Forget to blog much?

Haha wow, it's once again been a seriously long time since I've blogged...just over a month now. Well a lot has certainly happened, it's hard to just determine where to begin!

Well at Teen Missions the latest push has been the big annual mailing that we do every year where we send out our new brochures with all the new teams for the following summer as well as other TMI news. I'm sure some of you will even be receiving it shortly as it was completed Friday. In total, we sent out around 87,000 pieces in 1149 trays. This was a massive workload to print, "stuff" and seal! Sean Deegan and I did all the printing and sorting and then this past week all the offices essentially shut down so that the information can all be coalated and put into the printed envelopes and then delivered to the post office. It took us three loads to deliver and honestly Sean and I can attest to the fact that there was never a dull moment! If you wanna take a peak at the team list now you can check out the TMI website at www.teenmissions.org spread the word! :)

Okay so since the last time I've shared on here, I went on Thanksgiving break which was amazing because I arranged to go to my sister and brother in law's apartment in
Boston. It was a wonderful time despite being a bit chilly compared to what I'm used to in (still humid in December) Florida. We had our Thanksgiving meal with some friends of their's from church and then spent the next few days doing tours and sightseeing. I have pics up from the trip on Facebook if you haven't seen them yet.

It's hard to believe the Christmas season is already upon us....it feels like just last month that I got down here in March starting my internship and now I'm 9 months in! Time has gone by ridiculously quickly! God has really blessed me with being able to get a ride up for Christmas break and back so that I do not even have to purchase flights! I will also be able to help drive to keep the non-stop trip going and help compensate for gas. God is so good! :)

What God has been working on me lately (and still is really) is being thankful for the gifts that we have. I am actually going to be doing a chapel on this Tuesday morning at Teen Missions. Sometimes I often feel like the appendix here because everyone seems to have a role in what they do and they are definitely good at it. People at TMI tend to just have skills in things or at least the experience to make it work whereas I feel inadequate in mostly the summer things like construction and work projects. It's really not my niche or comfort zone and yet God has called me to be here. There are, however, many gifts that I believe I do have which sometimes seem more under the radar but I have had friends who have told me how much they've greatly appreciated them and that I should not think them less than other peoples' gifts. It's not like I was not aware about the Bible speaking on the body of Christ being like a real body. It's something that I think I took for granted and wasn't accurately applying to myself. I guess I felt like the baby toe wanting to be a thumb or an eye. It's something that God is still working on me with and I'm trusting Him for the plan He has in me being here. God used men and women in the Bible to do great things which they never thought they could handle or do. I read about Moses a lot because I feel that sort of connection but it's actually an encouragement because of the reminder of God's promises. I know that I do accomplish things here (by the strength of God, I claim nothing myself) especially in the year-round work that happens to keep this place running and God encourages me with little reminders of why I'm doing what I'm doing. It really is a blessing to me to be able to be in ministry here and to work with all the wonderful people that I do.

So anyhow, this leads to me sharing how I often felt that I would be completing my internship and then move on to something else, obviously involving missions work of some type or ministry but I do not feel that God is calling me away at all. In fact, I feel that I'm right where I'm supposed to be and just because my third year of the BMW program is ending, doesn't mean my commitment with God is over here at TMI. Please continue to pray with me about this decision as it is a giant leap of faith for me. There are a few things that need to happen for me to continue on with staff here at TMI though, one of which would be my transportation situation. I'm praying about getting my motorcycle's license when I go home in March (because I currently still have an Indiana license and it's also way cheaper than getting one in Florida) and then buying a bike because you don't need insurance and it saves soooo much on fuel compared to a car. I also want to do a bit more support raising and and sharing about Teen Missions in churches in the area. Please be in prayer with me on this decision and that I would continue to listen to God in where He is leading and guiding. Until next time, Merry Christmas (no political correctness here! heh) and Happy New Year!

Shed Pt. 2

Howdy; man it's been a while huh? I'm officially proud to announce that the shed project is finished...well.... it's a functioning shed :) What I mean by that is, we're still getting shelves inside as well as doing the insulation. I know what you're thinking though..."insulation....in Florida?" however, it's more or less to keep the heat out and keep it cool inside...trust me... it works. :)

So after we had all the walls up with it being housewrapped, we started putting up the Hardi board siding. This definitely got interesting when it came time to do the higher parts on ladders with just two guys. In fact, almost everything was done on ladders from this point on aside from pre-building the trusses. We got the two end trusses up and then fixed the cat-beam into place. Then it was a matter of putting up each truss, one of us on either side. After the trusses were up we had to haul up the sheets of plywood for the roof, cover it in housewrap as well and then roll out the "low slope" roofing. This is essentially like tiling but it actually rolls out and is a bit easier to do. Then we painted on some "siliconizer" (sp? don't have time to check) for more protection from weather (This is the place to be in a storm, folks lol...at least if you live on Heavenly St) All that was left for the actual construction process was painting and putting on a door which we built from 2x4's and put some hardi board over that too. Shelves are still being put up in the inside as well as the insulation being finished, however it's a fully functioning shed with stuff in it already including Sean's workout machine. The shed was painted this past Saturday with the help of BMW students who were on the street for their free weekend in between terms. So in all the shed is 16' x 12' and probably about 13' high so it's no wonder it has gained the nickname "the barn" :) It was a lot of fun to build and it took us three weekends with a couple hours of work on it every evening after working at Teen Missions. We just beat daylight savings time ending as well which helped us have more daylight.

I wanted to give you a supplies list so here's the initial one. More things were bought like insulation and the low slope.

90 2x4's 8 feet long
6 2x4's 16 feet long
6 2x4's 12 feet long
11 2x6's 16 feet long
3 2x6's 12 feet long
16 sheets of plywood 4x8
17 4x8 8 in hardi paneling
22 hardi trim (to cover the connection points of the hardi boards)
1 roll of EasyGard housewrap
3 90 Lbs masonry blocks
4 footing blocks
16 solid blocks

Now you can see why it would take the two of us so long to unload the trailer from his front yard and lay it out in the backyard haha.

