Are You Ready for Some Football?

We had our Crosspointe League Fantasy Football Draft Party tonight and I must say I am very pleased with the team I drafted. This year we switched over from ESPN to EA Sports Fantasy Football and it was a great move. First off you can download the EA Sports Draft Package from the Xbox Live Market Place and we conducted our draft on Don's Xbox 360. It's so cool, it follows your draft pick and shows video highlights from Madden 09 and commentary on your pick and then loads your roster on the EA server after the draft is done. In addition it shows a draft board so you know who's been taken and by whom and even gives you the option if you own Madden 09 to upload your Fantasy Team and play games as them! How cool is that?

So without further ado with the 11th pick (out of 12) in the Crosspointe Fantasy Draft, I present to you team "Azian Perzuazion" for the 2009 NFL Season (This roster is bound to change throughout the year especially after week 4 b/c who really needs two kickers?):

Round 1: Terrell Owens WR - Dallas Cowboys
Round 2: Frank Gore RB - San Francisco 49ers
Round 3: Laurence Maroney RB - New England Patriots
Round 4: Carson Palmer QB - Cincinnati Bengals
Round 5: Greg Jennings WR - Green Bay Packers
Round 6: Tony Gonzalez TE - Kansas City Chiefs
Round 7: Nate Burelson WR - Seattle Seahawks
Round 8: Lendale White RB - Tennessee Titans
Round 9: Vince Young QB - Tennessee Titans
Round 10: Jerry Porter WR - Jacksonville Jaguars
Round 11: Ben Watson TE - New England Patriots
Round 12: Adam Vinateri K - Indianapolis Colts
Round 13: Tampa Bay Buccaneers Defense
Round 14: Duece McAllister RB - New Orleans Saints
Round 15: Mike Nuegent K - New York Jets

Maybe I should change my team name from "Azian Perzuazion" to "Azian Domination"! It's about time it's football season!

D.C. Video

This past Sunday morning members of our Washington D.C. mission team shared their stories and experiences with their friends and peers. It was a great morning and we had another stellar performance from Richard singing his transformed "worship" version of Ben E. King's classic, "Stand By Me." I am SO PROUD of all of them and their hearts to serve the homeless and marginalized of our Nation's Capital.

If you would like to read the D.C. trip through the students' eyes they can be found in the July Archive or just click here!

Here is a video recap that one of our students made of our trip. Enjoy!

The Tables Turned

I now remember what it feels like for "new" people to first step foot into a new environment with people they never met before. As for me I'm usually on the other side of the table being one of the pastors at a church welcoming and meeting "new" people who is checking you out for the first time.

The awkward moment came for me this afternoon after I dragged my Florida Gater (ask Dellie Hinton about the spelling) fan of a wife to the 2008 Triangle Seminole Club Kick Off Picnic. As you can tell from my last post or if you know me well, I am huge Florida State Seminoles fan and I thought this would be a great way to meet other Nole fans in the area. With my personality and me being more of an extrovert I didn't think I'd have as hard of a time meeting new people in this environment as I did.

Tracy and I arrived about midway through the event during the middle of a talk by guest speaker and former Florida State Running Back, Nick Maddox. There were about 40 or so adults and another 20 or so kids and they all seemed to know each other pretty well. So to say the least Tracy and I stuck out like sore thumbs, except I was wearing a FSU Football shirt (and no Tracy did not have on her Gator jersey). It reminded me of being a visitor in a church, everyone notices that you are "new" and are not sure whether or not to talk to you, so instead they decide to stay in their comfort zones and talk w/ the people they know. It's usually not until the leader, (a Pastor in a church setting) the President of the Club in this setting, comes up and welcomes you that other people start doing the same.

The first people to greet us was Jim the President and Margret the VP and they thanked us for coming to check them out. This whole idea didn't hit home to me until after I met another "new" person doing the same thing we were doing and introduced myself and told her what I do. I mentioned "now I know how visitors feel when they first come to church." At that particular moment Tracy turned away and smiled b/c I was oblivious to the fact she had no idea what I was inferring to and asked for me to explain. To say the least it helped me realize that I've grown accustomed to hanging around other Christians and not spending enough time getting to know others who may not believe.

