As most of you know, I was forced to find an apartment because there is a housing shortage on base. This past Good Friday was the first day I stayed in my new place. I borrowed a blow-up air mattress, a table, a couple of chairs, and some silverware from the Army housing department, and officially “moved in”.
Over the past week I have discovered, through the pain in my back and neck, that sleeping on an air mattress every night is not beneficial to my health. So yesterday my roommate and I heading to our neighbor hood Ikea store. Actually it was the store in Palo Alto, nearly an hour and a half north of Monterey. Distance doesn’t matter much when you have phenomenal deals to back it up.
When we arrived we were both overwhelmed with the sheer power and monstrosity of the place. For those of you who have never been to an Ikea, it is too difficult to put into words. Maybe I’ll try to after our next visit.
Anyway, we spent all day walking through the showrooms, picking out things for the apartment. We ate a delicious Swedish lunch (at the Ikea restaurant), and then headed down to the warehouse to pick up the things we liked. We had so much stuff! Randy was pushing a flat cart full of furniture, and I was pushing not one, but TWO wheeled carts (talk about a task) filled with miscellaneous items for our humble abode.
We didn’t measure any of the items and therefore didn’t discover until returning to the car that none of the furniture fit in the back of my vehicle. So we had to take off the headrests for the driver and passenger and lean forward a little bit on our ride home. Randy thought that he would be decapitated if we hit someone, but I assured him that this wouldn’t happen (I really had no idea).
We made a quick tour stop at Moffit Air Field, which is home to two of the last three standing Air Force Blimp Hangers from World War Two. They are huge structures, made completely of wood, and did I mention they’re huge?! It was interesting also, because there were some Army guys on the base standing around in their PT’s. We stopped and asked them for directions, and one of the guys in the group walks forward saying that he recognized me. Turns out that I served in Iraq with this guy for six months! It seems that the Army gets smaller and smaller with every year that passes.
Returned home, I ran and picked up a good friend from the airport, went to Quizno’s for dinner, picked up a friend from base to help us build our furniture, then returned home again to begin our tedious task.
Let me just say that it started out well. We built a chair, built Randy’s bed, built a couple of lights (forgot to get lightbulbs), and then started work on my bed. It was around 9:00pm when we started my bed, and by 10:00 we were just about done. Right around this time is when I’m trying to find my mattress to put on my bed. “Randy, have you seen my mattress?” Nope. I jokingly run down to the car thinking I had left it in there on accident. I return, more desperate then when I had left. No mattress.
Apparently, after reviewing the days events, we realized that we had left the $100 mattress at the checkout lane. We took it out of the cart so the cashier could scan it. “So I guess I won’t be sleeping on my bed tonight”, I said, as a tear slowly rolled down my cheek and fell on the un-lit floor. We determined that it would be okay. We’d just go back to Ikea the next day, receipt in hand, and explain the whole situation. They’ll give us another mattress.
“Randy, where are the receipts?”
Apparently, partly because Ikea doesn’t believe in shopping bags, we left the receipts in the cart, which we left in the parking lot. So no receipts. This will be an interesting problem to solve.
I told Randy, “Well that's fine, I’ll just sleep on the futon that we got for the living room, but I am not sleeping on that blow-up air mattress again.” As we began assembling the futon we realized that we had forgotten to purchase a mattress for it.
I slept in the living room last night, like a guest in my own home, with a partially constructed bed in my bed room, a partially constructed futon right next to me, a lamp with no light bulbs right above me, on an air-mattress that I knew would have no air by morning. Matthew 6:6-8 (ESV) But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. [7] "And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. [8] Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This past week has been extremely busy. I was forced out of the barracks by the Army because there isn't enough room on base to house all of the soldiers, therefore, sergeants have to go. I spent most of my free time last week looking for a place to live which consequently, caused some things to fall by the wayside. Things such as Physical Training, keeping in contact with loved ones, etc, etc. All the important things basically fell to the side!
To top it off, we had our first C-1 test this past Thursday and Friday. For those of you unfamiliar with how testing works at my language institute, let me just tell you that it is a very long process. We have five parts to our tests: Speaking, Reading, Listening, Arabic-English translation, and English-Arabic translation. I received the results back on Monday and, praise God, received all A's and B's. Not a bad start to my academic report card.
Had an amazing Easter celebration weekend as well. Watched the Passion of the Christ on Friday with my Bible Study group as well as had communion with them. That was a very powerful time for us. We sang songs and reflected on Christs sacrifice well into the evening.
I have had the priveledge to connect with some amazing Christians here on base who truly have a passion for the Lord. I look forward to the work we can do together in the advancement of God's Kingdom.
Monday began the week anew. Not much to report on, other than a delicious Tuesday night dinner at the Joneses house (potato caserol with a mixed fruit bowl). The only highlight from this week was this morning when I was backing out of my apartment complex. I accidently hit a parked car as I was turning my wheel. It wouldn't have been so bad, but like I said, it was in mid-turn so it basically scraped their car all the way down. I couldn't even see the car because I have to back up down a hill. Having just moved in, I don't think this is the best way to meet my new neighbors.
I don't know why I'm thinking about this right now, but I was running on the treadmill in the gym, as is my daily routine, and there was this old Korean lady running next to me. I was running fast, right around 9.5 mph, and I could hear this elderly Korean next to me keeping up at my pace. Frustrated, I bumped it up to 10 mph. She kept right up. Finally, I glanced over and looked at her treadmill screen, only to discover that she was actually "running" at 3.7 mph. She was just slamming her feet down so hard and taking such little steps that it sounded like she was running much faster. The scene just made me stop and laugh right there on my machine.
Anyway, that's been my week. I'm still in class. Still studying Arabic. Still learning a lot. And still giving God all the credit.
"Feeling low again, insignificant. My thoughts and fears overcome my mind, I find that there's no easy way to run from everything that's haunting me. I'm looking in the mirror for a smile, nothing is returned no matter how hard I try."
I know that these words may not seem like words of encouragement, however today, these were exactly the words I needed to hear.
I find it absolutely shocking that the person I'm around the most, the person that I should know everything about, constantly surprises me with what he does (or doesn't do). Yep, I'm around myself 24 hours a day and there are still many days where some of the things I do stun me. Despite my most valiant efforts, I have been the author of broken friendships, crippled dreams, and many unwanted detours in my race of life.
Again, I know this sounds depressing, and it has been a very depressing time right now, however the end of the story is good, so bear with me. My story continues:
"Now it's sinking in and I can't defend the broken man that I've become. I find there's nothing here that I made for myself and why I let it fall apart again."
Why do I do the things that I hate?
Galatians 5:17 (ESV) For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.
This verse didn't leave a very positive taste in my mouth. I thought, "So basically it's pointless to try and avoid sin in my life because there is no way out from its control." However, once I read verses 16 and 18, all became clear, and suddenly this thing called life became much more hopeful:
Galatians 5:16 (ESV) But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
Galatians 5:18 (ESV) But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
The word walk literally means "to tread all around". Sometimes I am content to tread next to the Spirit, but usually I tread in front of Him, taking Him where I want to go. This is where a lot of my problems in life develop.
Yes, I have made some dumb mistakes. Yes, I have destroyed relationships in the process. And I am sorry for my actions.
Through it all, there is a person closer than a brother. There is someone with whom I can weep my sufferings. And there is someone who is willing to forgive me when I screw up. Someone who knows me more intimately than even I know myself.
The song concludes in a soft moment of brokenness:
"But what I can't see is what you see inside of me. Help me to see what you see inside of me."
