ephesiansfiveoneandtwo

9/12/08

reason why latvia is the bomb #2: nutella

nutella is completely unhealthy, but tastes delicious. i cant believe this stuff has not caught on in the states!

reason why latvia is the bomb #1: cilvēki

meet my roommate, ilja.

this country is full of tremendous people like ilja. i have been blessed by the many people God has brought across my path over the past 10 months. it is hard for me to explain what it is that i like about latvian people so much, but i think if you have been here, you understand what i mean.

9/9/08

what now?

i have had a lot of people ask me, "so what are you doing now that camps are over?"... well, let me attempt to answer that question.

in the next week or so i will be starting a Bible study with a few latvian guys. i am very excited to read God's Word with these guys and to get to know them better.
our team has decided that we will focus all of our energies on a local youth group here in riga, so please pray with us as we are seeking out where that will be. we want to come alongside the leadership in the church to help to create excitement and momentum for the youth ministry. we want to see the youth group become a place where all types of people can be part of a loving community and hear from God's Word.
now that the summer is over i am getting back to language training. i have started working with my language tutor and i will begin formal class this week. i would appreciate your continued prayers for this!

i hope that gives you more of an idea of what i will be up to in the near future. what about you? what are your plans for the next few months? anything i can be praying for?

9/3/08

the land of the irish

this country is breathtaking... unbelievable landscape... lovely people... great food... those are the main three things i look for when when i travel and ireland blew away my expectations on all three! here are a few pictures from the trip...

at the blarney castle

dursey island

chasing sheep

fletchy & mikey climbing on the rocks

we went on a hike & ended up taking this boy band picture in the fog

fletch fell a few times on the hike

very relieved to be done w/ the hike

beautiful beach

irish breakfast

"gorrrrgeous!" (in the crocodile hunter voice)

"wahwahweewah"

mike on the ferry

the cliffs of moher

b-e-a-utiful

holly was very gracious to let us stay at her flat for a night

cheers!

8/27/08

off to ireland

i will be in ireland for the next few days to visit with two other jv missionaries. i will put up pictures from the trip when i get back.

8/8/08

ouch

tuesday was the second day of our summer intern debriefing. during the morning free time i was swinging with a few of the interns on a big swing (see below). after being on it for awhile i started to feel sick to my stomach. i was told that i would feel better if i sat down on the swing. after a few seconds of sitting i began to feel even more nauseous, so i tried to stand up as the swing was on its way up. as it continued to move upward i felt my feet slip out from under me. the momentum of the swing forced my legs up over my head & the next thing i knew i landed upside down on the back of my neck. i heard a loud crunch & i remember seeing my legs hit the ground in front of me. i was stuck in this awkward position for a split second as two thoughts ran through my head... the first was obviously, "OUCH!" followed by, "i gotta get out of the way!" i was going to get hit by the swing on its way back down if i did not move out of the way. i quickly pushed myself onto my side out of the way of the swing. this position was a little too painful & hard to breathe so i rolled myself onto my stomach & caught my breath. the people who saw all this happen ran & called the ambulance & the hospital informed us that the ambulance would be there in... half an hour! so i laid face down for the next 30 minutes, unable to lift my face off of the ground. it was surprising to me that all of the first aid and cpr training i had back in college came back to me instantly & the most important things i remembered were to try to lay as still as possible & remain calm. many thoughts ran through my head as we waited for that ambulance. my neck felt completely limp & i could feel my hands and feet getting numb and tingly. i tried to keep them moving as much as possible. i am thankful for the many great people who were there to care & pray for me as i was laying on the ground. i remember having a strong sense of God's peace throughout the entire situation.

here we are waiting for the ambulance to come w/ the evil swing in the background

i was thrilled to not be lying on my face anymore, but i was not thrilled at how they manhandled my body here

it turns out i was a little too tall for the ambulance

elina was my amazing helper & translator

the interns showing their support!

looking drugged up in the limbazi hospital where i spent the past two & a half days

my beautiful view in the hospital

here i am with my "urinal" & the "mandatory" hospital clothes that no one else in my room was wearing haha!

it might sound weird, but my first response to this whole situation was gratefulness. i know it may sound cheesy, but i truly saw how fragile life is and i am grateful to be alive today. i saw how quickly i went from feeling indestructible, to lying on the ground feeling like i was paralyzed. by the grace of God i am walking around today and at worst i have only a fractured vertebrae. i will praise God for that!