Journey of the Called

all good things...

2008-10-15T12:16:00.000-06:00

as we all know, all good things, must come to an end. the week was full of fun, laughter, encouragement, and well, simply more laughter! thanks girls for a GREAT vacation! i love you! ... this is my sad face that i took at the airport...

helpin' suz...

2008-10-15T12:14:00.000-06:00

my most favorite part of the trip (honestly) was helping suz out at the center. she needed help getting all of these bags of clothing (PIC: upper right hand) organized. we sorted and sorted... after the 2 hours we had, we were able to WALK through the room! good job girls!

the acropolis.

2008-10-15T12:07:00.000-06:00

when in athens, go to the acropolis. although, be warned: it may not be your favorite place. honestly, i am glad that i got to visit this incredibly historical and well-preserved place; however, i would like to have visited it with a little less than the rest of the human population! i don't know how many cruise ships docked the day we visited, but if i could guess, i would guess A LOT! even though Mars Hill is only a rock, it was still pretty cool to stand there (pic in lower right hand corner). the herodian theatre was also pretty cool. they still have shows there, so it is obviously well preserved.

nafplio... simply deserves more pics.

2008-10-15T12:00:00.000-06:00

well, i decided that the previous blog just didn't do justice to this beautiful place... so here you go!

a view and a rest.

isn't this a cool pic... don't mind the head in the lower left hand corner.

this place used to serve as a prison. it is an island.

Nafplio... incredibly beautiful!

2008-10-15T11:55:00.000-06:00

nafplio: the first capital of modern-day greece. the cutest little greek town. so quaint and quiet.
there's castle at the top of a mountain. you can climb or drive there... we wanted the ultimate experience, so we climbed... ALL 1,000 steps! i felt really strong after this!

the beginning... step 1.

a view from one of our rests!

a view from the top...

isn't it neat?

the canal and corinth...

2008-10-15T11:47:00.000-06:00

we drove about 40 minutes from athens to see the canal and corinth. the canal was so neat! suz told us that 'amazing race' had bungee jumped there, and we really wanted to try it... unfortunately, it was BYOBJC (Bring Your Own Bungee Jump Cord) Day... we forgot ours... SO, we headed to corinth to see walk some streets that paul had walked... the pic of me and the what looks to be a fanny pack, but don't fret... it's just my camera case... could i LOOK anymore like a TOURIST! ha! anyway, that pic is of me in front of the temple of apollo. then in there, there is a pic of what looks like a castle on a hill...that's acrocorinth, where the temple of aphrodite is... basically, prostitutes lived up there, and would come down into the city of corinth to 'work'... the group shot is taken at the top of acrocorinth... it has a GREAT view from there!

Louise-Estelle... please don't miss this.

2008-10-14T13:59:00.002-06:00

i have thought about this moment more times than i can count. i have told this story to the best of my ability about 5 or 6 times. and now, i am going to do the impossible.... write about it. please, please... don't have any food or drink in your mouth at this time, for IF you can totally grasp this moment, it will come out....
::sigh:: here goes...

