Isn't It About... Time?

So... it has been 2.5 weeks since I have been home from The Vagabond Tour, so I figured I better finish writing about the last half of the adventure. Sorry it took so long, but here goes!

Day 19 - June 29:

If you remember, I had just picked up my car from the shop yesterday (June 28th). As I was driving around, I noticed a strange humming sound... So, the first thing I did was take my car back to the dealer that fixed it. I told him what the problem was, and headed into the waiting room to spend my day... HOURS PASS... The guy comes in and informs me that he checked, double checked, and triple checked, and found nothing wrong. The good thing was, I didn't lose any money over it!

I return to my trusty vehicle and hit the road to Chipley, FL to spend my last night in Florida. When I got there, I headed over to the McDonalds and met up with Travis Nellums so he could get online. Good times at McDonalds. Thats about all I remember of that day!

Day 20 - June 30:

I slept in and then headed over to the missionaries place. I visited with them for a little bit - seeing as they just returned from doing some service and one of the missionaries wasn't feeling well. I interviewed them for The Praise Project and then was on my way. They were some way cool cats, thats for sure!

Upon leaving their apartment, I hit the road for my next destination: Tuscaloosa, AL. I had found a facebook page by the name of "Rebuild Tuscaloosa" and had asked about service opportunities while I was there (for those of you who don't know, Tuscaloosa was hit by a pretty big tornado a few months ago, and are in need of some service). I got a response with some direction, so I figured that I was needed there.*

*Side note: About a day or two earlier, I was planning on heading to Cocoa Beach and Miami Beach, FL, but one of the great things about The Vagabond Tour is that I had really tried to leave everything in Gods hands and let him direct me. I had been looking into opportunities in Cocoa Beach and in Tuscaloosa, and God sent me to Tuscaloosa instead - and thank Him for it!

I arrived in Tuscaloosa as the sun was getting low in the sky. I found my trusty golden arches and set up camp in the dining area. One of the first things I did was get on the Rebuild Tuscaloosa page and see if anyone knew about volunteer housing! Unfortunately that wasn't in the picture anymore. Fortunately, people are amazing and have hearts of gold. A wonderful lady got ahold of me through my "volunteer housing request" and informed me that she had paid for a hotel room for me to stay in that night to figure things out for while I was here. INCREDIBLE PEOPLE LIVE IN THIS WORLD! To top things off, when I got there, the hotel room was NICE! King size bed, a little kitchen area, living room space... DANG! God is good.

Day 21 - July 1:

As great as the the king sized bed was, I left extremely too early. I headed to the main volunteer center to register, and was lucky enough to be sent to the TES warehouse that does all the main sorting. Sure the sorting wasn't the most exciting thing to do, but it was definitely a rewarding experience.

When the time came for the volunteers to go home, I decided to take some time to look around the path of the tornado. Pictures don't do justice for what a tornado is capable of. I was shocked...

I found my way to Mr. Tree, who is a symbol of endurance and hope through all the destruction. Afterwards, I walked around the neighborhood and took some pictures, looked around, and prayed for the people affected by the tornado. Lets hope that the rebuilding is quick, and those affected will find peace.

When it got too dark to wander any more, I made my way to a church parking lot to get my rest for another day at the warehouse!

Day 22 - July 2:

Bright and early rolled around, and I headed back to the warehouse to work! It was a nice long hot day. As time went on, the volunteers slowly trickled out, until I was the only one there. At first, I didn't really notice it, but I just continued to work. Finally, I started to wonder... I grabbed something that I had a question about anyway, and headed to the front where to ask about it. When I headed up, I got a warm, "hey Utah!"

I asked my question and then we got chatting. The conversation slowly headed to where I was sleeping that night. When they weren't satisfied with me sleeping in my car in a parking lot, they insisted on me staying at the warehouse. AT A TORNADO RELIEF DONATION WAREHOUSE! How great is that!? And how great are they?! Amazing people; amazing experiences.

The warehouse lights stayed on all night long. The warehouse was extremely hot. I went around the warehouse and grabbed a few fans and a tie. The tie to block out the light, and the fans to cool things down. I set up the fans around my sleeping space - a pile of donated beds - and tried to sleep. Hot. Loud. Bright. Uncomfortable. But I had a smile on my face the whole night. :)

Day 23 - July 3:

Church time! Church was an interesting experience, since the main service was in english, and the next was in spanish. Too bad I wasn't learning spanish back then!

After the service, I had the opportunity to go work with the missionaries for the rest of the evening! We met some great people that night. I gotta say that everything is great.

When I got back to the warehouse, everyone was already asleep, so I decided to volunteer myself to do night watch. You see, there are things all over the place at this warehouse. The parking lot is full with STUFF. All around the building there is STUFF. One of the volunteers watches the place at night, but had fallen asleep, so I thought I would make a few calls and watch guard while I talked. It was great! While being a security guard, I also felt the need to move on to my next location... So, I headed off to bed so that I could get ready for traveling!

