Part 2--The Adventure Begins, Rio to Cape Horne!...

Here are a few of my lessons on the way.

January 22, 2011
Lesson 1:
"I am resolved never to stop until I had come to my goal and had achieved my purpose."
David Livingstone

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation"  Jesus Chrst, Mark 16:15

Excitedly I had disembark the plane; I was back in Rio and on my way around the southern tip of the continent.  My jumping off point was Rio de Janeiro, my home for nearly the last five months.  Now however, I had just finished spending a wonderful holiday with my family, and now visionns of pristine waterfalls, icy glaciers, amazing wildlife, and beautiful treking danced in my head like they would a 10 yr. old boy dreaming of the great explorers of long ago.

We left Rio the next day after visiting a few old friends, we made it to Sao Paulo and spent the night with our old friend Andre--it was really good to see him again.  This will be my last night surrounded by the familiar and tomorrow everything will be new.

New?  The word sounded so excited in my head, as if anything will ever be new.  Isn't it interesting how often we use the word, but in all actuality NOTHING is ever truely NEW.  Somehow seeing or experiencing something for the first time makes it so.  There is so much for me to discover, but it is no longer the why (which was my focus in Rio) it has now become the what and more importantly the how that concerns me.  These will be discovered along with the "New" over the next two months!

So what is my purpose?  I am confident that by the time I discover the answer it will already have been accomplished.  And my trip was not off to a great start as I already managed to leave my hiking boots behind in Rio de Janeiro.  The upside to this was that I was able to spend an extra day with Andre, and catch up with Austin at the Argentine boarder the next day.  Andre told me, "If you are in a position where God can teach you--stay there.  The first and foremost important work is the work Christ does in you, not through you."  Thank you Andre, that was lesson #1!

A Tree Top Devotion

November 16 2010,

At this point, God providend the opportunity for Austin and I to return to the U.S. and spend the holidays in our home state, surrounded by family and friends who we loved and had not seen in quit a long time.  Having been living and working, loving and learning, serving and seeing, we returned to our home soil having completed our work for a season and learning all that God had shown us, we returned.

This is a poem I wrote at age 16, but at this time it has never seemed so meaningful.  On November 16, 2010 it really rang true for my life as it felt so good to come home.  I wrote this while having a devotion out on my families farm and I will never forget penning these words as the sun sank low, deeply and thoroughly it seemed to be swallowed up into a field of pink and reds as the tall grass and neighboring corn fields reflected the brilliant shades of a magnificent sunset.  I had a climbed up into an old oak tree that stands out in the middle of our fields.  Here is that poem titled:  A Tree Top Devotion

Here I stand God, High in this Tree,
Here I stand God, Please draw near to me.
I came here alone, I came here to stay.
And stay here I will As I continue to pray.

I stand here in awe Of all that you've done
As I taste the sweet breeze, Hear the birds, feel the sun.
Your commision to go written all through Your Word,
Commands that I go into all of the World.

But the World seems so cold, And the world seems so dark,
As I stand here so warm Against this old oak trees bark.
You've spoken Your Word so I must obey.  I must shine your light in every way.
One day I'll come back to this old tree my home,
To study again and meet You alone.

Here is my late Easter post.

I have introduced you all to Raiza.  She was one my friends in Brasil and remains a close friend still.  Austin, Sarah, Raiza, and myself would hang out all the time.  Except on days that she was too busy studying, or doing her nails...actually that was most days, but when we did all hang out it was alot of fun.

(from left to right: Sarah, Austin/Narlie Beard, Raiza, Me/Jew fro, and I actually am not sure who the last person is--that was the only night I met her.)

One day while exploring a fort/rennovated restraunt, Raiza told one of the funniest most relatable stories I have ever heard.  Now, to read this story does not do justice, as you probably should see her Ginormous eyes bug out with enthusiasm and her arms flailling around to truely enjoy the experience in it's fullness.  Reading it will be the kareokee version of a Broadway musical, but I shall do my best.

As she tells it, her car had been broken into so she was unable to drive to class because the window was broken.  Let me point out she could not take it immediately to the shop because she had to study for an exam the next day.  With no way to school except a bus ride from a station two miles away, she asked her father to drop her off.  Hoping to enjoy his day off engaging in absolutely NOTHING minus his giant television and video games, (specifically in this case call of duty) her father was none too excited over the prospect of having to do anything as difficult as get off the sofa.  Again let me point out this is the day of the exam it was important that she NOT be late to class.

Grumbling and complaining they latched their seatbealts and began the drive to school.  The entire trip or at least the first part of it was quit boring and uneventful.  Soon however, they collided with another vehicle.  Now it was quit obvious to her and I suspect even her father that this accident was caused because he was simply too busy complaining and arguing over the cruel and unusual punishment to befall him on his day off.  Also this was a result of wearing flip-flops while driving, illegal in Brasil.

This is when the story really took a turn of interest.  Immediately he began shouting and waving his arms again.  "This is Your fault because you were too lazy to get your car fixed.  This is Your Brother's fault because he Couldn't Take You!  Actually, this is YOUR fault because YOU ARE SO SPOILED! And it is YOUR mother's FAULT because SHE SPOILS YOU!"

