mid-afternoon thoughts

CCF has been doing this thing we're calling "Mission Maasai"... it's a huge effort to raise money for the Maasai people of Africa, who are currently being affected by a HORRIBLE drought. Anyway, last night was our big benefit concert. It's something we've been putting a lot of work into, and the whole idea is that it won't just be the pinnacle of Mission Maasai; it will be the starting point. So, the concert was amazing. We raised over $15000 (!!), a bunch of people came, and we even had someone from the UN and a moderately famous author in attendance. It was pretty amazing.

Life has been pretty decent lately, but in that really busy kind of way. I feel like I'm constantly on my way to something else - a test, a class, a meeting, something. I got my passport application turned in today, so that's exciting. I talked in line for about 40 minutes with a woman who recently graduated from Emory and spent time in Australia and South Africa while in school. That was pretty interesting. Small group was also good today... we really just hung out and talked, but sometimes that's nice. Becky reminded us that she's here for us, so if we have anything we want to talk about, hash out, or just ask in the next three weeks, to go for it. So, that's cool.

A couple of weeks ago, I started reading the Bible every morning, and the results have been pretty amazing. I'm not saying that quiet time for 20 minutes every morning is some perfect formula for growing closer to God, but I am saying that finding a way to grow closer to God is a pretty phenomenal process. I guess I don't know how to explain what's happened. It's not something specific and clear and obvious that I can point out, but it's there. It's just this awareness that I have a better friend than I could ever imagine with me, all the time. Not that I talk to Him all the time. But I could, you know? And it's not that I don't get scared; I do. And it's not that I don't get down; I do that, too. But it's that when I do, I have this knowledge in the back of my head that, whenever I'm ready, I've got Someone waiting to get rid of that fear, frustration, or stress. I don't know that I've ever felt this before. I've known that it was there my whole life, but I don't remember ever FEELING it, and it's sort of neat, now that I'm starting to.

If you're reading this, pray for my family. My grandfather (my mom's dad) has been pretty sick lately, and a doctor did a colonoscopy yesterday and found a bunch of ulcers. They don't know what it means yet, but it's cause for concern. It's his 80th birthday on Saturday, and they're (planning on) throwing him a huge party. He's one of the strongest men and Christians I have ever met - he fell through the ground into a cave and was paralyzed from the waist down about 6 months before I was born. Despite this, I've never heard him complain, ask for sympathy, or let that serve as an excuse. Anyway, after the past couple of months, it's hard to imagine a good outcome from this situation. Just pray that everyone back home will know what to do (the doctors, my grandmother, my mom and her sibilings, etc.), and that the rest of us can know how to support them and him. Thanks.