Welcome to "The Yard"

After a 30 hour drive in my "new" '94 Volkswagen, I arrived in Annapolis this week.  It has been a hectic transition and there is much to be done.  Between FOCUS, Maryland, the Naval Academy and living in an apartment, there are a lot of foreign things in my life right now.  Luckily, all of them are exciting because it makes getting acclimated a whole lot easier.

The Apartment

THE APARTMENT:

Getting settled in has been quite the task.  Having my mom around for the first couple of days really helped the process though!  We had a bit of a mold issue in the basement that needed to be resolved and we re-caulked both the showers.  Not to mention, a midshipmen and his buddies had been living in the apartment over the summer and did a good job of trashing the place.  I felt bad for Kyle, my team leader, because he got blasted with most of the work before I arrived.  The place is definitely "broken in" but it's the perfect apartment for a couple of guy missionaries.

ANNAPOLIS:

Annapolis, MD

It's beauty is in the past... but it's past is alive TODAY!  The downtown area is all brick roads with colonial houses and buildings.  It runs right up to where the Severn River meets the Chesapeake Bay and the city dock is filled with impressive yachts.  The dock is called "Ego Alley" because people bring their yachts there just so others can admire them.  The Academy is right at the heart of it all!

"The Yard":

The Chapel

Is also known as the U.S. Naval Academy.  Words cannot express the gratitude I feel towards God and to all of you who have brought me here.  The Academy itself is incredible.  I'll just post some pictures because it's hard to describe... hopefully they do it justice!  The people?  Well, they are even more impressive.  The midshipmen that I've met have great character and a deep love of their faith.  The past FOCUS missionaries have done an incredible job at the Academy because the midshipmen seem sold on the program.  I'm just excited to further cultivate these great young men and women and to reach out to those students who haven't received this amazing opportunity yet.  Just seeing the fruits of FOCUS' past work has reaffirmed why I have surrendered the next two years of my life to this program.

FOCUS:

Most of the students have not arrived on campus yet; so I've been working to familiarize myself with the campus, meet the chaplains, and click with my team.  The chaplains are very supportive of the work we're doing and they remind us of that each week when they take us out to eat!  The last two days have been filled with team meetings to sketch an overview of our goals and expectations for the year.

Missionaries with Alexander Charles (A Student Leader)

MISSION PARTNERS:

To those who are making this possible, thank you.  I feel so blessed to meet these men and women, who have sacrificed so much for our country, and to see their love of God.  FOCUS is an amazing organization made possible by amazing people.

Trust in God.. A Car! Two cars? Crazy!

God always provides for his faithful!  I'm sure we've all encountered times in life where we receive more than we ever could have dreamed.  I've felt that way every single day during this month of fundraising!

We are all hyper-sensitive to our needs and sometimes we worry that God isn't so aware.  We become filled with fear at the sacrifices God might call us to make, as though He's uninterested in our heart's desires.  At least I fear that!  So He reminds me, "Do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body, what you will wear... Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides." (Mt 6:25, 32-33)

Although I'd sometimes look at fundraising as a daunting task and envision myself as an Isrealite in the desert:  God has sent me out here to die of famine!  Whenever I reached this point, I'd go to the chapel and pray for help.

Just this week, I had been asking God for a car to use out in Annapolis.  It seemed like a long shot but nothing is too big for our God!  Within the week, I received an email from my regional director saying that an old missionary wanted to donate a car.  It was the answer to my prayers!  Just when my hope was on the rise, I found out another missionary received the car... Dang it!  But, I just knew that God had not forgotten me.  Then, a couple days later, one of my monthly donors offered me his old car!  I couldn't believe it.  The very next day, I met with a family that offered me another car, in case the first one didn't work out!  I was in awe.

Obviously, I'm not going to take both cars but God has given me some peace-of-mind in knowing that I'll have a car for next year.  He loves us, He really does.  Jesus paitently waits for us to trust in him, to come to him with our needs, and then he always provides.  Just like He promised.

Jesus appeared to Saint Faustina in a vision and told her the one thing that hurts him more than any other.  Do you know what that is?  Our refusal to trust in Him.

Jesus, I trust in you.  Jesus, I trust in you.  Jesus, I trust in you.

P.S.
I didn't get a Ferrari