Photos from Thursday (March 12th)

Hello from Jordan

So as Brian (the elder) said, we stayed overnight with a Trini family from the church and we got the chance to sleep in a little bit! I was very happy to get a little extra sleep. We also are able to go on the internet! Yay! It was funny because our hosts have two laptops, and both Brians had their laptops, so we have a little internet café in our host home. Yesterday and the day before we had the chance to go to a couple high schools. The first one that we went to was an all girls school. We performed one of our dramas and it really had an impact on some of the girls. We also showed a video that talked about sex and STDs. After we finished one girl came up and thanked us for the entire group and said that the drama impacted her personally. The second high school we went to was a mixed sex school. We performed another drama, Emmy shared her testimony, and then we had a chance to talk with the kids. It was really cool because a lot of the kids were asking questions about our faith. I think that Stephanie even got to pray with someone who accepted Christ! The picture below is from the second high school we went to. The VBS has been going really well too. Many of the same kids have been coming each day, so we are getting to know them better. I am having tons of fun doing the puppet shows for the kids too. Yesterday when we were singing songs with the kids, uncle John wanted us to sing faster. He started singing to set the tempo, and it was so fast that Brian (the elder) and I had a hard time playing the guitar to follow him. I have learned lots of new kids songs on this trip. It is really fun to see our leaders and random people from the crowd do funny actions to each song. The kids really like it when Brian (the elder) pulls adults from the crowd to lead the actions with us. Well I’m going to go eat breakfast here at our host home. We are having leftover pizza, and hotdogs. (a very healthy Trini breakfast) :) Thank you all for praying for us, God has been doing some amazing things! When I get back, just ask and I can share more stories.

Hey from Brian C

Hi everyone! Greetings from Trinidad! I’m having a lot of fun here, and I wish I could tell you and show you all what’s happening all the time, but this is the next best thing. You’re missing so much! And I’m going to forget a lot of things so you’re going to have to look at other people’s blogs to get the whole story. I’ll also put my day-to-day journal online (probably on Facebook) later so you can read up on all what happened over the trip.

Everyone is doing fine, and we are traveling in style. Our driver is great and amazes all of us with his skills. The roads are narrower, and also they drive on the opposite side of the road so it’s a whole new experience. We each take turns riding shotgun. We are staying at Victory Heights Bible Camp. It’s really nice there, especially the food our cook Lenny serves. I’m trying a lot of new stuff. Highlights include pig tail, eating with a leaf as our plate (and I had a “leaf sandwich” I made with the roti bread), and it’s mostly been dishes that are like hotdishes, sometimes spicy cuz that’s the way they like it. There’s also this hot sauce that a lot of people have tried and say it’s good, but I’m not a spicy person. Anyway, it’s all good.

So far we’ve visited a lot of places like schools, an orphanage, and nursing homes. We haven’t done much tourist stuff, except for the first day where we got orientated. Friday is our day to spend at the beach (and see the ocean) and do all that stuff. That’s when I’ll spend all my money... The currency is the Trinidad dollar, called Titi. The rate is 6:1 ($20 US is $120 Titi). So everything sounds expensive but isn’t. I bought shampoo for around 12 dollars, which would be about 2 US.


God has been doing A LOT, and is at work DEFINITELY… especially in my own experiences. In some ways it’s weird because what I may do, like play football (soccer) or talk to people about random things, is still in my comfort zone and God’s using my past experiences to put to use. And of course, I’m outside of it most of the time, like when I’m trying new foods, playing with kids (which I don’t do often and don’t really enjoy, but lately I have J), riding on the wrong side of the road, waking up to strange bird noises…you know. Everything that I’ve learned till this point has some meaning today, and it’s so cool to realize that and to use my experiences to help share the gospel. I’m learning new things every day, being challenged physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually, and enjoying it all. I know that I’m for sure supposed to be on this trip, and that God isn’t done with me yet. Pray that His will be done and that we are in his hands of protection as we carry out the rest of this trip. I can’t wait to go home and tell everyone I know about what is happening!

An overnight experience...

After supper on Wednesday we went to a prayer service at Dinsley Ev. Bible Church. We led some worship at the conclusion and then the team divided up and everyone went in pairs with a Trini family to spend the night and Thursday morning, experiencing first-hand Trinidad culture. I am with Brian & Jordan and our hosts let us sleep in this morning--I got up at about 8:30 (after getting to bed at about 2am...). The sun is shining--too bad we cannot send some back to Minnesota where it is below zero...

Today is our last day with the kids and tonight we have a youth session where we will show the Pam Stenzel DVD and discuss abstinence/sexuality issues. Tomorrow is our last full day and we will go shopping in Port-of-Spain and then go to Maracas Beach (Bake & Shark!!). Then in the evening we will be with another youth group and spend the last night in Trinidad--most of the team will probably not sleep...

Unlike other teams which I have been on to Trinidad, this one has only been eating 'authentic' Trini food--no American fare here, and the team has been doing great! The people and kids have as usual been amazing--I hope that the pictures I have been posting can communicate what we are experiencing.

~Brian Tanning