NCCS SPRING TERM 2010 BLOG

Please read below to hear all about what God is doing in and through our Spring Term 2010 teams.  Newest updates will be posted at the top of the list.  To find out more about NCCS Spring Term in general, please click here.

Friday, April 2, 2010 3:08pm EDT NCCS SPRING TERM 2010

I am happy to report that as of midnight last night, all 13 NCCS Spring Term 2010 teams have returned home safely.  All 6 trips and 7 short courses proved to be an exciting adventure for everyone involved.  We look forward to seeing in the days, weeks, and months ahead how God is going to use theses experiences to grow our students and staff into the people that God created us to be.  Thank you for allowing your student to participate.  Are you ready for NCCS Spring Term 2011?  Me too!

TOGETHER…Cultivating Hearts.  Challenging Minds.  Impacting Culture.

Megan Strange

Friday, April 2, 2010 2:55pm EDT BALTIMORE TEAM

The Baltimore 2010 Team made it back safely to Acworth last night and enjoyed a good night’s sleep in our own beds.  It was strange to get up this morning and get in my car after so many days of riding city buses and walking to our different locations.  I really have missed our team so far today!  We had an incredible group of students and adults that worked together to reach Baltimore for Christ.

We had a great day yesterday on our last day in Baltimore.  The Starbucks crew went for our morning walk to the mall at 7am and said goodbye to the Starbucks workers we enjoyed getting to know each morning this week.  When we arrived back at the hotel the rest of the team was coming downstairs with their luggage to grab breakfast.  We heard that the NYC team was at the Today Show yesterday morning, so we quickly tuned in.  We saw Sarah and Amain on TV.  It was cool to see how excited our team was to see their classmates!

We left the hotel with all of our luggage and headed for the Charm City Circulator to ride over to The Gallery Church office.  I know we were quite the spectacle  with all of our luggage and matching Gallery Church shirts.  We were pleased to find that Evonne was our driver again.  She was such a blessing this week and we really enjoyed getting to know her and getting to thank her for being so nice to her.  We rode the bus a few stops and then hopped off for our short walk to The Gallery Church offices.

We all left our luggage and other gear at the office and began our mile walk to Patterson Park for our project of the day.  Our goal was to pick up trash in the park and pass out information about The Gallery Church and their Easter services.  We split up into our walking around groups (5 students and 1 adult) and got right to work.  It was a beautiful day and there were tons of people out in the park.

All of the groups met up at our meeting place at 11am with stories of different conversations they had with people in the park.  My group walked over to a convenience store and had a chance to talk to the ladies in there as well as a man putting some air in his bike tires.  One of the other groups talked to a couple that were feeding ducks at the lake.  We have learned a lot this week about starting conversations with people so that we have an opportunity to share Christ with them.  You should be so proud of your kids for going outside their comfort zones!

After we left the park, we walked back to the office to eat lunch and have our final team devotion.  Kelsey led the last devotion and did a great job challenging us to remember the things God did in our hearts over the course of the mission trip and take those things home and apply them to our individual situations.  I really enjoyed all five devotions this week prepared by our students and leaders.  Each one shared something that was right on with what God had in store for us that day.

We said goodbye to our friends from The Gallery Church and started the walk back down the street with our luggage.  We broke into two groups and rode the Charm City Circulator over to the Light Rail and began the trip down to the airport.  At the airport, check in was smooth and everyone grabbed a snack before we boarded a very full flight.

We enjoyed some more fellowship on the plane and then arrived in Atlanta about ten minutes early.  It was so great to see many of our Baltimore 2010 team’s parents when we came up the escalators.  Home sweet home!

Please continue to pray for the people of Baltimore and for The Gallery Church as they try to reach those people for the glory of God.  Pray especially for The Gallery Church as they launch a second location on Easter Sunday as the Friendship Academy of Science and Technology.  We had the privilege of doing several projects to help them prepare for this launch and we believe God is going to honor the preparations!

Thank you again for praying for us, encouraging us, and being such a great support team for us during the week.  It is incredible to see what God can do when we work…TOGETHER…Cultivating Hearts.  Challenging Minds.  Impacting Culture.

Megan Strange

Thursday, April 1, 2010 9:54pm EDT LOCAL COLLEGE TOUR SHORT COURSE

Day four of the “Go War Eagles” Local College Tour begins with a seasonal devotion by Seth Iverson.  He put the Easter Season in perspective by challenging us all to meditate on the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.  We headed towards Lookout Mountain, Georgia and Covenant College.  Our bus driver Robert has been such a blessing this week.  He drove us all over Georgia and some of eastern Alabama.  He dodged deer and manuevered around some tight spots including Look Out Mountain.  What a beautiful day on the mountain.  It was sunny and well in the 80’s.  Covenant greeted us with a cup of coffee, a free T-Shirt, water bottles and other goodies.  Our tour guide divided us into four teams and sent us on an exciting scavenger hunt.  We explored the campus by completing all types of task such as speaking to professors, a chaplain, meeting students, taking pictures in the hammock, as well as finding other campus sites.  It was awesome!  Alan K. took his picture in the hammock while a Covenant student was sleeping.  Funny Stuff!!!  We ate lunch in the GREAT Hall.  We had an assortment of wonderful foods and desserts.  We meet several former NCCS students.  Covenant is a wonderful Christian College with a beautiful campus.  It academics are very strong.  One of the best overall schools on our tour.  After lunch we drove down the mountain and off to Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee.  We met our energetic and passionate tour guide Rochelle at the student center.  Michael Moore, Leon, Christian and Caleb were filmed in a promotional video for one of Lee’s upcoming spring events.  Exciting Stuff!  Our group was very engaging as Rochelle toured us around campus.  Our group met lots of new friends.  We were invited to visit the dorms by some students who were hanging out the window.  Leon met a new friend at the dorm.  The “War Eagles” tour was on its “A Game” at Lee University.  Lee is another wonderful Christian school option for our students because it is ranked high by US News and World Report, the campus layout is well manicured and they offer a quality educational program.  Our tour this week was a wonderful opportunity for our students at NCCS to gain valuable insight and information in order to seek God’s future academic plans for their life.  A special thanks to our tour moms, Holly, Cheryl, and Tina.  Our tour group represented our Lord and NCCS very well this week. “Go War Eagles!”

Brian Long

Thursday, April 1, 2010 8:03pm EDT COLLEGE TOUR TEAM

Today, was our last day. It was one of the best. We rested well in spite of late arrival to the hotel last night. Lee University was awesome, as one student ask, “Could you feel the Spirit there?” It just that clear, God was on the campus with us! Covenant College’s articulate admission team and a special lecture from a biology professor cemented what we have been learning all week, that every school has a worldview. As their representative said, “Everywhere you go the professors want you to think like they do.” This is both true and insightful. People are taught to think, the real question is, “Who will teach them?” Four colleges we saw this week had NCCS alumni living out their faith for Christ in front of others. Our students have been challenged to consider more than grades, sports, arts, friends, and money, the traditional ingredients in a college decision mix; they have been challenged to put God first and trust him to lead them. We have learned college and life assessment skills that will serve them well no matter where He calls them to go.

Lee Campbell

Thursday, April 1, 2010 6:57pm EDT CSI: NCCS SHORT COURSE

We started off our week with an introduction to Forensics and the “Fundamentals of Investigations” led by Captain Tony Bailey of the Acworth Police.  We discussed the need for criminal investigation and the important civil rights implications that we needed to understand before we could become detectives.  After lunch on Monday, we looked at some case reviews to determine what evidence was admissible in court in each of the described situations.  We talked about a few exigent circumstances in which we could determine that evidence was admissible without a warrant.  Among these are if the evidence is in plain sight, the evidence is highly movable, or if the officer was in hot pursuit at the time he or she found the evidence.

On Tuesday, we began our day at the Public Safety Prayer Breakfast at NorthStar Church.  The keynote speaker was Mark Richt, head football coach at UGA.  He presented the gospel to a room of about 300 law enforcement and public safety officers from around the area.  Several of our students got their picture taken with Coach Richt, and we all had a very enjoyable time.  From there, we went to the Acworth Police Department.  Sergeant Augusto led us on a tour of the various offices and rooms of the PD and then into the jail area.  We were told in no uncertain terms that we were NOT to take any pictures once we opened the door to the jail, and I was proud of our students for being appropriately deferential in that environment.  As a side note, the inmates eat almost as well as we do; their kitchen scored a 99A on the health score.  After the tour, we held class in the Acworth Municipal courtroom.  Sgt. Endicott taught us about Crime Scene Processing, including photographing the scene and collecting evidence.  After lunch, we returned to NCCS and continued our education with a lesson on Interviewing and Interrogations.  There is a significant difference between the two, and we learned the importance of building a rapport in an interview so that a suspect will be willing to talk to us and the aggressive accusatory style of an interrogation.

Wednesday morning we had the pleasure of watching a video of an interview that had taken place at the Acworth PD only a couple hours after we had been there the day before.  It was extremely interesting to see the concepts we had learned the day before put into practice in a real-life interview.  Once we wrapped up our discussion of interviewing, we turned our attention to taking fingerprints at a crime scene.  We attempted to lift prints off of a piece of cardboard, a Styrofoam cup, and a glass jar.  One would expect that the smooth finish of the glass would provide the best print, but our students seemed to do the best job on the foam cups.  Our students were almost universally surprised at the difficulty involved in lifting a distinguishable fingerprint from a crime scene (and we got a little messy in the process).  Trivial fact of the day: the black fingerprint dust most commonly used on crime scenes is actually volcanic ash.  After lunch, the Acworth PD tested out our new skills on a mock crime scene, and our junior detectives performed admirably.

We began our last day of the week with a sobering reminder of the very real dangers that the law enforcement community faces every day.  Captain Bailey brought us some videos of traffic stops in which law enforcement officers were attacked in the line of duty.  He gave us some very good information about the importance of training and training and training.  At about 10:00, we had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Agent Lee Clements of NCIS.  He spoke briefly about the mission and purpose of NCIS and the places he has been in the course of working as an agent.  It was a very interesting look a federal investigatory agency.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see any of Mr. Clements’ presentation because I got arrested right before he arrived.  Apparently, the Acworth Police Department was holding what they call “Jail and Bail Day.”  For $50, anyone can fill out a warrant for the arrest of an Acworth citizen, and that citizen will be handcuffed and taken off to jail with the proceeds going to the Special Olympics.  Three officers arrived to arrest Captain Bailey, and he quickly pointed out that if the class could put together $50, then Coach Speck could be hauled off to jail, too.  It took about 4.7 seconds for the class to amass the sum needed, so I got a free ride in the back of a police car.  On the bright side, my students then managed to raise $73 to spring me out of jail, so the Special Olympics got a little shot in the arm from CSI: NCCS.  On our final afternoon, we set up a mock crime scene and four different interview locations.  Our junior detectives had to interview the suspects in the hospital, determine if a crime had been committed and, if so, where it had been committed.  When the stories from our suspects didn’t add up, we had to re-interview a suspect and find our way through the web of lies they had created.  We finally determined the location of the crime scene and processed it like professionals, coming to the correct conclusion, and making the proper arrests.

