Fly Your Kite

Food

2011-02-09T13:13:00.003-11:00

Food... is the essence of my being.

the dogs

2011-02-01T12:19:00.005-11:00

How precious are they!!

unleash the fury

2011-02-01T10:00:00.006-11:00

The weather report said, verbatim, that the oncoming winter weather would "unleash its fury."

I am utterly convinced that weather stations are run by wal mart, and the weather team's creative writing kick is a scheme to induce rampant and mindless shopping sprees in the event of winter desolation. The only consoling aspect to their tales of horrendous outputs of ice and snow accumulation is that they were, unlike the other 99% of the time, correct. Shocking. So here I am. Trapped at home with a comfortable and appreciated flow of heat, chocolate cake, coffee, and plenty of reading materials. The temperature continues to drop into the single digits and I continue to stare out the window thankful that I don't have a reason to leave.

My doggies: Pearl the black shepherd & bagel... the miniature dachshund enjoying the powdery blizzard :)

2011-01-23T10:34:00.001-11:00

Boh

Invincible Summer

2011-01-22T19:18:00.001-11:00

Mama Carmen's

2011-01-21T08:53:00.006-11:00

Mama Carmen’s story began in Guatemala City with a promise to never turn away an abandoned child who came to her door in need. That promise has changed the lives of more than 300 children that have lived in Mama Carmen’s home throughout the years.

A steadfast example of living in faith, Mama Carmen has nothing but love to give the children, and trusts that God will provide for all of their earthly needs.

Over the years she has miraculously paid for surgeries, hospital bills, recurring medicine expenses, school fees, uniforms, supplies, food, and the occasional ice cream. Never asking anyone but God for anything, Mama Carmen was gifted six years ago with a coffee farm from a donor who is a

nonymous still today.

The farm sits at a perfect altitude of 6,000 feet, is nestled under a canopy of ideal shade trees, and encompasses fifteen plus acres of carefully planted rows of untainted coffee plants.

Mama Carmen’s only comment on the perfection of the gift was, “well of course it is perfect. It is a gift from the Lord... and He only gives the best.”

To join in Mama Carmen’s vision of caring for abandoned children, GRTC is commited to “‎creating community around coffee excellence;” sending our coffee profits towards orphan care around

the world.

I am fortunate enough to have the opportunity to design the Mama Carmen brand from the ground up. She is an amazing woman and I have had so much fun being involved. Mid February we will be opening a coffee shop, Mama Carmen's Espresso Cafe on College Ave. in Fayetteville, Ar. It will also feature a global goods store with products from craftsmen in third world countries. Being a non profit we are genuinely interested in caring for people here and around the world.

For more information or to buy Mama Carmen's Coffee visit www.globalrestorationtradingco.com

*I serve with Global Restoration Trading Co. Everything here, however, is my personal opinion and is not read or approved before it is posted. Opinions, conclusions, and other information expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of Mama Carmen's Espresso Cafe or Global Restoration Trading co.

New Year, New Me

2011-01-20T11:51:00.002-11:00

Silence, for 2010, seemed to be a trend for me. I felt at a loss of where I was and who I was as I struggled to gain the confidence that once came so easily as a natural extension of myself. The transition year turned from a shy shade of grey to black as one month eased into the next. Design continued to remain my escape but took extended amounts of time as inspiration from within died with the passing days. I turned to medicating the self diagnosed depression which began a series of months that would not until later be acknowledged as a decline of my colorful personality to the ubiquitous flatline of self. I had become a boring person and I am certainly not boring. What is depression anyways? Not me. I had nothing to be depressed about so I quite. Easing off of something so little made such a big difference. I began to emerge. I could feel my spirit awaken as passion re-introduced itself to me as the dear old friend that it was. Colors were not necessarily brighter, but my internal tone of voice was. Energy rolled in and began to once again emerge from my pores as it was always intended to do. My transition year is over and twenty eleven is begun. I welcome this new time with open arms; embracing the unknown ebs and flows of the future. Hello again. I have returned.