so, we decided to take a break, sleep in, and do some souvenir shopping in athens. suz took us to this much visited tourist shop in the center of town. we had already hit up the h&m and the zara's, so it was time to do the tourist thing ;)
the shop didn't have any doors... it was in a building, but you didn't need to open a door; you just simply walked in. there were two different areas or parts to this shop: the t-shirt part and the rest of the souvenirs. they were connected by a door, that had a step. (are you picturing this yet?)
we all walked in to the shop. katy and amanda stopped near the front of the store that had postcards and other odds and ends. suz and i continued to stroll through the store (i am beginning to laugh thinking about what is about to happen...).
we walked between these two shelves into another walkway. suz was right behind me. i spotted the section that had books about greece in russian. naturally, i began to gravitate towards that area...
when out of NO WHERE i hear this scream. this mind-blowing, heart-stopping scream... it could have defied death.... it could have shaken the earth... this scream was from the BOWELS of a person... i froze, looked up, and in a moment that seemed as if it extended WELL into eternity, i saw this woman coming towards me... i had three thoughts, all at the same time: a) the woman was crazy, and she was going to kill me; b) she was having a heart attack and she needed help; c) there was a bomb in this store, and we were all going to die.
after the world stopped spinning, the moment came to an end. the woman stopped screaming, looked at me, and said, 'i am sorry honey... i missed that step.'
i swallowed, and stared at her in shock and fear and replied, 'th-th-that's ok.' i blinked and looked around at everyone staring at me. many thought the scream came from me. then, i thought, 'where is suz? i need to find my friends!' i turned around, and through the cracks of a shelf, i saw suz and her gorgeous hair shaking... she was obviously laughing hysterically... the shock began to cease, as i felt little chuckles escaping from my mouth... i walked around the shelf to find tears streaming down suz's face in laughter. i clasped my hand over my mouth as i began to laugh so hard tears were streaming and my knees were beginning to buckle!
suz began, through laughs and the gathering of her breaths, to tell me what she saw...
what suz saw: she saw us walk around the corner... then, the moment extended into eternity. the woman tripped over the stair, began screaming, and as she was trying to regain her balance, she reached out for me... but, out of fear, and not servanthood, i stepped aside, probably causing the woman to scream louder as she had to regain her balance on her own.
i would say that's all of the story, but then, katy runs up and asked, 'what happened? i just saw two african women running from the inside of this store!'
louise-estelle, as we have fondly named her, created panic! the remainder of our time in that store did not go without looks and giggles from our fellow shoppers... they, too, were amused by the moment.

the marks'

2008-10-14T13:55:00.000-06:00

tracy and mary, thank you so much for driving us ALL THE WAY to meteora! it was our most favorite place to go, and we couldn't have gone without you! love you guys!

Meteora... incredible!

2008-10-14T13:52:00.000-06:00

so, my most favorite place in greece is a place WELL off the beaten path... the land is pretty flat for miles, and then all of the sudden, these CLIFFS just out of NOWHERE! it's truly incredible! the marks' were so great to drive us the 3.5 hours from thess... what a blessing!

in the 10th or 12th century (i forget), monks decided that they wanted to seperate themselves from the world, so they built their monasteries on top of these cliffs. they used to be only reachable by baskets, and the only time the ropes were changed is when they broke... i would hate to be in the basket when the rope broke!

i think some of the pics above are repeated.. maybe 2, but truly, it's a place worth looking up and reading more about! oh... and another thing... the monastery located in the pic 3rd from the right and 3rd to the bottom (pic 11) was in the the james bond 'for your eyes only'... interesting, huh?

Phillipi and Kavala

2008-10-14T13:41:00.000-06:00

the marks' drove us to phillipi the next day. wow! it was so amazing and cool to see places where PAUL had been! even now, as i look at the pics, i am kind of amazed.
our first stop was at lydia, where lydia was baptized. the first pic of the three of us was taken at a moument-type thing at the baptism spot. then, just a little ways up the road, is phillipi. i really thought the amphitheatre was really cool. it really is huge! the three of us spread out to take a pic... can you find us? the next pic, is the prison where paul and silas were put the night that they sang, and the earth shook, and the jailer became a believer.
the town has been quite excavated. you can walk pretty freely throughout the ruins. located in the far right-hand corner are the old toilets. that's the pic in the middle. (sorry, it's sideways... i just noticed!)... katy has the funniest pics taken there ;)
the mosaic pic has paul's name in greek... and then we headed to kavala, a beautiful city near phillipi. it was SO beautiful there!!!! i think i feel called... ;)

Arrival in Greece... to Thessoloniki!

