mission: louisville.

i've found the rivaling match to the messy games sundae slip'n'slide! and it's the muddy regular slip'n'slide down the hill by the basketball court at vine street baptist in louisville kentucky! it was so much fun purposely throwing myself down a hill into a mud puddle repeatedly. i don't think i've ever been so dirty in my life...we did this game with flour so i was covered in flour and mud...my clothes aren't the same color anymore...ahh it was great.

so here's the rundown of mission:louisville;;

sunday - commissioned as missionaries in morning service at coaling, then we left and got on the bus to go to kentucky. we left at 11:30 AL time. we got to kentucky about, well, between 11 and 12 pm KY time. (thats an hour ahead of AL time.) that's a loooong bus ride. see, what happened was that we got stuck in traffic on the interstate...some big wreck, loooong traffic jam. we made friends with every person we passed on the interstate because we were going so slow, and managed to drive all adults present crazy at the same time. lol. so we get to KY (and it's not even dark there till like 930 no kidding!) and then we get "orientation" from josh, then we go to the Legacy Center on seminary's campus and go to our rooms, unpack, go to bed. and the LC, trav hooked us up! it was nice! two big rooms, plus a big bathroom. one bed, one fold out couch (two people apiece) and a closet, a desk and armchair in each room, tv in each room (and great music channel to listen to in the morning while getting ready) yes sir. it was dope.

monday - was at VSBC at nine am KY time (until otherwise noted, all times are KY times) after a 2:30 am bedtime, and we started out by having a prayer walk around the neighborbood. we were in the ghetto. we ate a late b'fast, cleaned up (wiping down toys, cleaning out janitor closets, mopping downstairs, wiping down playground equiptment..lots of bleach and water). then we ate lunch, cleaned a little more, moved tables and chairs, had VBS. it was so not what i expected. it was better :).

tuesday - we washed, vaccumed, and windexed the VSBC van, painted some bookcases and cubby holes white with primer, and the boys worked all day cutting down some vines and trees and bushes along the gate of the church. hot work. out in the sun all day. then VBS.

wednesday - we finished painting the furniture, and the boys finished the fence. pretty much took up all day, then VBS.

thursday - was our free day. we started out by going to indiana and going into the bass pro shop (only we would go into a bass pro shop for our free time in indiana) but it was sooo much more fun than i thought it would be. it was so neat, it had a little river thing running through it with fish in it, and a big aquarium (like one an actual aquarium would have) with huge fish it in, and a game place where you could walk around and play some shooting game thing. it was fun. then we drove back to kentucky (and over the ohio river) and went to eat at ollie's trolley, and it was not cardboard tasting, it was good! haha. we walked to the end of the block to sit in the park and eat. thennn we went to the louisville slugger museum which was a LOT more dro than i thought it would be. we got free bats as a souvineer and got to play in the batting cages. fun fun. then we went shopping and went into the coolest music store in the world --- ear x-tacy. (look for the bumper sticker on my car next time okay) and i got a "keep louisville weird" shirt. then we went to the smoothie king and i had my first ever smoothie. then we went out to eat at wick's, a pizza place in downtown louisville, and i took the best picture ever haha (on myspace!) and we went back to VSBC for VBS, then josh came over after VBS, and we played cards for a while (spoons, beware!) and he stayed till two am to help me with my lesson (yes i procrastinated okay).

friday - we were supposed to go wash windows around the neighborhood but no one was home or else they were asleep, so we just cleaned up a little park instead and went back to the church and hung out with the youth up there. after lunch we went to the field down vine street some and played football and ultimate frisbee all afternoon. then VBS - Hannah's mini surprise party and my lesson! (it was short. really short. but sweet). and then we got to play in the slip'n'slide!! i've got scrapes and scratches but it was 2much fun.

saturday - got up, packed, left by 830, got home about 530 (AL time). we stopped along the way to go to mammath cave, pretty cool (cool as in coooold). then we drove a lot...it rained from tennessee to the petro..and i got a little sleep.


*****
so. all in all. this was like the best trip ever. i'm sure i've said that about some other trip too but i honestly enjoyed this one. don't get me wrong, there were imperfections: we got on each other's nerves, we occasionally felt unwelcome and underappreciated, we had a few arguments and a few problems between the youth groups (aka stealing). but if there's one thing i learned this week, it's that "it's not about me".

and my lesson i was so worried about? i was so scared to do it in a room full of strangers..but i didn't think of one important thing: by friday, every face in that room was a friend, not a stranger at all.

one week of my life. 24/7 dedication to Christ. 9 fellow youth workers. at least 20 new friends. one old familiar face. lots of new faces not easily forgotten. one week i'd never trade for anything.