#3 Two Eggs

Nixiana, the girl in the blue, gave me two eggs. No one has ever given me fresh eggs before. I smiled and told her thank-you all the while wondering why in the world she gave me eggs. Jeannie and I asked the pastor (some girl gave Jeannie an egg too) what the meaning of it was. It means she wants to be my life-long friend. I have a life-long friend in the middle of the jungle in a village named Tabarde. How cool is that ;)? I bet you're wondering what I did with the eggs. Craig ate them. Yep, he cracked it open and swallowed it raw - ewwwe! He didn't die, so I guess it's okay.

On a side note. The older boy in the picture is Otillio. He's my friend too. All week he answered all the questions correctly in VBS and he has the sweetest smile ever (I wish he smiled in the picture). I told Celia I think he's going to be a pastor when he grows up. She asked him one night what he wanted to be. He said a pastor. I was right ;). The pastor of the church in Tabarde disciples him. I pray he sticks with it.

Just in case you were wondering. You don't have to give me an egg to be your friend. But if you must, please boil it. Thanks.

#5 You don't see that every day in church

At church yesterday I was thinking how much different last week's service was to this one. Last Sunday we had service in a grass hut with a dirt floor and wooden benches. We had service in the morning with the children. Jeannie told the story of David and Goliath. As she was telling the story a little girl stood up and did the "tee-tee dance". Her older sister pulled off her shorts and the little girl let it all out on the floor. After she was done she politely sat back down on the bench. (Yes, this is why we must wear shoes at all times.) I tried not to laugh, gained composure, and drew my attention back to the story. Praise the Lord we don't have to have a fancy building, nice clothes, and manners for God to show up at Sunday service!

Back Home

I'm back home ;). It's always weird coming home after being with the Kunas. Their lifestyle is so much different than ours. They're more laid back and they don't seem to worry about the superficial stuff that I think about sometimes (ie. does this shirt look right with these pants? etc.). Okay that's not all I think about but you know what I mean - I hope. I've found myself driving a lot slower (only 5 miles over the limit) and not rushing around as much. It's a nice feeling, and I'm sad when I go back to the "old way". I think I won't, but sadly, eventually I do. I think I'm just rambling; I have a lot of thoughts swimming in my head...

Anyway, the trip went wonderful and I have lots of stories to tell. I'll give you a tidbit of what's to come in further blog entries:

1. What happened to the River?
2. Bathing with 26 other men and women.
3. Here's two eggs, let's be friends.
4. Street Dancing
5. You don't see that everyday in church
6. Pork Chop didn't have an egg to give
7. Should the baby be playing with THAT?
8. The River will get angry
9. Tabarde Welcoming Team
10. I sinned! I sinned!!!
11. Neapolitan ice-cream
12. Jungle Monkeys
13. And maybe others, I don't know

Thank-you all for your prayers. God is good!

Off to Panama

I don't have time to write much (I still have a lot to do before I go to bed), but I wanted to let every one know that I'm leaving bright and early in the morning for Panama. Please pray for us while we're gone. We'll be in the jungle Monday thru Thursday morning ministering to the Kuna tribes. We'll have one day VBSs and small medical clinics. Then at night we're going to show "The Passion of Christ" movie in their language. Also during the day we'll evangelize "hut to hut". Thursday morning we'll meet the rest of the group in the bayano area. This area has several villages around a large lake. We're not going to the islands this time. We'll be doing the same thing we're doing in the jungle but we'll also be building a church. Don't worry, I won't be building - the church won't fall down! We're staying in the bayano for six days; then we'll head back to Panama City before returning home. So I'll see you all after September 9th when I get back. Pray that many will come to know Christ and that God will be glorified. And whatever else you feel lead to pray would be great! I look forward to sharing about what God does on this trip when I return ;).

Vicodin or Chocolate?