Ciao Bella!

2009-01-20T00:57:00.002-11:00

There is something about Firenze that makes me feel beautiful. It could be that I am constantly surrounded by naturally beautiful people. It may be the rich culture rolling off of the roofs and down every cobblestone on the streets. But I think that mainly it is the unbarring openness of the Italian people that awakens me to appreciate everything for exactly what it is.

Things are beautiful because of the complicated facets that brings it into being. A rock may be beautiful because of its texture or the colors that make it up. A piece of fruit may flaunt its attractiveness with its vibrant color, enticing aroma, or satisfying taste. A person may be beautiful because their clothes look just so on them, or maybe they walk in confidence. Perhaps they have really nice hair, or maybe they smell irresistible, or maybe they have a really lovely face. Whatever it is that makes things and people beautiful (and it is something for everyone) there is someone else that appreciates it... and in Italy they vocalize their appreciation. Funny how a simple "ciao bella" or "bellicima" can make your day a little brighter.

In His Hands

2009-01-18T04:48:00.003-11:00

I have arrived. Everything went very smoothly getting here- even my five hour delay in Chicago was decreased to 2 1/2 hours because my flight out of Fayetteville was moved forward 2 hours because of snow, and then plane had to be de-iced before we took off.

The taxi ride here was very simple- he knew exactly where to take me, and the lady at the front of the building helped me with my bags. My roommates are all very nice and accommodating. Thanks be to God that they all speak English and are very understanding that I do not know Italian yet. So I get here and I have to use the bathroom. I go in and discover that there is no toilet paper. Anywhere. I could have sworn that they used toilet paper here! No. The only other option was the bidet... welcome to Italy! The other shock was that no one in my apartment drinks coffee. WHAT is that all about? Who does not drink coffee? Everyone ought to drink coffee, right? So that was my first mission upon arrival. Find a coffee maker a.s.a.p. Conveniently enough there is an appliance store around the block from my apartment. I walk in, ask if they "parli inglese?" "Non" is the response I get. Okay... "per caffe?" "Si." Ah... the legendary French presse! Not only is it a coffee maker, but it does not need to be plugged in, it is smallish and movable, and it makes wonderful coffee. Thank you Lord!

After waking up around 2:30 pm (again) I got to have my extremely fulfilling cup of coffee (with cream, I might add), after which my family called in via skype and I got to talk to them for half an hour :-D. Such a change from Africa. I love being able to see their faces :).

Things are working out. My roommate is going to walk with me to my school in the morning so I don't get lost (after I failed miserably the first time), they do use toilet paper- it was just out (YAY), and I get really good coffee that is loaded with caffeine (go Italy!). It is easy to see that God is right here with me every step of the way reminding me that this is exactly where I am suppose to be.

And we begin...

2009-01-06T08:12:00.002-11:00

So the journey has begun. I flew to Houston yesterday to apply for my visa... only to find out that I was missing a few documents. Ha... that isn't like me at all... So I faxed the remaining things out today and will hopefully (fingers crossed) have my visa before my booked ticket out (next Thursday). I can only pray that it will all work out :-D Florence, here I come!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-12-01T11:14:00.006-11:00

To our surprise we got a Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving day! Due to the large variety of international representation we have on board we do not celebrate nation-specific holidays... like Thanksgiving. It was difficult swallowing this fact as this is a major holiday back home, and my personal favorite (because of the massive intakes of delicious-ness). So when we saw on the menu that a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, green bean casserole, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, and cranberry sauce was going to be served we for sure got excited.

We went all out and decorated some tables with the various decor that was sent to us from home. Shout out to mom for sending the crate paper neon orange pumpkins and fall colored felt leaves. Thanks to Jess's mom as well for sending the leaves saved in a seal of wax... these tokens of an autumn missed definitely made the evening :-D

After our intake of tryptophan and fat we were feeling almost at home as we were quite full and sleepy. The best part of the evening, however, had to have been the amazing pumpkin pie that was baked for all of us. Yes, that's right. We got pumpkin pie with ice cream. PUMPKIN PIE PEOPLE! We are in Africa. They don't have pumpkin here. That was a major treat. It definitely helped the being away from family part, but made me appreciate my

small family of friends here in Africa.

