The World Race - Kelly Rampmeyer

In the Jungle ... The MIGHTY Jungle

Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The Mighty Ducks spent the last week in the jungle - playing with the village children around the area, teaching some English, distributing food, teaching children how to brush their teeth (most of them had never seen a toothbrush!), and helping with medical clinics. It was an amazing week! I learned how to take blood pressure, and I also met many new jungle creatures and human friends. Here are some pictures from our time there!

Also during this week, I celebrated my 25^th birthday! My team was amazing to me, and made me a balloon-animal-kingdom, and made me feel very loved. My favorite gift was a bag of PEANUT BUTTER M AND M'S! A rare luxury in the world!

Malaysia is VERY beautiful, and there are many pictures that I want to share from our month here. So, this blog doesn't have very many words! But, rest assured that we are all healthy and happy and loving Asia.

Our time in Malaysia is coming to an end, and on Wednesday we will be flying to The Philippines for our tenth month on The World Race. Insane! As always - much love to you guys back at home. I will be coming home April 30^th - mark your calendars! Can't wait to see you all J

Out of Africa ... and into Asia! :)

Tue, 9 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Our three months in Africa have come to an end, and we are currently in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I want to catch you up to speed on what has happened between now and then!

We spent our last couple weeks in Africa by going back to Mozambique. This time, we were in Beira, Mozambique - along the coast of the Indian Ocean. We stayed with an amazing woman, Mama Rita, and her TWENTY FIVE children. She has seven of her own, and 18 she and her husband had adopted throughout the years. She told me she has always been unable to turn away a child in need. Her husband was murdered two years ago because of his Christian beliefs. Such a sad story. My heart broke for this woman.

When we arrived (after a vigorous travel day) we met the children and were introduced to our living conditions. We would be sleeping on concrete floors, and we quickly learned that we would be joined by flies, mosquitoes, heat, and RATS GALORE. Complaints were abundant, shamefully, until we realized that we were only getting a small dose of how these 25 people live their entire lives.

We put a new roof on the on the orphanage and worked to patch holes in the walls to prevent future rodent intruders. We also spent a lot of time playing with the BEAUTIFUL children and getting to know the people of the area. When the roof was finished, the children yelled, "CIAO, RATOS!"

From Mozambique, we traveled back down to Nelspruit, South Africa. We spent a week there debriefing as a squad. That's when I heard the words I had always dreaded: "We are getting new teams." I love my Bamboo family.

I should have feared not! For my new team is equally as amazing as Team Bamboo. I am now a proud member of TEAM MIGHTY DUCKS. My teammates are fantastical people. I will be continuing to be in charge of our team's finances, and soon I will be stepping up into a leadership position. Pray!

The Mighty Ducks flew (haha) along with the rest of the squad to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Apparently I say this a lot, but I LOVE IT here and it is possibly my favorite place ever. The city is beautiful and the people are super warm and hospitable.

(Pictured above: The Twin Towers, Muslums praying during Friday prayer, a dog named "Woofy," and the world's tallest flagpole!)

We have a variety of tasks for this month. I got to spend some time teaching English to Afghani refugees here in the city last week. This week we are living with 8 girls who are going through leadership/discipleship training while they are in college. Next week we are going to the jungle to help with medical and hygienic needs in the area. And, our final week here we will be teaching some more English!

Please keep us in thought and prayer as the I-Squad is in month NINE. It seems crazy, but going home is just around the corner. We are starting to plan for going home and getting our futures straight and whatnot. I have made some decisions for my post-race life! After spending some time with my friends and family (and cat) at home, I will be returning to Camp Pecometh to work on the Challenge Course for my fourth summer - potentially along with some current racers! I will also be going to Mexico for my brother's wedding! And, I am in the process of applying to school districts around Maryland for a teaching job in the fall. (I am starting to look into ESL as a potential, as well!) Prayer is much needed!

Thanks so much for reading! All my love back home J

Wowee, Malawi!

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I am in love with Africa.

I am not, however, in love with Africa's internet; hence my lack in blogs lately.

We spent our third month in Africa in Zomba, Malawi with our contact, Medsen; the coolest man in the world. Malawi has turned into my favorite country that we have been to - and easily the most beautiful. It's tropical and mountainous and absolutely gorgeous.

All of the teams on our squad spent the month working with one contact, Harvesters International, but we were spread out all over the country. Team Bamboo worked alone for the month, in the southern region. At first, I was not particularly thrilled about our mission of the month. We were going to be leading seminars each day to leaders and preachers in the area. Each of us would have to speak daily - sharing from the Bible or a story from our life. At first, I thought this wasn't my cup of tea. Turns out - I really like this cup of tea!

Each of my teammates and I spoke daily to packed churches. I mainly spoke on love. I love love. I generally talked about loving your neighbor and the golden rule and all that jazz. I went from being nervous to looking forward to my turn each day. I ended one of my sermons by saying, "I know this isn't the most earth-shattering message you have ever heard, but I hope that it spoke to you in some way." After the service, an older gentleman came up to me and said, "My Kelly, there is nothing more earth-shattering than love." Amen, my older gentleman friend!

We were also given the chance to work with a lot of youth groups and women's groups throughout the region. I used this opportunity to host "KNITTING EXTRAVAGANZA OH TEN." I love knitting. Some people call me old, but I think this talent makes me rather groovy.

I have been knitting for many years now, and I usually knit scarves for friends and homeless people. During The Race, I have been knitting and keeping scarves in my back-pack and handing them out to any homeless people I encounter. (Even with the insane heat - African's rock scarves a lot!) It has been amazing, and a great way to meet people on the street and show them some love.

Anyways - I decided to lead a knitting class with Kelly Kramp (my knitting prodigy!) during one of the women's groups and it was a huge success. The women learned quickly, and are going to get together weekly to knit and sing songs! This was one of my favorite parts of this month. They told me they could also sell the scarves to help support their families!

During our time in Malawi, we celebrated Christmas and rang in the New Year. Since the beginning of The Race, I have been dreading the holidays. I knew I was going to miss my friends and family and all of the holiday festivities, but it turned out to be rather fun to have an African Christmas. We woke up in the morning and did Secret Santa's amongst our team, and then we headed to church. It was the best present I could get to be able to talk to my mom, dad, brother, and future-sister-in-law on the phone.

Here is a picture of Team Bamboo (plus William!) on Christmas day:

The New Year marked our squad entering our eighth month on the field. We will be in Africa until the end of January when we will head to Southeast Asia for the last leg of our journey. It seems insane! But we are looking forward to shattering the rest of the world with love ;)

As always - much love to the homeland. I hope you guys had an AMAZING Christmas (complete with snow, from what I hear! I am jealous - it was in the upper 90's here!), and I hope that you have an incredible New Year!! Love you.

Also - if you're looking for some belated Christmas wishes, please watch our Bamboo Christmas video that we made. I'll be home for Christmas ... next year! Love you :)

Travel Day: Exposed

Sat, 30 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

If you're reading this, you are probably familiar with the layout of The World Race. We travel to a country each month, sometimes more, for eleven months. It has come to my attention that many people assume we are traveling in Air Force One type accommodations. I am writing this to shine light on our beloved travel days and to give you a glimpse into what a travel day looks like on the race. I decided to document the squad's journey from Lilongwe, Malawi to Beira, Mozambique. These are the events that occurred:

Friday, January 8: 9:02 pm - Learn that transportation will be picking us up in the morning between the hours of 5am and noon.

