CPYM

From Washington DC, we made our way along with Meg and Sandi, to Philly! We were going to stay with yet another friend of the girls for two nights. The highlight of our stay was when Sandi, Melissa, and I set up one of our huge screens right in the middle of their apt. living room! We brought in some of our gear, and created our very own movie cinema right there! We watched "Friends" until the rest of the crew, got back from playing a pick up game of basketball with our pizzas (pizzas won). We then put in Mission Impossible III and watched Tom Cruise on the BIG SCREEN! It was an AWESOME end to our weekend with all of our new friends! Melissa and I parted ways the next morning (Columbus Day) and while most of our co-workers were enjoying a day off we hit the road once again for three more shows. In the morning we found ourselves amid the middle school string orchestra of Warrington PA. This was quite the experience as we set up the screens to their lovely music (I use this term loosely) as well as dodging their bows as we passed by with our gear! Overall it was more funny than annoying. We then went to Holicong for an afternoon show. Now a few years back Melissa learned a goofy language perhaps much like Pig Latin. For every consonant in a word you add a "ong" So while setting up our show MONG-E-LONG-I-SONG-SONG-A had me laughing so hard, I seriously just about PONG-E-E-Dong my pants. That afternoon we went to Downtown Philidelphia for a famous Philly cheesesteak. We figured if we left the East Coast without ever having an authentic Philly Cheesesteak, then all of our travels would have been in vain:) ok so that might be a little dramatic, but really we were hungry, and Cheesesteak Corner was nearby. A little brief history of Cheesesteak Corner. In the heart of downtown Philly you will find Pat's King of Steaks. They have been located on that very corner since 1930 and are believed to be the originator of the Philly Cheesesteak craze! Across the street years later came Geno's Steaks. Both Pat and Geno claim to be the best, and have the best sandwiches. So naturally Melissa and I decided to put them to the test! First we had to learn "cheesesteak lingo" so with the help of a sign by I.M. Hungry we learned these 4 simple rules: 1. Specify if you want your steak wit (with) or wit-out (without) onions. (If your not a rookie this should come naturally) 2. Specify plain, cheez whiz, provolone, american cheese, or pizza steak. 3. Have your money ready. (Do all of your borrowing in line) 4. Practice all of the above while waiting in line. (If you make a mistake, don't panic, just go to the back of the line and start over!) So with the rules in our brains we ordered a "steak" wit onions and the whiz! We then made our way across street and ordered a "steak" from the competition this one wit-out onions and with american cheese! Finally the taste test! I must say the verdict was a unanimous TIE:) basically we were starved and couldn't taste much of a difference, but the bottom line Cheesesteak in Philly is the BEST! Wit our stomachs full from the "steaks" we made our way toward Shamokin Dam, Pa for our 3 week adventure with Central Pennsylvania Youth Ministries (CPYM). Our presentation provided them with an opportunity to make connections with both the students and the faculty in their area school systems. It was also a way for them to bring an awareness to the students about their clubs. During our time with CPYM we had the chance to meet some really great hospitable people! Who welcomed us into their homes and made us feel like family. Spending 3 weeks with this group of people made for some good times, so we'll just give you a few of the highlights.
1. Playing catch phrase with the Rumberger family
2. Eating a "Paul's Panini" with Matt at "Bread of Life Cafe." It was hard to choose between "Noah's Nuggets (which is just wrong), Paul's Panini, or a variety of "Apostletizers!"
3. HARPO AND AMY!!!! (enough said)
4. LaVerne (30 yrs in the ministry and still kicking!) and Ryan (the intern)
5. Indian Valley Homecoming football game
6. Sleeping in an empty parsonage in amish country
7. Chicken Farmers
8. Sandy's Lasagna (everything she cooked actually), the Graefe family, and our very own in-law suite
9. A surprise reunion with Sam and Evelyn Klingler (it's a small world after all!)
10. DANCE, DANCE REVOLUTION!