This week's Top 5!

So this past week has been full of lots of fun adventures (Jess here speaking).  Some of the highlights from the past week are...

1. Easter Weekend: The girls really got a deeper view of what Jesus did for us. With a combination of watching Jesus' death and resurrection on the bible series, a good Friday service and then Easter morning service, I feel like they really got a complete view of what really happened. It really was a humbling experience being reminded of how GREAT is God's love for us! We also got to have some fun at the river house on Sunday full of decorating eggs and an easter egg hunt.  Funny note... my girls have gotten so many goodie bags over the past week, they can't fit it all in their suitcases!

2. Boat Ride: On Tuesday, the girls got the chance to take a tour down the Tennessee River on the Chattanooga River Boat. They had a blast!

3. Game at Walker Valley High School: (Chelsie writing this highlight) We were able to play a game against my college roommate's team, at my former high school. I had three world's colliding at once: High School, College and the DR! It was crazy to think about, but I couldn't help but be thankful and amazed at the way God has directed my steps, and how I can look back and see the awesome story that he has woven in my life thus far. After the game, the girls were greeted in the stands by their host families and other new friends that they have made. It was a great night!

4. Bryan College Tour: On Wednesday, we did a college tour of Bryan college (Chelsie's almamater). The girls got to see a little bit of what college is like in the states and they even got to practice with Bryan's team!

5. Tampa: On Thursday, we drove down in two RV's and stopped at my aunt Nancy's and uncle Jim's house for lunch. And for all those Gates family out there, you know that my girls left that house with some fun Florida Gator apparel. GO GATORS! 

We start our tournament this afternoon and will be playing today and tomorrow, we will be back in the DR Monday night! 

P.S. Our new summer intern at the Women's Sports Site, Taylor, was able to join us for a couple of days! It was great to get to know her and we are excited to have her with us during the summer months!

Praying before the game at Walker Valley against C4 club team

After our practice with Bryan College

River Boat Fun!

Support from their host family at the game
Scotty, MArilyn, Mariela, Naomy and Ambar

The girls also got to learn how to skate!

The girls ready for the Easter Service!

Dying some Easter Eggs

At Bryan, the girls had a "scavenger hunt" tour of campus

See ya later TN!

Learning. Serving. Growing.

What have you learned so far on this trip?

We are Mabelis and Ileana and this trip has impacted us a lot. It is amazing to see how different cultures can be, and how God is the same in all of them. Even though our team has faced some barriers, like language, it's so cool to see that our God in the Dominican Republic is the same as it is in the United States. Yesterday, for example, a kid taught us a lesson. He used all his reading points that he had earned in school to buy us as many chocolates as possible. He told us he had bought them, but that it was all he could give us. This made us question our spiritual life, what are we doing for God?

Highlights Wednesday -Thursday 

Wednesday: We spent the morning at Candies Creek Academy. We shared with the students about the DR and ways that they can be praying for the nation. After some games and fun they broke up in groups and spent time in prayer for the DR and the USA. After  some afternoon fun in the sun, we spent the evening at the CCBC youth group service. They got to play some flag football, and a couple girls shared their testimonies. I was very proud of their openness with the group and the ways that they shared how God has changed their lives. 

Prayer groups at CC Academy

FUN in the SUN!

Emely on the slackline

Arlenny and Genesis in the hammock

Dinner provided by my parents' Sunday School Class.
They even had a fun photo booth set up for the girls!

DR girls "rock"!

Flag Football Fun

We had a great time getting to know some of the kids in the youth group

Thursday: The girls had an eventful day at Taylor Elementary School. The whole school has been learning about the DR for the past couple of weeks. We spent the morning teaching the kids about DR culture and about volleyball as well. In the afternoon we helped run an Accelerated Reader Event; they even got to play against the staff of Taylor!

Ileana and Carolina playing some Jenga

Erika with some Taylor students!

Mabe at the Lego station

The dance crew!

Inviting the students to learn!

Even the teachers love volleyball :)

VC REVOLUTION
vs.
Taylor Teachers

Ambar teaching a group

Edelyn in the afternoon game time

Bring silly!