Saturday, January 9: 8:01 am - Bus driver calls to inform us that he is one block away.

9:15 am - Bus arrives. Make mental note that blocks in Africa must be LARGE.

9:21 am - Begin to load packs into bus. Question how 23 people and their human size packs are going to fit into this "bus" which more resembles a bicycle built for two.

9:39 am - Successfully cram into said "bus," and depart. Leave behind two malaria-sufferers and a caretaker. Admire the fact that our squad has become talented at loading a van like tetris pieces.

9:42 am - Seize opportunity to stick heads out window and have a photo shoot.

11:14 am - Arrive at boarder between Malawi and Mozambique. Get stamped. Saddle up. Admire ever hardening muscles and personal strength.

11:15 am - Walk across boarder.

11:36 am - Attempt to enter Mozambique, only to find that the boarder patrol is having a collectively bad day. Fill out visa's for squad and wait. And wait. And wait.

1:16 pm - Contemplate other modes of transportation. Consult locals.

2:13 pm - Receive visas and board a new van. New van seems less spacious than the previous bicycle-built-for-two.

3:06 pm - Arrive at a pit stop on the side of the road. Relieve self in a corn field.

3:15 pm - Board a yet another new van. This van appears to be a bicycle-built-for-one.

3:16 pm - Pray that limbs will still operate properly after exit from this vehicle. I can lick my knees in my sitting position.

7:15 pm - Get stopped by Mozambique police. Van driver follows police escort to police station.

7:21 pm - Show passports and prove that we are indeed, not terrorists. (Or Pakistani.)

7:22 pm - Document this event. As a journalist, it is my civic duty.

7:22 and 15 seconds - Officer requests my camera. Apparently photos are illegal at police station. Say "no" and plead America ignorance. Crisis averted.

7:23 pm - Re-board van and take more photos with the flash turned off. Smile at my successful law breaking. Consider calling CIA and inquiring if they need any inside jobs done. Will tell them of my tactics.

10:08 pm - Arrive at bus station. Learn that our next bus will be leaving at 4 am. Hunt for dinner. Devour pizza and chug half gallon of water.

Sunday, January 10: 12:15 am - Board the next bus and fall asleep until the bus's departure.

12:15 and 2 seconds - apologize to Hannah for my rude flash disturbing her slumber.

4:00 am - Bus departs sketchy bus station. Attempt to sleep amongst the bumps.

6:18 am - Wake up to the sound of chickens squawking. Remember that in Africa, chickens frequent bus travel.

2:57 pm - Bus arrives in Beira. Load our packs into cart and follow cart on the "half kilometer walk."

3:22 pm - After walking at least a mile and a half - arrive at destination. Develop a newfound appreciation for accurate distance estimations.

3:23 pm - Pass out.

Mosey to Mozi!!

Thu, 10 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We have been in Mozambique for a few weeks now. We are still working with The Benjamin Project - an organization dedicated to helping men who graduate out of the orphanage system here in Mozambique when they turn 18. It has been a wonderful month for Team Bamboo! Here is a gander into our time here:

When we first met Don, our contact, one of the first questions I asked him was, "do you have any pets?" He just laughed. When we pulled up to his house we were greeted by Dosha and her EIGHT PUPPIES! When we arrived, the puppies were 6 weeks old (now they are almost 9 weeks!), and they are now being sold to loving homes. One of my jobs here this month has been taking care of them. I have a favorite - his name is Bear and he always gets in trouble for breaking all sorts of rules. But look at that face!!

The other puppies are equally adorable...

One of the bigger projects going on at The Benjamin Project is a tree planting EXTRAVAGANZA. They are in the process of planting 2,000 trees on the property for shade and fruit! (Mangoes - yum!) We have spent a good deal of time mastering the art of digging holes. We are currently a really dirty team. (Like really, really dirty.)

We spent one of our days visiting a local orphanage and I fell in love in the baby room with the grumpiest / cutest child in the world. I quickly learned that it was naptime - hence the grumps!

One of my favorite jobs of the month has been painting some of the living quarters on the property. These dorms are either used for guests or for some of the boys after they graduate out of different orphanages. The room went from drab to fab in a matter of hours!

DRAB

FAB!

We are now well into our SEVENTH month on the field, and I am happy to report that our whole team is in good health and pretty high spirits. Thank you all so much for your thoughts, prayers and encouragement!!

Next up - we are heading to Malawi this weekend, and I am going to be very sad to say goodbye to the puppies and humans here.

With the holidays approaching, we have been thinking about home more than usual - know that you guys are being missed big time by yours truly. LOVE J

Chocked Full of Thanks

Wed, 2 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I'm not going to lie. I cried Thanksgiving morning. I missed home. I missed my annual ritual of "helping" my mom bake. I missed beating feet (a St. Michaels tradition). I missed seeing Santa at the end of the Macy's parade. I missed Kelly's Cookies. I (somewhat) missed helping my dad get the table ready. I missed having dinner with my family. I missed my post-turkey-nap. I missed Thanksgiving.

I spent my Thanksgiving in Mozambique. We are working with Project Benjamin - a home dedicated to helping men transition out of orphanages and into the real world after they turn 18. Mainly, we have been planting trees on the property, and doing other odd jobs to help fix the place up. Working with boys who were orphaned at a young age really put things into perspective for me. I have a family to miss.

I don't think there has ever been a year in my life that I have had more to be thankful for. I'm thankful for my family and my friends - I am still convinced that they are the best in the world. I'm thankful for my health - something that I have always taken for granted. (One in four children in Mozambique die before the age of 5, and the life expectancy is 40 years old.) I'm thankful for Team Bamboo - some of the best people on earth. I am thankful for all that I have seen and done and learned thus far this year. God's been good to me.

I am thankful for whoever ends up reading this blog. I am thankful for the daily encouragements, prayers, financial support and love that I get from back home. I am also SUPER thankful that I only have $775 left to raise until I am fully funded for my year. Please keep me in mind over the holidays! You guys are the best in the world. LOVE :)

Oh, Baby Baby!!

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

On November 11^th, 2009, I was spending my afternoon recovering from strep (once again). I was watching "The Office" with some of my teammates - the dinner party episode ... hilarious. Anywho - in walks Pastor Gift asking if anyone would like to accompany a woman down the street to the hospital; her water had just broke. (Side note - it had been 24 hours since I had started my antibiotics, so I was no longer contagious. No worries!) I got super excited at this opportunity and ran to the van. I was joined by a couple other girls and we were off.

On the way to pick up our baby-having friend, we learned more about her story. She turned to prostitution as a result of poverty. She needed money to provide food for her family. Without this money, the children in her family would not have survived. The baby in her tummy is her fifth child - the child of an unknown client. She has already given up her first four children for adoption, and she has been looking for a family for the fifth. She wants to be a mom one day, but knows that the child would starve if she were to keep it and raise it on her own. She is HIV positive. Also - her favorite color is yellow and she loves dogs. She is a good person in a bad situation.

