Seriously? Again? Fine, here is what has happened over the last few weeks since you guys left me on a roof. The Roof Project was finished, I reached the end of my time in the warehouse, We went to D.C., a few of us went to State College for a Penn State NCAA game, we took Jesse to the airport, and I am currently working in the Automotive Shop with Nick VanWert and Sam Adams. Let’s go in order, shall we?
Roofing
The Roof Project took us to new heights. “Did I just say that”. Anyway, after three long weeks, many late nights as well as early mornings, we finally got off the roof for the last time. Caleb, Aidan, and I were the last three up on the top around 7:30 on the Friday night that we finished. When we got off we were able to look up and say, Job well done. It helped that we were coming down to the sight of Carne Asada made by a fellow roofer, Alfredo. It was satisfying to say we were done with the roof. Then we were lucky enough to have the God-given energy to have a worship night, which lasted way longer than we thought. We just kept singing different songs for hours without any of us being tired or wanting to call it a night. Finally, long after midnight and after Jesse and I planned a heist, we went to sleep. This was a great opportunity to glorify God while working with my hands and gaining experience you could only get from Equip.
The Warehouse
I did not get a lot of time in the warehouse but while I was there I still gained knowledge and experience. One of my favorite aspects of the warehouse is the different people you can meet. Mission-based groups can walk in at any time and then you get to converse with someone you may have never been able to unless you were in the warehouse. Justin Darnell makes every effort to teach as well as to disciple, which is another reason just a week in the warehouse was productive and impactful. The warehouse consists of unloading trucks (box trucks, Pickups, 18-wheelers, etc.), making room wherever you can, and getting containers ready to send out. Another fun aspect of the warehouse is we listen to worship music all day long, which keeps me accountable for how I should act and work as well as the attitude I should have while doing so. Colossians 3:23 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters”. Hard to forget a verse like that while listening to worship and working, unless you are trying to.
D.C. Adventure Trip
We convinced the Equip leaders to take us to D.C. (using Jesse as a bribe). “The European wants to go to D.C. Could we do that this weekend?” No one can say no to the European wanting to explore America. The trip was beautiful; long rides can either make or break a trip. This trip in my opinion had some great long drives. Once we were in DC we took a bus trip around the major monuments and stopped about midway through to get food in Chinatown. We were at the Lincoln Memorial and you’ll never guess who showed up: Abraham Lincoln himself. Someone came by dressed up as Abe to get pictures with some people. We walked through a museum and then got some food out of a Food truck. Once we started to head back on maybe a mile walk to the car, we happened to come across a live broadcast. Aidan and I immediately had the same idea and walked right behind the newscaster, waved at the camera, and continued.
Penn State
As we were getting ready to depart with Jesse we had one more thing to do: a College Football game. We are lucky enough to be just a couple hours away from state college where my favorite college team, and a top ten team in the NCAA, happens to play. The group that went was Caleb, Jesse, Kai (Doug Sylva’s Son), Chaz (One of my greatest friends), and I. I drove all of us down and made sure we were early, which still did not seem to help when it came to parking. Once we finally found parking, we walked around the stadium and in the gift shops. The weather was a warm 50 degrees and it was a beautiful cloudy rainy day. Sarcasm. Even so, the experience was unlike any other, something I recommend even for non-football fans and something I will be doing again. PSU vs UMASS ended in a 63-0 blowout win for Penn State, which helped the traffic. People had already started leaving towards the end of the first half. We stayed for the whole game and never lost energy even with the weather. I even kept my cup from the game and now use it frequently.
Philly Airport
It was finally time to give the European back. After a proper American sendoff, we left for the airport around midnight. Jesse, Aidan, and I had the great idea of bringing a speaker and listening to a very specific playlist. Taylor Swift and Katy Perry were very involved but that’s all I can say. We got cheesesteaks at Pat’s around 2:30 AM, dropped him off at the airport, and said our goodbyes around 3 AM. The ride back was not as energetic, many of us had fallen asleep. Once I woke up, I started talking with Nolan until we were interrupted by two very strange animal encounters. First, we passed a donkey just walking along the middle of the road at 4:30 AM. Then, we came across a deer just lying in the road. This deer would not move until Nolan got out and practically pushed it out of the way. Once we got back just before 5 AM we all had the morning off and went to sleep.
The Shop
Working in the shop was probably my most anticipated vocation yet. I have always loved vehicles and wanted to get better at working on them. Little did I know that I would be walking into a comedy show between Sam and Nick. They argue like an old married couple in the funniest of ways. While I have been there, I have gotten the chance to do a few oil changes, replace a gasket, balance tire weights, and I have a brake project in the making. I also plan to get my Audi A4l 2.0T in the shop for a few small fixes here and there because small maintenance is very important. Especially with German cars.
Well, that just about covers it. Are you done investigating my life now? Oh right, my relationship with God. We have been talking on a daily occasion, and I can feel the classes strengthening my knowledge and my faith. I feel a connection to God that has so much to do with the people around me as well as finally feeling fully committed to the faith. I had the chance to share my testimony with the staff during our meetings and I felt God used that to give me even more peace than what I had already been experiencing. Throughout this whole program, I have felt God rewarding me with peace as I continue to use it for His works. But I have written over 3 pages so I better stop before I use up all the paper in my diary.
Until next time,
