Long Distance Phone Call

I was able to talk to Fuseini today!


He was one of my students at the Wa School for the Blind.

Fuseini told me how everyone was doing. Haruna and Issahaku are both in the vocational class. They are learning trades so they can support themselves. Everyone else; Ajara, Razak, Iddi, Ahabadeen, Rasheek, Patricia, Laticia, Mane, Jowa, Peter, Amina, Decimal; they are all doing good. Micheal, their homeroom teacher, now works at a different school.

They all graduate in 2014 and I hope to go see them walk.

He asked me to greet all of you so 'Hello' to everyone from Fuseini.

Your Culture

I just finished reading this book all about culture. It made it a little more easy to understand culture and knowing where people are coming from. The book over all theme put culture into two different categories; hot-culture and cold-culture.

Hot-Culture:
Relationship
Feel-good Atmosphere
Indirectly Answer Question
Group-Oriented Inclusive
Hospitality is spontaneous

Cold-Culture:
Task Oriented
Time and Efficiency is important
Direct, Short and to the point
Individualistic
Private
Schedule events and gathers

What type of culture do you come from?

(if you are from the northern part of America you are probably a cold-culture but if you are from the southern part of America you might be a hot-culture)

Snow!

Welcome December, Welcome Winter, Welcome Snow

It snowed today! I love snow!

It was the first snow fall of the season. I love snow! Ok, so I really do not like the cold but I love the snow. This year I am going to do every winter event I can think of: sledding, making a snowman, ice skating, make a snow fort, snowboarding, snow ball fight, shovel...

I am going to enjoy this winter because after this year I will not see snow for a while.

If you have any more ideas of winter fun let me know!

Troop Drama

(Emily knows the 'Maddy face' oh too well)

Emily and I got all dressed up and had a great night on the town. We went to see 'Jungle Book' as a play. It is a great movie and even better as a play. But what made the play were the actors.

The actors and actresses were adults with special needs. They all worked very hard memorizing their lines, songs, where they stand and when to move. All their practicing paid off; the play was a hit!

The set and costumes were made by volunteers and looked great on each actor. Here is a picture of them taking their final bow at the end of the play.

Reading....?

Can you believe it... I am reading!

To tell you the truth I went through high school without reading very many books; spark notes was a great invention. And then in college, I had a lot of friends... :)But now in the 'real' world I kind of have to read.

It is not exactly for fun. It's for training but I am actually doing the reading. I have about 7 books to read for homework. I may be reading because the books are not on spark notes, or because no one else is taking the class with me or because I like to keep busy or because I am really enjoy it or because I'm just growing up. Well what ever the reason, I am reading.

I read one book, listened to another and read/skimmed another. Ok so to you that may not be reading but for me that is reading :)

3 down... many more to go. I am determined to get through them all. I'll keep you posted on my progress.

'Grown Up' Doctor

It is that time of year again; the time of sharing and caring and being sick. There are few things my students like to share... but their cold, runny nose, cough, and flu they always love to pass along.

I tried hard to prevent it but it was bound to happen. I got sick. Usually I treat myself; taking cold medicine and sleep but not this time. This time I needed a doctor to take care of me.

This did not seem too bad at first. I loved my doctor; I had been going to her since I was a baby. She was patient and kind to me. She even gave me all my shots for Africa :) And let me tell you that was not an easy task (I am not a fan of needles)

Then remembered the promise my doctor made me, 'I could go to her until I graduated from college, then I needed to go to a 'grown up' doctor.'

Well, today was the big day... My doctor kept her end of the deal and now it was time to keep mine. I went to a 'grown up' doctor today! Even though I was a little nervous I knew I had to get medicine to get better.

Turns out this doctor was very nice. She practiced medicine overseas and was excited about me going to Africa. As we talked for a little bit she gave me some medicine to get over my sickness. Now I would not want to visit her all time, she was a great lady. And I am starting to feel better already.

Training

Ok so I am back in school now... well sort of...

I have started the online training for International Teams (ITeams). I have books to read, papers to write, research to do and worksheets to do.

And I thought I was done with school for a while...

I have started some of the assignments and it is very interesting. I am learning more about ITeams, myself and other cultures.

Oh, and good news: I found one of the books on tape :) That will help a lot!

A Special Week

This week was a full week! After working 12-15 hours a day I was tired but I slept knowing this week was special; this week was different than the rest; this week was better!

