Good evening,
Today was a day filled with a diverse array of activities. The morning began with our devotions and breakfast with bacon as a surprise to go with our scrambled eggs and fruit. Lucas took us to the rough coast once again and took everyone’s pictures. He was a professional photographer in the Netherlands and over the last year has begun to do photography again as a side job. I am anxious to see how the photos turned out when he is done editing them.
We had a quick change of clothes and then headed to Caracasbaai for a hike and a bit of a history lesson. Caracasbaai is located on the eastern portion of Curaçao. The hike began with a walk to see the remains of Fort Beekenburg which was constructed in 1703 to protect the bay behind it (the Spanish Waters). We climbed to the top of the tower and took photos of the spectacular views of the surrounding area. Next was a rugged climb over volcanic rock to the top of a nearby mountain (not quite as high as Camelback) where we had an elevated view of the Spanish Waters as well as the mountains. After making our way down, we hiked to the Quarantine House where Lucas shared a bit about the history of the slave trade here on the island and how the property was used to isolate those who were suffering with yellow fever and other seaborne illnesses so they could regain their health. It was a very sobering experience.
Hungry from all of the hiking, it was time for lunch at Villa Vis located right down the road near Jan Thiel Beach. Everyone had fish and chips (either Mahi or Grouper). It was delicious! Since everyone was full it was time to cool down from the morning in the sun so Lucas took us to City Beach. It is a small beach right in the center of town with a nice walking pier around it as well as a sea wall so it is relatively calm and deep enough for diving and jumping. The team asked for a last visit in the city so we gave them a hour or so to wrap up their shopping or grab dessert.
On the way back to the church, we passed Lucas’ friend again who sells awa di lamunchi and of course we had to support him. He was so happy to see us and we were all happy to enjoy another refreshing drink. When the team got back to the church, we all showered and prepared to lead Youth Xplore. Jerseley made a delicious dinner of hamburgers for 60 teens and all the leaders. Our team led the whole evening and they did a great job! Emma welcomed everyone and opened in prayer. She also helped to lead worship with the YouthXplore worship team. Our team chose the songs and their team learned them and asked if anyone in our group wanted to join them so she did. Mason and Ethan headed up the icebreaker with a TicTacToe relay and all of the teens really enjoyed it! We gave out the Arizona t-shirts to the winning team as well as the runners up. At the end of the night we gave away the rest of the shirts to others who hadn’t gotten one. Following the game, Makayla shared what a testimony is and why it is important. She did an amazing job! When Makayla was done, we broke into six groups of ten and there were two Valley kids in each group. They started out the discussion team by each sharing their testimonies then allowed others in their individual groups to share their testimonies in conjunction with asking questions and discussing the importance of sharing our faith. The evening ended with all of the teens talking and playing games outside including a water ballon fight. The fellowship lasted for an hour and a half and the team was exhausted as we did our debrief. It is really crazy how much we have been packing into a day. When you start at 7:00 am and end at 11:00 pm it sometimes seems as if you have completed two days in one. With that said, it is midnight and I need some sleep before we begin again in the morning at 7:00 am.
With a full heart,
Lisa
Today was a day filled with a diverse array of activities. The morning began with our devotions and breakfast with bacon as a surprise to go with our scrambled eggs and fruit. Lucas took us to the rough coast once again and took everyone’s pictures. He was a professional photographer in the Netherlands and over the last year has begun to do photography again as a side job. I am anxious to see how the photos turned out when he is done editing them.
We had a quick change of clothes and then headed to Caracasbaai for a hike and a bit of a history lesson. Caracasbaai is located on the eastern portion of Curaçao. The hike began with a walk to see the remains of Fort Beekenburg which was constructed in 1703 to protect the bay behind it (the Spanish Waters). We climbed to the top of the tower and took photos of the spectacular views of the surrounding area. Next was a rugged climb over volcanic rock to the top of a nearby mountain (not quite as high as Camelback) where we had an elevated view of the Spanish Waters as well as the mountains. After making our way down, we hiked to the Quarantine House where Lucas shared a bit about the history of the slave trade here on the island and how the property was used to isolate those who were suffering with yellow fever and other seaborne illnesses so they could regain their health. It was a very sobering experience.
Hungry from all of the hiking, it was time for lunch at Villa Vis located right down the road near Jan Thiel Beach. Everyone had fish and chips (either Mahi or Grouper). It was delicious! Since everyone was full it was time to cool down from the morning in the sun so Lucas took us to City Beach. It is a small beach right in the center of town with a nice walking pier around it as well as a sea wall so it is relatively calm and deep enough for diving and jumping. The team asked for a last visit in the city so we gave them a hour or so to wrap up their shopping or grab dessert.
On the way back to the church, we passed Lucas’ friend again who sells awa di lamunchi and of course we had to support him. He was so happy to see us and we were all happy to enjoy another refreshing drink. When the team got back to the church, we all showered and prepared to lead Youth Xplore. Jerseley made a delicious dinner of hamburgers for 60 teens and all the leaders. Our team led the whole evening and they did a great job! Emma welcomed everyone and opened in prayer. She also helped to lead worship with the YouthXplore worship team. Our team chose the songs and their team learned them and asked if anyone in our group wanted to join them so she did. Mason and Ethan headed up the icebreaker with a TicTacToe relay and all of the teens really enjoyed it! We gave out the Arizona t-shirts to the winning team as well as the runners up. At the end of the night we gave away the rest of the shirts to others who hadn’t gotten one. Following the game, Makayla shared what a testimony is and why it is important. She did an amazing job! When Makayla was done, we broke into six groups of ten and there were two Valley kids in each group. They started out the discussion team by each sharing their testimonies then allowed others in their individual groups to share their testimonies in conjunction with asking questions and discussing the importance of sharing our faith. The evening ended with all of the teens talking and playing games outside including a water ballon fight. The fellowship lasted for an hour and a half and the team was exhausted as we did our debrief. It is really crazy how much we have been packing into a day. When you start at 7:00 am and end at 11:00 pm it sometimes seems as if you have completed two days in one. With that said, it is midnight and I need some sleep before we begin again in the morning at 7:00 am.
With a full heart,
Lisa