King of Kings

"A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass." -Proverbs 19:12

I have been puzzled by who He is.

I recognize that arriving at a final answer anytime soon is unrealistic. I understand that I do not have the capacity to fully or maybe even nearly understand who he is, what he does, and what he allows.

I have been bewildered by who He is.

From gore and vengeance to loving one’s enemy. Surely there is no easy explanation.

I have been astounded by who He is.

Love for the imperfect and the weak like me, who should have been His footstool but instead I am his heir (Galatians 4).

Who is this King of Glory?

I take comfort in knowing that even David pondered the question (Psalms 24). I take special comfort in Proverbs 19, “A king’s rage is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass”. The questions do not go away, and it is no final answer, but it does reframe for me my King.

The imagery of power and violence within the lion’s roar is mysteriously beautiful. How could its roar be so beautiful while all the while so terrifying?

His favor being like the early morning dew, blanketing anything left uncovered. So comforting is the thought of his renewal every morning, his peace, his mercy, his love.

There is no tidy conclusion for these thoughts of mine which may be fiting since these things are still evolving in me. So I will toss it to you. What has helped you understand our King?

-Wes

Breaking the Silence

In Pilgrim Heart; the Way of Jesus in Everyday Life, by Darryl Tippens, Tippens discusses spiritual disciplines that can be practiced without your removal from the world. In fact, they are dependent on our interaction with a Christian community and/or the world.

Currently I am reading the section on confession. This quote mentioned by the author really stands out to me:

"In a room where people unanimously maintain a conspiracy of silence, one word of truth sounds like a pistol shot." -Czeslaw Milosv

For me this quote has even more relevance today in the area of accountability.

There was a time when I rarely felt uncomfortable (if I even noticed) in those silent moments when I was among other Believers and we began to journey down a troublesome road where there existed no holiness. Today I have a great conviction that when I arrive at such forks I am obligated to choose the path of holiness. This is not to say that I always do choose holiness (which goes without saying), but a persevering voice does resonate inside of me, beckoning me to choose the road less traveled.

By practicing the gift of accountability we become sensitive to the Voice that beckons us to beckon others, to break the silence.

Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. -Galatians 6:1

-Wes

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself." Pillipians 2:3 (NKJV)

I want to embody this. If I can, the gossip, slander, malice, sarcasm, cynicism, resentment, bitterness and many other of the vices of this heart will be loosed.

Do you stand in need of this? Can you relate?

-Wes

Your attention please . . .

This website that calculates the reading level of your blog has ranked the Wes and Ellen blog with a reading level of:

Get a Cash Advance

Now I discovered this undoubtedly highly scientific and faultless tool by way of a friend of a friend's blog (lets give credit where credit's due), and he also included a list of rankings for other sites and blogs that he frequents.

Lets see how ours fair . . .

Deanna - Genius
Jonathan - Junior High School
Jeremy - High School
Guy Muse - High School
Yahoo News - Junior High School
ESPN Soccernet - College (Post Grad)
NY Times - Junior High School

Well folks, there you have it. If you wish to heighten your blogs readability results, I would recommended frequenting the Wes and Ellen blog more often.

Good Day!

A Case of Nostalgia

I (Wes) recently completed Isabel Allende's, My Invented Country. It is the first of Allende's writings that I have sampled. Because this post isn't a book review I wont begin to go into detail, other than to say that it is a reflection on Chile and Chilean life. She has spent many of her recent years living in California so she often finds herself reminiscent of her life in Chile.

This morning my heart is heavy with a desire to return to the Chilean port of Talcahuano. To sit atop the overlooking hill that provides a splendid view of the sea, its industry, and all of its hurry. The wind spreading upwards to me the chilly sea air and the noises of the bustling harbor.

There my spirit would be quieted and my purpose renewed.

The Outcome

Last week I (Wes) made a bold statement predicting the outcome of Saturday's big game. I must admit that Man U and Arsenal had to share the spoils after their showdown, each walking away with a point.

Man U fans look forward to another Champions League victory tomorrow against winless Dynamo Kiev. Manchester stands atop Group F with nothing but wins.

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Tomorrow night at HIP (the Wednesday evening service at church) a short series on spiritual warfare continues. Last week's lesson was very challenging. It was a time to get real and be more aware of the spiritual battle that we are in. Such prophetic messages seem to be less and less frequent, but truth is being spoken boldly here about spiritual life and death.

