Bay City Baptist Church, Green Bay, WI

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Friday, July 13th Summary
Posted Friday at 10:56 p.m. Green Bay time. (We're back!)

We are in the air over London, England as I write this last report.

It was hard to say good-bye today. We got packed before breakfast and cleaned up our rooms. Mrs. Dodeler said she was amazed to check after us and not find one forgotten item, so hopefully all our team members are coming home with the same things they brought!

Just before breakfast, we presented Mr. Dodeler with an offering we'd taken for him and Mrs. Dodeler the night before. We collected about 1,400 francs (roughly $200) for them. We were glad to be able to give to them -- they gave to us all week long! The meal was loud and long, as most of them have been. Sharing food at a long table with 20 people is a great way to fellowship. When we were finishing up, Joyce and Robert sang for us. (We had been asking him to since we heard him whistle while he worked on Tuesday and we knew he was musically inclined.) Robert played guitar and they sang several songs in French for us, one of which Robert wrote. The room grew very quiet while they sang; it was beautiful. After Robert finished singing, he thanked us in French for the work we did around the Institute; Joyce translated for him.

After Robert finished, Mr. Dodeler took the chance to speak to the whole group one last time. He encouraged each of us to surrender our lives daily, to serve the Lord and to not be conformed to the world, despite the appeal it may seem to hold. He thanked us for our work and said we'd been a real encouragement to him and everyone else at the Institute.

We finished our breakfast, then some of us helped load the luggage and others helped do the dishes one last time -- and on a side note, 20 people sure can dirty a heap o' dishes! Then we all went outside for a few last photos with our friends. We had to make sure we got in Martine (a graduate of the Institute who now works there, helping with cooking and housework) and Jennifer (a missionary-in-training who will be a student at the Institute this fall). After a quick run into town for last-minute gifts for family and friends, it was time to go. Mr. Dodeler and Robert took us to the airport. Good-bye was tough. It's amazing how close Christians can grow after just one week of working and fellowshipping together. This will be a week to remember for the rest of our lives. I don't believe any of us can be untouched by what we have seen and done. Now that we're safely home, we hope your prayers for us will turn toward seeing us stay on fire for God and serve Him in every way possible. Thanks so much for praying for us! (Written by Kelley Bruss, 7/13/01)

We arrived back at the church at exactly 10:00 p.m. on Friday. God gave us a great trip! (Pastor Dave)