Day 24 - July 4:

Happy Independence Day!

I hit the road and landed in New Orleans, LA, after nearly dying in a rain storm in Mississippi. And... I have a funny story as I was pulling into Nawlins. I had my map set for the French Quarters, but as I was getting close, nature called. I kept driving into downtown to look for a restaurant that I could use a bathroom, but there were none to be seen! I kept driving and driving and drove right through downtown and out the other side into a rough looking neighborhood. I figured there would be no restaurant around there, so I turned to start heading back toward the city. As I turned, I noticed a great big lady out on the sidewalk with a cooking pot bigger than me. She was cooking up a FEAST in that pot right there on the sidewalk! I was desperate, so I pulled over and shouted over her music, "Excuse me ma'am! Excuse me, do you know where I could find a restroom around here?"

"A restaurant?" she asks in her scratchy Nawlins accent. "Oh, like a... a..." as she made a flushing type hand motion.

"Thats the one!"

"Oh, son, you can use mine! Just pull over here."

So I pull over and she shows me to her bathroom. As I am walking to the door to head back outside, I just had to laugh at the situation. I am in Nawlins, using a strangers bathroom, while she is cooking on the sidewalk out of a pot that I could fit in. Things like this JUST. DONT. HAPPEN! It was too funny.

After a little chat, I was on my way to the French Quarters. Let me tell you, this place was PACKED! I should have known, but whatever... I drove around for a while looking for a free parking spot, and I think that if it werent a holiday, I never would have found one. Nevertheless, I parked a block or two off of the infamous Bourbon Street in a nice little neighborhood. The architecture was AMAZING! I loved it. I walked around to take a look at what was happening (I also snapped a few pictures), and was planning on getting my free hugs sign, but I just had a feeling that I shouldn't... So I didn't! Instead, I headed back to my car and had a little dinner. When it was late enough that I could go find myself a spot on the river for fireworks, I got out of the car, and was going to leave, but got sidetracked visiting with some nice people who were out visiting and enjoying the nice evening weather. The sun went down, and I made my way to the Mississippi. I found my spot, sat, and waited. I wasn't going to bother with the fireworks, since I am not a fan, but I kept hearing great things about the firework show that is put on every year... the Dueling Barges. Two barges come out on the river and put on the exact same firework show, a half mile apart. I wasn't too impressed...

After the show, I headed to my pre-determined sleeping space: A church parking lot. When I got there, I was quickly disappointed with a fenced off parking lot. :( Ok... I will just find another one... not. Every church that I could find was fenced off. Who does that?! It was getting late, and I was getting worried that I wouldn't find anywhere to sleep. Then I found it! Free parking! Granted, it was on the street and right outside a cemetery... but it was free! I pulled over, laid the seat back, and sweated myself to sleep (it was HOT and HUMID!)

Since I am so far behind on writing, I will break up my updates a little bit. Hopefully this is a good long update that will keep you entertained until I get around to my next one... I also hope that it will go a little faster than the current speed! I write too much! Sorry!

Anyway, God speed. I hope I haven't bored you to death... and... g'night!

Today Is THE Day

Day 18 - June 28 (Pt. 2)

TODAY is the essence of The Vagabond Tour. Today was so smooth and perfect and great! After leaving the McDonalds (see previous update), I headed to the Humane Society of Bay County and spent most of my day serving the homeless animals of Panama City. They had some AWESOME animals too. As I took each dog out for a little time outside, it was inspiring to see how each dog had an incredibly unique personality. From the way they interacted with me, their surroundings, the heat, the toys, etc. It just goes to show that though they cannot speak English, they have personalities, emotions, and deserve respect and appreciation. And though they are dogs – animals we interact with often – they are an example that God created all things individually and regardless of the name and shape of the animal, we should treat them all with a sense of compassion and reverence. Thank you Humane Society for helping me increase insight of the Animal Kingdom and how they relate to God’s plan.

After leaving the Humane Society, my next big adventure was at Pier Park. Pier Park is a tourist hot spot in Panama City Beach. It is a giant outdoor mall at one of the piers. I showed up with my FREE HUGS sign, and began walking! I got a lot of smiles, strange stares, hugs, and pictures! I felt like a celebrity as I walked down the street with all the people that wanted to take pictures with me! A few people offered me some money, but I was successful in keeping it in their own pocket… except for one persistent lady. It was a fun time at Pier Park. Good times for sure!

My night came to a close back at the one and only Noah’s Ark Beach Ministry (the place that let me use their shower about a week ago). Almost every night, they have a free concert, so I showed up to show some support! They put on a good show, and they had a nice mini sermon at the end, which was great as well. The quote that stuck with me the most was something like… “We can’t assume people are loved, but we do need to show it.” A lot of times we go through the motions of interacting with those around us as if everyone’s life is perfect, happy, and full of wonderful people.  We assume that people are in great situations at home, work, and school. But in reality, some people don’t feel loved. It is up to us to show love to everyone we come in contact with so that others may feel of their great worth. That they may know that you and God, if absolutely nobody else, loves them.