Now, let me just preface this story by telling you that the only birth I have ever been present at was my own.

We picked up our friend to find that she was already quite far along in the baby-having process. Her contractions were less than two minutes apart, and the hospital is over an hour's drive away. I know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about helping someone have a child, but I quickly realized that this little bundle-of-joy was not going to wait for our arrival at the hospital. She was coming soon. Very soon.

The only knowledge that I have in my brain about birthing babies is what I have seen on sitcoms on television. I recalled the Full House episode where Danny coaches Becky though having a baby. I grabbed her hand and just started breathing "hee, hee, who" to the tune of "We Will Rock You," by Queen. Others said coaching words, supported her to be comfortable, and sang songs to distract her from her pain.

Within an hour of leaving "The Office," a baby was born. In the van. While we were driving.

It's a girl! She's beautiful. (And - HIV free.)

While celebrating this new life, we get a flat tire. Because we were in the van for quite a while, the baby was still attached to the cord, and the mother was unable to hold her. We took turns offering the baby our finger to suck on. It was the sweetest thing ever.

They are both doing well. The baby will be going to a center where potential parents are waiting to meet her. We are praying for the mother.

Beautiful things can come out of the crappiest of situations. The mother let us name her baby. We named the baby Hope. Because what the world needs is a little more Hope. Hope for a world without HIV. Hope for a world where women aren't forced to turn to prostitution to feed their families. Hope for Swaziland; even when the rest of the world deems their future "hopeless." There is always Hope - even if she is just a wee little baby.

The Land of Swazi

Sat, 7 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I have been so excited for AFRICA for the past couple of months that I bought The Lion King soundtrack in I-Tunes to prepare myself. (NAAASOOOWANYA!!) When we left Israel and finally made it, I was SO happy!! We spent a couple days in Cairo, Egypt before we made the trek to southern Africa. (Flying out of Israel is quite expensive, so this was the more financially-appropriate answer.) We were excited for the time in Cairo! We spent the day in Giza, touring the pyramids by camel!!

After an overnight flight and a 6 hour bus ride, we finally arrived in Swaziland at the beginning of the week, and I can honestly say that I have never been happier in my life with what I am doing.

Let me paint you a picture of Swazi:

We are living at a "care point" in Nsoko with team S'more. Where we are staying has a school, a medical center, a playground, a soccer field, and a cooking station for the local "Go-go's." A Go-go is a grandmother who works at the care-point cooking meals for the local children. Our care-point has a newly started foster care program. In the program is one "true orphan," and three brothers who have lost their father to AIDS, and their mother is too ill to care for her children any longer. Her outlook is not good.

Our contact is a Swazi-born pastor, named Pastor Gift. He is amazing and 33 years old. The life expectancy is so low here that Pastor Gift is literally considered a senior citizen.

Over half of the population in Swaziland is living with HIV/AIDS.

By 2050, it has been predicted that Swaziland's population will have died out as a result of HIV and AIDS.

The kids are brilliant, hilarious and beautiful. They wear the same outfit every day, and they get one meal per day (if they are lucky). They play with rocks, flat soccer balls, and wheel-less bicycles, and they couldn't be more grateful.

I found a toddler one morning teething on a used tampon applicator. Sorry to be gross, but it's real life.

One day, we were doing a simple Bible Study with ten of the local children. Before we prayed, we asked the children what they would like to thank God for. One little boy, about eight years old, raised his hand and said "I am thankful that I am alive." I am sure I have said this before (and I am, indeed, very thankful for my life), but I don't think I have ever meant it quite in the way that he did.

The land is BEAUTIFUL. It is lush and green, and it is actually quite cool. (I was expecting a scene from "The Lion King," where Scar was in charge, not Mufasa. This is definitely Mufasa's Africa.

To the homeland - I still think about you guys everyday and miss you all the time. Thank you for all that you have done for me. LOVE! :)

The Big Long Blog

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Say that three times fast! Ha!

The title of this blog should warn you of what you are about to get yourself into! BE PREPAAARED!

I do apologize for the large gap between my last blog post and this one. I wasn't slacking, we were merely in areas where it was less-than-cool to be blogging due to religious differences in the area.

As usual, much has happened in the past month. In my last post we were about to leave Bucharest, Romania, and that now seems like eons ago.

After Bucharest, we spent a week camping in Brasov, Romania with the three other WR squads that are currently on the field. It was awesome to get to talk with racers from other squads and to hear of their experiences. It was also awesome to win the dance off. YESSSS!

Here is our victory shot. Please note the formation. We are an "I"!

From Romania we took a 12 hour bus ride to Istanbul, Turkey. Turkey was not on our original race route, but I am so glad that we ended up there for a couple weeks! The whole squad was together, and we had the opportunity to do ethnography research.

What is ethnography you ask? Ethnography is, "a methodological strategy used to provide descriptions of human societies, which as a methodology does not prescribe any particular method." Copyright Wikipedia. Thank you, Wikipedia. Basically - we interviewed people. It was awesome. We ended up getting super close with one of the families that we were interviewing. We helped them with their house-chores!

Nobody had ever informed me that Turkey is so amazing / beautiful!

From Turkey we took a short little plane ride to Tel Aviv, Israel, and I we have been working in Israel for about two weeks now. Our main mission has been focused on rice.

One morning, a truck pulled in front of the house where we are staying - loaded with 26,000 POUNDS of rice, dispersed amongst nearly 800 boxes. We put this rice into storage, by hand!! We were so sore the next day, but we have been using the rice to give to refugees!

It has been an amazing experience to be able to see a lot of the holy places around Israel. Here are some photos from our time here:

NUMBER-CRUNCHER TIME!

I like baseball, so I like stats. Here are some rather fun stats from our time thus far on the race:

1.) Currently, I am sleeping in my 23^rd bed since I have been on the race. This does not count overnight flights or bus rides.

2.) We are sleeping in our eighth country in five months. (Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, America, Ireland, Romania, Turkey, Israel!)

3.) We have taken 8 planes, 2 train rides, and countless bus rides.

4.) We have crossed 9 time zones.

5.) I have wanted to adopt at least 67 different dogs and 94 different cats that I have met on our journey thus far.

Coming up next...

On Thursday, we are leaving Israel and meeting up with the remainder of the squad, and we will be heading to EGYPT for a couple days. I am so excited! We will be spending our Halloween on an overnight plane to South Africa. (I am hoping they allow trick-or-treating up and down the aisles!) From South Africa, we will be heading to SWAZILAND! I am more excited for Swazi than I have been for any other country. Even though I have not yet ever been to Africa, I have always had a heart for it, and I can't wait to experience it.

Support update time!!