Overall, our adventure into the world of forensics was hugely successful, and our friends in the Acworth PD did a wonderful job bringing their world to us.  I would HIGHLY recommend we offer this course again in the future – everyone had a terrific time and we learned more than I ever expected.  Chief Wilkie, Major Dennard, Captain Bailey, Lieutenant Endicott, Sergeant Endicott, and Detective Gatny are all to be commended for their help in making our course a success.

Josh Speck

Thursday, April 1, 2010 4:42pm EDT MILITARY HISTORY THROUGH FILM SHORT COURSE

Today we went and visited the Chickamauga battlefield, which is in far northwestern Georgia, just south of Chattanooga. This was the site of a two-day battle in September, 1863, that was the second costliest battle ever fought on U.S. soil (Gettysburg being the largest). Of the approximately 125,000 soldiers on the field from both sides, 34,624 were dead, wounded, captured or missing after over two days and nights of fighting. In the end, all this accomplished was that the Union was forced out of Georgia temporarily, and the Confederacy was able to claim one last major victory, though a very hollow one. Most soldiers on both sides knew the was was going badly for the South by that time, and the extremely high casualty rate only underscored the exceptional cost of continuing the struggle.

We began our tour by briefly visiting the Lee & Gordon Mill, just south of the national battlefield park, where the first clash took place three days before the main battle began, then entered the park and stopped at the visitor’s center. We had planned to tour the Fuller Collection of American Military Shoulder Arms and the small Chickamauga Museum. but two other school groups, with over 300 middle-schoolers were already in the building, and we thought a tactical withdrawal was in order. We then visited the sites of the first day’s fighting (September 19, 1863): Reed’s Bridge, the Viniard Field, Poe Field and Kelly Field, walking along the main routes of advance and touring the monument gardens in each location. One unusual monument we toured was for Confederate Brigadier General Benjamin Hardin Helm, Union President Abraham Lincoln’s brother in law, who was mortally wounded in action near Alexander’s Bridge Road. Illustrating how the Civil War is still a very real and immediate presence in many people’s lives, a large wreath had recently been placed on Helm’s monument by a Sons of Confederate Veteran’s camp.

Lunch was at a Sonic in nearby Fort Oglethorpe, a special treat for roughly half the group, who had never eaten at one of these restaurants before. Several learned the hard way that a “large” drink there is REALLY LARGE!

After lunch, we returned to the battlefield park, and visited the sites associated with the second and final day of fighting (September 20, 1863): Battle Line Road, the Brotherton Cabin and Field, Snodgrass Hill and Horseshoe Ridge. These last two, adjacent locations were the site of the Union’s last-ditch, determined defense of that part of their line of resistance, while the rest of the federal army escaped safely to Chattanooga after being routed by the Confederates. The Union commander atop that hill, Major General George H. “Paps” Thomas, earned his other, better known nickname atop that ridgeline, the “Rock of Chickamauga” for his stubborn defense. The remaining few regiments who had rallied around Thomas and withstood 26 Confederate assaults up those hills before finally breaking themselves, later placed acorns as adornments on their battlefield monuments, a testimony to how they had “stood like an oak tree,” alongside the Rock. Several students noted that these adornments seemed to be placed on almost random regimental and brigade monuments, with no seeming rhyme or reason why one unit stood and the others on both sides of it broke. One reason is found in the understanding of Ephesians 6:13, which was carved into one of the monuments: “Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” Battles both temporal and spiritual are won or lost based solely on the courage and fortitude of those who fight them, and often the key to victory is to simply stand beside the commander, inspire others to do likewise by your example, and faithfully trust that he will deliver the overall victory in the end. The faithful bravery of these few men is what prevented the Confederates from completely destroying the Union army on the field, retaking Chattanooga, and ultimately extending the bloodshed and suffering even further until the inevitable end.

We concluded our exploration of American wars through commercial movies and documentaries with this tour, gaining a further understanding and appreciation of how the toil and suffering of so many who went before us gave us all the earthly blessing we enjoy here today, and reinforcing the idea that history is not just a dry, dead subject of names and battles, but a recounting of how God’s creations lived out His holy and perfect plan for mankind in their own day and time. These also showed great and inspiring examples of courage, strength, and endurance in the face of overwhelming odds, giving us all examples to follow in the lines of battle that God sees fit to place us.

John McKay

Thursday, April 1, 2010 4:40pm EDT LOCAL MISSIONS SHORT COURSE

When we first think of service or of serving, maybe we first think of the brave men and women of the Armed Forces who daily give of themselves. We may remember and honor the ones who have served and gave their lives for our country.  But, not every act of service comes with a uniform.  Our Local Missions Team came to serve!

What an extraordinary opportunity that was given to us to serve today.  Mrs. Fox and her mighty three students joined us today. We boarded a bus and headed to The Georgia Aquarium.  What, that’s not our destination!  No, we dropped of the Local Aquatic Team first!  Then we headed towards Warehouse of Hope.  Well, we thought we were.  Yep, we were lost.  It made for a long bus drive but once we got there, it was so worth it!  This ministry began in January 1995 with a dream from Founders Craig and Becky Parson to meet the needs of families in the community who were unable to fulfill the most basic necessities of survival. At that time the effort was to deliver groceries to a few needy families. Today, they distribute, on average, 7000 grocery bags food per month and meet clothing needs as well.  All of this is made possible with the provision of God, the help of Ministry Partners and supporters.

We arrived with our hands not as clenched fists but truly open and ready to serve others.  We jumped right in and started restocking shelves with food, opening boxes, putting together food bags and boxes. Some of our group worked pulling food from the freezers, some carried bags of foods to the cars.  A highlight of our work was dividing 50 pound bags of wheat flour and putting them in one gallon baggies.  There was so much flour flying that we thought the warehouse had a dust storm.  We were officially “flour children”!

We realized that we received so much more than what we gave back to this busy warehouse.  These twenty students could have signed up for a number of other opportunities this week but they chose daily manual labor and served others!  Our Local Missions Team came to serve and have proved this over and over this week.  I couldn’t be more proud!  Thank you Mr. & Mrs. Williams for having your baby and not being able to be here, thus giving me the opportunity to share in this experience!

Susan Englert
Thursday, April 1, 2010 3:40pm EDT COMPUTER PROGRAMMING SHORT COURSE

After completing our investigation of SQL on Wednesday, we watched The Net and appreciated the power of being able to create, update, and delete records in databases.

On Thursday morning Jason & Ross shared how often technology is mentioned in the Bible. God made us creative beings we travelled to the Warehouse of Hope in Powder Springs. This amazing facility provides groceries and clothing for about 7000 people per month. The students were all very busy boxing food, putting food on shelves, helping carry to people’s cars, breaking down boxes, etc. One of the favorite activities was working at the flour table.  It was a joy to serve!

Barbara Fox

Thursday, April 1, 2010 2:36pm EDT WASHINGTON, DC AT HOME SHORT COURSE

Today we virtual toured the Smithsonian museums. The dinosaurs were a huge hit, as were the online games from Air and Space. We also visited Bull Run through a video and online. Finally we went on a virtual tour of Arlington and saw the changing of the guard. We are tired, our feet hurt, and we’re ready for home..oh wait…we are home. For a first time, we had a good time.

David McElhannon

Thursday, April 1, 2010 8:01am EDT WASHINGTON, DC TEAM

Finally, a day to sleep in!  At least, that was the consensus from most of the group when we announced our plans. We didn’t sleep too late but we did allow the kids a little more time in their comfy beds before heading to the Smithsonian Museums.

First on the agenda, the Smithsonian castle.  The building houses the crypt of Mr. Smithson, the man for whom the museums are named, a beautiful garden, and a variety of examples for the other museums.  Plus, the architecture alone would have made this a worthy stop.

By that time, the rest of the museums had opened so we made our way down the street to the Air and Space Museum.  We split into smaller groups so that we could spread ourselves out and see things more quickly.  The Wright brothers’ flyer, planes from World War I and II, and space exploration vehicles easily gained our attention with their size and the obvious ingenuity used in making them.  We also took lunch breaks here at the museum food court, with most of our crew choosing McDonald’s for their meal.

We met outside the museum and began the hike across and down the mall for the Natural History museum.  Splitting up again, we were able to explore exhibits on the history of the earth and its life.  As the museum takes a strong evolutionary stand, we were able to talk about how to receive and process this information from our biblical and creationist worldview.  In talking wit students about the experience, most of them were simply fascinated by the animals on display and the gems, especially the Hope Diamond.

One more group stop – the American History museum.  By this time, the museums were very crowded, but our students plunged on it to see what the museum had to offer.  The First Ladies’ dresses was a popular stop for many students, as well as the Star-Spangled Banner exhibit.  Some students found movies to watch to rest their weary feet, and others just found a section of the museum that was out of the way to enjoy a snack and a rest break.

We had about one more hour to spend at the museums so our groups went separate ways, allowing them to spend some time where they desired.  It wasn’t much more time once the walk was factored in, but it was a great way to finish off the day.

Our group took the Metro back to the hotel – we’re getting much better at navigating the subway system here!  The students changed into more comfortable clothing and joined us in the meeting room for pizza and cokes.  After the students munched on pizza and shared some of their memories from the trip, we had movie night.  Since we had spent the entire day at the Smithsonian museums, we watched Night at the Museum: The Battle for the Smithsonian to see if they recognized any of the things we had seen today.  The time to just relax was well-received by all!

I presented our devotion for the evening and shared that as we viewed the amazing sights and the evidence of so much talent in this great city, it can be easy to feel small and insignificant.  However, the Lord God of the universe is much greater than all this, and even more important is that He loves us and has given us His power to do great things.  We read some excerpts from Deuteronomy 4, as the Israelites are reminded of how great God is, and concluded with 2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.”

One more day here in the capital – a day filled with fun and memories.  We continue to ask for your prayers for safety and that God would be glorified through us!

Amanda Ledbetter

Thursday, April 1, 2010 7:53am EDT AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS SHORT COURSE

Sea horses, sea snakes, octopi, deep sea anglers, sharks, and other sea creatures were the topic of our class today. Before our study began, Andrew Nuckolls led our devotion on the importance of trusting God to give us the courage we need through various struggles in life. It was encouraging message as he used Jonathan as an example of someone with faith and courage.

To begin our study was a presentation on the animals that live in the mid-sea or open waters. Next, we took at look at creatures of the deep and learned about bioluminescence. With no sun at the ocean depths, sea creatures can make their own light through various chemical reactions in their bodies. We saw how bioluminescence helps these shy animals to catch prey, avoid predators, and recognize each other. We then watched the IMAX presentation of Deep Sea narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet.

Before breaking for lunch, our attention turned the great world of sharks. Students were introduced to various species of sharks, the physiology of a shark bite, shark attacks, and the need to protect some species of sharks that have become endangered through careless fishing and netting. While enjoying a pizza lunch, we watched the movie JAWS.

After lunch, we examined the Dogfish shark through a dissection. We studied the external anatomy of the shark first. Then we began to make our incisions and study the internal anatomy. Some students were a little squeamish, but overall they had a lot of fun. While the smell of “fish” lingered in the air, there was also excitement over the opportunity to touch and see a shark up close.

Tomorrow we go to the Georgia Aquarium!

