Patience

My fiancee and I are only a month away from our trip overseas to aid a dental team in pulling teeth in Central Asia.

Only a month away, but still far from being able to afford even the plane tickets to get there. Our plane tickets will cost $3,500 total round-trip. We will then need only $1,000 between the two of us to be able to live in the country for about two weeks. This includes our visas, food, and transportation.

To raise money for our trip we sent letters to friends and family to ask for help. At this point we have only received $2550. That is still $500 from being able to even fly to the country.

This is hard for me to realize being that its my first time having to fund-raise money to be able to go anywhere. My fiancee has done this two or three times before and never had a problem getting enough money to cover all costs for her trips. I’ve used these times as evidence that He will take care of all that we need to be able to go where He has called us. But being only a month away and still needing so much more money is scary to me. Patience is what I’m learning. His timing is not always in line with ours, and that I have to rely on.

Should students get paid to go to school?

Tonight I was watching the NBC Nightly News when they did a segment on a school district in Washington, D.C. that was paying its students for good behavior and good grades. The lady who was heading up the push for this program said that her school at one point had only 8% of it’s eighth grade students on level with their math classes. Really? Only 8% and now you’re going to pay them so that they have an incentive to do better in school?

Here is my two cents on this subject. Since when has the idea of being able to get a job and live life due to doing well in school become not enough to encourage students? When did passing all of your classes become less important than video games and Nike Shoes? Where did these students get the idea that they can not work in school and still expect to be a Michael Jordan or a Julia Roberts?

I think once those questions are answered, then this school system can determine what they NEED to do, not what they can do, to solve this educational problem. When parents finally see, and take the initiative to change, their students lifestyles to focus on what is required of them in school, then things can change without having to dangle governmental money in front of their faces.

What I think needs to be done is that these kids need to see, on a daily basis, what will become of them if they don’t do well in school. They need to be aware of how important it is now days to have a minimum of a high school diploma, and be reminded of that every time they walk in the classroom.

A lot of the kids who aren’t doing well, or have a lower comprehension rate, are the result of family negligence. That is sad to me. Families don’t pay enough attention to their kids to help give them a foot-hole to do well in school. Instead, these kids are more focused on the social aspect of school and making an impression on those they spend their free time with. How about instead of being popular because you got a Play Station 3 for your birthday, you’re popular because you earned scholarship money for college because of your hard work in class. How many NFL players are drafted into the league with no high school diploma or only a GED?

Our nation needs to focus on primary education and what changes need to be made so that our posterity can succeed. We don’t need to entice them with monetary gain, but instead a way to provide for their family and the ability to be what they want to be. Schools should never have only 8% of their students on par with the required material. Never. People all over the world try so hard to do well in school so that they can come study HERE! People sacrifice so much to be able to come to the United States so that they can be what they have always dreamt, but somehow our nation is full of so many students who just want to get through whats required in any way they can, even if it is by the seat of their pants.

Update on life

Well, it’s been way too long since I last wrote in this blog…for that I apologize. Here’s to turning a new page and writing one as well!

So here is a little update on what’s going on in my life: If you don’t care, now is a good time to stop reading…

For those who do, or have nothing better to do, here I go.

It’s summer time, and it is HOT in Texas…very. These past two weeks or more have been in the triple digits. One of the girls I work with this summer suggested turning the main drag in Seguin into a large community Slip ‘n Slide. Not a bad a idea or segue.

My job this summer, for those wondering, is interning for a local AM radio station and newspaper. It’s KWED 1580 AM and the Seguin Daily News. It’s a pretty sweet gig in all honesty. I get to write about the people and events of my home town. Every day in either writing the news or interviewing people I realize I know this person or I went to school with their grandson. It’s a small world. But I really do enjoy my internship. My bosses, Jessica, Cindy, and Darren are pretty awesome and fun to work with. I’m also not the only intern there. I work along side another guy named Josh Hughes who turns out to be a cool guy too. He’s got some experience in news writing, so he’s fun to talk to and hang out with. Not the best bowler, but he’s learning.

Outside of my internship, my fiancee and I are preparing for a trip overseas in August to Central Asia to work with a dentistry group. This group will be pulling teeth and giving general dental care to the people, and we will be there to help in any way. Whether it be giving them the proper tools, helping sign people in to the clinic, or just trying to calm everyone down, we’re going to help. We’ve been wanting to do this for so long, and now we’re able to. I’ll write more about this after we get back — the middle of August.

And on top of all this, I’ve been trying to find a time to go tubing! It’s summer time for crying out loud and I live about 15 minutes from essentially the number 1 tubing spot in Texas! Some day this summer, Jackie and I are going to head over to the river and just sit there as we float. And it will be good.

