Monday, May 31

Today was me and John Murray's last full day with the tour, as tomorrow we strike out on our own. It was, however, a wonderful day in Italy. We awoke, and while some of us were rather cheery, others (myself) had to work to get out of bed after a late felato run last night. After some coffee and breakfast, we boarded the bus for Siena. Upon our arrival, we explored the Duomo of Siena, and then were set loose upon the town. We spent the day indulging in a variety of activities, including tower climbing, cathedral investigation, crypt exploring, and shopping. There were also many museums, as well as gelato and 1/5 slices of pizza for 2.5 euros. I personally climbed to the top of a part of an uncompleted cathedral, the view was amazing. After returning to our hostel in Florence, we were allowed the evening free to find supper and just relax. A large group met on the roof for memory sharing and story telling. All in all, it's been a fantastic day.

Matt Lehman

Sunday, May 30

Today, we got up and went down to breakfast by nine. Breakfast looked like a down home meal, bacon, eggs, and mushrooms. We also had bread, cereal, juice, and yogurt. After most of us were nice and full, we headed towards the museum that houses the David. You walked into a room with paintings much like the other museums we have been to. After you walk through that room, you walk into a long room and at the end of this room, David is standing over the crowd of people. he is so much bigger than I thought, his hands and head are extra big. Many of us stood in awe while Matt Lehman gave a presentation about it. We had a few more minutes to look around the museum, then we went to the Duomo. We had Amy Brubacher give us some back ground on that, then we were free for about 2 hours to find lunch and do some shopping. There were so many venders that finding final gifts was not hard. We headed to the Duomo and got into line. It was not a very long wait. We were not allowed to take pictures inside. The inside was very plain while the outside was very ornamental. There was a line to go down into what looked like a crypt. Infact, it was only a gift shop. When a group of Hesston kids got in line, it was very short, when we came back up, the line had extended very far. Many of us laughed a little because we knew that most of the people had just gotten in line not knowing what they were waiting for. While waiting, we had a little show your youngest ID party. THen a man over a loud speaker shhhed everyone in the whole place. Most of us went to wait outside. Bradley led us to another cathedral. This one was 5 euros to get in. Of course we just recieved a ticket. THen headed in. I notice the silence inside immedeatly. It was a silence that seemed unhuman from looking around at all the people who were in the cathedral. This cathedral had very many tombs. The floor was almost covered with them, especially at the front. Inside were tombs of Michaelangelo, Rossini, and Galileo. While it is very interesting to be around all these famous old men, it is really unnerving to have to walk over dead people to get to the gift shope, or any part of the other wing. At 3 we were on our own again Many went to go see the Ponte Beccio, get fellato, or do some more shopping. We all trickled back to the hotel by about 6. Many took naps, used internet, or just relaxed from a long day of sun and walking. Supper was served at 8. We had another home style meal with chicken and fries, everyone enjoyed the sight of some fried food. After supper, most of us found our wat to the terrace where we all proceded to sing a few selections from our tour. Afterwards some did more relaxing, chatting, playing games and walking to get more gellato. Today was a success. Good community and a beautiful day to enjoy it

