Hi Everyone,

This is the first time I’ve been a part of making international flight arrangements for a group, and let me just say I’m finding it to be rather complicated and challenging.  Maryanne Williams has been doing a lot of work with me on this.  I couldn’t have gotten this far with out her.  But here’s the situation…

The airlines that have flights that would work for us are not willing to hold seats for us with a deposit.  That means we have no other choice but to pay up front the entire cost of the plane tickets.

Prices and availability seems to change every day.  Last week it seemed like our only options were $2500 tickets or to leave a day earlier from Orlando.  Right now we think we can get flights with Delta/KLM for about $2,200.  Because prices and availability are changing and unpredictable, I think we need to jump on this flight now.

Maryanne believes she can hold tickets for 72 hours.  She is trying to do that today.  If she is successful, that means each of you has until Monday to make a decision as to whether to buy seats on these flights.  If you choose to wait, there’s no way to know what the availability and prices will be like later.

Additionally, this means I’ll need for you to get me your completed application by Sunday so I have time to review it. You can hand it to me at church or drop it off at my house.  You can scan it and email it to me, or you can type your answers into an email.  I’m also working with Chris Cox to make available a version of the form that can be filled out online.  If/when that’s ready I’ll send you another email.  You can download the current application here:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AYYb4pEGZ6OlZGRjNjM3dndfMzhkczN0YnFmeA&hl=en_GB

I apologize for the last minute nature of this message, but sometimes you have to make quick decisions when opportunities present themselves.

If you have any questions, you’re welcome to call or email me.

Paul Steinbrueck
727-712-3329 (home)
727-492-6220 (cell)

[image by caribb]

Thanks to everyone who participated in the trip prep meeting this past Sunday.  I thought the meeting went exceptionally well.  I am really pleased with the unity, creativity, and motivation within our team.  So, thank you all for that, and thank God for showing up and making that possible.

I’ll warn you ahead of time, this is post is going to read like meeting minutes… just the facts.

Communication

• Several people were not aware of the this blog & the updates.
• Paul will get a link to the blog added to the Cypress site and email everyone again who has expressed an interest in the trip.
• Chris created an online version of the trip application.  Paul will test it and put a link on the blog to it.

Flights

• We still have not finalized flight arrangements.
• The big challenge is that British Airways is the only airline willing to do a group reservation where full payment is not all due up front, but the timing of their flights is not very good.
• Prices have gone up to $2300-$2500 range.
• Jim Gregorich has a contact who will look into flight options.
• Paul will continue to work with Maryanne to finalize flights this week.

Future meetings

• We are going to start meeting every other week.  Polled the group for the best time & day of the week and decided on Thursday evenings at 7 PM.
• Next meeting will be Thursday 3/18 7 PM in conference room of Studio 4:12

Fund Raisers

• We discussed a number of fund raising ideas.
• Set up a PayPal account for people to donate to group fund (Paul)
• Work concessions at a Rays game (Jim)
• Review ABC Fund Raising, scratch & help (Paul)
• Golf tournament (Jim will talk with John Anderson)
• Stimulus concert (Chris)
• T-shirts (Jan)
• Amir is going to write a letter which we can use when contacting organizations about fund raisers.
• The goal is to fully research each of these options by the 3/18 meeting so we can make decisions on them at that time.

For those of you with action items, feel free to post an update here in the comments when you have info to share.  Or if it’s not something you think should be posted publicly yet, email me.

Thanks!

This Sunday, February 28th, after second service we will meet to discuss preparations for our trip to Kenya.

1) Flights. I hope to be able to give you fight information, including the cost of the airfare.  Most of the cost of the trip is for the airfare, so once we know what that is going to be we’ll have a better idea of the total cost of the trip.

2) Meeting times. In about a month we’re going to begin meeting for a couple hours about every other week in what will resemble a small group format.  These meetings are an essential part of the trip prep because that’s where a lot of the team building and spiritual preparations will take place.  Sunday we’re going to try to figure out the best day/time for these meetings, so please bring your calendar.

3) Fund raisers. We are going to discuss possible fund raisers.  As explained in the trip info packet, money for the trip will come from three sources: group fund raisers, individual letters to supporters, and personal savings/earnings. I’d like to see us do 1 or 2 big group fund raisers.

Anything we might want to do at Cypress where we would be primarily raising funds from members of Cypress will have to be approved by the elders first.  That doesn’t mean we can’t do something on campus, just tat there’s an extra hurdle.  Ideas that take place off campus and primarily raise funds from non-Cypress folks won’t have that same hurdle.

Since the fund raising issue is a big brainstorming session, I was hoping we might be able to get the ball rolling right here on the blog.  What are your ideas? Post them in the comments.

By the way, anyone can post ideas. If you’re not going on the trip, but a part of Cypress or friends with someone who is going and you know of a great fundraiser, post it.

- Paul

It’s been a couple of weeks since our initial informational meeting about the Kenya trip.  For those of you who are considering going with us, I hope you’ve been praying about that decision.

I took some time early this morning to pray for each person individually who has expressed an interest in going to Kenya.  I prayed that God would give you wisdom in your decision.  I prayed that everyone who participates is motivated by a love for God and a desire to express that love by serving Joseph, Molly, the kids at Springs of Hope, and the people of Nakuru.

I also prayed for those of you who might be sensing God is calling to go with us but are hesitant.  Maybe you’ve never traveled outside the U.S.  Maybe the thought of coming face to face with people living in extreme poverty or AIDS scares you.  Maybe you’re not sure how you can afford the trip.

Pray.

I can almost guarantee that every one of us is going to face fear and obstacles along the journey.  Listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying.  If he says, “Go,” then go, and trust that by doing your part and through God’s provision He will help you overcome any barriers.

Please also be praying about our flight.  It looks like prices have gone up significantly since our initial estimate.  Pray that we would be able to find affordable flights that allow us to get in on Fri 7/9 and leave on Mon 7/19 so we can be in Kenya for 2 weekends.  Or that if the best flight is more expensive than estimated that God would provide the additional money needed.

Questions to ponder

1. What about the trip to Kenya gets you most excited?
2. What scares you the most?
3. What do you sense God is saying to you when you pray about the trip?

If you’re comfortable doing so, post your thoughts on those questions in a comment below.

Remember – our next meeting is February 28 after second service.

Jambo! (That’s Swahili for “hello”) Welcome to the blog for the 2010 Cypress Meadows trip to Kenya!

Cypress Meadows Community Church in Safety Harbor, FL is organizing a trip to Nakuru, Kenya to serve with our friends Joseph and Molly Bail and the Springs of Hope home for children.  The trip is planned for July 8-20, 2010.

In the Loop

Throughout the process of  preparing for the trip and while on the trip itself we will be posting news and updates to this blog.

To receive updates, you can subscribe to the RSS Feed, subscribe to receive email updates, become a fan of the trip’s Facebook page, or follow us on Twitter.

Spread the Word

If you know of anyone else who may be interested in joining us on the trip please send them a link to this blog. Anyone who has not received a copy of the trip application and info packet, can download it by clicking the link in the left side of the page.

Encourage friends and family to subscribe to this blog so they will know how you’re preparing for the trip and can get updates during the trip.

If you have any questions about the trip, just let me know.

In Christ,
Paul Steinbrueck
727-712-3329
paul (at) steinbrueck (dot) org

P.S. Mark your calendar. Our next meeting is at Cypress after second service on 2/28. We’ll meet for about an hour to discuss fund raising ideas, flights, and any other questions/issues that come up.