Posted in General Articles by Brown Team on 8/22/2006
hello...
just want to let everyone know that we are at our ministry in egypt and we are doing great. we are living in the bishops house, which very much to our suprise... is a palace. it is huge and has been a very big blessing for us. we have a cook, we have beds, showers, and even though it is hot and no air we do have fans that help keep us cool.
i have many blogs and pictures typed out that will have to be posted when we get back to cairo. the internet here is not storng enough to upload all of our pictures and post our blogs. we will be leaving here on monday headed back to egypt... so be looking for updated then.
keep us in your prayers... our God is so amazing.
PS... Praise God ... we have tickets booked from Kenya to South Africa. that is a HUGE blessing and answer to many prayers.
love you all...
kim kinsley
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Posted in General Articles by Brown Team on 8/5/2006
hello all...
just to gıve you an updated we are ın the mıddle of a race and our race blog ıs posted under my sıte... we have had problems wıth our team blog so for now ıt ıs there.
ıf you wıll... contınue to pray for us for our safety and that the Lord wıll be faıthful ın provıdıng so we can fınısh the race.
thank you... love you all.
kım
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Posted in General Articles by The World Race on 6/20/2006
Brown Team Reunion!!!
Finally… after WAY too many hours of travel… the Brown Team has ALL arrived in Mostar, Bosnia… just in time to leave again.
Let me take you back through our travels. Sisson… lucky one that she is… arrived right on time in Split, Croatia and rode with the group on to Mostar and has had a nice time hanging out at the Bible College planning for our ministry time here.
The rest of us are not so lucky. Kim, Paul, Friske, and I reunited at the Tel Aviv airport on the 15th. Kim flew in from South Africa after quite the trip through multiple airports and arrived to our shouts and screams of KIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! … just to properly embarrass her.
J
From there we spent the night in the airport and caught the early flight to Istanbul, Turkey. We all remembered being told there were ferries from Istanbul to Split every day. So we settled in to a hostel in Istanbul to catch up on some much needed sleep. After all… we have plenty of time, right?
The next day we head to a travel agent to book a ferry only to find out… there are no ferries to Split! There is a ferry to Ankana (which is in Italy for those of you who are as uneducated in geography as we are) but it doesn't leave Istanbul until the very end of this month. That won't work! So our next option is a train to Belgrade and then surely we will find something from Belgrade to Mostar. We are assured that there are trains and buses running all the time.
 So we book the next train for Istanbul, leaving Saturday at 10pm. We then ride for 25 hours on a train all the way to Belgrade. We get off the train at about 11pm and begin to look for a way to go to Mostar. But guess what?! There are no trains to Mostar. Only a bus. And the bus leaves at 10pm… we're too late. However… unlike the rest of the Racers who are punctual… we got to spend the day in Belgrade - an absolutely amazing city. And HA! We get an extra stamp in our passports…
So after a day in Belgrade we have a rather unenjoyable bus ride to Mostar. This was a five star bus compared to the chicken buses of Guatemala… but when is 10 hours sitting in a chair with no air conditioning ever enjoyable?
 Today… we had a glorious reunion with all our teammates (minus Sarah R. and Tauna who are still getting healthy in the states… MISS YOU GUYS!!!). It's strange how after just a few weeks apart we have missed each other so much. I have no idea how any of us will survive next year without multiple road trips each month!
Tomorrow morning Brown Team heads out with the South Africans to the bushes of Bosnia. One of the ministry opportunities here is an adventure camp for Bosnian youth. The South Africans and some other locals will be leading these kids for a camping adventure for two weeks, building wonderful relationships with them out in the mountains. We Brown Teamers will be with them for the first two weeks to help build the camp. Currently, it's just a mountain…but after two weeks there will be amazing showers, toilets, tables, anything a good campsite will need… all handmade by us - WorldRace 2006. Nervous,
you say? A little. Can't say any of us have ever really done this before. But more than that… I'm excited. This is definitely a new adventure I can't wait to tackle!
