Seoul Power!

So in a week and a couple of days, I will be in South Korea. :) I cannot really express how excited I am to be able so say that. There is just an awesome feeling of anticipation that just makes me happy every time I realize that it is almost time.

I can't wait to just experience what it is like to be able to be surrounded with another culture, and to have the chance to be inspired by the awesome Christians in Korea and to witness to those people that we meet who need Jesus. I am looking forward to being able to teach children English, to love them and play games with them.

I can't wait to help out at the Passion conference, making friends with South Korean college students who are totally sold out for God. I know that God is going to do so much in out time in Korea and I can't wait to experience it!

Blogs of Note

I don't know if you are a fan of Blogger's Blogs of Note feature, but I sure am. I love hearing what other people have to say (comments are simply adored here!) about things going on in their lives, about their passions, or about whatever strikes their fancy. Blogs of Note helps me find really excellent blogs that I may never find on my own. I love to find something new to subscribe to, and I usually find a link to a cool blog or two from the lucky blogs on Blogs of Note.

These blogs that are featured on Blogs of Note are very often about some special subject, like reading or parenting, but sometimes they are just the ramblings of a regular person with a knack for saying the usual in an unusual way. I love those blogs the most. :)

It takes a dedicated readership to be featured on BON, but I hope to get there someday. Right now I have a max number of viewers on one day of 70...and that was the result of a sneaky trick in which I may or may not have said that I had webbed feet. At any rate, I was really happy that the trick worked, because it got me tons more exposure than I have ever had before (so visit often...I like being excited about my numbers!).

No matter the number of daily visitors I have, I am really glad that I have any people at all who bother to read this crazy little blog. After all, there are days (almost all of them) when I can count the number of visitors I have one one hand. But at least they are there. Thanks to everyone who keeps my numbers above zero!!! :)

Looking Ahead

On my wall right above my desk, a beautiful map of China is prominently displayed. I love China. The Chinese people that I have met are wonderful (many of my good friends are Chinese), the literature I read from China is awesome, and the books and articles that I have read about China and the TV shows that I have watched are eye opening. I haven't been to China yet, but someday I will go...and I am so excited for that time, believe me! The point of the above declarations is to let you know that God has placed such a love for China on my heart.

I don't feel called to be a full time missionary in China, although I used to want to teach English there. I do feel called, however, to witness to the Chinese people here in America. I know that God wants me to reach them in a way that sounds totally crazy to many people, but sounds absolutely perfect to me. I want to start an outreach center for Chinese immigrants (I love immigrants, too) somewhere with a large population of said people. I want to help them become citizens, learn English, develop skills that they couldn't back home, and, most importantly, learn about God's love for them.

To do this, I will need to fully rely on God. I will be learning Mandarin eventually, taking classes that help me learn how to start something like this, getting certified to teach ESL, getting my masters in something that will help me to do this, and much, much more. There is no way I can do any of those things without God's help! Just looking at the list terrifies me. How can I do all of these things?

Without God, this dream of mine would be as impractical as trying to dig my way to China. With him, though, I can rest assured that it will happen.

Wow!

So, this is what you can do with Picasa (a super sweet photo editing tool from Google that is free!), which really impresses me. Compared to the price of Photoshop, Picasa is great! There is a lot of value in this program, and it is very easy to use. The new beta edition is a vast improvement over the older version, with better features and fewer crashes. I definitely recommend it! :)

McCain and Obama

I have noticed one thing in listening to the speeches of both aforementioned candidates. Before I say it, I just want to let you know that I am really very moderate.

Anyway, I have noticed that when you listen to Obama just to listen, without any regard for what he is saying, it is verrry easy to get swept away in the man's sheer ability to express himself. He can make anything sound like the best idea ever, a skill that is highly valuable. However, when I listen to the concepts he talks about, I find that there is a little bit of substance lacking.

Conversely, listening to McCain isn't usually very exciting...he doesn't have that dynamic appeal that makes you want to hear him speak. He just talks, and sometimes chuckles. Listen to what the man says, though, and you get a pretty solid picture of what is going on. I like that.

Eventually, I want to be able to prove what I'm talking about here, you know, using transcripts and the like, but I don't have time just now. It would be pretty neat though.

Conventional Wisdom

Like the DNC earlier, the RNC has consumed a lot of my television watching time (not that there is a whole lot of that) lately. These conventions have been a mixture of speeches both mediocre and phenomenal, surrounded by people wearing crazy clothes and hats holding up homemade signs, on stages that are dazzling displays of neon and LCDs. Although the Democrats had the cooler looking stage, I like how the GOPers have a mostly simple background behind thier speakers. You can't really get distracted from the boring (I mean, informative) speeches.

The point of this post, though, is the amount of fun that the delegates and convention-goers seem to be having. Watching these old ladies, high powered businessmen and politicians and regular joe types dance around like a bunch of crazy kids is hilarious! They wave their signs and their hands, clapping and smiling all the while. I don't know when the last time I had that much fun was! It is clear by watching these people...political conventions are the place to be!