Our third information meeting was held last night at St. Mark's Anglican Church. Along with our team leader, the Rev. Nancy Ringham, there were five other people in attendance. Some had been to previous meetings, but others were attending for the first time. After opening in prayer, Nancy welcomed everyone and we all introduced ourselves and said why we were interested in going to Zambia.
Nancy started by saying that she had ordered a study guide on short-term missions for the group, and that we would begin in November. Nancy also informed us that our travel agent had not heard anything about special fares being released in December, but said that she would keep us up to date. After that, Doug presented two options for a logo. We agreed that it would be a good idea to have team t-shirts, and also ones available for team supporters. Doug said that he would look further into costs to have these made up.
After that, Jeanette presented her idea for the "tourist week" at the end of our time in Zambia, to enjoy a safari and spend some time at Victoria Falls. She prepared a cost estimate and some information on the two lodges she thought would showcase the best of Zambia's natural wonders, both the wildlife and the beautiful countryside. She said that she would look into the possibility of using charter planes, as our group might be large enough to make it cost effective, and it may also cut down the travel time to get around the country.
We then tossed out ideas for fund-raising again, and the idea of hosting a coffee house was met with enthusiasm, as well as hosting a spaghetti supper, perhaps in January, and lining up a guest speaker. Nancy said that she had also applied to the Thunder Bay Symphony Orchestra for two balcony fundraisers for Spring 2011.
At the close of the meeting, it was decided that Thursday evenings would work better for people, so the next meeting will be on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at St. Mark's Anglican Church.