I must tell you that when I first got accepted to the World Race (around Christmas of last year) I thought that I was going to have 2 major obstacles in my way: telling my parents and raising $13,800. As it turns out, I had nothing to worry about. Since the initial surprise of my journey, my parents have been nothing less than absolutely AMAZING and supportive. I'm super lucky. And, to date I have received $12,455 in donations. I can't express to you how appreciative I am - the generosity of my friends, family, fellow church members, and even random strangers has been overwhelming and honestly warms my heart. From the bottom of my heart - I thank you! J

I still need to raise $1,345 in order to be fully funded. As the holidays approach, I ask that you keep me in mind. Anything you can give is greatly appreciated, and helps us to be able to help so many people around the world. Already we have fixed up an orphanage in Guatemala, paved a road at an orphanage in Nicaragua, helped out elderly Gypsies in Romania, interviewed different cultures for ethnography research in Turkey, and given out rice to refugees in Israel. AND - we are only halfway there! There is still so much that we can do! J

Finally, I have a happy announcement to make!

I got an email on Friday morning from my dear brother, Alden, asking me if I was ready to have another member on our family tree. Attached to the email was a picture of a cute little hand with a ring on it. Sadly, my deductive reasoning skills are not that sharp, and it took me an embarrassingly long time to realize what he was getting at. HE PROPOSED TO HIS GIRLFRIEND! (AND SHE SAID YES!)

I love my brother, and I love my Sarah. I wish I could be there to congratulate you guys in person, but I am sending you a ton of love from the Middle East. I can't wait for the wedding, and I am so happy for you guys!! Sarah - welcome to the family. J You have always supported me from day one, and you have been so encouraging throughout this whole process! I love you a whole heap and I am SO excited to have a sister-in-law!! Alden - thank you for constantly (anonymously) supporting my "vacation" and being an overall wonderful big brother. I love you and I miss you every day. And don't worry - I know you're missing me too.

To the homeland - I found some graffiti artwork to help me express my feelings.

Thank you guys so much for all the emails, comments, prayers, support and encouraging words. I literally could not do this without all of you, and I truly can't tell you how thankful I am. You guys are the BEST!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POP!!

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Happy Birthday Daddy-o!!

You are the best and I hope you have an amazing day :)
Please enjoy this unique "tour" of Istanbul.
I love you and I miss you everyday.

"There's No I in I-Squad"

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Disclaimer: this is a rather long blog. If you just gander at the pictures, I would understand. I usually do the same thing.

As you will read, we have done a lot this month. But, perhaps the most important thing that we did was further come together as a squad. We have been able to spend a lot of time together and really make big strides towards our goal of community. I love you guys :)

We will be leaving Casa Shalom on Monday to go to a conference of all the World Race squads currently on the field. We will be there for a couple of days, and then we will be headed to Israel in a week! I can't believe four months have gone by. While at the conference - I-Squad will be competing in a dance off. We have been practicing hard, and can't wait to win!

We have gone through many changes as a squad this month. Perhaps the biggest of the changes for me is that there is no longer a Team NEON. I loved my team, and I was starting to see them as a second family. There will always be a NEON-colored spot on my heart.

One of the big lessons I am learning on this World Race is that change is a good thing. Will Miller is no longer my team leader - he is now sharing his awesomeness with Team in.tent.city, and our Matt Ruple has stepped up as leader! I am lucky to have been able to work with such fine gentlemen as my leaders! And, I am now team finance person. (Whaaat!?) We also gained the fabulous Kaleb Poth.

Without further ado, I would like to introduce you to...

The Bamboo Brigade

"Ducks fly together."

We live near a bowling alley, and bowling was our first "Bamboo" activity. I am not ashamed to admit that I was only 193 pins away from bowling the perfect game. If you're wondering about our outfits, no worries, we know we look good.

The name "Bamboo Brigade" was chosen because bamboo is an amazing plant and alliteration is awesome - I never knew so much about bamboo! Here are some bamboo facts to enlighten you:

Bamboo is the fastest growing plant on planet Earth. Some species have been measured to grow over four feet in 24 hours.

Bamboo has incredible strength. Bamboo structures have been known to withstand 9.0 megnitude earthquakes.

Bamboo is twice as stable as oak.

It's also pretty and pandas eat it - so it's a winner in my book!

Now you know! :)

Things at Casa Shalom have been going swimmingly - we have been doing a variety of work around Bucharest! I am picking up new skills I never tought I would. Example: white-washing apple trees. (So the bugs can't NOM NOM NOM NOM the delicious apples!)

We have also been working with children from around Bucharest, and we got to spend a day hanging out with the girls from a local women's home. We have done a variety of things, and it has definitely been an awesome month! :) Here are some random pictures from our time here:

This is probably irrevelant, but I am totally in love with one of the dogs that live here. His name is Poofy. I want him.

The children here swear that this dog is Poofy's mother:

I think they are lying.

Here's a good story: Last night we were in downtown Bucharest, helping out our contact, Becky, with a project her church was doing in the city. There were two young girls, about 6 and 8, circling our group and smoking cigarettes. Literally smoking at 6 and 8 years old. Their clothes were rough and their hair was a mess. They tried to take things we were holding and I looked at them and thought, "wow, they are annoying."

After they left, I couldn't stop thinking about them. What kind of life must they be living to be on the streets of a crazy city - smoking cigarettes and taking whatever they can from strangers? Thinking about this broke my heart - and the rest of Team Bamboo was feeling the same way. We went and found the girls and asked if we could buy them McDonald's.

The girls were sooo excited! One of the girls, Denisa, grabbed my hand and kept saying "diapers." I ended up taking her to the store and buying her diapers and a baby bottle and shampoo and various other personal care items that she pointed out. I was wondering why she would need diapers. As I was saying goodbye to her at the bus stop, and I found a woman who could translate for me. The translator asked me, "Do you know who this girl is? She is a Gypsy. Why would you buy her all these things? Do you even know what she is going to do with it?"

For the rest of the night, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I love the Gypsy people - Denisa wouldn't take advantage of me, right? I thought I would never see her again, until I saw someone running towards me and yelling my name a few hours later. It was Denisa. Carrying her little sister. She just kept pointing at her and yelling "diapers!" She shoved the baby into my arms and was smiling from ear to ear - and then I thought about it. She turned down a meal for herself to get diapers for her baby sister. The sister that she cares for alone on the streets of Bucharest. Once again, my heart broke. I held the baby and we hung out with the girls for the rest of the evening. I couldn't believe that I had once looked at them and thought "wow, they are annoying." I had a complete change of heart. A lesson learned. The end.

Thanks for all of your prayers, encouragement and financial support! It still means the world to me - and I am getting so close to my financial goal! :) Love, love, love back to home :)

Its the Mustard Blog ...

Sun, 6 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's the Mustard Blog ...

Cause I'm catching you up! Relish in it. You mayo-naise like this post. Or not.

Since my last post there have been changes galore. We were informed towards the end of our last month that we wouldn't be going to Ukraine. So now, here I am in Bucharest, Romania living with the whole squad. Teams are undergoing significant changes at the moment, and the past week has been filled with some tough goodbyes. Also, the strep monster has decided to attack my throat. Silly monster.

On Monday, we left our friends (furry and human) in Viile Tecii. We had a pizza-party with families from around the village. These goodbyes were the hardest goodbyes on the race yet. Here are some pictures from the end of our time there:

We are now living in a beeeeautiful place called Casa Shalom. Our whole squad is spread out amongst a rather swanky building complete with a gym and wireless internet. Luxuries we have not had in a few months! We have been spending our days helping out with a kids camp here - teaching English, arts and crafts, sports and songs.

