March Gladness!!!!

Greetings from Serbia!

Yep…we are bucking the trend. Going against the flow. Looking beyond the facts…like these:

          Serbia is under a State of Emergency

          We are under a curfew from 5 PM until 5 AM

          Those 65 or older are only allowed outside on Sunday mornings when they can go to the grocery stores (Funny side note: Continue reading

Is It Worth It?

Wow! Here it is …2020!!!

It would be easy to brag about all of 2019’s accomplishments

  • over 100 kids kitted out for school
  • 4 great Education Camps enjoyed by tons of kids
  • Dozens of kids (and their moms) now better prepared for primary school; after graduating from Launchpad
  • Over $12,000 raised through The H.I.K.E. (The H.I.K.E. 2020 is scheduled for April. Stay tuned)
  • Partnership with Paguilla (UK) providing life-skill training to older kids
  • Celebrating 10 years working in the mission field
  • Celebrating four years of living in Serbia

But, there’s something much cooler, much more exciting than numbers…  

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What we did this summer…

Remember returning to school when you were a kid? What was one of your first assignments? An essay on….”What I Did During My Summer Vacation”.  It had to be hand-written, double-spaced, and in cursive! Really, how can you expect spending two weeks at Camp Getmeouttahere to provide excitement enough to thrill your classmates? Is it truly neccesary to have to provide two pages of still vivid memories about bad food, mosquito bites, strange tentmates, and coming in last in the Annual Camp Getmeouttahere Humiliation Contest?  Sorry if this trip down memory lane triggers any nightmares or revives any ghosts from elementary school. We do have a solution. Continue reading

The H.I.K.E. 2019

The H.I.K.E. 2019 ….is over…and it was a resounding success. With over $12,000.00 (US) raised!!!!!

Our quest to fulfill 100 promises to help100 kids be prepared for school this year has been fulfilled!!!  

Thank you to everyone who donated, encouraged, prayed, and/or cheered us on.

What is The H.I.K.E.? Continue reading

What were we thinking?

In September we learned that a number of people had the wrong idea about who we were and what we did. They were under the impression they could request all kinds of hand-outs…and get these requests filled immediately. Something had to be done to set things straight. So….

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Hot Fun in the Summertime

Wow! Looking back at June, July, and August all we see are happy faces of kids. Kids playing games, kids making crafts, kids learning new stuff….kids being loved on.
With the help of teams from Fort Myers, FL, Saratoga, NY, and Edmonton, Alberta, two of the Roma villages where we work are still resonating from all the energy and fun.

Next Level Church Fort Myers blessed us for the fourth year in a row! The team came ready, willing and able to deliver an Education Camp disguised as fun stuff…loud stuff….and some messy stuff. All the same, the kids had a blast and went home smiling and a bit smarter.

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Something So Right

Something So Right…better yet Somethings So Right.

It has been a while since we’ve sent out our world-famous Almost Monthly Newsletter. For that we apologise. It has been a trifle busy.. the way we like it.
Read on for highlights of what’s new over here. Who knows…you might just fit in to this adventure. Continue reading

Launchpad Update

Somewhere between the craziness of; selecting new students, finding sponsors, buying text books, shopping for supplies, and hosting several high-energy teams each year, we do find time to focus in on a bit of a younger audience. Preschoolers.

Most of you reading this take the idea of attending preschool as a no-brainer. Continue reading

We learn as we go

If there is one resounding lesson we always want to remember, it is this…we don’t know everything! Or, better said, we learn as we go. Every conversation, every interaction, every person we meet…these all contain a bit of what was once unknown. By keeping our eyes and ears open to these moments, we learn.  Continue reading