Pre-field Thoughts

Last summer, I spent five weeks in Guatemala with a group of 30 NC State students. Throughout that trip, I kept a blog-- my first-- which was an extreme fictionalization of my experiences there, interspersed with reflections and posts of other kinds. Over the past year, I added a few of my short stories to this blog. All of these past posts are available for your consumption, if you have the time and the pluck. This blog will simply be a continuation of all that-- I plan to post a digestion of my experiences in Monterrey each week if possible, which will include my thoughts, my new experiences, the new Spanish words and expressions I pick up, and perhaps a short story if I get in the zone one late night.

It will all begin when I arrive at my new home in Monterrey. Though I don't know exactly what to expect from the Regiomontanos (the inhabitants of Monterrey) I'll be meeting, I have a decent idea of what I can expect from myself while I'm there. Firstly, I'll be challenged to confront my own sin, which will no doubt manifest itself in new ways in my new environment. I'll also be challenged to give of myself more and think of myself less, which will be a welcome (but difficult) assignment. I also plan to learn as much Spanish as I possibly can in these two months by talking about everything with everyone I meet. I'll probably miss you all and the sense of home which I've experienced in Raleigh, Marion, and Ridge Haven. Yet I hope to experience fellowship and fulfillment as I labor with fellow Christians in a new context. I also expect to be confronted with situations which I could never foresee, and ask that you pray I would have the grace to respond in truth and grace to everyone and everything that comes my way.

Thanks so much to all of you who are praying... for me and for everyone and everything else you pray about.  I went to a seminar on prayer a couple weeks ago at Summer Conference, and God really used the speaker to teach me that prayer is far more important and powerful that I realized. I harbor the hope that I will be able, through God's grace, to become more reliant on prayer this summer for my daily needs of strength, wisdom, love, joy, peace, and gentleness. I'll be memorizing Colossians this summer, which I got a head start on in January when I memorized the first chapter. My prayer for myself and for you all is that we would see the Bible as less a book of tips on life and more a launching-point for communion with the divine. The difference is vast- tips are suggestions to make one's life, one's romance, or one's food better to the degree that one implements an exercise schedule or adds parsley. Communing with God changes the way one thinks about all these things, so that you realize how terribly trivial all of these things are in comparison to the joy of knowing God and living your life in His service. I admit I've doubted this and forgotten this many, many times throughout my life, especially in the past few years. But I know that God's love is unchanging, and will continue to guide me into paths of righteousness for His name's sake.