Not Dead = Me

Well friends,

It has been far too long since my last update and I am sure that there have been assumptions of what I have been doing, so let me put to rest some of the more common rumors out there.....

1) I took over a South american travelling circus and managed it in such a way that I absorbed all competing circuses, leaving the entire South American circus community in a chaotic state... with hundreds of payasos jobless. (FALSE)

2) I went crazy in Colombia and ate all my dredlocks one night while howling at the moon, because of extreme heat stroke and a heroin overdose from receivng a tattoo in an alley from a shady character using an old syringe in hopes of sharing the love of God. It was a tattoo of Goldie Hawn riding a unicorn. (False) - although I did cut my dreds off in Colombia.

3) I went to the Twin Cities as a missionary sent out from Costa Rica after travelling all over Latin America and learning to knit from a Finnish girl while crossing the Andes, as well as dropping off a foot long parasite in Argentina that I likely picked up three months prior in Kenya, along with 8 months more of stories that eventually lead me to my current placement in life as a youth minister at a megachurch. (True)

4) I died. (False)

So almost three months ago I saw Gods provision for my missionary work in the Twin Cities. It came to me in the form of a full-time paid position working with 7th-12th graders and college students at a church in the (su)burbs of Saint Paul. God has a sense of humor alright. The bottom line is that I felt peace about this position that I was offered and have been learning a great deal as well as being stretched in some different ways. It is humbling and a blessing. The church I am working at has about 600 youth in 7th-12th grade and I get to work with an amaazing youth staff as we try to guide thses students and challenge them to follow Christ. There is a director for 7th - 9th and also one for 10th - 12th, and I am the Associate Director for 7th - 12th, So I am spread out between the two and have also been workign with the college age ministry. So.. what do I really do? Good question. I am involved in helping to develop lessons and talks as well as themes for retreats. I am the primary minister for male youth in 7th - 9th grade. I teach a topical lesson every Sunday to a group of about 40 7th - 9th graders. I have been a speaker at different retreats and large group teachings that we have had for students in 7th - 9th and 10th - 12th. I am the inner city missions coordinator for students in 7th-12th and their families, working with already existing inner city ministries. I will be helping to lead a mission trip to Colombia, Isla Bocachica this summer as well as be leading up a week long inner-city missions experience in Minneapolis or Saint Paul. So those are just a few things that I am doing.. Like I said, I am being stretched and growing in some new ways. For those of you who know me well, you know what I mean. I know I am where I am supposed to be and have peace with this season of my life as it is. So that is the update for now, and I will plan on producing more frequent updates from now on. Thank you for your prayers. Peace.