Thank you so much for joining me for this post. Now just a little bit of a warning, I suspect this post is going to be pretty lengthy, but I really wanted to document my trip, so this is really for me to remember as many of the aspects as I can, but I hope you also find it encouraging. There were so many wonderful times during my trip that I'm having a hard time processing all of it. So this is how I sort things out in my own mind. Enjoy!
IMPORTANT: I also wanted to explain how I was able to afford this trip. Back in June/July, there were a number of people that had donated to assist me in being able to afford to do my juice fast, and I can imagine there might be some questions about how I was able to afford to go on a European trip so soon afterward. I would like to explain what happened. So, the last few days of my fast, a family member gave me a large sum of money unexpectedly. This was a huge relief for me as this was an incredible windfall, but at the time I started the juice fast I was truly in need. If anyone has any additional questions or concerns about this (or even wish to receive their donation back), please contact me by email at amerigerman@gmail.com, by phone, or by PM on Facebook. Thanks!
So it's been a few weeks since I returned from London, and I'm still a little speechless. I'm still reeling from the sights, sounds, smells and the dear friendships that I was able to rekindle and new ones that I was given the opportunity to make.
The past few months have been very busy, strenuous and stressful for me. I was often just exhausted and overwhelmed by all the responsibilities I was juggling. And I feel like I've been going non-stop. Since the end of May, I visited Spokane 3 times in just over 3 months, each time working hard through heat and thick wildfire smoke to prepare my house for sale and take care of my stored property.
Then, I had a realtor that was just terrible. Constant problems and significant other challenges with the sale of my house. I'm glad she quit though, because I was going to fire her the same day. So then I had to start all over again with a new realtor, which was another huge headache. Thanks be to God, because he's been great!
And three days before I was supposed to leave on my trip, I had one of the worst days at work I ever had there (and most days I absolutely LOVE my job!). It was so bad that I thought that maybe I want to get out of this kind of work altogether. It really affected me. So by the time I left for my vacation, I was pretty burnt out. In all sincerity, I was very stressed out.
Thursday, October 19, 2017
So I got up at 3:30 a.m. on that Thursday and caught the bus from home to the park and ride and then caught my regular bus to work that day. After working extra hours earlier in the week, I was able to get off at 1 p.m., and then headed for the airport! I was so relieved to be off work for 11 days and so excited for this trip of a lifetime! It still didn't feel real!
My flight was at 5:40pm and I got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. While at the airport, using their WiFi, I was feverishly completing the paperwork so that my realtor could put the house on the market. With only a few minutes to spare, I finished the paperwork and was able to board the plane for London! Phew!
Also, while at the airport, I was talking to my stepmom Pam on the phone. Then it occurred to me that for the first time in months, I was able to step away from all the distractions, struggles and busy-ness of the past few months and relax and just enjoy the places that I dearly loved! And I started to cry because I really needed some time off from all the craziness! I didn't realize I was THAT stressed out, I really did need a vacation!
Friday, October 20, 2017
So I land at Heathrow about 11 a.m. local time, and apparently I was the first person to arrive in London for the conference. I was greeted by Jurij, Kolbe and Michael (and about 7 others!) at the arrival area. As soon as I came through that door, they all started singing "We Love You With The Love of the Lord"! I was so blown away! It made me feel so special and honored! I love you guys, I hope to be there with you again soon!
I had a great conversation with Michael and a brief talk with Jurij, and they had to leave, because shortly after I arrived, Scott and Sandy showed up from Phoenix! So Kolbe and I grabbed a bite to eat for an hour or two and it was extremely encouraging! Thank you for taking time with me, White Mamba! Ha ha ha ha! Love you, brother!
After he left, it took me a bit, but I finally found the gate where my next flight was going out from. I still had a few hours, so I just relaxed. My next flight was with Brussels Air (never heard of it) and off I went for a short flight to Brussels for my connecting flight to Berlin.