So go show the love and share the love.

Peter.Moosman.

God Is Good.

Day 16 - June 26:

What a day that one was!

I had given my morning update, but what happened after that is just plain cool.

Church. It was great! There were some powerful messages throughout the entirety of it. I had an opportunity to speak with the missionaries as well.  The crazy part was this:

I walk into church and take a seat on the side of the chapel. As I wait for the service to start, I begin to look around and people watch. I noticed a face or two that looked oddly like someone I knew from back home, but didn’t think too much of it. I looked a few more times to see if they would increase in familiarity, but I brushed it off. I am in Panama City, Florida… I am not going to know anyone here.

Well, the service ended, and I went up to talk to the missionaries. While talking with them, I hear a, “Peter?”

I turn around and the girl tells me who she is - my dad’s best friend’s kid - and we laugh and find out why each of us are in Panama City instead of home in Utah! What are the odds of this?! Traveling to the opposite end of the country and running into old family friends? Woah.

After church, I went home with them and we played games, ate, played more games, took a little stroll in the woods, watched the Brown Tony Bracelet DVD from Invisible Children, and cleaned up the place a little bit. It was a party and a total blessing that they were there and were willing to take me in for the night.

Day 17 - June 27:

We all woke up around 4am because they needed to hit the road to get to the airport on time to fly home. After finishing cleaning up the place, we went our separate ways. It is just crazy that the whole experience happened in the first place!

Since it was so early, I took off to my trusty classy McDonalds, parked, reclined my chair, and slept for 4 more hours – surprisingly well, too! When I finally woke up from there, I headed inside to use the internet to figure out what I was doing for the day, revamp the route of The Vagabond Tour, find places to sleep along the way, and of course, check facebook. While there, a lady walked up and started talking to me.

“They have free internet here?”

“Yes ma’am. I have been stopping at all the McDonalds across the country to use their Internet.”

“Oh, you work for McDonalds? Are you an under cover person?”

“No, I am actually just traveling the country to spread a message of change.”

“Are you on your mission? Are you LDL?”
“LDS? I sure am! But this isn’t my mission. I did that a couple years ago. This is just a personal effort.”

---Small talk---

“Well I am gonna buy you a salad.”

The lady bought me a salad! Such wonderful people! Blessings are flowing in from all over!

After finishing my salad and my new route, I took off to a car dealership for an oil change. There was a nice guy at the Watermelon Festival that offered me a free oil change, so I decided to take him up on the offer. I dropped off the car and took off with Travis Nellums to Fort Walton, FL.

A little while after we left, I got a bummer call. It was the dealership letting me know that they had finished with the oil change, but that they found some problems with the vehicle… Ugh. After a short conversation, I gave them the go ahead to get the work done… When they had finished, it came out to be about $450 or something like that, which is pretty good, I guess! Seeing the signs in my car, and hearing my despair on the phone, they cut down the labor quite a bit and I walked out of the dealership saving over $100. God is GOOD!

On the way to Fort Walton, Travis felt the need to stop at every thrift store. So, we visited quite a bit of them that day! We also stopped by quite a bit of arcades. “It’s my vacation,” he says. :)

We ended up at a Young Single Adult Family Home Evening (YSAFHE!), and while they were talking about movies, I snuck out and taught a lesson with the missionaries! Greatest thing ever. I want to be a missionary again SO SO SO bad! After the lesson, I reunited with the YSA group and we played Sardines for a couple rounds. Then we were on the road back home!

The car dealership was closed by the time we got home (10pm – of course it would be!), so Travis just dropped me off at my temporary home with a Couch Surfer. We visited for a bit, and then… fade to black.

Day 18 - June 28:

Tropical Storm! The rainfall down here is pretty intense! And it comes and goes in an instant. Since EVERYTHING was in my car, I didn’t really have a desire to get ready. I had no clothes, no toiletries, nothing. I left it all in my car in the next city over. Luckily for me, my host worked right next to the dealership, so I hitched a ride to my car on his way to work. Isn’t it ironic??? Don’t you think…? To top it off, as I got out of the car, I dropped my sunglasses. He rolled forward and ran them over. BUT! They were my trusty $0.80 thrift store aviators, and they survived! There is a crack in one of the lenses, sure, but they are still perfectly wearable! Talk about a blessing AGAIN.

I paid for my car, and headed off to McDonalds so that I could provide you with this wonderful update. So, here we are! I suppose another update will come soon! Take care.

Peter.Moosman.

Wow.