Megan Letherman

Saturday, May 29

We ate breakfast at the hotel, loaded our belongings into the bus, and deaded out for a morning in Milan. THe highlight was the cathedral, Il Duomo di Milano. The Duomo defies description. It is the single most amazing thing i have ever seen. The outside is all gray stone, but every wall is covered with statues and intricate ornamentations. THe inside is enormous and even more extravegantly decorated. There are paintings and sculptures everywhere you turn, even up by the ceiling where the light doesn't shine on them. The entire floor is a pattern of inlaid stone. Inside there are four rows of pillars, each about twele feet in diameter. Outside, each one is topped with an ornate spire. There are over a hundred spires. I felt I could have sat in the Duomo for a day and still not have been able to take it all in. After some eating and shopping time in Milan, we got in the bus and headed across the rolling hills of Tuscany to FLorence, or Firenze as the locals call it. We found our place of lodging, a youth hostel with cool things like a pool, pool tables, and a rooftop square. Three KU students happened to be there as well. After a bit of downtime, we ate supper at the hostel's resaurant and decked out in our pretty clothes, walked to the venue where we would see Puccini's "La Boheme". On the way there, we had a great view of the Ponte Vecchio, Florence's famous bridge. We knew the opera would not be in an actual opera house, but most of us were expecting and auditorium of some kind. We were suprised to walk into a church with a sanctuary about the size of Northlawn 109. There were also columns in the middle of the room. The only intrument was a piano. It was about the smallest space possible in which to put on an opera. The intimate space and the exclusion of some characters left me with low expectaitions, but these were all dispelled when they began to sing. The level of musicianship of the gour performers was jaw dropping, and was only helped by the acoustic. It was a treat to hear all for acts. I personally loved it. I read in the program afterward that St. Mark's Opera Company is a non profit enterprise that supports children's homes in South India. In the bio of the lead soprano, it said she has performed in Milan at La Scala, which Ken told us is one of the premier opera houses of the world. Yet here she was in a church with 100 seats. This company can truly be described as a group of extremely talented musicians doing what they love. We got back to the hostel late, and not much elso to do but sleep.

Sam Kauffman

Friday, May 28

This morning, we all left our host families and met to leave the Mennonit Church in Langnau at 9:30. Our destination was Milan. On the way, we stopped in the city of Luzern, where money needed to be wxchanged from Swiss Franks to Euros. This meant that we had an hour to explore the city. We were on the road again and the entertainment on the bus was "Dirty Dancing". During the movie, our bus had issues. It was saying that the engine was overheating and that there was no cooling liquid although the tank was full. The mystery was whether the bus had a sensor problem, or if it was actually overheating. While the bus was stopped, we took advantage and used up some energy by playing basketball, juggling soccer balls, throwing frisbee, climbing a mountain side, and playing a mini game of tag. It was decided to continue our trip to Italy, so we were on the road again. We went through a 17 km long tunnel under the Alps, which was pretty crazy. We arrived in Milan, parked the bus, and went directly to tsee the Castella. It's and old castle that is now filled with many museums and is an icon of the city. It is connected to a beautiful park. There are many cats that live inside the Castella and many of us saw a cat laying awkwardly on its back. It seemed as if it had fallen and broke its back, it was really sad. We then headed to our hotel and awaited our dinner. We had noodles with clams, fish and cauliflower, and for dessert, a pear tart. The mean probably wouldn't have been our first choice, but we were hungry and dealt with it. We then dispersed to the hotel rooms to relax.

Melina Hunsberger

Thursday, May 27

THis morning we all got up, had a wonderful breakfast, and then had to say goodbye to our mountain getaway of 2 days. We traveled down the mountain by train, then got on the bus and away we went, our destination, Berin, where we saw bears and a parade of hourses, but nobody really knew what the celebration was about, even the towns people had no clue. While there, we looked around in shops and took pictures of bears. Around 3:15, we loaded the bus. It was and hour drive to our destination in Langnau, where we had our last concert. During the trip, we slept, played the card game, Roth (which was created by Alex Roth), and watched Kayci teach Laura how to knit. Once we arrived at the church, we were treated to snacks of chips and goldfish and a drink that tasted and smelled like smarties. We hung around, played pool and chatted, then had practice. Later, around 6:00, we had a wonderful meal with amazing dessert that followed. We gave what was probably the most moving concert yet, and were divided into pairs for host families, where conversations to place.