Sarah McLean

Thursday, April 1, 2010 12:35am EDT COLLEGE TOUR TEAM

Today was a good day: good weather, good tours, and good food. It was beautiful spring weather as toured Clemson University in foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Clemson was a friendly open place filled with smiling students. Next, after lunch at Fudrucker’s our visit to Clemson’s International Center for Automotive Research was a success as Joshua Tarbutton, a PhD candidate, shared about engineering careers, his journey and faith. He encouraged students that with Christ and obstacle can be overcome.  We saw several interesting machines and three engineering students answered our questions. An hour and a half later we arrived at the Dillard House for their famous family style dinner. The mountains were beautiful as we drove to Cleveland, TN to visit Lee University. The bus trip was long but we have good DVDs. Today we watched “Remember the Titans;” we have seen a half-dozen great films so far on the trip.  We were delayed by two hour detour due to a rock slide that closed the highway directly adjacent to the Ocoee River rafting put-in familiar to NCCS seniors vis-a-via their annual rafting trip. (Don’t worry it happened in November.) Well we are tried and tomorrow is a another promising day!

Lee Campbell

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 10:50pm EDT BALTIMORE TEAM

Finally…a beautiful day here in Baltimore!  After a few days of wind and cold rain, today was gorgeous!  God planned a great day for us to visit Oriole Park at Camden Yards.  We started our day with a devotion by Coach Dukes about the game that God is calling us to go into.  We rode the bus a few stops and hopped off at Camden Yards.  Everyone really enjoyed seeing the ballpark and hearing the history of Baltimore.  Bob was our tour guide and he did a fantastic job!

After the tour, we hopped back on the Charm City Circulator bus to ride back to The Gallery Church offices.  One of our favorite drivers, Evonne, was driving today and we were so glad to see her.  Chase Carroll had his picture made with her the other day and she calls him sweetie!  We have been so blessed to ride on the CCC bus because it has provided us a lot of opportunities to meet people and share about what God is doing in and through The Gallery Church here in Baltimore.

Once we arrived at the offices, it was time to eat our incredible lunches.  Be sure to ask your student what they had for lunch each day.  We hung out at the office and got ready for the afternoon.  We went back to FAST to help with a Block Party designed to draw people in so we could tell them about The Gallery Church and their Easter services.  Our job was to help hand out flyers in the neighborhoods and then come back to the school to help with inflatables, kickball, football, soccer, games, and other activities for the kids.  We had a blast!  You will notice all of our sun when we get home tomorrow.  It is not the deep kind of tan that some of you are hoping to pick up over Spring Break…more like a farmer’s tan, but a tan nonetheless!

As the afternoon unfolded, it was great to see all of our students venture outside their comfort zones in order to meet new people and share the love of Christ with them.  This whole week has been about God giving us a new perspective on things and revealing to us where we can join Him in His work here in Baltimore.

We have had such a great week that we decided to celebrate with dinner and games at the ESPN Zone.  Kids never get too old to play video games…even those of us that are adult kids!  After dinner we walked back to the hotel for our last night team meeting.

Our team meetings this week have started by everyone sharing their favorite part of the day.  We have really enjoyed hearing everyone’s highlights.  We have also talked about what God has taught us each day.  It has been incredible to see the way that God is working in our hearts and confirming our theme verse of John 3:30, “He must become greater, I must become less.”

Ellis, the lead pastor at The Gallery Church, joined us for this meeting and expressed appreciation to our team and all of their hard work this week.  He said that we helped them build relationships in the community that would have taken their staff months to accomplish on their own.  We enjoyed visiting with Ellis and look forward to continuing to partner with The Gallery Church through our prayers and other opportunities to serve them.

We finished up our meeting with prayer requests, group prayer, and our team chant (ask your student about that).  Tomorrow will be an early morning as we check out and load up to ride the CCC bus over to the church office.  We are doing a project at Patterson Park, eating lunch at the church office, and then riding the train to catch the plane.  We are hoping to arrive in Atlanta a little after 6pm around the same time as our friends on the Guatemala, Paris, and New York trips.  The Washington, DC crew will be back closer to 10pm.  Please remember to pray for all of our Short Courses as they will be wrapping up and the College Tour as their bus rolls back in around 7pm.

This has been an incredible week in the lives of our students and staff that were privileged enough to participate in the first ever NCCS Spring Term.  Thank you for your prayers and support as we embarked on our adventures.  Please be sure to ask your students to tell you what they did over the course of the week and challenge them to share with you what God taught them.

TOGETHER…Cultivating Hearts.  Challenging Minds. Impacting Culture.

Megan Strange

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 5:56pm EDT PARIS TEAM

Unfortunately, today was our last day in Paris.  We arose this morning for breakfast and a walk up the largest hill in Paris near Montmartre to see the beautiful Sacre Coeur cathedral.  Afterward, we spent most of the day shopping and wandering in and out of local cheese, chocolate, and pastry shops.  Once again we were entertained by AJ’s dance skills.  This time he joined a subway performer as he sang, and AJ provided the visual entertainment to make the entire train laugh uncontrollably.  Even the French think he is funny!  After lunch, we went to Le Quartier Latin for some souvenir shopping before heading to the Louvre Museum for a short tour.  We were able to see the Mona Lisa, as well as Venus de Milo.  One group lingered in the Italian painting wing of the museum while another admired the Greek, Roman, and Michelangelo sculptures.  Afterward, we all split into small groups to finish our shopping and have our last dinner in Paris.  I know that each student and chaperone had an experience they will never forget, and I personally most enjoyed getting to know some students better just by hanging out and laughing.  Tomorrow we head for the airport at 7:30 am for our 11-hour flight “over the pond.”  We all hope to catch up on some sleep to be ready for a week of relaxation.  Thanks for praying for our group!

Amber Timms

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 5:43pm EDT LOCAL COLLEGE TOUR SHORT COURSE

We started day three of our local college tour with great anticipation.  Caleb Keitt led our devotions and than we were off to KSU and the home of the OWLS. Our bus arrived at the welcome center across from the KSU main campus at 8:45am.  Although, KSU is in our back yard, we were all impressed by all the information that we did not know about the college.   KSU provided the best overall information session and tour of any of the colleges that we visited so far.  We began our tour in a room that displayed a four sided hand painted panoramic view of KSU’s green area with all its surrounding buildings and activities.  It was impressive.  They took a group picture as well as individual pictures.  An admissions officer showed a wonderful promotional video.  KSU is host to one of the Southeasts strongest education, business and nursing programs.  All of the new facilities on KSU’s campus are impressive.  The new suite style dorms are really “sweet”.  By far the best housing on our tour.  The tour guide walked us around campus while engaging our students in an wonderful conversation while we enjoyed the beautiful 75 degree weather.  Our tour was complete around 11:30 and we were off to Kennesaw Mountain Park.  Holly Pointer and Cheryl Morris had a quaint picnic and fun easter games planned for our tour group.  We arrived at Kennesaw Mountain and Holly and Cheryl had nice checkered blankets  on the lawn with our lunches ready to eat.  We were starved, so the food did not last very long.  Some of the guys in our group showed off their football prowess.  Christian Hunt displayed his quarterbacking skills and Michael Matta, Andrew Ho-On and Marcus “Tony Tiger” White gave a preview of their wide receiving skills that I can’t wait to see next year on the football field.  The Easter Games began with an easter egg spoon relay game.  All of us had to wear bunny ears as we raced.  Funny Sight!  We also played a spinning game with the baseball bats this really helped lunch set well.  One of the funniest contest was the egg toss.  We used real and they were really messy.  We had egg in our faces, hair and on our clothing.  What a sight!!!  For some reason the Park Ranger was not impressed with our Easter Games.  Off to Southern Poly Technic University we go with egg in our faces.  We arrived at SPTU at 2:00pm.  Our tour at SPTU was very eye opening because its campus and facilities were not as cosmetically aesthetic as the other college campuses.  However, SPTU has many great degree programs that are unique.  They have a computer gaming design program, megatronics, as well as a construction management engineering degree.  SPTU also offers one of the architectural Design Degrees in the Southeast.  SPTU provides lots of hands on experiences and Internships for its students so they enter the workforce with real job experience.  This is very attractive to future employers.  We arrived home safely at 3:30pm.  What a blessed day!

Brian Long

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 3:04pm EDT MILITARY HISTORY THROUGH FILM SHORT COURSE

Click here to see pictures of our trip to Chickamauga.

Today, we studied the American Civil War, primarily through one theatrical movie, “Gods & Generals,” and a documentary film, “The Battle of Chickamauga.”

“Gods & Generals” is a 2002 movie based on an historical accurate novel of the same name, that covers the first two years of the war, concentrates on three major battles in Virginia (Manassas, Fredericksburg, and Chancellorsville), and centers around the lives of two significant commanders, Union Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain and Confederate Major General Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson. After the movie, we talked about these battles, how critical Jackson had been to the Confederacy’s success, and how his loss after Chancellorsville helped to doom the South’s cause.

One very interesting fact about this movie is how it reflects the deep faith of so many soldiers and officers during the war, especially Jackson. At one point, as his adjutant, Alexander Pendleton, struggles to write up a battle report, Jackson begins talking about how the proper format for such reports can be found in scripture, quoting fro the book of Joshua. As he leaves, Jackson advised Pendleton to consult 1 & 2 Samuel and 1 & 2 Kings for help in writing up his reports.

After lunch, we studied one battle in Georgia, the September 1863 fight at Chickamauga. We viewed “The Battle of Chickamauga,” and talked about how the two day battle developed by reviewing hour-by-hour maps of troop movements and engagements. We also discussed the parts of the battlefield we will tour tomorrow during our field trip there.

Chickamauga was one of the largest battles of the Civil War, and most unusually for battles in the western theater, featured both Union and Confederate troops from eastern theater armies, some of whom had fought each other at Gettysburg just two moths previously. A significant Confederate victory, it was both deeply costly to both armies (34,624 casualties out of 125,000 engaged), and ultimately unsuccessful for the South, as Confederate commander Braxton Bragg was unable to follow up this victory by ejecting the Union forces from Chattanooga.

John McKay

Wednesday, March 31, 2010 2:45pm EDT WASHINGTON, DC AT HOME SHORT COURSE

Today we virtually toured the White house, including the oval offices of both Truman and Carter. The students marveled at the differences between the two. We also virtually toured the Supreme Court building, Mount Vernon, and the Holocaust Museum. We finished up our monuments, took a nice pizza lunch outside at the gazebo, and then came back in to set up our “model of the mall”. We placed our hand build monuments in their respective locations and then had a 40 minute “walking tour” with our special guests Mrs. McElhannon and Mrs. Englert! A fun time was had by all. Tomorrow we’re going to experience Arlington cemetery as we wrap up our week.

