Another Beautiful Morning in Paradise

Good morning,

It's about 6:30am as I write this and already we have a line waiting to get onto the internet. The view from the team house is so incredible, although the morning sky is a little cloudy the mountains , beach, and ocean are so beautiful to look upon. As with many things in this country , looks can be very deceptive. Each morning we see the natural beauty of this wonderful country, then we also get to see the not so pretty side of what man has created.

As some of the earlier post suggest, we have began to make that transition from being mere observers, to actual doers. It may be early in our trip, but already the bonds are beginning to form among our team members. Many wonderful friendships have begun. We have laughed hysterically and also cried with each other. That's the gamet of emotions we constantly feel. One moment we are having fun and enjoy ourselves, then suddenly we are struck by the contrast of how just a few yards makes an incredible difference in how the locals live their lives.

Today we plan to attend two local churches for worship, then possibly a third tonight. This afternoon we will see more of the area, take in a little sightseeing, and maybe even rest.

Yesterday , as we were doing our projects , each task seemed to remind us of how relevant some of the recent sermons we have heard have been. While working on the erosion problem, Amanda and I were both struck by how appropriate the Kairos message was last week. Mike has been teaching a series on the book of Mark, and last week he taught about the sowing of seeds. As we planted the "Kudzu" type of plant we wondered just what would take root. The soil was sandy, but appropriate for this type of plant. This reminded us also of the real seeds we would be planting in the next few days. The thought we had was we would never see what happens with these plants on the sandy hill, although others will benefit from them. Then we were reminded we may never know what happens to the seeds we plant with the people, but we don't have to know. Our job is to sow, God will then take over.

Then later in the afternoon, I was discussing with Tommy a converation he had with our local helper Jason. This man appears to have some simple thinking at first, almost child like, then when you begin to listen to him his thoughts are so profound. This lead Tommy and I to a discussion on how man can ruin things and many other topics.

These are just two examples of the mind set we are experiencing. So many "little" things can remind us of very important truths. Already we have seen how the people, the sights, and experiences are having an effect on us. This is shaping up to be a truly life changing experience for mnay, if not all of us.