Jodi Ferguson

Wednesday May 26

Today was probably the most relaxed day thatwe've had so far. We all got up whenever we wanted, except for the 3 people that went up to Jungfrau, they had to leave by 7:00 am. We had another wonderful European breakfast that included and egg cooker that apparently required you to ready directions before using... who knew, and we all went our own ways. Many of us decided to go shopping before setting out while some wanted to leave as soon as possible. Ther was a store that engraved swiss army knibes that was probably the biggest hit. The shopping strip itself was kind of mediocre, aside from the one most of us bought knives at, the majority of them were by definition tourist traps (full of overpriced, pointless trinkets). Lunch was on our own today, a big group of us went to the coop and bought food to take up the mountain. We climbed a short ways up and had a picnic whicle staring in amazement at God's beauriful works of art layed out around us. From there we split off into smaller groups. Some went on random hiking adventures, while some just went back to the hotel to journal or just relax. By around 6:00, everyone was back. A large group of us played scum while we counted down the time till supper. At 7:30, we had and amazing meal from wonderful salads to calamari, to ham. Dessert was also amazing. There were small donut holes filled with fruit filling and cream puffs. There was also tiramasue, and ontop of all that, there was a platter of cheeses and one of fruits. None of us left hungry. At 9:00, we had a random mini concert in the lobby and the owner was so pleased by it that she brought out white wine for everyone without charge, it was a wonderful day. It's getting late and we only have a bit of time left here, so goodnight.

Ashley Fehlberg

Tuesday May 25

Today brought a bit later start for all of us, as the trip to Wengen had to occur at a certain time in order to give Renae 48 hours of well deserved rest. we all woke up to a hearty Switzerland hotel breakfast, packed our things and went on our three hour ride to a train station in order to reach Wengen, as the bus could not go there. After a short wait, we boraded the train, enjoyed a scenic mountain ride, and soon found ourselvs in the quiet town of Wengen, complete with cowbells echoing over the countryside and a fantastic view of the Alps. Our afternoon was free for a variety of activities, including exchanging dollers for franks, shopping (mostly for chocolate and swiss army knives), and especially hiking and exploring the beautiful mountains set out before us. At 7:30, we all met back at the hotel, the Hotel Falken, for a delicious supper of soup, breaded turkey, and ice cream. Afterwards, the evening was free as well for card playing, journaling, or retireing early in preparation for another day in the Alps.

Travis Duerksen

Monday, May 24

We started our 13th day of tour bright and early this morning as we awoke to different views of the beautiful Swiss countryside. After a wonderful breakfast and drive through the mountains, we said goodbye to our hosts to lead up the bus for yet another trip, this time to Zurich, Switerland. It was a beautiful, sunny day for our walking tour of Zurich, a city with lots of Anabaptist significance. Led by our fearless tourguide, Ken, we proceeded to hit all the major points of historical significance. Among those were a statue of Ulrich Zwingly, ther Gross Munster, the possible site of the first baptisms, the Conrad Grebel house, and the Felix Manz memorial. It was quite a goo tour. We even got to test the signing space in the Gross Munster when we sang "Set Me as a Seal" and "I Will Not Leave You." We paused briefly to eat our lunches by the river and enjoy the beautiful sunshine. Some of us opted to climb the tower of the Gross Munster after this. After a bunch of steps, we were greeted with the view of the entire city and Lake Zurich spread out in front of us. As we snapped pictures and rested from our strenuous climb, it was good to enjoy the beautiful view of the city. Although i wish i had counted the steps, i was to busy concentrating on not falling on my face or hitting my head. If anyone has this knowledge, they shoul report back to me ASAP, or else I will Google it. Anyway, after this great adventure, we quickly navigated our way back to the bus. Then we loaded up to travel to our hotel. We arrived at the hotel, got settled in, and then proptly left the hotel with the destination of a hiden Anabaptist worship site. We parked the bus at the goot of a hill and then climbed, climbed, climbed all the way to this cave. It was quite the hike, especially after all the delicious food we've been eating on the tour! But anyway, we made it to the top, huffing and puffing or not. At the cave, we shared a powerful time of song, communion, and prayer. To think that our ancestors, or at least spiritual ancestors, could have gathered in this place to worship God. Despite the persecutions against them, is an amazing experience. For a moment, all of us tried to put ourselves in their shoes and forget about other troubles. We ended in a joyful chorus of "Hark I Hear" and "606" to remember the joy of those who worshipped here before us. After this, some of us continued to hike around the area, while others took the moment to capture the beauty of our surroundings and the weather. When we got down to the bus, we got the chance to talk with and sing a few songs for the family who lived where our bus was parked. We then loaded the bus, again, to head back to the hotel, where we took some time to rest and shower before dinner. For dinner we had a wonderful meal consisting of salad, bread, schnitzel, and apple strudle. Once again, we ate too much, as is becoming typical! The rest of the evening was free for us to fill with playing cards and hanging out with the gang! And now it is time for me to get some sleep so that i can enjoy what our trip to the Alps tomorrow has to offer.

