yada

Hello to the random 3 people who actually read this! My blog is officially moving to Blogger. I'll still be posting here occasionally but they won't be blogs.

I went to Mexico again and again it was amazing. This statement might seem like it’s a little lacking in enthusiasm but trust me that is not the case. This is my twelfth year going down and honestly it shakes me just as much as my first year, just in different ways. Sure it’s not really a new experience at this point but there’s always something beautifully unique about the trip.

This year certainly was unique. The weather in Juarez can be just a moody as weather in Michigan. This year was the windiest and coldest year that I have experienced. I’ve been caught in sandstorms before, I’ve experience rain before, and I’ve even experienced pea sized hail, but each was a fairly brief occurrence on an otherwise good build with hot weather. This year we had a whole bunch of issues that knocked us back right after another; from delays in getting vans, to insurance backups, to health issues, to the weather we had it all thrown at us. It got stressful for everyone to some degree on different levels.

It got me thinking about an old thing I heard years ago. When we are doing things to glorify God’s kingdom, Satan will push back. We just pushed back harder. God was with us each step and he used the roadblocks placed in our way as opportunities to show our strength and honor him. Every time there was something blocking us we stood strong and said “we’ll figure this out.” We got news that one of the build leader’s dad had what was suspected to be a heart attack and the outcome was unclear. We prayed and supported him throughout the week. We had crazy strong wind that blinded us and made working difficult. Then rain came with the wind and that risked damaging our sheet-rock (drywall) and insulation. Then the wind blew harder and tossed me around on the roof while trying to secure a tarp to protect the building materials. Then the temperature dropped to below Michigan’s temperature (which was completely unfair) We were cold, wet, sore, and tired and we pushed through. We lost power at the SHOC (the building where we stayed while in mexico) and we had electrical issues with our house that we built (turned out to be bad light switches.) We had times where we all got grumpy with each other and we made the decision to be less grumpy and move on.

Out of all the issues we had we never stopped working. We weren’t just building a house for a family, we were showing a small part of God’s limitless bounds. Austin said that knowing that the family was watching him work and serve kept him doing everything he could, so that they would know that they were loved. I love this thought. God doesn’t give up on us so why would we ever give up on His works.

Our leader Zach described our build perfectly. Each build site is marked with a yellow plaque to show where the leader needs to go. There’s a number on it registered in their system and helps them keep everything in order. To the family, the yellow plaque has a very different meaning. To them the yellow plaque means hope, hope is coming and they will have a new house that they can live in. It’s a promise of hope that they will have secure walls that will keep them warm and keep the elements out. Then when the build is complete that yellow plaque is replaced with a white plaque that is nailed above the door. To the family that means that hope has come and that God is hope.

Satan didn’t want this house to be built. He didn’t want hope to be shown here. He kept throwing curve balls at us and tried to derail us but we never stopped. We went to a broken forgotten part of the world and gave them hope. This year my big takeaway from Mexico was that when we are doing Godly works Satan will make it difficult. And when it gets difficult I want to stand up and say “I got this, I can do this, I won’t give up.” My favorite Mexico shirt has the saying “I need Mexico more than Mexico needs me.” It’s so true because God can use anyone to build a house but God can use a house to show me how to be strong for him and that through serving his people I can be a better person.

I love multitools and like many guys a multitool is part of my EDC (Every Day Carry) Having a multitool as part of my EDC has proven to be very useful in my life. In this world, there’s no shortage of multitools available to you. Some are very useful and very recognizable such as “Leatherman” or “Gerber.” Some are less useful such as “The Hammer-Wrench” which is exactly what it sounds like a hammer and a wrench mashed together and it does neither job really well but it still does them. 

Ah Christmas, a time of joy and giving. I think it’s pretty safe to say that I LOVE the whole Holiday season. (I’m using “holiday” in this case because in addition to celebrating Christmas I can also appreciate the beauty that is found in the traditions of Hanukkah and Yuletide.) Sadly for some this can be a very tough season. For some it’s because they feel that a smile is based on the price tag of a present and they don’t have enough money to get something or they put themselves in to crippling debt for this reason. For others they might have pushed away friends and family over a difference in political opinions and they miss the bond that they once shared. Others it’s because they are reminded of a loved one who they lost to death. I get it, life can really suck sometimes, believe me I’ve been there. I’ve felt inadequate because of my bank account, I’ve lost friends over somethings as stupid as a political disagreement. I’ve lost people I care about to death. It’s hard to look around and see nothing but people running around with a silly Santa hat and a stupid grin on their face. 

And to be honest, there’s really not much I enjoy more than being that idot with the silly Santa hat, the stupid grin and getting way too much chocolate and way too many candy canes and passing them out to everyone I see. Why? No I’m not sucking up to anyone, no I don’t feel like I need to do this to make up for all the crummy things I did. I simply like making people smile. That’s really it! I don’t want anything in return, I’m not going to call in a favor later on. It’s because I know people are hurting, I know the world can suck, and I know it can be hard to smile on your own. But if I can steal away your pain for even one second and replace it with a smile then maybe that’s all it takes to get you back on your feet. 

