Hi Everyone,
Sorry that it has been so long since my last blog, but most of the free space was taken by my time at midwinter training, where we didn't have internet.
Friday, December 5, we traveled to a snowy country home near Fairchild, Wisconsin. We didn't have any programming there, but we enjoyed socializing with our teammates and our hosts. While on the drive there, Amber (the team ministries manager from the YE office) called and asked us what we wanted to do for our one week break after Africa because she was booking our flights and needed to know if we wanted an extended layover somewhere. After some deliberation, all of the girls on our team decided that we will go to Sonja's home in Denmark. We are all very excited to meet her family and see her home country! We will go there in May.
Saturday, we left Fairchild for Cottage Grove, Minnesota, a suburb of the Twin Cities. Saturday night, we did our full worship service for a small crowd. For Sunday, the team did two songs for worship. Sadly, I wasn't feeling well at all on Sunday, so I didn't sing for worship that day. I came down with a stomach flu.
After worship on Sunday, we drove into the city and met Rachel, Luke's girlfriend. We went with her to a Swahili church service; Rachel was on the Cross Fire team to East Africa last year. It was an interesting service; we really appreciated having translators during the sermon. Next, we went to the YE office in St. Paul. We spent a good chunk of the afternoon helping teams park their vans in a parking lot across for the office that a business lent to us. We had to squish nine vans and trailers into a very small area because of a cranky man saying no one could park where they had (even though the parking lot was almost empty). It was probably about 10 below, so we weren't happy to be spending and hour or so out in the cold. After going out for supper, we went into the Upper Room to meet all of the teams for worship. We enjoyed a really neat Advent service. Then, went to our host churches to sleep. The girls had to drive way out to Stillwater for their host church.
Beginning on Monday, our time was full of different sessions led mostly by members of the YE office staff. The acoustic international teams had a session on malaria. All of the international teams listened to a few sessions on cross-cultural training, including a long session about how to deal with culture shock. Everyone spent some time do job training; therefore, I talked to Heather (the director of international teams) about how our programming was going. Wednesday, we recorded four of our songs. We had to travel on snow/ice covered roads to get to the house we were recording at. It was a neat studio. Look on the Youth Encounter website for our CDs (I don't know when they'll be coming out). Wednesday night, we enjoyed shared our van song with Dan and all of the other teams. We won the competition for the best van song! Read (or sing) the song below to see why.
'Twas the week before midwinter, and all through the van,
the Cross Fire team was writing this song for Dan.
'Tis spoken by puppets, but this much is true
All that you hear is from Cross Fire's van's view...
(to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Honk the horn, honk the horn,
I am Cross Fire's van.
They have hitched up Walter to me to drive across the land (Honk!)
Honk the horn, honk the horn,
Trofast is my name,
They will take good care of me for Dan 'cause he's the man.
(to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Pay the tolls, pay the tolls, pay the tolls!
(to the tune of The First Noel)
The first time they drove me, I broke down three times
So they called to their rescue the vehicle crew guys
Christian Bane, Brandon Golden, & Dain Swanson
And leading them all was our hero, Big Dan.
(to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Pay the tolls, pay the tolls, pay the tolls!
(to the tune of O Come, O Come Emmanuel)
I drove them safely to Ohio State
Where they worshipped, ate and stayed up late
Then early 'fore the sun arose
A homeless dude stole their laptop, soap, and clothes
Rejoice! Rejoice! The credit cards Jay found
By dumpster driving all around the grounds.
(to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Pay the tolls, pay the tolls, pay the tolls!
(to the tune of Silent Night)
Who made that dent? Who made that dent?
Cross Fire is innocent.
Many ask, some don't believe,
Another team this dent did leave.
Dan, please fix my dent. Dan, please fix my dent.
(to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Pay the tolls, pay the tolls, pay the tolls!
(to the tune of Sleigh Ride)
It's Monday morning and we're on the expressway.
We're headed to Virginia Beach for our fun-filled day.
Outside the sun is shining and look there's Johnny McCain
But from further commentary on that we must abstain.
(to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Pay the tolls, pay the tolls, pay the tolls!
(to the tune of Baby, It's Cold Outside)
I should never back up,
But sometimes you have to dear.
I should never back up
'Cause I've got such a big rear.
I should never back up,
But if you do, we'll spot for you if you have to.
So, roll the windows down.
The windows are down.
And turn the radio off.
It's already off.
All the tolls have been paid.
Cross Fire, Bonne journée!
With that song, we won fudge, Christmas cookies and the game 20 questions.