If you have Facebook you can see the pictures here at this link...if you don't have Facebook and want to see them, let me know and I'll figure out how to get them on here. Here's the link:

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/album.php?aid=121759&id=516543264

Until next time,

-Danny
Gal 2:20

The Shed Project

So my friend Sean has been wanting to get a shed for a while now for his backyard because he has kids now and you just can't store stuff in a trailer...it's not feasible with a family's worth of stuff lol. He's been doing the research on the supplies and stuff he'd need and he was able to pick them up this past Wednesday. We had to take the Teen Missions trailer with the Diesel F350 to Home Depot just to get all the stuff. I'll hopefully have a supplies list to post on here later, it was quite intense. It honestly filled a 16 ft trailer and it took the two of us about an hour and a half just to unload it from the driveway and stack it out back.
We were able to start working on it this past Saturday and got the whole floor down. Because we weren't pouring any concrete, he wasn't required to get a permit for it despite it being a whopping 16 x 12 building. We layed concrete blocks down as a base and then built the floor joists and frame. We put house wrap over the top of that to keep any moisture and bugs out, and then put on the plywood flooring. We were set for the day after putting a coating of floor sealant over top of that just to re-enforce no moisture coming through. (yeah dad, it was from Sherwin-Williams heh)

Yesterday, we spent some time cutting and framing together all the walls, making mounts for two windows on either side, and getting them ready to put up today. We got a couple other guys from staff to come over this evening after work and we tacked in all four walls and put the top-plates on, securing the whole thing together. It's really starting to look great and I'm excited to get to the siding and then the trusses for the roof etc. I've been taking pictures along the whole process and will have those up on Facebook. If I ever figure out how to do pics on here too I can for those of you without FB. Anyhow, that's what I've been up to lately. I"m looking forward to seeing several of you when I come home for Christmas for a couple weeks!

Two Weeks Ago

So yeah I know, I'm not good at this whole "remember to update your blog" thing but I suppose there's more to write about when you space things out :) Two weekends ago (that being, not the one we just went through in case you're reading this at 3 am and are getting confused. And if that's the case, let me know cuz I doubt anyone has ever read this blog in the middle of the night hah...) I helped my staff family (the family who 'adopted' me while at BMW) move out of their trailer on Heavenly street out to their house in Port St. John. I'm really excited for them that they were able to move and it was fun helping them. They've moved on from staff, now that things became difficult with some family stuff and I'm really going to miss them but am happy that they are doing what they believe God is leading them to do. I also had the first time experience of going to an IKEA superstore because there is one in Orlando and my friends Sean and Sharon were going to get some laminate for their daughter's bedroom floor. I tell you what, that place may "look" like a Best Buy on the outside but it's definitely not on the inside :P I will probably always think twice if I ever got married about making my wife spend hours on end in a Best Buy because I will remember what it was like for so many hours in IKEA haha.

Some Teen Missions Overseas updates

Hey gang,

I know it's been awhile since I've blogged but it's pretty much been day to day work as we're getting back into
the swing of things after the Staff Field conference. That went really well, by the way, and hopefully many of the
ideas that were come up with will be able to be done.

Anyhow, I wanted to share with you some of the updates that have been coming in from our overseas bases and rescue
units. For those of you that don't know, Teen Missions is in association with Aids Orphans and Street Children. It was
started by the folks at Teen Missions who have a burden for the families and children in Africa who are suffering
because of the AIDS pandemic. We have found since the beginning of the decade that a "rescue unit" is much more
feasible than an orphanage because while an orphanage can only house so many children, a rescue unit is liking
taking an orphanage to the people. This first one is a report from our base in Zambia:

"Greetings,
Yesterday I sat in the office listening to Mike Monze and Mathews Shikishi and just shook my head. The plight of the people when there is no doctor is just tragic. Mathews said that last week a lady came by the Mukema unit for medical help. She had walked about 7 miles to come to the unit, crossing two rivers. She couldn't really say what was wrong just that she was having pains. Mathews wasn't really sure what to do as she didn't really share anything that he could recognize as wrong. He referred her to the clinic at St Mary's and she left. Her younger sister was with her and also a young boy. They hadn't walked but a short distance from the unit when they had to stop because of the pains. They went behind an ant hill and found a place for her to lie down. While there she delivered a baby. Out in the open, with only grass and leaves for a bed, there was no doctor not even a mid-wife. Mathews helped her and they got her to St Mary's clinic. The mother and baby come by the unit the next day and thanked Mathers for his help and the new mom left to continue the long walk home. Just another day where there is no doctor.

Mike then shared that recently people brought a lady to Luswishi on a bicycle ambulance. She had just delivered a baby and the baby was fine but she hadn't delivered the placenta. The lady was in pain and extremely weak, unable to talk. While they were trying to assess the situation the lady stiffened up. They saw her eyes roll back into her head and she became limp. Queen rushed up to her and began praying, rebuking death and commanding life back into her body. They immediately prepared her and began the long journey to the clinic. Queen continued to pray. Maybe about half way there the lady opened her eyes and seemed to revive and short time later she began to talk and shared that she had died but now was feeling fine. I don't know how true, in fact, that was except that is what the lady shared. They did get her to the clinic but the clinic wasn't able to help her either and they took her to Kitwe where they were able to remove the placenta. The mother and baby have since returned to the unit and they are indeed fine. Life and death can hang in the balance where there is no doctor.

Zambia"

This next one is from Belize, our base that we have had for several years. We've run a couple of bootcamps there and have hoped to be able to set up a BMW school there from that but it has not taken off in the culture as well as we've hoped. It's also been a problem in trying to find a family to be full time coordinators down there as it is a difficult place to be and as it says in Matthew, the work is plenty but the people are few. This past summer, however, a family joined staff with the intentions of going to Belize and God has really been opening doors for them. They led a team there this summer and are currently serving in Belize. Just recently they've sent this report:


"We currently have 7 students enrolled to start BMW on 9/22/09. We have interviewed another 6 students that we are praying about and may possibly have a couple more interviews to go. We are blown away by God's goodness at choosing to open the doors the way He has. In the beginning we thought if we at least ended up with 3 or 4 from Copper Bank, it would be a great start, now we are looking at having as many as 15 students and some from as far away as San Ignacio, 9 miles from the Guatemala border in Cayo. We need God's wisdom though as in some cases, it is obvious the parents and/or pastors are more excited than the young person. They want their young people off the streets and away from their bad friends. We keep trying to push for those that really feel called to serve the Lord, but we know even if they come with different motives, God can really work on their heart. We had two 14 year olds apply. The first one we rejected on the spot as he was obviously not prepared for it and it was his mom's idea. The other one we are still praying about.

David Powell
9/18/09"

It really is a miracle that there is this sudden interest in the Bible program and it is such a blessing to hear as I spent two weeks during BMW down there at the property repairing the chain link fence and uprooting giant stumps from the ground after Hurricane Dean hit.