Saturday's Showdown

Q: Recognize this man?
A: He's no wanna be gangsta. That's Sir Alex Ferguson, the boss of Manchester United.

Q: What is he hyped up about?
A: Saturday's clash with current Premier League number one, Arsenal.

Q: What is going to happen?
A: Mark my words, Arsenal is gonna be dethroned.

World Mission Workshop

This past weekend Ellen and I traveled to the World Mission Workshop in Edmond, Oklahoma. It was such a blessing to be there. It just so happens that the couple (the Lukkasons) that is considering joining our missions team lives in Edmond and is going to school at Oklahoma Chrisitian University, the host of the workshop.

Ellen and I enjoy so much the company of the Lukkasons. We all continue praying for God's will to be made known about whether we should partner together.

The workshop was such a great experience. Hundreds of likeminded students and others gather together for a weekend of lectures, classes, worship, interest groups, prayer, etc. The biblical text that the weekend was centered around was Revelation 5:9, ". . . from every tribe and language and people and nation." A beautiful image of what heaven will look like.

In other missions news, ACU and Halbert Institue for missions will be presenting teams in formation tomorrow night. Our team will be part of the showcase.

Update

Recent happenings . . .

A couple from OCU visits us. They are investigating Abilene, ACU, and Missions!

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In Gossip: Reid gets a girl friend. Meriden gets a boy friend.

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Our missions team unites for the first time since being in Concepcion, Chile together almost five months ago. We celebrate relationships, dreams for the future, and God’s love together.

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Deanna* drives twelve hours (one way) to spend four days with us.
*Deanna is one of our teammates for missions and is currently living in Colorado.

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Finished the Graduate School of Theology application process and began considering Organizational and Human Resource Development at ACU. (Wes)

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Blanco turns 6 months and on his B-Day gets neutered.

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Camping trip with the guys for my brother’s B-Day . . . he did not get neutered. (Wes)



*Some pictures coming soon!

On my errands

I was running my errands today and something happened to me that got me thinking. Daily I make a trip downtown for work to the local post office and bank. Today there was no need to go to the bank, but I found myself making the subconscious decision to go there anyways. I made the same right turn I would have made any other day, followed by another right turn, and had just put my blinker on for the left turn when I realized what I was doing. I guess you could say I am a creature of habit.

Have you been there? Too often I find myself living my life short of the focus I long for; passing up opportunities, living unintentionally, falling into ruts, and zoning out. I want to be more mindful of heavenly things and my heavenly calling (Col. 3).

New Website

Let me direct you to the new Hope For Life website.

Hope For Life:

"HopeForLife.org is based in Abilene, Texas. We are part of a larger nonprofit organization called Herald of Truth. Our goal, and the goal of the larger organization of which we are part, is to use the best means of the times (whether that be radio, television, or—in our case—the Internet) to reach the most people with everlasting hope."

There are several powerful video testimonies that can be seen by clicking on the "Profiles" link. Select the video in the list that interests you. Then view the continuations of these testimonies by clicking on the "more information" options under the video.

Enjoy!

-Wes

The Arts

I want to invite you to check out this powerful video of a group of young people who combine music, role-play, and song to portray spiritual truths. Praise God for the different avenues He has given us to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Please, check it out.

Wes

Does the church experience coups?

Have you seen someone be ousted from a position of service in the church because of differing perspectives that exist in the body?

Maybe a youth minister got on the bad side of one too many parents? Or at least the wrong sets of parents?

Maybe a worship minster who lifts his hands to high or gets long winded sharing how a song touches them personally?

Maybe a preacher who calls the body to too high of a standard or spends too much time out of the office?

There are presumably many reasons someone, lets just be literal, just plain and simple, there are many reasons ministers get fired. Some, likely more appropriate than others. I am biting my tongue (restraining my typing hands) from expressing how frustrated I am with particular coups in the church that I have witnessed and others that seem to be underway. Of which, there seems to me to be a better way.

In your experience, has this type of occurrence been justly handled? Or was there a better way?

Lima, Conce, and Becks

This morning I learned of the earthquake that hit Peru last night. My heart hurts for my brothers and sisters, in and out of Christ, whom have been affected by this tragedy. Only days ago some of my closest friends were in Peru not far from the epicenter of this seven-point-niner. I know that they particularly must be burnedened for those affected.

