Ten Year Olds Thoughts on God

Noah sat down and wrote some thoughts about God the other day. He wants to share them in our house church, and I think I'll let him. Might make for an interesting conversation. Here are his words unedited.

The Meaning of Life written Noah S. Farmer

For years man kind has wondered several questions of life From why are we here to what is our purpose .There are four major questions life ,it’s reason ,
Our meaning ,and how we were made .These questions have been growing in our brains day by day and night by night .Every second ,minute ,and hour the question gets bigger and makes us even more insane about it .that’s what drove us into the mess of science .The people who believe science think the world and all existence where made by the Big Bang while on the other hand Christians think God made every thing with his voice .But I think both of them happened I say that God clapped his hands and caused the Big Bang which made every single bit of material and used his voice to make every thing from that material .I also believe that dinosaurs existed . I think they lived before the Garden of Eden but it is likely that it is true .I mean it says in the Bible that one thousand years is like a blink for God and a blink for God is like one thousand years .If you just think about how many times you blink a day and one blink is one thousand years the time in between would give the dinosaurs time to live before the Garden of Eden wouldn’t you agree that is a reasonable explanation I do. Oh I have a joke for you in the Bible when it says one thousand years is like the blink of an eye for God and for God one thousand years is like the blink of an eye .Dose that mean he is so slow that one thousand years pass in the time it takes him blink or dose it mean that time is so fast to him that in the time that he blinks one thousand years will go by in time’s wake ?Man kind might never know .The question is growing just like the question at the beginning of the page how the question of life grows in our heads day by day ,night by night ,and year by year .Questions they just keep on growing in side our minds ,souls ,and spirits. They are like a great big disease that spreads to any body who hear about it maybe questions are the meaning of our life, existence, meaning.
Perhaps we are here to ask and answer questions and to expand our knowledge. It is actually our job to ask questions because God made us to be his friends, because as friends our duty to ask questions because friends ask them. I am not talking about the simple how are you doing questions, I mean the deep down personal thoughts of life. Now I want you to think about it. What is the meaning of your life? Now when you have that answer I want you to write what that thing on a peace of paper so that every day you get sad ,discouraged ,or lonely you can just look at the peace of paper you wrote your meaning on and just think about how great of a meaning it is .And then maybe just maybe you will be filled with joy ,happiness ,and most of all the holy spirit .

(That's my boy! Be Blessed)

Just a Quick Note

Thought I might post while I'm waiting for my lovely bride to finish her shower. It's 6:00 am here and she's getting ready to fly to Dublin for a ServetheCity leaders work/planning weekend. (Who plans an event in the Winter in Ireland?) Pray for her. She love cold weather sooo much.
We are very busy here in Portugal with Christmas coming up. Some how I have found myself being a core person in two Christmas events that are happening the same weekend. One for ICSC (the kids school) and one for The Matrix. Click on the Lisboa Matrix link to get an idea whats going on here.
A quick note before I go, I was given the opportunity to do a Voice Over for a short video last night. (For those who don't know a voice over is when you put narration over a film) It was all about social injustice. That's just what Gods been putting on my heart lately. I talk about that late, when my life doesn't feel like two trains running on the same track. Hope you are seeing the star that leads to Bethlehem and my you find and worship the King. Be Blessed

The ex-Actor & the Hippie Witch (Our Story Part 3)

One of the things that I didn't know was that I was SUPER messed up. (That may seem obvious , but I was clueless.) I was hurting. I was self medicating with numerous drugs. I was so empty inside and scared to face it that I was stoned or worse most of the time. Another thing that I didn't know was that at Doe Bay there was a repetitive cycle of people turning on one another. Things would be great for awhile, but as Winter approached all hell would break loose. The biggest thing I didn't know was that I was taking my first steps towards my Destiny.

Paula, the 5'5", brown haired, green eyed girl, was the key stone in my future history. As we started hanging out together, I started to find a friend. Someone who liked my crazy, adventures ideas. Someone who thought my writing was good. A person who seemed be a mix of laid back and charged up. Half woman, half magic.

She was a nomad, having just returned from a desert journey to clean up from meth. A hippie chick with funk in her soul. A worshiper of the moon who could see the supernatural. A blend of Wicca and wild. She was on a spiritual journey following Bachas, the Greek God of wine, and Diana the Moon Goddess. She was fun and free spirited. What she wanted more than anything was to have a baby, but she had been through some serious medical procedures recently, and the doctors had told her she would never have children. Having been told she would never be a Mother, she set out to prove those Doctors wrong. She was going to have a baby, one way or another.

So there we were. An ex actor from New York, who was running from everything. And a hippie chick witch, trying to find someone to sire her child, which the Doctors said she couldn't have. Believe it or not, she looked at me and thought I would be a good candidate. (She says she thought I had a good gene pool) And believe it or not, I said I would help her try. So she moved into my cabin. We started playing house and working on being dysfunctional, and we were doing a great job.

Thanksgiving came and went. The weather started getting colder as Christmas approached. Paula and I were starting to see the first signs of the break down of relationships that Doe Bay had seen time and again. She went home for Christmas and in true dysfunctional fashion, while she was gone, I started to miss her and fall in love with her. A whole week and I couldn't wait for her to return.

One afternoon I get a phone call from Texas. It's Paula and she is in a good mood. Call it magic. Call in luck or call it a miracle, but the news from the other end of the line went as follows, " I have something to tell you. I am pregnant." Silence. I was going to be a Father. Just like that. We were going to have a baby.

James Brown and Cowgirls (Our Story Part 2)

She is 5'5". She has brown hair. She has green/blue eyes. And she is now the mother of my children. (I'm getting ahead of my self) I said she walked in , but to tell you the truth it was more like she, the gals from Texas she was with came rolling into the cafe. You could hear them coming down the hill. If you've never met a group of women from Texas, who have just come back from a James Brown concert, let me tell you this, they make a lot of noise. (In a good way) These girls were dressed to the hilt. Mini skirts, knee high go-go boots an array of hats and scarfs. The works. The welcome party had arrived and I was the new guy. This was going to be a great trip.

Everyone at Doe Bay was so cool. (Doe Bay was the name of the hippie resort) Most of the people were summer employees close to my age. There was Eric the cook/tattoo artist. Bobby the ex-pro golfer. Kerri the tall strong gal from Denver. Sweet gentle Bradly who was just back from Alaska. Tom the handsome Brit. And... Paula. (She's the 5'5", brown haired, green eyed lady) We all hit it off. Hanging out during they're free time. Smoking out, drinking beers and red wine. The days were cool and sunny. Nights were cold, quiet, and filled with new friends.I had not felt this free in along time.

I remember at one point running down the road to a cabin where my Mom was. As I ran I felt as if I was 7 years old again. I wasn't 26 and scared of life. I had a new start.I was hooked. I wasn't going back to New York. What did I have to go back to? Debt, worry, and a failing acting career? That was the package deal that was waiting for me back there. I had run from trouble before. This was a no brainer. I was starting over.

