My Last Blog

            Hey guys, a lot has happened on my trek through the mountains the last couple of weeks and I’m excited to share it with you. First of all our friend from America made it here safely and should have returned home safely by the time this blog is posted. Spending time with him was great, seeing someone else being so motivated to do our work motivated me. During our two week adventure we visited 25 different villages throughout the area and each one has a story to tell.

            We eat an authentic local dinner with an English speaker in one of these villages. We also got invited to teach an elementary English class and were able to play basketball with them afterwards. There were also several homes we were invited to go in and sometimes they would fix authentic dishes for us. We saw some beautiful landscapes and had some breathtaking hikes. Not to mention we also did some shopping and shot off some fireworks. It was a pretty loaded couple of weeks.

            Christmas is just a couple days away and it provides us great opportunities to invite our local friends over to eat food, play games, and tell them the Christmas story. Already we have had one Christmas party with our friends and we will likely have at least two more parties. Christmas dinner consisted of rice, fried chicken, and cookies all eaten with chopsticks. We also get to sing some Christmas carols in both English and the local language. This has been a hard time being away from home but luckily Skype will bring me together with my family on Christmas day.

            I now have less than two weeks left before I will be back home with my family. I look forward to being back home but at the same time I am sad to leave my local friends. I will have a week after Christmas to say goodbye to my local friends and hang out with them one last time. Then I will fly to a nearby big city and have business meetings for a couple days and then I will fly home. So please continue to support me as I will say my farewells this week.

            It feels kinda weird that I’m writing my last blog. This trip has certainly been a big adventure for me. I expected this trip to be massive even before I left and it turned out to be bigger than what I expected. I have certainly learned and grown a lot from it. I feel like my Daddy has shaped me into the man He wants me to be. Thank you guys for your support in all of this, you truly have been amazing. You guys are our third man on this team and a dare say one of the best players as well. Your support has helped me so much during my stay here and if it wasn’t for some of your financial support I wouldn’t even be here. Thank you all, I look forward to seeing you again real soon. 

My Last Few Weeks

Hey guys, I’m glad I get to write to you again. Over the past couple of weeks various things have happened and I’m glad I get to share them with you. The majority of our time has been spent writing papers for school. However, this has caused us to interact with the locals tremendously. We have received the opportunity to interview various amounts of locals and ask deep questions to these friends of ours.

            Brady and I have both been engaging in the culture on a regular basis. From having interviews, to walking down the street and talking to locals, we have learned so much about this culture. We have had so many meaningful conversations with people. This is mostly because we are communicating with people we have already developed relationships with while teaching at the high school. We were even invited to a local’s house where they cooked us chicken and tofu in a boiling pot for dinner. Over the various interviews I have eaten rat, dog, snake, goat’s blood, pig intestine, and octopus. However, take me seriously when I say that I am truly grateful for the opportunities that have been given to us and I hope they will continue throughout the rest of our stay.

            By the time this blog is published our American friend will have arrived to our city and we will be packing our backpacks for an adventure through various rural villages. I am writing this blog a little early so I can spend as much time with them once they arrive. I am looking forward to this adventure and can’t wait to see what happens. I will be packing books about the culture so I can double check my research in my spare time. I have grown out a beard and let my hair go wild for the past month so I would be prepared for this adventure.

            Emotionally I am feeling great. I feel like I am at one with the culture and look forward to engaging it in the next few weeks. I am a little sad that I only have a few weeks left. I have always had a love for East Asia and have now grown relationships with those living there. So now I have a love for the people of East Asia. It will be sad for me as I continue to say goodbye to the friends I have grown to love so much. However, I do look forward to reuniting with my family and friends back home. I am so grateful I have people like you supporting me. Thank you so much, I love you. 

Blog #14 "Thanksgiving"

            Hey everybody, I’m so glad I get to write to you again. I was able to communicate back home a little bit more these past couple weeks and I just have to say that you guys are too nice. I received so many encouraging words and support that really blessed my heart, thank you. I want you to know I have discovered a newfound joy living here and I don’t feel like I have any problems. Now let me tell you what’s been going on the past couple weeks.

            Our time at the high school has come to an end. I am extremely sad to leave the students and teachers that I love so much. On the other hand it is nice not having to wake up at 6:30 in the morning. As our time has come to a close we have been able to take lots of pictures with the students and tell them goodbye. We have also been able to eat a few meals with the teachers and talk with them before leaving. I have very much enjoyed this time but I also know it was the right time for us to leave.

