American Pastime
This past weekend I took a great road trip with my Dad. It was good quality time with Dad, even if he did have to stop every two hours, haha. Dad flew out to Denver on Friday and I took him up Mt. Evans, which is 14, 200ish feet tall. The Rockies are a truly beautiful masterpiece of an Almighty creator. On Saturday we drove from Denver to Chicago, all 17 hours. There really is nothing to look at in the mid-west, except for miles and miles and states of corn. Dad fell asleep at one point crossing through Nebraska or Iowa and when he came too I said, “Look Dad! Corn.” Which he replied sarcastically, “Thanks Bear. Don’t wana miss that.” And then we had a good laugh that was quickly gone with the approach of yet another corn field. Don’t get me wrong. I’m very appreciative of our “bread basket of the world,” but the view isn’t very stimulating when you have been driving past it for 10 hours.
Saturday night we stayed in a very plush 4 star hotel thanks to naming your own price at Priceline.com. In fact, it was so plush that we had to pay to park at the hotel. We woke up the next morning and headed for Cincinnati. One of my childhood heroes growing up was Ken Griffey Jr., so I had gotten really good tickets to live the “American pastime:” watching a baseball game with my Dad, eating a hotdog the size of a Dachshund, washing it down with a cold beer. BUT, two weeks before Dad and I were to see Griffey at Reds’ stadium, they traded him. Despite the sad circumstances, Dad and I had a wonderful time at the game, mainly because it was with Dad.
Then we ate Skyline, which is Cincinnati chili. To describe Skyline, it is heaven loaded on a plate of spaghetti and topped with finely shredded cheddar cheese, drizzled with Texas Pete hot sauce, and a side of oyster crackers, creating a combination of exuberant joy for your mouth. After Skyline we stayed with Justin Conley’s Grandparents and Mum and had a beautiful time with them, before waking up and heading to the ATL (Atlanta).
It was a great experience with Dad, but this trip also marked the beginning of a lot of travelling for me. This weekend I am speaking at a breakfast in Baltimore, and then Aug. 24th I fly out to Mali for 17 days. Once I get back from Mali Sep. 11th, I am flying out to Denver for a coach’s retreat with WorldVenture. So I could use prayer for:
1. That my visa for Mali is processed and returned before I leave for Mali (I couldn’t apply for it until I returned from Mozambique since I needed my passport).
2. Safe travels these next two months.
3. That God would arrange the people I am to meet with to financially partner with me in reaching Mali.
I want to say thank you to those of you who are keeping up with my ramblings (even if they do sound more like adds for Starbucks then missions work) and if you would like too, these entries are equipped for you to leave comments, which I will respond to. Thank you again.