Part of getting to start over is the fact that you get to reinvent yourself. So I shaved the sides of my heads, dyed my hair with henna and bought my self a forest green hemp dress. (It looked like a mid-evil frock thing. Very manly.) I was a new man, or something like that. I had a new look. I had new friends. And that green eyed gal and I were hitting it off. Things were good, but there were some things I didn't know.

Our Story (Part 1)

August 1995

New York was eating me alive. Living fast and playing hard was breaking me down emotionally, physically and spiritually. New York, the city that never sleeps. Where the best of the best come to give it a go. Most of us ended up waiting tables. After three years of attempting a professional acting career in the Big Apple I hit the wall.

My sister was living on an island in Washington State and was going to get married. I didn't have the money to get out there. Mom was convinced I was gonna die in NY NY. She was probably right. She told me she was flying me out for the wedding. I could stay at the resort she and Ish owned.(Ish and mom had been together sense I was 17) Now when I say resort I mean in the very rustic, earthy, hippy style.

I don't remember how I got the ticket for the plane. I don't remember how I got to the airport. I don't remember my last look at Manhatten Island. All I know is that I got to Washington. That the ferry ride from the main land to the island was long. And that those island were the greenest place I had seen in a long time. (Outside of Central Park which is locked in the middle of the concrete jungle) Those islands were beautiful.I felt myself relax as I soaked in the peace of not being in the big city.

No worries or responsibilitys.There were only three things I wanted. To see my new nephew who had been born in May. To forget about all of the junk I'd been dealing with in NY, and to find some people who liked to smoke out. This looked like the right place. Rainbow and rustic. Everything I needed.

Even the resort cafe was perfect. Wooden structure over looking the blue water bay. Wood burning stove for heat. Tables covered with butcher paper and crayons for drawing. Plus good hearty food. That's right where I was, sitting having dinner, looking really slick in my white button down shirt and khaki pant when she walked in...

Wash Me in the Water

"I am blessed to baptise you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit." With those words I lowered my daughter into the frigid pool water. Actually I had to push to get her down because she kind of floated.

It had been threating to rain for a few days and I wasn't sure how the weather would be for her baptism. The day was cool, but in the sun it was warm enough. For the last year she has been asking to be baptised. I had told her in the states that we would do it in Portugal. Well here we are in Portugal. For the last month the Lord had been putting a strong need to do baptisms. So I figured this was it. Time for her to get baptised.

I don't know how was more nervouse, her or me. As we stood there at the poolside and I shared how this was her own faith not mine the thing that moved me most was the looks of love and tears on the faces of those who were there to support Eden in this step of faith.

We stepped into the pool and shock waves of cold ran up my spine. (November baptisims. Next time were doing them in Summer.) There we stood. My beautiful daughter and me. This little girl who was brought into this world by two very irresponsible, trippy, freaks. (Maybe I need to share our full story sometime) Looking down at her I realized that God really is in the buisness of life transformation. Our family is a perfect example.

Down under the water, taking her place with Jesus in his death and then back up into Life. Abundant life that is ever lasting. What a joy to be the Father of such a wonderful girl. What a blessing to be the one to baptise her. These are the things that really matter.I truely am a blessed, blessed man. You be blessed too.

A Time of Thanksgiving

The news came yesterday that we are in trouble with our support. We have been struggling as the dollar falls lower and lower against the euro. Sometimes supporters can not afford to keep up with support. And on top of all that if looks as if our support level has been sitting at about 50% for awhile now. It would be easy for me to write about the bleakness of our situation, but just now out on the patio God showed me his Love and spoke to me of Thanksgiving.

I was starting to spiral into the hopelessness zone. That's the place where you start thinking "What are we going to do? This looks hopeless." Everyone has to deal with this from time to time. Sometimes it's money. Sometimes it's family problems. Sometimes it's just life. Being on the mission field doesn't stop it from happening. So that's where I found my self. That's where I went first thing this morning. Then God stepped in.

He spoke gently. In a way I could understand. Look around he said. Isn't it beautiful. I brought you here. See this appartment you are living in. I gave you that. Look inside see your beautiful kids and their friend Issac I have blessed you with that. Remember how Denny and Maureen were there to comfort you last night. That was me. Notice how even though you have been undersupported you haven't starved. Remember that car acciedent and how your car is getting fixed. Me again. Your friends, the prayer room, people loving you, the wonderful beach, the free coffee maker, the growth of the Matrix, learning to play guitar, the loan of the guitar to play, and so many other things. Do you think I will abandon you now?

The air was cool on the patio. Even knowing that there is alot of work to do to raise our support back up, I was filled with hope. Out of the corner of my eye I caught a glimps of a butterfly. A butterfly three stories up. "Thank you Jesus for the butterfly." My you be blessed and thankful.

WE PRAYED!

I wish was in a better mood right now, but I am NOT! I'm ripped because I just had to pay 110 Euros to have my front door opened because we walked out the door and forgot to take our keys. This is all due to the fact that my house keys are on my car key ring and I have a rental car while my car gets fixed-up after the crunching it recieved last month.

Anyhow I'm letting off steam on my blog, when I had intended to talk about our 24/7 (actually 24/3) Prayer Room. If you're not familiar with 24/7 Prayer it is a prayer movment where people set-up a space/room with creative elements and they pray for 24 hours a day for 7 day. This goes on all over the world non-stop, people praying for the world around them.

Our 24/7 went from 4pm Friday afternoon to 8pmSunday night. Almost every hour was filled by our community. Friday night we kicked it off with worship and praise together. It was great. I had spent the whole day with Vikki prepairing the space and was so happy to hear people say that it was warm and enviting. The evening was cool and you could feel the excitment that people had in expectation of what God would do. There was laughter, tears, singing and the powerful feeling of Gods presence with us as we worship in that garage turned prayer room. Then the real prayer started.

I cannot say what experiances people had in that room because I was not in there every hour, but my time was great. I had a 3 am to 7 am slot that was awsome. Look up Malachi 1:11 and listen to the worship song "Famous One" if you want to hear a little of what God spoke to me. Others had great things to say about their time there as well. The walls grew richer and more colorful as people painted, drew, wrote out and experesssed their heart of prayer to God. Going from blank white paper walls, to colorful prayer filled walls is a breath taking experince everyone should have.

We finished our time together as a larger Matrix community. The place was packed with surfer, artists (the walls showed that), moms, dads, kids, new faces and old one, follwers of Christ, seekers, wonderers, singles, punks, and who knows what else. Looking around I realized how faithful God is. He is raising up and army on its knees. He is blessing our Lisboa Matrix community. He is bringing His people out of the wood work. We worshipped loud. We prayed deeply. We stood together. All of us. No matter who we were, or what we thought. We were a people of God. Praying to Him. Living in union with him and each other. Oh wow was it beautiful. I am grateful for what God is doing here and pray that he with keep pouring his spirit out on our community. Like I quoted before "Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God." Be Blessed

Dear God @ 24/7.life

We are praying twenty four hours a day right now! Non-stop, around the clock. Like watch men on the wall. He says to ask and you will recieve. So we are asking.

What could happen?

Let's wait and see!

Expect great things from God. Attempt great things for God!

