10-21-96 Yongsan, Republic of Korea [South Korea]
This is way beyond playing catch-up. Back in April, Dad and I went Tarpon fishing in Costa Rica. The fishing was lousy most of the time. We both caught one Tarpon, but it was so slow we knocked off early and went up the Rio Colorado after Guapote [Peacock Bass]. We caught Mojora and several other fish, but no Guapote.
Dad was the big winner. One day I got sick and stayed in while he went after sailfish on the West coast. When he came back [to the hotel] he was staggering from fatigue and covered in blood and gore. [In fact, he was in such bad shape that when I first saw him I thought he had been beaten and mugged.] He didn't get to rest all day because there were huge fish on the line every time it got wet.
In May I shipped out for five months of active duty training with the Army. Now I am a fully qualified U.S. Army [Reserve] Psychological Operations Specialist. I got back from that in September and proposed to Mandi a couple of weeks later [at the top of the Dee Wright Observatory on the Old McKenzie Pass]. We'll be married on February 1, 1997. The ultimate adventure.
Anyway, here I am in the Republic of Korea for two weeks, serving my country now so I can get married without fear of being shipped out anytime soon. Of course, I cannot eliminate that possibility, but by doing my two week duty now I reduce the odds. [In point of fact, there was a message on the answering machine when we returned from our honeymoon calling me to report for duty. I was supposed to be deployed for six months to Bosnia. I had my orders and plane ticket for the mission training deployment in hand when my company commander came in the room and told the operations sergeant that I was not to go. While they argued about his ability to countermand orders issued in Washington, D.C., I quietly slipped them back on the sergeant's desk and left for home. I later found out that I was one of two people two request off the mission. One of us was necessary and the other person, a major, had been caught in a lie regarding his reason for staying behind. Thank God for that. I wound up not going anywhere.]
Anyway, Korea is nice. The economy is strong and the people are generally friendly. I just wish Mandi was here to share it with me. Leather and silk are the two biggest items in the markets. Luggage is available everywhere and suits can be taylor made [sic] dirt cheap. I have no idea what I had for lunch, but it tasted fine and I'm still okay.
The best part of being here so far is the Army mix-up with our orders. The operation we (me and the team I'm with) are supposed to assist doesn't begin for another six days. We got today off completely and it looks like most of this week won't be a whole lot different. An order here, a detail there, but overall we expect to do a lot of sightseeing.
.....
10-22-96 Yongsan, Korea [a U.S. military base in Seoul]
It's been a very long day. This morning I got on a train for Tongdaegu. It was a three hour trip and it was beautiful. Korea is truly a rugged There. There are low mountains everywhere, and they are all covered with trees. Evidently Koreans don't use much wood. [I remember that most of the trees grew in rows because they had all been logged at some point, and there were a lot of small graveyards-family plots were allowed everywhere.] Anyway, we drove from Tongdaegu to Taegu where we (there was a group of us) picked up five vans and drove back to Yongsan- which, by the way- is in Seoul- a five hour drive. On the train I had a lunch that consisted of very few recognizable items. I did identify octopus in the smorgasbord. In the market at Itaewa (a district of Seoul) you can find restaurants that allow you to pick which eel or octopus you want [to eat] as they swim in a tank.
.....
10-26-96 Camp Walker, Taegu, Republic of Korea
Let me just talk for a moment about Corporal Dwyer. We met in Advanced Individual Training (AIT) at Fort Bragg back in July. He was a PFC then. There's not a lot to Dwyer- maybe 150 pounds soaking wet. We never really paid much attention together during AIT. I mean, we were acquainted, but little more. I have to admit that his size kind of threw me off. I knew he was a good soldier, but I guess I figured he was too small to... what? I don't know. The bottom line is that he's here now and I'm glad we both know someone who hasn't been on a real military exercise before.
This is his first trip out of the States. Its really been hilarious to watch him go into severe culture shock. At first he hated Korea. It took him less than 24 hours to figure out that this place isn't America and therefore it stinks. He's convinced that everything that happens to him is a communist plot. The phrase that really identifies his mentality is this, "If we're going to be in their country, the least they can do is speak our language."
He's starting to come out of it now; he went bar-hopping 'til 3:30 in the morning this morning and is now convinced that most Korean women are very pretty. He's also calmed down in the car. [Corporal Dwyer actually read my remarks about him when he violated my privacy by reading this journal without my permission. He was, quite naturally, upset about my impressions of him. But while I felt bad in hindsight about writing about him, I consider what he did a clear violation of my privacy and stand by my words. I apologized for his pain, but he earned a portion of the responsibility for it himself.]
I took my Korean driver's test in Yongsan and am now fully qualified to terrorize the streets and pedestrians of ROK. That makes me perfectly normal as a Korean driver. "Close call" has a new definition here. Lanes appear out of nowhere and disappear just as suddenly. Stoplights not only go yellow before red, they also go yellow before green! But only sometimes. There's a system to it, but I don't know what it is. [In fact, streets are so narrow in places that I remember once driving up an alley in a minivan and hitting whatever people had left out in their back step, mops, buckets, etc... It was comically sad, but there was no choice. Many streets were like that. Right of way belonged to whoever was larger, or in the event of a tie, to whoever was moving downhill.]
.....
10-29-96 Camp Henry, Korea
Well, Foal Eagle '96 Exercise is under way. It has been since 18:00 Sunday night. It was all confusing at first, and slow. Now, however, I know how everything works. In AIT we learned how to do our jobs efficiently. Here we do everything exactly backwards. We're supposed to fill out a Target Audience Analysis Worksheet, then a Product Control Sheet, and finally you produce a product. Here we start with products and work our way up. Additionally, we have to have a new TAAW/S for every product, which is a phenomenal waste of time and energy. Each audience should have an unlimited number of products. Oh well. [And in case you're wondering whether I might be mistaken, I'd like to remind the reader that I was the Honor Graduate of my AIT class and had only been out of AIT for about 2 months. I was right. The officer in charge of our efforts was a screw up, regardless of what any official paperwork might show. When I pointed out to him that we were going about our task backwards, he promptly shut me down as impertinent. It was an eye-opening experience for me to see how the real Army worked.]
I really miss Mandi. I can't wait to be married. I love her so much it just amazes me.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Saturday, January 28, 2006
1995 Romania Mission Trip
6-27-95 Frankfurt, Germany
Well, this should take awhile. I started out 10 days ago from Eugene to Pasadena, CA for training on how to teach English as a second language. Now I'm on my way to Romania. I am serving as the Team Administrator for a five person team. We will teach English at a government run summer camp for 6 weeks. We are not supposed to share our faith unless asked, but I'm praying for opportunities.
The players: Chris Redmond-an actor and somewhat emotionally unstable. Otherwise he's pretty cool. Mandi Trask-an ex-softball pitcher from OK. She's blond, cute as a button, and very enthusiastic. [Not exactly the ringing endorsement one would expect me to give my future wife, but what can I say, I was young and foolish and lucky enough to catch her eye.] Nathan Bloom-thriftiness. He's Minnesotan and plays guitar. That's a real answer to prayer. Inge Lewerentz-Canadian, 6' 2'? She's a substitute teacher by profession, so she ought to be good @ this. And me.
There's one other piece of business; Erin Hawley. I have no idea why, but Erin and I hit it off at training in a major way. It was cool at first, we have a lot in common, but then it kind of progressed until one night I was walking around trying to figure out what to do about it. She's on her way to Russia for 6 weeks and on my way to Romania, but in the 10 days of training together we connected. I didn't want to say anything; the easy reaction for me has always been to sit on my emotions and make a decision w/o them. All I had to do was say goodbye and it would all be over. Instead I racked my brains and prayed for hours and finally came to the conclusion that if she was still waiting for me where I had last seen her at midnight, then I would talk to her. I would not just deny my feelings when I know we were still going to see each other the next day.
Anyway, I went back and there she was. I asked how she was doing and she said not very good. We needed to talk. I didn't know it, but while I was out desperately trying to figure things out and determine an ultimatum, she was doing the same thing! She had said to herself that she would talk to me if I returned within 10 minutes. My time was almost up, but our ultimatum coincided perfectly. Go God! Anyway, she likes me, I like her, she has a boyfriend she loves but can't see herself with anymore, and so we're going to pray over the summer, correspond and re-evaluate in the fall when I get back from Europe. I'll be here 10 weeks. I hope things work out, I really do; I have something emotional riding on this for the first time in years. [Testimony to my pathetic, though prolific dating life in college.] So, God, do your stuff. I know what I want, I pray that it is the same as what You want. May your will be done, Amen. [In hindsight, I was off a bit, but thankfully managed to catch up with His will in time to secure Mandi, the world's best wife, as my own true love.]
.....
July 4, 1995 Constanza, Romania Happy Birthday America!!
[It should be explained here that upon our arrival in Bucharest we were all hustled off to a farm house outside of town and told that we would be leaving on separate trains in the morning; three of us to the mountains, and two to the coast. After praying together, talking about it, fighting about it and even drawing straws at one point, the decision was left in my hands. That wasn't how I was told how to run the team, but then, the team was never supposed to be split in the first place. In spite of our best efforts the Romanian government sent us off and I wound up with Mandi on the Black Sea coast in a little town called Eforie Sud. It was a great decision on my part for obvious reasons...]
Well, things have calmed down now. I have spoken with the team in Predeal and everything is OK. Mandi and I just celebrated our own 4th. We both pulled party poppers and sang the Star-Spangled Banner. May the stripes of Old Glory never run and may her stars shine on forever! Anyway, everyone on my team is O.K. We were split on arrival (that was worth major high blood pressure) and it took me a week to get back in touch with the others. Basically it all boils down to this: Mandi and I are here at the beach for two more weeks and then we will switch with the others and head for the mountains.
"Teaching" so far, consists of playing with the kids on the beach in the morning, teaching baseball or some other American activity in the afternoon and spending more time with them in the evening. Yesterday we made the local news playing baseball. On the 15th we do a radio interview. Pretty heady stuff, considering the fact that we're supposed to be, well the camp director- Balaban- is certain, that we're here by mistake. This is a pleasure camp, not an educational one. The kids here (6-19 yrs.) eat and play, period. Very little supervision and no organized class. Romanians come here for vacation, not to learn.
Oh yeah, we killed a spider in my room that was as big as a silver dollar. The marking were similar, sort of, to a garden spider only more than twice the size. Huge! Absolutely freakin' huge!
.....
July 8, 1995 Eforie Sud, Romania
We've survived the first group. In fact, we made it onto Romanian television teaching the kids baseball - and Balaban saw! I guess they got tons of phone calls and he looks good so everyone is very happy. [Translation: he stopped glaring at us every time he saw us, and no longer held it against us that we insisted on separate rooms when each one sleeps 4-6 people.] With the two days we had before the next group arrives Mandi and I went to Constanza with a translator, Mirella, and today caught a bus down to Neptun. Neptun is the local version of Orlando. All it is is one giant resort run by the government. It is beautiful, but stay off the beach. Women here have no problem going topless in a thong. Its like something out of a movie.
After spending all day at the resort with Mandi I felt like comparing it to a honeymoon without the sex. All we have is each other and we're stuck on the Black Sea coast. Its kinda wierd actually. We talked about it and agreed that if she wasn't seeing Brad and I wasn't interested in Erin, we'd probably get together. [See how dumb I was. The best thing in my life was that close and I had the audacity to wait for Erin, who I didn't know nearly as well. Dumb. Thank God for Mandi's persistence in the matter.]
Still no mail from Erin, royal bummer. I really wish we could be together. I know that's probably too much to hope for, but she's soo cool. We have so much in common, and, well, she makes my stomach go queasy. [Still does, but not the same way.] I know that's just infatuation, but dang! Why would God bring us this close only to tear us down? [In fact, there was no 'us' in the first place! Secondly, hello!, there's MANDI! Hindsight is a beautiful thing.] Its much easier to just ignore emotions and live with pain. Then I have control...even if that is wrong.
.....
July 24th, 1995 Timisul de Jos, Romania
Aaahh! We are once again all one team. We are here in the mountains and since Romania Oregon lie on the same longitude, the climate is exactly like home. [How about that? Bad geography and climatology all in one sentence!] It even rained on the train ride in here. The Carpathian mountains beautiful. These people have not logged as we have, so it really makes me wonder if the Cascades would look this good if the foothills weren't bald.
