One more sleep til Thailand!

So the last time I wrote, we were in Canada, and this morning I woke up to watch the sun rise over the Pacific in CA, so I am sorry it's been so long!! We have had a very full two weeks and tonight is our last night before our big flight to Thailand! I cannot believe we are so close to what we've been planning for the past six weeks.

Some of the praises and highlights of the past two weeks include:
- The Lord getting us across the U.S. border without incident. It took less than 15 minutes and the border police apologized for keeping us so long. And our little Dolly made it safely back to the U.S. in her secret hiding place.
- We got to spend a few free hours in Boston, where my sister took us around and we got pizza in Little Italy. Plus, we got to play with my niece and nephew which was amazing!
- On our way through PA, we got to visit Doris Ann's grandma in the hospital. We got to suprise her and sing to her and her roommate. It was such a God moment, knowing that it was His perfect timing that allowed us to have that. Plus, we got to play in the leaves and sunshine outside the hospital- it was a flashback to childhood. :-)
- The Lord has protected us through thousands of miles on the road, more U-turns than I can count and more encounters with the police than I want to remember. On a day we had a 12 hour drive, the police stopped us 3 times and the Lord protected us when the police wanted to put our truck out of commission for insufficient documentation. Our truck lost its 2nd license plate and the guys searched the highway for it, but to no avail. Then I finally took my turn at getting pulled over while we were in CO, but thankfully that ended with the policeman giving us directions to Wal-Mart, our destination of choice. :-) One of the big praises was the way He protected our driving through a snowstorm in the mountain passes of CO and NM.
- The Lord was faithful and provided all of our financial needs for Thailand!

There are many more stories, including some of Dolly being a survivor and coming back to life at least 3 times, but I'll leave those to someone else. For now, off to our host homes for the night and then Thailand tomorrow!

-Laureen

Home Sweet Home

I have been praying for the Lord to meet us in each day and this past week has been full of answers to that prayer, where the Lord has met us in tangible ways. One of the biggest things of the week was when we went to my home church in Binghamton, NY. We got there with just enough time to set up and go to my house for some homecooked Indian food. After that we got ready for our worship service, not knowing all that lay ahead.

Although the concert started like any other, I was blown away by the way the Lord's presence fell in that place during the course of the service. I forgot about everyone there and just worshiped. While we sang "Amazing Grace", Marco challenged people to come forward if they had anything to give over to the Lord. I started crying as I saw the aisle packed with people. There were so many people that many were waiting at the end of the pews, waiting for a spot to open. What was amazing to me was that I knew many of these people and where they were coming from in their lives. To see the Lord work in people that I have been praying for was an incredible blessing! On top of that, the Lord answered our prayers for ALM and we got 5 cures!

I am so grateful for this experience and trust that the Lord has more in store for us as we finish up here in Canada and make our way back to California and then to Thailand. Today we spent some good time in prayer, asking the Lord to prepare our hearts for our time overseas. Please pray with us, that we might be ready for whatever the Lord has in store.

Alright, we have two services tomorrow, so I better head to bed!!

~Laureen

Dolly Joe Continental

So we have been on the road for about three weeks now!! Craziness! We are now in Canada! We have passed through upstate New York, East Hartford, Connecticut, and Boothbay, Maine in the last few days. We have had some long and very busy days and also some days to relax! But God has been faithful in providing safe travels and overall good health. A couple of colds here and there but for the most part we cannot complain!
We now have a new tour member! While in East Hartford, Connecticut Wanda went to the post office and recieved a free wild baby snapping turtle! Dolly Joe Continental has been under my care for the past week and has been the main entertainment in the vans during our long travel days.
It is the first time for some to be in Canada so we are really excited to be here. We have been in Saint John, Quispamsis and are now in Fredericton and will also be in Moncton tomorrow. Some of us have to remind ourselves that we are in Canada becuase there are a lot of simularities. But it is a beautiful country with many beautiful trees!
We have been so blessed by the churches we have stayed with. The people have been so kind and giving! I love worshiping at different churches with different people everyday! We are traveling around to bless others with Christ's message of hope He has given us but we are also being blessed by those that we meet as well! I am so excited to see what God has in store for the road ahead of us! Thailand is also just around the corner and we are praying and expectant that God is going to do miraculous works through us!
Continue praying! The Lord is faithful to those who have faith and seek Him!
~Doris Ann~