I don't even know where to begin... How 'bout the night of my last update.
So, I was giving my update of the day at McDonalds, right? About that time, I decided I might want to figure out what I was gonna do for the night. I figured that since I hadn't made any contacts that day, I better give up on the hope for a nice shower before bed on a comfy couch... I found a little Baptist church down the street and decided that it would do for a nice place to spend the night. I pulled in... it seemed safe enough... so I parked under a "TOW AWAY ZONE" sign and got ready for bed. I don't remember if I mentioned my state of being that night. I was sticky, sweaty, sunburned, tired, sandy, etcetera, etcetera. I felt worse than disgusting. I cracked my windows just enough to let some airflow in, but to keep bad guys out, and closed my eyes. Eyes open, eyes close... eyes open, eyes close. Open, close. It was ridiculously hot in the car all night long, the back seat of my car was covered in sand from the beach, and it was probably the most uncomfortable situation. EVER.

Bottom line: I didn't get much sleep.

Day 13 - June 23:
Morning came, and with minimum sleep, I took off to find a bathroom. I drove an awkwardly long time to find a gas station, and when I did, the gas station only had port-o-potty. There goes my chance for a sink bath! I was right next to the beach, so I figured I would walk down the beach to find a beach shower. I walked for quite a while before I found a shower, but I found one, nonetheless! Now that I knew where a shower was, I headed back to my car to get my stuff. On the way, I found a little place called Noah's Ark Beach Ministry. On the sign it said, something about a gift shop, free wifi, and concerts every night, so I decided to go in for a minute to look around. I met a couple nice people and took a look around the gift shop and was on my way. I got back to my car and started driving towards the beach shower, but decided to go back to the little ministry. I walked in and awkwardly asked for a shower. I told them what I was doing with the Vagabond Tour, gave them some flyers, and they showed me to a shower! I don't think I have appreciated a shower more in my life! I felt so so so disgusting, and to be clean felt like heaven!  I definitely owe Noah's Ark Beach Ministry some service! Great Christlike people that deserve many blessings.

When I left, I headed up to Panama City to meet up with Travis Nellums! We met at an LDS church, where it just so happened to have a zone conference going on! We went in and said hello to all of the missionaries, and I made some contacts to make sure the missionaries would let me go teach with them. :)

Then, I hopped in Sandy (Travis' car), and Travis drove around while I tagged along. We went to play frisbee golf, to the mall to find him some sunglasses - while there, we would talk to people about the vagabond tour and hand out flyers - and got something to eat. Oh, we went to every thrift store in Panama City... Dang! Then we went to play some volleyball with a bunch of strangers. When he was dropping me off at my car to go our separate ways, he casually says something like, "why don't you just come stay at my place for the next few days?" We discussed it, laughed about possibilities, and I ended up emptying my car and loading everything into his car... all at about 11pm in a church parking lot. I put my signs in the windows ("STAY POSITIVE, YOU'RE AMAZING," "The Vagabond Tour" and "Pray for the haters") in hopes that they would deter anyone from towing or breaking in. Once his car was full of my stuff, we hit the road to Chipley! I must say, while driving with Travis, we had some of the best laughs! He even laughed so hard that he spit his soda all over himself and his car. Today had one of the worst mornings of my life, and one of the best evenings. Funny how that works out! God is good.

Day 14 - June 24:
I would like to think that I slept in, but I honestly don't even know what that means any more! I woke up at my regular 8am-ish time... got ready, and actually snuck out while everyone else was sleeping to go spend most of my day with the missionaries. We went to do some service at a Habitat for Humanity thrift store. After helping out there for a couple hours, we were on our way, refueled, and went knocking doors. It started to rain terribly bad, so we went back to the apartment and had a "family study." We talked about mission statements / mottos, the Second Coming, the book of Revelation, and a few other things. GOOD TIMES! I miss my mission like CRASY!
I left after the family study to go have some fun in Pensacola with Travis. As I was walking back to the house from the missionaries place, I was the witness of a tragic accident. A little puppy was running across the street and got hit by a car. I still cant get the sound of the experience out of my head... ugh. It made me literally sick and I was in shock for a while. I couldn't speak. One of the worst parts was that the car didn't stop... they just kept going. Before I could get to the dog (it was still alive), the owners ran out to it and took it into the house. I just slowly walked with my hands going from over my mouth to my ears, to my forehead, to my heart... It wouldn't stop replaying in my mind. Please pray for that little dog. :(

Other than the above experience, the rest of the day was quite enjoyable. The 2 hour drive to Pensacola was hilarious (for as much as I could stay awake for)! We got to Pensacola a little late, but got to see a bunch of owls at a sanctuary before the sun went down. After that, we went to Swing Night. I felt like I walked into the 40's. People were dressed up in their swing garb, swing music was blasting through the speakers, and they had clips of old swing dancers being projected onto a big screen. Woah. It was an interesting night! I played Wallflower and people watched in this strange environment. There are perks to being a wallflower, people.

