Hey all! Another busy season is upon us.

The Patmos students are here and in full force. They have been suffering the death of self for the last month or so. Its hard to watch them suffer but when I hear of how the Lord has used it to change them, I know its all worth it.

For the past month, I've been with the kids (field trips) each day. Only one day was stopped by the rain but they came later that week. Please keep praying, the storms may not be hurricanes but they are sending a lot of water!

When it rains here, the water really has no where to go. There are no sewers because we're at sea level. The rain just seems to stay around causing lots of flooding and mud. Very different than Speculator!

Lately, I have been kinda homesick. If you know me, you know that this doesn't really happen...ever! Its been over a year now since I've seen NY. I miss seeing the mountains, swimming in water that doesn't sting your eyes, sand that washes off your body, watching people drive up to the Sunrise Dinner for their daily cup of coffee, and I even miss seeing animals that are bigger than me cross the road quickly (as if there would ever be traffic in Speculator on any day other than the 4th of July!).

I especially miss my family and friends there, even the memories of times gone past. I can picture my grandma on the roof of her home shoveling snow! And a last chance talk about Christ with a man who died. Drinking raspberry ginger ale with Stacy and my sister, Pauline, we laughed so hard that we couldn't walk!

I could talk about old memories forever but there are more to come. Memories I've made here. Of Sam and Carrie, the two girls who had nothing but each other yet changed my life. I could tell you of this past Saturday, when all the Youth Group went together to Rose Island to hangout. Of tieing up the Youth pastor and burring him in the sand.

And what about at the Centre! Of the many kids who came through those gates and heard the gospel! The hard but awesome times of teaching without words love to the hardest and most disobedient kids.

Time seems to go bye so fast. Maybe I'm just getting old - I will be 30 next year! But I'm seeing how much value is in those around me. That means missing those not near yet not wanting to leave those who are near.

I take comfort in knowing that in heaven, we'll all be together. What a reunion that will be! Jesus will be there and so will so many others.

That is why I am here. Not for my own desires. Not to please those around me. Because I want to see more of those I meet here on earth to be with me in heaven. That is what God wants. That is what I want. I think I needed to write that down, for the world to read, in order to remind myself.

Thanks for reading it along with me.