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| Hello World! 
I'm back! After just over a year long self-imposed hiatus, I'm back to updating my blog. So, standby for some crazy stories, more pictures, and a whole lot of interesting thoughts.
Today, May 20th, 2007, exactly a year and 2 days since my last blog entry, I find myself in San Diego, California. More specifically-Chula Vista, California. I'm out here on personal vacation, visiting loved ones from when I lived here back in 2003-2005. It's hard to believe that 2 years have already gone by. But the funny thing is that when I see people I know, it feels like I just left yesterday-we can pick up right where we left off.
Allow me a quick minute to recap where I've been and what God's allowed me to do in the past year (June 2006-May 2007):
June '06- Returned from 60 days in France for French language immersion. Oui, c'est vrai. Je peux parler le français!
July '06- Traveled to Port Vila, Vanuatu (via Sydney, Australia) for work...Turned 25, but actually lost the day due to the International Date line
August '06- Traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti for work
September '06- Traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti for work. Met a lovely young lady named Abby in Williamsburg, VA
October '06- Started dating an AMAZING young lady named Abby
November '06- Traveled to Mombassa, Kenya (via Brussels, Belgium) for work
December '06- Traveled to Bremerton, Washington for Christmas with the family
January '07- Spent New Years at the Outer Banks, NC (OBX) with some of the best people in the whole-wide World!
February '07- Traveled to Port-au-Prince, Haiti for work. Saved 15% on car insurance with Geico©...just kidding!
March '07- Temporarily moved out of my RV for the next 4 months
April '07- Traveled to Abilene, TX to see a dear friend get married
May '07- Visiting my old home, friends and family in Southern California
Alright, that's a super quick year in review, but I hope it gives you a little sense of what's been going on. I have committed to staying in contact with folks and updating my blog and pictures much more often. Not that you had much choice, but I appreciate you giving me the time off.
Like I've said a million times since I've been back in San Diego, and now, it describes how I feel about being back online-It's SO GREAT to be back!
God's AWESOME isn't He?
Peace  | | |
| Strange...
So, there's a piano at the French School I'm going to. It's got a few notes that are out of tune (especially frustrating when trying to play I Can Only Imagine by MercyMe and O Praise Him by David Crowder Band) but I've been messing around on it while I've been here. The other day, I got a few notes stuck in my head that sounded good together. Thought nothing of it.
Today though, I was playing the piano and some guy from another class stopped by to ask what the song was called. I told him I didn't know because I had just made it up. To make a long story short, he's Colombian, and he's working on writing a script (in fact that's what he was working on when he heard me playing the piano), and he said that the song I was playing was just perfect for the part he was writing and wants to put it on his soundtrack. I don't know if anything will come of it. He wanted me to keep playing it while he wrote some more. So, I was playing it, still kind of humbled by the complement and trying to figure out if my next career should be in music  (just kidding...however...that's like totally my dream job!) when some other students came in. Again, they were amazed that I had just made that up. I ended up teaching one of them how to play it. I totally don't consider myself a pianist...but wouldn't mind getting back into it.
Totally not what I was expecting! | | |
| Hey there!
So, I was eating lunch today-a Kebab (pita bread stuffed with veggies and meat ), some fries, orange juice and water and sitting out on a park bench in front of the school, enjoying the beautiful garden and the wonderful sunshine and I had the Switchfoot song, "This Is Your Life" (This is your life, are you who you want to be, this is your life, is it everything you dreamed that it would be, when the world was younger and you had everything to lose) running through my head and was really contemplating life...because yes, this is my life...here in am eating a Kebab in France, I've been in Ecuador, Morocco, Tunisia, and France thus far this year and within a month I'll be learning all about Indonesia first hand, wow...definitely incroyable as the French would say, thank you Lord!
(this must be a record for the longest sentence ever!) | | |
| So yesterday I went shopping for some necessities, here's the list (guy shopping ):
Toothbrush-2.18€
Toothpaste-1.45€
Soap-0.61€
Shampoo-3.02€
RV Magazine-4.50€
Sailing Magazine-4.90€
Grand Total-16.67€ or $21.01...a little more expensive than in the States, but worth it!
Exchange Rate: $1 USD = 0.793225 EURO
That's all! | | |
| So, let me tell you about Mrs. Claudia. She's a lady who goes to the Baptist church here in Chambery, France. She's originally from Italy but married a Frenchman and now lives here. She's probably in her 60s, that'd be my guess. Anyhow, I met her the first time I went to the church. Turns out she lives in the same neigbourhood (appreciate the spelling...) that I'm living in and really near to the school I go to. Last Friday, she had me and Jolanda over for tea. Super nice lady. She flat out told us that she's there to encourage us, if we ever want to stop by or need anything, just give her a call. She's offered to help us with our French, if we are feeling down or homesick, to come over for some home-cooked food or whatever. Completely nice lady. This must be a spiritual gift.