Count it all joy

After a rigorous start to tour, we finally got a little bit of a break this week, spending Monday night on campus at Moody Bible Institute. We were so blessed by our host Elizabeth, who is an ex-continental. She took us for some Chicago deep dish pizza, and took us to see the sights of the Windy City, and even treated us to homemade pancakes in the morning. It was great to finally have time to relax as a group and do a little sightseeing and a lot of photo shoots- which I guess is inevitable with a director who is a photographer. :-)

The rest was short-lived though because, on our drive to Indiana, the truck got pulled over by the police for missing a license plate, which had been stolen during our time in South Dakota. Between that, hitting Chicago traffic and having an unforeseen time change, we ended up arriving to the church for our Tuesday concert at 7pm (which is when the concert was supposed to start!). The Lord gifted us with the fastest setup yet though and it ended up being a blessed night of worship. The theme that I have sensed from the Lord this past week, with all the vehicle mishaps and different struggles, has been to count it all joy. Whatever the situation, there is joy to be found in the Lord, if we only seek it.

We are currently in Amish country in western PA, which is one of my favorite places. Doris's grandparents live here and opened up their bed & breakfast to our whole group for dinner and group time last night. It's not every day you get to roast hot dogs and marshmallows in a fireplace while singing Christmas carols in October. All the girls have had the blessing of being in this house for two nights. It's just like being with my own grandma. I love it!

Overall, it has been a great week and we are blown away by how fast the time is going. As a tour, we are trying to prepare our hearts and minds for all that the Lord wants to do in us and through us. Pray that we would make the most of each day, taking every opportunity to give ourselves to the Lord for whatever He wants of us and, no matter what happens, that we would count it all joy. Thank you for praying!
Laureen

Finally, a day off!

Life has been crazy for us this past week...driving about 7 hrs every day, setting up, performing, tearing down, spending the night at host homes...and then up around 5 am to start it all over again! It's been a blast, though. And beautiful. Since our last blog we've toured in Colorado, South Dakota, Nebraska, and today, Iowa. I want to share briefly about our experience in South Dakota. We had the privelege to perform at the prison in a Native American reservation. We were extremely encouraged and challenged by the missionaries leading the ministry there. Our eyes were opened to the needs and bondages of the Lakota tribe that lives there. The worship at the prison was incredible. We sang and presented the Gospel to about 100 prisoners, and afterward we fellowshipped with them - talking, joking, praying, crying, encouraging - it was powerful. Today we had some box truck problems...We arrived at the church and noticed that one of the rear tires was completely blown. So it took a couple of hours to go get a replacement. Later, the truck wouldn't start, so we spent another hour or so fixing problems with the fuses. Little mishaps, but no big deal. Tomorrow we are off to Chicago and will be spending the night with students at Moody Bible Institute. We don't have a concert, just a long drive, so we are all looking foward to a long night of sleep and a fairly late start in the morning (FINALLY!). I'd like to ask that you all pray for a tremendous need for our ministry in Thailand. We were recently told that we will be performing in auditoriums and stadiums there (wow!). Unfortunately, we don't have the funds yet necessary to ship all of our sound equipment such a great distance. So please pray fervently that God would burden believers' hearts for our financial needs. Thanks for reading; I'm off to get a beautiful night of sleep!

-Dustin

Here We Come!