African for a Day

2008-11-23T10:40:00.008-11:00

- This is our lovely and very generous host for the day- Lucy

Jessica and I are walking down the gangway at 9:00 sharp this morning. Lucy, a dayworker for Mercy Ships wanted to pick us up at 9:00 and come to her house, go to her church, meet her friends and family, and cook us food. So we, being American, are ready at the gate at 9:00 sharp. We sit. We wait. We wait for an hour and a half before we give up and walk back towards the ship. Halfway back we hear a car honking behind us, and as we turn to see who it is we see Lucy's head hanging out of the window of this car yelling at us that she is coming!

First, we get into this Lincoln SUV that looks like it has been done by a Liberian version of "Pimp my Ride." Leather interior, suicide doors in the front, and TV screens on the backs of the seats and in the front were some of the highlight features. Where are we?

Then... we get to her house- which side note-is beautiful- and she has us sit down on her couch and eat some food... because if we don't "we will slip while the paster is talking."

So we arrive at the church around 11:45. They seat us in the front row of the pastor's section... which is right next to the "stage." Yes. In front of everyone. They ask Lucy to come up and introduce us- and then it is our turn to say a few words to the congregation. HAHA. So we stand up and give a few impromptu words... the pastor gives a wonderful sermon, then they announce it is time for the offering. It is expected that you give everything you have- everyone gives something... before we walk up to put it in the basket the pastor looks at me and tells me to pray... so I do... very loudly mind you ...they take up the offering... then the pastor looks at Jessica and tells her to close out the morning in prayer. For those of you who might have a fear of speaking in public do not go to a church in Africa...

- This is me with the two pastors of the church.

We get back to Lucy's home and eat more lunch, and then she presents us with a gift that she has for us. She made us both a dress! Oh yes. She picked out the fabric and hand made us both dresses! It was so lovely. So gracious. Oh! And I did not mention that she had bought brand new glass cups for us to drink out of! Here is a family that does not have a lot to begin with and they are pouring out all they have and more for us. How do you even begin to express thanks?

We spend the rest of the afternoon at a Catholic Harvest Festival down the road which consisted of fun loud music, food, sitting, and dancing. After about an hour Lucy takes us next door to a child rehabilitation center next to the church. I tell you- my heart hurt the moment I walked in the door. It is a very well run facility, but you cannot help but hurt when you see a two year old sitting alone in a plexiglass crib because the burns on his body have made it impossible for his skin to move, and when a six year old girl crutches into the room because one of her legs is cut off at the knee.

- Some of the children at the rehab center

Around 4:00 her husband picks us up and we drive into town and go to the beach. After a few photo opps we load up again and think we are heading to the ship... but no! They take us to a restaurant and buy us ice cream!! Seriously. It was one of the more amazing days I have had since I have been here. What a blessing.

- And the dresses :)

I Have a New Name!!

2008-11-22T02:47:00.011-11:00

One of the major off-ship projects this outreach was the construction of a medical clinic at a village known as Tenegar. The local people were the key ingredient in the entire project, and Mercy Ships provided the management and the finances.

As yesterday was the day of graduation for the clinic, Madame President came to cut the ribbon and gown the Mercy Ships people that oversaw the projects.

Hours before she arrived people from all the villages surrounding Tenegar were coming in droves. Masses of women wore matching dresses and stood lining the road to welcome their beloved leader. The 'ole ma's' (the elder ladies) led the crowds in song

and dance...which is where this gets fun :)

So I am standing opposite the ole ma on the other side of the road...filming...and she walks over to me... grabs my hand... and leads me to the middle of the road in front of EVERYONE to dance with her! Mind you there are swarms of people there, and you do not say no to an ole ma. That would be rude. Self consciousness must be set aside because it is time to dance. And does she dance. She held my hand and led me in each move... flailing her arms, jumping up and down, swaying from side to side,

and twisting in every which way. At least I am free entertainment for these people if nothing else

:-\ HA.

