Long Overdue End

Greetings. Here is the long overdue final entry for the Toronto mission trip blog. The blog was really about prepping us to go on the trip, not explain afterwards. That being said, I had really hoped for some pics to post and maybe a comment or two. But the winds of fate did not blow in that direction. So instead let me close this blog out with just a couple things to note:

1) We were indeed the hands and feet of Christ while there. We engaged in a wonderful variety of ministries in the city.

2) We learned a lot about Toronto and the cultural themes that run through the city.

3) We had fun (including seeing a Toronto Argonauts game!).

As I write this, the trip to Pittsburgh is in the works. See you over on that blog!

Peace,
Kevin

Slowly I Turn...step by step, inch by inch!

Hey Folks,

Well, one week to go. The mission trip is almost upon us! Holy Cow, how did the summer go so fast??? Pray, get packed, pray again, and then be ready to roll.
Since we’re going to be seeing Niagara Falls (unless its closed that day…can you close falls?) I thought I’d relay to you a comedy sketch (called “Slowly I Turn”) that uses said name in it:

“The skit, which was well known on the vaudeville circuit, goes something like this: A bedraggled man buttonholes a stranger and tells him a tale of betrayal and vengeance. A rogue seduced his sweetheart. He trailed the miscreant from town to town, finally catching up with him in Niagara Falls, where he pummeled him mercilessly. The hearer of the story haplessly says the magic words, "Niagara Falls," causing the man to turn on him and mete out the same punishment.
Sometimes a different town was the red-flag word. Abbot and Costello performed the "Pokomoko" version in their 1944 film, Lost in a Harem. The improbable storyline revolves around the pair traveling to Arabia to recover the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, which has been hypnotized into playing only for the villain. Okay. They pose as Hollywood talent scouts. At one point, they end up locked in a jail cell with a lunatic, who does the "Slowly I Turned" routine.
That same year, the Three Stooges incorporated it into their short feature, Gents Without Cents. In this episode, the Stooges are out-of-work actors who meet three dancing girls in similar circumstances. They all get a job in a show, where they perform the routine. The Stooges marry the ladies and honeymoon in (where else?) Niagara Falls. This time, Curly is the Stooge who exclaims "Niagara Falls!" making himself the target of Moe and Larry's wrath.
The venerable routine reappeared in an episode of I Love Lucy aired in 1952. Ricky needs both a ballerina and a comic to be in his floorshow at the Tropicana. Lucy, as usual, is clamoring to participate. He sends her to a ballet teacher. She klutzes it up, hurts her leg and hires someone to teach her a vaudeville routine instead. In a typical misunderstanding, Ethel tells Lucy that the show needs an emergency substitute performer. Lucy goes and performs a vaudeville routine in the ballet, walloping the dancers and causing general lunacy and mayhem.”

Peace,
Kevin

Money, Cash, Moolah, Cha-Ching, etc.

Hey Folks,

Thought it would be wise to drop a quick post about money. US dollars are not widely accepted in Canada, and where they are accepted, the exchange rate is not good. So, here are a couple ideas:

- Go to your local bank and order some Canadian money. The bank will order it and let you know when it comes in. This is probably one of the best exchange rates you'll get.

- You CAN use ATM machines there, but you won't get as good of an exchange rate most likely.

- When you're spending money up there, try to spend your coins before we head back to the US. The reason for this is that you usually can only exchange back paper money, and not coins. Last time I went on this mission trip we exchanged our money back at a casino and this was the case. Oh, another note on that is that there is no paper money for $1 or $2...they are coins (called a 'looney' and a 'tooney', respectively).

-How much to bring? Depends on how many trinkets and postcards and t-shirts you want to buy. We won't have a whole lot of time for shopping, but we'll be hitting Niagara Falls and probably a couple places in town.

So, go get some Canadian money, or be ready to use an ATM and get a worse rate. Incidentally, the rate right now is 1.0716, which means that the Canadian dollar is almost worth as much as a US dollar.

OK, that's all for the moment.
Peace,
Kevin

Time to Team Build!

Hey Group,

We definitely need to get together a couple times before we go on the trip…and time is wasting! So, here are three dates. You have to go to at least 1 in order to go on the trip (i.e., its MANDATORY), and I would really prefer you go to 2 or all 3. The more time we spend together before we go on mission, the better. Here’s the deal:

1) Sunday, July 1^st. We’ll go grab some late lunch somewhere local. Then, for whoever wants in, we can go see the Somerset Patriots game.

2) Saturday, July 14^th. BBQ at my house in Somerville. I have a grill and a backyard, and I intend to use both!

3) Sunday, July 29^th. Let’s grab lunch and ask/answer any final questions about the trip.

Here’s what I need from you: WHICH EVENTS WILL YOU BE GOING TO??? Let me know – it’ll help me organize things. And remember, at least one is mandatory, but please make as many as you can!

OH, by the way: July 1^st (our first lunch) is Canada Day…Canada’s national holiday. Here’s a link to the Wikipedia entry.

OK – that’s all for the moment. I’m tracking down some insurance forms for us, and will be in touch when that’s finalized…

Peace!,

Kevin

Passports Are Good Things!

Hey Torontors,

I wanted to just say a quick word about Passports. If you’ve been reading the doco at the right, you’ll have picked up on what I’m going to say…but I wanted to be specific about it because its important. If you can, bring a passport! You don’t HAVE to have it to cross the border, but if you don’t have it, you’ll need to bring your birth certificate as well as other ID…and that can be a bit of a hassle. So if you can, bring a passport. If not, please make sure you have all necessary ID to cross the border (another good reason to pick through the documents on this page!). For more info on passports, here’s the official page for them.

Also, I think you can apply for them at the post office now. Oh, and another thing: it can take awhile to get one if you apply for it normally. For an extra fee, you can have your application expedited. OK. Have a great day.

Peace!,

Kevin

Toronto? No way, eh!?

Welcome to the Toronto Mission Trip Blog site! This is a place to get necessary information about the trip, download forms, ask and answer questions, etc. So, start poking around and feel free to post or comment. This mission trip is going to ROCK!

Now, onto the more serious stuff. Please check out the 'Doco and Resources' section. There is VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION there, as well as a required Permission Form.

More resources and info will be posted periodically, so keep an eye out. I'll also put all of us who are going on the trip on a mailing list.

One last thing...if you want to watch a funny movie that pokes fun at Canada, check out Strange Brew - it's a riot (the pic is of the protagonists)!

Have a great day!

Blessings,
Kevin