After spending the last few days in the primary school, and yesterday afternoon on a beautiful beach, we got to sleep in a little this morning and rest up for a big day. We started by attending a Maltese church, where Keaton Belcher (aka. Bird) spoke in front of the church members and gave testimony. Following Bird’s testimony Haley, Cacy, Rachel and Tristan sang a harmonized song (that included a few synchronized hand claps) that had many people wondering if they should all enter the next American Idol competition. We then got to listen to a few of the locals share testimony, along with the pasture’s sermon, through a set of headphones that was giving us a translation in English.

Following church we made a stop by a Maltese festival. The streets were decked out with historical artifact decorations, with food tents all around. They also had a calming tune playing throughout the streets. Flurry, one of the locals that helps Earl, showed us around the festival and was a crowd favorite. He is a great guy that has been very helpful to us during our time here, and has become a good friend of ours.

The next stop of the day was at a basketball club where we got a chance to play and share with some of Malta’s top basketball players. They were a great group of people, and were very receptive during a spiritual uplifting Brandon Baker (aka Havlicek) testimony. They also were amazed by Mick Hedgepeth’s (aka McHale) jumping ability when he shattered the backboard while dunking. He also was able to receive a small piece of the glass as a souvenir that will forever bring back a joyful memory for him.

After touring the city for a while (which is INCREDIBLE) we had a minor setback when our van broke down while traveling up a hill. After a kind local pulled over and offered to take us to the hotel, we made our final stop of the day to Mr. Wang’s Chinese Buffet. From the moment we set foot in the restaurant they opened their arms and made us feel at home. After introducing/pointing us out to every customer in the restaurant, Mr. Wang himself took a few pictures with us. He especially liked Bird, and they shared a very special moment together during a heart-warming talk. According to Bird, Mr. Wang earned himself a place in Bird’s wedding.

This has been a great experience and we still have a few days to go. The people here have been very receptive and have really taken all of our testimony to heart. We are the gossip around town, and I think our purpose is spreading quickly!

I want to thank each and every one of you that helped BW make this trip possible for all of us!

Drew Hanlen