A Valentines Day, Half-Way Point, Pam is Still Alive Extravaganza!
This past Thursday, February 14th, was a special day for team seven:eleven. Not only was there the obvious Valentines Day to be celebrated, but we also were able to commemorate the half-way point of the race, as well as the added anniversary of Pam’s ski accident, in gratitude of her survival.
So Pam, Cameron, and I set to work the night before, working on a little project to be enjoyed throughout the entirety of February 14th… matching t-shirts! We purchased three pink and three red, in honor of Valentines Day, and set to work on personalizing them as creatively as possible.
Since we are half-way through the trip, we wrote half of “The World Race” on the back of each shirt, the first half on the red shirts and the second half on the pink shirts…think of those matching best friend necklaces where the hearts fit together. Then below that, each person had one word, which when lined up in the proper order spelt out Romans 12:10 Love one another with brotherly affection.
Then on the front, we kept it pretty simple, with a small heart on the left chest and seven:eleven written inside of it. Just for fun we also wrote our names on one sleeve and a stick-figure picture to accompany on the other sleeve.
So Valentines morning we met as usual and did our bible study on 1 John. Amazingly enough, this day we were on chapter 4, specifically on the section that talks about God’s love. Perfect! Along with our meeting, the men gave some chocolates and small gifts to each of the ladies… our men are so thoughtful! We also surprised everyone with their Valentines Day, half-way point, Pam is still alive t-shirts.
Later on, at 3pm, the Valentines Day, half-way point, Pam is still alive extravaganza continued. We all met in downtown Nelspruit at the Botanical Gardens. We spent a good two and a half hours exploring the African Forest, admiring the unique plants, bugs, and animals, and enjoying the beautiful trees and waterfalls. Many pictures were taken, of course.
After the gardens, we walked back to our home away from home, the Riverside Mall. Earlier that day I had gone in and made reservations for our group of six at Detroit Spur Restaurant, just in case it was busy. Somehow in doing so, I guess I reserved a special table, called the tent. In America, we call it a tee-pee.
We had a wonderful dinner and fantastic conversation. We asked questions about previous Valentines Days, we reminisced over the past five and a half months of the race, and we rejoiced in Pam’s ski-accident triumph.
It was a fun and unforgettable Valentines Day, half-way point, Pam is still alive extravaganza, and I couldn’t think of anyone else I would have rather spent it with!
PS.
Sarah, your presence was of course felt throughout the day. We love you and miss you and you are always in our prayers! Happy Valentines Day! XOXO
