...to journey and return...

Day 1

2011-08-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

Today marked the beginning of my 15-day juice fast. It went well, I am not hungry and all I've eaton today is kale, spinach, carrots, a half a cucumber, an apple, and some celery... who knew!! It is definitely a taste that takes some getting used to but I think after a few days it will taste like cheesecake (okay maybe that's a stretch). So, a successful first day. Here's the 14 more!

Juice to "produce" a Healthy Lifestyle!

2011-07-30T11:02:00.000-07:00

This morning I stopped by Whole Foods to stock up on fresh fruits and veggies. This should last me three days and then I'll head back again. This ensures I am juicing the freshest produce possible.

Isn't it pretty? Here it is before in all it's luscious colorful glory!

Tune in Monday to see what it looks like in juice form. Yummy!

The Reboost!

2011-07-28T19:18:00.000-07:00

August 1st, I will embark on a journey and a new adventure. A path that is untrodden by my foot steps and a total mystery. I Samantha Morrow, for the first time ever am doing a juice fast. That may not sound like much, but it is a trek I am very excited to embark upon. A few weeks ago, I watched a documentary called "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" (charming isn't it?) It was a very educational story of a man's journey to a healthy life free of an illness he has suffered from for years. I have watched countless documentaries on health, exercise etc... but this one stood out to me. Along this mans journey he touched others and not only impacted lives but drastically changed them. I won't tell you anymore, you just need to watch it (it is streaming on Netflix instant play btw).

Now, I myself am not suffering from any illness per-se, but I do need to change my eating habits and what better way to start than a 15 day reboost/cleanse. It is called a "fast" but I am not fasting at all. I will be juicing only raw (uncooked), organic fruits and vegetables. The purpose of this is to cleanse my system and reboot my body.

This is not a one time diet and then back to the life of a fast food french fry eater (although they are tasty). I am making a lifestyle change. It is time I take care of this body I've been given.

So, stayed tuned as I update you on my journey as well as share with you my favorite recipes!

P.S. Thank you Jose for giving me the final kick in the pants I needed to do this!

Rekindling an Old Flame

2011-07-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

I recently started piano lessons after an almost ten year hiatus. I play the guitar and enjoy it but my musical instrument of choice has always been the piano. I still read music well and can sight read laissez faire, but other than that I'm basically starting over. I played the "Midnight Waltz" six times today. It is a very simple piece intended to help a beginner pianist learn to play with both hands in multiple time signatures. It has definitely been a humbling experience and I have loved every minute of it! My primary goal in doing this is to be able to write my own songs. I have several in my head and would love to get them onto paper.

Stay tuned for samples of Sammy originals!

My Trek

2010-06-25T17:52:00.000-07:00

September 1st I am embarking on a journey. This journey is unlike any I have traveled. This journey is one of community, relationships, beauty, challenge, peace, rest, discovery, growth and glory.

My journey will begin in my white- slightly beat up- Toyota Corolla as I drive from Woodstock, GA to New Jersey where I have the pleasure of photographing a friends wedding. Ruth is not just any friend. She is one of those friends who comes into your life for a brief moment but forever changes it. We met on a missions trip to Ecuador in 2003, and over the course of two weeks knew each other better than most friends do in a lifetime.

On September 7th, I will meet up with a crew of incredibles: Scott- a talented, big-hearted, visionary, Krissy- a genuine, beautiful, artist, Emerson- a bundle of joy, cute as a bug's butt, lovable toddler, Rachel- an adorable, gifted young lady (whom I'm quite sure we will be kindred spirits) and Britton- a funny, young gentleman, I have only briefly met but am positive is splendid.

From Niagara Falls, ON, to wherever the road leads us... we will travel, commune, share, laugh, grow and see what there is to see- all while living out of a backpack.

My hope for this journey is to experience community, grow in my relationship with Father, and live a simple life.

Please check back for updates as I prepare to leave and stories of my journey.

This song by Brendan James keeps running through my head.

I want to walk through this doorway
I want to open my mind
I want to pledge my allegiance to all I can find.
I want a car that will crash through the barriers
to a road no one knows.
I want to feel less control,
want to bend and I want to land far from home.

The revolution of the earth around the sun
is the perfect lesson of how it should be.
So if i cannot learn
to journey and return,
to never rest till I've seen all I can see...

I want to learn a completely new language,
one I don't understand.
I want to help someone lost, someone helpless,
with the strength of my hand.
I want to come to the base of a statue built
before they counted the years,
and there i'll fall with my face in my hands and cry
and feel their hope in my tears.

The revolution of the earth around the sun
is the perfect lesson of how it should be.
So if I cannot learn,
to journey and return,
to never rest till I've seen all I can see...

