Our whole group from Racine
all tuckerd out
the girls in our small group at play- Anna, Catherine, and Lillianna
Our small group- missing Mark and Jo
the sunflower field
This is the building we stayed in- it has to be at least 500 years old. Our room is the one just above the door and to the left
This is Oyak- a place where you can buy treats, snacks, and soda when the food is a bit lacking
The scenery from our walk from Olinda to Taize
The vineyard along our walk
The taize bells
everyone gets a job- ours was to help serve afternoon tea everyday
the hike back up the hill
At the singing tent
Outside of the church building
One of the drama's
So, I think if you are going to take one big trip as a family- it should be to Taize. It is not the fanciest place in the world, that is for sure. And there are a lot of other places with better food, but you can't beat the experience. Taize was founded as a place where young people from all over the world could come to explore the meaning of life and what God is doing in their life. Each week of the summer 3000- 6000 young people come to pray, to worship, to study, and have fun together. Young people continues to be the focus and it feels a bit like a hippy village as people are housed in a combination of dorms and tents. However, down the hill from the main campus is a small village for familys called Olinda. Here about 300 people, all families stay for the week. We go up to the main campus for worship, but have our meals in Olinda. They also have a Bible study for adults during which the children are divided up by age for activities of their own. Then in the afternoon there is singing and a theater for everyone and then you break into small groups for activities and discussion. Is a wonderful opportunity to meet interesting people from all over the world.