(I think William Cary said that. I could be wrong.)

A Real Mans Man/(Boy)

*

When I grow up I want to be just like my son. He is fearless and care not what the world thinks. He has these really square guy feet. They're like little bricks. In fact he is a little brick. Even seince he was a baby he has been a brick. That stuff on his face isn't mud it's octopus ink.

Today, after house church, he and I walk down to the beach to sit in the sun and read (If we felt like it.) We sat by the sea pool at the Estoril beach and he proceded to foot slide on the moss around the sea pool, in his Speedo .( A trick he learned from Dane Uhler and Jesse Borden. Not the Speedo part, just the sliding) It was fun and I almost stopped him a few times because I thought he could get hurt doing it. Foot sliding is the same thing as sock sliding on a wood floor, but you are bare foot on moss. But I held my tounge and watched him have a blast, and a few spills. I was glad he didn't bust his head.

It was a good father/son time. We drank sodas and enjoyed the sun. There was a constant courus of "Hey Dad watch this!" Followed by a death defying slide of about 6ft. The reserved Portugese watched out of the cornder of their eye. I mean what was this kid doing running around in a swimming suit in November, even if it was 80 degrees out today. I thought this is just what he needs so who cares what anyone thinks. Then came the call. Dad, dad, dad, look. Come look! It's an octopus." The sea pools is only about 2 ft deep at the shallow end and the water was crystal clear, so you could see really well. Sure enough there was a small octopus there. Its head was about the size of an egg plant. Noah was in the water in a flash. I'm yelling Grab it! Grab it!

Now let me be honest I would have been nervous grabbing it, but buddy boy went right at it. I'm yelling Grab it!, but in my head i'm thinking, "Do octopus have those beaks that can take chunks out of you?" It's in the rocks at the side of the pool and Noah is sticking his arm under there, face in the water becuase he has to dig under the rocks. The little think skirts to a new spot and then Noah screams. His arm flashes out of the water. "Did you see that he tried to grab me and pull me in." Then he grabs for him again and brings that little guys up to the edge. There is a thrashing and BAM! Black ink in the face. At that point I would have dropped him, but my boy held on and we landed that little guy buy hand. The smile was worth a million bucks.

We looked at him and set him back in the water. Those little suction cups really do stick to ya, I'll tell you that. With our hunting victory fresh in our minds we headed home. Our spirit of adventure well satisfied. I told him if I knew how to cook octopus we could have eatten him. He said he's a catch and release kind of guy. Sensetive, tough, fearless and enviromentally consience. Like I said, when I grow up I want to be like my son.

A weeks Worth of Words to Use Up

My blogs have been slow in coming lately and that is a good and bad thing. It is good because I have been busy. It's bad because I feel like I want to keep you up dated on things in our life. If you will forgive me I will jump back about a week and fill in the gaps.

As you know there were huge fires in our home town this last week. I'll be honest I spent a lot of time watching CNN. But before the fire's made everything else in my world feel small, we had gone about an hour North of our house and spent the weekend together as a team. It was a time of planning and rest. A time of prayer and play. A time to reflect together and rejoice together. My top 3 moments were, in this order;

1. Noah getting to help butcher the neighbors pig. ( I will post pics when I get them from Scott)
2. Sunday morning communion with our whole team.
3. An afternoon of fun where visited the largest underground cavern in Portugal.

As is usual now the week was filled with school, drama, meetings and the like. House church was at our place this last weekend, so there was the cleaning frenzy that accompanies that. It is a good thing that we will be grafting off into two groups in a few weeks, because our place , which used to be big enough seems to have shrank. We were fill to capacity. God is faithful! Things are popping here and we are praying that it just keeps coming. We have a weekend of 24/7 prayer in November. So be praying that God will speak to our community in fresh and powerful ways.

On a more personal note, I had my very first strait razor shave today. It was sooooo cool. I had heard that you could get one around here somewhere but I wasn't ever able to find one, till today. And let me tell you it was one of the closest shaves I've ever had. What and experience. Sitting in the chair, while this older Portuguese gentlemen slowly pulls that razor sharp piece of steel across your throat. The short rasping noises of the whiskers being striped away. And the sting of the after shave on that close shave. Smooth as a baby's bottom, and that's no joke.

Ok gotta run. Kids need to do homework and P's down stairs with Berta, our 85 year old neighbor, having afternoon tea. Expect great things from God and Attempt great things for God.
Be Blessed

Watching Fires a world apart

Our prayers are with those of you who are in the California area. Many of our friends and family live in areas that are being hit by the wild fires. We have been lifting you and your loved ones up in prayer daily. We have talked with our loved ones and all of them are fine.
It is a helpless feeling to be so far away and watch as your home town is consumed by flames. Sitting and watching CNN is the only thing that we can do. Our home in Escondido seems to have been spared the worst, but you can't help but wonder if shifting winds could change that fact.


May God keep you and shelter you under His wing. May you know His ever loving kindness in the midst of this disaster. May you know that you are not alone and that our God is greater than any all consuming fire.


May God Bless you where ever you are today.

Warning: Graphic Content

I am about to get very real with you. If you are scared or have a weak stomach stop reading now...



Okay I warned you.



There should never be blood in the toilet when you are done, if you get my drift.

First thought, "Oh wonderful and we have a team retreat this weekend." Then there is this little film that plays in your head.



FADE IN



DOCTORS OFFICE



DOCTOR: I'm sorry Mr. Farmer.



ME: What is it Doc?



DOCTOR: We don't know, all I can tell you is you have a week to live.



I always knew this would happen. Sometimes I get pains that I've never had before and I'm pretty sure they are fatal. This time the proof is bright red. I need someone to back me up on all this scary stuff. My wife is a mom, she's seen all sorts of gross stuff.

"Honey would you come at look at this?"

To which she responds (knowing I'm in the bathroom) "Look at what?"

"Just come and look at this and tell me what you think."

Together we decide that it is not good.



I am alone. I will be brave. Everything seems weird. This is bad. I'll ignore it.Maybe I will blog my experience as I live through it. I want to be a strong witness. To show the world the hope and faith I have in Jesus. "To live is Christ. To die is gain."
What's going to happen to Paula and the kids. It's my fault. I didn't take care of my body. P's scared. I can see it in her eye's.I'm not even forty yet. I should have exercised more. I should have eaten better. It's funny how just yesterday I started thinking about health. As Vikki and I cleaned out her garage. We juiced some carrots, apples...ginger...and !?!

I grab the cell phone. Punch in Vikki's number. Rings once. Rings Twice. (British accent) 'Ello?

"Vikki can beet juice make your poop red?"

"Oh yes that's totally normal. Don't worry."

DON"T WORRY!?! I am so happy...I AM NOT GOING TO DIE! YES!
At least not yet.



So Be Blessed and be careful of the beet juice.

Books, Money and Memories

I have a memory from childhood. It is sweet and powerful to me. I remember my dad bringing me home a stack of books that he had read when he was a kid. Books like "Lord of the Flies" and "The Ox Bow Incident". I don't know why it is such a strong memory for me. Maybe it was the fact that he thought of me enough to stop and buy the books just for me. Maybe it was because they were part of him, and by reading them I would know who he was better. What ever the reason I hold it close to my heart.