To read about the hundreds in churches in that region whom's bodies lay covered by the rubel of the church building that they gathered in last night, my heart grieves. However, for their faithfulness I am encouraged and prayerful that their souls will now find rest from life's troubles. For their families that are left behind I remain prayerful that they will receive comfort and assistance so that their spirits will be lifted.

God, please, work good out of this tragedy.
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Yesterday was a great day for our developing plans to live and work in South America. Concepcion, Chile is the city that we have selected, unless God turns us another direction. Yesterday we heard news of others interested in joining our team. I am so thankful for the way God is affirming our direction and the decisions we are prayerfully making.
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Yesterday, David Beckham finally was healthy enough for his first start, his first goal, his first assist, and his first yellow card in the Galaxy's game versus D.C. United.

Pretty cool!

Good Bye Freddy

Well, to all of our futbol fans out there, Major League Soccer has suffered a recent blow. The American futbol child prodigy, Freddy Adu, has signed just recently with FC Benfica, located in Lisbon, Portugal. Benfica is one of the most premier clubs in Europe and more specifically in the Portuguese league.

I am not heart broken necessarily, but for a league that is wrestling for recognition, I believe that letting this player slip away without more of a fight is a mistake.

With that being said, I think it is a great move for Freddy. I can't blame the guy for choosing Benfica over Real Salt Lake. I wish him all the luck in the world. Who knows, maybe when he's 30 or so, he'll come to the states and save the MLS. Sound familiar?

So, what do you think? I'd like to know.

-Wes

Did You Know?

Today is Ellen's Birthday!




Happy 23rd Birthday Babe!

Blanco Danco!

Blanco is 14 weeks old today! Big deal, right? Well, he thinks he's a "big deal". This past weekend we gave him a haircut. It's basically the "dog mullet" . . . "Business on top, party down below".

Cool News

Herald of Truth has just debuted their new website. Check it out at: www.heraldoftruth.org

A rough cut

From Wes-

I have recently been wrestling with a measure of discontent at work.

For almost 30 years my dad has worked for Federal Express. He is a smart and talented man capable of succeeding at many life ventures. He has a knack for knowing how to do things that he has never done before, be it carpentry, construction, mechanics, pluming, masonry, stained glass, you name it, and my dad could do it. Of these skilled labors, he succeeds most evidently in carpentry. He is a master at turning a slab of wood into something beautiful.

Maybe what is equally impressive is his perseverance. I mean, 30 years of blue collar work and never once have I heard him ache and groan for something else. It seems like he decided a long time ago that this is what he wanted to do with his life. I am proud of him for it.

Meanwhile, I set at a computer desk, in my temperature controlled office, with the kitchen and its beverages just a walk down the hall. I feel spoiled and selfish.

I wonder sometimes if it is truly God's call in my life to be a full-time professional minister/missionary or if it is more so a desire to be doing something “else”. Believe me; I know that there are plenty of moments in ministry that aren't "fun". With the world and all of its brokenness, and a life dedicated to a ministry of reconciliation, it can’t be all fun.

I ache to be used in bigger ways for God’s glory.

Sometimes I feel like that “slab of wood” that my dad picks out to do something special with. I feel dull, rough to the touch, rawness, but wanting to be turned into something profound, something beautiful. I wait patiently and prayerfully as parts of who I am are chiseled slowly away. Those parts of who I am are given up often times too begrudgingly. I get impatient, anxious for the next stage in life and a clearer image of who I am supposed to be.

This ancient hymn is the song of my heart this morning.

Oh! To be like Thee, oh! To be like Thee,
Blessed Redeemer, pure as Thou art;
Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;
Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.
-Thomas O. Chisolm

What I fear most . . .

Recently I completed Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne. The book challenged me in ways that I had never been challenged before. I know that I am one of many, who have been touched by this book and others like it. I believe that the Church (Christ’s Body) in America is on the verge of a revolution, and that it is gaining momentum. Hearts all over our nation are longing to become impassioned by something they believe in and something they can participate in. They are searching for something fresh, no longer stagnant, but ever changing in correlation to the environment it finds itself. Something not tossed around by the culture or conformed by, but that is relevant. Well I am on board! My soul bursts with excitement knowing that there is revival taking place.

What if the word’s “church” or “Christian” would trigger thoughts like: haven, love, and faithful instead of hypocrisy, judgment, and boring? What if Christians were almost as loveable as Christ to those who are broken and in need of healing?