When we first arrived to Casa Shalom we had the ambitious task of arranging hundreds of boxes in donations. Later, these donations will be sold to support the ministry here. Needless to say - fashion shows were necessary. I am now the proud owner of a Goodyear jumpsuit.

I-Squad is currently looking a lot different than it was a week ago. Teams are undergoing reconstruction, leadership positions are changing, and we are now three members smaller. Rachel Richard has decided to return to Nicaragua. During her time there she fell in love with the children and the country, and she will be staying there until at least May. We also said two sad goodbyes to Taylor Griffith and NEON member Megan Johns. Taylor has returned to Georgia and Megan has headed to South Africa. Please keep these three in your thoughts and prayers. And guys - know that you are being missed. Big time.

Ben - This picture shows how much I adore thee. I love you. Love, Robert :)

When I checked my support account the other day I was happy to learn that I have now received a total of $12,230 in donations. This is AMAZING. I am still in need of $1,570 to be fully funded. To those who have supported me - I love you and I could never thank you enough. You are fabulous!!

Much love back to the homeland - I am missing you guys a lot! Love you mucho.

You are now caught up to speed. Vroooom.

Stella.

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

God gave me a heart for skinny dogs and orphaned kids; this is undeniable. They break my heart constantly. But - it's a new sensation for me to be heart-broken over an elderly woman and her daughter.

There is a family that lives two doors down from us in the Gypsy village of Viile Tecii. The mother, Anutsa, is adorable. She is in her 70's, loves her garden, and she is the proud mother of Stella. If you were to gander at Stella, you would think she is about to birth a child any day. Sadly, it's not a baby in her stomach. It's a cancerous tumor and fluid.

While running the other morning, I ran into Stella - waiting alone for the bus to take her into the city to have her stomach drained for the second time this week. She lifted her shirt and showed me her stomach - bulging and covered in scars from her recent surgeries. My heart sank. In broken English, I learned that her prognosis is not good. The cancer is obviously in a late stage, and is taking over her body. She is only 52. And she is all her mother has.

Not knowing what to do and feeling so helpless can be super frustrating. So, Kelly and I did what we do best ... we showed up that afternoon with ice cream. We sat with them and enjoyed our tasty frozen treats and laughed at the language barrier - and in those minutes Stella and Anutsa were happy. When we left they cried as they kissed us goodbye and repeatedly told us, "I love you," and "you're beautiful." Stella ran into her house and came back with her favorite tea for us to have.

We are continuing to visit Stella and Anutsa each day. They tell people in the village that we are angels, and they always greet us with hugs, smiles and kisses.

Someone recently told me that my biggest gift is also my biggest curse. Having a heart that cares can be quite painful - and this is proving to be especially true on this journey. It sucks at times. I get frustrated because I can't fix it all - I can't even begin to. I can't cure the cancer, feed all the skinny dogs, or adopt all the orphans. But, I am learning that sometimes the least you can do can be the world to someone.

Bottom line? All you need is love. And a little ice cream.

Romania Mania!!

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When first gandering at our race route, I never felt any excitement towards Romania. Nonewhatsoever. And now that I am here, I am completely in love with the land and it's people.

Romania is beautiful. We are living with John Fracker, a missionary from the United States, and his wife and son. They are an amazing family and have shown us nothing but love and incredible hospitality since we arrived. We are staying in a Gypsy village called Viile Tecii. (Fun fact: We are about a half hour away from Bistrita - where Dracula was written!) John told us that the Gypsies in Romania are basically viewed how African Americans were back in the days of segregation. It makes me sad to think about - these people have been nothing less than incredible towards us since we have arrived. We go running down the street and people run into the road offering us fruit, they invite us inside to meet their entire families, and they give us everything in spite of the fact that they don't have much to give. It's touching. And something you would rarely encounter in America. Think about it - can you imagine seeing a jogger and immediately going to your fridge to run him down and offer him a plum? It's awesome.

We have been busy beavers during our time here. We have been working on random construction projects for the families around the village, volunteering at an orphanage, organizing a daily Kids Club for the children of the village, and helping out at the Sunday church services. We have also been spending a lot of time just getting to know the families around the village. We are building some fantastic relationships here.

In more personal news, I have fallen in love. His name? Adi. He's tall (for his age), dark, and incredibly handsome. I should also mention that he is four years old. We met at the orphanage, and it was love at first sight. For me, at least. The language barrier presents communication difficulties, so I am unsure of his exact thoughts. But true love needs no words. He is in great care at this orphanage - he is well clothed, well fed, and most importantly - well loved. Once again, I am finding myself broken hearted in another new country; I am already dreading the day we leave.

I must admit, Romanian food is delicious. We spent a night learning how to make Romanian donuts. I am only slightly ashamed to say that I consumed 12 during our baking session.

Our Mondays are our days off, and this past Monday John took us to a salt lake. The lake contains insane amounts of salt - you literally float without effort. Shortly after our arrival we found mud and decided to cover ourselves and pretend it was a spa. Heather Duke documented this event - here are some of her amazing photos.

My mom always tells me that she expects to come home one day to find packages on the door step containing small animals and children that I find along my way and want to adopt. In addition to Adi, she will probably soon find this little fella.

We are all very much looking forward to our next two weeks here in Viile Tecii. Please continue to keep us in your prayers, and thanks so much for your support and encouragement! :) God is good. All the time. And everywhere.

Love love love :)

A Whole New Wooorld ... Don't You Dare Close Your Eyes!!

Fri, 7 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Nothing like a little Aladdin to get this blog party started!!

So, I do apologize that it has been quite some time since my last blog post. The past couple weeks have been crazy!!

We said a sad goodbye to our friends at the orphanage in Nicaragua (as well as the rest of Central America) - I really enjoyed our time there. I am learning that this journey is going to be jam packed with goodbyes, and I am not a fan of goodbyes. But, I am very thankful for our two months of Central America. We were able to meet some amaaaazing people and help out many in need. We finished our road!! :) We are hoping that it is a big help to the residents of the Cicirin Orphanage! Here are some pictures from our last week there:

We left from Managua, Nicaragua and three planes and five time zones later, we arrived in Dublin, Ireland. Now, Ireland is not one of our "eleven countries," but we spent a week there as an entire squad for a week of debrief. It was incredible to spend a week relaxing and camping with all of I-Squad, and I absolutely fell in love with Ireland. The people are amazing, and everywhere you look is a breath-taking view. It was a completely different world from what we have grown used to, however! Suddlenly, everything was insanely expensive and everyone spoke english. Quite a transition! Here are some photos from around Galway, Ireland where we spent our week:

One day, some of the squad went on a tour of the Cliffs of Moher, which is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. That night, we went to see the new Harry Potter, and we were so happy to see that part of Harry Potter was filmed at the Cliffs of Moher!! We were so excited!! Observe:

We left Ireland yesterday and took a three hour flight (and switched two more time zones) and we have finally made it to Romania!! From the airport in Bukarest, we took a 6 hour bus ride to the Transylvania region and we are staying with an amazing family in a Gypsy village. The Gypsy people are the outcasts of the Romanian society, and they have shown us nothing but love since we have arrived. I am SO excited to get to know them better and learn more about them. We do not yet know the full details of our mission this month, but we do know that we will be working at an orphanage and doing construction for families around the village.