Kayci Detwiler

Sunday, May 23

We met once again this morning at the Ettenheim church where we were led by Ken in preparation for our part in the church service. The actual service began a little late because the pastor was stuck in traffic, but we shared some songs and Matt spoke about how we are all connected as believers even though we come from different countries. The sermon this morning, which was translated for us this time, was about how we should be artists for Jesus and be His image in the world as we go about our lives. After our final song, we were treated to another wonderful meal from the church, and then it was time to say goodbye. The congregation was so welcoming, and i think we all greatly enjoyed our time there. Our Destination for the day was Switzerland! Thankfully, the weather was beautiful so we could enjoy seeing all of the mountains as we drove through them. That is, until our bus overheated. We stopped on the side of the road for a while, but thankfully, everything was alright and we could continue our jourey. Finally after lots of tunnels, a few wrong turns, and many people staring at the tour bus driving through the small mountain villages, we reached Moron. We were welcomed at the church with glasses of mint tea and after a brief rehearsal, were treated to a fantastic meal of salad, sweet curry, cream puffs and fruit with cream. Though we were very full and extremely warm in the small church that was packed with people, our concert went very well and was greatly enjoyed by all. It was then time to meet our hosts for the night, and we all went our seperate ways and enjoyed food, conversation, and sleep.

Amy Brubaker

Saturday, May 22

We got up in the morning, maybe too early for some of us, and met at Ettenheim church to go over the day's game plan with Ken (Bradley is visiting friends near Koblenz today). Ken was in the middle of his preaching to the choir when we heard the sanctuary doors open. We turned around to see our old friends from Espelkamp, Leo, Toby and the Tabeas making their way toward us. We jumped from our seats and there followed a furious frenzy of hugging, back slapping and chest bumping. What made it even better was when we gound out they were coming with us to Strasbourg! We loaded up the bus, German buddies in tow, and pulled away from the church, headed for France. We reached our destination and Ken led us through the warm, sunny streets of Strasbourg, France to the majestic gothic cathedral that soared over the city. We wandered around inside the church for a while, taking pictures and studying the stained glass windows, then roamed through the tourist shops that surrounded the cathedral, occasionally getting attacked by the rogue head-massager Leo had brought. After a while, we met back at the cathedral for our chance to see the huge astronomical clock chime at midday within the cathedral itself. Each of us were packed in the crowd like crazed Schubert fans in a moshpit as we strained to see the great clock chime in a great display of crowing roosters, bell ringing skeletons, and hourglass turing cherubs. It was amaing for the two minutes it lasted. After the clock show, we filed back outside again. A few of us managed to climb the high cathedral tower that, well, towered over the city. The group then split up, some of us wandering off to explore the city further and buy absolutley sinful amounts of French chocolate, and the rest of us went to sit on a canal tourboat for an hour or more, putting our pupils through a workout, constantly adjusting and readjusting to the light as we floated under bridge after bridge. We got back on the bus and drove back to Ettenheim, where we rehearsed, then hung out for an hour or so in and around the church before we dressed, ate, and gave the concert, which i think the guys at least will agree was our sweatiest yet. John Murray was particularly notable that night, as he demostrated his unerring accuracy when taking pitched from the director, even if the pitch given happened to be, shall we say, way too high (editorial note: a half step is only " a little too high). We can count on you, John. Just for kicks and giggles, we threw in a bit of Broadway-style pizazz during "He Never Failed Me Yet" leaning in toward Bradley, which may have conjured images for him of a choir wide mutiny and uprising. Oh yes, and the local press was there. After the final notes had died, the congregation treated us to an Ettenheim specialty, which may or may not have had a little bit of rum in it. Still very tasty nonetheless. Afterwards, the choir and its unfortunately ailing director (Bradley became ill today) went back to our homestays for the night, only able to guess what the next day could possibly hold for us.

