I hope everyone had a pleasant reading week in February. You are about to embark on the experiences some of your peers had during their week off from school. This issue of GrebelSpeaks is devoted to telling everyone about the different experiences of reading week from the trip to Louisiana, Ecuador, Ottawa and even staying here in the halls of Grebel.
I had the pleasure of travelling to Louisiana and working with Mennonite Disaster Service to help build houses. We gave up our week off of school to wake up at 6 in the morning for a long, hard day of physical labour, sun burns and gnat bites but it was worth it. Our group spent the week dry walling, insulating, painting, flooring, transporting materials and digging holes for septic tanks in the muddy ground of the bayou. You can check out the February 20th weekly report on the Diamond site at http://mds.mennonite.net/projects/diamond_la (there are even a few pictures of Grebelites covered in mud!)
After reading all the submissions from other people who went to Louisiana, I noticed a gap in their stories. They all failed to mention Mr. Wiggles – the cutest puppy on the Bayou.
He belonged to one of the homeowners, Ruby, and he made breaks and lunch much more enjoyable and was a familiar sight standing on Ruby’s dock as we went by on towards the other houses. Danica especially always enjoyed any chance to play with Mr. Wiggles.
Becky Klassen, GrebelSpeaks Co-Editor
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Ice Fishing
Most students who get the chance to do something exciting during reading week take the opportunity to go somewhere warm, get a tan and leave the cold and snow behind, but during my reading week, the bitter icy coldness was a key element to the fun that I had.
Layered up from head to toe I tried to embrace myself for the open wind that there would be no escaping from for hours.
When we first stepped out onto the frozen Lake Simcoe, it was a bit nerve racking to think that I would be trudging through snow about 2 miles out into the middle of the lake. I could see cracks deep down and across the ice which kind of scared me, but my dad kept assuring me that the ice would not break, and he was right of course. At times I could hear the ice cracking, and once I felt a shift in the ice as a result of a long crack. It was like in the old cartoons when the characters were skating on a pond and then spot a crack in the ice getting closer and closer to them and then suddenly it was right between their feet. But luckily the ice I was trusting with my life was a good 3 feet deep.
We picked our spot, the fishing holes drilled, poles were set up and we were ready. It was no more than 2 minutes when the end of one pole started dipping and the first perch was caught, but was returned to its icy home because of the small size. Ice fishing is different than normal fishing because there is no casting, and you don’t even hold your pole. Each person can have up to 2 poles and they get positioned on a holder beside a hole. Basically you just sit there getting cold and wind, staring at the tips of the poles to see if any are dipping, and if you spot one doing this then you slide across the ice, grab the pole, jerk it up and then reel in the catch.
All together between my brothers, dad and I, we caught 13 perch that were later a delicious meal.
If you don’t mind the cold and the smell of fish you should give ice fishing a try!
Written by: Jessica Cober
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Louisiana Quotes:
Matt C: “There’d better be a waffle house!”
Chris B: “If I was a girl I would date myself. I have a great personality.”
Jesse D: “That was definitely a well maintained dog, and then it hit a car.”
Ben W: *Gets out of the car on Saturday afternoon* “This is my kind of February.”
All quotes in this issue are courtesy of Rob Pringle
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Behind the Voice on the Walkie Talkie
“This is the John P. Wray Experience to all vans. A Team, you with us?”
“A Team here.”
"Bedhead?”
“Why am I still in this van?”
“Good morning to you too, Rob. Lazer here?”
“Laaaaazzzzzzzzeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrr!”
The trip to Louisiana had so many great times and so many great memories. Hours of story telling and hundreds of pictures can't do our trip justice, and a short article can do far less. What I can do is remember - “WAFFLE HOUSE!!!!!!!” - what life was like, behind the walkie talkie.
“Hello friends, this is your captain Matt speaking....” was a common phrase, always highlighting some interesting sight out the window. So was Laura radioing back from Lazer with a strange piece of trivia about the state we just entered. Often we heard “does anyone need a washroom stop” (re: people) or “what's your gas status?” (re: cars ... or people). And yet, I don't think I heard “are we there yet” even once.
The Waffle House interruptions abounded. Dozens were spotted from the car, with the more interesting ones including “Waff Hou” (“Is that a Chinese Waffle House?”) and “Waf le House” (the French-smelling version). Other highlights announced were “Touchdown Jesus” and “Tom Raper RV's.”
What were other memorable moments?
Matt: “Hey, look at that rock over there, it looks like the Grand Canyon, upside-down, only smaller.”