I also got my hair cut real short.

That’s all for now.

Have a Good Day

This semester I’m lucky enough to be able to eat breakfast in our cafeteria everyday, something I never was able to do before. I like it so much, because it’s very slow paced and I have plenty of time to do as I wish before class.

I normally eat breakfast by myself -there are normally about 10 whole people in there anyway. Today however, I ran into a friend who came to sit with me. Unexpected but good. He’s a nice guy, but can be a little awkward to talk to because we don’t have much in common or to talk about at all. I had finished my plate of food and grabbed a bowl of Lucky Charms, when he was wrapping up his plate of food and beginning to head out for the start of his day. I always end conversations with either have a good day or night or whatever time of the day it is. So this morning, as he was leaving, I said, “Hey, have a good day man.” And he replied with, “Oh it will be, I already decided that this morning.”

That hit hard. He had already decided that he was going to have a good day. Even though his day entailed Physics III, even though it was hot, even though he’d face other numerous challenges he wasn’t expecting, he had already decided he wasn’t going to let things keep him from having a good day. Dang. I want that. I wake up and just go with the flow…if things suck I get a bit frustrated, if things go well, well I’m happy. This guy was determined to be happy no matter what came his way. Good man.

God challenged me today to live my life with faith to know he’s going to meet my needs. No matter what plans change, what classes I have, or whatever else may come up during the day, He still compels me to live in joy and peace because He promises me more than troubles can take.

Thanks Lord for teaching me through the words of a friend. Allow me to put into practice what you’ve called me to do. I want to be filled with joy from the time I wake until the time I sleep. I want to rely on the truth of Your word because it promises much more than this world can ever take from me.

My New TOMS Came In!

TOMS Shoes

I’ve posted before about the company TOMS Shoes and what they do, but here is more. I recently, as in today, received a new pair of TOMS in the mail. They’re super cool. They are the Charcoal Grey Stichouts. Super stylish and comfortable, they are one of my favorite pair of shoes.

TOMS, for those new to this, are shoes that make a difference in the world. For every pair of shoes TOMS sells they will match them with shoes for children in need. Sound cool? Duh. So since I bought t his pair of shoes, another kid will receive a pair for free.

It’s a very simple idea, no complicated schematics or anything, its just you buy and they give. Think about it. How much thought do you put into what shoes to buy or wear? How many options do you have? Now think about this, some kids have never had a single pair of shoes. Nothing. Hard to imagine right? It’s such a simple thing here to have shoes. Sometimes having shoes is a requirement to even go into the store or restaurant. But these kids have never had shoes, never! Ok, think about this now. When you think of all the shoes you can buy and wear, how many make a difference like TOMS does? One for one, TOMS will give a pair away for every pair sold. Recently they challenged everyone to help them donate 30,000 shoes in only 30 days. That’s huge! 30,000 shoes is a lot of stinkin shoes y’all. But get this, not only did they meet their goal of 30,000, they surpased it by reaching over 37,000 shoes to be donated to children in need!

Seriously, they have a heart for what they do. If they didn’t, getting 37,000 shoes in 30 days would never have been a goal of theirs.

So now that you know about TOMS and some of what they’ve done, I want to challenge you.

I want you to go to www.tomsshoes.com and read more about what they do, have done, and will do simply by selling shoes. Then, really think about how much change you can bring in someones life by simply buying your own pair of TOMS. It’s simple.

And I know the economy is kinda killing people’s spending habits, but think about how much you spend on yourself all the time. Eating out for lunch or dinner, bottled water, more clothes, iPods/phones, any video games, etc. Then realize that by cutting back on your self and buying  one pair of TOMS Shoes you can help a child’s life become healthier and happier. That’s it. That’s my challenge to you. And it’s nice knowing you’ve made a difference in such a practical way. Also, if you become so inclined, you can even sign up to go on a Shoe Drop with them and help distribute the shoes that everyone has helped give. I’m looking to do that this year. I really feel it’d be a humbling experience, but at the same time it would be a time to serve people who need it.

“For every pair you purchase, TOMS will

give a pair of shoes to a child in need.

One for one.”

How I Survived My College Break

For many, the winter break from college is a great time to relax and be with family, while for many it may be a time to work harder than ever to make some holiday money. I however have had a little of both. I work in the dorms where I live, and since my real home is only an hour away I volunteered to work over the break to allow the others who live over 3 hours away to go home for as long as possible. In that I live close to my hometown, I’ve been able to go home often enough to stay sane.

