Bonaventure Cemetery

So haunting!

So cool...

Ugh- I feel as bad as I look!

North Beach Grill on Tybee Island- got some chips and salsa here

A historic lighthouse on Tybee Island

So pretty!

A bit of historic Williamsburg

Don't see too many of those flags round here!

Pretty sure this one is self explainatory

Hanging out in one of the first settlements

You see, my soon to be roommate, Ryan, LOVES NC and told me a few places to check out. After some lunch Chris very kindly escorted me around his town. The funny thing was every place I went to on the first day, I mean every place, was a grocery store of some sorts. The first place he took me to was recommended by Ajana- World Market. Totally awesome store that features some food and drinks from all over the globe as well as hand crafts and housewares. It was super chill. I found some fair trade organic chai (!!!) and a bottle of all natural pomegranate soda which is pretty tasty. The second place was Ryan’s suggestion, Southern Seasons, which turned out to be another grocery store with housewares. It was pretty funny. After that we headed home and Ajana came to get me so she could cook dinner for me at her place. The great part was that we needed to stop at a few grocery stores to pick up some things for dinner. It was pretty entertaining. So my first day in Raleigh was spent in all their grocery stores Well, maybe not all, but a good amount!

The next day we just hung around the house for a bit then grabbed some food. It was a lovely lazy day, but we decided to go find some karaoke that night. Or I decided and they were kind enought to oblige It ended up being Chris, Erin, Kendall (Erin’s sister) and me. So much fun! Chris didn’t sing (the bugger) but he sure did have a great time laughing at the 3 ladies!

The next day (which was yesterday) I took off for Savannah. I have been super excited to check out this city! I have heard nothing but wonderful reviews about it. I was incredibly sad to leave my friends- it was great seeing my old buds and meeting some new ones, but I had to march on as I needed to be in FL soon to meet up with another friend. The BUMMER is that I got so sick! I woke up this morning feeling miserable and stayed in bed for as long as I could without being a super big bum I did head out to see a few sights which I thoroughly enjoyed- Tybee Island, Bonaventure Cemetery and River street. Tybee Island is a cute lil island just off of Savannah. It was real quint and had a surfer feel to the area. It seemed a little run down, but it was cute none-the-less. After that I went to the cemetery. Morbid I know, but it is the oldest cemetery in Savannah and the landscaping and history were too good to pass up. I heard they do haunted tours through there- man I could not do that! I wouldn’t sleep for weeks! It is beautiful and eery and the same time. The trees covered in hanging moss give it a beautiful haunting look. I strolled around then decided I was ready to see River st.

Not really knowing what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised to see River street. Up until this point, most of the city I had seen was rundown and a little dirty. River st is, you guessed it, bordering the river and is lined with shops, cafes, pubs, restaurants- you name it they had it. There were also some park areas with a few monuments. Feeling not so great I didn’t get out, but decided to head “home”. I am hoping tomorrow I feel a wee bit better so I can do some early sight seeing before I take off to FL!!

Well, that’s it for now. I am just vegging in my hotel room at this point. So ready for bed and it’s not even 10!! So send me some healthy thoughts

I did pop into a coffee shop somewhere in VA where I was able to post my previous blog. Man, people are so friendly down here! Everywhere I go I end up in a 10 minute conversation with strangers. It’s incredibly refreshing. Of course not all conversations are nail biting (such as a friendly man who rambled on about gold leaf books that he buys) but I did meet an incredible promising connection today which I will explain in a bit.

Once I rolled into Williamburg I found my hotel without a hitch (thanks Sandra Dee!!) and immediately asked the concierge where was the nearest karaoke bar. I was itching to get up and sing with some total strangers! He kinda laughed and informed me Williamsburg is consisted of two groups of people. 1- Elderly 2- College kids to young to go out. He promised he would research for me though as I was very insistent that I was all about the karaoke. I grabbed my things and headed up to my new home and was thrilled to learn Geoff (from the front desk) found me a spot. Ironically enough it’s called The Spot. Conveniently located just around the corner, they had karaoke every Sunday night. Oh the good fortune!! So I took a little rest before my big VA debut then took off to The Spot.

I loved this place. It was everything I was hoping for. A complete whole in the wall joint where everyone knows one another and loves doing karaoke for the sheer fun of it. At first I was greeted a bit indifferently. I had taken a picture of the sign when I was outside, so that made some people very weary of me. Once someone had the courage to ask me what the deal was, I told them I was on a road trip and was just taking pics of where I go. After that, I had about 15 new friends. Geoff, from the front desk, was right. This town is consisted of mainly all old people, but there were a few people my age so it was a fun mix. My first song (yes I did more than one!) was Julie Robert’s Break Down Here. Not to toot my own horn, but I must have done ok as everyone was pushing me to get back up. From there I sang Build Me Up Buttercup, Time After Time, Summer Lovin and Picture. The last two songs were duets I was asked to do with two fellas I had met. Neither of the duets were very good, but it sure was funny!!

