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Depart and Travel
NUMC 2010 Mission Trip
6 Youth, 2 adults A Journey to Kissimmee, FL.
To volunteer at "Give Kids the World Village"
For children who have been diagnosed with a terminal illness and their families.
To participate in a Disney Youth Education Series Program called "Keepers of the Kingdom"
A behind the scenes learning adventure at Disney's Animal Kingdom.
The journey begins:
Stephanie Brew, Makayla Roman, Kaytlyn Hobbs, Julie Lepore, Whitney & Victoria Smith
Charlene Sullivan & Tim McLaughlin
Departing Union Station in Hartford 11:15 Saturday Morning.
First time experience for some. 27 hours later we'll all be pros.
A quick trip to New Haven then an even quicker change of trains.
New York City's Penn Station in under two hours.
One hour layover, all aboard the Silver Bullet.
6:50PM Stopped in Washington D.C.
So far it's been a great trip. Definitely a learning experience.
We ended up on a "quiet car" between New Haven and New York. No cell phones, no music.
No even normal talking. We all had to sit separately. A few passengers refused to give up the empty seat next to them. Others were annoyed if they had to give their space but it was crowded. Certain folks insisted on particular seating arrangements when leaving Penn Station. Demanding to reserve seats for passengers who would not be boarding for two more stations. We asked assistance from one of the Red Cap employees to get us all on and together in the car. This caused the other group to move down two rows disrupting their plans altogether. It was quite interesting to watch. But it finally settled down and we moved on to the next adventure.
The Dining Car.
Interesting food. The staff were cold at first but opened up to be a great bunch of folks.
Eating while riding a train is an experience. Missing your mouth is common practice.
We've now been sitting in DC for almost 30 minutes with no power. No AC.
The girls have all been super. They are becoming pros fast at train travel.
Thank goodness for cell phones or they might actually have to read a book.
The experience continues......
Arrival
We arrived in Kissimmee around 3:15 about two hours late. Tim LePore called it. It was cold on board that train so when we got outside I asked Charlene to get a picture of our ride. The camera hadn't quite warmed up yet so the picture came out cloudy.
Our first puzzle: How one adult gets to the car rental place, leaving one adult behind with the girls, and brings back two cars? Problem solved immediately. The taxi was big enough to take us all to get the cars. We arrived there with 30 minutes to spare and received our second big break. One good size SUV that seats 8 but not quite big enough for all 82 pieces of luggage, or so it felt light packing it all in. Everyone had to hold a bag on their laps including Charlene who had two. We drove straight to Downtown Disney to pick up our tickets for tomorrow's training session. We were told we had to pick them up by 5. We read somewhere that the actually closed at 4:30. Made it to the east end of the DTD Guest Relations window only to be told we had to go to the WEST end. It was easier to drive back out and come back in than to walk. I asked what time they closed: 11:30PM! Saved again.
From there we drove to our house for the week. A beautiful 5 bedroom/4 bathroom home.
It has a pool and hot tub outside. A convert garage that is now a huge game room.
First plan of action: Feed the girls! They were all starving. So off to the grocery store with a list for the week. Six girls go shopping. Do they bring me back any beer? Nooooo!
Spaghetti and meatballs with salad and garlic bread for dinner.
The natives are getting restless.
To be fair, they did all help make the meal.
Animals
If we took care of each other as well as Disney cares for the animals God would be so happy with us.
We started our day at Disney's Animal Kingdom met by our instructors Megan and Lani.
We began with a tour where Lani explained how much thought and design went in to building all of the Disney parks, not only an engineering feat but a physiological one as well. To create a pleasant and enjoyable experience for everyone without revealing how they do it or what has to be done everyday to keep it that way.
The first question we were asked was if anyone of us had a problem or objection to zoos, keeping animals of the wild in captivity.
Disney is well aware of how people feel about that and takes great lengths to give their animals the most natural and safe home they could possibly have.
We then took a tour of the "off-stage" areas in the park. From where there animals are kept every night to the education and nutrition centers. We saw the kitchen where all the daily meals are put together each specifically weighed and packaged with specific foods and added nutrients for each individual animal. At the end of the day all the animals are brought back "off-stage" for the night. Morning starts around 5 AM when they are awaken, hosed down and inspected for any health or injury issues. The photos below are from the safari we were taken on. No photos were allowed "off-stage" so as not to reveal the secrets behind the scenes.
Nearing an end
Hi Everyone,
Everyone is doing great. We have had thunderstorms everyday except Thursday.
Not 5 minutes into our training at Animal Kingdom back on Monday it came down in buckets.
We were all soaked but it was hot so nobody really cared.
Compared to our last trip: Tennessee it's not, but still equally exciting and rewarding.
We're saving most of our pictures for our presentation when we get back.
The girls have exciting plans for that event.
- Can you guess who has the loudest sing voice?
- Who won't eat breakfast food any other time of day but breakfast?
- Who looks the best in a hairnet?
- Who's the quietest?
- Who was the boy magnet?
- Who's the fastest at boxing pizzas?
- Who can stretch the farthest to close an umbrella at poolside?
- Who will need therapy when he gets home?
Charlene & Tim
Thursday was our last day at GKTW.
It has been an incredible experience we will never forget.
The girls enjoyed it so much they want to come back next year.
At the end of our shift last night we ended up at the chapel in the village and spent almost an hour reading all the notes left in a book by the guest and volunteers who have come to GKTW. We talked about our experiences and how it made us feel. We prayed and we cried.
Charlene and I both believe these girls will all be coming home with new outlooks and the will to continue to help others. They're going to have great stories to share.
It has truly been a great time with these six. They are always happy and have been a pleasure to be around. They have been polite, helpful, caring and that's all before we even leave the house but it continues on everywhere we go.
It's a 13 mile drive between the village and our house and every night on our return I am serenaded by the six girls. This has been an experience in itself. They get so slap happy giggling and laughing they can't make it through a complete song especially the "Repeat after me!" songs.
Nice voices but choir material, not so much.
Below is a picture of the Ginger Bread House where meals are served to the families who come to GKTW.
The picture after that is of our hostess(s) with the mostest(s)