My school is a majority commuter campus. We have 30,000 or so students and only enough housing for about 3,000. Of those 3,000, I  think only about 15 stayed here during this break. Needless to say, with only 15 people here life can be a bit boring. Working from 10-3pm and then kicking it back in the dorm gets old fast. There’s only so much tv one can watch and microwaves can only make OK food. Eventually one wants to venture out and be social and eat food that doesn’t come in a box or can that only needs water and to be microwaved. This is where I’ve suffered this past week or so. My only form of transportation is a bike and that can only be so safe when your only areas of travel are major interstate and local highways.

So what have I done to survive here? Some thing I planned to do were, work out at the gym and brush up on my racquetball game, go to the library and check out the media section for some music DVDs, and even chill at our on-campus Starbucks, but no dice. Come to find out our Rec Center was closed for two weeks and reopens tomorrow. Last night when I decided to go to the library to get some new entertainment for the dorm I found out they were closed on weekends…lame. And our Starbucks is only open odd hours which seem to align terribly well with my work schedule which makes it impossible to enjoy a caramel machiato anytime soon.

But here is what I have done. I’ve stocked up on some good snack foods including, but not limited to, Swiss Miss hot chocolate, Jones Soda, Pop-tarts, Easy-Mac, and some Cheeze-its. I also have some substantial food like soup and sandwich stuff. I also am able to walk across the street, like I did tonight, to Whataburger for some good fast-food. I’ve also got a few good books here that I’ve been wanting to read but never had the time…now I have nothing  but time. Puzzles make good time passers as well. I’m a huge addict of Rubik’s Cubes, so I have several various puzzles like that so play with. My laptop provides a great way to do things like update my blog, email friends, play some CPU games, and even do some shopping with gift cards from Christmas. I’ve also been blessed with cable tv in my room which helps pass time, mainly when movies are on like Little Miss Sunshine or reruns of Planet Earth.

Some things I wish I had available to make life better would be some form of video games. As a guy I know I can pass hours with any video game. I considered bringing my Sega Genesis back with me so I could rock the Sonic and NBA Jam, but for some reason decided against it. I also wish I had some small dumbbells in my room so I could work out a little when the gym is closed. I’ve had to settle for push ups and sit ups, but if I had dumbbells I could also work more on my chest and arms. I also wish I had a car. A car, or a friend with a car, would make life more bearable here. I could at least then go to Walmart or the movies and not have to walk or ride my bike dangerously close to the “great” drivers of San Antonio.

All in all, this break has been hard though enjoyable at times. I wish I could have some company here at school, but I’ve been able to get by with what I have. If nothing else, its been a time I could use to plan ahead for next year when I’ll likely be in the same situation of having to work at the dorms.

Hang All the Mistletoe

Recently my fiancee Jackie saw a story ran on ABC’s Good Morning America about the decline in mistletoe sales. To see it, click here. The story covers many reasons why mistletoe sales have declined in recent years. People worry about it being poisonous and don’t want it in their house where pets or small children may eat it. A valid concern, but there are many who believe mistletoe can be used medicinally as well. In Europe some people use the young branches of mistletoe to treat respiratory illness. Some doctors have even seen mistletoe prolong the life of cancer patients. This article on the Discovery Channel Website talks about fermented mistletoe being used to treat cancer in patients. But, one must know that there are many different species of mistletoe. The one in the article by Discovery is a European type, and not the conventional one that Americans often use to kiss under during Christmas time.

At the end of the ABC story about the decline of mistletoe sales, they question that maybe it is not the toxicity of the plant that is lowering its sales, but that maybe the reason we use it is declining, suggesting that maybe our view of romance is less important now than it has ever been. This may be true based on what our society sees as important in relationships. When a kiss has become as common place a thing as it has now, then it is of little significance to most. To some though, a kiss is a big deal. It is something to be valued and doesn’t come on the first date each time. A kiss is a symbol of the bond between two people and not just a way of greeting. In my own life a kiss has been one of the most valuable and precious things.

For the past three and a half years I’ve been dating this wonderful woman. We met in high school and started dating my junior, her senior, year. We went to Prom, the movie theater, bowling, and the park. It was like many   relationships, and we loved every minute of that. She went off to college, then I went off to college, three hours apart but ever closer in heart. Being apart like that helped our relationship grow in leaps and bounds. Though physically we didn’t have much together, we talked everyday about everything. And that’s what is important in a relationship. If you don’t know one another, how can you even begin to share anything physically? Two years ago we were spending my birthday together at my house watching Little Miss Sunshine, great movie, and letting the food from dinner settle. After the movie was over, she was going to head home because it was getting late and her family was all over at her house already. So as we walked to the door we stopped to say goodbye and goodnight. Up until this point our relationship, physically, was nothing more than holding hands and kisses on the cheek. But at that moment, under the mistletoe my family picks each year, we shared our first real kiss. It was great. Memorable enough for me to write about two years later. There was something so special about having waited so long for something so great, though simple. That kiss is in my top 5 of ours. And though it would have been special minus the mistletoe, I believe that mistletoe certainly helped.