Soo, going from a volcano island in Nicaragua to a Gypsy village in Romania is definitely a whole new world. And, both are, indeed, shining, shimmering and splendiiiiid.

Thank you SOOO much to those of you who are continuing to support me through your donations and encouraging words. Things have been going swimmingly, and I do hope that you will keep my squad in your prayers that things will continue to go so well. As always, much love to you guys :) love you to the moon.

How to Pave a Road.

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

... Nicaragua Style!!

Step One: Shovel copious amounts of dirt... or not.

Step Two: Get distracted by rediculously cute baby pigs.

Step Three: Request ride in wheel barrel. Get denied ride. AND lose fight with gravity.

Step Four: Inquire whereabouts of missing flock.

Step Five: Paving a road is hard. Give sweeping a whirl.

Step Six: Pose with shovel.

Step Seven: Never give up on finding your flock.

Step Eight: Secure cement immortality.

Step Nine: Admire art.

Step Ten: Play with the most adorable kids in the world.

We are entering our last week in Central America, and next Thursday we will be heading for Europe!! Our time here has been amazing, but we are looking forward to our first continent switch. Please continue to keep our squad in your thoughts and prayers, and as always - much love to the homeland. Love you and missing you!! :)

Hola Nicaragua!!

Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

After many road bumps and detours, we have finally made it to Nicaragua! We are staying on an island in the middle of Big Lake Nicaragua. The island is called Ometepe, and is made up of two volcanoes. It is AMAZING! :) There are animals everywhere, and tons of lovely foliage. (Bruce and Char - I met a bird!! He is sassy and his name is Joe.)

We have been working with Team Azariah and living at an orphanage. The orphanage is beautiful and the kids are hilarious. For the past few days, we have been doing construction around the area and playing with the kids during our free time. Our main task has been to pave a road (by hand) that leads up to the girls dormitory. I am ashamed to say that I have no prior road-paving experience, but I am becoming quite dangerous with a shovel and some cement.

Team NEON is all doing well - I am happy to say that currently everyone is healthy!! We had a mini-photo shoot the other day. I assure you that we are much more functional than we appear.

Support update time! I currently have $11,110 in my account, which is AMAZING. I still need just under $3,000 to cover the cost of my entire year abroad. I would love it if you would consider making a donation, or sharing my information with a friend or family member. As always, thank you SO SO much for your support and encouragement - it means the world to me.

Love to the homeland :) miss you guys a ton!

Not so much!

Sun, 5 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My last post was titled, Adios Guatemala, and I was mistaken! I am learning that few things in life are constant - death, taxes, and usually bowel movements. However, the number one thing in life that is constant? Change! Because of current political situations in Honduras, we have been re-routed to Antiqua, Guatemala for the past week. It has been AMAZING!

Throughout the week, we have been volunteering in a local special needs hospital for children. The kids were amazing and broke my heart, but it was awesome to get to hang out with them and help with meals and such. (Because of epilepsy I was unable to take photos, but I assure you that they were adorable.)

Many people ask, Jeepers Kel, why is it called the World RACE? And until yesterday, I was unsure. But, our squad finally participated in its first race! The race aspect of The World Race is basically a competition in each country - such as a scavenger hunt. I am mildly ashamed to report that Team NEON came in sixth place. Out of six. But we definitely had the most fun!!

Today we got to climb an ACTIVE volcano, and it was INCREDIBLE. It was definitely physically challenging, but it was amazing to get to the top and see the views - and we roasted marshmallows on the lava! I lav-ed it. Hahaha.

To my former college roommates - I miss you and love you, and apparently there is a Yellow House in Guatemala!

Also, I found Guss Annes Guatemalan cousin. No lie.

As of right now, we have plans to leave in the morning for Nicaragua. We are going to be working with Team Azariah, and we will be working in an orphanage for the month! We are super excited! Please keep our squad in your prayers, as we will be driving through Honduras. Thanks so much! Love!!

Adios Guatemala!

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Our time in Guatemala is coming to an end, and we will be leaving on Tuesday and heading south for Nicaragua!! We are pretty excited, but at the same time it is sad to leave. I have really enjoyed our time here, and getting to know the people in Puerto Barrios.

We are continuing to work hard. One morning, we went to help out at the local market. We were helping families in need, and my friend Scott and I got to help an elderly couple by putting charcoal into small bags that they could later sell. I must say that this is a task I never thought I would encounter on the World Race. Needless to say, it was a good time and we used the charcoal as war paint. We have also been continuing to visit the orphanage and do other random tasks around Puerto Barrios. Our missions this month have been rather sporadic, but it has been amazing to be able to help so many people.

Throughout this week, we took manual labor to a whole new level. Our mission was to help a small community in building their church, however a mountain was in the way. We were literally told to, "move the mountain." I have now developed my skills in using a pick axe. I have requested one for Christmas from my parents.

Health wise, things are not going as swimmingly as they were. Please send good vibes towards our squad. On Team NEON alone, we have a case of Typhoid, Dengue, and two intestinal infections. Boo! I was blessed with one of the intestinal infections, so I got to experience modern medicine in a third world country. They took my temperature in my arm pit! A big amen that this passed quickly, and I am now feeling better.

For all you history nerds, some of us had the AMAZING opportunity to visit Tikal. For all you non-history nerds, Tikal is basically the capital of the Mayan world. We got to see many temples and ruins - it was incredible!

If you would like to see where we are living, please watch the video that Kelly K-Ramp posted on her blog!! Pretty awesome hosting job if you ask me. I smell an Emmy. http://kellykramp.theworldrace.org/?filename=our-neon-palace-video

ALSO - the amazing Kramp also made a video that sums up our time in Guatemala, and it is superb if you ask me. Please view. Thank you. http://kellykramp.theworldrace.org/?filename=guatemala-video

Please continue to keep our squad in your thoughts in prayers. I'm missing you guys!! Thanks for all the love and support!! Adios :)

Holy Guate-moly.

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Things are continuing to go well in Guatemala! We are keeping busy, and have been doing a variety of work throughout our time here. We have spent a lot of this past week fixing up some churches in the area, and continuing our work in the orphanage. I am becoming really talented with a paint brush. Please note my talent below.

Team NEON is doing well! We have been collectively battling random ailments, but currently everyone seems healthy. Here is Matt representing Team Neon.

As our schedule is now, we have two days off a week. We spend our Sundays resting and doing laundry, etc. Our Thursdays have become our Fun Days, and time to have fun and explore as a team. We spent last Thursday playing in some amazing springs, and we spent this past Thursday at an incredible resort, complete with water slides.

On a more serious note, Guatemala is not always beautiful. In fact, sometimes it's heart-breaking, disgusting, and disturbing. Yesterday, our mission seemed simple. We learned of families living in a place that translates to, "Trash City," so we decided to make sandwiches and give them out to children living in this area. So, we made 50 peanut butter and honey (yum!) sandwiches and packed 15 people into the back of a cargo van (aka The Mobile Oven) and we were on our way. On the way to Trash City, we got a flat tire (our second of the trip), and had to walk the remaining mile to the dump. Yesterday it was about 97 degrees, and extremely humid.

