September 2008-Towne View Baptist Church Party Team

This has been a very busy September! We have had two teams already and are expecting a container of humanitarian aid this week!This update will cover only the team from Towne View Baptist Church (near Atlanta). I will send another one tomorrow to cover the team from Johnson Ferry Baptist Church.

The Party Team arrived on August 30, went straight to the grocery store to buy juices, candy, and cookies, and then traveled 1 1/2 hours to Berkovitsa!

There were several returnees on the team, Jen and Trey Lyon, Hyacinth Crooks, Taylor Jansen were making their third trip to Bulgaria. Melanie Connell and Stephanie Uhler were making their second trip. The team had one newcomer Virginia Crowley. We welcome them all back again.

Everyone spread the love of the Lord everywhere they went. I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to start out the "fall team season" with. They were always ready to go, ready to do, ready to serve wherever and however they could. It was a pleasure to see how the children and teachers reacted when they saw the 2nd and 3rd timers! It is always so great for the kids to have the feeling that people care enough about them to want to come back to see them.

Sunday morning found us back at the Roma church in Rakovitsa. Again we had Bible stories and activities for about 70 children.Then we began with the parties in the afternoon.

Different Sunday School classes, missions groups, and other groups at Towne View Baptist Church each had adopted one of the 10 orphanages to be visited. Each group thought of a theme for the party and then bought table cloths, party plates, and individual gift items for the children. The party items were incredible.

At every place I thought "wow, this is the best!" And then came the next party..... The gifts and decorations were simply outstanding and you could tell that all was done with loving hearts. Everything just seemed to fit, including a 25 foot 6 foot tall wall decoration depitcting the seaside. It just fit a blank wall in the cafeteria of the orphanage in Roman.

This team had prepared parties for the home in Lom, the preschool home in Georgi Damyanovo, Berk 3 and Berk 4. Roman, the preschool home in Pleven, the home for handicapped in Vidrare, the preschool home in Dren, the home for emotionally disturbed in Gorna Koznitsa, and the home in Blagoevgrad. We played with hundreds of kids and made their day brighter. We also did a lot of traveling.

On top of all the travel and partying, this group of folks went the extra mile - or two- and moved a truckload of shoes, coats, and socks from one warehouse to the other to make room for the container due next week. This was hard work at the end of a hard week. And, it was hot! But no one complained. They just did the job. We are so grateful for this extra help.