Clayton Bontrager

Friday, May 21

This morning we all woke up, packed, ate some breadfast of bread and nutella (like normal) and loaded the bus to head to the Rhine river. When we walked outside, it felt warmer and by the time we got to the boat, the sun was shining. We were a little late and missed the first boat, which we all joked that Ken was on, but thank goodness he wasn't. After we walked around for a few minutes, we boarded the boat and we were on our way down the river. At first, many of us were camera happy, but it was of good use while looking at the old castles and quaint villages along the river. It was also amazing to see the beautiful vineyards, and i wondered how they did their farming so well. It was so nice to be out in the sun and to relax on the boat for a while. After we departed from the boat, we boarded the bus and headed to Ettenheim to meet our hosts. ON the bus for the afternoon, many lept, played Rook, and listened to music, including the freat John Denver. After we arrived at the church, we met with our hosts and went our seperate ways untill morning.

Anna Yoder

Thursday, May 20

This morning we woke up early to the same weather as before, cold and wet, a weather condition that seems to persist during our time in Europe. After a quick breakfast, we left the youth hostel around 9:30 am and began our give hour bus trip to our next destination, Ingleheim. The rest of the afternoon was spent driving... and driving some more... some slept or read, while others channeled their boredome into more productive activities such as finding secret compartments under the bus. Finally, we arrived in Mainz in the early evening, checked into our hotel, and then headed to Ingleheim for our concert later that evening. I believe that most choir members, if not all, would agree that this concert was the most fun out of the six concerts that we have given. THis is due to the fact that the church in Ingleheim that we sang in, called Burgkirche, is a cathedral that was first built in the ninth century under the direction of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne. Also, the church is built into the old city walls of that time period, providing a fascination historical experience. The inside of the church was beautiful as well, having been renovated in the last couple of years. Our concert went well, and we all enjoyed the ring of our voices echoing in the church's vast space after every piece that we sang. After the concert, the pastor of the church informed us more about the history and structure of the church, giving us more cause to appreciate it. We were then able to take pictures quickly before we left for the hotel. For the rest of the night, we will either relax, journal, or socilize until we go to bed. We will all need our sleep in order to fully enjoy our cruise down the Rhine tomorrow. Considering the highlight of today, nothing compares to the feelings of awe and wonder that we experienced as we sang in the oldest church that we have visited on this tour

Rachel Weaver

Wednesday May 19, 2010

Our first night at the youth hostel went better than expected. After meeting for a continental breakfast, the group left at 9:30 to go explore the city. We started out at the NikolaiKirche and everyone enjoyed the beautiful architecture and great acoustics. We were also allowed to sing a few songs. I gorgot to mention that it was raining... All day long, which made walking around all day very, very enjoyable. Anyways, we then ventured back into the cold to go to the Bach museum. It was a really neat museum that had lots of interactive parts to it. Highlights of the museum were a room that was filled with musical instruments that you could hear the individual parts withing a piece and a table that was like a giant iTouch that had pictures and information about Bach. After the museum, we hurried over to the Thomaskirche and looked around for a little bit because they had a noon service. For luch, we split up into groups. Some people ate at an Italian Pizzaria, while others stopped at Curry Kitche. After lunch, w3e met up and were able to go back to the Thomaskirche to sing a few songs there as well. We then went back into the fantastic drizzly weather to go visit the Museum of Modern Art. There were four levels of art varying in types and how recently they had been done. Once we were done looking around, we were free to walk around, shop, or do whatever. At 5:45, we met up once again to go to an evening vespers service at the Thomaskirche. Afterwards, we went as a group to eat at the Saxony resaurant that some of us had been to the evening before. It was really good, even for the second night in a row. We were then free once again to walk around or just have free time. As I sit here no in the common room at the youth hostel, some people are playing foosball, a few of us are playing cards, and others are catching up with loved ones on the computers. Oh, and Adam just broke a chair! It was pretty hilarious. Goodnight!

