This past week has been a doozy. After packing up all my stuff in Abilene, I left the town of few trees permanently last Friday. My first destination was Rockport, Texas, where our team was having a fishing fund-raiser. After 6.5 hours of driving and 5 hours of sleep, I spent 9 hours fishing with my dad, two men from my home church, and a guide/preacher. Since I had to stay for the shrimp boil, I didn’t leave for Houston until seven that evening. So, after another 3 hours of driving and 6 hours of sleep, I participated in my first (and hopefully not last) triathlon. While the swimming portion absolutely humbled me, the bike and run went surprisingly well. What made the whole experience enjoyable, though, was joining Nick for the event and having my mom and his family there to cheer us on. Then, after breaking my personal record for post-church socializing (3 hours), I caught some shut-eye and headed up to good ol’ Camp of the Hills for a week of sweaty manual labor, early morning running, and catching up with many dear friends. Throughout the week, I discovered that COTH is still one of the best places in the world even when you are not a counselor. Maybe that is why the volunteer groups keep coming back year after year. And now life is going to be filled with preparations for language school and Lima – the “wind down” is in full swing. That is what is going on in my life, if you cared to know. Then again, if you didn’t care, you wouldn’t still be reading. Which brings me to my last point. Just so I know who is dropping by the blog, leave a brief message from time to time if you don’t mind. The notes that have been left thus far have been great to read. God bless you all!
Random, Recent Happenings
Our team had a great retreat with the Halbert Institute for Missions this weekend, the main topic of which was intimacy with God. I have been both renewed and challenged. – Why is it that I still say bonehead things? You would think that after 28 years I would have learned some restraint. – Three months, five days. – I began training for my first triathlon two days ago. Here’s to hoping that I don’t drown. – I have been blessed with an amazing group of brothers and sisters to spread the gospel with for the next 5-10 years. I am incredibly blessed, despite my ability to restrain my comments…Yep, I am still upset about that one. – The peace of Christ be with you.
Reunion
So, there is a Camp of the Hills counselor reunion this weekend. It is official: I am pumped.
Church League Softball
That’s right, I am on my church’s softball team, and I official stink. Apparently, the mere fact that I played little league baseball did not automatically guarantee my softball success as an adult. So much for my dreams of church league softball glory. Maybe I should start taking up shuffleboard, so that my skills will be honed by the time that everyone else my age starts playing. Despite my disappointing skills, it has been a blessing to get to know the guys on my team and to have an excuse to exercise. What can I say? I am a “half full” kinda guy 
Team Week
My week has been filled with time with my teammates, and I have loved every moment of it. Last weekend, our team gathered together in Kaufman, Texas for our monthly team meeting. Currently, the Yoakums are living in Kaufman, where they are spending time with their supporting church. As a team, we were able to take care of team business, meet church members, strengthen team relationships, share meals together, have some fun, and worship with the Kaufman Church of Christ. All-in-all, it was a wonderful weekend!In fact, it was so much fun that I couldn’t leave. I ended up spending two more days with the Yoakums. When Wes and I weren’t up at the church office, we were more than likely playing ping-pong at their house…I was in heaven Then, after lunch on Tuesday, I drove up to Paris, Texas in order to spend some time with the Davidsons. After giving me the grand tour of the metropolis of Paris, we feasted on some local cuisine and enjoyed an evening of conversation. I was able to meet some great people from the Lamar Avenue Church of Christ, which whetted my social appetite for our next team retreat, which will be in Paris.So, from Saturday until Wednesday I was reminded of how blessed I am to belong to a team of wonderful, godly people. Today I am thankful for the Davidsons, the Fletchers, the Thompsons, and the Yoakums.
Finally
The day came, and then it went. Now, I can officially say that I have completed my second full marathon, and the entire experience was fantastic! The race weekend was full of time with family and friends, good food, beautiful weather, and race-day excitement. I couldn’t have asked for anything better!My reactions to marathons cracks me up. Around miles 23-26.2 of both marathons, I distinctly remember thinking, “I will never do this again. What could I have possibly been thinking?” Amazingly, though, once you cross the finish line, a miracle occurs. Slowly, as the pain dies away (partially), my thinking begins to mysteriously change: “That wasn’t too bad. In fact, I kind of enjoyed it. I could do that again.” I think that there is something seriously wrong with me – pray for me.
Fall Festival
This past Wednesday, our team helped out at the Friendship House’s Fall Festival. The Friendship House is a community outreach ministry where our friends and teammates – the Fletchers – work. The purpose of the Friendship House is to strengthen the sense of community in the neighborhood that surrounds them. They do this by providing programs for local children, being friendly and loving towards their neighbors, and providing opportunities for the entire neighborhood to gather for fun and fellowship. The Fall Festival fits into this last category, and I must say that it was a hit! There was games, candy, free food, air castles, and lots of people.
I find it funny, though, that Christians don’t do this sort of thing naturally. It seems to me that we should be reaching out to our neighbors, showing them the love of Christ without expecting anything in return. We should be about drawing people together, especially drawing people closer to our Lord. Often we get so rapped up in our work, our hobbies, and our churches that we forget to share Jesus with those living 30 feet away from us. Imagine what could happen if all of our homes became “friendship houses.”
Ancient Greek Traditions
Currently, I am training for my second marathon (26.2 miles, for those who might be wondering how long a marathon is). Pray for me…especially my knees