So come Saturday, Sept. 6th when the Noles kickoff their season at home against Western Carolina, I look forward to watching the game on the big screens at Chammps Americana Grille at South Point Mall (the official Triangle Seminole Club game watching spot) and share some wings with my newly found Seminole friends! Go Noles!

You Nole It!

With college & pro football season just around the corner the amount of joy and excitement that is bursting inside of me is inexplicable. I know this may sound bad, but the other night Tracy asked me if I wanted to watch the Olympics with her. After about 10mins or so she could tell that I was bored and asked if I wanted to watch something else and I told her, "I would much rather watch NFL Preseason Football." The Olympics are cool and all but it's missing the best sport ever created!

Here's a neat little tidbit, on ESPN.com this past month they had a competition on which college football team had the coolest helmet and to no surprise, the Seminoles of Florida State won hands down! You can see the full article here. I can't wait for it to start! Here's a little treat for you:



80,000 strong you can't go wrong! Man this gives me chills. GO NOLES!

Home Sweet Home

After a long lay over and delay we finally made it back to North Carolina at 12:15am this morning! We had such an incredible time in Haiti and can't wait for everyone hear the life changing stories and experiences our students had. Thanks Danny & Leann for an unforgettable experience and can't wait to see you and all your kids again! Stay tuned for a Haiti Trip Recap coming soon!

Haiti - Day 8 (Kelsey Stoner)

Today, we learned that flexibility is key. But surprisingly, it wasn’t as hard as I expected. Our plan for today was to get up early and work on the land, but God’s plan is not always what we expect. Brad Owens was really sick and trying his best to recover. There were several other people that weren’t feeling well either. So, Danny and Eddie made the final decision to not work on the land so everyone could recover. Chelsea Cyr slept most of the day and when she woke up she yelled….”I’m COLD!” Immediately we ran and got the thermometer, and sure enough, she had a fever. Pretty much everyone else had a cold and was all stopped up. But Danny gave those who wished, the option to go to the land and take a big tour. I stayed back with a couple people and the kids. We ended up watching “Enchanted”(which if you know me, I absolutely love that movie...and the kids knew it too). Unfortunately, it was in French.





After everyone got back, we took two different groups to go see a widow, who Danny and Leann help support. This was definitely the highlight of my day. It was so humbling and heartbreaking at the same time. I was in the second group. We walked about 15 minutes down the road to meet the widow and her six children. They live in a really small house about 10x10. Four of her kids sleep outside on a straw mat and the other two sleep with her in her bed. We sat down on some benches they had made in front of her house. Her 18 month year old girl was crying and she told the baby…”don’t cry, these people are doing beautiful things for us.” I asked Danny what she had said, and as soon as he told me, my eyes filled with tears, but I had to hold it in. I didn’t want to show her I was sad. When we said goodbye, I saw everything in a different light. I couldn’t stop thinking about how selfish I am and how much I buy just for pleasure. And here in Haiti, there are people barely surviving in small huts with no food. I didn’t know what to think. Last night, there was a horrible rainstorm, and all we could think about was the widow and her children living in the small hut, while we were staying in a cool room with blankets and a sturdy roof. It broke my heart.






Another thing Danny pointed out while we were at the widow’s house was her chicken coop. He said that he had bought Vania, his most recent child, out of a coop from a voodoo priest. Knowing Vania, it was so emotional because she is a beautiful girl and the thought that she wouldn’t be here if she wasn’t found just broke my heart. Seeing all the kids in the home, you would never know of their horrible pasts because they are so happy and content and well loved. I have had to sit back and realize that their lives have not always been this way, but thank goodness for people like Danny and Leann who give so much love to those who need it most.




