First Four Days

I recently went to summer training for OAFC. Since I attended a summer training before, I was eligible for travel team this year. I traveled across Indiana for 10 days. I left on June 15th and I got back on July 1st. So here is a day by day retelling of my trip.

June 15

My sister, my dad, and I went to Ampride and met Lucas at 8 in the morning. He is on the Nebraska OAFC group, so I've known him for a couple of years. We drove him up to summer training in Rochester, MN. By noon, we left the land of cows and corn (Iowa) and we were in Minnesota. We arrived an hour early and we didnt get lunch. I was about to find a 7th grader to munch on. We ate then had a youth rally. This year we had a series of competitions. We did a scavenger hunt and my team was the first to finish. Another competition was creative songwriting. OAFC really likes songs. We do thank you songs for the people who make us food. They are usually to the tune of other songs. The judge liked Journey, so we made a song to the tune of "Don't Stop Believing." We called it "Can't Stop Eating." The judge loved it. We ended up 2nd overall & we got Tootsie Pops.

June 16.

This was picture day. Most teams got into two lines and stood there for their pictures. We had several poses for my team picture. It looked pretty cool. Not much else happened.

June 17

My team switched with team 2 to help serve lunch because our host church had made the food. We ended up switching with them again because they had to out early to canvass. We served sandwiches for lunch and one of my friends was picking on me. (I met him two years ago at another summer training.) While I was serving food, he came over to where I was. He asked for a sandwich. I started giving him one but he said, "No! Not that one!" He then pointed to a different sandwich that he wanted. I started giving him that one, but the same thing happened again. After 4 sandwiches, someone behind him offered to take the sandwich I tried giving him. I gave it to them. He said, "But I wanted that one!" It was the sandwich he just refused... *eye roll* Typical teenage boy behavior.

This was also the night of the first bad weather. On the way back to our host home, there were a lot of storms ans some tornadoes touched down. 37 to be exact. In Rochester, a roof was blown off of a house. My little sister was staying in Rochester. By herself. She doesn't like storms. Needless to say, I was worried the whole night.

June 18

This was the day that we realized 11 of the people on our team could play guitar, or owned one. There is a grand total of 11 people on my team. That morning, we decided to take over the guitarists for the opening. The team that was supposed to do it was surprised. There are normally 4 guitarists...but there was 11 there...

This was our recreation night. A few people played volleyball. I do not like sports, and I have no hand-eye coordination...so I did not play volleyball. My sister was teaching guitar to someone, so I joined her. Then I waled around and got a bunch of pictures.

I only did 4 (out of 17) days. I'll post the rest later.

Au revoir.

-Amar

PS I'll post the truths/lies answers when I get back. And I posted another scene.

Blogging Luke pt1

This is a lot of stuff from the Bible. If you don't want to read it, then don't.

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For travel team, I need to read the gospel of Luke. In order to help me remember, I am going to post summary type things. I will probably be doing all 24 chapters. If I missed something important, let me know. :)

Luke 1

One day while Zechariah is in the temple, the angel Gabriel comes to visit him. Gab said, "Don't be afraid, For God has heard your prayer, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son. And you are to name him John." Zech then replies, "How can I know this will happen? I'm an old man now and my wife is also well along in years." Since Zech doubted him, he can't talk until the baby is born. Liz becomes pregnant and says. "How kind the Lord is. He has taken away my disgrace of having no children."

Shortly after this, Gab visits Liz's relative, Mary. He tells her that she will have a baby and she will name his Jesus. She is a virgin, so how can she have a baby? The Holy Spirit will come upon her so her baby will be holy. He tells her about Liz (who was in her 6th month). He says "Nothing is impossible with God."

Mary goes to visit Mary. When Mary gets there, she greets Liz. Liz's baby "leaped within her" at the sound of Mary's voice. Liz tells Mary that she is blessed. Mary sings a song of praise.

Liz has her baby. At the circumcision ceremony, friends and family want to name the baby Zechariah after the father. Liz says his name is John. The guests are confused because no one in the family is named John. Zech motions for a writing tablet and writes, "His name is John." Zech can speak again. After people hear about this, they say, "I wonder what this child will turn out to be? For the hand of the Lord is surly upon him."

