A Goodbye of Sorts

Well friends, I write this post from the luxury (compared to where I've been) of my parents house. I flew into Philly a few hours ago and will spend a couple days in DE with my family before heading to Narberth to unpack and start a Pediatric rotation at Jeff. I wanted to take this time to thank all of you for your prayers and words of encouragement these last 4 weeks. SMI was an incredible time of growth and hardship for me, both of which I hope to share with you in the near future. While this intends to be my last official SMI blog entry, I am entertaining the idea of starting another blog for my life in general. If, in the near future, I decide to try my hand at such prose, I will surely post the new url here, so check back in wanton anticipation. Gracias amigos, Adios!

A Quick Blog While Nobody's Looking

I have failed to keep you all up-to-date on this weeks events in a timely manner; for that I am sorry. It has been an incredibly busy week for myself and our project management group. I think last I left off, we were heading across the line on Monday. That day went very well and then on Tuesday we did door-to-door screenings. At the moment I'm blanking on specific details, but I'm sure they'll come back to me at some point. Wednesday was our last clinic day; bitter sweet in a way. Glad to be done, but also sureal that SMI is really over.

Looking back, the week is a blur. Every year there is a Thanksgiving Ceremony to honor the five groups that partner with us each year: local churches, translators, Valley Baptist residency, Friends of Jesus Inc (guides), and housing staff. Our project management group was responsible for coordinating the entire evening for around 120 people. Not an easy task, especially when we have one day off and two hours of designated project management time a week. I'll also mention the fact that we were in South Padre for the weekend before. So we all were feeling a little stressed this week. In years past the night was split into two sections more or less. The actual thank you ceremony was in the chapel - very boring from what I've been told - and then people were asked to migrate to the cafeteria where a pinata and t-shirts waited. Our group decided to buck whatever convention there was and combine the two ceremonies in the cafeteria and make it more like a banquet. The initial reaction of a lot of people was reluctance, but they said we were in charge and could do what we liked. One of the biggest obstacles to our plan was decorations, because the cafeteria looks like... well.... a cafeteria. All the credit goes to my group for coming up with great ideas and executing them.

Fast forward to last night; the place looked great. Linens for table cloths, center pieces, candles, white lights, ballons, window coverings... the works. We had cheese, crackers, and fruit on the tables with two different kinds of party punches. We also had a dessert table with cake and a sundae bar. A huge complaint from years past was the length of the ceremony... lasting up to 2hrs. From start to finish we came in at 70 mins. Needless to say, everyone was pleased. After the ceremony we had 2 pinatas and salsa dancing lessons to go along with our theme of Lets Dance! The credit for the evening goes to all the guys and girls in our project management group, they all worked really hard. Everyone had a really great time. I will say, I unfortunately missed the ceremony because I had to make a last minute Wal-Mart run to get ingredients for punch - it was so good, we ran out before the ceremony even started.

This morning, all the guys dressed up and made breakfast for the women. Not really sure the reason why - obviously God calls us to serve each other - but my theory has something to do with the nickname for SMI... Summer Marriage Institute. We sang "For the Longest Time" as entertainment while they were eating... great fun. Some of the more gifted singers were going on and on about our key and octave during rehearsal this morning, but I have no idea what that is so I didnt pay attention. I only know how to sing two ways... hight and low... and I don't do either very well. We have it all on video, so I looked forward to seeing how it looked. The girls appreciated our efforts. Today is mostly for cleaning... the dorms, office, etc and tonight is the 'coffee house' where we all do skits, say thank, byes and what not.

Gotta run cus I gots stuff to do. I'm flying into philly tomorrow night, but will be heading to DE till mid-week to spent time with the fam. Excited to see you all again!

The Last Week

I realized that it must be time to update the 'ole blog since I have been receiving emails wondering where I've been. Goodness folks, I take 3 days off and you'd think the world was going to end or something. However, it is very much appreciated to know that people are actually reading this given the time I take writing. Before I catch you up to date on the SMI happenings, let me first say that the previous picture was a joke. It is by no means intended for match.com; you should know I'm an eharmony kinda guy (again with the joking).

