VERY BUSY, BUSY, BUSY, BUSY!

    I have been very busy and GOD is making it busier.  I have added a couple more task to my busy schedule.  Time management......I mean sleep deprivation Is the only way I can get it all done.


CHURCH

    At church I am getting familiarized with the mixer (Yamaha MG32/14FX). Last week I sat at the soundesk (as they call it) with Steve (my small group leader), so he could give me the basics on the board.  Tonight will be my first time doing sound for the evening service, which I normally attend.  Cool, HUH!


WORK

    I had heard they needed welders at work recently.  I told the weld supervisor (softball coach) I had welded in the past.  I said I could run some welds for him, to see If there was hope for me as a welder.  He said, "When I will get some time I will set something up."  The next day, I had finished my regular work and had nothing to do but wait for parts.  I asked the weld supervisor if there was anything that I could do to help him.  He told me to help so and so and do this and that.  I checked with my supervisor to see if it was okay with him and he said it was fine.  So I then went to help at the weld shop.  When I got there, Chris (welder from Port Orchard?) said, "what are you doing up here?"  I told him I came to help out.  His jaw dropped and he sticks his hand out to shake my hand and thanks me.  He says, "nobody has ever asked to help at weld shop."  He has been in Qatar (5-6 years).  The weld shop is the dirtiest and hottest place on base.  Normally people play on computers or disappears when work is slow, they never volunteer to do more work!

SHH!  What they don't know is that I work for JESUS, and my employer gets stuck with having to pay my bills, HEE, HEE!  

Okay, check this out........  Philippians 4:19.  Have I told you that I love Philippians?

Overhead Welding Gear

    I completed the task at the weld shop, in the scorching heat (a task no one wanted to do) pretty fast. I love it, finally I was sweating like a pig and working like a dog, I enjoy working hard!  It feels, as though I have done something useful.  I asked Chris if he would help me get set up to weld (the boss was to busy, so God allowed Chris to help).  I told him what I wanted to do, he was excited and energized.  I have never had any quality weld training before, so this is going to be fun.  I have been practicing at work now for 2 full 12hr days plus some.  He says I have hope, and I have been getting great encouragement from him and the weld shop.  I am my biggest critic, I know what welds should look like and I am getting frustrated.  He comforts me, and says it takes time, we have been doing this for years.  They are not teaching me to weld as much as they are teaching me to pass the certification test.  The rest will happen on the job, at their expense (GOD is cool).   My resume, or bag of tricks that God has enabled to have is getting heavier. 

     GOD WILL USE WHAT HE HAS GIVEN YOU, IF YOU ARE F.A.T., F.A.T., F.A.T. (faithful, available, teachable)! 

    Sorry, I am so busy I have to stop writing and get ready for evening service (running soundesk and go prayer walking).  I will be back as God allows. (1352hrs. Friday, , 111 degrees F. it was 118F.)

  I'm back  from church.  (4MAY, 2230hrs. 88 F.)

 BACK AFTER CHURCH  
    Mixing the sound at church was a mess.  The worship service (Arabic) at church is pretty small in the evening.  Consequently you don't need a lot of amplification.  They have previously used the monitor speakers and the stage sound for worship.  I came in and tried to do a sound check, and it was not working.  I was getting frustrated and just winged it.  Afterwards I talked with worship leader and explained, why I had to check sound.  I want to drop stage sound down, so we can mix the worship and give them what they need in monitors only.  Next week we will try it again and see if they understood what I was talking about.  I am boring those of you who don't know what I am talking about.  Those of you who do know what I am talking about realize, this can be a messy deal sometimes.
    We had a guest Egyptian preacher tonight.  He talked about the Sermon on the Mount and having a clean heart, so God could use us.  It was okay, as I best I could tell.  The sermon was told to me through a interpreter Fouad (young man from Morocco).  The sermons always seem to be milk toast (sermons for young in the faith) this is okay but never seems to get to the meat.  The meat being, loving and serving the lost in obedience to Christ.  That is okay for now, God is using me as an example of being about his business.  Hany the head preacher dude at the Arabic service told me they are blessed to have me at their church.  I told him he needs to blame God for that because He is doing it.  Ooh, I forgot to ask him if he finished Rules for Christian Radicals. THANK-YOU LORD!