When I landed in Brussels, my boarding pass said it left at 2020 (8:20 p.m.) and I got off the flight at about 8:05p.m. from gate A34 or thereabouts, and I needed to get to B46. So I am doing a fat man sprint through the airport and it's taking forever to get to A1, then I had to get to the B gates. Well, they route you through, and around, stores in this very lengthy and curvy shopping area. I finally make it to the gate and the boarding time was 8:20, plane took off at 8:50 p.m. Phew! And I really had to use the restroom, too. I didn't think I was going to make it! LOL!! But I was a sweaty, out-of-breath mess! But at least I didn't miss my flight!
So I boarded my last flight and an hour later landed in Berlin! I had been up for almost 36 hours when I landed and as soon as I got off the plane, I grabbed my luggage, jumped on the airport WiFi and called Jürgen as I didn't see him at the airport. He answered his phone and I said "I'm here!!!" and he was silent for a second and he said, "Where?" I said "I'm in Berlin at Tegel!" He thought I was coming in on Sunday! LOL!! I told him not to worry, I'll find out how to get to him, so we met at the U-Bahn station near his house a bit later.
While I was on the bus on my way to meet Jürgen, this really nice young woman and I started chatting and I asked her if I could use her phone to call Jürgen, and she agreed. I told him when I would be there and we met a short time later. I had a great conversation with the girl on the bus, Kerstin, and she also helped me figure out which trains to take on the U-Bahn as well. Definitely a guardian angel because I didn't have WiFi anywhere!
So I got to my stop and lugged all my stuff onto the platform where Jürgen was waiting for me. So grateful for him. I love him like a brother! So he let me crash at his place for a few nights while I was there. He was very apologetic for not getting the time right, but despite that, we had a great time!! But not long after I got to his place, I crashed out! It had been a very long day for me!!
Saturday, October 21, 2017
My first morning in Berlin, and I was super excited. One of the things the Germans do well, is breakfast. You get some fresh rolls, some meats and cheeses, coffee and maybe some fruit, and that's breakfast! If you've never had breakfast this way, you are MISSING OUT!! I love it!
So after that, we went out for coffee and had a great conversation there. Then we went to Alexanderplatz as I needed to get some Euros and also needed to get a phone at Saturn that I could use in Berlin. When I arrived in April 2013, the phone was 9 Euros, this time it was 29! Eek. Same phone!😕 Oh well....
In the meantime, I was really craving my favorite gyros at Mr. Gyros, so we headed that direction. But on the way, I remembered that the only day of the week they are closed is Saturday! That was confirmed when we arrived there. Too bad, I was really looking forward to them, but decided I'll go back another time. But from there, we walked to Connections, and I stopped at Lidl for some snacks and drinks for the party I had planned for that evening.
The whole day, as we walked around the city, I was just so enchanted by all the sights and sounds of Berlin. On the subway, hearing "Zurückbleiben bitte!" just before the doors closed, listening to the sounds of the S-Bahn trains, the whirring of the street cars on Alexanderplatz, all the sights sounds and smells of this incredible place! They had become part of me, and I was absolutely HOME! I had to apologize to Jürgen numerous times during the day because I often would stop in the middle of our conversation (and usually stopped walking, too!) and just say, "hear that sound?" He said he thought it was really cool how much I loved the city, maybe I was just annoying myself! Who knows!! I didn't care, I had come home, even if for just a few days!
So at 6 p.m., we were back at Connections and Jürgen grabbed us some food at Doree down the street (where I had spent many hours dining in 2013). Then people started showing up! First to come by was Basti Beer. I was so encouraged to see him! Then my friend Agata showed up with her family, it was great to see her. She's hilarious, such a fun lady!
Shortly thereafter, my awesome sister Katja showed up with her new husband Vincent, then Matthias and Monique (also relatively newlyweds) and Daniel and his sons, and Tina! It was almost surreal to be back at Connections, and yet somehow totally natural. So we sat and talked and laughed about our times together a few years ago, and what's going on in our lives now. It made my heart truly happy! I'm so grateful for all who came out to see me, I love you all, and miss you more than you will ever know!!!
Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017
So the previous few days, I had not gotten much sleep. So Saturday night I made up for those hours I had missed! I went to bed a little after midnight and forgot to set an alarm. Church started at 11 a.m. and I got up at 10:25 a.m.! Oops!! I got ready in a hurry and caught a taxi to church. It's pretty much all the way across town, so I was hoping I wouldn't be too late. Well, I was about 10 minutes late, not too bad considering the situation.
