Radical Church

This was one of the churches we attended when we were in Jaco, Costa Rica. The Knapps have been Ministering there since March 2006. The church is located in a shopping center and walking distance from our hotel. As soon as you walk into the room, you just felt a sense of comfort. We were the first few people there, along with a church from Gainsville. As service started more people began to show up. We even met people from The River. Everybody was very friendly. Service and worship was in Spanish, we didn't understood much but it was great being able to worship with them. Half of our team led children's church up stairs. We taught our lesson on David&Gallieh. The children were absolutely loving.

Victoria

Poipet

I got an e-mail from the Lao family in Cambodia. They're missionaries living in the city of Poipet. We met them last year at a youth conference, LIFE2007.

Tension between Cambodia and Thailand is rising rapidly. Theres border problems around the Poipet and Preay Viheah areas. Both countries don't seem to agree to stay on their own side. Many shootings have been taking place. Fearing situation would worsen, people in Poipet have started evaccuating.



Victoria

Pastor Jon's Blog

Pictures!

Hi Everyone,

We took tons of pictures. Words can't describe these photos.
(Pictures are hosted at SnapFish, you might have to create an account.)

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3



Victoria

We just got back!

I am writing an update, printing pictures, mailing, and preparing a video.

We have so MUCH to share. Thank you for believing in us!

Victoria

Today is the day!

The day is finally here. Have you ever planned something in the future and it just seems so far away, like it'll never happen anytime soon? Thats how I feel! It's such a shock to know that I'll be on my way in a few hours.


Please keep us in your prayers!
I just know something extraordinary is in stored.



Victoria

Our flight is at 8 am, we have to be there at 6 am. The airport is about an hour away, we'll have to wake up earlier to do some last minute packing. I don't think I'll get much sleep tonight.

But thats the least of worries. I'm actually a bit nervous and kind of frightened.  I can't remember the last time I've been this quiet. I'm so overwhelmed.

Today I sat in room and ask myself, what am I missing. And you see... I have everything that I need. God has provided me with LOVE, strength, hope, and a family that cares. They have shown so much concern throughout the past months. God's absolutely indescribable. When my life gets difficult, it is He that I find rest in. He is everything I want to live for. During this Missions trip I need to allow myself to step out my comfort zone.

Victoria

Countdown

Only 1 day until our trip.

Help our Soldiers with your Phone

This is so creative! I came across this project in Seventeen Magazine. Cell phones are frequently updated, everybody seems to always get the latest styles, and some even treat their phones with neglect. Send your cell phone in to be recycled, this will provide our troops with calling cards to call home.

Vivian & I just sent our cell phones! What's stopping you?

I want to help a soldier call home.

Victoria

Gifts for Costa Rica

We went shopping for supplies today. You wouldn't believe it! We found the cutest toys for half the price. So we were able to buy twice the amount we intended to get. I'm so excited to see the expressions on the kid's faces when we give them their gifts. 

 

Victoria 

Downgrade

Our goal was successfully met. Raising money with the clothing line was such an exciting adventure. Our dad drove around town to get shirts and helped deliver packages to the post office constantly. We are downgrading our store, which saves us $9.99 each month. So when you visit the store it may seem a bit smaller. No worries, you can still purchase! We are not putting an end to our project. We're finding a new purpose to support.


Victoria

Countdown

Only 10 days until our trip.

We are Registered!

The U.S. Embassy of San Jose sent us an e-mail and told us to register with the Department of State. My dad took less than 15 minutes to register both of us. Now we're just waiting to see if everything went through.

Victoria

Happy Independence Day!

Countdown

Only 16 days until our trip.

Preparation Meeting Updates

What a day! Our preparation meeting lasted until 3:40pm. We covered information on our luggages to details involving crafts for the children of Jaco.

I will write in a different format so you can better understand the details!


Luggage: We are allowed one carry-on. There is a requirement of $15 to check in your first luggage and $25 for your second luggage. When Vivian and I searched our closet, we found 5 full bags of items to give away. We also would like to go out and buy little things for the people there. We all plan just to come home with our carry-on and leave everything behind.

Passport: The church made 2 copies of our passports for safety. We won't be carrying it around when we're in Costa Rica.

T-shirt: Chip came up with a really cool idea! He's going to provide us with multiple t-shirts during our trip. Each day will wear the same shirt. This will help in locating each other in a crowd. I'm just a little worried that this may be a little overwhelming to others, I don't want anybody to be uncomfortable with us.

Electronics: Theres been many situations when things have been stolen. We are going to pack as lightly as possible. Nothing valuable will be taken on the trip.

