20 miles a week

It is official. My fellow classmates and I are a third of the way through our Arabic program. I can't believe that in less than a year I will be home and fluent (give or take a few words) in Arabic. It doesn't seem like that day will get here!

This past week has flown by. We had Friday off becuase of a base-wide "Language Day", which was such a blast to attend. We had high schoolers and teachers from all over the country come to see how the DLI operates and teaches languages so quickly. We had teachers from as far away as Michigan and New York join us. It was great.

This past Friday I went and saw the Da Vinci Code. It was the first time that I had been to a movie that was completely sold out (our group of four had to split up to find a seat), and that had protesters and camera crews outside. It made for an enjoyable night. The movie was done really well but I recommend reading up on your church history before going to see it, as there are many blatant errors in the film. Click here for a link to some good material.

Saturday I spent with my roommate Randy. We went for a seven mile run from Asilomar to Lover's Point and back. It was a beautiful day, right around 74 degrees with a light breeze. I have really gotten into the sport of running. I run over 20 miles a week and have met a lot of new people doing so. I see people all the time in downtown Monterey that I know just because they run the same trails/roads that I do. It's like a secret little community that I never knew existed! We're all training for the same thing too, the San Franscisco Marathon. So whenever we see each other we say, "You better be training hard if you want to beat me!"
My prayer is that I can run the race of life with the same fervor and run alongside a strong group of Christians that can motivate me when I'm down and keep me accountable when I'm weak.

I think the LORD has blessed me with such a group. I have been attending a Bible study at a couple's house in Monterey for nearly three months and have really gotten to enjoy the people there. Saturday we went to see Ice Age 2 and then headed back to their house where Rich cooked us his famous BBQ spare ribs. They were delicious. Then, in a surprise move, we decided to go to the beach for a bonfire (yes at 11pm). It was such a blessing. We spent about an hour talking with each other, roasting marshmallows, joking around, and then 45 minutes in worship: Andy on the guitar and God on the drums (the ocean). I remember looking up at the stars and thinking, "If this is even a glimpse of Heaven, being surrounded by friends and worshipping you all the time, then I can't wait to get there."

Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.~Ecclesiastes 4:12