We drove down to Savannah, Georgia on Sunday night after a slow start to getting on the road. We arrived around 9:30 PM, checked into the hotel, had devotions and went to bed. The next morning, we got up and went to the Second Harvest Food Bank where we volunteered. They had us doing a variety of activities, from emptying boxes to shelving/organizing food to getting mailers ready to distribute. Our group worked hard and got a lot accomplished.
Shelving food at Second Harvest
Emptying boxes into carts
Fixing the mailers
After the food bank, we headed to downtown Savannah for our lunch reservation at The Lady and Sons. It was a great buffet lunch filled with all the southern fixin's - fried chicken, macaroni, green beans, biscuits, okra, amazing desserts and more. (And of course, SWEET TEA!) After lunch, we let everyone walk around downtown for a while to burn off some of what we ate!
Lunch at Paula Deen's!
After walking, we headed over to Magnolia Manor for our 2 PM concert. The kids did a great job singing through their program and the residents there were such a great audience. They laughed during the skits and were very attentive. After singing, our kids visited with them for a while. More important than the singing is the interaction that we get to have with the residents. They were so friendly and enjoyed visiting with our group so much. It was a great first concert!
Singing at Magnolia Manor
Our attentive audience
We hit the road again after the concert and braved several rain showers (or monsoons, depending on who is telling the story!) once we hit the Florida line. We stopped at a Waffle House for dinner and everyone got hats as we were leaving. If you know our group at all, you know that this was a highlight of the trip! :)Waffle House!
Monday evening we checked into the hotel, had devotions and went to bed. Tuesday was all day at Universal Islands of Adventure, which has the newly opened Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We got there as soon as the theme park opened, and many of our group went straight to the line to get into Harry Potter's world. After about an hour and a half in line (yes, that's right!), we were into that section of the theme park.
Michael at Hogwarts
We rode the rides, had some pumpkin juice and butter beer. (non alcoholic, in case you don't read the HP books!) After Harry Potter, we visited the rest of the park and a great time was had by all. Our kids were worn out by the time we left, but everyone enjoyed themselves and no one was sunburnt! (which I think is AMAZING! Yay for responsible kids who remember to put on their sunscreen!)
Enjoying Pumpkin Juice and Butter Beer
Wednesday morning started with a discussion about our visit to the Russell Home for Atypical Children. Then we headed over and sang our program for them, as well as having a sing along time with the residents afterward. I think they enjoyed our program, but I KNOW they enjoyed the sing along. We sang songs like "Jesus Loves Me," "Deep and Wide," "If You're Happy and You Know It," and many other favorites. After singing, we visited for a while and it was hard to get the kids in the car to leave so the residents at the Russell Home could continue with their daily routine. In the van ride to lunch, several of our youth were already trying to figure out what they were going to share about their time on youth Sunday.
Sing along with the Russell Home Residents
Sarah and Emily with Tanya
All of us together
Lunch followed at McDonalds - but not just any McDonalds! A two-story, "Bistro Gourmet" McDonalds! Many of our group ordered off the regular menu, but several of us sampled the pasta, pizza, paninis, chimichangas, and other "gourmet" items that were available! :) Our next concert was at Hunter's Creek Nursing and Rehab Center. It had been a eventful day at their facility (They had a kitchen fire that morning!) so they weren't completely prepared for us. That was ok - our group is flexible! We sang (Most) of our program, and visited for a while, and then on to our 4 PM program!
Hunter's Creek Nursing home
Our final program for the day was at the Life Care Center. We came in and as soon as we started singing, the bottom dropped out of the sky and it began POURING rain. If you look carefully behind our group, you can see where the outside patio began to flood!
Life Care Center (after the rain!)
Life Care Center
Life Care Center
We weren't able to visit long after singing because it was time for the residents to have dinner and as anyone knows, you don't mess with meal time! We came back to the hotel, changed, and went to dinner ourselves at Fuddruckers. Our group all had to get balloon animals of course, so dinner took quite a while! Once back at the hotel, we had devotions and then let the kids have some free time. (Since they have been working so hard today!) They have played in the pool, played cards, rested, and just enjoyed being together. This group, of course, can have fun doing absolutely nothing together.Balloon animals at Fuddruckers
Tomorrow we are headed to the Central Florida Children's Home for service work in the morning and a concert in the afternoon. We'll finish out the day walking around and playing at Downtown Disney before driving home on Friday. Make sure to ask one of these youth all about the trip to find out more details - they all have lots of stories to share! And if you'd like to see more pictures, you can go to:
http://picasaweb.google.com/meflack/ChoirTour10#
No comments:
Post a Comment