As unbelievable as it seems, the end is finally here. It's really weird actually. I don't quite know how to explain feelings that we have. We have spent the last week saying goodbye to relationships that we have been building here and are focusing on moving into the next season of life. I feel ready to move on; yet nervous, excited, and filled with anticipation for what is next. I wish I could honestly say that I have no fears about the future and what life will look like. I'm sure things won't always or never will be easy. I have faith that with each transition and change in life comes a greater sense of richness and fulfillment. As we close this chapter of life here we Entrust our lives, relationships, and work to God to do with as he pleases.
We had a great closing dinner downtown on Friday night. It was a great time to share stories and a time of prayer and blessing to send us off into what is next. The night was rather intense and at some points hard to swallow, but a great ending to our community here that provided necessary closure to a life transforming experience.
You might be wondering why Carrie and I haven't seemed to blog or email in a while and that is because we have had to move out of our place last week to an interesting house with no phone, Internet, and barely any electricity. In the heart of Vancouver we have somehow gone back to the stone age relying on fire for heat and candles for light. We can't wait to get back.
All the James Bond fans out there will be excited to see a new vehicle that has already been shown at auto shows and could be on the market.
Cheezy video yes, but can you imagine driving one of these things.
That makes me laugh every time. Haha
I was laying in bed last night and my head was just thinking about all sorts of randomness. My short term memory started recalling one night last week when an aquantence and I went out for a video store adventure. You never know what you might encounter on commercial drive. As we were walking past the home made wine store I noticed something wasn't quite "normal". I looked again into the dark store front. The lights were turned off but I could see two figures standing in the middle of the store and it looked like they were in some sort of fighting stance. The next thing I knew these beams of light shot out from their hands. One was green and the other was red. Oh my gosh, these grown men are actually practice fighting with light sabres. You have got to be kidding me. I actually said to the other guy... "only in Vancouver do you see something as silly as this".
So we walked on and didn't think much about what we had just witnessed. We were only thinking about our movie selection for the evening. After picking up the latest and greatest copy of Balls of Fury we were on our way back. This is a great comedy about ping pong and kung fu by the way. 
I would say about fifteen minutes had lapsed. We came upon the wine store and sure enough, they were still going at it. Light sabers colliding in the dark store front. Two grown, actually middle aged men were practicing their light saber fighting moves. I'm sure the battle raged on for a while after we left. I hope no one got hurt or pulled a muscle.
Amazing. I hope people aren't writing blogs like this about me some day.
This is easily one of the coolest stores ever. Everything in this place is all fair trade. This means that wherever the item is from they were paid a good price for their handy work. They work with over 100 artisan groups in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to bring you fair trade jewelry, home decor, gifts and tons of other sweet stuff. As one of the world's oldest and largest fair trade organizations, they build long-term relationships with artisans that are based on mutual understanding and respect.
Fair trade enables artisans to earn a fair wage and
provides the opportunity for a better quality of life.
http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/
Check out the site to find a store near you and other products, or buy online.
With Valentine's Day soon approaching you could get some great gifts here to give to your significant others or your mommy. What I love about buying things at this place is that money goes directly to the people in other countries. All of the staff that work in the stores are volunteers. It is just a great store with a great mission to impact the world's poor. I would encourage all of us to think about social justice issues when buying gifts for others. 
Pictures of African kids is always a good way to market right? It makes me want to buy something anyway.
Any gifts that Carrie and I have bought for any one this year have come from Ten Thousand Villages. We love to buy their coffee, handmade gloves, teas, ornaments, journals, and cookbooks.
This weekend I seem to have come up with another dose of this sickness that keeps going around. I don't know about anyone else but I get pretty cranky when I get sick, especially when I can't breath. My head is so full of snot it is affecting my brain. Despite my cranky attitude my wife chooses to love me by running out and getting me food, drugs, neti pot. All the essentials.
Any way I really cannot stand not being able to use my sense of smell or taste. They are absolutely useless right now. I have been reading this book about discovering your God language and how I really build intimacy with God. I knew right away physical touch was out of there... Or is it? Touch is one of our senses. I knew it, physical touch can be a God language. I have recently discovered that I most often experience God's goodness through my senses. This would affirm the fact that good coffee, wine, cigars, and chili are not just food and beverages, but they are spiritual experiences. Recognizing this about myself has been helpful in understanding why I like the things that I like. I knew right away that my wife is not a sensate because she can actually eat poop. You should see what she makes for breakfast; nasty. 
Other Spiritual Temperaments include:
Activist
Ascetic
Caregiver
Contemplative
Enthusiast
Intellectual
Naturalist
Sensate
Traditionalist
Any Idea what you might be?
I want to have TIME to spend with people. Having time and openness for people is something I feel I need to incorporate in my life when I get back to cincy. I don't want to let myself get so busy I have no time for anyone. Some of the most meaningful people in my life simply just had time for me. For this next season in my life I just want to have openness in my schedule to allow to get together and have lunch or my favorite; coffee or beer or wine or a cigar. Anyway busyness can suck the life out of me and I have nothing left to give to anyone.
Most Fridays I am pretty darn tired from a long week. This Friday was no exception. Actually I was sick on top of my usual tiredness. I called Jacob's Well to let them know that I was feeling pretty crappy and asked if they even needed me to come in. Since a couple of others were out they were pretty short staffed and really needed me to just be there. So I went.
Man I'm glad I did. One of our friends Darren who has been struggling with addiction for a long time just showed up this morning at our meeting and was rather high. He has been in and out of recovery for a long time and just dropped out of a program because he hated it. So by an act of God (literaly) we got him into a new recovery discipleship house that could be a great fit for him. So after some prayer Darren wanted to flush all the heroin and other drugs he had on him down the toilet. We helped him dispose of his vices and got him a shower and then me and Berto drove him a good ways out of the city to this great house where he can get some great help. Amazing. A miracle. Yesterday there was no chance of getting Darren in this place and some how it happened. God can reach anyone. Then back to Vancouver for more fun.
While walking down the street this Chinese woman grabs my arm and whispers the words call 911. Apparently she was having a heart attack or something. We called and I prayed with her. She said that she "knew Jesus" with a peaceful smile. After a few minutes we saw her off in an ambulence entrusting God to do some work there in her life.
After that back at Jacob's Well three guys show up in fancy suits. These are not the typical people we get in there to have conversation and coffee with. These were some big shot entrepreneurs who knew of Jacob's Well through some friends. After talking and hearing stories about what we do the Holy Spirit must have come over them as they had tears in their eyes and the CEO says can we see your costs of operation and basically promised a whole bunch of money. These guys are filthy rich and they saw something that was real in that community. They saw genuine love that they may have never seen.
All this to say that things have been tough lately in our community. People have died, we have had experienced a lot with our friends on the street, and not really seen a whole lot of good. Then today makes things so worth while and is proof that God does provide if we remain faithful. This blog does not do today any justice what so ever. So just take my word for how awesome it was.