This last report is from another base I've been to back in 2006. It is from one of the students in Siberia which now runs a Bible school. I was on the first team to this location and helped establish the first Bootcamp that was run there. So much progress has been made on the grounds as well as increases in the bootcamp attendance and now the BMW starting:

Last Friday, on Sept.25, when I was at the plumbing store, buying
a WATER METER, I came across a very good accquaintence of mine, a
jew, that is now about 80 years old. Each time we would meet I try to
tell him that he needs Jesus... He would be very polite listening; he
would tell me that he is reading the Bible for Children because he
cannot understand the Word of God that is addressed to adults.
But this time at the end of our talk he agreed to pray a prayer
of repentence according the FOUR SPIRITUAL LAWS booklet.
God is wonderful!!! He is so patient with us for He does not want
anyone to perish but have an everlasting life!!! 1 Tim 2:1-6."


Vera Moskalyova: "Last year, at Siberian Boot Camp, I came to
know about a Bible School that was to be opened at Krasnaya Niva at
the end of August. I wanted to be the part of it from the very
beginning. But I have got one of my knees injured and had to go
through a surgery and a very complicated treatment.
All this time I was thinking about BMW and praying for the
possibility to study there. I have a great desire to serve God, to
grow spiritually and to be firmly enrooted in Christ the Lord.
This year my dream has come true. I am studying at BMW for one
month by now. I like it here very much! I have already come to know
many things that I have never known before. God reveals His truth
through His Word, through our teachers. I feel very satisfied with my
studies although there are many things that are sometimes very
difficult for my understanding! Let's for example take Russian
Grammar!!!
I give thanks to God and to everybody who made it possible for me
to study here. God bless You all!."


October 1, 2009. E.Trofimova,
L.Litvinova.

Staff Field Conference

So things at work have been gearing up for our staff field conference lately. It's basically a time after the summer to do an overview of the last year and then go over things on how they can be improved as well as work on a "gameplan" I guess you could say for the next year. Our 2010 begins October first, technically speaking because that's what we've made our fiscal year. Yesterday we had our morning of prayer with a few outside guest speakers. We prayed for all of our staff bases overseas as well as for the ministry as a whole. Please be keeping Teen Missions in your prayers as we move forward on working for new goals, projects and seeking God's will as we prepare for next summer.

Canada - The Travel

So it was after the summer that I found out about the Canada trip. Paul Kostner was asking if I was interested in going and I had two questions, one being serious and the other facetious because I already knew the answer. I asked who as in charge and whether we were driving or flying hah. Paul said he was heading it up so I was very eager to go as well as I knew we'd obviously be driving up.

It wasn't long before I found out that I'd be leaving earlier than the rest of the crew with Dave Charron, Lasta and Dorci. Lasta and Dorci are Indonesian staff serving in Canada and Dave Charron is one of our Canadian representatives from the Ontario base which is being moved). We were leaving early so we could take a load of things in the trailer from the Windsor base and meet the rest of the group leaving the following Monday in Woodstock (near Chicago). We were going to be taking this old Chevy conversion van (basically was like a little mobile camper in the back) but it needed a lot of work before we could go.

So we finally think we're ready, I guess it was the Thursday before the rest of the crew. Dave drove first so he could feel out the van because we didn't even have time to give it a proper road test. Then again, I suppose we did have "time" because we only ended up making it to Titusville (45 mins ish north) before the waterpump gave out and stopped cooling the radiator. We were able to go some back ways back to TMI so it wouldn't overheat. We spent the whole next day fixing the van and left again the following evening.

Things were finally starting to go well and we were making headway. Then, we hit Tennessee and the mountains were really not good for that old van lol. We pulled in to get gas and then the sucker wouldn't start up again. I suppose it was a blessing that it didn't break down on the interstate and that God allowed it to get us to a "convenient" place to break down, if there is such a thing heh. It was the fuel injector/line/something or other. The gas was there but it couldn't be taken to the engine. Anyhow...there we were, right off of I-75 in little old Jellico, Tennessee...not a spit's flight from Kentucky lol. Go ahead, look it up on a map....it's seriously right on the border.

Anyways, it was Saturday evening at this point and no tow truck was gonna make a weekend call in this little town. We inquired at the gas station and called around but really got ahold of no one despite some help. It was really just a God thing because it got us in contact with W.H. Bolwin. It's W.H. who pretty much "own's" the town. In fact, it was his gas station we broke down at, which his son runs, and the one next door...which his daughter runs. He was also the town sheriff and owned about 40% of the property in Jellico and some of the mountainous land around. Anyways, he had a wrecker truck which he volunteered to take the van to the nearest mechanic to have it worked on first thing Monday...meanwhile we checked into two motel rooms and were able to go to church the next day at Crouches Creek Baptist Church...one of the cutest little southern baptist churches you could ever go to. Honestly I've never been to a more welcoming church full of people than right there in Jellico. It was a great time and we even got some rides back and forth by a guy who lived behind the gas station in a mobile trailer and acted as night guard for the station. Sounding like Mayberry yet? :)

Anyhow, there were more complications to the vehicle so we made some calls to Paul and we decided that Shirley (Dave's wife) should come down from Ontario and pick us three up while Dave would stay with the van. So Shirley came down with her neighbor Ross and then Ross and I spent the night driving back up. The humorous part is that the other group who left Monday was not making good time and they also had some tire issues with the trailers they were pulling as well as when you have about 12 people traveling together there are definitely bathroom and gas breaks. So Shirley, Lasta, Dorci, and I make it Canada, spend the night and head west for Chicago. We get to Chicago pretty much the same time that the other crew does. Now here comes more humor/irony whatever you wanna call it.....Dave Charron gets the van going again and he makes it up to the Detroit border by this time. Now he finds out on the Canada side that they won't let him drive the vehicle there because it's an American vehicle and he's Canadian....he's stuck in Detroit lol. Maybe some of you are starting to see what's gonna happen :P

After a nice restful night in Woodstock, Illinois....I get word that Sean Deegan (who was with the other crew) myself and Shirley have to drive right back from where I started (Windsor) and get Dave across (he needed an american driver) load up a trailer full of stuff and make a switch....(being Dave and Shirley) and go meet up with the group in Woodstock...because did I mention... a trailer tire blew right upon arrival. I mean talk about Murphy's Law :P Also, certain paperwork was not done and the border was not notified of crossing 72 hours in advance which was necessary because of things we were importing so that's why they had so much time in Woodstock. Anyways....we get a trailer loaded and strongly impress that we not spend the night but drive straight back to Woodstock that evening and through the night. At this point we all make it together in Woodstock on Thursday morning. I've already been traveling for a week in what was supposed to be like a 48 hour trip (if you could drive non stop heh) We finally travel again and make it to Minneapolis and rest there for the night at one of the staffer's family's house...spend the evening at the Mall of America (America's largest mall) and get going the next day through North Dakota and cross at the border north of Minot. I already feel like I've crossed the border a million times in the last week (Lol) and I'm really excited to arrive in Outlook, Saskatchewan about 6 hours north of the Canadian border. It was a lot of driving, a lot of fun, and I have to say Teen Missions' road trips are full of surprises at every turn. I wouldn't say that necessarily things were neglected or anything like that... just that Satan really really didn't want us to be up there and working on the new property. We really did get so much work done....more on that soon!