As we turned the corner to the dump, we were hit by absolutely the worst sight I have ever seen. The smell was horrid. There were thousands of flies, hundreds of bees, and children living amongst this scene. They were super skinny and wearing tattered clothes. I was so nauseated by everything that I literally vomited multiple times. Then I was stung by a bee. And this was within three minutes of walking into an area that many people call home. I was crying, and my heart was totally shattered for these people.

I was so sick and bothered by everything that I had to leave the dump early. Not surprisingly to me, many of my teammates were feeling the same way, and they left with me. We waited at the end of the driveway for our ride to come pick us up. Because I had been getting sick, I was given the honor of "shotgun," and sat next to a woman who spoke no english. On the ride home she looked at me and saw that I was sick, and she grabbed my hand and started praying for me. I didn't know what to think. I felt like a failure because I was supposed to be helping these children, and I got so sick that I couldn't do it. And then I was the one needing help. It was a rough afternoon.

I'm better now, and still loving the World Race, even though at times it is extremely difficult. The theme song of I-Squad has become a lovely song called, "Hosanna." My favorite line in the song is, "Break my heart for what breaks Yours." And that's exactly what God is doing. We plan to go back to the dump during our last week here in Guatemala and try again. We will be more prepared for the shock of the poverty and living conditions there, and we are hoping to bring some love (and sandwiches!) to the children living in such a dark area.

Please keep our team and squad in your prayers as we prepare for our last week here in Guatemala. Next week, we will be making our first country switch to Nicaragua! Your prayers, emails, messages, and support have been absolutely AMAZING and I am so thankful!

And finally, a HAPPY HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to Ray. You are the best, and I love and miss you everyday. Please enjoy my fourth grade art work as a symbol of my love. It is way better than Alden's card I'm sure.

Guaaaaatemala is Good, Great, Grand! :)

Tue, 9 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

GREETINGS :) :)

We spent our first week in Guatemala in Panajachel, and we have since dispersed all over the country. During our time in Panajachel, we were able to spend a lot of time with the rest of I SQUAD and we learned more about what we are going to be doing during our 11 months on the World Race.

I am happy to report that all of Team NEON is all doing well :) As proof, here we are below pretending to be a boy band.

We were also able to celebrate our first birthday on the field!! Will Miller, our wonderful team leader, turned 23 last week, and we had an awesome time. His birthday happened to fall on the day that our whole squad got to spend at this amazing resort! We went swimming and had a blast. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen.

This past Saturday, Team NEON said goodbye to the remainder of I Squad, and we headed to Puerto Barrio, Guatemala. It took us all day by bus, and we are now living along the Caribbean coast. We are teamed up with Agape8 for the month, so there are now 15 of us together, living in a pretty sweet house sharing one bathroom. We are learning how things work on the World Race. Everything from living on $3.75 a day, to learning to embrace the smell of sweat. Guatemala is hot, hot, hot. We have been working hard! We are going to be spending a lot of time working in an orphanage here, which is amaaaazing! I love the kids, they are so happy to hang out with us, and they show no mercy when we play soccer. I got schooled by a ten year old today.

Oh, and I love the animals here. Geckos are everywhere promoting cheap car insurance, and the cows here have rabbit ears. Awesome.

To those of you who have been sending encouraging words and prayers, thank you SOO much, it means the world to me. Please keep our squad in your prayers! Hope all is well back in the homeland! Miss and love you guys!

Guatemala Pictures! :)

Tue, 2 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I just wanted to share with you some pictures from Guatemala!! It rains cats and dogs here - I have even stepped in a few poodles bahaha!!

So far things here are great! We are staying in this awesome hotel with showers and electricity - we are totally getting spoiled. We are spending a lot of time with our team, and I am happy to report that all of TEAM NEON is doing awesome. We have been eating a lot of rice and tacos, and I have fallen in love with an ice cream stand. Oh, and I found Snickers bars. YUM!

I will leave you with some photos of the beautiful sights around Guatemala! :) (See that smiley face?? I TOTALLY figured out these Spanish keyboards! Booyah!) Love love love! :)

GUATE, GUATE, GUATEMALA!!!!

Mon, 1 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Just a quick update to let everyone know that we made it to Guatemala safely!! It took three planes, 24 hours, a bus, and a partridge in a pear tree to get us here, and it is amazing! We are staying at Lake Atitlan for the week, and it is absolutely beautiful! The mountains and the people are awesome and it is so good to be back with the rest of I SQUAD!! We will all be here together for the week, and at the end of the week we will split up in our teams and go off on our mission for the week! Things are wonderful here! Hope all is well back at home!!

Sorry for the exclaimation point overload! Normally, I would have added a lot of smiley faces but I can not seem to locate the proper keys on this Spanish keyboard! Love you guys!

HELLOOO E DAY!!

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hi friends!! What time is it? Update tiiime!

A. If you need a translation, "E Day" = 5 days!! Five. Five days. Five days footlooong. (Ha!!)

It hasn't really hit me that we are leaving this Saturday, and I'm hoping it hits me soon. In less than a week I will be in Guatemala - which is only the first let of our eleven leg journey. That's three more legs than an octopus... quite a lot of legs. And quite freaky to imagine.

2. At this point I don't really know what I am. I suppose that if I were a recipe, I would be:

2 parts excitement

1 part nervousness

1 part scaredy-cat

I would also be super delicious, but that's not the point.

D. The past couple weeks have been filled with goodbyes and getting myself ready for the next 11 months. I have never been good at goodbyes, and I am also REALLY bad at packing. So needless to say I haven't really been thriving during the past couple weeks!

Please take a look at the current state of my room: (Sorry mom!)

And this photo is from one of my hardest goodbyes yet. These are four of my best friends from McDaniel - probably four of the coolest people could will ever meet.

I keep reminding myself that on the other side of each goodbye there is a hello. So, goodbyes to all my friends and family leads to hellos to TEAM NEON and I-SQUAD, and I can't wait to see you guys!!

PERIOD.

Haha - name that mooovie. You get a point if you do.

And a happy, happy, happy birthday to my big brother :)

And, just because this is a schmorgasborg-blog (a schmorgasBLOG if you will), I would like to share with you some other pictures that I have taken with my new digital camera!! It was my present to myself from the government. And I am having copious amounts of fun with it.

HAPPY P DAY!!!

Fri, 15 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

On Cinco de Mayo Will Miller and I realized that there were 26 days left until the start of our race. We also realized that there are 26 letters in the alphabet. Coincidence? I think NOT. It was on May 5 that we decided to do a backwards-alphabet countdown to May 31. Ladies and gentlemen - I would like to wish you a Happy P Day!! (FYI - we are counting down backwards because we are counting down to the beginning of something, not the end. Will Miller and I are bursting with wisdom.)

I would like to update you on what has happened between Z day and P day.

Numero Uno -

A financial update. A big AMEN to the fact that I currently have $10,251 in my account. This is more than what I need to launch at the end of this month, and I have until the end of November to raise the remaining $3,549. This is SO do-able, and makes me SO happy. Thank you to all of you who have supported me financially - you are AWESOME.

