simply grateful

Six months shy of turning 30 I made the decision to prepare to run a marathon.  I was getting older, but I was determined to be in the best shape of my life.  I researched various training programs and schedules until I found one I felt was compatible with my goals.  I searched the internet for running trails and settled for running along the Trinity River in Fort Worth for my long runs and laps around the Seminary for my short runs.  I scoured the internet looking for reviews on running shoes.  I looked up shorter races in my area that I would be able to use to gauge my progress.  Slowly but surely, I began to train my body to run a marathon.  Several months in I was running 17 or 18 miles on my long runs and my body was both reaping the benefits and paying the price.  I was 6 foot even and under 165 pounds but my knees were begging me to stop the madness.   Earlier this year I read 1 Timothy 4:7-8: Have nothing to do with irreverent, ...

Merry Christmas!

http://followingthestar.racesonline.com/ The church I grew up at is sponsoring a 5k and fun run on Christmas Eve day (9 AM) to benefit international missionaries.    If you are interested you can click t he link below to get more information or sign up!  Thanks! FOLLOW THE STAR 5K AND FUN RUN

On February 14, 2011 we broke the news to the kids that we were moving to Africa.  The younger two didn't really understand the magnitude of what we were saying, but Makayla did.  She began crying because she didn't want to leave Rock Hill.  The following day I was showing her some pictures of missionaries receiving their crate.  In one of the pictures was a cat.  Makayla said, "They have a cat!  But we can't get one because Mommy is allergic to them."  I agreed, but then added, "But we could get a dog..."  From the moment of that promise Makayla was ok with moving to Africa.  The fulfillment of the promise has taken longer than I intended, but today I was finally able to seal the deal with not one, but two puppies!  I'm pleased to introduce to you the two newest members to the Petro family: (click on any of the pics to enlarge) Meet Raider: Meet Rameses: They are a Rhodesian Ridgeback and Rottweiler mix and are almost 8 ...

Today I (David) was able to fly out to our future home in Lundazi.  Lundazi is a village of about 12,000.  What would have been a 10-12 hour drive, was done in under 3 hours in Cessna.  We were going to check on a couple of issues with the house and also get measurements so we knew what size appliances would fit. (click on pics below if you want to enlarge them) Lundazi sign from the air.  "Downtown" Lundazi The greeting crew.  Not many planes land there! The main drag in Lundazi. Our future home!   As thrilled as I was to finally see our future home, I was more excited to finally see our future area of ministry.  This is an area that it is estimated only 1/4 of 1% of the people have a relationship with Christ.  That means only 1 of every 400 know Jesus as their Lord and Savior!  What a place of great need for the Gospel to be proclaimed!  We can't wait to get started!  

After 15 months of waiting, we still couldn't get our intended country to make a decision on our permits.  We considered several other options but none of them seemed like a strategic plan to reach our original people group.  After much prayer we accepted a position in Zambia and arrived today!  Here are a few pictures from our trip: At 5:30 am this morning I loaded up the trailer with 14 checked bags, 5 carry-ons, 5 backpacks, 1 car seat and 2 booster seats! One of our good friends that helped get us to the airport.  The kids were sad to leave him as he has become a regular part of the Petro crew! Karissa takes a break on top of our mountain of luggage. After a short 2 hour flight from South Africa, we arrived in Lusaka, the capital city.  We will be here for a while so our house in the village can be readied.  Hopefully we can find a tutor here in the city so we can get started on language learning! Thanks to so many of you for your ...

Who is the most unlikely person in your life to become a follower of Christ?  For some of you it is a coworker or a classmate that seem to take pleasure in trying to start arguments so they can show how intellectually inferior you are for believing in God.   It might be your crazy cousin, Vinny, who has nothing better to do at family reunions than to pick on the “religious fanatics” for their belief in God and how they never miss a Sunday.    For others it is a parent, a child. a sibling, or even a spouse that shake their heads anytime you mention your faith.  So, who is it that seems so far from God that in your wildest dreams you couldn’t imagine them becoming a follower of Christ?   In Acts 26 Paul is making his case before King Agrippa and begins by sharing that in his former way of life he was in the business of persecuting Christians.  In verse 9 he said that he was convinced that he should do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Na...

