Video Update from Saturday, 15SEP12

Hey from the PGulf...After a long 36 hours of travel, this was my best attempt to keep everyone up to date. Just try to forget some of the names/locations near the end :)

For the King and the Kingdom!

Video Update from Thursday, 13SEP12

Hey friends. Videos didn't seem to be working for the longest time, but I finally got these up. Check out my first "webcam confessional" but also my last update from the States....

For the King and the Kingdom!

Update from Tuesday, 11SEP12

September 11th marks a day of a lot of mixed emotions for many people. Personally, as a little 6th grade patrol at Forcey Christian Elementary in 2001, I doubt I truly understood the gravity of how much that day would change my world and shape my future. Everyone has a story from that day, and thankfully mine involved my dad finally getting home safely. Thus, eleven years later on an eerily similar-but-beautiful September 11th, I had the chance to surprise my family and come home as well.

We received word on Monday the 10th that essentially no flights were going out this week, and the next reasonable flight window was the following week. Having worn my friends couches thin and with few responsibilities left until Friday in Norfolk, I stretched the 200 mile limit to drive back home for a visit with my roommate Bobby Nordlund and of course my parents. For anyone taking notes, a few flowers, a doorbell, and a surprise trip home on 9/11 can create a few emotions in your mom. It was a great chance to catch up, laugh, reminisce, pray, and destroy some Five Guys burgers not only with mis padres but also my older brother and his girlfriend. The intent was to stay through Thursday night and try visit not only Cru and the Yard but as much of Annapolis as possible, but plans changed yet quickly. 

Below you can see brief test video (it has no real content except me trying to explain the virtues of Skype and Webcams to my mom) from breakfast Wednesday morning, just minutes before I received a surprising call to report back to Norfolk ASAP to pick up my commercial tickets and priority itinerary.Within 20 minutes I was back in the car headed not only south, but finally overseas. Although I feel both called and prepared, after the sudden nature of leaving in August, then the frustrating delays and waiting in Norfolk, it was both sweet and all the more sudden to be leaving home again for good. I know with certainty this is the Lord's purpose for me, and the rock-like assurance not only of his calling but his promised presence wherever I go has been a source of rest in the midst of a lot of transition, confusion, loneliness, and frustration. Your prayers are appreciated here and now as I figure out where and what is next. Praise God the Lord goes before me.

For the King and the Kingdom!

Babysitting to Boating....Accelerate Your Life!

So God called me while babysitting. Yep. It was an epic night of Space Monkeys, puzzles, and lasagna with my friends Kenny, Cooper, and Charlie of the Cook clan and Jonathan and Ineka of the Pastermack fraternity when God crashed the party. For a Lord who burns bushes, tears down walls, and blinds people on the road to Damascus, I was fortunate He chose the proverbial email from my superior officer to let me know I was to report to Norfolk within 36 hours. Talk about a living depiction of those motivating Navy commercials. Originally the hope was to be on leave through late September, including trips to P-cola, hanging around USNA, and a few other visits and conferences along the way. Thus life not only sped up pretty quickly but needed to be packed into two bags ready for sea for about 4 months deployment. In some ways, it felt like living through a modern day Acts 8 moment where one day Phillip gets orders to leave his ministry in Samaria, go hang out with a eunuch on the road and explain Isaiah, and the next moment lands about four regions away in Azotus. While I don’t anticipate any teleporting by the Holy Spirit, it is cool to finally get to go to the nations around the world, and particularly in Arabic-laden societies! Unfortunately, hopes of finding closure amongst relationships in Annapolis (and writing thank you notes!) fell by the wayside, but apparently there are post offices and stamps around the world so I will try to write as much as possible. First, I discovered the magic not only of owning my own laptop, but of snazzy features like skype and webcams. For those curious, in lieu of texts or phone calls, emails to DJAngle34@gmail.com (personal) or usna120156@gmail.com (military/midshipman) accounts should work when I have computer access, and my skype name is DJAngle34.

So what happened after August 31^st? Well for wondering, I had been sitting in TPU (transient personnel) on standby in Norfolk, waiting for the “next available fly window.” Although my life as a midshipman prepared me for the lifestyle of hurry up and wait, the term standby being extended for nearly three weeks meant a few minor adjustments to my personal definition.  In reality, I was essentially wearing out the couches of some great friends while waiting for my itinerary for departure or an update on my status, which changed about four times. To Russell & Nicole Brown, David Manley, and Bobby & Arabella Dixon, I am truly grateful for your gracious hospitality amidst my shenanigans. (Given the amount of time spent sleeping on each couch and my car, I give the following ratings for comparability: My Corolla- 5.0 Browns-9.5 Manley-8.5 and Dixon-8.0 but extra point for matching pillow decor :) and yes i just publicly rated your couches)

For those curious about my lack of continual update, texts, or calls in the interim, as frustrating as my status seemed I appreciated the additional time to mentally, emotionally, and spiritually prepare myself for the adventures and challenges ahead. No doubt I would have loved to chat with everyone back home, but when nearly every-day you prepare to leave the United States, it makes you think, rest, and relax a bit. I know there is a famous country song (Toby Keith?) about all that (skydiving, rocky mountain climbing, except come to think of it going on deployment is not equivalent to dying.)For me, rest came mostly in the form of sleeping, reading, HGTV, MLB playoffs and a little college football. I truly look forward to when I can return home to Annapolis and see you all once again.

In closing, with good reports coming from Church, the Academy, Annapolis, my family, and Cru, I am reminded of the opening words of Paul in Philippians 1 “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now…It is right for me to fell this way about you all, because I hold you in my heart, for you are all partakers of grace with me…for God is my witness how I yearn for you with all the affection of Christ Jesus.” 

For the King and the Kingdom!

Holler World ?!?

Why does everyone seem to start or test things with "Hello World?"

Hey everybody. It's long overdue that you all get a bit of an update on life. Obviously a few things around this blog are still under definite construction and will be for a bit. For now let's just roll with some updates and entries on this main page, and I will try to find some time to invest in the links up top for future reference. Also, before I start I feel compelled to note the fact that not only am I straight rookie at all this blogging, but also inherently uncomfortable with the concept to a degree. At its core, blogging starts with 1) the assumption that I believe I have something important to say and 2) the belief people really want to hear my thoughts. To be clear, I am not sure I believe either of those- -1) I am a goofy kid at heart who tries (and often fails) to love Jesus as I should, and 2) outside of a few hooligans I call friends or family there aren’t many people following around this kid looking for my opinions on the traveling world, hanging with the navy, or proclaiming the gospel. My generation already has enough self-appointed opinion-makers; my hope is to give a few people a brief look at what Jesus wants to do with me around the world, and maybe give a word or link of hope, encouragement, or personal embarrassing moments  as they come to mind. If you’re along for the journey, then let’s get this party started…anchors aweigh eh?