Back from Canada!

Well I'm pretty sure that maybe even some of you are scratching your head because you didn't even know I went to Canada (or rather Saskatchewan, Bethany haha)...perhaps you just thought I fell off the face of the earth :) Nonetheless, I am back and it is good to be back. The reason I went to Canada was because Teen Missions recently acquired some property in Saskatchewan by lease for 30 years and paid....$1 No that's not a typo...literally 1 lousy American dollar got us what used to be Camp Outlook in Outlook, Saskatchewan. TMI had been looking for property farther west than where it's current office was (Windsor, Ontario) so that we could do more PR and recruitment all over Canada. Camp Outlook was once a Christian camp run every summer by numerous churches. As far as I know (if my information was correct) the camp was opened back in 1948 (we even saw a signature on the wall from 1949!) 2005 was the last year that the camp was used and ironically enough, even though it was a Christian camp, it was owned by the town. The reason we got such a great lease was because they wanted to see the camp to be continued in use by a ministry. There are numerous little cabins up there as well as some staff cabins, a kitchen, and a "chapel" building (large multi-use building). Mr. Bland and his wife Bernie went and saw the camp in July when the deal was made and they started making arrangements to send a work group up to do things around the property, mostly painting. I, of course, jumped on the opportunity for a roadtrip and a good time working, helping out the Reddekopps (Canadian base coordinators) get the camp looking decent. I want to make seperate blog posts about specific things and this is just the first...otherwise it would be one really long post. Anyhow, it's good to home and I can't wait to share more with you.

An Experience I Won't Forget

So I want to take this time to share something with you that happened in Haiti that really touched my heart:



My arm was getting tired, cramping up from staying in the same position for so long. I didn't care, this was too important. Sweat beaded on my forehead and poured down my face in the warm room with no pleasantry of an air conditioner. Thoughts swarmed my mind of how blessed I am as a person; so spoiled really. As I held this infant in my arms, slowly feeding him the hot corn mush, tears welled up in my eyes and ran down my cheeks. I didn't know his name, but it didn't really matter. All I could do was just pray for him and try to smile as he gladly accepted the food I was giving. He couldn't have been more than 2 inches in diameter in his arms and legs but his stomach was bloated from malnutrition. It was so different than holding any other baby I've ever held. This little guy seemed so emotionless, void of feeling. I couldn't once make him smile, but he at least stopped crying when I picked him up. Looking around, the room was filled with people from my team, all holding and feeding babies, just like I was. Most looked just like me, tears in their eyes and smiles on their faces. That was the fastest 45 minutes of my life... I didn't want to leave. There we were, in Delmas, a region of Port Au Prince not far from our hotel where we were on our site seeing trip. The following day we were to go to Wahoo Bay. We had arranged to stay at a hotel near the orphanage which one of the leaders had been to the year previous. It was a Catholic orphanage called the Three Sisters of Charity. There were so many rooms just filled with cribs, kids on my team in each one. It was an emotionally overpowering moment. I'd never heard my team so silent as a million thoughts raced through their minds, similar to my own. Thoughts of how blessed I am, wondering what happened to their parents, how often they get to eat let alone be held. My heart was broken for each and every one of those little babies. As we were leaving, the tears started falling more steadily, especially as their cries rose from being put back down in their cribs. My whole team was dead silent for the walk back except for silent crying, not really even being able to do a full count off because their voices were gone. Several of the girls actually asked me if we could come back the next day instead of going to the Caribbean beach. I would have loved to myself actually. I'll never forget that day in Haiti, ever, and I doubt that anyone on my team will either. It's a reminder every day of how blessed we are here in the US, and also how much need there is around the world. I wish I could go back and take you all with me.

Hey, I'm back!

Greetings Greetings, I know I've been home for a few days now but this is my official entering back into blog world after going to Haiti. Several of you have asked for blog postings so here goes because I've had a couple days to sort of figure out how I want to do this. Firstly,

Haiti itself was sooo beautiful! I would say it's pretty much the most naturally beautiful country I've ever been to aside from Switzerland and the only reason being was the snow in Switzerland in the Alps is pretty much unbeatable. Haiti is filled with such a diverse culture of people with half of the population living in the nation's capital, Port-Au-Prince and the other half in other cities and in the mountains. Our team was actually located in Boukan, Haiti; a very secluded and mountainous area of Haiti about two hours away from the P-a-P airport. I'll get more into our location in another section. The people of the mountains are a lot poorer and live off the land as their source of provision for their families. The people are so friendly and you can say "bonjour" (which with Haitian Creole comes out like "boe jhoo") to anyone (which means good morning)and they'll say it back. They are so accomodating of "blancs" (white foreigners, but really just comes out as "blahs" haha) and they insist on giving us all the "conveniences" when there are any. Transportation is mostly done in public transport vehicles called "tap-taps" because there is a driver and an assistant. When someone wants on or off, the assistant hanging onto the back of the truck taps a coin or cup or something on the side and the driver stops. I had several opportunities of hanging onto the back of the tap tap because our team was so large and we could hardly fit into one of the canters (the biggest kind of transport truck) when traveling.

Okay so back to our location. We were about a good hour's walk away from the nearest road and it was definitely quite a hike. Let's just say we did a lot of walking this summer haha. Also, one of the hardest things about the summer was just the physicality necessary for daily necessities. The greatest example of this is water. Every morning we had to have our kids go down the side of this mountain (a 20 to 30 minute venture depending on the kid) with a 5 gallon bucket of water to collect it from the river in the valley and then haul it back up. This was for our dishline water, cooking water, and drinking water. (Note, all water consumed was filtered...just throwing that out there lol) We also had to go down every day to bathe and do laundry. A cold river makes a chilly bath but we were grateful as it's a lot easier than bathing out of a bucket like at Bootcamp. It also was easier to grab a rock and start scrubbing on this red clay stained jeans.