No two days were the same, come to think of it, no two hours were the same:
I read a test to a student with a learning disability
I worked on math with a student that has a behavior disorder
I practiced speech with a student that is deaf
I filled out college applications with a student that is blind
I put together a science project with a student that has ADHD
I created a map with a student that has an emotional disorder
I took notes with a student that has low muscle tone
I talked about wheelchair rugby with a student in a wheel chair
I interpreted for a student that is deaf
I prepared note cards for a student that has down syndrome
I ran with a student that has autism
I played soccer, basketball, track, ice skated, did gymnastics, swam with all different students.

The best part was not just getting the opportunity to work with each one of these students but the best part was each one of the students I worked with finished the task they started. They ALL finished!

I always love to see them smile, that makes what I do worth it but when they finish something... well, that just makes me so proud! :)

Fashion Show

This is Emily. Emily is in sixth grade and I have had the privilege of working with her for a few years now.

Last week I was overjoyed when Emily asked me to go to her Fashion Show with her. This fashion show was sponsored by an organization called the National Associating for Down Syndrome. Emily got a chance to be center stage, as danced a choreographed routine and walk walked down the runway with a new dress.

This is what Emily had to say:

My name is Emily. I was in a fashion show. I wore three outfits. The first outfit was a black jacket with a white shirt and black pants. On a stage I danced with a suitcase and my pink dress. I danced to the song ‘Hit the Road Jack’. During the dance my hair piece fell off. We took pictures of me and my friends.
Then I changed into a blue dress with black flowers and high heel shoes. I walked down the run way and waved to the Chicago Black Hawks Mascot and Maddy. I had fun!

Emily

A lot of preparation went into making this event possible. And even though during Emily's dance she her fake hair fell off she didn't loose a beat. The day was a success. Way to go Emily! Thanks for letting me come :)

Chicago Marathon

Every year I love to go cheer on the runners. They trained so hard, looked forward to this moments for months, can not believe they are actually running for this amount of time...with this many other people...

It is an exhausting, taunting, exciting, scary, hopeful event...running a Marathon.

I love to cheer them on...
At the start when they are rearing and ready to go
At mile 7 when they are in routine and focused on running
At mile 12 when they are only/already half way done
At mile 18 when they start to think 'why am I doing this?'
At mile 22 when they start to zone out due to exhaustion
At mile 25 when they have to run up hill for the whole mile
At mile 26 when they turn the corner and see the finish line! They smile, their faces light up and feel no pain any more, just the thought of finishing!

Way to go runners!

Jr. High meet Farm

I work with high schoolers during the day and elementary kids in the afternoon. I felt like I was missing something...

Then I went to a farm with the Jr. High Youth Group from my church and realized I was missing jr. highers :)

I am now volunteering with the Jr. High Youth Group and it is a lot of fun. They are full of energy, talk a real lot, eat nonstop and ask a lot of questions.

Hey wait a minutes, they sound like my high schoolers...
Oh and wait a second, that sounds like my elementary kids too...

Well, I am now working with kids morning, afternoon and night. I love it!

Back in High School

My high school years were much different than most...

I went to three periods and then left for an internship tutoring at an elementary school. Afterwards, I worked at another elementary school's after school program. I often went to church and helped with the kids program in the evenings. I just loved elementary kids.

With that in mind... My high school councilor was convinced I was going to come back to Lake Park (my high school) and teach. First of all I liked elementary students and second I was not fond of my high school, why would I go back and teach. Often times I just agreed with her just to make her stop talking, never really thinking about the idea.

Ha... Well here I am graduated from college and now a substitute teacher at Lake Park, in a high school, the same high school I attended, the school my counselor said I would come back and teach at, the school I said I would never come back to. Crazy how that works.

But the funny part: You know that counselor that said I would come back and teach...Well I actually taught with her today. :) She just could not stop smiling.

Lesson Learned: Never say Never

Do the Hula

I found this and though I would share with you :)

If you can not see it clearly, I will explain why it is so great:
My dad, Mason, Mike Duffy, Matt and Flammini are all learning a Hula Dance. It was priceless!

A+ for Effort!

Hawaiian Party

Look at Dad and Mason in the back row learning a dance from Hawaii

Dad I think it is too late for that...




And a fun time was had by all... well except maybe the pig...

Lexi

It was so nice to see my family from Alaska again.

I have been watching Lexi, my cousin's baby, grow up via pictures over email but it was so good to see her in real life. Even though I had never met her in person it was like I already knew her because of all the great technology we have now.

I love Lexi and Amy!