Thursday, all of the teams traveled north to Luther Point Bible Camp near Grantsburg, Wisconsin (where the international teams were for part of their training in the fall). That evening, we did our family night program for all of the team. Strangely, it was our best program yet. It helped to have a bunch of other people to sing along with us. Throughout the rest of our time at camp, we heard all of the teams do their programs. They were all great! We also told stories about our fall tour and met with our team. Each team had a staff person who had helped them talk about tough issues. It was difficult, but helpful. We also enjoyed a time of solitude, during which we remained silent. I really enjoyed the time to just be and think. It was nice to slow down after a busy fall. We also had sometime to enjoy the frigid outdoors at the camp. Most of the days were below 10 degrees; one day, we enjoyed a heat wave of 25 degrees. It is really sad when 25 degrees is a heat wave, but it was amazing how warm it felt after the freezing temps. Much of the time at camp was spent reconnecting with the other teams. Before we knew it, Tuesday, we were headed back to the Cities. Tuesday afternoon/evening, we all went our separate directions. Luke, Lindsay, and Adrienne flew home. Sonja went to Brett's house, where she is with her sister; Brett is her sister's boyfriend. Prosper came home with me. My parents drove to the office to pick us up; this was not an easy task for them. It was snowing a bit and the roads were slick. The four drive took them seven hours because the extra three hours that it took them to drive in the traffic and poor weather of the Twin Cities. Because they arrived late, we decided to drive for a short time and then go to a hotel.
Wednesday, we finally got home. It feels really nice to be home, even though it is cold and there is a lot of snow on the ground. Prosper and I enjoyed playing in the snow for awhile. We cross-country skied, shoveled snow, made snow angels, used the snow blower, through snow at each other and my dog Shiloh, shoveled snow of the roof, and jumped into a snow bank from the roof. It was a good experience for Prosper, since he is from Cameroon, where it never gets below freezing. We have enjoyed a relaxing time at my house. We had Shanes over for Christmas. We had a great Christmas. My most interesting gift was a two string guitar from Africa; I got it from Prosper. Today, we are all going down to my grandparents in Syracuse, Nebraska.
I hope you all had a great Christmas! Happy New Year!
Peace,
Tiffany
Friday, December 26, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
In Indiana and Illinois
Hello Everyone,
Monday, I enjoyed spending my day off with my amazing college friend Elizabeth. She gave me a tour of Concordia Seminary in Fort Wayne. We had a fun time catching up. Monday evening, the whole team met up with Ua, who was our on the road staff person and helped us during training. We met him at a Christian open mic night. It was really fun. Ua and Luke played some of Ua's songs together. We also got to watch others perform. Unfortunately, the roads were slick as we traveled back to our host homes, but we stayed safe.
Tuesday, we traveled to St. John, Indiana, where Adrienne's grandparents are. We stopped by her grandparents' house for awhile before having a family night program at their church. The program went really well even though we hadn't had one for awhile.
Wednesday, we drove to Tracy Methodist Church in Hamlet, Indiana. We met together as a team for awhile before being part of an amazing potluck. It was probably the best potluck I've been to--and it wasn't even Lutherans! We really enjoyed talking to people during the meal. Afterwards, we introduced ourselves and the audience asked us some questions about what we like about Christmas and what we do as a team. One audience member asked us to sing, so even though we weren't warmed up, we sang a song for them. In the midst of our songs, we heard bells ringing, so we stopped and began to sing "Jingle Bells" instead because Santa Clause was arriving. This was a really great Santa Clause! He was really entertaining for the adults and the kids loved him. Santa answered the kids questions using well known Christmas movies with Santa in them. We took a team photo with Santa and I got to sit on his lap. Maybe my Christmas wish will come true!!
Thursday, we spent some time talking about excellent communication and effective processes so we can improve our work and relationships as a team. It was somewhat challenging, but I think it helped to get some feelings out. After that, we drove past Chicago to Oak Park, Illinois. We got there early so we worked on writing our van song for midwinter training. Dan, the vehicle man, asks all of the teams to perform a song for everyone at midwinter training and the top few get a prize. We are very hopeful. After midwinter training is over, I will post the song on this blog.
Friday, we will go to Fairchild, Wisconsin. On Saturday, we will be in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Midwinter training begins on Sunday!! It is so hard to believe that our fall tour is almost over. It went really fast. I have mixed feelings about midwinter training. We will be with all of the teams, when I would prefer to be with just the international teams. During midwinter training, we will record four of our songs, do our program for all of the other teams, reconnect with other teams, and share stories about our fall tour. The first few days of it will take place in the Twin Cities, but we will go to Luther Point for most of it.
Peace,
Tiffany
Monday, I enjoyed spending my day off with my amazing college friend Elizabeth. She gave me a tour of Concordia Seminary in Fort Wayne. We had a fun time catching up. Monday evening, the whole team met up with Ua, who was our on the road staff person and helped us during training. We met him at a Christian open mic night. It was really fun. Ua and Luke played some of Ua's songs together. We also got to watch others perform. Unfortunately, the roads were slick as we traveled back to our host homes, but we stayed safe.
Tuesday, we traveled to St. John, Indiana, where Adrienne's grandparents are. We stopped by her grandparents' house for awhile before having a family night program at their church. The program went really well even though we hadn't had one for awhile.
