Eight hour work days can be exhausting. The last couple of days have been better for work and not quite as difficult as the first day. I think it’s been ’cause I haven’t had to sit in the back quite as much and the work has been a little more varied — more businesses and less windy roads, I guess. Today Rob (he drives), Nkem, and I delivered about 696 phonebooks. 1 phonebook = white + yellow for Jacksonville (does not include Jax Beaches).

I’ve been very encouraged lately by studying God’s grace and what it is (a free gift lavishing eternal life upon all who believe that Jesus Christ died for them on the cross and rose again as a sacrice that paid the penalty for sin and removed the separation between man and God). It’s also amazing how easy it is to ignore that great gift and continue living a life marred by sin. I know ’cause I still sin and it doesn’t bother me as much as it should. God did so much for me and yet I … well… that’s the point, I guess, I can do nothing to earn it. It keeps coming back to that. Might be something there.

Well, anyway, I need to bust out and grab dinner. My head aches, too, so perhaps I’ll drink lots of water tonight. Workshop later on and meeting with Engle between dinner and then.

Categories: Life
Tags: Jacksonville FL, Navigators, summer

I got hired. For at least the next week I’ll be delivering phone books for $8/hr. Not exactly what I wanted or hoped for, but it’s better than nothing and I’ll take it if this is where God wants me for now. This is the same job that Nkem and Nick are doing already, so I’ll have to ask them what it’s all about, but from what I heard so far it somes kind of laid back so long as you get the work done. Anyway, I’ll probably have stories later.

Tonight, we’re doing a Decades Dance. I think I’ll dress like the 1990s ’cause that’s the only decade I have swag from. That and the 00s.

Categories: Life
Tags: Jacksonville FL, Navigators, summer

The job search continues for me and several others. Denny’s fell through for sure and I still haven’t heard back from the place I interviewed. I took a couple tests at a temp agency today for a data entry job and apparently I’m the only one of several Navs here that took it and qualified. I guess 100 words per minute is a “good thing.” Unlike Jake, I currently have use of all ten fingers. QOTD: “I can feel my fingers!” (If Cora has never used that phrase she’s said things similar to it before.)

This morning I drove Nkem and Nick to “work.” They picked up a temp job delivering the yellow pages that should last for about two weeks. I almost stayed there, but I didn’t actually sign up for that job through the temp agency they went through. That’ll be another option to approach later in the week if nothing else works. One thing I realized though is that looking for just any job - whatever can be found - brings you in touch with people you might not usually associate with. I felt out of place when I dropped Nkem off and I’ve been trying to think of why. Different people, different circumstances, different lives? But they all have one thing in common: in some sense or another they’re desperate.

But aren’t we all spiritually desperate? Without Jesus, anyway.

Eh, anyway, halfway completed thoughts. We’ll have another workshop tonight and I need to spend some time on Bible study today. I’ll also meet with Engle (my team leader) for a bit of mentoring.

Keep praying for the people who don’t have jobs yet. I don’t know the exact number, but I think about ten of us still need to find or be called back about jobs. Other then that, I think God’s got a lot he wants to teach us all but there’s resistance. Some thingsin my life I don’t want to change and then there’s other pressures not to change, yet many aspects of my life need changing. Pray for myself and all of us in that way.

That’s all for now. Latez.

Update (6:15PM): So apparently my incredible typing skills are going to result in me getting a data entry job tomorrow. This is not finalized yet, but it seems nearly sure. w00t!

Categories: Life, Work
Tags: Engle, Jacksonville FL, Navigators, Nkem, summer

Well, life keeps going on. Several random notes of interest:

Pillar’s new album came out today and due to some strange fluke (a.k.a. stumbling into Best Buy to buy an ethernet chord) I bought it. Seriously awesome lyrics people. They’re honest and passionate about what’s going on in their own lives and about truth. The music itself rocks hard and sounds awesome. I own all their major releases and I’d say this is the best one yet for sure.

Jake hooked me (our team, I suppose) up with his iMac for the remainder of the Jax STP. That means I ought to be posting more often.

Well, that’ll be it for today. Happy birthday to Mandy tomorrow! Yay, 17!

Categories: Life
Tags: Jacksonville FL, Navigators, summer

About 15 or so people here still don’t have jobs. A lot of them will be going to a temp agency later today that seems hopeful. If that works out, with God’s blessing, many of them could end up with positions for the remainder of our time here. Please pray that it will go well. That meeting is at 1PM EDT.

I had a job interview today at a website company. It went well and I hope it will end up leading to employment, but it’s too soon to know for sure. The interview went well but now I’m waiting to hear back from them once they’ve made their decision. I’ve got other options the next few days including a temp agency hiring banquet servers and an interview at Denny’s on Wednesday. Please pray that I’ll get the job with the website company. It seems to be something I might enjoy and it it works out well I may even stay in Jacksonville after the program ends for the short term. Not sure about that, but…

My first full week in Florida has flown by already. I wouldn’t say I’ve learned a lot of knew things yet, but I’ve definitely had a lot of opportunity to be more disciplined and more time to spend on Bible studying. It’s also been great to start bonding with the other guys on my team — Jacob E., our team leader, along with Tom P. and Austin.

I went to the beach with people twice Friday and once Saturday. The “beach evangelism” on Saturday was an interesting experience. In the hour and a half we were there we had opportunity to talk to four different guys. Two didn’t want to talk, one kid we got to share the gospel with briefly before he had to leave, and a fourth guy was already a Christian. Lots of the other teams that went out had mixed results as well. Overall though, I think God did work on the beach that day and hopefully (and in some cases apparently) people’s eternal destination changed. Pray that the evangelism will keep going well. We’ve got many Saturdays left in the program and it can be intimidating at times. Jacob E approached some big dudes and we talked briefly with them, but we didn’t share the gospel in part due to fear of their gigantic size. Other barriers present themselves sometimes so pray that God breaks those down and gives opportunities to share the truth about him with whoever needs to hear it.

That’ll be all for now. Latez!

Categories: Life
Tags: Jacksonville FL, Navigators, summer