David McElhannon

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 11:59pm EDT COLLEGE TOUR TEAM

“You basically learn how the Bible is wrong;” this is how Mary, an NCCS alumnus describes her program of study at the University of North Carolina. Fortunately, she has chosen to plug in to a good church community. NCCS alumnus Kath, also at UNC Chapel Hill, adds that if you seek out Christian professors and the Christian community on campus you can find those who apply their reason to support our faith – she even joined an Apologetics group. We see more than dorms and classrooms and hear more than the important but ubiquitous advice to get good grades and test scores; you would be impressed with the discernment of your NCCS students. This trip is Christian education applied to real life.  As for Duke, its beauty and architecture was second to none, just as the guides at the University of Virginia took pains to point out that there was not a church at the center of their campus, the students at Duke pointed out that the highest structure on their campus was the chapel’s bell tower, they noted that there founder wanted to make a statement that God was above all. Clearly Mr. Duke believed that the Bible is right! Its too bad he died even before the original campus was complete. A highlight at UNC was two of our baseball players meeting an assistant coach and getting a private side tour of the baseball complex; a highlight at Duke, especially for our basketball players, was running around on the Blue Devils court.  Dinner at Sonny’s, and some supervised fun at the hotel’s indoor pool topped off our day. Tomorrow we see Clemson, tour the International Center for Automotive Research and eat at the Dillard House. Concerning just what is right and what is wrong, it is worth noting that tonight in devotions Mr. Clingman stated, “Knowledge can come from a book” but “wisdom only comes from God.”

Lee Campbell

Tuesday, March 30, 2010  11:24pm EDT WASHINGTON, DC TEAM

A well-dressed crowd of 8^th graders and their parents, full and satisfied from a bountiful breakfast, took off for another day of fun in the nation’s capital.  Today, we were headed for the Capitol building to see where the laws of the land are created.  As Congress was not in session, we were unable to meet with our representatives but we still enjoyed our tour of the building.  Our tour guides helped us to find the statues of Alexander Hamilton Stephens and Crawford Long, Georgia’s contributions to the art collection in the Capitol, and they taught us much about the history of the building.

We took advantage of the tunnel to the Library of Congress to avoid the cool windy weather and the traffic in crossing the street. (We will tour that building later this week.)  Then we headed to Union Station, stopping at the Supreme Court building for the students to take a few pictures.  The students were able to do a bit of shopping and to eat another delicious lunch at Union Station before we continued on our tour.

Our next stop was the National Archives, the home of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  We enjoyed a quick movie about the importance of the Archives, which gave our feet a well-needed rest.  From there, we moved into the main part of the building where we saw many documents housed there, including congressional investigation and declassified files.

We hopped across the National Mall to the Holocaust Museum.  Unfortunately, we were unable to see the permanent exhibit, but we were able to walk through Daniel’s Story.  This exhibit shows how the Holocaust was viewed through the eyes of a Jewish boy and it was quite moving.  We were also able to see one of the special exhibits – State of Deception: The Power of Nazi Propaganda.  The students were able to see how Hitler and the Nazi party were able to manipulate the media to gain popularity in their rise to power and, hopefully, to see the importance of watching for similar tactics in today’s politicians.

After seeing such a solemn exhibit, we felt the students needed to have a bit of fun.  We returned to the Mall and let the kids play for a little while.  There were a variety of races, a game of tag, and some general hanging out.  Then we gathered the kids together so Mrs. Kammerdiener could lead our devotion, encouraging the students to recognize the hand of God in all the things we have seen here and will continue to see.  Chick-fil-A dinner finished our time on the Mall and we headed back to the hotel.

Most of the students chose to use our early return to hang out and enjoy a bit of down time.  A few brave souls ventured back out to view the monuments by night – a splendid sight that we were blessed to see.  Lincoln sat in the light of his “house” looking out over the city, as if he was watching the house that is no longer divided and now stands firm.  An even greater realization is that God sits on His throne, looking over His people and strengthening us to stand firm for Him.  How great is our God!

Amanda Ledbetter

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 11:10pm EDT BALTIMORE TEAM

Great day here in Baltimore!  We started out this morning with a 7am small group hike down to Starbucks.  I could tell these folks were serious about Starbucks, because the rest of the group didn’t have to be in the lobby until 8:30am.  They are seriously dedicated to their caffeine.  I was just trying to be kind and take them…to satisfy my own caffeine addiction!  Seriously though…it is the walking and talking with small groups that have made our trip so much fun.

We left the hotel on a bus that a local church was kind enough to offer us for the day and headed down to Ft. McHenry for a tour.  If you don’t know about Ft. McHenry, you can read all about it here.  It was a little cold at the fort since it was breezy and sprinkling rain.  At one point, it was sleeting a little bit.  However, once again…no complaints from our crew.  They enjoyed touring the fort and hearing all of the stories of the battles fought there.  The movie about the writing of the Star-Spangled Banner was pretty good.  We finished up our tour with a lesson from the park ranger about The Battle of Baltimore.

From Ft. McHenry, we got back on the bus and headed to the Freedom Academy of Science and Technology (FAST) to eat lunch and get to work.  The Gallery Church is starting a second campus at FAST beginning Easter Sunday.  When we got on the bus, Jake Dupree asked me if we were going back to The Gallery Church to eat lunch.  I told him that we were actually going to FAST instead.  He looked mortified.  Then, Dr. Hedges helped us realize that Jake thought I was telling him we were fasting…not eating.  I assured him that I would never consider that.  Food is very important to our whole crew!

After lunch, Dr. Hedges led us in a devotion based on the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand.  She talked about the fact that God has gifted us in certain ways to do the specific things that He has called us to.  Even though we don’t realize it, God is working through us in Baltimore and through the other Spring Term teams as well. God is calling us to be obedient to serve Him by serving others in His name.

We had some interesting projects for the afternoon.  We had to clear out a big room to get it ready for the worship space for The Gallery Church.  That included scraping old tape off the floor.  Then, we broke back up into our walking around groups from yesterday to tackle four other jobs.  Two jobs focused on getting paint and dirt off the floor to get areas cleaned in the lobby and one of the classrooms that will be used for a children’s ministry spot.  The third job consisted of clearing out a classroom, cleaning the floor, and putting some special mats together for another children’s ministry room.  The last room was my crew.  Our job was to clear out and organize a storage room.  All four teams had a blast and in the end all worked together to get the jobs done.  Robert from The Gallery Church came back to check on us and could not believe how much work we had gotten done!  If you talk to the Baltimore team, be sure to ask them about: singing while cleaning the floors, Abbey and Lerzo and the mixup, backing the floor cleaner up all the way through the building and then doing doughnuts on it, scraping paint, breakdancing with Monel, and Kelsey moving the books again!

After all of our work, we came back to the hotel to take an hour break before heading out for dinner.  We walked back down to the Inner Harbor for a couple hours of eating, shopping, and hanging out.  Taylor and Jessie even had the privilege of giving a meal and a blanket to a homeless man.  They saw him when they were with their friends and decided God was calling them to help.  They were so excited to know that they had demonstrated the love of Christ to this man.

Many of our students had opportunities to hand out invite cards to The Gallery Church’s Good Friday and Easter services as we walked around tonight.  Tomorrow morning is our late morning.  We are meeting for devotions and heading out to be at Camden Yards by 10am for our tour in the morning.  Please pray for a pretty day!  After the tour, we have a fair amount of walking to do in order to get back to FAST to do our work and prepare for a block party we are helping host for the neighborhood.  Only a day and a half left to go here in the city and our team is ready for the opportunities God still has for us here!

TOGETHER…Cultivating Hearts.  Challenging Minds.  Impacting Culture.

Megan Strange

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 10:25pm EDT LOCAL COLLEGE TOUR SHORT COURSE

How do I even begin to summarize the phenomenal day we have had touring so many superb colleges. The day started off early, when we asked the students to prepare for a full day of excitement at 6:45. The group started with a devotion with by Grant Titus and muffins by Catalina Long as well as super tasty bacon, egg and cheese biscuits prepared by Wendy Titus.. We left the school promptly at 7 am with the glorious sun beaming down on us as we head out to Samford University.  After the two hour bus trip, we arrived at the spectacular campus. Samford greeted us with a tour run by college students.  We then toured around their stunning campus and all the students fell in love with it.  Samford’s campus is designed with Georgian style architecture  with well manicured landscaping.  The schools $300 million dollar endowment fund is used generously to help its students with scholarships as well as for funding of many new buildings.  The new science building displays a planetarium and a atrium with state of the art labs.  We learned about the tradition of rubbing the nose of the statue at the entrance of the library in order to receive good luck when you study for a test.  After our tour, we went to their dining hall to experience their sensational food including pizza, ice cream, and a build-your-own-cupcake-bar! During lunch we had a ice cream eating contest in which Michael Matta and Andrew Ho-on won! We then departed Samford and headed on the road toward Auburn. Once we arrived on campus, we rode a shuttle to the school, and a sophomore at Auburn named Courtney gave us an awesome tour. One of the destinations on the tour was this Auburn seal. Something interesting about it is tradition not to walk over the seal, because it is believed that if you walk over it you wont graduate and you will never find your true love. Unfortunately one person got pushed into the seal Marcus “Tony the Tiger” White got pushed over it and therefore cannot apply to Auburn ever because of that and he is in jeopardy of never finding his true love. Another interesting fact is the ” War Eagle ” chant. Even though the official mascot of the university is the tigers, they chant War Eagle because back along time ago a professor brought an eagle to an Auburn football game and because of the belief that the bird was good luck , Auburn won. So now before every home game the eagle flies around the stadium for good luck. Lastly, on our tour we were fortunate enough to visit the top of the student building, this is a rare adventure because visitors are the only people allowed to go to the top of the building. At the top of the building it has an amazing view of the whole campus and the football stadium. In conclusion today was a super awesome day and tomorrow we hope for another great day at KSU and Southern Polytechnic University. This was an awesome trip! Our tour guides really helped us understand the fundamentals of college.

Written By: Hannah Pointer, Lauren Morris, Marcus White, Caleb Keitt, Michael Moore, Allen Kondratev, Alex Dykstra, and Christina Haralambus.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 6:18pm EDT PARIS TEAM

Today we ventured out to the Palace of Versailles to see the beautiful palace and gardens built by Louis IV.  The detail and architecture left us amazed at the craftsmanship.  After a 3- hour tour, we walked down the street to find a quick lunch and got caught in a European hailstorm!  Some would have been upset about the turn of the weather, but not our group.  This was the first hailstorm for most of us, so we played in it!  AJ danced in it, and we laughed at the way we all found joy even in the worst weather.  After returning to the city, we changed out of our wet clothes to head out to the Bateaux Mouches for the Seine River boat tour.  The Eiffel Tower was incredible as it lit up and sparkled every hour.  Although it was freezing weather and began to rain at the end, we all got amazing pictures and had loads of fun.  At 11pm, we left to finally have dinner and were again amazed that Paris was still busy, and nightlife was at its peak even on a Tuesday night.  Tomorrow is everyone’s favorite day – SHOPPING!  We are all excited about cruising the boutiques of the Champs Elysees and buying pastries and cheeses in Le Quartier Latin.  Finally, we will end our last day in Paris at the Louvre Museum to visit the most famous art in history.  We are all enjoying our time so much!  The time has flown by, and we can hardly believe that it is almost coming to an end.  Until tomorrow…

Amber Timms

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 5:28pm EDT AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS SHORT COURSE

Our day began with a devotion led by Bobby Blackwell. Bobby spoke on the importance of serving others because when we serve others we imitate Christ’s ultimate example of service. That is to say, when He gave His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). And what a fitting topic of devotion it was as our main activity for the day was a service project at Lake Allatoona.