            Ironically we finished teaching school just before Thanksgiving, making it a truly thankful Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving was a blast! There was lots and lots of food and it all tasted authentically American! I ate food all day while we played games. We played tons of games. I even got to hacky sack in the middle of a rose garden. The party lasted over nine hours. It was a day I was truly grateful for. And oh yes, there were lots of pies and I ate a piece of every one.

            Now that teaching and Thanksgiving are over I am intensely focused on writing papers. Brady and I have a week or so to build upon the relationships we have created with the locals and write our papers. Our ethnography paper over the local culture has allowed us to ask deeper questions to the friends we have made. This has actually caused us to grow deeper relationships with our friends at the high school. Writing these papers will be a difficult task for me as I typically get burnt out on writing after an hour or so.

            There is so much to get done and our time is winding down here. I have been so focused on what to do with the little bit of time I have left I have tried to plan out every day I have left. Not to mention in early December an American will be visiting our land and we will all go backpacking through rural villages for a couple of weeks. This means that our school work and relationships with the locals should be pretty much wrapped up by then. Needless to say there is a lot to get done and not a lot of time to get it done in.

These thoughts of wrapping up my time here and starting up my time back home have been filling my mind. If I ask anything from you guys during this time it is that you would ask Daddy that I would have perseverance. Finishing up papers and relationships will be difficult and backpacking through villages will be hard as well, I could use as much help as I can get. Even though it will be difficult I joyfully look forward to everything. Even though it will be hard it will also be a blast. Thank you guys for the support I love you all.

The Last Two Weeks, The Next Two Months

Hey guys, I’m happy I get to talk to you again through this blog. The first thing I want to mention is how grateful I am for all of your support. After my last blog my email and Facebook account were flooded with words of encouragement and support. So needless to say I have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to respond to you all and tell you what has been happening the past couple weeks.

The first thing I would like to say is that things really have not been going as well as I would like for them to go. Even after my last blog I still underwent spiritual warfare. The relationship between my partner Brady and I got worse. There were some strange things that happened that I can’t really explain. Also Brady got sick so instead of going out to villages on our week off from school we stayed inside restricted to each of our rooms.

By the end of the week I was fuming as I thought about the challenges I’ve been facing. That’s when I got to Skype with my sister, brother in law, mom and dad. I feel like I might have inappropriately vented my circumstances to them but they lovingly listened and provided me with some advice. As soon as I started taking their advice everything changed.

Since then I have faced little if any spiritual warfare. My relationship with Brady is still not dandy but things have become considerably better. Also, my hands have been so busy getting involved in the local community this last week I’ve barely had time to sit down. Teaching has been going great. Talking to people on the streets has gotten better. Even schoolwork has been going well this last week. I don’t believe any of this would be happening if it wasn’t for your support, thank you.

Really quickly I would like to tell you about what’s planned for my last two months here. We will for sure have at least one more week teaching at the high school. This will be an important time during our stay considering that we will be wrapping up some deep friendships we have developed. Our supervisor has planned a big thanksgiving feast for all of us and even though I will miss my family during this time our supervisor’s wife makes some of the best pie on earth, maybe even better than my moms. Sometime after thanksgiving a man will be visiting our area and for the month of December. Brady and I will be accompanying him as we visit small villages and communities out in the mountains. There is also a giant 20 page ethnography paper that Brady and I have been working diligently on during our spare time, all to say that these last couple months are going to be busy.

Despite these opportunities to be engaged in the culture I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t miss home. I look forward to these next couple of months but I long to see my family and friends again. I have learned so much from my Daddy on this trip because of my solitude away from people back home. Please continue to support me during this time as probably our most important work will take place in the next two months. I love you all and look forward to seeing your faces again. Thank you always for your support.

P.S. My sister had her baby with no complications in the birthing process. Spencer Richardson was born in L.A. on 11/07/2012. Thank you Daddy for safely allowing one of your children to enter this world. I will continue to pray for you always Spencer, sincerely your uncl

Some Good and Bad News

Hey guys, whoa has a lot of stuff happened in the past couple weeks for me to tell. To be honest I’ve been having a difficult time trying to come up with the words to say about these past couple of weeks. Some crazy stuff has happened both good and bad, and I don’t know what to share with you. Let me start with the bad news first so we can end on a bright note.