Wednesday, we drove to Tracy Methodist Church in Hamlet, Indiana. We met together as a team for awhile before being part of an amazing potluck. It was probably the best potluck I've been to--and it wasn't even Lutherans! We really enjoyed talking to people during the meal. Afterwards, we introduced ourselves and the audience asked us some questions about what we like about Christmas and what we do as a team. One audience member asked us to sing, so even though we weren't warmed up, we sang a song for them. In the midst of our songs, we heard bells ringing, so we stopped and began to sing "Jingle Bells" instead because Santa Clause was arriving. This was a really great Santa Clause! He was really entertaining for the adults and the kids loved him. Santa answered the kids questions using well known Christmas movies with Santa in them. We took a team photo with Santa and I got to sit on his lap. Maybe my Christmas wish will come true!!
Thursday, we spent some time talking about excellent communication and effective processes so we can improve our work and relationships as a team. It was somewhat challenging, but I think it helped to get some feelings out. After that, we drove past Chicago to Oak Park, Illinois. We got there early so we worked on writing our van song for midwinter training. Dan, the vehicle man, asks all of the teams to perform a song for everyone at midwinter training and the top few get a prize. We are very hopeful. After midwinter training is over, I will post the song on this blog.
Friday, we will go to Fairchild, Wisconsin. On Saturday, we will be in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Midwinter training begins on Sunday!! It is so hard to believe that our fall tour is almost over. It went really fast. I have mixed feelings about midwinter training. We will be with all of the teams, when I would prefer to be with just the international teams. During midwinter training, we will record four of our songs, do our program for all of the other teams, reconnect with other teams, and share stories about our fall tour. The first few days of it will take place in the Twin Cities, but we will go to Luther Point for most of it.
Peace,
Tiffany
Saturday, November 29, 2008
PA & OH
Hi Everyone,
Last Saturday, we traveled to Lehighton, Pennsylvania. We played pool, foosball, and cards with youth in the youth room at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church before and after a family night program. Sunday, we did an offering song and anthem for two worship service; but otherwise, we just enjoyed the services. Between the services, we did an hour of sing-alongs for Sunday school. There was quite an age variety for Sunday school, which made it very interesting for us, but we had a lot of fun.
During the second service, we had to leave to get to Dubois, Pennsylvania. At Christ Lutheran Church, we did a 30 minute music opening for a group of junior students before Catechism class. Then, we went to host homes.
Monday, for our day off, we came into town and stayed at the Pastor's house. Lindsay, Sonja, and I went to the movie Twilight and then we all went to the mall for a short time. Tuesday, we did a few songs with preschoolers. They were really fun and energetic.
Tuesday, we left Dubois for Massillon, OH, where the NFL Hall of Fame is. No, I didn't go there and we were told by the pastor that football isn't as big of deal as it used to be there because their team isn't very good. Massillon was a last minute booking for us, so we didn't have any programming. Instead, we got to hang out at their church. They fed us some pizza and talked to us for awhile before we had some one-on-ones and played ping pong, scrabble, and cornhole (like bean bag toss). Wednesday morning, we ate breakfast with a few people from the church.
Wednesday, we traveled on to Pickerington, Ohio, where Luke is from. We went to his parents, Tim and Linda. Once again, they have proved to be amazing hosts. We cooked them an amazing chicken or shrimp pesto/alfredo rice dish. It was really good, but I can't say I helped much with the meal as I was feeling rather sick. We shared the meal with Luke's family including his parents, twin sister Anna, brother John and his wife Val and baby Madeline. We all enjoyed taking our turn holding the baby; she is so cute!
Thursday, we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving at Luke's house. In the morning I watched Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Luke, Sonja, Prosper, Anna, and Tim all went for a four mile run--and they have medals and wine to prove it. Our meal was amazing! We all shared what we were thankful for. I was especially thankful for my home a way from home, since it was my first Thanksgiving away from home. In the afternoon, Luke and his family fell asleep watching football, while the rest of us went on walks, watched TV, and took naps. It was a relaxing afternoon. Some of Linda's family came over to eat dessert, which was pumpkin and apple pies and brownies. After they left I enjoyed watching Friends (which I've been deprived of so long) with Prosper in the basement.
Friday, the team all completed a survey to see how we thought team life was going. Soon, we will be discussing our results. Hopefully, it will help us become a more effective team. According to the survey, the main categories of an effective team are excellent communication, solid relationships, effective processes, accepted leadership, appropriate roles, and common purpose. Friday, afternoon, Linda took the girls to the movie The Secret Life of Bees, which is a great movie that I highly recommend--but I warn you may cry, even though I didn't (all the other women did).
Today, Saturday, we will be doing some team work before doing some songs for a worship service tonight. Sunday, we do some music at three worship services at Epiphany Lutheran Church, where Luke's dad is a pastor. Sunday after church, we head to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I will get to see my awesome college friend Elizabeth.
Thanks for keeping up with me.
Peace,
Tiffany
Last Saturday, we traveled to Lehighton, Pennsylvania. We played pool, foosball, and cards with youth in the youth room at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church before and after a family night program. Sunday, we did an offering song and anthem for two worship service; but otherwise, we just enjoyed the services. Between the services, we did an hour of sing-alongs for Sunday school. There was quite an age variety for Sunday school, which made it very interesting for us, but we had a lot of fun.
