simply grateful

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. ...

Part of our training included moving in for 3 days and 3 nights with a family in the village. We would sleep in their houses, eat what they ate and do what they did.  If they worked in the field, we would too.  If they walked to draw water from the well, we would too.  If they killed a chicken... It was probably the most rewarding part of our 40/40 experience... living in a village, in a hut, with no electricity and running water. (Heather would tell you that this would be my dream location!) Our family was incredibly hospitable to us... we only wish we could speak more of their language as their English was a little limited.  But they were wonderful hosts and teachers. I love the following two pictures.  When we first arrived a bunch of kids gathered on the other side of the bushes to look at the white people.  Elijah was outgoing and tried to engage them in conversation.  These boys did not speak any English.  (Click on any of the pictures be...