Month: May 2008

Safe arrival

Last week I stood in the RDU parking garage laughing that I had made it back to my car. I was actually in disbelief that I possessed the responsibility to make it from Elizabeth City to Raleigh to DC to Burlington to North Hero to Ottawa and back nearly the same way. And now here I sit in Quito, Ecuador. Wow.

So Cameron and Roberto Vivanco and Emily (another Intern who is a site host rather than hosting teams) picked us up at the airport last night. We ran by Adam and Sara’s house (another Youth World couple who are temporarily housing all the male interns and our male Maestro, Bryan). We picked up Matt Smith (another Quito Quest host) and had dinner at the Vivancos’. Delicious. Especially since it included “safe” lettuce. There’s not going to be much green stuff we can eat the rest of the summer. After that, hung out with the guys and Sara and hit the sack for an early morning today.

This morning was breakfast at Matt and Marlo Jensen’s and a lot of meeting people (the female interns/Maestro and the long-term QQ staff). We did a devotional, we sang, we talked about our purpose this summer, which was really great. Huge focus on the growing in Christ aspect, way more so than the job aspect or even leading teams. It was a really cool way to start the day and the summer.

We went to the park this afternoon and played football for a while and then did quiet/devotional time outside and just beat the rain when we headed off to the mall for dinner. (The nice mall where we went last year after our dump visit. On a side note, I managed to stay under budget this time.)

Now it’s just chill time back at “home”. Official training starts tomorrow and we’ll be here and at the Youth World office a lot. I’m really excited about working with everyone here this summer. The guys are awesome, the girls are awesome, Matt and Marlo are awesome, our Maestros, Bryan and Dana are awesome, Dario and the rest of the QQ staff are awesome. It’s such a Christ-centered environment and I’ve learned a lot despite not accomplishing too much today. Much like our first day last year.

Lacking a "Linebacker"

First off, this will make a lot more sense if you’ve seen the “Evangelism Linebacker” video. YouTube address (dispite my loathing of YouTube for a multitude of reasons all stemming from their liberal interpretation of handling copyrights) is below. For posterity (you know, if my dream ever comes true and there is a Constitutional Ammendment to ban YouTube) just search for “Evangelism Linebacker” and I’m sure you’ll find it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvYFvhx1dcY

Blog entry proper:

I’ve not been the most patient person lately. I want everything to fall into place for Ecuador this summer. I want my International Teams fund raising account to hurry up and catch up with the count in my head. I want to be done with work and exams already so I can go to the beach, or maybe Vermont. I can count twenty pleasant things I’m eagerly anticipating and fifty more unpleasant ones I’d like to be over with.

But as much as I want work to be done with, I’ll feel like there’s so much I would rather be doing myself than delegating when I drive by Albemarle Music. And I’ll miss everybody there. Well, not John. (Just kidding, John. I know you account for 80% of my readership by yourself). And much as I want to be in Ecuador, I’ll miss Adan, Bayron, Brittany, Damaris, Eddie, Eric, Jesus, Joe, Luis, Melany, Vanessa, Aaron, Bart, Ben, Carrie, Cynthia, Derrick, Jason, Kos, Susie, Tina, Wade and everyone else that make my “day off” a learning experience and a joy.

I think I forget until each Tuesday that I can still grow in Elizabeth City, despite feeling like I have accomplished what I set out to do when I came back here. I forget to take Qui-Gon Jinn’s advice and focus on the “here and now,” though (being a good Methodist) I’d call it Prevenient Grace rather than the Living Force.

The other six days of the week, I think I need a “Patience Linebacker.”

“Boo-ya, baby! Concrete tastes the same in both hemispheres! Don’t be so anxious, I’ll blow you up anywhere!”

Life Lessons for the day:

“What can we do to show God we love Him more?” -Toni
“Pray once a day and twice on Sundays!” -Cynthia

“[In God’s time] everything falls in place.” -Julie (incidentally, my fund raising is finally where it is supposed to be, thanks to Grace alone)

[unspoken implication that guys should not have long fingernails] -Wade