Six guys and three days and a back to nature adventure. And hanging out with just guys is a very different experience than when girls are around. The nature of the conversation changes, we relax more, etc. For most of the time on the trip, I wore just a hat and a bathing suit... wearing shoes only when necessary. It was a very liberating feeling... kind of like a Huck Finn free-spirit. Most of the others guys wore about the same. Over the three days, we spent a lot of time talking and joking around. It was great to hang out with Luke and Brandon while also getting to know Adam, Rubin, and Luther. We all have different personalities and interests. We packed up Friday afternoon in Springfield and headed down to Yellville, AR to pick ... read more

These were my last two days in Quito, which I spent with the Douces and at Casa Gabriel. Over the two days, I wrapped up my work and gave Phil a report on some of my ideas for improving some of the organizational aspects of Casa Gabriel. Spending time with the Douces was great. We played ping-pong, watched Funniest Home Videos, ate dinner together, and talked a lot... and one evening Phil and I talked for over an hour about a lot of different things... missionary life, religion and Christianity, family, and even politics. The second day Phil, the boys, and I played soccer for about two hours at the Alliance Academy. Great fun. I really felt the altitude (around 9,000 feet)... breathing hard but not feeling like I was getting enough oxygen. Eventually, I seemed ... read more

Okay, new argument... lonely hotel room vs. a dorm room with three loud, snoring men (one of whom was sick and coughing) in a poorly ventilated room... I´m leaning toward the lonely hotel room. With four hours of Spanish lessons and going out to Casa Gabriel every day (plus studying and socializing), I am opting for the private room (still at the Secret Garden... they have both types of rooms). It is about $18 (vs. $7) a night, but I think it will be worth it. Plus, last night in the dorm room, I ended up talking to a UK guy for two and a half hours... everything from Africa, to business, to capitalism (vs. socialism, feudalism, etc.), to traversing South America, and a host of other topics. Interesting as it is, he definitely loved to ... read more

Not much to say about the trip down - four flights, sleep deprivation, actually slept through a take-off (second time ever). I arrived around 8:30 PM and got to the Secret Garden hostal (www.secretgardenquito.com) around 10:00 PM. The cab ride was normal... but I kept wondering if he was taking me to the right place. The hostal is quite the experience. Five floors with the top floor being a terrace overlooking the Old Town (more colonial architecture). I stayed up a few hours, got a coke/rum/lime drink (it does have a name, but I forget) and hung out with the other travelers on the terrace... a crazy bunch... I met people from the UK, USA, Australia, and Holland. I think some have been or will be touring about for over a year. So, I'm staying in ... read more

Well, wow, what can you say? New Orleans is unique and scenes of the Katrina disaster are blended with scenes a revitalized community - new homes, refurbished homes, businesses open, contractors (and non-profits and mission groups) all over the place. Day 1 - In-transit We started out on Sunday morning (Jan. 28) at 6:00 AM -- 9 degrees F. We drove and drove (a rather, thankfully, uneventful trip except for a random tray that broke part of the van's grill and dented the radiator) and arrived at the volunteer village in Luling, LA around 8:30 PM. They went through the rules of the camp, what we would be doing, the status of the relief effort, and about the camp in general. We also met the people on staff. I also got situated in my little villa ... read more