My posts haven't been fast and furious

No, not at all. In fact they've been few and far between. I have counted up, on one hand in fact how many days I will be home in October, 4. Four whole days! It's a little higher if I count weekends, 6. Six full days I'll be sleeping in the comfort of my bed. 

I think dry cleaning features very prominently in my future and work may be buying me some travel pillows. 

The stars at night are big and bright

Deep in the heart of Fort Worth.

Downtown Fort Worth with it's cobblestone streets is just a beautiful sight.

You can take in a show at the Bass performance hall

If you look closely you can see the rooftop terrarium which is a nice little night club.

Or you can visit the Jazz club

And stay in a nearby motel or hotels. This one had it's one rooftop barbeque grill for the guests, only in Texas.

It's one of my favorite places to visit.

Awww

Have I mentioned that I travel a lot as part of my mission? Look what I found in my luggage?

If you're ever in Toronto

Check out the Ethiopian house!

You will not be disappointed!

Guardian angels give ordinary directions too!

I was on my way back from mass in Helsinki back to my hotel (which is not in Helsinki but in a nearby town accessible by buses) in the freezing cold winter here and when I arrived to my transfer bus stop (on the highway in the darkness of 8pm Finland) was when I noticed that my bus was not due to arrive for another 1.5 hrs. This was the point where I complained to God and my guardian angels saying 'I have just done a good thing here, can't you help me out to get back to my hotel?'. It wasn't an easy thing to get to mass in the first place! It was terribly inconvenient, but I did it and I thought I did this for God! See how good I am, help me out here.

Then it got real. Nope I didn't do it for God. I did it for me because I need mass. God doesn't need mass. He's perfect. He doesn't need my prayers. He doesn't need me to worship him. I do. I need to be surrounded by other sinners just like me who are reaching for him. I need to see their faith. I need to reach out to him in prayer. I need prayer, I need His presence more than I need air. So if I examine it completely, I need Him way more than he needs my measly prayers.

One thing I love about going to international english masses is that it feels very apostolic. It was crowded with people from all over, people who are trying their best, people who don't really know 'is this for real?' and people who have a full realization that there is only one God, and he became man and died for me and this same God invites me, who nailed him to the cross with my sins to eat at his table. This is a God of generosity, a God of love and a God who loves me, crankiness and all so my response should be joy! That's it! Joy for me this lenten season. How's that for lent?

So to finish my frozen story. There I was at the bus stop with my frozen apendages thinking a taxi sure would be good right about now. So I turned around, walked back into town, hoping to find a hotel. Instead I found a gas station and no sooner do I see the gas station then I see a taxi for hire pull in.

Thanks for the taxi guys! It didn't need to be a Mercedes but I did get the message. Our God is a generous God. Thanks be to God!

God's little secret agent

When you are in God's service be prepared to travel into unknown territories, into lands where you don't speak the language, where the mission remains always the same but the manner to accomplish the mission is unknown because you find that you are kept in the dark on need to know basis and he ain't revealing anything until you absolutely need to know, where you masquerade working a day job but that's just cover for your real mission, where you find yourself exhausted from traveling and changing situations but you just roll with it.
Just when I was starting to think I was on a business trip to Finland, I am reminded that the reality is I'm ever his operative out in the field and I'm ever so glad to be in his service because honestly there is no better boss in the world to have. He's a bit demanding but he's also a fountain of mercy.

Stateside!!!

I was meditating this morning on possibly one of the saddest New Testament passages which is found during Jesus' betrayal and arrest in Mt 25:56:
"Then all the disciples left him and fled."

I thought how sad for Jesus and I thought how many times I've left him too and fled and then instead of the expected despair at that thought, I thought of all the people who wished me well, who didn't skip a beat to welcome me home, the instant messages from overseas as soon as my plane touched down to welcome me home, the presents waiting for me as I walked in the empty house and so much more.

I can't help but think, how great is our God? Despite how many times we leave him, he will always repay it with good, always.

Paris and up until 2 am???

Wasup with that????

We must be on holiday. We stopped at Sacre Cour Basilica for 10 pm mass (it's 1st Friday, give me a break) with 6 priests, 2 deacons, 4 altar servers (~12 yrs old) and loads of nuns and laity (loads). What struck us both was the silence, given the HUGE amount of tourists, the silence and the whopping huge monstrance, took us by surprise.

Bulbs, bulbs everywhere and not a scent to sniff

I'm looking forward to visiting a few gardens while in Europe. Hopefully I'll get to see a few budding gardens. Spring! Spring! Spring!

St. Christopher,

                     
pray for all those traveling this weekend and bless all families as they gather together this holiday weekend celebrating work and the joys of the worker by resting and relaxing with family. I'll be traveling to Texas to drive my parents so they can spend part of September with us so I'll probably be ready for work come Monday!