When I had finished dancing with her (round 2) she gave me a big hug and pronounced that my new Liberian name in Teneh! (pron. Ten- ae) It means "tall girl." HAHA.

The things we do...

2008-11-16T04:00:00.009-11:00

So a big question for us here on the good 'ole ship of mercy is "what are you doing tonight?" Usually the answer is "nothing," "writing a blog," or "I'm going to bed." As all of the previous are really lame answers and are therefore getting really old to hear day after day we decided to mix things up...and this is where our captivity brings us...

Unda Cova: Jessica, Hanna, and I dressed in black and white and had ourselves a little photo shoot. Using the entire ship we posed in as many rooms as we could, using as many props as we could find. The end result was a hilarious assortment of photos showcasing our not so hilarious state of boredom...

Water Conservation DVD: Emily Hawk and I decided to participate in the "water conservation contest." Since we are low on our water reserves the captain has instigated a contest to see who can come up with the best tips for how to conserve water. So...we made a DVD highlighting our tip 7 ways to best save on water usage.

Some of our genius ideas included:

- Utilize nature's water storehouses...puddles

- Instead of washing your hands with soap and water...use antibacterial hand gel

- Do not use hot water to defrost frozen foods... instead use your breath- which remains at around 33 degrees Celsius

- If there is no more water in the dining room dispensers then reduce, reuse, and recycle. Use the leftover liquid bins to replenish the dispenser supply.

- Instead of taking a shower, take advantage of the fact that we live on the ocean. Collect ocean water to do all hair washing, and utilize the water from your 'clean' dripping hair to fulfill any other necessary bathroom needs...such as brushing your teeth or washing your face.

- Although the film was humorous we were reprimanded by the safety officer (again) for not taking the contest seriously... perhaps next time he should put out a rule sheet. :-\

80's Fantastic: After recruiting 5 people - Emily Hawk, Jessica, Murray, Dave, and myself, we proceeded with yet another photo shoot. This was all out 80's... it was so "Breakfast Club" ... oh the things we do when curfew is 11 pm...

God, our Father

2008-11-09T10:59:00.008-11:00

We pulled up to the Francis Gaskin orphanage and the second the engine was turned off the children were plastered to our car. Their smiling faces and eager hands were reaching in the windows and opening the doors. Before I could put a foot on the ground I had four children attached to my hip and another three vying for immediate attention.

There are 33 children at this particular orphanage. There is one classroom and two bedrooms for the children...a girl's room and a boy's room. Each room has two full sized beds. A husband and wife duo care for all of the children aged from newborn up to 18.

These are the sweetest, most compassionate, and gracious children I have ever interacted with. Immediately after our arrival we were welcomed into their classroom (each of us led in by at least four children) where they serenaded us with vocal selections performed by the Francis Gaskin Children's Choir. This was followed by a bible story from our leader (this week the lesson was Noah's ark).

For craft time we moved the wooden benches from the classroom outside under the roof awning where the shade fell. One was used to sit on, and the other was used as a table. To stay with the Noah's ark theme we made paper bag puppets of elephants or cows. There were models for how the puppets should "ideally look," but my favorites were the ones that had their ears going the wrong direction or the tail stuck to their bellies. HAHA.

What totally struck me as I was thinking back through events of the day was that there was not one child who asked me if they were "doing it right." These children do not need affirmation for every tiny thing that they do. They just do what they do. There was not that need for emotional coddling. What they craved was physical attention. They just want to be loved and touched. One little girl was attached to me from the moment my door opened and the rest of the morning kept holding my hand, stroking my white skin, sitting in my lap, and hugging me every chance she had. It is not that they are ignored or mistreated by their caretakers, it is that two people cannot give the amount of love to each child that is really needed. They can provide the basics of food, clothing, and shelter (and yes, I do mean very basic), but they cannot provide that mother and father role.

