Hello, my name is ______. I like _______. Repeat 32 times. Welcome to English Club, Kazakh style!

Today was absolutely wonderful. We woke up, had some light breakfast and a little later some coffee, saw the beautiful snow capped mountains to the south, had a team meeting at 11:00, and then went to CALTC (Central Asia Leadership Training Center). Here we got a tour of the facility, including the two rooms we are using for E.C. and met a number of people who volunteer with Alpha Omega.

We played some get-to-know-each-other games, and then had Kazakh cheese, sausage and tomato sandwiches on traditional flat-bread. If you ever find yourself in Kazakhstan, I really recommend it! In fact, it was good enough that the five guys on the trip bought some for their apartment for lunches.

At 5pm, we began English Club with introductions. We then played some games, and explained the "syllabus" (I put that in quotes because it makes it sound much more official then it is) for the course. We ended that part of the evening to have a traditional supper together outside called "plof" - a mixture of beef, rice, carrots and seasonings. Again, one of the best things ever and a must try!

More games, including a game of volleyball, and then a description of July 4th by Victoria, and how it is celebrated in the USA. This was followed by the lighting of several dozens of sparklers which I was able to smuggle into the country.

At then end of the day, we are tired, have LOTS of new friends, and are excited about what God is doing in us and through us now and in the coming days! Here are some things you can pray for:

• On Monday night, we will invite students to stay, and hear about things that are important in our lives, and sharing spiritual things with them - namely our testimonies, leading to a presentation of the Gospel.
  
• That relationships would continue to be made, we met 32 really great young Kazakh people!
  
• That the team would get caught up on sleep tonight, and be refreshed for church tomorrow, and more hanging out with students at a sports time in the evening.
• That we would have wisdom about what to do as a recreational activity with the students. Some of the options are more expensive than previously thought. We want to make good decisions about what to do.