Laura Unruh

Tuesday May 18, 2010

Today we all met at the church at 8:30 and said goodbye to our German hosts (who later added everyone on facebook). We had a long day of driving ahead of us, but first had a stop at Bergen - Belsen, the prisoner of war and Nazi death camp from World War II. Walking through the museum with it's simple architecture, and also through the grounds with the mass graves where all the memorials stood was truly a moving experience, and everyon was affected or touched in some way or another. After this life changing experience, we headed back on the bus to reflect and journal on what we had just seen and felt. However, we still had quite a long drive to Leipzig, so after about 2 hours, many people grew resless, (mainly those who weren't sleeping) and decided to have some fun with sprinkles. A game was invented called, "How many sprinkles can we fit in Alex's and Clayton's mouths before they wake up?". This was very entertaining and involved a lot of photos, laughter, and Alex spewing the amassed sprinkles of 20 minutes of this game. Finally, though, we made it to the city of Leipzig, crossing over into East Germany. Leipzig is a town famous because it was the home of Back for many years. Upon arriving at our resevatioin for the night, we gound out we didn't actually have one, but forunately, the youth hostel had plenty of room for us. After unloading our stuff, we set off to explore the older part of Leipzid, which included two churches where Back worked and wrote music. Supper was on our own, and some opted for traditional food from Saxony, while others ate whatever they gound while wandering around. Even though it was kind of a sketchy part of town, everyone made it back to the hostel safely, and the evening consisted of playing cards, foozball, attempting to shower in the showers that only stayed on for about five seconds when pushed, and also waiting in line while everyone used the two available laptops in our group, taking advantage of the free wi - fi, (even though many people stayed on maybe a little bit too long!). Bed came kind of late, but sleep was needed after a long, fun day.

Steph Swartzendruber

Monday, May 17 2010

Today we awoke after a well deserved night of sleep and met at the bus at 8:30 am. This would be our first day in Germany and I was quite excited that we had some guests on the bus from Germany, Leo, Tobias, and Tabea N and Tabea T. We arrived at a small town, Bad Salzuflen, where there were walls of salt water which is healthy for your lungs. Many people came to the walls for help with respiritory problems. We then walked around the town, and then drove to a castle which was closed because it was Monday. It was raining so we continued to Lemgo, where we would be inside... We were mostly outside enjoying the midevil city in the rain. Several of us went into St. Martin's Kirche (cathedral). We then headed back to the bus. I attempted to convince people to come bact with me to the church and sing. One person for each voice part. Then when no one wanted to go at that time because the park had a very interesting swing. I talked with Bradley and we took some extra time with the whole group and we sang "Kyrie", "Psalm 81", "I will not leave you" and "606". It was amazing. We then headed back to the bus and went back to have our concert in Bielefeld, a place where Hesston College has never performed before. i think that we made a good impression. We ate outside and i got to speak German with some of the youth. After eating some bratwurst, we gave a good concert that folled a classic game plan that i presented in the meeting room, and no one understood the first time so i had to explain a lot. Our concert was well recieved and we came back late for an evening with host parents.