Train rides and pastures colliding...
colors and customs i've never seen...
I know I, yes I know I,
I know I will stumble
but time is precious my friend.

I want to know where the stength of a person lies,
in their past or their future.
Is it in the way that they hurt or they love themselves
or is it all an illusion?
I want to crawl from this skin that i'm painted in...
Body, please let it give.
I want to find the creator of all good things
and ask what it means to live.

My Guitar

2010-05-24T20:09:00.000-07:00

Today for the first time in months I picked up my guitar. I had forgotten how much I love to write. For me, playing the guitar is an avenue for my thoughts. It is a porthole into the depths of my heart where I store my most sacred fears. While playing I began to realize what I was really feeling about life. I had no idea this is how I felt.

These are the lyrics I wrote:

You look outside your window and imagine what could be

A world where you’re in it and you’re free. You see the children laughing and you dream of the day...

someone comes and finds you, helps you put your fears behind you.

You hope and wait pray. But until that day...you stay.

The days go by and you forget to dream.

Somehow nothing matters but this false reality.

You settle for the existence of a two demential world and the lies you keep telling yourself about the outside world.

You wait for the day someone comes knocking at your door.

They come to take you back to what you knew.

A life filled with color and a heart filled with song. But most of all the person that used to be you.

But too afraid to make a move you sit and wait and pray...

That someday you will see the light but until that day... you stay.

Despite the lies, the tale that has been spun; you know deep down who you are that this battle’s been won.

You know it doesn't matter what is thrown your way. There is hope and peace and true love... and it’s here to stay.

Confirmation

2009-09-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

This morning I awoke with a potpourri of emotions. Today I am leaving Barbados and returning home.

I am down because I have fallen in love with these precious people here and cannot imagine not seeing them now regularly. These brothers and sisters of mine have a dear place in my heart and I will deeply miss them.

I am confused...I came here thinking I would be returning in January for an extended stay but through these last few days Father has shown me it is not His timing. I was so certain and had begun planning my life accordingly. It's funny isn't how we hear one thing from Father and then take off running with it.

I am excited... I have not a clue what to expect in this next phase of my life but I am certain it will be glorious because Christ is guiding me.

I am at peace... While I may not be coming back as I had expected, I am certain I will be back in some way. I have met a dear sister Emily and have struck up quite a lovely relationship with her. This morning we went to grab a coffee and I was so encouraged by her.

These last two weeks have been filled with an abundance of blessings and things I will never be able to describe, but I will step onto the plane today at peace and rejoicing for the journey and dialogue I have had with Father. My hope in His perfect will and unobtainable mystery has been strengthened and I rejoice in the knowledge I cannot comprehend Him.

Pictures

2009-09-23T17:54:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures of the ocean I have promised!

A beautiful view of the south tip of the island

A cove on the east coast

The Crane

2009-09-22T04:42:00.000-07:00

Every morning I wake up around 6:45am. I do what little can be done to ones self in such humidity and I make my way down the stairs. I can here chatter and laughter coming from the living room. I fill a bowl with Raison Brain, grab a spoon and head in there to join them. Our conversations usually consist of

a) the different things we are noticing about the Bajan culture

b) poking fun at one another (in a loving and Christ like way of course!)

c) last but not least.... Jesus.

Yesterday we made our way to a store called "Price Smart" which is much like a Cosco to pick up staples items for slightly cheaper. Everything in Barbados is almost twice the price of things in the States. Because they import almost everything onto the island the cost of living is much more expensive.

As happens most evenings after dinner, we sit around and talk about Jesus, community, what it means to be free, etc... i find it fascinating. You will most likely find me curled up in a chair, taking it all in. I usually process what is going on and then three days later after I have processed what has happened am ready to talk about it and give my opinion.

Last night we went to the beach for the first time in over a week. It is the rainy season here on the island so the sunshine is a treat! Every time I'm in the ocean I get this crazy feeling. I always think "it is wierd i am floating in the middle of the ocean and right now I am not on any continent I am just floating atop the earth.... strange." I had that feeling again last night as I swam in the Caribbean Sea looking up at the beautiful clouds.

For those of you who tease me about finding a husband here. Well if all that mattered to me was finding a cute, black man with an accent I would have been married yesterday....twice. I guess it's a good thing I would also like my husband to love the Lord! :)

Today we have our first class. I am very excited to see the ladies today! I love these women and am looking forward to getting to know my dear sisters better.

Tomorrow is a day of exploration! I cannot wait! I will become very trigger happy I am sure and will have lots of pictures to share!

Until next time!

Community

2009-09-20T15:46:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of the second Wave Retreat. There were six participants in this one and it was a mixed group. Every group is different and every time I go through one of these and hear people's stories I am refreshed and encouraged.

Every story is so unique. Some are tails of great tragedy, some are tails of joy, but all are tails of hope and restoration.