Speaking of red stained jeans, one of our main projects that we did in Haiti was leveling the side of this mountain for a future basketball court/retreat center. This was such a huge project as it including digging one corner down 5 feet and raising the opposite corner 5 feet. The whole surrounding mountain view really skews your perceptions of what level really is. We used a water level set up and string line to stake out the land. I really wish I knew just how much dirt we moved but they got it finished in their last workday and it is amazing to see the before and after pictures.

As I mentioned in my last post before I left for Haiti, I said that the work project was very much a construction based project. Well, God definitely has a sense of humor and definitely had me there for a reason, knowing I'd be fine. When we got there, we could see there were lots of cinder blocks ready to start building walls and already a start on the foundation and hole in the ground for a future cistern. Unfortunately, the missionary there already had hired masons who were his brothers in law because his wife, Mona, is Haitian. He didn't want to step on our toes or their toes so basically the kid worked alongside the Haitian masons to a point but they wouldn't even let us work ahead on anything and everything was at there pace. There simply wasn't enough work for a team that size so we asked for more projects and that's how we came up with the basketball field. All the kids did get rotated to help work in the cistern, leveling it out and pouring concrete floor. Some also got to work with rebar for building and pouring columns and then finally building the rock walls. It was hard for the kids (and even me and Tommy) to not get to work on the thing they thought they came for, but God just kept teaching us cultural sensitivity and patience. It also taught the need for flexibility which is so key in life. All in all, a lot of good work was done and I'm really proud of the team for all they accomplished. We often reminded them that God could use that basketball court for so much good, maybe more so than the actual orphanage building itself. They have plans to be able to hold retreats there as well as even concerts or anything else they can think of.

Before the summer, I felt a lot like Moses did when God called him to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. I really just felt like I was to pray for my "Aaron" the mouth of Moses, and honestly pretty much just a security blanket haha. God definitely answered that prayer differently than I was expecting, because I was just thinking on the building project aspect. However, God gave me such an amazing leadership to lead with that really just kept us all going through all the different challenging aspects. Linda had so much team experience as it was her 11th team with TMI...even she said this Haiti team was her hardest yet lol. Amelia's (commonly called Amo) French became invaluable for certain times of needed translation. Haitian Creole is very similar to French and one can generally understand the other for the most part when speaking slowly haha. Tommy was what I initially thought was my construction "Aaron" but really with the project not being that difficult, I realized he was also very much a "spiritual Aaron." What I mean is, is that Tommy and I grew so close as brothers in Christ...really just being there for each other for encouragement and spiritual growth. I couldn't have picked a greater guy to lead with and he was such a blessing to me. I could not have made it this summer without his ever present smile and positive attitude. God really gave me exactly everything I needed this summer but also those stretching and challenging times that caused us all to grow. Life wouldn't be life if we weren't growing, right?

Proverbs 16:9

Well folks, if any of you first looked up the verse in the title, you probably have all experienced at some point multiple times where you've planned something out, (maybe even what you thought God was leading you to do) but God closed the door and in turn opened another. At Teen Missions we always half heartedly joke (but are serious on the other half) that you're never officially on a specific team until that plane leaves the runway. So it is for me this year.

We here at TMI have been praying for head leaders for the Haiti Orphanage team for quite some time as the previous allocated head leaders are unable to attend this summer. It is the largest team out of both Bootcamps with 29 kids. From what I know of Haiti, it can be a rough, and even in some places, dangerous country. It's not going be what we would refer to as a "Holiday Inn" team. Anyhow, as I'm sure you've figured out by now if you didn't already know, is that I've been asked to step aside from Ecuador preteen and be the head leader to Haiti along with another lady who is being pulled off an Africa team to be the head female. This is really an intimidating thing for me as I've never led a teen team before, let alone having 29 kids on one! It's also a really construction based project so that's not really my forte either. All I know is, that God is giving me a peace about it and I'm pretty much the only viable option they have (pretty obviously or I don't think they would have asked, hah!) I'm just trusting the Lord, knowing that He must have something great for this team, and Satan is trying to hit full blast to keep it from happening.

I covet your prayers in this matter so much and am truly thankful to those of you that I know do pray for me all the time. I know that I could not do it without them and I know that God is really going to be teaching me many things as well, especially in trusting Him fully. I have to admit that when I was asked to go to Ecuador I felt pretty comfortable with the idea. It had become my comfort zone. 1. Preteens 2. Going to a TMI base 3. Small team and 4. Simpler projects It was such a shock to find out so late though and now I feel in a rush to get everything done as Haiti is an Early Bootcamp team. (Meaning it will start two 1/2 weeks sooner than I would have been) So I will be entering into Bootcamp June 6th and leaving for Haiti on June 22nd in the morning. After the project and debrief end, I'll be finished on July 28th.

Addresses if you want to write:
To Bootcamp mailed no later than June 12

Teen Missions Team 09004
Danny Stuckey
871 E Hall Rd
Merritt Island, FL 32953

To Field mailed no later than July 5th

Teen Missions Team 09004
Danny Stuckey
Hope in the Light Ministry
Mail N More B
10900 NW 21 Street Unit 130
Miami, FL 33172

It will take about 10 to 14 days for mail to travel and get to us under normal circumstances. Also check with the P.O. for international postage. (Should be .98 cents as the prices just jumped at the beginning of the month)

Blessings!

Danny

"In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Home Sweet Home

Well after an even longer drive back (we had a few stops to make) I've made it back home to Florida, arriving around 4 in the morning. I was so wiped out from this last week's work (put in about 55 hours in 4 days) that I think most of us slept half of Saturday away. Even yesterday I was still feeling some of the effects of long travel. It's good to be back though and to know we got the job done. The Tabernacle really needed a lot of work done to it in repairs which is why we went up a week early but it was almost not enough time. We really pushed hard the final week, usually working from 6 am to 8 at night or dark. It rained so much and the ground was so wet that we had to build several water diversion systems which worked but really took a lot more time. It's supposed to be drier up there now and the rains are going to begin heading to Florida (which is good news! actually been raining this morning) which is another sign that Bootcamp is on its way! We have only a few short weeks until Early Bootcamp begins and then after that is Super/Preteen. I'm so excited for both and man this time of year goes by so fast as we're preparing. We're praising God though that we seem to be a bit ahead that we've not had to have so many Saturday workdays outside to get caught up. All the tents are still standing and the Obstacle Course is steadily making its way up and ready to go. I believe the only thing left on that is the Maze. Pretty much as soon as the summer begins I won't be on to blog much and then when my team gets in I'll be in full Bootcamp mode, living out on the property in a tent with my team. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support! I know the Lord is going to do a great work this summer and on all the teams. Please keep praying for the kids and leaders who are coming as well as all the staff here who are laboring to see this summer happen!

