2018 Tour - Day 4 - Universal Theme Park, Orlando FL.

We ate breakfast at the hotel and Polly went ahead to Universal to get all the tickets. Group arrived at Universal at about 8:30 am, we distributed tickets, and then the fun began. We had texting check-ins throughout our 12 hour visit - 9 am to 9 pm.

These are short impressions from members of our group:

Shane Johnson: Eating dinner and sharing memories from past tours with Lindsey, Bryce, Autumn, and Jack at the leaky cauldron in Harry Potter World

Stephanie Greer: My favorite part of universal was when troy thought he had great directional skills but got us lost twice.

Julia Beall: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Katie Eilliott: My favorite part was when the food was late, so when we saw them we all cheered as Bryce held the chips above his head and ran.

Sam Johnson: “¡ONLY 8 PIECES OF CHICKEN!” - I almost passed out on hulk

Editor’s note: Family friends of the Worrell’s who live in Orlando worked with Carol to deliver huge trays of Chick-fil-a nuggets, fruit, chips and drinks so everyone got lunch in the park. We gathered for about 40 minutes to eat, reapply sunscreen, get vouchers for dinner in the park, and compare stories of what we’d done so far. 

Taylor Cappeluti: Optimus prime

Lydia Turner-Little: Feeling like I was really walking through Diagon Alley

Liz Elliott: Adam Lenker was super excited to spend time with characters. We spent time with Betty Boop, Popeye and the Simpsons.

Angela Nardone: Having trouble finding our way to the exit

Troy Moskowitz: Me and my crew of Taylor Katie Stephanie Angela and Dee had a ton of fun at the horror make up show

Dee Robertson: The horror make up show was really funny! Rock the red...sunburn

Jonathan Colborn: I lost weight. Thanks be to God. (Lots of walking and sweating)

Carol Worrell: One favorite memories from Universal and Islands of Adventure was riding the Hogwarts Express and thinking about all the fun that Brian was going to have riding The Hogwarts Express. I also loved getting to ride the rides with my boys and getting completely soaked on the log ride with Joseph and putting my hands in the air and screaming like crazy on the hippogriff roller coaster. The Hulk was my favorite roller coaster. 

Phil Hulcher: gratitude for my brother’s recovery and Rose’s purse being found (it was stollen in France where she is studying for the summer) - Editor’s note: Phil got lots of good news yesterday while we were at the park!

Bryce Taylor: “mommmmm! buy me more butter beer!”

David Hembrough: Getting chafed

Sasha Kuznetsov: The funnest part about going to Univ Stud was that my group (who are almost all adults) had more fun than most children

Emma Dube: The whole Harry Potter experience was so cool, and the butterbeer was delicious. 

Kae Johnson: Hanging out with all the youth while at Universal (especially Calista, John, and our three boys)

Editor’s note: we left the park at 9 pm and headed back to our hotel - same place as last night. On the bus, there was a time of comparing total steps taken in our Health apps/fitbits. Bryce Taylor was pretty sure he came out with the most steps (25,831) until Cole Vlasic discovered how to access his phone app and had about 80 more than Bryce. Maybe because he had to walk around and search for his misplaced backpack?! Good news that Cole found his backpack with help of cell phone finder and Universal security. Annie Elliott had about 22,000 steps when we left the park but she topped 30,000 by the time she finished running around the hotel lot. That’s a lot of steps for our whole group, and God ordered them all. (That’s a reference to one of our songs - wink)

Some folks went swimming in outdoor pool, others visited in lobby and had cookies/hot beverages provided by hotel, some went next door to do laundry at neighboring hotel. We think everyone slept well - physical exhaustion makes for good resting.

~ Polly

Click Here for Photos from Day 4

2018 Tour - Day 3 - Evening Report

After lunching in historic and scenic St Augustine, we boarded the bus and headed through Ocala National Forest to our host church in The Villages. Normal bus falderal ensued - greetings, lunch reports, Tom Baldridge reporting historic facts commingled with fake news to hone our skills of discernment.

