Burnt, Bloodshot, Bitten, Broke Down....BLESSED

Well I finally arrived home from Erie Beach on Sunday at 2pm after leaving the campgrounds at 830am on Saturday morning. I was sorta in rough shape by the time I arrived! About 1/2 hour down the road from camp the van died.....we were towed, fixed, sent on our way.....then 1/2 an hour more down the road the van died again.......this time we were towed, saved by some friends off the side of the road, fed while the van was once again being fixed, and sent on our way. Then about 1/2 an hour down the road once again the the old beast decided to sputter a few times lol...thankfully this time it was a quick change of somthing and we were on our way again. That time we made it all the way home with no problems. Thank God! I spent the night at my sisters that night because we didnt get in until 3:30am...by the time I got there my mosquito bites were driving me nuts, my eyes were bloodshot and I was sunburnt because I had packed my sunscreen away, not expecting to need it while standing on the side of the 401! It was quite the adventure and at times a little frustrating. Throughout the whole ordeal though I couldnt help but be thankful for how blessed I am. We had a cell phone to call help, it wasnt very warm, it wasnt raining....we had the privelage of traveling in the first place! I was sooo blessed by the hospitaility that our "side of the road heros" showed us! It was awesome just to have somewhere to sit down, have a bite to eat and relax for a bit. I am truly blessed!

So now I am back home for about 2 weeks and I am getting all my last minute plans in place. Yesterday I purchased my plane ticket and today I took care of my heatlh insurance, which I got a very good deal on. I also had the first half of my TB test done. So things are coming together very well. Hopefully I can be done most everything by the end of the week so I can spend some quality time with my family before I leave. Then its off to Sarnia for a few days to do some last minute shopping and catch up with old friends! Cant wait! :)

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

I finally arrived in Branson on Monday morning! Its now Tuesday night and I am finally getting a chance to blog. Its been crazy busy and I must admit a little stressful. Although at the same time its been fun. The whole group just got back from a "tourist nite" in the big city of Branson. We went to the thrift store earlier today with the mission of finding a "touristy" ensemble to wear out....not knowing where we were going! There was quite the array of outfits! I ended up with a hawaiian shirt and a fanny pack. Did I mention we were also going for crazy outrageous totally dorky? lol....ya gotta love the fanny pack. We ended up seeing a magic show which was awesome. At the end of the show the magician, Kirby, spoke a bit about how no one can read minds, do tricks etc etc that its all just illusion and that the only one with all the power is God. He then went on to share about the light of Jesus through a light trick. It was really cool....and funny that I actually am in Christian Vegas! :)

My biggest struggle so far has been feeling like I dont quite fit as nicely as I would like to. I guess thats partly my personality and something I am really trying to work on.....but it seems as though everyone is alot closer to everyone else then I am.....I am trusting God that he is going to use this struggle to help me grow and learn to live in better community.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

What a crazy week!! Tuesday night/Wednesday morning at the airport seems like a lifetime ago!

Friday night I came across the border at Port Huron and made it into the States with NO problems. The only thing the customs officer asked was where I was going. Then he punched in my passport info and sent me away with a "have a nice day." It was so easy I couldnt have asked for it to be easier. It was such a God thing! I was all armed with my papers from LeadTime and Pastor Glenn and didnt need any of it. Thank you Lord!

So when I got over the bridge I was planning on taking the train the next morning from Port Huron. When I went online to book a ticket it was sold out until Tuesday! So Lea and I got online and started looking at other options. We found a Greyhound from Detroit to Springfield MO. It wasnt going to be as comfy as the train but it was going to help me avoid transfers, motels rooms and it is going to get me nice and close to Branson. So, this afternoon (Sunday) Lea and Becky are driving me to Detroit and are going to see me off. I will arrive in Springfield tomorrow morning at 8am and someone from LeadTime will pick me up there. YAAAAAYYYYYY!!!!!!

Cant wait to get there! I will write more when I get there and get settled in...Thanks for all your prayers and support!!!