In Christ

Danny

Indiana!

But first and foremost,

Big Top 1 went up very nicely on May 2nd, a Saturday with good weather. It was a brand new tent just ordered and boy was it shiny compared to the old one. We had quite a few volunteers come out, one of which I went to school with at BMW and was on Dawn's (my sister) team to Poland in 2003. He stayed at my house for the weekend and it was really good to see him again.

On to the current situation, a group of 7 of us drove to Evansville, Indiana. It was a bit more than a 13.5 hour trip simply because we were driving a 15 passenger van, pulling a fully loaded trailer of the same length. We started up at about 5:30 am and arrived after a few stops for gas and food at 9:45 local time so that'd be 10:45 Eastern time. I think I was the only one who felt like it went by way faster....like seriously felt like maybe 5 hours ha, no I didn't sleep but an hour at the beginning. We've been working on the layout for the outer court and Tabernacle. I worked for a good part of the day repairing the outter skin covering (which water proofs the traveling Tabernacle so we don't need a tent to go over top of the whole thing) The whole area smelled so strongly of vinyl glue and contact cement that we were starting to get light headed. We're in a gymnasium at Triple T ministries (TTT) and we had all the doors open...completely ventilated. It got better after we found some industrial fans to circulate the air. We've also been repairing the bases for the outer part of the Tabernacle.

This afternoon we had a crew of college kids from a local Bible School come out to help put up the tent and do some "Grunt work" as we call it of moving stuff around and doing more layout. I must have driven in what seemed like a hundred stakes (halved tractor wheel axles) into the ground for the tent. It takes a lot of bodies to even get up a smaller version tent so we were grateful for all the help.

Biggest prayer request would be that the rains would stop (and head down to Florida too as they're in a drought!) It's not that we don't mind working in the rain but rather its turning the grounds into a mudhole!
Also, that lots of people would come out to take tours of the Old Testament Tabernacle and that people would come to know Christ through it.

Blessings!

-Danny

Headed to Indiana

Now before some of you start getting too excited, please realize the title of my post may be misleading :) I am, indeed, headed to Indiana but I'm going with a crew here from Teen Missions to Evansville (about as far southwest as you can go in Indiana)to TTT (triple t) Ministries to set up a traveling life-size version of our Old Testament Tabernacle. We'll be leaving early (but not so bright hehe) around 5 am on Monday morning and will be gone for about two weeks. I'm really looking forward to going and being available to help out in this ministry. There will be lots of promotions going on for the different ministries of Triple T, Teen Missions, and Aids Orphans. All donations will go towards the Aids Orphans ministry and many are given the opportunity to "adopt" orphans of their own through the ministry, or pay to provide something like a goat, chickens, or medicine for these orphans which are administered at our numerous Rescue Units throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. Please be praying for safety as we travel (as we are going by 15 passenger van with a trailer for a straight shot 13.5 hours) and also that many people would come learn more about the Tabernacle, a perfect representation of Christ, and support the ministries doing such great work around the world.

Another note: it's almost Saturday! That means big top 1 day (our largest big top) is going up and it's an all-day event. We have numerous people volunteering to help and all of the staff will be out to help get it up. It's actually a brand new tent so this is the first time this literal one will be going up but it's all the same in principle. Please be praying for safety as it goes up and also for good fun and fellowship as it is a very unifying time in preparation for Bootcamp as a staff. Please continue also praying for all the team members and leaders who are raising their funds to be able to go on the trips and also for good health and missionary burdens.


Addendum: If any of you would like a prayercard for my trip to Ecuador, you can contact my parents (if you know them) as I've mailed the majority to them to pass out at church and relatives. I didn't ask for a lot because I wasn't sure how many I'd use. So if you want one you can ask me too and I'll do my best to get you one although again, I'll be in Indiana for the next two weeks!


God bless!

-Danny

Wait, 39 days til Bootcamp already!?

Wow, the time certainly is flying by for me here. It's hard to believe I've been down here in Florida for over a month already! I just have a few updates, some exciting and some not so exciting but rather hopeful.

First I want to give the update on the church I was attending for the two years I was down here with Teen Missions as a student. This past Sunday the Pastor who has been causing a lot of problems within the church verbally resigned, admitted to some of his wrongdoing and agreed to move on. The other elder involved with it has also resigned and so the church (as the body of believers) is going to be going through a really rough time. There was a small group attending who are/were very devoted to Glenn and were upset to see him go, although I can honestly a lot of that can be attributed to some ignorance of what was going on behind closed doors. Please keep praying for this church that healing would come and that the two "sides" would come together in unison and be loving as Christians ought to be. We're having a car show this Saturday there and I'm asking for prayer that it would be a time of unification and a time for focusing on God and not ourselves.

Now, on to more exciting things, as I mentioned last time I am going to be the head leader of the Ecuador preteen team. There's 21 kids in total with five leaders, one of which whom I led with last year. I'm really looking forward to the summer and what it will hold. God did some amazing things last summer, even in just allowing me to be able to go on the team, as well as throughout the summer. It was such a blessing to see the team grow together and grow as individuals in the Lord. These teams really have a tremendous impact on the kids and it's a constant reminder of how God began to change me through my team experiences.

-My specific requests in prayer for this summer would be that all the kids and leaders would be able to raise the funds necessary to come on the team.

-For health and safety of all involved in teams this summer

-For a missionary burden for all the team members with a desire to work and serve

-For unity, team growth, and spiritual growth

-For the new government system and leaders who are openly anti-christian. The staff at the base there are working hard to do a lot more paperwork to be able to be legal, the government is coming down hard on NGO status and other religious organizations there.

My personal prayer requests not really relating to this summer are:

- Please continue to pray for my wisdom teeth, that they would not bother me, especially during the summer, until I can figure out what I want to do about getting them out versus extreme costs because of not having insurance.

-I have the ability to get a free car (an oldy, I believe it's an '88 Bonneville but she still runs and would make a good Point A/ Point B car. I'm just praying about wisdom on that decision, the only thing I have to take into consideration is affording insurance. I've been doing some research on that. Please pray that God would give me the wisdom on that decision and that if I do get the car, that I would be able to have the support needed to afford it.

