Day 1 – Departure Day
With a slightly misty morning and concerns of a rainy travel day, the weather cleared up in time for many to join the team for a wonderful time of prayer. Joined by three of Calvary Church’s Elders, the team’s loved ones-consisting of grand-parents, parents, siblings and friends-huddled up while many prayed for safe travel for this group of 18 young men and women (plus four adult leaders), for God’s name to be glorified in Madison, WI and for each team member to take another step in their journey of faith. After prayer, hugs, and goodbye’s, this brave group of teenagers packed themselves into two church vans and headed for WI.
It didn’t take too terribly long to make it to Muskegon where we would board the Lake Express to head toward Milwaukee. The team even had a grandparent waiting in Muskegon flying balloons and a hand-made sign. This amount of love and support that the team has received from day one, and was seeing even now, was so encouraging!
On the Ferry there were many games played, there was serious God-centered discussion, and of course plenty of laughs. While it wasn’t raining on us, it was a bit windy up on the deck where only the brave dared to venture.
Once off the Ferry we made a quick stop at Culvers for lunch before heading to Discovery World where we continued to forge the bonds that have been being built over the past couple of months through the meetings that we have had.
After a couple hours of fun, we hopped back into the vans and took the 1 hour and 3o minute drive toward Madison. While we are not staying in the downtown Madison area, we are staying close. Upon arrival at YWAM’s training facility, our home for the next 5 days, we were greeted out front by the director and staff who helped us bring our belongings in. When we opened the doors we we hit with the smell of fresh-baked cookies, which to just about any teenager is a huge plus.
For Frank and me, it was great to be back and to reconnect with the director, Diane, a lovely woman who has given her life to reaching the city of Madison for Jesus Christ. For the students it was a pleasure to meet her and the other friendly faces that will be leading us in serving Jesus this week. I am sure as the week goes on and more pictures are taken, you will hear about each one of them.
We had a pizza dinner and then played some name games to get-to-know the staff better and allow them to get-to-know us.
I am just now realizing that not many pictures have been taken here at the Training Center just yet, but again there will be many more posts to come.
As I jumped into bed and realized that you all would be hoping, expecting, praying for a blog post to wake up to, and that I completely forgot to do one, I just had to get back up and put some words to the excitement inside of me, and I hope encapsulate the excitement that our students are also feeling.
God has been so good already in the ways that he has ordained this trip, provided the funds to allow it to become a reality, and now gotten us here safely that we have no doubts that He is up to something big for each of us here. We just can’t wait to see what it is and then to tell you all about it!
Good night!
Rodney Velting