After becoming BFF’s with a few people at the joint, I was advised to check out Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg. A very colorful character named Chris, told me all about how there is an island I can check out in Jamestown that was recently discovered to have the keys to unlocking a lot of Jamestown’s roots. It’s really quite amazing. Being in a place where history first began. I only have a few hours, but I am going to try to see as much as I can today!

After I checked out of the hotel I popped into a local coffee spot to grab some tea and do some research on how to get to these certain spots. I, again, met a handful of people that instantly wanted to help me see the sights they know so well. One man inparticular, Sandy, conversed with me for a while. Turns out we both have a heart for Africa, he has done years of work traveling the continent while working with UNICEF. He now has a talk show (which he invited me on!)  which focuses on different African cuisine. He hosts different African country representatives to come talk about their country and share a particular regional dish. I can’t even tell you how cool this connection is for me. I explained to him my dream of opening a little haven for the street kids of Rwanda and he was just as excited. We promise to stay in touch and he is definitely one of those people that is good to have on file. I can’t even imagine the knowledge he has on running non-profits and for him to offer help in wisdom and potentially financial aspects is beyond exciting. This trip is better than I could ever have imagined.

So for now, I am signing off. I have some sights to see and some history to catch up on!

p.s. I seriously promise I will be posting pics soon

My adventures started Friday the 20th when I took off to NYC for the day with a few lady friends. We were helping my friend, Michele’s, nephew complete the best school project ever! Not sure if you are familiar with children books or not, but  there is a book called “Flat Stanley”. Not too sure of the whole book, but I know that Flat Stanley flattens himself so he can travel to all these different places. So Michele’s nephew, Colin, sent a flattened version of himself and we then took him to NYC! The day started off a bit rough- we missed our bus (apparently when you book a seat on buses it is not a guaranteed seat so beware travelers!) We took a later bus and made it to the city around noonish.

Our first stop was Times Square (!) and we proceeded to take pictures with Flat Colin. As my dear friend Emily was holding Flat Colin in the air to get a pic of him with a billboard, a very upset woman started yelling that we can’t do that! How dare we try to make an animated object suspend in mid-air! We all pretty much were wide eyed and thought this woman was a lil off her rocker, but then she started yelling “Flat Stanley would NEVER be suspended in air! You are doing it all wrong! Put him on the mailbox!!” Of course giggles ensued and from there on we tried to make sure Flat Colin was not a suspended animated object in our pictures

Miss Emily decided to spice things up by jumping across the walk ways like Will Ferrell in “Elf”. Oh my word- I almost died from laughing!! Jen and her attempted this amazing act a few more times- the best part was that not a single person raised an eye brow. They really must see it ALL in NYC!! I had to leave early so we hit up Central park (gorgeous!!) then I jumped on the sub to catch my bus ride home. It was a short short short day in the city, but totally worth it as I loved every minute with my lady friends!

My original plan was to meet up with my good bud, Bobby, once I made it back to Boston, but being exhausted + a dead phone + no idea where I was did not = meeting up with Bobby SO I returned home, but the bonus of this was that I was able to snag Jen’s gps so I wouldn’t get incredibly lost on my excursion again

The next day was an early one. I took off to Wakefield to meet up with a new buddy of mine, Tommy. We went to Maple Farm Animal Sanctuary to help around the place with some chores and to love on the rescued animals. It boggles my mind how cruel people can be towards other humans AND animals. These poor defenseless creatures all had a tragic tale, but they are now living their life out in a wonderful environment at the sanctuary. I fell in love with a cow and a goat and became even more happy with my choice of being a vegetarian.

After our stint at the sanctuary, we returned to Wakefield, MA so I could take off officially on my adventure!! I had booked a place in Wilkes-Barre, PA as it was 5.5 hrs away and I figured I would NOT want to drive any further. Man, was I right The trip was pretty non-eventful , but totally fun. I just rocked out to my tunes, watched a ton of highway pass under my wheels and just thought of all the fun I had ahead of me. My favorite part was when I was in Nowheresville, PA and found a an all 80′s radio station. Oh man. I bet I scared the bears. Nothing beats exhaustion like belting out old school Bon Jovi. Trust me.

