Tonight we went to see a baseball game. It was the Chicago White Sox versus the Cleveland Indians. We arrived there a little bit late, but it was okay; the game had just started for several minutes. The baseball stadium was really big; it could contain about sixty thousand people, I was told. The White Sox were good in the second and third inning, and took a three-point lead.

But the fourth inning was totally a nightmare, and a long one I have to say. The Indians scored two points in a short period and the score was 3-2, with the Sox taking the lead. Then the Indians had a few singles. Then a batter (I forgot his name and would not want to remember it anyway) hit a homer which gained three points for the Indians. I was so mad because the Indians scored none in the first three innings but jammed five points in one! Then, the Indians scored two points in the fifth inning.

The game was kind of like it was over because the score was 3-7, with the Indians leading. Then in the sixth inning, A.J. Pierzynsi hit a homer, but no one was on the bases, so the Sox only gained one point. The Indians kept changing the pitches and the Sox couldn’t score any points.

Then, in the bottom of the ninth inning, the hero who hit the turnover homer last night–Juan Uribe, the eighth batter–hit a homer. It was a close one because the outfielder almost caught it, and when everyone found out it was another homer, everyone screamed and shouted and applauded. It was a really hard one because there were already two outs and the Sox were behind so Uribe had a lot of pressure on his shoulders. Although the stakes were high, he responded to the challenge and did perfectly well. So, even though the Sox lost the game by two points, I still think Juan Uribe is the MVP of the game.

“Oh, say can you see, by the dawn’s early light, what so proudly…”
We sang America’s national anthem while the flag floated in the air. On August 4th we celebrated the national day of America. God blessed us with good weather; on August 4th it was all sunny. In the afternoon, we had a good time kayaking and playing blanket volleyball. We also had a good time barbecuing. At night, it was a starry night; all the stars on the sky. We could see the stars very clearly. And let stars stay with us until we sleep.

For today’s English class, we made a fruit pizza. To understand the recipe was a difficult thing. Lillian and I decided to make the sauce. We measured some ingredients, looking for what we didn’t have. Then we mixed them together.

While we stirred the ingredients, we chatted with each other in English because Lillian said that we wouldn’t have many opportunities to speak English in the future. That was a good chance for practicing English.

After spreading the sauce on the crust, we began to use some fruit slices to decorate our pizza. Though I thought it was not a pizza but a pie, it tasted wonderful and I had a wonderful experience.

After the long, long time driving, we finally arrived at the Northwoods. In the morning, we still had to take lessons as we did in Oklahoma. After that, we visited many places in the Northwoods. That was amazing!

And then we went boating! I’ve never done this before so I was very excited. Our speed was faster than others in the beginning, yet we were kind of tired and we wanted to take a rest, but we didn’t notice that there was only our boat still in the middle of the lake. We were the last to get back and we were pushed into the water by Elmer and Jasper. So we were wet but happy. 🙂

Then we played the game “Capture the Flag” and that was so exciting. I was very glad to get one of the best presents by Jenny in the White Elephant game. I can imagine there will be even more interesting activities in Northwoods.

The adrenaline from the amazing musical was wearing off as we cleaned up and packed our bags. It was a very late night, but an even earlier morning. Aside from a few who accidentally overslept (oops…me included), everyone had their luggage down in the lobby at 3:00 a.m. We were on three separate flights to Chicago. We were thoroughly exhausted, and one of our students almost missed his flight because he was asleep at the gate. Another one came off the plane looking for his backpack, forgetting that he had carried it on and put it in the overhead compartment! That’s what only an hour of sleep will do to you. I was on a later flight, so I was happy to get my last Sonic drink before leaving the good state of Oklahoma.

Jimmy Brown and Ruth Strickler, who were joining us for the Northwoods part of VOICE, met up with us in the baggage claim of O’Hare. The drivers picked up our rental vans, and we soon started our trek to the upper peninsula of Michigan. Wes said it’d take 6-7 hours, but I think it took more like 10. At times my van was buzzing with excitement as we talked and ate Sour Patch kids, granola bars, and chips, but there were definitely extended periods of silence when people were sound asleep. Rest areas, gas stations, and fast food joints broke up the monotony of the van ride. Perhaps the most exciting part of the trip was when a monarch butterfly committed suicide by flying into our windshield wiper. It was distressing and I had to block it from sight to prevent my driver from going ballistic. We were all amazed that it was still alive when we freed it at the next stop.

Our drivers showed great endurance, and by God’s grace we arrived safely in the Northwoods around 8:30 p.m. Boy, were we ready to be out of those vans! Dan and Coralie Davis and the Gillson family gave us a warm welcome to the Northwoods Conference Center. After a brief tour of the lodge we had team prayer and then met in the dining room to sing “Happy Birthday” to Henry and eat some ice-cold watermelon. It was a long day, but we are glad to be here, and our staff team is eagerly anticipating what God has in store for this week. Wish you all could see the Northwoods for yourself—it’s incredibly beautiful, and the star-lit sky is breathtaking!

Photo Credits: The Line & Airport Nap & Fast-food fun & Northwoods Sunset by Karen Chen