New Year...

So once again I'm horrible at keeping up to date with this blog. But I must say it was a busy end to the year the past 2 months. It seems like all I ever say anymore is time just flies by.

The year has gotten off to a great start. Not too much going on, but enough to keep us busy as usual. Upward is going on right now. We only have 5 more weeks. I'm working on a preschool Valentine's musical that I'm praying goes off well. The little ones did a good job learning 2 songs the other night.

Personally I have a lot right now that I'm struggling with but I know that God is going to see me through. I just need to continue to strive after his will and press on. Chuck is doing great as usual and the kids just love him.

Well not much, but all I got for now!

Really?!?!

Have you ever one those of those early and i mean early mornings when you wake up out of a deep sleep, head to the bathroom to hit the shower to prepare for work, get almost done getting ready and then look at the clock to make sure you're on time and realize it's only 1:30 in the early wee hours of the morning??!?!?! OH yeah that's totally what I have done this morning within the last hour. So least to say, I'm wide awake. No hope of going back to sleep any time soon, so I decided to update my blog that seems to have been forgotten about :)

There has been so much going on lately. Some days I feel like there's always something we have to do or somewhere we have to go. The good part about it that keeps me going, is that it's always enjoyable to do those things. They sure do make me tired, but they always seem to be worth my time.

Thanksgiving is just 2 days away, well technically one....and it's just so hard to believe how fast this year flew by. Seems like just yesterday it was summer and we were doing VBS. However now it's turkey season and time to gives thanks and prepare for Christmas. Speaking of Christmas, we are preparing for children's musical at church. I'm a little nervous, but I'm confident that our children will pull it off just like they always do.

Black Friday shopping is always just a day or so away. I think I'll be going out to some store this year. Haven't nailed down any plans any yet. I know it'll be crazy, but I have an amazing to friend to go with. I don't think Chuck has decided if he wants to go as well. He may want his sleep. I know we will be hitting up some Screen Tech. We didn't think we would have to be there too early, but the more I hear the more I think we were mistaken. It's known to get pretty crazy around there!

We leave later this afternoon to head up to Rainbow City to see the extended families. I'm super excited. I think that it's my favorite part of the holidays. I love the smell of my grandmother's house and just remembering some of the times when I was a child. That place tends to be the only place I can remember things. I think because it's the only physical thing that has remained the same throughout my life. They have never moved, she still has most of the same stuff and things in their home. A little renovation here and there, but it's mostly still the same. Same smell, same feel, same atmosphere, same great amazing love. My mother's parents are the same way. They haven't changed much over the years and it's nice to have those special memories with them as well.

I always like to post pics in my blogs, but there's been so much going on that I wouldn't know which one to post. However, we are taking some new family pics this weekend, so I will have to make sure to post some of those! Well I think I'm going to attempt to watch a movie and maybe get and hour or so "nap" before work!

*live*love*laugh

Seems like forever....

WOW it's been awhile since I last posted. And really that last one wasn't really much. But I wonder who really pays attention anyways. I don't really follow that many people on here. And not many know I have this blog anyways. But oh well, I guess it's good to have to just update someone somewhere somehow.

There's been so much going on lately. Lots of changing happening and coming up. In fact I feel like someone has sort of pressed the fast forward button lately. Seems like just yesterday I started my new job at the CDC when really it's been a full year now that I've been there. I can still remember last year's fall festival like it was yesterday, but yet this year's came and went so fast...


It's amazing how fast a year can go by!! Time flies by too fast and before we know it it's all gone. We look around us and people have changed, times have changed, lives have been changed by the time that has past. People move forward, some move backwards, but no one ever stays that same. At least they're not supposed to. Time is inevitable, it's always going to be moving and changing and going forward...but what about that day when time does stop. What about the day when God says...hey you, come on home...or even the day when the trumpet sounds and he calls us all home...what then can I, you, we say about our time spent here on earth. Can we say we made the most of it? Can we say we faced each day, each season, each challenge and did all that we could with the time we were given??

