I am sitting in the middle of the living room in the FBC Kenai parsonage, where we have been staying for the past week and a half, and you wouldn’t guess by this scene that we are tired and worn out. One of the students is wrestling with the Belmore kids and there is activity everywhere. It’s kind of surreal actually.
A few days ago I came down with a cold and as a result, I feel like I am exhausted all the time. Then we have these long days and somehow I am able to make it through it all. It’s a God thing.
As I write that, it occurs to me that a lot of things that happened on this journey so far are God things. I am amazed that we were able to get out of bed at all after the three-day weekend we just had. It was insane. Sunday evening, we were all absolutely exhausted as we collapsed into our beds at the parsonage.
And that’s just a small bit of the God-things that have happened over the past few weeks. I have a friend on the trip that never travels and gets nervous and she’s been amazing over the past few weeks. She hasn’t felt any anxiety at all. She loves it here. We all do.
Another God-thing is the bond that my Louisiana friends and I share with the group of students from Texas, as well as the NAMB team that was already here in Alaska when we arrived. We have all formed a unique bond. The Texas group leaves next Thursday. I am not sure I am prepared for that.
My wi-fi access is limited and even as I type this, I do not know when I am going to be able to post it. Hopefully it will be soon.
I hope that everyone back home that reads this is doing well. Pray for us! We need energy and focus. Hope to hear from you all soon.
Kyle
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Crazy
Things are gettig crazy here. I cannot believe we are back in Kenai.
I will post when I have the time, but know that we are all changed.
-- Post From my iPod Touch
I will post when I have the time, but know that we are all changed.
-- Post From my iPod Touch
Monday, July 13, 2009
Alaska Update
Time flies when you are enjoying yourself. As of late tomorrow evening, we will have been here for a week. It seems like a month has passed since we arrived, but only because we have accomplished so much in such a short amount of time.
A group of students from Universities all over Texas arrived here a few days ago and are here to work with us on coordinating the events of the next two weeks. Although we've only known each other for a few days, we have already become a tight-knit group. I can tell already that the end of this trip is going to be really hard. I hate goodbyes.
Lots of crazy stuff has happened in the last week. We've been severely delayed in the last couple of days because of problems that keep arising. We are managing to stay on top of them though. We are still getting a ton of work done. Today promises to be a long day. We have to load the remainder of our supplies for the next two weeks and move them, our gear, and ourselves down to Kenai, Alaska, so that we can begin the bulk of the preparation work for the Salmon Frenzy project.
God is teaching me so much on this adventure. I'm learning a lot about work ethic and initiative and getting things done in general. Its amazing to see the work thats unfolding right in front of my eyes. I am also extremely grateful for the friends, both old and new, that I have the pleasure of working with over the course of this adventure.
We still have a long day to go today and I have several things I must tend to immediately.
Kyle
A group of students from Universities all over Texas arrived here a few days ago and are here to work with us on coordinating the events of the next two weeks. Although we've only known each other for a few days, we have already become a tight-knit group. I can tell already that the end of this trip is going to be really hard. I hate goodbyes.
Lots of crazy stuff has happened in the last week. We've been severely delayed in the last couple of days because of problems that keep arising. We are managing to stay on top of them though. We are still getting a ton of work done. Today promises to be a long day. We have to load the remainder of our supplies for the next two weeks and move them, our gear, and ourselves down to Kenai, Alaska, so that we can begin the bulk of the preparation work for the Salmon Frenzy project.
God is teaching me so much on this adventure. I'm learning a lot about work ethic and initiative and getting things done in general. Its amazing to see the work thats unfolding right in front of my eyes. I am also extremely grateful for the friends, both old and new, that I have the pleasure of working with over the course of this adventure.
We still have a long day to go today and I have several things I must tend to immediately.
Kyle
Friday, July 10, 2009
Thoughts on Alaska
One of the biggest differences between being in Louisiana and being in Alaska is how differently the time passes. Time in Alaska seems to pass much slower, yet the end of the day is still upon you before you know it. Though we’ve only been here for a few days, it feels like we’ve been here week. We’ve certainly accomplished a great deal in such a short amount of time.
There are huge differences between this visit to Alaska and the previous one. The first and most obvious difference is the fact that I am not traveling alone. I am so grateful to have people such as Daniel, Caitlin, Brittney, and Courtni traveling with me. These are people are all close friends of mine and therefore it really helps to have them alone for the journey. We can all grow in our love for the Lord together and it’s really uplifting.
Another difference is the weather. Last summer, it was cold. Really cold. At least for a boy who grew up in Louisiana where the temperatures rarely go below 50, even in the winter. This summer, its fairly warm. The temperature has hovered in the mid 70s during the day and in the 50s later at night and it feels quite refreshing, though I really wasn’t prepared for this kind of weather. I am expecting it to be a little difference once we hit the beaches though.
The past couple of days has been all about growing for us as a team and as a family. We have been working with Brenda and some of the students that have been working with her through the summer, getting ready for the other teams that are going to be traveling up here. Working with Brenda is something special. She’s a living, breathing example of someone who does her best to give everything for God’s cause, and it shows. The woman rarely sleeps and is always working on some kind of project. It’s inspiring, really.
We have a long 20 days or so ahead of us, but I am extremely excited about what God has in store for us.
There are huge differences between this visit to Alaska and the previous one. The first and most obvious difference is the fact that I am not traveling alone. I am so grateful to have people such as Daniel, Caitlin, Brittney, and Courtni traveling with me. These are people are all close friends of mine and therefore it really helps to have them alone for the journey. We can all grow in our love for the Lord together and it’s really uplifting.