My father-in-law warned me that Claiborne’s book would “mess you up” and, well . . . it has. I have been sent a gut check, no, a heart check and I am afraid of the results. The question that reverberates within me that is so frightening is this: Will nothing change?

Will I continue to leave Jesus’ words to the Rich man (Mark 10:17-31) and to Peter (Mark 8:34-37) for interpretation? A matter of opinion and situational, or are they words for my life? Are they words for all of our lives? How many times have you and I been the rich man? I’ll tell you! Every time we read the passage and walk away with everything we had before we came.

Will nothing change? Will my life be a pursuit of wealth and success? Aiming for a beautiful new home, dependable newish cars, romantic dates to popular restaurants and the latest blockbuster, exciting vacations, a comfortable savings account, and a worriless retirement? Oh don’t get me wrong, it would be garnished here and there with subtle undertones of commitment to “carrying my own Cross” and a hint of “compassion” from time to time for the weak, the forgotten, the burdened, the searching, and the sinful like me.

I’m sorry but that is exactly the lifestyles that have gotten the “church” to where it is today. I want to be different. I do want to be changed and I don’t want to accept just pieces of Christ’s life. I don’t want to explain away anymore the radical lifestyles of Jesus and his earliest followers.

I want to be changed.

This verse summarizes both my biggest life ambition and my biggest fear. I John 2:5-6, “But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

Would you pray for Ellen and me to be formed into the truer likeness of Christ? Pray that we and others would change.

Just Me and Blanco

Wes has to be in Dallas for a week for some work training. I spent my first night alone...just me a Blanco. I thought I would feel protected with a dog - but then I realized that he is just an 11 week old puppy that loves people, including strangers. He is not a protector yet! I went to a devotional last night and got home just before a thunderstorm rolled through. Scary movies always have a thunderstorm...I tried very hard not to remember any scary movies I'd seen. SCREAM was the first scary movie I ever watched - I watched it in middle school secretively behind my parents back (I was 12 and it was rated R...why we thought that was cool I don't know!). I had nightmares for weeks and finally confessed what I had done! I wish I would've stopped there with horror movies...SCREAM is funny now when I think about it, others are not so funny - like The Chainsaw freak.

On the bright side, I was able to read more of Blue Like Jazz, and I've really enjoyed it. I was also able to talk with my mom (who is also alone right now because my dad is traveling for business). Conversations with her are always easy going and fun.

Laura and I will be going to Dallas on Wednesday to meet up with our husbands. I'm already looking forward to it - a great time to get away for a while and to have a relaxing weekend with family. Until then, it's just me and Blanco!

The Problem Lies Within

I (Ellen) just began reading Blue Like Jazz this week and I am really enjoying it. It's a book, though, that you have to take time to think about - much like Irristible Revolution, which Wes is wrapping up. One chapter is called Problems. In this chapter the author reflected on a time that he and a close friend went to politically protest in honor of global poverty and the War on Terror. He and his friend felt that this would be an excellent way to share their opinion and request for change. So they made signs and held them extra high and yelled as loud as they could. But nothing happened - they weren't even noticed. Troubled, the author went home and wondered why he even went to protest when he wasn't noticed and nothing changed about global poverty or the War. His convictions that day are applicable for all of us.

He realized that he wasn't actually doing anything to help global poverty come to an end - he just made a sign and held it high. Was he more concerned with actually helping people or being politically active? His response was that he wanted to be known as a politically active person, but when it came down to it, what he was fighting for politically did not match up to his day to day life. He confessed that he wasn't giving (tithing) to his local church who has a great homeless ministry. How interesting - he was willing to make signs, scream, and stand for his convictions, but when it came down to it, his actions didn't say that he really cared.

It may seem easy to think that he's awful - What small, thin faith he has. But the more I think about it, the more I've got stories like that. There are times that I talk about how the church needs to change this or that, but I seldom do anything about it. Much less, pray about it. So I have to ask: Do I want to have the label of a consistent church go-er or do I want to be Jesus in a dark world? Do I actually do things to help people or do I just talk about how awful the world is, or how church isn't done "right"?

The authors conclusion and conviction was that the core, underlying problem isn't political, but the problem was deep within himself. He realized that if he would have a heart check-up and change his perspective and actions, then something could actually happen. He believes that we all need to recognize our own brokenness before we can actually change or help anything going on around us, whether that is poverty, hunger, abuse, sexual immorality.

