Yay Team!

My love for the team grows more and more as each day goes by. I remembered very well the day the team leaders got together to select the team. It was a DIFFICULT job. Many people were interested in our trip and many essays were strong. Even before the application was due, people who spotted me in the elevator, in the mail room or when I was on duty round, reiterated their interest in the trip after recognizing I am one of the team leaders. Lucky for me, I didn't have to promise anything to anybody because it was a blind selection -- meaning, I did not get to see the name while reading the application. Mostly, I based my judgement on the essays. Those who made it definitely had very strong, touching and meaningful essays. If I have not been the one proposing the trip, I don't think I could have written as good an essay as my team members to pass the selction. (Luckly me..and the moral of the story is..propose a trip..jk). As hard as we tried, a lot of time, we left it up to God to decide who should go. Our team is God's choice and He was so right and so kind to bring us together.

I really think we have grown much closer to each other now. I enjoy knowing each and everyone of you. We have almost made it through the financial obstacle. It is amazing how we do it. So dedicated, so passionate and so successful. We raised almost 7,000 dollars in less than 1 month. It was such a superb achievement. I thank you for your hard work and I am sure the children in Vietnam appreciate you a lot for this.

There are some pictures I took at the faculty luncheon on Friday Feb 4 and from the little Smith brunch we had together before the seminar on Saturday Feb 5. Nice pictures!