Something I have come to realize in the past couple of days is how evident God is in creation! We have visited several churches older than the United States and a school founded in the 11th century (the first one in Romania). The ornate richness and delicate beauty of the craftsmanship at those places is mind-boggling. There was even the first Romanian Bible (1610). Yet without someone to interpret and explain the significance of these things they would lack much of their meaning.
The same is not true of nature. You can stand on a mountain top in Russia, Romania or anywhere else and know its significance. It whispers of a God and a Creator. In any tongue, nature looks, smells, sounds and is beautiful.
.....
7-27-95 Romania
I am sitting beside a stream in the Carpathian mountains. It feels like McKenzie Bridge back home. Even the plants are to a large extent the same. I found out yesterday that Danielle eloped. Mom and Dad know by now, but I wonder if everyone is okay. My sister is now Mrs. Gilbert Castro. My best guess is there'll be Hell to pay.
Meanwhile, ducks are at play in the stream, last night I heard the bear that has everyone so nervous after dark, and I am continually awed by the history of this place. Constanza is like a small piece of Italy. Here everything screams Germany. The architecture is particularly impressive. We build for convenience in America, here everything is aesthetic first and convenient last. Even new building look older than America.
.....
8-4-95 [Bucharest] Romania
A couple of days ago I got to catch and eat my first Romanian fish: a carp. I guess they're very popular here. I hope my sister is okay. Everything else is cool for now. Everyone is getting along and only 10 days to go. Oh, Mandi, Mandi, Mandi... (She made me write that.) [Now, after nine years of marriage, Mandi still holds it against me that I ate the entire fish without sharing any with her. never mond that there about 6 bites to eat and five people at the table I'd have to share with if I started sharing at all! Oh well. We laugh now, but everyone else ate tasteless gruel that night. It was awful for them.]
.....
8-14-95 Still in Bucharest
I had planned to leave Romania and travel thru Europe... instead I will go home. My sister is now pregnant. [That happened before the elopement, on a drunk binge in Las Vegas. She has since, however, turned her life around completely. Gilbert is a good man. I admire them both for the way they've struggled through their ignominious beginnings.] I am needed at home. These things happen.
I used to think I was strong. I had Q.T.s every day, I prayed... now I know I am weak. I dialed the phone more than a hundred times today in my efforts to reach home and resolve my money problem. [I was ripped off by a money changer on the street and had my wallet stolen on the bus in Eforie Nord.] Without my Visa and low on cash, I would be very vulnerable indeed if I didn't know that God was taking care of me. Indeed, toward that end He has provided me with the card of a baptist minister here in town (he's from Tennessee). But as much as God is taking care of me, I still test Him as I did today at the phone. Maybe it was His fault that I couldn't get through, that still doesn't give me the right to cuss at Him. I just want out of this place. [At this time the team had already left the country. I was alone, truly.]
.....
12-28-95 Springfield, OR
Playing catch-up. If I hadn't lost this thing I would have had it with me on my trip to Oklahoma and Florida. Michael Anderson asked me to be the Best Man at his wedding on December 6th. I said yes, but stopped in Oklahoma on the way down so I could see Mandi. We spent the weekend meeting every relative she has [which was a lot] and I caught a nie 3-lb. Largemouth bass in a mudpuddle. [It was a small farm pond.] Anyway, Mandi and I are together now. No more Erin, no more Brad [Mandi's ex-boyfriend. In fact, I convincerd her to break up with him before we left Eforie Sud. ], just Jon and Mandi. She really is awesome. I've never known anyone with such an encouraging spirit.
After a weekend in Oklahoma it was off to Florida for a week and a wedding. Michael's bride, Tami, is fantastic. I think she and Mike are great for each other. I had the opportunity to get to know her dad and the pastor when he- the father- took us deep sea fishing. Interestingly enough, Michael didn't come with us. He stayed home and packed while we caught fish. It was a slow day, but I finally caught my kingfish. He was about the same size as my barracuda and shark.
The wedding itself was beautiful. Long, but beautiful. Tami had 7 pieces of music in the ceremony. Something I learned over the weekend is just how much Mike has influenced my life. He is so sensitive and emotionally 'in touch.' I know those are qualities I admire and desire for myself. Having him for an example has helped a lot as I seek to learn how to deal with my own emotions.
.....
[There is SO much more to say about the trip to Romania. In fact, I wrote a 4-5 page report for Educational Services International about the trip. If I ever find it I will include it here. In the meantime, it proved to be the beginning of the greatest relaitonship in my life... Mandi, which deserves much more attention. JS 1-28-06]
Well, this should take awhile. I started out 10 days ago from Eugene to Pasadena, CA for training on how to teach English as a second language. Now I'm on my way to Romania. I am serving as the Team Administrator for a five person team. We will teach English at a government run summer camp for 6 weeks. We are not supposed to share our faith unless asked, but I'm praying for opportunities.
The players: Chris Redmond-an actor and somewhat emotionally unstable. Otherwise he's pretty cool. Mandi Trask-an ex-softball pitcher from OK. She's blond, cute as a button, and very enthusiastic. [Not exactly the ringing endorsement one would expect me to give my future wife, but what can I say, I was young and foolish and lucky enough to catch her eye.] Nathan Bloom-thriftiness. He's Minnesotan and plays guitar. That's a real answer to prayer. Inge Lewerentz-Canadian, 6' 2'? She's a substitute teacher by profession, so she ought to be good @ this. And me.
There's one other piece of business; Erin Hawley. I have no idea why, but Erin and I hit it off at training in a major way. It was cool at first, we have a lot in common, but then it kind of progressed until one night I was walking around trying to figure out what to do about it. She's on her way to Russia for 6 weeks and on my way to Romania, but in the 10 days of training together we connected. I didn't want to say anything; the easy reaction for me has always been to sit on my emotions and make a decision w/o them. All I had to do was say goodbye and it would all be over. Instead I racked my brains and prayed for hours and finally came to the conclusion that if she was still waiting for me where I had last seen her at midnight, then I would talk to her. I would not just deny my feelings when I know we were still going to see each other the next day.
Anyway, I went back and there she was. I asked how she was doing and she said not very good. We needed to talk. I didn't know it, but while I was out desperately trying to figure things out and determine an ultimatum, she was doing the same thing! She had said to herself that she would talk to me if I returned within 10 minutes. My time was almost up, but our ultimatum coincided perfectly. Go God! Anyway, she likes me, I like her, she has a boyfriend she loves but can't see herself with anymore, and so we're going to pray over the summer, correspond and re-evaluate in the fall when I get back from Europe. I'll be here 10 weeks. I hope things work out, I really do; I have something emotional riding on this for the first time in years. [Testimony to my pathetic, though prolific dating life in college.] So, God, do your stuff. I know what I want, I pray that it is the same as what You want. May your will be done, Amen. [In hindsight, I was off a bit, but thankfully managed to catch up with His will in time to secure Mandi, the world's best wife, as my own true love.]
.....
July 4, 1995 Constanza, Romania Happy Birthday America!!
[It should be explained here that upon our arrival in Bucharest we were all hustled off to a farm house outside of town and told that we would be leaving on separate trains in the morning; three of us to the mountains, and two to the coast. After praying together, talking about it, fighting about it and even drawing straws at one point, the decision was left in my hands. That wasn't how I was told how to run the team, but then, the team was never supposed to be split in the first place. In spite of our best efforts the Romanian government sent us off and I wound up with Mandi on the Black Sea coast in a little town called Eforie Sud. It was a great decision on my part for obvious reasons...]
Well, things have calmed down now. I have spoken with the team in Predeal and everything is OK. Mandi and I just celebrated our own 4th. We both pulled party poppers and sang the Star-Spangled Banner. May the stripes of Old Glory never run and may her stars shine on forever! Anyway, everyone on my team is O.K. We were split on arrival (that was worth major high blood pressure) and it took me a week to get back in touch with the others. Basically it all boils down to this: Mandi and I are here at the beach for two more weeks and then we will switch with the others and head for the mountains.
"Teaching" so far, consists of playing with the kids on the beach in the morning, teaching baseball or some other American activity in the afternoon and spending more time with them in the evening. Yesterday we made the local news playing baseball. On the 15th we do a radio interview. Pretty heady stuff, considering the fact that we're supposed to be, well the camp director- Balaban- is certain, that we're here by mistake. This is a pleasure camp, not an educational one. The kids here (6-19 yrs.) eat and play, period. Very little supervision and no organized class. Romanians come here for vacation, not to learn.
Oh yeah, we killed a spider in my room that was as big as a silver dollar. The marking were similar, sort of, to a garden spider only more than twice the size. Huge! Absolutely freakin' huge!
.....
July 8, 1995 Eforie Sud, Romania
We've survived the first group. In fact, we made it onto Romanian television teaching the kids baseball - and Balaban saw! I guess they got tons of phone calls and he looks good so everyone is very happy. [Translation: he stopped glaring at us every time he saw us, and no longer held it against us that we insisted on separate rooms when each one sleeps 4-6 people.] With the two days we had before the next group arrives Mandi and I went to Constanza with a translator, Mirella, and today caught a bus down to Neptun. Neptun is the local version of Orlando. All it is is one giant resort run by the government. It is beautiful, but stay off the beach. Women here have no problem going topless in a thong. Its like something out of a movie.
After spending all day at the resort with Mandi I felt like comparing it to a honeymoon without the sex. All we have is each other and we're stuck on the Black Sea coast. Its kinda wierd actually. We talked about it and agreed that if she wasn't seeing Brad and I wasn't interested in Erin, we'd probably get together. [See how dumb I was. The best thing in my life was that close and I had the audacity to wait for Erin, who I didn't know nearly as well. Dumb. Thank God for Mandi's persistence in the matter.]
Still no mail from Erin, royal bummer. I really wish we could be together. I know that's probably too much to hope for, but she's soo cool. We have so much in common, and, well, she makes my stomach go queasy. [Still does, but not the same way.] I know that's just infatuation, but dang! Why would God bring us this close only to tear us down? [In fact, there was no 'us' in the first place! Secondly, hello!, there's MANDI! Hindsight is a beautiful thing.] Its much easier to just ignore emotions and live with pain. Then I have control...even if that is wrong.
.....
July 24th, 1995 Timisul de Jos, Romania
Aaahh! We are once again all one team. We are here in the mountains and since Romania Oregon lie on the same longitude, the climate is exactly like home. [How about that? Bad geography and climatology all in one sentence!] It even rained on the train ride in here. The Carpathian mountains beautiful. These people have not logged as we have, so it really makes me wonder if the Cascades would look this good if the foothills weren't bald.
Something I have come to realize in the past couple of days is how evident God is in creation! We have visited several churches older than the United States and a school founded in the 11th century (the first one in Romania). The ornate richness and delicate beauty of the craftsmanship at those places is mind-boggling. There was even the first Romanian Bible (1610). Yet without someone to interpret and explain the significance of these things they would lack much of their meaning.
The same is not true of nature. You can stand on a mountain top in Russia, Romania or anywhere else and know its significance. It whispers of a God and a Creator. In any tongue, nature looks, smells, sounds and is beautiful.
.....
7-27-95 Romania
I am sitting beside a stream in the Carpathian mountains. It feels like McKenzie Bridge back home. Even the plants are to a large extent the same. I found out yesterday that Danielle eloped. Mom and Dad know by now, but I wonder if everyone is okay. My sister is now Mrs. Gilbert Castro. My best guess is there'll be Hell to pay.
Meanwhile, ducks are at play in the stream, last night I heard the bear that has everyone so nervous after dark, and I am continually awed by the history of this place. Constanza is like a small piece of Italy. Here everything screams Germany. The architecture is particularly impressive. We build for convenience in America, here everything is aesthetic first and convenient last. Even new building look older than America.
.....
8-4-95 [Bucharest] Romania
A couple of days ago I got to catch and eat my first Romanian fish: a carp. I guess they're very popular here. I hope my sister is okay. Everything else is cool for now. Everyone is getting along and only 10 days to go. Oh, Mandi, Mandi, Mandi... (She made me write that.) [Now, after nine years of marriage, Mandi still holds it against me that I ate the entire fish without sharing any with her. never mond that there about 6 bites to eat and five people at the table I'd have to share with if I started sharing at all! Oh well. We laugh now, but everyone else ate tasteless gruel that night. It was awful for them.]
