Farewell to a team:

Farewell to a team:   Team East Asia has returned safely home.  As the team departed, I wanted to close off the journey of our team with some remarks as the Team Leader.   

The general consensus on the team was that this trip was nothing like we thought or anticipated it would be like.  Many signed up to go because of the foster home for children with serious health concerns, but we ended up being touched by all the different programs that our contact has set up.  One area that had great influence on our team was the english school.  The relationships that our team built with some of the students (ranging in age from 16-30) will be lifelong connections and are unlike anything I have seen on similar trip.  By staying in one location and working with the same students everyday, we were able to experience a depth in people that is unique for such a short trip.  There were definitely tears shed on both sides of the cultural divide as we said our goodbyes to students who had become such close friends to many of us.  The significance of these relationships weighed on me as our dear Coral held on to me and wept at the realization of our team's departure early this morning.   

Our team gave everything possible the last two weeks of this journey.  I am so proud of them.  There were times when they could have been relaxing or hanging out, and they chose to spend time with students instead.  They were working on those relationships and hoping for moments to share about what makes our team 'different.'  Nights when we could have done a movie night for the team, they chose to invite the students to a movie KTV party instead.  Days when our team traveled to see the great landmarks of this country, the team decided to bring as many students along as possible so that we could have more time together.  The team poured out.  Constantly.  And it did not go unnoticed.   

Some things our contact said about our team include: 
They were full of an energy that this place needed to see.
They came at the perfect time to be a breath of fresh air to everyone here.
There was a unique intimacy and desire to connect with the students that has not been seen before.  T
here is a passion within the group that is uncommon to see.  
This age group has limitless possibilities with the students, and with the children that other age groups don't.  This team sucked it up for all it was worth. 

I say all this in conclusion to say thank you to the team.  All 18 of you were incredible to work with (even if I was hard on you at points) and I appreciate you making the most of every moment and opportunity that we had on this trip.  Thank you for sacrificing you summer to defend the orphans, preach good news to the poor, learn to do good, plead for the widow, proclaim freedom to the captives, and bind up the broken hearted.  Your work and relationships here are eternally good.   

Some other final THANK YOUS: 
First, I would like to say thank you to our dear friend Jim Kitson who was the faithful updater of our blog.  We were not able to access the site where we were, so we would send our updates every few days and Jim would post them.  We are so grateful for what you have done for our team over the last several months.  You and your wife have been so good to us and you will be in our hearts and lives forever. 

Second, I would like to say thank you to Dr. Hank Lederle, Karin Swihart, and Global Infusion.  These three have done more to make this trip happen then anyone else.  Most of their work goes unseen but we owe them so much!  Thanks for dedicating your life to seeing these trips happen. 

Third, Thanks to the parents of this team.  You children have blessed my life and the lives of many….more than you can probably realize.  Not only were many of your children's lives impacted by this trip, but your children had a significant role in changing other people's lives forever.  I know many of you took a step of faith in allowing your child to travel to Asia, but on behalf of our contact, as well as the students and children we worked with, thank you for supporting your child to do this good work.   

Finally, Thank you to our contact here in E.A.  You have changed us forever.  

For HIS glory, Melissa Yarrow