Today we had no car. It was in the shop getting looked at by the insurance guy. (Side note;the insurance company is going to fix my car. If they don't classify it as a totaled.) So we had to walk home with the kids from school. Here's the kids reaction. """Ahwwwwww man! Why do we have to walk." My reaction was, "You ungrateful little wretches! Be glad you don't have to walk every day. What if you didn't have legs and couldn't walk at all?" Things got better from there.
Noah found a cigarette box to kick all the way down to Cascais. We talked and laughed and then we went and got ice cream. Santinni's to be exact. The best gelado in Portugal, for those of you who don't know what Santinni's is. The weather was warm and we were happy. I wandered over to the little book store at the end of the block, where they carry a limit selection of English books and thumbed through the stack.
Eden has discovered Nancy Drew as of late, and guess what, there was Nancy Drew #72. I yelled down to her and said " Hey Eden come and look at this." She was so excited to see Nancy Drew. ( Do you think God gets that warm fuzzy feeling when He gives us something we like or want?)
There were more English books down stairs. Down we went. Books, books and more book. Books on business. Books on love. Books on witchcraft, new age and Christianity.Kids books, novels, and history's. Old books and new books. It was a scene right out of a movie. I even found a shelf of leather bound books in really bad condition, but they look so cool. I fell in love with them right away.
So we bought our books, and headed home. 8 euros for Gelado, 7 euros for a few book, & memories of today, priceless. Up the street we go, headed for the train. As we came to the round about I looked down and there in the gutter is a ten euro bill. "Eden pick it up." I say. Sure enough that's what it is, ten euros. When is the last time you found ten buck in the street. On to the train. Home to Estoril. Off the train and headed for the casino gardens to sit and do home work for awhile. Noah looks down. There in the dirt and trash at the side of the road is a two euro coin. No were almost even. Books+Gelado+Train=19 euro. Money found on the ground 10 euro+2 euro=12. A 7 euro difference. Then as if a joke at this point. Eden sits down and finds 5 cents. What? You can't help but laugh. Free money three times in one day?
At the casino park we run into one of Edens friends. The kids are able to play together and have a really great time. Memories; family, ice cream, trains, books, laughing, talking and finding money. I couldn't of asked for a better day. And all because we had the car in being inspected after I wrecked it. Being inspected brought unexpected joy. Wish everyday was this good, but I'll take em when I can get them.

Be Blessed and don't forget to dig around under the couch cushion.

All Creation Groans

"We don't want our beautiful ocean dirty, or our earth that God created dirty." This is what Elisha said while we were picking up trash down at Boca de Inferno. (The Mouth of Hell) Such a simple statement, yet so true. From the mouths of babes.

Noah, Elisha and I went to the Park in Cascais yesterday for some hang out and play time. We took a walk over to the rocky cliffs at Boca de Inferno, that over looks the sea. There's this cool place where you an climb down through this old broken down building that sits between the rock. The building has this big wall to keep the sea out. You stand up on top and look down into this pit, where the water is shallow and the shadows deep. The ocean has to fight it's way through a small hole in the wall. It feels sacred and secret.

Every time I go there I think this would be such a cool place for baptisms, but the whole area is trashy. People seem to think because it's hidden it's ok to just drop trash everywhere. Even down in the cool secret spot. I've wanted to get some people together and go clean it up. So that what we did yesterday. We started cleaning up.

It was so wonderful. Two little boys and me. The ocean spraying up over the wall. The sun shining down. We were restoring creation. We were serving our city. We were growing in our walk. We were playing. We were fellowshipping and disciplining each other. It was truly a deep spiritual time for me and fun for the boys. I sure hope they let me do it with them again. And who know, maybe we will do baptisms down there someday. I hope so.

Shalom and be blessed

And there was Evening, and there was Morning

Monday
What happened Monday?
It's like clouds
that were blown
away
over the distant hills
a thought
that eludes
I can't
quite picture it
But I remember I was there.

Then a new morning
the second day
the chaos has form
the light is on my face
as we bow low our hearts
sore and hopeful
before His Majesty
Asking
and waiting
for Divine appointments
Which seemed to involve the side of my car

Arise again
A new day dawns
The third in so many days
All tangled and bent
In the reality of living
Where did it lead me
Where will my peace come from
The steady breathing
In and out
In and out
In and out
Til I remember
I am Fearless
He has made me that way
And I rejoice
I'll say it again Rejoice
In the memory

Day four
A new light
A new dawn
Arise oh sleeper
In the darkness I sit
At His feet
Like Adam
I am dust
They cradle me
Breath into my nostrils
Filling the void
All three of them
The One
I Am
The three in one
They cradle me
They remember me
And I am filled again
With love
Starting new
Like a fire
Fanned back into
An inferno

Now I breath again
Now I see
again
Now I taste
again
Now start
again
Always Listening
Smelling
Tasting
Waiting
For what has always been
In this half light
This dawn
Of this new day

Quick don't think...What would you do?

You have just finished a full morning of prayer with friends. As you round the corner heading home, up the hill you see a white car in the middle of the road. The next thing you notice is this older woman half in half out of the car. She is leaning into the car trying to grab something, or pull something...what is she doing? Hold the phone that car is rolling backwards, down the hill. The woman is still trying to do what ever she's doing, but the driver side door hits her, slamming her to the ground, rolling her head over heels. Did the car run her over? What is going on? But wait that car is coming backwards fast with no one driving it. It's moving in your direction!

What do you do? Did you have a chance to look around and see if there were any little Portuguese kids or old ladies walking up the side of the street? Are there any cars behind you? What should you do? Get out of the way and let the car race on down the street out of control, or use your older Peugeot 505 (the little gray tank), to take the hit and stop the white car?

Now I don't know about you but I have these moments when I'm driving along and I wonder "What would I do right now if my brakes went out?" I always figured I'd drag the side of my car along that _______, (you fill in the blank), til it was stopped. So as I watched that little white car zooming down the hill at me, that's the process my brain went thorough. I wonder if I can stop that out of control car by pinching it between my car and the curb.
Here came the car. My brain is saying, "Do it! No don't do it! Should I do it? Yes do it! No! Shut up and STOP THAT CAR!!!" So, I side swiped the little white car with my beloved Peugeot. You know that breaking glass, crunching metal sound? Enough said. The car was stopped. The day was saved. The woman came wobbling down the hill. The neighbors came out to look and I was the...Hero? No I was wondering why I just sacrificed my car for this lady. It really messed our cars up, hers more than mine. Her door was crushed between our cars, opened all the way up, the wrong way. And her back tire was on a funny slant.
The one blessing was that even though my right headlight was smashed, my right front fender scraped up, the two right doors crushed in and the rear right fender scraped up, and a pretty good impact in general was given to the car. Everything still worked. Electric windows went up and down, doors opened and closed and even the headlight still worked. So great. The car looks bad, but it fits in with everyone elses. And I did get a chance to pray for this lady. That's was nice.
So there. That's what I would do with out thinking. Great! I'd mess up my car and get to talk to the police. (Who were really nice.) My insurance guy just looked at me like, "Are you nuts!?!" Yes I probably am. Sorry Bordens, but really glad she is such a good strong car! (Why are cars and ships she's?)
Next week...A pack of wild dogs is running down the street chasing a small child. What do you do? ...Lets hope not. OK don't cross the double yellow line and call us when you get home. Blessings

Top Ten Things I Loved This Week

#10 Our house church Grace packed to the gills. (We'll need to multiply into two house churches soon.)

