The Home Stretch

Today we are heading from Collins, OH, to Hollow Rock Camp Meeting for the last 10 days of our tour. Instead of getting all sappy and nostalgic about the summer, I’ll just fill you in on how our week has been. When we arrived Saturday afternoon in Collins, we met at the church with Donna and Pastor Josh to go over the plans for the week before heading to get settled in at our host homes. Cliff and Micah stayed with Jerry and Florence, a very loving elderly couple who had lots of wisdom to share with our guys. Brandon and Conner stayed with Ron and Chicky, a couple whose hospitality goes above and beyond what we could ever have expected. Ron and Chicky made snacks for us every night after VBS and really loved on our whole team. The girls stayed with Brian and Casi, their boys Wesley and Collin, and their dog Scooby. Brian and Casi were incredible hosts, and a lot of fun to talk to and get to know.

On Sunday morning we loaded up and went to the first of three church services. Ariane shared about our team and Acts 20:17-27, Kat talked about the story of Jonah, and Micah gave a bit of his testimony. Then we loaded up and went to West Hartland UMC and did the same thing all over again, this time with Christa giving her testimony. After the second service, we loaded up and went back to Collins to do it all over again — needless to say, it was a long morning.

After lunch at the church and some prep time for VBS, we all went back to our host homes for a power nap before we started VBS that night. The VBS theme this week was G-Force, which focused on God’s love in action. Kat and Ariane helped lead the songs each night, adding a whole new collection of kids’ songs to the team’s repertoire. Micah helped out in the craft room, Cliff helped with games, and Brandon took his puppeteering experience from last week and put it to good use playing the role of Checkers the cheetah puppet. When he wasn’t puppeteering, Brandon was helping with the preschoolers. Christa helped lead the 1st grade group, Conner and Ariane helped with the kindergarten kids, and Kat was a leader in the 3rd and 4th grade group. As usual, we all absolutely loved getting to know the kids, and saying goodbye Wednesday night was really hard.

Our mornings were spent helping with odd jobs for the VBS like mapping a color run and sorting papers, followed by free time swimming, fishing, and even visiting Lake Erie. We got to visit with lots of families from the church and enjoy the wonderful weather this week… That’s sarcasm. The weather was bipolar and annoying all week.

When the church found out we were a band, they asked us to play for them. We ended up setting up a full-band worship night in a barn Wednesday night and playing for an hour or so for the people from the church. They provided snacks and a fire pit, and we provided the music. It was an appropriate send off, and we really enjoyed getting to worship with them.

Looking Ahead

Now we are heading to Hollow Rock Camp meeting to finish out our tour. As we go into our last 10 days, please be praying for supernatural endurance for our team so that we can finish well. Also pray that we would minister well at Hollow Rock. We are really looking forward to reconnecting with people we met at Finley, and to playing music together again.

Thank you for your prayers and support! To those of you at home, we’ll see you soon!

Picture: The barn made for an awesome set up for a worship night.

Welcome to Ireland, Kat.

Let's just talk about wifi for a minute. Wifi in Ireland is available pretty much everywhere. You can get wifi for free in restaurants, the airport, and even on buses! But do you know where you can't get wifi? Our hotel room, our tour bus, and the Cliffs of Moher. And do you know where I was when I needed wifi? Our tour bus and the Cliffs of Moher. You see, our American credit card is extremely helpful to have with us so we can pay for things... unless we can't pay by card. And then, well, the card isn't so helpful. So, you know, we needed to call home to get the pin for the card.

So there I am at the Cliffs of Moher, where the free wifi doesn't work, and the buses are coming and going. I logged onto wifi from some bus and spent probably 2 or 3 minutes filling in the log-in form just to connect. Once I was online, I pulled up Skype, dialed the number, and called. Just as John answered the phone, guess what happened. No, really, guess.

The bus drove away.

I finally get through on the phone and the bus is driving away.

Really??

So there I am at the Cliffs of Moher, chasing after a tour bus so that I don't lose my wifi connection, yelling into my phone, "John? John!? It's Kat! Hello!?" and then the connection was gone.