While at Lake Allatoona, the students learned the significance of Georgia’s watersheds and how to help stabilize the banks of the lake. We were divided into two groups and each group helped to plant a stabilization garden that would prevent further erosion of the lake’s banks. We got to get our hands dirty and serve both Lake Allatoona and God’s creation as we participated in the command to be good stewards over that which God has given us, namely the earth in this case. We finished the project with a lake clean-up excursion.

After our return from the lake, we looked at a variety of shallow sea creatures as our focus shifted from freshwater to salt water ecosystems. Students took a walk around the lab as many sea creatures were on display for them to observe. Jellyfish, sea stars, squid, corals, sea urchins, and many other animals were around the room. Students learned various facts about each creature and the environment in which they live.

Sarah McLean

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 4:43pm EDT LOCAL MISSIONS SHORT COURSE

This morning after donuts, strawberries, and Avian Brown’s devo reminding us to spread God’s love, 20 students headed to the Goshen Valley Boy’s Ranch in Waleska to not only spread God’s love but pine straw.

When we arrived, Zach Blend from the ranch met us and shared with us that the ranch exists to help boys between the ages of 11 and 22 who have been abused or abandoned by parents who mostly use meth or other illegal substances.  These boys have been in the foster care system, in jail, have lived in the backs of cars, or on the streets.  Goshen Valley Boy’s Ranch gives these boys hope, a home, an education, counseling, skills to find a job, and most importantly introduces these boys to Jesus Christ.

As we walked through the ranch with spring in full bloom, birds chirping and the sun shining down upon us Zach shared how his parents had bought some acreage not quite knowing what to use it for.  Eventually the Lord guided them to begin a safe haven for boys and now they have enough housing for the 22 boys who currently live there.  The boys are taught four critical life tools:  faith, family, education, and work.

Our mission today was to bring new life to the outside chapel.  We spread pine straw, planted flowers, and created the Jeremiah 29:11 stone walkway.   Our NCCS students worked creatively and in unison to create a quiet space of reflection for the boys.  On the edge of this chapel is a cross where the boys can come forward, nail their sins, and walk away full of God’s grace, mercy, forgiveness, and new hope for their lives through Jesus Christ.

During lunch we had the privilege to hear from one of the boys who shared his testimony.  His mother is in jail and he has lived in several different homes.  He admitted to having many behavioral issues and he himself had landed in jail, began cutting, and had had thoughts of suicide until one day his friend committed suicide and this young man realized how selfish and out of control he had been.  He gave all the praise to God for saving him and bringing him to the ranch for help.  He is about to get his GED and wants to study technology or go to seminary.

After lunch we finished the chapel area and it looks completely transformed. We had fun visiting with the horses and a couple of the young men who live at the ranch.  The students are tired but grateful to have been at the ranch.  We won’t soon forget our time there or the boys we met.

If you would like to support the work at the Goshen Valley Boy’s Ranch, contact Zach at 770-401-9395 as they often have family work days.  Also, they have partnered with Family Christian Bookstores nationwide whereby the ranch gets the proceeds from every copy sold of the movie The Blind Side.

Donna Gillespie

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 3:42pm EDT WASHINGTON DC AT HOME SHORT COURSE

We had an early, but great, trip to the Werner Robbins Air Museum today. For the sheer number of aircraft on exhibit, it rivals the Smithsonian. There were new exhibits there as well. We caught a traffic snag and so were not able to catch the Holocaust exhibit at KSU, but will discuss it tomorrow (the great part is that it is local and so the students can have their parents swing them by sometime). We had a great time bonding.

David McElhannon

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 3:24pm EDT MILITARY HISTORY THROUGH FILM SHORT COURSE

Today we studied part of World War Two through two classic war movies, both released in 1949: “Sands of Iwo Jima” with John Wayne, and “Battleground” with Van Johnson, Ricardo Montalban and George Murphy. We also covered the “real” story of these two battles through documentary videos, map studies and short lectures over the development and course of the armed engagements.

“Sands of Iwo Jima” is about the 1945 invasion of a small but strategically critical island in the Pacific. This battle is the same one as portrayed in the more recent “Flags of Our Fathers” and “Letters From Iwo Jima,” and represents possibly the most famous engagement ever fought by the U.S. Marine Corps. Three of the men who survived the battle, shown raising the flag over Mount Suribachi in Joe Rosenthal’s iconic photograph, are shown recreating this event in the film, but unfortunately not being recognizable or credited properly for their inclusion. We also watched a Dept. of War documentary about the battle, “To The Shores of Iwo Jima,” and discussed the cost of the battle in comparison to the advantages of having taken it. One statistic bears evidence to the brutality of the six-week fight, one of the most brutal of the war: one in every five Marines was either killed or wounded, and of the 18,000 Japanese defenders, only 216 surrendered in the end.

“Battleground” is about the 1944-1945 “Battle of the Bulge” in Belgium and France, the German army’s last offensive campaign of WWII, and the largest known single battle fought I human history. The movie is about a single glider infantry company of the 101st Airborne Division, surrounded and trapped in Bastogne, who successfully defended the critically important town from unrelenting German attacks. It is an infantryman’s eye-level view of the war, focusing on the individual soldier’s trials and heroics rather than the grand strategies of the battle. To reinforce this viewpoint, we also watched one episode of the “Band of Brothers” miniseries, “The Breaking Point,” and talked about all that these men had to endure over those three freezing cold weeks.

As a special treat, one of our parents provided lunch from Grand Slam Pizza, which was definitely one of the highlights of the day.

John McKay

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 10:57am EDT COMPUTER PROGRAMMING SHORT COURSE

Day Two-Today the Technology Spring Term continued learning how to make more specific requests using SQL SELECT statements that were much more complex than what we did yesterday.

We enjoyed pizza for lunch and took some photos for the Spring Term Project. We also looked through technology magazines and identified terms that were new or unfamiliar and explored those that interested the students. Lastly we opened up a computer case and took a look at the hardware inside.

Day One-The Spring Term Technology group had an excellent first day. After a rough beginning with a few technology problems (how appropriate!), we explored how data has typically been stored in the recent past: card catalog files, paper receipts, address books, etc. and how most of these things are done on computers now. This data is typically stored in “databases” which is our topic for the week.  We then took a look at how to pull data from those databases using some advanced features of Google.

We then began learning the most common method of pulling data out of databases – a language called SQL which stands for Structured Query Language. The students became proficient at using SELECT statements to select specific data from existing data bases. They then created their own table holding information about some of their favorite musical artists.

Our devotion today had to do with the importance of understanding “the language”. For example, Jesus said that many who heard him could not understand him. They knew the words he was saying but not the meaning behind them because they were spiritually discerned. Learning a computer programming language is like that – the words are familiar, but the meaning is hidden until you understand and accept some basic truths first.

In the afternoon we learned how to manipulate that data be inserting and removing records. We also explored several careers, looking at the descriptions, responsibilities, salaries, and benefits of those positions.

Barb Fox

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 12:28am EDT COLLEGE TOUR TEAM

Our race is half over, and today’s lap was extraordinary, at least if you are a student of world views. However before all else, it is important to note that the bus did not require a pit stop today. Well back to worldview issues, this morning we watched professor at Liberty eloquently defended absolute truth and its necessity for society. This is so simply expressed in NCCS’ logo – which consists of four stylized books pointing to the cross – all learning, or rather knowledge, points to the wisdom found in Christ! Yet, straight away, the guides at the University of Virginia pointed out, literally first thing, that at the geographic center of their campus was not a church as was found at other great universities back in the day, but a library, a collection of man’s knowledge; in other words, the ideas of men were preeminent and religion was tolerated, or to really be fair to what our guides thought they were supposed to be saying, religious tolerance was embraced. Cory Masters was quick to notice the clash of world views. (Cory, you really are paying attention in school!) Well anything goes it seems at UVA, or so we were told; yet, as one NCCS student put it, “I like rules.” They really do keep you safe. Speaking of safe, is go-cart racing really safe? Well we not only had a great time but no one got hurt, in spite of a few minor crashes (Parents, better this car than yours). All told, today was a interesting lap. It is time for the crew to rest, the great race continues tomorrow. Its is worth noting as we close that Nick Geter shared in tonight’s devotion about the importance of half-time reflection and the need for a strong second half. With our race half over its clear that we are learning a lot about God, others, and ourselves. Tomorrow’s lap should be eventful.

Lee Campbell

Monday, March 29, 2010 11:57pm EDT WASHINGTON, DC TEAM

Day Three started a little later than the day before, with dreary weather but high spirits.  We made our way through the light rain to Ford’s Theatre, the location of President Lincoln’s assassination.  While we waited for our entry, the kids found a couple of local gift shops where they purchased more rain gear for the weather, as well as some souvenirs to bring home.

At the theatre, we first checked out the museum that outlines President Lincoln’s life from first inauguration through his death, including a section that focuses on the conspirators in our 16th President’s assassination.  Then we moved upstairs where we were able to see the show One Destiny, a two man play in which Harry Hawks, the actor on stage when Booth shot Lincoln, and Harry Ford, the owner of the theatre, recall the events of that tragic day and try to determine whether or not they could have changed history.  It was an amazing performance and a truly entertaining way to share the details of the past with our students.

The rain let up while we were in the theatre, making our walk around the corner to the ESPN Zone for lunch much more pleasant.  A delicious buffet spread satisfied our tummies.  Our students hit the game room to challenge each other to horse, car, and cycle races, bowling, basketball, and many other games.  They also just took some time to hang out, talk, laugh, and enjoy life.

Our next stop was a bit of an adventure.  We headed down Constitution Avenue in search of the statue of General Jose Artigas to help the students complete their Bible assignment.  We were successful in our trek so we crossed back over to the mall to visit the monuments we hadn’t seen yesterday.  The World War I Memorial was slightly off the beaten path and gave us an opportunity for comparison and contrast to the newer, more grandiose World War II Memorial.   The Korean War, FDR, and Jefferson Memorials finished off our splendid afternoon of touring.

We hiked back over toward town, hopped on the Metro and headed back over to Arlington, VA for dinner at Chipotle Restaurant.  They kindly had our order ready for us so we were able to quickly get our food.  The rain had completely faded away so we were even able to enjoy our dinner outside.

After dinner, our group walked a few blocks over to worship with the Frontline Arlington campus of McLean Bible Church.  This congregation of approximately 450 people focuses on reaching young adults in secular Washington, DC, and from what we saw, they are successfully meeting their objective.  Their praise team led us in a good time of worship through song.  Then a guest speaker of Jewish heritage walked us through the Sader meal of Passover so that we could understand how all the elements point toward Christ and His sacrifice for us all.  We completed our worship through sharing the Lord’s Supper with our fellow Christians.

Our final itinerary point was to visit the U.S. Marine Corps Memorial, commonly referred to as the Iwo Jima statue.  By night, the statue was illuminated, and its size was more striking against the dark sky.   When we turned our back to the statue and looked back across the river, we could see the illuminated Washington skyline, a very impressive site.

It’s been a long day and we have another full plan for tomorrow.  We continue to appreciate all your prayers for safety and protection and ask that you continue.  God has been very good to us, and we know He will continue to keep us in His hand!