I don’t know how to say this besides the fact that I have been going through spiritual warfare. Now I like to downplay the role of spiritual warfare in life but I can’t deny that I have been facing it. Things I can’t explain have been happening; having multiple nightmares, being bullied and physically hurt, fighting off sinful thoughts for hours on end, being constantly insulted, having people tell me the opposite thing I’ve heard from my Daddy, and problems with signing up for classes next semester. Even as I write this I feel a strange pressure to erase this paragraph and cry into my pillow.

There is no reason to name the specifics as long as you know that I’m experiencing spiritual warfare. I’ve never dealt with this before and I’m having a hard time facing it. It has been tuff but it has brought me closer in my relationship to my Daddy, and has grown me into a stronger man. So enough about the bad news let’s talk about the good news.

Just as things have been going miraculously bad things have also been going miraculously good. It just seems that out of nowhere these good things are popping up; teachers asking us for c.d.’s, being invited over to read, talking to Daddy with others, sharing stories with students, developing close friendships with locals, and discovering nice friendly villages. Over the past couple of weeks we have seen more progress than we probably have our entire stay. The door has not opened up yet but for the first time it appears we are seeing it start to crack.

I can’t express how ridiculous these things keep popping up, so I will give you an example of a good thing that happened. At the end of each class Brady asks the class if they have any questions while I erase the board. I was still erasing when I heard Brady say, “ooooohhh very nice.” I finished erasing and turned around to see a student showing Brady a book entitled “Daddy’s Stories” written in the local language. I stood back shocked and then realize that this is the same student I have been playing basketball with for the last month.

Needless to say every moment whether good or bad has been like this. Please pray for me as I face these next couple of weeks. I’ve never dealt with such emotional extremes as I have been recently. Thank you guys again for all your support, its times like this I need it. Love ya

Over the Hill

Hey guys I haven’t talked to you in a while and I am very excited to write to you. Things have been crazy the past couple of weeks but crazy in a good way. As of now I am back to teaching at the local high school. However, I have been all over the place since the last time I taught at school.

            On our first week off from school we celebrated a local holiday and then headed out to a nearby village. This village was beautiful. There where mountains everywhere and miles and miles of farmland in-between them. From this village we traveled down some paths and met some people in smaller villages. Some of these people even took us through a hidden mountain pass that lead to a lake in the middle of the mountains. There are some great stories that I will tell from this trip, stories that will stay with me forever.

            The second week off from school we made our midterm visa run to one of the largest cities in the world. While we were there I was sure to eat as much hamburger and pizza that I could get my hands on. After this day long trip a group of us visited a beautiful backpacker town nearby. While we were there we went bamboo rafting, bike riding, hiking, shopping, and hotel hoping for 4 days. Once again I ate as much hamburger and pizza as I could.

            After coming back to teaching I have to admit that I am ready to come home. Maybe it would be better if I say that I’m looking forward to coming home. Either way I admit that I want to be with my family and friends right now. Everything has seemed to slow down at this part of the journey. Brady and I are getting used to creating lesson plans and teaching students. My schoolwork has died down since the midterm but will gradually pick up towards the end. The students are so busy we end up with a lot of free time on our hands.

            Not only do we have a lot of free time but our apartment is very remote from the students as well as remote from the rest of the city. Also, without internet we are cut off from any outside communication. Not to say there hasn't been advantages to this. I have spent a lot of my free time talking with my Daddy and reading His words. I have also gone out into the city and tried to practice my language with people. However, even with these things I still have a lot free time on my hands.

            I miss my family and friends and am looking forward to coming back to them. Not to say that I don’t want to be here. I am called here and I have a job to complete here but I do look forward to seeing it completed. Two and a half months is quite a bit of time to get the job done yet, on the same hand that is not much time at all. I look forward to what the next couple of months hold in store and I long to see all of you reading this face to face again. Thank you always for your support, I love you all.

Wow

            Wow, a lot has taken place since my last blog. I’m officially in the 2^nd part of my three part trip, teaching at the high school. The day after posting my last blog I packed up everything I had with me and moved into a new apartment. This apartment is about two blocks away from the high school and is very nice. Ironically the place is too big for us; we only use about half the space that we have. Brady and I each have our own rooms. This has allowed me to spend a lot of time in reflection and talking to my Daddy.