During the second service, we had to leave to get to Dubois, Pennsylvania. At Christ Lutheran Church, we did a 30 minute music opening for a group of junior students before Catechism class. Then, we went to host homes.
Monday, for our day off, we came into town and stayed at the Pastor's house. Lindsay, Sonja, and I went to the movie Twilight and then we all went to the mall for a short time. Tuesday, we did a few songs with preschoolers. They were really fun and energetic.
Tuesday, we left Dubois for Massillon, OH, where the NFL Hall of Fame is. No, I didn't go there and we were told by the pastor that football isn't as big of deal as it used to be there because their team isn't very good. Massillon was a last minute booking for us, so we didn't have any programming. Instead, we got to hang out at their church. They fed us some pizza and talked to us for awhile before we had some one-on-ones and played ping pong, scrabble, and cornhole (like bean bag toss). Wednesday morning, we ate breakfast with a few people from the church.
Wednesday, we traveled on to Pickerington, Ohio, where Luke is from. We went to his parents, Tim and Linda. Once again, they have proved to be amazing hosts. We cooked them an amazing chicken or shrimp pesto/alfredo rice dish. It was really good, but I can't say I helped much with the meal as I was feeling rather sick. We shared the meal with Luke's family including his parents, twin sister Anna, brother John and his wife Val and baby Madeline. We all enjoyed taking our turn holding the baby; she is so cute!
Thursday, we enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving at Luke's house. In the morning I watched Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Luke, Sonja, Prosper, Anna, and Tim all went for a four mile run--and they have medals and wine to prove it. Our meal was amazing! We all shared what we were thankful for. I was especially thankful for my home a way from home, since it was my first Thanksgiving away from home. In the afternoon, Luke and his family fell asleep watching football, while the rest of us went on walks, watched TV, and took naps. It was a relaxing afternoon. Some of Linda's family came over to eat dessert, which was pumpkin and apple pies and brownies. After they left I enjoyed watching Friends (which I've been deprived of so long) with Prosper in the basement.
Friday, the team all completed a survey to see how we thought team life was going. Soon, we will be discussing our results. Hopefully, it will help us become a more effective team. According to the survey, the main categories of an effective team are excellent communication, solid relationships, effective processes, accepted leadership, appropriate roles, and common purpose. Friday, afternoon, Linda took the girls to the movie The Secret Life of Bees, which is a great movie that I highly recommend--but I warn you may cry, even though I didn't (all the other women did).
Today, Saturday, we will be doing some team work before doing some songs for a worship service tonight. Sunday, we do some music at three worship services at Epiphany Lutheran Church, where Luke's dad is a pastor. Sunday after church, we head to Fort Wayne, Indiana, where I will get to see my awesome college friend Elizabeth.
Thanks for keeping up with me.
Peace,
Tiffany
Friday, November 28, 2008
Finally, more pics!
Hi Everyone,
Finally, here are some more pictures. Sorry it took me so long; but our computer has been slow lately. Most of these are around Halloween. The first two pictures are when Luke, Prosper, and I were helping with a Halloween Trick or Trunk event. I was behind the blanket putting candy on the clothespins, while kids were waiting to "catch a fish." Later, the Pastor came and helped and brought some stuffed animals for us to give away. Most of the time, we had trouble keeping the stuffed animals on the fishing line; so, we decided to opt for flying fish--meaning flying stuffed animals. It was really fun for us and the kids.
We were asked to go to a school to lead some songs and teach the kids some drums. Luke was great a leading drum sessions.
This is where we did are electric set-up program, complete with lights. We felt like rock stars. Don't worry, the feelings didn't stick.
This is one of our two puppet shows. I am the mouse "Grace" on the left.
This was our public school program, which was very interesting since we are used to private schools and preschools.
This was Halloween night. We did two sets of music. Afterwards, Prosper and I went Trick or Treating throughout the church.
Beautiful autumn leaves. 
Adrienne had a wonderful friend at a nursing home; he made her a dog and lovebirds out of balloons.
Finally, here are some more pictures. Sorry it took me so long; but our computer has been slow lately. Most of these are around Halloween. The first two pictures are when Luke, Prosper, and I were helping with a Halloween Trick or Trunk event. I was behind the blanket putting candy on the clothespins, while kids were waiting to "catch a fish." Later, the Pastor came and helped and brought some stuffed animals for us to give away. Most of the time, we had trouble keeping the stuffed animals on the fishing line; so, we decided to opt for flying fish--meaning flying stuffed animals. It was really fun for us and the kids.
We were asked to go to a school to lead some songs and teach the kids some drums. Luke was great a leading drum sessions.
This is where we did are electric set-up program, complete with lights. We felt like rock stars. Don't worry, the feelings didn't stick.
This is one of our two puppet shows. I am the mouse "Grace" on the left.
This was our public school program, which was very interesting since we are used to private schools and preschools.
This was Halloween night. We did two sets of music. Afterwards, Prosper and I went Trick or Treating throughout the church.
Beautiful autumn leaves. 