After these two weeks we will head in to another town to work with an inner city youth ministry while the South Africans lead the kids camp. We'll let you know more about that ministry when it comes…
So Mom's and Dad's, Aunts, Uncles, Relatives and friends of all kinds of e-mail accounts… no worries. We won't be in touch for quite a while… but all is well up in the mountains.
So for now… This is Brown Team. Signing off for at least a few weeks…
p.s. Wow. It's exactly a month since our last blog! Sorry about that... if you didn't hear about all our adventures these past months, be sure to check out our individual blog sites to see about our travels!
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Posted in General Articles by The World Race on 5/19/2006
Yes… we are still here and the Lord has been doing amazing things. I am sorry that you haven't heard from our team in a while. Since internet was not very easy to get to in India and since we were all doing our "own" ministry within the group ministry it tends to get hard sometimes to keep up. Hopefully you are able to keep up with our personal blogs though, but just to give you a quick update on what is going on the next 3 weeks…
Friske and Laura:
After crying many tears and having to leave these precious children, Friske and Laura boarded a plane to Cairo and from there are going to be in Israel for the next 3 weeks. They will be ministering with a group of their friends that is going to be there from the States. They are very much looking forward to having a small taste of home.
Kim:
While I was sitting in my tent the last day I was at the orphanage, the girls would pull things out of my pack and ask if they could fit in… oh how I wish they could have. I miss them so much, but these next 3 weeks are going to be wonderful. I am "home" (in South Africa). During the next 3 weeks I get to visit with my family, rest up, get rejuvenated and sleep in my own bed. Though while all that is wonderful, I have to say the best part of being here is that I get to spend some time with "my kids" and minister to them. (For those of you, who don't know, last year while I lived here in SA I took care of 35 orphans and after being with those precious children in India, I am so excited about getting my hands on my kids again.)
Paul:
After beating the heat, doing his best to keep cool, and wearing skirts to paint in so he doesn't ruin his own clothes, Paul will be leaving India and heading to Cairo. From there, he will be meeting up with Friske and Laura to do ministry in Israel.
Jessica:
From India to romantic Rome, Jessica and a few other world racers will be traveling around Europe. They will be going to places like Greece, Rome, Florence, Paris, and even getting to go the the world cup. Though this does sound like a great short vacation, they do have plans to contact some local missionaries that they will be ministering with along the way and also doing some listening prayer.
I ask that you will please keep us all in your prayers as we are away from each other. Pray that the Lord will hold us in the palm of His hands until we are able to meet again. I am so anxious to see what amazing things the Lord has in store during this time.
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This is a picture of the world race girls in our "new" traditional Indian attire. Don't we look fabulous?!?!
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Posted in General Articles on 5/5/2006
WE HAVE A HUGE PRAYER REQUEST AND NEED!!!
 We are on a mission to brighten these children's lives. One of the things we feel would make a huge difference is to restore their three rooms they live, sleep, and eat in. So, our idea is to go buy some fun, bright colored paint and completely redo their rooms. We would love to paint scriptures on the walls, and hopefully a mural. I'm so excited for this opportunity to bless these children with a new room. Our only obstacle is in the financial side. We do not have enough money to complete this project. So, I'm asking you to please pray with me and see if God leads you to give to these children.
If you would like to help us out, there is a way of donating through this website…or you can contact AIM personally.
THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR THE DIFFERENCE YOU ARE MAKING IN MANY LIVES!!
So we landed in Delhi on May 1st. The rest of our debrief in Thailand went really well. We had many people speak, went through some studies, and enjoyed a great week of spending time with each other. We raced to Maylasia on the 28th. Congrats to the Lime team for their win! The other four teams flew, but my team took a bus. So we ended up coming in last place.
India. Orphanage. 80 kids without parents. But let me tell you…they have got it together. They live a life full of the Lord. I don't think I have mentioned it in any of my blogs yet for fear of scaring my parents, but the pastor's son of this place has been suffering severe persecution in jail for the sake of the gospel and for the children. Yesterday afternoon, he was released on bail!!! There are still 14 false charges against him that he still needs to address in court, but yesterday we were able to meet him for about 30 minutes. He stopped by to say hello to the children and then continued on with his 20 or so friends in three different disguised vehicles to a hiding place as they are trying to kill him before he returns back to court. You really can't get anymore real than this. I was so incredibly encouraged by just being in his presence and hearing him talk of how faithful the Lord is for keeping him alive through prison. He said they did everything they could to try to kill him. He had 14 poisinous rats dumped into his cell and continually bit him. He had sewage dumped on him. The list goes on, and yet he was able to share the gospel with the many people around him. His attitude is great, and he was continually just thanking the Lord. How amazing!
