Finally

We had a really great devotion today before the show. Tasha opened up to James and we just started discussing. One question for those out there who want to comment...once we have accepted Christ, do we have the potential to live a perfect life from then on out? It came up today and there were interesting arguments for and against.

Boy Meets World

And to top it off, We're now watching boy meets world in the hotel room...

The reason I'm posting this one, is a bunch of us went to the mall today to buy mood rings. It's been a running joke all tour.

"Mood Rings"by Reliant K
we all know the girls that i am talking about
well they are time bombs and they are ticking
and the only question's when they'll blow up
and they'll blow up; we know that without a doubt
cause they're those girls, yeah you know those girls that let their emotions get the best of them

and i've contrived some sort of a plan to help my fellow man
let's get emotional girls to all wear mood rings
so we'll be tipped off to when they're ticked off
cause we'll know just what they're thinking
cause what they're thinking...

she's so pretty but she but doesn't always act that way
her mood's out swinging on the swing set almost every day
she said to me that she's so happy it's depressing
and all i said was "someone get that girl a mood ring"

if it's drama you want then look no further
they're like the real world meets boy meets world meets days of our lives
and it just kills me how they get away with murder
they'll anger you then bat their eyes; those pretty eyes that watch you sympathize

and i've contrived some sort of a plan to help my fellow man
let's get emotional girls to all wear mood rings
so we'll be tipped off to when they're ticked off
cause we'll know just what they're thinking
cause what they're thinking...

she's so pretty but she but doesn't always act that way
her mood's out swinging on the swing set almost every day
she said to me that she's so stressed out that it's soothing
and all i said was "someone get that girl a mood ring"

cause when it's black (it) means watch your back because you're probably
the last person in the world right now she wants to see
and when it's blue it means that you should call her up immediately<>and ask her out because she'll most likely agree
and when it's green it simply means that she is really stressed
and when it's clear it means she's completely emotionless
(and that's all right i must confess)

we all know the girls that i am talking about
she liked you wednesday but now it's friday and she has to wash her hair
and it just figures that we'll never figure them out
first she's jekyll and then she's hyde....at least she makes a lovely pair

mood ring oh mood ring oh tell me will you bring
the key to unlock this mystery
of girls and their emotions
play it back in slow motion
so i may understand the complex infrastructure known as the female mind

[speaking:]heh...that's terrible

Yeah, I'm feeling a little bitter today.

Another day off

I woke up quite late this morning. Went to lunch at Subway with 9 of 12. Then Aaron, Jonathan and I went thrift shopping the the Murietta and Temecula area. Jonanthan had a tour meeting at 3, so Aaron and I continued shopping after dropping him of, until 5:30. Dinner, and now LOTR and ROTK.

I bought a pink sweater.

My sister emailed pics of the wedding, but they haven't shown up yet.

Wanting to write something deep

I wonder why Christians pray for spiritual maturity, but then gripe when the hard times come. Isn't this why we have them? Do we somehow expect maturity and perseverance to come while we're sitting around on the top of the mountain eating bonbons? And not the real "hard times." Like death, or poverty, loss of job or spouse or parent. But hard work, difficult circumstances. Things that don't go "exactly as planned."

I'm the worst about "my time." I hate to have it wasted. I hate waiting for people. Living with twelve people in a constant state of "wait, let me go get my bag, change my clothes, grab my key, wait, are you sure that's where we want to go" has probably been good for me, as frustrating as I find it some days. Today I thought if I had to wait one more second to begin the movie, I was going to throw the remote at something. I have read Screwtape Letters often enough to remember that time is not something we possess, but a gift we are given and have no control over. Even the number of our days isn't known to us. But somehow I still get miffed about my wasted hours and minutes. But God's been working on me with that. Learning to go with the flow and have a bit of patience, which is one more bit that I began tour with.