Anyhow, remember I was telling you about Teresa and Jolanda, two other Christians at my school. Well another one showed up today at Church. She's from Russia. Doesn't speak English, I don't speak Russian and she's in the Advance French class, I'm in the "Faux Debutant" class. Anyhow, maybe I'll have more information on her next time, but neat to know there are some Russian Baptists. Anyhow...today Jolanda and I went over to Mrs. Claudia's house for lunch. It was a fabulous meal with actual home made pasta...the Italian way. I was so impressed. She's offered to show me how and let me help at a later date. Plus there was this amazing strawberry cake...incredible! And quite delicious.
It's amazing how God puts people in your life at exactly the right time, isn't it? Sometimes you wish it were a little quicker (ie.like a girlfriend/wife...uh, I'm still waiting Lord) He perfectly orchestrates it all. What's been really neat in my life is how He's placed people/families in my life who have completely invested their lives and time in me and just guided/mentored/grew me in God's perfect timing...incredible...plus it's happened all over the world...how cool is that. Other than my obvious life changing moment of being adopted ...I'm thinking specifically of some Young Life staff when I lived in Kenya, some wonderful folks in Springfield, VA, a wonderful couple who sponsored me during my years at the Academy, some Campus Ministers during that time who are some of the absolutely coolest ladies I've ever known, an amazing family on Shasta Street in Chula Vista, CA and an amazing church family there too. To hear the stories of how we met is pretty incredible too. The list could go on...(sorry if I didn't give you a shot out this time). Turns out, Mrs. Claudia (and her husband) are the next. They have been hosting missionaries and foreign exchange students for probably close to 10 years. They have them over for meals, let us stop by when times are hard, or we're homesick and need a pick-me-up. They graciously just opened their door and their lives to me. They've offered to go on walks or do things with me so I can work on my French (they don't speak English). They are there to encourage and provide Christian fellowship. She eyes the newcomers at the church and then the rest is history. Definitely a part of God's kingdom here on Earth. What a ministry they've got...what a legacy...what a spiritual gift. As we were sitting around talking (yes, I do speak French now) she pulled out a couple of books that were filled with photos and notes from the people she's hosted/met with over the past years. It was incredible. I'm probably not doing it justice, I was kind of speechless. Here's this Italian-turned French lady and her husband who have become missionaries in their own way, right here in Chambery, France. She's had people from all over the world (most notable were the entries from Williamsburg, VA, a few from Tacoma, WA) and these people and families have gone to work in Burkina Faso, Chad, Cameroon, Kenya, Senegal, Benin, etc., etc., etc. Incredible. After lunch, we took a stroll through a park. It was a gorgeous day, so hard to describe. God was right there with us...it almost felt like heaven on Earth. Kind of wish I had a video camera strapped to my eyes so I could capture the afternoon. I'm going to become one of her entries and feel so horoured to be one.
Other notable events of this past week. I marked my first full month of French Immersion. Not bad huh! Finally made it to a Japanese Restaurant (helped that we went with a Japanese student) and had some delicious food...earlier this week I had a legitimate, American-sized pizza...delicious, Friday I went to a good-bye party for two Australian students who have since embarked on a two-month bike trip around France. Interesting experience...it was a British pub, we left at 2:30 in the morning (Saturday) and uh, I still had to ride the bike up hill. Night-time bike riding provides its own thrills. Saturday I spotted a dining establishment I'm going to have to try...called Cadilla'c (that's how it's spelled) which looks like a 50s style diner, Friday I was told about a place where I can get a legitimate steak (called the Buffalo Grill), *note, "legitimate" = a "healthy" portion, French cuisine is always pretty and artsy and way too small for my liking* I also found a store called Carrefour which is equivalent to WAL-MART. Sadly/weirdly, it made me homesick...WAL-MARTs prices are still better, it also had a McDonald's (and it's my goal not to eat Fast Food while I'm here), plus in the past 24 hours I've seen two different Chevy Tahoe SUVs. Brought a tear to my eye, to see a legitimate (this time, use word as defined by Webster) SUV, an American brand...oh, I miss my Excursion!
Today was such a gorgeous day. Great welcome to the fabulous month of May...Thank you Lord!
Live well...laugh often! | | |
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