Usually, there are 360 kids in this orphanage, but when the pastor was taken in, they couldn't afford to keep them all. So many had to go back to either parents that didn't want them or couldn't afford to keep them.
So with that said, I want to tell you about the kids that are left here. The ones that do not have parents. True orphans…with hearts of gold.
These children are the most disciplined, well-behaved kids I think I have ever seen. They are up every morning at 6am to pray and sing together. They meet again in the afternoon to pray and then in the evening one of the kids leads a devotional for everyone else. Last night we were able to experience the most amazing thing. They gathered together for their devotional. It began with singing songs to the Lord, and then someone raised a prayer request. Instantly, all the children began to pray aloud for that need. Then one of the boys stood up and read a scripture. He proceeded to give a complete devotional about the meaning of it. Unbelievable.
They range in age from about 4-16. It is the most incredible privilege for me to be here and to love on them. Despite the lice, fleas, scabies, and 120 + degree heat…their smiles will capture your heart.
This month, our large group will all be together here. There are many needs that we will be serving. We split into groups and the different ministries include…
Cutting hair/treating lice/medical
Physical labor/building shelves
One on one time with children
Crafts/games/Bible studies
Cleaning/organizing/painting
We will be blogging somewhat often I think, but I will be sending them through an email to my sister to post. We cannot open AIM's website here for obvious reasons so I'll have to upload all my pictures when we leave.
Please continue to keep our team in your prayers as the heat can be very draining, and there are many discomforts. My prayer is that we would all embrace these children with much joy and love as they live this way their whole life...and not get caught into any complaining or tiring mode. Thank you all for all your support! Even miles and miles away...we think of you often and how blessed we are to have such an amazing support team!!
Sending much love…
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Posted in General Articles on 4/20/2006
 Sorry that we haven't updated this site in a while. Hopefully you have been reading our personal blogs and know what is going on. As you know, we are in Patong and have been here for about a week now. We have had an amazing time here and the way the Lord is moving, the doors that He is opening, and the contacts that we have made have been incredible. We have kept ourselves very busy with ministry and have been very much sleep deprived.
Last night, we decided to take a much needed "break" and take on a challenge that the red team set before us. They challenged us to a game of Dino Golf (aka putt-putt or goofy golf). We took on their challenge, knowing that we were not very good golfers. The place we went was called Dino Park. When you walk up you literally feel like you are in the Flintstones. There are dinosaurs everywhere, a volcano that goes off every hour, and the employees are dressed like Fred and Wilma Flinstone.
We got there and the rain started to come down, so we had to wait a while for it to stop. Once it stopped, our game was on. By the second whole I had already fallen (imagine that) and hurt myself on the stairs...so that was not such a great start...BUT after Katherine hitting her ball in the water, several of us getting a hole in 1 (including me...YEAH...I got 2) and Paul hitting his Paul down the stairs instead of the course...we were off to a very fun game.
It was a very close game I have to say...but unfortunately red team did win. The score was 200 (red) to 205 (brown). So...we had to buy them all ice cream. Though we lost (does this surprise you) we had a great time and it was nice to get away and break for a while.
The red and brown team have decided to "come together" more often and when we do, we are the "bred team".
-Kim
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Posted in General Articles on 4/11/2006
NoW fOr ThE fUn PaRt...OUR RACE THAT ENDED THIS MORNING
and the winner is....THE BROWN TEAM!!!!!!!!!
it was the best race yet! so so much fun! we started out being dropped off at the bus station in trang. nobody knew anything about the race. we jumped off our shuttle, grabbed our luggage, and were given a piece of paper with many destination points on it. to make a long story short, i'll try to bullet point how it went...
*we had to climb 2474 stairs up a buddist temple
* we had to ride an elephant
* we had to find the "fruit that is not allowed in public elevators"...try it, smell it, and report the difference.
* we had to report on the role of Jesus to the Buddists
*we had to EAT either a roach, cricket, or locust AND a worm...and then report the difference
*we had to buy a t-shirt, the offspring of a volleyball and soccerball, and a "loud frog" all for under 400 baht.
*we had to have someone translate John 17:3 into the Thai language
*and the final destination point was to travel to the southern most point of phuket and snorkle to an island where our team flag would be...and then report on the type of fish we saw
sooooooooo....we began at 11am yesterday and my team finished at 8:15 this morning. we went nonstop without any sleep. and our strategy was to bypass the steps which were 2 hours from our starting point, and head two hours past that to the elephants. we did this, because we figured the elephants would be closing and we could always go back and climb the stairs at night. and our plan worked :) well, we actually got to the elephants around 4 i think, and they really closed at 2. well, we begged and they let us go. minutes after they said ok, the lime team pulls in and is also trying to work the same magic. we had jumped into the safari truck and were trying to get our driver to leave before they got on. and we were lucky. they told them no, and we left!
so after this was over, we headed to phuket town to do all our shopping and research. we got everything finished except we couldnt find the bugs to eat. they said they were out, and we couldnt get any til the next morning. (they were OUT? like people were really eating them? ughhhh...) anyways, we figured we would just look for those somewhere else. as they seemed to be such a delicacy. so we headed out of there and went back the 3 hours or so to the temple. by this time it was like midnight and our poor truck driver that we hired was so tired. thank gosh he agreed to stay with us, because there was not a sole out and we would have been stranded there. oh, i forgot something...on the way to the elephants, anita, kim, and i rode in the back of the pickup with all our bags. it was beautiful, sunny...and then an hour or so into it...it starts to pour. and did not stop for the next 4 hours. no fun!
so we climbed the stairs and then jumped back in the truck and headed back to the southern point to finish and do our swimming portion. we finally arrived at 5:30 am and started walking the streets of the little village to try and find these stupid bugs. we knew no other team was able to ride the elephants the day before, so they all had to wait til this morning to ride, which gave us some time to work with. well, we could not find bugs anywhere. we were starting to freak out, because we busted our butt all night long to make it here, and then couldnt find the bugs! so kim, friske, and laura took a taxi back into town to try and find them (even though we were told we couldnt get them til 5pm in there) and anita and i started searching through the grass trying to find a roach or cricket. i know, i can't believe i am typing this, let alone did it. we found some worms on the leaves of banana trees that we were going to use, but they ended up finding some in town. anna-marie took some pictures of us as we were eating them (wait til you see) so as soon as i can, i'll post them.
so as soon as this ended, we flew to the water and anita grabbed the flag and our clock stopped...30 minutes before the lime team. :) YEAH!
so tomorrow we will all split up and head to our separate ministry sites for the rest of the month. i'm not sure where my team will be yet, but we will have internet access so i'll be able to update more often (and upload pictures!)
sending much love and enjoying all the little things with you...
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. -Deuteronomy 6:5
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Posted in General Articles on 4/3/2006
Hey friends, family, and faithful commenters! Just a short note to let you know we have safely arrived in Bangkok. We'll hang out here for a few days and then head to Trang to meet up with everyone. Life is grand, the hotel is cheap and beautiful, the food is great, and everyone's healthy! Will update more when we find a cheaper internet connection!
Peace, love, and dim sum!
Laura for the Brown Team
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Posted in General Articles on 3/23/2006
so...the brown team has an idea for t-shirts...since all the other teams already have shirts...BUT there is a problem...we do not have anyone to do them for us...if you or you know anyone that would like to make our shirts for us and would very happily "donate" them to us...please just let us know by leaving us a comment.
thanks...
God Bless... :)
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a few suggestions and had to think of creative ways to answer them....because almost every student that asked a question asked that question. we did have one girl stand up and ask us the meaning of life. this was mr. pauls question and he was able to share our reason for living...which is Jesus Christ. so the Lord allowed us to be able to share the gospel with them in that way. i know that the Lord is going to bless that. 