Hotel: We found who we are going to room with. Just a few of us are sleeping in a Villa.

Games: Everyday we are going to have an activity to reach out to children which can also affect our relationship with their parents. We practiced making balloon dogs, giraffes, and lions. Let's just say that we still need some more practice...
We're also making power bracelets, giving them a photo of themselves on hearts, making puppets, face painting, dodgeball, tag, kickball, and a few more games.

Laundry: Handwashed.

Safety: No matter where you go, groups of 3.

Cultural shock: Things will be alot different and problably a little unusual. Courtesy is very important.


Our Youth Pastor ended the meeting with an assignment. He wanted us to share the reason why we are doing this, why we are going, and what we're afraid of?

"Go with the strength you have."



Victoria

I'm going to finish the update and it'll be mailed tomorrow morning.

U.S. Embassy

My dad suggested that I'd send an e-mail to the U.S. Embassy of San Jose. This is just to inform them of our stay and in case of any emergencies.


Victoria

Mail will be delivered soon.

You might be wondering why you haven't recieved an update in the mail. I just realized that we are having a preparation meeting this Sunday June 29,2008. There we will recieved specific detail and full instructions of what we will do in Jaco. So, I ask that you wait until we attend the meeting before we send out updates. We want you to know every little information.

I look forward to mailing everybody personal letters.
Take care!

Victoria

Please pray for our Grandparents.

Hi,

Yesterday afternoon my mom made a phone call to a friend. They use to live up Connecticut with us. But soon moved to Florida about 3 years after we moved here. We call them grandpa and grandma because it was always a polite thing to do. But when I really think about it... they've been so kind. We were always invited for lunch and they even held a mini Christmas party for my sisters and I. Even though their not my actual grandparents, I'm more than happy to say they are.

My mom was sad after the phone call. She found out that Grandpa is diagnose with terminal cancer. When somebody tells you, somebody in their family is ill. You also feel sad about the situation but it doesn't really touch you... Finding out that he has cancer has really shakened me. Grandma is also struggling. She has diabetes and found out that it has affected her leg. She will have to amputate her leg in the future. To make things easier, they now have a nurse assisting them at the house.

I just ask that you'd take sometime to pray for them.
I'm going to write a handwritten letter. If you'd like to say a few words, don't hesitate. Knowing that somebody is by your side is such a nice feeling.



Victoria

They live 5 hours away and my mom is too worried to drive that far. I do hope she'll change her mind.

Less than a month.

Well, I'm happy to say that we only have 26 days until we leave for Jaco. It's so soon! We did raise two-thirds of our goal, our church offered to pay a third. The church has done alot already and we still have members who has not yet reached their goals, so we are going to continue our fundraising. Thank you for your help.

I know that some people may not have computer access to our blog or typically don't use one. I am personally going to write an update and it will be mailed Monday morning. You'll problably recieve no later than Thursday.

Good Night,
Victoria

Phil Wickham

Myriam and I went to Status Discovery Church to see Phil Wickham perform. I don't regularly attend the church there but knowing Phil would be there was quite comforting. He led worship for the night. Listening to his CD is nothing like hearing it live. Myriam nudged me at the end of the night to catch him before he leaves. I didn't think I'd have another chance to meet him, so I'm sure I literally dashed to the front of the stage to talk to him. We had a small conversation and surprisingly, he was really friendly. Phil has also been on a missions trip to Costa Rica and he sounded happy to help us with our project.

I guess I don't have to mail him his shirt after all.

Victoria

Coming Soon!

Got some really cool stuff from California. We understand that somethings in the store is a little above some friend's budget, so we're going to add more affordable items. Everything that is made will continue to go towards our Missions Trip.

We bought plastic peace signs, necklaces will be made out of them. We also found these really cute Chinese patterned(we thought this can remind you of China, another nation) pocket mirrors. Our logo will be printed on. We are taking no credit for making the pocket mirrors. The logo will be on it just like our t-shirts. We spent our money very wisely on everything.


Theres only one printing frame right now. And its hard to work around one frame while trying to make new designs. I have decided to build my own frames to screen print with. I'll be going to Home Depot on Sunday or Monday to buy wood and super strong glue to attach the silk to the wood. And finally, theres no more black ink. This is a little harder to get because no store around our area sells the kind we use. Tubelite sells a special ink that requires a heater. I did find a website that sells the ink but I don't have a credit card.

Well that's all for right now, wish me luck. PEACE.

Vivian

San Francisco

I'm reflecting on yesterday and I feel a little upset. I notice the actions I took did not define who I am. When we were in San Francisco, I ran into a homeless guy. He sat at a table in a courtyard by himself. He was reading a newspaper, with a small size fries, laughing, and talking to himself. I passed by him... but I did absolutely nothing.

