Thursday, April 30, 2009

Doughnut Days

DSCN1468Alright... so every Thursday is a special day in the office. Why, you might ask? Well there are Doughnuts for sale. And I'll be honest I bought two of them today, and they were good. (Yes... I have a soft spot in my heart for greasy goodness).

On top of that I've got about ten windows up that I'm juggling trying to get further into one of my massive adventure day projects. I'm currently at a kind of stand still as I wait for my computer to finish converting my raw video footage into a file type that I can work with. On one hand its kind of frustrating having to wait (I was almost done when my computer crashed on me, and I had to start the process over again). On the other hand I'm really glad I knew what I was looking for when I bought a computer or else this process could take literally hours.

The good news is that I've got high hopes for this particular video project and want to thank all the BFA students who took part in the filming. Awesome job guys! The downside is I'm sure I'll be spending way too much time in front of my computer with a cup of coffee and snack foods (I'm too cheap to get the stereotypical Chineese food) making this work.

More to come on these projects as camp gets closer --- I can't spill the beans quite yet :-).

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Curiosity Killed the Cat

DSCN1465Or at least in this case made Steve finally break down and buy the pre-made "hamburgers" from the local grocery store. Why? Truth be told, I like burgers - and its always interesting to experience first hand what different people consider "American" so... I finally broke down and decided to try them (Partly because I figured there'd be an interesting blog post in all of this).

So that was lunch today. I'll be honest: as I made sure I had a clear path to the microwave down the hall, so I wouldn't have to answer any questions, or get harassed (in good nature of course) for having hamburgers for lunch. And I was sweating bullets as the microwave started turning and hoping it tasted moderately better than the gray-colored patty looked.

The verdict: It reminded me a little bit of an oversized White Castle slider. So it wasn't horrible (if you're a White Castle fan... and I am). I don't know if I'd eat it every day... and it definitely didn't scream all beef patty (I read the label and its ground pork... explains the lighter color). But I can't complain too much :-).

Thursday, April 23, 2009

Lessons

So I think God is trying to teach me something - I know sounds very romantic right? Its funny --- there have been a bunch of things lining up in my life... little things that I've had almost no power over, or couldn't know what I was getting into when I did... that all seem to be working together. I just can't wrap my mind around what that is right now.

Most of you know me well enough to know that I really don't consider myself "flaky." Like - I don't start seeing pictures of Jesus in tree branches and start talking about what it means to me. But when pieces of my life start independently lining up towards something... including the music I'm listening to, the books I'm reading, the movies I'm watching, the scripture I'm reading, & random people & events in my life... Steve has to start listening... no? Its less hearing a gentle whisper, more hearing a voice screaming in my ear in a Language that I can't quite understand but can pick up a few words here and there.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Easter Camp

P4124043 Hi Everyone! I'm back in the office after kids camp. And I'm really beginning to recover. If I can be honest the kids camp, for me was kind of stressful. In fact it was more stressful than most camps. But the truth is, I can honestly say that while I may have been at my weakest God's work was amazing to watch.

It seems like most kids at the camp were touched by God over the week in one way or another. I remember one of the boys sitting quietly on the last night of camp after the chapel service had ended. When I walked over to him he asked whether or not I could pray forP4154312 him: that he would be able to practice what he learned in camp, and that he would be braver and more open about sharing Jesus in his school.

I actually had a chance to be an English Teacher at this camp. Which was a first for me - normally I'm counseling, or doing something else along those lines. So it was an exciting opportunity to be able to work in a different part of the ministry we do. It was also an experience that stretched me. Having never really taught English before, it was definitely a learning experience to try and teach English as a second language (translation... I was pretty darn green as an English teacher, and realize how much more there is to learn about it).

P4164423

It was also a great chance for me to work with a mostly German staff at camp. Normally over the summer we try to fill the staff primarily with people from North America. But I can honestly say that it was a great chance for me to get a different perspective on camp & work with people I would, under normal circumstances, never have the chance to.

Monday, April 6, 2009

"We're lighten this guy up!"

So here goes my second totally random post for the day - I did end up buying the MLB radio package so I could listen to Indians games in my spare time... or while I'm doing things that don't require a ton of thought. I signed on to listen to the season opener against the rangers... And something was wrong with the radio feed from Cleveland... so I listened to the Texas station. And who comes on the radio at the bottom of the 2nd? George W. So he's chatting with the announcers, and whatnot (he sounds much more relaxed than a couple of months ago btw.) when Texas starts a rally... as they scored the 4th run of the inning he said (and I quote) "We're lighten this guy up... I can say that in radio right?" "This guy" just happened to be our ace Cliff Lee... Ouch... thanks Mr. President.

Joan Osborne?

So I'm sitting at my desk - about 10 yards away from the coffee machine/microwave with the door open, when all of a sudden I hear someone whisteling & singing the song "One of Us" by Joan Osborne... (or "What if God Was One of Us")... only one word to describe my reaction... WOW....

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Pizza Night

So last night I held a little pizza night get together in my apartment. A couple of friends from the North American missionary community came over and brought their favorite toppings, and I made dough, sauce, & Italian Sausage from scratch. And the truth is, I think we got somewhere close to the American styles we were trying to make (2 Chicago style pizzas  & 2 New York style pizzas).

It was a good time, not just for the food... but its really enjoyable to hang out with peers. Its also kind of a bizarre feeling to celebrate our American culture while in Germany. It was something I noticed last 4th of July while I was here --- having to explain the holiday to a lot of the people around me. But its something, I think, will definitely have to be done again.

Wednesday, April 1, 2009

Happy Hump Day

Yes sports fans... Its Wednesday. And the week's "Hump Day" (Ie... once you're done you're over the hump). Before delving into my essay of the day I want to thank all of you who have been reading this, or checking in fairly regularly. I really appreciate your thoughts and prayers, and can't thank you enough. Its been kind of a rough couple of weeks at the office... for a few different reasons, none of which are either blog worthy, or even really blogable. But, as my analytics package is telling me, there are people reading, and I want to thank you. (ESP. those of you from Cedarville... wow...).


So baseball season starts next week. Its kind of funny... in the states I'm usually not that excited about it. Don't get me wrong, I love a good game of ball... but there's usually other stuff (like the Cavs dominating... although I guess that's true this year) that kind of take precedence. I just found out, though, that MLB.com has got a sweet deal on listening to baseball games over the Internet ($14.99 for a subscription to every ball game this year), and to the best of my knowledge its "On Demand" which means that I can listen to a night game the next day... And the truth is... I love having a ball game on in the background while I work on things. And I love the fact that that's one part of Americana that I don't have to loose touch with. That being said GO TRIBE! (ahh... every sports season in Cleveland starts with Faux-Optimism).


But baseball isn't the only thing on my mind. More importantly the Kids Easter Camp starts next week. Next Thursday is more and more of a deadline, and I'm getting a bit more apprehensive about teaching, especially teaching Middle School kids. I know I can do it, but am, frankly, a bit concerned about how I'll do... That's probably a good thing though, as its a very tangible reminder as to why preparing for something well is important. I'm looking forward to working with the kids though; its a reminder as to why we do what we do in in the English Camp offices. I'm also more and more greatful to the awesome teachers I had at that age, who I can use as an example. As my German teacher's throughout the years for modeling how to teach a second language (Thanks Frau Pariano & Dr. Shaver!). So if you guys would be willing to keep me in prayer as I prep. and then teach that would be greatly appreciated!