All this said to say that though many people aren’t buying mistletoe either because of its danger to animals and small children or because of dying romance in America, I believe romance is still alive in those who know what to look for. If a kiss means nothing to you, consequently neither will mistletoe. Value the small things like a first kiss and time to talk and mistletoe can mean the world.

I’ve Left My Heart In China

…but I’ve never even been there.

Each Monday, Wednesday and Friday I fall in love with China all over again. See, I’m taking an Elementary Chinese course this semester, and I have just grown so close to the culture and language. My professor is an amazing lady from the Shandong province of China. She has such a heart for her students and making sure they understand as much as possible about the language and the history of China.

I look forward to this class more than any other I’ve ever had.

I took this class hoping to learn a new language, and indeed I am. But it’s not just learning, it’s loving. Never did I think I would have the passion for this class that I do. I think this has to be a God thing. I really believe that God is making my heart compassionate toward the people of China, and allowing me to learn their language as a medium needed to reach out to them.

Several times we’ve had guest speakers come to the class and teach us a little about Chinese numbers, colors, or music. These speakers are MBA exchange students who are studying here at UTSA. When they speak I can’t focus on anything else. When I am able to hear from them about their country I tear up because my heart wants so badly to be there now. I really feel that this is God calling me to minister there at some point in my life. I want to go to China and reach the people who have never heard the Word of Truth.

Lord, allow me the opportunity to speak truth to these people in their own language.

WordPress, 再见。

I Love My TOMS!

So last week or so I went to this TOMS Shoes, “Style Your Sole” Party…absolutely the greatest thing. What it is is this company, TOMS, sells very simply designed-yet comfortable- shoes and you get to design what you want on them. They start of looking like this:

I Love My

TOMS Shoes.

Help spread the word about TOMS Shoes.

But then you get to spray paint, sharpie, and paint whatever your heart desires on to them. Mine came out a little on the abstract side with orange tips and a yellow body with little splatters of paint here and there. But the cool things is I can go back and change it up with a fresh coat of paint if  I wish…and it’s like a whole nother pair of shoes!

Check this out though, when you buy a pair of shoes-or a t-shirt- you not only get a pair of shoes for yourself, but TOMS will donate a pair to be put on children’s feet. They go to Argentina and even throughout the United States as well, meeting a very practical need. It’s an amazing opportunity to just be apart of. So go to www.tomsshoes.com and check out what they offer. You can set up to have a Style Your Sole Party at your college campus! Pretty amazing.

Ananias and His Wife

Today I’ve felt unfocused, confused, and both mentally and physically sick. During my classes I was unable to pay attention and write notes…I couldn’t carry on a conversation with a person I normally talk to for  hours on end…and I also just wanted to do nothing but sleep because I felt so gross inside, like  everything I had eaten in the past couple of days was all of a sudden not sitting well inside me. All in all, this just made for a confusing day.

Just a few minutes ago after trying to eat something for dinner, I sat down broken and was just honest with God. I said  God, I’m sorry for being so tempted by human nature. I want to be more focused on You and to truly truly depend on Your faithfulness. I said, Lord, I’m gonna read  Your word tonight, and I just want to be encouraged by and find truth in all that I read. So I picked up my Bible and began where I had left off last time, Acts 5. I start reading, and this first part of the chapter is about a man named Ananias and his wife.

Ananias and his wife had recently sold a piece of their land for a sum of money. They said they would give the full amount of this sale to God, but in reality they didn’t. They had kept a portion of this money for themselves, and then given the rest to the Lord. Peter confronts Ananias and asks him why he did what he did, and then says, “You have not lied to men but to God.” The Bible says that when Ananias heard this, he fell to the ground and breathed his last. Then Ananias’ wife comes into the picture and she was not aware of what had just happened to her husband. Then Peter confronts her too, asking how much they had sold it for, and she too lies about the value of the land. Immediately she collapses to the ground and just like her husband, breathes her last. Both were buried side-by-side.

Now I had prayed for encouragement, and then read this. Many may see this as anything but encouraging, maybe just scary. But I instantly became thankful for so much more. I’m thankful for the fact that because of Jesus’ death, God will continually have compassion on me and show me mercy so great that it’s hard to even wrap my mind around. If God killed everyone when they lied to Him, we’d all be in a mess right now. But our God has love like no other. And right now I am in tears over how lucky I am to be loved in such a way that God will forgive me for my lies and other sins. I’d be a mess without Him.

Thank you Lord for that encouragement…and I’m very sorry for being so wrapped up in human nature.