It was so good to worship with the family in Berlin! I love those guys so much!! After service I got a chance to chat with Thomas (an amazing friend), Ulf, and a few others as well. Man, it was incredible to see everyone again. I wish I had had more time to spend with everyone!
So I went to lunch with the campus, including Steffen! It was great to get time with him and meet the other people there (and one sister from Seattle, too! The daughter of a good friend I have known for a long time!) We went to an Italian restaurant near Hermannstrasse S-Bahn station, and the food was excellent!
After we all said good-bye, I was excited to go visit Treptower Park. I absolutely love this place! It's one of my favorite places in the whole world. It's a Russian war memorial and it's very imposing, beautiful and very peaceful. I took a little video while I was there:
So I took a few pictures and sat down near the large statue and prayed and cried. I was just overcome by the beauty of that place, and what it had come to mean to me in my relationship with God. It was so great to be back here in my favorite prayer spot in the whole world! The day was intermittently sunny and cloudy and I got some great pictures!
After I walked back through the park, I headed to my favorite place to shop (mostly groceries): Real! Then I took the old bus 194 by my first apartment from 4 years ago, and then to Hermannplatz. I also went to my old barber, Shagi and got a trim! It was really good to see him again too! And he even remembered me too! Then back to hang out with my good friend...
Unfortunately, one of the bible talks was away for the weekend for a retreat, so I wasn't able to see a few of my people, but oh well, hopefully I'll be back again soon!
Monday, Oct. 23, 2017
Since this was vacation, I was in no hurry in the mornings to get up and out. As much as that would have been nice, the time that I did have during the day was filled with time with people, and transit between places, including a LOT of walking.
One of the things I had been wanting to get was a wallet, so I asked Jürgen if he minded if I looked for one. He said that's fine. So we walked down the Ku'damm from Kaffee Kranzler to Wittenbergplatz, and went in every store where I thought they might carry them. We went in probably 5 stores and none of them had the type I wanted. As I was about to give up, we walked by a drug store called Rossman on Wittenbergplatz, and they had them there! Not only did they have the right type, it was way cheaper than at the other places. Jürgen liked my wallet so much, he bought one too!
Then, we split up and I was very excited to meet up for lunch with an amazing brother Christian (also a newlywed). We went out for burgers and had a great conversation, talking about everything! I miss you, brother, and can't wait to meet your wife soon!
After leaving there, I was off to see my friend Katja and catch up with her! Of course, we went to our favorite chicken place "Ris A" in Tempelhof. Great memories were made in that restaurant with her, "tearing up some chickens" as I'm sure Christina can attest! 😆 I'm so encouraged by you, sister, and happy that things are going well for you!
Afterwards, I headed back to meet up with Jürgen and we weren't sure what to do in the evening, so we just went out to Oranienburger Tor to a little restaurant and had some appetizers and a beer. Good times with my friend!!!
By the way, on this day I broke my previous record of steps on my fitness tracker. My previous record was 19,000 steps and on this day I did over 21,300! I broke my old record by well over 10%!!
Little did I know this would be the first of many days of this type of activity! Oy!
Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2017
On Tuesday, since this was my last full day in Berlin, I was not about to miss out on my yummy gyros lunch at Mr. Gyros! Now, over the years, Jürgen has been there a lot for me. He would always take me out for dinner, or do whatever he could to help me. So, this time, even thought it wasn't much, I was able to invite HIM out to lunch at the gyro shop! My gyro was beyond delicious and he got the farmer's salad (ie: a real Greek salad), which looked amazing. My best friend and my favorite restaurant, and it was even warm enough to sit outside!
After we left there, we got a bit lost. I was meeting up with the Webers on Bayerischer Platz, but we were looking for a coffee shop to sit down in for a little while. So we walked down Grunewaldstrasse, and instead of going right, we went left and never did find a coffee shop. We finally popped into a bar to use the facilities and get a coffee, but it was way too smoky for me (even during the day), so we ended up sitting outside again. But as I only had a short time before I had to meet up with the Webers, we only stayed a short time. I was a little bit late, and I felt terrible, but it's hard to function without internet and very limited phone service. (And they didn't have my temporary number.)
