Introducing the ACC 32 Team

So, I thought that I would give a little bit of information about my team to those who will be following this blog.


As I said before, my team consists of 3 African and 7 Western Chaperones.
**I would have put up pictures of each of these people but I didn't have permission so I figured that I wouldn't**
Introducing Choir 32 ...


Auntie Dorene
Our female African chaperone who currently lives in Uganda. She'll be touring with us as a necessary and much appreciated African presence for the kids, as well I'm sure she'll be helping out with some of the teaching.


Uncle Patrick
One of our two male African Chaperones. He grew up in the Arua (Northern) part of Uganda. Needless to say, he'll be a crucial part of our team with regards to being a support to the kids that we have on the team from the North.


Uncle Frank
The 2nd of two male African chaperones. He is actually going to be our conductor. It is rare for a male to be in this position, but we're real excited to have him there. Frank grew up in Uganda.


Auntie Laura Coatsworth
From London, Ontario, Laura is going to be our Music Supervisor. She will work closely with Frank in making sure that the overall musical presentation is as well rehearsed and presented clearly.


Auntie Rachel Torkelson
From Anchorage, Alaska, Rachel will be serving as our bus driver! Needless to say, a much needed part of the team. She will make sure we arrive safely from point A to point B and oversees the bus in general.


Auntie Angela Lounsbury
Our head teacher for the year from Medford, OR. The kids actually continue their schooling on the road and Angela will be the one that makes this happen! Yay for schooling!


Auntie Sarah Lidstone
From Chatham, Ontario, she will be our Product (Merchandise) Coordinator. A surprisingly high percentage of the finances that come in for the kids education is through product sales ("CD's, DVD's, T-Shirts and Bandannas!!"). Sarah is our Auntie for that job.


Auntie Lindsey Joy Fougeron
Lindsey is from San Diego. Basically, Lindsey is going to be my lifesaver while on tour. Her official title is "Administrator" and she will be overseeing all of the paperwork and, well, administration needs on the road.


Uncle Steve Higgs
For those of you who know me through Briercrest, well, you probably know my good friend Steve as well! YAY for having such a great friend with me on tour!! Steve, from Moncton, NB is going to be our Sound Technician.


Uncle Andrew Stanley
Also, from London, Ontario (no, I didn't know Laura before this), my position is to be the Tour Leader and it's my privilege to work along side each of these incredible people to make this tour run as smooth as possible!!


From what I've learned of each of these people, they are all INCREDIBLE people who love God and desire to have Him as the center of our team! They are each a crucial part of our team and I can't WAIT to serve with them in pursuing the mission of the ACC.


Each of us, along side of our regular tour duties will serve as a chaperone (basically a parent) to these children.


As for the kids, here they are ...
The Boys












Front: Geofrey, Christopher, Jackson, Patrick, Hannington
Middle: Nelson, Gilbert, Mophart, Julius, Lino
Back: Gilbert, Junior

The Girls












Left - Right: Rose, Rachel, Sarah, Peace, Lydia, Lillian,
Esther, Immaculate, Scovia, Gladys

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Final Preps Continue

We'll see how well this actually works out, but my plan is to keep a blog here throughout my entire touring experience with the ACC.

For those of you who don't know, I'm flying to Uganda on August 6th to meet up with 22 kids who will soon be considered to many, the latest African Children's Choir. To be technical, the 32nd African Children's Choir since the initial choir in 1984. If you ever hear me say "ACC 32", that just means, "African Children's Choir - 32". I'll also be meeting up with 3 African adults who will be touring with us on the road. Their names are Frank, Patrick, and Dorene. I will not be the only Western presence on the team either, come August 25th, most of the rest of my team will be arriving in Kampala as well! All in, we'll have 22 kids and 10 chaperones (3 African, 7 Westerners).

Why am I leaving so early, you ask? Well, I guess that comes with my position. I've been asked to be the Tour Leader for this Choir. Basically, that means that I'll act as the road manager (for you band lingo friends that are reading this), who oversees the flow of the tour. Everything from the practical face to face connections with venue hosts to working with my team and building into their lives! I'm SO excited for this opportunity.

In the past, I've worked with groups that have been quite close (touring for 50+ hours in a 15 passenger van will do that I guess), but I've never worked with a group that will be travelling this much and is ALWAYS together. There's really no escaping each other when we've all committed to this for the next year (plus some) of our lives and we travel on a bus. Needless to say, your prayers are welcomed.

I say all of this on human terms. You must know that I strongly believe that God has used people like Marci (my boss and the Choir Manager for NA tours), Mike (Volunteer Coordinator) and others to form this team. It is already evident in getting to know my team more that God is at work! Praise God!!

I started packing last night ....
I'm shipping off one bag to Chicago (many thanks to Sarah's (Product Manager for the tour) parents for driving it down) this week so I guess it should be packed. It's so hard to judge what I'll be needing for the next year of my life. Living out of a suitcase for that long was certainly not the major selling point for getting involved, but hey, it'll be worth it!

With my bags getting packed and the time getting closer and closer, this is finally becoming a reality. What once seemed like just a future happening is now becoming the present.

Please continue to pray. I'll try to keep prayer requests updated on this site (look along the right hand bar down the side) as well as our tour schedule! Stay in touch too. I'd love to hear your comments on anything that may come up here. You can find my e-mail on this page, or you can just leave a comment on this site here.

Here we go ...

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