Summer 2017

Summer 2017

August was Intense! to say the least.  Both my (Theo) parents passing away within a week of each other, which meant two trips to Australia for a few days each, then a collision at sea causing us to have to haul out and repair the boat and having to cancel one of our groups, which otherwise was a fully booked season.

sunrise over Loutraki

To start this update though let me go back to Spring.  The focus was preparations on our “treehouse” camping facility.  A fourth and last tree house was built, also a BBQ and picnic area just by an enclosed, – with netting, volley ball court was built.  Also our dinning area and kitchen was rebuilt, after having collapsed under the unprecedented heavy snow fall last winter.  Dimitry has worked hard and faithfully, many hours often alone, pouring out his creative ideas in the creation of the camping facility.  Dimitry’s wife Meta (a stay at home mom) is hardly at home.  Meta seizes every opportunity to get involved in the local community especially through school as she has 4 kids enrolled there.

volley ball court in the making

Come April, and our sailing season begins.  Tom & Ymea (from Germany) join us with a longer term commitment to crew the Encounter.  Tom has assumed responsibilities in all technical aspects of the ship and Ymea keeps things shipshape and helps with Sandra to prepare meals.  They both have a huge involvement with our students as they interact and serve their needs.  We are very blessed to have them aboard.

This summer our programs were particularly well booked, except for our Fall Impact training course with only up to 80% occupancy.  It looked like this would be one of our best seasons.  Moody Bible Institute booked in again for a 5 week “study abroad” program, followed by the Liebenzeller Mission which came again after many years absent.  Then our Irish friends “Capernwray Northern Ireland” came first week in August, followed with a mixed group lead by our chairman of the board

anchored at the port of Skiathos

Gerhard Groumer and just retired Torchbearers International Director Chris Thomas.  This group however did not sail anywhere as this was the time I (Theo – Skipper) was off to Australia for the funeral of my parents.  So instead Sandra assumed my skipper responsibilities and anchored the boat just outside Skiathos port under the shelter of some cliffs, from where those aboard continued with the program.

I returned from Australia just two days before the end of this group’s time aboard, then immediately after everyone left, sailed the boat to where the repair work was to happen, meanwhile cancelling the next group which was KISI Kids from upper Austria; – a ministry working with children that creates and performs christian musicals.

It’s now already Autumn.  We have aboard a group of 10 students, – all girls, and just one guy, keen to grow in their

Fall students

relationship with God.  If interested you can follow them on Facebook as each week they will upload pics and a short paragraph or so on their adventures.  See our page at “Kingfisher Project Greece” on Facebook.  I’ll post more here later.