Look out America!!!! Here we come!!!!
This year’s Magical Mystery Tour will begin on 5 October and see us heading back to Serbia on 23 December. The fun begins and ends in Atlanta, but in between we have plans to be in:
Georgia
Florida
Alabama
Author: ptriller
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
The Review
The H.I.K.E…. it looked like this….Six days…the width of England…about 90 miles/150 km. Something neither of us had ever attempted. Armed with hydration packs, bananas, a guide book, and the knowledge we just needed to keep going west…we started.
Here is a day-by-day recap…with some great pix taken along the way. Enjoy.
Whole Lotta Love
Both Mary and I have had some doctor-ordered down time for the month of February. Mary had pneumonia and I had a bronchial infection. We were instructed to stay home and rest. Having such a restriction does have its upside. It gave us time to think.
So, over the past few weeks we have looked back at these almost 9 years and have marveled at how our mission, our work, and our very lives, have been sustained by a Continue reading
Wish You Were Here
What? Me? Come to Serbia?
Yes. You come to Serbia. Really. It would be great.
Think of it….you get to see what Propel is doing, love on people, experience the culture, enjoy the food, and make some memories that could change your life and those with whom you engage.
Oh, you want more information? OK. Continue reading
More Than Words
These past few months have been a whirlwind of activity..
- Two teams from the US (and one more coming next month)
- Purchasing school books for 20+ students ranging from 1st graders to a university senior
- Purchasing countless pencils, erasers, protractors, crayons, note books, backpacks, gym shorts, and everything else the kids need in the way of school supplies
- Renewing our visas
- And the planning has already started for next year!
A Matter of Trust
Against the odds and the skeptics’ doubts…it is working!!
Just one and half years ago we signed some documents, paid some fees, and in Serbia, Propel became a reality. It was now official! It’s alive!!!! Now what?
We set out to work with this nation’s most under-valued, despised, and mistrusted people…The Roma (gypsies). It is bad enough that the Roma are looked down upon by almost every other facet of society, but they don’t even trust one another.
So, who were we to think we could make any connection? Who were we to try to bridge the gap? What were we thinking? Continue reading
Smorgasupdate
Elvira: Why would we sponsor a university student? How did she turn the taunts and jeers of her friends into her Fight Song?
Growing up in most Roma communities is a strike against any kid. Oh, you’re a girl”? Strike two. Strike three could be a choice of any number of factors; parental apathy, lack of funds, death of your father. Take your pick. Continue reading
Ordinary Love
Ordinary has gotten a bad rap. Sure it means; the usual, the expected. In today’s language calling something ordinary is almost derogatory. In this day and age of over-used, misused, and over-hyped adjectives, ordinary is considered just plain dull. Ordinary isn’t shared. Ordinary doesn’t get “likes”. Who retweets ordinary?