Wonderings and Wanderings

Amsterdam

June 2nd, 2009 | Add a Comment

We are in Amsterdam. And tired! It is 1:40 am Missouri time but morning here in Amsterdam. We didn’t sleep much but hope that will happen in the next eight hour flight. We depart at 10:15 am for Nairobi. We will arrive at 7 pm Nairobi time. Pray for us to catch our sleep. While I’m blogging via wireless here at the Amsterdam airport, Emily is catching some zzzs. The flight was very smooth and uneventful – just the way we like it. There is a large group of Baptists folks from Missouri and Tennessee on our flights. They are going to build churches in Kenya. I apologize for the crazy postings earlier. I was blogging via text and didn’t realize that there was a limit on how … Read entire article »

Filed under: Travel

Detroit

June 1st, 2009 | Add a Comment

** Sorry about the earlier posting trouble. Apparently when you blog via text, you are limited in how much you can send. No more novel-length texts. We are in Detroit now and preparing to board for Amsterdam in about 30 minutes. Our flight leaves at 5:40 pm (EST) and we will arrive at Amsterdam in about 30 minutes. Our flight leaves at 5:40 pm (EST) and we will arrive at Amsterdam at 7:40 am. Things are going very well so far. We are all very excited about finally arriving in Kenya after months of preparation. The tons of stuff church and community members donated are boxed and being loaded on the plane as I type this. Also, Emily just was informed by her dad that she was named Defensive Player of Missouri region. … Read entire article »

Filed under: Travel, Uncategorized

On the Road

May 30th, 2009 | 1 Comment

I leave for Kenya Monday morning at 9:30 am. The team covets your prayers for safe travels and for God to bless every aspect of our trip. I am traveling with four others for a 11 day trip to our partner country, Kenya. Although we will not be working directly with our partner school on this trip, we will be working with some missionaries there that we have connected with on our previous trip. Our Itinerary: Depart Monday, June 1st Arrive in Nairobi on Tuesday night and travel to the town of Naivasha Work at the House of Hope orphanage in Naivasha from Wednesday – Sunday. Monday, June 8th, we travel to Masai Mara National Park and stay the night there. (As I type this, I am watching a special on the Discovery Channel about the … Read entire article »

Filed under: Travel, Uncategorized

Burn, Baby, Burn

May 27th, 2009 | 1 Comment

We finished our second day at the beach but we weren’t out very much. Most of us (okay – all of us) are burnt – some worse than others. We, Missourians, are not prepared for the beach sun. Which is a shame because today was a gorgeous day outside! Rick and Theresa (the other two sponsors) were up around 8 am and headed out for some morning adventures. Rick hit the nearby golf course and Theresa checked out some local antique shops. I got up about and hour or so later and worked for little while before the seniors stirred. Most just chilled inside or did sporadic trips outside. The group went into Gulf Shores in the afternoon to do some souvenir shopping and to eat out. I stayed back at the beach … Read entire article »

Filed under: Travel, Youth Ministry

Office for the Week

May 26th, 2009 | Add a Comment

Today is the first day on the wonderful beach for our senior trip. I left with two other adults and six seniors Monday morning at 12:30 am and we arrived in Gulf Shores at 3 pm on Monday. Great drive down and now we are enjoying the relaxing beach house. The seniors love it here and are a great group! We do miss our three soccer girls that weren’t able to come because they are just too good at soccer and won their district soccer game. We wish them the best for tonight’s game in Jefferson City! Go support them if you are in town. We had a great pasta dinner last night and I think everyone was in bed by 11 pm. Tired from the first day’s drive. Today we’ve been … Read entire article »

Filed under: Travel, Youth Ministry

iTraitor

May 11th, 2009 | 4 Comments

Perhaps you will think me a traitor or sell-out. Perhaps merely a trend-follower or wanna-be. Perhaps I don’t care. As of today, I am a Mac user. After 20-some years of faithful PC use, I own my first MacBook Pro. And so far, I love it. I did a lot of investigation before I made the leap. I talked to several folks – especially those who switched from PCs to Macs and I didn’t find one that regretted the switch. The Mac was more user-friendly, app loaded, and great for the creative side of my work. I’m looking forward to making some awesome videos and publications with my Mac – especially with the numerous mission trips coming up. I’ve been investigating my options for blogging from Kenya and the Dominican … Read entire article »

Filed under: Miscellaneous

Night Crawlers

May 6th, 2009 | 1 Comment

I’ve had some late nights recently. That happens during seasons of my life when I have a lot on my mind. Why the brain doesn’t choose to work in the daytime, I have no clue. Perhaps there is just too much noise and only in the silence of the night can my mind get my attention. The silence grabs my face in its hands and forces me to look. Part of it is the incessant “to-do” list – a barrage of reminders of tasks that have to get done in the fleeting days I have remaining until the summer hits and I’m gone nearly as much as I am home. I keep getting surprised by something that pops up that I had forgotten. This leaves me … Read entire article »

Filed under: Current Affairs, Making a Difference