I felt like I could have helped him in some way.

Downtown Orlando has alot of men and women who doesn't have homes. I hope I can help in some way.

Victoria

We're back from California!

We reached Florida an hour early today. I notice that plane rides are nice for the first 20 minutes then it gets very exhausting. Here's some pictures of California. I hope my future involves traveling, it's so nice to see what goes on outside my home.

Victoria

Preparation Meeting

Gayle just sent an email informing us about our upcoming missions meeting. It's going to be pretty long because we are going to prepare and experience some things we will do in Costa Rica. This meeting will not take place until June 29th.

Victoria

We are in California!

Hi,

My mom has been wanting to visit my grandparents for a very long time and she has finally settled a week to do so. My grandparent lives in Stockton, California. It's very different from Florida! For instance California has some serious mountains and Florida has absolutely none. You can even see mountains from the plane ride, it's absolutely gorgeous!!! I took tons of pictures but it didn't capture everything that I saw. This is one of the reasons why I'm trying to buy a new camera. I want people to see different angles of the world, not everybody can witness the same things that you do.

I just wanted everybody to know that we will be in California until the 12th. We'll immediately send your orders out when we get back. Hope you are doing well and I will continue to keep in touch.

Victoria

Saving up for a camera.

I want to capture the truth and beauty wherever I go.

Victoria

The War in IRAQ

It's late and I'm still up completing my homework. I'm just so overwhelmed with everything I'm finding. I will tell you everything when I get a chance.

I also have an idea to encourage our troops.
I hope you are willing to participate!

Victoria

We're almost there!

We had a Mission's meeting after church today.

It was about an hour long. We talked about our luggages, where we are staying, how parents can use Skipe to have computer communication with their kids, and the amount of money we turned in so far. I've turned in $950.37 and Vivian turned in $937.87. It was such a shock to see this because our fundraiser has been very slow lately and theres been no response from anybody. We found out that our friends and family have been sending donations straight to the church.

I'm just amazed right now. Thanks

Victoria

Schedule Change

Our trip to Jaco, Costa Rica was originally scheduled for July 19th-26th. But our sponsors found out an earlier date would save each individual $85. And saving is always a good thing.

We are now leaving to Jaco on July 17th and returning on July 23rd. I like this plan. Now when I get back, I'll have time to get ready for school. But I was really hoping in turning 18 in a different country.

Victoria

Pastor Amra

My Mom has been very involved with our project. She calls all of our relatives to inform them about everything and she even takes a print out of our site to her work. Her friends always give little donations whenever they can.

Yesterday, my mom made a phone call to "Pastor Amra." He's a Pastor at a Cambodian Church in Connecticut. I've attended the church as far as I can remember. But about 6
years ago we moved here. It was so nice to hear from him. We talked about our missions trip this summer. When I heard his voice, I just felt all these memories from my childhood. I do miss the church there.

Pastor Amra also made a Cambodian site to help build relationships with one another. It's a really nice website, it sort of reminds me of MySpace. He posted a Blog and a Forum about us there. Check it out!


http://www.cambodianchristian.com/home/blog/view/id_58/title_young-khmer-christians-for-mission/

Victoria

Edgewater High School

Yesterday after my AP Exam, my friends and I decided to go to Edgewater Highschool. When I was there, I met a Social Studies teacher who was so fascinated with our project. She was really interested in helping EMBRACE the Nations.


Victoria

Pace

Hi,

Its been a little over a week since I've written anything. I hope your week is starting out smooth. I just want everyone to know that everything is going fine. We've been exhausted with school lately and procrastinated on a few orders. It hits me when you guys are helping us and we begin to slack. Knowing that we have friends who care, means so much. We're picking up the pace =)

I would like to send shirts for Joel Houston and Phil Wickham!!

Victoria

Mr. Ius

One of our team members told us that she and her mom gave support letters to her teachers. And we should think about doing the same. It's a great way to inform your school. We placed many letters in our teacher's mail boxes. My Biology teacher, Mr.Ius wanted to support in any way. He said he'd be happy to hang fylers in his classroom. We thought that was a great idea and surprised him with a shirt. He wore it the following day. A teacher across the hallway even ask me about "EMBRACE the Nations" that very same day.

Thanks Mr. Ius for wearing our shirt and your help.

See you in class!!

-Vivian

Special Giving

On Saturday & Sunday Pastor Jon had a special giving. Which updated the church about our progress and allowed contribution to be made to the missions trip.