2008-10-14T13:31:00.000-06:00

so, i arrived in athens, greece, superpumped to see my friends! suz met katy and i at the airport, and when we got to suz's apt, katy gave us a present from nigeria: cool african pants made by widows! we LOVED them! (note pic above) thank you, katy! the next morning, we headed to the airport (it was my 4th morning that week to see 430 am... YIKES!) to pick up amanda! it was so great to see her face! then, we hopped a cab to the train station to head to thessaloniki.
we ended up not having seats, since it was a heavily traveled weekend. SO, we found ourselves being the first-class stowaways. (that's us chilling in the hallway). the commander or whatever you call him was very nice to us and didn't kick us out. he just asked us the normal question that all of us run into in our respective parts of the world: 'Obama or McCain?', and as we, also usually do, we shrugged our shoulders, smiled, and said, 'we don't know. it will be a surprise.'
we arrived in thessaloniki at 3 pm that afternoon, and met our sweet friends who live there. they showed us around their city, and though it was quite chilly, we truly enjoyed our day! the other pics above are of: the White something... it's a major landmark there. you can tell i remember details like that... woops! sorry! :) ; me and the sea; apt buildings ( i LOVE all the balconies!); a church; another church; and the three of us in front of another church.
we had a great day!

i have a problem... of which there is no cure.

2008-10-14T12:55:00.004-06:00

the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem, right? well, folks, i gotta tell ya... i laugh at the wrong times, and often, i cannot stop!

anyone who knows me knows that i love to laugh! i love humor. i love to make people laugh. if i can make a smile come across your face, or hear a chuckle escape your mouth, i feel as if i have succeeded! SO, this laughing thing should NOT be a surprise!

in the past few weeks, i have come across moments, that wouldn't ordinarily be funny, or in the case of louise-estelle, it would be HILARIOUS!, but these moments should not make me laugh as hard as they do! it's just, well, inappropriate!

for instance, on the train from meteora to athens a few weeks ago, this man stole my seat. ordinarily, i would clear my throat and politely say, 'excuse me. this is my seat.' but that particular night, i began laughing and couldn't stop. then my two friends with me (in whose laps i was sitting in, b/c my seat was STOLEN!) started laughing, and it took us all through forever to stop and to gather our composure so as to not draw attention to our american selves.

i wish that i could continue to tell stories, but unfortunately i can't... there are many reasons why, but just take my word for it: this uncontrollable moment always occurs at the MOST inappropriate moments...

i am pretty sure i inherited this from my mom. but... i kind of like it. is that ok?

below: in the midst of laughter after my seat was stolen...

when in riga...

2008-10-14T12:48:00.000-06:00

here are a few pics of this beautiful city. it has been great preserved, with cobblestone streets and old buildings. reminded me a lot of prague. hmmm... beauty.

the souvenir street. several vendors lined up waiting for tourists. there aren't a lot in this city, or rather there aren't a lot of americans. but most everyone speaks english. it was nice. truly a place to think about visiting. really.

this park was amazing. simply beautiful! i love LOVE bridges.

gotta love fountains.

i know that this pic is a little blurry, but i just like it. it's, obviously, a church steeple. this church is in the city of the old town.

a weekend with friends... in riga.

2008-10-14T12:42:00.000-06:00

so, a bunch of us decided to meet up. in riga, latvia. who knew that place existed?! it was a great time of laughter and encouragement. a meeting of old friends and new. what a blessing it truly was! here are a few pics...

they decided to drink latvian kvas. not at ALL like russian kvas, which tastes like malt vinegar! YUCK! this one tasted like coke... i even liked it! DEFINITION: kvas. n. a popular drink in Russia, esp during the summertime. made like beer, but not fermented as long. tastes like malt vinegar. (definition not websters. it's by alys. famous dictionary.)

then we decided to play the funniest game known to man: ipod karaoke. choose a song, turn up the volume as loud as it will go, put in your earbuds, and sing like there's no tomorrow! pictured above: mariah carey and boyz2men with 'one sweet day'... oh hold me! hilar!

these are my precious girls. i love you. 'nuf said.

then i have to put this one here. i must continue to give them a hard time. they took about 1,000 pics of this astin martin. seriously. can we walk now? i need some coffee. :)

thank you all for making it as great as it was! PTL! truly.

sarah and katya have a birthday!

