A Non-Update

Why have I not updated in the last 1½ months? I suppose I’ve given up trying to chronicle life’s events in such a low form of communication as a weblog. Perhaps I will attempt to summarize some highlights of the past few weeks:

g     Family Camp (and hanging out with my two sisters)

g     Pipestone river canoe trip!

g     Active Development And Personal Training (ADAPT)

g     Mission’s conference with Believer’s Fellowship

g     NYP staff fellowship

g     Having my family up to visit for the two aforementioned events

g     Headquarters camping trip to Bluett Lake

g     Life in general!

I will not deign to spend any more time dredging details for these events (at least not in this venue). If this doesn’t suffice I suggest you read my latest email update (which is available to all who ask), or bless me with a phone call (for which the number is available to all who ask). 

Till next time (whenever that might be).

A Fairytale

Once upon a time, in a land far away there was a kingdom called Efil in the land of Esrevinu. It was a beautiful country, ruled by a wise and gracious king. But one day, great trouble came to the land. The king's beautiful daughter was carried away by an evil and ferocious dragon and held captive in its lair.  The whole kingdom was exceedingly distraught by this great misfortune, and mourned the demise of the princess.  The king consulted with his bravest knights about what might be done, and promised them great rewards if they could rescue his daughter.  Many of the knights, though they were brave, declared that nothing could be done for the princess as long as the dragon was guarding her.  One small group was brave enough to make the trip to the dragon's lair to attempt a rescue.  However, after coming face-to-face with the dragon and feeling his fiery breath, they quickly decided the task was impossible and departed, feeling fortunate to escape with their lives.  They returned to the king, declared the task impossible, and went on with their lives. 

            The old king was heartbroken and wept bitterly when the knights returned and told him no one could possibly rescue the princess.  He spent many of the following days gazing out the window of his castle, and occasionally a tear could be seen sliding down his face.  The whole kingdom mourned with him, and held frequent candlelight vigils in remembrance of the beloved princess.

            However, not all in the kingdom were convinced of the hopelessness of the situation.  There was one young man who believed there was still hope.  He was not a warrior by trade, but rather the son of a successful wheat farmer.  When this young man heard that the all the knights of the kingdom had given up rescuing the princess, he began making preparations to launch his own rescue effort.  Though he realized he was not trained in combat and that assaulting the fortress of a dragon was perhaps the most dangerous endeavor imaginable, he resolved not to forsake the mission at any cost.  Because he lacked conventional weapons, he chose one his finest wheat sickles to substitute for a sword or spear.  After bidding his family a brief farewell, he began the journey to the dragon's lair.

            After three days of traversing increasingly rugged terrain he entered the dragon's territory.  It was a foreboding place, with large boulders tossed carelessly about on sharp ridges of granite.  The young man thought about the terrifying stories that had been told and retold about this place until the very mention conjured great fear in all but the stoutest heart.  For a brief moment, he considered returning to the comfort of the farm and his family.  Then he shook his head, and began climbing the rugged slope leading to the entrance of the dragon's cave, knowing full well that it could cost him his life.

            When he reached the entrance to the cave, the dragon spotted him and opened his flaming jaws.  That was the last anyone heard of that young man, sad but true.  Some may think him foolish, but to me he is a hero.  Because he tried. 

Special Feature

See below.

Life is good.  God is good. God is what makes life good.  Yes, it has been a fair stretch of time since I paid much attention to this obscure blog.  When life is traveling at 90 miles an hour, some things tend to end up in the bottom drawer J  The days since my arrival have been awesome going well.  Work is both challenging and enjoyable, with the enjoyment level increasing significantly with each incremental improvement in concept mastery.  I won’t say too much about the people I am living with because they might read this blog and if I flatter them their heads will swell and if I criticize them they might behave in an undesirable manner towards me.  So I will just be neutral and say that they are a group of wonderful people with whom having a great time is never difficult. 

Speaking of great times, last weekend would certainly fit into that category. The group from HQ went camping to a local lake for about two days. The weekend consisted of  getting there, DK getting a vehicle stuck in a creek, pulling the vehicle out of the creek, going fishing, catching fish (walleye!), DK getting the other vehicle stuck in the lake, sitting around the campfire till the wee hours, waking up, eating more great food, having an inspiring worship service, getting the vehicle unstuck from the lake, cooking fish and bannock over a roaring fire, playing games, sitting around the campfire till the wee hours, waking up to a stormy sky, packing up quickly and heading for home, but not before a few more fish were harvested.  It was even more fun than that sentence is long.

Numerous other events beg to be shared, but perhaps I’ll save a few things for my email newsletter. Remember: Life is good, God is good, and God is what makes life good.  So go with God each step of the way.  To those at home, my heart is still with you. Keep pressing on. 

*Editors Note*

The time allotted for viewing the pictures has expired. Hope it was enjoyed by all.

Hi Everyone