Back on the Scene

No friends, I haven't died I've just been traveling like a mad gypsy for two weeks. Last week I was in Puerto Rico doing a mini CCP (Cross Cultural Project) for those of you who are fortunate enough to not know the lingo. I got back home Sunday night at 1am, woke up Monday and had lunch with my friend Eli, got back around 1pm and drove some ladies down to Gulf Shores. I just got back from there this afternoon and tommorrow I'll be heading out again for a retreat. But right now I am sitting in my cozy house with my feet propped, up typing on my roomate Katie's computer (I accidently left mine at the beach). I'm wearing my two sizes too big Democratic State Convention t-shirt that I found a few years ago while I was working the weed wacker outside of the boys dorm at Berry College (oh the memories!), and trying trelax. Lately I feel like there have been alot of confusing thoughts running around in my head (not that that's really anything new). Puerto Rico was amazing. I was really scared before I left because I thought that I was going to be expected to be this ministry machine so the college girls would see what it looked like to share the gospel with someone. But it wasn't like that, the guys down there encouraged us to be learners. To really be interested in learning about the culture and the person and not just throw the gospel up on people so we can feel better about ourselves. I had some amazing conversations with girls there. Puerto Rico is in a pretty unique political situation. They are an American Commonwealth which basically means they have to follow our laws but they get no say in Congress. They are the last colony in the world. Alot of the students at the University of Puerto Rico want independence but they all know that Puerto Rico's economy isn't strong enough to stand alone right now. This makes for an interesting spiritual climate. The students know that their needs to be change in their country. I was talking to a girl named Vanette who told me that she was a Socialist and a Marxist. We got to talk alot about how the former USSR tried Communism but it didn't work. It ended up being just a new and creative way for men to exploit and use eachother. I told her that until people's hearts change, political change won't help the real problems. I told her that the only person I knew who could change hearts was Jesus to which she promptly replied- Jesus was a Socialist! I think that's what I'm passionate about - watching this whole freaking crazy world change one heart at a time. I also got to tour two absolutely incredible Art Museums with a girl named Veronica and tell her a little about what the Bible says about free grace while we looked at these beautiful paintings of the Virgin Mary and a bunch of Catholic saints. By the way, seeing all that art in person made me want to cry and quit my job and become an artist. Which of course spawned all these questions in my brain. Does giving your life away automatically mean that you don't do what you love or are sincerely interested in? I know that the need is great overseas, I almost feel selfish for wanting to go back to school. I don't think guilt is a good enough reason to go right now. If eternity is forever and we'll prolly have jobs there, is it selfish to want to do something I'm passionate about other than full time ministry when I could just wait till the kingdom comes? Don't get me wrong, I don't hate my job. I mean it's challenging just like any other job and there are some things about it that really eat at me. But I do love the girls here... oh well. These are my thoughts for tonight---much love friends.