WORK   
    Here is some bad news I guess, if you take it wrong.  You all heard I got my license and how I was able to do this and that now, right?  Well, I get home late at night with the vehicles sometimes as late as 1 am.  Everything here starts late at night so naturally I would get home late.  My friends are from church and happen to be people that are in countries that are on Americas terror list Syria, Morocco, Egypt, etc.).  Somebody who is concerned brought this to my bosses attention.
    I was brought to my bosses office and told of this.  He told me I could not have these people in company vehicles, over to my house and I had to have vehicles back at 11:30.  I told him it seems to me that the rules are being selectively being enforced.  Now, if I had a Filipino woman living in my house (and had a wife in America) or was out all night drinking with the company vehicle that was okay.  I bet if these friends of mine were my gay lovers it would be okay! It just cracks me up how this stuff works.  I told him I wanted to talk to his boss with him.
    Now his boss is the guy that is supporting me in the TESOL (teaching English to speakers of other languages) stuff.  He is pretty level headed fellow.  My boss said okay and we went that day.  The big boss explained the situation as it could be a security risk.  He knows that it is B.S., he even said so.  He said you are different than everybody else.  I said I know, I fell like I am being discriminated against by these rules being selectively enforced.  He responds I would say it is a preference not discrimination.  I said I understand why you chose to use that word and I disagree.  He said he can do what every he wants in enforcing the rules, and yes I selectively enforce because every situation is different.  He asked me what religion are you?  I said I belong to the non-denomination denomination.  He understood what I was saying.  I told them I believe God is here right now and he is in control of all things.  I said, the only thing I am in control of is, what these hands do and what this mind thinks.  The rest is up to GOD.
    He asked if I was a spy, and I said If I was I wouldn't tell you!  He said are you? No!  This was a fun interaction with him.  He said in front of my supervisor, that my supervisor lacks tack in a lot of situations and needs some work.  He told me that if I wanted to drive my friends some where for a special event I should just let them know and they would approve it.  I told him, I am not going to do that, because it would be showing special treatment.  I was not going to put him or I in apposition where someone could say he is giving me special treatment.  I said I have to be above reproach, because of who I am and who I stand for, I'm different.  He said he understood.
    See how God has set me apart and has given me a voice?  It is cool, now when I tell the story everybody says, that is a bunch of B.S.  Everyone knows I am not out chasing women and drinking like they are.  It sure has been a pain in the butt for me.  I can't pick my friends up or have them over anymore.  I am really looking forward to buying a car and perhaps moving out with my church friends.

HOME   
    I have been taking Fouad and Zrdasht prayer walking in a neighborhood down the road with me.  I have been to the same place 4 weeks in a row.  Today I went by myself Z and F were busy doing something else.  When I go, I stop at the same shop for tea and have the same barber trim my mustache.  I told Z and F that I don't care about having my mustache trimmed (but it sure looks nice) or tea, but it is about relationships and influence.  Today at the tea shop the owner was leaving and he saw me.  He walked back inside and spoke in Arabic to his workers and then left.  As I walked in the shop the worker handed me my tea and I paid him.  He must have told them what I wanted before he left.  4 weeks and they already know me and I am gaining influence.  God is way to cool!  The barber today trimmed my mustache and removed some ear and neck hair as well.  Here is a short video on Facebook I made of the process. (0004hrs., 4 May)
    I should be receiving my TESOL certificate this week.  I am not sure when I will start teaching the class.  I am not in a big hurry as God has a lot on my plate at the moment.

WISDOM
    Work hard, be diligent, honest, trustworthy, faithful and GOD will take care of the rest!
Colossians 3:22-24.  LATER!  (0127hrs., 5MAY, 88F.)