Another difference is the weather. Last summer, it was cold. Really cold. At least for a boy who grew up in Louisiana where the temperatures rarely go below 50, even in the winter. This summer, its fairly warm. The temperature has hovered in the mid 70s during the day and in the 50s later at night and it feels quite refreshing, though I really wasn’t prepared for this kind of weather. I am expecting it to be a little difference once we hit the beaches though.
The past couple of days has been all about growing for us as a team and as a family. We have been working with Brenda and some of the students that have been working with her through the summer, getting ready for the other teams that are going to be traveling up here. Working with Brenda is something special. She’s a living, breathing example of someone who does her best to give everything for God’s cause, and it shows. The woman rarely sleeps and is always working on some kind of project. It’s inspiring, really.
We have a long 20 days or so ahead of us, but I am extremely excited about what God has in store for us.
Thursday, July 2, 2009
God's Story
I got out of reading fiction as I got close to graduating high school. I read the Lord of the Rings and after that it just seemed like everything else fell short. I tried picking up several different novels after that and I never could even make it halfway through the book before I got bored and set it down.
That’s when I really got into reading books on Christian Spirituality. Growing up in a Southern Baptist church, I was quite familiar with the idea that the Christian thing to do was to read Christian books. I attempted to follow this pattern by looking through some of the books my mother had read, but most of the books my mother read was about raising boys. At the time, it didn’t occur to me that my mother was reading those books because of me, but when I look back on the life I lived in high school I realize that my mother probably needed a little bit of help.
I decided to a bit of research and after talking to a few people I found a couple of books to start reading on my own and it kind of took off from there.
Some of my favorite authors in this genre that I have read are Donald Miller, David Nasser, Leonard Sweet, and David Crowder (he’s pretty famous in Christian circles but more for his music than his books). They always have interesting stories to tell. They always present their life experiences as a story and they hope you get something out of it. They all have a story to tell and they desperately want you to hear it.
Christian spirituality books are awesome and everything but there is another book that I try to read when I can…yeah. That’s the one. The Bible. As I was thinking about writing this piece, I thought to myself that maybe God is, in a manner of speaking, in the same boat as a lot of these authors. Here’s God and He’s got a story that He desperately wants to tell us.
When I look at the Bible, I like to look at it as a narrative. It’s not just a book of guidance and wisdom; it’s also a book of stories. It’s a book with stories about a guy taking down a giant with a slingshot, and about some dudes who got thrown into a furnace and survived. Oh yeah, and there was also the Guy Whose teachings and actions turned the world upside down. Then the same Guy changed the status quo by being crucified and then rising from the grave. Wow. But through all of the stories that are presented in the Bible there’s always this one God. It’s a narrative. It’s a story. It’s a story about one God gave His love to us, even though we always do things to prove that we don’t deserve it.
The people who wrote the books that composed the Bible wrote it because they had a story tell. They wanted to tell a story of a Father’s Love and how it permeates through our existence and is a necessary component if we are to live out our lives with purpose.
If I wrote my story out, I wonder if God’s love would permeate through its pages. I want to live life like that. When I die I want people to look at me in my casket and thinking about nothing else but the life I lived for God. I’ve got a long way to go if I want to get to that point.
That’s when I really got into reading books on Christian Spirituality. Growing up in a Southern Baptist church, I was quite familiar with the idea that the Christian thing to do was to read Christian books. I attempted to follow this pattern by looking through some of the books my mother had read, but most of the books my mother read was about raising boys. At the time, it didn’t occur to me that my mother was reading those books because of me, but when I look back on the life I lived in high school I realize that my mother probably needed a little bit of help.
I decided to a bit of research and after talking to a few people I found a couple of books to start reading on my own and it kind of took off from there.
Some of my favorite authors in this genre that I have read are Donald Miller, David Nasser, Leonard Sweet, and David Crowder (he’s pretty famous in Christian circles but more for his music than his books). They always have interesting stories to tell. They always present their life experiences as a story and they hope you get something out of it. They all have a story to tell and they desperately want you to hear it.
Christian spirituality books are awesome and everything but there is another book that I try to read when I can…yeah. That’s the one. The Bible. As I was thinking about writing this piece, I thought to myself that maybe God is, in a manner of speaking, in the same boat as a lot of these authors. Here’s God and He’s got a story that He desperately wants to tell us.
When I look at the Bible, I like to look at it as a narrative. It’s not just a book of guidance and wisdom; it’s also a book of stories. It’s a book with stories about a guy taking down a giant with a slingshot, and about some dudes who got thrown into a furnace and survived. Oh yeah, and there was also the Guy Whose teachings and actions turned the world upside down. Then the same Guy changed the status quo by being crucified and then rising from the grave. Wow. But through all of the stories that are presented in the Bible there’s always this one God. It’s a narrative. It’s a story. It’s a story about one God gave His love to us, even though we always do things to prove that we don’t deserve it.
The people who wrote the books that composed the Bible wrote it because they had a story tell. They wanted to tell a story of a Father’s Love and how it permeates through our existence and is a necessary component if we are to live out our lives with purpose.
If I wrote my story out, I wonder if God’s love would permeate through its pages. I want to live life like that. When I die I want people to look at me in my casket and thinking about nothing else but the life I lived for God. I’ve got a long way to go if I want to get to that point.
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