So there I am at the Cliffs of Moher, trying desperately to find another wifi source. I found another bus, logged on, and called again, this time actually getting through and getting the pin number! We went inside to the ATM and slid in the card, put in the pin, and selected a withdrawal... only to find that the pin was wrong.

Awesome.

So there I am at the Cliffs of Moher, once again stalking tour buses to find a good wifi connection, logging into servers only to have them drive away. Stupid mobile technology.

When I finally got through to John again, he gave me the pin number, and I literally jumped for joy. But then... wait for it... he asked me questions. And I answered them. And I forgot the pin.

I. forgot. the stupid. pin.

Seriously!?!?

So there I am at the Cliffs of Moher, wandering through the parking lot trying to find another bus with wifi, all while still not having the pin and not seeing the stupid freaking Cliffs of Moher! There I am at the Cliffs of Moher, and I haven't even seen the cliffs. And we can't get money off our card.

So many times the buses drove off, and so many times I was so close to getting what we needed, and I still. just. couldn't. And as I'm sitting on the sidewalk in defeat at the Cliffs of Moher, I declare, out loud, that I do not appreciate God's sense of humor. And I think I heard God laugh.

To wrap up a very long story about a very long day, we did get the pin, and we can get cash at ATM's. God came through in the end, as he always does.

Welcome to Ireland, Kat.

She's Here!

Cecilie's here, and we all love her, and I feel very stupid for ever thinking for even a second that she may not fit in. When we were "shopping" for students, I was constantly looking through profiles. I read through so many files for foreign exchange students. They all started running together eventually. Cecilie's profile was the first one I looked at, and it was the one that stood out to me the most. No matter how many other profiles and students I looked into, I couldn't stop thinking that Cecilie was the one for us. I just didn't feel right picking anyone but Cecilie.

So we picked her (just like a family would choose a new puppy) and we added her on facebook and we started emailing her and we started getting to know her. And then I started to worry... What if she doesn't fit in here? What if we have nothing in common? What if she's... weird!?

Aye, how ridiculous. I mean, seriously? What if she's weird? I'm weird! Heck, TESS is the weirdest person I know, and she fit in just fine!

If you're wondering if all of my irrational worries were indeed irrational, the answer is yes. Cecilie fits in perfectly. Alix dropped by tonight to say hi since she missed the airport welcome party, and she just couldn't get over how well Cecilie fits in here. Everything she does is just so... perfect. She loves photography, she has the cutest laugh ever, she does funny little dances to the music in commercials, she has a MacBook Pro...

I have a feeling this year is gonna be fun.

Binder Rings, Brads, Buttons, and... Popsicle Sticks?

In preparation for Jasper's arrival (we're the welcome family for a student from Belgium), my mom and I cleaned out the closet in the office. This is one of those closets that we're always afraid to open because clothes may spill off the top shelf or a monster may rise from the dead and try to eat you. You know the closet. You all have one. Well in our closet are cords and electronics that never seem to go together, stuffed animals no one remembered we had, and tons and tons of scrapbooking supplies. And I'm talking "tons" like the measure of weight, not the overly-used adjective. We've got paper and distressing kits and stickers and rub-on phrases and quote books and buttons and frames and binder rings and brads and laminators and eyelets and everything else you could ever possibly need to complete any scrapbooking project. Really, everything.

So we started getting picky about what we kept and didn't keep. Folded over letter stickers? Trash. Multicolored brads? Keep. Cut up cardstock? Trash. Ink pads? Keep.

A couple handfuls of popsicle sticks...? Trash. I mean, when am I ever going to say to myself, "Gee, I could really use some popsicle sticks"?

More cleaning, more sorting, and more scrapbook stuff lead me to a small collection of ribbons. I really liked the ribbons, so I didn't want to throw them away, but I also didn't have any way to keep them from getting all tangled up in the box. So I think to myself, "Gee, if only I had something to wrap the ribbon around..."

Gee, I could really use some popsicle sticks... 

Am I excited?

In 7 days we will load up everyone into the van and drive a whole 6 minutes to the airport where we will meet up with at least 3 other families to give an official welcome to our newest member of the family, Cecilie. As Thursday approaches, I get a lot of questions, but the most common is the ever-so-difficult-to-answer "Are you excited?" And I have to think... Am I excited?