So I'm asking you - do you think you need a heart check-up? Maybe it's time that we accurately diagnose the problem and then make the appropriate and necessary changes.

Chew, Chew, Chew

Well, Blanco has kept our hands full! In fact, our hands are getting a little worn out! It's been a little over 1 week and he's already gotten taller - he's so precious, but the reality of puppy world has set in for us. This is the reality - puppies love to chew on anything! I mean anything! Although this may be fun, cute, and priceless, Blanco's favorite "chewable toys" are our hands...he literally attacks our hands. This was cute, um, maybe the first couple times, but now it really hurts! In a sea of chewable dog toys, he chooses to attack the hands that feed him, hold him, and take him on numerous potty adventures!!! No matter how many times we say no and offer a chewable toy, he leaps for our hands!

We know that all puppies go through a chewing phase, but we aren't sure if all puppies attack their owner's hands at every opportunity! We are praying that this hand eating phase will die out soon...even more, we sure hope that Blanco won't try to eat our friend's hands. If you're coming over soon, you may want to wear some gloves! Haha.

Meet Blanco

We have a dog! He is a nine week old Miniature Schnauzer, and he is keeping our hands full. His current past times consist primarily of chewing our hands off (going through a major biting stage), eating, sleeping, and going potty (outdoors . . . mostly).

We are super pumped about having him and promise to be good parents. We broke down and purchased a dog crate for the training, he is liking it a lot better than the cardboard box we originally had, which was dug out of the United dumpster.

We have both wanted a puppy for a long time now so we are excited to share a few pictures with you.


Ellen and Blanco


Wes and Blanco

We're Back

Ellen and I got back from Chile Monday morning. We are now back into the swing of things this side of the equator. We are excited to have a low-key weekend ahead of us. We haven't had a whole lot of time to be still since we got back. There is a major need in our hearts and souls to spend some time giving this dream back to God. Not as if we don't want it, quite the opposite. More than ever we are anxious to run with this, but we believe this dream is God given. By giving it back to Him we are saying that we recognize it will require His blessing, His guidance, and His timing.

God was so faithful to us on our trip. We prayed prayers for safety, health, clarity, direction, and unity. He has answered them all and so we boast together in the faithfulness that God has shown us.

Please continue praying for us as we try to hand over to God this throbbing desire in our hearts to grow the Body of Christ in South America. Pray that God will add to our team people with diverse gifts and a deep passion for the lost and searching in our world. Pray that we will be present minded also, not forgetting that God has a will for how our lives should be lived TODAY. Thank you for your prayers while we were abroad; they were answered.

The Oregon of the South (Concepcion, Chile)

This is downtown Concepcion. It is super clean and trees are everywhere. There are lots of buses, but a lot of people own their own cars, too.


We had lunch with Vick and Pam who are missionaries of the Independent Christian Church. They helped us learn a lot about the Chilean culture.


This is a neighborhood in Concepcion. The streets are typically wide, lined with nature, and most areas have playgrounds for children.


Our meeting with Maria Jose, a Campus Crusades representative in Concepcion. We met with her on the largest campus in Chile, Universidad de Concepcion.




Our team on the campus of the Universidad de Concepcion. The campus is so beautiful. The leaves on the trees are changing colors and everything is fall.




Us having lunch with Rick and Laurel, missionaries to the First Assemblies of God church here in Concepcion.

We've had the opportunity to learn a lot about the Chilean culture and the need for work here. In fact, we were planning on staying in Concepcion for 2 1/2 days and then go to Temuco, Chile. We read and heard a lot that Temuco is very evangelized - in fact, the most evangelized city of Chile. After prayer and conversations, we decided not to go to Temuco and spend more time in Concepcion. This is now our 4th day and we are loving it. We have been able to see the city and learn about the history. This trip is more of a qualitative trip - getting a feel for the cities and getting a yes or no. Later, we will take a more quantitative trip - learn more about the cost of living from groceries to furniture to housing. However, because we are staying here longer, we are going to get a jump start on some of the details. So, today (Friday) we are going to meet with some Realtors about houses and apartments. They usually have abundant information about the city and neighborhoods, etc. We will be meeting with one shortly. We hope to fly to Santiago Saturday night and spend the evening and Sunday with Kelly Grant's team. We are eager to talk with them about their experiences.

Day 2 - La Paz

Our second day in La Paz consisted mostly of two meetings.

