I am currently laying on an air mattress in New Orleans at this place called "The Yellow House." I'm here in a room with all the guys from the Bethel team while a group of guys from San Antonio, Iowa, Kansas, and Harvard (the school) are in a room to my right and left.
If you want to stereotype a Harvard guy right now I will tell you they snore, and snore loudly.
We entered the southern states yesterday and got to our hotel around 5pm. We immediately went to our rooms where we were welcomed with big beds and a very fancy looking shower. You know it was a cool shower because the first thing we talked about when we got back together for a meeting was the showers.
We then decided to jump in the outdoor pool which the hotel said would be cold but us being the Minnesotans we are we thought that they meant southern cold and not northern cold. So we all jumped in and then got out right away because it was cold, very cold.
For dinner we went to a pizza buffet place.
After that some of us went to Wal-mart. It was an experience, for me at least.
I should have noticed from the parking lot that this was not going to be a nice Wal-mart. Shopping karts were scattered everywhere. On the inside only about five checkout lanes were open so the lines were long and no self checkout lanes were open. The people working there seemed very impersonal, almost like they didn't want to interact at all which was different than what I was used too. I forgot that Minnesota nice is non-existent in Louisiana.
That night we played the game Mafia and we were to loud because the room next to us called the front desk and they had to tell us to get quieter.
And that was yesterday, and today I was a tourist, camera and all. Walked around downtown New Orleans, saw a bunch of "Who Dat?" t-shirts, and walked by a lot fortune tellers. Does anyone know what "Who Dat" actually means? I also saw multiple stores basically selling sex and a male wearing fishnet leggings and a skirt that was way to short.
It's been quite the culture shock so far to say the least. More to come later.
March 14, 2010
March 13, 2010
Squeaky Windshield Wipers, A Sex Sign, and a Kia Minivan
We made it to St. Louis last night at around 2am and now its 8am and we're back on the road already. We all are a little short of sleep so the people sitting behind me are currently sleeping, or attempting to sleep.
I currently am holding the position of navigator which chooses the music and helps keep the driver company. I don't even navigate because I'm in the car that doesn't have the GPS so basically the car I am in just follows the first car.
Yesterday we departed from Bethel at 5:00pm. We drove non-stop to someplace in Iowa. We stopped in what seemed like a sketchy place, even for Iowa. It was dirty and had a bunch of cars going by blasting rap music.
Along the way though we drove by a store by the name of Purely Pleasure. It had one of those big signs that displays the time and temperature but also displayed other sayings such as, "sex is great and our toys are too.". It was in the middle of nowhere too but I assume that since they have a display sign they are doing alright. I imagined the owner of the shop; wondering what his life must be like. I also wondered if he likes his job.
But this brings me back to an Iowa gas station in what seems like a sketchy area. We all had to use a bathroom in this gas station which had an "out of order" sign on it but everything worked so I don't know what was out of order. This gas station sold a lot of liquor, like wall to wall liquor.
Some guy was restocking the shelves and I was standing there waiting for someone to get done in the bathroom. He asked me if I was from Texas because I was wearing my UT Longhorns hat. I told him no that I'm just a fan. He smiled and I smiled and I got the feeling, or the impression, that he was a very friendly guy. He left though to go restock some more and now I am wishing I made some more small talk with him.
After that Iowaian ( Iowaean, Iowaite, Iowation?) gas station the weather got pretty bad, it rained, poured, visibility was low and we had to pass many semi-trucks which is scary in good weather if you ask me. We took another small break a couple hours later and that is when it was my turn to drive.
Before I drove though we got gas. And before I drove I sat in the back seat listening to a squeaky windshield wiper going back and forth which was annoying to the driver and the navigator at the time. At the gas station we checked out this squeaky windshield wiper and I'll spare you the details of the damage but we fixed it pretty easily and because we fixed it we felt manly so we checked the oil to feel more manly.
Then I drove and the rain still was coming down but not as worse as before. I drove this Kia minivan and for those of you who like minivans, shame on you. It was like driving a suburban but it was a lot lower and I don't how those things are safe at all because they have a huge blind spot. This is my rant on minivans. I shall never own one of those things.
I drove until we got to St. Louis and i was surprised I made it that far. My navigator kept me awake and played a random shuffle of music that we would sing along too.
The only event that really occurred was having a rock hit the windshield causing a little dent crack thing.
It's now 9am and we are still heading southbound. More to come later.
I currently am holding the position of navigator which chooses the music and helps keep the driver company. I don't even navigate because I'm in the car that doesn't have the GPS so basically the car I am in just follows the first car.
Yesterday we departed from Bethel at 5:00pm. We drove non-stop to someplace in Iowa. We stopped in what seemed like a sketchy place, even for Iowa. It was dirty and had a bunch of cars going by blasting rap music.
Along the way though we drove by a store by the name of Purely Pleasure. It had one of those big signs that displays the time and temperature but also displayed other sayings such as, "sex is great and our toys are too.". It was in the middle of nowhere too but I assume that since they have a display sign they are doing alright. I imagined the owner of the shop; wondering what his life must be like. I also wondered if he likes his job.