.....
8-14-95 Still in Bucharest
I had planned to leave Romania and travel thru Europe... instead I will go home. My sister is now pregnant. [That happened before the elopement, on a drunk binge in Las Vegas. She has since, however, turned her life around completely. Gilbert is a good man. I admire them both for the way they've struggled through their ignominious beginnings.] I am needed at home. These things happen.
I used to think I was strong. I had Q.T.s every day, I prayed... now I know I am weak. I dialed the phone more than a hundred times today in my efforts to reach home and resolve my money problem. [I was ripped off by a money changer on the street and had my wallet stolen on the bus in Eforie Nord.] Without my Visa and low on cash, I would be very vulnerable indeed if I didn't know that God was taking care of me. Indeed, toward that end He has provided me with the card of a baptist minister here in town (he's from Tennessee). But as much as God is taking care of me, I still test Him as I did today at the phone. Maybe it was His fault that I couldn't get through, that still doesn't give me the right to cuss at Him. I just want out of this place. [At this time the team had already left the country. I was alone, truly.]
.....
12-28-95 Springfield, OR
Playing catch-up. If I hadn't lost this thing I would have had it with me on my trip to Oklahoma and Florida. Michael Anderson asked me to be the Best Man at his wedding on December 6th. I said yes, but stopped in Oklahoma on the way down so I could see Mandi. We spent the weekend meeting every relative she has [which was a lot] and I caught a nie 3-lb. Largemouth bass in a mudpuddle. [It was a small farm pond.] Anyway, Mandi and I are together now. No more Erin, no more Brad [Mandi's ex-boyfriend. In fact, I convincerd her to break up with him before we left Eforie Sud. ], just Jon and Mandi. She really is awesome. I've never known anyone with such an encouraging spirit.
After a weekend in Oklahoma it was off to Florida for a week and a wedding. Michael's bride, Tami, is fantastic. I think she and Mike are great for each other. I had the opportunity to get to know her dad and the pastor when he- the father- took us deep sea fishing. Interestingly enough, Michael didn't come with us. He stayed home and packed while we caught fish. It was a slow day, but I finally caught my kingfish. He was about the same size as my barracuda and shark.
The wedding itself was beautiful. Long, but beautiful. Tami had 7 pieces of music in the ceremony. Something I learned over the weekend is just how much Mike has influenced my life. He is so sensitive and emotionally 'in touch.' I know those are qualities I admire and desire for myself. Having him for an example has helped a lot as I seek to learn how to deal with my own emotions.
.....
[There is SO much more to say about the trip to Romania. In fact, I wrote a 4-5 page report for Educational Services International about the trip. If I ever find it I will include it here. In the meantime, it proved to be the beginning of the greatest relaitonship in my life... Mandi, which deserves much more attention. JS 1-28-06]
Friday, January 13, 2006
1995 Belize Fishing trip
2-16-95 Ft. George Radisson, Belize City, Belize
Well, its been a long time, but here I am, back again. How did I get here? That's a long story. You see, back in June '94 I was on my way to South Twin with Joe Urban [an old college friend] when I decided to suggest to my dad that we go to Alaska and fish. I didn't really expect anything big to happen, so it blew me away when he suggested bonefishing in Belize instead.
To make the story long, we were off season to fish Belize so we went to Alaska had a heyday. Pike? Slayed 'em. Silvers? Killed 'em. Halibut? Too easy! So that July; this is now.
Anecdote for the day: My dad and I are looking around and discover that this place has at least 6 floors. So, we find an elevator, but it takes a key. As we are standing there looking confused, a maid comes by and we ask her how to get to the top using the elevator. She then calmly informs us that we need to push the hithertofor unseen button and step inside (she demonstrates as she goes), so we follow here and she explains how an elevator works, assuming we know nothing. Boy, did we feel stupid! She's probably telling the entire staff how incredibly dumb we are. Who can blame her? We asked how the elevator works. [In our defense, the buttons were set flush into the steel panel next to the elevator. Even after she showed us where they were, they still weren't readily visible.]
Funny fact of the day: There is some sort of Central American summit going on in the city and several dignitaries (Presidents, I was told, but doubt) are staying in this hotel, therefore, about every 3rd person we see is an undercover policeman. [In fact, when we finally did get to the top of the motel, the roof, we were followed diligently by several agents.]
.....
2-17-95 Belize
One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was the wino on a bench at the Commercial Centre (Shopping Mall). He was actually in an island in the street, unit in hand, draining the main vein. Today, my dad and I saw the Howler Baboon sanctuary at Altun Ha. The sanctuary was totally cool because we not only saw Black Howler monkeys, but our guide, Robert, also showed us all kinds of cool stuff about the local flora and fauna.
The first thing they showed us on the nature walk was how to recognize and avoid fire ants. So naturally, I managed to avoid missing them on our trip. I stood on a mound (for lack of a better word; they don't really have 'mounds') and got bit four or five times. I also ate at least 3 kinds of fruit I've never seen before. Two were coconuts (cahune? and IDK) one was a nut you peel and suck on. It tastes like glue and makes your mouth sticky. I think its called super or supra, I'm not sure. And, by the way, Allspice numbs your tongue just like coca.
.....
2-18-95 Belize
Today we went river fishing all over the place. There is a system of rivers that inter-connect all throughout a mangrove swamp. Part of it is called Haulover Creek. Part of Mosquito Coast and Heart of Darkness [I think I meant Apocalypse Now.] was filmed there. It was totally overgrown; a complete tunnel.
The fishing was lousy, we started late. Still, I caught a snook and a cavalie jack on good ol' Dolly. ['Dolly' was the name I gave my favorite fishing pole, a seven foot Eagle Claw camping pole that went with me everywhere for several years. As of 1-13-06, I still have it, though it is rarely used now.] Dad was pretty much P.O.'d. In his mind, we paid to catch fish, not just see the swamp. He caught a black snapper and a snook. Pretty measly take. Our guide's name was Al and he's got a service out on Turneffe Island called 'Pirate's View.'
Man, dad is totally bitter. He's bent on yelling at the hotel manager to nail Denese (the gal who booked our trip here at Guest Services). He is just certain that there's some kind of conspiracy or something to screw him. Yes, there was some miscommunication, but I feel sorry for what's about to happen. He's got a bad temper, and right now it's got control of him.
Lord, please, don't let this happen to me. I know I've got the Smith temper, so please, take it away. I don't ever want my anger or frustration to get the best of me. Teach me to let go. Help my dad to do the same. Amen.
One last thing: although we didn't catch any tarpon, we saw a bunch. They're HUGE. 5-6 feet long and 80lbs. at least. Wow!
.....
2-19-95 Belize
Today we saw Lamanai and learned that since there are no traffic police in Belize, speed bumps are in front of schools and stuff like that. They are called 'Sleeping Policemen' by the locals. Lamanai was great; we rode in on a boat through more jungle and the ruins looked like something out of Raiders of the Lost Ark. There were Howlers in the trees and crocodiles in the river. It was as if we were on the jungle safari ride at Disneyland, only this was real.
P.S. God answers prayer. Thanks, Lord. I prayed that dad would catch fish on 2-18 (I caught mine early) and 5 minutes before we went in, he caught two.
This morning we went to talk to the hotel manager about our trip being ruined, and he was calm and sensible: no one got their head chewed off, no voices were raised. Thank you so much that you are a God who answers and listens (or vice-versa). Amen.
.....
2-20-95 Flores, Guatemala
Pense que hablaran Ingles aqui porque Flores es tan cerca al borde de Belize. Fui incorrecto. In fact, I'll probably speak more Spanish than our guide will English. Our hotel is sweet. The fish is caught fresh daily in the lagoon. Even I caught one. He was only about 3 inches, but at least he was a fish. White Bass, I think. The tour co. screwed up our time, so when we flew we were the only passengers on the shuttle. Us, the pilots, and twenty or more empty seats; cool. [It was indeed cool. Because the plane was small and empty, we could move around at will to observe whatever we happened to be flying over, which was mostly untamed jungle.] Tomorrow we do Tikal. G'nite!
.....
2-21-95 Flores, Guatemala
I climbed Tikal 4 & 2 (?) and drove a microbus into town. [A microbus is about half a step removed from a clown car. It was insanely small, lacked a door on one side and required a room key to rent from the hotel, not a driver's license.] I was wrong about the guide. Flores sits on an island in a lake. That's neat. You drive out on a sort of jetti to get there. [Actually, our hotel wasn't in town, but just outside of town, not on the island.]
.....
2-22-95 San Pedro, Ambergis Caye, Belize
We spontaneously went fishing this afternoon and I should've brought my pole. On the guide's tackle. I caught at least 9 trigger fish. They are incredibly beautiful. Dad caught a yellow-tailed snapper which was also brilliant. Tomorrow we hit the flats for bonefish.
.....
2-23-95 Belize
Today was 50/50. On one hand I caught two bonefish and a small barracuda. Dad got a 'cuda and 2 needlefish. He also made me sit and fry for an hour while he flyfished for boneys. [Dad is NOT a flyfisherman and never has been. His obsession with catching a boney on a fly was both aggravating and painful.] I'm dangerously dehydrated and he went 0 for at least a hundred [casting]. The bonefish were everywhere, hundreds, and I watched and shriveled. It's my own fault really; next time drink water!
Please God heal me! Please. I'm not burnt too badly; just my hands and wrists a little. My kidneys are still working, so I think I'll be OK. [I truly was concerned about heat stroke given the amount of time I spent in the sun and heat without water.]
.....
2-25-95 Belize
Well, I'm not as sick now. At least I could go fishing, and a great day for fishing it was. Today I caught triggerfish and yellow-tail snapper on Dolly and red snapper, a 3-foot 'cuda and a 2.5 foot sand (?) shark. [I remember the guide beat the living Hell out of that shark before he brought it into the boat. I mean he really laid into it with the gaff for a good five minutes.] I lost a spanish mackerel that was bigger than the 'cuda, right next to the boat. Tomorrow we try again.
We also might go snorkeling. That is by far my greatest fear; deep water. It makes no sense really; I'm a good swimmer and have done it before, but there it is. Irrational? Yes, but real nonetheless. Basically, I'm just afraid that something will grab me. One too many Jaws movies I guess.
2-26-95 Belize
Last night on this lousy bed. Hurray! [It really was a terrible bed for me. Every morning I woke up to the feeling that I had been secretly beaten by several armed men in the night.] Today I caught a black durgeon and a small (very) grouper on Dolly as well as a big Nassau grouper. Then we went to Hol Chan Marine Preserve and snorkeled with most of the fish we've been catching. Too cool! My head looks like a tomato now because I've burned my face to a crisp. And today is Carnabal. That's like Mardi Gras Belize style. People dance and dress up and 'paint' each other with flour, eggs, paint, pretty much whatever comes to hand. I hope I'm OK, my face is really burned, and my stomach is still giving me trouble. [I think I either had a touch of food poisoning or heat exhaustion on the 24th. That day dad went fishing alone and I stayed near the bathroom with stomach cramps and diarrhea. So much fun...]
Well, its been a long time, but here I am, back again. How did I get here? That's a long story. You see, back in June '94 I was on my way to South Twin with Joe Urban [an old college friend] when I decided to suggest to my dad that we go to Alaska and fish. I didn't really expect anything big to happen, so it blew me away when he suggested bonefishing in Belize instead.
To make the story long, we were off season to fish Belize so we went to Alaska had a heyday. Pike? Slayed 'em. Silvers? Killed 'em. Halibut? Too easy! So that July; this is now.
Anecdote for the day: My dad and I are looking around and discover that this place has at least 6 floors. So, we find an elevator, but it takes a key. As we are standing there looking confused, a maid comes by and we ask her how to get to the top using the elevator. She then calmly informs us that we need to push the hithertofor unseen button and step inside (she demonstrates as she goes), so we follow here and she explains how an elevator works, assuming we know nothing. Boy, did we feel stupid! She's probably telling the entire staff how incredibly dumb we are. Who can blame her? We asked how the elevator works. [In our defense, the buttons were set flush into the steel panel next to the elevator. Even after she showed us where they were, they still weren't readily visible.]
Funny fact of the day: There is some sort of Central American summit going on in the city and several dignitaries (Presidents, I was told, but doubt) are staying in this hotel, therefore, about every 3rd person we see is an undercover policeman. [In fact, when we finally did get to the top of the motel, the roof, we were followed diligently by several agents.]