I don't know where this is coming from? It's after midnight and I can't sleep and the matter of time and our actions is just on my mind. I may even delete this later....who knows, but maybe it's something you need to read, or you know of someone struggling with. God knows. I hope that when my time comes God can see that I made those most of my time here on earth. I don't always feel like I do. Some days I waste away the day. I waste away the time I could use to make myself healthier or take the time to share his life with someone. I waste so much time? And why?? Because I'm lazy? Because I'm bored? What is it that makes us waste so much time of our lives? I think I know why I waste my time. But that's not something I'm willing to share right now. Not until I fully understand and hear what God is telling me myself. But it's something I'm struggling with. So I ask that you pray say a prayer for me.

Excuse my ranting and crazy thoughts. I apologize if anything I have said offends anyone.

Lately...

So I'm working on this whole loosing weight thing.....And so far I've lost about 35 pounds!!! I'm super excited. I'm loving that clothes I haven't worn in a long time fit, and my jeans are getting looser and I even bought a reward shirt for myself!
But besides all that not much is going on. Same ole same ole staying busy with work and church. But I thought I could update a little and share some recent photos.


*live*love*laugh*

...words...

July 24, 2010

Woke up early this morning and the Lord showed me what he would like for me to preach to the people on Tuesday night and that is about the Potter and the clay. The Lord is the potter and we are the clay. We need to follow the Lord in everything we do and let him lead our lives. The scripture I will be using is in Isiah 64:8.In a couple of minutes we will be leaving for our mission area to get ready to do our different ministries. Today I get to teach both lessons. I will be teaching the children on how the Lord parted the Red Sea and the other is how the Lord provided food.

Well both children's lessons have gone very well. The children were very attentive and excited about what was talked about. The only hard part was trying to talk but having to stop so the interpreter could tell the kids what I was saying in their language. You know I think it is funny, just like in America we try to sleep in late on Saturdays, guess what?...they do the same thing in Africa. Sense we have been here we have been starting at 9 am but today (Saturday) we started at 11 am. We also found out from the headmaster of the school in Mozambique that the children are on break and that on Monday & Tuesday we need to start later and we can only have one lesson on those days because our interpreters have to head back home to go back to seminary. So that is ok because on Tuesday we will pass out all of the clothes we have that afternoon and have our lesson that morning.

The children at this camp and in the town we are at they are just so cute. I want to keep one as our child but I know that we can't. I also can't wait to see some of these children in FL Gators & Auburn Tigers gear on Tuesday. Speaking about football, myself and Alex taught the kids our teams fight songs. A couple of the children can even do that gator chomp!!! So COOL!!!

As I'm sitting under a tree waiting for lunch to get here I'm watching the children play soccer and play football. Oh wait...kicking the football like a soccer ball and little kids are playing with a dead bird and picking its' feathers and talking to it. They even know how to play Jacks with a hole in the ground and a couple of rocks. One of the children's toys that they made was a long stick and at the end of the stick is a metal frame of a truck. It even has wheels and mudd flaps and they made a steering wheel and the top of he stick makes sound like a real truck running and even have a car tag on it with numbers. Also they have sign that says Toyota on it. One child is even playing with a metal frame of an old bicycle and just letting it roll on the ground.

...more words from him...

July 22, 2010

Woke up earlier than normal because we had a big rainstorm that came through camp. But after that I was able to get and up and we went and had our group bible study. It was good it was talking about how we need to be like Moses and answer the call. We then had breakfast and we packed up and headed to where we will be teaching.
Everywhere we go from camp to our ministry areas we travel by land rover 4 wheel drive. It is a very bumpy road and my butt is starting hurt.


We started at camp with children's ministry first and the rest of the team does hut to hut. These kids are really attentive and hang on every word that we say. These children have only the clothes on their back and they might have had those for a year or more. They are very happy and just glad that we are here. They love pictures and acting out in front of the video camera. These kids are very cute and friendly.
For children's ministry we teach a lesson with the felt board and then we color a sheet, in which we let them use 2 or 3 crayons and let them color. It is amazing how they can color on dirt. After that we then pumped up the soccer balls and let them play. When we gave them the football they treated it like a soccer ball. Alex and I tried to teach them the game of football but they told us it was heard and wasn't fast enough. We just laughed! The group of children can speak some English but not very good. They also like us to say something and then they would repeat after us and just laugh.


