Blessings #826 to 864

826. Being part of a baptism celebration

827. Conversations with former students who are now adults and hearing the ways they have matured

828. An invite to share fresh, out-of-the-oven, apple pie

829. A visit to Soap Lake after a five year absence

830. Discovering that there are certain common bonds (high school and faith) that will keep people friends forever, even if there is almost forty years between visits

831. Celebrating the life of a saint who has lived well and now sees Jesus face to face

Blessings #798 to 825

798. People asking for applications for the short term mission trip to Niños de Mexico - many who want to go back!

799. Debbie and Ray's willingness to drive my mom to appointments.

800. Sorting through pictures of my vacation this summer with Colby - amazing memories that I will cherish the rest of my life.

801. Students expressing their disappointment when I told them that I would not be going on the Seattle trip this year.

802. Still being able to unload and stack bails of hay

Blessings #761 to 798

761. A Gifts of Hope Fair Trade day in the park with Sandy. Even when the weather is uncooperative and the sales are slow, doing this with Sandy always seems worthwhile!

762. After striking out with borrowing one (despite the generous efforts of many friends), finding the perfect backpack for my trip at Bimart for way less than I thought I would need to pay!

763. The first sight of Colby's smiling face in Dulles airport, after his Jamaica mission trip

764. Having experience with infections and knowing when there is a problem

765. Helpful people at Washington DC urgent care and the George Washington University emergency

766. Uber

Answered Prayer

A woman who is having health problems, prays to God for healing. Within a few days her symptoms begin to improve and she begins feeling better. When she recovers and returns to good health, she says, “God has answered my prayer.”

A married couple is facing some financial difficulties and are struggling to pay their bills. A big reason is that the husband has been unemployed and the wife’s part-time job is not enough. They pray for work and better income so they can pay the bills. When the husband lands a job that has a sufficient income, the couple responds, “Our prayers to God have been answered.”

A family goes on vacation for the holidays. It is winter and there is an accumulation of snow and ice from winter storms. They pray for God to give them safe travels. When they return home safely, they proclaim, “God answered our prayers.”

A young married couple, trying to start a family, prays to God for a child. They pray that God would allow them to have a healthy baby to love and raise to begin their family together. After their healthy baby is born, they excitedly tell friends and family, “This baby is the answer to our prayers.”

19 Days - Lessons

On this 19 day journey I have learned much. Some has been purely informational, but much of it has been experiential. Some are slightly profound, some seem like things I should have known before, some are useful, and some... I will let you decide!

• Not all London airports are actually in London or even very close to London
• Uber beats taxis, and it's not even close
• Europe knows how to do public transportation... The U.S. doesn't
• London shuts down early, except for the pubs
• Standing where history was made, and seeing the real things of history, makes history seem much more significant
• Big cities all have this in common - lots of people in too small of spaces
• Big cities are stressful, no matter what country you are in
• The English and the French still have issues
• I never get tired of waterfalls and Iceland has a lot of waterfalls
• Colby can get stressed
• I can get stressed
• Most of the time Colby and I recover from stress quickly and we can actually help each other recover

19 Days - History

It is becoming apparent to me that this trip is mostly about history. Each place has a different history to tell, but it is all history nonetheless. In Washington DC it is, of course, all about United States History. There are memorials to the great men that shaped our nation. There are memorials to the men who fought and died to preserve what our founding fathers began. There is art that has shaped our country's culture. There are tributes to science, to government, and much, much more. Many times in DC Colby said, "I feel like we are walking by so much history that we don't even know!" The history oozes from every crack and crevice in this place from the preserved Bill of Rights, Declaration of Independence and the Constitution to the meticulously placed tombstones in Arlington National Cemetery.

19 Days - George Washington Hospital

We are off to an incredible start, in many ways. All the stuff about looking at every anticipated bump in the road as part of the adventure... well... we already have a pretty good adventure going. After a full day of walking (about 11 miles according to Colby's phone), his foot was not looking good. Redness was creeping up his ankle, which is never a good sign, so we decided an urgent care visit was warranted. 

Our insurance told us where to go, only to find out, after a taxi ride there, that the urgent care didn't like our insurance. They advised us to go to an emergency room. With the pain increasing in Colby's foot, the security at the urgent care called for another taxi...twice. If you are traveling in a large city, forget about taxis (a lesson learned) and instead set up an uber account. Finding out that no taxi wanted our fare, Colby downloaded the Uber apps, set up an account, and had a car in front of us in less than ten minutes. And the cost was cheaper than a taxi! Thank you. Uber!

19 Days - Departure

Nineteen days! This will be the longest I have ever been away from Sandy. As I sit in the plane starting the first leg of this trip, it all feels very odd, especially in light of so many other firsts that will be wrapped up in these nineteen days. My first time to Washington D.C., my first time to Europe, my first time to meet my cousin Marinus, my first time staying in the homes of strangers in another country. It all is very strange. I'm sure there are some unexpected firsts, as well, and lurking in the nineteen days will be twists and turns that will shape this adventure in surprising ways.

Two from Nineteen

Last winter, while visiting family in California, Colby and I went for a walk to kill some time, enjoy the sunshine and to talk. Most of our conversation revolved around his latest idea to do more traveling - not a surprising topic of conversation for anyone who knows my son. This time the plan was not just a January Term trip abroad, like he had done before, this was for a full semester of study at Maastricht University in the Netherlands. As parents tend to do, and like Sandy and I had done before, we met this new idea, initially, with many reservations, questions, and doubts. 

