Showing posts with label georgia trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label georgia trip. Show all posts

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Summer-it's a wrap!

Labor Day weekend is the official end of summer, I suppose. Oh, and what a summer it's been! It began with a wedding that led to a courtship that has led to a certain member of our family moving into a different Time Zone. (Not nationally recognized, but philosophically termed "Lovers' Time") This makes coordinating the simplest events rather difficult because this certain member doesn't need food or drink when he has the conversation of his "belovedid," to quote Ernest T. Bass. I am half-jesting. It has been such a blessing to see Daniel and Abigail's courtship flourishing. :)


The summer continued with a visit to the harbor to see a fleet of tall-ships and an unexpected departure to Georgia which took up five weeks! I turned 20 while down in Georgia and came back just in time to see baby saying his first words and celebrating his first birthday, and Sarah and Leah to turn 18 and 15, respectively. Life waltzed along in a at a comparatively slow pace to that I'd learned to cope with during the campaign.
Levi took his first official steps, and the girls were introduced to Smash-booking. We attended a surprise party for a dear friend, and we lived through many a day of rain for--contrary to the rest of the nation--it's been an exceptionally wet summer.


We planted berry  bushes and played volleyball. I worked on my books and lived the Cossack Uprising vicariously through With Fire and Sword. We made matches and discussed hopes and dreams. There's been laughter and joy and heartache all mingled together into the goblet of this summertime. Old ways we were fond of have gradually been effaced by a new regime of blessings that will prove to be sweeter than we'd ever have dreamed. At present they may rub now and again like a new pair of boots, but we'd never trade them back.
We've sent letters and received letters, we've sung songs and watched movies. We've danced to Ella Fitzgerald and memorized songs from Wicked and Les Miserables. We've even gained a taste for country music!


We've fallen in love with Sherlock and reminded ourselves that our tastes have grown much more refined since the days of Spy Kids and Inspector Gadget. We've made birthday cakes and eaten them, we've walked in the historic towns nearby and had a picnic or two to boot.


It's been a long, full, summer, and one I can truly say I'll never forget. So many memories, so many lessons learned...so much life. I can only look forward with breathless, eager anticipation to see what the fall will bring.
Autumn! Fire of my heart and love of my being...I come alive when the trees kindle and the breeze carries that gypsy-chill on its breath. When the blood rushes with spices and the very leaves are blushing with pure exhilaration...


I can see some of the adventures that might be lurking around the corner, and I know there will be some that take me by surprise. Graduations, dances, birthdays, camp, visiting missionaries and plots for Romania. Campaigns and bonfires and more!


 I don't know which things will come to pass and which will be replaced by something better. But I can say with full assurance that it will not be a dull autumn by any stretch of the imagination!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Georgia! :)

Hey everybody! This is Rachel, and I'm here hollering up-country from the state of Georgia! I've been here a week and a half, but in many ways it feels like longer. :D We are campaigning for a godly Christian man who is running for Georgia State Superior Court judge. Our days are very long and full and productive! We start by getting to the local Chick-fil-A by 8:00 a.m. and meeting with the candidate and our boss, and then we divide out into cars and stared cruising through the neighborhoods going door-to-door on all the "hard R's" houses. :) The crew per car usually consists of 1 driver, 1 navigator, and 3-4 "runners" whose job it is to jump out at the correct houses, run up to the door, and speak with the people at the house. If there is no one home, they leave the lit, and we hop back into the car and continue on down the road.

We hit the jackpot on this one! :D
The leaders of the door-to-door teams (i.e. me, Daniel, Katie & Brant Frost,) have been hard at work mapping out the territories we plan to hit. :) The work is tedious and we pretty much pull 13 hour days, but it's amazing to slowly see our numbers climb and begin to get that heady sensation of the campaign race. :) It's hard work, yes, but to know that we're helping to get a godly, wise, equipped man into the position of Superior Court Judge is worth every bit of it. :)
But I think my favorite part of all has been the great company. I've grown to love Katie Frost and Mamie Carlstrom especially--we're a nutsy trio! Unfortunately, Mamie had to go home with her amazingly helpful family, and now all we can do is sit there and hope they'll make it back for the last week! :) Here are some of the pictures and links to some of our happy, funny, awkward, amusing videos! Many thanks to Mrs. Sherry Carlstrom for most of them! :D

I got to meet a dear blogging friend last Sunday! Julia is one of the dearest, sweetest people you'll ever hope to meet! :)


Some of us in front of McMurry's house


No, we did not use Campaign Money for our Starbuck's treat. :P
We have so. stinkin'. many. stories. Stories that make us bust out laughing at the slightest recollection, stories we'd rather forget, and many others that I can't wait to get home and tell to my family and friends! Actually, one really neat thing is that Justin W. and Brandt E. have come down to help through the end! Sing ho for home-peeps. They have been a real boosting-influence on Daniel and I. :) It's nice to have fellow-foreigners. :P
And this morning was the crowning happiness on the end of a tiring but good week:

We went to Passion City Church!

PCC is the church where Chris Tomlin and Christy Nockels lead worship. The building is essentially a warehouse, and entirely unassuming. The people are friendly and the spirit vibrant. It's also the church where Louie Giglio preaches, and after having (multiple times) watched his "Indescribable" and "How Great is Our God" sermons as well as "Fruitcake & Icecream" and "The 12 Words of Christmas," I was really really looking forward to it. God was good, and it was amazing. 
The worship time was like sweet balm to our weary souls, and the message was piercing and beautiful and as near perfection as any mortal message can be. Louie was preached on John 21, and once more in that curious way he has, his words hit close to home as he showed us the importance of this ending to Peter's story. It was simply and utterly amazing.

at Passion City Church this morning.
We hope to come back during our time in GA--it was so refreshing after the long week! Please keep us in prayer for energy, health, and patience, and I'll try to keep y'all updated on everything going on down  here! :)
                      Love,
                             Rachel