Tecate, Mexico

This past Monday I returned from a spontaneous mission trip to Mexico with over 50 men from my church. The mission wasn't spontaneous, but my part was.

I had known about this trip for some time and had actually helped with the marketing of it. However, a couple months ago I had resigned to the fact that it wasn't a good fit for me to go. I felt I needed to hang around and earn some cash. As is turned out last week I got a call from my friend Gregg telling me that a few men had to back out and that there was a spot for me to go. I just needed to decide that day.

Well, if you know me at all, I can be pretty indecisive. I like to have my time to think things through and form "my" idea of how the trip should evolve. I'm proud to say that I decided pretty promptly to follow the nudge to go and allow God to work out the details.

Man, what a blessing it was to go and not be in control. I was totally in the hands of God the entire 5 days I was gone and was able to contribute to build one of 5 homes that were built by our church. My particular team build a home for a single mom, Noemi Castilo Sevilla, and her daughter Laura. They live in a community called Colonia Hindu in Tecate.










It has been a year since Noemi separated from her husband because he did not want to be responsible. It is very difficult for her to provide for her daughter as a working single mother. Prior they lived in two rooms with a bad roof and floor and walls of plywood.

The highlight of the trip was seeing Noemi shed infectious tears of happiness when we handed her the keys to her new home.

Lake Champlain, New York

I recently had the opportunity to visit upstate New York to shoot a wedding. I stayed in a small town called Pottersville in Adirondak Park and enjoyed it immensely. The region was saturated with recent rains swelling the area rivers and lakes. I had a free day to take a drive and traveled as far north as I could go without a passport. Unfortunately I had left it at home, not thinking I'd end up so close to Montreal.






I had a great time traveling around Lake Champlain, on both the New York and Vermont sides. I was in awe of how much the swollen contryside had encroached upon the residents. Entire houses and properties, regardless of wealth status, were affected. I was also surprised at how rural the state is. This border area reminded me of the Mt. Vernon area in Washington State.

Dad's Birthday

Today would have been my father's 88th birthday. It's surreal to think that he's been gone for five years. I couldn't let the day go by without giving some mention of the day's significance for me. I miss you dad.

Human Subject Testing

Today I tackled morning traffic and headed up to Boeing for a flight simulation test. If you ever have the time, I'd recommend it. It was located not too far from the Museum of Flight. A friend of mine recommended doing this for a way to raise money for a mission trip to Romania I'll be taking in July. As a result, I received cash for pretending I was on a six-hour flight to Hawaii. Okay, okay, it's a bit of a stretch, but it was worth playing along.

There were twenty-five of us that were bused from our parked cars to a nondescript warehouse on Boeing Field. Right next to where they are demolishing the area that was used to build planes during World War II. In the middle of this warehouse was a huge room walled with large foam wedges from ceiling to floor, making the room totally sound proof. I could immediately tell it worked when I walked into the room and walked up the stairs to the "plane."

The day was a bit of a no-brainer. We were asked to sit and do what we would normally do during a flight. Throughout the ride we were given about six surveys asking questions like did I feel serene...was my throat burning...am I happy...they even asked if I was wearing underwear. In addition, the research coordinator took some vitals from our index finger. I was hoping for a little more action during the ride--like severe turbulence, but no such event occurred.

A great box lunch was provided by Gretchen's Kitchen, as well as periodic snacks and drinks. It took me back to a time gone by when such niceties occured. I opted for a turkey and havarti sandwich (shocker). I especially liked the lemon bread that came around early on in the trip.

After the simulation, it was explained that they were testing seats and the environment. Our seats were eighteen inches wide, the cabin had white lights (as opposed to yellow or blue that they have already tested), the sound was rather quiet compared to a normal flight. We specifically did not have any entertainment. I cose to read and doodle the entire flight.

I was back to my car by 5:00 and glad to be on my way despite the anticipation of rush-our traffic. However, it turned to to be not so bad, and it was still sunny.