A string of unique trips

For the past month, this "one life in Philly" has looked more like this "one life in Hagerstown, Silver Springs, Cape May, and Quakertown." Travel has been the name of the game.

During the same weekend as Ted's Pro Deo Conference, we also were reunited with friends at a Haiti Partnership conference in Silver Springs, MD. Our friends, Sarah and Sadrack, were the main initiators and organizers behind the church-based conference, and our dear supervisor and mentor from our semester in Haiti was in attendance!

Ted met up with us in Hagerstown, MD, where conference participants reconvened at Sarah's house for an amazing feast and worshiped together at her home church.

The group of us - Sarah, Gina, Ted, myself - with old and
new friends at Sarah's house.

The conference was an amazing opportunity to listen in on plans for emerging models of partnership between Haitian and American churches.

The following weekend was something special - my 28th birthday! For the occasion, my hubby had a grand surprise - an overnight stay in Cape May, NJ! Cape May is a beautiful seaside town, full of Victorian B&Bs, specialty shops, and  - at this time of year - empty beaches! March 23 was a record-hot day, so we hit the sand for sure...

Beautiful cherry blossoms were on display in MD, and
here in Philly as well.

Finally, this past weekend found me in Quakertown, PA at the annual women's retreat with my church. The one-night stay was relaxing and refreshing. Women's testimonies and times of sharing were edifying and helpful in identifying ways the Lord is moving.

A great few weekends, though it is nice to be settling back into a normal pace of life here in Philly. :)