The Tour Begins!

Well, we're in California! Our students arrived Wednesday, May 12, and were immediately awe-struck by the massiveness of LA (actually, we are too!) This is the first of our blog posts documenting our odyssey. Because our access to wireless is inconsistent, our ongoing documentary will be largely visual, sprinkled with brief written comments. So, here's our first installment . . . thanks for your prayers as we get underway.

 Jet-lagged after a 15 hour flight . . . .

So cold, students donned socks with their flip-flops.  Leeman is overheard saying, "It feels like we're walking in a refrigerator."  It's in the mid-70's here . . . .

 Rehearsing all day, culminating in a trip to Old Navy.  When the store wasn't where we were told, one student commented, "Is that the only one on island - oops, I mean, in the State?"  Needless to say, there was an Old Navy down the street.  That night they wondered where the stars were when they looked up.  "Uh, this is LA . . . ."

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Taking a tour of BIOLA . . . the tour guides were dumb-struck after our students broke out a ukulele and blessed them with a Micronesian-style song.   The students were dumb-struck in return when told BIOLA is not a large college . . . Neither could they believe that our hometown is some 350 miles away and still in the same state!

Our very first performance at an AWANA club in LA . . .  Here is Grace teaching the kids a favorite PIU song.  The kids were transfixed by a most excellent presentation by the Voices of Micronesia - off to a great start!

The children were absolutely mesmerized by a rendition of a Chuukese stick dance.  Actually, it's a Christian adaptation of an ancient war dance, now redeemed for Christ!  And to think, we've only just begun!