Final Update

So, some of you are now just going to church as I type, some have just left Oasis and are on your way home via Chili's or some other eating establishment. Those on this side of the Atlantic have been to church already this morning are maybe like me, just woken up from that lovely Sunday afternoon nap. Our intrepid young misiionaries (if all is on schedule) have been in the air for around four hours or so and will soon be making their decsent into Newark airport (yuk!) before connecting to arriving in West Palm Beach tonight. As you can tell by the couple of photos I put up on the blog a day or two ago, I did get out to see Caite and Erika in their mission sites at Moira (moy-ra) and Kilmakee. Both were having a great time and both were obviously a very integral and loved part of their team. Caite was on team with a young girl from Arizona whose family was in Fort Pierce while she in Northern Ireland. Her Grandfather is apparently the pastor of the Christian Missionar Alliance Church in Fort Pierce - small world eh?

Last night we travelled over the a place called Hillsborough (where the Queen has her Northern Irleand residence) to attend the closing event for Summerserve. YFC had arranged a bbq and a very generous farmer had offered to host it on his very spacious farm in one of his extremely ample barns. All the youth were eating burgers and seated on haystacks - it was really cool. The band that had been leading worship through the team's training did the honours again and were fantastic except that the power cut out in the middle of their second song. Though it was a blessing in disguise because the youth all coninued to sing and the drummer drummed with them to keep them all in rhythmn. The Summerserve co-ordinator, Allan Grier, was the master of ceremonies and also gave the closing talk then we all hugged and most of us cried as we made our good byes.

This morning, we have managed to give them a proper Northern Ireland send off. As they were arriving at the airport and getting ready to fly, it was dull, overcast and absolutely pissing out the heavens that annoying drizzly rain.

All of them have been amazing and all of them have testified to how amazing and life altering this has been for them. Thats my prayer answered right there. Now the job and the prayer is to keep them all focussed and to makesure that missions are not just a small fad in their lives as mid to late teenagers. Keep it before them and ask them when they are going again. Support them as they go again and most of all encourage them in their walk with Christ.

I am so amazingly proud of them all and you can be too. I hope you see the difference the love of Christ and an opportunity to share it is making in them as they return.

Blessings