Adrienne had a wonderful friend at a nursing home; he made her a dog and lovebirds out of balloons.
Peace,
Tiffany
P.S. Look at the next few blogs to see pictures of birthday, DC, and NYC!
Pics of my birthday[s] (it seemed to last forever!)
Hi Everyone,
Here are some pictures of my birthday celebrations. Being sung to at a school chapel, having two cookie cakes, and having a chocolate cake. I felt really blessed.
This is where we staying in Hurricane, WV on my birthday. It was a beautiful, but foggy, area.
Prosper gets rather competitive when he plays ping-pong. He left a dent in the wall! No worries, ours hosts were laughing and forgiving.
Peace,
Here are some pictures of my birthday celebrations. Being sung to at a school chapel, having two cookie cakes, and having a chocolate cake. I felt really blessed.
This is where we staying in Hurricane, WV on my birthday. It was a beautiful, but foggy, area.
Prosper gets rather competitive when he plays ping-pong. He left a dent in the wall! No worries, ours hosts were laughing and forgiving.
Peace,Tiffany
Pics of NYC!
Hi Everyone,
Here are some more fun pictures of Cross Fire. I hope you enjoy the pics of NYC!
This is the New York City skyline.
This is the United Nations builiding.
Here are some more fun pictures of Cross Fire. I hope you enjoy the pics of NYC!
This is the New York City skyline.This is the United Nations builiding.
We stopped at Ground Zero, where the Twin Towers were. The sign said "Dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on" and "May we never forget."
Now, the Freedom Tower is under construction at the site.
It is nice to see that they are rebuilding, but strange to remember something when that is what is happening.
Below is NBC News in Rockefeller Center.
Below is pictures of the team in Rockefeller Center.
This is one of the ice skating rinks in Central Park.
Now, the Freedom Tower is under construction at the site.
It is nice to see that they are rebuilding, but strange to remember something when that is what is happening.
Below is NBC News in Rockefeller Center.
Below is pictures of the team in Rockefeller Center.
This is one of the ice skating rinks in Central Park.
This is Prosper in Time Square! 
I hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving!
Peace,
Tiffany
Monday, November 24, 2008
Pics of Mar-lou Ridge, DC, and New Jersey
Hi Everyone,
The beautiful nature shots below were taken at Mar-lou Ridge, a camp in Maryland. What a view!!
On a day off, we went to Washington D.C. I was our tour guide. This is me at the Capitol, where they are getting ready for Obama's inauguration address.
Below is the White House. We saw the first dog in the distance!
Wow! Look how powerful Sonja is! She's holding Washington Monument down.
The beautiful nature shots below were taken at Mar-lou Ridge, a camp in Maryland. What a view!!
On a day off, we went to Washington D.C. I was our tour guide. This is me at the Capitol, where they are getting ready for Obama's inauguration address.
Below is the White House. We saw the first dog in the distance!
Wow! Look how powerful Sonja is! She's holding Washington Monument down.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
VA, NJ, NY, and NYC
Hello Everyone,
At Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Arlington, Virginia, we ate supper Tuesday night and then went to our host homes. Luke and I enjoyed some a game of UNO with the host kids--it was a long game (we played that you had to draw until you could play), but it was fun. Sadly, I lost, but only because Luke was helping the kid I was playing. On Wednesday morning, we did a chapel for elementary kids.
Wednesday, we drove past DC, to get to Verona, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. I learned that New Jersey is basically made up of suburbs of New York City and suburbs of Philadelphia. New Jersey is also the most densely packed state. In Verona, we went to Lindsay's church, Calvary Lutheran Church. We stopped at Lindsay's house for awhile and met her siblings. After setting up, we went out for Chinese with 15 or youth from the church. We had a family program which ended with the church presenting Lindsay with a $1000 check. She was very surprised and happy.
Thursday, we relaxed for awhile at our host home. We had an amazing host. Thursday afternoon, we drove past NYC to Yonkers, New York. We went to Sunrise Senior Living, a nursing home. We did a family night program in the nursing home chapel for members of the pastor's congregation. After our program, we worked on learning French. Our progress on French has been slow, but hopefully we will pick it up easily when we go to Africa. Eventually, we hope to do almost all of our program in French. Now, we are working on translating our songs and learning them in French.
Friday morning, we played for some residents at the nursing home that we are staying with. After that, the pastor led a small service of songs, Scripture, and Communion. Since that was our only programming for the day, we went to New York City for the day. It was my first time in NYC. The pastor drove us around for awhile before dropping us off. He took us by Yankee Stadium, many of the neat looking bridges, the UN, the Statue of Liberty (way off in the distance), Trump Tower, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and Wall Street. We got out for awhile at Ground Zero--where the Twin Towers were. Now, there are a few signs and they are building the Freedom Tower. The signs said "Dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on" and "May we never forget." They were with reliefs of fire fighters and police officers. There was a poster with pictures of all of the NYC firefighters that helped after the attacks. We got back in the pastor's van again before the pastor dropped us off near Grand Central Station. From there, we walked to Rockefeller Center. We saw the Christmas tree, the ice skating rink, and NBC headquarters. After that, we walked north to go to Central Park. We walked around the park for awhile. It was a pretty cold (30s) day; we were outside walking for most of it. From Central Park, we walked south to Time Square. We ate supper at an Irish Pub, where I had a really good shepherd's pie. Next, we went to Grand Central Station and took the subway up to the Bronx, where we got on a bus back to Yonkers. Overall, I really enjoyed our trip to NYC, but I wish I could have seen more and wish the weather would have been nicer.