.....
2-17-95 Belize
One thing I forgot to mention yesterday was the wino on a bench at the Commercial Centre (Shopping Mall). He was actually in an island in the street, unit in hand, draining the main vein. Today, my dad and I saw the Howler Baboon sanctuary at Altun Ha. The sanctuary was totally cool because we not only saw Black Howler monkeys, but our guide, Robert, also showed us all kinds of cool stuff about the local flora and fauna.
The first thing they showed us on the nature walk was how to recognize and avoid fire ants. So naturally, I managed to avoid missing them on our trip. I stood on a mound (for lack of a better word; they don't really have 'mounds') and got bit four or five times. I also ate at least 3 kinds of fruit I've never seen before. Two were coconuts (cahune? and IDK) one was a nut you peel and suck on. It tastes like glue and makes your mouth sticky. I think its called super or supra, I'm not sure. And, by the way, Allspice numbs your tongue just like coca.
.....
2-18-95 Belize
Today we went river fishing all over the place. There is a system of rivers that inter-connect all throughout a mangrove swamp. Part of it is called Haulover Creek. Part of Mosquito Coast and Heart of Darkness [I think I meant Apocalypse Now.] was filmed there. It was totally overgrown; a complete tunnel.
The fishing was lousy, we started late. Still, I caught a snook and a cavalie jack on good ol' Dolly. ['Dolly' was the name I gave my favorite fishing pole, a seven foot Eagle Claw camping pole that went with me everywhere for several years. As of 1-13-06, I still have it, though it is rarely used now.] Dad was pretty much P.O.'d. In his mind, we paid to catch fish, not just see the swamp. He caught a black snapper and a snook. Pretty measly take. Our guide's name was Al and he's got a service out on Turneffe Island called 'Pirate's View.'
Man, dad is totally bitter. He's bent on yelling at the hotel manager to nail Denese (the gal who booked our trip here at Guest Services). He is just certain that there's some kind of conspiracy or something to screw him. Yes, there was some miscommunication, but I feel sorry for what's about to happen. He's got a bad temper, and right now it's got control of him.
Lord, please, don't let this happen to me. I know I've got the Smith temper, so please, take it away. I don't ever want my anger or frustration to get the best of me. Teach me to let go. Help my dad to do the same. Amen.
One last thing: although we didn't catch any tarpon, we saw a bunch. They're HUGE. 5-6 feet long and 80lbs. at least. Wow!
.....
2-19-95 Belize
Today we saw Lamanai and learned that since there are no traffic police in Belize, speed bumps are in front of schools and stuff like that. They are called 'Sleeping Policemen' by the locals. Lamanai was great; we rode in on a boat through more jungle and the ruins looked like something out of Raiders of the Lost Ark. There were Howlers in the trees and crocodiles in the river. It was as if we were on the jungle safari ride at Disneyland, only this was real.
P.S. God answers prayer. Thanks, Lord. I prayed that dad would catch fish on 2-18 (I caught mine early) and 5 minutes before we went in, he caught two.
This morning we went to talk to the hotel manager about our trip being ruined, and he was calm and sensible: no one got their head chewed off, no voices were raised. Thank you so much that you are a God who answers and listens (or vice-versa). Amen.
.....
2-20-95 Flores, Guatemala
Pense que hablaran Ingles aqui porque Flores es tan cerca al borde de Belize. Fui incorrecto. In fact, I'll probably speak more Spanish than our guide will English. Our hotel is sweet. The fish is caught fresh daily in the lagoon. Even I caught one. He was only about 3 inches, but at least he was a fish. White Bass, I think. The tour co. screwed up our time, so when we flew we were the only passengers on the shuttle. Us, the pilots, and twenty or more empty seats; cool. [It was indeed cool. Because the plane was small and empty, we could move around at will to observe whatever we happened to be flying over, which was mostly untamed jungle.] Tomorrow we do Tikal. G'nite!
.....
2-21-95 Flores, Guatemala
I climbed Tikal 4 & 2 (?) and drove a microbus into town. [A microbus is about half a step removed from a clown car. It was insanely small, lacked a door on one side and required a room key to rent from the hotel, not a driver's license.] I was wrong about the guide. Flores sits on an island in a lake. That's neat. You drive out on a sort of jetti to get there. [Actually, our hotel wasn't in town, but just outside of town, not on the island.]
.....
2-22-95 San Pedro, Ambergis Caye, Belize
We spontaneously went fishing this afternoon and I should've brought my pole. On the guide's tackle. I caught at least 9 trigger fish. They are incredibly beautiful. Dad caught a yellow-tailed snapper which was also brilliant. Tomorrow we hit the flats for bonefish.
.....
2-23-95 Belize
Today was 50/50. On one hand I caught two bonefish and a small barracuda. Dad got a 'cuda and 2 needlefish. He also made me sit and fry for an hour while he flyfished for boneys. [Dad is NOT a flyfisherman and never has been. His obsession with catching a boney on a fly was both aggravating and painful.] I'm dangerously dehydrated and he went 0 for at least a hundred [casting]. The bonefish were everywhere, hundreds, and I watched and shriveled. It's my own fault really; next time drink water!
Please God heal me! Please. I'm not burnt too badly; just my hands and wrists a little. My kidneys are still working, so I think I'll be OK. [I truly was concerned about heat stroke given the amount of time I spent in the sun and heat without water.]
.....
2-25-95 Belize
Well, I'm not as sick now. At least I could go fishing, and a great day for fishing it was. Today I caught triggerfish and yellow-tail snapper on Dolly and red snapper, a 3-foot 'cuda and a 2.5 foot sand (?) shark. [I remember the guide beat the living Hell out of that shark before he brought it into the boat. I mean he really laid into it with the gaff for a good five minutes.] I lost a spanish mackerel that was bigger than the 'cuda, right next to the boat. Tomorrow we try again.
We also might go snorkeling. That is by far my greatest fear; deep water. It makes no sense really; I'm a good swimmer and have done it before, but there it is. Irrational? Yes, but real nonetheless. Basically, I'm just afraid that something will grab me. One too many Jaws movies I guess.
2-26-95 Belize
Last night on this lousy bed. Hurray! [It really was a terrible bed for me. Every morning I woke up to the feeling that I had been secretly beaten by several armed men in the night.] Today I caught a black durgeon and a small (very) grouper on Dolly as well as a big Nassau grouper. Then we went to Hol Chan Marine Preserve and snorkeled with most of the fish we've been catching. Too cool! My head looks like a tomato now because I've burned my face to a crisp. And today is Carnabal. That's like Mardi Gras Belize style. People dance and dress up and 'paint' each other with flour, eggs, paint, pretty much whatever comes to hand. I hope I'm OK, my face is really burned, and my stomach is still giving me trouble. [I think I either had a touch of food poisoning or heat exhaustion on the 24th. That day dad went fishing alone and I stayed near the bathroom with stomach cramps and diarrhea. So much fun...]
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
1993 Bolivia Mission Trip
6-17-93 Miami, FL
Today is my third in Florida. Yesterday I was in Orlando and visited the Epcot Center. Totally cool. The Mexican and Norwegian areas were my favorites although the Pollo all Parmigiana was excellent in Italy. The Spaceship Earth is a poor AT&T ad and based on a faulty premise. The Living Seas however wear neat-o. I actually got to see a couple of Manatees up close. They are strange and beautiful. The paddle they have for a tail is just like a duck bill. Only grey and large.
Last nite, however, was HELL! After driving to Maimi, fun, I checked into my hotel and left my soul in the car. I spent waay too long (anytime was too long) watching a film that was definitely beyond 'R'. In fact, the last 72 hrs. have been completely carnal. I have determined to destroy myself with sin before I leave for Bolivia and am, apparently, content to leave God out of my life. I'm sorry, Lord. My attitude has been completely unacceptable. Please, PLEASE! don't ever let me fall this far again. I cannot serve 2 masters. I cannot serve you and me. So claim me as yours and don't ever let my flesh intervene. I love you Lord, and it hurts me when I hurt you. Don't let me do that.
Well, I met my team for Bolivia today. The guys: Jud[son], Jason, Eric, Corey and Matt and me. The girls: Janet, Sherry, Kristine, Judy, Jennifer, Christy, Lisa, and Leanna. Its a good team. Corey and Jason are the two real standouts. Corey is a leader. It may be hard between him and I. We'll see. Craig is exacly what I expected; young, strong, single (for no apparent reason). He's 30 and a Campus Director. I have hope. We leave tomorrow at 11:30 for Bolivia. Most of us will suffer from Jet lag. (Not me) It will be a long day. TTFN. Ta Ta For Now.
[As it turned out, I got along great with Corey, butted heads hard with Craig. It hurt deeply to find out later that he became an atheist after wrestling with the Problem of Evil.]
.....
6-19-93 Cochabamba, Bolivia
Dang! I'm in country. And it's Liane, not Leanne. This place reminds me a lot of Tijuana, Mexico. Its loud at night and there's more dust than oxygen in the air. So far people have been very nice and polite. The women greet with a kiss on the cheek. The men shake hands, just like America. Today after lunch (with Jud) a little girl came begging for food, well, for money, but I gave her the half omlette left on my plate. She must've been about 3. Eric Nickols is my roommate. He's from Seattle, WA. UW. A Huskie, but he's hippie enough to fit right in at the U of O. Its just after midnight, the 20th now, and the Discotec across the street is as loud as ever.
The trip from Miami was rather cool. First I found I was sitting next to Judy Shockey, Rob Schultze's girlfriend [Rob was one of my 7 housemates at the time]. On the other side of me was a guy named Peter Lin. His passport was chock full. The man get's around! Anyway, I gave him the 4 Spiritual Laws and went thru them with him. He says he's a believer, but I can tell the H.S. [Holy Spirit] was wailin' on him 'cause he read thru the pamphlet a couple of times after I was done with him. Then Judy and I got into a pillow fight and discussed my dating future on this project. It was a dead-end conversation. After watching A Few Good Men on the flight, I just happened to glance out the window in time to see a lightning storm from the top side. It was cool, and a little scary. The whole sky would light up and the plane was going thru turbulence on its way into the teeth of the Andes. Wow! [Of course, this was almost an identical scenario to the film Alive! which had only recently been released and featured a plane crash in the Andes whose survivors became cannibals in order to survive.] Then I went back and flirted with the stewardesses for a couple of minutes before getting into a conversation with a Bilivian guy named Benny for 1/2 an hour or so. I'm going to get real tired of Coke this trip if I don't figure out what else is safe to drink.
.....
6-20-93 Cochabamba, Bolivia
Well, today was definitely a full day. After having our morning briefing, quiet time, and discovering that breakfast is free, I had a talk with Erlan, our student coordinator here in Bolivia. For some reason he wants me to start meeting with him to redesign their weekly meeting. I suppose that's because I'm in charge of our own team 'family time'. One more load to carry. I guess I can handle it. I also got to visit the market. Oh yeah, Jason, Judy (?), Kristi and I got tooled by some kids after lunch too. They have some type of compressed gunpowder that crackles when it burns and jumps around on the concrete. [Actual size of the device is about a dime according to the drawing in the original manuscript.] You strike it with a match on the ground and you can step on it or shake it in your cupped hands. They crackle like fireworks. The kids told us they were called zapichhhh.... or something. [The word actually trails off because I couldn't remember exactly how to spell it.] We spent a minute or two trying to figure out the name, but couldn't quite get it right. I asked Erlan about them and he gently informed me that they were saying "small dick" or something similar and that the real name is buscapiedras-looks for shoes. Anyway, dinner was cool. Cristin and Corey and Liane and I had dinner @ Dumbo's. I had filet mignon a coke and a pina colada for 30 Bolivianos ($6). The total for all of us was 96 Bolivianos. Food is cheap. I also got Liane to accept dinner with me tomorrow. She's a fantastic gal, but I don't think anything special about her. I guess Joanna is still no. 1 on my chart so far. Too bad she's in Portland. I miss ya' Jo.
[In point of fact, Joanna Lacter and I were never more than friends, and not very close friends at that. I did express my feelings to her, but was rebuffed. In hindsight, I was a complete idiot when it came to dating in college, failing to produce a single meaningful lasting relationship.]
.....