So, what does that have to do with the first bit? Well, in the midst of a miff over waiting, I had to be reminded, this is why I'm here. Not to perform, or to be in the spotlight (and it's hard to be conceited when you're up to your elbows in dishwater), but to learn and grow and learn to love people and God better. And don't I know that one's going to come back and bite me in the butt. Right now I'm quaking over the thought of having to sit down with someone and confront them about some things they've been doing lately, instead of taking the far easier route of ignoring and avoiding them. Which I've been doing for the past few days, and my team leader had to call me on it. And I really would rather just blow them off for another month. It would be less hassle. But then God brings this one back to mind:

"No Christian ever has a right to sever any relationship with anybody out of anger or pique, or even injustice, no matter how much he disapproves of someone's actions. It's our place to demonstrate reconciliation - not judgment or revenge or retaliation. That's God's business, not ours...When the lines of communication are cut so that two people can't even talk, what have you gained then? All you've done is sever what may have been God's only way into a man's heart." ~Catherine Marshall.

And, speaking of which, there's another unresolved reconciliation I've been putting off for a while that I really need to attend to.

Doing Nothing

Today I did...nothing!

Woke up at 8 to my phone ringing. It was Mary calling to see if I wanted to go trudge around Europe for a couple of weeks next summer. Do I ever!

Then I went back to bed, slept until 11, puttered around for a few hours, Julie and I went to rent movies. Watched "Life or Something Like It" and "Ella Enchanted." The first was extremely excellent, the second I liked a good deal, but not on the same level.

We went to dinner at TGIFridays and then to the hot tub. Where we met a nice guy who was meeting a girl he'd be corresponding with for some time, for the first time that evening. Tomorrow, we're off to Disneyland.

Four days off

We have four days off!!!!

We finished our five day run of the show...Calvary Chapel Murietta is a great audience. They laughed at all the right places, and didn't laugh at the wrong ones (like the helicopter crashing -- I have yet to figure out why that strikes people as funny). Our hosts are so generous. We've barely had to eat adobo at all this week because they keep bringing us food. And they brought on extra volunteers to wash dishes while the show is going, so most of the work is done by the time the show is over. Making for much easier cleanup. And they put us up at a hotel. Did I mention that? I do kind of miss getting to meet new people, but this is a nice break. It does make tour feel a little like your average high school band trip, but at least we don't have to pack up every day.

Tonight, after walking through a drive-through in auto formation, we're having a chick flick night. We tried to rent Pride and Prejudice for a marathon, but we missed the lady at Hollywood Video by about 10 seconds. She locked the door when we pulled up. On second thought, maybe it wasn't midnight, she just thought we looked suspect. TBS is playing Sleepless in Seattle following You've Got Mail. Tasha is sewing, Julie is watching intently -- watching me that is. Because she's waiting for the computer, and Nicole is passed out and snoring beside me.

Tomorrow we're going to find a bookstore and read for hours. Tuesday we may make it to Disneyland, if we end up going. And then we still have two days until the next show. Except for a food order having to come in. That's such a pain in the butt. Having to unload the whole trailer and break down boxes and shove food in, duct taping the fridge door closed. Put it all back. Repeat, once a week. Ah well. Part of the business...

So I'm starting to doze. I'll see you guys in the next few. We have free wireless internet in the hotel!

Murietta

We're on day two of four shows at Murietta Calvary Chapel. Last night we had people washing dishes during the show, so a good deal of clean up was finished before we were. And we didn't have to tear down.

Another Op'ning, Another Show

Tonight was my first show on complete auto pilot. We're at number 28 tonight. I was trying to answer my mail (I got three letters forwarded -- the first mail we've received in over a month!), so onstage time was kind of an afterthought.

Good show though. Audience of somewhere around 200.

Tomorrow we're off to Murietta for our week and a half stint. After the show we have to clean up, but not tear down!!!! Ahh, it does the heart good.

After Sunday, we have four days off.

Nancy, my former small group leader sent me a letter today. It was so great to hear from her. Two of her kids are off doing YWAM, which I always wanted to do. Guess that means I'm not too old after all.

Kind of a mishmash tonight. I'm really tired.

