roosters

Let me tell you something about roosters in the DR, they don't just start their cocadoodling at dawn, they start at 2 am and don't stop. And wouldn't you know it, I am lucky enough to have a pin full of them right outside my window. So, I am a bit sleep deprived over these first few days, but other than that, things have been great. I am mostly just getting acquainted with my new surroundings and learning all that my job will entail. It's really quite annoying to not know spanish, if only we were in the Matrix and I could just have it uploaded into my brain. As it is, though, I have lots of motivation to learn as quickly as possible because 90% of my job will require me to use spanish and the girl I am replacing leaves in a month. We'll see how far along I am at that point, hopefully far enough to be productive.

So, that's how things have been so far...by the way, it's about 80 to 85 degrees today and the mountains surrounding the city are muy bonita, I'm sure that I'll climb them soon.

Until next time...

Thanksgiving Bliss

I'm now sitting in Barnes n Noble, somewhere in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, killing time while my sisters and mom shop the day away. A great way to spend my second to last day in the US, don't you think? The last week or so has been pretty crazy. I finished the MTI Training in Colorado Springs and said goodbye to all the friends I made there. My good friend Greg flew to Colorado to give me company on the long drive home to Missouri and then I spent 3 days packing my life away and saying goodbye to everyone at home. Now I'm Dallas, visiting family, saying more goodbyes, and trying to finish up all the last minute details of my departure from Barnes n Noble (paying $3.95 for 2 hours of internet use).
So I head out for the DR on Sunday and I am ready to go, well, I'm mentally ready to go, I still have plenty to do to get ready, but I'm not too worried about that. Fortunately, it's pretty warm here in Dallas, so I'm officially done with cold weather for the next few years, this makes me happy. It's pretty amazing that in only 4 or 5 hours on a plane, I'll go from familiar, modern, home, to a culture that is entirely unfamiliar, poverty stricken, altogether far far from home, not in distance, but in every other aspect of life. It's a transition that I am so happy to be able to make. I'm excited about the kids I'll be living with and the work I'll be doing. I'm excited about knowing spanish, not excited about learning it, but once I know the language, it will be really nice.

I hope you have all had a great holiday. Please leave comments, they make me feel loved.

a picture from CO- At Garden of the Gods with my teammates for the next 2 years, Dustin and Anna

Preparation for missions

The last 3 weeks I have been learning the ins and outs of missionary work, focusing mainly on it's difficulties. I'll admit, the training itself hasn't done much to encourage me as I take this giant leap into the unknown world of living in an unknown culture, learning a new language, working a new job under unordinary conditions. The stories and warnings in the training sessions have mainly been of the possible downsides of missions, getting us prepared for the bad times. It has been very beneficial, but just not always really happy and fun. Fortunately, however, living with 25 soon to be missionaries has been a great encouragement. To finally have people to talk to that are in the same boat as me, people that, despite the wide ranges of age and life experiences, have all accepted the urging from the Holy Spirit and are stepping into a new, scary world in order to do our part to further God's kingdom. We're an odd group to most people, but it's nice to have common interests.
In a week and a half I will be beginning this new adventure. Will I be successful? Will I avoid the pitfalls that have caught so many missionaries that have gone before me? Will my God be satisfied in my life, my work? These are the questions that are running through my head right now, intermixed with the growing lists of things I need to take care of before I leave.
It's been a good time here in Colorado Springs, but I'm ready to go, ready to jump and splash into a new world. I'll keep you updated on how it goes.
I feel like this post has been boring, I apologize. I'll do better next time, I promise.

Jon

my first blog

This is my first blog.

That's it.

Have a great day