(You) got to have faith!

I went to Mary's church tonight for family night. I was a nice break from my studies and the busyness of life. I almost didn't go because I have been sick and then this morning I had to go on this field trip to Dewalt, which should have been fun, but wasn't. I was looking forward to this trip all semester. We were supposed to get there at 7:15 and leave at 7:30 on charter buses. Well, we stood outside, in the cold, (real good for a cold) until 8:00, when we took metro/shuttle buses to Balitmore. Have you ever ridden in a shuttle bus? The seats are all sideways, forward, and backwards and their are poles all over the place to hold onto. The seats are formed plastic and squished together to fit more people inside. So, we finally get on these disappointing buses at 8:10ish (note: we've been standing in the cold for almost an hour now - we were all looking forward to sleeping on the bus). Well, when we got on the buses, there were more of us then they thought. So we actually had to cram into the seats on the bus. It was so tight sitting on the bus that we couldn't all sit straight up because our shoulders didn't fit. This was all very amusing when we first got on the bus. But after being stuck in traffic for an hour and a half, in these conditions, I was about to start complaining. I mean, I was jammed between two people I didn't know and forced to ride over an hour and a half to Balitmore at a crazy early hour. Not what I was looking forward to at all.


Let me explain these pictures before I go on. They were two shots I took with my camera on my phone. They aren't that good. But you can sort of imagine our bus ride. The top one is the bench accross from me, on the way up. The guy on your left is my American Indian friend and group member. He is hilarious. He works at the post office and cracks safes as a side job and goes to school. Ha. The guy in the middle I don't even know his name. And the guy on the right is my Ethiopian taxi driving friend. He hates the movie Collateral because Tom Cruise isn't a bad guy. He has a great accent! It is so thick I can barely understand him some times. But I love it!!

Okay, bottom picture....
You see a few parts of people sleeping and then you see my oddly funny genius Iranian/Brazilian friend. He's a nut. I'm not on any teams with him, but I wish I were. He is insane!! As you can see from the picture, he is enjoying himself by working on homework, while everyone else is trying to sleep around him. Note the two guys next to him. I don't know who they are either. Haha. But as you can see, it was a great ride, all crammed in there. These pictures don't do it justice, but they might give you an idea of what the bus sort of looks like...

Then we get to Dewalt and we want to stretch out legs and walk around and tour the test labs (I mean, how cool is it to tour a test lab, right?!?). No, instead we are seated in "conference room one" and made to listen to, what would have been interesting lectures given different circumstances (mainly if we hadn't gotten up so early, if we had eaten breakfast, and if we hadn't been stuck in traffic on a shuttle bus for over an hour and a half), but at the time seemed to go on forever. We saw some really interesting software for their computers. It is called Catia. It is sweet stuff, man. I would love to get my hands on some of that stuff. heh. But I wouldn't really have a use for it. And we also heard this guy, who had an english accent, talk about the art design people. That was the coolest part of the day. Accents win out over anything. I am serious, I listen to accents! heh. Especially guys in dress clothes and hip glasses talking with an english accent. It was the highlight of my morning.

After all this, around eleven, we took a real quick, run through tour, of the test buildings and labs. It was really interesting. We saw where they test sounds in this awesome sound proof room and where they run the drills all day long to see how long they last. We saw where they made their prototypes and how that is done. And then we had to leave. We pretty much ran through the tour and then ran out to the bus. And I was stuck with a backwards seat on the way back. I had only had a banana for breakfast and a few handfuls of golden graham because it was so early in the morning and I have been sick and not hungry. So anyhow, riding backwards on a bus, stuffed to the rafters with guys, was not where I wanted to be spending another 45 minutes of my Friday. My head was killing me and I felt so sick. Oh, and did I mention that the bus driver liked to have the heat on full blast?!?! Yes, in a packed full bus, driving down 95, with the heat blasting. It made no sense.

So yeah. My tour wasn't as awesome as I thought it was going to be because of the circumstances that surrounded it. They need to rethink the whole design plan and recreate it. Haha. Think through the four fs and make it more enjoyable for the students. :) So now I am just going through lots and lots of problems for my exam on Monday. I am going to learn this stuff if it takes me all weekend. I also have to write the final draft of a paper that is due thursday and start planning my oral presentation for Friday and maybe start on my other project I seem to be in charge of as well. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! Well, the pile will never get smaller if I don't start.

Here is just a few more thoughts. We talked about the empty tomb tonight. Anyone stop and think about that when life doesn't seem to be going your way? Let me tell you how big of an encouragement that is. Jesus is risen, just like He said! He died and rose again for our sins. We are free. It just hits me sometimes how amazing that is. I just wanted to encourage you all to think about it and the wonder of it all. And here are a few verses that I kept thinking of. Well, I was thinking of verses 3 and 4, but then I read the rest of the chapter and had to throw in a few more. :) Good night all. Press on!!


I Corinthians 15
(King James - because I memorized these verses in King James when I was younger and it sounds so neat)

1 Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

2 By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

3 For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

4 And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

14 And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

15 Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

16 For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

17 And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

18 Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

19I f in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

WOOHOO!!!