Amy, my cousin, cut my hair and it looks so good.

Mom and Tracy's Wedding

It was a wonderful wedding. We had a great party afterwards with all of Mom's and Tracy's friends. It was a day to remember!

Two Families becoming One


You may kiss the bride...


For the first time Mr. & Mrs. Tracy Davison


Bubbles

My mom looks so beautiful.

Have a good Honeymoon


The Maddy Face :) I love this picture


And now I have another little sister, Jessica. Another little sibling that is taller than me... yeah! :) But I love them all.

College for Mallory

Wow do I feel old... My little sister is going to college.

We moved Mallory into Columbia. She is on the 7th floor of the University Center. Which is smack dab in the middle of Chicago, right on Wabash and Harrison. She's got everything with in walking distance.

Her dorm is really nice and she has a roommate and two sweetmates; they have a connecting bathroom.

It was a little nerve recking during move in day but it always is. Mallory did well and she has played cards both nights she has been there. This week is 'Welcome Week', where she gets to learn all about Columbia.

How exciting... Oh to be a freshman again...

Wedding Planner

I think I have been missing my job of planning events...

My mom has willingly allowed me to take over the planning part of the wedding. She has laid the ground work and now I am putting it all together :) Making schedules, Target runs, decorations, phone calls.... I love planning things!

This wedding is going to be so much fun. But I am also really excited for my family from Alaska to come in. I get to see Amy and Andy (my cousins) baby, Lexi!

On one of my Target runs for ribbon, I conveniently passed by the baby section and just happen to find a cute little summer outfit. I figure living in Alaska Lexi might need some summer clothes. Can't wait to see you guys!

International Teams

After much searching, filling out the applications, a few phone interviews, a psychological evaluation, another written application, and one last interview, I have been accepted as a career missionary at International Teams, also known as ITeams.

After consulting with the Lord, I accepted the position with ITeams and signed up for the first training session.

How exciting! I am going to be a missionary! I just can not wait!

Now I am sure you are wondering what is the time line of me leaving for Africa... Now this can change according to God's plan but for the moment this is my plan. I will work a little this semester while taking two training session with ITeams and raising support. During January and February are the intense training sessions. I will take a vision trip (check out what is going on, meet the team there, look at my house before I buy it) to East Africa, Rwanda and Uganda. I will come back for the summer and make the last minute preparation. Then I will move to East Africa around October 2011.

I alway thought I would graduate form college and move right to Africa but that is not what God's plan is for me. I will be in the US a little longer than expected but it will be nice to spend some time with my family and friends before I leave.

But again this is just my plan, God can change it. Who knows maybe I'll end up in Africa sooner... :)

Camp

I love working for Western DuPage Special Recreation Association, WDSRA.

I get to be a one on one aid for kids with special needs in a camp. That means I do not have the responsibility to plan and organize all the fun trips but I get to go on them. This week is the end of the summer bash and that means lots of field trips and fun.

We got to go down town to Navy Pier and not only play miniature golf but we also go tot go on a boat ride. I have been away form Chicago for a while and I forgot how beautiful the city is. I love Chicago. I took this picture with my phone while we were out on the boat.

We also went to a water park. It was great! The participant I was with went down the big water slide! I could not believe it, it I was so proud of him.

Garage Sale

So today my siblings and I had a garage sale. We opened at 8am and there was a light flow of people all day long. My goal was to sell as much as possible, even the house. That way it would be less to move when we find a new house.

One man came and I thought he might be interested in buying the house so we talked for a while. He said he could not buy it now but would spread the word that a house is for sale :)

It was 95 degrees outside and I just could not take it any more so we closed up shop around 3:45pm. It was pretty successful: sold some stuff, made some money, finished a scrapbook, did a bible study and talked with some people.

Oh and I am still pretty itchy. I went back to the doctor today and he said I still have poison ivy. Instead of oral drugs he game me creams. Lets hope this works!

Dad and Sue

On August 9, 2010 my dad and Sue got married! It rained in the morning which will bring them luck but for the ceremony the skies were clear and beautiful. It was a great day. It was really nice to see my dad so happy.

Decorating


Getting Ready


The Ceremony


Wedding Party

Mallory, Me, Brittany, Sue, Dad, Mason, Brad, Scott

The Happy Couple

Tooth

In the middle of wedding planning, preparation and getting better from poison ivy one of my teeth broke. It was a back molar and it hurt pretty bad. Good thing I was home for all of this.

