5.29.2006

It's only been one week??


One week down, and the Wash for Life is off to a good start. The first couple of days involved a lot of furniture rearranging as the family room transformed into an HQ. We were able to pick up two chairs, a whiteboard, and a cork board for under $25 - not bad at all! A friend also donated another computer; so all in all, the office is in good shape.

Mostly we've been following up on leads, contacting people and organizations that we hope will be able to help us. The response so far has been very positive. The Holy Spirit seems to be moving people to get almost excited about this project as we are! We're looking forward to the not-distant time when we can start actually signing people up to hold car washes.

The other night Jonathan gave us a night time tour of the Memorials in DC. Living in the Capital is a great experience, and we want to make the most of it. This summer will be a lot of work, but we're also looking forward to it being a lot of fun! A big part of that is thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Tonkowich, who have been wonderful and generous in hosting us, and in their continual enthusiasm and support.

The rest of this week will be slower, as Jonathan leaves for a wedding in California, and the rest of us have a chance to take care of personal business. Ingrid arrived last night (hooray!), and Hillary and Henry will come in next week.

Happy Memorial Day!

5.22.2006

The Team Arrives in DC


A week and a bit ago, we were up on a stage at Thomas Aquinas College, receiving our diplomas. The graduation ceremony is called a Commencement, or 'beginning,' and it certainly felt that way for the Wash For Life team! Up until then we had to give pride of place to our studies, but now it's time to focus on this project.

2958 miles of driving later, Jonathan, John, Briena, and her brother Aaron arrived at Jonathan's house in Washington D.C. Ingrid, Hillary, and Henry will fly in during the next couple weeks.

For those of us who drove, our trip was delayed by an unexpected adventure. In Chattanooga, Tennesee, we visited the National Shrine for the Unborn, then stopped in at the nearby pregnancy counseling center to introduce ourselves. The ladies there told us that the shrine was expecting the arrival of Norma McCorvey, the now pro-life Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade. We had been anxious to get back on the road, but not any more! We waited, and were able to meet Miss Norma and tell her about the project. Later that evening we were invited to attend a fundraiser banquet for the local pro-life group. Everyone we met was very excited to hear about our project, and many were interested in helping. Many thanks especially to the ladies at the AAA Woman's Services Clinic for their enthusiasm!

Jonathan, Briena, and John with Miss Norma McCorvey


All in all, it was an amazing example of the way that the Holy Spirit is in charge of the Wash For Life. We had one plan, but he gave us something else.. And that's the way it will keep happening.
For now, we are working on setting up the office, finishing the website, and making initial contact with some of the big networks. We want to be fully prepared for the start of the big recruiting push, when the rest of the team arrives.

And despite all doleful predictions, Napolean the Betta fish survived the drive, and has agreed to officially join the Wash for Life Team!!

First class seat

Team Fish arrives home

5.11.2006

Welcome

Hi, welcome to our blog! Please feel free to post questions or comments. We will try to keep all you who are interested updated in this project. Right now we are in the setting up phase, as you can see from the website. We will have the office set up in VA by the end of May, and hopefully start networking these car-washes. So thanks for checking us out and please feel free to contact us at any time.

5.03.2006

Wash for Life

Wow! And it begins...