Good People

I had a really good experience yesterday and today that really affirmed my faith in good people...We are on our last trip and we planned to go to Buffalo, NY. So we got there and nothing is working out. But we found good people. Complete strangers that opened their hearts and homes to us....and it was sad that we had to leave there, but we traveled to Pittsburgh and call on, well now friends, more strangers for help. There is no limit to their kindness and generosity. It makes me so happy...they may not have the same standards and beliefs that I do but they are still my wonderful brothers and sisters!

Holy Cow...Food!

Oh my goodness...so last night we went to a food convention, well we went after it was over and horded all of the leftover samples and merchandise...it was crazy! There was so much stuff! It was like the game show Supermarket sweep! There were about five other NGO's that were there...it was all very serious, with game plans and teams...I was on the junk food and personal hygiene stuff....so before we were allowed to go in I scouted out the area and got a map, worked it out with the others on my "Team", we decided it was best to divide and conquer! So when the gates were open everyone went crazy! Running and grabbing everything...I went strait for the soaps, shampoos, deodorant, face wash...all that stuff....it was the wildest thing I have ever been to...and holy cow we got so so so so much stuff! Three huge boxes of Oreo's! Wahoo! Tons of Lindt chocolate, Orange juice...so much food you can't imagine....sigh!

Building Weekend

So we had a "building weekend" where we remodeled our classroom and my team was in charge of getting very thing organized and what not...so guess what I got put doing? Hmmmm....lets think. Oh right Leah cooks! Bingo! I was in the kitchen all weekend! I planned the menu, went shopping, picked the worst cooks to work with me (so that they wouldn't be the worst cooks anymore) and cooked four meal each day for 35 people, and cleaned up after! Oh it was fun! (in a serious tone) I did get pretty tired at the end of it all but hey we had edible delish food! And I got to teach others how to cook! That was one of the best parts, besides all of the yummy food noises people make...those truly are the most gratifying sounds in the world! Only one down side was on friday i got really, really, really sick. So I had to go lay down and i felt bad that i had to leave Bia and HeeJin to make the snack them selves. But I couldn't stand...so what can you do...sigh! Then we had a game night...we watched a movie Mao made from the 'Olympic Games' they had (missed them, but I was at home with my family so no complaints there!) and then we played games...I had to come up with two, Tako,Michi, and Mariko came up with three, and Livia and Junior came up with two...all from our countries...so I, being completely wiped out had everyone play Red light, Green light, and Simon Says...it actually was really funny! Then we played Butt sumo wrestling....way way way way, so many ways funny!!! Defiantly have to play that with everyone! All in all it was a good weekend!

The Law of Chasity

So last week I went to some seminars on HIV/AIDS and STDs and it made me so very thankful for the Law of Chasity and the protection it grants us...we will pretty much be free from getting these disgusting and life threatening diseases if we live it...and that is such a blessing! Heavenly Father really knows his stuff! And it is just another example of how obeying sets us free. I met this man who had AIDs and he is probably going to die soon, and that is not because he is not fighting, oh believe me he is, it is because the stain of HIV he has is resistant to all of the drugs available to him....when you take these drugs they are very demanding...you have to take them exactly right or the virus becomes resistant...and that is what happened to him...he missed one time taking it or it wasn't right on time and now it can't be stopped...it is like how Satan works...you leave one little window open and he will find your weakness and then you it is harder to get rid of him....and I feel so blessed to have the gospel and have been brought up knowing the truth, and I'm so thankful for the commandments that my Heavenly Father has given us to protect us!

So this is a Blog.....

So my best friend told me I needed to get a Blog and about a month (or 4) ago I signed up for one and....never posted, Hee, hee and I know what good is it if you don't use it.....my situation has changed a bit, I now am not writing someone faithfully every week so I thought, "Why not use that blog you set up?" So now I will try to faithfully write on my blog everyweek! Oh fun stuff! So...life...I'm in a volunteer program in Williamstown, MA...a tinny tiny town that consits of one street and I don't even live in town...I live in the outskirts about 15 mins away, up a (well what they call a mountian) hill, in the middle of nowhere....where it rains all of the time and is pretty cold all of the time too...it is not the most amazing place in the whole world...like most non-profits it has no money, so it is pretty run down, it is like living in the lodge at The Dell, up AF canyon, for you who know what that is....and I live with people from all over the world...it has been highly interesting...My Team, the May Team 2008, has 12 people on it....6 Brazilians, 4 Japanese, and 1 other American....and most of them don't really speak english. And that fact alone has made for some funny times! So why am I here? You know that is a really good question! Hee, hee...i just joshing....I'm here to go to Africa! We "Train" for six months, learn about Africa, fundraise, learn about the problems in Africa, fundraise, learn about the projects in Africa, fundraise, study about our projects, and do a ton more fundraising! Hooray! Right now i'm in the study about your project stage, which is TCE or Total Control of the Epidemic. This project deals with the devistating pandemic of HIV/AIDS...and NO i'm not going to get it!! Anyway, i will be doing mostly education and outreach...I'll be going from house to house talking to people about: what it is, what it does, and how to avoid it....Oh my goodness I haven't even said where I'll be going in Africa! Drum roll.....Zambia....I hope you know where that is because I am not telling you! Ha! You will just have to look it up on a map! :) Well that is the background......