An Adorable Snack

 If you have ever been to Cayman there's a chance you have been to the Turtle Farm and if you have, you know my new found joy. If you haven't, when you come visit me we will go. This place is awesome! You walk through the main gate and you are greeted by a big pool filled with sea turtles!

Understandably this was one of the cooler things I have seen in the animal world. It was almost as awesome as when I saw wild elephants for the first time. You grow up hearing about sea turtles and how awesome and endangered they are and then you get to see them face to face. This is really a special experience. Then you realize that there are probably 50 big sea turtles in the giant concrete tank. It honestly gave me some Blackfish flashbacks. You find yourself a little torn as you see these animals that would travel great distances out in the open ocean and they just swim around in circles. You soon realize a few things however. The first thing that you realize is that this is a farm. These turtles are raised commercially for their meat. So, you don't feel as bad. The second thing you realize is that these animals are incredibly endangered so, unlike our good friend Tilikum, there aren't a lot of these guys out there in the open ocean and the other side of this operation is that they release a good number of the turtles that they raise. You then find yourself, once again, overwhelmed with how awesome this place is. You then move on and you find yourself standing over tanks filled with little sea turtles. You look around and see people reaching in and catching them as they swim by and you realize, "holy crap, I'm about to hold a sea turtle!" and then you grab him!

 He's so tiny and cute! It was a pretty incredible experience that promised to only get better. I was told of The Lagoon! The lagoon is a place where you can actually go swim with sea turtles. My dreams were unfolding before my very eyes. I was so excited and I couldn't quite contain myself. We approached the lagoon and I got some bad news. It had closed just before we had gotten there. I was disappointed but I just decided that I will have to come back and swim with the turtles another time. 

When you come visit me, lets go ride some turtles!
 

ROCK FLAG AND EAGLE!

Its 10:15pm. I am sitting out on my balcony, enjoying a cool breeze coming off the ocean and looking down at the lighted pool three stories below. Today for the first time in the last 13 years, I am in a different country on what is arguably the most notable day for Americans since we landed on the moon. I am sitting here with mixed emotions as I flip between the football game and that same 911 documentary that History channel shows every year on this day. As I went through the day, it was the first time in 13 years that this day hasn't included conversations about what I was doing when the planes hit, (I was in earth science and my teacher had just turned on the TV to show us a video at 8:48, a mere two minutes after the first plane hit. As a 9th grade student, I, along with the rest of my classmates, was understandably confused by what I was seeing. Fifteen minutes later, our class still affixed to the TV, the second plane hit.) For the first time in 13 years, no prayer gathering was held. For the first time in 13 years, I was in a place, surrounded by people that weren't majorly affected by the events of that morning. In Cayman, September 11 is a day just like any other. So much of the world seems to fault Americans for being loud, obnoxious, arrogant, self-centered and so much more. It seems like if you are proud of being and American, the world sees that as a negative. Today is one of those days that I have no intention at all to apologize for loving my country. We grew up being taught that America is the greatest country in the world, and to be sure there was a time when that was a fact. Whether it is anymore is up for debate and to be honest irrelevant. To be a patriot is to believe with all your heart that your country is the greatest country in the world, even if you know it isn't. It is why I always tell people that Buffalo is the greatest city in the world. I know that there are more exciting cities to be in, more beautiful cities, more successful cities, but Buffalo is my city and I believe, with all my guts, that it is the greatest city in the world. I feel the same about my country. Hearing the stories of heroes that sacrificed themselves to save others from the collapsing towers, or a group of passengers that stormed the cockpit of their plane so it wouldn't kill countless more people to the way everyone rallied around New York City. Americans kick ass!

Now that I am finished with my patriotic rant, on to life. Tomorrow marks 6 weeks that I have been on the island and needless to say it has been an interesting six weeks. That being said, nothing really that interesting has happened. I did have an awesome day last Thursday. My friends Steve and Susan stopped on the island for a few hours on a cruise. Its always nice to have visitors and I encourage all of you to get down here while the gettin is good, (Nov. 6 is the start of Pirate week). After they returned to the ship I was walking by the water and I saw a smallish shark swimming around which was pretty awesome and then I got back to my office to find that my new guitar had arrived a few hours earlier. (The guitar is a limited edition, Taylor Mini-e GS with Koa would and I talked to my sales rep today and he said they got 100 in and they were sold out in three days) I'm pretty pumped I got my first new guitar in 10 years and it sounds so great)

Tomorrow marks my first day as a teacher. I will be teaching ethics in the high school which is going to be pretty exciting. I have no idea how its going to be, but I finally get to see how I like teaching. The beauty and paradox of ethics is that its a class about right and wrong and there isn't really right and wrong... or something like that. Anyways, I'll let you guys know how it goes.

I took a walk the other day. I stumbled across these guys on a fence. I then saw that the field behind them was absolutely filled with iguanas. Its still amazing to me that these things are like squirrels around here. I just thought I would share that. Its pretty awesome!

Anyways, VBS is over. It was a pretty awesome week but I'm glad that its finished. I didn't realize how tired I was. We had close to 100 kids every night which was awesome and it was a good first test to get thrown into. Things went pretty smoothly overall but island time is going to take some getting used to for sure. 