1) We were able to track down the one and only Church of Christ in the city of almost two million people the day before. We worshiped with them Sunday morning and were blessed by their welcomeness. After service, we sat down with Rufino and Luis, two leaders of the La Paz congregation, and chatted about the history of the church in La Paz.



2) We met with the Director of SIM missions, Greg Hurst, in La Paz who is currently living in the southern zone. The previous day we met with a ministry located in the poorest urban community, of the poorest country in South Amercia, El Alto. El Zono Sur, the southern zone where Greg works, is the wealthiest community in La Paz. Reid is the hairy faced guy on the left.



Randy, a Youth For Christ connenction we made in La Paz, was so helpful to connect us with the right people in to make our visit productive. Randy also provided accomodations for us while we were there. The time we spent in La Paz was incredibly formational, and will always be a contributor to how we strategize for the future wherever we end up.

La Paz

It's only 8:00 PM, but we feel exhausted. We have had a wonderful first day in La Paz. We have not experienced any severe altitude sickness; only a mild headache and major shortness of breath when climbing stairs or walking up hills. We took a lot of pictures today and would like to share a few of them with you.

Having some issue posting the pictures in reverse order. So . . . start from the bottom.


The "Word Made Flesh" ministry is a para church organization that is working in El Alto to help bring women in prostitution into the light. We had a wonderful visit with them.


A cute kid in the plaza entertaining himself with a bunch of nails.


Ellen and I outside of a plaza next to a government building.


Ellen and I on one of the most historical roads in La Paz.


The tranportation for the day was a contracted driver and minibus.


An early start to a long day.


A poor attempt to capture the spectacular view of the city of La Paz through the window of our bus. The city is like a giant bowl, lined with houses, and at the top of the cliff starts El Alto.

Tomorrow

----Tomorrow we leave on possibly the most defining trip of our lives. It is that "roller coaster felling". With excitement and anticipation we have waited, and now, it is our turn. Our stomachs are churning as we anticipate the experience on the other side of this ever so slow climaxing. The metaphorical "Click, Click, Click" as the ride slowly reaches its peak and a vantage point for what to come is made more clear.

----Many emotions are bubbling to the surface of our hearts right now. We are incredibly excited about what is to come. Please pray for this experience. Pray that God would bless our team with safety, clarity, discernment, and unity. Thank you for your prayers. We will try and keep you updated!

One Week

La Paz/El Alto
We arrive early early on the 26th to La Paz, Bolivia where we will spend the first 2 1/2 days of our trip. Accommoda-tions are still being confirmed but so far it appears like we will be hosted in homes by Christians in the area, which is super exciting!



Concepcion, Chile
The next three days of our trip (29th-31st) will be spent here. Just a one hour plane ride south of Chile's capital city, Santiago.

Temuco, Chile

And last but not least, Temuco, where we will be for 2 1/2 days (1st-3rd). Our flight leaves Santiago to DFW late the evening of the 3rd.





Kelley Grant will be accompanying us during our time in Chile, which we are very grateful for. Kelley is a veteran missionary in Santiago. Our prayer is that during this nine day adventure, God would lead our team to an unanimous decision about where we should begin a long term effort to help grow the Body of Christ.

Survey Trip

T-Minus Eight days and counting!

Eight days until our whirl-wind tour of South America. We (Jeremy, Reid, Deanna, Gary, and Ellen and I) depart from Miami at 11:30pm on the 25th. The first leg of the trip for most of us starts in DFW, departing at 5:20pm. At 5:30am the next morning our feet will be on Bolivian soil. Super exciting!

First stop . . . La Paz/El Alto, Bolivia. 26th -28th
Second stop . . . Concepcion, Chile 29th-31st
Third stop . . . Temuco, Chile 1st-3rd

More on this trip coming soon!

"Testing, 1, 2, 3"

Hello!

Ellen and I are super pumped about our opportunity to share what is transpiring in our lives. Ellen doesn't yet know about the blog, but she will soon. So I guess more accurately; I am excited to share what is transpiring in our lives. Ellen will be too, but later.

Anyways, I am an avid reader of blogs, particularly missionary blogs, and I become frequently frustrated when the authors of my favorites seem to go on vacation for a bit. I make no vow to be much different. However, this is a great avenue to share with our family and friends things that are worth sharing as well as occasional epiphanies that arise day to day.

I heard once that everyone craves the opportunity to share the story of their life with another. I think that's why blogs have really taken off in this world. So, to whoever's listening, here goes!