Day 15 - June 25:
The Panhandle Watermelon Festival! Woot! There was a parade in the morning, but I decided to bypass the parade so that I could do my laundry (hooray for clean clothes!!!) and try to get some writing in. It wasn't very long before they were back and we headed to the festival. I brought my FREE HUGS sign and we walked around for a while. I got about 20-25 free hugs, which is pretty good for being a total stranger in a small town! I also got a free oil change. The first person I gave a hug too was at a booth selling cars. He thought the Free Hugs concept was brilliant, and wanted to show his support to The Vagabond Tour, so he gave me a card for a free oil change. SCORE! Thank you so much, good sir!
We got some free watermelon, watched a watermelon auction and the top selling watermelon went for $700! A WATERMELON! That was the first watermelon, with the rest dropping about $50 each watermelon. Those are expensive watermelons!
After we had seen what there was to see and hug who wanted a free hug, we headed back (I stopped by to see how the dog was doing. It is alive and mostly well - just a messed up leg), dropped off the kids, and headed down to Panama City. We got together with some other people (5 of us total), and played some frisbee golf. Then we went and hung out at an ice cream shop. We had the time of our lives - laughing, joking, telling stories, etc. After that, we went back to the church to check on my car to see if it had been towed, but to our relief, it was still there! We hung out at the church for a bit, and I tried to convince Travis to sleep down in Panama City as a bum with me... but he wouldn't buy it. Bummer. They went on their way, and I stayed at the church. They had a little picnic area, so I got my "bed" together on top of a picnic table, and drifted off to sleep.

Day 16 - June 26:
I slept surprisingly well on the table! I felt like I had slept through a rainstorm because I was so wet from the humidity and morning dew, but it wasn't a bad experience! The only bad thing: My phone somehow broke. I don't know if I slept on it and broke it that way, or if the humidity/wetness had something to do with it, but now when I push some of the buttons, it does random things. Like, when I hit the "return" button, it opens the camera first, then the phone keypad. It is just one big mess. I hope I can still get it to function normally (other than the few newfound kinks...).
I got ready for church in the parking lot, and waited and waited for people to start showing up, but to now success. Someone finally pulled in, drove around and then drove off... then they came back and told me that they changed the meeting time. Hmmm... So now I am in the classiest McDonalds I have ever seen! Seriously, people. Let me describe this to you: there is a fireplace, a huge flatscreen tv on the wall, an X-Box and Playstation, really nice marble walls and tiled floors, leather armchairs, fancy booths, A bronze statue of Ronald McDonald, a kiddie section with hamburger chairs, etc. This place is intense! Oh, and of course, free wifi! :)

And there you have it! I hope I didn't bore you!

Until next time,
Peace.Love.Music.
Peter.Moosman.

Update Overload?

Its me again. I am finding that it is hard to stay consistently busy for every waking hour (especially when you stink and are all sticky and gross). Since it has been a challenge to stay busy, I am gracing those who actually read this with another update.

Day 12 - July 22:
Well, I found a place to stay last night, but had to be out by 5:30am. Something is better than nothing, right?!
Since I up so early, I went over to the beach and tried to sleep there for a bit. Harder than I thought! Beaches are hard... and sandy!
When I couldn't "rest" anymore, I got up and started walking down the beach, picking up any trash I could find - finishing when I realized I hadn't eaten breakfast and my stomach was hungry.
After breakfast, I went to the Panama City Beach Visitors Center to see if they could help me find some organizations to volunteer with the area. All they did was give me the phone book to take with me. They also gave me a $5 off coupon to Winn Dixie, so I went over there and got some more food to hopefully hold me up for the rest of my stay here.
I then headed for some shade so that I could look through the phone book and maybe make some calls... only to find that it is nearly impossible to find shade in this city! If there is some shade, it is "Private Property." Sad day... Luckily, I found one on the OPPOSITE side of town. I parked and started going through the phone book...
... When I was awoken by a homeless guy wanting money! The heat is exhausting and I had dozed off... Anyway, I was able to talk with the homeless man - Matthew - for a while, share some of my food, and interviewed him. It was a good time had by all!
After that, I decided to go back to the beach... this time to swim... for the first time in probably a decade or longer! And when I say swim, it wasn't so much of swimming or having a party in the Gulf... because it was pretty shallow for a ways out, and its hard to have too much fun all alone! Instead, I tried to have a somewhat spiritual experience... Just me and the millions of gallons of salt water. I stood in the water and felt the various pulls of the currents near my feet and near the surface, and everywhere in between. As the waves crashed into me, I found it interesting that I had little to no affect on them. They would pound into me and keep on going. A few thoughts...
- I am nothing. In the grand scheme of thing, I am totally nothing... just a small piece of something much greater. But, just like the ocean, it takes millions of single droplets of water to create the ocean. I am just a kid, but it starts with just one to make a difference that can change the world.
- Work with, not against, the stronger power. There is no way that I could fight against some of those huge waves. I would dig my feet into the ground, but I would still be pulled towards them. Why try to fight against that kind of a force? It was much better to lift my feet, float in the water, and rise and fall with the waves (except for the really big ones - then I would have to jump to clear them)
- Stay afloat. When I wasn't paying attention, I would get pounded by a huge wave, get salt in my mouth and eyes, and it wasn't much fun... When I was paying attention, I was able to move with the water - jump over the waves, move with the currents, and steer clear of the burning eyes!
- Laugh at the extra baggage. So, when I got back to my car, I realized that my pockets were not empty. When I put my hands in, I realized that my front pockets were full of algae, and my back pockets were full of sand. LOTS O SAND. I was puzzled at how that even happened, but had to laugh! Granted, I did not want that stuff to come back to the car with me, but they did. I could have gotten frustrated and upset, but that wouldn't have done anything for me, so I decided to laugh it off!