2008-10-14T12:23:00.000-06:00

sarah and katya celebrated their birthdays together this year. we had the big celebration at katya's home, and it was SO fun! i wish that i had a pic of the wonderful and AMAZING eclairs that her Baba Lela made, but unfortunately, i don't... i probably ate the pic... in hopes that it would TASTE like the wonderful, light, puffy, eclairs... mmmmm.... our good friend, Zhenya (in the pic with me and sarah) was able to attend. she moved to moscow... and we miss her :( ... i am pretending to eat the kabob, known in russia as 'shashlik'... it was quite tasty! :) then, the cute, sassy girl with the coffee cup is our precious kat... what will i do without her? great celebration girls!

summer came... eventually.

2008-10-14T12:16:00.000-06:00

Summer eventually came this year. We thought that it wouldn't, but, it did! Several days, we headed to our favorite park, which is almost right next door. It has a lake/river/creek/ocean (well, not really an ocean!). We love to grab our ipods, towels, and head down there... and pick up some ice-cream on the way. And, usually, our best Russian galpal, Katya... she and I love to take funny pics together!

a somewhat normal pic... minus my mile-long arms!

and now, of course, a funny one... SEE, i DID get somewhat of a tan this summer! :)

it's been a while...

2008-10-14T12:03:00.002-06:00

wow, i didn't realize how long it had been since i updated my blog! it has been crazy busy here! after the student group left here in july, i felt as if my whole team and i were on a roller coaster! so much happened, from illnesses to emotional breakdowns and then the sad news of the death of a fellow colleague. we had our yearly meeting at a campground place south of moscow. it was a great time of renewal and rejuvenation with close friends! we were able to worship in our heart language and be encouraged by the Word and by each other.

i returned from that meeting feeling refreshed and rejuvenated! i was ready for university to start so that we could meet new students! i even began a jogging routine, which i am still remaining faithful to! ask my family... THAT is an accomplishment! :)

so grab a cup of coffee... or juice... maybe some water, or even a coke... enjoy the next several posts b/c i have got some fun pics to show! and maybe a fun story or two :)

A Day in Moscow...

2008-07-21T04:04:00.001-06:00

The last day in country, I traveled with the students to visit Moscow. They were tired, but I am very thankful for their great attitudes through the walking and the heat! :)

On the way there... these guys were tired! And a bit delirious! ;)

A few of my pics from this beautiful city!

WORK DAY!!!

2008-07-21T03:57:00.000-06:00

One day, the team took time to help clean the school where we held many of our meetings. The students painted, cleaned, and broke down some old desks. The school was very thankful to them for volunteering their time! Good job, guys! :)

Suzdal

2008-07-21T03:52:00.000-06:00

While the team was here, we took a trip to the religious center of our region: Suzdal. It was a rainy and cloudy day, but I am pretty sure that it is IMPOSSIBLE for this place to look anything but beautiful! There are MANY, MANY churches located here, maybe several hundred! They are of all different colors and styles... really a wonderful place to visit!

YOU GO TO THE EAST, YOU GO TO THE WEST; ORANGE SOK IS THE BEST!!!!!

2008-07-21T03:31:00.002-06:00

We had a group here doing a cultural exchange project. I was a member of the Orange Sok team (Sok means 'juice' in Russian... so we were Orange juice!)... We had a scavenger hunt, and here are a few things on our list....

Picture with stature of a woman...

Kvas vendor. Kvas is THE summer drink here in Russia, though I don't care too much for it! It tastes like malt vinegar... It is a little like beer, but it isn't alcoholic... we all tasted it, but we didn't enjoy it very much.

Tram station.

All in all, we did well! It was fun... we didn't win... who cares? We were still the best! ;)

and, so, we clean concrete...

