Friday, January 30, 2009

Eventually, Finally, Totally..........



Wow this is gonna be looong!! Please bear with me folks cuz its been awhile n i don't know where to stop with pictures!! I HAD AN AMAZINGLY AWESOME trip to the sunny southernland!!!!!;) Definately one of the best wks of my life so far! God was sooo good to us.... and everything was a success.... n we had a total knockout of a blast. Since there were only a few of us, everyone was comfortable..... and those that didn't know each other became acquainted pretty quickly. Ivan n i came home from Pa sun nite around 8:30.....

Ok... i will try to run an informative timeline along with these pics....
This is our group that drove down.... from left to right...: my bro Ivan, Joe Stoltzfus, Vernon King, Amos Smucker,Marvin King, Alvin Stotzfus, Glen Stoltzfus, Ivan (Hoyt) Huyard, Twila Weaver, Me, n Paul King These are the best peoples!;)


Us cousins... Ivan, Hoyt, me n Amos


Ok this was crazy n interesting...we hit ice going down in Tenesee at 2:00 am!! Only God's hand saved us from having an accident.... The road was like a literal skating rink! dead serious!! Trucks had blocked off the road and traffic was a a standstill with cars in the ditch all over the place. So we all climbed out and skidded around.... guys falling on their behinds!:) then joe decides that we don't just wanna sit there till morn... so he climbs in n try to back up the van w/ 8 ft trailer so we can drive down the median.........

well as you can see, the guys tried to help by pushing.....
......but they only slid backwards like 10 ft!! They guys could literally slide the trailer from side to side, thats how bad it was!! well finally they got it off to the side and we drove halfways on the median n halfways on the rumble strip for like 10 miles till we came out of it! Amos was freaking out sittting by the door claiming he was gonna hop out as we passed by bridges! You know, i had hoped something weird would happen that would make memories.... and i got my wish to full and overflowing!!

We played many a game of rook to pass the time..... and with many stories, jokes, hassles, pit stops, snores, deep conversations, lotsa vee bicht duh(joe's name for coffee), food, our own church service, and endless laughter..... there was never a dull moment on the 20 hr drive! Twila n i got so entertained!! we certainly heard about and witnessed guys perspective! (oh yeah, btw..... guys have there own style of giggling!!;)

So we got to the base... Sun afternoon... this is the Church and gym CAM uses down there.... its right across from a lake where we could climb up on the levee....

how many guys does it take to change a flat tire??;)

Me... up on the levee

gorgeous sunset on the lake

Oh, yea.... palm trees!!!

This is the guys carrying on in the moring b4 we leave for work.... we had breakfast at 6:30! and you were'nt supposed to be late!

Al n Joe racing across the road and up the levee b4 headin off to work

Me with the lunch n drink cooler for our crew

Twila n i cavorting!! That day it was soooo warm i got sunburnt!! 75 degrees!! I did not want to come home to cold!!

ever the artist...... not.

;-)

that was Twila's doing!

joe flooring a room that we had painted.

Me on stilts... that was soooooooooo cool!!


twila busy painting. yeah we did actually get some work done!!:) Twila n i painted almost the whole wk.... i almost feel like a professional!

Me n my friend the lizard!! (yo twila!!;)

Luke in the middle!
Ok.... this was the most hilarious eve in the lounge ever!!! the guys decided to be the best pyramid.... with 15 guys...... it took them prolly like 6 trys!

Wow!! They held it for a split second!! I have never geard guys grunt n grown like i did then.... twas hysterical!!

Sweet victory!!

Ivan, Daniel, n Al doing something weird!!

Amos
They got lotsa entertainment outa one broom handle till they broke it!!

Hoyt n Glen ;)

Hoyt..... he was the best!! props to my cuz!!

Paul....

yoww.... oops, ouch!! :)

Phil (base coordinator) n Raymond (the chaplain)
A typical house down there...
This was thurs afternoon we went to pass out cd's and Bibles....

Al n Vernon

Twila n i on the bank of the Mississippi

Joe bein weird with 2 name tags!

Luke laughing his head off with Joe n Al

My awesome cuz Hoyt
Hoyt n i

Katelyn, Chantel n i ( children at the base)

Chantel, Ivan n Brendon

We had seafood nite!! That was delicious!! Whole crayfish!! And a bunch of us dared each other to eat eyeballs!!

Paul going up for the spike...

Al n Marlin after it....

Ivan n Al pulling Hoyt's ears cuz he turned 22 on the trip!

Well....... i must run.... i hope i've given you a little peek at my experience.... cuz trust me, thats all thats possible!! ;) thanks for your prayers as we traveled, n thanks for being my friends!!
Always~Me

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

hi ya'll...

Well i don't have much to say about the last week of my life other then it has been at times exceedingly enjoyable...and at times painfully frustrating.... So i just say Thank You Awesome God for loving me, humbling me, and carrying me!! And thank you totally cool friends- for your kindly love and support!!
Oh, on the 17th My bro Ivan n I leave for New Orleans with a van load of cousins and friends from Pa, to work with Christian Aid....So i'll be gone for 2 wkends. Please pray for us as you think about it, as it is an 18-20 hr drive. I'm totally looking 4ward to this(yay twila!:) and i will post with lotsa pics when i get back! ladidadida......(; As always~Me