Numero Dos -

I chopped off my hair!! I decided that it would be a good time to donate my hair, as it will be much less for me to maintain on the race. SO, I chopped off 11 whole inches and donated it to Beautiful Lengths - a program that makes wigs for cancer patients. It's a big change, but I am starting to like the short doo.

Numero Tres -

I am done work and I have moved home! My beautiful co-workers at Kennedy Krieger (a special needs resource center) threw me the most lovely going away lunch - complete with the best lasagna EVER, and an ice cream sundae bar. It was a great place to work, and they were awesome and encouraging with my trip. Also, I am now living back in St. Michaels with my parents, and I couldn't be happier. It has been amazing to be able to focus on what I need to get done and spend time with my family!

Numero Cuatro -

Not all numeros are good numeros. Sadly, my SEVEN YEAR OLD goldfish, Carl, passed away this week. He was SEVEN - let's focus on that. This man lived a good life. And, as far as I could tell, he was a happy guy. He was also a carnival fish. I am pretty sure he deserves media attention for his longevity.

Numero Cinco -

This numero should not surprise anyone. But, The Oriole's remain in last place. I want this numero to change.

That is all my numeros for the moment. I love you all :)

Team NEON :)

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This morning in church, there was some type of conspiracy between God and the pastor, because it seemed like she was looking and talking right to me the entire time. I tried to avoid eye contact, but she stared me down and won the battle. A good part of her sermon was about abandonment, and I couldn't help but think about my wonderful team; Team NEON. (I feel that it is mandatory to always write "Team NEON" in obnoxiously bright colors.) What I didn't explain in my first post about my team was that NEON is actually an acronym. It stands for Now Everyone Owns Nothing. Abandonment was also a major theme of training camp. ("Abandonment" is stalking me!) We are literally leaving behind all of our loved ones and everything we own to embark on this journey around the world to help people. It is a super scary, yet wonderful, thought.

My pastor's closing words were so awesome that I stole a pen from my cute old man neighbor and wrote them down:

Love the Lord.

Love the world.

Work for nothing.

Take all you have and be poor.

Amen.

How right on is that?!? Told you... total conspiracy.

I will leave you with some pictures of my beautiful (slash handsome) TEAM NEON :)

George Michael was right...

Tue, 7 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

You gotta have faith, baby.

I spent last week in Georgia meeting the 34 people that I am going to be spending the next 11 months of my life with. I was SO nervous. They were strangers from all over the world.

It didn't take long for the strangers to turn into friends. And it took even shorter for those friends to turn into family. God is good. So good, so good, SO GOOD! (Sweeeeeet Caroline, bum, bum, bum!)

Mid-way through the week, we were broken down into our teams. And, I am happy to say that I am a proud member of Team NEON (aka the coolest team EVER).

This is Team NEON - Marissa, Matt, Will, Megan, Kelly, Me (Kel), and Kristin. What an attractive group!!

Marissa - My bunk-mate from day one. I like Marissa because she never complained about picking up all of my gear that I dropped from my bunk onto hers, and she is so easy going. I admire her independence and her "go with the flow" attitude.

Matt - One of my favorite people ever. Matt is quiet, but is perhaps one of the funniest people I have ever met. I love talking to him as well as harassing him. I love him because he tolerates my harassment with a smile.

Will - Oh, Will Miller. From the first minutes of team-building day, I made it VERY clear that I wanted to work under the leadership of Will Miller. He is a Yankee Hater (amen!) and I love his ability to be a hilarious leader while earning total respect from his team. Mad props to Will's parents for raising such a cool dude.

Megan - Megan always ensures that we wear our seat belts, and she always ensures that everyone is having a good time. Her laugh NEVER fails to make me laugh. And I love these things about her. Can't wait to travel the world with her :)

Kelly - Oh, Kelly Kramp. That is right - I am Kelly Nicole RAMPmeyer, and she is Kelly Nicole K-RAMP. Let's focus on how cool that is for a moment. Ahh. Kelly is one of the nicest people I have ever met - she is freaking adorable and is always upbeat and ready for whatever is coming her way. I love her spunk and feisty-ness.

Kristin - I can not say enough nice things about Kristin. She has one of the biggest hearts in the world, and she is just such a loving person. I am still getting used to having a member of the paparazzi around, but her knack for photography is amazing!!

I could say a million nice things about everyone on the I-SQUAD, and I am so blessed to even know them. Can't wait to see what the next eleven months will bring, but I have the faith that God's got it. And AMEN to that!

I would like to thank God ... and google.

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

(I am currently watching the Academy Awards, hence the title.)

We were asked to write a blog about how we were called to the World Race. And, well, here's my story...

Since I was a wee little lad, I knew that I wanted to travel the world and help people. Initially, I thought that the Peace Corps was the program for me. After going through the application process, and learning more about the program, I began to develop many hesitations. The Peace Corps is an amazing program, but it scared me to be away from home for 27 months, in a country without a team along with me, and I also was apprehensive about being in one country doing the same thing for such a great length of time. I decided to put my application on hold while I pursued other options.

One day, while I was supposed to be working, I found myself googling, "mission's programs." I was led to the AIM website where I was immediately interested in the, "eleven countries in eleven months" advertisement. The more I read, the more I loved the sound of this program. A shorter length of time, with a group of people, doing a variety of tasks in a variety of places, all the while serving God... holla!

The more I pursued the World Race, the more I knew that it was the next step that God wanted me to take in my life. So many things were falling into place, the lease on my apartment even ends on the exact date of the program launch! I couldn't be more excited about this opportunity - it combines so many of my passions. I can't wait! :)

Great Expectations

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

90% of the time, I am so excited about this mission's opportunity that it is all I can think about, and I am sure my roommates are sick of hearing me talk about it! So, for the most part, I am usually thinking about the amazing things that I am inevitably going to encounter - seeing the world, serving God's people, working with my amazing teammates, and experiencing the opportunity of a lifetime.

Then, there comes that dreaded other 10% of the time. On these days, which I now lovingly refer to as my, "Anxiety Days," I think about the other side of this opportunity. There are going to be challenges. I have never been away from my friends and family for this long of a time - and I am very close with them. Homesickness is going to be a big battle for me. However, I am sure that there will be things to distract me from this - living in a new country every month, experiencing poverty, moving far away from the comforts of America, and simply the challenge of forming a community amongst 59 strangers.

During one of my rotten, "Anxiety Days," I got one of those silly forwards at work. It was advertising that if I passed along the email to 43 people in less than 5 minutes then my Prince Charming would show up in 27 minutes. (By the way - totally false - what in the world would a prince be doing in my office?) ANYWAY - at the bottom of this lovely email was a quote. The Will of God will never lead you to where the Grace of God will not protect you. While I didn't get my prince charming out of this email experience, I did get my new motto. ("What's a motto?" "Nothing, what's a motto with you?!") (Side note - if you know that movie, you're automatically awesome in my book.)

I know I am going to be challenged, but I also know that this is where I want to be, and, more importantly, that this is where God wants me to be. He wouldn't steer me wrong. I can't wait to embark on this journey, to meet my team, and to see what God has in store for us.

To my future team - I am praying for you! May your "Anxiety Days" be few and far between!