Nate Snyder

Sunday, May 16 2010

After a night's sleep, varying in length from group member to group member, we all met at the church at 9 am to attent the service and sing towards the end. Everyone that we had met the last couple of days attended this church, so it was cool to see them worshiping together with the people they hang out with. During the service, we got to enjoy some organ music as well as singing hymns in Dutch. Because of the language barrier, we had translated scripture and sermon notes. Because of this, everyone could develope their own personal sermon and find meaning. The scripture was from Psalm 27, and the sermon explained how the writer goes from being very confident in themselves to being fearful of the unknown as well as being locked up with that fear. We have to break through that feeling to get closer to God, but also to realize that God is close during that fear. I think that before the tour, we were so pumped and outwardly confident that this was going to be the time of our lives, but we also had a number of fears that were making us worry. Some of these fears are "Will i have perople to hang out with?" or "Will i feel out of place in Europe?". We have to be able to trust God that we won't be locked up by worrying and trust that it will be okay. After all of these fears, in one way or another, God has made them disappear and make them into good experiences and stories. After the service, we gathered with the congregation for coffee and beloved stroophwaffels. After that, we went outside to take pictures, and one huge picture of us all with our hosts. We said our final goodbyes and got on the bus. I am going to mis the Netherlands greatly, not just for the new atmosphere and new foods, but for the wonderful people we've met. Weach host I had loved having us around and didn't mind answering questions or talking about anything. I made friends with complete strangers who can't speak good english, the only language i really know. When we left the church, it was like leaving aunts, uncles and cousins after a holiday get together. We knew we had to leave, but we didn't want to because we don't know when we will see them afain, or if we ever will. I think that like Ken, we all see ourselves as honerary Dutchmen and women and that we will always have family there waiting for us. So as we drove to Germany, they were in our thoughts and we enjoyed the generous gifts they gave. Mine was a winter hat with earflaps from on of my hosts, Johann. On our ride, we were astounded not only by the sports cars we saw whizzing by on the road, but also by the bright yellow fields we saw lining the roades with plants used to produce canola oil. Upon arriving at the church, we had to wait for the key for an hour, so we explored, watched some local soccer, and took a group picture. Anfter and hour rehersal, we were treated to a spaghetti meal from a few of the women of the church. The ice cream bars were especially delicious. Next was our concert, which was succesful for our first time in mixed arrangement, and with a clapping hesitant audience. After this, we left with our hosts for conversation, food and much needed sleep.

Alex Roth

Saturday May 15 2010

Today we had the morning to ourselves and with our host families. Most used thie majority of this time trying to catch up on our sleep. After waking to a hearty Dutch breakfast which consisted of bread, butter and chocolate sprinkles, we took a tour with our housts to the contry side. We went up inside an old windmill and walked around the city of Joure. After a morning of sleeping in and hanging out with our host families, we all piled on to our recently pranked bus, where there was orange penantes strung from handrail to handrail. There was also balloons everywhere on the bus and signs hung that read "Go Holland Go". After we all arived, we traveled about 20 minutes to the town of Sneek. Upon arival, the group was allowed an hour to walk around the town. Some went to the market and others went to seek out local architecture. After a time of exploring, the group met back at tthe Mennonite church in Sneek for a rime of practice. Then afterwards, we had supper which was soup and sandwiches. Then we performed our third concert, which the crowd of about 75 enjoyed very much. The group then went back to Joure for another evening with our host families.

Chad Newcomer

After many wonderful hours of much needed sleep, we woke up this morning at our host homes to a wonderful Dutch breakfast. we then met at the church at 8:30 am to begin our full day with a bus ride back into Amsterdam. Our primary destination today was the Rijksmuseum, full of many pieces of Dutch art and artifacts, most of which came from the Dutch Golden Age, 17th century. We ere given tours by Ken in 3 groups, and they had a lot of free time to browse and admire the works on our own. Some of the most famous works were those by Rembrandt. After the museum, we had free time to roam the city for shops and places to eat. Some opted for sandwich shops, others for nicer restaurants, but of course there were some yet who opted for the supermarket. At 12:30, we met back at the bus for our ride to Haarlem in order to prepare for our afternoon concert. After waiting in a big traffic jam, we were back at the church, rehearsing. the concert was at 4:00.