On the road again

We're off! Southern California here we come!

And I hear gas prices are astronomical...so we'll have to remember to gas up at the border again. And the biggest perk of the whole thing? For eight days we'll be staying in a hotel. A church opted to put us up there rather than passing us around the church for 8 days.

Our last day

OUR LAST DAY IN ARIZONA!

What a relief. I feel I've seen as much of this state as I wanted to, and more. We have done more driving than is typical (They keep mentioning the mythical standard that is the "normal tour." We have yet to see it). I think we've crossed the state three or four times. Tomorrow morning we leave for the Murietta/Tumecula area in Southern California. I'm so excited!

Time does seem to be standing still on tour. The weather down here is basically the same all year. It should be fall now. When we hit Dallas, OR in November, it's going to be quite a shock!

The Blue Castle

The other day I was co-ping for Tasha, so I began to read The Blue Castle aloud for her and Vicky. Yesterday we read another 120 pages aloud on the way from Sonoita to Phoenix. Last night Tasha rigged it so that Julie, Tasha and I could house together to finish the last four chapters before bed.

That is the second time I've read that book aloud. Last time with Wendy and Drea.

Next long drive we start Little Women -- which Tasha (contrary to everything this country holds dear) has never read.

Adventures with a Leech

Yesterday I came the closest to breaking character I ever have in this run.

Jo came onstage for the scene where she pulls a leech off her leg in the jungle. She looks puzzled, and doesn't lift the hem of her skirt to show the black blog of tape. Then I notice there is something on my shoe. At a convenient point in the scene, I look down and notice...its stuck to the bottom of my shoe.

Of course from there on it's all over. Every time I took a step I'm reminded. Burt swears I was laughing so hard I shook the stage. I doubt it, but dang was that funny!

Real Coffee

I found a Seattle's Best Coffeehouse located almost hidden on the corner behind a gas station. We parked at the Starbucks two blocks away and I walked back. Prompting Jonathan to say, "You know she's a really NW-er when Starbucks isn't good enough." I do go to the one, but not when the other is so handily present.

Dad, for you I had a raspberry hazelnut mocha.

Ramadan

After the show on the 15th, I went with my homestay to a Ramadan party.

It was upstairs at the church, blankets on the floor, pillows strewn about, and shoes prohibited. They had a table of Middle-Eastern snacks and (ironically) Mango Nectar made in the Philippines.

Jessica went right away to the group centered around our hosts. I walked over to the missions table, looking for something to do after a long night that didn't involve trying to "recommend myself to strangers." Jeremy was that guy at the table. He gave me the low down on everyone in the room. Most have been to the Middle East in the short term, or will be heading there full time within the next five years. A few years ago that would have been tantamount to a suicide mission in many places, but he said doors have begun to open.

After that I talked to the youth leader. He's still in college, and doesn't feel called to long term missions (missions was kind of in the air that night), but wanted to know if I was called, and what am I currently studying in the Bible. I have to say, I could tell him verses, badly misquoted, but he would jump right in with, " Oh that's from Matthew 13, right?" Rather daunting, but we had some good conversation on the topic of giving. I had a few opinions and ideas, and his comments have prompted a topical overview on the subject.

Gilbert, AZ

Today we have a show that is quite the three ring circus. They have special tables that will be discussing missions during breaks in the show. Afterwards they will spend a half an hour doing their own presentation. It is going to be a late night.

Nogales

So yesterday we went to Nogales, Mexico. It was interesting. I bought an anklet (down from $6 each to 3 for $5) just to get the experience of bartering (although the acual haggling was expertly done by Walter and Nicole. I walked around trying not to get accosted, and Vicky took Walter's injunction to "not speak to anyone" seriously to a fault. But after a few minutes we got into the swing of things, and stood back and watched Nicole at work. She didn't want anything, she'd just pick something up, smile when they set a price, and walk away. She got a guy down from $34 to $12.50 in thirty seconds flat without even saying anything.