Myself and the SMI crew spent the weekend at South Padre Island or otherwise known as "the beach." Its a nice, medium-sized resort town, with warm water and blazing hot sand. We arrived Friday evening, got settled in and had dinner as a D-group. Later that night, Heath introduced the purpose of the weekend, which was titled "Return Training." The idea was for us to spend time focusing on our return home, how SMI has impacted us, and how God is leading us to impact our community on return. I spent the rest of the night in the adjoining pool and hot tub.

We were up bright and early the next morning for breakfast and then some breakout sessions geared towards the topics above. Quickly I'll share with you some of the things God has revealed to me through SMI:

1. The need for community. This was laid on my heart last year and God provided me with 2 awesome roomates in which we could erect a supportive, encouraging, and exhortative community. I see, though, how much more Christian community can be. God has re-enforced to me how the Christian walk is intended to be heavily relational. We are immersed in a society saturated with the ideology of individualism, yet it is nearly - nay I should say entirely - impossible to walk with Christ with this mindset. I see the benefits of living in a community of like-minded individuals with a single focus. Sin is exposed, fatigue combated with encouragement, foolishness exhorted with scripture, and uncertainty erased with prayer. That being said, an intentional Christian community is hard to establish and maintain. Every person involved must buy into the purpose. If that is not so, the other members are left shouldering the burden; thus, instead of joy being the natural by-product, discouragement can result. I realize that I have not labored as hard, as intense, or as long as I should have this past year in the brothers I live with and those I fellowship with on Sunday evenings. This is not to say, or imply, that Christian community is something anyone can erect given the right about of effort. Nay, it is God who gives us the vision and the strength, as well as the continued grace to do so. However, we must labor for the Lord as it says in Galatians 5:25, "Since you are in the Spirit, let us keep in the step with the Spirit." This is something I hope God will continue to lay upon my heart and the hearts of my brothers at Jefferson.

2. I need the Gospel. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is, simply stated; Jesus, fully God, taking the form of man - in all aspects -, sinless in his time on earth, crucified and risen again to be our justification (remember, forgiveness andrighteousness). The gospel changes lives. It has changed my life and I venture to say it has changed yours. But does it continually change your life? I often, and would contend I am not alone, think of the gospel as the for non-believers. Why wouldn't I? I mean, I've read it, I believe it... been there, done that. WRONG! We need to be reminded of Jesus' atoning sacrifice and our undeserved righteousness as much as non-believers need to hear it. It is quite interesting to note that in every the letter Paul wrote to the seven CHURCHES - meaning Christians - he made sure to remind them of the gospel message. If Paul, whom we all would extol as an undeniable man of God, thought it important enough to remind those churches of who and what Jesus did, I believe it important enough for us - I - to remind myself of it with greater frequence. The church at Corinth and Galatia had nothing on the debauchery and idolatry in our society today. This fundamental idea has been the core of the SMI teaching this year; and the core of the theme, Lets Dance: Repent, Fight, Believe. The gospel is not meant only for conversion, it is also vital for renewal and refreshment in the spirit. Something I need to recognize and work out in my own life.

3. I am a sinner. Nothing like 4 weeks of the same people, living in 'rustic' conditions, spending entire days in the hot Texas weather to expose some sins. God has certainly has done that in my life, and while I would love to share them with you (maybe not all of you), this is not the forum to do so.

We had free time in the afternoon on Saturday, the majority of which was spent on the beach. I can happily report that my diligence in applying and re-applying sunscreen was successful. Saturday night was set aside for 'bonding time' for guys and girls - separately that is (although co-mingling wouldn't have been a bad idea in my mind... you know, strictly for unity purposes). Use manly men played some stupid game, which I can explain to anyone interested at a later date, then built a bonfire on the beach. One of our colleagues (well done Ezra!) was astute enough to ask a beach cop the regulations on beach fires, allowing us to skirt them ever so slightly. The rules are that the fire can't actually be on the sand, but in some type of container. So we purchased a $10 grill from Wal-Mart and got a wooden palate from a neighboring store. It worked spectatularly and we have pictures to prove it.