Amanda Ledbetter

Monday, March 29, 2010 8:48pm EDT LOCAL COLLEGE TOUR SHORT COURSE

The Local College Tour met at 7:10am Monday in the gym.  Leon Haralambus led us in our morning devotions.  He eluded to Psalms 119 and how we should seek God in all our ways and allow him to guide our paths.  Group Two brought Dunkin doughnuts for breakfast and they were very delightful but they disappeared in seconds.  We packed up our cameras and departed to the University of Georgia at 7:30am.  We thoroughly enjoyed our rush hour traffic excursion to UGA.  Our bus driver, Robert, manuevered the traffic in a stealth like manner.  We finally arrived at 10:05am. The weather was perfect with sun and 65 degrees.  Our tour guides were Nick and Jared.  They were two UGA students who showed great passion for their Bulldog Nation.  We began our tour in the bus, viewing all the major buildings and landmarks around the school site.  We parked the bus and continued our tour by walking through the heart of UGA’s campus.  We learned many useful facts and trivia about UGA including the reason you must not walk under the arches of UGA’s main gate unless you graduated from UGA.  Bad things will happen to you!  After our walking tour we ate a delicious lunch at the Summit Dining Hall.  Lots of choices including a salad bar, pizza bar, a sandwich station as well as desserts and smoothies.   We left UGA and headed towards Dahlonega and North Georgia College and State University.  Dahlonega is the site of a major gold rush in the 1800’s.   The school itself is located over one of those sites.  The weather was at least 15 degrees cooler in the mountains.  NGCSU is one of the oldest colleges in Georgia.  It was the first college in Georgia in which a women graduated.  Jonathan our tour guide was awesome.  NGCSU is a great school for Physical Therapy, Nursing and Education.  Thanks to Cheryl Morris who brought the Girl Scout Cookies to keep us all happy.  We arrived safely back to campus around 7:00pm.

Brian Long

Monday, March 29, 2010 7:38pm EDT LOCAL MISSIONS SHORT COURSE

The day started with a little anxiety about the family we were going to serve.  Who were they, how would we be serving them?  Would we be repairing the deck for elderly grandparents or painting rooms for a widow and her children?  Some quietly hoped for the elderly grandparents (had something to do with the possibility of hot biscuits and homemade preserves), but most just wanted to go out and help somebody.

As it turns out, only a few miles from our own doorsteps, there are families, young and old, empty-nesters and those with young children who are still homeless from the September floods.  We were told stories of perseverance and resilience that rival any you hear from disaster victims around the world.  Our family’s home had to be completed gutted down to the studs after the flood and Cedarcrest Church along with Samaritan’s Purse have led the effort to get this mother and her 2 children back into their home.

Twenty NCCS students armed with little more than a putty knife, a few paint brushes, gloves and their collective hearts for serving others exited the bus at Pontiac Circle and began to clean construction trash from the interior of the home, organize construction materials, prime the garage exterior, install insulation bats in the crawl space and fill foundation holes with concrete.  It was amazing to see what NCCS students can do with just a putty knife and a few paint brushes.

After 6 months out of their home, there is an unfortunate truth the students recognized at the end of the day.  This family is still months away from moving back into their house.  Hopefully, what we did today puts them at least one day closer to reclaiming their home.  As for the students, they made us all proud today.  I was happy to serve with them.

Dennis Marrow

Monday, March 29, 2010 6:42pm EDT PARIS TEAM

What a humbling and magnificent day we had!  At 7:30 am (1:30 am in Georgia!) we boarded our bus to head west to the peninsula of Normandy.  The countryside was breathtaking with deep green fields of grass and small villages that could be distinguished by their thatched roofs and church steeple in the center of the square.  A trip that was scheduled for a 3- hour drive ended up 5 hours after we were detoured off the highway due to an accident.  Regardless, the group was more than anxious to stop in the small town of Bayeux for an authentic Normandy meal and witness the preservation of one of the only towns on the peninsula that wasn’t destroyed by the invasion on D-day.

Next stop was Point du Hoc, the German beach during the Invasion now deemed American soil.  As we stepped off the bus, the rain began to fall and we spotted the American flag.  Our guide told us that it is almost always raining in Normandy, but I believe our group was completely unaffected by the weather as we all stood in silence looking out onto the beach that contains so much American history.  On the left you could see Utah Beach and the right was Omaha Beach.  The most interesting thing were the enormous craters all along the beach left by the bombs and shells that blasted the beach during the invasion.

Next, we traveled by bus to the National American Cemetery in Normandy.  Some of us walked down to the actual beach of Omaha and looked up at the daunting distance that the Americans had to climb to remain alive.  Others walked the gravestones in silence with a great sense of pride for our country as we noticed many from our own home state of Georgia.  The symmetry of the graves alone is a sight to be scene! After visiting the museum at the cemetery, we headed to Gold Beach to see the man made harbor that the Allies built just for the invasion.

Finally, we headed for our hotel in Paris and arrived at 9:30 pm to see the gorgeous city at night.  The Eiffel Tower stood tall and illuminated, and the nightlife was just picking up even for a Monday night.  We still had to have dinner, so by 10:15 pm we were headed out to the Bastille area to split up and try the local cuisine.  One student commented, “Do the Parisians ever sleep?”  The opera was just letting out, and the restaurants were all full of people.  After everyone returned to the hotel and reported what a wonderful experience they had, we all headed off to bed for another full day tomorrow: Palace of Versailles, Les Catacombes, Le Quartier Latin, and Le Bateaux Mouches (a night river boat ride down the Seine River).  Bonsoir!

Amber Timms

Monday, March 29, 2010 3:48pm EDT AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS SHORT COURSE

Today we dove into the rich vastness of freshwater ecosystems! After a devotion led by Michelle Rismiller we took a journey through the freshwater lakes, rivers, and ponds of our beautiful world. Venturing as far as the lakes of East Africa we learned about many amazing creatures that inhabit our earth. Using video footage from BBC, we voyaged across this blue planet to the Amazon River to see creatures one would only dare to believe existed. We saw giant wood eating fish, electric eels, pink dolphins (yes pink dolphins), piranhas, river otters, and so many more remarkable animals. What a joy it was to see the handiwork of our Creator and the opportunity to praise Him for the creative works of His hands!

Next, we decided to explore the freshwater ecosystems for ourselves. We visited a pond and a creek in our own backyard of Acworth. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to find much wildlife aside from algae and a few geese, but we had fun looking. We might try again on Wed. if the weather isn’t as chilly.

The students did have an opportunity to build their own freshwater ecosystem. During this project they learned about the importance of such things as water temperature, sediment layers, and feeding habits of a particular fish native to Asia- the Betta. Each group of students was given the task of creating an environment in which the Betta fish could survive in. It was a lot of fun and we now have 3 very happy Bettas.

Our day ended with a look at one particular type of freshwater creature- the southern crayfish. We studied the anatomy of the crayfish through a dissection. We observed many of the organ systems of the crayfish including their digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems. What an amazing little crustacean!

We are looking forward to tomorrow’s expedition as we partner with representatives from Lake Allatoona in order to take part in the Biblical command to be good stewards of God’s good earth. May we joyfully participate to bring Him glory!

Sarah McLean

Monday, March 29, 2010 3:36pm EDT WASHINGTON DC AT HOME SHORT COURSE

Today went great. We researched monuments and built them for our tour to be held on Wednesday. Celluclay and static grass flew…and there is nothing that can’t be made from popsicle sticks! We also saw Ken Burn’s film on the Congress and took a virtual tour of the Capital building. Finally, we watched a film on the Constitution and virtual toured the National Archives. Fun was had by all.

David McElhannon

Monday, March 29, 2010 3:30pm EDT BALTIMORE TEAM

Our morning started EARLY today!  Everyone had to be in the lobby by 6:30 for breakfast and by 6:50 we were walking to our bus stop.  We have really enjoyed the free bus here in Baltimore that they have for tourists in the Inner Harbor/Fells Point area.  It gets us to most of the places we need to go and even has a cool name…The Charm City Circulator.

We arrived at The Gallery Church of Baltimore at 7:30am for our orientation.  There is also a group from Knoxville here this week and we enjoyed meeting them.  Derrick, Robert, and Ellis all took turns telling us The Gallery story and helping us understand their plan for evangelism here in the city.  For the most part, they talked about intentional relationship building.  It fits right along with our “I’m Third” theme…God first, others second, and I’m third.

One of the major problems in Baltimore is HIV/AIDS.  For so long this pandemic has been ignored here in the US and the church is finally beginning to reach out to this population.  Gallery Church has a relationship with a doctor at the University of Maryland that is one of the premier researchers in the nation on HIV/AIDS.  The doctor is glad to see churches reaching out to people to encourage them to get tested.  If people who have the virus will get tested, they can get treatment and counseling to help stop the spread of the disease.

Every so often, The Gallery Church of Baltimore partners with other local organizations to host a free HIV/AIDS testing site for people.  Our group was responsible for walking around the neighborhood handing out cards encouraging people to be tested.  We broke up into 4 groups and had 1 adult with 5 students.  I purposely split up students that were rooming together and those that normally hang out together.  We were given a map with directions of where to go and where not to go and we headed out with our stacks of cards.

It was a blast seeing our students get excited about talking to strangers.  God is developing a real sense of boldness in our team and He is honoring their faithfulness.  We handed out all of our cards over a matter of a few hours of walking up and down several streets.  Too bad we didn’t bring pedometers, we covered some serious ground this morning!  If you are looking for us…we are the skinny ones!

We headed back to the testing site to grab our lunch and dry off from the light rain.  Lunch was great and the fellowship was even better.  After lunch, we handed out a few more cards and then walked the mile and a half back to The Gallery Church to pick up our stuff.  Jessie Loya did a great devotion from Romans and 1 Corinthians talking about the roles that everyone fills on the team.

From there we headed back to the hotel for a rest and some dry clothes.  We are heading out to Fells Point tonight to do some shopping and eat dinner.  I asked each student to pick up 5 Gallery Church cards promoting their Easter services to give out over the course of this week.  I know that many of them are hoping to give out some cards tonight.

Tomorrow morning we are headed to Ft. McHenry to tour the historic fort where Francis Scott Key penned The Star Spangled Banner.  The rest of the day will be spent at the Baltimore Freedom Academy cleaning and painting for The Gallery Church Easter service this Sunday.  They are starting a second service every Sunday at BFA to reach the people that are too far away from their location on Fleet Street.

We are having a blast.  Everyone is working hard and has a great attitude.  This is an incredible team of students and adults and we are genuinely seeing God at work in our midst.

TOGETHER…Cultivating Hearts.  Challenging Minds.  Impacting Culture.

Megan Strange

Monday, March 29, 2010 3:30pm EDT GUATEMALA TEAM

Click here to see a Facebook photo album of the Guatemala group hosted by Hands and Feet ministries.

Saturday:  We had a very uneventful flight.  Whitney from Hands & Feet and Brandon from Hope for Guatemala met us at the airport.  We got settled at the seminary and then went to tour the Hope for Guatemala Center.  We met Jose, the founder of Hope for Guatemala and learned the history of this amazing children’s haven.  We went back to the center, had dinner, and went through the details of our itinerary.  We spent some time in prayer for God’s work to be done and for our team to bring Him glory.  Our night sleep was not as restful as we would have hoped due to an very uncooperative car alarm.