Today, Saturday, we our heading to Lehighton, Pennsylvania.
Peace,
Tiffany
At Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Arlington, Virginia, we ate supper Tuesday night and then went to our host homes. Luke and I enjoyed some a game of UNO with the host kids--it was a long game (we played that you had to draw until you could play), but it was fun. Sadly, I lost, but only because Luke was helping the kid I was playing. On Wednesday morning, we did a chapel for elementary kids.
Wednesday, we drove past DC, to get to Verona, New Jersey, a suburb of New York City. I learned that New Jersey is basically made up of suburbs of New York City and suburbs of Philadelphia. New Jersey is also the most densely packed state. In Verona, we went to Lindsay's church, Calvary Lutheran Church. We stopped at Lindsay's house for awhile and met her siblings. After setting up, we went out for Chinese with 15 or youth from the church. We had a family program which ended with the church presenting Lindsay with a $1000 check. She was very surprised and happy.
Thursday, we relaxed for awhile at our host home. We had an amazing host. Thursday afternoon, we drove past NYC to Yonkers, New York. We went to Sunrise Senior Living, a nursing home. We did a family night program in the nursing home chapel for members of the pastor's congregation. After our program, we worked on learning French. Our progress on French has been slow, but hopefully we will pick it up easily when we go to Africa. Eventually, we hope to do almost all of our program in French. Now, we are working on translating our songs and learning them in French.
Friday morning, we played for some residents at the nursing home that we are staying with. After that, the pastor led a small service of songs, Scripture, and Communion. Since that was our only programming for the day, we went to New York City for the day. It was my first time in NYC. The pastor drove us around for awhile before dropping us off. He took us by Yankee Stadium, many of the neat looking bridges, the UN, the Statue of Liberty (way off in the distance), Trump Tower, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, and Wall Street. We got out for awhile at Ground Zero--where the Twin Towers were. Now, there are a few signs and they are building the Freedom Tower. The signs said "Dedicated to those who fell and to those who carry on" and "May we never forget." They were with reliefs of fire fighters and police officers. There was a poster with pictures of all of the NYC firefighters that helped after the attacks. We got back in the pastor's van again before the pastor dropped us off near Grand Central Station. From there, we walked to Rockefeller Center. We saw the Christmas tree, the ice skating rink, and NBC headquarters. After that, we walked north to go to Central Park. We walked around the park for awhile. It was a pretty cold (30s) day; we were outside walking for most of it. From Central Park, we walked south to Time Square. We ate supper at an Irish Pub, where I had a really good shepherd's pie. Next, we went to Grand Central Station and took the subway up to the Bronx, where we got on a bus back to Yonkers. Overall, I really enjoyed our trip to NYC, but I wish I could have seen more and wish the weather would have been nicer.
Today, Saturday, we our heading to Lehighton, Pennsylvania.
Peace,
Tiffany
Monday, November 17, 2008
WV, MD, VA, and DC
Hello Everyone,
Thursday, we left North Carolina for West Virginia. It was a rainy day, and we had a long drive. When I we came to the van, I was met my team were showed me the birthday cake that they made for me. They sang "Happy Birthday" to me. When got to Hurricane, West Virginia, we were early; so, we went out for dessert. Lucky for me it was my birthday, so I got a free dessert and was sung to once again. When we got the church, we got our mail. I was overjoyed to see many cards for my birthday as well as some delicious cookies (thanks mom!!). Thursday evening, the pastor took us out to Pizza Hut.
Friday morning, we had the fun opportunity to help out at a food pantry. We helped arrange stuff on the shelves, helped pack carts people who came for food, and helped people put stuff in their cars. I really enjoyed being there; it was a nice change from our usual programming. Friday night, we had a family night program. It went okay, but it was tough to have a program after not having one for awhile. After the program, we got to enjoy a large cookie cake that they got me for my birthday.
Saturday, we left West Virginia for Mar Lou Ridge, a camp Maryland. We joined six confirmation kids and two adults. We played some songs for them and then enjoyed socializing with them through conversation and games.
Sunday morning, we led most of the Sunday service at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hagerstown, MD. The congregation was used to having two services, one traditional and one contemporary, but the pastor decided to have one service when we were there with the theme of unity--which fits well with our theme of one. Luke give a sermon about unity, which was much needed.
Sunday afternoon, we got to Alexandria, Virginia, which is a suburb of D.C. While in Alexandria, we stayed at St. John's Lutheran Church, where DJ (a person who was on a YE team last year) goes to church. It has been nice hanging out with DJ since he helped us at training.