What warrants the attention of God?  Financial ruin?  Divorce? Addiction? A terminal medical condition? There are nearly 7 billion people in the world, does He even care about your situation?  Sure, to me it might seem major, but doesn’t God have more to concern Himself with than my problems?  For some of you it may seem like He doesn’t care at all.  Many of you know about our current state of transition, our continuing wait for permits to be granted to a country for over a year now.  A wait that has included 8 moves (with another coming in 2 more weeks) and sleeping in some 29 locations.  Not exactly a tragedy, but a trying time none-the-less.  It pales in comparison to those who are dealing with serious illnesses or those whose prayers have gone seemingly unanswered for years on end for the salvation of a spouse, child or friend.  Our wait seems minuscule compared to those of you who have lost loved ones, lost jobs, or lost hope. ...

We were able to get away for a few days and go on vacation to Kruger National Park and Blyde River Canyon.  It was an incredible time enjoying the game at the park and the landscape at the Canyon.  We put together a short video of our time that you can see on youtube by clicking HERE! Here are a couple pictures from our time (click on them to make them larger)

He was completely drunk and I had no idea how he got inside, yet there he was standing in front of me smelling as badly as anybody I have ever encountered.  Maybe there was no bathroom in the tavern next to the church or maybe he thought it was the confessional, but I encountered him as he was leaving the bathroom.  He could barely walk and with his British slurred from his consumption of alcohol it rendered communication a near impossibility.  I kindly escorted him to the door where he sat down on the brick steps and passed out.  A few minutes later I walked into the bathroom and was completely disgusted.  I think he relieved himself in everyplace in that bathroom other than the toilet.  I know this is gross, but he had wiped his defecation all over the walls, sinks, mirrors... pretty much everywhere.  I walked out, trying not to hurl and waited for the pastor to get back.  Mind you, I was just a summer missionary.  I was a volunteer, and ...

I have a confession.  I have no musical talent whatsoever.  This is not news for those of you who have had the unfortunate fate of sitting in a pew beside me or joining in our family “singing” prayer at dinnertime.  I can’t carry a tune in a bucket.  The only thing I play well is the radio.  Oh, I wish I could sing, and on the rare occasion when I hit the right note I can assure you it is purely accidental.  I envy those who can sing and play more instruments than I can name.  How I would love to be able to sing like James Taylor or Jack Johnson.  I’ve long said that it’s probably best that I can’t, because if I could I would just sit at home singing to myself all day.   I’ve also long believed that we don’t know the power songs hold over us. When I was a youth pastor I often had to call my youth on the songs they posted to their Myspace page.  There was one song in particular I had to tell a young lady that I couldn’t even talk to...

We went out today to Montecasino Bird Gardens for a little down time with some friends.  The pictures are pretty much self-explanatory.... so here you go! (click on pics to enlarge)

We finished up our 40/40 training at a retreat center called Ibis Gardens.  As much as we enjoyed our home stay in the village, it was nice to get a warm shower and have a nice bed.  During this time we had some classes that taught us a method of language learning as well as time with processing our experience with the leaders of 40/40.  Plus, we had a little time to relax and enjoy hanging out with our friends!  Here is the group that went through 40/40 (including some of the leaders)  (Click on any of the pictures below to enlarge) The kids also had some time to love on their teachers too!   And of course, some time just to hang out and have fun!  Elijah taking care of "the boss".    Karissa and her friend   Greg and Donna Fort, some friends from my Journeyman days: Then it was fun on the bus as we drove to the airport: That pretty much sums up our 40/40 experience. ...