            The catch to this nice apartment is that there is no internet. This has also been a good thing allowing me to eliminate the distractions that surround me. However, without internet, communication back home is scarce to none and the moral support I received through it has diminished. Still, this has made me find more support from my Daddy. Although I do want to admit that I still miss home, friends, and family.

            Teaching at the high school has been a blast for me so far. Brady and I teach all our classes together. Our first class every morning starts at 7:35 and we are done before noon every day. We then teach a much more open and free class called English corner at 5:10. Hanging out with the students is a blast. They love to talk English with us and take our pictures. I haven’t played any hacky sack because there hasn’t been a good spot to. However, I have been playing basketball with some students on a regular basis.

            Even though it has been a blast hanging out with the students, we don’t get to spend much time with them. High school is considered the hardest time in a person’s life in this country. I once went to the school at 1:00 during that huge break we have to play basketball with the students and no one was there. They have classes from 7am to 5pm and then they have study session from 7pm to 9pm. So the only time I get to hang out with them is from 6 to 7. This has caused an awkward amount of free time which I have spent doing school work, playing on my computer, and reading lots of books.

            Now that I have gotten in the mode of high school another curve ball has come. This next week is a national holiday and the students have school off and are asked to go back home. So Brady and I are going on another back packing trip during that week. Then when they get back we go on our midterm visa run. The visa run is only a couple days but we are going to spend our cultural (vacation) days afterwards. That means for the next two weeks we won’t be doing any teaching at the high school.

            However, I am very eager for the next couple of weeks and the rest of our stay at the high school. This has already been a very blessed time here and I believe it will only get better. I apologize if communication will be sketchy the next couple months but just know that I’m doing what I love to do. Thank you all again for your support; even reading a blog like this helps me know that I have people back home that love me and support what I do. You are all very wonderful and precious to me. Thank you.

Why So Soon . . .

. . . well it’s because there are some things I wanted to tell you and I didn’t know when I would get a good opportunity to share them again. You see Brady and I are moving this weekend into a new apartment that is closer to the high school and I don’t know if it has internet access. So here are a few things I wanted to mention before we leave.

            We got to talk to the head English teacher the other day and we will officially be teaching at the local high school starting this next Monday. We will have about three classes in the morning, some we will teach separately some we may teach together. After lunch we will have a break and then come back in the afternoon for an English corner were we get to discuss anything we want with the students. After dinner we are free to hang around the high school and hang out with students until they have a study hall at 7:00.

            I really hope to pour into these students lives over the next nine weeks or so. This is honestly the part of the trip I’ve been looking most forward to. However, due to our housing situation I have no idea how well I will be able to update you guys through email or Facebook. You guys really are the third man on our team and I’m sorry that you might have to play bench for a while but just know that things are still going great down here. Thank you guys again for the support I love ya.

Thumbs Up

            Hey guys haven’t talked to you in a while and I had a few things I’ve been looking forward to sharing with you. Things have certainly gotten familiar down here and there is not the same awesome culture shock that I had at the beginning of this trip. This blog may not be as enthusiastic as my others because the outrageous has become normal to me now, however, I will do my best to share what is going on. Our homestay / language study is coming to an end. Although I have enjoyed the time I’m excited for the next part of the journey.

            Talking about the next part of the journey what lays ahead for Brady and I is probably the most fun part of our semester abroad, high school. We are leaving next Friday to go live in an (air conditioned) apartment just outside of the local high school. Details are not official and are general but from what we can tell we will teach two classes a day and have an English corner each day where we will talk to the students. We also will be living close enough to the city to visit our favorite drink shop on a regular basses. On a personal note I’m going to start playing hacky sack again and hope to get some locals involved.

            As far as things are going right now is a time scheduling mess. Last weekend we went out on a trek and our schedule was packed prior and during that trip. With language nearing the end there are no new lessons and we are reviewing the material we’ve learned, so that is easier. Also with language nearing the end both Brady and I are trying to get school papers written before teaching so we can be freed up to talk with the students. Then stuff has happened were we have entire days off or we have a day that was supposed to be off and then it ends up being busy. Needless to say we are just enjoying the journey one step at a time.

            As for our trek last weekend it went really well. We were able to get to different locations and order hotel rooms by ourselves with the language we’ve learned. We walked down some paths until we reached a village and then watched a film with the people who lived there. Certainly some received us better than others but we left each village with no bad feelings. The trek gave me time to really grasp my current situation and it helped me understand Brady a little bit more.