Thinking back, those children did not know me. They had never seen me. I look completely different from them, and I come from a completely different place, but they allowed me into their lives. They allowed me to love them. They allowed me to play with them. They allowed me to help them with their little craft. It was such a blessing to see these children accept our love with no questions asked. I pray that these orphaned children will grow up and accept God as their father. That they will know that His love is the only love that they truly need.

Our speaker this evening at church spoke on the love of God. He said that "His love qualifies us." His love is what makes everything okay. His love forgives us, His love purifies us, His love completes us...if we allow it. This coming from a man who from the age of 11 was ordained to be the high priest of his tribe, and to make peace during wartime would have to make a child sacrifice at least once a month. By child I do mean age 1-13...mainly girls. He would cut them at their spine, reach through their backs, and pull out their heart.

It was when Jesus appeared to him one night after he had just torn the heart out of the most beautiful baby girl he had ever seen. Jesus spoke to him in his native tongue- told him that he could stop and repent and live, or continue with what he was doing and die. To this day he asks forgiveness everywhere he goes and continues to share his powerful testimony on receiving God's love, grace, and compassion.

Was blind but now she sees...

2008-11-05T13:14:00.007-11:00

Six months old and baby Josephine sat contently on her mother's lap- waving her arms and moving her head from side to side. Her white eyes were blindly searching for the things that she can only touch, smell, and hear. I held her tiny body close to mine and her sweet little fingers reached up and touched my face. Her brow wrinkled into a concerned expression and she knew it was not her mama that was holding her, but still she did not cry or wiggle to get free. She was perfectly content. Her mother, Annie, is so young and so loving. She emits such a spirit of care and peace. Josephine is her first child, born blind with cataracts, and she shows so bitterness or anger. She loves her daughter as the perfect blessing that God created her to be.

I watched the surgery as Dr. Strauss carefully removed the two cataracts from the youngest patient he has ever done. Usually they wait until the children are at least a year old, but since the ship will be leaving soon he went ahead and removed them. Her eyes will grow and she will probably lose some sight, but there is really no telling what will actually happen. The surgery was absolutely remarkable. The skill and precision it takes to cut a slit into the eyeball of a six month old, remove a cataract, and then sew it back up made my jaw hit the floor. I was suppose to be filming, and I spent the great majority of time not filming, but staring at Dr. Strauss's fingers manipulate the tiny knives and tweezers without making even the slightest wrong move.

About half an hour later the cataracts are gone and baby Josephine as clear eyes and the sweetest little eye mask covering her brand new eyes. As soon as everything was finished I went to the ward and told Annie that "Josephine was strong girl and she has new eyes!" I showed her the video of Josephine with the tiny eye mask on after surgery and a big smile spread across her face. "New eyes," she said.

This morning I went down to the ward to catch them removing the face mask. They took it off and checked here eyes...all clear. Then after about 5 minutes had passed she began to open her tiny little eyes. I tell you- there is no way to hold back the tears when you see a child who sees for the first time. Her arms are no longer waving about. Her head is no longer tossing from side to side. She lay in her mother's arms and her precious eyes searched her surroundings. She was blind, but now she sees! Annie is so happy to see her daughter see her. Sweet baby Josephine now has a new pair of eyes to see the world that God created for her to enjoy.

Living Water

2008-10-30T23:41:00.006-11:00

"Today was awesome. Two villages got a clean water source for the very first time! And I got to be a part of it!" - Paul Waldron- Engineer whose charge for the outreach is building water wells (pictured right)

It never gets old, and it never becomes routine. Watching the smiles that spread across the villagers faces never loses impact. With each pump the water gets closer to the top of the spout until it finally breaks through and splashes onto the ground. You can see the future of the village in the eyes of the men who worked so hard for this day to come. Every inch of soil they dug through, all the hours of labor put into the project amount to this moment. Each drop of water carries with it the hope of a long life for every person in that village.