Laura: “Umm, we’re just passing some malls right now and Danica and I are wondering if we could possibly stop to do some shopping?”
Chris: “Um, the majority of the people on this trip are male, therefore we think we should not stop to go shopping.”
Matt: “Um, excuse me, I am a male and I would LOOOVE to go shopping.”
Chris: “Attention Bedhead, you have a bogey on your 12, prepare to take pervasive action.”
It may have consumed nearly every power outlet in a hotel room to charge them, but the walkie talkies were at the heart of the fun and the safety while on the road. Songs were played in terrible quality over them, instructions passed along, and many laughs had.
For a while after the trip, I was disappointed that I was known as the “guy with the walkie talkies.” But, looking back, I realize just how much fun it was to be constantly connected with everybody, no matter what van you were sitting in.
*finishes article*
*cranks open dorm room window*
*turns on Typical*
“Cause I know/there's/got to be another/-”
“WAAAAAAAFFFFFFLLLLLLEEEEEEE HHHHHHOOOOOUUUUUSSSSEEEEE!”
Written by: Eric Kennedy
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Ecuador
The trip to Ecuador during reading week was one I’ll never forget. Despite the adventure on the way there (due to delays and missed connection flights, we arrived almost exactly 24 hours later than anticipated), it was still a great trip. Stepping out of the airport into the 25 degree weather and being greeted by a bunch of friendly people was just the beginning. The weather was perfect all week – hot, but not too hot.
The only problem was that they spoke Spanish, and I didn’t. I had never been surrounded by people speaking a language I couldn’t understand – it was always French or English. But this was new. Luckily, the son of the family I was staying with was learning English in school, and we were able to communicate.
The highlight of the trip was playing soccer on a muddy field Friday afternoon with the youth group. Having watched a bunch of kids play soccer all morning, it was nice to play some myself. I am really glad that I went on this trip, and have made some great memories and friends.
Written by: Jeremie Raimbault
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Erik’s Birding Adventure In Louisiana:
As some of you know I have set a life goal of trying to see 1000 different bird species in my life. There are around 10,000 birds species on earth, my goal is 10%. I am currently at 126 after my birding adventure. I knew that our trip to Louisiana was going to be a bird bonanza. So I got books out of the library, which are over 30 years old, to give me a background on the birds I could expect to see. I did memorize many types of birds that we did not even come close to seeing. My goal for the trip was to see 4 new species to get my total above 100. I got to this goal before we got to the site, and the total for the week was 30 new ones.
The first new bird species was on the second day driving down. We stopped at an exit that only had gas station, McDonalds and a Subway. There was a large open field behind the stores where we ate our lunches. It was great to eat them outside as the temperatures were getting warmer. In the field there was an Eastern Meadowlark, before I saw this bird I was a little bit worried that I would not see any new bird species on the trip. The next stop we just stopped in a gas station and while some of us where throwing around a Frisbee I wandered to the back of the lot. There I saw two Loggerhead Strikes in a bush and while I was walking back a Black Vulture flew in close over our heads.
My 100th bird flew over us while we were talking about our plan for Sunday. It was a Eurasian Collared-Dove. This is an introduced species, but it counts because it has become naturalized, similar to the House Sparrow. A little while later, after a great church service, I saw a Mocking Bird, which became a very common site. Mocking Birds are noisy and not afraid of people so they very visible in the Southern United States.
After church, a few of us went to pick up some other volunteers at the Airport, which allowed us to see different parts of town and of course birds. On the drive from the airport I saw a Muscovy Duck and a Cattle Egret, both of which are not native. Due to Mari Gras we were not able to meet up with the rest of the group. After we had eaten dinner and finally heading to the site, we stopped to try and help the rest of the group get out of New Orleans. While we were stopped, a Short-eared Owl flew right in front of the van.
Our first day on the site there were many new birds. We took a short little boat ride to where we did work, that trip always gave great views of birds. In one morning I saw Pied-billed Grebe, Green Heron, American White Pelican, Laughing Gull, Bonaparte’s Gull, Tree Swallows, Yellow-rumped Warbler and Anhinga. The place where we eat and slept was located near the Mississippi River and we would take walks along the levies and to the water. On those trips I saw Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Fish Crow, Carolina Chickadees. Being at the same site for the first three days meant that there were not too many new birds, a red breasted Merganser did fly by one day. As I was wandering around the worksite, I followed a path, which was made of debris. When I got to the end of the path a Tricoloured Heron, started by my approach, took off from a few feet away from me.
