Yep, I Must Be A Germ-a-phobe

So, here's the situation. We're on a bus, traveling from San Jose to Puerto Viejo in Costa Rica. It's raining and traffic is at a standstill. Out of the blue, I've got that terrible feeling. One that nightmares are made of. Yep, the gurgling that won't stop until it's satisfied. Nope, I'm not talking about hunger. It's that, "you better clinch or else" kinda feeling that stops you in your tracks.

Now, I'm trying to remember the phrase..."Donde Esta El Bano?" I ask our guide to find the nearest rest stop and run into the restaurant looking for the "hombre" sign. Once inside the bathroom (which I was told was a clean one,) I discovered that the toilet was so close to the urinal, that once sitting on it, your knee had to rest on the side of the urinal. This didn't set too well with me. So, I applied an absurd amount of toilet paper (which you're not allowed to flush....nasty) to the end of my knee so that it didn't have to touch the side of the urinal.

I must say, since having gone on these trips, changing several diapers a day, and liking animals, I encounter a lot of germs. I'm not as much of a germaphobe as I used to be, but if you were in the situation that I was in...you'd have done the same.

Back In The Saddle

I'm not sure what that means...other than a reference to a long cattle drive. Anyway, blogging in Costa Rica proved to not be as easy as I had hoped. It's really interesting how I tried to take my "connected" life and keep it that way in Central America. I didn't take my journal with me because I wanted to blog about everything non-personal. With sparce internet connections...a Dell laptop, and sweltering heat and humidity...blogging was more than a challenge.

Next time, I'll bring the good old pen and paper.

Rainforest Zipline

So, we did this two days ago. Our team went in the mountains of Costa Rica and went through a canopy tour of the rainforest. To do this, you have to strap a harness on, and cross 14 traversements and hang out 60 feet or more up in a giant tree. We saw three-toed sloths, toucans, and heard howler monkeys. This was such a great moment to really see some amazing topography and see flora and fauna that you never get to see in the states. God is truly in all things and is made known through his creation. Just for fun, here are some shots and an introduction to the team while on the zipline. ENJOY!

Viva Costa Rica!

We're officially in Costa Rica now. After a harrowing journey from the States we arrived and took a bus down to Puerto Viejo. On the way down, I was unmercifully mocked for my tid bits of knowledge of local coffee plantations that for some reason or another, none of the ticos (local Costa Ricans) know about! Here's some pics and video from our trip so far! Enjoy!

I'll Do It Myself!

Man, lately I've been preparing for an upcoming mission trip to Costa Rica. Yes, we'll be at the beach. Yes, we'll be suffering for Jesus. Now, I am co-leading the trip and we're breaking it up into two parts: construction and music. Yep, you guessed it...I will NOT be leading the construction phase! Here's what I've been dealing with...

I've secured a band, entailing one bassist, one guitarist, and one drummer...wait, make that four drummers. What I mean is that I have secured four separate drummers and all of them have backed out on me. The most recent was only two weeks ago! So, I'm relying on a relationship I started to build with a local in Puerto Viejo named Charlie. Charlie is an old rocker! He is a larger than life character and Charlie doesn't know Jesus.

So, should I be afraid that I don't have a drummer? Or should I instead be looking at this situation and thank God that He has got something brewing? I'm gonna go with the latter. Be praying for me and for the team if you get a moment. Pray for safety in traveling. Pray for relationships that we've established to be deepened and that we would be able to share Jesus with those who don't know him! I'll post pics soon!

Costa Rica....I'm coming soon!

So I'm nearing the final stages for the upcoming trip to Costa Rica. Can I confess that I honestly have no idea what I'm doing at this point? I shouldn't confess that should I?....good point, never mind that last thought.

Last year our motley crew of folks pulled off some truly amazing feats. I have great memories of that trip! Here's a slide show LINK ( Be sure to watch for Adam's interesting Slide choice during his Free Bird solo!)

Anyway, now I've got 3 guys lined up to form a band and I'm putting together a set list for the clubs we'll be playing in at night. I'm trying to coordinate the flights, schedules, money, and paperwork...plus disseminating the communication to the right folks. I know it sounds like I'm complaining, however, it is more of a "oh crap this is really happening" whine than a complaining whine.

At any rate, the trip will be amazing. I've talked to several of the people going and I cannot wait to see what God does on this trip. Please pray for the team and for my leadership to continue to be developed while I'm there.