Hello from Team Iceland!

Wow, where do I start? As one of the leaders of the Iceland team, all I can say is that if the rest of this summer goes anything like my first impression, this team is going to do great things for Jesus over the next two months! The team, as a whole, is adjusting better than expected to the challenging conditions of the Boot Camp training. The team was able to make it through the Obstacle Course without any disqualifications and they were able to bring 13 (out of the 23) team members over the Wall. And this was just the first official day of the OC being in effect.

During their first puppet class, the team was attentive and cooperative while they began to learn how to share the love of Jesus with puppets, choreography and music. This may not seem like any particular accomplishment, but when you require 23 teen agers to wake up at 5:30 AM and go through a day of training in 85-90 degree heat (and we're talking Florida heavy heat, something akin to a "wet oven"), it is impressive to me and the other leaders when they are still able to focus and stay awake in order to engage in their classes.

The team also had a work project during the day. It involved putting down dirt for some landscaping around Teen Missions property. As a leadership, we were encouraged by the effort that the team members made. They did such a good job that they even finished about 10 minutes early, giving them a little more time to get ready for dinner (you can imagine their appetites at that point ????).

Anyway, we wanted to let you know that the team is off to a good start and doing well. The Lord is at work and we are grateful for your continued prayers. Please continue to pray that God will use this training to prepare the team members (and us leaders) for the ministry that He has planned for us in Iceland. We also ask you to pray that the team members will be encouraged to respond to the Holy Spirit as He speaks to them throughout the day.

And now I leave you with some quotes from the team:

"I didn't think that I would like puppets. But much to my surprise, it turns out that I do!" -Talia V.

"I made it over the Slough today! I didn't fall in!" -Charity M.

"I thought that I could make it through Boot Camp with one pair of jeans. Turns out I'm going to need at least two. Thankfully I stashed an extra pair in my bag"
-Blaine M.