            As for my last blog I would like to tell you that most of those things have been resolved. The weather has cooled down as we are entering fall season, and sleeping has been better as a result. My thoughts haven’t been getting to me and homesickness has decreased. Brady and I have become a more effective team as we have learned how each other works. I’m not putting on an act in front of you guys things are really getting better. Thank you so much for your prayers and support it has really made a difference.

I wish I could make this a more emotional blog and drag you guys through the struggles and joys of living here but honestly things are just going good as usual. In the end I guess that’s the best kind of report I can give you in this blog. Here’s a big thumbs up from the other side of the world. Thank you guys again for the support, I love ya.

Behind the Curtains

            Hey guys, so normally I try to stay pretty optimistic while writing these blogs to inform you about what’s going on without making you worry about the details. However, today I am going to be honest. I’m going to take you behind the curtains because there are some things back here I need to show you. First of all most of my time is spent in language study. Even though language study does take up most of the day what I really want to talk about is what I am doing besides language study.

            When Brady and I are not studying language we are walking around our hometown trying to talk to people, or visiting a nearby city I like to call LB. We know enough language to start a conversation and introduce ourselves but that is where it stops. If we were not going to the same places then I would consider heading out pointless because we can’t really build friendships. But since we are heading to the same shops and places we are starting to build a familiarity with the people who work there.

            Living with Brady is an experience; I don’t really know how to describe it. The man really complements my weaknesses and vice versa but he has a different personality that I’ve never lived with before. His daily routine is constantly evolving as I am trying to build up consistency. I say all of this because if I don’t embrace who he is our get stuck in my own ways I feel either anger towards him or I experience loneliness. The more I pray the more things make sense and I understand Brady more. Please pray that I would receive some guidance from my Daddy so that I don’t make a mistake and feel hatred or loneliness.

            There is something I haven’t mentioned to you guys just because I was afraid you would worry about it. I’m talking about sleeping. Sleeping always seems to be an issue here not because it’s too hot, though that is sometimes the case. It’s normally a combination of things. For instance I may sweat while I sleep therefore I can’t get back to sleep until I get up and get a drink of water. Other times language study just gives me a headache that prevents deep sleep. A bit more honest answer would be that my thoughts about school, home, or living in a foreign land prevents me from sleeping or maybe gives me nightmares. Please pray for these things especially the thoughts.

            We have progressed in our language study enough that we are going to take a three day hiking trip to an undisclosed isolated village this Friday. Initially I was tremendously frightened of this but the more time I thought of it the more I realized that this is something that could be very beneficial. Brady has been super excited from the get go and I’m glad that I will get to help him out during this experience. Please pray that my fears would continue to be removed as the date approaches.

Besides that we just study study study. I should have mentioned some of this earlier but I very much dislike talking about the negative aspects of things when there are so many positive stories I could tell. Thank you guys so much for your support and I think of you (my family and friends) back home constantly. I love each of you.

P.S. I got an Asian name today it’s 戴馴揚 sounds like (Dye Shwan yuung) and it means Mr. Dye, humble and enthusiastic 

The Death of Something Great

Hey everyone, I know I’m a little bit late with the blog but I’ve just been too occupied with language study to think about what to say. The past two and a half weeks have been wake up, study language, and then practice it on your own. I wish I could fill this blog up with interesting stories but I’ve honestly been spending most of my time studying language. Brady and I are taught by either Jon or Sofi for two sessions a day at two and a half hours per session. Then after dinner I usually pick up the flash cards and hit it up for another hour or so.

Studying language all day does make one thing more interesting, sleeping. Sometimes when I go to sleep I will see my friends from America and they are speaking English and then all of a sudden things turn black and I just hear a word I’ve been studying repeat over and over. However, when I wake up the next morning and the teacher asks me what that word means I am quick to respond.

Brady and I have been trying to practice our language among the locals but are kind of wavering in our success. Some locals feel obligated to help out, others find it funny to see foreigners stumble over simple words and help us out just to hear us say more. Unfortunately we do not know enough to actually communicate with them beyond simple phrases. Today was the first time we learned simple conversation sentences like “how are you?” and “Do you like ____ I like ____” so maybe now we can grow a little closer to them.

