Newfound lessons in relationship

One thing in my life that I cherish is relationships. I have been reminded of relationships while in Argentina because I am meeting so many people that I do not know how I am going to keep in touch with all of them. I get their contact information in hopes that I will see them soon in South America, in the place I am visiting, or in the case they decide to visit sweet home Alabama. There are some unique occurrences. I thought that if I came halfway across the world I would meet people far different than Americans, and I am in fact meeting people far different than Americans. But I am also meeting many people who have the same mentality, beliefs, and even human behaviors. Maybe I was ignorant in such an expectation. I guess we are all human, and in some regards, that is something we all have in common that will never change no matter how much we encounter different things all over the world.

I was walking down what I would consider the equivalent of Broadway in New York City here in Buenos Aires; well, at least they have four or five huge theaters with play signs almost identical to that of Broadway. I think it would be incredible to go see such a play, but then again I can only do so much while I am here in South America. When I travel, I sleep well, but I also become easily exhausted because I do so much in terms of seeing sites and adjusting to different cultures. While it is so much fun, it is also very exhausting. I saw many plays that were advertised, including Phantom of the Opera, but I have also seen some drama I did not expect to witness and literally be a personal part of. Sometimes I feel that people are susceptible to becoming romantically involved when they are abroad. This includes myself since I am a hopeless and perhaps overly romantic person myself. I have often been compared to the likes of Benjamin Button (in his youthful backward days) and Austin Powers (when he had nice-looking teeth). While we are abroad, we are no longer in the role of the norm. We are no longer in the norm of our routine world. We are in a type of fantasy-world….a vacation of sorts that makes us forget about home, but as the movie quotes, “home is where the heart is.” Some of us are meant to work abroad. Some of us are meant to stay home. I am not claiming to be either because quite frankly do not know where God will have me when I finish at Auburn University. I am just saying it is so easy to get caught up in this international warp because you temporarily forget duties or things back home. Now the place you visit may become your new home. I don’t know. It is kind of like How Stella Got Her Groove Back. Stella got her groove back after she meant an international man of mystery from Jamaica. Things don’t automatically become magical and amazing because you are volunteering abroad. Life is still life, and reality is still reality.

Please do not misinterpret my ramblings, assuming I am not grateful for being able to travel. After this trip, I will have seen more of the world than many Americans back in the States, and so I am very fortunate. When I got back from Europe last year, I was almost disappointed by being back home because I was not country hopping, drinking excellent beer, and having new adventures. I returned to school to sit in a boring old classroom to “communicate” better. I am thankful to be at Auburn, but at the same time, I wanted to stay abroad. Who wouldn’t want to be abroad when you can hear incredible Jazz music in the old dive clubs of Rome or hang out with an old friend in a hostel he helped start and build from the ground up? I mean….go to school or hop around the world? That is an easy choice for me, but the option to do so should not be easily taken for granted or forgotten.

This trip has new meaning because God has been showing me new ways of life through new relationships, and I am here with a mission. I am on a mission to help other people in whatever ways possible. I have found that many people are doing the same in this city and legendary place known as Buenos Aires. If you listen to the clip below, you will know and begin to understand just what I mean in the words that I say.

NEW FRIENDS AND GOOD TIMES

Inspiration found in unexpected places....

I have come to realize that inspiration can be found in any corner of any place that you go. Sometimes a mallet must just be smacked on the forehead to truly realize how inspirational life truly is. We are all impacted by other people in different ways. It is just a matter of how and when. I have been rooming my first days in South America with a unique woman from Los Angeles, CA. This clip tells a little bit about a man from whom she has found a wonderful inspiration from. She never planned on seeing a blind American traveling the world in Buenos Aires, but then again inspiration can be found anywhere, even when you least expect it. Sometimes you just have to open your eyes and see it. This may have been the last person she expected to see down here, but she recognized his familiar face and made it a point to say, “Hello.” Listen in and be amazed that there are no coincidences but only amazing opportunities.

CLICK HERE FOR INSPIRATION!

