Monday, November 24, 2008

pics updated

hey guys! check out the new pics in slideshow. they are in order for the most part and are awesome!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Welcome!


Thank you for visiting the blog! Please please please post, reply yada yada. Allow me to tell you what this is about:

About two and half years ago i was able to do some ministry with Youth With A Mission [YWAM] in Mazatlan, Mexico. It was there that the seed was planted to do a DTS [discipleship training school]. So what is this thing, you might ask? it is 12 weeks of lecture with an emphasis on a different attribute of God each week (e.g. the character of Jesus, the love of God, compassion, justice, community). The second part of the school is an outreach to somepart of the world where what is learned during the lecture phase is put into practice; my team's outreach is Naryn, Kyrgyzstan (central asia).

So for a long time i sat on this idea of doing one of this "experiential bible schools" (you might say), until about a year ago it really stated dominating my thoughts. So i began to look into it. I had my heart set on going to Guadalajara, Mexico and doing this DTS deal there, but then i found the Wilderness DTS out of Bishop, California. You see my work with the "at-risk" youth of LeRoy Haynes Center for the past 6 years has been assisting in their development and rehabilitation as young men in society and about 2 years ago i realized that the best way to do this was to get them outside; so i began to share and take them on different outside adventures and sports of my passion. This also led to new programs being developed at my previous employment and a new curiosity in my own heart. The decision was easy: the WDTS was a fit!

The challenge, however, was leaving everything behind. But, I'm in the midst of this whole thing now and am living The Process. I am exactly this moment where I am supposed to be and i'm loving every moment. Oi Elama!!! [life!]...

We spent the first 4 weeks going accross the California Sierras taking an East to West approach and finishing a fifth week in Sequioua National Park.
There we met up with a middle school and spent week 6 with them in the backcountry of Sequioua teaching them the similar skills that we'd been learning the weeks previous.
Week 7 was a prep week for the upcoming five, and this was spent in Bishop packing and prepping.
Week 8 was a packing trip in Cottonwood and Marble Canyons of Death Valley, so amazing there!
Week 9 was camping the Valley of Fire, Nevada.
Week 10 was a lecture week in Estes Park, Colorado.
Week 11 was some canyoneering in Dark Canyon, Utah.
Which leads me to now, the last week of the lecture phase in Zion National Park, Utah. Thanks for reading! keep up and check out the pics.

The Process


The Process is the growth that hurts, it is the strength that drives us and the inspiration that moves us, it is what makes us better, it is God's mercy, grace and refinning hand that is not willing to leave me in my pathetic human state but urges me to press on toward my heavenly inheritance and adoption of my true citizenship. The process is life.