What a blessing to be able to be a part of such a thing. Clean Water. So necessary. So significant. I thank God for quenching the thirst that dries up our souls. For being our spring of Living water.

Water break

2008-10-27T00:36:00.011-11:00

The other day I had the privilege of witnessing the construction of a water well. Most villages here in Liberia do not have a water source that is not the nearby river or stream. They walk miles to the closest water source which usually also double as a toilet, bathing water, and waste dump. Having a well in the village is a major blessing that we cannot even imagine!

A hole is dug about 40 feet into the ground (which takes a good month), and inserted into the hole are 21 concrete rings each about 2 feet tall (shown in the picture). A man gets inside of the hole with the ring (that is lowered down via pulley system by land rover) and stabilizes it with concrete. Once all of the rings are in place then the water pumps are brought in, and the village has clean water with just a few pumps.

A fully functioning well costs $1,500 USD. That's it! For a 40 foot hole, 21 concrete rings that are reinforced with steel, the pump, and the necessary concrete. $1,500 and an entire village (and surrounding villages) can have access to a clean groundwater source. Such a small price to pay for something we don't even have to expend effort thinking about on a daily basis.

Something to think about:

-1.1 Billion people (1/5) of the world's population do not have access to clean water.

- Cholera, typhoid, polio, hepatitis A, and diarrhea are caused by unclean water.

- 4,500 deaths of children under the age of 5 are caused by one of the above diseases.

Here we are being advised to consume at least 8 liters of water a day for a healthy lifestyle, and one fifth of the world is dying because they do not have access to one.

One day I will learn

2008-10-26T09:59:00.006-11:00

Yesterday two of my friends and myself set off on a journey...to the fabric store :) We decided to walk instead of take a taxi so that we could fully absorb the sights, sounds, and smells of Liberia.

No sooner had we gotten out the gate (quite literally one foot outside the gate) did an older woman approach us with an xray of her leg that had been broken in half during a car accident awhile back. I don't know how she was walking on it now, but clearly it was still causing her pain if she was willing to walk all the way to Mercy Ships for help. Unfortunately, there is not an orthopedic surgeon on board right now, and so there was nothing we could do.

We apologized and turned to walk away. God told me to turn back and pray for her, but I didn't. I kept walking. He said it again and I ignored Him.

We trekked the four miles to the fabric store in the heat of the day, bought our fabric, stopped to have lunch, and then took a taxi home. As we were approaching the gate an older gentleman approached us. He had an eye problem. We gave him the name of a few eye clinics in the area, but ours are so busy that there was no way he could get an appointment.

We apologized and turned to walk away. God told me to turn back and pray for him, but I didn't. I kept walking. He said it again...and again I ignored him.

Today those moments have been replayed over and over in my mind. Why did I not turn back? Why did I not pray for them? I messed up the first time, God gave me a second chance, and again I messed up! Is the reason that I live not to allow Jesus to live through me? Why do I insist that he be bottled up so many times?

I pray that I will learn to not only hear His voice, but obey it immediately.

In His time

2008-10-22T23:35:00.005-11:00

Watching the sun set last night Jess and I were all geared up for a killer sky. The kind that forces you to pick your jaw up off of the ground...the kind that only comes after the hottest, most humid of days...the kind that makes it utterly impossible to deny the sovereignty of God...

anyways...yea...we are sitting there watching, waiting for this glorious sun to spread her glory across the sky...and...nothing. Nothing! It set and that was it! Nothing spectacular. No sunburst, no awesome colors...no highlighted clouds. We made it through the entire day of hot African heat and this is the reward we get? (We comment out loud)

Not fifteen minutes later we watch as the sky goes from ordinary to extraordinary. Pictures cannot do it justice. There were brilliant greens, neon pinks, oranges, yellows, purples, blues. EVERYWHERE. It was a perfect reminder that God's timing for great things does not always coincide with my timing for great things. Sometimes things are not always what they appear to be at first, and if I would exercise some patience then God's glory will be revealed at the perfect time.