The beginning of my incredible adventure....

I have officially arrived in Buenos Aires. I have been here now for four days, and I am keeping up with my Podcasts just as I promised. This is just a basic description of my journey to Buenos Aires. I was almost late catching my flight in Miami to Lima thanks to American Airlines. That would have significant repercussions on my trip because then I would have missed my flight to Buenos Aires from Lima with another airline carrier known as TACA Peru, which I may not have gotten a refund or rescheduled flight for missing. American Airlines claimed that was not “their problem” or “contractual obligation.” So there should be a word of caution if you are going to fly with them. Expect delays and possible complications.

Anyway, I met some lovely people from Peru on the flights from Atlanta to Miami and then Miami to Lima. I might have one of them show me the city in Lima or possibly go out to eat for some traditional Peruvian food. Listen in, and I think you might be amused with my rush in the airport with a new Peruvian friend, my butchering of the Spanish language, or my exhaustion from traveling for thirty hours.

CLICK HERE FOR PODCAST OF THE BEGINNING CHAPTERS

Want to know some Christ-centered Spanish? Let's save together...

Today I went to Church of the Highlands en Espanol service at the Riverchase Campus in Pelham, Alabama. I did not understand a lot of the Spanish language utilized in the sermon, but it was awesome to once again be immersed in a culture other than my own. Towards the end of my undergraduate career at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, I went to a Deaf church, and at that point in time, I was unfamiliar with sign language in any element of being close to fluency as I am now. By the time I graduated, I was much more familiar with the language than when I originally started. I could understand main points in the sermon conducted in American Sign Language.

Perhaps the same will occur if and when I get involved in a Spanish speaking service in Auburn. I enjoyed the fellowship because it was evident that this body of believers loved Christ. In recent days, I have had difficulty finding any type of salvation talk in Spanish for English-native speakers to utilize and learn on the Internet. I suppose you could translate word for word a hypothetical conversation you might have with someone, but I personally prefer just asking a native speaker myself. On this post you will find a conversation I had with a member of the church. He was generous enough to give me permission to post this MP3 on my BLOG and my Podcast. If you are seeking to introduce someone to Jesus in the Spanish language, perhaps you will find this sound clip as useful and as exciting as I do. While traveling, I will put the clip on my IPOD to practice such a conversation if it were to take place in real life during my travels in South America.

I leave on Tuesday, and I am so excited I can hardly stand it! While traveling can be tiresome, it can also be relieving when you are on your own time table without the pressures of a chaotic American schedule to follow. I will have the ready, everyday use of my cell phone, and I will update this BLOG regularly. Keeping a journal and/or BLOG is pleasurable for me. I like for people who wish to do so to keep up with me. A BLOG is an excellent way to communicate things that may occur while traveling across a continent.
If you are seeking a good group of people to learn a little Spanish from and go to church with, then please consider the Riverchase campus at Church of the Highlands. They may even invite you to share a picnic with chicken fingers, ice cream, and coke as they did with me today. I did not need to necessarily be accepted as an outsider because as a brother in Christ, I was accepted as is. It was an amazing afternoon and an amazing experience. I also now have a Spanish Bible to share the gospel with as well.

If you would like, click below to hear me butcher the Spanish language as I learn to speak about the salvation of an incredible Savior! You might get a few laughs out of my native English-speaking tongue when I try to roll R’s and obviously can’t (at least not just yet).

!CLICK HERE TO LISTEN!

Alive finally....

I went on a mission trip to the Bahamas over spring break. I am currently trying to learn how to design, code, and maintain a website on the GoDaddy server. I must say that all this website jargon is a challenge for me. Something that would be easy for a Computer Science major suddenly becomes very difficult when in fact it probably isn’t so much.

This is a test sound file to see if I can get this up and running for my mission work this summer. I am trying to implement a Podcast and RSS Feed into this blog. Even though not too difficult, it has been difficult for me. This is a narration of a Bahamas clip that I did. It is serving as a test file just to get this thing working.

The first official feed sound file