Yesterday was a pretty big day for me. A very nice Canadian couple in my church is going to be off island for the next month and they have loaned me their car. This is a pretty big deal since pretty much every day I have been walking to work, which isn't too bad but its about a 30 minute walk and I am usually soaked in sweat by the time i get there. its about a four minute drive. If you don't know, they drive on the left side of the road in Cayman and the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. Its absolutely crazy and confusing. once you are on the road its not bad since you just stay in your lane and all is well. The trouble comes when you are turning in and out of parking lots. You get all mixed up because you aren't really sure which way you are supposed to be looking and which way traffic is coming from. You think you are good and there are cars coming right at you. It gets confusing when you accidentally turn into an exit in a parking lot and you're all mixed up or even worse, when you almost turn down the wrong side of a divided street. Things get real dicey. So far, a day into it I haven't crashed into anything yet. I don't so much know what to do with my hands though and the turn signal is on the wrong side of the car so i keep turning on my wipers instead. Its going to be necessary for me to get an American car when the time comes.

I saw Ninja Turtles yesterday... it was awesome! I know it is getting some mixed reviews and I understand why but it was a pretty sweet movie for sure.

Thats about it for now. I am going down to the beach, so until next time... stay classy

I'm on Island Time

Where to begin? If you haven't gotten the news yet, I am no longer a resident of the United States of America. An adventure that was completely unlooked for a year ago has swept me up into an cross-cultural whirlwind. My new home in George Town on Grand Cayman island is literally paradise. The crystal clear waters of the Caribbean surround. The palm trees tower overhead. The iguanas and chickens roam free (much to the disdain of the locals) As I sit in my office looking out at the two cruise ships docked in the harbor across the street I am struck with how amazing and faithful God is.

            As I have traveled through the last 4 years from Buffalo to Southern California to Georgia and back to Buffalo with stops in Maine the Caribbean and Uganda in between, God has been shaping a story that, as I look back on the chapters I have lived thus far, is far greater than anything I could ever write. About a year and a half ago I had a revelation. God has been revealing very true and deep biblical truths to me in some very simple terms. One of my great realizations is that I am not the most artistic and creative person. I can't paint, I can't draw, I'm not very adept at carving things, I can color in the lines pretty well but that's about where it ends for me. I can however make a pretty good meatloaf. I can't take credit for it, it's my father's recipe, but he has taught me well and I can replicate it with fairly decent results. As good as I can make a meatloaf, when it comes to my creative skills, this is the peak. Don't get me wrong, its pretty darn good loaf, but thats as good as it gets. I pause and think about the things that God has made in our world. I look at the ocean outside my window, the little land crabs that seem to like to run through the streets at dusk. These amazing things that He has made. If I am in control, the best my life is ever going to be is meatloaf. A pretty good meatloaf mind you, but a meatloaf all the same. God has taken me on some pretty fascinating journeys and has proven Psalm 37:4 (delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart) to be so true. Admittedly there are times when I delight myself in myself instead and there are certainly times when it seems like the desires of my heart go unfulfilled, but I reflect on all that He has done for me over the last four years and I realize that not only is he giving me the desires of my heart, but he is doing things far better than my heart could ever desire.

         Now that those profound thoughts are out of my mind, and update on my new island life. I have the unique position of being the youth pastor at the only church left in downtown George Town. This presents some challenges but also some incredible opportunities. My new church family has been amazing. The welcome I have received has been very much like my southern welcome in Georgia. Th people have made me a part of their family almost instantly, without hesitation and have given me a comfort in this crazy new world. The volunteers that I am fortunate enough to work with are top tier and the other people in the office are already close friends. In many ways it mirrors my arrival in Macon and it has brought me a level of comfort that is much needed.

        Adjusting to a new country is however a challenge. Time is a very different concept on the island. People get there when they get there and it is in great contrast to the American obsession with time. This might be the biggest adjustment for me but something that I hope i will get used to with time. The English language is somewhat of a different concept as well. Even though the people speak English it is a very different English and as of right now I am able to pick up about 40% of what is being said. This too, I will get used to in time. The next biggest challenge is that I am without a car. Its not so bad since where I am living isn't too far from church but a 15 minute walk in pants in 90 degrees is a sweaty affair, so if anyone has some money laying around and wants to buy me a car or if anyone wants to buy my jeep back home, let me know.
      I can't complain though. The beach is literally everywhere you go and I haven't gone hungry yet and I am still able to watch shark week. Its a good lesson in learning to live without but I am getting on well.  I hope that I keep up with this blog since my usual MO is to go gung ho for a few weeks and then trail off so if you are interested in seeing how i'm doing, just bother me about it and I will get to it.

Woah! Its been 8 months?

Naturally when I sit down and realize that its been 8 months since my last post, it scares the crap out of me. Where has all the time gone? No clue. But for the 12 people following my blog and any who have randomly strayed onto my blog, let me update you. I promise next post will be back to nonsense.