After that we crossed the train tracks and went to eat at La Roca. I had my first non-Taco Bell gordita. It was excellent, as was the tortilla soup with a mysterious spice in a dish on the side. That was good too. We finished it off with some cheesecake. How awesome, and another country to color in on my map.

Grand Canyon

We went to the Grand Canyon. Grand isn't a big enough word. It was so colossal it seemed stupid to take a picture of yourself pointing. How silly we are. Someone along the way told us the average person spends only 15 minutes staring into it. We spent four hours, and even got to see sunset. What an amazing range of colors. I've never liked southwestern architecture, except for the palates it produces. What awesome pinks and oranges.

The Colorado River (which we could only see a tiny bit of) isn't picturesque. A settler once said it was too thick to drink and too thin to plow. I bought postcards of scenic parts you can't see from the top -- beautiful waterfalls with rare plants around them -- hardly desert at all.

Following Aaron's example I climbed out on a rock that jutted over the precipice. I walked almost to the end, then crawled the last few feet. There was a hairline fracture at the tip I decided not to cross -- but I have a picture floating around of me out there.

The guys peed off the edge...

The aftermath

Thanksgiving was fun...I feel like I need to break out John Denver and the Muppets and pull out the trees this morning. We did sing Christmas carols after dinner.

Julie and I had a great time. We found a book of music that had all of our old favorites. No one else knew them, so they must have been "homeschool songs." We sang "Bullfrogs and Butterflies," "Rise and Shine," -- with motions, and a whole slew of others.

My favorite, though, was turning a page and finding "Horse and Riders." One of my earliest memories is of my Dad standing up with a guitar in front of Tieton Drive Bible Chapel leading that song. I've never seen in anywhere else, but I can still sing all three parts of the round. That was neat!

The show that almost wasn't...

The show that almost wasn't

Another long weekend. On the way to Saturday's show, the truck broke down 100 miles from the venue. Again, we piled into the remaining two leaving Tasha and Burt with the broken one. At the performance there was only enough power if we ran extension cords to upstairs offices and the men's bathroom. The kitchen crew helped set up the stage, since we coudln't cook without our kitchen trailer, hooked to the back of the truck. Tasha and Burt arrived just in time, with enought pizza for 200 people. The show started well, but then our stage manager began (literally) throwing up all over backstage. Two down. Everyone pitched in to get things done. Nick (one of Aaron's replacements for this weekend -- while he went to his sister's wedding) stayed late to help us tear down.

The next morning, Tasha, Burt and I got up at 5:30 to drive back to get our truck and trailer, while the rest of our team headed on to Flagstaff. We arrived by an alternate route just slightly behind them, just in time to watch them take the last of the planes out of the hanger we were performing in. Jessica was sent straight to someone's house. I took her walk on role, and Tasha stage managed. Nick came early to take over her jobs for set up, and stayed for tear down. The kitchen was very small, but we had to hold the show because so many people came. We had to set up extra tables! That was exciting!

So now we have four days off. Today we celebrate Canadian Thanksgiving, tomorrow we go to the Grand Canyon, then trive back to Phoenix. Wednesday we're off (but may go to Mexico) and Thursday we drive to Gilbert for another set of shows... We really needed the four days off!

Last Week's Quotes

Last Week's Quotes



"We prayed for each other, or rather, Aaron prayed for us, and we agreed with him." ~Walter



"I want to pray for my mangos. They're all sticky and perspiring." "Tha sounds like a personal problem." ~Vicky and Co.



Sign: Special Needs Vehicles. "What does that mean? Three wheels and a crutch?" ~Me



"It seems to me that they ought to put the eye on the children and leave the garage doors alone." ~Bert



"According to your reaview mirror, what direction are you facing?" ~Tasha

"Well, sunset's in front of us, did they move it?" ~WDT

"It wasn't the sarcasm, it was the grapes hitting the car they were mad about. Which I don't understand since they're not much bigger than the bugs around here." ~Nicole

"The funny thing about amputation..." ~Vicky

They need to translate the Bible into sign language." "They have, it's called braile." ~Aaron and Me, respectively

"They go alphabetical and by gender. That's why half of them are called him-icanes." ~Bert

Pool Party

Pool Party

We had rehearsal today with the two guys who will be taking over for Aaron when he goes away for two days. They are doing a great job. It is so weird to have new people joining us. On the plus side, Nick is virtually the same size as Aaron, so I won't have to fake new costumes on the road. Chuck is bringing his own priest costume and suit.

