9/6-9/24

Things have been a whirlwind down here in Orlando! Everyday brings a new surprise (and a new Floridian creature).

Florida Creatures

Let me tell you about a few of the animals I, as a Pennsylvanian, was not expecting to see.

First off, we have the lizards. The lizards are everywhere and they run so fast. I have had quite a few experiences with the lizards. I've held a lizard (pictured below even though you can't see the lizard) and I've accidentally pulled the tail off a lizard (I screamed). I chase the lizards, and I talk to the lizards when I leave the apartment and come back. I wouldn't say that we're friends but we're definitely on our way.

Second, we have the cranes. These birds walk really funny and I like to stare at them when I pass them in the car. They aren't scared of humans but don't like being chased.

Third, we have the armadillo! The team met this armadillo late at night so we didn't get a picture to share. At first I thought it was a possum, because I only saw the outline of it, but then one of the students said it was an armadillo. I hope to see one of these guys in the light!

I have yet to see an alligator (I'm hoping to see one) and a cockroach (I hope I never see one).

Gap Year Team

I have loved meeting and getting to know our team!

Here is a picture of the team that is here in Orlando (from left to right):

Megan, me, Jill, JP, Kathryn, and Alondra

Megan is from North Carolina! She is so encouraging and silly. The other day our team played Ladder Ball and Kathryn got an awesome action shot of Megan. We were on the same team and she made the game so fun, even though we ended up losing. I told her that next time, we would be victorious.

Jill is our Gap Year Director and she lives in Orlando. Jill is so much fun to be around and so caring. We love Jill and are so grateful for her as our leader. Jill will be staying in the US during the trip and supporting us from here! (In the photo above, Jill hosted us for dinner!)

JP is from Indiana! He is hilarious and very down to earth. We were paired together during our training to give a presentation to the group, the photo below is from that. We made a good presentation team!

Alondra is from Orlando! She is so kind and not afraid to be herself. One evening she caught me taking photos on other people's phones. I brought over someone's phone and then we took some fun pictures together.

Precious is from Uganda! She is not pictured below because we've only met through Zoom. Thankfully, she has been able to join us for all of our meetings during the day! Precious is tender hearted and steadfast. Unfortunately, she is not able to get into the US so we will be meeting her in Central Asia!

What have I been up to?

So far we've done a lot of trainings! Everything from how to share the gospel to how to manage conflict. The days have been long but everything we're learning is so good.

We have all of our trainings at Cru Headquarters which is beautiful. I attached some pictures below from what it looks like!

Last week on our team day, we chose to go to the beach! It was beautiful and very hot. The waves were huge and we had so much fun. As expected, I did take a little bit of a tumble. I scraped my foot on the rocks but it is healing well now!

I will see you guys at the end of September!

Enjoy a few more photos: