Introducing Team Mayak

Note: originally "Team Mayak" was known as the Aurora SE team. They have taken the name of the camp they have been serving which in Russian means "Lighthouse".

This team is truly a "distance team." Team members hail from Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee and no more than three live in close proximity of each other.

My first impression of Team Mayak is that they mirror the image of Christ and fulfill the goals of the lessons we will teach this summer. I have found them to be sincere, helpful, ready and eager to do what ever is handed to them. They are full of the joy of the Lord. Even when they were tired at the end of a long day they continued to work to finish the task without complaining. They showed compassion and humility to one another and put the team ahead of there own feelings. God has always provided the right team for the situation we will face each year. I believe he has done it again. 

-Jesse Anthony, Team Leader

Team Inspire

It has been a blessing to be able to lead Team Inspire for the third year this summer. While Inspire has been referred to as the "LCU" Team, we have always been diverse with members of different ages from various states. This year we have people from both Texas and New Mexico. As many team leaders can relate, trying to get distanced team members involved is always a concern. But I was very encouraged by the way everyone interacted when they were finally able to meet at Team Training. We seem to have a good mix of quiet leaders and outgoing personalities.

Our “plan” is to return to camp Baby Eagle where we taught last year.  I’m really excited because our team has a very “take charge” attitude.  Last year was a learning year and I’m interested to see how we deal with the challenges of a large camp.  Working in the youth camps has been a time to reflect on God’s larger story and I’m blessed to have a team that’s willing to participate in it.         

-Gabe Fisher, Team Leader

Introducing Team Imagine

Imagine a group of a dozen people that plan to travel together to Ukraine to work in a summer youth camp. But better than that, now imagine a team of Christians that God has hand-picked to travel to Ukraine this summer to be a part of his work there teaching God’s love to the future generations of Ukraine. That’s more than we can ask or imagine. But we believe God has personally selected each member of our team and has plans for us this summer in Ukraine.

The bonding that occurred during our Team Imagine time at team training was more than we could ask or imagine. God established and re-established ties that bind us together so tightly we are not happy to now be apart in Texas and N.Carolina (and Maryland). We are very excited about this year and cannot wait to be back together again in-country, and cannot wait to see what God has planned for us at camp this year. But we know that it will, of course, be more than we can ask or imagine...

-Terry Kile, Team Leader

Team Training: A wonderful time together!

What a fantastic weekend. As I type this I am exhausted but exhilarated at the same time! Nearly sixty team members representing five teams from Colorado to North Carolina converged upon the Hyatt Place in Grapevine to participate in team preparation.

Teams were comprised of veteran camp team members and a large number of first time team members. The mix of new members and veterans made for quite an exhilarating weekend. There was the excited nervousness of those not knowing what to expect combined with the excited confidence of those who had been a part of this program for a long time. At the same time those experienced team members were able to instill confidence as well as give good solid information to the neophytes. I cannot over-emphasize how important their presence and input was to the entire process.

It was also a time of bittersweet moments. Jackie Mereness, who has served faithfully and competently as Camp Program Assistant was presented with a crystal plaque to honor her work. Her last day of employment was March 31. We will miss her greatly.

A special thanks goes to Denise Baggett, former Camp Director and to Inna Kuzmenko, EEM Assistant to the Camp Program in the Ukraine office for all of their help and encouragement. Denise has been a wonderful mentor and a source of great encouragement. Inna is an effervescent spirit who brings a high level of energy to everything she does. They are such a joy to work with!

On Friday night team members were greeted with tasty welcome bread, loud European techno music (better get used to it now), and reports from last year's teams. During the weekend they learned what goes into making a successful team, various phrases and words both in Russian and Ukrainian, and were able to get a taste of what meals would be like in camp. Food was provided by A Taste of Europe and we enjoyed a wonderful supper at The Russian Banya in Coppell.

What impressed me the most at this first Team Training I have attended, was the attitude of all of the attendees. There was a true desire to learn, to share, and to build each other up. It was great to see veteran team members and team leaders in conversation with those who had never been and giving them suggestions on how to make their teams work smoothly.


Here are our teams for 2010:
Team Imagine (Ft. Worth and North Carolina)
Team Inspire (Lubbock Christian University & Shallow Water Church of Christ)
Team Lubhov (Aggies for Christ)
Team Mayak (Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee)
Team Agape (Bammel Road Church of Christ & Memorial Dr. Church of Christ in Houston)

 Welcome on board everyone! I am anticipating that God will use you in incredible ways this Summer!

Remember:

Любов перемагає!

(Love Wins!)