So Last we talked I was in sunny Southern California, living the dream enjoying a winter vacation free of charge. Unfortunately dreams don't last. Mid February I got an email from my buddy Nate trying to seduce me into moving to Georgia and taking over his youth group as he and his wife Steph would be moving to Illinois for grad school. Long story short, I wound up in Georgia. Macon, Georgia to be exact. "What the heck is in Macon?" You may ask... well let me tell you. If your zipper says YKK on it, it was made in Georgia. If you are listening to any music by the Allman Brothers, Otis Redding, or Little Richard, it was made in Macon. If you were recently mugged or stabbed or chopped up into little pieces, chances are, it happened in Macon. If you recently stopped at a 7/11, Chipotle, or Toys 'R Us, you were NOT in Macon.

While Macon does leave a lot to be desired, there is something about this small town that has captured me. I don't know quite what it is. It might be that, much like Buffalo, it is a town that is suffering from a ever worsening economy, a serious lack of respect from the bigger cities in the state, the small town feel, the awesome old people at my church, the southern hospitality that is too good to be true or just the fact that its the middle of October and I can drive around with the top down on my Jeep. This town is just a perfect fit and I couldn't be happier than I am right here (unless of course I was in Buffalo)

I am working at Riverside United Methodist Church and my new church and church family have been so awesome it blows me away. For the first month I was here, things were great because Nate was still here and we just coasted through the summer and it was fun. Then the next month was great because I was still coasting through the summer even though Nate had left. Then I went on vacation and came back to a bit of a shakeup and in a very short time I went from being in charge of Student Ministries to also being the new worship leader (for the time being). A whole new adventure and a lot of learning to go along with it.

As of right now everything is going really well and things are progressing and getting better every week. With our Wednesday night programming we have been getting 2 or 3 new students each week and our numbers are steadily going up. With worship things are getting better every week as we gel more and more as a band.

I also got a new puppy so having two kids has been another challenge. I just realized that. But its fun.

My brain is pretty much fried today, but i will back soon with my usual stupidities. Take care and God Bless!

jungle cat!

So today is Wednesday... Tonight we start worship for the High School at church so it will be fun and interesting. Lets hope it goes well... Last night was the first night since I have been here that I have slept through the night... It was so wonderfu!... On Monday night I got my bike which is a huge blessing cause now I can roll all over town. It is definietley a girls bike that has been painted grey for my benefit. Its not so much the low female crotch bar, but the butterflies all over the seat that give it away. I have decided that they are dragons... They are pretty cruel too.

I know someone is going to think that I am sick for this but it must be shared all the same, more as a way for me to explain and express how sorry I am about it... We were sharing prayers requests at our college group last night and a girl who shall go nameless shared that during the Super Bowl her aunt's new kitten died. At first we all felt really bad and a collective awww went up from the group... she then began to explain the nature of the young cat's demise.... her other aunt brought over her two siberian huskies.... she then began to explain how these two dogs got a hold of this new innocent sweet adorable kitten and proceded to rip it to shreds.... the story was rather detailed.... it took everything inside of me to hold in my emotions, but in the end I proved to weak to contain myself... I relesed one of those nose pig grunt restrained laughs that often sends snot out of your nose... and only one other person shared my level of emotion about the situation... I tell this story not to mock this girl or to say i think its funny that someones kitten is dead.... but the way this story was presented just took me to an emotional level that just freaked me out and i could not contain my feelings... I love cats and I hate when they die, and I am sorry for my actions.... but the mental picture of this situation is oustanding.... simply stunning....

I miss my dog

Five Iron Frenzy is great


Combo of the day.... Chillax... classic.. chill and relax... chillax... nuff said....

Man this stinks!

Well, I just spent the last half hour updating people on what things are happening, but when i tried to post it got erased... thats the worst. I do remember that i wrote that I'm really not impressed by third day. I don't get it. But who cares... I am going to make this short cause I don't want to spend another half hour trying to figure out what I wrote.

Worked on the sound system in the youth room, which is called modular three, but i think we need to change the name of that, cause that name totally blows. but everything is working in there now which is awesome cause now we can start to do some stuff... but there is electronic drums which is the lamest thing ever.

Went to the college group tuesday night which was really cool. Everyone was really nice and really encouraging... A girl named Danielle found me a bike like 2 minutes after i mentioned that i needed one. got In & Out afterwards... such a good burger.

yesterday was a little less productive, but it was still fun all the same. found a job posting on craigslist for a wellness/nutrition/spa type thing, and sent an email and the lady called me like 20 minutes after i called in, so i have an interview on monday which is exciting... hopefully its not some totally shady joint, if not, awesome i found a job... It is blowing away how much God is taking care of me and how quickly.

the high school group here is awesome! we met last night (wed) and they are all friends and they were all really nice to me and they all want to learn about God and its just really cool. Also potentially found most of a band, which is great! just need to find a guitar player now.

This morning when we got to the office i set up a table and made myself a little desk and office in the corner that i have been hanging out in, i am a little more official now, which just makes me feel important, which once in a while we need.

Everyday more and more, God affirms that this is what i am supposed to be doing which is really exciting, cause it was a big step of faith, but He rewards our faithfulness...