Canada here we come

Well we made it into Canada today. We are staying right on the river in a city called Windsor. It is a lot nicer than Detroit. Last night we went to a steak house and I wasn’t too impressed with the food.
O yesterday we went to the Charles W Wright Museum. We are very lucky to have an expert on our trip to help us process the information and to help fill in some of the blanks from the sites and to give is a larger more global perspective of the information we are receiving. As we walked through museum we came to a replica of the underside of a slave ship and we were able to see how small the space was that all of the slaves were put in. We were also given more of an understanding of how the slaves were not seen as people but were seen as a commodity. They were something that was for trading and were dehumanized. I was really taken back as I thought about humans being treated in that way.

Today started off early with a quick breakfast and then we finished up our tour of Maysville and were off for The Freedom Center Underground Railroad Museum. This place is designed to give visitors a clear perspective of the slave trade and the determination these freedom seekers had. I keep writing freedom seeker and not fugitive slave or run away slave because these people were more than slaves, they were people who had families and whos only wish was for freedom. The risks they were willing to take were great because for many of them death was better than a life time of enslavement. As we visit the various sites we are able to feel apart of these people who have passed through these steps and are able to gain perspective into the mindset of the people. 

I am not the only LDS person on this trip and today at the Freedom Center there was a huge sign that pointed people to a family history center that is using family search program that the church uses in the family history centers. It really sparked an interest among the people on the trip with me. It opened up a great conversation about genealogy and the church's focus on our ancestors. The other LDS person on the trip looked at me and said " I can really feel the spirit of Elijah" As I reflected on that statement it helped me to realize that for many of the participants of this study tour we are actually following in the footsteps of their kindred dead. For some reason it made teaching this material to as many students as possible an important task. I know that there are many many spirits that are waiting for their story to be told and that they are inspiring others to seek them out and let them be heard one again. We we met a woman who was born in 1922 whos  life work has been finding her ancestors and sharing their stories. This truly is the Spirit of Elijah at work in the hearts of the people. 

It is late and ill post some photos tomorrow morning.

Ohio Here we go

YEAHHH!!!! So this was the highlight of the trip last year and this year it was just as powerful. We visited the town of Ripley, Ohio on the Ohio River. Ohio was a free state and on the other side of the river was Kentucky a slave state. This town was a major stop on the Underground Railroad. There is a house high up on a hill that was a safe house so freedom seeking slaves had to make it across the River and once they were over it wasn't clear sailing. They needed to avoid slave hunters. The freedom seekers had to run up the steep hill in the dark of night and often with no shoes. They were tired from the long journey and had little energy from lack of food. Making it to the top of the hill and to the house of Rev> John Rainkin was a major step in their quest to freedom.

The Freedom seekers need to hide during the day and travel at night. This is where many hid from the slave hunter.

today was a great day with lots of traveling. Tomorrow will be our longest stretch of driving and we will end in Oberlin Ohio, a small town full of amazing history.

First day of Travel

After an early morning start we made it to Ohio with out any trouble. Many of the other teachers had long delays at different airports. We were lucky to have had a quick and problem free flight. It has been a long night and now we are going to hit the ground running. From here on out we have lots of things planned. I will keep everyone posted and upload lots of photos.

The long weekend begins

So this week has been quite the crazy one. Between getting ready for my 8 day field study following the underground railroad and Katie going to Fresno for a temple sealing the stress level got quite high at times here in the Jacquez home. Well im still not packed and Katie will be leaving in a few short hours. What am I going to do? I have never had Ryan all to myself for this long of a time. (24hours) I usually dont pack for trips all by myself. I know Im going to forget something. Well we will see how things go. Everything should go fine the Lomenicks are only a house away so there is a support system.
Some might be asking what this whole field study thing is. Well it is a trip where a group of educators follows a portion of the underground railroad and we study and experience the locations and people associated with the underground railroad. History comes to life and we take the experiences back to our students and other teachers. I will be updating our blog to share the experiences with everyone keep checking in and enjoy.
mario

My milkshake brings all the babies to the yard

So we were sitting around the house trying to figure out what we were going to do for lunch and Bakers was the choice. We got to Bakers and ordered and no surprise Ryan would not sit in the high chair or even in the booth. He wanted to talk to the people sitting behind us and wanted to crawl all over the table. Finally he ate a few bites of mommy's burger we were ready to go. Well Mario's cousin Erika works at Bakers and hates to make milkshakes so Mario decided to order one just so she would have to make it. Well Ryan loved that idea because that meant he got some milkshake.

So here is where the fun part came. As we got into the car Ryan had the cup in his hand with a spoon and no lid. Mario asked Katie if we she should put the lid on. To make a long story short Mario decided to just let him go at it. And the pictures show how much fun he had with the shake.

Wicked cool

On Tuesday we were able to go see Wicked with the Fields family. They love the show and were trying to get a group of people together so see it and we wanted to go. It was such a great show. The music was great and the sets were spectacular. We had a great time and the company was great.