Sunday:  We got up for a pancake breakfast and headed off to the Casa de Libertdad (Freedom House church).  We had a great experience and were able to listen to the service in English with the aid of headphones and a translator.  After church, we ate Little Caesar’s Pizza on the sidewalk and drove to Antigua for tourist time.  Being Palm Sunday, there was lots of activity in the square.  We went through a Catholic Church, toured the coolest McDonalds ever, and then headed off the the market.  Everyone enjoyed the “negotiating” with the local merchants.  Lots of interesting things were purchased.  We ate dinner at Pollo Campero (Country Chicken I think) where we enjoyed Fried Chicken, fries, ice cream and flan.  Then it was back on the “coaster” (very large van) for the ride back to Guatemala City.  Parker Smith led our group in a devotion from Jeremiah.  Then it was off to bed for the morning was coming soon.  This was a much better night’s sleep – the car alarm did not go off until about 5:45 AM – yeah!!!

Monday:  Up by 6 AM, breakfast at 7 AM, on the road by 7:30 AM.  Our first day of really serving.  We went to a house of one of the kids served by the Hope for Guatemala center.     I really do not think that any words could actually describe it.  Imagine a dirt floor, metal siding, about a 15X15 foot house, one mom, 3 children, no running water, “kitchen” outside, curtain for a door, 2 beds, one small table, no electricity, hundreds of houses just like this one.  Speechless.  We then split up into 2 groups:  one group painted the inside and outside of a larger cinderblock house and the other group played soccer with the kids from HFG.  After the morning, we all met back at the center.  We served 3 sessions of kids where we did a skit, sang songs, and made salvation bracelets.  Then we played, hugged, and laughed.  You would be so proud of our NCCS kids – again, I do not think my words could do it justice.  Brandon and Jose have been very impressed by the attitudes and serving heart of our students.  And the greatest part, it’s not about us!!!  The students are really bringing honor to Jesus Christ – and that is our prayer – to actively glorify Him.  That’s it for today – there are close to 100 precious Guatemalan kids downstairs, but I am not worried, they are in good hands.  More update to come . . .

Cassie Carr

Monday, March 29, 2010 3:25pm EDT MILITARY HISTORY THROUGH FILM SHORT COURSE

We studied the Vietnam War today, through two of the very few movies that showed the heroism and sacrifice of American troops in a positive light, “The Green Berets” with John Wayne, and “We Were Soldiers” with Mel Gibson. We further studied the battles shown in these films by working through some map exercises, and viewing a pair of short documentaries, “Special Forces in Vietnam” by the Dept. of Defense, and National Geographic’s “Inside the Vietnam War.” We also talked about the actual soldiers portrayed in these movies, where they are today, and some of the activities they participated in after the war.
One of the soldiers portrayed in the movie “We Were Soldiers” (admittedly, a minor character in the movie but a major one in the book of the same name by Hal Moore) was Rick Rescorla, a hero of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.  A soldier to the very end, he sacrificed his life that day to save nearly everyone else in his company; is story is well told here.

Duty, devotion, honor, courage, and faith are not just casual terms, and seeing them placed into action in these films helps drive that lesson home.

John McKay

Monday, March 29, 2010 2:37pm EDT NEW YORK CITY TEAM

The NYC team is having a wonderful time! We have been moving non-stop through the ciy since we landed on Saturday. We have successfully ridden the subway trains and got off at all the right stations.  Yesterday was a great experience with Brooklyn Tabernacle church inthe morning, backstage tour of Radio City Music Hall in the afternoon, then The Gallery Church in the evening. We ended the day with a great meal at Maison Restaurant and a wonderful devotion from Mr. Hendrix.

Today, the seniors were able to minister to the homeless at St.Paul’s Church, an the rest were able to surprise some local New Yorkers with $5 gift cards for breakfast. The performing arts group is touring Julliard and the Metropolitan Opera, while the visual arts group is taking in the amazing artwork at MOMA, Museum of Modern Art.  It might be raining today, but that’s not stopping anyone from having a fabulous time.  Tonight we are going to Jekyll and Hyde restaurant and the Empire State Building to see the city lit up at night.

Jessica Starnes

Sunday, March 28, 2010 11:27pm EDT COLLEGE TOUR TEAM

Today it rained, physically and spiritually. We got to sleep late, which is a good thing  but a rare thing on school trips, this was  primarily because breakfast is not served until 9:30 am on Sundays; what college student would wake up any earlier? After breakfast we experienced a sort of spiritual rain, rocking worship with a couple thousand college students in the Vines Center (what a subwoofer!) and a great message on moving from the security, the relative comfort, and the constant parental provision just “falling from above” experienced in the college “wilderness” to Godly purpose and productivity in “the promised land”  after college. Everyone was challenged not to be conformed to the world’s way of doing things. Yes, there was physical rain too, water falling from the sky all day long. It did not stop us from having a great tour which included the LaHaye Ice Center build with a donation from the grandparents of two NCCS alumni. The rain did stop us from having any broken legs at the SnowFlex, instead we went bowling with a little help from some friends and alumni Ronnie Brickner. You see, the bus broke again – don’t worry parents, we are getting a new one for tomorrow – Ronnie and a friend of Mr. Clingman were kind enough to make multiple trips to ferry us to the bowling alley. After our arrival at the bowling alley we had both some successful and some very strange bowling.  Jerry Falwell, Jr. stopped by  the bowling alley to check on us and then sent a bus to take us back to our rooms at the end of the evening!  All this just proves how good God is and what an excellent spirit God has given our NCCS students and alumni! Tomorrow is  an early day with breakfast at 7:00 am and a class on “Contemporary Issues” after that. We had some “contemporary issues” today and God was glorified as we laughed and joked our way through them, never letting the physical rain stop us from missing His spiritual rain.

Lee Campbell

Sunday, March 28, 2010 10:34pm EDT WASHINGTON, DC TEAM

The morning started off cold, windy, and beautiful.  After a wonderful breakfast at the hotel, our troops departed for Arlington National Cemetery.  It was a moving experience for many of us as we entered the cemetery and gazed at the rows upon rows of graves of fallen soldiers.  During our visit, we saw the Arlington House, former home of General Robert E. Lee; the Kennedy gravesite, including the recently added grave of Ted Kennedy; the mast of the U.S.S. Maine; and the Memorial Amphitheatre, to name a few.  Our time ended with a visit to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where we watched the changing of the Guard and had the privilege of placing a wreath at the tomb.

From here, we traveled to Union Station to put our “I’m third” attitude in action.  We met up with some local volunteers to minister to the homeless here.  Our students handed out “love bags,” Ziploc bags full of toiletries that were donated by our families, along with the lunches that were made by our local teammates.  In all, we were able to help meet the physical needs of 80 people.  We ended our missions time today by gathering in a circle on the corner outside Union Station, offering a prayer of thanksgiving and blessing to our Heavenly Father.

Lunch at Union Station refueled our kids for our afternoon adventures.  Taking the Metro, we started on the National Mall and headed west.  The Washington Monument, WWII Memorial, Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial, and Lincoln Memorial gave the students many options to learn about those who came before them and who were instrumental in securing the freedoms that we have today.  Our Subway sandwich dinner was delivered to us at the Lincoln Memorial so we could have a nice, but cold picnic.  We finished eating just in time as the predicted rain began to fall as we started our long walk back toward our hotel.

After a bit of free time, we gathered for our evening devotions and team meeting.  Coach Miles challenged the students to recognize their unique gifts and to learn to appreciate the gifts of others.  We look forward to another fun and adventurous day tomorrow, especially for the opportunity to worship with others tomorrow night!

Amanda Ledbetter

Sunday, March 28, 2010 9:56pm EDT GUATEMALA TEAM

Hello everyone!  I know you are hoping for a Guatemala update.  Mrs. Carr will be sending me an email tomorrow.  It is the first time they will have internet.  However, I did just talk to her on the phone for a few minutes.  I can tell you that they are having a great time by the way the team all screamed hello when she told them I was on the phone.  Lots of laughing and talking while they were eating dinner.
Mrs. Carr said they had a chance to tour the place they would be working this week.  She said they will be working hard and welcome the opportunity to impact that community for Christ.  Today was their tour day and they were in Antiqua enjoying some shopping and eating dinner out at a restaurant.  She said everyone was doing great so far.  Thank you for praying!

Megan Strange

Sunday, March 28, 2010 9:33pm EDT BALTIMORE TEAM

Eight years ago I met Aaron Coe.  He was on staff at NorthStar church and running One Goal Sports.  I was the youth minister at Acworth United Methodist Church and he was trying to get our church to partner with One Goal.  We joined OGS as a supporting church and a great friendship began.  At the same time, Ellis Prince was the student pastor at Summit Baptist Church.  I knew Ellis from a variety of community events and through character education that we both helped with in the local high schools.

Within a year or two, Aaron had moved to New York City to help with New Hope New York, an initiative of the Southern Baptist Convention and Ellis moved to North Carolina to help plant a church in Charlotte.  I occasionally checked the website for the church Ellis was at to see how it was going.  I continued working with Aaron and together with a friend lead a College Mission Trip to New York to put on a free sports camp.  That ended up leading Aaron to planting The Gallery Church in New York City.  God has opened tons of doors for Aaron and given him great favor in New York City.

As Aaron was planting The Gallery Church in New York, Ellis and his family moved back to Acworth and he came on staff at West Ridge Church as the high school pastor.  Ellis and I reconnected as I had moved to NCCS to be the Student Life Director and my husband and I began attending West Ridge.  Are you keeping all of these moves straight?  We became very involved in the high school ministry as small group leaders with Ellis and Ginger Prince.  Clint and I enjoyed getting to know them and both had a great deal of respect for Ellis as a student of God’s word and someone that hoped to ignite that same fire in his students.

Two years ago, I was mowing the yard and listening to a podcast message from Aaron Coe at The Gallery Church in New York.  He was giving some updates about the church and talked about the new church they would be planting in Baltimore.  He talked about a high school pastor and his family from Atlanta that would be moving to New York to work with The Gallery for six months before planting in Baltimore.  God told me very definitively that it was Ellis and his family.  I called him and he confirmed that he was moving and said he hadn’t even announced it at church yet.  I didn’t even know that Aaron and Ellis knew each other!

From that point, God has been stirring my heart for the city of Baltimore and what God is doing here.  Around the time that the Prince family left for Baltimore, Clint and I left West Ridge to help plant Freedom Church in Acworth.  One of the wives in our small group has a sister that moved up here to be a part of the Baltimore team.

I give all of that background information to let you know that God began this mission trip in my heart eight years ago.  It was surreal to walk into The Gallery Church of Baltimore this morning and see what God is doing here through the leadership of Ellis Prince.  Just as exciting was to know that our New York City team was worshipping with Aaron Coe and his staff tonight in NYC!

Even before church this morning, David Wise led our group in an amazing devotion about perspective.  He really challenged us to look at situations that God has placed us in and ask what God is trying to teach us through those circumstances.  It was a powerful message to kick off our week!

