return from technological darkness

for the last couple of weeks i have been in countries with pretty beaches and striking mountains. the south pacific is a little bit, just a smidgen, kind of, really beautiful. i’m not even a fan of beaches and the ocean freaks me out a little (too much unknown- see james cameron’s the abyss). even with the subdued fanhood of these essential island elements, i cannot deny that these islands have been some of the most impressive places i’ve ever seen.

before you interject, yes, the vistas and views here are much more breath-taking than the ghettos of moldova. you can argue with me all you want to on that point.

i spent a week in the solomon islands with denzel washington. truthfully, it was really slow goings there. denzel, eddie that is, was an awesome man. he was the leader of ywam in the solomons. but eddie had a lot on his plate or, more appropriately, his plates. that being said, we did a lot of waiting. i read three books, all fantastic. but any week i am able to read three books is a week i probably didn’t get much done. i loved spending time with eddie and his family but it was a really hard week for writing.

i’ve learned that i am not a journalist.

i don’t like writing other people’s stories. i love hearing them. but in the space between my ears and my fingers there is a disconnect. the things i’ve tried to write feel contrived to me. they might be okay and i might be hyper-critical of my own writing. but i think for the most part the stuff i’ve written has sort of, well, sucked. i’ve not been happy with it.

the things i’ve written for myself have been much more rewarding. but those things will hardly see the light of day. i’ll keep them for later. God has been speaking to me, showing me things and explaining questions that have been plaguing me for years. i am grateful for that. missing home, friends and family for a small while is something that i’m willing to endure for answers.

answers, i love.

sorry, yoda just wrote that last sentence using the force. nonetheless, it is fantastic to understand. sometimes it is confirmation, or fresh perspective or simple words that do it. whatever it is that brings that insight, that allows you to grasp a bit of truth is so valuable. truth can be revealed in so much.

this past week or so was spent in the cook islands. this, my good people, is the most beautiful place i’ve seen on this trip yet. i’ll do us the favor of not trying to explain it. it’s just real perty.

i spent the week filming a missions conference. for the entire week i was known as the film guy. what the people did not know was that i had little to no idea what i was doing. the hardest challenge was not falling asleep.

we stayed in a hostel. this means that we were in a large hall with mattresses lined on the floor. we were crammed in, right on top of each other. sleep was attainable only because of exhaustion. the norwegian man next to me was an odd snorer, just abnormal and non-rhythmic but gave one heck of a cuddle- evidently it is common for norwegian men to cuddle at night in pacific islands (this is what halvard told me).

after the conference we moved to the ywam base which is still under construction. my new bed is a mattress of two inches thickness. to continue the trend of my ancestors and family everywhere, i will now utter a traditional bedi chant: oh, my aching back.

but it has been a good stay. a stay full of L&P and amazing people (click on l&p if confused). i don’t have the time to tell of it. i’ve already written too much. so i’ll bid you goodbye. i’ll leave for new zealand tonight at 1am. in fact i’ll publish this there. i’ll be keeping my eye out for hobbits and various sorcerers. Godspeed.