The rest of the day, we cleaned out the closet full of different things and then Courtney and I fixed dinner. We went back to the hotel after we celebrated Tina’s birthday with funfetti cupcakes and presents. Leann said Tina had never had a birthday party before, which was something that never crossed my mind. Today was definitely a humbling experience that I hope I will always remember for the rest of my life. It was a great day ☺

- Kelsey

Haiti - Day 7 (Paige McClear)

Today was our fun day. We didn’t leave the hotel until 9:00 so everyone was able to catch up on some much needed rest. From the hotel we made lunch and went the visit the land on which the Pyes plan to build HCH’s new homes, schools, and church. It was really neat to walk on the land which our church had such a large part in purchasing. We hiked up to a cliff which overlooked the ocean and I couldn’t help but think about God’s provision. He is so powerful; laying it on the hearts of an entire community to provide the funds in order to purchase land which they may never see for children who they may never get the chance to meet. And this isn’t just any old land; it’s gorgeous. Steep rocky cliffs overlooking perfect ocean front property, forests, and gassy fields where they already have a soccer field set up. The fact that orphans, abandoned children, and the families working to raise these children get to wake up to one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen is living proof of how God cares for those who love Him.



After walking along the beach of the property with the girls collecting sea glass and shells while our guys got their butts kicked in soccer, we loaded up into the bus and went to a public beach where we swam and ate lunch. The water was so clear that neck-deep in the ocean we could still see our feet. From the beach we did some souvenir shopping at this lady’s house. She laid everything out on a blanket and we were just able to pick and choose what we wanted.






We then rushed back to the Pyes’ house for a quick dinner and then went back to the hotel to shower and get ready for the Friday church service. Brad was not feeling well so he was unfortunately unable to come. Our youth band had the amazing opportunity to play at a Friday night worship service at a Haitian church. It was quite an experience. There were about 1200 people packed into a church that was built to fit about 300. It was easily over 100 degrees in there but the cool thing was that not one of the people packed into that church seemed to care. They were completely consumed with praising the Lord: jumping up and down, hands lifted high singing in Creole at the tops of their voices. When it was our turn to play we filed into the sweltering sanctuary and started to play “Sing, Sing, Sing”. Even though they had no idea what we were saying, they were so jazzed to have us play for them. Several of the kids from the VBS were at the church service and there and they were jumping up and down and dancing. It was really cool to see how even though we didn’t know each other or speak the same language we were able to worship the same God together as His people.





It was an awesome night and we were asked to play again this Sunday. We were all exhausted and headed back to the hotel for devotions and some rest.

- Paige

Haiti - Day 6 (Brad Owens)

Hey everyone! It’s Friday, and I’m writing about Thursday, so hopefully I’ll get all my events in the right order and not accidentally start talking about today….Anyways, yesterday was the last day of VBS, and it was awesome. Danny had told us to be extra loving to the kids and to give them all the attention and affection. I held two little girls’ hands while we worshiped at the beginning of the service. All the little boys think I’m so cool because I can do little hand tricks my dad taught me when I was little, like stretching my thumb, and pulling it off and stuff. But by Thursday, most of the kids had figured out it was my other thumb, and as soon as I started doing the trick again, they would all grab my hands and show everyone else it was just a trick. Still, though, they thought I was pretty cool.

Also, I am now known as Jean Luc because of the puppet (Jean Luc) I use for VBS to help tell the stories. I love doing the puppet because I get the opportunity to teach the kids and tell them all about God. On Thursday, during the little puppet show/skit, I noticed that someone had braided Jean Luc’s hair. It was pretty amusing. Being behind the podium we used as a puppet stage, I couldn’t see the skit going on in front of me. It was the story of the prodigal son, and as Jean Luc narrated, a bunch—if not all—of our team acted out the story. It’s too bad I didn’t get to see it, but I’m sure it was great. I was really hot and tired in the workbook room, so I don’t know how much help I was. The kids all got to keep the colouring packets they did during the four days, so we didn’t have to collect them.



After the VBS, all the kids got balloons and lollipops, so it was all kind of crazy passing that stuff out. A lot of people on our team were bummed that they didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to the kids they had gotten to know. One guy around my age asked me as I was leaving, “When are you coming back?” and that really made my day to know that our team could be such a blessing to these kids, and to know that they were looking forward to next time. I didn’t know what to tell the guy, so I just told him ‘next year.’

After VBS, we went back to the hotel and swam in the pool with the HCH kids. I had fun helping Danny throw Omega in the water and carrying Selindea around in the deep end. It was fun to connect with all the kids that way.



