First Full Day

Even though my parents (hi mom!) think I'm a technology guru, I have yet to get into the burgeoning field of blogging. Well, that time is now over! With my inscrutable mind, proficient typing, and of course a handy thesaurus I aim to bring you the play-by-play of my time at SMI. At the end of each entry, I'll try to include some things you can pray for and also things God has revealed. I also hope to insert some pictures from time to time to give you a break from my overly verbose writing. With all that said, LETS BLOG...
I am in the midst of my first full day at SMI. Myself and 10 others flew in to Harlingen Airport yesterday afternoon, greated by sunshine, palm trees (?!), and a warm breeze. It felt more like I was in the Caribbean or L.A. (even though I have no idea what either of those feel like) than Texas. Palm trees in Tx? Never would of thought that. The trip was uneventful for the most part. I was fortunate enough to meet up with Ezra and Dana, two guys attending SMI, in the Philly airport, making the ride down here more interesting. About halfway through the trip from Philly to Houston we had a small disagreement in respect to what state we were flying over. I went with Tennessee, Dana and Ezra guessed Kentucky. We settled the debate by asking the flight attendent, who promptly called into the cabin and spoke with the captain. Needless to say, we were all wrong. Not that suprising, for those of you who truly know that I abhore geography about as much as people who read aloud the names of business' and restaurants while driving in a new city ("oooh, sizzler"... "haha look, Pepe's.").
One of the most ridiculous events occured at the Houston airport where we were catching another flight to Harlingen. For some obscure reason, we had to pass through another security checkpoint after deboarding the first plane and prior to boarding the second. I mean c'mon, we already got scanned in Philly, don't they trust them?! Ok, just re-read that, and you can disregard this entire rant because I wouldn't trust Philly security either. However, through both security checkpoints they didn't confiscate my deadly nail clippers, which pleased me since I've already had one taken from me. They even made us pass through security AGAIN after getting food, and whats more, we had to pass our food through the x-ray... absurd.
The housing is, as they referred in our welcome packet, "rustic." The rooms consist of 2-4 beds, 3 built-in closets, a sink, and a window a/c unit. It's dorm style living, with 2 rooms connected by a bathroom. I wasn't expecting plush conditions, but honestly, I was expecting to have at least a tiled or carpeted floor. Apparently, they just recently tore up the carpet in the dorm to replace it, but unfortunately now don't have the funds. So we are left with a floor that is "pseudo-dirty" in the sense that it could be swept, but still remain dirty. Those who are carpenters might know what I mean. But that is my fault for having expectations. I thought going into the trip that I didn't have any, but obviously I fooled myself (haha, I'm so tricky!). The a/c units are key, but serve only to take the edge off the heat. Its not too hot, around 85 thus far with less humidity than Philly and a nice breeze. Myself and the others spent the rest of the day unpacking SMI boxes containing hangers, shower caddies, blankets (I'm told its chilly at night... i'm suspicious), towels, and the like.
We got to spend some time last night in prayer praising God for what He has given us and done thus far. All kidding aside, God has provided a great place here to live. Its not all I have in Philly, but it's all I need (just like Him). I'm excited to be in a simple living environment with other Christians with the goal of creating community. It's not going to be easy everyday for the next 4wks, especially for someone who enjoys his personal space, but it's going to be a great learning and growing experience. Pray for me as tomorrow some of the guys in my group will arrive. I have a peace about leading, but feel inadequate. God can use this, I know, and look forward to Him doing so. Pray also that I can more fully realize the body of Christ in action. Some verses I read this morning: I Corinthians 14:26, Proverbs 27:17.