So, there you have it. When you look for learning experiences, you can get them! Even though I am not really enjoying the extra baggage of being sunburned, sweaty, sticky, and covered in salt, sunscreen, and algae.

Anyway, since I don't have a towel to clean me off from that experience, I decided to walk along the beach and clean again until I dried off! I got quite a bit further down the beach this time before I had hunger strike again... I headed to the parking lot of McDonalds, used their restroom to wash my arms off (something is better than nothing, right?!) and then headed back outside for a yummy dinner of canned spaghetti-o's, canned beans, and chips. Mmmm!

And now you know my day! I hope y'all aren't getting bored of this! It has only begun!

Update #2

So, I can tell that updates will be inconsistent... so I am going to refrain from weekly updates. Who knows when I will have internet, so I am going to update WHEN I GET THE CHANCE!

Anyway...

Day 8 - June 18:
My last post talked about most of this day, but to recap, I left Winchester, drove through TN, NC, and into GA. In Knoxville, I had a nice conversation and interview with a lady in the parking lot of McDonalds. Come Georgia, I had quite the experience!
I decided to go visit a friend who was serving an LDS mission in Cornelia, Georgia. I had made contact with some people in Cornelia, and they had invited them over around the time I was getting into town. I pulled in, and as I was hiding my car, he ([Elder] Kelton Gubler) pulled up. I ran around the house to avoid being seen, went inside and slipped into a back room. They came in and were visiting with the accomplices when I casually walked into the room.
"Oh, hey guys..."
Kelton does a double take... "PETER?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE? Guys, this is my neighbor!"
The look on his face was PRICELESS. He was speechless for the entirety of our visit as well. He would just look over and stare... then shake his head with a big grin on his face. He asked silly questions like, "How did you get here?"
"Uh... my car."
I told him about The Vagabond Tour, took a picture with him, and then it was kind of strange awkwardness... So I asked if I could help them teach or something before I left. Luckily, they let me come!
After spending the rest of the evening teaching a guy named Bruce, we parted ways. It was SO SO SO GOOD to see Kelton again. He is a stellar missionary. A great example of what the Praise Project is all about as well.
So, I take off for Georgia, thinking I was running behind schedule (I was staying with someone from CouchSurfing.org), so I was booking it down the freeway. I get to Atlanta, and he let me know to take my time. Hmmm...! I am glad he did though because of what transpired next.
I figure I better get some gas, so I start aimlessly looking for a gas station. When I find one, I found a lot more than gas! I pull in, and when I get out of the car, I hear some loud rap music. I take a look around and I notice a little shop attached to the gas station called "Black Hollywood Media" in a nice community some would call "the hood" or "the ghetto." I fill up and was sitting in my car texting or something before driving off, when I get a knock on my window. "Whats the Vagabond Tour?"
I get out of the car and explain it to her, giving her a flyer and explaining Invisible Children and The Praise Project. She was impressed because she told me to get a stack of my flyers and follow her. We went to her store (Black Hollywood Media), swapped info, and she put my flyers on the counter to help advertise. SCHWEET! We talk for a while about a bunch of different things, I interview her, and I just hang out for a while in the middle of the hood. It actually felt pretty great - that is, being somewhere unexpected and seemingly "unsafe" but feeling completely comfortable and safe. Some people are completely misunderstood. That is all!
Anyway... When it was time to head out from there, I took of to find my CouchSurfing.com friend, who was finishing up at a party. I showed up, met some people, hung out there for a bit, and then headed to my temporary home. He was also hosting two people from Germany who were visiting the states for a few months. We had some good conversation, and then I dozed off from exhaustion.

