I attened training in Orlando, FL last week for my Emergency Disaster duties with The Salvation Army. Ironically, when Jaime and Phil were dropping me off in Orlando I said something along the lines of, "What's so weird about these kinds of conferences is I feel pressure to be social and talk to people, but really why? I'm never going to see these people again, so it's hard for me to be all chatty and nice. I just want to keep to myself and relax. So, I don't think I'm going to make any friends this week." Well, I was very wrong! God chose to cross my path with 5 police officers from Fischer, Indiana who completely welcomed me into their group. I do believe if I lived in Fischer we would all be friends. From the short amount of time that I spent with them, this is what I learned:
Mark is quite the social butterfly and has a sweet heart. However, he's still learning how to run in flip-flops without crash and burning.
Shawn is a funny, funny man. He reminded me of friends from college that use to crack me up all the time. We learned that his wife actually went to Lincoln Christian College, my alma mater. Go Preachers! I learned Shawn needs to not pursue his singing career.
Brad is a passionate and faithful evangelist, ready to talk/debate just about any topic. He may have been a theologian in another life.
Reggie is an incredibly courageous man. He's a loyal friend and all around great guy. His favorite song is Ebony and Ivory.
Angela is an amazing woman for putting up with not only these guys on this trip, but the predominantly male dominated department she works in. She has thick skin and a great sense of humor.
Thank you to Fischer Police Department for sending these guys to Orlando. You guys made my time there a lot of fun and set the bar really high for future trainings. I guess you'll just have to go wherever I go!!
Sincerely,
2-slash Kelli
Hi, Kelli! It's Beth Harbaugh, from the good old days of LCC. I was surfing around and found your blog. Sounds like you guys are doing really well. It's so funny. I read your post, and I used to live right by Fishers, Indiana. What a small world! Anyway, you can check out our family's blog anytime and see what we're up to as well.
Kelli-
Great post, however I have to let you in on a little secret. The town is called Fishers. As for the flip flops, I've done some research on the internet and learned there was a recall for that model due to some sort of design flaw, something about the front portion possibly folding under the shoe causing the wearer to potentialy fall. I liked all the descriptions. Your descriptions reminded me of the end of The Breakfast club... yours will be posted soon.
Mark