We're back in the United States of America!
Our first stop was Dover, Pennsylvania; Daneen’s hometown. We enjoyed 2 weeks with her parents as we readjusted to American life. Joe’s parents happened to also be in the area during their cross-country summer road trip. We were lucky enough to spend our first 3 days back in the U.S. with both sets of our parents. Our first full day in the U.S. was spent going to church together followed by an afternoon York Revolution baseball game. Nothing says America like eating a hot dog at a good ole baseball game!! We even toured around some local sites, including Lancaster’s Amish Country and Reeser’s Ice Cream (THE BEST soft-serve ice cream).
With Daneen's parents, we also explored around Washington D.C. for 2 days. Our Nation's Capital is a special place filled with such rich history of our country. We loved re-learning our American history and being reminded of the great values our nation was built on.
We started our CGA Fundraising journeys heading down to the deep south of Charleston, South Carolina. Charleston was Joe’s home before being called to move to Kenya in 2004. It was fun to visit where he once lived and reconnect with many friends.
One of the best parts was being able to attend a 1st Wednesday Worship service at Seacoast Church as well as the weekend services. Much of our time during these months of traveling is focused on connecting with personal supporters, CGA board members, CGA sponsors and fundraising for CGA and Suba Lakers. In Charleston we had two separate gatherings. The first one was a more intimate gathering of closer friends in the Rader’s house. The second one was in the Loft at Seacoast church where we invited all of the CGA supporters from around the low country. Many CGA students are sponsored by people from Seacoast Church and all around Charleston.
We are grateful for time to also see many friends and even enjoy the local culture and activities. We surfed, ate shrimp po boys, took a carriage ride around downtown learning the incredible history of “Charles Towne”, ate great lunches with wonderful friends, were the “guest teachers” for a home schooling family, and we drove over A LOT of bridges!
We even stopped by the Charleston Southern University (CSU) Field House to see the gym where Joe used to train his basketball players when he was the Assistant Coach there before moving to Kenya!
Next stop... Charlotte, North Carolina. For 1 night; actually, about 14 hours. We had a great time with one of our CGA board members who hosted a CGA Open House. It was a great night of sharing with new friends who were excited to learn more about the ministry they support!
After a VERY early morning departure from Charlotte we drove to Blacksburg, VA. Upon reaching Virginia Tech’s basketball practice gym, we had a short time to visit with Joe’s old mentor, Buzz Williams. Joe worked under Buzz when he coached at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Buzz most recently was the Head Coach at Marquette, but this year moved to the ACC. It was a brief time to catch up with Coach Buzz, but in the middle of a busy recruiting season it’s hard to get much time with these big time Division I coaches.
The drive continued into Kentucky and over the Ohio River to Cincinnati. We had a fabulous time with Joe’s brother, Steve. We enjoyed getting to see more of his week-to-week activities, which includes so much volleyball that Joe was a bit sore once we left! It was great to meet his friends, go to his church and of course.... to watch another Dallas Cowboys win!!!
Overall, it was a great trip. Driving in America is so easy—you just set cruise control and drive! No need to worry about random unmarked speed bumps or goats and cows crossing the road or the numerous other driving hazards which exist while driving in Kenya. We’re grateful for God’s protection through all the driving and the energy throughout all the presentations, meetings, lunches and activities!
We discovered that we’re falling in love with our home country all over again!