Sunday morning we were scheduled to depart at 7:30am, but some of use decided to get up around 6am to watch the sunrise... and take pictures of course. It was awesome! I've kinda always been interested in photography, but the new camera has me hooked. I took some 60 pictures that morning, in the hopes of getting a few good ones. Its so much fun to play around with stuff looking for that perfect shot. I'm excited to share the photos with you all.

Today was another clinic day across the line. It was rather slow at my site... only about 45 patients. Some of you might find this interesting. I worked with Mike Fitzpatrick, who is a Family Med doc and just finished a fellowship in rural medicine. Some of you might recognize the name, as I found out that he is Christiana's - the missions coordinator at Tenth Pres - younger brother. Who is also the roomate of Miss Sarah Landis.... this is the part where we all hum 'its a small world after all...' in our heads.

Tomorrow is door-to-door in Texas and then Wednesday we have our last clinic. Please pray for me and the team as we are all tired and worn down. I find it more and more difficult to be energize and excited during our outreaches and yerning to see all of you. God is good, though, and I know he will provide the strength. Also, please pray for the Thanksgiving/Closing Ceremony on Thursday night. My group (continuity) is in charge of it and there is a ton to do with VERY little time. Those who know me best know I like to be in control and this time is no different. I also struggle with the pride of my reputation and wanting this to be a great evening. Pray for me in both of these aspects friends. Only a few more days!

My new match.com picture!

Where's the comments?

We are falling into bad habits friends and family. I may have lost my satirical wit in recent writing, but you shouldn't take it out on my blog... what did it ever do to you? - besides waste your time with ranting and raving. It's kinda like asking someone how their day was; everyone wants to be asked. Only your not really asking about my day, but commenting on how cool my blog is and my sweet man-beard.

To catch you up to date... this past Wednesday was another clinic day across the line. We saw 80 patients in the span of 5 hours! It was the usual setup where the patient gets registered, then triaged, seen by a doc, sit with the pastor, and then finally to the pharmacy. At the end of the day, the pastor of the church where we were working said 24 people received Christ! Its not a numbers game, but God is working in their hearts. I've been trying to not focus on how many actually receive Christ, but looking at it from the perspective that 80 people we prayed with and will be followed up with by that Church.


Yesterday was another door-t0-door session in Tx. Everyone on the team was so tired all morning and honestly didn't really feel like going out. I guess I can't speak for everyone (even though others told me that), but that is certainly how I felt. God is so good though, because as we gathered our materials, got in our groups, and prayed for our time going door-to-door we all felt renewed and refreshed. God gave us the energy. It is a great reminder that it is God's work and we are only the means by which he works. I had the opportunity to speak with one gentleman at the first house Jess, Sunna, and I stopped. First, we did his BP and BS. So far at SMI, he had the highest BS reading at 562. For those who aren't sure if that is high or not... thats REALLY high. We are doing random BS testing - as opposed to fasting BS testing - so we want the number to be below 200. He said he really wasn't feeling that poorly, but noted some blurry vision, frequent urination, and unsatiable thirst (all symptoms of high BS). When someone's BS is this high and they are unable to rehydrate themselves appropriately, the concern is that they may go into Diabetic Ketoacidosis or Hyperosmolar Non-Ketoacidosis, either of which can be fatal. After we addressed the medical needs - told him to follow-up with a doctor in 24hrs and if he feels worse to go to the ER - we started talking about his faith. I had the opportunity to share the gospel with him and he understood some of it, but didn't really understand the big picture of our needing Jesus' death on the cross. I didn't really know where else to take the conversation and by God's awesome grace, the translator working with us - Jorge - started his own conversation with the man and left me out of it. I was happy to sit back and let him handle it. As a quick aside, I am so thankful for the translators. They are so gracious in giving up their time (they are all volunteers) and helping us. I might know a little big about medicine, but it is all for not because I can't communicate that with anyone who speaks spanish. They are definitely a huge asset. Anyway, after about 10 minutes of listening to a conversation between Jorge and the guy, not understanding anything other than 'Se' (yes), Jorge turns to me and says, "He wants to be sure he goes to heaven today and accept Christ." So we prayed together and set up a time a pastor from the church we were working with could come back to visit.