Naomy the celebrity ;)
The girls were featured last night on the 5:30 News. Check it out by clicking the link below!

                                            Our Story on News Channel 3

We are spending this Good Friday in reflection of all that Jesus Christ has done for us. We pray that you will take time to remember Jesus' life, death and resurrection this weekend as well. Our prayer for our girls is that they will see Jesus' love for them and be motivated to live each day, each hour to honor and glorify Him.

Serving it up.

We have had a busy couple days! For a day and a half, we partnered with the youth group of Brainerd Baptist Church and worked alongside the missionaries of Hope for the Inner City in Chattanooga, TN. We were assisgned to different projects throughout the day and our biggest project was helping to get a playground started for the campus! The girls worked hard, I was very proud of them!

This afternoon, we joined an assembly at Prospect Elementary School in Cleveland, TN. The kids at this school have raised money in the past to help purchase equipment for the team; as a "thank you" we spent an afternoon with them! The girls taught the kids about Dominican culture and demonstrated their skills by playing a 5 point volleyball game. Each student picked a side and cheered on each point. The girls told me afterwards that they felt like they were playing in a professional game because the kids were cheering so loud!

Check out the pics from yesterday and today!

At "Hope for the Inner City"
Learning about their ministry and our work projects for the day.
Micah has done a great job translating for us!

Our group with the Brainerd youth.

Micah working hard.

They found the best method!

Emely getting some work done.

Progress!

Other work projects: the girls loved learning how to vacuum :)

Naomy making volunteer phone calls

At Prospect!

The "professional" game.

The spectators :)

Intorducing the girls and sharing a little about VCREVOLUTION

Debrief/relaxation time at the Blackburn house :)

We ended tonight with a fun night of dinner and games with the White family!

Look forward to hearing from one of the girls on the next blog post! Thanks for the prayers :)

Planes, Trains and BBQ

We're FLYING!!

 We are off to a great start!
 It's only the end of day two and we have had lots of adventures! After our red eye flight, we took Saturday afternoon to rest and had dinner with a group from Candies Creek Baptist Church! The girls got a new "Hey Y'all" shirt and i'm proud to see them in Tennessee Orange! As the girls are accustomed  to the Dominican sun year around, they are a little cold! Ashley told me she felt like she was standing in front of a freezer :) haha

Today, we attended church at "the Creek" (my home church). The girls were introduced and prayed over as a team; Ileana and Genesis shared a beautiful testimony of how VC Revolution has impacted their lives and how God has changed thier story through this time on the team. Naomy also used her amazing vocal talent to lead us in the song "How Great is Our God". Yeah...we were crying by the end of all this!

Our pastor commented that there was sweet spirit present this morning and I would have to agree. Our church is focusing this season on discipleship. The challenge at the end of the sermon was to come to the front and write the name down of someone God has put on your heart to disciple and many girls responded and went forward to write a name. I was very proud of them! It's hard to explain how God is already moving, I know that he has a great plan for these girls now and as well as when they get back to the DR. God is continuing to show me that even though I have "planned/scheduled" things for this trip, his purpose will prevail, and so far, it is more than I could have known to ask for. God is so good!

PRAYER NEEDS for now:

The girls are now with their host families, pray for their time with the families to be impactful and that they can grow and learn from each other.

Tomorrow we will be painting and doing other service projects with a local youth group, pray that even through the language barrier, they can connect with those their age.

We are praying that God does BIG things in their lives this week!

Thanks y'all

The girls loved riding the train in the ATL airport

Mabelis and I bright-eyed at 2am

knocked out!

first meal out..SUBWAY!

Excited about our gifts...Big Orange T shirts :)

"Freeze out" game yesterday afternoon! crazy what girls will do for some shopping money! 

With the Sunday School Class from CCBC that brought us dinner

"Meet and Greet" luncheon with their host families for the week
Of course we had good taste of the south with some BBQ  and baked beans :)

Carolina and Emmy having fun!

STAY TUNED...