Quick visit here and there and now I have a whole new root to my tooth. The best part is that the doctor put in an orange root :) I was wearing my orange shoes and an orange shirt and he thought I should match. That was very nice of him. We also talked about his adventures in the peace core (he was in Africa).

Now that I will always have orange with me, I now need to get a cap for my tooth. So, no one will ever see this orange root but I will always know it is there :)

Beautiful Night

This was my last night in Philly. I just had to share it with you all.


This was a great summer, a great experience and I am thankful for each moment of it (even the poison ivy).

I met great people, traveled to new places, learned new cultures and got to see God work in it all.

I learned that I am a very independent person but I heavily rely on God to guide my every move. And every day He took care of me, whether it was due to a tornado, what to do for the morning, patients, or just sitting and listening to Him.

And now for the next journey of my life. Weddings...

Fun in Philly

My last night in Philly, I had to do all the tourist stuff!

I went to the land of giant game pieces...


And I got a push in the Monopoly wheel barrow.

That is Jen. I was living in her room for the past summer. She is awesome and took good care of me when I was very itchy.

Then we climbed up the stairs Rocky trained on.


And of course I had to find a fountain. I love fountains.

This fountain is in the middle of Logan Square. It may not be as cool as Buckingham Fountain but it was pretty nice.

It was a great night on the town, even though I was really itchy.

Had to Come Home

After a few hours in multiple doctor offices, some confused looks and a change of medication, I realized it would be best for me to head home and get better.

It was a hard decision to make but I realized I was not going to get better and would only hinder my team and myself if I continued.

I said my good byes, packed up my bags and headed home. It has been two days and the swelling on my wrists and ankles have gone down greatly. I am still pretty itchy and very red but doing much better.

It is nice to know that there will always be a safe place to come if anything every happens. It may take a day or two to get home but it is possible and I am welcomed with open arms.

Love Park

The city of Brotherly Love.

I love this place. Not just because it is in the middle of a big city or because it is a fountain but so many people come to hang out here.

One of my favorite memories was bringing about 100 sandwiches and passing them out to all the people who would not otherwise eat that night. Yeah you can say they were homeless but I like to call them friends.

It brought me back to the good old days of Sunday Snacks. Oh and for all of you who have met Foots before, well I found the Foots of Philly. Her name is Sharron. Wild and crazy but you just have to love her :)

A Mix of Groups

Back at Wyoming Baptist we had three different groups there this past week.

One group was from Massachusetts.

The leaders were Tim and Ann. There were 8 energetic high school girls; Allison, Melony, Emily, Hannah, Allison, Kimmie, Hannah and Maddy. I got to do a little bit of ministry with them and they were a lot of fun. Lots of changes coming up for you girls but don't worry God will show you the way.

One group was from Indiana.

Brad and Karen were the leaders. There were 5 high school students: Megan, McKenzie, Natasia, Micheal and Steven. It took a little pushing to step outside of comfort zones but once they did God really used them. Keep on being bold.

The other group was from Connecticut.

This was a group of junior higheres who were very excited and ready to serve the Lord. Leaders: Tim, Karen, Ugo, Megan, Priscilla, Scott, John, Katie, Julie, Rachel, John, Patty and studetns: Michael, Emma, Emily, Carolyn, Jayla, Jackie, CC, Katie, Lizzy, Michael, Erin, Josh, Eles, Katherine, Collin, Steven, Sam, Phinous, David, Elena, Cameron, Jackson, Olivia, Zack, Josiah, Zack, Rommel, Michael, Peter, Ryan, Hassan. It was awesome to see them grow through out the week.

Now that you are all back on your mission field, use what you have learned on the training ground a be bold for the Lord.

It Itches

So here I am in the middle of the big city. I am in the middle of Philadelphia.

We had a work project last week to pull out some weeds form an over grown garden. I did not think twice about helping out. Pulled out a few pairs of gardening gloves for my team and I, and we started pulling, and pulling and pulling. It was like a jungle in there.

At the end of the day I saw a few mosquito bites but it was not bad. Just do not itch it... well the itching got worse and my mosquito bites started to multiply...

I started to second guess myself...Then put it all together...Yep...I got poison ivy!

It is not too bad now. I have spray to dry it out and I am washing all my clothes and sheets to help stop the spreading. One of the church members is a nurse and he is taking really good care of me.

I also told all the students here not to let me scratch. Hopefully it will get better soon.

Back to Wyoming Av. Church

I am back at Wyoming Av. Baptist Church in Philly.