6-22-93 Cochabamba, Bolivia
Well, yesterday Corey and I found the florist shop. 7 Bolivianos for a dozen roses. I want to get a girlfriend just so I can take advantage of that. It was also our first day on the campus of Universidad de Sam Simon. Several people came to Christ. The guys I talked with were already Christians, or so they say. My biggest trouble so far is with women. The waitress in the coffee garden here at the hotel has already started to ask questions about me. And she's not the only one. I've been whistled at regularly now for a couple of days. And some of the Alpha y Omega gals are asking questions too. [AO is the name for Crusade in many countries around the world.] This is all very flattering, but really a big headache. I made the mistake of giving Liana a hug in front of some of the AO women yesterday. They all started to giggle and exchange looks. Now, I've been informed, I'll be perstered to death about our "relationship" which doesn't exist.
.....
6-23-93 Cochabamba, Bolivia
Well, yesterday I wound up stuck in a conversation with I don't know how many gals. 1st they wanted to know if I had a girlfriend. Entonces, me pidieron si pueda cocinar. Tambien, querian saber cuantos anos tengo. Desfortunatamente, mis respuestas fueron exactamente los que querian. Today conversation classes begin at four and we have a fiesta in celebration of El Dia de San Juan to go to.
.....
7-1-93 Cochabamba, Bolivia
The air is so dirty here you canhardly see the mountains surrounding the city. That wouldn't be a big deal except that I'm at 8,500 feet above sea level smack dab in the middle of the Andes.
I guess I still don't know what to think of this project. God has shown me that I need to be broken before I can be a good leader, and that is a frightening and also exciting. Before I can have a family or a solid ministry, I need to learn to follow. So on a personal level God is showing me a lot about myself. As far as the team is concerned, I don't honestly know what is going on. I think my job here is to keep my head down and do as I'm told. That means showing up for meetings, doing evangelism, and keeping quiet. I'll help others when I can, but I am in no position of authority here. I guess we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
[At one point during the mission, just prior to this journal entry, I was dressed down severely by Craig Cunningham, the project director. He accused me of being hardheaded, selfish, and a hindrance to the team, of undermining his authority, and being unteachable. After listening to his tirade, and yes, it was a tirade (I honestly thought he was going to hit me at one point), I only objected to one of his accusations-being unteachable. That was a serious lesson for me, and one I took seriously to heart. That Craig no longer claims to be a Christian grieves me deeply because I know how much God used him in that one brief time to impact my life. Before, and especially after that night, I looked up to Craig as a mentor and a role model. I wish I could meet him again and return the favor now.]
The military/police here is a joke. They ride motorcycles and bicycles c. 1960 and their uniforms and discipline are invariably sloppy. The maid service, however, is excellent. They even do my laundry for 12 Bolivianos, less than 3 dollars. [My roommate Eric and I discovered that blessed service early and were surprised to find out several weeks later than a number of our team were still trying to figure out how to stretch their 2 weeks worth of clothes into 6.]
.....
7-29-93, Thursday, Still in Cochabamba
Well, a month later and here I am. My final numbers? 38 shared with, 11 received Christ. I have adapted completely to the culture now, I think. I am completely fearless in traffic and almuerzo familiar is actually a pleasant thought. [The sidewalks were so narrow that it was normal to get clipped by cars on our walks to/from campus. Usually it was just an elbow getting whacked by a side mirror. 'Almuerzo Familiar' refers a four course lunch.]
Let's review the last six weeks from a practical view point. I have loved and lost with Liane, that's a real pisser, but at least we're still friends. My best friend on this project, Corey, had to go home early because his sister was in a funknasty car wreck, and I have picked up drinking and smoking nightly on the roof with Kristi, who is drop-dead bombshell gorgeous and very engaged. Oh yeah, my language has deteriorated also. [Yes, its all true, but in our defense we didn't drink much, and we never smoked more than one or cigars/cigarettes a night. And it never developed into a lasting habit.]
One thing that's funny: we [the guys] had a mandatory boxer night on Tuesday. Craig, the project director, brought the stogies and we played poker for three hours. You know what cracks me up the most? We broke him! Craig left the game in debt! He lost 7 Bols. on a hand of Between the Sheets.
What did you do in Bolivia, Jon? I picked up smoking and drove mt PD out of a poker game in his underwear. Great summer, huh?
Today is our debriefing. So lets debrief. Ah, that's better. I'm slowly losing my marbles, don't you agree? I need to ask one of those beggars in the Pinnochio hats for some coca leaves. I also need to find a place I can buy one of those pinnochio hats.
I hope Gonzalo makes it. He's a great guy. I found him, well, Corey found him, on campus during our 1st week. He was already a Christian, but he wasn't going anywhere in his faith. Now he's got direction, but he's going to need someone to pace him, to run alongside, for a while. I hope Erlan doesn't drop this ball.
Erlan's the student/staff in charge of the campus here. I also know the CD at Santa Cruz and the National Director, Tito Ramos. Actually, Tito and I get along quite well. I've been told that you never joke at authority here, but Tito and I joke all the time. Oh well.
Hey, I've seen Cochabamba through the eyes of Christ. Well, actually, I've seen Cochabamba through the eyes of Cristo de la Concordia. Its a statue overlooking the city. The largest Christ in the world. Quite a pagan God actually. I had to avoid the police to get in, but it was worth it. I need to take a road trip to New Mexico.
Fernando, how can I forget Fernando? He's also going on staff here. He used to play soccer for the national indoor team. We've played some soccer here and let me tell you, he can score on me at will. Fortunately, he was on my team when we played during the retreat [we had a weekend retreat with the AO group]. It was cool really, I kept four games before we lost the fifth. The Bolivians told me I am a good 'arquero' (goalie). They are probably only being nice, but I am honored nonetheless. These guys can play!
.....
7-30-93, Friday, Cochabamba
So, I can't wait to get out of this country. You know it only took me 6 weeks to develop a great friendship with Liane. Of course, I also managed to f*ck [I'll keep it PG for the kids out there, but the manuscript isn't as polite] it up absolutely during that time, but am I bitter? Hell yes! I have spent all summer working on two relationships: A) Corey Williams and B) Liane Furness. Corey had to go home early because of his sister's car accident and I screwed up the other so completely I don't know if I'll ever get it back. [Angst is a terrible, if temporary, thing.] Well, in another 48 hrs. or so we'll never have to see each other again. Sh*t, as if that made a difference.
Judson just came in the room. I'll be honest here, Jud is a great guy, but he has this absolutely incredible knack for coming in or finding me when I least want anyone's company. Whew! He caught a clue and left. Sorry Jud, I like youman, but I need to be alone. Well... I need to settle with Liane. I wonder when that will happen. [It did, eventually.]
.....
8-1-93, Sunday, Somewhere over Brazil
Dang, its over. I'm finally on my way home. And some of the best stories still need told. Like Kristi, who got a letter from her fiance describing the knives they got as an engagement gift, asking exactly what a 'dishwasher safe' is. She thought it was a separate item instead of the description for the knives.
Kristi is a great gal. She only knows enough Spanish to tell people when her wedding is. So, on the first day in country what does she do? Leads a guy to Christ! Wait, it gets better. Our first day on campus she led something like 3 girls to Christ and didn't know it! Paulette shared with them later and they said they'd already accepted Christ with Kristi. She [Kristi] said she thought they were just translating for some other girls. Sorry, girl, God will use you when you least expect it.
Leaving the country was fun. I got a knife confiscated and was frisked. Yipee! here I am standing in a room (a small room) with my arms over my head and some Bolivian dude asking me where I'm from as he feels my pocket knife. I'm asking myself at this point whether or not I really want to know this guy. Imean really, how close do I want to get to a guy who already has his hands in my pockets?
Okay, well, I don't really need to watch that. Hmm... not such a good movie on the ol' flight today. "Only You." Well, looks like I've got a couple of hours to kill.
I was talking with Cesar yesterday about soccer, and it turns out the Bolivians really do think I'm pretty good. Of course, a trained monkey can keep short field soccer. He suggested, with much sincerity, that I find a trainer and check out the national team. We must really suck. Or they must really suck. [In fact, Bolivia beat Brazil in a World Cup qualifying match while we were there. It was HUGE. The party didn't quiet down 'til dawn.] I am kind of happy about 1 thing; I definitely improved their view of Americans with regard to our ability to play ball.
If there is only one God,
why do we serve so many?
If there is only one law,
why do we live like there aren't any?
[Lyrics from a popular comtemporary Christian song at the time. Praying for Rain was the group, I think.]
Today is my third in Florida. Yesterday I was in Orlando and visited the Epcot Center. Totally cool. The Mexican and Norwegian areas were my favorites although the Pollo all Parmigiana was excellent in Italy. The Spaceship Earth is a poor AT&T ad and based on a faulty premise. The Living Seas however wear neat-o. I actually got to see a couple of Manatees up close. They are strange and beautiful. The paddle they have for a tail is just like a duck bill. Only grey and large.
Last nite, however, was HELL! After driving to Maimi, fun, I checked into my hotel and left my soul in the car. I spent waay too long (anytime was too long) watching a film that was definitely beyond 'R'. In fact, the last 72 hrs. have been completely carnal. I have determined to destroy myself with sin before I leave for Bolivia and am, apparently, content to leave God out of my life. I'm sorry, Lord. My attitude has been completely unacceptable. Please, PLEASE! don't ever let me fall this far again. I cannot serve 2 masters. I cannot serve you and me. So claim me as yours and don't ever let my flesh intervene. I love you Lord, and it hurts me when I hurt you. Don't let me do that.
Well, I met my team for Bolivia today. The guys: Jud[son], Jason, Eric, Corey and Matt and me. The girls: Janet, Sherry, Kristine, Judy, Jennifer, Christy, Lisa, and Leanna. Its a good team. Corey and Jason are the two real standouts. Corey is a leader. It may be hard between him and I. We'll see. Craig is exacly what I expected; young, strong, single (for no apparent reason). He's 30 and a Campus Director. I have hope. We leave tomorrow at 11:30 for Bolivia. Most of us will suffer from Jet lag. (Not me) It will be a long day. TTFN. Ta Ta For Now.
[As it turned out, I got along great with Corey, butted heads hard with Craig. It hurt deeply to find out later that he became an atheist after wrestling with the Problem of Evil.]
.....
6-19-93 Cochabamba, Bolivia
Dang! I'm in country. And it's Liane, not Leanne. This place reminds me a lot of Tijuana, Mexico. Its loud at night and there's more dust than oxygen in the air. So far people have been very nice and polite. The women greet with a kiss on the cheek. The men shake hands, just like America. Today after lunch (with Jud) a little girl came begging for food, well, for money, but I gave her the half omlette left on my plate. She must've been about 3. Eric Nickols is my roommate. He's from Seattle, WA. UW. A Huskie, but he's hippie enough to fit right in at the U of O. Its just after midnight, the 20th now, and the Discotec across the street is as loud as ever.
The trip from Miami was rather cool. First I found I was sitting next to Judy Shockey, Rob Schultze's girlfriend [Rob was one of my 7 housemates at the time]. On the other side of me was a guy named Peter Lin. His passport was chock full. The man get's around! Anyway, I gave him the 4 Spiritual Laws and went thru them with him. He says he's a believer, but I can tell the H.S. [Holy Spirit] was wailin' on him 'cause he read thru the pamphlet a couple of times after I was done with him. Then Judy and I got into a pillow fight and discussed my dating future on this project. It was a dead-end conversation. After watching A Few Good Men on the flight, I just happened to glance out the window in time to see a lightning storm from the top side. It was cool, and a little scary. The whole sky would light up and the plane was going thru turbulence on its way into the teeth of the Andes. Wow! [Of course, this was almost an identical scenario to the film Alive! which had only recently been released and featured a plane crash in the Andes whose survivors became cannibals in order to survive.] Then I went back and flirted with the stewardesses for a couple of minutes before getting into a conversation with a Bilivian guy named Benny for 1/2 an hour or so. I'm going to get real tired of Coke this trip if I don't figure out what else is safe to drink.
.....
