The journey started on Tuesday with a 5:45am departure from Dublin, Ohio. Then a very long 13 hours later and we’re arriving at our final destination – Minneapolis, Minnesota. The ride was long but uneventful. A couple of car sickness issues and a headaches were had by the group but all in all it was a safe and relatively easy trip.

After unpacking and settling for a minute or two, the crew went to the pool to just blow off some steam. We ordered pizza and pretty much made a short night of things. Then Wednesday morning we were up and back on the bus before 9am to head over to the Mall of America. We split off into groups and just had a relaxing day looking at stores and taking in what turns out to be much more than a mall! A few rode the roller coasters, a few tried the longest indoor zip-line in the country, and all of us were ready to head back when our bus finally left the mall at 6pm.

Then last night we all went to supper at Union Rooftop restaurant. We wanted the roof top dining option but it was book by a private party, so we just took over the dining area! It was a nice atmosphere and the food was good as well. But it’s obvious the youth are ready to what we came here for, interact with one another in learning about the real, present, God.

Today will be one more day of mostly sightseeing and resting before it all starts at tonight’s Mass Event. Things kick off with a fairly high energy and Jesus packed gathering of 25,000 people from nearly every one of the 50 states and several countries around the world.