a dilemma

I found out two things today. The first is that there is a retreat on the 10th and 11th of February for CAV. I may or may not be able to go to that depending on homework. The other is that on the evening of the 10th there is a concert here in Spring Arbor featuring a band called Disciple that I had a chance to see about a year ago but couldn't. If I ended up going to the retreat I'd have to leave to see the concert. Now its only at summerset, about 20 minutes away, so I could go back after the concert. The reatreat is ten dollars and the concert I think ten also although I'm not sure. Any thoughts on this?

What to do when you know the inevitable is coming

It is only a matter of time. The pedullum swings
The long hand ticks. Minute after minute
The sweat forms on your brow in haste
As chicken to the feed on the ground
Your palms feel warm
Your fingers start to shake
Your leg twitches
In time with the clock
Tick, twitch, drip, tock
Tick, twitch, drip, tock
Your mind races and all you see is blurred
The mice in your head have given up on the cheese
The smell of guilt is all around
Your mind feels like a safe
Nothing in. Nothing out
Information like
Smoke on the wind
Uncatchable
See, smell, touch, nothing
See, smell, touch, nothing
Then something simple slips through
You offer a prayer, a plea, simple
Please help me in my need
Time stands still
And in the pause
A voice speaks out
Loving and comforting
Trust Me always
Trust Me always

The end of vacation

I've decided that I really don't want to leave Nogales. And I'm really struggling with it. I know that I have to allow change and I know that I made the decision to go so far away but its still hard. Its been great hanging out with my friends and really making new ones. So its hard to leave it all to go back to school. A lot of my friends here have really grown in the Lord and its cool too see them stepping up not only in the youth group but also in the church. Right now of the five original members of the youth group one is the assistant music director, one is the director of a new dance ministry, and one is the director of the children's saturday morning club. I hate having to leave this great progress that the church is having especially in the youth group.

Having said this I am looking forward to going back. The classes I'm taking this semester look really cool and i know some people in almost all of them. Intro to Missions with Chuck White is one I'm especially looking forward to. Also working with Communidad Agua Viva is going to be fun. Its really going to either be a turning point or not. I ask for prayer to organize my life and to be able to take the initiative in my schoolwork.

So to summerize: I don't want to leave but I do want to go back. I have to accept change when God dishes it out. And I ask for prayer for this semester.

God's hand in everything

I'm taking a course online and one of the programs doesn't work on our computer. So we decided to try it on the Martin's computer in the Mission house. It worked and so Monday morning saw me at the Mission house working away on this program for my class. Now Sunday night it got down to 14 degrees in Nogales and by accident the heat wasn't on in the mission house. As I'm working I hear this dripping sound. I turned around and see that there's water literally pouring out of the ceiling. One of the pipes had frozen and busted and water was building up in the attic/crawl space. So I called Dad and Dad called Mom and different people ended up going over and we finally got the water turned off. There's some water damage and some work to be done but it should be ok. The point of my story is that if the program had worked on the computer here at the house then I wouldn't have been at the mission house and the water would still be on. The only thing stopping it would be the freezing temperatures at night. The water damages and water bill would be through the roof (or ceiling and carpet and pipes and furmiture and computer). So thanks be to God that it didn't work. His hand is indeed in everything.

ummm

don't worry they won't all be like that last one :) which i've been told was boring. and i guess it is :)

Random thoughts for the beginning of a random blog

So here's my first post on my blog that will soon be sweeping the nation as a stunning window into the life of a college student from Nogales. Ok not really but I hope to use this to keep anyone who cares updated on my thoughts actions and stuff like that. My posts probably won't be too long because I'm not that great at writing but I kind of hope that this will help me.
So I've been having fun at home this break. I had a good talk with Pastor Juan Carlos about ministry and such on saturday over a delicious meal of carne asada burritos. It really helped me get some thoughts straight and provided some clarity to an otherwise jumbled mind right now. I went to a birthday party for Marina yesterday that was a lot of fun. The whole youth group was there and a piñata and a jumprope. Unfortunately the trampoline was broken but oh well. For those who didn't know I'm taking an online course. Thats going ok. I'm getting through it. I think I'll stop now because I'm out of ideas. I'll be back though.