Blessings #736 to #760

736. A visit from Jim and Gail.

737. Observing Calli's senior pictures photo shoots and realizing that my little girl is not so little anymore!

738. Building endurance for running - going a little farther, a little faster with a little less pain!

739. A break in the heat and actually getting a little chilly at night.

740. The chance to comfort, listen to, and pray for friends.

741. Hearing the frequent conversations between Calli and Laura, her friend in Spain - Calli helping Laura with English and Laura helping Calli with Spanish.

742. Listening to Colby and Calli talk about Spanish and using Spanish. Who would have thought that we would have two Spanish speaking children?

Questions

Sometimes I wonder what Jesus would be like if he were to come to earth today as a human. I know his basic character would be the same as it was over 2000 years ago (and still is today), but how would it look in the world we live in today? Where would he live anyway? Would he be more likely to live in America or Syria? Would Jesus choose a country of wealth, prosperity, and power, or would he choose a desperate country in turmoil? If Jesus were born in Mexico, would he come to the United States legally? How would he cross the border? Would he bother becoming a U. S. citizen? Would he want to come to the United States at all?

Blessings #701 to #735

701. Another successful 8th Grade Seattle Trip
702. An awesome bus driver willing to build robots with our 8th graders
703. Grateful students and parents
704. A horse ride with Calli
705. An invitation to a Masters Degree celebration by a former 8th Grade student - thanks Trinity for making my day!

Loving God

I have heard much, over the years about loving God. It always sounds so simple, at least it sounds like it should be simple. Maybe we just don't think much about it and we make loving God simplistic, mere emotions and warm, fuzzy thoughts about how nice he is. But if loving God is so simple, why am I so bad at it? When I really think about what it means to love God, I realize I don't love him much... at least not nearly as much as I should. I realize that loving God is hard... it shouldn't be (he is GOD after-all), but it is. 

Blessings #674 to 700

674. A week away from work
675. Open and honest conversations with Colby and Calli
676. Colby and Calli valuing their education - embracing short-term sacrifices for the sake of long-term goals
677. Forget the Frock
678. Snow in April on the day I take out the barbecue - a reminder to "go with the flow" and embrace everything that God sends our way
679. The graciousness of my small group for burgers poorly done
680. Easter Supper at Mom's with Colby's Whitworth friends
681. People willing to help with the Niños Golf Tournament
682. Sponsors for the Niños golf tournament
683. Corrie and Romina's heart to serve and willingness to go
684. Steve and his chainsaw
685. The next door children playing with Beka
686. Small children in the neighborhood, playing and laughing
687. An enticing dream, a tantalizing possibility, of something different 
688. A wife that is willing to sacrifice for the sake of my crazy dreams
689. Friends that understand
690. Colleagues that look out for one another
691. A heated committee meeting where difficult things are said, but offense isn't taken
692. Better days of prayer and an increased awareness of his presence
693. A friend's return to God
694. A son who dreams crazy dreams and actually works to make them happen
695. Dinner with church family, nearly half our age, that doesn't mind hanging out with old folks
696. Sitting outside for quiet time with a warm cup of coffee on brisk weekday mornings.
697. Sunshine when I wake up (instead of darkness)
698. Ab "workouts" with Sandy and Calli
699. The whole family laughing together
700. Friends willing to pray and offer wise counsel for us in the midst of big decisions

God Calling, Part 2

Ok, so God didn't really call me Tuesday night, and we didn't really have the conversation described in my last blog, God Calling. I did talk to God, though, mostly some complaining and venting and some repeated requests that I have been making for several months, but I didn't actually hear God respond to any of it. As far as conversations go, it was rather one-sided. That is basically how all of my prayers are - one-sided monologues where I spew out everything that God already knows. I'm not complaining, I'm just saying that is how it is. 

God Calling

God called me on the phone last night - not my cell phone (that would be weird), my spiritual phone (I was glad I turned the ringer on - I missed his call the day before because I had silenced phone during the church worship service). It was no big deal really, just one of our typical conversations.

"How's it going, Darrell?" 

"I'm doing fine, God. Thanks for asking." 

"Sorry you didn't win the final game in your NCAA basketball bracket!"

"That's ok - I had a pretty good run. I suppose your bracket turned out pretty good?"

The Lost Art of Silence

Blessings #643 to 673

643. Our home as a place of refuge for friends
644. The ability to make the occasional home repair despite my limited "handyman" abilities
645. A "random" contact for Colby with Partners International 
646. Emily and Kellie sitting with my mom on Sunday
647. Dumplings at Linda's

Blessings #615 to #642

615.  Having the words flow easily when teaching
616.  Engaged listeners when I am teaching
617.  Sandy passing the NES with flying colors
618.  Being considered worthy of being a pastor (is it too late to change careers?)
619.  Dinner with Greg and Jenna

Another Pointless Attack

I will probably get a lot of grief for this from some people, but I will go ahead and say it - I actually liked most of what President Obama said at the recent National Prayer Breakfast and I am having a hard time understanding the outrage over his comments.

Go ahead and lecture me about the Crusades and how they were a "necessary" response to the Muslim invasions in prior years. Tell me how ignorant I am of the historical facts. Give me the details of the brutality of the Muslims.  Lay out all the reasons why the Crusades were justified. It doesn't really matter to me, because that just tells me you missed the point.

Blessings #587 to 614

587. A simple Christmas Eve message that makes me think
588. Christmas
589. Conversations with Grecia about faith, church, reading and life
590. The birth of a new baby in the family - officially being a great-uncle!
591. The smiles of new parents