The Show Me State

I am frequently on the road as part of my work with Adventures in Life Ministry. As a professional short term missionary, I consider it one of the "perks" of my job to get to visit new areas. Later tonight I will be getting on a plane to Oaxaca, Mexico for a week of ministry with some of our church partners from Ensenada. But my travels also take me to areas of the US that are new to me. Last week I had the chance to be in Missouri, also known as the Show Me State. Part of my trip took me to Kansas City and the College Basketball Experience. This place is a fans dream. You get full sized courts to mess around on, three point shooting arenas, dunking opportunities, (they even worked for a white guy like me!) and basically lots of fun. If you have kids that like basketball, take them to this place if you get the chance. It is an incredible place. In addition to all of the interactive stuff, you can even have a little of the ESPN experience. That's my brother on my right as we called the highlights of a basketball game in front of us on the teleprompter. We also got in a little historical perspective on my trip. I was able to see the Harry Truman Library in Independence and the Missouri State Capital in Jefferson City. The Truman Library was fantastic. It gave a balanced view of Truman and the decisions he had to make. I really appreciated the interactive exhibits that asked us to make our own decisions on some of the more difficult issues President Truman faced. Having visited the Carter Library in October, I left wishing there was a way for more people to visit these wonderful museums and learn about our former presidents. Even if you did not agree with their policies. But my visit to the state capital was the highlight of my trip. First off, I was there the day the legislature opened their new session. So the entire government was there and the place was wide open! I'm not kidding on this. Out west you have to go through more security to pay a ticket than I saw in the capital. Amazing. We walked the halls of the capital as if it was our house. Which technically it is, but in our post 9/11 world, this kind of access is a rare treat. I was able to enter the House Chambers, a few congressional offices, see the exhibits, literally everything. I still can't believe we were able to walk literally anywhere in the building completely unmolested. [That's me in the Missouri House Chambers] Dee who runs the Missouri based blog Conservatism With Heart frequently brags on her state. I can see why. I'll be out of touch for a few days, until then, Dios les bendiga!