Normally I like to describe what I’m doing here in Asia in this blog, more than what I’m thinking about; but I would like to make a quick exception. I’ve been talking to my Daddy about what I will be doing with my life after College, because I have had a hard time thinking about saying goodbye to my life down at Bolivar. That’s when He told me something, “The death of something great, gives birth to something greater.” When I asked my Daddy what I will do after college He responded with one word, “Japan.” I know my College days are winding to an end but what is starting now and will take place after College is, and will be, so much greater.

Some things I am learning besides the language is the importance of family. I believe that my Daddy will give me time after college to build up the relationship I have with my family and maybe even start a family of my own. But enough about my thought’s, I’m living out an awesome opportunity as we speak, and I plan on taking full advantage of it. I very much love East Asia and the people that live here, and hopefully with the language I am studying I will begin to start building relationships with them soon.

P.S. The internet restrictions have been decreased now that we know the best method of language study. I will be able to keep more in contact through Facebook and hope to post my pictures here: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.473543359323135.113818.100000024262502&type=3

Sam Among the Elf's

Hey everybody, I have arrived in East Asia. Being surrounded by Asians makes me feel like I am Sam among the Elf’s (very happy). Let me tell you what has happened the last couple of weeks. I spent my first week in East Asia visiting Taiwan while going through some training. I absolutely loved Taiwan and wished I could have spent a much longer time there. During training we discussed things that will help us out during our six months abroad. I also got to meet my supervisor while I was there. My supervisor lives in a city I have nicknamed Chang.

After moving to Chang I have gotten closer to my supervisor and his family. My supervisor has a wife and two kids, a boy and a girl who are in their early teens. Chang is small for East Asia but it was bigger than I expected. There are three malls in Chang and tall apartment complexes everywhere. No one speaks English in Chang and it has given me a feeling of helplessness when trying to do something simple like buy something or tell directions to a taxi.

During my time here in Chang Brady and I are live with a spiritual brother and sister who I’ve nicknamed Jon and Sofi. They are a young couple being married for just a year now. Jon and Sofi both work for my supervisor in performing community service projects. Jon is an artist, a very good artist, and is working on art in his spare time. Sofi is a perfectionist and is working on cleaning in her spare time. The apartment we live in is somewhat small and has no AC, this makes sleeping at night a little bit hard.

I just got back from spending the last five days in a nearby city teaching English to fifth graders. We had a group of Americans come visit and we all taught English in a program for children Kindergarten to eighth grade. My class had 25 students in it, and the boys were kind of ruff with each other. I didn’t like teaching very much but I am discovering that I have a skill for it. Hopefully more opportunities will arrive in that city again.

An average day in Chang starts off with waking up in sweat and taking a shower. Lunch and dinner consume most of the day because it is almost always eaten with others and nothing is pre made and there is no microwave everything is made from scratch. In-between lunch and dinner everyone takes a two hour satoshi (nap / break) and then start preparing for dinner. After dinner comes more work until it is late at night. Then everyone in the town gets together and dances at the square until they go home to sleep.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to be here and can’t thank all of you enough who have supported me and still support me with your thoughts and prayers. Living here is like a dream come true for me. Please keep me in your thoughts / prayers as Brady and I start language study tomorrow. Thank you all again, I love you.

Shipping soon

Hey everybody! I said I was going to soak up the summer and I have. I am leaving this Tuesday July 3^rd, for my semester abroad. I have been spending most of my time in preparation for this semester abroad. However, I did manage to do a summer project in-between these times. I created a web series which you can find all of the episodes here: http://blip.tv/overanalyzingjune Don’t expect anything important or life changing from it. It was a fun little project but their certainly are points I regret about it.

Brady and I will be leaving along with a fellow classmate named Wade Holcomb on July 3^rd, we will spend 24 hours in the air not to mention three lay overs. Talk about starting off a journey with a journey. However, this could be a good chance to cram in those last few chapters I haven’t read for class. We should arrive to our destination July 5^th. At which point we will lose cell phone communication and will have to communicate back home through email and Skype.

I have been preparing for this for a long time, but there is preparation going on right now. After writing this blog I will be packing up my bags and making sure I have everything. I have also returned home from Bolivar and am spending the last few days with my family. I have kept up with my exercising both cardio and weight lifting and plan on bringing footbag’s (hacky sacks) with me to play with the locals. I have kept up with my diet until recently when I have been enjoying my favorite American meals before leaving.

            This summer was a blast for me and I wish I could sit down tell you all of the cool stories. However, I don’t think they will add up to the stories I am about to share with you.