But I had such a great time with Andreas and Tamara! I love those guys! Andreas gave me a book to read back in 2013 that meant so much to me. It's called "Let Me Die in Ireland." It was by one of my favorite authors, and it had such a huge impact on my life in 2013. It still is one of the dearest gifts ever given to me.
So we had a great conversation and meal, and they left. Then I realized that I wanted to get something from Connections. I have a few boxes of things there that I left in 2014, so I wanted to get a couple things from there. Since I left them, the boxes had moved and was unable to find them, and by the time I got there, it was already late in the day, so Clay was shutting down the library for the day, and I just left when he did.
I called up Jürgen and asked if he wanted to meet up for a beer. So we went to one of my favorite places in Berlin to eat. It's called the Old Berlin Beer Saloon. A saloon in Berlin, you say? YES! And it's super cool! The ambience literally looks like it's been there for 100 years (it probably has been!) Although, if I were to guess, this area was probably flattened in WWII, so I'm not sure. (Berlin was 90% destroyed in the war, so it's hard to say what's original and what was rebuilt.)
Here's their website, if you're interested in checking it out. http://www.alt-berliner-biersalon.de
So Jürgen and I hung out and had a beer and just watched the world go by with our bierchen. It was hard for me to believe that I would have to leave the next morning! I was very sad, but incredibly grateful for the time I had in my favorite city in the world!
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
So I got up early and made sure I was able to have one last German breakfast before I headed off to the airport. Jürgen offered to get a "Drive Now" car and drive me to the airport. I was doing pretty good for time, so it was good. But for some reason he was not able to get the car. I stood waiting for about 15 minutes and he called me to tell me that he was ordering a taxi and should only be a few minutes.
Well, his road was closed at one end due to construction and apparently the taxi driver didn't know how to get to us. (Really?? You're a taxi driver!!) That aside, my serenity was starting to fall apart a bit. But I was praying... So, apparently, the taxi driver wanted us to lug my bags about 4 blocks to meet him at a nearby hotel.
I was pretty frustrated by this point, as I had been waiting with my bags in the rain for a total of about 35 minutes, and I would be getting to the airport quite a bit later than planned. But as these things usually work out, I was arrived at Tegel airport in plenty of time, and Jürgen was able to get to his next appointment on time as well. Thanks, God!! And thank you, Jürgen!!
So the first leg of my trip to London was a 4-hour layover in Frankfurt. I had it all planned out! I was going to go into the city and look around at some specific places and be back in time to catch my flight. Even though the trip into the city was only about 15 minutes, I decided it was too much hassle and just relaxed and got a coffee and did a little bit of shopping, and waited for my flight. I don't think I would have had enough time to do much in the city and I'm actually pretty glad I just chilled at the airport.
LONDON
So I land in London, and if I'm completely honest, I was kind of hoping for another warm welcome (I'm prideful, what can I say?), but that's okay... So I just needed to get from the airport to the hotel. Well, the most clear (and inexpensive) choice to get there was by subway, "The Tube". I only had to change trains once, but the trip was about an hour and a half! Unfortunately, my flight landed at about 4 p.m. and it took a while to get through customs and pick up my luggage.
So I boarded the subway at exactly 5p.m. It was nice, because it was relatively empty. But it was a Wednesday, and at rush hour! Yeah, it got real chummy there on the train. I did get the opportunity to chat with a really nice older English woman, and another English gent. We had a great conversation as we tried to make the best of a very tight situation, so to speak. I'll say it, I was very uncomfortable!! But I made my train change and finally arrived at Canary Wharf a little after 6 p.m.
But I was pretty lost. No matter how many times I had looked at the map of the place, I had no idea where to go when I got out of the Tube. I was actually only a few blocks away, but took another train one more stop. Not the end of the world, and the walk was only about 7-8 minutes to my hotel.
Thankfully, Omar had already checked in and so I was able to just pick up my key and head up to the room. Now, after I had booked the room, I realized that the description of the room said "No Window"..... Huh?? Really? That's a thing?? So I get to my room and our window was only a half-length window. It overlooked the roof (just barely). Apparently some rooms on the 1st floor had no windows at all! That would definitely not fly in the U.S.!! But the room was clean and comfortable and all was well.