After so many hours of practice at rehearsal camp, we're finally on the road! Utah here we come! Lots of Miles, stops, beautiful skies, and the ol' red-canyon filled western scenary. With 14 tour members, there is no room to be upset at eachother being that we basically live together in our 2 mini vans, so everyone has been gracious to get along thus far! During our rides, Ryan takes the luxury to dance for old couples driving by, lol!

Our last 4 concerts have been amazing! People have shared that God touched their hearts during the concert and that they were encouraged to push forward! Our concerts have been filled with the Message of Hope that is found in Christ only! Tonight is our 5th concert in Moab, Utah, hope to see you if you're near!

Well gotta run for dinner, we need our energy to jump during the concert!

Wanda

Rehearsal Camp Day 1

So today was the first day of rehearsal camp! Lots of songs, lots of fun, a few blunders, but overall a productive day. Food was amazing; Tim and his pot roast, stew, salad, and chocolatey creamy fattening chocolate cake with chocolate on top...it was good. We were all kinda hitting a wall of drowsiness toward dinner, but a good game of frisbee gave us the extra energy to finish the night. So it's off to bed to rest for another sweet day of music!
Good Night all,
Dustin

WE ARE FINALLY GETTING STARTED...

A word from our Director:

... it's the night before everyone arrives. Lots of packing to do, a lot of thoughts coming through our minds. Leaving home, trusting God with the unknown and believing this is what He has called us to do... to go out and share what He has done in our lives through music and the way we live our lives on the road.

It's exciting... another season, another challenge, another reason to TRUST God.

Most everyone is arriving tomorrow at LAX. Ashley and Wanda will go pick them up.
I pray God can unite this team from day 1. That we might honor Him with the way we honor eachother.

I can't wait to start making music, start creating something beautiful for the one who gave us those gifts... nothing we can do but give our lives back to Him!!! It's going to be a worship band type of ministry, we'll have worship gatherings with a powerful message of Hope.

Please friends... pray with us and for us. We NEED your prayers. God has this music mission tour in His hands, may we be used by Him in great ways to bring more people to the knowlege of a real GOD. May lives be challenged, transformed and changed forever.

We'll be blogging, if not every day, for sure every other day. We'll make sure to post prayer requests, praises, fun stories, testimonies, pictures... so that you can be with us in some way.

Who's on the team:
Phillip, Ryan, Wanda, Jessica, Laureen, Doris, Dee, Kori, Renita, Matt, Jon, Dustin, Kody and myself ;-)

Good Night...
let the games begin!!! ;-)

Leaving Hollywood tomorrow. Going up to Ventura for rehearsal camp... you all are invited to the dress rehearsal up there next week (will let you know details).

NEW PRODUCTION, NEW MUSIC!!!

We are so excited to announce the great NEW MUSIC that The Continentals will be taking on the road this Summer and Fall ...

you can find it at www.continentals.com/ctunes under "Voices & Brass".

Here is a word from the Continental Team:

"A new look, a new voice, the same incredible GOD!"
The Continentals have focused all their attention on the HOPE that we have in Jesus Christ! If there is one thing this world needs now it is HOPE! The Continental Worship Band will be presenting this message through a powerful worship experience, that is our prayer, will lead you to a time of reflection and and awe in the presence of our God.

We hold on to HOPE as we step out in faith for the future - where only one thing is definite, Jesus Christ! "

Production Team

WHY THAILAND, CANADA and USA?

Facts about Thailand

Population: About 65.5 million

Ethnic groups: 75% Thai, 14% Chinese, various other groups 11%

Capitol: Bangkok

Religion: 94.6% Buddhist, 4.6% Muslim, 0.7% Christian, 0.1% others

-The three provinces in the south have a Muslim majority. Most of the Buddhists in the country are from the Theravada tradition, a conservative form of the religion.
-Traditionally founded in 1238, Thailand was never colonized by a European power.
-The word "Thai" actually means freedom.
-Today Thailand faces challenges such as the separatist movement in the south, and the threat of disease, especially AIDS.
-The beauty of Thailand has drawn an unusual number of tourists over the years. Not only is the country breathtaking, the history of temples and ancient kingdoms fascinate people around the world.
-The national sport of Thailand is Muay Thai, Thai Boxing.

