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| been a long time since ive been here...about a year.... and now... i feel.... so far : 1. being at a great distance; remote in time or place: a far country; the far future. |
| 2. extending to a great distance: the far frontiers of empire. |
| 3. more distant of the two: the far side. |
im 4hrs behind home time, 40 degrees cooler, over 3000 miles from home, and im in the center of God's country. been 12 days in & 11 days to go.... i feel far away. left on a 8 hr flight on the monday right after Ike & my heart was kinda heavy just going thru all that drama. by 2AM tues i was working with my mind on home. by the next day i got my bearings & realized i was in a "Northern Exposure" episode- more like a season... i dont know much about alaska, but i was warned of brown & black bears, wolves, moose, & the fact that AK can kill you... something i do know about AK is the FISHING is GOOD. so i start my op-plan ... i get some of the guys on board & the wheels start spinning.... today i got to experience a taste of AK. a little caveat: my past 3 days counting down to fish... (2) 12 hr days, (1) 16 hr day ending 12 midnight on friday, nap 'til 2AM sat, drive 4 hrs to the Kenai River, and begin to realize how much i miss my bed.... as the sun peaked through the 30 degree morning, i see the river and i forget about my bed. for the first time ever i am fishing for silver salmon AKA coho, on the world famous Kenai River! the fishing was slow with the COLD wind cutting through and loss of feeling in my fingers, toes, & nose. the fishing trip was off to a rough start..... to be continued.... | | |
| just returned from the Fall Retreat & before that spent a week out of town. this past weekend was very satisfying with a sense of homecoming for me. i felt the holy spirit come over me with joy, peace, and strangely, some strong feelings i cant seem to understand ... after a great time of fellowship and the awesome testimony of M. Laszlo, the music has faded and everyone has gone back home .... i sit alone, just me and jesus .... why am i NOT at peace? what does it really mean to be in the "center of God's will"? text book answer = trust & obedience in Him. so why do i find myself asking some tough questions about where i am at this point in time? where am i going? how do i get there? what's it all about??? cant see past today, so why even sweat it??? it all seems so "temporary".... and maybe thats just the way i need to perceive it. where's the FFWD button?? | | |
| africa. what a country. like another world. its winter here, 7 hrs ahead, dark by 530P, feels like summer in cali, food is 50/50, water is bottled only, & they speak portuguese. good stuff. i crossed over into s.africa today and drove thru Kruger Park - wildlife preserve. it hit me there, i was in africa. started @ 4A and made it back by 2P. all worth it. elephants, giraffes, monkeys, water buffalo, etc .... no lions. i only saw 5% of the area so although ive checked this place off, i must re-visit for the other 95%... simply nice. pics will follow another day... i speak spanish to my driver, he speaks back in portuguese. the others in the van look confused seeing the different languages go back and forth. cant wait to get home.... | | |
| so im back home from wacko & in the comfort of my own bed. good to be in warmer weather & what do you know? its gonna hot & muggy tomorrow... gotta luv texas weather. started today with light house prayer @ the 3 amigas' casa. good stuff. have the day off & what to do??? raining, gloomy, & getting tired... i think i should try to get some golf in  coming off the single retreat high, i cant help but notice something going on at new life. i see peeps a lil' differently... its quite amazing... as the spiritual growth is taking hold in so many peeps, i can see so many beautiful faces where i hadnt before... i see the beauty of Christ in the faces of many sisters... and da' brothers too. summer missions trips are around the corner & i am getting anxious...not nervousness, but more like what awesome experiences lie ahead... every time i smell the scent of hand sanitizer, it sparks a lil' nostalgia taking me back to mexico missions... cant wait 'til summer missions T#3...but before that, crawfish boil...1200 lbs or more? | | |
| well, i find my self writing to myself again...on the road again...in too much tought - again... funny how things are put into "perspective" when you leave home. kinda like what really is important & what you really miss...finally finished my last book, "A Case for Faith", Lee Strobel. good stuff. recommend this read to everyone. no one would believe me, i wouldnt either if i hadnt sat through it both days, but it snowed in texas...in april. yep. cold. big-chunky snow flakes. i was looking for santa claus too...i took clothes for spring weather & did i get a surprise. visited the Antioch Church for Good Friday service...wow. as i stepped into the church, i felt at home... the Spirit is most definitely working there. wow, it hit me while a monologue was performed from John's perspective the evening Jesus was taken into custody...when John and Peter struggled to stay awake after Jesus asked them to pray for an hour... how He gently rebuked them in sadness... gently being the key word that stood out to me. i cant imagine how He felt dissapointment towards them, but it was His love that was much more profound, that he still knew what was to come, but still continued to love them...after Peter cut off the ear of one of the guards & lovingly healed him... His love was so great that he bore all that is ugly and sinful in all of us & took it to the cross...after he conquered death and ascended, his love still remains...whoa... | | |
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