I have stared this report four times and hope I can get through it this time.  At church this morning the first song was “All Who Are Thirsty” and that started the tears flowing . I just could  not get the children we held, danced and sang with out of my thoughts.  Our trip was beyond what we had hoped and the Lord was with us all the way.  We saw lives change,  joy for the moment and hope in the eyes of every child. When we arrived at each performance, the audience was not sure who we were or what we were going to do.  All it took is one three high pyramid with Mo falling into Jared’s arms and they exploded in applause, laughter and cheer. Each location was “Our favorite”.  It never failed that one child would grab our hearts and leave an everlasting impression.   

Our team was awesome.   They did a total of 34 performances in 15 days.  Despite the aching ankles, legs and shoulders they gave each performance 100%.   The added element of Matt and Rachael singing was terrific and teamed up with members of the Eksderde team on several numbers. Besides the  laughter, ostrich rides, and feeding the elephants, the opportunity to demonstrate the love God has for everyone will stay with each member for a lifetime.   

The bond we had with the Eksderde team was immediate. In a short two weeks we became a very close family and leaving our friends was very hard.  Many tears shed by everyone and several of us continued on the plane.  Our hope is that we will see them soon and continue our disability awareness ministry together.

I took over 2000 pictures and Jared championed the video camera.  It will take a while to go through everything but I hope to put all the photos on the Internet where everyone can download those they want.  There is a media day Wednesday and I’m sure Jared and I will have something put together. 

We also want to express our gratitude to our familes here at home.  Without their continued support and love of Break the Barriers and the Barrier Breakers this lifechanging experience would not have been possible.  We love each and every one of you. 

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