cultural experiences!

today was incredible! it started with the bus system. crazy confusing...i give props to people who take those crazy things every single day! once we figured it out...we made it all the way to La Iglesia Del Senor which was right next to the border, very sketch, and the time was different on the building then the website. So we began to search for a new church (thank goodness to blackberrys!). we then found the Immaculate Conception (catholic) church and there just happened to be a spanish service at 10. So we stayed for mass and didnt have a clue what was going on. But catholics get the job done! it was such a fast service! we then wanted lunch even though it was like 1030...so we tried to ask a beggar to lunch but she knew no english...so we used a translator but foun her to already be taken care of. so we asked the lady who translated, nelly, where we could get good mexican food. she told us she was going to a place and that we could go with her. Best food ever. and to just hear nellys story. she lived in the city acrosss from us in mexico but had lived in el paso a long time.` she joked about taking us over there but knew it was too dangerous for us. she then led us to shopping along with the young boy who worked at the restaurant. after shopping we went to the holocaust musuem which was really cool. and then back here. we got our iteneraries. we fly from elpaso to houston to brussels belgium to liberiaand the same thing back! im so ready for some chocolate! TONIGHT we did a prayer walk. i normally feel very good after these, but i had a very heavy heart and i couldnt figure out why. i knew it had to do with me not being able to cry but nothing had touched me that deep until joel got down on his knees and washed his fathers feet and then they switched places. it made me realize i need to loove as our father loves, especially with my own father. I love my daddy but i am not sure i always show it to the best of my ability. but now the world knows. What an incredible day. everybody leaves tomorrow...luckily we get to do laundry since we will be here do long! yay... but i miss my bf so i am going to talk to him :D

love and poverty

these are my two words of the day! the biggest part of the whole day was the world hunger simulation. The thing is I knew it was coming and i have experienced it first hand, but it still hits me so deep. I wish i could let out my emotions through my tears, but my eyes are just that tired! for those of you who do not know what this is, we were all divided into four groups. some were set at a very nice table, some(my group) were set at a family home table, the others were set in small shapes on the floor in large numbers and small space. We were then given food. my table had a family style dinner of chicken and sides, the fancy group had the same thing but salad and people waited on them, group three on the floor had rice and beans but had to eat out of their hands, and the last group(the biggest) had two rolls to share. Do you actually know how hard it is to sit there and know the others around you are not eating. We talked about so many things. Can we Share? tried that and it didnt work. Maybe we should eat everything? Maybe we shouldnt? To say the least I am beond full. I just didnt want to see it all go in the trash knowing others would not eat. When this happened in real like in Haiti, I gave my food to the children watching because I knew they would just dig it out of the dumpster later why not save a step? But why could I not do it now? It wasnt fair at all. And then I had to choose a person to bring over to our table and eat. Why me? I looked to my table to help me figure it out and it was hard. I just wanted to scream and just give them all I had. But I finally went to the final group and told them that I could only take one, but that I was not choosing. They decided to send someone who was sick and needed to keep their strength. To sit there and watch Talicha eat was hard. She just cried because she wanted her group to have this too. She asked to be deported so she could smuggle things in. It was just a very real situation. I could go on but i think all has been said. Just take what you need and help when you can! There is real poverty, and myself as a college student am not one!

STRESS RELIEF!!!

I feel sooo calm and relaxed. I didnt even realize how tense i was until stress relief training tonight! We first started with writing about each of our family members(as in Dominican Republic and Liberia). we then commenced in balling them um and throwing them at each other. then it was DANCE PARTY!!! cupid shuffle and all are awesome! it was such a great time but not long enough. We then got to read our papers and i got 6 back from my group. I do not mean to be all about devon, but it was great that people saw me as a great leader! like that just amazed me. it all goes back to our team training this morning. but before that we had focus. This time we got in our family groups and read Matthew 9:33-37 and picked out phrases and words that stood out to us. Mine was the part about being like the child and trusting God. i really have to do that as i go to the field and speak with the children. I need to understand them and show them the way. we then did our team training and it was a lot about trust and then team work as well. we did a trust fall which was a great experience because i have grown because i would once not do it. we then had to find our way through a rope maze as diasbled people. this is where my team found me to be a leader as i listened to ideas and executed the best way! we then lead the blind and were lead using only one word through a jungle gym! we then were taught on leading bible studies, cross cultural orientation, and strengths again! we had to clean up after dinner and that is so much work. and then we had church where we learned about the mark of hospitality. and then stress relief which was awesome. group time now. I missyou all!!!

day 2

well i tried to post last night but it didnt work and i had been running for 22 hours so it didnt make it.

