Faithfully freaking out and anxiously trusting...

My faith is being stretched, tested, and otherwise challenged quite a bit right now with support raising. I've been doing all I can, but of course, all I can do is never enough. I still have around 40% to go, which is pretty daunting at this point, since it has to be in before I leave in 2 weeks. Being done well before then would be great, too.

I have some friends coming into town for a couple of days this weekend and it would be amazing to be able to hang out with them without worry, distraction, guilt, or more calls to make. And to have some time that is peaceful (rather than frantic) to rest, spend time with people, pack, and prepare before flying out on the 13th. Those are not things that I absolutely need, just things I want. In the end, the Lord my God knows best and I will trust Him.

Please pray that I would be diligent in my efforts and wise with my time, that God would grant me perseverence and unnatural faith as I wait for Him to provide, and that He would provide miraculously and quickly.

Good Bye.

Sadly, my eyebrow ring had to go. It was starting to gradually grow out (i.e. closer to the surface) which is apparently pretty common. My mom hated it, anyway, so she’s probably relieved, along with my dad, grandparents, etc. I liked it, but it was time to let go. RIP, my little icon of delayed parental defiance, my outdated symbol of edginess, my favorite Croatian souvenir. You will be missed.

Hooded sweatshirts are my favorite.

Really. They are my favorite thing to wear, and my favorite thing to see other people wear. Whether it’s a zip-up (my preference for personal use) or pullover, old or new, sort of dressed-up and sweaterish or very casual and well-worn, they're always a good idea and almost always sexy.

*This post was brought to you by the letter ‘H,’ the number 9.5, and (mostly) the aftermath of me spending several minutes evaluating my wardrobe and starting to think about maybe making a tentative packing list someday soon.*

From the man himself:

John tells his story here.

Pictures from Colorado

These are all from Allison- thanks for sending them!

Here is a lego car we made during a team-building exercise. Another thing we got to do was try to put together a Precious Moments puzzle with half the people blindfolded. What will they think of next...



Here's the new team (clockwise from left): Allison, Sunny, Taylor, me, John, & Andy

This is us with the Hrvatskan/Croatish flag.



And one final scenic shot...

Here's some of that recognition I was talking about.

Check it.

According to tradition...

...the week in Colorado did not fail to produce injuries. Yesterday our fearless leader followed in Tim Sery's footsteps and visited the emergency room. John and Andy were headed down the mountain on these scooter things and John decided to go off of some huge jump. He took it like a man, and ended up smashing his face, loosening his teeth, and requiring 9 stitches.
Meanwhile, our friend Bryon endured a bicycle mishap that involved a tire blowout at full speed, resulting in a grisly crash and broken helmet. Bryon and John met up at the hospital where Bryon accepted Vicodin, but John declined. Generally I highly respect and endorse John's decisions, but this one I question. It just doesn't seem like Advil would do the trick.

Anyway, it may be just another (fairly effective) ploy to gain recognition for the Greater Northwest sending region, but it's totally worth it. Again, sorry I have no pictures at the moment. Maybe soon, though, because other people took a lot.

Happy Birthday

It's Emily Preston's birthday today. We're friends. Just so you know, she's single, she's hilarious, and she's hot.

We're winning!

Every time I go to a new conference with Campus Crusade, I notice more and more Macintosh computers. Victory will soon be ours...