A Breather...

It's not quite 10 am, and I'm still in my PJs in the hotel room, and the youth staying with me are just stirring. It's a well deserved morning in. In the past three days we've awakened at 4:00 am (to leave STL), 6:30 am (for registration and then the beach trip) and 5:15 am (to make the 6:30 workday bus launch, which we later learned had 30 minutes of buffer built in). Today is our Learning day, at the Convention Center -- literally a stone's throw from our hotel since we're right across the street.

We're through the hardest part of our schedule -- almost every minute was rigidly scheduled up through last night just after the Dome's evening mass event. The next 2.5 days -- I just realized we're at the midpoint of our trip -- are our Learning Day and our Interaction Day during which we reinforce our group's chosed theme: environment. During these events our group has much more flexibility in timing and location -- because we're not on a bus miles from our hotel.

It also represents a key milestone for our youth: freedom to choose their attire... that is, no more group t-shirts. Since our beach outing, we've worn the "STL (heart) NOLA) white shirt for the Wednesday opening event, the orange servant t-shirt (Miriam's "favorite") during the day, and last night we wore the teal "Central States Synod" t-shirt.

Everyone's showing their off their individuality today, and they've earned it. It will be harder to follow the entire group (Todd and Rebecca lead our pack during our travels) and I follow up the rear, continuously counting 12 heads in front of me.) At least we got our trip to Bourbon Street out of the way last night with group t-shirts as easy identifiers. From here on out, we count on looking for Daniel as our roving Bethel signpost.

More later, especially if there's time at the Convention Center.