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.