Traversing the East Coast

Amy and I began our journeys in Pensacola Christian College on Friday, May 25th. We both got out of work early and left Pensacola roughly around 2 PM. We had a 4-5 hour drive ahead of us. Our goal was reaching Newnan, Georgia (just south of Atlanta) to visit my sister.

We arrived around 7:30 PM (after an hour time change). It was really great to be able to get off of work almost three hours earlier than originally planned. This allowed us to spend an extra three hours with my sister. We spent the night in Georgia and got on our way around 8:30 AM. Now, we had a 12-hour drive ahead of us.

We had two choices. Take I-75 and go through Tennessee and West Virginia with beautiful mountain landscapes or take I-85 and go through the Carolinas and have a flat, boring drive. The Carolinas would get us in 30 minutes faster, but the other route would be more to look at. Either way, Amy had never been through ANY of those states. We opted for the more beautiful route, even though it took us a little longer.

Amy laughed at my claim of mountains. Being from Utah, she is used to mountains at almost 6,000 feet elevation. You know, the type that have snow on their caps almost all year round. The Appalachians could hardly stand up to that test, but there were a few she was willing to classify as mountains.

We arrived at my home in Pennsylvania a little after 9 PM. We were happy to arrive, and got settled in. The next couple of days featured visiting old friends and family that I haven't seen in almost 2 years. After being home for a bit, our exciting adventures are about to begin. We've got three fun and exciting places to visit before beginning BIMI Candidate School on Sunday. I'll update you on those after it's over.

Tune in next time for the latest adventures of the Jolly Gnome.

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The Adventures of the Jolly Gnome

Our summer is about to begin, and, boy, is it PACKED. Amy and I will constantly be traveling from now until August. Tomorrow, Friday the 25th, begins our summer vacation. Work is over, school is over, and it's time for a little R & R...yea right.

Our journey begins here, in Pensacola. Because of the variety of places, and countries, we'll be visiting, we bought a Travelocity Gnome to help document our travels. He'll be featured in all of our articles from now until the end of summer. We leave Pensacola tomorrow after work and head towards Pennsylvania (my home), but before we arrive we'll be taking a detour in Georgia to visit my sister.

I wouldn't want to spoil the excitement of where were going just yet, but suffice it to say that we'll be spending significant time in 5 states in 1 week's time. We'll keep you posted as we go. Our posting will become far more frequent now. Life will no longer be the boring same old, same old of every day life. The adventure is about to begin!

Please pray for our travels. We'll be covering at least 2,000 miles over the next week and half, with another 1,000+ in the weeks following. Pray for safety and speed (not breaking the law speed, but no traffic jams or accidents that delay our drive). For many of you reading this, we'll be seeing you in the next couple of days! We can't wait to see all of you who are home.

Also, the first half of Team Australia 2012, Daniel Kim, has arrived in Mildura, Australia. He left Monday and arrived Tuesday night (our time, Wednesday afternoon their time). I spoke with him last night and he arrived safely with no problems at all. Check it out his blog if you are interested in following his progress over the 5 weeks before we arrive.

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It's Over: What's Next?

A friend of mine recently posted on Facebook that he's been to 3 continents, 11 countries, 48 states, graduated from college, acquired a master's degree, started an online business, and is leading a missions trip and he's only 23. He asked: What's next?

That question is similar to what I'm thinking. Now Amy and I haven't graduated from my Master's program just yet, nor have we been to as many states and countries as he has been to, but we've accomplished a lot. We've finished another semester. Finals are done. Thank you all for praying. They went well. Our projects are complete and turned in. Another year is over, and the question that has been asked is: "What's Next?"

Recently, in an email, I told you that we have been invited to attend Candidate School with Baptist International Missions Inc. I wanted to share with you a little bit more about that. The reason that we have chosen BIMI as our mission board is because their doctrines and standards align with our own and because missionaries Steven and Christy Maldoff, whom we plan to assist, are also sent by BIMI. As part of their deputation process (which is a fancy term for raising support), we are required to attend Candidate School twice on two separate occasions. The first time we attend will be week one, and the second time will be week two which takes place a year later. I haven't been to one yet to tell you what it's all about, but from what I understand it's a training program intended to prepare you for the mission field as well as for deputation.

We will be attending our first week this summer. The very first day of the Candidate School is an interview with their board of pastors. They'll have opportunity to question us and then make a decision on whether or not to accept us as missionaries. Upon acceptance, we'll be able to stay the rest of the week and participate in the training program. Candidate School is June 3rd through June 8th.

Before that, though, Amy and I will be returning home to Pennsylvania to visit with my family and friends. A few days into our vacation, we'll head out to Candidate School, and at the conclusion of that we'll return home to PA again for about a week. On June 16th, Amy and I will be returning to Pensacola for a summer class that lasts two weeks. The final day of that session, Amy and I will be boarding a plane for LA, and ultimately, Australia two hours after class is dismissed.

We've got a busy summer ahead of us, and we ask that you continue to remember us in your prayers.

Don't forget, if you haven't check it out yet, I started a blog designed to help pastors and churches improve their media and design. It's called Media Missions.

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