I just need to sit (and keep my mouth shut) and allow God.

Movie Star in Liberia

2008-10-22T04:00:00.007-11:00

Before I begin the real story I must do a forward to catch you up on the events that make this one so great (at least great in my mind, ha)...

Forward:

I created a 30 year anniversary DVD for Mercy Ships, and the night before it was to be shown my friend Jessica got an early viewing and had a brilliant idea. She works at the Dental clinic in the city hospital, and they recently had a patient come in and do a performance specifically for Mercy Ships. She happened to film the whole thing (a long song and dance performance that is actually quite hilarious as he goes on about bringing hope and healing in combo with various booty shakes, breakdance moves, and other various stunts), and she suggested I stick it in the DVD...which I did...after the credit roll. It all went over quite well the next night as the lights came on after the credits were finished, and then this man comes on screen singing and dancing about Mercy Ships...

Okay- so- we were out in the field today shooting some stuff for Bridgestone/Firestone in lieu of a tire donation they made earlier, and we are on our way back to the ship and we get stuck in market traffic. Tons of people, yellow taxis, plantain chips, and other unique sites were surrounding our vehicle when one man yells at our car.

"Mercy Ship! Hello!"

"Hello," we say.

"How da day?" He asked. "Mercy Ship bring hope and healing! I see your people at da hos-pi-tal jus down dere!" He yells.

At this point I am all ears and I turn and look at him already having familiarized his voice.

"You are the one that did the song and dance for Mercy Ships!" I exclaim.

"Yea I did dat!" He said, smiling.

"I put you on the Mercy Ships Movie!" I say.

His face was one major grin. He was quite obviously thrilled that his fame had reached beyond the brick walls of the city hospital, and he proceeded to try and coax me into allowing him to come and tour the ship...haha.

By then traffic was moving and we pulled away. I was fixated on the joy of seeing my movie star randomly in market chaos, and only a tiny bit disappointed that he did not break out a bit of his performance right there in the midst of the hustle and bustle...but perhaps that will be a story for another day at another time.

No, God. Yes, Emily.

2008-10-21T16:14:00.003-11:00

So I am sitting on deck 8 yesterday in a reclining lawn chair enjoying the coolness of the ocean breeze mixing with heat of the sun...listening to the collapse of the waves, the chirp of the birds, and the whir of the ships' generator. I am sitting...waiting...listening...for more than just the ebbs and flows of my surroundings...I am waiting for God to speak to me on one issue that I have been needing clarification on--school for graphic design in Florence Italy next year.

-Side note: After praying about my next step in life awhile back...(I leave the ship in December)...He introduces the design school idea, and after

researching, applying, and being accepted I am now confirming

that this what I should do next...

Okay back to the story...so...I hold my Bible and pray out loud "Please show me something. Anything. Give me direction through your word, Father. Please. What should I read? Where should I go?"

"Ezekiel," He said.

"No...that's lame. I need something better," I say.

"Read Ezekiel," He said again.

"No. That's the most random thing I've ever heard of," I respond. "And I don't even know where it is."

"Okay...then just open your Bible," He says.

"Lord, I am not playing that game. That's dumb."

"Just open it," he urges.

"Okay, fine." So I close my eyes and open my Bible...Where do I open? Ezekiel...

"Really, Lord? Fine. Where should I start?"

"Chapter 2."

So I begin reading...I stop when He tells me that I have read enough...around Ezekiel 3:9.

I'll tell you...I now feel clarified and directed...confident, and filled with excitement. Go read for yourself if you want to know what it said...but He knew where my hesitations for going are rooted, and He knew exactly what would cause those hesitations to be uprooted from fear and re-rooted in Him.

I love that He loves to communicate with each individual's personality on an individual basis. How He is so patient, kind, understanding, and gracious of our stubborn selves. Every time. How Great is Our God?!