This morning at The Gallery Church of Baltimore was the 3rd week in their series: The Ancient Future Story talking specifically about reflections on Babylon.  The Scripture passages were: Psalm 137:1-9, Ezra 1:1-4, and Isaiah 45:1-7.  The message was very good and had a lot of historical connections.  Ellis left us with the question, “What would it look like for our friends to see a picture of the Messiah — the anointed one?”
After church we headed to Chipotle for lunch.  Lunch was good, but the fellowship was even greater.  We have encouraged the team to try and eat with different people as often as possible.  From there we headed to the Johns Hopkins University bookstore, walked around campus, hung out in the park, and then toured the Baltimore Museum of Art.  Many of us broadened our horizons checking out the art today!

We caught the city bus back down to the hotel.  We hung out here tonight and ordered in pizza to watch the Duke/Baylor game and watch some movies.  Most of the time was spent in conversation…some deeper than others!  We closed out the night again by having a team meeting.  Both nights we have started by sharing highlights from the day.  We all tend to talk at the same time because we have so much to be grateful for!  After instructions for the morning, we headed to our rooms for the night.  Everyone has to be in the lobby at 6:30 in the morning, so we better get some sleep.

Thank you for the prayers.  We are eager to get to work in the morning.  We truly believe that God is the God of this city and greater things are yet to be done here!

TOGETHER…Cultivating Hearts.  Challenging Minds.  Impacting Culture.

Megan Strange

Sunday, March 28, 2010 4:45pm EDT PARIS TEAM

Despite the cumbersome jet lag, today we boarded a bus at 9 am for a full day bus tour with our French guide, Olivier.  First, we toured the French mansion, Hotel de Sully, and walked to the most sought after public high school in Paris, Lycee Charlemagne.  Next stop was L’Opera Garnier with its elaborate architecture and detail.  Most of us stood in awe with our necks craned just admiring the craftsmanship on the high ceilings.  We later returned to Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower for a guided tour.  Although ambitious at first to climb all of the steps of the tower, we finally came to our senses and just took the elevator!  We did decide to compromise and walk down the stairs after viewing the entire city of Paris and beyond.  Some flocked to the scene of the beautiful Seine River from above while others watched a soccer match from the best view in Paris.  The rest of the afternoon was a tour around Paris that included l’Arc de Triomphe, Les Invalides, La Place Concorde, les Champs Elysees and more.  Finally, we met Jane and Jeff Abbett at the Louvre to sit and chat about the state of Christianity in France. We were all surprised to hear the desperate need for Christ in the lives of the French.  We, Americans, are so open and honest to share our faith and testimony with family, friends, and strangers, but the French consider their religion an intimate matter only to be discussed with close friends and family.  Imagine the difficulty missionaries have witnessing and sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.  According to the Abbett’s, the best way to witness is to integrate and form relationships with the French so that they trust the missionary to then share their religious views with a more open mind.  The Christians of France are seeking long-term missionaries who are willing to spend a lifetime creating a relationship while trusting God to provide that one opportunity to share the Good News.  We were all amazed when Jane referred to France as the “graveyard for missionaries” because so many give up after a year or two and return to the United States without seeing any positive results.  Thank God we live in a country where we can openly discuss our faith and often see the fruits of our labor.  I encourage you as you pray for the Spring Term trips that you will remember the state of the hearts of the French and pray that God will use missionaries like the Abbetts to break through culture to reach those that Christ died to save.  Tomorrow we are off to Normandy to tour Omaha Beach and the American cemetery.  Á bientôt!

Amber Timms

Saturday, March 27, 2010 10pm EDT COLLEGE TOUR TEAM

Sandwiched between lunch at Hardee’s and a real feast at Applebee’s for dinner was an unfortunate bus breakdown- a complete loss of power; yet, we did not lose hope, spirits remained high and God answered our prayers in His power. Another bus fetched us from the roadside after a while and we arrived at liberty about 2 and 1/2 hours late – it was a beautiful day to break down! No worries, we will have our tour of Liberty on Sunday after lunch before we ski on “plastic” snow like real X-games champions have before us. The evening at Liberty was wonderful, Shane Pender, Liberty’s wining NCAA Division 1 Volleyball coach, and childhood friend of Todd Clingman, was our guide for the evening. His words inspired as he shared that God’s great gift to us included the privilege of making choices, large and small, choices like will I follow Jesus, which college will I attend, and many, many more choices every second of every day. That is the freedom God has given us, the freedom to choose. An evening highlight included our students running around the football field in the impressive but empty stadium in the dark; without the bus (the substitute bus left after we were dropped off) we all got plenty of exercise as we walked for the evening in the beautiful mountain air. God is good! He provided each step of the way. Mr. Clingman is filled with “old” Liberty stories which inspire us but also remind us of just how much God has done to build His kingdom here on this Virginia mountain – what a great vision for Christian excellence. Well it is time for bed and the now repaired  (we hope!) bus is just arriving. Tomorrow we sleep late, if that’s possible for 38 students in dorms, and then after breakfast we attend chapel! If today was any indication, it will be inspiring.

Lee Campbell

Saturday, March 27, 2010 9:50pm EDT WASHINGTON, DC TEAM

The day started without a bang (thankfully) as our students and parents gathered in the NCCS gym for a time of prayer.  Our buses rolled off campus and in a short while, all the students were in line for check-in at the Hartsfield-Jackson Airport.

While we waited in line, the students enjoyed some lovely Krispy Kreme donuts and good company as they chatted and laughed in anticipation for the trip.  The Delta customer service representatives were friendly and helpful, quickly moving us through check-in, and they received our many thanks.

Security wasn’t a breeze with all the new safety measures, but our group demonstrated patience as they passed through, again thanking many of the workers.  The wait at the gate was shortened by more food, Starbucks coffee, and more time of laughter with friends.  A few of our students even took the time to find any uniformed service men and take a moment to thank them for their service to our country.

On the D.C. side of the trip, we enjoyed some lunch – growing 8th graders need lots of food – and experienced our first trip on the Metro.  It was quite an adventure with some interesting stories, but all 60 of us safely arrived at our hotel.

Our afternoon touring time was a trip to the President’s Park, an 82-acre section of parks and trails surrounding the White House.  As students took pictures across both the North and South lawns, they spotted the snipers (always a fun activity) and commented on how much smaller the house was than it seems in the movies.  Also in the trails, we checked out statues dedicated to Generals Sherman, LaFayette, Kosciuszko, Jackson, Rochambeau, and von Steuben, as well as the First Division Monument, the Navy Urns, and the Blair-Lee House.

Dinner at the Ronald Reagan Center provided more opportunities for the students to enjoy each other’s company.  For many on our trip, it was the first time they had to pass through security just to eat!  Returning to the hotel for a bit of down time and a chance to get settled in the rooms, the students availed themselves of the pool and fitness center.  We rounded out our day with a team meeting and devotions by 8th grade chaplain, Faith Bless, who inspired us to help restore our Christian values to our nation.

Our students are excited for another day tomorrow – to see more of our great nation’s capital and to continue to let Him become greater while they become less!

Amanda Ledbetter

Saturday, March 27, 2010 9:03pm EDT BALTIMORE TEAM

We have had a great first day in Baltimore!  Everyone enjoyed hanging out on the plane and in the train out to our hotel.  We had about a half mile walk from the train station to the hotel.  This city is full of volleyball teams, cheer squads, and other groups of students.  Even thought we were all wearing our bright yellow jog-a-thon shirts and rolling suitcases…we didn’t stand out too much thanks to the other groups.

After we found the hotel, they graciously agreed to watch our luggage while we headed off to grab a late lunch.  We went to a local Italian restaurant right by the hotel at 2pm.  It was an interesting place and the food was pretty good.  It took a while since they aren’t used to late afternoon lunch crowds.  We wrapped up our lunch around 4:30 and checked into the hotel.

We spent some time relaxing and getting settled and met back in the lobby at 6pm to head down to the Inner Harbor.  While we were there, we saw some of the street performers, walked around the mall, ate dinner, and continued our quest to develop a heart for the people of this great city.

The evening closed out with a team meeting in the lobby to go over highlights for tomorrow and make sure we all know the plan.  We prayed together and headed up to our rooms for an early night.  Tomorrow we will worship with The Gallery Church of Baltimore at 9:30am.  We are so excited about finally meeting the people we have been praying for since October!

That’s all for tonight.  Please know that we appreciate your prayers.  Our hearts are full of anticipation for what God has in store here in Baltimore this week.  We are also so excited for all of the other Spring Term teams and look forward to hearing the updates from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ at NCCS.

TOGETHER…Cultivating Hearts.  Challenging Minds.  Impacting Culture.

Megan Strange

Saturday, March 27, 2010 6:27pm EDT FRANCE TEAM

Bonjour everyone,

What a day in Paris!  After flying a total of 10 hours, we finally made it to the beautiful City of Lights.  Despite being awake for the last 36 hours, the students and chaperones reveled in the sights from the moment we landed at the airport.  Our first stop…the bathroom.  Let’s just say it was an interesting experience!  Once on the bus to the hotel, we drove through the countryside into the city of Paris.  Mrs. Post immediately began making connections to the things the French students are learning in class.  Our first lesson…”Regarde, c’est une vache!” (Look, it’s a cow!)

Upon arriving at the hotel, we decided to take a leisure walk to the Bastille and grab some lunch.  As the students munched on a baguette sandwich, we cruised the streets along the Seine River and took in the language and the scenery.  The students then felt accomplished as the groups split with chaperones to master the Paris Metro. Although a little intimidating at first, we all arrived at our destination smiling about the experience.  Imagine our excitement as we exited the Metro station to see the massive Eiffel Tower straight ahead.  Our first group picture lasted at least 30 minutes as we all rushed to get our cameras ready and take pictures with friends and loved ones.  We marveled at its beauty and laughed at the street shows and very persistent vendors.

Next, we came back to the hotel to prepare for the Palm Sunday service at the gorgeous Notre Dame.  We were all in awe at its beauty and prestige.  It was amazing to sit and listen to the silence as the people surrounding it just marveled in its magnificence.  We were more than blessed to hear the entire account of the last days of Christ in French during Mass.  Even those of us with a language barrier knew that the story of Christ’s suffering was being retold. No matter what language, the story is completely captivating!

Finally, we all strolled down the Isle de la Cite’ to pick the most quaint French restaurant possible to experience the atmosphere and the food.  Most groups ventured to try things they had never experienced and were pleasantly surprised.

Tomorrow brings a full day of a bus tour and a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower.  Later in the evening we will be meeting with missionaries Jane and Jeff Abbett to discuss the state of Christianity in Paris.  One day down, five more to go!

Amber Timms
Saturday, March 27, 2010  5:27pm EDT ALL GROUPS

ALL GROUPS ARRIVED SAFELY-Great news!  We got word early this morning that the France group was on the ground safely in Paris after a very long flight connecting through Philadelphia.  We heard they had a great first day.  The Baltimore, New York, and Washington, DC teams all arrived at their destinations around lunchtime.  The Guatemala team arrived in country mid-afternoon and we just received word that the College Tour group was pulling on to the campus of Liberty University.  After a minor mechanical setback with the bus, the College Tour was safe and on a new bus with only about an hour delay.  All the teams will spend some time getting settled, laying out plans for the week, eating dinner, and then off to bed.  It was an early morning arriving at school at 5am this morning!  More updates will be posted as I receive them from the teams.  All of the Spring Term Short Courses will begin Monday, March 29.

Megan Strange