I have to laugh because only as a man can we manage to make a full circle of blame that touches everyone around us, and still have nothing to do with something that we just caused.

I talked to Raiza early this week, she expressed frustration over the stupidity of the holiday.  I have to agree Bunnies+Eggs (which are laid by chickens NOT BUNNIES)+Chocolate+Jesus=What kind of screwed up holiday is this?  I admit that I have serious reservations about how most people "celebrate" Easter, and completely sypathise with the confusion.  Especially for someone with outside the church.

Then I recalled her story.  The story that always brings a huge boyish smile to my face as I realize that as outlandish as the story seems and as fun as it is to watch her tell it in a way only she can, it does happen to all of us.  We all push blame.  We all point fingers.  So what does this have to do with Easter?

Today, let's focus on the one thing.  Jesus, his example, his life, and most importantly his death.  He lived a perfect sinless life, yet he took our faults and paid the price for our souls.  We will never understand how or why, but He chose to leave Heaven's spendor, much more enjoyable than a big screen tv, come to earth, much farther than our daughter's university, and pay the price for our sin, infinately greater than the repair bill of an automobile.  He did it all without complaint, without expectation, and without saying a single word.

Today, forget the noise, forget the chocolate (ok well I know you cannot completely forget chocolate, but just try to prioritize ok), forget about bunny's, and eggs.  I want to refamiliarize myself with the real meaning of Easter.  I want to understand the depth and the suffering that was experienced because of me.  Not for "all of mankind" or because, "there is so much sin in the world." No I want to face my sin, I want to recognize my depravity, I need a Savior because I have failed, because I am worthless.  He chose me, not the other way around.

Practicing Observation!

I have been discussing Joy and Love, two character qualities demonstrated by Christ that in my humble opinion are any Christians most valuable assets.   One of the points I am going to mention but not deeply explain or expound is that we are never commissioned to go argue and convince, but simply to love one another, and to preach.  Considering that not everyone is given the spiritual gift of preaching then we must use our other gifts as well as loving those around us, patiently accepting their faults, observant to their needs, and humbly accepting nothing in return.

Noverber 8ish 2010,

This is my lesson in observation.  I am anxiously planned for a quiet day alone to pray and practice observation, and I will be the first to inform you if you are ever concerned that a day is going to be boring and uneventful try being more observant.  You will be surprised by how many oportunities present themselves when you patiently observe and are constantly alert.  Here is how my day played out.

6:15 a.m.  I went to the kitchen of the hostel and grabbed whatever breakfast I could find laying around.  I dodge out the back door and make my way to a quiet mountain trail.  I am spending the week on Isle Grande pronounced (ee la,  grun-gee).  I took the wee morning hours because hiking at this time of day allows the viewing of the transition from nocturnal to daurnil animals.  I did not have to wait long before I was able to put my goal into practice.  While walking and praying I nearly stepped on a species of viper blocking my path.  Typically I would scurry him on his way, but today I decided to observe.  I sat motionless as he did the same.  Neither of us flinched, until a beautiful bright blue humming bird apparently mistook me for a new variety of flower and began darting right up to my face.  I allowed the new friend to continue until I feared my eyes were in danger and stood waving him on his path.

My other companion took this oportunity to also continue his routine and left me all alone on the trail, and so I continued.  As the path meandered around the mountains and by waterfalls, I noticed some 130 year old aquaducts.  I had read that they were on the island but I didn't know where.  But sure enough here they were.  I admit that I had every intention of casually observing from the ground as the trail continued onward, but almost in an out of body state suddenly found myself standing on top of them high above the tree line and making my way towards the top of the mountain much quicker than the trail could possibly have gotten me there.

What a spectacular view, these ruins were so fantastic, and so precisely constructed that now 130 yrs. later I can stand atop and observe the whole side of the island and sun takes it's place in the morning sky and a field of blue chases the brillant shades of red and orange away.  My thoughts drifted to home and how in just a few weeks I would be back in NC for the holidays.

After I climbed down I turned toward home.  I was greeted by a squirrel but not just any squirrel this young man seemed intent on climbing me!  He approached with the same curiousity as the humming bird and would not leave me alone.  Is everyone this friendly when you observe them I wondered.  Finally, I chased him away with a stick, and as he seemed to sulk on a rock looking at me I turned my back and again headed back to the hostel.

After a long morning it suddenly dawned on me how much is available for our enjoyment and for our deeper grasp on the amazing world in which we live, if we only take the time to be observant and to welcome these little opportunities.  The rest of the week contained giant 3 feet long endangered earthworms, sea turtles, monkeys, and other exciting opportunities as I continued to keep wide-eyed and observant to all God's wonderful creation around me.

(No animals were harmed in the making of this blog post, but I nearly went over a 60 ft. waterfall that day after my feet slipped in a creek)
But that is another story for another day.  In the meantime I completed as many hikes as possible while on the Island and finally we finished our amazing week in Isla Grande and were but four days from returning to NC for the holidays!