Thank You

And here I am. dang.

Its hard for me to believe that two and a half weeks have already passed by, and I am still unable to figure out how to express a simple thank-you to all of you.

The problem is that in our society, there are so many different forms of saying your appreciation.
Let me explain.

The “In Passing” Thank you

This is when one person is in a rush, realizes you did something nice for them, and as they are headed off to their new destination, they turn over their shoulder with legitimate appreciation and shouts “thanks.”

The Middle School Boy “Thank You”
When someone has done something nice for them and they are either to embarrassed or shocked, so they say  “yeah, ummmm thanks,  uhhh whatever.” 

Over Excited Thanker
“ohhhh thank you SOOOOO much”  And they go on and on and on

And finally there is my predicament.

The Inexpressible Thank You
All I feel I can say is  “ummm… thank-you.”

If we were in person, I would look you straight in the eye.  Try and stare into your heart to let you know that the words don’t mean what my heart is saying.

Hmmm I have been all over the world, maybe if i said “sawadee crap” (Thai) or “asante sana” (Swahili)  or “salamate” (Tagalog/ Philipino)  I  might start to explain that my thanks is not just me, its for everything that has happened.

But alas, I am at a loss. Because I am thanking you for a year that I cannot put a value to.
This year I have been able to fulfill my life dream, my Christ calling, and my own personal desires for adventure.

I have preached to thousands, danced with orphans, and feed the forgotten. So thank you for the ministry.

God broke my heart, chastised my soul and I am hopefully in  the slow process called redemption.    Thank you for the spiritual growth.

My bucket list of things to do before I die needs to be completely redone because this year I finished about half of my dreams. Thank you for letting me be in an area where I could be free and extreme.

My desire to see the world has not been quenched, but in fact has grown to a ravishing fire.
And my yearning to serve God and know him has become a heart wrenching tango. One where I long for answers, and must let life and God’s hand of timing take over.

I AM CHANGED, I AM AWED, I AM FOREVER BLESSED BY WHAT I HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE A PART OF, AND I THANK YOU FOR MAKING IT POSSIBLE.

I really have no other way to say this. Especially because it seems like I have developed a phobia of groups and of speaking to Americans because I am overwhelmed by this culture and former way of life.

Talking to a friend last night, we laughed as we thought about how we missed crowded busses with passengers speaking a foreign tongue.
We miss taking showers with a bucket, or eating with our hands.

I love America, and am thankful for everything, but I do feel strangely out of place in this land of dreams and opportunity. But I AM STILL THANKFUL!

SO HOW I CAN THANK YOU?  I want to show you how  I feel God used me this year.

I am about to start a 12 part blog series.    I know what you are saying “Oh no. Not more blogs!!!”

There is good news. You can unsubscribe from here at any point!!!  =)  
But these blogs are going to be epic.
I PROMISE.

I am going to summarize the highlights of each country, with the best pictures, best videos, and best stories in quality summary form.

I want there to be 12 blogs that says WHY God brought me to that country, and HOW HE was moving.   (ps, the 12th country is here in america. Tricky huh?)  =)

So thank you,
I love you
and I am looking forward to sharing this with you.

First up. we are going back down under to the land of the kiwi, the tenting and the craziness called Christian camp!

New Zealand here we come.