Hello! Good Bye!

It sure has been a long time.... Oh well. :) The summer has gotten better. I am working more and more. NYC is coming up soon! Well... Not much else to say! Bye!

Simply Amazing

Living in Joplin is crazy. Everything is different. Today my one of my new closest friends, Stephanie P. and I went out into the city to see her old appartment. There was pretty much nothing left. We walked for such a long time, and still only saw a few blocks worth of the city. I still can't believe the city is the way it is. Tomorrow will be just as crazy.

John David

Much Has Happened In A Short Time

    Wow. It is been a crazy few weeks. School gets out, tornado tears through my city (Joplin, MO), became homeless, and now I am in charge of a dorm of volunteers and displaced families. Thankfully I have a few other people here to help me (Wade, Taylor, Stephanie, and Brittney).

    It has been 16 days after the destruction of Joplin, and it still hasn't fully sunk in that much of Joplin is gone. Everyday is a new day, but it still feels so old. Get up, go to work, see the destruction, hear the stories, go back to the dorm, meet new volunteers, and hear even more stories. I still don't know how to fully grasp everything. I do know it will be a while until there is any normality again.

    The days get hotter and longer. Joplin gets crazier. So much progress has been made, but there is still so much left to do. The demo phase will be starting shortly, and business will start picking back up and hopefully I will get more hours at SW. So far, 4 hours a day is killing me. Finding something to do is the hardest part. There is a lot to do here, but all of it requires me to work less, or get a new job at night. And I don't want to do either.

    Jessica and I have been away from eachother for 8 days, but it seems like forever. We only have 10 days left before we can see one another again! And then it will be another few weeks. After that, who knows how long it will be. I miss her terribly. It is harder being here in Joplin because I am so close, but I still can't just drive to see her. Weekends are too short. But thankfully we will be spending a week and a half together in NYC. It kills me to not see her everyday. But then again, it just makes seeing her again so much more exciting!!

    I love her so much. I can not wait to marry her! She will make a beautiful bride! The dominos keep falling into place. There are just a few more things left to happen (ring & living). I honestly believe we are ready in most aspects of it. But there is no need to rush. We have the rest of our lives ahead of us! This is all what I am planning on though, so it isn't the whole "engaged official", but it is getting close to that. God has truly bless me with her. She is perfect for me in every way and I don't see any reason why she isn't the one.

    NYC. That will be a wonderful vacation, even though we will be working with the hiddle and high school students there. It will be an interesting VBS.... The theme is NYC... And we will be doing it in NYC. Kinda ironic. Many of the kids that we see have never been outside their communities to see the city. One girl we took to Times Square, she was 20-someting, lived in Queens her whole life, and had never been there before. It was crazy. I had been there 5 times before. This summer will be number 6!

    Financially, it is not easy to be on my own. Especially when I am not guarenteed hours. I am struggling with somethings, but I am managing. I just keep living every day one at a time. I am not too worried. Just got to keep moving forward.

    All in all, everything is going better. Life is still going, support is still coming in, and I am still here. I am looking forward to what is to come! I will do my best to keep blogging. I do ask one thing though..... Keep all of us in Joplin, MO, and everone who is helping us with all that is going on.

Thank you so much!

John David

Tired

Lately I have been tired. Physically. Mentally. And spiritually. I think it is because of school. Late nights, early mornings. Hard studies. Pretty much eating the Bible day and night. But I do know this.... It is good for me. I just need to make it through all this tiredness. As Dr. Zus keeps saying throughout the year, "Finish strong." Even though he is referring to the judges, kings, and prophets of the Old Testament. Applying it to my personal life is hard. I am so burned out... Like a piece of bacon left on the stove too long. Pretty much crunchy.

I have so much to do, and such little time. And now that I have a job, I have even less time. The future is looking slow, but good. I just need to keep motivated, which has been the killer for me. Thankfully, I have a little to actually sit down and type...

Well, the brake is over! Time to get back the typing.

John David

Long Time No Talk

I am so tired. Physically and mentally. It has been a long weekend, but good overall. I helped Jessica with a wedding, and three photo shoots. Who knew it would be so tiring.

    Well, I started working at Sherwin-Williams this past Monday. It is a blast! Lots of videos though (training). I am looking at anywhere between 10-15 more hours of videos. I have already gone through 12 hours of them. I learn a lot, but then again, a lot is repetitive. School is still crawling by. Even though I look back on it and see how much has gone, I still see four more years here... And then 2+ after that somewhere else. Hopefully by then I will be out of the dorms (nothing against the dorms, I just want to be married soon).

    I am in no big rush with life, I just wish some things would come quicker than others. The stress is slowly starting to build, but I know it just takes time. The funny thing is this.... It is already in motion. I just have to make sure everyone hops on board with it (which I am sure they will).