One last thing! TMI has a few new bases and BMW (Bible Missionary Work Training Centers) opening up. I believe one is in Papua, another one in Indonesia (Kalimantan) and just a BMW opening up in a country I cannot name for safety reasons. They have 21 students lined up for this BMW and they are going at the risk of going to jail. Please be praying for their safety and that God would continue to uplift them and do a mighty work in that country.

Blessings!

Danny

This week's update

Well it seems that I can't make it on here as much as I'd like and when I'm thinking about it, it's unavailable :) Not a whole lot more is different but I do have some exciting news that I got today. I and a few other guys were pulled into a meeting with Mr. Bland this afternoon and we had a discussion about summer teams and leader locations. After discussing options for a while I've finally been placed with a team, as promised. Betty (head of leader placement) was throwing several team options my way here and there where there was a need. I basically said to just place me wherever I was needed and she said she'd get back to me. So today I'm "officially" (nothing is really final until you hop on that plane to leave haha) the head male leader of the Ecuador Preteen Team. It's the second largest preteen team going out this summer, and I'm even going to be leading with the same head female leader I did last year to Australia (provided that doesn't change either) which is an awesome blessing. Heather, if you're reading this, you should totally sign up too :) Our whole leadership from last year would be reunited. Anyhow, it's in the mountains of Ecuador and I hear the temperatures are even more extreme on the cold factor than Australia last year! South America and Africa are the two continents I have not been too before so it's neat that I'll be able to go there. (Belize and Honduras are Central America which is technically still North America; the location in Siberian Russia was over the Ural mountains so was included in Asia)

Another important note: Thank you to all who have been praying for me, especially for my problems with my wisdom teeth. I have not had any pain in them for almost a week now and it stopped right after asking for prayer. Thank you again, the Lord is truly gracious.

-Danny

Tent Week Update

Well, it's Thursday and that means the last day of working before the three day Easter weekend. I'm really looking forward to this weekend...it'll be a good time of reflection and prayer. I won't be so busy this weekend so I'll have more time to get some things done that I've wanted to. Tonight I'm taking a couple of students to the airport after work as quite a few were able to get flights home to visit.

As for the Big Top tents I had mentioned in my previous postings, we've gotten up the Peanut tent, Big Top 2, Mustard Seed tent, and today we should be doing the layout tent and finishing up any final aspects of the others. We've also been getting out and moving around all the stage pieces, chairs and other things that belong at each tent for the different functions they'll serve. The visitor tent was in need of some more repair so that one will have to wait until next week sometime to go up. Plans for Big Top 1 (the huge one) is for an all day event at the beginning of May. A few outside volunteers are coming in for that as well, one being a friend of mine who just graduated from BMW, Worth Oliver, who's gonna stay at my house for a couple days.

The new carousel being built out at Alligator lake is presumed to be finished by today and we'll hold a dedication out there right before work ends at five. I'm looking forward to all the great things that are going to be happening and enjoying seeing now how God is working to prepare us all for the summer. Something of reminder though is that the work we do is not just in the summer with the kids, but all year round as we serve here doing all the behind the scenes processes that make Bootcamp happen. Of course, all credit on that goes to God every time because I'm positive a lot would go wrong without Him being the driving force behind TMI.

Happy Easter to you all! May God bless you as we remember specifically this weekend of the sacrifice that Christ made for us all.

-Danny

That Time of Year Again!

Well today's the day. The volunteer work group is in and all the staff are getting ready to start putting up all the big top circus tents that all the rallies take place in. It's such a wonderful reminder of what God does every year under those big tops and seeing Him move in the kids' lives. I will never forget the such intimate conversations with God under those big tops that I had, when I finally allowed God to have full control of my life and to follow the plan He wants for me. It is the reason I love this ministry so much, knowing that God used it to get ahold of me, and He has been for thousands others for the past 39 years that TMI has been running bootcamps and teams. Please pray that these tents would go up safely and also for all those who will be apart of the summer team ministry this year; that God would do a great work in their lives and many more would be won into His kingdom.

Just Another TMI Weekend

This past weekend was a good one for me. I was able to reconnect with some old student friends of mine that just came in when I was going into my second year. It's hard to believe that now as I've come back that they're entering their 6th and final term! It seems like not long ago I was just in my last term, not to mention joining the Bible School! A couple here on staff just got married and we threw a little staff wedding reception party for them too. It's really love how Teen Missions is like one big family, working together in ministry as well as enjoying each other's company in spare time.
Saturday I and some other staff helped another staff family move into their new house which they were able to buy because of how the housing market is currently. It seems so many families are being able to move off of Heavenly Street (TMI trailer housing a few miles away in a trailer court) and into houses. It's been a neat blessing to see God provide for them in that way and open all the doors for it to happen. Sean Deegan (staffer, coworker, and friend) and I also went to their house before they started moving and we laid some carpet in what would be their daughter's room.
Sunday, I enjoyed once again going to the Sunday night house church. One of my former teachers at the Bible School is sort of acting as resident interim pastor for us while things are still trying to be worked out with Island Community. Please continue to pray for that situation. The business meeting that went on in the morning after the service went okay, in that they did count all the "excommunicated" church members votes which means they have disregarded the letters the pastor sent out (which wasn't even a legal way to dismiss a member.....it must be voted on by the congregation) Anyhow, I'm coming to the conclusion that this could be a longer process than would be healthy so I'm going to start attending either Calvary Chapel or First Baptist. I want to get involved in a good Sunday School class as well and I know both of those churches have several adult classes. I'm only committed so far here for the year and I'm not sure where God will take me next, so I need to be involved in a church that is spiritually healthy, and seeking to promote God and not self. Please pray for me that I would find a good church home for my time here.
Another final thought, God has been really blessing me in a few different ways, with different people in my life, encouraging me in my walk as well as financially. I've tried to not just be a receiver but a giver as well, knowing that my needs would be taken care of and God, as He promises, always comes through on our behalf. I'm living quite contentedly and it's nice not really owning anything and just being able to be mobile. Please keep praying for me to have a contented spirit and that I'll seek only what God wants and not let any personal wants interfere. Also I have some wisdom teeth that are reminding me they're there and they want out haha. I'm going to look into a dentist that TMI staff go to and perhaps get a recommendation of advice as to what I should do now. Maybe even get them out at a low cost. I'm not in the bad pain stage but just the discomfort and slight pain stage. Thank you for your prayers on that as well.