Ok people, I’ve found the problem with American. It’s you! I am both amazed and appalled at the reactions from people. I’m amazed that people who claim to be accepting of all are classifying, shunning, and even threatening other that didn’t share their views. I’ve seen many many posts from “I’m packing up and moving” to “If you didn’t vote for Hillary I hope you die” and “nice to know you don’t care about LGBT lives.” as well as riots that have broken out. Now that’s an awful lot of hate. Is that what you stand for? Eight years ago I sat back and talked about remaining united. Now when the tables shifted and you didn’t get your way you kick and scream and make threats. YOU will be the cause of riots, YOU will segregate others, YOU will be the cause of a divided America. If you voted that means you are at least 18 and therefore an adult. Here’s a novel idea, ACT LIKE AN ADULT!! Treat your friends as friends, hold doors for people, go to work and do your job.

YOU have a choice on what to make America. Trump won’t make America great. Neither will Hillary nor Bernie nor anyone else. Greatness come from within. We the people are the “within” we are what makes America. We are the heart moving blood and the lungs moving air, we are the mind creating industry and art.

At work I’ve always said the shift is what you make it. Sometimes it’s hard to live up to that but I can always fall back to that. This country will be what the people make it. If this country fails it won’t be because of some politicians sitting at a desk. It will be because you took actions to make it fail. The fault belongs to none other than the person in the mirror. I for one refuse to allow this country to fail. I refuse to lower myself to the level of some. If I called you friend before you will remain my friend. But let me be abundantly clear to you I am not racist and I am not sexsist. I am passionate about helping other and if you don’t share my beliefs guess what, you are still a human and therefore I care about you. We have a choice that is bigger than an election. I’ve made my choice, I won’t give in to your stereotype of hatred. I choose to care for others just as I always have. What will your choice be? To create hate or do your part to create love?

Anne Frank said “Human greatness does not lie in wealth or power, but in character and goodness. People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.”

Dorthy Height said “Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes, but by the opposition he or she has overcome to reach their goals.”

I started my life as a tree. Nothing really special or unique, although I like to think my branches were just a little fuller than those other trees. Time passed and I grew tall and strong until my harvest time came. It was an exciting and scary time. I knew my life was about to be changed but I wasn’t sure in what way. As a tall tree there’s so many places I could be taken, so many paths I could go down. I could be made a foot bridge in a park for young couples on their first walk. I could be be made a beam in a house for a newlyweds first home. I could even be made into a shelf that would carry books and memories for years to come. When the lumber man finally came to me he looked up at me, placed a hand on my side, lowered his head muttered something and then cut me down. He loaded me up onto a truck with a bunch of my friends and we were off to our next great adventure.

We were all very excited and talking about all the “What ifs” we might face. We arrived at the yard and look at the sign, “Hand Crafted Pews” is what the sign read. “A pew???” I said to myself. “Seriously I spent that whole time to be made into a bench to be put in a building that people don’t even live in!” “I’d rather be made into firewood so I can keep a family warm!” But I didn’t have much say in the matter. Us trees aren’t too good at human speech with the lack of vocal cords and such. So I was planed down into planks and assembled into a long bench and sent to some very sweet old lady. I never got her name but she seemed like a Mildred to me so I’ll call her Mildred. She went to work with stuffing and fabric and before I knew it I was all upholstered. “Hmmm... this is squishy” I said to myself. “Mildred does good work! Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.” At that Mildred turned to look at me almost as if she knew what I was thinking. “You’re bound to do great things” she said as she walked out the door. At this point I was humbled and a little creeped out. Humans aren’t supposed to be able to hear us trees. I was moved to a display window and sat there for only a couple weeks before a man came in. From what I gathered he was starting a church and the building had just been finished, now they were looking for furniture to fill it. He walked over to me and looked at me and said “ooooh squishy, I think this one will do perfect!” He placed an order for a few more that would be designed to look like me. “Oh great” I thought, not only am I going to get dragged into a big empty building but I’m not even going to be unique! I’m going to be stuck with a bunch of others who look just like me!” 

The day came when the order was due and I, along with my new look-a-like friends were loaded into a truck and driven to this little building out in the field. There was an air of excitement around the building as we were unloaded. The carpet had just been laid down and people started to set us up and measure out where we would be at. I’d love to say I was placed front and center, But I wasn’t. I wasn’t even in the back, I was placed smack dab in the center of the group. Nothing special at all. The first service came and the building was packed to the seams. It was my first day of my long career as a butt holder. It wasn’t so bad. Mostly little old ladies with the occasional “double wide” as we had started to call them. As time when on I started to notice things and see things. I started to realize I was more than just a butt spot. Sure, people used me to sit on all the time but they would make a connection with me. The same sweet little old lady would sit in the same spot every Sunday and do her needle point before the service. For weddings I was decorated with bows and used as part of a celebration. For funerals I became an armrest and a place of comfort for those who were sad. And for the occasional Youth sleepover I was everything you could imagine. A chair for lessons, a hiding place for games, and I was even a bed for when they finally decided to get some sleep. They all thought I was very squishy.