One more week here.

Then I have one week in Roxborough, one week in DC, and then home.

This summer has gone by very fast.

Chciago Group Shot

Cathy, Ryan, Jimmy, Allen, Matthew, Zack, Drew, Austin, Sarah, Allie, Nikki, Jessie, Halsey, Sonny, Brandon, Jim, Dolly, Timmy, Aubrie, Zack, DJ, Andy, Rachel, Megan, Jon and Ms. Pearl (she owned the Day Care we stayed at)

North Carolina Group

Group shot!
Top row: Zack, Izzy, Rabecca, Alisa, Kevin, Matt, Matthew
Middle row: Jordan, Sarah, Anna, Katie, Nikalas, Brandon
Botton row: Sammie, Mikala, Nick, Mark, Pastor Ron (from chruch in Roxborough)


They worked hard. And see that back room that is yellow... That is the nursery and they painted it.

Prayer

We took some time and prayer for the community of Roxborough. In many different ways. The students really got in to the prayers and by the end the whole wall was full of prayers.

Roxborough, PA

I am now back in Philadelphia but I am in the community of Roxborough, which is about a half hour away from where I have been.

I am staying at a Salvation Army. It is cool to see how Salvation Army run because my great grandmother was and officer and I love to listen to stories Grandpa tells.

The group arrived yesterday from North Carolina. It has been fun to hear different accents this summer, especially this group. They have a thick southern accent :)

There are 17 students and they are all Jr. Highers. They are full of energy but they are hard workers.

Chicago Trip

So last week in Chicago I was a little busy. I did not have much time to post but I wanted to share some pictures so you can see how God worked.

I had a great plan for this week. We were going to do so much and it was going to be great. Well I quickly learned that my plan was not the plan that God wanted to happen. The plan I had created was tossed out the window when opportunities to do the Lord's plan dropped right in front of us. Come to think about it... every time I went to make a plan God changed it.

We did God's plan the whole week! One day He lead us to just pray so we obeyed. I had to force the students to stop praying and eat dinner. God was really working!

I got to know a lot of the students really well and got to see Jesus work through all of them. God is good!

I pray that they continue to seek and ask God in all that they do.

Ohio group in Chicago

I arrived at the site Saturday afternoon. Yesterday morning we cooked for the homeless and the group arrived. They are from Ohio and are very excited to serve the Lord with week.

I am excited to serve with them.

Short Visit Home

I flew from Philly to Chicago and there was no complications, no storm, no tornado, did not run out of gas and did not loose my luggage. Other than the baby screaming in the seat behind me it was a great fight.

My mom picked me up from the airport and we got Chicago style deep dish pizza, mmmmmmm. Played some cards with Mason and Mallory, then saw Dad's and Sue's house, fell asleep watching a movie and then it was morning.

Ate breakfast with mom and then lunch with Mason and Mallory. Mason drove me to my next trip and now I wait for the group to arrive.

It was really nice to see my family.

VA Group Shot

This is the group from VA.

Food

Working all day really gives you an appetite.

These kids eat so much!

Ericka: the girl that is bending over in the white shirt is our cook and she makes great food

Work Projects...

This whole white board was full of work projects we could, maybe should, have had the group do but we left it up to the Lord to tell us what to do.

Some of them got done like painting the bathroom in the parsonage (that is our bathroom in the house and it looks so good) but with leaving it open to what the Lord wanted us to do we were able to accomplish more that we could imagine.

Groups went all over talking with people, building relationships, cleaning up trash, praying, passing out food and just enjoy the beautiful breeze God gave us. (It has been soooo hot).

It is cool how if you just ask God will direct you and if you act on how He is guiding you amazing things happen.

He Answers

I was with a group this morning doing our door to door ministry. In this ministry we walk up and down the streets going into small businesses and asking if they need any help: cleaning, organizing, washing tables, mopping, restocking, ect.

Often people look at us like we are crazy that we want to help for free. Our purpose is to show Jesus's love through us, others care for them and rise up the community. Some people say thank you and send us on our way. But then some people really put us to work.

Today was a slower day. We had walked all the way up Front Street and only had 3 more businesses left. I asked the students in my group to pray that God will open some doors for us so He could use us to bless someone. Not only were we running out of street we still had an hour left for our morning ministry time.

They prayed, said Amen and not even five steps later a women was struggling carrying a big pot. We asked if she needed any help and she looked at our (all Caucasian) group and said 'really?!' We assured her we just wanted to help and would do it for free.