i made it to el paso safe and sound and on time. I had to leave the house at 330 AM and flew from raleigh to nashville, nashville to austin, and austin to el paso. Yea it was a long ride. From austin to el paso i met a girl by the name of courtney who is also attending YIM but is going to India. It was great to get to talk to somebody else about everything and see what they had in store for them. as soon as we got to the church we are staying at, we didnt stop until 10 o clock mountain time (12 o clock at home for you guys) yea it was crazy. It was great ton get started though. We learned a lot about our strengths and how to apply them and work with others who are not like us.

this morning we had to be at breakfast at 8 and then it was off to our morning worship time. We learned about the mark of our baptism. It was really cool to be in this service because we got to remember our mark by having water sprinkled on our faces. It was neat because i do not remember my baptism as I was a baby. It also showed me that there are people around me who our just like me in a sense. We then loaded up and headed to a park where we did activities with blind folds. We had to get our selves in birthday order with out talking or seeing anything...first 6 months did pretty good but i do not know what happened to the others! haha and then we had to be lead around blindfolded and that was great. We learned to trust others and stay together. and just kind of go with the flow. It was really a great experience. We are now waiting to have a health talk and then they said we will be experiencing extreme training.

Just a heads up, our schedule says we will not be leaving until tuesday at 415 AM so we will have a day of rest and repacking which will be great! so please continue to pray and keep us all in your thoughts!

-Devon

last night at home

ok...last night at home...watched some movies with the family and ate some pizza inn! im good to go now. everything is all packed up and more...only a little more sleep and then leaving on a plane at 6:15 tomorrow morning. so continue praying for me!

Devon

stressing!

a little over 24 hours from now, i will be on my way to El Paso, Texas to begin this great adventure. Adventure being the key word. Nothing has been easy with this trip, yet everything has been fixable. haha im tryin to calm down as I type. I just got another email from my Cousin over in Africa, and the list is growing of what needs to be brought. I am already dealing with 2 bags and a hiking bag. Im not sure I will get there in one piece(clearly im not already doing that) lol. And we won't be in the capital but 2 1/2 weeks. The rest of the time, we will be traveling across liberia! It is somewhat exciting to know we will get to see a little bit more of the country! It will definitely be the trip of a lifetime. It just needs to get started. HAHAHA

Devon

packing...

packing is the most stressful thing ever! I am taking pretty much the bare minimums for a 2 month adventure...and they only want me to take one suitcase? this is crazy i need at least one big one and one small one, especially with the camera equipment. lol we got a lot of packing ahead of us! but less than a week until el paso. please continue to pray

Dev

...

1 weeks till take off...enough said.

-dev

lost connection...

Hey Guys.

two weeks from today I will most likely be on a plane heading halfway across the world. who knew it would come so fast. It's absolutely crazy. Today, we went to Verizon to see how much it would cost to get transfer my number to my moms blackberry and take it to Liberia. Let's just say it was quite a lot. It makes me very nervous to be disconnected from the world. Not like anybody could text me or anything. It would just be a very expensive safeguard, so I should not be as upset as I am. All this being said, with the trip close, please continue to pray for me. I am becoming more nervous than excited. I know I will be fine because God is in this, its just a big trip. Thanks!

-Dev

wildlife... :O

"Wildlife in Liberia include numerous animal species including: pigmy hippopotamus, crocodile, baboons, colobus monkey, white-spotted nose monkey, chimpanzee, elephants, buffalo, leopards, antelopes, groundhog, mongoose, ,tortoise, cobras, vipers, boa constrictors. Bird species include hornbills, weaver-birds, woodpeckers, pigeons, doves, flamingoes, parrots, hawks, eagles, and bulbul the national bird, which is called pepper bird in Liberia"-http://pages.prodigy.net/jkess3/Land.html

so...this is what i researched after I talked with a woman about some crazy hippos eating people!!! but there is way worse! all kinds of things that might eat me, but how cool would it be to see some (key word) some of these things in their natural habitats! Kind of getting excited but still super nerves. My wish is that you would continue to pray for my team and myself. Thanks!

-Dev

2 weeks and counting....

In just two short weeks, I will be making my final adjustments to my suitcase and getting ready for my last night at home. I can not believe it has come so fast. Today, I was sending thank you cards to those who have sponsored me and just couldn't believe all the support I've gotten. Please, most of all, just continue to pray for myself, my team, and Liberia as they prepare for us.

-Dev

FLOODS!!!

Hey Y'all!

On May 1, 2010, the rains came down and the floods came up! Nobody was quite ready for all that happened over the next few days. Continuing on to May 2, 2010, the rain just would not let up. The Cumberland River, I-24, and many other areas were completely flooded. Many of my friends have lost their homes and belongings, others have lost loved ones, and others are just simply here to help. Opry Land Hotel will be shut down for months and the mall has pretty much lost all merchandise. Please continue to pray for the people of middle tennessee and surrounding areas as they begin to pick up the mess mother nature left!

Devon