This update marks the last update out of my own will. As of now I am required to post a blog every two weeks. I will try to keep them as brief and direct as I can be. Once again, thank you all for your support.

It's Summer

Hi everybody,

    I would like to start off with some good news. I passed all my classes this semester, school is out, and I have raised extra funds for my trip. I am so thankful to all of you that have helped get me through this semester with your finances and prayers. There have certainly been points in this semester that it really helped out.

    Well what to do with the summer now that it has come. I am going to be spending most of my days dieting and exercising as well as reading class books to prepare for this trip. I will also be starting a summer project that I really can’t tell you much about until I have made some progress on it.  Please keep this project in your prayers as it will involve me speaking and expressing some ideas to others.

    The mental and physical preparation for this trip is why I am staying in Bolivar for the summer. However there are still some other preparations that need to take place. Such as doctors’ appointments, packing, and saying goodbye to the family. I will keep you updated when something major comes up. I am leaving on July 3rd and I plan to soak in every moment that I can between now and then.

    Once again thank you guys for your prayer and support it is much appreciated.

Big News

Hey everybody,

            Lots of big and good news I get to share with you all today about my semester abroad so I’m writing another blog. The first big announcement is that for the most part my funds have been raised. There is still a few more donations that were said to come in and once they do my goal will be met. Every donation I have received has a story behind it and I wish I could tell you all of them. After receiving my financial statement yesterday I nearly cried when I saw the donations. To those who supported me financially, I cannot tell you how grateful I am, or how much of an impact you’ve made in my life.

            The second big announcement is that the dates have been set I will be leaving July 3^rd 2012 and will return January 3^rd 2013. I’m a bit sad that I will not be here for Christmas and I am especially sad I will not be able to see my niece or nephew’s first days into this world. However, I am excited to spend the holidays with the people group I love so much; and if the Mayans were right and the world ends at least I will die doing what I love most.

            The next bit of news is not as much an announcement as it is something I would like you all to rejoice with me about. Months ago before we even received confirmation about where Brady and I would be heading I had anxiety about the trip. I went home and asked the members of my church to pray for me and something magical happened. Ever since that day my fears and anxieties has turned literally into joy. This is an accomplishment that is hard to express the magnitude unless you’ve experienced the same emotions.

            The last bit of news could be good or bad depending on where you live. I have prayed and decided that I will be staying in Bolivar the month and a half before I leave. During this time I will be dieting, exercising, reading scripture, and studying the language. It’s been interesting to see how dates and events have already been set to allow me to live in Bolivar this summer. It’s also been quite amazing to see things come together for this trip, now in my life more than ever I have seen the Lord provide in miraculous ways. It’s funny to me that my semester abroad is still months away and already I have a multitude of stories to tell about it. Thank you for your support and please pray for Brady and me as we still make all of the preparations necessary.

My First Blog

So people have been asking me, “what are you planning to do for your six months abroad?” Well the answer is quite long and can’t be put in a simple Facebook post. That is why I have started this blog to inform everyone here in the states what is going on before and during this semester abroad. But before I talk to you about my semester abroad I would like to introduce Brady Quarles to you.

            Brady Quarles (pictured above with me to the left) is going to be partnering with me during my semester abroad. He has been across the world and seen various places. Brady has traveled from one housing situation to another but the closest place he could call home would be Del Rio, Texas. Brady is a very hip and artistic man. Brady is one of the most compassionate people that I have ever met. If you have never met him before he probably would still great you with a hug. His Facebook is http://www.facebook.com/brady.quarles if you’re interested to find out more about him.

            I can officially say that Brady and I will be going abroad together what I can’t officially say is where we will be going. As of now there will be four men from the Intercultural Studies program heading out fall of 2012. Brady and I are two of those men Jon and Wade are the other two. Jon and Wade have officially confirmed there location to be in Eastern Asia. As we speak the company we are going through is deciding whether we will go with Jon and Wade or we will be moved to another location in Eastern Asia.

            The company we are going through has asked each of us to raise about 4,000 dollars. What we ask more of you is your prayers and encouraging words during this time. The past few months have been a hair puller going through this process and who knows what’s in store for the next few months. Your prayers will really help us get through this time as they already have been helping us. I know I am not as entertaining of a writer as I would like to be but I hope I can continue to keep you informed through this blog. I hope you all have a happy new years and stay safe inside with your families.