Done

Life at home...with Mark Guenther

Twas my birthday today and I thought it appropriate to give this time to you in sharing my thoughts and experiences thus far. This has just been copied from the kaleoseven blog page.

My flight upon return consisted of sleep and tears, sad for such experiences that I would never have with you again. Kaleo is a once in a life time opportunity, yes, but it is also an experience that will only happen once in our live in such a way that it did for us. Never again will life be the same as it was during Kaleo. The years beyond can become terribly worse if we are lazy, selfish, slobs as is the world or can become unimaginably far better than anything experienced in Kaleo through every single aspect if we work hard and serve in the way that God has called us to where we now live. Not to say that it will not have its share of strains and difficulties but it will not be comparable to the tragedy that comes with not being like-minded with Christ.

My time home has not been that different to the time I spent home during the Christmas Break. I have no work schedule to keep me busy nor enough time home to settle down and organize my stuff. My room has never looked more worse than it does right now, half of it would usually be kept in storage but knowing I will need to pull everything out in a week leaves me with the thought that I will keep it in a place where I know someone will not move it and loose it. Last year I was working during this time so it didn't feel weird when people were still in school but now that I've come home from school and have nothing to do, it has been difficult to spend time with friends who are either working or in school. Being out of the loop with my friends has left me where I usually miss the get-togethers and having to leave so soon for tree planting has not given motivation for either them or I to get back into the loop of contacting and informing on such happenings in Steinbach. One of my best friends and another friend are still in New Zealand for education and so that leaves me with less than a handful of close friends to talk with.

Most of my mornings post waking up are spent training for tree planting. It usually includes a run and some specific exercises. I have spent some time with my youth pastor who has planted before and he has introduced me to the some of the best and most efficient techniques of planting. This has been a great help in how to prepare both physically and mentally for the adventure ahead of me. The more I focus on the physical aspect of training, the more I understand the challenges and struggles I can and probably will be facing, mentally as well. I am leaving on the 11th of May with training on the 12th and a probable start date being the 13th. For the next 3ish months I will be put through the most difficult scenario I have ever faced. I view this worse than being enrolled into the military (I would far rather go through such boot camp, that would be fun compared to this). I have no idea weather my body will hold up, or my mind. I doubt I will die, Ha, and some days I am really really excited for this but the only logical way that I will make it to the end of this summer is to trust in the Lord and receive the strength that comes from Him. My hope is that when I see many of you this fall, that I will be able to say just that. Much of my excitement for wanting to go comes from my desire to see how God's will unfolds in me through this, what He teaches me and how this forces me to grow in Him.

Large amounts of the rest of my time at home have consisted of golfing (broke 100 every game thus far), reading books (Scripture Alone by R.C. Sproul, Forgotten God by Francis Chan, Orthodoxy by G.K. Chesterton), reading my way through Isaiah, and praying for you guys. I am overjoyed to say that I have continued quite regularly to read God's word and pray. Looking back at the 2 weeks I have already spent at home, it would definitely not have been as good without it. Staying in the word has made this time bearable, I would have been too much of myself in the bad sense to have enjoyed this time home to rest and have good conversations with both you guys and people here. Looking ahead in the week and seeing nothing planned makes me excited to have time to just sit and read and pray. But that is rarely how it ends up, isn't it. The next day comes and as soon as I wake up, because my dad knows I'm not working he fills my days with work to do around the house. So no, I don't have a steady job right now like some of you where time to read scripture is cut down some, but yes, the devil still tries to draw me completely away from devoted time with God with distractions. Not to say jobs or my dad is a tool of Satan but if we never set time aside to devote that which is God's back to Him, then something has a grasp on us and we need to break free with God's gratuitous grace. May we never forget our first love.

"Who amoung you fears the Lord

and obeys the voice of his servant?

Let him who walks in darkness

and has no light

trust in the name of the Lord

and rely on his God." Isaiah 50:10

Soli Deo Gloria