PRAY FOR THAILAND - PRAY FOR THAILAND - PRAY FOR THAILAND

- Thailand’s religious culture is a complex web of spirit appeasement, occult practices and Buddhism, which is closely interwoven with social culture. Pray that Christians may be able to
express their faith without losing their cutlural identity.
- Of the 76 provinces, 14 have fewer than 1000 Christians, three have less than 100, and four have no evangelical congregations.
- Most of the 3,000,000 Muslims live in South Thailand and Bangkok. Pray for the opportunity to show Christian love to these peoples.
- Pray for local churches to take up opportunities for evangelism among their own peoples.
- Pray for rebuilding work after the tsunami of 2004, and for those personally affected.

Facts about Canada

Population: 33,487,208

Ethnic groups: British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26%

Religions: Roman Catholic 42.6%, Protestant 23.3% (including United Church 9.5%, Anglican 6.8%, Baptist 2.4%, Lutheran 2%), other Christian 4.4%, Muslim 1.9%, other 11.8%, none 16%

Languages: English (official) 59.3%, French (official) 23.2%, other 17.5

Capital: Ottawa

PRAY FOR CANADA - PRAY FOR CANADA - PRAY FOR CANADA

- Pray that the youth of this nation can stand up for what they believe and make a difference with their peers;

- Pray that the local church understands the importance of going outside the church building to reach out to people in need.

Facts about USA

Population: 307,212,123

Ethnic groups:
white 79.96%, black 12.85%, Asian 4.43%, Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%, native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%, two or more races 1.61% (July 2007 estimate) note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American descent (including persons of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian, etc.); about 15.1% of the total US population is Hispanic

Religions:
Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)

Languages:
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii

Capital: Washington D.C.

PRAY FOR THE USA - PRAY FOR THE USA - PRAY FOR THE USA

- Pray for strength in our churches, as they have the opportunity to help a lot of people in physical need especially in times when the economy is not doing very well. In meeting the physical needs of people, these churches have the opportunity to meet the spiritual needs of the people in their community;

- Pray for the youth and the part they play in reaching out to their communities;

- Pray against violence. It used to be a rarity, not any more.

LET'S HEAR IT FROM PEOPLE THAT TOURED...

READ WHAT GOD DOES WHEN YOU'RE WILLING TO FOLLOW HIM!

tour...wow... I went into my tour last fall thinking I would grow a little, learn a little, and maybe have a little fun. I totally limited God in what I thought He was going to put me through and had for me. He showed me things I couldn't have even imagined. He blew my mind. I was shown things I never even knew existed, learned things I had no idea about, and grew in ways didn't even know were possible. You can never put a limit on what you think God has for you. I recommend this experience to anyone willing to dare God to blow their minds. - Kari Miller, Indiana USA - Singer

I went on Tour N self-concious of my failed Christian walk. I was sure that I would be secretly condemned by my fellow members and end up just leaving tour with a heavy heart and bad memories. My experience was the opposite. I was going through one of the hardest times of my life at home when I went on the fall tour and through the friendship of people on the team I was able to confess. The tour's leadership, support and friendships not only helped me to free myself of that bondage on my life, but also to lead me to a much greater walk with God. I have failed in the past, and I have made mistakes but tour changed me. I now have wonderful memories of people, places and our project: sharing the ever-lasting love of our Lord, Jesus Christ, with the world!
- Shanna Allen, Alberta CANADA - Actress

Tour encouraged me by giving me a greater and promising hope for my future. Being with so many Christians daily is SO uplifting. It was one of the most rewarding and blessed experiences of my life, and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to serve Him in that way. I think one thing I really discovered through this missions experience was my great love for serving God with my voice, and with the talents I have. I now find that the greatest joy for me comes from serving others and in turn serving God. If you want something that will uplift you, will encourage you, bless you, reward you, and strengthen your relationship with God, I urge you to consider and pray about being involved with The Continental Singers.
- Megan Young, New Brunswick CANADA - Singer

One of the many things that encouraged me about the fall tour to New Zealand in 2008 was to meet Christians so far away from my world. The great discovery for me was to realize that we had the same Saviour, the same God... this really opened up my perspectives on the world and on how big God is. Also I was also able to play the piano for our worship time in the different venues and was so thankful to be able to use the talent that He has given me for His glory and nothing else!