2008-06-01T14:12:00.000-06:00

about once every two months, it our turn to clean our hallway (dvor). because it is so dusty outside (and muddy when it rains), it has to be cleaned often. i decided to share this lovely experience with you...

first, sarah sweeps... b/c we are the 1st floor of apts, then we have to clean our landing, our stairs, and all the way outside... awesome... ;)

then, i follow behind here to mop it all. i look way happier than i actually am! ha!

our doorbell... and the D that denotes our turn...

i LOVE moscow in the springtime!

2008-06-01T13:57:00.000-06:00

We went to Moscow to show Sarah's dad's students around. We had a WONDERFUL time!

St. Basil's Cathedral in Red Square. I have been here so many times... yet each time, it takes my breath away! I LOVE Red Square!

There is a famous park in the city called Gorky Park. It has some rides and some very beautiful gardens. It is located along the bank of the Moscow River. This is the Ferris Wheel. We set our sights on it and headed towards it. We wanted to ride it b/c it would give us an incredible view of the city. When we got to it, however, we noticed that it wasn't running....

and when we saw the rust on the carts, we understood why!

Sarah and I with one of our good friends, Jimmy.

Kostromo...

2008-06-01T13:48:00.000-06:00

Sarah's dad was recently here with a group of students doing a travel study. We accompanied them one day to a city along the Volga River called Kostroma. This was the hometown of Michael Romanov, before he became the tsar of Russia. It is a very beautiful and clean city... Many tourists travel here each year.

The inside of the Orthodox church inside the Kremlin (where the Romanov home is). Every orthodox church looks like this. The inside is completely covered in gold and icons and mural paintings on the walls. The smell of incense can sometimes knock you down!

The Kremlin of Kostroma. See the Golden domes... that's the church from up above.

The Lenin stature in downtown Kostroma. Each town has one... This one happens to be quite tall!

The beautiful Volga river... I love the river walk!

and we learned to cook... russian style!

2008-06-01T13:39:00.000-06:00

Since the first time we ate dinner at this precious family's home, Sarah and I have wanted Natasha's mom, Olya, to teach us how to cook some Russian dishes--Borsht (beet soup that is GREAT) and Blini (Russian pancakes; a mix between pancakes and crepes). We were finally able to make time! We don't have pics of the borsht.. sorry! And so blini making begins...

Olya... isn't she adorable! She is a PRO at blini-making! :)

She is explaining to us what to do... I was the first to try...

So... this was my first attempt... not very successful as it split, BUT the ones after this one were quite beautiful... if i DO say so myself! ;)

Our blini all rolled up! There are two fillings: one is filled with boiled egg and green onions (I don't even LIKE onions, but it was GREAT!) and the other is fried mushrooms and onions with rice (also VERY TASTY!). When eating them, we dipped them in sour cream... seriously, amazing goodness! Thanks Olya! and Natasha! We love you!

Cabantui- A Tartar Holiday

2008-05-17T14:10:00.000-06:00

Today, the we were invited to teach some kids how to play baseball at this school. It was a Tartar holiday called Cabantui, which is sort of a field day. It celebrates health and all that. Before the children began playing sports, there was a presentation, which included the Mayor of Ivanovo and some other important people. These are a few of the many pics I took during the presentation:

these girls are in a traditional dress. they are sharing a traditional food with the audience that included a bread and what looked me like a Kix/Lucky charms/ marshmallow treat (which I KNOW that it wasn't... I didn't get any of it, so I don't know!).

these girls are performing a tradional dance... i LOVED this part!

the guys and the girls doing the dance...

these little girls were definitely little performers! there voices were AMAZING for their ages! they were harmonizing and everything!

I enjoyed attending this event... I love these little tradional things! :)

Springtime in the Country... Russian Style!

