You make me wanna

Stay. did i just say that?

Okay, i don't really mean to imply i wish to stay. but in all honesty, this has been a great week and has made me miss certain things, namely people, only found here. and for many reasons...

The past few days have been in the company of loyal and enjoyable friends, refreshing me and encouraging me in all things, at all times, and with all sorts of supplications. moments like these make leaving all the more difficult. how can i break away from those with whom i share a common bread and a common cup on a consistent and free basis? you nurture me. (i hope i nurture you.) it would be so easy to stay where community thrives and love abounds. that is, of course, what we all groan for.

Oh, but the thought of it arriving where it is not!

Present needs:
Patience and wisdom and time well spent in the coming days.

Present certainties and thanks:
There is a fountain,
And that fountain supplied what was needed (v's)!

A strange new community emerged long ago, as if a seed, once planted, broke forth from the ground with new life, growing ever larger and larger over time until it was the greatest of all trees. its branches provide plenty of shade for all the birds, and its very presence sustains the life around it. a thread of living water, like a vein, feeds and connects all the stems, all the leaves, and all the buds as one organism. it is incomplete and marred if anything is missing or whithered, but it only becomes more beautiful and lively as it grows larger. it is special. it is significant. it cannot be contained. it cannot die.

Don't worry, i'll be sure to let you know when we find out our actual departure date. as for now it might suffice to know that we will in fact be leaving, and soon. and for this i am more than grateful, and a little overjoyed. thank you for remembering us, and enduring through this first phase of many adventures.

Peace be.

Oh, by the way

I'm just updating for the sake of updating.

Johnnie and i flew in thursday night, "slept" until friday morning, drove to dallas, and enjoyed the presence of good friends. and it snowed.

We were both blessed by jess, and i think that makes not a small number of others a little jealous (compliments to her encouraging spirit). andy served us, and took care of us, and in many ways reinforced why he is a dear brother. justin played well (though he would disagree, naturally) and hosted well, and loved us much. sean tackled johnnie with his beard and jay dialogued with him afterward about some diagram.

[Did you know, actually, that the original koine was all "upper-case"?]

Present needs:
Vee ai ese es.

Present certainties:
There is a fountain...

Oh, and by the way, i think the new (as a whole) longs to express itself to the old just as much as the old longs for it to be expressed. but i can't express the new as a whole by myself (a "shout out" to the party quad and many others). maybe that's why being an island right now is so awkward, so unnatural. our goal for tomorrow..."express yo-selfs!"

Peace be.

Orientaion phase is

Almost over. and i'm trying to formulate some good reflections to share with everyone, so as to give a glimpse of the incredible experience i've had thus far.

[Un]fortunately for you, i'm having a blogging blank.

The past few days have been characterized by...

Coffee
Clean dancing
[Adopted] real family
The sandy clanny (of course)
Baby ruths
Delay?
Delay...
Encourager
Fire-pit
Ouch, blow it, throw it
Ouch!
And death to self.

Palm branches
Hosanna in the highest
Transformation
Good stories
Cletus
Banana pudding
Thirty-three laps and a faulty pulse
Participation...

Peace be.

Goodness, gracious,

That had to have been one of the greatest days ever. true, some would accuse me of being frustrated at the little detour. though, to tell the truth, it was one of the most beautiful drives ever. not only was last saturday filled with good food, a sweet haircut, and some of my newest favorite people, to top it all off...

I went sailing.



Captn' was my first mate.



We were wished farewell.



And we agreed, "I could do this forever."



Thank You for affording us the opportunity to "fly a little." and thank you(pl), also, for sharing this with us.

Peace be.

About 9 p.m. last night I was told to come to quad 10, and to bring my appetite.

Well, we (some of the boys and i) never made it to quad 10 because we were trying to download a sigur ros video while doing the sand box dance to "a little less conversation." nonetheless, the sisters from quad 10 came to the big room to see us and were bearing gifts. they had decided that if we were to be their knights in shining armour the next couple years we would need the shining armour. so from behind their backs they revealed boxes of plastic helmets, swords, and shields. i think they were able to cast all fears aside when they saw johnny and i were actually able to fit into ours.

We danced a bit more, sometimes with the armour on and sometimes without. and it might have been one of the greatest nights ever. i saw a video this morning of the whole thing, and though it was quite funny, i'm not sure i want it on youtube. for security reasons of course.

From my last post, and now this one, you would think all i did here was dress up and play with toys. well, that's not all i do. though, dressing up in armour in preparation for something more is not far from the truth.

We are more than conquerors.

Peace be.