Thursday was an exciting day for me, I got moved to the Moving Crew. Not only did I get to hang out with Karsten, Meghan, Matt and Laura all day, but I knew that we would be travelling back and forth along the water. I was excited to see new birds and we did. We saw a Whimbrel that would run from the truck when we got close, Little Blue Herons, Orange-crowned Warbler. There was also a Purple Martin, which is odd because they normally winter in South America, though they do migrate early in the spring.
Jesse and I went on a hike that ended up with us having to build a bridge to go over a man made ditch. While we were on the hike I saw and knew that we were travelling through good bird habitat. When I went back there later I saw a Marsh and Sedge Wrens. While wandering around the MDS site I was also able to see another wren, this time a Carolina.
The very last new bird species that I saw was when we were crossing the Tennessee River, in Alabama, on the way back. It was just getting dark and as I was looking out of the window I could see an American Coot swimming in the water below. Coots have a very distinctive swim, where their heads bounce back and forth. This bird brought me up to my total new total of 126.
Written by: Erik Streufert
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Louisiana Quotes
Phil (the site director): “And don’t swat at ‘em [gnats], ‘cause if you kill one, a hundred more will come to the funeral.”
… * a few minutes later*…
Phil: “We don’t like stragglers. If you’re late, we’ll shoot you.”
Ryan H: “I wouldn’t do that, if you shoot one of us, a hundred more will come to the funeral.
Rob P: “Actually, more like one hundred forty-two.”
Steph Y: “Hey I just figured out why there are footprints on the drywall! It’s because it was on the ground before!”
Ryan H: “No, the MDS staff go through special Matrix training before they are allowed to start.”
John W: “And there’s a mega church.”
Jesse D: “Woah, that’s quite the foyer.”
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I Survived Louisiana…and all I got was this silly article.
Up until this past Reading Week I have always spent my school vacations with my family on some crazy adventure. Last year we almost crashed our van on backcountry Quebec roads. The year before we went on a cruise and my dad spent half of the time whale watching. The year before we went to Disney and my sister broke the ironing board in our hotel room. This year I decided to do something different, to use my break to positively change someone else’s life. I had heard amazing stories from the previous year and was almost dying to go…little did I know that I wasn’t far off from the truth.
Being used to road trips I was excited for the car ride down. We established “Soundtrack Fridays”, ate sour watermelons, and named our van laZer. The second day was just as fantastic and being Valentine’s Day we listened to sappy love songs for the good chunk of the morning. It was late Saturday afternoon and I noticed a tickle in my throat. It was the almost-sick-painful-swallowing kind of tickle. I ended up having grapefruit juice for dinner. Yum-o.
Upon arriving in New Orleans we went out for a night on the town. The streets were packed and everyone was dancing and getting beads. Even though it was raining I could tell that everyone had a good time.
Sunday morning rolls around and we planned to attend the Church of Christ in New Orleans. At the end of the service we were asked to introduce ourselves and me, being the absentminded, easily distracted, prone to messing up sentences kind of person, introduced myself as “I’m from Laura!”. After the laughter cooled we were able to sit down. Where I then misheard the speaker as asking where I was from again (he really didn’t) and me standing up awkwardly, proclaiming “I’m Laura and I am from Toronto, Ontario!” where at that point I see all of the other Grebel students whip their heads around to stare at me and pull me back to my seat. Another visitor was standing directly behind me.
Throughout the week there were many hurdles for me to cross. At the beginning of the week I was careful about sunscreen and bug spray and showering right after work. I packed enough in my lunch and never got hungry. I never got blisters and I never complained. On Tuesday morning I woke up and my left eye would not open. It was red and crusty and all the gross things that eyes should not be. I called my parents and they told me that I probably have pinkeye and the biggest things to worry about were; don’t let it spread to your other eye, don’t spread it to other people, and don’t worry it will go away on its own. Wednesday morning I woke up and I couldn’t open either of my eyes. Way to go, Laura. I knew that all I could do was tough it out, squinty eyes and all.
Tuesday also was the day that I cut my forehead in the shower with my own thumbnail. No biggie. Wednesday is fine, I put a Band-Aid on to protect the cut from dirt and then put my sweatband on over top. Perfect! Thursday I put my Band-Aid on again but this time with no sweatband. And no sunscreen. Thursday was a very sunny, yet windy day. Our truck ride back was full of pointing and laughing at my Band-Aid shaped sunburn on my forehead.