2008-05-17T13:58:00.000-06:00

Our team decided to take a one-day mini-retreat to the dacha! Though it was a little chilly, the day COULD NOT have been more beautiful!

the dacha... i just noticed that place where there used to be a door... interesting...

the yard behind the backyard fence... all those dandilions that you see are no longer there... i mowed them down ;)

the pond... there are so many cat-tails in it... how serene is this! kind of reminds me of home...

jill said these were some kind of flowers... some kind of pansies... so cute! i think i mowed them down, too... oops! ;)

After living in the city for a year, constantly hearing cars outside my window and never seeing the stars at night, I have come to appreciate the sereness, the beauty, and the nature of the countryside... until it's HOT anyway ;)

Spravka... A Medical Scavenger Hunt

2008-05-17T13:48:00.000-06:00

Upon our arrival back to Ivanovo, we (Sarah, Tracy, Lesa, and myself) began working on our medical exams needed in order to receive a work visa. Two weeks, 4 clinics, 3 takings of blood, 2 urine tests, many hours of waiting in lines, and approximately a billion stamps later, we are finished! :) The last time that I gave blood, I passed out. Then they ended up taking the blood from my hand... that's the pic above with the gauze around my hand... The one with Tracy and I holding a jar (that's not Mt. Dew, people!) was our 2nd time to give urine! And yes, we had to parade it around with us! GROSS!!!! And the other pic is one of some hospital equipment... TINA (This is not America, folks!)! But, it was a GREAT time for team bonding :)

2008-04-28T14:31:00.000-06:00

Well, what was supposed to be a 5-day visa run to Kiev, turned into a 20-day stay... We were thankful for the little vacation He provided us, but we are VERY glad to be back in Ivanovo. So... while we were there we visited a few places:

This is a statue at the end of a major street in Kiev. I forgot what it is called :/ Sorry! However, there is a HUGE mall underneath it. That seemed to have been the trend in Kiev: underground malls. and, yes, OF COURSE, we visited them!

Kiev was the first city of what is now Russian Orthodoxy. This is a very large, working monastery and seminary of Russian Orthodoxy. It had many very beautiful churches. It sits high on a hill, beside the Dniper river, overlooking Kiev. It is a very beautiful place!

One of the churches at the monastery...

This stature is nicknamed "The Metal Mama"... It is HUGE!!!!!!!!! It towers over the city, and is a memorial of WWII... There is a WWII museum there, as well, but we didn't go inside. They have tanks, helicopters, other monuments, etc. located all over the grounds at the memorial site. That was interesting :)

Train to Kiev...

2008-04-28T14:12:00.000-06:00

We took the train between Kiev and Moscow (both ways). We were able to get a coupee for the 3 of us (that way, we didn't share with someone we didn't know.) It was quite an experience... and if you ask me, sort of like a time warp! It was a 12 hour trainride, and we were woken up at 12am and 5am to have our documents checked (once at the Russian border and again at the Ukrainian). Needless to say, I didn't sleep that well...

I had never been on a train before... or even close to a passenger train. We had no idea what to expect!!! We weren't able to go on those grand adventures, running from wagon to wagon, singing about snow in the dining cart, or anything that cool... So, we talked, laughed, etc, as each of us became very sleepy from the constant rocking... I think now I know what a baby feels like when they are in a swing... and when it stops, I know why they wake up! That's how I felt each time the train stopped!

Yep, this is all three of us... in our coupee... that is really all the room we had for 12 hours! ... but we survived, afterall ;)

Spring in Russia!

2008-04-03T05:44:00.000-06:00

Two weeks ago, EXACTLY, we woke to a foot of snow, weighing the trees down, and everything!!!!

Today, there is VERY little snow left on the ground! YAY! A lot of the mud has dried, and the sun has never been so welcomed! People are walking, riding bikes, and EVEN laughing again...

I am so glad that it's FINALLY spring! :)

COFFEE BEAN!!!

2008-04-03T05:35:00.000-06:00

When Sarah and I arrived last May, there was sign in front of a building downtown Ivanovo that said "Coffee Bean: OPENING SOON!" We were so excited! It looked like a real, western-style coffeehouse... OH, the possibilities! By August, the sign was still there and we decided to forget about it! It was hopeless! But after Christmas, we got this glorious, smoke-free, alcohol-free, comfy-cozy coffeehouse... ahhhh... it was worth the wait!!!
On April 22, we hope to host an 'Open Mic Night' here... It's a new concept in Russia, but we hope that the community enjoys it!