Well, yes. I mean, it's a brand new sister that I have the privilege of sharing a life with for a year. After such a great experience with Tess last year, how could I not be excited to host a student again?

But wait. That was Tess. This is Cecilie. And the more I think about it, the more I realize that I don't really know what to expect any more than Cecilie does. She's coming into a new country to stay with a family of strangers and go to a brand new school for an entire year. She doesn't have a past experience to look back to and form expectations from. In the same way, I really can't form expectations based on Tess's stay here. This is a new experience for me, too.

So with that in mind, I can give a better answer. Am I excited?

Yah. I am.

Crying over Shrimp

In case you haven't heard (which you probably have), my sister - well, foreign exchange student - went home on Wednesday of last week. I've had a lot of people ask me how I'm doing with that, and the answer is usually about the same: I'm a mess. I feel like I'm just barely holding it together. I'm crying all the time, and it's triggered by anything. I mean, Wednesday night I cried because we had shrimp for dinner. (Granted, there is a little bit of background on the whole shrimp thing, but still.) How ridiculous! Crying over shrimp! Sidenote: Tess doesn't like shrimp. It's pretty much the only food she doesn't like. So I didn't really appreciate that the first night she was gone was the night we had shrimp for dinner. 'Nuff said.

After spending a year with Tess, I learned a lot. She taught me things I never expected to learn from her. For starters, she taught me about style. Anyone who knows Tess knows that she dresses a little, well... different. She doesn't really care what everyone else is wearing. She cares about what she thinks looks good, and what she wants to wear. And after spending almost a year with her, I ended up adapting to that mindset, also. I found myself shopping for brightly colored tights at Kohl's the other day. My favorite store ever is Forever 21, because they have those funky fashion pieces you can't find anywhere else. I wear Converse with everything, even dresses, because that's what I want to wear, not what the rest of the world is wearing. I have a new courage that I owe all to Tess.

Tess also taught me a lot about sharing. If you haven't noticed, I have a little bit of only child's syndrome. (Ok, maybe more than a little...) I don't share well. At all. But by the end of the school year, I was more than willing to let Tess borrow anything of mine that she wanted. It got to the point where she didn't even have to ask. 10 months ago, I'd have probably ripped someone's head off if they wore my clothes without asking. And I'd have probably refused, even if they did ask. But sharing a home and sharing my room and sharing my wardrobe with Tess helped me loosen up a little about the whole what's-mine-is-mine mind set.

Along the same lines, Tess's positive attitude and extreme right-brained mentality helped me become more flexible when it comes to schedule and routine and such. She showed me that a little change in schedule isn't going to hurt. She showed me that when something catches me off guard, I really can handle it. When something crazy and unexpected happens, I know that everything's going to be ok.

I'm sure you all know that I don't really do well with people and relationships and such. In general, I just don't connect to people. Maybe it was the whole sharing-a-room thing, or maybe it's just her awesomeness, but Tess really was the exception to my anti-relationship curse. Initially I figured saying goodbye would be easy. I mean, heck, I never make connections with anyone; why would this be any different? But Tess really became my sister and closest friend. And then her mom and sister came to stay with us, and I fell in love with them, too. The only thing harder than saying goodbye to a loved one is saying goodbye to three of them all at once. Seriously, hardest day of my life to date.

But the difficulty of saying goodbye just means that the relationship we built is that great.

I've had a lot of people tell me that they're surprised that we're "going through this again." In response, I would gladly open up my home, my room, my wardrobe, and my life to a million other foreign exchange students if it means that I can meet someone who is half as good of a friend as Tess is. So yah, I'm definitely "going through this again."

Tess: I love you. I'm so proud to be your sister. ~kath

It's the Altitude.

During this trip, I've found that basically everything can be explained using the following words: it's the altitude. For instance, we were hiking on Monday and found ourselves surprisingly winded after only a few steps. "How could we possibly be this out of shape?" we thought aloud. It's the altitude.

On the van ride from Guatemala City to Panajachel, the breeze coming through the window grew increasingly colder. ¿Porque? It's the altitude.