Our week with MDS was full of surprises. I was able to learn about many different people and able to hear their stories. I learned my own emotional and physical strength. I am not a believer in signs, per say, but this week sure felt like a whole lot of signs were being thrown at me. I found out that if I just persevered I could accomplish anything, and I make it through with a smile on my face. Or maybe it was because we went to Cracker Barrel.
Written by: Laura Wadsworth from Toronto, Ontario
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Top 10 Highlights of Reading Week at Grebel
1. Sharing brownies while we had an engaging discussion in my room
2. Fancy Dinner on Wednesday Evening (we had fish n’ chips )
3. After the Fancy Dinner, some of us modeled our hot dresses and heals (and danced to a music video we found on youtube). We had a blast!
4. Family Dinner in our PJs on FAMILY DAY (that was on February 16)
5. Watching Gilmore Girls on my futon
6. Playing games during Snack nights
7. Moving tables in the dining room together to create a family atmosphere (there were about 25 people here for most of the week)
8. Spending some alone time by -chilling on my futon, staring out the window, reading a novel, playing piano, and working when I wanted (which wasn’t very often)
9. Wandering the halls to see if anyone was around and coming across 5 (that’s right...only 5) people in the entire residence. That was quite unsettling.
10. The best was when everyone came back from their Reading Week! I loved hearing all of your stories and it was great to be a full house once again!!
Written by: Kristen Ollies
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On the Epicness of Sunrises:
Perhaps the most amazing part of any trip I take is seeing the beauty that nature has to offer. In December, I travelled across Canada and was amazed at the weather, the mountains, and the sun, that silly little star at the centre of our solar system that just so happens to give us so much light. I thought about how during the school year, I normally don’t get to see a sunrise – I’m usually still in bed, and my room doesn’t even have a window, so I rarely would be able to tell you if the sun had risen at all if it weren’t for a clock.
Sunrises are amazing. A giant flame ball starts to appear at the edge of what is remotely possible to see and begins to shed light on some clouds above, a water in front, or, if you’re really lucky, a combination of both and some other random air particles. Colours change, clouds become vibrant, and I begin to lose my breath. If you’ve been on facebook or flickr lately, you’ve seen how much I love sunrises. I can’t stop taking pictures.
On the Thursday morning of our trip to Diamond, after packing up the day’s lunch and being mindful of the time (thanks to my trusty camera which date-stamps the files), I ventured off alone on the levee. There was enough light for me to find my way over to the path at the end of Diamomd Rd, where the levee juts in to the low-land and lets us hop on over to the Mississippi – if you count hopping as trudging through swamp. Pulling out my camera, I began to soak in the beauty. There was a substantial patch of mostly dead trees between the sun and I, and the shadows provided there were astounding. Walking further along the levee, I soon discovered a clearing that brought me out to the Mississippi. The Beijing Victory sat anchored in the mighty river, an excellent photography subject, which also reminded the crew “Safety First – No Smoking” – as it was a fairly sizable oil tanker.
I was amazed, and in some regards I wish I didn’t have the camera with me so that I would have been challenged just to remember it in my mind and enjoy it a bit more. For all your sakes, I did in fact have a camera with me… now to just figure out a way to get back there for another taste.
Some sunrise fun-facts:
- The sun always rises. Sometimes you just can’t see it as well.
- The sunrise was a key turning point for the Battle of Helms Deep.
- Sunrises are a great time for walks, and a little interlocking never hurt a sunrise experience.
- Sunrise specials are essential parts of pancake and waffle houses.
Written by: Rob Pringle
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Louisiana Quotes
Meghan H: “So, yeah, what does go on in the minds of guys?”
Erik S: *Notices McDonalds Billboard* “NASCAR schedule cups!! YEAH!!!”
Eric K: “If anyone wants, we’re going on a romantic walk along the levee in ten minutes.”
Rob P: “Rylan is the best at nailin’ ‘er.”
Laura W: “Rylan has a smooth touch.”
*Matt does his aircraft safety demonstration*
Matt C: “If your life vest does not fully inflate, blow into the tubes like this…”
Jesse D: “Woah, it’s exactly like the guy who does that…”
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Building on the Bayou
This past reading week 24 students from the Grebel community traveled to southern Louisiana with the purpose of doing service work with Mennonite Disaster Services (MDS). Throughout the week there were countless hours spent cooped up in mini vans, lots of laughing and hard work all around. It was a great week helping others and making a difference in the world one nail (or septic tank) at a time.