6-20-93 Cochabamba, Bolivia
Well, today was definitely a full day. After having our morning briefing, quiet time, and discovering that breakfast is free, I had a talk with Erlan, our student coordinator here in Bolivia. For some reason he wants me to start meeting with him to redesign their weekly meeting. I suppose that's because I'm in charge of our own team 'family time'. One more load to carry. I guess I can handle it. I also got to visit the market. Oh yeah, Jason, Judy (?), Kristi and I got tooled by some kids after lunch too. They have some type of compressed gunpowder that crackles when it burns and jumps around on the concrete. [Actual size of the device is about a dime according to the drawing in the original manuscript.] You strike it with a match on the ground and you can step on it or shake it in your cupped hands. They crackle like fireworks. The kids told us they were called zapichhhh.... or something. [The word actually trails off because I couldn't remember exactly how to spell it.] We spent a minute or two trying to figure out the name, but couldn't quite get it right. I asked Erlan about them and he gently informed me that they were saying "small dick" or something similar and that the real name is buscapiedras-looks for shoes. Anyway, dinner was cool. Cristin and Corey and Liane and I had dinner @ Dumbo's. I had filet mignon a coke and a pina colada for 30 Bolivianos ($6). The total for all of us was 96 Bolivianos. Food is cheap. I also got Liane to accept dinner with me tomorrow. She's a fantastic gal, but I don't think anything special about her. I guess Joanna is still no. 1 on my chart so far. Too bad she's in Portland. I miss ya' Jo.
[In point of fact, Joanna Lacter and I were never more than friends, and not very close friends at that. I did express my feelings to her, but was rebuffed. In hindsight, I was a complete idiot when it came to dating in college, failing to produce a single meaningful lasting relationship.]
.....
6-22-93 Cochabamba, Bolivia
Well, yesterday Corey and I found the florist shop. 7 Bolivianos for a dozen roses. I want to get a girlfriend just so I can take advantage of that. It was also our first day on the campus of Universidad de Sam Simon. Several people came to Christ. The guys I talked with were already Christians, or so they say. My biggest trouble so far is with women. The waitress in the coffee garden here at the hotel has already started to ask questions about me. And she's not the only one. I've been whistled at regularly now for a couple of days. And some of the Alpha y Omega gals are asking questions too. [AO is the name for Crusade in many countries around the world.] This is all very flattering, but really a big headache. I made the mistake of giving Liana a hug in front of some of the AO women yesterday. They all started to giggle and exchange looks. Now, I've been informed, I'll be perstered to death about our "relationship" which doesn't exist.
.....
6-23-93 Cochabamba, Bolivia
Well, yesterday I wound up stuck in a conversation with I don't know how many gals. 1st they wanted to know if I had a girlfriend. Entonces, me pidieron si pueda cocinar. Tambien, querian saber cuantos anos tengo. Desfortunatamente, mis respuestas fueron exactamente los que querian. Today conversation classes begin at four and we have a fiesta in celebration of El Dia de San Juan to go to.
.....
7-1-93 Cochabamba, Bolivia
The air is so dirty here you canhardly see the mountains surrounding the city. That wouldn't be a big deal except that I'm at 8,500 feet above sea level smack dab in the middle of the Andes.
I guess I still don't know what to think of this project. God has shown me that I need to be broken before I can be a good leader, and that is a frightening and also exciting. Before I can have a family or a solid ministry, I need to learn to follow. So on a personal level God is showing me a lot about myself. As far as the team is concerned, I don't honestly know what is going on. I think my job here is to keep my head down and do as I'm told. That means showing up for meetings, doing evangelism, and keeping quiet. I'll help others when I can, but I am in no position of authority here. I guess we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
[At one point during the mission, just prior to this journal entry, I was dressed down severely by Craig Cunningham, the project director. He accused me of being hardheaded, selfish, and a hindrance to the team, of undermining his authority, and being unteachable. After listening to his tirade, and yes, it was a tirade (I honestly thought he was going to hit me at one point), I only objected to one of his accusations-being unteachable. That was a serious lesson for me, and one I took seriously to heart. That Craig no longer claims to be a Christian grieves me deeply because I know how much God used him in that one brief time to impact my life. Before, and especially after that night, I looked up to Craig as a mentor and a role model. I wish I could meet him again and return the favor now.]
The military/police here is a joke. They ride motorcycles and bicycles c. 1960 and their uniforms and discipline are invariably sloppy. The maid service, however, is excellent. They even do my laundry for 12 Bolivianos, less than 3 dollars. [My roommate Eric and I discovered that blessed service early and were surprised to find out several weeks later than a number of our team were still trying to figure out how to stretch their 2 weeks worth of clothes into 6.]
.....
7-29-93, Thursday, Still in Cochabamba
Well, a month later and here I am. My final numbers? 38 shared with, 11 received Christ. I have adapted completely to the culture now, I think. I am completely fearless in traffic and almuerzo familiar is actually a pleasant thought. [The sidewalks were so narrow that it was normal to get clipped by cars on our walks to/from campus. Usually it was just an elbow getting whacked by a side mirror. 'Almuerzo Familiar' refers a four course lunch.]
Let's review the last six weeks from a practical view point. I have loved and lost with Liane, that's a real pisser, but at least we're still friends. My best friend on this project, Corey, had to go home early because his sister was in a funknasty car wreck, and I have picked up drinking and smoking nightly on the roof with Kristi, who is drop-dead bombshell gorgeous and very engaged. Oh yeah, my language has deteriorated also. [Yes, its all true, but in our defense we didn't drink much, and we never smoked more than one or cigars/cigarettes a night. And it never developed into a lasting habit.]
One thing that's funny: we [the guys] had a mandatory boxer night on Tuesday. Craig, the project director, brought the stogies and we played poker for three hours. You know what cracks me up the most? We broke him! Craig left the game in debt! He lost 7 Bols. on a hand of Between the Sheets.
What did you do in Bolivia, Jon? I picked up smoking and drove mt PD out of a poker game in his underwear. Great summer, huh?
Today is our debriefing. So lets debrief. Ah, that's better. I'm slowly losing my marbles, don't you agree? I need to ask one of those beggars in the Pinnochio hats for some coca leaves. I also need to find a place I can buy one of those pinnochio hats.
I hope Gonzalo makes it. He's a great guy. I found him, well, Corey found him, on campus during our 1st week. He was already a Christian, but he wasn't going anywhere in his faith. Now he's got direction, but he's going to need someone to pace him, to run alongside, for a while. I hope Erlan doesn't drop this ball.
Erlan's the student/staff in charge of the campus here. I also know the CD at Santa Cruz and the National Director, Tito Ramos. Actually, Tito and I get along quite well. I've been told that you never joke at authority here, but Tito and I joke all the time. Oh well.
Hey, I've seen Cochabamba through the eyes of Christ. Well, actually, I've seen Cochabamba through the eyes of Cristo de la Concordia. Its a statue overlooking the city. The largest Christ in the world. Quite a pagan God actually. I had to avoid the police to get in, but it was worth it. I need to take a road trip to New Mexico.
Fernando, how can I forget Fernando? He's also going on staff here. He used to play soccer for the national indoor team. We've played some soccer here and let me tell you, he can score on me at will. Fortunately, he was on my team when we played during the retreat [we had a weekend retreat with the AO group]. It was cool really, I kept four games before we lost the fifth. The Bolivians told me I am a good 'arquero' (goalie). They are probably only being nice, but I am honored nonetheless. These guys can play!
.....
7-30-93, Friday, Cochabamba
So, I can't wait to get out of this country. You know it only took me 6 weeks to develop a great friendship with Liane. Of course, I also managed to f*ck [I'll keep it PG for the kids out there, but the manuscript isn't as polite] it up absolutely during that time, but am I bitter? Hell yes! I have spent all summer working on two relationships: A) Corey Williams and B) Liane Furness. Corey had to go home early because of his sister's car accident and I screwed up the other so completely I don't know if I'll ever get it back. [Angst is a terrible, if temporary, thing.] Well, in another 48 hrs. or so we'll never have to see each other again. Sh*t, as if that made a difference.
Judson just came in the room. I'll be honest here, Jud is a great guy, but he has this absolutely incredible knack for coming in or finding me when I least want anyone's company. Whew! He caught a clue and left. Sorry Jud, I like youman, but I need to be alone. Well... I need to settle with Liane. I wonder when that will happen. [It did, eventually.]
.....
8-1-93, Sunday, Somewhere over Brazil
Dang, its over. I'm finally on my way home. And some of the best stories still need told. Like Kristi, who got a letter from her fiance describing the knives they got as an engagement gift, asking exactly what a 'dishwasher safe' is. She thought it was a separate item instead of the description for the knives.
Kristi is a great gal. She only knows enough Spanish to tell people when her wedding is. So, on the first day in country what does she do? Leads a guy to Christ! Wait, it gets better. Our first day on campus she led something like 3 girls to Christ and didn't know it! Paulette shared with them later and they said they'd already accepted Christ with Kristi. She [Kristi] said she thought they were just translating for some other girls. Sorry, girl, God will use you when you least expect it.
Leaving the country was fun. I got a knife confiscated and was frisked. Yipee! here I am standing in a room (a small room) with my arms over my head and some Bolivian dude asking me where I'm from as he feels my pocket knife. I'm asking myself at this point whether or not I really want to know this guy. Imean really, how close do I want to get to a guy who already has his hands in my pockets?
Okay, well, I don't really need to watch that. Hmm... not such a good movie on the ol' flight today. "Only You." Well, looks like I've got a couple of hours to kill.
I was talking with Cesar yesterday about soccer, and it turns out the Bolivians really do think I'm pretty good. Of course, a trained monkey can keep short field soccer. He suggested, with much sincerity, that I find a trainer and check out the national team. We must really suck. Or they must really suck. [In fact, Bolivia beat Brazil in a World Cup qualifying match while we were there. It was HUGE. The party didn't quiet down 'til dawn.] I am kind of happy about 1 thing; I definitely improved their view of Americans with regard to our ability to play ball.
If there is only one God,
why do we serve so many?
If there is only one law,
why do we live like there aren't any?
[Lyrics from a popular comtemporary Christian song at the time. Praying for Rain was the group, I think.]
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
1993 Confession
So, if you had access to the original journal you would see an entry on this day confessing sin and asking forgiveness. Since, however it is not in any way travel related, I have chosen not to publish it here.
1993 Rogue River Camping Trip
March 27th, 1993
Yesterday, after a five hour drive, Greg Templer, Bill Nachand, Damon Yauney, Troy Klaus and myself hiked a long way past our intended destination and finally stopped here at Camp Tacoma on the Rogue River. The trail was poorly marked so we couldn't find Floral Dell, where we wanted to go. Its beautiful here. My new sleeping bag [REI] is a dream! I actually slept in my skivs and stayed warm.
God is definitely teaching me something here. I struggle in my relationship with Troy- I find him incredibly annoying. We discouraged him from coming along, to be honest, I can't believe he's made it this far. As annoying as he is though, he didn't complain once that I heard inspite of his physical shape and the length of the trail (est. 6-7 mi.) I admire his resolve. I just hope he makes it back okay. That may take a miracle. Remind me not to bring a BB gun in the future. It is disruptive and a source of trouble. Any fun from shooting it is far outweighed by the anger/pain/worry of who has been/will be shot.
[I should point out here that when I knew him, Troy had a heart of gold, but the shape of a basket ball. He had to weigh over 400 pounds, largely due to a medical condition his parents refused to do anything about. They didn't deserve a son as pure hearted as him.]
.....
March 28th, 1993
Well, the hike out was much quicker than we anticipated. So was the drive. We were home by 3:45[PM]. The spot on the river where we stopped on the way has been dubbed Ireland by Damon and Greg. It seems fitting what with all the moss covered rocks and the laughing river and all. Everyone had sore feet on the way out, luckily Dr. Bill brought moleskin.
['Dr. Bill' was actually a Navy Reserve medic. And upon arrival back at our slum on Miami Lane in Eugene, Troy became the catalyst of what was later referred to as "Lake Troy" when he blocked the toilet so badly that it overflowed into the hallway, kichen and front porch.]
Yesterday, after a five hour drive, Greg Templer, Bill Nachand, Damon Yauney, Troy Klaus and myself hiked a long way past our intended destination and finally stopped here at Camp Tacoma on the Rogue River. The trail was poorly marked so we couldn't find Floral Dell, where we wanted to go. Its beautiful here. My new sleeping bag [REI] is a dream! I actually slept in my skivs and stayed warm.
