Swimming at the hotel
On Thursday, our kids got to sleep in a little and we left the hotel around 9:30 AM for the Central Florida Children's home. (Ironically, they seemed even more tired on the day we got a late start!) We arrived at the Children's Home out in the middle of nowhere and found that the front door was locked. After knocking, calling the contact number, and walking around for awhile, we weren't sure what to do! Finally, the House Mother answered the back door and I thought things would finally get underway. Unfortunately, another group had called and cancelled their trip to the Children's home but our group was the one that had gotten crossed off. They weren't prepared for us to arrive, didn't have work for us to do, and weren't going to be there in the afternoon when we were scheduled to sing. My mind started racing as to what to do because we had scheduled to be there for the whole day! Fortunately, the House Mother finally suggested we drive over to Longwood, Florida where they have a thrift store. The proceeds from the thrift store go to support the Children's Home and they are always in need of volunteers. Well, our group is a flexible bunch so we hopped back in the fan and headed over. On the way over, I began calling nursing homes in Longwood and found a place for us to sing that afternoon. While at the Thrift Store, the guys helped to unload a truck full of donations and the girls worked at tagging, pricing, hanging, and organizing clothes as well as straightening the shelves out in the store.
Hanging/Organizing the clothes
Tagging/Sizing the clothes
Our group worked hard at the Children's Home and while they were disappointed at not getting to meet and interact with the kids, they recognized that our help was much appreciated. It would have taken all day to do the work that our group was able to do in about an hour and a half! And of course, Nicole found some books to buy, so she made a monetary contribution as well! :)
After working, we had lunch at a Boston Market and then headed to the Village on the Green Health Center to sing. For a last minute concert, there was a large crowd! You could see that our kids were beginning to tire when we arrived at the concert, but after a quick reminder that this group deserved as much energy as our first group on Monday, they did a great job. After we sang and visited, we hopped back into the van for a quick "naptime" at the hotel before hitting downtown Disney. (Or at least, I took a nap!!)
Maggie, ready to head to Downtown Disney!
At Downtown Disney, different groups ate at different places. Some went to the Rainforest Cafe, some went to Paradiso 37, and others ate at Wetzel's Pretzels. There were lots of stores for them to visit and I think they had a great time just browsing and hanging out together.
Kim and Mr. Potato Head
On Friday morning, we loaded up the vans and said goodbye to Orlando. It was a fairly quiet drive home - most of the group took a nap at some point on the way home. We had a quick stop for lunch and a quick stop for gas but otherwise headed home. I think the group had a wonderful time - I know I did! Hopefully as they look back on it, not only will they remember the fun that they had, but remember the work they did, the people they met, and the joy and love of Christ that they shared. Our theme verse was John 10:10 - "I have come that you might have life and have it more abundant." All week long, we looked for ways to share that message with others as well as for the youth to recognize their own need for abundant life in Christ. I look forward to Youth Sunday in August when they get a chance to share what they learned with our church. I am so amazed by our wonderful youth - their hearts for service, their love of each other, and their joy and zest for life. What a fabulous group of kids - God is going to do and is already doing great things through them!! :)
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