This past retreat's theme was "Free to Receive". I am amazed how God puts people in each others lives at the perfect moment. I love watching God do a work in their lives through getting to know one another in a matter of hours. Only God can put six people together in such a way, He loves them to revelation through community.

Here's a picture of The Wave #1

Thank you all for your prayers!

Through My Lens

2009-09-18T07:20:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning to birds singing and sunshine for the first time since I have arrived. It has been raining pretty much non stop this week. Not just showers here and there, but severals hours of good down pouring; so this morning was a welcome sight to behold.

Here are a few of the sights I have seen along my journey here.

These two ravens were perched on a a wire carrying on a conversation with each other. They were very animated. It was quite a sight to behold.

A lighthouse near our house. It was quite small but very beautiful.

The closest I have been to the ocean since my first day on the island.

The Wave # 2 Retreat

The Wave Retreat Number 1

2009-09-17T16:55:00.000-07:00

Starting Tuesday evening the first of our three retreats began. It was our first all women's group and it was glorious. These women are amazing! Over the last three days I have heard ten stories of how Father will NOT stop His pursuit of us! The stories were incredible. I was overwhelmed as I listened to these women share their hearts and what the Lord had brought them through. I was struck this weekend by how God found these women and met them in such unique ways!

It is still hard to put into words what I experienced this week as I am still processing, but there will be more to come!

A Tale of Three Cities

2009-09-14T06:35:00.001-07:00

These are a few of the adventures I have already experienced since arriving yesterday. If the next two weeks are like this, I will be able to write a book!

Yesterday morning I kissed my mom good bye and ran to the check in counter. I was running a little behind because of a slight detour on the way so I didn't get there until 5:40AM.

The line at the AA counter was VERY long and unorganized which led to delay # 1(6:25AM)

The bag Laurie and Retha gave me was .9 lbs over the limit and so they detained me and told me i had to take something out.After 20 minutes of waiting for someone to take the newly shifted bag I finally headed toward security. delay #2 (6:45AM)

At the security check point I remembered RIGHT before I went through I had an old pocket knife in my bag (so glad i remembered otherwise who knew what would have happened). I turned it into the guard and because I even had one, they searched EVERYTHING. After a few minutes of questioning they let me go -one tube of organic toothpaste short- (apparently good for making bombs. Delay # 3 (7:05AM)

I ran to my gate rolling two 50lb duffels behind me. ( I am sure I was a sight to see). I arrived at the gate as the desk attendant spoke "last call for flight 1089 to Miami, FL service to Barbados." That was close. I laughed to myself and thought, "So the adventure begins."

In Miami I had an hour layover... just enough time to use a rest room that wasn't 36,000 feet in the air, and make it to the other side of the airport in time to board my other flight. I met a facinating woman on the plane. She had just gotten a job as a lawyer and was taking her last vacation for a few years. Her name was Caroline, and she was from Baltimore. She ask me why I was going to Barbados. I tried to explain it to her, but as you all know... i'm not even sure! We had an interesting conversation about the Lord and about different cultures. She asked me why I was drawn to work with counseling and that lead to a conversation on foster kids which was very cool.

I arrived in Bridgetown Barbados around 1:45pm. At the customs check-point I was once again detained because I wasn't given an address for where I would be residing, just the Parish( a small town). so, I sat in a room with a security guard and talked about bananas and bombs (another story) for about 20 minutes while they tried to find out who I was and where I was going. They finally went outside to where the passenger pick-up was and started yelling "is there a Laurie Troublfield here" (Laurie is the Director of Grace Connections the ministry I'm working with). Laurie gave them the address and confirmed I wasn't a bomb threat. a few minutes later, they let me go. As I walked out the door the security guard call out, "Have a nice trip Banana girl!"

They drive on the left side of the road (so I will probably get a Bajan drivers license so I can learn!) There are tons of round-abouts, and instead of "yield" it says "give way". They listen to a lot of Reggae music, and the street signs are wooden posts.These are the things so far i have noticed that I love... and the abundance of black men with dread locks! lol (just kidding dad!)

I will post some pictures in the next day or so!

Until next time!

In The Beginning

2009-09-13T15:03:00.000-07:00

Outside the window of my second story room is a field so green, and beautiful trees. The birds and crickets are chirping and singing in a glorious symphony. The sea breeze blows through the house to cool you off just enough, it is perfect.

I have only been here four hours and already I am beigging to fall in love with this culture and the people. They are so laid back. Their focus is not on the American definition of "success" but on peace.

Tomorrow I will meet the local church we will be working with. I cannot tell you how excited I am to meet my brothers and sisters! I feel as if I am meeting distant cousins. I have yet to meet them but I already love them.

I look forward to sharing my journey with you and the adventures I will experience along the way.