#9 Playing guitar with Christian in the attic while we waited for Jasmin to come up and pray with us. (I am learning slowly and my fingers are soooo sore.)

#8 Performing Miss Mayas Place for Thursday morning chapel at the kids school. (I wrote it, we rehearsed it, and performed it in one week. Never again!)

#7 Sunday afternoon lunch at the Hursts new house. We had some great cheese that they brought with them from Italy. (And their new house is awesome.)

#6 Screaming and yelling for each other as 20 of us took surf lessons together at surf camp. (They said they could hear us at the other end of the beach.)

#5 Playing tip Frisbee in the grass area by the cafe at Christian Surfers Portugal's 3 day surf camp. (I'd explain the game but it would take to long. Let's just say it was sooo fun.)

#4 Surfing with Jason Gregg and Chris Gonzalez after our surf lesson. (Three amateurs having a blast in the sun and surf.)

#3 Watching Zac lead Christian Surfers Portugal's surf camp and be right in his element. (I was really proud of my team mate. He put a lot of work into Surf Camp. Along with Marty, Carrie, and Hillary.)

#2 Dancing last night at the little cafe at surf camp with 7 or 8 new Portuguese friends whom I'd met at Surf Camp. (I figured that I'd might as well stay up and dance because we were camping right by the cafe and the music was SUPER LOUD. I went to bed around 1:30. The music finally stopped around 3:00. Sure I was tired from surfing all day, but it was still fun dancing.)

And my #1 on my Top Ten Count down for the week...( If you haven't guessed yet.)

#1 Christians Surfers Portugal's 3 day Surf Camp. It was amazing. Americans and Portuguese, young and old. Professional competition surfers and first time surfers. Followers of Christ and those who those who hadn't heard before. We had an great time and I believe that people heard clearly who Jesus is and what Christian Surfers Portugal is about.

Okay enjoy your week and paddle hard. That's how you catch the waves. Be Blessed

As the World Turns

So about this time last year we were trying to get settled. Noah hated everything that we ate. Living near the ocean was novel. I was constantly telling the kids to be quiet because of Berta who lives down stairs. And things in general were incredibly hard. Such as grocery shopping. It is so nice to feel like we can function now.

This last week was busy and rewarding. Arron from England was with us until Thursday. It was nice to get to know him. We shared some good times and just plain life for the last couple of weeks.

P was busy this week getting ServetheCity park day ready for Casa Sol. She and Jordan did a great job. There were 21 kids and almost as many volunteers.We played lots of games, ate lots of food and enjoyed service and community. My favorite memory was Ananis, an 11 year old girl who is very handicapped and confined to a wheel chair, playing the bowling game. The other kids were kicking a soccer ball at water bottles set up like pins. As she watched the kids playing she caught my eye and flailed her arm out at the game. Then she slapped her chest. I was sure she wanted to try. We rolled her right over to the bottles and rolled the ball down her stomach and legs. As the ball hit the bottles and the bottles fell over she shrieked with joy and smiled so big I thought her face would explode. It really is the little things that mean a lot.

And in family news...

The kids are doing great at their new school, ICSC. They love their teachers and their friends. Both of them are really doing well in their studies. Noah had been nailing history and Eden is cranking in math. It is so good to see them thrive.

The Hurst family arrived last night tired from two days on the road from Italy. It is exciting to have them moving here. They said they packed in the rain and when they got here they unloaded in the rain.They must have brought the rain with them, because it's been raining for two days. Winter is coming. What happened to Summer?

Also yesterday night a cute little stray Jack Russel followed P home. So we let him stay the night with us, out of the rain. Now he likes to come and stand at the down stairs front door. We are a shelter from the storm for strays and wanderers.

Well I'm going to go enjoy the rest my Sunday and visit with the Hursts. Enjoy your Sunday and Be Blessed.

Fearless Word Association

Word was the first thing that I found on this screen. And some how I feel like I have to create some profound thought that opens the world up to you. Something that speaks of Jesus and isn't edited. Something that is raw and beautiful and makes you smile and laugh. Something that doesn't worry about what you think, but I can't. I can't do it. I can't even type fast enough to get my thoughts out in a flow. But I try and I hate what I write. It's like a crude JaCK KerOuAK nOVEL. WITH A LOT OF TYPE O'S. So,... (deep breath)... and forget that you might be reading this. Just let the words come, as the ipod plays music in my ears. (Music) "Like the wind you go." Distracted by my thoughts and the music. I think about the day and all of the busyness from teaching and trying. Why do I feel like I have to be anything? Isn't it enough to just be in the midst of who Jesus sees me as. And my ...Oh I don't know. What is that loud noise that I can hear over the music. Take out my ear piece. Look around. It's just the trash guy. Oh yes the music. (Music) "It's ALL ABOUT JESUS. IT'S all about JESUS. And their preoccupied with always doing it right." And that music speaks to me right where I'm at. I'm right here. Trying to find my purity. Trying to live and be open and honest with you. It is all about Jesus. (Music) " It is well, it is well with my soul!"

Jenelle thanks for the inspiration. Be blessed

PS Little baby Leticia is back home with her mommy. Be blessed little one.

How can I be mad?

Last night P went to visit our Angolan friend Visoo. Visoo was part of our second ServetheCity that partnered with Start to Share. It was supposed to be a little Sunday afternoon coffee and chatting. Oh what a laugh. To think that anything will ever go the way we expect.

I expected that she would be gone a couple of hours. Instead, as you can see from the picture to the right, we ended up with a baby. Now my friend the Greggs had that happen. They ended up getting a baby when they didn't expect it. But theirs is still in womb. It's taking awhile. Ours came in one day. Technically she's not ours. See her mama is in Spain. She took a bus there to abort her 13 week old twins. I guess she didn't have any other options as to what she could do with her kids, because she left her 7 yr old, 4 yr old and 9 month old, Leticia, with her 15 year old nephew, who is in the 4th grade and feeding her Chorizo soup. WHAT?!?

So P call's and says she's bringing home baby Leticia. I, being so Christ like, responded WHAT!? She being very Jesus like said "We were just talking about what an amazing man you are and how well you would take this." I, in my Christ like fashion, responded "MMMMMM!!! Fine bring her home."

Which brings me to the car, which is in Lisbon, and not at my apartment...but maybe I'll share that part later. Right now Leticia is safe, not eating Chorizo soup and getting a lot of love from Tia (Aunt) P. Pray for Leticia's mama. Be Blessed and remember the widows and orphans.

