednesday, June 9, 2008. Enjoy:
JAMES (that’s for you, Mom)
Getting out of bed was a little hard this morning, as we have all been pouring ourselves into the work we’ve been doing. We started off the day with cell groups, which is a time that I always look forward to. The group of girls that I have in my group is just amazing; Alejandra, Moteka, Raven, Maggie, and Lilly. I have loved watching them grow in their walk with the Lord, and it has been great watching them love each other, pray for each other, and support each other. They not only do this for each other, but for me as well. The support and love that they show to me everyday, is such a blessing from God. As we continue to go through the book of Galatians, it’s great to be able to discuss how the book is relevant to our lives today. There are so many times when I feel that I’m learning more from the girls, rather than the other way around….
Yesterday was our first day doing
On Tuesday, we had observed that the old kids, ages 10 and up, were not getting a lot out of what we had planned. They seemed a little too old for the crafts that we were doing, and they didn’t seem to be paying much attention during the bible lesson. We decided to change things up a bit, so we planned something totally different for them; something relevant to what they are dealing with. We chose to go over three topics: school, peer pressure, and betrayal. So that Wednesday, we talked about school and the different issues that they are dealing with; issues that involve drugs, bullying, fighting, teachers who don’t seem to care about the students. I would ask them questions to start a discussion, and the teens really seemed to enjoy being able to talk about this stuff. At the end, we presented the gospel and talked about the sacrifice that Christ made for us all. Three of the teens made the decision to accept Christ! God is so good and faithful! Lisa and I were able to take them aside, talk to them about their decision, listen to their confessions, and pray with them. I felt so blessed that God chose to use me as His vessel, even though I am so unworthy.
When we got back to the CFOT, the worship team for Friday’s Prayer and Praise night practiced, while the rest of the leaders planned out the prayer stations for Friday. We chose different issues that
The time flew by! We all will be heading home in a little over a week…I pray that while we go through this last week, God will continue to work on us and prepare us to go back to our families, friends, corps, and communities and spread the gospel, as well as all of the amazing things God did through our time together.
I would personally like to wish my sister a very happy birthday, which is on July 14th. So, happy birthday, Jennie! I love you! God bless you all! Bootsma!
-Amanda Keene
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Band of Survivors Team Update 19 - Sunday, July 13
Today went had the pleasure of spend a Sunday service atMidwest corps. The corps officers there are very exciting and you can tell that the want to preach the gospel. After spending a week with them we finally got to see what they do in their Sunday service. After the regular service we had a second service to wrap up VBS. That was so amazing. Looking at how much fun the kids participating in a hallelujah wind up. You had to be there to see how much fun we had. Well today was a blessing for everyone just getting to know everyone at the Midwest corps.
Make sure you check out the photos from the weekend!
Today went had the pleasure of spend a Sunday service at
Make sure you check out the photos from the weekend!
Band of Survivors Team Update 19 - Saturday, July 12
Today we kind of had a day off. We slept in a bit and then discussed plans for tomorrow’s service atMidwest . Addie taught everyone a dance to do during the VBS closing, which is pretty much amazing. Once that was all over we had cell groups. Our group (Homeland Security) went to the lake, which was gorgeous, we were at this spot by the boats where you could see the skyline and the lake. Even on relaxing days, when you’re not even doing anything you can still see God’s power and beauty, if through nothing else His creation. Later, everyone played an intense game of dodgeball, so intense that Andres hurt his pinky and Amanda had to splint it. Some of us get into it a little too much… Over all today was a great day, and allowed us to refocus and be refreshed.
Today we kind of had a day off. We slept in a bit and then discussed plans for tomorrow’s service at
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