True as the previous may be, other situations weren't quite as logical. In example, Hillary's guitar seemed to never be tuned. Why, might you ask? It's the altitude. True or not, that's the explanation we gave.

Every mañana for breakfast and every tarde with lunch, we had fresh fruit. Everything from mangos to bananas to coconut tastes better here. Why? It's the altitude.

Our room at the compound was a mysterious place. Often my phone would be unplugged from the wall unbeknownst to Alix or me. The temperature of the water in the shower refused to cooperate. A strange smell began to appear. And how did we explain all of this? It's the altitude.

The people are beautiful here. The scenery is gorgeous here. The weather is excellent here. Why? It's the altitude.

We are all sunburnt. It's not because of a lack of sunscreen however. It's the altitude.

I feel extremely close to God here. I've gotten to make new friends, reconnect with old friends, try new things, and even step out of my comfort zone. Why has this week been so awesome?

It's the altitude.

Cosas de Anoche

Here are some things that were said tonight during devotions: Even after making so much progress, sometimes we have to work backwards and take down what we've built before we can really accomplish what we're working towards. Just as we have been sanding bookcases and rounding corners, God sands us and rounds our corners so that we can better love others and serve him. What we're doing this week may not have immediate results. The seeds of hope that we are planting are going to take time to grow. A pair of $5 sunglasses that means nothing to us can mean the world to a little kid on a soccer field. God puts the perfect opportunities to serve into our lives, even when we're afraid we won't be able to make a difference.

I see God in...

I had this whole blog post planned out, but realized that that's notat all what I need to share tonight. At devotions tonight, Ben asked us where we saw God today. And that is what I need to share. I see God in the beautiful scenery that we get to see all the time. I see God in Hillary every time she picks up her guitar. I see God in Alix when she does cartwheels through the grass. I see God in the women who cook dinner for us here at the compound. I see God in the faces of all the little kids we see in the streets. I see God in the two little girls I met today who helped me figure out how to make a broken kazoo sound good. I see God in the group of people who played soccer today. I see God in Ben when he prays with us or preaches to us or shares a part of his day with us. That's all for tonight. Tomorrow I get to see God in all new ways.

Brazilians. 'Nuff Said.

I have friends over all the time. Our house is often filled with obnoxious teenagers who eat lots of food and run up the energy bill. Not only do Mommy and Mark welcome my friends into our home, but they also tell me to invite more. "Oh, Katherine, when is Alix coming over?" "Katherine, you should tell Payton to stay for dinner tomorrow night." "Don't you want to have Miranda and Lauren over tomorrow?" Why yes, that's a great idea! But apparently Hannah and I and all of our friends just don't fill up the house enough. We decided that we needed another teenager in the house. In fact, we decided to import one from a foreign country.

And along came Tess.

When we were "shopping" for an exchange student, we had to read about Tess. We read about her interests, her family, her education, her allergies, her food preferences, her religion, and everything else that the exchange agency thought we'd like to know about her. We read that she was interested in cinematography, which is perfect because we're a family of photographers. We read that she sings in a band, which is wonderful because our family is full of musicians; I sing, Hannah plays violin, Morgan plays the saxophone, Mark knows everything about music, Thomas' favorite part of the day is playing piano. We read all of these things that just kept making us love Tess more.

And then we read that she's allergic to pets.

As much as we love Tess, we love Brody (our not-too-bright black lab) quite a bit, too. We were thrilled about inviting Tess into our home for a year, but we were not willing to get rid of Brody. Brody sheds a lot, so having a pet in the house and a sneezy teenager probably wasn't the best idea. But we'd already fallen in love with Tess!

To compromise, Mark said he would vacuum frequently. My mom said we could have Brody groomed often so that he won't shed as much. Mark said we would brush Brody every night. They were willing to make sacrifices so that a stranger could be more welcome in our home.

I admire my mom and Mark. Not only do they welcome Hannah's and my friends into their home, they also welcome strangers. Not only do they take in crazy Brazilians for 10 months at a time, they are willing to make sacrifices for other people's comfort. Not only do they love their own kids, they love everyone else's, too.