Time Out

Bali, Indonesia -- I'm just taking a time out from my beautiful sunny gorgeous, warm, sweat yourself away Bali trip to write a few moments... :)

Let's just say that this bed is the most beautiful thing I've felt in a loooooonnnng time. Since yesterday.

Well, I've arrived. Obviously. The flights were good...The 13.5 hour one from Dallas to Tokyo was well... long.. but the guy I was sitting next to was really cool and is somewhere in Taipei right now, if I'm correct. But he's a Chinese Christian, very involved in ministry and doing stuff in Dallas.

Landing in Tokyo was rather anti-climatic, I'm sorry to say. I think that's because it was all brown, and we didn't fly over the city. But watching all the boats and stuff in the water was cool as we were nearing Japan. We flew over the Rockies, past the Alaskan archipelago...? Is that what it's called? Anyway. And then over the sea to the east of Siberia. In that kind of an ark. It was nice to watch on the screen.

Somewhere around the second flight I began to lose my sanity... It was a really nice flight though... there was noooo one... so in between them feeding us a million times, and after watching Mamma Mia, I stretched out and slept for four hours.

Chris, a friend, picked me up at the airport, and I was never so happy to check into my room... my roommate was already sleeping and she got up, answered the door, said, hi, welcome, you must be tired, you should go to bed. And then she laid down and went back to sleep.

And I was still standing there.The bathroom and shower is outside (there's a wall for each room) and it only had cold water. I didn't mind, I just wanted to get clean and get to bed.

Slept for a few hours and got back up. Did I mention it's really hot in Bali? Well, it's not so much hot as it is humid. Anyway, we went up a volcano on the day before the conference started on the ridge that goes along the cone top and saw the lake inside... it was cool. Lots of shopping... which I haven't bought much but they do have a lot of neat stuff... but still, it's cool to see everything. We changed rooms yesterday, which was nice and I changed roommates. She's a single missionary working in Thailand and she's from the Philippines... she's great! I like her!

Oh, and the bathroom AND shower is inside in this room. And has hot water. I like this room! Oh, and it has a balcony. Beautiful!

The food is really good and there's a place right around the block that we've been frequenting, beside the meals we eat together at the conference.The conference is also really good-- the teachings have been really applicable and very moment right... even the theme! Dale preached tonight and it was a very, very good message... and another guy that I really look up to taught on the phases of planting an indigenous church, and Chuck taught on persevering... Phil. 3:13-14... It was all very good!!! Still 2 more days of the conf... it's very relaxed and there is a lot of fellowship which is a big thing for us. It's REALLY cool to meet all the people who are working around here... well, in this continent... They're all VERY cool, and I love to listen to their stories... That's one of the best parts about it all... a lot of important stuff goes on during those times.

Well, I need to get to bed. I know it's like 9am for you all, but it's like 11pm for me, and I have to get up at like 6....Blessed sleep! I really could use a LOT more sleep, but.. it's Bali. BALI. Sleep is not that important when there's so much to see and do and people to talk to.

More individual stories to come when I have freer internet and more stories to come... which! I think I'll get to carry on the tradition and ride on a motorcycle tomorrow. How fun!

ALSO- if you could pray for me... I'm fine, and I really just need to drink more water, but I've been dizzy... which I know is dehydration. We're the slighest bit south of the equator and it's hot and humid and you sweat a lot!Apart from that, I'll be back soon! Updates will be more regular in Japan where I don't have to pay for internet... I bought a card for 2 hours for this week which I'm trying to regulate in short times!Yeah, yeah, I'm going!