Ana Loucks

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Alarm going off at 9:00 am, i turned it off and reset it for 9:30. After showering, running some errands, and scavaging for my pearls. I arrived at North Lawn parking lot around 12:30. Then, we were off, not to see Hesston or KS anytime soon. Airports are always an adventure! Upon arriving, we found that our plane was delayed an hour, which means our connecting layover would be short lived. Well, we were right about that. we landed, grabbed the nearest shuttle and raced for concourse 16C. As we heard voices yelling, "Final boarding call for flight 908 to Amsterdam"our group of 10 ran into the plane and walked farther and farther, as it was a huge plane. After and 8 hour flight of sleep, movies, games like let's shake the seat of the person in front of us, music and comedians, we landed in Amsterdam and smoothly made it through customs. Right after the baggage claim, we were able to meet up with Ana's brother and sister-in-law, Ken's nephew, Drew Nusbaum, and Michiel with his son Noah. Then we headed to the Anne Frank House. This was an amazing experience to see the bookcase that opens up to the secret door, the attic that was her home for 23 months. The story has just been a story untill you see her house and live where she lived. The reason her father wanted to publish her diary so much was not just because she wished it, but because he wanted the World to see the injustices and prejudice. He wanted to help open the eyes and hearts so hands would open to drop weapons and fences and walls would come down. Anne Frank and the millions of others murdered will have died in vain if we do not listen. After the museum we grabbed some lunch and then headed to Zaanse Schans. It wass cold, windy weather, but i still enjoyed taking pictures and sampling different kinds of cheese. Soon we were off again to meet up with our host families back at the Church.

Tuesday May 11

Warm hearts, cold weather

What a start to the trip! With stormy weather in Chicago, connecting flights into O'Hare were delayed by up to two hours. For the twelve of us flying in from Wichita, this meant landing in Chicago after boarding had already started on our flight to Amsterdam. We made it to the gate just as they were making the final call. What a relief to see that everyone made it on the plane!

By some miracle, all of our luggage arrived in Amsterdam! We met our bus and several friends from Haarlem and traveled into town. We visited the newly renovated Anne Frank House Museum and were moved by an exhibition of the original diaries.

After lunch, we went to the Zaanse Schans, an open-air museum which gives tourists a taste of all things Dutch. This includes how wooden shoes are made, the inside of a windmill, and cheese-making. With temperatures hovering around 45 degrees fahrenheit with a wind, it was better to stay inside as much as possible.

Matt Lehman, who flew in on a different flight, met up with us in Haarlem where we met our host families for the next two days. Finally we are all here and accounted for. Over the next weeks, students will write about daily events of the tour. As of today (Saturday), we have had two very well received concerts, and wonderful home stays. Our third concert is tonight in the city of Sneek. Today is a free day with host families and a great day to catch up on sleep, journaling, and blogging!

As the say in the Netherlands, tot ziens!!

- Ken Rodgers -

Hesston College Europe Tour 2010

After over a year of planning and nearly eight weeks of rehearsals, the 2010 Hesston College choir tour to Europe is nearly at hand. This year we return to familiar places such as Haarlem and Joure in the Netherlands, Espelkamp in Germany, Moron and Langnau in Switzerland, and Milan in Italy.

But there are also locations Hesston College choirs have never visited, such as Bielefeld in Germany and Florence, Italy. For the students, all of the locations will be new. But it's nice to know that the long-established relationships Hesston College has forged over the past thirty years continue to be cultivated, and that new ones are being established.

Pray for safe travels, a quite Icelandic volcano, and a rested voices.

Continue to check this blog over the next four weeks as student writers and photographers chronicle the trip.

Bon voyage!!

- Ken Rodgers -