We understand there are 900 holes of golf to be played in The Villages - you may guess it’s a retirement area. Hope Lutheran Church, where we sang, had a section of their parking lot designated for golf carts. 
We unloaded just our concert attire and instruments since we weren’t spending the night there. Everybody always explores the churches when we arrive, and there were many places to check out in this large facility. In the sanctuary, some met Jimmy the AV person, who offered to let Adam Lenker use their three video cameras and audio system to record the concert. We’ll see how it turned out, but Adam delighted with all the state of the art equipment. You should have seen him!

A small group of guys has also been practicing a song on their own, which they did for 15 minutes during free time before the dress rehearsal. 

Our group was showing signs of fatigue when we gathered for the dress rehearsal, so we stretched and breathed and tried to awaken our bodies. It worked, mostly. We had time to practice Order My Steps and Child of God with Carol Worrell doing some conducting. It was like a little conducting workshop for her with an awesome choral group, so it was a time of learning for all. 

Dinner was cheeseburgers, fries, coleslaw and brownies and ice cream for dessert. They served Arnold Palmers (tea and lemonade mix) because that’s just what you do when you live in a retirement and golfing capital. 

The concert went well and was well attended. The choir adjusted well to singing in a space that is designed more for speakers and microphones. Steve played piano all night - not organ. We think they appreciated the Chichester Psalms, but some may have been in shock. The Chichester Psalms treble soloists and solo ensemble are owning it! Troy Moskowitz and Brian LaRosa shared the solos at beginning of Child of God, and Lucas Martinho and Jonathan Works are leading prayers and reading as part of the concert. The audience really settled in and warmed up as we shared What a friend we have in Jesus and some other favorites - Bryce Taylor really worked the crowd in his solo, and Torie Brooks soloed as well.

Pastor Mark announced the offering to benefit UMCOR, and $550+ was collected. We greeted audience members after the concert and discovered that the Snell’s (as in the people who started DR Snell’s Nursery in Mt Airy) were at the concert. Several other neat connections were made.

We loaded back on the bus and headed to Orlando for a two-night stay at the Hampton Inn. An “after hours,” in the dark greeting featured seasoned greeted Annie Elliott and Scott Hembrough, because these extreme circumstances require people with experience!

We overwhelmed the hotel lobby a bit with our numbers and late night arrival, but everyone made it to their rooms and got to bed with visions of Islands of Adventure and Hogwarts Express dancing in their heads. Universal Studios on 6/19!

~ Polly Baldridge - reporting on morning of June 19 from the Starbucks (just finished my coffee) in front of Universal Studios before making the plunge into the park. 

Click Here for Pictures from Day 3

2018 Tour - Day 3 - Morning Report

After a much needed sleep at The Ponce St. Augustine Hotel, the Charles Wesley singers relaxed, ate breakfast, and packed for a late morning departure at 930 for the St Augustine historic area. Mrs. Elliott encouraged and enforced the application of sunscreen on every child, adult, and organism in the greater St Augustine area before getting on the bus. After a short trip, the DUMC crew arrived safely, thanks to the amazing bus driver Paul (Thanks Paul!!!), at the Castillo de San Marco. Shout out to (Director of Youth Ministries extraordinaire) Nick Works for leading everyone is a wonderful and enlightening devotional time in front of the port side wall, and a quick singing of And Can It Be, led by are very own friendly, neighborhood Polly Edmonds Baldridge. What a beautiful place for passerby’s to listen to and experience the word of God! Once dispersed, the youth and adults grouped up with walking buddies and made their way into the historic town. Some of our friends bought fun, silly, and wacky souvenirs and gifts; Helena Colborn got a fantastic smelling candle, Emma Baldridge purchased a beautiful necklace with her birthday on it, and Dee Robertson gifted to herself a very stylish St. Augustine maroon hat! At 1pm the DUMC Charles Wesley Singers collected and departed successfully for The Hope Lutheran Church in The Villages, Florida.
This has been St. Augustine’s beachside local Chanel 7 news blogger, Troy Moskowitz.