Once I made it to my hotel, I must have looked like one of two things- a train wreck or the happiest person in the world. Or maybe both. I felt like both that’s for sure. Despite needing toothpicks to keep my eyes open, I decided to head out and see a bit of Wilkes-Barre. Well friends, it is I think a very deceiving little place! It lokos so quaint and adorable- the center of the city has a beautiful round-about ( I think I am making that word up) and is all lit up with white lights. Sweet right? Oh no. I decided to stop off in a local “pub” the concierge suggested and was BLOWN AWAY by the atmosphere there.  Lets just say those kids know how to party. Being slightly entertained by watching all these strangers, I decided to leave after a bit as I was beyond tired. Once I returned “home” I just saw my pillow and fell asleep.

The next morning (which is today, the 22nd, for all you needing dates) I packed up and started out on the road again. I can’t wait to fill you in on my adventures today, but that will have to wait until my next post. It’s getting late in the day and I still have about 100+ miles to travel.

So until then- here is a little tip I learned- Green Jasmine tea is WRETCHED.  Seriously wretched, but I am still drinking it because I paid for it. Oh the tragedies

p.s. I will be posting pics so keep your eyes peeled for those!

i am not trying to be all doom and gloom on ya, but i do feel there is power in stepping outside of your own daily life to live in someone else’s even if it is just for a minute. even if it is in the comfort of your own city, to hear and see some of what stephen deals with is just so crucial. we can’t forget about children like him. just because he is not on your local news doesn’t mean he doesn’t exist. it’s easier to ignore that there is a problem than it is to stand up and do something, but seriously… wwjd?

so that is why i am crossing my fingers we will be able to host this at our church

we started a Trade As One Trading Post at my church. the Trading Post is a place where people from our church and community can use their buying power for good. all of the products we sell are fairly traded, meaning the producers have been paid a living, sustainable wage. plus they are given the chance to compete in the global market which without organizations like Trade As One, they could not have. it’s so cool to see my fellow MCC-ers shopping for Christmas AND helping women rescued from sex trafficking, or genocide orphans in Rwanda. it’s amazing. to think that if we are more conscious of what we buy and where we buy it from, we can be helping someone on the other side of the globe. helping what Jesus calls, the least of these.

today we opened up the Trading Post to the women of CBS (Community Bible Study). they meet every thursday in our church so we extended the offer to shop and they were thrilled! it surprises me though, as not everyone is on board with the Trading Post. for various reasons, it really bothers people. it is a challenge for me though, to see where they might be coming from. i only see this as a way for fellow Christians and non-Christians to be able to lift people out of poverty by giving a hand up, not a hand out. if Jesus was here today, would he want us to be handing money to a corporation who suppresses people or would he want us to be handing money to individuals who are barely making it day to day? would he want me to deepen the pockets of wall street or to help a women stay out of prostitution? i pretty much believe it’s the latter

I have the privilege to travel to Africa for a third time. This will be my second journey to Rwanda. Rwanda has a special place in the heart of my church, Manchester Christian Church. A group of 6, myself included, traveled to Rwanda this past summer in hopes of partnering with a church to help one other grow in different aspects of our lives. We were incredibly blessed to have had Pastor Theo of Harvest Church enter our lives. Here is a Rwandan man who has overcome such incredible odds and has dedicated his life to enriching the lives of people in his country- and beyond! He has opened 47 churches- mainly in Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also has helped create job opportunities for people with HIV/AIDS. He started a support group for women, men and children where they go to create products to sell to support their family. At the end of our trip, MCC and Harvest Church decided to enter into a global partnership to become better together.

This time 13 MCC members are traveling back to strengthen this partnership with Harvest Church and Rwanda. We will be meeting with a steering committee made up of 7 pastors, who work with other PEACE teams, helping the teams decide which area in Rwanda would be best served by their group. This is an amazing opportunity that I am blessed to have been invited to join. The 13 of us will help navigate through what MCC’s future looks like in Rwanda. Where we will be working, what our main focus will be- there is a lot to be decided and I am honored to help work through this crucial time in our partnership.

Never being very good at asking for help this is a very humbling experience, but knowing the end result will help my plight for Rwanda, I ask you to think and pray on

how you might be able to support me. I am reaching out for donations to help cover the expense of the trip. It will cost me $2300, which I am mostly planning on paying for through my job, but would very much appreciate any donation you are willing to offer. If you decide financial help is an option you are able to contribute to, you can mail a check made out to Manchester Christian Church to 23 Highland Park Avenue Manchester NH 03109. (I ask for you to not note my name or anything that would denote the check going to a specific fund as it creates problems tax wise) By sending a check, the support given can be used as a tax deduction as an added bonus! If financial help is not an option (or even if it is!), I also am asking for your prayers. Pray that God will be there with us on this journey. That His hand will be evident in all we do.

If you want to learn more about PEACE, please check out www.thepeaceplan.com A quick over view is that we want to be ordinary people, empowered by God, making a difference where ever we are. PEACE is different from ordinary missions as we empower local people to become self sustaining so work and progress will continue even if we aren’t there.