Day 9 - June 19:
I slept in an hour or two, and took of to church. I roll in and there was only a car or two in the parking lot... Stake Conference. Luckily, one of the other cars knew where they were going! I was able to follow them far far away to another church building where, oddly enough, a gentleman spoke from my mission! The Stake President in Lexington, Kentucky was called to the Quorum of the 70 and was speaking at the spot I was visiting... SMALL WORLD.
Afterwards, I headed toward Centennial Olympic Park to meet up with an organization I had gotten in touch with online for a Free Hugs event. I showed up, walked around with my sign looking for them... no luck. I found a Marriott down the street and hopped online to see if they cancelled the event. I searched and searched for them online, but nothing. OK? So, I got back in the car and headed to my next destination. Montgomery, Alabama. I met some nice people on the state line who were headed down to help build houses for tornado victims. I would love to find something like that to do while down here.
Funny story: I took the "Mulberry Street" exit and just drove... I took a few turns and noticed a little plaque. I rolled right in front of Martin Luther King Jr.'s home. What are the odds of that?! It was definitely a nice little town and would love to return one day.
Fast forward a bit and I arrive in Chipley, Florida, home of the Nellums family. I was a missionary with Travis Nellums. It was a blast hanging out in that little country town with that crazy family. That night, Travis took me on a tour of Chipley. After 5 minutes,  we were headed home! To close off the night, I showed the Blue Roseline Bracelet DVD from Invisible Children to some of the family.

Day 10 - June 20
What a day! Travis and I drove to Fort Walton Beach, bowled a few games, played a game or two of pool, visited the beach, went to a Native American Temple Mound, and to a FHE potluck dinner. Woot!

Day 11 - June 21 (Today)
We had planned to sleep in, but as hard as I tried to sleep in, I was up before 9am... We drove down to Panama City Beach, walked around Pier Park - where I bought some flip flops (yeah, I cant believe it either...), walked on the algae infested beach (the gulf water is GREEN!), and walked along the main road to look at the attractions. Then we decided to go get something to eat... as we were pulling in to the parking lot of Little Ceasars, my car was acting really funny, and when we got back in the car, I noticed that the temperature gauge was to the top of the scale! We were right down the road from a car shop, so we headed straight there. Right as I was pulling in, the car died... :( Sitting half in the road, and half in the parking lot, I was able to get it started, and rolled up to the building... just as the car started to smoke. Turns out there was about $100 in repairs, but they were able to get it working again! Woot! I was NERVOUS that I was 3,000+ miles away from home without any transportation. Talk about one blessing after another blessing...
Now, I am sitting at a McDonalds. I was in my car, because I didnt want to get kicked out for loitering, but it got so hot that I couldnt stand it. Now it is late and I am outside basking in the warm summer night air. While sitting out here, I was visited by two homeless guys. They were probably in their mid 20s or 30s, and had mouths worse than sailors. We talked for a while, they told some stories of how they ended up on the streets (and how to get free coffee from McDonalds...), and they insisted on showing me youtube videos of heavy metal bands... I considered interviewing them, but I was worried about their language. That, and one of the guys was so baked that he was barely making any sense. The other guy volunteered himself to go to Africa and kill Joseph Kony and the Rebels when I told him about Invisible Children. Needless to say, I hope things work out for them and they are able to clean up their lives!
Well... I guess I better try to find out what I am going to do with my night... Where I am going to stay, and what I am going to do tomorrow! Keep it real! Keep praying! Keep doing good.

Peter.Moosman.

The Vagabond Tour, or, My Life is About to Change Drastically

G'day.

The name's Peter. But you may already know that. I just hopped on to tell you a story about life - my life to be exact. It is an interesting one, and it is about to get a whole lot more interesting. Let me begin.


Hit the rewind button and we are taken back to March-ish. Around this time, I decided that I was going to go on an "extravagant vacation." I wanted to be a beach bum in Florida for a couple months. No responsibility, no due dates, no commitments. Just me, the beach, and... well... me. I distinctly remember mapping out my first draft of my trip on April 2nd. I spent the next month or so dreaming of the possibilities as I traveled the country. The risks, the excitement, and the memories made. I think a good word to describe me at this time was "giddy."

About the second week into May, my mind began to be uneasy about the trip. Not because it was unsafe or unwise to do it, but something I couldn't really describe. Just a simple uneasiness. I prayed a whole lot for direction to know what was needing to happen - whether I should cancel my trip, or plan something else... I wasn't sure! All I was sure of was that I felt God calling me to do something different.

I don't remember the date, but late one night, I couldn't really sleep. My mind had been racing about a bunch of random things. One of those things was how I was being a selfish person for spending so much time and money on this trip for no reason other than I WANTED TO... The next thing I know, I am googling information on Mother Teresa. I found a movie online about her and decided to watch it...

It starts with her as a nun in Calcutta, India. One day, she begins to feel that she should be doing something more... She eventually left her abbey to serve the poor. The rest of her life was dedicated to humanitarian efforts and the betterment of those suffering.

Needless to say, I shed a few tears and had A LOT on my mind. My mind was racing even more than it was earlier! I could no longer go on a vacation. I just could not be that selfish... God wanted me to know that I should be doing something else. I contemplated what that "something else" was for a while after that. It was driving me crazy! Should I donate all the money to a certain cause? Should I put my money into bettering my situation (education, work, etc.) so that I could help with something greater down the road? The praying didn't stop as I tried to figure out what God wanted me to do with my time and money.