Departing from Waterloo on Friday we were welcomed successfully into the USA; much unlike last year’s reading week trip. This exciting moment set the mood for the drive to Louisiana and ultimately the trip as a whole. Resulting from the drive filled with hilarious walkie-talkie radio conversations and counting all 51 Waffle Houses en route were the four nicknames for each van (Bed Head, The John P. Wray Experience, A-TeAm and LaZer); a staple to the trip.
Once in New Orleans late Saturday night, we hit up Bourbon Street for pre-Mardi Gras entertainment filled with beads and blaring trumpets blasting freestyle jazz beats. Sunday was also spent taking in local Louisiana culture with a gospel church service and traditional po’boys for lunch. While this time in the French Quarter was greatly valued the true purpose of the trip was to serve, so we eagerly set out for Port Sulfur, Louisiana an hour south of New Orleans.
Monday morning came too early for many, but was still confronted by smiling faces as we partook in an MDS orientation session and enjoyed the first of many home cooked meals of the week. We were then divided into particular teams based on the skills outlined on the self assessments we filled out a month prior to the trip. Some teams were insulating houses and others were painting rooms as each was given a different task. One common factor almost all groups shared was the need to take a boat to the job sites as they were located on a bayou (slow-moving, swampy water).
Floors continued to be laid, holes dug and drywall hung as everyone continued to remain in high spirits throughout the remainder of the week. Each person on the trip exhibited high levels of team work impressing the MDS long-term staff and fellow students confirmed by the “warm fuzzies” placed in each of our customized brown paper bags. These encouragement notes became a highlight of the week bringing smiles to people’s faces as they read the notes or enjoyed some of the cheese or sausages left in the bags.
After a long voyage home in our favoured vans through sun, rain, fog and snow we reunited as a whole in the Grebel Chapel to provide closure to the trip. Each person shared stories of favourite memories throughout the trip. We listened to reencounters of Craig Nafziger falling off his bunk bed, the great staff at MDS, Caleb Jackett’s lunchtime swim through the dirty waters, and Eric Kennedy’s skills on the walkie-talkies. However, while all these moments are memorable, none of them will replace the importance of why we went on the trip: to serve others. It is important to take the time and help others in need whenever possible providing a great sense of accomplishment, lasting friendships and an overall rewarding satisfaction.
Written by: Matt Cunnington
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Louisiana Quotes
Chris B: “Ow I just stabbed myself in the lips with my fork.”
Meghan H: “That’s okay, now you can ask someone to kiss it better.”
Laura W: “I’m from Laura and… oh, shoot. I’m Laura and I’m from Ontario.”
Danica K: “Matt Cunnington! Matt Cunnington! Would you rather be the big spoon or the little spoon:
Matt C: “Uh, the big spoon. *pause* So then I can eat more ice cream!”
Matt C: And if it’s about a puzzle – say box!!!!
Zach W: “Oh, she’s in her serious mood. You don’t mess with her.”
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MCC Ottawa Student Seminar
Reading Week was a busy time for a number of Grebelites. Some of us long hauled to Louisiana, some flew to Ecuador and a few others said phooey to those warm, exotic locales and instead trekked to blustery Ottawa for a four-day seminar sponsored by Mennonite Central Committee (MCC). The conference entitled “Pursuing Security in an Insecure World” was a gathering of about 30 (mostly) Mennonite students from Abbotsford, B.C. to Montreal, QC and everywhere in between. The Grebel delegation consisted of Ron Kielstra, Sara Brubacher, Caleb Gingrich, Cassie Mathies and myself.
On the night of February 19th we gathered in a multipurpose room of the YM-YWCA, our night-time residence. Our first session began with some quick icebreakers to get to know everyone a bit better as well as an overview of the goals of the seminar and what we would be learning about. The title of the seminar is somewhat ambiguous and I was interested in getting a better idea of what we would be doing for the next few days. I will try to recount our experience as best as I can.
The morning of the 20th was cold and windy as we walked to the basement of First Baptist Church a few blocks away from the Y. Most of our sessions took place here. The first two sessions of the day focused on national and global security and responses to militarism.
We heard from Motseoa Senyane the High Commissioner from Lesotho. She shared some of the struggles her country faces, highlighting HIV/AIDS, climate change and global economic policy. It is hard to hear how our lifestyles and policies from our governments in North America have negatively affected her country. Steven Staples of the Rideau Institute, a political advocacy group in Ottawa, shared some of his knowledge about Canadian government policies, particularly on the increase in military spending and the cuts on foreign policy and international development projects.