The inside of the CoffeeBean... how clean and neat and nice!

My friend, Sveta, and I... it's our favorite place to meet ;)

One of the big windows that give a great view of downtown! No snow and ice= many Russians taking walks!! :)

the Jesus i never knew...

2008-03-13T10:24:00.003-06:00

i have just finished a book that i am going to encourage each of you to read. i think that the book is several years old, but the content is incredibly refreshing!

'the Jesus i never knew' by philip yancey is fantastic!

i returned from my trip to prague and paris about a month and a half ago. the depression i felt after returning to ivanovo was overwhelming in a way that i haven't felt here before. i wanted to begin counting the days until i would be home again... with my family... with my friends... with the things that are familiar to me... after days of staying inside, dreading going outside to say even 'hello' to my neighbors, or hearing it back, i was listening to a sermon from online. i don't remember exactly what was said, but i what i remember thinking was, 'i am down. i want to go home. and the only solution to my problem is more of Him. so... i will get to know Him some more.'
i began re-reading the Gospels and reading this book. it has done a world of good! it's not that i didn't know or had never read or studied these things that the book talked about, but i was reminded that He knows and understands EVERYTHING that i am going through. He's already done it! He's already left home... He's already been homesick. He's already been uncomfortable... He's already been misunderstood... He's already cried the tears... He's already laughed the laughs! He's made Himself credible...and i can trust Him to lead me through it!

so... maybe you just need a reminder... maybe you just need something good and encouraging to read... either way, pick it up. you won't regret it!

well...

2008-02-24T13:47:00.003-06:00

today is sunday, feb. 24, 2008. by the looks of it, i haven't updated in quite sometime... that 'sometime' being about 10 months! as i read the last entry posted, i just grin... kind of chuckle outloud... you see, if i could have looked into the future 10 mos., i would have said, 'ummm... right! i think i will just stay here.' without that extra month at home, i wouldn't have been prepared. that boat i was sitting in was quite comfortable. His timing was perfect. His preparation invaluable. who knows where i would be if i hadn't been home during that time... i would rather not think about it...

so. we just got hi-speed internet. that should tell you a little something about life here :)
however, i love it. and my goal is to update you... update you on what i have learned, the experiences i have had, the gut-twitching giggles i have had, and the salty flowing tears i have cried. thanks for being patient. i have lots to tell :)

just chillin' in the boat...

2007-04-29T23:01:00.000-06:00

i really like the ocean...it's waves...it's animals...the sounds it makes... the way it looks in the morning, and in the evening... the glory of God, clearly.. but lately my life is as if i am sitting in a boat, just out in the sea...

sarah and i got word that we were not leaving until may 18th. we were a little frustrated, but now it seems that we have both found the peace that we needed to wait 3 more weeks.

mine came from reading Mark 4, when Jesus and the disciples were out in the boat and the storm came...the disciples got really nervous and scared... i am kind of like those disciples... just more frustrated than anything... and my response to Him is the same "Are YOU aware?"... but i found that His response to me is the same "Where is your faith?" (grimace: ouch!)

so for now..i am chillin in the boat...the storm of frustration is calm now...and i am just waiting patiently for the land to come into sight...

don't you love the sea? i do...

And...Here we are...

2007-04-25T20:45:00.000-06:00

After many months of deciding whether or not to do a blog while I am on this journey, I have decided to do so. I actually signed up and registered the name about a month ago...It took me quite some time to figure this whole thing out...but..I think am starting to understand it all...

Let's update:
I am sitting in my sister's living room in KY. Sarah, my teammate, and I are expecting to leave in about two weeks... will it or will it not happen? Only the Faithful knows when!

Randomly, throughout the next few days, I hope to post little samples of my life...just to get to know me ;)