I woke up this morning feeling really yucky. I have a fever, sore throat, and I ache down to my bones. My mom went to the dentist this morning and came by the office after her appointment. I asked her for some of the vicodin the doctor gave her. She replied that she hadn't filled the prescription yet but she had "this" instead. With that she handed me a piece of chocolate. Thanks mom. That takes the place of vicodin, really. I did eat a bite; it helped a little. But next time I want the drugs.

Joe's Crack Shack

My brother, sister-in-law, and nephew are down this week. This past weekend our whole family went to Galveston for a couple of days. Sunday night we went to Joe's Crab Shack. It was a nice pleasant evening until a large group of early twenty somethings came in. They sat at the table right beside us. When my brother got up to go to the restroom, he noticed one of the guys at the table had his rear end completely exposed. His pants were saggy, so when he sat down, half his crack was sticking out of his pants. If that's not bad enough while you're eating, then making a big scene about it is. He tells Stephanie (his wife). They started laughing hysterically and told us about it. Then, Matt, my brother, starting making spit balls out of his napkin and tried to launch them across the way to "hit the mark". When that didn't work, my dad, who was feeding my nephew at the time, tried to inconspicuously throw cherrios. By this time we were getting a little out of hand and practically the whole restaurant turned around to look at us. Did they stop? No. Melanie got out her camera phone to take a picture for her blog, but I ended up talking her out of it. I felt like Lizzy at the party in "Pride and Prejudice". We are so that family.

Dancing at Games

I was at the Astros game last night - yay! We won! They were playing some music (like they always do) and this little boy in front of me starting dancing. I thought to myself how cute he looked. Then, later in the game an older man started dancing to some music. I thought to myself how goofy he looked. (I know, that's kinda mean.) So I wonder: what's the cut off age to dancing at games and looking cute vs. goofy?

Reasons Why I Heart Chick-fil-A

In a couple of my posts I have mentioned Chick-fil-A, but I don't think I have adequately expressed my affection for this place. As I was eating my lunch this afternoon, I was thinking how long it had been since I've had the pleasure of eating out at such a fine establishment. I began recollecting all the fond memories: skipping class to eat lunch there, Chick-fil-A biscuits in the morning, fun conversations with friends, etc., etc. So I thought, "Why not give Top Ten Reasons Why I Heart Chick-fil-A"? Thus, this entry was birthed:

10. Classical music playing while you eat
9. Super friendly service
8. Fresh flowers at every table
7. Free Brown Bag concerts
6. Kid's Meal is just the right size and the prize is educational
5. Fresh Fruit
4. Ambience makes you feel like you're not eating fast food
3. They're not just in the malls anymore
2. Sweet Tea

And the #1 reason I like Chick-fil-A:
They are owned by Christians and closed on Sundays.

I think I'll have to visit sometime this weekend...

Thank Our Troops

My sister wrote a post about our troops and some of the things they're going through to fight for our freedom. I think we definitely need to lift them up in prayer more often. There's also a way that you can let them know you support and pray for them. Yesterday my aunt sent me an email with a link that you can go to and send a card to one of our troops. When you pick a card from their selection, Xerox will print it out and send it to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq. You can't pick who receives it, but it will go to some member of the armed services. What a great way to encourage them and show your support!

La Te Da

So, I hate to disappoint you, but I have nothing to say. I just wanted to surprize everyone that's been checking my blog to see if I've updated. Well, here it is, a blog about nothing. I guess I've been inspired by Seinfeld. I've been confronted by a few people about being boring and not being as consistent with my updates. My dad, a blog lurker, said that I was writing creative blog entries there for a while - "What happened?" he asked. "I don't know," I replied. And honestly, I don't. Maybe creativity will come back... I had a thought about my hot garbage man the other day, but I just couldn't think of how I could work that in an entry. I try to leave my house early on garbage pick up day, so I can look at him. No, I'm not lusting, I'm just enjoying God's creation. I smile, he smiles back. Then I turn red, start giggling, hop in my car and praise the Lord for His handiwork. Sigh.