So I got settled at the hotel, and I thought I would go over to the Hilton, where we were having the conference and see if I could meet up with people. But on the way, I bumped in to Scott and Sandy Lunde and they invited me over for dinner! I was super encouraged and hung out with them for a while. Now Sandy looks a lot like someone I know in Spokane, and oddly enough, they had been roommates with each other in Boise like 10+ years ago! What. Are. The. Odds????
Since they had rented a condo, Sandy offered to help me with some laundry since I couldn't quite make my clothes last a full 11 days of my vacation. Thank you so much, you were a total life saver!
So after a really great and inspiring conversation with them, I headed back to the hotel and met up with Omar, who I had never met before. I had hoped to get together with Jurij and some of the London brothers that night, but I just arrived a little bit too late for that. But this was a great alternative, if you can call it that!!
Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017
I got up to go to the first class they offered: Churchbuilders. I would have loved to have gone to that, but they had to charge for that session, and 20 pounds was just not in the budget. Jurij told me later that they could have helped me out had they known. Oh well, I did go downstairs to the restaurant and had a great conversation with one of the waiters there, a really cool guy named Benoit. A little later, Omar sat down and we chatted over coffee. I desperately needed coffee....
So then I realized that I didn't have to be back until like 7 p.m. that night. So there were a bunch of people that had come in from all over and were just hanging out at the hotel, so we decided to go over to the business district (right across a short bridge from the hotel) where there was quite a large underground mall below the high-rises of the Canary Wharf. We grabbed some coffee and then went out for some chicken at Nando's. Then we headed back to the Hilton for the first General Session.
It was so encouraging to hear the good news sharing from around the world, delivered by Kip. It was so inspiring to see how God is moving in so many places. Seriously, this was one of the most encouraging things I heard while I was in London!
Then John Causey preached arguably my favorite lesson there. A United Kingdom Conquers Kingdoms! Lots of great little nuggets in that one. But well, it is John Causey and he has lots of experience and wisdom!!
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So this is where I stopped writing my experiences 3 weeks after the conference. I'll do my best to remember what happened for the rest of the weekend now, 13 months after the returning home. Hey, I figure it's better to finish it now than not finish it at all. It took me a long time to write all that!! LOL
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Friday, Oct. 27, 2017
So I was really excited for Friday (well, in reality I was excited about the whole weekend) but I got to get some time with my friend Daniel that had come to visit Seattle exactly two years before! So he showed me around London a little bit and got a great chance to catch up with him and see the city I hadn't been to in just shy of 30 years! He took me to the Camden Market where I got all my souvenirs for my friends back home, and what a cool place that is! I'll attach some pictures below so you can see a bit of our craziness! Thanks Daniel for being my tour guide, for the great company, and for taking time to catch up with me. I had a blast!!
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| I'm so excited to be in London, not sure why he's excited. LOL |
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| Camden Market |
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| The "Shard" Like out of a movie! So cool! |
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| Camden Market |
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| Daniel and I and the Tower Bridge |
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| Better picture of the Tower Bridge |
Everyone was all dressed up and we enjoyed a very nice dinner, great service and incredible fellowship with disciples from all over the world! It was such a great experience! Here's a picture of my date and myself:
Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017
So it was officially the Mercy Worldwide day where everyone wore their green Mercy shirts. I don't recall if there was an actual event to serve that day or not, however I do recall something about the British disciples playing "the rest of the world" in soccer. As I recall, I believe the Brits took the cup... No surprise when you consider there were a LOT of Americans there, who most likely prefer American football to the British kind. LOL
Later in the afternoon, we returned to the hotel to hear the amazing Anthony Olmos give my other favorite lesson of the conference: "Bent on Transfiguration." DON'T GIVE UP... DON'T GIVE IN... STAY ALL IN!! He is such a great brother!!
After the classes, there was a Singles' Dinner, at (where else?) the Tower Bridge! This place has a million dollar view of the bridge and the Tower of London. Especially at night, it was stunning! Food was excellent, and once again the fellowship was incredible!
