Today is the day. The Chicago chapter is finished, closed. The new chapter begins. I leave at 5pm for Orange County where I will figure out what to do next. My place in Garden Grove is waiting. I have no concrete plans but I hope to very soon.

This weeks original plan was to see my parents, go to my sisters on Tuesday and then back to Chicago on Wednesday in time for my community group. Well, as I was driving to my sisters on Tuesday it started to snow, then more and more and got windy. When all was said and done at 6:30 on Wednesday night...21 inches of snow. Records were broken. There was a huge snowdrift where the steps from the patio used to be. It was cold and I waded in deep snow to get to my car. The roads were closed, the malls were closed, Walmart was closed. Everything. We stayed in and watched movies. I left my sisters this morning and am ready to head out to the airport. What a send off Mother Nature had for me. At least it wasn't today!

Until the next chapter begins....

Here is a picture from the deep freeze!

We had a super cold few days then a huge snow storm, i didn't take pictures of the snowstorm, should have but here's one that's left from the deep freeze.

That poor tree.

I'm officially unemployed.  My last day was Friday.  It'll be interesting to see what happens. 
see ya

Well, don't know what's going to happen in the future but here's the plan as I have it now...

Last day of work: 1 February
Flight to CA: 7 February

That's all I've got. I've been accepted to UNSW for an MPH, that starts 3 March (but I still don't have the money for it). I've submitted several applications for different jobs around the world. I'm praying that God gives me some clarity soon. I don't even know what to pack. I'm leaving Chicago. Going to California and don't know how long I'll be there but it will be for a few weeks so I'd love to hang out with friends there!

More as I get it....

What happened boys?

Being from Wisconsin I do have to keep my family happy by supporting the Packers.  This game was actually a really good game, all except for the fact that we lost, and that the Packers didn't really play as well as they should have...and made several stupid mistakes.  Anyway, hopefully the Giants kick New England's butts in the superbowl.  Better luck next year Pack!

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So, here is an excerpt from my journal:

The word TOLERANCE is thrown around so freely today.  It's a part of school and church curriculum, and is often a term thrown in the faces of those who are not tolerant.  According to dictionary.com the word means:  a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward opinions and practices that differ from one's own.  I think it's important but I think that sometimes the word takes on a different definition to many people.  It means more like let's put up with each other or can't we just get along.  As we try to be more like Christ the concept deviates to "radical sacrificial love."  Christ took it a step further...He was crucified for the very people that hated him.  Are we willing to die for those that have opinions and practices that differ from our own?  The posture is much more humbling than the hand in the face of "just be more freakin' tolerant."  It's loving, it's calm, it's serving those that don't think like you.  Lord help me to have a radical sacrificial love for those that are different from me and not just be more tolerant of them.

(Radical Sacrificial Love term from Peter Hong, 2007)

Here are some pictures from Japan...don't let the first one make you drool on your keyboard...







Mei, Darren and, ah....Raul


The end

Happy New Year 2008 everyone. I haven't had a chance to reflect on 2007 but there were a lot of learnings and things that God has been teaching me...and things that I still can't just get. More on that later, enjoy the holiday!

私は今東京からアメリカへ行きます。日本は楽しいでした。　日本語を話しました、寿司を食べた、友達を会った。帰りたいぐないですけれども行く。

It was fun, i've got some pictures that I'll post later. It was cold though, this time of year Japan gets pretty cold...not as cold, though, as Chicago.

Before I left Thailand and also here in Japan I had a couple of amazing conversations about the future, though, i'm no closer to a decision...so keep praying for direction..at this point it is just clarity from the Lord, so pray for me!! Thanks!!
お願いしますね！

読めるとき本当にありがとうございました。

I woke up to be taken to a boat where I travelled about an hour and half to the Ang Thong National Marine Park, a protected archipelago in the Gulf of Thailand (pictures below). I spent the day enjoying this scenery and heat. I got back to the bungalow about 5pm so I decided to get a massage before my Christmas eve dinner then had the most amazing fresh fish, covered in a lime curry sauce while sitting in a table on the beach enjoying the full moon reflecting in glitters on the water. Now that's my kind of Christmas. Whoever started the rubbish of a white christmas?

Enjoy the shots!

a view from in front of my bungalow

a motorcycle trip yielded this

one of the kids that i worked with up in Udon, his nickname is Golf, is working in Ko Samui, he said I should take his picture and show everyone in the US

this is his dog, Pancake sleeping on the beach

a lagoon in the middle of rocks

thanks for looking!

so, I'm in Thailand now. My flight from Tokyo I was in seat 21H, on the 777 International config. on United, the seat gives you 5 feet of legroom, good times. Outside of the airport I got a taxi, told him where I was going and he got on the freeway, said that there were two ways to go, which way do you want to take? I said, whatever dude, wherever you want. He said, we'll go this way that way we'll be able to see the planes taking off and landing. I'm thinking hmmm, i don't really care if I see them or not. So he takes me to the road on the side of the airport and told me that from this vantage point you can see planes come in, they come right over this point. Then we drove a bit further, pulled over to the side of the road and stopped and he said, oh, there's one coming now, he rolls down his window and we watch a China Eastern jet make a beautiful landing. He rolls up the window and we're off! If I wasn't on vacation I'd probably be pissed that he was sightseeing at 1am. I smiled and enjoyed the ride back to the apartment.