We had a few days to rest before Debrief in Los Angeles. I was so thankful that we had this time in California because I have some very dear friends and an amazing youth group only an hour and a half from LA. Our team flew from Mexico to Los Angeles and got to the Santa Monica pier (where the race ended) two days earlier than we expected!! I was excited. That meant two more days with my buddies. As soon as we took our picture at the pier I started figuring out how to get to my friends. I tried a taxi ($140.00) that was not happening. The cab driver was nice enough to drive me to the bus stop for free. I took a bus (after waiting for a while) to the train station. I waited at the train station for an hour and then got on a train for 2 hours to San Bernardino. I officially was on EVERY type of transportation possible…for only $11.00. It was all worth it when my friend, Wade, picked me up at the train station. It felt like I never left. That night, I got to see the newest addition to my small group (William Asher Dorman…my friends new baby) and surprised my best buddy Stephanie at Roadhouse. What a fun night! The next few days were busy with visiting friends and catching up on sleep. I got to sleep in my own BED!!! I also got to go to my church on Sunday and surprise my youth group and talk about my trip. It was great to see everyone, but made me miss California even more.
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After my time in Victorville, I went to Los Angles for Debrief and training on Chinese culture. Even though we had a lot to accomplish, we found time to have fun. The first night AIM treated us to a steak dinner at Morton’s. It was such a nice treat. We all were so thankful for a wonderful meal!! After dinner, we realized that the Oscars were on. We were in Hollywood so OF COURSE we went star watching. We watched all the stars get into their limos. A few people rolled down their windows and showed us their oscars. It was so much fun. The day before leaving, a group of us went to a taping of the Dr. Phil show. The topic was a little on the boring side, but it was so much fun to be there with the South Africans. At the end, Dr. Phil’s assistant gave me a present. I talked to him a lot trying to organize our tickets, so he gave me a bag of Dr. Phil’s books, a cd, a mug, and a t-shirt.
After a great time in California, we hopped on the longest flight of my life to Hong Kong. WOW..it was long. I am very thankful that I had a row to myself and was able to sleep. I can sleep anywhere!!! We are here in Hong Kong now. I had McDonald’s for breakfast. I REALLY like this place! We are only here for a few days and then we are off to China.
Thank you for your prayers!!!
