I love the Florida Gators. Because of this, when I go into a restaurant or hotel while a game is on, I tend to zone out of life and am absorbed into the game. A few nights ago the team stayed the night at a hotel in northern Florida. I knew the game was on, so I went to the manager at the front desk and asked if he would change the channel for me. We stood there for a while searching for the game (and at this point Kristen and Hannah had come over) while he asked us questions that were very to the point. “This whole internship thing, what’s in it for you?” and “Oh you teach kids to communicate truth… What truth, any kind of truth?” I have to admit it took me slightly by surprise, but the girls and I answered his questions, finished explaining the mission of ICC, and why we were doing this. After this we introduced ourselves to him, and he commented on how impressed he was that we looked him in the eye, shook his hand, and not only had previous debate experience in high school, but were now teaching it to other students.

My plan was to be diplomatic and therefore be able to change the channel. However, myfootball question led to another conversation about topics including music and our culture today. Although the majority of the time we aren’t looking for or expecting these kind of opportunities to arise out of a simple inquiry, God allows them to fall in our path so that we can reach out to others and be stretched ourselves in the process as well.

This past weekend, the CFC interns had a chance to relax and wind down from several weeks of conferences by spending time at a California ranch. The Walter family invited the whole team down to their huge ranch in Carmel, CA for a few days, where we had an amazing time.

On the night we arrived, we piled into the Walter’s Jeep and pick up truck and drove up to one of the highest points on their ranch. There we spent nearly an hour looking up at the stars, locating constellations, and simply enjoying the pleasant breeze in God’s wonderful world. The whole night was entirely unforgettable.

The next morning, the team was able to sleep in until 9AM when the day’s tightly scheduled activities began. The girls and guys faced off in several timed events. First, we learned how to use the ranch’s backhoe to transport a watermelon from one location to another. The guys had the clear win in this race. Then, we got to practice our motorcycle skills and had to drive a figure-8 around three cones. This time the girls won. During all the competitions, we took turns speeding around the ranch on the Walter’s four-wheelers. After lunch, we had a chance to swim, attempt to shoot squirrels, and search for fossils at the top of one of the hills. We had great success and came away with several fossils for all our work.

In the evening, the team had the opportunity to give a presentation about the ICC and CFC. The Walters had invited some (okay, more like 50) of their friends over to the ranch to meet us. Following a fabulous dinner, we put on a hour-long presentation about what we do. We were also able to present parts of the Evening Program for them. Once the program was over, we hung out with everybody there and had some amazing conversations, not to mention the scrumptious desserts.

We were pretty tired that night, but didn’t want to miss Tuesday’s activities. So, the next morning we drove over to Carmel and Monterey. The team broke up into smaller groups as we toured the city with the Walters. We were able to spend time out on the beach and got to visit the aquarium in Monterey. We were completely fascinated by watching the jellyfish and decided it was our hands-down favorite exhibit.

After a good three days of rest and rejuvenation, the CFC team headed out on Wednesday morning, thoroughly renewed and pumped for our add-on performance of the Evening Program in Texas. We are so thankful to the Walters for sharing their home and time with us and so humbled to see the way God blessed us with a lovely few days in Carmel Valley, California.

September 13 – 19, 2009

There’s No Place Like Home

Austin Luce

As the motorhome pulled into the Moons’ driveway, excited shouts of, “We’re home!” rang out. The Moons’ house has become the team’s home away from home. This past week, we went back to Tennessee for a couple of days to relax, do a little work, and restock the motorhome storage cabinets with book table materials (and restock the snack drawer with goodies .

I particularly enjoyed getting to sleep in as late as I wanted, getting a hair cut, and going on a supply run to the grocery store for eggs so that we could bake brownies!

The team started reading the book The Peacemaker together. The book has led to great discussions and will be sure to build the unity of our team.

We have also spent a lot of time this week working on the theme for next year. We’ve brainstormed ideas, had several discussions, and are nearly ready to unveil the theme that will be used this January at the MASTERS conference and through out the next year.

We had a great time time this week, but we’re itching to get back on the road to put on the next eight conferences. We’ll see you there!

Trust me

Katie Mullaney

The other day I jumped off a thirty foot pole. Blind-folded. The fact that I couldn’t see the pole (or the ladder, or the tiny platform at the top) actually made the jump a little bit easier.

Oh, did I forget to mention I was in a harness, connected to a rope, a Doe River Gorge staff member was belaying me below, and Tim Hardy was guiding me the whole way?

The ‘leap of faith’, as the Doe River staff calls the jump, was the dramatic conclusion to the team-building activities the interns participated in this Friday at Doe River Gorge (DRG). The very gracious DRG staff took several hours to lead the team through various activities that both strengthened our trust in each other, and bolstered our effectiveness as a team.