Travis, Spencer, Lucy, Kelsey, and I went to the church to practice our three songs we were planning on playing on Friday for a church conference. Little did I know I would get sick and not be able to worship with them in that way, but that’s okay. It was a good experience running through the songs. We started to draw a little crowd as we practiced in the church building. It was awesome just to worship with them and hopefully brighten their day.

We ate dinner at a restaurant, and everyone who ordered papaya juice soon discovered it wasn’t passion fruit juice. Nixon, the lead teacher of VBS, was kind enough to change our orders to Coke, except for Travis, who somehow liked the papaya juice. That was a fun meal and we had a good time talking and laughing together.



We came back to the hotel and sang some worship songs and shared devotions and feelings about the day at the pool. It was neat because there were people there swimming and they got to hear us sing (or HAD to hear us sing, depending on how you look at it). Either way, it was neat to represent Jesus in that way. All in all, Thursday was awesome.

- Brad

I'm a Voodoo God and Say Hello to My Little Friend

So we were sitting at one of the umbrella covered tables next to the beautiful bay yesterday morning when our waiter came to give us water and spoke to me in Creole and rubbed his hands over his belly. I was a lil worried because this was the first time that even Danny didn't understand the Creole word he was saying about me. Well after some convo b/w Danny and the man, come to find out this weekend is a Voodoo holiday and apparently I resemble the "Fat Chinese Voodoo God." I didn't know whether or not to take that as a compliment...haha! I guess I look like Buddah! Anyways I found that to be interesting.

Also for all you spider lovers out there, here is a picture of our lil friend that greeted us in our crafts room at VBS yesterday!

Haiti - Day 5 (Valerie Riley)

The day started off smoothly, compared to all the other days. However, the waitress was rude to us at breakfast. She never served our table, but she served the Haitians at the tables near us. Taylor said, “I felt like she was racially motivated”.

VBS is testing my boundaries, but it is absolutely wonderful. Just a simple greeting to the children puts smiles on their faces. Their smiles just melt my heart. Before crafts started me and Lucy visited “our” goat, who we named “led”, which is ugly in Creole. Crafts was a complete mess. The children colored angels and we put glitter on them. The kids loved the glitter. It went absolutely everywhere. As I speak I still am finding glitter on myself. A glitter fight broke out between the HCH kids and the “white people”. I think I got the worst of it. It was all over my face, arms, neck, legs, just everywhere. The huge mess we had to clean up afterwards was definitely worth it. Later on, Loudrige helped me attempt to get glitter off of me. It was similar looking to monkeys grooming one another.



When VBS was over I had to hold Chelsea Loomis’ hand to prevent her from slipping and falling down the hill like the previous day. On our way back to the home, we had a slight incident. A Haitian man had his truck parked in the middle of the road and we did not have enough room to pass. When the man moved his truck over, he did not move his truck over far enough and Danny took out his driver’s side mirror. Once we got back to the home, we cut out clothes for the next day’s VBS. We had a princess dress cutting out contest, in which I beasted Leann and Lisa at it. Lisa made a good second though.

After that I started to make origami boxes. Tina absolutely loved my boxes and made me create three more so she could fill them with paper scraps. When we returned to the hotel we noticed the maids had left our sliding glass door open. I definitely wasn’t very happy about that, because being on the first floor I didn’t want anyone to steal our stuff. Plus, they had done that to the room next to us the previous day. On the way back to the home, the same Haitian man who had his truck parked in the middle of the road, now had his truck parked farther over into the road and had large rocks in the road. Upon seeing us, he forced his wife and small children to move the rocks while he stood and watched. After observing them struggle, he finally joined in and helped them move the rocks.

We had another excellent Haitian meal, in which I only ate rice, but it was still delicious. Our evening was filled with music and devotions. Once done with devotions, we went upstairs and celebrated Rico’s birthday with cupcakes. When we got back to the hotel, we went swimming. While we were swimming, the power went out and it was pitch black. Travis and Spencer tried to sneak up on the girls and I ended up punching Spencer in the face. After about 2 minutes, the generator kicked in and we had power again. Overall, the day was exceptional. ☺

- Valerie

Here some pictures of our day!

Haiti - Day 4 in Pictures

Hopefully my Mac will continue to work, it's been in and out since it's little accident! Here is our awesome day yesterday! Enjoy!