Church Plant

This poor little guy has had a hard time as of late. When he came to live with us. He was in bad shape. In the process of being moved he was placed in a garbage bag to protect him. As it was summer the short hour he sat in the car before being transported to our house did some major damage to him. You can see that the whole center section has had the dead part trimmed off. He looks a little funky, but who am I to talk. I wake up to my self every morning.

So why am I rambling on about our plant you ask? Well he just got the dead parts trimmed off yesterday and after I had finished I was looking at him and I thought, "I can't believe he survived." (I like calling it a he. It gives him personality.) I wanted him to survive, but we received him right before our trip to Hungry and we were going to be gone so I figured, he might not make it. Such is life. So I stuck him in the plant bed out side and left him til later.

Later came and I kind of just left him with the other plants. He got a little water, but he looked bad. His pot was leaning over side ways in the other flower bush and he had all these brown parts that made him look almost dead.So i decided yesterday to get him out of there and see if there was any hope.

I got him out of the planter, cut off the dead stuff and took a look at him. What do you know, he was a little beat-up, but alive and had even put off new growth.

That's when I remembered something Gerard Kelly had said at CONNECT, (our yearly conference). He had said that some people think the church in Europe is dead, but that it will not die unless God gives up on it and God has not given up on the church in Europe.

So I was looking at this poor plant and I thought "Yes, maybe this old plant looked dead, and I had to cut a bunch of dead parts off, but it is alive and new growth is happening."

Yes maybe the church in Europe needs to have some dead trimmed off. Yes, maybe some people figure it's dying or dead. Yes, maybe it's had some damage done and now it looks a little funky. That's okay. God's not finished with it yet. He is the master gardener. After He's trimmed it up, it will thrive.

So, now I have my own little church plant, to remind me that God will finish what He started. I think I'll name him Luther. The plant, not God. Be Blessed and let's all work on trimming off the dead parts.

Last Week

The cool of Fall in the air. The smell of the sea and moisture in the air. Looking around I wonder where the weeks has gone. Sunday is always so busy, but this was a lovely restful Sunday. Over the last week we have had a number of people living with us. Four different German girls and a fellow for the UK. Beautiful people. Three of them had been out at Baba's land. What a blessing to have these people be a part of our life for awhile. Especially the lives of our kids.
So anyhow yesterday was a wonderful Sunday. After meeting at Scott and Terri's house with our Grace community, I came home to my sick little family. Eden had been running a fever, Noah had one of those frog coughs and P had this crazy rash that covered her whole body. So they stayed home. After a busy week of school, teaching, team meetings, basic life, visitor, and sickness, I was ready for a down day. And I got it. A lovely time of visiting with Arron and listening to great music. Time to laugh, bar-b-que sausages and make pizza. A time to eat together and fellowship together. A time to sit and read Nancy Drew. A time to play with Lego's and read animal joke books. A time to prepare for the week ahead. A time to hear each others stories and live in the midst of His love.
I hope you will find a place of rest sometime this week. A place to laugh, and eat and love in the presence of God. Be Blessed

From Here to Eternity

A year ago we could hardly function. A day might go something like, what are we going to do today? Do we have food? Better go to Jumbo. You want to go? Let's all go. The kids reply, we don't want to go. Ok let's go. No let's just get frango. (Roasted chicken) No we need toilet paper, let's just go to Jumbo and get it over with. OK let's go.
After three hours of wandering around Jumbo dazed and confused we finally check out and head home with our two little bags of groceries. After walking in the door we realize we have no toilet paper and didn't purchase anything that we can make a full meal out of. So I go and buy chicken.
One year later. Today we...
*Took the kids to school.
*Took care of the rental contract.
*Worked with the AIDS orphanage.
*Helped George with his painting job.
*Went to Aki and bought supplies for Casa Sol.
*Call the consulate in Spain.
*Went grocery shopping.
*Made dinner for our German friends.
*Taught theatre to 5th and 6th graders.
*Put mins. on our cell phone.
*Went to the post office.
*Did home work with the kids.
*Did laundry. Wash, line dried and folded.
*Cleaned the kitchen.
*Wrote the blog.
So as you can see, a year can really make a difference. wish we were always this productive.
Be blessed.

Stories of Life

So awhile ago I promised you I would try and put the Monkey story on my blog. I'm sorry it took so long but here it is. This dates back to our service day in Vienna, on August the 12th. I will try to capture the essence of the story as told to me by my wife, daughter and one Mr. Troy Cady.
It was a warm, muggy summers day in the city of Vienna and About 300 people from Christian Associates were heading out in my different direction to do service project for ServetheCity, Vienna. My son and I were part of the street performance team which I was heading up while my wife and daughter had been slotted to help clean up and animal shelter.
Their trip started off with a nice long walk to the shelter, a nice long walk in which they proceeded to get really lost. It was a good thing that Eric Folbrect, who was our CAI point man, had set up ways to contact people if we ended up lost or needing advice on any situation. They were finally able to get to the shelter and proceed with the animal shelter clean up.
Now I don't know about y0u, but for some reason, when I hear that someone is working at the animal shelter I figure they will be working with animals. Wrong. With kids in tow they were shown the road around the shelter and were put to work preparing it for re-paving. Hot, hard, dirty, physical work. But being the spiritual giants they are, they just jumped right in and started cleaning with out a word of complaint. (I have no idea if that true. I just thought it sounded good.) Anyhow they did the work that was needed and then were shown around the shelter. What pops into your mind when I say animal shelter? Puppies or kitties? What about tigers or giant chimpanzies? Well if you said dogs and cats you'd be wrong.
So here comes the monkey part. They see the tiger that is only kept from them by chain link fence, then are shown the giant chimpanze. This chimp stands about five feet tall and was once a lab chimp. He looks like a giant monkey on steroids. Not only that but he is very aggressive. As they watch him in his cage he starts swaying back and forth, then suddenly he picks up this boot that is in the enclosure and throws it at the plexiglass. Big scream from the crowd. AAAAHHHH! Then he leaps at the glass but misses and falls into the pit in front of the glass. No one could believe it and they all watched as he scrambled back out of the pit to go watch them from the little hill in the enclosure.
My daughter was really glad there was glass there because he didn't look like a friendly monkey. But now he was acting weird again. Standing at the back of the enclosure he starts hopping up and down getting higher and higher, banging the steel door of his enclosure as he does. Screaming Tarzan like monkey screams. Higher and higher. Then suddenly he launches him self from the back of the enclosure, across the pit right into the glass in front of them. BAM! Just like one of those George of the Jungle, hitting the tree moments and slides down into the pit. Everyone screamed like a girl;)
Now even though chimpzilla was poorly behaved, you have to understand he had not had such a great life, being a scientific experiment chimp and all. So in the end they really felt sad for the poor fellow. And anyhow they had a great story to share with the rest of us that night at the b-b-q. If any of you know Terri Last you should ask her to tell you her pig in the subway story.
All right that's about it. Hope I did the monkey story justice. Be Blessed and watch out for monkeys on steroids.

Back to School

Top three things I like about the kids going back to school...