Monday, we slept in and then went to Washington D.C. for our day off. It was a chilly and cloudy day, but I really enjoyed it. We did quite a bit of walking and saw the Capital, the White House, the First Dog!, Washington Monument, WW II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Jefferson Monument. Because it was my fourth time to D.C., I was the team's tour guide, which I really enjoyed!!
Tomorrow, we travel to the nearby city of Arlington, Virginia. On Wednesday, we head further north to New Jersey. Thursday, we head to Younkers, NY. We are hoping that we get to go to NYC, but we don't know for sure yet.
Thanks for reading my blog!
Peace,
Tiffany
Thursday, we left North Carolina for West Virginia. It was a rainy day, and we had a long drive. When I we came to the van, I was met my team were showed me the birthday cake that they made for me. They sang "Happy Birthday" to me. When got to Hurricane, West Virginia, we were early; so, we went out for dessert. Lucky for me it was my birthday, so I got a free dessert and was sung to once again. When we got the church, we got our mail. I was overjoyed to see many cards for my birthday as well as some delicious cookies (thanks mom!!). Thursday evening, the pastor took us out to Pizza Hut.
Friday morning, we had the fun opportunity to help out at a food pantry. We helped arrange stuff on the shelves, helped pack carts people who came for food, and helped people put stuff in their cars. I really enjoyed being there; it was a nice change from our usual programming. Friday night, we had a family night program. It went okay, but it was tough to have a program after not having one for awhile. After the program, we got to enjoy a large cookie cake that they got me for my birthday.
Saturday, we left West Virginia for Mar Lou Ridge, a camp Maryland. We joined six confirmation kids and two adults. We played some songs for them and then enjoyed socializing with them through conversation and games.
Sunday morning, we led most of the Sunday service at Trinity Lutheran Church in Hagerstown, MD. The congregation was used to having two services, one traditional and one contemporary, but the pastor decided to have one service when we were there with the theme of unity--which fits well with our theme of one. Luke give a sermon about unity, which was much needed.
Sunday afternoon, we got to Alexandria, Virginia, which is a suburb of D.C. While in Alexandria, we stayed at St. John's Lutheran Church, where DJ (a person who was on a YE team last year) goes to church. It has been nice hanging out with DJ since he helped us at training.
Monday, we slept in and then went to Washington D.C. for our day off. It was a chilly and cloudy day, but I really enjoyed it. We did quite a bit of walking and saw the Capital, the White House, the First Dog!, Washington Monument, WW II Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, Korean War Memorial, and Jefferson Monument. Because it was my fourth time to D.C., I was the team's tour guide, which I really enjoyed!!
Tomorrow, we travel to the nearby city of Arlington, Virginia. On Wednesday, we head further north to New Jersey. Thursday, we head to Younkers, NY. We are hoping that we get to go to NYC, but we don't know for sure yet.
Thanks for reading my blog!
Peace,
Tiffany
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
More in the Carolinas
Hello Everyone,
On election day, we traveled to Salisbury, North Carolina to Christ United Methodist Church. We had wonderful hosts there. I really enjoyed talking to my hosts about where we had traveled. I stayed up to late Tuesday waiting for election results. Thankfully, we didn't start until 9:30 Wednesday morning. Wednesday morning, we went to a nursing home to perform before doing some team stuff. The nursing home was great; we especially enjoyed the man who made Adrienne some balloon love birds and a balloon dog. After some relaxing time,we did a family night program, which was different from our normal program because it was 45 minutes instead of 1 hour and 15 minutes. As the Program Coordinator, I was responsible for cutting our program down to 45 minutes like the church wanted; it was difficult, but I did it. The congregation was great and was really interested in what we were doing, so we stayed and talk to people for quite awhile there. We didn't find out where we were going Thursday until Wednesday night. Unfortunately, we weren't booked at a church; but instead, we got to go back to stay with Lindsay's aunt in Raleigh, NC.
After finally learning that where we would going, on Thursday, we traveled to Raleigh. Thursday, we just drove and then relaxed. We enjoyed watching movies, having 1x1s (meeting with teammates individually), learning French, being outside, sleeping in, and cooking. It was strange to not have any programming. Relaxing at Lindsay's aunt's house was a nice change of pace.
Saturday, we drove south again to South Carolina to Messiah Lutheran Church in Mauldin. We didn't having any programming Saturday night, but we enjoyed relational ministry with our host homes. Our host family was having a football party, so we were surprised with many people when we came. We enjoyed interacting with people, but it was a bit overwhelming because we were exhausted from the drive. Sunday morning, we did a few songs for worship. For the most part, we got to worship with their praise band leading.
Sunday afternoon, we ate lunch a nice park in Mauldin before going to Simpsonville, South Carolina, which is not far from Mauldin. We slept at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Simpsonville. We all had our own air mattresses. It was a change from being in host homes, but wasn't too bad. Monday morning, we woke up to the church alarm going off. Prosper had opened up the door because he heard somebody knocking, but unfortunately, the alarm mysteriously was turned on. Thankfully, the guys eventually got the alarm off (after shooing the girls away). Monday, wasn't as much of a day off as I might have hoped...the alarm was only the beginning. I got the bad news from my mom that my brother was in the hospital. Now, he is home again.
