Dog Year and a Day (World Race)

So just know... I haven't been ignoring you all... also just know that this blog will not be as good as it would have been had it not been 3 am as I write this and everything I just typed hadn't just been deleted. Also just know that it wasn't that great to begin with so you don't have to cry too bad for what you're missing out on.

I've done a poor job of blogging. Not because I don't care about you folks knowing what's going on, it's just that I've not felt like I've had anything that I'd consider worth reading in terms of quality of composition. Not that what I've been doing sucks or isn't a great experience, but I’m not normally one for just sharing experience I wanna go deeper into what that experience means normally.  And my thought process has been, "Well if my narcissistic self wouldn't wanna read just this about what's going on, why would I subject other people to the email or the Facebook/twitter link and subsequent substandard writing."  I think I’m gonna have to just get past the uncomfortable feeling and just share baseline information way more than I’d like this year… including now.

Because it has been revealed to me that some people actually do want to read it, and if you are not one of those people, I give you permission to read another blog or go play angry birds or watch or read Twilight, wait I take that last one back, don't waste your life.

          

All that being said... here are things.

I've been gone now for a dog year and a day (a little over 53 days... originally it was supposed to be posted yesterday as “Dog Year,” but sometimes in life you just lose what you typed on your blog 2 or 3 times and then there's no power to charge your battery) and hopefully the next time I write a blog it won't be entitled "Score" (yes that reference is Abraham Lincoln approved). But seemingly, as I sit, it seems like that's my next weird time checkpoint.
 

We left the Dominican about 1 and half fortnights ago. And I miss it. I miss walking into yards and having plastic chairs whipped out like rabbits out of a hat. I miss the wonderful people like Noky, Jesus, Emyer, Johnny and their families. I miss the men of the town like Brian across the street who would salute me all the time and the men I would play basketball with like Carlos. I miss Frasier, who(or is it whom)…. Ahem to whom I taught English to… and the non-screaming children like David and the other screaming children when they were calmer and less uh… quite honestly annoying… those were good treasured moments.

But now I am in Grand-Goave,Haiti which would have been easier to tell if I'd checked into "Grand-Goave, Haiti with 44 others" on Facebook. And as much as I miss the people of DR I do like Haiti. The people are great. We aren't allowed to go around like we were before in DR and because there is more of a language barrier than I had before although I’m learning Creole it’s tough to get to any real depth with many of the locals.

Once again we've been able to meet some great people, some of which for short times, but great nonetheless.  Oh you want names?  No?  Well don’t care here are some… Kim, Travis, Pastor Lex and Gama and their families, Len, Mark, Alan, Greg, Paul, Ricardo, Gracias, Jackson, Justin, Brunell, and MaryEve… or is it may eve … is it mayi eve?  Heck… I don’t know, but they are and were a pleasure to meet.  And the accommodations aren't too shabby… none of our tents are more than 50 yards from shoreline, we live in great conditions compared to those around us.


When we work.. We work!  Our ministry partner for the entire squad this month is Mission of Hope International (MOHI), but we are also working extensively with “Be Like Brit” (BLB).  Both are construction projects involving a lot of moving of heavy things repeatedly on hot days.  I’m getting cut… literally and metaphorically, but aside from the occasional shovel to the face I’d say I’m makin it.  Both organizations are doing great things here in Haiti and have important stories, of which I hope to get a chance to elaborate on them more maybe in other blogs, but this one is already getting lengthy-ish so I think I’ll have to let it slide, but you are encouraged to Google both of them.
That’s pretty much it for now…. I blogged.

 Prayer Requests and the like:
1. Pray for my dad who hurt his back at work again and is in severe pain.  Pray for his healing and for mental peace and a good attitude through this situation and dealing with less than cooperative doctors and lawyers.
2. Pray for extended family relationships back home and they would be strengthened.
3. Pray for my squad and continued protection and provision spiritually, emotionally and physically
4. Pray for the people of Arroyo Cano, Dominican Republic and their growth with God.
5. Pray for the people of Haiti and all the numerous projects that are going on here.
6. Pray for the spirit of God that is love and justice to be even more alive in this nation.
7. Pray for finances to come through for myself and others who are still pretty far short of being funded.
8. Pray that I would grow in the ways I’m supposed to and stay focused on Christ not subconsciously or otherwise assuming that because I’m out here on this ridiculously awesome trip that I’m automatically being Godly or seeking to be a real man of God.
9. Pray for all the things I forgot

... please... thanks!