God is definitely teaching me something here. I struggle in my relationship with Troy- I find him incredibly annoying. We discouraged him from coming along, to be honest, I can't believe he's made it this far. As annoying as he is though, he didn't complain once that I heard inspite of his physical shape and the length of the trail (est. 6-7 mi.) I admire his resolve. I just hope he makes it back okay. That may take a miracle. Remind me not to bring a BB gun in the future. It is disruptive and a source of trouble. Any fun from shooting it is far outweighed by the anger/pain/worry of who has been/will be shot.
[I should point out here that when I knew him, Troy had a heart of gold, but the shape of a basket ball. He had to weigh over 400 pounds, largely due to a medical condition his parents refused to do anything about. They didn't deserve a son as pure hearted as him.]
.....
March 28th, 1993
Well, the hike out was much quicker than we anticipated. So was the drive. We were home by 3:45[PM]. The spot on the river where we stopped on the way has been dubbed Ireland by Damon and Greg. It seems fitting what with all the moss covered rocks and the laughing river and all. Everyone had sore feet on the way out, luckily Dr. Bill brought moleskin.
['Dr. Bill' was actually a Navy Reserve medic. And upon arrival back at our slum on Miami Lane in Eugene, Troy became the catalyst of what was later referred to as "Lake Troy" when he blocked the toilet so badly that it overflowed into the hallway, kichen and front porch.]
1992 Waldo Camping Trip
[It has been a long-standing tradition among family and friends to take a late summer trip to Wlado Lake in Oregon. This brief note is from the 1992 trip.]
September 8th, 1992, Tuesday
2:15AM I just got back today from spending the weekend at Waldo Lake. Welebers, Smiths, Luecks and Zimmermans all came; I was impressed. Janet [Lueck] nagged and I haven't read my Bible for several days. Not a good weekend.
Phil [Lueck], Doug [Lueck], Scott [Smith] and I all just got finished playing Pinochle. Doug and I won 2 games to 1. We finished off the first game with a 960 pt. blast. Double marriage, double pinochle, the run... We lost the second badly and shot the moon twice to win the third: once to reach 0 from 900 down and once to finish it. (We also snuck an 810 pt. blow out in there somewhere also.) I also saw the new house today. (2469 Miami) Its so ugly it breaks its own mirrors. Plenty of room though.
[In fact, once we packed 8 college guys in there, it was pretty small. The roof leaked through the ceiling fixtures on the top and bottom floors. It looked like a cinder block and we treated it with as much respect as the dump it was.
At one point we got the floor wet and would run from the driveway into the house to see how far we could slide across across the linoleum down the hallway and into the kitchen. Stupid, but fun.]
September 8th, 1992, Tuesday
2:15AM I just got back today from spending the weekend at Waldo Lake. Welebers, Smiths, Luecks and Zimmermans all came; I was impressed. Janet [Lueck] nagged and I haven't read my Bible for several days. Not a good weekend.
Phil [Lueck], Doug [Lueck], Scott [Smith] and I all just got finished playing Pinochle. Doug and I won 2 games to 1. We finished off the first game with a 960 pt. blast. Double marriage, double pinochle, the run... We lost the second badly and shot the moon twice to win the third: once to reach 0 from 900 down and once to finish it. (We also snuck an 810 pt. blow out in there somewhere also.) I also saw the new house today. (2469 Miami) Its so ugly it breaks its own mirrors. Plenty of room though.
[In fact, once we packed 8 college guys in there, it was pretty small. The roof leaked through the ceiling fixtures on the top and bottom floors. It looked like a cinder block and we treated it with as much respect as the dump it was.
At one point we got the floor wet and would run from the driveway into the house to see how far we could slide across across the linoleum down the hallway and into the kitchen. Stupid, but fun.]
1992 Alaska Mission Trip
[The following notes are from a trip I took as part of the 1992 Campus Crusade for Christ Men's Summer Mission Project in Anchorage, AK.]
August 21st, 1992 Anchorage, AK
I woke up this morning to find Chris and Dave saying goodbye. They're on their way back to Colorado now, the Alaska Men's Summer Project is over. I wonder if I'll ever see these guys again...
It's 9:45P.M. Bill Nachand and I have flown into Iron Creek of the Talkeetna Mountains in Alaska. Paul, our pilot, flew us in all the way at a hundred feet off the ground. It was the only way to get below the clouds. Tonite we'll sleep in a shack next to Joe's house. Joe is a gold miner who lives out here. Neat guy, totally lost. He made us dinner though, along with Paul (a 'nola from Virginia) and his wife Judy. We had wild rice, corn, beef and steak of Dall Sheep. Excellent. From the plane we saw a black bear and a herd of sheep. The fishing should be good, 12-16 inch Dolly Varden.
Joe loves company, he hasn't stopped talking since 6:00. He and Paul have hit it off great.
.....
August 22nd, 1992 Talkeetna Mountains, AK
9:50 P.M. It's getting dark. I've been in the tent now for 3 hrs. Bill and I got to this lake at 5:30. It was the mother of all humps. My pack must weigh a hundred lbs.
Bill just got back from fishing. He's back early 'cause he spotted a grizzly bear about a half mile away. He says the fishing is great. Dolly Vardens- about 8-10 inches. We can see two bears, other than the one that surprised Bill, in the distance. I pray they'll go away and leave us alone. Tonite we'll sleep with one eye open and the shotgun between us... The bears are travelling fairly close together, it may be a mother with two yearly cubs. They seem headed away now.
[Note added 12/2/05: I remember sleeping that night with a white nuckle grip on the shotgun. It was a Mossberg 550 I bought in Anchorage for just that occassion. Bill didn't bring a gun, but had his hatchet in hand as we slept. Sometime during the night a pretty good thunderstorm blew over us. It was scary being in that storm with the wind whipping the walls of the tent and the howling through bushes nearby. Bill and I both expected an angry sow griz to come barreling into the tent at any moment, but the bears never did show up... I had the gun load with 3-inch slugs and attached a pistol grip and 18.5-inch barrel. The first time I fired it I nearly broke my wrist. It was sore for a couple of days.]
.....
August 23rd, 1992-Sunday
What a day. Got up at 11:30 or so and had oatmeal breakfast. Bill was right about the fishing-I caught close to twenty Dollys between 8 and 12 inches. I used a Mepps Aglia 0 and a Panther Marten. They hit both equally well. Its really awesome out here. No bears today, but when you go for a walk anywhere you watch your back. Its rained pretty much all day. Dinner was fresh Dolly and scalloped potatoes, some crackers and hot cocoa, tea and a Nutri-grain breakfast bar.
When I woke up this morning I read several chapters of Exodus, the ten commandments and some of the other laws. I ought to start over when I get home, I'm not really studying as much as just reading. I hope the tent holds up, I'd hate to be all wet this early in the trip. On the other hand, we have a lot of food residue in here so maybe we'll see a bear tonite (I hope not!)
.....
August 24th, 1992 Talkeetna Mountains, AK
Today I caught 16 Dollys before I gave it up. My attitude gat so lame I was actually swearing! I'm sorry Lord. Than you for forgiving me. Change my heart that it may not happen again.
The weather has been nice today, it stopped raining about noon and hasn't started since. I'm reading Exodus right now and I pray that God will open my eyes to see His plan for me and the rest of the world more clearly. Hopefully I'll be in Leviticus by tomorrow.
.....
August 25th, 1992 Talkeetna Mountains, AK
It's very cold out there [outside the tent]. We woke up to sunshine, but its cloudy and cold now. Today was a good day for reading so I read; 70 pages of Red Storm Rising [by Tom Clancy], the entire book of Mark and the 1st ten chapters of Leviticus. It's only 6:30 though. One thing I haven't done since I got here is pray. I need to pray much more often. I also read Damon's [Damon Yauney] letter yesterday. I'm hoping we can live together this year, I'd like that a lot. For now, I need to pee, so TTFN. Ta Ta For Now.
.....
August 29th, 1992 Glenallen, AK
Left Anchorage @ 11:00 Saturday Morning. It's 2:43 at the Tastee-Freeze in Glenallen, AK. There seems to be a bike club making a trip from Anchorage. I was supposed to be out of Anchorage yesterday, but I believe God had a different plan. I was devoting all of my strength to get home and ignoring my relationship w/Him and as a result He held me back 'til I came to my senses. 1st, nothing went right with packing, etc, and then He gave me the Mexican two-step. Sorry, Lord. Tonight I want to be in Dawson City, God willing.
P.S.-The curly fries are great here.
.....
August 30th, 1992-Sunday
2:12 PM-Whitehorse, Yukon Territory-Praise God, man! I'm a day late, I lost an hour to the time zone, I'm in Canada with no Canadian currency, I'm alone.
I've been doing some praying in the car and listening to a Parkside Church tape. [Parkside was one of the churches our mission team attended in Anchorage] I almost hit a wolf cub a little while back, he ran right in front of me. I wonder if I'll ever see the Parthenon in Greece? [And as of 12-2-05 I haven't!]
I missed Dawson City because the border there closes at 8:00 so I stayed on the Alaskan Highway and spent the night in White River, 480 miles from Anchorage. A short 1st day.
10:00ish. BLAM! A flat tire!! I'm sitting in the restaurant of the Watson Lake Hotel. I'll be spending the night here. Boy that waitress sure is cute. Anyway, Lord! Hear my cry, please... Get me home safely without any further mishaps. Thank you for blessing me with such awesome parents. I pray that you would bless them as much as you've blessed me.
Things could be worse, much worse. I was rushing it, driving too fast for the road construction being done on the road. I wanted to get to Watson Lake, Yukon by 7:00 so I could get the last half of the service in at the local Anglican church. I got here at 8:30. After I put on the so-called "spare" (it was a doughnut, not a tire) I discovered I'd left my lites on and run my battery down. Luckily I was only 80 klicks from Watson and some drunk Indians helped me jump it. Incidently, I called the Anglican church to see if I could borrow their floor, but nobody was home.
.....
August 31st, 1992 Fort Nelson, B.C., Canada
5:30 P.M., CoachHouse Inn, Fort Nelson, B.C. After leaving Watson Lake at noon, I was determined to make Nelson by six. On my way through Rock Mountain (?)Provincial Park I stopped to photograph some Dall sheep and caribou by and in the road. Totally cool! Thanx God. My next stop should be either Fort St. John or Dawson Creek. God willing of course. Jake and Heather Dykstrhuis live in St. John (or at least they did). Maybe I'll look them up.
[Note: Jake was a roommate of mine in Cabin C at Caperwray Harbour Bible Centre in the Winter semester of 1989-90. Heather was also at the school at that time. I have many fond memories of my experiences there. We used to say that the 'C' on our door stood for CLASS.]
.....
September 1st, 1992
12:30 A.M. The odometer says I've gone 1678 mi. I'm just south of Dawson Creek now and I'm going to bed. Nite!
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Prince George, B.C. 1:00 P.M.-This is getting Boring, I hope to be in Vancouver by midnight.
.....
September 2nd, 1992 Abbotsford, B.C., Canada
1:00 A.M.-Abbotsford, B.C. Tonite I am spending the night at Chris and Kim Madland's house. Praise God for good friends. On no notice at all they've produced some great hospitality. When I think back on all the memories I have of Capernwray (where I went to school with Chris and Kim) I'm overwhelmed with... joy! God has truly blessed me through that. Not hardly a day goes by that I don't reflect back on something I learned there.
After having swapped bear stories w/Chris, I'm going to bed.
P.S.-Jake and Heather were here when I arrived (Amen).
[Note: Kim and I actually dated for a while. Chris literally stole her from me, and in hindsight, I ought to thank him for it. They seemed happy together, she was pregnant. Her complexion had changed though, for the worse. I don't want to sound mean, but seeing her for the first time in a couple of years I was really not attracted to her AT ALL! Shallow of me? Yes. But true, nonetheless.]
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11:00 P.M. Bainsbridge Island, Puget Sound, WA. I will fall asleep and wake up to the sound of waves lapping up on the shore. I'm staing tonite at Tim Keller's parents' home in WA. I pray that through my actions and attitudes they might have their eyes opened to the reality of their need to know Jesus as Tim and I do. Help them, Lord, to know you. People as nice as this shouldn't go to Hell, they deserve to be saved, as least as much as I do/did.