Reality

It was a few weeks back when Myspace BANNED me from their forum. Interesting huh? I thought of ways to let people know about the project to Costa Rica and our intentions. Well, Myspace is well known and is frequently used by many. So I decided to post some banners and write about EMBRACE the Nations in the forums.

I recieved alot of questions and criticism. I remember one guy in his 40s... He told me that the last thing Costa Rica needs is our help. They are one the richest countries in the world and they actually have a problem with American's immigration there. Another guy said that he's gone on a mission's trip to Mexico when he was a highschooler. All he did was party with the girls there. He said that what we are doing is a hoax, this is just a vacation payed by contribution.

This was such a shock. Why are some people so mean? I can see that it'll take some time for them to trust us but why do they have to say those things? What really got me was their insult about Christianity. I was really hurt with this and I really did wanted give up. But I didn't... I responded to every comment with kind words and actual information. At times I just wanted to write something horrible too but I know better. I kept my patience and I knew that the only way they'll understand isn't through anger.

I'm not looking or waiting for anybody's approval. As Student Body President I get the same feeling at school. Reality is that you can't satisfy everybody(Its taken me so long to understand this!) I don't want to sit around and dwell on people's criticism. Instead I choose to be strong and pursue what I know is right.

-Victoria

TubeLite

We were running low on supplies and the emulsion on our printing screen was melting. You couldn't just run to any store for the suppply. Emulsion and silk screen is rarely found in your everyday store. Our Youth Pastor is a designer and he told us about this screen supply warehouse, where you can find supplies in digital, signs, and screen printing.

We went over to TubeLite and met Pat, who was the secertary. We brought our printing screen and showed her the problem. Pat told us the different effects some products may have. What we were using before wasn't the best quality.
Funny story! Vivian ask the price of everything there =) And our eyes got bigger each time we heard the prices of the products. We needed the supplies to continue to make our shirts but we had to go back at a different time, when we had enough money.

Pat wanted to give us some samples but she ran out. Instead she gave us the actual products for no charge. How awesome is that?? We were so surprised! My mom told us that we are doing something good and God is helping us in every unsusal way. Do I agree? ABSOLUTELY.




-Victoria


http://www.tubelite.com/index.html

Passport

Hey Guys,
Look what we got. Our passports finally came in and now we are one step closer.


-Vivian

So far...

Well hello there!

We've been on Spring Break since last Friday and it's sad to say that tomorrow will be our last day of relaxation(FREEDOM). Back to School on Monday! I'm not sure if I've spent my break wisely. There were times when I felt like I'd blow up because I was so bored. But I really did enjoy my break. I hope you did too!!

I want to take some time to inform you about whats going on. I forgot to mention earlier that our plane tickets are going to be purchased soon. During our mission's meeting, Gayle(Our Youth Sponsor) mentioned that tickets are alot cheaper when you buy in advance. I think they're about $200 a piece and non-refundable. There was a total of 30 members going on the trip but two adults stepped down. But we recently had a youth student join us last sunday, Karlen. Shes in middle school and problably the youngest in the group.

We just reached over a third of our goal. I calculated it in my head.... trust me it works. We raised and friends donated a total of $1194.89. How amazing is that? I'm so shocked, I guess I've been very negative lately.
Your boosting and motivating us to go after what we believe. Thanks!

Good Night.


-Victoria

Friends

I was looking around and look what I found!
It's such a nice feeling to know that your friends care.

Updates

Hi Everyone!

We had a Missions meeting after church today. Part of our money was due, didn't quite meet the goal with $500 but we did come up with $390. Our Dad's Supervisor, Larry, gave a big portion. During his many trips to Africa, he has notice that it is harder to share the gospel when he sees that their immediate needs are not yet met. In particularly, food. He mentioned that we could buy a chicken or a milk goat for a family to start a small business.I even thought about bringing my clothes, sweet treats, toiletry items for the people there. Our Missionary team will be minstering by providing VBS and repairing housing but I'm sure there are many other ways we can affect the people there.

"Enjoy & Cherish every moment of your trip. You will never forget it."

Thanks Larry for your support.

At School

Because our school is brand new, the walls of each hallways are a bit bare. Leadership was asked to fill the bulletin boards with any interests. We thought about Invisible Children. How the condition there should be heard. Everybody should be aware of situations that rises in every country. Distance may be a set back but is that your excuse to not take action? Inform others! Let them know! You'd be surprise in how much you can do.


Displace Me, last year at UCF.

Just Thinking...

I originally made this blog to inform our friends and families about our walk throughout our missions trip, hopefully even more. I do apologize for not doing my part. I want you to be apart of every move we take.

