We're here!

Whoo-hoo! We're here at the English Camp and training for what we'll be doing over this next week. The school that we're holding the camp at is pretty neat... we're going a little rustic (as I had mentioned in a past blog) which is okay with me.

Little did I know that, when I started out on this new adventure, that we are not holding the camp very close to Tartu at all. There are students from Tartu coming here but we're actually staying at a place called Otepaa, which is a "ski" town about 40km south/southwest of Tartu. I was slightly concerned, having been here (not here/here, as in this camp, but "here" as in Estonia) when we passed Tartu and just kept on going, and kept on going, and (yes) kept on going at 3:30 in the morning (we landed and left Tallinn at midnight).

Yesterday's team bonding time in Amsterdam was really good. We toured the Anne Frank Museum... it was really moving for me AND a little "creepy" walking through the house as if I was stepping back in time to when Jews were being persecuted by the Nazis and feeling a little "in hiding" myself. I had a few interesting thoughts go through my head as I walked through the tour but I'll save them for future conversations. We also walked around town (didn't go into any "coffee houses" - to alleviate anyones' fears) and checked out the architecture of the city and ate at a couple of cafes. The weather wasn't so great (off and on rain) after we left the Anne Frank Hais so we ended up taking the train back to the airport a little early.

Everyone here has been really cool so far and our team has bonded (even failing at an - in my opinion - unfairly hard team-building challenge earlier today). What we really need prayer for right now is for REST (of the sleeping/napping variety) as it really appears that sleep will be a precious and rare commodity this week. The travel has taken something out of us so we need to catch up :).

But that's me... catching up with you. More to come! :)

chris <><