The most difficult thing

You know, I honestly think titling these blog entries is probably the most difficult thing about blogging. Perhaps I'm just not in the groove of blogging yet since I'm new to it but anyhow, this is not the reason for my writing. :) I can't believe that March is already almost over! These days keep flying by and I've been keeping really busy. This last Sunday evening I was invited to speak at the home church I've been attending in the evenings, and it was a real blessing. I was able to share some of my testimony and share what God has been doing in my life recently. I was surprised afterwards with a love offering and it has been really neat to see God provide for me and remind me of His love and provision.
I'm still searching for an actual church for the mornings. I actually used to attend Island Community which was a small Southern Baptist church (pretty much in name only because it really felt nondenominational and none of the members I talked to claimed to be Baptist) Unfortunately, recently after I left, the Pastor there started doing some shady things like having his record keepers falsify information, kicking the youth pastor/worship leader out for not completely agreeing with him on every single detail, and has recently resorted to sending out private letters of (essentially) "excommunication" telling specific members who have tried to work things out with him that they are no longer members and are not even allowed on the property. There have been other things but I don't mean this to be a slanderbox so I just want to ask that you'd pray for the situation and that I can find a good church home to attend for my time here.
On a more positive side, I found out that in the six months that I was away, an Aldi grocery store opened up not far from my house. It's been a real blessing to find a place to shop that is so inexpensive and I can save money in that way. Cooking for myself has definitely been an adventure but I'm sure I will definitely come away a lot better than when I started :) I usually get a ride home with my good friend here on staff, Sean Deegan. Both he and his wife are great cooks and they often will invite me to dinner which has been a real blessing as well. I know that in all things God truly wants me to be here and I'm so excited to be working in a ministry that is promoting God's Word and seeking to save the lost.

Love to you all,

Danny

Badat dat dat da.....I'm Loving It :-)

It seems every day that I've been back has held some new and unexpected aspect; something fresh and exciting. It's been such a blessing to be back here and to work with those I grew to love during my time here for BMW. I've been back in the Finance/Mailroom Department, mainly trying to get reorganized with all my paperwork, spreadsheets and getting caught up with all the vast amounts of things I have on my plate. My friend on staff here, Sean, is the guy who runs the Mailroom Department and the one I work for in majority. Throughout the time I was home in Indiana, Sean would often call me and jokingly say that I had to come back right away. What he was not joking about was the sheer amount of things that are involved and have to be done. He's really happy to have me back and I'm really happy to be of help. I've also been in the process of helping train some of the new students who were brought into my department. It's been a fun experience and I think it's something I enjoy. Recently, most everyone has been working outside on the property to get it caught up and also to be more prepared when we start getting everything ready for Bootcamp. Yesterday we were all outside and we spent the morning doing a concrete pour. Out at one of the lakes on property, we're building a rope swing carousel similar to the one we have at Bathtub Lake. The water level has just been too low lately and it's not really been usable. Mike, Seth and I also got some sidewalk paths ready to pour concrete into and that was finished with the extra. My afternoon consisted of sanding down canoes, preparing them so they can be repainted. It's been a good time overall and I can genuinely say that I'm loving being here and serving in this way. Thank you all again for making this possible!

In Christ

Arrival

So just like I imagined, it has indeed been a busy first few days. My friend Sean, who is on staff with Teen Missions, was able to come pick me up from the airport and then we went to Publix (a grocery store chain which is popular down here)so I was able to do some basic needs and food shopping. It's really a completely new experience for me living by myself but it's one that brings feelings of anxiousness as well as excitement. I was able to move in to my place right away, a trailer here on Heavenly street. Teen Missions offers free housing for their staff and interns which is a street of trailers. It's not all TMI (Teen Missions Int'l) staff but a lot are owned and used by TMI people. It's a great blessing and I know that without it there would be many staff who could not afford it otherwise. "My" trailer is actually being remodeled because of some severe termite damage that was discovered under the floor and some problems with the walls, so currently I'm in what would be one of the volunteer trailers. This is actually a really neat blessing because the house is so fully furnished with pretty much everything I need in the way of cooking and furniture etc. I've been given a couple days to get myself moved in, organized, and get some shopping done along with laundry so I will begin work tomorrow. Sean jokingly said he "threw me under the bus" as he volunteered me to do breakfast duty with him for a retreat coming in this weekend. I just laughed and told him I'm more than willing to begin my time of internship in this way as it is a reflection of what I really feel God has called me to be long term, and that is a servant; wherever I end up after my time here.

I'm sure there will still be lots more adjusting to do but I'm very much looking forward to being able to be a part of this ministry and it would not be possible without your prayers and support! Thank you so much! I know there will be some sacrifices that I will have to make but it's very much worth it and I find no more joy than being in God's will.

Thank you again and God bless,


*Prayer Requests*

1. That I would adjust well to the new lifestyle

2. That I would continue to be wise with finances but that I would not be a servant to money....instead that I would allow money to be a tool for me to do what I need to.

3. For my health and safety

4. For continued raising of support while I'm down here, that I would make some good contacts and ultimately that I would trust God with all of my needs.

5. Finally, that I would always be making myself available to be the best servant I can be, to have a positive and encouraging attitude, and that I would be a blessing to those around me.

Wheels starting to turn

So this very early morning, at 1:40 am, I find myself in Indianapolis with my cousin, Jordan and his family. It's been an exciting last day but also a bittersweet one as I've said goodbye to friends and family at church and home. I drove down with my brother in law, Scott. By Tuesday I'll be headed to the airport here to leave for Orlando. Flight at 2:56 and getting in just after 5. I'm also very much looking forward to seeing my friends in Florida that I haven't seen in quite a few months. It's going to be a very good but very busy next few days. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support, without you this would not even be possible :)

In the Beginning

Hey, howdy, and hi! :) Welcome to my blog. Despite the popularity and recent growth of the blogging community over the last few years, I'd yet to start one until just now; so yeah, I'm very new to this scene. This is probably in part because I've never felt I'd had much to blog about, well that is, until now. :) The purpose of this blog is basically a "keeping in touch" method as I'm doing my internship with Teen Missions Int'l in Merritt Island, Florida.

Currently, I'm still in Indiana and I'll be driving down to Indianapolis on Sunday after church to spend some final time with my cousin, Jordan and his family before I head for Orlando on Tuesday. I'm very excited for all that God's going to do and I'm looking forward to sharing it with all of you. I hope it will be a blessing and encouragement. All for now,

In Christ