Despite being physically worn down, God is giving us the strength to carry on. He is doing a great work down here. Please continue to pray for both of these things. This weekend we head to South Padre Island for 'return training.' Pretty much we have workshops and conferences on how to take what we have experienced and learned back to our campuses. Please also pray for continued unity on the team. Thank the Lord there haven't been any large dissensions or fights - as far as I know - but this is only by God's grace. We are all seeing the sin in each of our lives as more days pass and we grow more weary.

Friends, I just found out that on the SMI website (http://www.thesmi.org) are some pictures as well as updates and prayer requests for the entire team. Hope you enjoy! Things are well. I'm heading into a meeting now, so hopefully I can write more later.

Ok, so I just re-read my last two posts and they sound like a rather harsh rant against the church. It is not meant to be so. I have nothing against doctrine, it is vitally important to our Christian faith. I, myself, like reading theology and enjoy trying to understand some of the deeper truths to our faith. But does it take the place of me loving others (1 John 3:18, Col 3:14)? Honestly, it certainly does sometimes. That is the point I am trying to make. What, in my life and in yours, are we emphasizing more than seeking to truly love (which encompasses serving) others? We want to walk before we can crawl or eat food before we can swallow milk as Paul exhorts. As a body of Christ we are so terrible at caring for those who need us. We have become so incredibly introverted and individualistic in our walks. Ok, ok, i'll stop now.

Hernandez shared a link to an article in Christianity Today: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/009/16.38.html. It is an interesting read and thought provoking. If anything it is a springboard for discussion. I have, in my short time in Philly, met some people involved in communities like those in the article. I can't say that I agree with them on every doctrinal point (here we go again!) or their worldview, but I respect them for their committment to their communities. It's a falicy to think God has called all of us to live in this way (something the individuals I've met do believe), but we are all called to love and serve.

Three posts in one day... you guys are luucckkyyyy! I finished my day in the clinic and am waiting for Mosie to finish up so we can grab some dinner. The staff (physician and others) are so nice and friendly. I dont know if they are all Christians - the physicians are. We prayed consistantly with every patient we encountered. The patients respond so favorably, even when they are new to the clinic. I think the patients would actually be offended if the physician DIDN'T pray with them because it has become the standard of care here.

I also have some terrifying news. Out of curiousity, while waiting in between patients, I weighed myself. My baseline is between 155-160lbs. I step on, knowing I'll probably be a little over that... and it what does it read.... 173.5!!!!!!!!!!!! I frantically ripped off my white coat and shoes, wishing I could go all the way to my skivies. But realizing I was standing in the middle of the clinic I restrained myself and reweighed. 170. Are you kidding me!? 10lbs in 3wks! FATTY! I thought maybe 3-5lbs at the most, but never thought it would have been more than that. I told you the tex-mex 3x a day, 7 days a week was killing me. A big factor I'm sure is breakfast. I'm used to a big bowl of Cheerios every morning and here they are giving me eggs with bacon and sausage, biscuts, hash browns, etc. Thats an extral 500-600 calories at least... probably like 10 bowls of cereal. Of course I dont HAVE to eat it, but until this past week I couldn't find any Cheerios. I was trying to run in the mornings before prayer (7:30am), but I haven't been able to be consitant. Running at night is equally hard because I'm so tired. Regardless, I need to do something. I think I am going to start skipping breakfast in the cafeteria and go back to eating my Cheerios, but of course SMI doesn't buy milk until Sunday mornings.

So that was Sunday. The rest of the afternoon I spent sleeping and then with my D-group guys. The group time has been great and we have definitely been seeing our sin coming out. Thank you for your prayers, God has been answering them. We went to this awesome BBQ place for dinner in Brownsville (30 min south of Harlingen) called Rudy's. Its a sweet little place with its adjoining gas station. I'll get pictures up when I get back to the compound. The food was incredibly delicious. The best BBQ I've had. We ate 2lbs of beef brisket and a couple sausages between the 4 of us. This, incidentally, leads great into my wonderful news in the next post.