    Thanks to Jessica, I may have found something new to add to my interests. I like taking pictures. As I said earlier, she and I did a wedding together. She claims that I did "better than she expected"..... I don't know if that means I did really well, or just good for an ignorant fool. But, I really did have a lot of fun. Maybe, if she would let me, I will help her with more shoots. But that is for her to decide.

Well, time for bed. Good night friends. It was good talking to you..... :)

Night!

John David

The Dentist...

    Going to the dentist in a few days..... And the only thing that keeps running through my mind is the song by Adam Young (Owl City), "Dental Care". Some of the lyrics to this song really make me laugh.

I've been to the dentist a thousand times so I know the drill,

I smooth my hair

Sit back in the chair

But somehow I still get the chills

"Have a seat," he says pleasantly,

As he shakes my hand and practically laughs at me,

"Open up nice and wide" he says peering in,

And with a smirk he says, "Don't have a fit,

This will just pinch a bit"

As he tries not to grin

    I know what you are thinking now, "Why does this particular part of the song make him laugh?" And my answer is this. A few years ago, when I was just a little boy, I went in for some dental work. Well, as the hour went on, I started to get more than the chills... I was down-right terrified. Like usual, the dentist tried to calm me by explaining everything they were going to do. I didn't like the sound of a needle the size of a pencil being shoved into my gums. But the dentist reassured me, I was going to be so numb, I would feel nothing. I beg to differ.

    As the dentist applied the numbing agent, I began to worry. Then the needle came out. Fear struck me and I began to fuse myself with the chair. I kept pushing away from the dentist and that dinosaur of a needle. As the dentist was talking me through the procedure, I began to realize one thing. I COULD FEEL THE NEEDLE!!!!! No matter how much I pleaded with the dentist, the needle kept impaling me. After seeing the tears streaming down my face, and for fear that I was going to break the chair, the dentist pulled the needle out. Realizing that I was truly in utter agony, the dentist apologized.

    But, like always, they weren't done. they still had to give me that shot completely. So, what happened next? More numbing junk was shoved into my mouth! The needle was once again heading towards me. I had no other choice but to accept the oncoming doom. Well hey! What do you know? I don't feel it now!

    Even though the dentist was clearly inexperienced with the use of the numbing stuff, I managed to come out alive. I just hope I don't end up on the wrong side of the chair again. :)

Remembering

    It is crazy to see how often I forget things. I forget to call someone, study, go to bed early, write a blog, or to pray. I don't understand it. I love God. I love to talk with Him, and sing songs about Him. But sometimes we lose the meaning of everything. God doesn't need us, WE need Him. Isn't it good to show Him we are thankful for everything He has done? The only way we are able to recognize who God is and make him known is through our daily lives. Every aspect of our day, from waking up in the morning to being at work or school. We must not forget who He is.

    There is a song by Waterdeep, I Will Not Forget You, and it has one of the most meaningful choruses that I know of when it comes to this subject. We must remember that He is our God and king. We must offer what He has given us. Using our talents and giving what we can to Him, for it is all His anyway. Getting back to the song, I realize that I have forgotten much, even attending a Christian College. Because of my classes and such, the Bible has gone from a gift from God to a textbook. I have slowly lost interest in it and am realizing now just how much I have forgotten. After listening to this song, I begin to think... Here are the lyrics to I Will Not Forget You.

(vs1) Many men will drink the rain
And turn to thank the clouds
Many men will hear You speak
But they will never turn around

I will not forget You are my God, my King
And with a thankful heart I bring my offering
And my sacrifice is not what You can give
But what I alone can give to you

A grateful heart I give, A thankful prayer I pray,
A wild dance I dance before you
A loud song I sing, A huge bell I ring,
A life of praise I live before You

(vs2) Many men will pour their gold
And serve a thing that shines
Many men will read your words
But they will never change their minds

    This song says so much, so much that we need to pay attention to. I know that for myself, I have put things before God. Making idols out of meaningless junk. It is hard to get out of the habit. But once out, the truth shines through. Even though I see things that are taking the place where He should be, I struggle with keeping them in check. I just know that I need to keep working, harder and harder, so that I will be able to fully say, "A grateful heart I give, a thankful prayer I pray." I know, I am human, but that is no excuse to be selfish and forget who He is.

    My mother used to say this to me when I would cause problems, "I brought you into this world, and I can take you right back out!" I think about this and realize God has every right to say this to us. But we just blow it off and keep on our own way. Why not try to take what mom would say and hear it come from God. Like I said earlier, He doesn't need us, WE need Him. He is our father, we should remember that. He did in fact make us, and as He has proven before, He can destroy us.

    Remember. That is what we must do. Remember who He is, and what He has done for us. We owe Him everything, while He owes us nothing. It is a humbling thought. He is so perfect, he is never in debt. He gave of Himself so that we will be able to be perfect like Him someday. I look forward to that day, and I will not forget what He did for me. I pray you do the same and not forget who He is.



John David