Settling In But Not Settling For Less

We received word last night that the Mexico Team was finally in El Paso, and though they had a four hour wait for their luggage they still expected to be in Mexico that night. We may not hear from them for a little while until they have Internet access again. They miss the rest of Kaleo but are in good spirits.

On the Olympic side of things, good things are happening: students with opportunities to talk about their faith, meeting influential people such as the President of Poland and the US vice-president (his entourage laughed when Emma asked to see his ID), and lots of athletes including a gold medalist. And crazy things like being asked out by a member of the Canadian bobsled team (she said no). Students have the opportunity to pray for these people of influence who they will now remember a long time.


Probably the best thing that is happening is the students' witness as a community. "Oh, you're one of the Kaleo group! I worked with a few of you this morning." That's a pretty common statement. Kaleo is a visible presence at these venues, and people are aware of the difference in their attitudes and words and actions. Someone asked a student today if she was part of that "Bible school" group and she asked how he knew. He said, "There is a spirit about you." Many of the other workers know that we are followers of Jesus. Some people just end the conversation as soon as they realize the student is a Christian; others are very open to talk. Last night as we met and heard one another's stories, we were challenged to love these people - and some of them don't make it easy - no matter how they respond.

So, we are settling into the routine of very early mornings (it is amazing how silent this place is after 9:00 PM) and riding buses and managing people all day. But we are not settling for simply being appreciated volunteers. Thanks for your prayers for focus and anticipation of what God will do.

Some students had the day off, so we hiked the back side of The Chief, a 600 metre vertical rock near Squamish: