Anything to Declare? - Yea, Don't go to Philly

We're finally back!! After 45 hours...
We left Morocco at 8am on Saturday morning. Everything was pretty smooth, our plane landed in Paris on time. Our connection from Paris to Philadelphia left a few minutes late. By the time we landed in Philadelphia, we had 30 minutes to get to our connection to SF. We got our stuff together as fast as possible to find out that the airline had already planned on us not making it to our connection. They booked us at the Ramada Inn for the night with vouchers for Dinner and Breakfast. Even if our plane had landed on time, chances are we still would not have made it. Our itinerary was messed up from the start. So we got to the delta

So we slept at the hotel. We met other people that had also missed the flight and were pretty upset.
Next morning we wake up, the sky looks kinda mucky. We take a shuttle to the airport and by the time we get there, a HUGE storm broke out. I think we just ran out of luck.
We got delayed again. We ended up splitting up into 2 teams on 2 different flight. Some made it by 6:30pm others made it at 10pm.

Praise God we're back safely. It was a rough trip, but we're all safe and we all got our baggage.

Tim

tennis tournament

The other day we met with the founder/owner of this tennis academy, Monsieur Moundir, and he told us all about his philosophies and beliefs around this academy. His desire is to help people in Morocco with the disciplines of tennis. The tennis academy attracts very wealthy families, and Moundir says that the rich help pay for the poor.

The tennis academy has great coaches and has produced many great tennis players. They frequently host tennis camps, and put on tournaments every Friday. This current tennis/English camp has several students who traveled from different countries and most of the students come from very wealthy families. These students get whatever they want and act however they want. The parents are engineers, large business owners, doctors, etc. and all of the students speak at least two languages, all but one. There is one eleven-year-old girl who speaks only Arabic. This girl is a local girl, and right now is the only person whose family could not afford tennis lessons. She is here on a full scholarship, and last Friday she took first place at the tournament, beating all these older teens who have had tennis lessons for years and can afford to get the best training and education.

I am reminded of a passage in the first chapter of Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. "He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him." Not that we should avoid wealth or wisdom, but that we should always remember how great God is compared to us, no matter how great our success becomes. If you are going to boast, if you are going to have any sort of pride, it should not be in anything of this world, but rather it should be in the Lord.

You should have seen that girl play. She is so aggressive, precise and fast. She is only a small girl, and she was beating boys that are years older than her, bigger, and have much more experience than her. It was a beautiful feat. And now we get to make fun of the boys she beat.

-jdh

Teaching in Morocco??

Anybody want to be a teacher in Morocco? After seeing how they are treated here, it's starting to make me want to be one. We took a tour of the homes that the teachers stayed at and it was awesome. They had a choice between a studio or 2-4 bedroom apts. Each apt. came fully furnished, with really nice furniture, along with internet and I believe cable. The complex is only about 2 years old so you can imagine that everything still looks very nice. I felt like I was back at the states looking at apts in Santana Row or something.

As far as qualifications go, our guide, Cathy, told us that you only need 1-2 years of experience and a foreign language in French or Arabic. I'm sure there are more but I think there would be more limits coming from the teacher rather than the school. I mean, you would have to leave your place of comfort and try to adjust in a totally different culture. Not something anybody would do. But the other great thing about this program is that though they prefer you stay a long time, especially if they like you, the committment is only 2 years, which is very short. Plus, because it's an American school, they follow the American calendar so teachers can travel wherever they'd like during spring break and summer vacations. I see it as a golden opportunity, especially if you love teaching and traveling.

The school is also amazing. Every year, since 1995, the demand for admission increases and the school cannot expand fast enough to supply. Right now they have classes for elementary, middle and high school students, with a total of about 700 students registered for next semester. They offer education and activities that any American school would offer such as english and math and basketball and track. But the amazing thing is that this school is one of the very few that offer these opportunities. Not many schools in Morocco have the funding, nor the desire, to provide these opportunities.

GWA is lastly inspirational. They are reaching out to children in Morocco. Children from lower class, upper middle and upper class. They do their best to be affordable and also provide scholarships to those that might not be able to afford the tuition. They lead their classrooms with the four missional words: wisdom, excellence, integrity, faith. They are definitely making an impact in their area. So much that the king of Morocco has given them financial support and the governor of Marakesh has requested they build a school in their city. One can only imagine how many students graduate from GWA with a quality education along with great character traits.

Morocco next year anyone?

Hello from Morocco! One week has already passed and I can't believe it. Aside from feeling exhausted and hot everyday, it's truly been a blessing being here. The people of Morocco are so friendly and welcoming. I've had the pleasure of being able to not only teach these children English, but to eat with them during meals and watch them play tennis.
There is this cute little five year old boy who is exceptionally good at tennis, not just for his age but even for someone who is 3 or 4 years older. One thing that touched me was the love and camaraderie that the children have for one another. Whenever one child (particularly the little boy) is crying or feeling down, they are so quick to cheer him up and make him feel better. I can't think of a more sincere and unselfish love than that.
Today was our day off and we got a tour of the entire school that is close by. The founder's wife was sharing with us the story of the building and how God provided in miraculous ways the funding and the building of the school. it was encouraging to hear how some of the staff and children at the school were able to come to Christ.
Because it is illegal to preach the gospel openly in Casablanca, the school teaches fundamental Christian values and about the meaning of holidays like Christmas and Easter. This got me thinking, what can we do, as a team with our time here? How can we preach the gospel to the people of Morocco?
while reading Mark, these verses came to my attention:

"My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations" (Mark 11:17)

15He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well." (Mark 16:15-18)

Jesus says that we WILL do all these things. Please pray that we will be obedient and that we will see signs and wonders happen here in Morocco and also that we can build up a house of prayer!

“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:10-18, NIV)

Halfway Mark! (already...)

It's hard to believe that it has already been one week since we left the US. This trip is going by insanely fast. I think we might be having a little too much fun. The food is DELICIOUS, the people are VERY friendly and hospitable, and the kids are (for the most part) really fun.

I must say this mission trip is different than any other trip I've been to. We're not roughing it up like we expected. We get great meals, nice beds, and great weather. It's hard to complain about those, even on a mission trip :) But the best part of this trip has definitely been connecting with the kids. It has been so much fun/exhausting to pour ourselves into them, play, teach, and just hang out. Every moment with them is an opportunity to teach english, and to love on them. They may never know our real intentions for coming, but as long as we have shown the love of Christ to them, and they have felt this love, this trip will be a success.

We met with the man who started the Tennis Academy here in Casablanca. He is a practicing Muslim, so we got to ask him questions about his faith and what his vision and goals are for the academy. I think all of us were blown away after talking with him. We all expected this huge Tennis star who was somwhat full of himself. Turns out he is a man who loves his country and has a heart for its people. He uses tennis as a tool to educate and build character in people and children that may not have the opportunity to otherwise, whether rich or poor. Jesse asked him what he thought about us as a group coming from a Christian church. He responded saying it was a blessing from God. I think we all felt very encouraged by him and that we could probably all learn from his humble heart.

Well, this is the halfway mark. We'll see what God has in store for us next week :)

-Tim

Last day of teaching English.. for now

Since we arrived in Morocco on Saturday (7/18), I haven't had the chance to write anything. However, it gave me a lot of time to reflect on the things that have happened so far in Morocco. When the announcement of the mission trip to Morocco, I hastily decided to go. It probably wasn't wise for me to not think about the trip and praying about it but I realized this was a calling from God. A call that I could not refuse. All of my life, I've denied God's will and His command for various stupid reasons. This time around I learned to really commit to God and to simply see what grand things He has for me.

It has been truly amazing to see such hospitality and kindness from the Moroccan people. Our willingness to exert our utmost energy in teaching English to the Moroccan kids grew rapidly. It has already been 5 days of English lessons and it's been a lot of fun and encouraging. The kids have been attentive and desiring to learn English. I was given the priveledge to talk with the Moroccan kids about their interests and their desires and goals. It was encouraging to see that every kid could speak at least 2 languages excluding English and hearing that they wish to go to America and learn more about the culture.

We were given the chance to talk to Moundir, the founder of the Tennis Academy. His vision and passion to give opportunities for people of all kind to learn to play tennis and even learn English. A Muslim as himself that has tremendous respect for people of all kinds and all religions was definitely encouraging.

Though today was our last day of teaching English, we are resuming with a new lesson for the following week. This will give us an opportunity to rest up and refresh ourselves, and even maybe take another tour of the city of Casablanca. It has been an incredible experience and I hope to see God work even more.

As a mission trip, we came with one mission---to humbly & wholeheartedly serve the people God brings us to. But as we finish up week number one, it seems as though as we are serving these children by teaching them English, doing life with them, & having fun with them, we are the ones being served, being taught, & we will be also bringing back many memories back to our homes as well.

One person that I was truly blessed by was someone we met through the program (I will not write his name or his occupation because of security reasons & I have no idea how to spell his name). He took us around Casablanca---the mosque, shopping, out to eat, touring the city. This quiet, humble, kind-hearted Moroccan man was the one that gave me proof that God was in this city. God was using men like him to further expand His kingdom. This ex-Muslim man was an underground Christian, a man who would be looked down upon for changing his religion. He explained how he meets at a house church to engage in Bible studies and have fellowship with his few friends---things we all get to do at home at our free will.

A thing he taught us before eating our dinner was that although Christians pray before eating dinner, Muslims pray after they eat their dinner. He then explained that in Psalms the difference between praying before and after eating. Before we eat, we are hungry; after we eat, we are full. Then he explained, "when you are empty, you remember God, but when you are full, you do not remember your God." I realized how much truth that speaks to us. Yes, we go through stages of spiritual stagnation or spiritual highs, but we need to realize that we should never be satisfied with where we are with God. The biggest enemy of Christians is comfort.

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Please pray for our friend :)

beach on the atlantic. no big deal.

duk taught some english.

communication

How do you communicate with someone that doesn't speak your language? How do you teach them the language? Today was all about figuring that out. We threw in some sign language, used common phrases such as hello, goodbye, Nadal and Federer. But the most efficient method of communication was body language. When a student hit a tennis ball really well over the net, there would be a thumbs up or a pat on the back. When they wanted to go swimming, you would start to do the breaststroke. And when you wanted to break the ice, you pushed them in the pool. It was definitely a fun day of getting to know the kids w/o speaking that much english towards one another. Even though some may not have learned english, at least we got some of their attention.

Teaching English - DAY 1

Today was our first day teaching english. It started out pretty chaotic, we had no idea what to expect and we were somewhat unprepared. During our hang out time we were really able to connect with kids and throw them around. That definitely broke the ice. By the end of the day we brought out a guitar and taught them Lean on Me by Bill Whithers. The kids all love the guitar. A bunch of them wanted to hear Michael Jackson songs (RIP), too bad non of us know how to play them :P

It was over 100 degrees today, so everyone is super exhausted. It didn't feel like we did that much but we're completely out of it. I'm really looking forward to tomorrow. I think we'll do a LOT better at teaching. It's still suppose to be hot, but I think we'll be more prepared and less jetlagged.

Here's a Picture of Oscar. He's a crazy little brat. He's 5 years old, probably like 3 ft tall and he's insanely good a tennis!

This is Moroccan Tea. It's made with Mint and a ton of sugar :)

-Tim

extreme happiness!

we visited the third largest mosque in the world

over the ocean

Sunday afternoon I said goodbye to a friend who was about to head out to Europe to pursue a carreer in international law. This morning I said bye to a friend leaving to start med school. Right now I am somewhere over the Atlantic, about to teach English to some kids in Morocco. It is an odd sight, but special and very fitting to see dreamers chase after dreams.

This little adventure of ours started with a thought, or a feeling, to fly some Pulse students overseas to serve somewhere different and far. Then Tim said to me, "I want to go to Africa, but not to Kenya. Everyone goes to Kenya." So I looked up at my old map of Africa and said, "Morocco?" Nearly six months later six of us are headed there.

This is the wage of dreamers. Without dreams, people would not cross oceans to change the world, teachers would not inspire, and heroes would turn away from adversity. You might see it as irresponsible, but this sad, dying world cannot change if you don't dream of change, and be abandoned to those dreams. It is painful to say goodbye to certain comforts, like friends, or carreer plans, or a nice car, but there is a treasure that everyone can share.

jdh

Destination -> Casablanca

Morocco, Here We Come!

We're leaving today!! It's sort of unbelievable that the time has already come... I can't believe we're actually going to Africa today!

Our trip on the way there is actually pretty short. It totals to 14 hours including the layover.

here's our flight info:

sfo to paris               7.17.09   3:30-11am         delta 8599 operated by air france

paris to casablanca   7.18.09  12:55-3pm          air france 2496

I'm really excited go. Speaking French will be a huge advantage. I bet I'm probably gunna end up translating for my team most of the time :P

My main concern is health. With my medical condition, I have a high chance of getting food poisoning. Please pray for my health.

Ok, well it's time to double check I've packed everything!

Tim

TEAM PICTURE

We finally got around to taking a team picture! :D

Price Cut! W00T!

Praise God for he is Faithful!

Our Variety Show was awesome! Performances were off the hook, and every one had a good time! Thank you so much to those of you who performed and showed us your best! 

Another good news is that our living cost for our trip got cut! Originally our living cost for Morocco was going to be around $700 for the two weeks.

With a little pressure from Jesse and God's grace, Jack (our contact in Morocco) was able to drop the price down to $300 for our entire stay!! This is becoming one of the cheapest missions trips ever :D

Thank you so much for your prayers!!!

-Tim

Thanks!

This past Sunday, Pastor Dave talked about the condition of Paul in Philippians 1. In summary, Paul is writing a letter to the Philippians giving thanksgiving for all of their support towards his missionary goals. He writes in Philippians, 1:3-5, "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."

I was reminded of all those that have been supporting me and this team. All the letters that have been trickling in and the creative ways to donate to this trip. And it has just made me so grateful and appreciative of your support and giving. I can relate to Paul on how grateful he must have been for all the support he received from the Philippians. So I just wanted to give you a very appreciative thank you for all your support. It has made me realize that this trip is not just for me but for all of you as well. That when I'm teaching English to students, you are a part of that. And when I'm loving others, you are sharing in that. And when I feel tired or weak or want to give up, you give me reason to not break down but persevere and fight it through.

That being said, we have only 24 days left before our trip! So far I have raised about 1/2 of my goal but as a team, I don't think we are close to that. So please stay updated on this blog where we will update more fund raising ideas.

Thank you!

Variety Show

In Just a week, on June 26th our team will be hosting a variety show that will showcase Pulse's previous and upcoming mission trips as well as quality entertainment! The show will be held at Foothill Covenant Church (1555 Oak Ave, Lose Altos CA) at 6:30 PM. 

The Purpose of the Kingdom to Kingdom Variety Show is to inform about pulse missions, provide quality entertainment, and raise support.

Admission: $5 at the door

Any contribution will go towards the Morocco team and future missions trips

(please make checks to Great Exchange Covenant Church)

If you are interested in performing please contact Tim at: tim.castagna@gmail.com

We hope to see all of you over there. It's gunna be a Great Show!!

Morocco Mission Trip - Kingdom to Kingdom

Assalam o alaikum,

There are 6 of us going to Morocco from Pulse College Ministry. Jesse, Desmond, Jenni, Nina, Duk, and myself (Tim).  We are super excited for this trip! God has already opened so many doors for us and I am convinced he wants us there.

Morocco is a Muslim country on the North West side of Africa. Casablanca (where we will be staying) is the largest city in Morocco, and where all of the commerce happens. The main languages there are French and Arabic. We will focus mainly on learning French.

Our trip will be from July 17th to August 1st. We will be partnering with an international school in Casablanca to teach english to high schoolers. Prosthelizing is illegal in Morocco, so our task will be simply to teach, serve, and build relationships.

Keep us in prayer throughout this trip. We want to be the best servants we can humanly be.

Please Pray for:

-Unity within our team

-Safety throughout the trip

-Culture Shock (that it wouldn't be so bad)

-Divine Encounters

-Strong relationships to be build

-Good Health

This is an exciting time for all of us. Can't wait to leave already!

-Tim