Today, I sat down and thought about God's intentions for me during this Trip. How will HE use me? Will my church be influenced? Is it safe to be in a place far from home? Will the hearts in Costa Rica be open to us and God's word? Can we bring anybody to Christ? I'm not sure if I'm fit to go. Every Christian events that I attend, I get so touched by His Love. And at that very moment, I'm so determine that my life will never be the same. Days fly by and I slowly notice myself returning to my old habits. Everything that I've learned is rarely applied. What good is it to take this Missions Trip when this will happen again? I don't want anybody to look at me differently for doing this when my heart is not changed. I think my Youth Group is a bit the same. We attend conferences, hang-out, go to camp, and take trips together. We get so close but everything returns back to before.

This has been on my mind for awhile. I don't want this trip to be just something. But rather an experience I'll live to keep alive.


-Victoria

Free Rice

I was on Florida Virtual earlier and my teacher posted this website. Apparently there is a place where you can extend your vocabulary and earn rice for people who needs it. Sounds dubious huh? With every click on their page, the advertisement at the bottom of the page generates money to FreeRice, FreeRice then takes that money to buy Rice. How cool is that? I even learned some interesting words while playing.

How can I HELP?

"EMBRACE the Nations was created by two sisters with a goal to make a difference in the world and to help those in need. The profits will help fund their missions trip to Jaco, Costa Rica. There they will work with local Missionaries to minister to about 60 families in a squatters village. It will take place this Summer 2008 in the month of July. They need to raise a total of $3,000. This covers air tickets, food, and a place to stay. Play a big role in helping them go after what they believe."©




Yes! I would like to help.

Tell others! Word of Mouth can travel faster than a rocket!!
(Well maybe.. not too sure yet=))

Post icons on your page.

Your a big part of this project!

Morning

Around 2 in the morning I came across a website full of ways you can make a difference. Theres non-profit organizations, charities after charities. I may sound like someone that is caught up with the world's problem... I am. From my understanding, I live a life of freedom with everything I need. I dwell on school's drama and how I always want more, this may be the definition of a selfish person. But I've learned recently that theres families and kids living in places I've never even heard of, starving worldwide, living as young soldiers in Uganda, prostituing themselves, involved in child labor, drug addictions, and even the U.S. with dramatic crime rate.

It breaks me to see the world like this. Just because we don't live that life doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Don't turn your head away, you can make all the difference in someone's life.
If you lived in poverty and your starved, what could you do? Nothing RIGHT?


http://www.gmb-akash.com
(Here are pictures that captures a piece of the broken.)


http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2007/impact/





-Victoria

Spread the Word!

I know that we can't do this on our own.
We need you guys to help us in anyway.


Sometimes I feel like I can take on the world by myself but I've learned that people are such a significant part of your life.
Support us by pasting this on your page or perhaps mentioning the project over a cup of tea.

-Victoria

<br /><a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmVtYnJhY2V0aGVuYXRpb25zLmJsb2dzcG90LmNvbS8=" ><img src="http://a3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/48/l_7d9f292193ba220ae445f3b15c405a42.gif"0"> </a> <br />

<br /><a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmVtYnJhY2V0aGVuYXRpb25zLmJsb2dzcG90LmNvbS8=" ><img src=" http://a154.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/113/l_8e31221a0e93a093a006eea44e86eb91.gif"0"></a> <br />

<br /><a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LmVtYnJhY2V0aGVuYXRpb25zLmJsb2dzcG90LmNvbS8=" ><img src=" http://a152.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/112/l_b8e34705587e26ce7864c478a4174627.gif"0"></a> <br /> <br />

Online Store

I've been very anxious today, so I went ahead and made an online store. It'll be complete in no time.

http://www.embracethenations.bigcartel.com/
http://www.embracethenations.bigcartel.com/
http://www.embracethenations.bigcartel.com/

-Victoria

Picture Day

Pictures have been taken, Screen Printing was successful, and everything is starting to come together. My friend Caleb was very kind in helping with Photography. Rachel, Rachelle, Ruthie, Mckenzie, and Johnathan helped modeled the clothings. My room was turned into a dressing area, clothes was scattered everywhere. It was a fun PhotoShoot. It was exactly how I pictured it, nothing chaotic but something enjoyable. We had a great time covering the wall with newspapers, running out of poses, and eating pineapple pizza.

Thanks Guys!

-Victoria

Ms. Martha

We sent out Support Letters back in January but we only received one response. It was from my Prayer Partner, Ms. Martha C. She has sent cards and stickers for every holiday. I'm so glad to have her in my life. Shes been struggling with Arthritis, pray for her. She always has a smile on her face and thats all I need.

-Victoria