Matthew Bailey-Dyck gave an interesting and active discussion on responses to militarism. He is the coordinator of a MCC program called “Rock the Talk”, which promotes peace education and counter militarism. We learned about active nonviolence resistance and how it has worked in the real world.
In the afternoon, we had a chance to roam the Canadian War Museum for a couple hours. It is interesting to learn about all the conflicts Canada has been in during our relatively short history as a nation. It is easy to consider Canada as a very peaceful country, however we have been involved in our fair share of conflict.
The evening’s session was a Bible study lead by Stefan Cherry of the MCC Ottawa office. We explored our response to insecurity by examining passages of the Bible pertaining to trust in God. I found it important to remember that while this world is filled with all kinds of problems, our faith and trust in God is one thing we can always count on.
The next day promised more sunshine and slightly warmer weather. Our walk to the church in the morning sun was cheerful and full of interesting discussion regarding last day’s sessions.
The first session was about food security, lead by Stefan Cherry. He worked for 10 years in Ghana on this issue. His experience was insightful as he outlined some of the factors contributing to the current food crisis. These factors include the price of oil, corn used for bio-fuels and climate change. Again, it was sobering to learn the impacts North Americans have on issues of food insecurity around the world.
We had a break from our discussions and went on a quick tour of the Parliament Buildings. I learned quite a bit about our system of government, something I probably should already know from grade 10 civics. Anyhow, it was enjoyable nonetheless.
The next session was on economic security, particularly in Canada. The speaker was Rob Rainer of Canada Without Poverty. His organization advocates to the government on behalf of those people living in poverty in Canada. There are a surprisingly large number of people living in poverty in Canada including 17% of all youth. Mr. Rainer calls for more taxation on higher incomes and the development of more social services in order to lessen the gap between the rich and poor.
The final session of the seminar was about restorative justice. For this discussion, we had a panel of four people including an NDP MP, a Reverend and two women from restorative justice programs within the Canadian justice system. I found this talk very interesting because it was the subject I knew the least about. Basically, restorative justice allows offenders to seek the forgiveness of those they wronged and gain acceptance back into society through living and working in a community. This method has proven to be very effective and even costs much less per year than regular incarceration in a federal prison.
Our weekend was brought to a close Sunday morning with a worship service/debriefing time. It was nice to have a time of peace to digest all that we had learned over the past few days. We certainly learned a lot.
At the end of our sessions, a common question was, “What can I do about this?” I think Stefan Cherry gave the best answer. He told an analogy he heard once while he was in West Africa. “The problems that face us today are like a waterfall. Someone who is tackling the issues person by person is like one who is at the base of the waterfall with a cup trying to throw the water back up. The waterfall must be dammed at the source.” We need to hold governments responsible for their unjust policies. As followers of Christ we are called to be a voice for those who have no voice, to love mercy and act justly. It is not easy, but it is our duty.
Written by: Ben Reesor
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Team Septic
During reading week the Louisiana bayou was invaded by a group of eager and enthusiastic Grebel students. This was despite arriving at our destination in Diamond three hours late on the Sunday night weary from the long travel. Our enthusiasm was there though for all to see bright and early each day of the week as we were all up at 6:15 in the morning to start our days.
My personal favourite experience from the trip was the work that we did as a group on the Tuesday morning. Our mission was to go out into the bayou and dig a hole that was approximately nine feet by six feet and about four feet deep so that we could deposit a septic tank into it. The problem was that this hole that we needed to dig was below the water table so that when we started to dig water started flowing into the hole. This was also not to mention the uninvited presence of pesky gnats that were very content to feast on us as we attempted to dig away underneath the scorching sun.
However, our group of eight which included myself, Caleb Jackett, Zach Wikerd, John Wray, Michelle Van Rassel, Rachel Clayton, and Jesse Dyck somehow managed to have an absolute blast doing this work. With the help of Dennis, our strong and sincere MDS leader, we were able to dig hard and shovel this hole and put the septic tank in it by lunchtime. I have never before experienced such great teamwork in getting a common goal done. Everyone did their part to make sure that the job got done by doing their best and supporting one another. When lunch came we were completely covered head to toe in a combination of mud and other brown matter that likely was not mud. Our faces were beaming with accomplishment. That was a job that you probably could not find people to pay to do and yet we turned it into an unbelievably positive experience. That is a memory that defined the Louisiana trip for me. Written by: Chris Brnjas __________________________________________
Louisiana Quotes
Katy B: “It’s only fun tickling other people.”
Karsten C: “Hey did you know this is a DDR song?”
Matt C: *To Eric K* “I always thought you were a midget.”
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