1. The kids are happy.

2. I am happy.

3. P is happy.

The kids are loving school so much. I wish I had some pictures to show you, but alas no luck. Eden is making lots of friends and Noah seems to be enjoying school as well. Even though Noah never seems to be hot on "boring" studies, he's ready for his spelling test tomorrow and doesn't seem to really mind getting up at 7:00 am. He was getting up at around 10:30 over the summer. It's a new school year and we are starting a new season of life. Were just glad that we were graded on a curve this last year. Be Blessed and I'll meet you at the monkey bars at lunch.

Night and Day

For the past week we have been up to our necks painting and repairing Casa Sol. Start to Share a volunteer organization from Holland came down to fix up the inside of the place while the kids were away for holiday. The pictures to the right show the before and after work that was done.
Once again we built amazing relationships with some amazing people. This was Start to Shares first event and Serve the City, Lisboa was privledged to get to partner with them. Our community here in Lisbon really poured themselves out to get this thing done. There was more work than people and yet somehow it got done. The pay off was seeing the faces of these kids when they walked into their home and saw it all fixed up. so yes I am tired and sore but who am I to complain. I live in a nice home,with my little family and don't have AIDS. Now to find ways to connect with these kids in relational ways. More than stuff and fixing up their home, what they need is love. One on one love from people who are part of their lives. People who know them.
In other news...The kids start school on Monday. They are very excited and so are we. Also I will be starting to teach drama to the k-4th graders once a week and the 7-8th graders once a week. God rocks! Not only do I get to do something I love and use my gifting, but it will help bring down the cost of school tuition for the kids.
So that's a brief up date and idea of life here. P is busy with ServetheCity and our community is continuing to grow. Be Blessed and remember, no matter where you go, there you are.

To Do Today

1. Finish painting Casa Sol before the kids get home on Friday. (The place looks so much better all ready. Check out how moldy all the ceilings were in this place. Not good for kids with AIDS.)

2. Say good bye to the Hurst before they head back to Italy. (We will miss them till they move back here in October.)

3. Mail in our rental contract for this next year. (Wow, one year almost.)

4. Work on school stuff. (Kids go back to school on Monday and I start teaching theatre classes there the next week.)

Ok so I had better get running if i'm going to get anything done today. Be Blessed

Catching Up

Well we are back from our week long conference in Hungry and a short holiday in the mountains of central Portugal. There is to much news to tell you everything, but here are some highlights...

* We were really inspired to go deeper with God because of the teaching from Philippians at "Connect". Our speaker, the pastor of Cross Roads Amsterdam, was amazing.We looked at our suffering with Jesus and God not being done with the church here in Europe. Plus many other things. You might want to look at Philip. 3:12-14. Good stuff.

*Our first day at "Connect" we went into Vienna and did a one day ServetheCity event. Paula and Eden helped clean up an animal shelter. Noah and I worked with a group of people doing street theatre. Once again amazing things happened. I'll see if I can get some info up about the giant monkey that was out of his head crazy at the shelter and our encounter with the police doing street theatre.

*The kids had a wonderful time at the "Connect"/conference. They swam, made new friends from places like Romania, France, and Holland, enjoyed kids camp and over all wore themselves out.

*Eden celebrated her 11th birthday in the airport of Vienna. Poor things b-day fell on our big travel day. The down side was it was not a birthday party b-day. The up side was getting to hang out at the Starbucks in the airport all day. Plus she got almost anything she asked for that day, due to the guilt of no being able to really celebrate her special day.

*Our camping trip to central Portugal was much needed. We re-grouped as a family. Had fun together. Read books, went swimming in the river, jumped on the trampoline, laughed alot and saw some amazing Roman ruins on our way back home.

So that a little idea of the last few weeks. Like I said there's so much more I could tell you about. I'll try to get a couple of stories on in the next few day. Probably Tuesday, because I'm going to be out at Casa Sol painting tomorrow. Hope you have all had a great summer. Miss ya and can't wait to talk to you. Be Blessed

Learning to PLAY

When I was a kid I used to play. One of my favorite things to do was to go ride bikes with my friend Billy. Billy was a half Greek and Half Spanish boy with a smile to charm old Scratch himself. I loved hanging out with him. He was my best friend and we did everything together. Swim, bike, find old chewing tobacco in the high school baseball dug out and chew it. Walk old news papers down to the recycling in the 100 degree heat for cash, after chewing the tobacco. Buy lunch with the money we got from the newspapers. Then puke all over the front of the restaurant from the tobacco and the heat. It was great. We played. We played all the time.

So what happened? When did I forget how to play? I don't know. I look around and I see all these people who like to go out and play. The bikers. The surfers. The musicians. The campers. They know how to play and I don't. Something in me wants to play, but something else says "Nah". But that is all changing.

I am discovering my inner child. The one who wanted to go fishing and ride his bike and go to the beach. I am learning to play guitar. Well actually I am practicing guitar. I stink but that's ok. It's part of the process and the process in getting to something is the biggest part of the thing it's self. I am also learning to surf. Yes I know your saying, "You've lived in Portugal, one of the best surfing spot, and you haven't tried to surf?" Well I can say that I was able to get up the other day on my learner board. It was great. I spent the whole day wearing my self out surfing.

So I am learning to play again. I am learning to let myself relax a little. I am finding that little Spence and taking him to the beach. Want to come out and play?

All's Well that Ends Well

Well here we are, three days after SERVE THE CITY, LISBOA, and we seem to have survived. All I can say is WOW! We had sooooo much work, and sooooo many people showed up to give their time for these two orphanages. It was awesome.

On Saturday night we had a "Grande Fiesta". As I looked around at all the smiling faces, i realized what an amazing thing we had all just experienced together. There was lots of food, drink, music and dancing. Awards were given out to the kids from surf camp. We had a celebrity from one of the favorite TV shows there. The kids were laughing. We were laughing. And I think God was laughing as well. At least I imagine He was. How could he not?

In four days we were able to give surf lessons to 15 kids from ALDIEA SOS. Re-paint an enormous multi-purpose room, plus bathrooms and hall at ALDIEA SOS. Paint the outer two walls of the recreation room at ALDIEA SOS. Put up a shade for the play area at CASA SOL. And repaint the in side court yard and out side wall of CASA SOL. (See picture above) It was a very long wall.

Peoples lives were touched. Peoples lives were changed. And God showed up in really cool ways. We had moments where we weren't sure we were going to get it off the ground. There were times when I thought this thing isn't going to get done. Then were times when I thought I love this and I hate this, but when all is said and done, I wouldn't trade it for the world. Blessings

Puking for Jesus-DAY 3 STC

So here we are at the end of day three of SERVE THE CITY LISBON. We have painted the court yard and outer wall of CASA SOL. That was a lot of work, but it sure felt great to see it when we were finished. We also put up a sunshade for the kids in an area that was blasted by the sun each afternoon, making playing almost impossible. Tomorrow everyone is at ALDIEA SOS. There is still a lot to do so please pray it finishes well.

