And the river flows on.

It actually is hard to believe that Friday is the last day of the year 2010. Honestly, that's weird. I know that every year I hear at least one or two people who say "I can't believe it's already [month here]!" or "this year has gone by so fast!" or something of the like. Now, I have times when I feel like we should all get used to the speed of time but right now I feel like there should be a few more days left.


So 2010! What a year. One more crazy year in my crazy life. I've learned a lot, met some great people, came closer to my Savior and put two more countries under my belt. I know I was talking about how it feels like it was short but now I have a hard time thinking back to the start of the year. Oh yes, we got back from a good trip to the lovely US of A and got to work on school and a normal life again. I prepped for the SAT, took it, rode my bike, travelled to nearby countries, listened to music, went skiing, climbed a mountain, climbed on an airplane and flew to Texas for Frontier camp. (With a 20 minute detour in London.)

Oh camp, I love camp so much. You really have to be a staffer to fully understand my sentiment for FC. Through all my travel and experience I don't think I've learned so much as in my two months at Frontier Camp. I became a lifeguard, learned how to be efficient and have fun at the same time and learned a lot about myself, my Lord and my brothers and sisters in Christ. And kids, a lot of those too. I remember how every week I would be so annoyed with those 14 little tikes on the first morning and by the third day I would sigh at some moment in the craziness of the cabin and admit to myself that I love those guys.
The day after camp ended I was on a return flight to back home to Slovakia. I had grown so close to so many wonderful people but life waits for no man. The river of history flows with the current of time and your life is a bubble on the crest of a ripple and you've got to flow. I don't remember much of my five days at home and I don't know that I would remember anything if it wasn't for photos on facebook of me being tired, playing the guitar and sleeping in a pool. If it wasn't for that, I think I would have thought I flew straight from Houston to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for my mission trip there.

Ethiopia. I don't know what to say. I'd been to Africa before, the summer of 2007 I went with the same organization to Uganda so I had seen the state of things but I'd learned from Eastern Europe how different things can be across a boarder. Ethiopia is a green, rainy, beautiful country filled with broken, beautiful people. We were some thousands of somethings above the sea level so it was cold and wet. I loved it. It rained every day but about four. Yet despite the rain our ministry was hardly crippled. We showed the Jesus film, shared the gospel and played with orphans and the rain never closed down shop to my recollection.
Ethiopia was hard. There were mornings when all that got me up was duty and porridge. I loved the porridge and that was good because we had it every morning. (All but the few mornings we didn't... hated those mornings.) But despite that I loved it there, I was happy to be home when I got back but while there I was there and I did what could be done. I met a lot of people that I got to know, and hopefully, Christ's light and glory was somehow shown to Ethiopians and teammates both.

Heh, since then I've been back to America, learned to drive, visited amazing people in Prague, found great new music and made an igloo. It's hard to believe I've flown back and forth between here and Texas three times this year, that's crazy. I've really come to love it there, which is such a blessing. I'm leaving here next year and I'm going to miss people so so so very much. But history flows at the speed of time and I can't lag behind because that's physically impossible as far as we know. I'm looking forward to it a lot, it'll be fun.

Well 2010, here's to you! May you always be remembered and never frowned upon!

Psalm 148

Happy December everyone!

My pen hasn't been all too intrepid of late but hopefully with life slowing down that wont be the case for long. My traveling has finally come to a momentary end. I've been all over the past month and now I'm here at home to do school and enjoy the winter.

Snow, lots of snow. Snow is so white, beautiful and lately it has been quite bountiful. In the last three days I've cleared our large driveway twice, spending about four hours at it total. I've actually really really enjoyed it, not only because I get to listen to Mumford & Sons but I get time to pray and be in God's presence. Today I realized just being in his presence in silent worship is far from a waste of time. Watching the snow fall to the ground, listening to the silence around I worship that God who I know is there.

Another recent thought: What if we listened to God like we listen to music? Listen to the same stuff over and over, hearing all the individual elements, getting excited when you find something new, listening all day long. What if we read the Word of God like this? I wish I did.