Monday was our day off. I intended to spend the day relaxing, reading, and being refreshed for the upcoming week, but I got convinced to go to the beach. Ezra, Dana, Michelle, and myself headed for South Padre for a day of fun in the sun. Its a beautiful area and set up much like a resort town - probably because it is a resort town. It wasn't too crowded on the beach which was great and the weather couldn't have been better (90's and sunny with a great breeze). The water was so warm too. Because of the sandbars, Ezra and Dana were able to walk out about 100 feet and still touch bottom. I didn't go out that far mainly because I didn't want to get eaten by a shark, so I stayed with the kiddies and pick seashells by the seashore. We stayed on the beach for about 3-4hours and then headed back to the compound for Sunday dinner. I used 30spf sunblock on my body and 45spf on my face, but somehow still managed to get a nice healthy shade of bright red. I know what your thinking, I didn't re-apply, but your so wrong, I totally did and even waited the 3omins for it to dry. But oh well, I've already resolved that I'll have skin cancer when I'm old.

Hope you all are well. Glad I got some time to update. Keep praying for the clinic days and time in Tx.

Sorry for the poor updating friends. I have been busy these last few days and when I have had time to write, I haven't been in the mood. At the moment I am at the Valley Baptist Family Medicine Clinic doing my 1 day of required rotation through here. No I am not skipping out on work. For your information, the physician with whom I was working had to leave early and thus I have a little break before lunch... so relax and enjoy what you are about to read.

So to catch ya'll up, Sunday I was again at los Vecinos church for worship. I think it was the last Sunday we'll be there, since this weekend we do return training at South Padre Island, and then leave on the 29th. The message was centered around drawing near to the Lord and clinging to him. There were a number of scripture references used, but I will not repeat them here. It's interesting to me to see the difference between the churches within the US that I have visited and what they empasize. It almost seems to me - from growing up in a middle-class moderately-sized suburban church and my time at Tenth Pres - that the more affluent churches focus more heavily on doctrine and "living a Christian life." While the smaller, poorer churches I have visited - Spirit and Truth in Philly and los Vecinos here - emphasize mostly loving your neighbor and resting in God. I must acknowledge that this is but a tiny sampling of the churches in the US and I, being only 24, have spent a relatively short time at each. However, as you all should know by now, this will not hinder me in expressing my overly-generalized opinion.

So what is the reason for this difference? Who is right (besides me)? One could argue the difference is due to education. Those who have attained more education tend to have more money, thus congregate at more affluent churches, which then leads the preaching of more doctrine - I don't mean to imply the churchgoers dictate what a pastor preaches, because thats just wrong. So is this a correct assertion of the origins of difference? Is knowing/preaching doctrine bad? Absolutely not! But I think our brothers and sisters at the smaller, more community-driven churches are having a greater impact on their communities than those in churches that focus on doctrine. Why is that? I believe it is due to their focus on how they can serve others, how they can trust more, and how to love in a Christ-like manner. They also have the blessing of being able to regularly exercise these things, although it may not seem a blessing at the time.

Do not walk away from this entry thinking I am trying to rag on bigger, more affluent churches. I am far to young and have far to much to learn to have the capacity to say what is more correct on such a grand scale. But we must ask the question. What is the purpose of the church? Are we not to go out, to preach the Gospel message - not only to others, but also to ourselves - and be witnesses to the world. Then why aren't we? Why are we so self focused, as individuals and a corporate body? And don't use the excuse that you are witnessing at work/school by being a 'good person.' Frank thinks your a good guy, but he doesn't know your a Christian. It is true, actions speak louder than words, but far too many (myself included) for far too long have used this as a crutch for not witnessing outright. Actions are not a replacement of words, but rather should be used alongside them. I have not mastered this in my own life friends and this is only the inner ramblings of a poor sinner who sees the reflection of this in his own life.

For those of you who like fiction, Ezra has a story on his blog about Friday night's scavenger hunt that's quite interesting. Here's the link blog.myspace.com/ezramell. Those who enjoy it would probably also enjoy: http://ivyjoy.com/fables/