Headi's story

We promised earlier to tell you the story of what Headna had gotten into while in Vegas. Those of you that went to YouthSalt tonight already know, but for those of you that weren't there here is what happened.

One night when Jay and I were out having fun on our own, Headna decided to take in a show. As the curtain rose, Heanda discovered something that shocked and delighted her, and that she had been praying for over the last two years. That's right, she found her long lost twin sister Headi.

Turns out Headi got mixed up on the last day of camp in Wingate, NC. She was told to not be late for the bus, but since her only experience with buses had been the bus to school she waited patiently at her apartment for a vehicle that never arrived.

Not knowing what to do, Headi struck out for the open road. Hitchhiking is tough to do when you don't have a thumb, but Headi was resourceful and able to make it. She worked several odd jobs as a night watchman, perfume tester, hat sizer, and even a brief stint as an American Gladiator contestant. It was with her winnings in the last job that she bought an airplane ticket, hoping to make it home.

She asked how to make it back to the Last Baptist Church, but the airline attendant misunderstood her and thought she said Last Chance and assumed she wanted to go to Las Vegas. Landing in Sin City Headi realized she was in the wrong place but decided to make the best of it.

Working as a roulette table ball, she saved up and got some plastic surgery so she could move up and get a job as a cocktail waitress. It was while waiting on a table in the high rollers section that Headi was discovered by a big time producer and cast as the lead in the new Vegas show Marie Antoinette: The Musical. As luck would have it, one night her sister Headna bought a ticket to the show and the sisters were reunited.

The End.

Walking on water

One of the most interesting things we found on our trip was in the Las Vegas Monorail station. Each station has a ceiling projector that displays fish swimming in water. Doesn't sound like anything special right? Get this: when you step over the image the projector recognizes it and the water ripples. Check it out.



Interesting note: 5 seconds after we stopped filming we heard a perturbed voice over the speaker system say, "Uh, sir..." Evidently security frowns upon diving into the virtual aquarium.

Time for a Cook Out

What a day! Jay, Jason and their luggage arrived at the airport this morning at 3:30 a.m. for their 6:00 a.m. flight! Interesting fact: American Airlines doesn't start checking people in until 4:00 a.m. True story.

Have you ever been on an airplane and there was a screaming baby that would keep everyone from sleeping? That didn't happen in this case. There were four babies and they all slept. The fact that they were sleeping so soundly meant that their parents and other passengers were doing everything the could to keep them from waking up. Embarrassing to say, but this meant having to call down Jay and Jason because their sophomoric, high-pitched giggling from watching How I Met Your Mother was more annoying than any baby's cry ever could be.

After many long hours of travel the boys finally arrived in Greesboro. With a couple hours of driving still ahead of them they decided to grab something to eat. As luck would have it, they found a Cook Out.


For those of you that have never been to a Cook Out, it is a wonderful greasy dive where you can get a heap of food for not a lot of money. Any restaurant that lists a corn dog as a side item is all right in our book.


And Jay and Jason looked at their meal and pronounced, "It is good."


But the best part of Cook Out isn't the Cook Out Tray, but their choice of 37 different milkshakes that bring our boys to the yard. That's right, I said 37. Read 'em and drool.


And with their bellies full, Jay and Jason drove home and ended their spiritual journey.

The last temptation: of Headna

Jay and Jason awoke to the sound of birds chirping, the sun shining warmly through the window, and the sudden realization that

Oh no! Headna's missing!

This went a long way to explaining why Jay and Jason succumbed to temptation the previous couple days. Their chaperone was not around.

Sadly this isn't the first time this has happened to the boys. A couple years ago on a youth trip to Wingate, NC they left Heada's twin sister Headi (dressed as a bird) with the staff with instructions to send her back to us after the retreats were done. Sadly we never got Birdna back and we always wondered what happened to her.

Could the impossible have happened? Could lightening have struck twice? Could Jay and Jason have lost another head? Determined not to let it be so, the boys struck out on a search to find her.



Jay and Jason first looked in the places they would go if they were her.





























Then they looked in places they didn't want to go.































They found many helpful folks along the way.




























And resisted temptation as they searched.

Finally they got a call from Headna telling them where to meat.

Once the Holy Trio was united, Jay and Jason were surprised to find out what Headna had been up to for the last 48 hours. But that is a story for another day.

Bet you never saw this coming

Was it the music? The lights? The thought of vast riches? Whatever it was Jay succumbed to the temptation and did some gambling:

And he lost, just like everyone that gave us money:

Jason was distraught over what to do and finally it came to blows.

In the end we all learned a valuable lesson that day. Don't gamble.

Needing to patch things up Jay offered to buy Jason some donuts. After the cashier tried for 10 minutes to use Jay's Krispy Kreme card he finally gave up and we used cash.

Settling in after a difficult but educational day, the boys enjoyed their treats and their renewed friendship. But it felt like something was missing...

Blinded by the light

Our first full day in Vegas!

This town is full of glamor and glitz. There are lights and sounds and stars everywhere, and it is easy to get caught up in the whirlwind without even being aware. For instance, the sounds on the slot machines make Jason keep singing the Super Mario Brothers theme every time he walks through the Hilton casino, and he doesn't even know why. Jay is working feverishly to get a new song stuck in his head.

Arriving at the Hilton, Jason was awestruck and fell down to worship The King.

Until Jay pointed out that this was the wrong King and worshiping false idols is, like, so way wrong and stuff. But Jason wouldn't hear of it!

"Jay, I just can't help believing."

"But Jason, you are worshiping Elvis, not God! You'll get in trouble."

"I know, but he's got me all shook up."

"He's just a singer, Jason. I mean, would you worship Barry Manilow?"

"Now that's too much, Jay. Barry is an award winning songwriter and performer and all, but compared to Elvis' performances he is nothing but a hound dog."

"You've got to stop this, Jason. It's now or never."

"I can't. He's always on my mind."

Knowing there was nothing he could do, Jay prayed for help. Sometimes when we pray for help God sends us patience or guidance or strength. In this particular case Jay received a Klingon.

"Jason, I hate that it has come to this, but I feel like I've lost you."

"Hey now, don't be cruel!"

"I'm just trying to get to you."

"Thanks Jay, and you have. I'm in a mess of blues. Can we leave this heartbreak hotel?"

And so they did, going back to their hotel in a long black limousine.

It was a difficult day for our duo, but Jay and Jason learned a valuable lesson about friendship, faithfulness, and the dangerous allure of sequined jumpsuits.

Traveling

So today is the day we flew out to Vegas! We knew it would be our last chance for some wholesomeness before getting on the plane so on the ride to the airport we stopped at Aunt Bea’s Restaurant.

With visions of Mayberry in our heads and whistling a tune in our hearts we sat down to a healthy meal of steamed country vegetables, cornbread made from soy, and washed it all down with a glass of skim milk. Yum yum!

Of course Jay had to put barbecue sauce on his lima beans.

The flights were long and in Dallas we got stuck on the tarmac for an hour and a half. Many of the passengers were getting upset and began to use foul language until we got them all to calm down, hold hands, and sing Kumbaya. We made a lot of friends today.

Now for the surprise. Our dear mothers were concerned about the two of us going to Las Vegas without a chaperone, so we consulted with our spiritual advisor who recommended the perfect companion to keep our hearts pure and our eyes from wandering toward the many vices available in Las Vegas:

As we are getting settled here in our hotel for our first full day of spiritual growth, we have made sure to brush our teeth, take our vitamins, say our prayers and now we have put Headna in the bathtub. It would be untoward for her to be sleeping in the same room with us you know.