All the interns and JV helpers for the race stayed here at the hostel tonight, somewhere around 150 of us.
With instructions to head to Schönbrunn Palace, twenty eight teams of interns started heading out for the day, having no idea of what kinds of challenges they would face.
Some of us didn't have to be at our stations for a couple of hours, so this bunch headed out in search of breakfast.
15 süße Minuten Café (Fifteen Sweet Minutes) definitely met our needs.
So glad we could introduce Terry to Eggs Benedict!
BIG shoutout to these two, our amazing X-team members who serve us in a bazillion and one ways!
Among many other responsibilities throughout the year, Martina and Denny serve as conference coordinators for JV. They do it cheerfully, selflessly, and with so much love for their teammates. I can't say enough about how I love these two, and how deeply I appreciate all their work to make sure the details are cared for. They are amazing!
After breakfast we said goodbye to them as they headed off to tend to more details, and we headed off to man our station for the Amazing Race.
Walking through the streets of Vienna, we knew we were close to our station when we saw the opera house.
Just behind it is a beautiful park, which is one of the locations the interns would have to find in order to complete their challenge with us.
Since our challenge has something to do with Mozart, we first sat down across from his statue since the clue the interns will receive tells them to find it somewhere in Vienna.
Last night we were given all our materials, but needed to sort it out and make sure everything was working. Can you tell the challenge has something to do with listening to music?
As we waited there, we began receiving messages from our other teammates, telling us where the interns were at in the race. After hearing that things were slower than expected, we headed across the park in search of coffee!
The famous Albertina Art Museum backs up to the park, with a beautiful cafe on the terrace overlooking it. Coffee with a view is always the best!
It was too long before we got news that the first teams had completed the challenges before us, so we hurried back over to our spot by the Mozart statue to await them.
Their challenge? Listen to five pieces of Mozart music on a little MP3 device, look at the six pieces of sheet music (yes, there was an extra one!), and decide which order the music was in!
If you're a music person, that might not sound too difficult. But it was definitely a challenge for some!
If they came to us with a guess and it was wrong, they had to wait five minutes before coming back to us with another guess. Those who got it on the first time were definitely celebrating as it meant they could go on to the next challenge somewhere else in the city!
Eventually all 28 teams made their way to us within a 3 hour time period.
That meant some teams were way ahead for the day, while others were behind.
And this is exactly what we hope for as it makes teams work through all the dynamics of success and disappointment, learning each other's strengths and weaknesses.
Terry, Claire and I got to do lots of encouraging along the way!
Once everyone had come through out station, Claire and I headed out to get lunch and more coffee before heading on to our next location.
What fun to be with Claire, experiencing Vienna in a whole different way than we ever have!
The intern teams didn't know the final location of the day until they finished all the challenges; but Claire and I, being part of the JV staff manning the race, knew which train to take.
An hour later we arrived in Bratislava, Slovakia where the next day of the race would take place!
With this being the first time I've served on our team for the Amazing Race, I ended the day overwhelmed with joy and pride at how well it was planned for and executed. Seriously! This is an absolutely amazing event, and I can already see how God is using it to build unity and depth into the teams.
I can't wait for a new day of the race tomorrow!
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