So now for my story of the day. We left early this morning so we could pick-up Pasteis de Belem for all the workers. Noah is never the easiest person to get rolling in the morning, and this morning was no exception. He always has some pain or ill feeling when we need him to do something he doesn't want to do. So this morning he was complaining about his stomach. Well you can probably guess what's coming, but I'll fill you in.

We get to CASA SOL and start to work. Both the kids have been big helpers. So Eden jumped in, but Noah was kind of not in the game. I told him to rest and stay in the shade. It's really hot at CASA SOL. After awhile he came out and help, but then needed to rest in the shade again. I let him. I didn't want to hear him whine.

So there I am out on the street painting the outside wall and all of the sudden I hear Paula say "Keep going! Try to get out to the gutter!" Then I see Noah Puke with as much force as a fire hose. He takes two more steps out the door, and he does it again. Were all yelling "Get to the gutter!" And he's puking his guts up.

So yes we finished the work at CASA SOL, but not at a cost. Noah and Paula went home at lunch. He was a trouper and waited to go home at lunch. Right now he's sitting on the couch watching TV. He told me he puked out his nose two this afternoon. Pray he feels better so he can enjoy the Grande Fiesta tomorrow night. Be Blessed.

Kids, Work, and Blessings

So here are a few pics of the work being done. This was the first day at Aldiea SOS. We are sunburned, tired, and very content to be doing this work. We have had many people volunteer and spirits are up. SERVE THE CITY, Lisbon is going well. Please keep praying for us as we build relationship, and put muscle to the gospel. We are all blessed to be a blessing. You be Blessed too.

STC One Day Down

This picture is of Aldiea SOS the orphanage with 80 kids. It was the second of two projects that the Farmer family worked on today. The first was Casa Sol, the children's AIDS home for orphaned kids. In total we had about 30 people turn up for these two service project. It was wonderful to watch the outdoor court yard wall being transformed right before our eyes. Even though paint wasn't even applied yet, the improvement was drastic.

At one point I was inside Casa Sol, refilling water buckets to wash the walls. And two little girls, tiny little things, came around the corner to see what I was doing. They were the sweetest little things. Speaking my very broken Portuguese, I tried to share with them what I was doing. They attempted to correct my poor language skills. It was my favorite moment of the morning at Casa Sol.

I'll let Eden share a little about her day.

EDEN: I did some work spackling the walls. I was up on the ladder, and let me tell you working on ladders is not as easy as it looks. When I got home my feet hurt so much I wanted to scream because of my little friend called PAIN. At CASA SOL, I meet this cute little girl named Matricia,and at ALDEIA SOS I meet the cutest little puppy named Luna. While I was working I felt good seeing the kids smiles at Casa Sol.

So there it is, a brief up-date of our first day. I need to check in with the surfers and see how things went with the surf camp. I did see some of the kids dragging in as we were cleaning up. So I figure they had a great day. Will keep you up-dated as we progress toward the end of the week and towards greater exhaustion. I'm sure it will be well worth it, if this first day is any indicator.

Keep praying and be Blessed

Can you see my heart?

We are in the last few days before Serve the City kicks off. Please pray with us and for us as we do the work of serving these two orphanages. We have a lot of people involved in this and are expecting some great things to grow out of STC.

We are doing well. I really appreciate your comments back. It sure keeps us feeling connected with the states and old friends. Eden is having a little home sickness right now.

Our community, Grace has been sharing our life stories over the Summer. It is wild to see how peoples life's are all sewn into the fabric of Gods story. It is also heart breaking to see the abuse, abandonment, and hurt that we have all suffered through our lives. If you doubt that we are in a battle, just listen to the stories of the people around you. We are all walking wounded in some way. What an amazing privilege to fight for the hearts of this wonderful group of people.

So life is beautiful...(if you haven't seen the movie A Beautiful Life, see it!) My wife and kids are beautiful, God is beautiful, and you are as well. Now I have the Mister Rogers theme music in my head. Won't you be my neighbor.

If we can be praying for you in any way let us know.

Blessings

As I sit hear...

I'm listening to Charlie Dodrill and blogging in the dark. The cool of the night air is coming in through the sliding patio door. Somewhere down stairs I can hear the sound of chains as the cafe locks up their tables for the night. Kids and wife are tucked for the night. The dog's have been out.(plural dogs because were watching our friends dog Skitso. That's her name. She's very sweet.) I can't seem to go to bed before midnight anymore. So here I am thinking about life and wondering what to say.

We just had 2500 individual cereal boxes delivered to our garage the other day. The local Grocery store, Jumbo, is donating a bunch of food for the final get together. We're going to have a full blown surf camp. A couple has provided finances to cover the work being done at Casa Sol. People are starting to sign-up to serve. A local company is printing 80 t-shirts with the Serve the City logo and donating them. I am blown away. God is providing so much. It's crazy cool!

I wish that stupid street light outside would stop flashing on and off. The other day all the street lights on the street were on in the middle of the day. A few nights before there were none on during the night. I kind of feel like our street lights sometime. I'm shining like I'm supposed to, but maybe it's the wrong time or I'm blinking on and off. Ah well. This little light of mine I'm gonna let it shine. In the morning.

Blessings

PS Happy Birthday Dane. The picture is from the night we went to Lisboa and read my play. Praying for you all.

At the Twilights Last Gleaming

We all get older, and I am no exception. This year is the 39th time I will celebrate the anniversary of my being here. I can think of only one other time I was out of country on my b-day. It was 1990 and I was in Kiev. There is a long story that involves the night before my 22nd birthday. (One of my favorite stories.) I'll save that for another time. This year will be the second time I celebrate out of country.

One of the things about celebrating my B-day is the fact that it happens the day after the Fourth of July. The day America celebrates it's independence. Fourth of July fireworks mean it's the eve of my Birthday. It's kind of like my own personal Christmas Eve for my birth. (Ooohh, that sounds weird. I am not comparing my birth to the Birth of Jesus.) Anyhow I have always felt like my birthday starts on the night of the Fourth of July. America throws a big fireworks celebration to kick it off.

Last week I was talking about how this would be one of the few years that I would not be seeing fireworks for my birthday. It was a somber realization. I think somehow I look forward to those fireworks more than anything else on my birthday. Don't get me wrong, go ahead and send money and gifts if you want, but the fireworks somehow symbolize my b-day and now they will not be there. It's funny, you don't realize how new cultures and environments can effect you, until you encounter those moments of loss. Fireworks is a loss for me.

But wait, this whole last week the "World Cup" for sailing was hosted here in our home town. It was a big deal. The place was packed. It was very important. So last night I had just settled down with a book, when there was a terrorist attack. Or at least that was the first thing that went through my head when I head the loud explosions. (We don't live to far from Scotland) I jumped up as the third or fourth explosion rang out. A fifth one. I bolted to the living room. And what to my wondering eyes should appear? The rockets red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof to the night, that my God was still there. He loved me so much that he made sure that I received my birthday present. FIREWORKS!

As we stood there singing the National Anthem and watching some of the most beautiful fireworks I have ever seen, I felt as if it was okay. We are free! My life is good! And those fireworks were for my birthday. Even if they were two days early. Be Blessed!