Oh yeah...this morning I got to watch one of the kitchen people buy a live goat from one of the families that live around our camp. Well guess what we had for dinner....GOAT STEW...thank the Lord my wife bought and packed me a lot of junk food, so I don't have to starve.


July 23, 2010
Woke up with roosters singing around 6 am and read in the scriptures that the Lord will give us the wisdom to give the words to say. We then had a group devotion and then we had breakfast. For breakfast we had these huge pancakes, which were pretty good. Now we are sitting around getting ready to head to the camp to our different ministries. The last one as a group.


Well Children's ministry today was amazing!!!!! The children are really attentive and are just always very happy and are hanging on every word. They just want to hear more and more everyday! It is pretty weird that when you are teaching the children you have a herd of cattle that come by with their bells ringing and one of them relieves himself behind all the children and it was like nothing ever happened. These children are happy all the time. It don't even matter what is going on or how hot or cold they are, just happy to be here. I tried to teach the kids about Toy Story because they saw the pics on my journal and they just laughed as I explained it to them.
If I haven't talked about it before it is still very strange how when I go to the bathroom I go to a area around camp that is surrounded by plastic wrap and just a toilet seat with a hold in the ground and just to be honest with you while you sit there on the toilet it stinks really bad!! Oh well, it's all for the glory of God. Another fact about that it is in open air so instead of reading I can start at the sky. The showers are nice and warm. It is just weird because it is a sheet of plastic separating you and your neighbor and the children outside. But other than that it is like camping but with just a lot of dirt all around and that when you are in your tent or even outside in a chair you can just look out at God's awesome creation and see every cloud in the sky for miles without any buildings blocking them and the same is at night with the stars in the sky without all the city lights. You can see stars all the way for miles!!! God is just so amazing!

...his own words continued...

July 20, 2010

Still on a plane flying to Africa (took a long nap. We have finally landed in Africa at 5:30 pm, Tuesday Africa time.) They told us it is a 6 hour time difference bet
ween us and Africa. A man named Gordon picked us up from the airport and now we have our luggage and gear and now traveling to the church for the night and then we get up at 6 am to head to the camp. We have been told we will be taking a big truck and be riding in the back of the truck and crossing a river.
Well as for the can ride from the airport to the church we are staying at for the night...It is very strange that the driver is on the right side and there seems to be no speed limits and i gets really crazy when you wake up from a nap and see cars come the other way on the right side of the road. On our drive into town we were able to drive pass the stadium that the World Cup was played.
Well I'm going to try and get some sleep because we have an early start and a long drive to camp.

July 21, 2010

1st full day in AFRICA...Well woke up at 6 am to load up on the can and head to the border to cross over into Mozambique. On the ride over to the the border we were able to stop for gas and this small town was working on paving the road into their town. We got to tour a national park today on our journey to the border. The park is named Kruger National Park, in the park you ride on the road and real wildlife animals come very close...
We saw elephants, zebras, giraffes, alligators, deer looking things, and many other animals...



Now we are sitting at the border waiting for our missionary guest to come pick us up and take us into the camp. We waited at the border for about 20 minutes for passports to be checked and our ride. It was kind of weird at the border crossing because everyone there had lots of guns.

We left the border on a BIG truck that is able to go through a river. To get to where we are going to camp was a long trip down some long dirt roads. There were even tress and vines that hit us because the back of the truck which we rode in didn't have a cover. So i got a knot on my head from a big tree limb that hit me. Alex, Jeff, Keitha, and Myron have cuts on their arms from the vines and thorns.
After that long and fun trip to camp we got off the truck to unload and get our tents ready to move in. Their is dust everywhere literally everywhere.

Camp life:
It's cool to be able to sit by a fire and look up at the sky and watch the clouds move and see the moon. We have a big kitchen. I have no clue what I'm eating. Not eating much, mainly all the snacks you packed me. Bathrooms: you pee and poop in a hold in the ground that has a toilet seat. Shower: Ok but weird that it is all within the open air.

When we got settled into camp we had dinner and then left to go to where we will be working tomorrow and had a worship service and told them all that will be going this week. While we there it looks like no one will be there and then they all of sudden come out of the woods. I had about 30 kids just sitting around me like "WOW who's this guy?" After the service we left back for camp and had meeting and now I'm going to bed.