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| My awesome date |
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| That view! Tower of London visible far left! |
After the single's dinner, we went back to the hotel. I was rooming with a really encouraging brother from NYC, Omar. It was really great getting to know him, super grateful for the friendship we built there.
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| Omar and I |
Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017
It was hard to believe that today is the last official day of the conference. Such an intensely fun and spiritual time, and yet it's going to be over in a few hours! But as expected, John Causey brought the heat with the final lesson of the weekend. That guy is incredible. I wish I had half of the heart he has! He loves God and people and has such incredibly deep convictions!
After the conference let out, and many good-byes were said, we all went our separate ways. I returned to the hotel room for a nap because I was happily exhausted from the weekend.
I had also received an email from the airline letting me know that my Monday flight had been cancelled. I have to be honest, I was freaking out just a little bit. I was due back to work on Tuesday and I couldn't fly out until Tuesday afternoon. Thankfully I have a very understanding employer that allowed me to return a day late. My only issue was that I only had 0.17 hours of vacation left, so essentially I was not paid for most of that day off, but hey, it did mean that I could stay in London for another whole day!
I could not afford another night in the hotel, so Monday night Jurij let me stay at his place in one of the brother's rooms who was away for a few days. Also got some good time with him and was able to do a little bit of exploring.
Monday, Oct. 30, 2017
So I got up Monday and had to check out of the hotel. I had them hold my luggage at the front desk and went out to explore the city a bit. I just jumped on a double-decker bus and headed out a few miles from the hotel. I visited the Poplar District and took the bus route 15 toward Trafalgar Square. I went a bit past, and then visited Watney Market and a couple of spots along the way and then returned to the hotel.
I didn't have much time to explore because I had to be back to meet Jurij at the hotel in the afternoon. So he drove us back to his house where he made some awesome healthy dinner! And after about 10 days of traveling, I was pretty wiped out. My plane didn't leave until about 1 p.m. on Tuesday, but I turned in early to be rested for the long journey the next day....
Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2017
It was nice to sleep in a bit on my last day in London. But I left Jurij's place around 9:30 a.m. and started my journey home. It was about 15 minutes by foot to the nearest Tube station, and then about an hour back to Heathrow. Heathrow is a massive airport. It can take a while just to get from one end of the airport to another. But I did make it in plenty of time and had about 2 or 3 hours before my flight left. Man, coming home is the hardest part of a long vacation!!
TAKE-AWAYS
So what can I say? I felt like the most blessed guy in the whole world. It seemed almost unreal that I was able to visit these two amazing cities. I got to see some incredible things, meet my good friends in Berlin, and meet scores of new ones in London!
Having felt a bit stuck in Seattle the previous four years or so, I built this trip up in my mind as the be-all, end-all trip of a lifetime. In fact, I had built it up so much, that I realized I had to be careful not to have my expectations TOO high, to make sure I didn't feel let down in any way.
But to my utter shock and amazement, I dare say the trip far EXCEEDED my greatest expectations! I was so blown away and grateful that God blessed it the way he did!
So what did I take away from this time? Well, I was so inspired by the work that is being done in Europe. The whole continent needs God, and there are people out there really doing that work! And I was so inspired to become one of those people! No time to rest on our laurels, the world needs help in such a huge way! I can't wait to learn what will help me be better to effectively love a hurting world and show those in Europe how amazing God is, and what he has done in my life.
I will NEVER forget this trip. I learned so much, I was impacted by the lives and messages of so many men and women that are truly in the battle to save souls. I can't tell you the last time I had felt this convicted, inspired and ready to join the battle in Europe than I did on 10/31/2017!
Finally, I want to send a shout-out to R.D. Baker, Anthony Olmos, Jurij Zykov, Kip, Michael Green, Kofi, Omar, the Lundes and so many others that helped make this time so impactful. Thank you for going out of your way to make me feel welcome. I can honestly say that I've never seen such a humble, loving and dedicated group of men and women in my whole life. Thank you for welcoming me, encouraging me, and calling me higher! I can't wait to see you all again. Hopefully very soon! Love you all!
Tim (signed 11/24/2018)