Tuesday, we did a preschool program at Immanuel before heading back north to St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Hickory, North Carolina. Once we got to Hickory, we did a sound check and then went to our host homes. It was a nice change to be able to spend an evening with our host homes. Usually, we have evening programs, so we don't get to spend much time with host homes. At my host home in Hickory, the kids were full of energy and fun to play with, but they were also very draining.
Wednesday, we did a chapel for a large (over 200) group of students from preschool to 8th grade at the school. They were a fun group of kids. They sang "Happy Birthday" to me and few kids. We hung out in their youth house for awhile and rehearsed in the afternoon. Wednesday, I came home to a wonderful meal! My host home decided to make me steak and baked potatoes for my birthday. We also had an amazing cookie cake with frosting to celebrate. It was really nice to have so many birthday thoughts about me before it was even my birthday!
Thursday, my birthday, we head to Hurricane, West Virginia.
Peace,
Tiffany
On election day, we traveled to Salisbury, North Carolina to Christ United Methodist Church. We had wonderful hosts there. I really enjoyed talking to my hosts about where we had traveled. I stayed up to late Tuesday waiting for election results. Thankfully, we didn't start until 9:30 Wednesday morning. Wednesday morning, we went to a nursing home to perform before doing some team stuff. The nursing home was great; we especially enjoyed the man who made Adrienne some balloon love birds and a balloon dog. After some relaxing time,we did a family night program, which was different from our normal program because it was 45 minutes instead of 1 hour and 15 minutes. As the Program Coordinator, I was responsible for cutting our program down to 45 minutes like the church wanted; it was difficult, but I did it. The congregation was great and was really interested in what we were doing, so we stayed and talk to people for quite awhile there. We didn't find out where we were going Thursday until Wednesday night. Unfortunately, we weren't booked at a church; but instead, we got to go back to stay with Lindsay's aunt in Raleigh, NC.
After finally learning that where we would going, on Thursday, we traveled to Raleigh. Thursday, we just drove and then relaxed. We enjoyed watching movies, having 1x1s (meeting with teammates individually), learning French, being outside, sleeping in, and cooking. It was strange to not have any programming. Relaxing at Lindsay's aunt's house was a nice change of pace.
Saturday, we drove south again to South Carolina to Messiah Lutheran Church in Mauldin. We didn't having any programming Saturday night, but we enjoyed relational ministry with our host homes. Our host family was having a football party, so we were surprised with many people when we came. We enjoyed interacting with people, but it was a bit overwhelming because we were exhausted from the drive. Sunday morning, we did a few songs for worship. For the most part, we got to worship with their praise band leading.
Sunday afternoon, we ate lunch a nice park in Mauldin before going to Simpsonville, South Carolina, which is not far from Mauldin. We slept at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Simpsonville. We all had our own air mattresses. It was a change from being in host homes, but wasn't too bad. Monday morning, we woke up to the church alarm going off. Prosper had opened up the door because he heard somebody knocking, but unfortunately, the alarm mysteriously was turned on. Thankfully, the guys eventually got the alarm off (after shooing the girls away). Monday, wasn't as much of a day off as I might have hoped...the alarm was only the beginning. I got the bad news from my mom that my brother was in the hospital. Now, he is home again.
Tuesday, we did a preschool program at Immanuel before heading back north to St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Hickory, North Carolina. Once we got to Hickory, we did a sound check and then went to our host homes. It was a nice change to be able to spend an evening with our host homes. Usually, we have evening programs, so we don't get to spend much time with host homes. At my host home in Hickory, the kids were full of energy and fun to play with, but they were also very draining.
Wednesday, we did a chapel for a large (over 200) group of students from preschool to 8th grade at the school. They were a fun group of kids. They sang "Happy Birthday" to me and few kids. We hung out in their youth house for awhile and rehearsed in the afternoon. Wednesday, I came home to a wonderful meal! My host home decided to make me steak and baked potatoes for my birthday. We also had an amazing cookie cake with frosting to celebrate. It was really nice to have so many birthday thoughts about me before it was even my birthday!
Thursday, my birthday, we head to Hurricane, West Virginia.
Peace,
Tiffany
Friday, November 7, 2008
Pics of Savannah!
Hi Everyone,Here are some pics of our day of in Savannah, GA. It was a beautiful and we enjoyed walking around in the historic district.
We saw Juliet Gordon Low, the founder of Girl Scouts, birthplace. This is Prosper, Sonja, and I by a beautiful fountain there.
We took a pictures by a London phone booth... ...in Savannah.
Just swinging!
This is at the Cathedral of John the Baptist.
This is in the cemetery in Savannah. We enjoyed the large trees that were full of Spanish moss.
Nothing like meeting Obama in Savannah!!
This is Prosper on the riverwalk of Savannah.
Peace,
Tiffany
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