Washington D.C.

Three weeks ago I visited Washington D.C. with my friends Katie and Lee-Anna. Our original plan was to go to Ocean City, NJ to visit the Ocean City Beach Project (OCBP) but those plans fell through. So what better city to visit than one filled with weeks full of free entertainment and my brother Ben and his wife Morgan! The weekend was very fun! We saw friends of both Katie and Lee-Anna and they both also got to visit with one of our friends from the OCBP. While there we visited several museums including the Holocaust Museum, American Indian Museum, and the Botanical Gardens to name a few. My brother and sister-in-law Morgan work for the William Penn House. That is also where we stayed. It is a Quaker establishment that also acts as a retreat center / hostel in D.C. It's located just 4 blocks behind the Capital building! Its a beautiful old building filled with character and comfy beds. The above pic is of the house. If you are in D.C. and need a quality cheap place to stay I would suggest it!

Purple Potato Salad!

While in D.C. visiting the American Indian Museum we came across this beautiful dish called Potato Salad. But this wasn't your ordinary potato salad. It was made from sweet potatoes and purple potatoes. Below are the two main beautiful ingredients.

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YUMMY!!!

P.A.P.A. FEST - Once the Dust Settled...

It has been a week now since I returned from PAPA Fest. Nine friends from the Kent Vineyard Church and one from the Columbus Vineyard Church joined me at the Festival. We had a wonderful time together experiencing a mini short-term community ourselves while learning about various forms community and what they can look like. We cooked, cleaned, laughed, had good-discussions and meaning conversations and most of all just simply enjoyed one another, whether we had just met a week ago or known each other for years.

By the end I was covered in my own sweat, body oils and a thick layer of dirt/dust. It was somewhat of a good feeling not showering for 5 days. There was something freeing about it. Too often am I worried about my cleanliness and B.O. We had talked about as a group how American culture looks down upon bad bodily smells and how most of the world doesn't. Very few cultures around the world use deodorant. So I have decided to shower less and not use deodorant. Below are some pics from the festival. The first is a group shot of all eleven of us.

Here was home for 4 days, camp rainbow. The sun was HOT but the nights were cool.

Here is a random shot of our goofiness coming out. I was not sure what was going on or how I found myself in the middle of it but I like it none the less!

Here is a shot of the band mewithoutYou below. From the sounds of it this might have been their last show together. They played the following Monday in Cleveland without their drummer or bassist. They were simply amazing! I don't know them that well but to feel their energy as a band and the crowds energy together was something that I can't describe with words. They were beautiful.

P.A.P.A. Festival has Arrived!

Tonight, I leave for an exciting adventure outside of Chicago called the P.A.P.A. Festival! P.A.P.A. stands for "People Against Poverty and Apathy." I will be going with a group of fun, adventure seeking, thoughtful people like myself from the Vineyard church here in Kent. Shane Claiborne, the author of Jesus for President, will be there speaking about several different topics about the environment and communal living. I will post some pics after my return. For more info go to their website for the festival at HERE.

Kairos' Yummy Garden

We know Spring time for its season of growth, green and beauty. This Spring I decided to do something a little different. To take part of this season of growth I decided to plant a garden at the Kairos House. We planted pumpkin, cucumber, watermelon, spinach, radish, pepper and 4 herbs. The herbs are planted in pots (or recycled simply orange containers) and are also planted in a section in the garden. Below are some pics of the adventure.

The Garden

Spinach

Herbs!

More pics to come as more develops.