One day, I get a little package in the mail. It was the long awaited Tony Bracelet + DVD from Invisible Children. I had been waiting for this for a while now [I had even called Invisible Children a couple times about it]. That night, I popped the DVD in my computer and began watching.

This documentary had a few stories within it. First, it summed up the efforts of Invisible Children and the history of the war going on in Central Africa. Second, it told the story of a man named Tony, whom has been tied to Invisible Children since the very beginning. Lastly, it told of a man named Nate Henn. Nate was a volunteer for Invisible Children. He quit his job and put his life on hold for roughly a year to travel across the US and spread the message of Invisible Children. While on tour, he was able to develop great friendships with Tony and others from Uganda. Well after the tours had ended and Tony had gone back to Uganda, Nate had the opportunity to go to Africa to see his friends. While there, he was caught in a terrorist bombing and was killed.

As the movie ended, I fought through my tears to face the answer that I had prayed for: I need to go on tour: The Vagabond Tour. I revised my trip to hit more major cities, and less of my vacation destinations. I started to create a vision for my summer, in which I would spend each day promoting a cause that can change and save lives. That, I feel, is what God is calling me to do this summer.

Most days, I will be sleeping in my car, eating at the mercy of others, and hopefully sparking a new light in the lives of complete strangers. I will be offering free hugs and thoughtful conversation, I will be showing Invisible Children DVDs as much as I can, and learning A LOT about myself and this huge community that I am wrapped up in. I hope to make a lot of friends along the way, experience a new life, and learn what God wants me to learn from this.

What better way to spend a month of my life? Lets take liberation to a whole new level. See you on the road!

[The Vagabond Tour 2011 is dedicated to Kyle Hutchings and Nate Henn. Their passion for life and service lives on.]

In with the Rabbit, out with the Tiger.

For those of you who are unaware, 2011 is the year of the Rabbit.
For those of you who are unaware, I was also born in the year of the Rabbit.

I think that means this will be a good year.



Lets look forward and reflect some, shall we?



The Year of the Tiger - 2010


Top 4 songs of the year:
1. Little Lion Man, by Mumford & Sons
2. Listen, Dear Friend, by Us Thieves
3. Handlebars, the Flobots
4. One Day, by Matisyahu

Top 5 bands/musicians of the year:
1. Mumford & Sons
2. Flobots
3. Peter Brienholt
4. Bright Eyes
5. Desaparecidos

Most influential month:
September

Top 4 largest single purchases:
1. Car Windshield
2. Apple Time Capsule
3. SLCC Granite Legacy Fountain Paver
4. Jawbone Jambox

Favorite Quote:
"Activism is my rent for living on this planet." - Alice Walker

Only trips OUT of Utah:
1. Crow Agency, Montana
2. Miami/Orlando, Florida



The Year of the Rabbit - 2011


Education Plans:
This one is hard... I graduate with my Associates in Political Science in the spring... so I have a few options and would love your input.
1. Re-run for Executive Vice President at SLCC and get more pre-requisites done for my Bachelors. This will provide more great experience doing what I love, an income, and a scholarship for school.
2. Head up to University of Utah and pursue my Bachelors degree there.
3. Move to the Crow Reservation and attend school at Little Bighorn College, majoring in Crow Studies. This is mainly for the experience of living on a reservation, studying Crow Indian culture, but could possibly assist in a degree if I decide to move toward Cultural Anthropology.
4. Take a summer break from school, move to the beach and be a beach bum. As ridiculous as this sounds, it is on my bucket list... I wanna give it a shot. Granted, I will have my car, my phone, and my laptop, so I wont be engulfed in a total beach bum experience.

Let me know what you think!

Personal Plans/Goals:
- Actually get my Associates, graduating with Honors.
- Get Project: 1200 up and running
- Write at least 5 editions of Memoirs of a Latter-Day Rogue.*
- Start and progress my Praise Project.**
- Increase in spirituality (A LOT)
- Maintain a healthy schedule, i.e., sleep, work, play, exercise, etc.
- Read and write more. I love to read and I love to write... I just don't do it enough! :(
- Donate my hair to charity


Well friends, I think that will be it for now! I hope that will suffice. I believe strongly in NOT WAITING until the new year to make goals and resolutions, which is why I have been planning and working on things before today. But the new year is a good time to help track things! You know what I am sayin'?

Take care, take love, take passion.

---

*Memoirs of a Latter-Day Rogue will be a compilation of writings on issues/ideologies/explanations/understandings of things that go on in my mind and in my world. Stay tuned.


**Ok, so I suck at showing emotion or gratitude or anything positive. After the passing of a friend of mine, I decided that I needed to recognize the greatness of people and make sure they know they are important. The Praise Project is something what will help me do that - little by little.