Zech is filled with the Holy Spirit and gives a prophecy. He says that John will prepare the way of the Lord. John grows up and then lives in the wilderness until he began his ministry to Israel.

Briefer summary: The Births of John the Baptist and Jesus are foretold. Liz and Mary are related and are pregnant at about the same time. Mary visits Liz for 3 months. John is born and named. Zech can speak again and makes a prophesy about John.

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So that is Luke chapter 1. Did I miss anything? Should I reword the parts taken directly from the Bible? Should I change it from old-ish English to more modern English?

Au revoir. Je m'en vais.

-Amarantha93

Posts and My Summer

I said I would post updates for my other blog on this blog. I missed a couple. the last one was about a character you can make (you still can if you haven't yet). So here is what you may have missed:

Thanh's scene This scene will be changed. right now it's just the back story for Thanh

suggestions for characters for Adi and Hannah Any suggestions are welcome. :)

the castle and Amarantha's room This is when she arrives at the castle.

The beginning I haven't been posting in order, but this is the very beginning of the book.

I am done with school. (yes! *jumps for joy*) Hopefully this will give me more time to write. So maybe I get get all your characters in my book. :)

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Now for an actual blog post.

I have a semi-busy schedule this summer. June 15th I leave for summer training for OAFC. I will be there until June 21. On the 21st I will be leaving for travel team. I will be going through Indiana and/or Ohio. The teams rendezvous on the 30th in Indianapolis. From there, I go to my Grandma's house. I spend the night there. (a guy friend from OAFC will be spending the night there too. I can picture the awkwardness of that situation. "Hey Grandma. Some guy you don't know is spending the night with us.")

On the 1st, my mom will be driving up there with my little sister. They will pick us up and my older sister. The five of us will drive back in our car (our car is a 2010 Avenger-very nice). My friend will go home & my older sister will stay with us for about a week. On July 10, we have a family reunion.

On the 11th, we are going to Nashville (my little sister and I are not supposed to know about that yet). We will be there a week. Then we return home. About a week later is my birthday! Then I have nothing for about a month. Then school starts again (*cry*).

It all seems fun, but it means I won't be blogging or on sparknotes for awhile. :( Oh well...

Random note: I watched Madagascar 2 today. There is the part--> "How long will it take?" "6 to 9 months." "69 months!?" "No. 6 to 9." It happens again with 6 to 9 day. Ironically, I was talking to my mom. "There is 6 to 9 mph wind." "69 mph!?" "No. 6 to 9." My sister laughed at that...

That is all. Au revoir. Je m'en vais.

-Amarantha93

Swimming and Burning

I am normally a very calm person. I don't have outbursts of anger. It takes a lot to make me angry, but I am angry right now. I have been in swim team for 10 years. I used to swim a lot. Then my dad got a new job & we were supposed to move. We didn't want to pay for swim team then move during the season. A year later, we still haven't moved (or done swim team). My parents decided to let us do summer swim team because we haven't swam in a year.

A couple of weeks ago they said we could do swim team. Me and my sister were so excited. We went to the team meeting. We got the papers filled out. We signed them. Our mom signed them. We tried to get our dad to sign them. Tonight, he decided we cant do swim team because we will be gone for over half of it.

The first practice is tomorrow morning. They told us we can't do swim team tonight. This is ridiculous! They couldn't tell us before!? All of us knew we would be gone, but they still said we could go. Then they wait until the night before the first practice to tell us!?

The one good thing about this is the reason we will miss swim team. We are doing summer training for OAFC. Awhile ago, I had to write a personal witness (if you want to read the final version, it is here). I emailed my personal witness in and I got in travel team! yay me! :) So, at least I get to do that.

I am now not as angry...hopefully I don't die of boredom this summer...but at least I have summer training and travel team...

Random note: I got another strange tan-line today. I played for band for memorial day. I sat outside and I got a weird sunburn on one arm. My sister keeps laughing at it...

Au revoir. Je m'en vais.

-Amarantha93