- Austin Scott, Nevada USA - Instrumentalist

I took a chance... and it was the best move I ever made. I have lived my life for so long in the shadows of a church building, where I was safe and did my weekly routine of going to church. I recently had the opportunity to travel with this amazing ministry. Through The Continentals we were able to use the power of music to empower, encourage the church and evangelize the lost. Christ is the foundation on which this ministry is built. I made a new family and friends that I was able to share my life with and that in itself is a miracle. My life was challenged and changed through those 3 months, I was finally able to see the hand of God move and work in miraculous ways... I will never forget it and would do it again in a heartbeat.~
- Kaylen Stevens, Texas USA - Worship Singer



God taught me that he is the same no matter where I am in this world. On tour everything changes, every day. Showers, beds, host families, food... things that are normal to us change every single night ... God does not! He is the same in the US, in New Zealand and Europe! He is the same everywhere! Since I've toured with the Continentals I've stopped complaining. I've seen God perform miracles, provide for us, even financially. We needed $6000 for our ministry in New Zealand, to cover land costs and a few days before, after one of the concerts, a couple came up to us told us that the program touched them so much that they were moved to give $6000 to help make a difference in New Zealand... what a GOD!!! They believed so much in what we were doing that were willingto give so much to the Lord. I would definitely encourage you to tour...
- Tanja Hunziker, Switzerland EUROPE - Singer

When I was around ten years old I saw The Continentals for the first time and loved it and secretly could see myself touring someday. The year before tour I was searching into a bunch of different orginizations about dancing and singing in a missions environment. When my mom suggested The Continentals I thought... why not? I will give it a try. Deciding to go on tour was one of the best decisions that I've made!! I learned so much!! Before tour I was ashamed of my past and afraid to share my testimony and on tour I shared it with the group and then shared it almost everynight at our concerts. I not only encouraged others with my testimony but I am also no longer ashamed to share it. I also made awesome friendships that will last a lifetime! If you go on tour God will for sure shape you and use you in an awesome way!

- Doris Ann Taylor, Pennsylvania USA - Dancer

Fall Tour was an amazing - I never knew I could learn SO much in such a short amount of time! The biggest thing God taught me was how to value people, and love them. I got to see how amazing and unique God made each person. Then I got to witness God working inside of them, as well as myself - healing, teaching, changing, and coaxing us to let go and trust Him with our lives and our hearts. Being with a bunch of people your age for three months is one thing. Being with a bunch of people your age, all in different places in our walk with God, thrown together on a three month journey, united under God, and learning from and alongside one another is something entirely different! All complete with joys, trials, conflicts and resolutions, and coming out in the end with life long friendships. And that's without mentioning all the amazing people you meet along the way - audience members, host families, etc. Continentals is an outward ministry of using performing talents to share God's love, but it's just as much of an inward ministry in all the ways you grow from the experience. It's something you can't imagine unless you've been there!
- Michelle Croce, California USA - Assistant Director/Singer

Life on a tour with The Continentals can show you many things; new, awesome places, new experiences and skills as far as singing, dancing, stage production and stage setup, but most importantly it shows you the awesomeness of God, His love, and what can happen when undivided attention and trust is given to Him. One example can be how God provides... we needed to raise $10,000 for the ground costs of our ministry in New Zealand, as a tour we came together and asked God for help and direction. A couple days later as we were singing worship songs during tear down a couple approched our director thanking him for the blessed night and presenting him with a $6,000 donation...

On tour many close friendships are developed, many life skills gained, and lessons learned. This is the reason I'm thankful to be a part of The Continentals, because it's little lessons and experiences like these that I believe help me grow.
- Kyle Whisenhant, Alaska USA - Technical Arts, Lights/Actor

As a seventeen year old highschool student, going on tour was a big leap of faith. I found out about the Continentals from a random postcard in the mail, and after filling out an application I received a phone call from a Continental director who encouraged me to go on tour saying "It's an experience that will change your life!" I had no idea what exactly he meant at the time, but I went ahead and spent several months raising sponsorship for the tour, wondering what God had in store for me. When I boarded the plane to California I had never seen a Continental concert, or personally met anyone whom I would be touring with, but I knew God had a plan for me! I was blessed to be able to use my dancing skills to reach out to people. This was a unique opportunity! It was the first time I had really worshiped God through dance. The biggest lesson I learned was to solely rely on God, giving Him my all. This is a lesson that is helping me now in my life at home.
I will never forget those three months filled with fun travels, great ministry opportunities on stage and off stage, lots of new friends from all over the world, and the presence of God working through us and in us day after day. God provided me with amazing group of people and director who really helped me grow in my faith. I encourage those who are considering using their artistic abilitys to reach out to others to take that leap of faith and go, it was definitely an experience that changed my life!

- Samantha Sproendle, Ohio USA - Ballet Dancer

LIFE ON TOUR

WWW.CONTINENTALSINGERS.ORG

Many of you that have not toured before or that have never toured on a longer tour might be asking: "what is it like to be on a fall tour?"

In the words of one of our tour members: "Being on tour is hard work but also lots of fun!!!"

Here is a little preview... a few pictures of the tour that went out in the fall of 2008, called TOUR N for New Zealand...

God has blessed our ministry and our friendships so much with this team that we couldn't have asked for a better one!!!

A short stop in San Francisco

Tour N's home for the fall

A wild rooster in New Zealand


"Amish beanies"


Time for housing after the concert

Our wonderful bus driver and his wife, Loyd and Laura

Making new friends :-)

Tour N found a real penguin in New Zealand

Long bus ride

Building friendships at the beach during a break

Eating some Indiana Pretzels

Learning to iron

Helping a car get out of trouble

Continental bus and Amish buggy

"Cheese' the giraffe, our tour mascott

The guys

Headed to NYC

Lunch time

Share time

Group pic with the Golden Gate Bridge

Casual sunday concert

Our cooks for a meal

Always young

Times Square

GIVING HOPE to the WORLD!

We're excited, grateful and humbled to annouce that The Continental Singers (http://continentalsingers.org/) will again be taking a team of 25 talented young adults "out into the world" this coming fall!

God opened the door for us to go to 3 really special places, Thailand, Canada and many venues in the US to share the HOPE we have in Him especially in times like these when things for many of us have taken an unexpected turn.

More than ever - NOW - is the time to share the HOPE!!!

We NEED YOU to serve with us!

* Maybe you are unsure of what to do this fall;

* Maybe you are thinking of taking a semester off;

* Maybe you want to set aside a few months to grow and deepen your relationship with God;

* Maybe you have a great muscial talent to use for His glory;

* Maybe you always wanted to travel and see places like Thailand;

* Maybe you want the opportunity to meet new people, make lasting friendships;

* Maybe you want to see what God's doing around the world;

* Maybe you want to make a difference in this world;

* or simply God's calling you to missions...

Then this Music Mission Tour is FOR YOU!!!

Busy streets of Bangkok

"... but in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15

SEPTEMBER to DECEMBER 2009... 25 young singers (ages 16 - 28) will embark in the adventure of a lifetime!

JOIN US! Call us at 805.426.9530 or email us at marco@continentalsingers.org

Keep checking our blog for more info, details, updates, photos:
http://www.continentalfalltour.blogspot.com/