After we flipped over a potato sack/flying carpet, crawled in a line blindfolded through the mud, and partnered up for the leap of faith, we walked down by the river in the rain. As we settled in for dinner, I contemplated the allegorical imagery and powerful impression the exercises had left in my mind. The importance of trust and teamwork was highlighted by the intense experience we went through.

The rest of our time at the gorge on Saturday was spent swimming in, hanging around, and zip-lining into the lake, eating more delicious food, playing disc golf, riding horses, hiking, and whatever other adventurous activities we could get ourselves into.

The experience was unforgettable, the staff was wonderfully hospitable, the rest and relaxation were refreshing, and the lessons we learned will stay with us for the rest of tour and the rest of our lives.

Kelsea Mort

While having a bit of time off, our team was blessed with the opportunity to spend a day in the beautiful city. I’m sure the twelve of us filing into the metro excited for an adventure filled day must have been quite the sight! Our destination? Boston! Our group of Josh, Kristen, Austin, and myself set out confidently, armed with a map and cameras. We followed the yellow brick road, or rather, the red brick road, known as The Freedom Trail, while singing “and now I’ve been to Boston in the fall!” The day was rich with history. Our fearless leader and history nut (Josh), lead us to the very top of the Bunker Hill memorial (all 375ish steps!), into the North Church (where we saw the pews of Theodore Roosevelt and General Gage), to multiple statues erected in founding father’s honor (such as Paul Revere), even to historic graveyards and beautiful parks. We even walked to the waters edge as ‘angry rebels’, throwing tea into the harbor, and were able to take a ferry around the outskirts of the city. We were able to experience some shopping downtown in the market and walk through the public gardens just as the sun was going down. Riding the metro back to the motor home, we all were able to reflect on the day and what a wonderful blessing it was to spend it in such enjoyable company. Farewell to our foundational city, good-bye Boston.

Josh Craddock

September 5 – 6, 2009

Our first stop on our two-day tour of New York City wasn’t even in New York. Ellis Island, where more than twelve million immigrants were processed through its facilities, is primarily located in the state of New Jersey! This was an especially exciting part of our tour for our team, since several of us had relatives who had immigrated to the United States through this very island. KatieMac found several of her relative’s names inscribed on the Wall of Honor. KatieAnne told the story of her great-grandfather who was marked with a chalk “X” (indicating that he was inadmissible to America for health reasons) and who turned his coat inside out to conceal the mark, allowing him to enter the country. I was even able to find one of my relatives who had come over from Germany in the record database!

Getting back on the ferry, we floated on over to Liberty Island – home of the famed Statue of Liberty. We climbed all one hundred and seventy-six steps to the observation deck so that we could look out on the expansive city across the harbor! The view was breathtaking.

We spent the next day in the city itself. Walking down the streets of New York City’s Manhattan borough, we managed to avoid being trampled by the masses and tasted the delicious experience that is the Big Apple! Our group started beneath the Brooklyn Bridge and worked our way on foot past Federal Hall, where on the steps of the first capital of the United States under the Constitution, George Washington took the Oath of Office.

Following Wall Street, we saw the New York Stock Exchange and Trinity Church, where Alexander Hamilton and William Bradford are buried (and where, more recently, the popular movie National Treasure was filmed). We finally reached Castle Clinton, an old fortress built for the War of 1812 and later turned into an immigration processing station.

Turning back to the North, we worked our way back past the World Trade Center ground zero. The empty hole in the New York skyline was chilling, but the unbreakable spirit of the American people was evident all around the site.

We were starting to get hungry, so we navigated our way through the masses towards Chinatown, an area rich with culture, new sights, sounds, and smells. After passing through Chinatown, we visited Little Italy and upon seeing an Italian grocery store, we decided to get fresh rolls, cheese, and salami and eat them in the park. What a great place for a picnic! Our stomachs having been satisfied, we jumped on the metro and got off at the Empire State Building and the world’s largest store – Macy’s!

Somehow we managed to pull the girls back to the Metro so that we could visit Grand Central Terminal (the largest train station in the world in terms of platforms). We finally took the Metro to Central Park – an urban jungle in the midst of the towering skyscrapers of Manhattan.

The entire team had dinner at a ‘50s diner before taking an evening walk through Times Square. Everyone enjoyed seeing the lights of the city against the night sky.

All in all, the team enjoyed the city tremendously. Most of us decided that we wouldn’t like to live there, but that it sure was a nice place to visit. I can’t wait for my next trip back!