Sisters On A Mission

Orientation Day 1 -Reunited at Last

After 3 days of longing for Deena to arrive in Jville--the Khalil sisters are once again reunited and ready to begin their mission;)

Deena and I met up this morning at the Jville airport this morning around 10:30am and were then picked up by Andrew Lekos the Teams Director from OCMC and another team member, Rodney Morrey. The four of us piled into the VW station wagon and headed out towards Marywood Retreat Center, where we are staying during orientation. The drive was about 45 minutes from the airport bc Jville is HUGE-- It's the largest city (geographically) in the US. We stopped for a quick bite at a local pizza eatery and spent some time talking about the goals and missions of OCMC. We learned quite a bit about the different archdioceses and their contributions and support of OCMC.

We arrived at the conference center and were truly impressed with the facility and its surroundings. If you'd like to see where we're staying you can check out their webpage: http://www.marywoodcenter.org/. It sits right on the St. Johns River--which as I learned today is one of 4 rivers in the world that flows north.

There are several different pods of rooms and we are all in pod A. Deena and I were originally assigned to different rooms--sharing with other individuals, but we vetoed that!

We're looking forward to meeting the rest of the group tonight. Everyone basically gets in between now and 6pm. We'll all meet for dinner at 6pm and start orientation then. So until then...we're off to explore the grounds!

PS: This is also a summer camp and it totally reminds us of the Antiochian Village (our church camp)--where's our counselor???
And gimme shop???

Hakuna Matata ;)
-Kera & Deena

And we're off!

It feels great to have such a loving support network of friends and family that care so much! Deena and I are truly blessed to be surrounded by all of you. We are thrilled that we accomplished our fundraising goals by 121% and counting! Its unbelieveable that the trip is finally upon us and that we are ACTUALLY doing this!

Over the last few months, Deena and I have been in planning mode every day! Its amazing how much we've talked over the phone...every call like a business meeting! Whether its been us chatting up ideas over the phone, hitting the streets for donations or planning events--we have talked/coordinated so much over the last several months that it'll feel odd not to have all this work to accomplish when we get back! But its all been worth it...the experiences that await us will be monumental. We have 5 days until we leave the country and the emotions are mounting! We're nervous yet excited, thrilled yet timid, sad yet over joyed and most of all ANXIOUS!

Here's how the next few days will play out...
So, I am off to Dulles this morning to Atlanta, GA for my good friend Kristen & Ben's coed bridal shower. From there, I will be driving to Jacksonville, FL with my friend Rienna who will also be at the shower and who now lives in Jville. I'll spend Sunday & Monday nights with Rienna and her husband Aaron and then will meet up wiith Deena at the Jville airport to attend orientation in St. Augustine, FL on Tuesday. We will spend approx a day and half at orientation and then fly out on Thurs morning. Our flight is from Jville to Chicago-Chicago to London - London to Nairobi!!! yes--long! We've got some sleeping pills ;) not to worry!

We are not sure what the conditions will be like in Lodwar (the village we'll be in). We do know that its about a 7 hour drive from Nairobi so we'll be able tosee a lot of countryside. Please check this blog periodically bc if we have internet we will update it often. If we don;t have internet, you'll have to wait until we get back to Nairobi on the 17th!

That about wraps it up--still have a few last minute errands to run! We love you all and thank you for your support! We look forward to sharing our stories when we return.

Much Love
Kera & Deena

One fundraiser down...on to the next!

Last night was our fundraiser at Uno's at RTC--definitely a great evening. The weather was perfect, we actually got to sit out on the patio for a while and throw a few back before the crowds rolled in :) We had a good turnout--I think I counted about 50 supporters at one time and that was just at that particular point. I heard from the restaurant though that there were parties that had come for lunch as well. Anyhow, we did well..it wasnt a HUGE money maker but we were able to bank a couple hundred dollars--which is great for not doing a whole lot! Good food, good drinks and good company made last night an overall success. We thank all of you that were there to support us! We've been so blessed :)

Stay tuned for our next FUNDRAISING EVENT at Mister Days Bar & Grill in Arlington on June 7th featuring a silent auction and DATE auction :) Hope to see you there!

The Eve of Our First Fundraising Event

Watching Friday Night Lights and feeling a little antsy for our event tomorrow at UNO's in Reston Town Center. Plus I just got back from a run and I am having a bit of trouble keeping still. Restless leg syndrome? ;)

Deena and I are pretty excited about tomorrow and I think we're going to have a GREAT turnout--a lot of support from friends, family and church members. Obviously, it's not going to be a HUGE money maker but every little bit helps and it also helps raise awareness about our trip and keeps the excitement and momentum going.

Thanks to Saraarrr--it was her idea to contact UNO's and partner with them. She also suggested handing out fliers to people at the Town Center--unfortunately we've already been warned against that by UNO's. I MAY post some around our condo association and if I have time at Harris Teeter but otherwise RTC vicinity is off limits. Don't want to push my luck as a loiterer!

Anyhow, I think the idea of a pizza eating contest tomorrow night might help raise those check amounts ;)

Hope you can make it tomorrow!

EAT with us at UNO's in Reston Town Center on May 10th--SUPPORT US!

Hungry for pizza?

Sure, you are! Everyone has to eat, so why not come out with some friends and family to UNO's Pizzeria in Reston Town Center on May 10th and support our mission trip. UNO's has agreed to donate up to 20% of your bill to our fundraising cause when you present the attached coupon to your server. Bring family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, etc....and EAT, EAT, and DRINK! It can be for lunch, dinner, drinks, carryout--bring the office for lunch! We need your support and the larger the check, the larger the donation to our cause.

Deena and Kera will be there from 5-9pm: Come Have Dinner & Drinks with us!!!

**PRINT THIS BLOG Posting with coupon and bring with you!!!

Let the excitement begin...

Today on a run, Kera and I realized that there are roughly 2 and a half months until Kenya! For some reason I was thinking it was like 6 months away! WOW! Then we started searching for pictures of Lodwar, the village where we will be staying, and other regions of Kenya. Looks pretty amazing. Hopefully we won't have any run-ins with the local lions...rarrrrh, right? I'd rather pet the giraffe, wouldn't you agree, Kera?

Anyway, we are truly excited to be so blessed to have this opportunity! A lot of prayerful planning will go into this trip. Our first step is to organize some local fundraising events, so keep checking back for updates!