She told us she had been asking herself how she was going to get these 6 LARGE barrels of soil to her back yard. She said a quick prayer and then we walked up.

After carrying lots of soil, playing with dogs, planing a few things, cleaning the back yard a little, talking, mowing her little patch of lawn, talking and praying, over an hour had pasted.

Sure we blessed this women but wow did God bless us with answering our prays and using us to bless someone else.

Group from VA

A group from Virginia came Sunday and first day of ministry went well.

I am very busy with finishing up the KC trip, doing this trip and getting ready for next week. I am leaving Philly for Chicago. I really wish I had time to see home but I do not think I will have time. Kind of bummed but God will give me strength to get through it.

27hrs Later

I started my journey Friday afternoon, around 12:30pm. I left Kansas for the airport in Missouri. I arrived way too early due to the fact that there was no traffic and security took about 2 minutes to get through. But that was ok, I had some time to relax.

I had a lay over in Minnesota before I got to Philly. It turns out there was a big storm in MN so all flights going there were delayed. An hour or two later we got on our plane and headed toward MN.

The storm got so bad that while we were flying the airport shut down and we had to circle in the air. After about an hour or so we had to land in Iowa to get more fuel. We got off the plane for dinner and we tried it again. We had to fly up to South Dakota and around the back way to land in MN.

We arrived in Minnesota around 10:30pm only to wait in a long line that told us not flights were going out tonight. The next one was Saturday at 10am. All the hotels were totally booked so I had a choice of sleeping at the airport or calling friends. I chose to make a few phone calls but because it was so late, no one was awake to pick up their phones.

Then I remembered the group I was leading in KC was from MN and they had just gotten back. I called the leader and they were willing to pick me up and let me sleep at their house for the night. It is nice to have connections. Got back to the airport the next morning for my 10am flight which turned out to be a 12pm flight.

I arrived back in Philly at 3pm, my team picked me up and drove back to the church. There was so much traffic going back to the church we did not get back until almost 5pm.

Long day of travel but I made it and now it is time for a nap.

Small World

At Rosedale Church in KC on Sunday, Africa came up in conversation. I then mentioned I spent some time in Ghana. Well this church supports a missionary couple in Ghana. I was really excited and asked where they were. They said in a village called 'Q'. I had no idea where that was but they kept saying in the northwest corner of Ghana. I was in the northwest corner of Ghana. I was in Wa and the surrounding villages. And the Russells knew all the missionaries in the area and I met most of them but I could not put my figure on 'Q'.

Last on in the week I was talking about it with the pastor and found out that these missionaries are in Wa, well rather they are in a village of Wa that you can only get to by dirt bike.

After asking what their names were I realized I had met them! Crazy. A few people from the church are going to visit these missionaries; I wish I could go with. I am going to brush up on my Braille and send some notes to my students along with some school supplies for them to drop off while they are on their way to the village.

Crazy! Usually people have never hear of Wa but they not only know people there, they are going there! Way cool.

MN group shot

Pastor Matt is in the orange and Pastor Alan is in the white from Rosedale Church

Art is in the middle with the gray shirt: he was our cook for the week

Dana is in the green in the first row: she was one of our worship leaders.
John, who is not in the picture was our other worship leader.

Leaders of group: Brian, Dan, Kyle and Julie

Kids: Alyssa, Chase, Grand, Hannah, Kassi, Jared, Lucas, Clay, Lauren, and Jared

KC has come to a close

Wow has God worked this week.

VBS, jr. high youth group, organizing, eating, senior high youth group, cleaning the church, pool party, Rescue Mission, prayer walks, cleaning out the dungeon, running through the fountain, debriefing and always of course bowel movements...

God has shown His compassion for us so that we were able to show compassion to others.

So, let me tell you a little story: It is really hot and humid here is KC and I told the group they needed to drink a lot of water. Well, I found they were just not drinking enough water so I turned it into a game. It was a competition of who could pee the most in one day. The least was the first day at 2 but once we started counting they were going 5-8 times a day. That means they were drinking water. That was good. The total record for most times peeing in one day was 12.

This was a great group and I wish them well as they go back to MN.

What a great week. Now back to Philly.

Pictures bottom to top: songs at VBS, Lucas and VBS kid, organizing the jr. church room, assembly line while cleaning out basement (dungeon), debriefing/praying at the end of a long week

City of Fountains

Look it is the fountain just as I remember it. Well when I was here 11 years ago the water shot way higher in the air but it is still really cool!