Soul speak

Humbled to understanding I may know why
I have been here before which brought me to you
no pain so great than known defeat
Christ our Lord stood the way only One can stand
Incredulous I stand holding up my palms
Please God bring me within your guidance
I stood too proud and was shown the power
Forgive me Lord Almighty
for I have no excuses and stood unarmed
I put down my Sword unaware
and have been awestruck consumed
The power from above will man the helm
Guide me away from these times I wish not
I will follow
I will follow
My God will I follow
Feel the pain
discover the good
Remembering the pain becomes Known the pain
and humbled yet again
Thank you Lord for calling me yet again
retrieving me from the prey I have been
Please God Almighty... please God Almighty... please God Almighty
For I know my sin
How can it be
ever so sly
theft in front of my eyes
theft in front of my eyes
Leaving me pierced and bleeding with sorrow
Strength comes in the healing wound
Reminders of what brought me near
Thank you Lord Almighty for drawing me deeper as understanding comes clear
Of the realms we tend to forget
Arm me with the belt of Truth and the sword of the Spirit

We are striving to be Christ like suffering wounds along the way. With a firm belief in our Lord - we battle on and pursue the prize. "Forgetting what is behind and straining for what is ahead."  I will follow.
Pick up your sword. If we hold together we will survive. 

AA

5 things to do in preparation for a "getaway" to South America

In July 2009 my wife and I decided to push pause on life for one year and see what it's all about by traveling and volunteering through South America. The experience opened doors to my dreams. South America is a wonderful place to travel, explore, learn Spanish and Portuguese, as well as to experience many diverse cultures, foods, music, and most of all the comfort of genuinely happy people. 

Reflecting on our time there makes me realize just how easy it really is to travel through Latin America.  Preparing for a trip to South America can be overwhelming if you let it, but the following pointers will help propel you into an unforgettable experience:

Buy your plane Ticket – probably the biggest thing as it ensures your departure.  Once you got it – you’re going.  Get it for about two months out at least.  Then you’ll have a timeline and reality underway with an actual date to plan.  It’s amazing how smoothly things come together once the decision is made and you have a countdown.  Your mind automatically switches into an initial survival mode and completely surprises you with the organization that comes together. 

We rented our house out for one year.  Once the mortgage was taken care of and all the other bills associated with the house (as the renter’s would be paying them), it made it very easy to do away with other small bills like cell phones, gym memberships, etc.  We put our phones on standby and sold one of our cars to pay off the loan.    

Make sure you’re passport is good to go and any visas you need are applied for and in process.  Don’t stress yourself with thinking you need all the details set up before your departure.  Worry about the majority of the details when you arrive as it will be far easier to figure out when you’re there as opposed to several thousand miles away.  Just plan the few you need for your arrival and first couple days.  The rest will fall into place. 

Get necessary shots – yellow fever, tuberculosis, hepatitis, tetanus, and malaria pills (although you will most likely not use the pills unless you are within the Amazon).  Some diarrhea pills would be good too.  You will most definitely have battles with the lower half of your body.  It just happens… ______.  It does.  I don’t even have to say the word as we all know the bumper sticker.  Set up an appointment with your Primary care physician or a local Travel clinic that specializes in traveling abroad.  You can choose which shots you want in relation to where you will be traveling.

Call your bank and tell them where you’ll be traveling and for how long to ensure your debit cards will work and you don’t have problems accessing money.  We used our cards more for cash as you can almost always bargain with cash.  Many places will take visa if you don't have any.

Packing - you truly won’t use very many items in heading south.  Go easy in packing.  People always say it, but seriously, pack light.  This also allows extra room for souvenirs and memorabilia you want to bring home.  Wear the same few items often.  You’re not going to be seeing the same people each day.  Take only one large backpack (35 liters is plenty) the 50 liter backpack is too big and tiresome.  Also bring one small bag or backpack.  After you lay everything out on the bed before packing – take away one or two items from each pile.  Be sure to have a nice pair of walking shoes.  Also a “nice casual” pair that are still good for walking and sandals.  I recommend reefs that do not have any fabric type material on the thong section.  The fabric is awesome at holding in the funk of the smell you develop walking around in your flip flops all day.  A small cosmetic bag for your deodorant, toothbrush, shave essentials, and clippers is great to have as well.  Always have a good book to read in your bag along with a small Spanish dictionary – it’s nice to have a quick reference.

All else you need is a few survival tools such as matches or a lighter, a good knife, small first aid kit, and a good LED light – I’d recommend getting the nice head lamp types – hands free baby!  Plan to bring along an IPod or small mp3 player as well.

The number of days you’ll actually be traveling is important for factoring in reality.  All of us want to see everything, but believe me, if you want to experience the beauty of South America in all its ways from culture, to food, to landscape, and everything in-between you must be practical in the amount of time you have and what you can do. 

Otherwise you’ll end up spending most your days and nights traveling by bus or plane and not allowing yourself to get settled a bit.  You’ll also find yourself exhausted and most your memories from transit.

If you have at least 2 weeks (14 days) I’d highly suggest a few destinations for sure to get your feet wet in seeing what South America has to offer.  Machu Picchu, Peru, Iguazu Falls, Argentina, and the “Mercado del Puerto” in Montevideo and the Uruguayan coast.  Each of these destinations you can pull off rather easily, safely, and comfortably on the budget.  These places will allow you to witness some spectacular cities and also two wonders of the world.  Make it happen – buy that ticket to Buenos Aires or Lima.  All else will fall into place.

Definitely bring a digital camera and I also recommend a small “net-book” computer to use for internet access, media storage, and communication with home whether via email or “Skype.”  Technology these days is wonderful.  Its 2011 – internet can be found under rocks.  We took a bus from Punta del Diablo, Uruguay to Montevideo and had WIFI on the bus the entire time – it was awesome!  You can always go to “internet cafés,” but it’s much more convenient having your own small, lightweight, computer to use at the numerous WIFI spots throughout S.A.  Ours was 2.4 pounds and made it very easy to travel with – big fan of net-books.  Whatever comes in our future that serves better than the internet is probably along the lines of “beam me up Scottie.”

Lastly, accept the possibility that you just may never come back.  South America is truly a wonderful place to travel, explore life, and definitely holds the potential to reset priorities.  Especially when finding yourself among the warmth of the cultures, people, and way of life.