After this morning's rehearsal, we came back to our billet for hamburgers and pool time. I even played volleyball for an hour, and hit the ball back over the net once. New personal record for me. And I made margaritas for the two ladies making dinner. Can't let those bartending skills go to waste. They have one of the nicest private bars I've ever seen. They even had Malibu rum, but being good, I didn't partake. I will be back bartending for the month of December before rehearsals start up again in January.

So that's all the updates. Last night was a really good show. The church decided they couldn't think of a better place for an offering to go than supporting our ministry, so we received all of it (instead of just being reimbursed for the cost of the performance). What a blessing!

New Friends

I've been told some of my cast mates have visited my blog. Here's the drill. I write something. If you want to comment, look down....further(farther?) down to where it says comments. Double click and a screen will pop up that look very much like and IM screen. After you've written, hit post. That's how it goes!

Something New

Alright guys, I'm collecting so many good quotes on tour, I've created a spot for them on my sidebar. Enjoy!

The most beautiful house in the world

I am staying in Phoenix in the most beautiful house in the world. It just keeps going. Everytime I turn a corner we find another wing. And they have a putting green in their backyard.

This morning, before we left, we took a tour of the Wycliffe office in Tucson. Normally American offices do not have translating going on, just administration. During the 80's when Mexico closed its borders to the US, translators found themselves back in the States and unable to get a visa to return to their regional sites. So, this office was born. For over a decade translators brought individuals from various people groups up to aid them in translations out of that office. Now, it is the home of retired volunteers and the literacy offices.

The amazing thing about their center is how total it is. There is an upholstery house and an automotive shop. Missionaries on furlough use donated cars to get around, but people rarely donate new vehicles. The auto shop workers spend their time literally piecing vehicles back together again. (I saw one half of a van being rebuilt from bits and pieces)

The audio department takes recordings of sections of scripture, edits them, and converts the reels to tape and cd. One woman listens to every word of a recording in a language she doesn't speak, and makes sure it is correct. In one particular recording, the spaces between sentences were over edited, and the breaths were too loud, so she was lengthening pauses and cutting and pasting new breaths in. Tedious work there.

Missionaries on furlough also need clothes, so there was a boutique of donated articles. Unfortunatly, like the cars, many of the donations are from vintages that will never be revived. No one goes to Saks 5th Avenue to stock the missionary barrel. Do people even realise that there is such thing as a missionary barrel this century.

Something to think about, if you are donating items after spring cleaning. Call a Wycliffe office, or any missionary organization and see what their needs are.

Quote

Overheard yesterday:

They like dead people and posessed women..

Hard day's night

Here I am finally! The last place I stayed had so many blockers and filters, it wouldn't let me blog.

Last night was our hardest show yet. It was an odd shaped room, and had two immovable stages that we had to work our stage around. Then, at mic check, three mics didn't work. So our 15 minutes dragged into over a half an hour. There was barely enough room backstage to maneuver (which caused several almost-character breaks as we walked onstage giggling at how we almost didn't make it that time). Then, afterwards, I lost a crew member during packing. She began panicking and felt like she was going to pass out. I sent her outside, but then I was down a crew member -- and she's the one who organises how things get put back into our tupperware tubs to get loaded back on the carts. It took a long time, and we had several dished break in the chaos. It's always the ones you don't have any extras of that get smashed. I was the last person out of the building by quite a bit. I'm sore this morning!

Today we're off to Northminster Presbyterian, where my church's old youth minister is now head pastor. We'll see if he comes to the show...