But this brings me back to an Iowa gas station in what seems like a sketchy area. We all had to use a bathroom in this gas station which had an "out of order" sign on it but everything worked so I don't know what was out of order. This gas station sold a lot of liquor, like wall to wall liquor.
Some guy was restocking the shelves and I was standing there waiting for someone to get done in the bathroom. He asked me if I was from Texas because I was wearing my UT Longhorns hat. I told him no that I'm just a fan. He smiled and I smiled and I got the feeling, or the impression, that he was a very friendly guy. He left though to go restock some more and now I am wishing I made some more small talk with him.
After that Iowaian ( Iowaean, Iowaite, Iowation?) gas station the weather got pretty bad, it rained, poured, visibility was low and we had to pass many semi-trucks which is scary in good weather if you ask me. We took another small break a couple hours later and that is when it was my turn to drive.
Before I drove though we got gas. And before I drove I sat in the back seat listening to a squeaky windshield wiper going back and forth which was annoying to the driver and the navigator at the time. At the gas station we checked out this squeaky windshield wiper and I'll spare you the details of the damage but we fixed it pretty easily and because we fixed it we felt manly so we checked the oil to feel more manly.
Then I drove and the rain still was coming down but not as worse as before. I drove this Kia minivan and for those of you who like minivans, shame on you. It was like driving a suburban but it was a lot lower and I don't how those things are safe at all because they have a huge blind spot. This is my rant on minivans. I shall never own one of those things.
I drove until we got to St. Louis and i was surprised I made it that far. My navigator kept me awake and played a random shuffle of music that we would sing along too.
The only event that really occurred was having a rock hit the windshield causing a little dent crack thing.
It's now 9am and we are still heading southbound. More to come later.
March 12, 2010
Preparation
Tomorrow, which is actually today(it's kind of late), I will be heading off into uncharted waters as I make my way to New Orleans.
I am excited.
I feel very supported going on this adventure. For the last week or so I have had people telling me that they're happy for me for going and I got an email today telling me someone I don't know will be praying for me specifically which seems a little awkward but I'm all for it. I feel that my friends and family support me in what I am doing and have been there ever since I told them about how I wanted to go on this trip, to do something with my life, and to live a better story.
I chose New Orleans because I didn't want to go overseas. That seemed like too big of a step and it wasn't a hoop I wanted to jump through. I set a reasonable goal(America), something that I knew would be challenging, but could be completed.
I picked up the application kind of on a whim and I looked at it on my desk for a couple of days contemplating whether I should go or not. In the end, I just went with it, setting the rest of the story in motion.
I don't have any expectations for this trip and I am alright with that because if I had expectations I would probably set them too high, so that they could never be reached. So I come in with no expectations, kind of open to whatever the Lord has planned for me. I think that I just have to keep myself open to what the Lord wants me to do and listen.
As Greg Boyd puts it, "keep asking yourself, 'am I present?'"
It basically means be present in every moment to what the Lord is telling you like right now,
and right now,
and right now.
So I am planning on keeping a journal while I am down there. Actually, the group of people want you to keep one so all of us will probably be keeping one while down there. I don't know if I will have time to post anything while I'm down there but maybe when I come back I will post them.
Anyway, all ten or so people that read this, this is what I am doing for the next week. I will come back with stories...maybe, probably, hopefully, no guarantees but I would bet on it. That sort of thing.
I am excited.
I feel very supported going on this adventure. For the last week or so I have had people telling me that they're happy for me for going and I got an email today telling me someone I don't know will be praying for me specifically which seems a little awkward but I'm all for it. I feel that my friends and family support me in what I am doing and have been there ever since I told them about how I wanted to go on this trip, to do something with my life, and to live a better story.
I chose New Orleans because I didn't want to go overseas. That seemed like too big of a step and it wasn't a hoop I wanted to jump through. I set a reasonable goal(America), something that I knew would be challenging, but could be completed.
I picked up the application kind of on a whim and I looked at it on my desk for a couple of days contemplating whether I should go or not. In the end, I just went with it, setting the rest of the story in motion.
I don't have any expectations for this trip and I am alright with that because if I had expectations I would probably set them too high, so that they could never be reached. So I come in with no expectations, kind of open to whatever the Lord has planned for me. I think that I just have to keep myself open to what the Lord wants me to do and listen.
As Greg Boyd puts it, "keep asking yourself, 'am I present?'"
It basically means be present in every moment to what the Lord is telling you like right now,
and right now,
and right now.
So I am planning on keeping a journal while I am down there. Actually, the group of people want you to keep one so all of us will probably be keeping one while down there. I don't know if I will have time to post anything while I'm down there but maybe when I come back I will post them.
Anyway, all ten or so people that read this, this is what I am doing for the next week. I will come back with stories...maybe, probably, hopefully, no guarantees but I would bet on it. That sort of thing.
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