August 21st, 1992 Anchorage, AK
I woke up this morning to find Chris and Dave saying goodbye. They're on their way back to Colorado now, the Alaska Men's Summer Project is over. I wonder if I'll ever see these guys again...
It's 9:45P.M. Bill Nachand and I have flown into Iron Creek of the Talkeetna Mountains in Alaska. Paul, our pilot, flew us in all the way at a hundred feet off the ground. It was the only way to get below the clouds. Tonite we'll sleep in a shack next to Joe's house. Joe is a gold miner who lives out here. Neat guy, totally lost. He made us dinner though, along with Paul (a 'nola from Virginia) and his wife Judy. We had wild rice, corn, beef and steak of Dall Sheep. Excellent. From the plane we saw a black bear and a herd of sheep. The fishing should be good, 12-16 inch Dolly Varden.
Joe loves company, he hasn't stopped talking since 6:00. He and Paul have hit it off great.
.....
August 22nd, 1992 Talkeetna Mountains, AK
9:50 P.M. It's getting dark. I've been in the tent now for 3 hrs. Bill and I got to this lake at 5:30. It was the mother of all humps. My pack must weigh a hundred lbs.
Bill just got back from fishing. He's back early 'cause he spotted a grizzly bear about a half mile away. He says the fishing is great. Dolly Vardens- about 8-10 inches. We can see two bears, other than the one that surprised Bill, in the distance. I pray they'll go away and leave us alone. Tonite we'll sleep with one eye open and the shotgun between us... The bears are travelling fairly close together, it may be a mother with two yearly cubs. They seem headed away now.
[Note added 12/2/05: I remember sleeping that night with a white nuckle grip on the shotgun. It was a Mossberg 550 I bought in Anchorage for just that occassion. Bill didn't bring a gun, but had his hatchet in hand as we slept. Sometime during the night a pretty good thunderstorm blew over us. It was scary being in that storm with the wind whipping the walls of the tent and the howling through bushes nearby. Bill and I both expected an angry sow griz to come barreling into the tent at any moment, but the bears never did show up... I had the gun load with 3-inch slugs and attached a pistol grip and 18.5-inch barrel. The first time I fired it I nearly broke my wrist. It was sore for a couple of days.]
.....
August 23rd, 1992-Sunday
What a day. Got up at 11:30 or so and had oatmeal breakfast. Bill was right about the fishing-I caught close to twenty Dollys between 8 and 12 inches. I used a Mepps Aglia 0 and a Panther Marten. They hit both equally well. Its really awesome out here. No bears today, but when you go for a walk anywhere you watch your back. Its rained pretty much all day. Dinner was fresh Dolly and scalloped potatoes, some crackers and hot cocoa, tea and a Nutri-grain breakfast bar.
When I woke up this morning I read several chapters of Exodus, the ten commandments and some of the other laws. I ought to start over when I get home, I'm not really studying as much as just reading. I hope the tent holds up, I'd hate to be all wet this early in the trip. On the other hand, we have a lot of food residue in here so maybe we'll see a bear tonite (I hope not!)
.....
August 24th, 1992 Talkeetna Mountains, AK
Today I caught 16 Dollys before I gave it up. My attitude gat so lame I was actually swearing! I'm sorry Lord. Than you for forgiving me. Change my heart that it may not happen again.
The weather has been nice today, it stopped raining about noon and hasn't started since. I'm reading Exodus right now and I pray that God will open my eyes to see His plan for me and the rest of the world more clearly. Hopefully I'll be in Leviticus by tomorrow.
.....
August 25th, 1992 Talkeetna Mountains, AK
It's very cold out there [outside the tent]. We woke up to sunshine, but its cloudy and cold now. Today was a good day for reading so I read; 70 pages of Red Storm Rising [by Tom Clancy], the entire book of Mark and the 1st ten chapters of Leviticus. It's only 6:30 though. One thing I haven't done since I got here is pray. I need to pray much more often. I also read Damon's [Damon Yauney] letter yesterday. I'm hoping we can live together this year, I'd like that a lot. For now, I need to pee, so TTFN. Ta Ta For Now.
.....
August 29th, 1992 Glenallen, AK
Left Anchorage @ 11:00 Saturday Morning. It's 2:43 at the Tastee-Freeze in Glenallen, AK. There seems to be a bike club making a trip from Anchorage. I was supposed to be out of Anchorage yesterday, but I believe God had a different plan. I was devoting all of my strength to get home and ignoring my relationship w/Him and as a result He held me back 'til I came to my senses. 1st, nothing went right with packing, etc, and then He gave me the Mexican two-step. Sorry, Lord. Tonight I want to be in Dawson City, God willing.
P.S.-The curly fries are great here.
.....
August 30th, 1992-Sunday
2:12 PM-Whitehorse, Yukon Territory-Praise God, man! I'm a day late, I lost an hour to the time zone, I'm in Canada with no Canadian currency, I'm alone.
I've been doing some praying in the car and listening to a Parkside Church tape. [Parkside was one of the churches our mission team attended in Anchorage] I almost hit a wolf cub a little while back, he ran right in front of me. I wonder if I'll ever see the Parthenon in Greece? [And as of 12-2-05 I haven't!]
I missed Dawson City because the border there closes at 8:00 so I stayed on the Alaskan Highway and spent the night in White River, 480 miles from Anchorage. A short 1st day.
10:00ish. BLAM! A flat tire!! I'm sitting in the restaurant of the Watson Lake Hotel. I'll be spending the night here. Boy that waitress sure is cute. Anyway, Lord! Hear my cry, please... Get me home safely without any further mishaps. Thank you for blessing me with such awesome parents. I pray that you would bless them as much as you've blessed me.
Things could be worse, much worse. I was rushing it, driving too fast for the road construction being done on the road. I wanted to get to Watson Lake, Yukon by 7:00 so I could get the last half of the service in at the local Anglican church. I got here at 8:30. After I put on the so-called "spare" (it was a doughnut, not a tire) I discovered I'd left my lites on and run my battery down. Luckily I was only 80 klicks from Watson and some drunk Indians helped me jump it. Incidently, I called the Anglican church to see if I could borrow their floor, but nobody was home.
.....
August 31st, 1992 Fort Nelson, B.C., Canada
5:30 P.M., CoachHouse Inn, Fort Nelson, B.C. After leaving Watson Lake at noon, I was determined to make Nelson by six. On my way through Rock Mountain (?)Provincial Park I stopped to photograph some Dall sheep and caribou by and in the road. Totally cool! Thanx God. My next stop should be either Fort St. John or Dawson Creek. God willing of course. Jake and Heather Dykstrhuis live in St. John (or at least they did). Maybe I'll look them up.
[Note: Jake was a roommate of mine in Cabin C at Caperwray Harbour Bible Centre in the Winter semester of 1989-90. Heather was also at the school at that time. I have many fond memories of my experiences there. We used to say that the 'C' on our door stood for CLASS.]
.....
September 1st, 1992
12:30 A.M. The odometer says I've gone 1678 mi. I'm just south of Dawson Creek now and I'm going to bed. Nite!
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Prince George, B.C. 1:00 P.M.-This is getting Boring, I hope to be in Vancouver by midnight.
.....
September 2nd, 1992 Abbotsford, B.C., Canada
1:00 A.M.-Abbotsford, B.C. Tonite I am spending the night at Chris and Kim Madland's house. Praise God for good friends. On no notice at all they've produced some great hospitality. When I think back on all the memories I have of Capernwray (where I went to school with Chris and Kim) I'm overwhelmed with... joy! God has truly blessed me through that. Not hardly a day goes by that I don't reflect back on something I learned there.
After having swapped bear stories w/Chris, I'm going to bed.
P.S.-Jake and Heather were here when I arrived (Amen).
[Note: Kim and I actually dated for a while. Chris literally stole her from me, and in hindsight, I ought to thank him for it. They seemed happy together, she was pregnant. Her complexion had changed though, for the worse. I don't want to sound mean, but seeing her for the first time in a couple of years I was really not attracted to her AT ALL! Shallow of me? Yes. But true, nonetheless.]
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11:00 P.M. Bainsbridge Island, Puget Sound, WA. I will fall asleep and wake up to the sound of waves lapping up on the shore. I'm staing tonite at Tim Keller's parents' home in WA. I pray that through my actions and attitudes they might have their eyes opened to the reality of their need to know Jesus as Tim and I do. Help them, Lord, to know you. People as nice as this shouldn't go to Hell, they deserve to be saved, as least as much as I do/did.
Purpose Statement
My purpose in this endeavor...
So, the purpose of this blog is just to store digital copies of my travel journals. Starting back in 1992 I kept a journal anytime I left travelled extensively either overseas or for missions. Some of it is rough... 'R' rated even. But it is an unedited glimpse into the life of a Christian who has struggled over the years with all kinds of issues, spiritual and physical, and has, I hope, grown through the process.
I am taking a small risk here, because there are haters out there who would love to see me fail and are either dumb enough or desperate enough to attempt to use my past against me. To them I say, Good Luck! My past is past, my future is certain, the present is as God wills it to be. I am a sinner saved by grace, nothing more. I have struggled with sin since the day I was born into this world, and expect to continue that struggle until I leave.
Although I was raised in the church, I didn't really become a Christian until I was a sophomore in high school. My life was not marked by radical perfection, just solemn commitment... Commitment on my part to grow more and more like Jesus day by day, and commitment by God to see me through life to eternity. One day I will be perfect, but not yet. Like the Apostle Paul, "one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)
Note: Anything in [] is a note added later, at the time of posting, not the original manuscript. Also, I am transcribing my notes, which were journaled in a book. I am not correcting the spelling or gramatical errors of the journal, but will in my defense say that often when I write I have to consider space on the page. Also I usually journal at the end of a day on the road, so I'm tired. Thirdly, I often don't have a lot of time when I journal on the road. These factors often lead to interesting shorthand spellings and terrible grammar.
Caveat: Do not make the mistake of assuming my personal or theological beliefs based on what I wrote years ago. Over the course of time my views and attitudes on many issues may have changed from what I wrote in the past, and such changes may not be readily evident from the limited glimpse you get of me in these writings. I.e., when I wrote in 1992 that 'nice' people don't deserve to go to Hell, I was young and stupid. I have a much more acutely developed sense of soteriology now, but that might not be readily evident in later writings because of the limited scope of this project. I am not writing a theological treatise, merely noting a few observations from my experiences on the road.
Grace,
Jon
So, the purpose of this blog is just to store digital copies of my travel journals. Starting back in 1992 I kept a journal anytime I left travelled extensively either overseas or for missions. Some of it is rough... 'R' rated even. But it is an unedited glimpse into the life of a Christian who has struggled over the years with all kinds of issues, spiritual and physical, and has, I hope, grown through the process.
I am taking a small risk here, because there are haters out there who would love to see me fail and are either dumb enough or desperate enough to attempt to use my past against me. To them I say, Good Luck! My past is past, my future is certain, the present is as God wills it to be. I am a sinner saved by grace, nothing more. I have struggled with sin since the day I was born into this world, and expect to continue that struggle until I leave.
Although I was raised in the church, I didn't really become a Christian until I was a sophomore in high school. My life was not marked by radical perfection, just solemn commitment... Commitment on my part to grow more and more like Jesus day by day, and commitment by God to see me through life to eternity. One day I will be perfect, but not yet. Like the Apostle Paul, "one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and reaching forward to what is ahead, I pursue as my goal the prize promised by God's heavenly call in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 3:13-14)
Note: Anything in [] is a note added later, at the time of posting, not the original manuscript. Also, I am transcribing my notes, which were journaled in a book. I am not correcting the spelling or gramatical errors of the journal, but will in my defense say that often when I write I have to consider space on the page. Also I usually journal at the end of a day on the road, so I'm tired. Thirdly, I often don't have a lot of time when I journal on the road. These factors often lead to interesting shorthand spellings and terrible grammar.
Caveat: Do not make the mistake of assuming my personal or theological beliefs based on what I wrote years ago. Over the course of time my views and attitudes on many issues may have changed from what I wrote in the past, and such changes may not be readily evident from the limited glimpse you get of me in these writings. I.e., when I wrote in 1992 that 'nice' people don't deserve to go to Hell, I was young and stupid. I have a much more acutely developed sense of soteriology now, but that might not be readily evident in later writings because of the limited scope of this project. I am not writing a theological treatise, merely noting a few observations from my experiences on the road.
Grace,
Jon
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