After shopping this morning, our group spendthrift afternoon playing outdoor games like volleyball and basketball. They got to hang out with a group from Meadow Grove Baptist Church in Brandon. Then we enjoyed a meal of hot dogs, Frito Chilli pie, and orange slices. It was a wonderful meal. Thanks to the Temple ABF class, the Hernandez class. After dinner, the kids were able to watch a little Looney Tunes before heading out to the bonfire lit by "Larry, Moe, & Pyro" to make s'mores. The evening ended with a special time for Ukrainian-Americans to worship together and study with pastor Sergey and Natalie.

USM vs. Alcorn St.

This afternoon in Gulfport included a trip to the beach for lunch and to the Institute for Marine Mammal Studies. Apparently, Sergey decided to do a little "dumpster diving" just in case he needed to make friends with a bird later at the Institute ;-)

Here are a few pictures from the morning with our friends at First Baptist Church Gulfport from the Lynn Meadows Discovery Center and at the Friendship Oaks. Thank you very much Dr. Jimmy Stewart and all of the FBC Gulfport family for your warm hospitality!

Today was a relaxed day for Christmas Camp 2011. We had a down day for our guests to get over jet lag and rest up from their long journey. The morning began with a little fishing down at the pond. Then, this afternoon they had a special time to get together with a few friends to decorate some Christmas cookies, sing some carols in Russian & English, and read the Christmas story. Then after some hang out time (and a seemingly endless game of volleyball!), we all enjoyed a traditional American Christmas dinner of turkey, dressing, and all the trimmings. After dinner, our guests were treated to new shoes courtesy of Temple's Beautiful Feet ministry and opened a few gifts (including nerf guns for the boys).

Tomorrow, the group is heading out for a full day courtesy of FBC Gulfport, MS followed by girls and guys night out.

Here are a few pictures of our day. Enjoy!

After around 21 hours of air travel, our guests arrived tired but well. Their travels had involved a 14 hour train ride the previous day to get to Kyvi, so you can imagine they were really glad to see a place to settle in for a while.

After an uneventful busride and most likely the largest takeout order McDonald's had seen in a while, we arrive safely home. Each guest was greeted with a fresh bed, new pajamas & toiletries, and assorted other gifts to get their week going.

The theme of today is jet lag. We will not be receiving visitors today, and our main goal is to let our guests get adjuested to the time change and ease their way into the camp schedule.

We will keep you posted. Thanks for praying,

In just a few hours, our Ukrainian guests will be arriving! The house and grounds are abuzz with activity as we make final preparations for their arrival. Here are a few pictures of the fun!

In Ukraine, Christmas is celebrated on January 8. In honor of the Ukrainian celebration of our Savior's birth, Promise 139 is hosting a Ukrainian Christmas Celebration and Dessert. Our Ukrainian guests will be sharing a few songs with us as well as a video that they have prepared especially for the occasion.

We hope you will make plans to join us for this very special occasion!