samIam

Greetings to my Little Friends

2009-08-20T11:04:00.003-04:00

I'd like to give a shout out to all the students in Ms. Bleecker's classes who have visited my website/blog in the past few days.

Be encouraged young ones--you too can look important if you chronicle your life on the web.

Oh and be nice to your teacher.

-SCB

Mexico Mission Trip: 2009

2009-07-18T22:00:00.003-04:00

Three days into our visit to Mexico, we are all enjoying ourselves very much. The view from the place we are staying and working is breath taking, and I'm pretty sure we all pause often during the day to appreciate and enjoy it.

We are staying at a camp that will both house mission teams like ours as well as local churches conducting weeks of camp, retreats, etc. It's a beautiful place.

The weather has been interesting. It gets hot quickly, topping out around 90 at noon. Then in the afternoon, rain moves over the mountains, cooling things off substantially so that by dinner we all have our jackets and pants out. The nights are very chilly.

I've posted pictures to my Facebook account (facebook.com/sambowles) and will probably add more as well as other updates as I'm able here.

New York: A Long Overdue Post-Trip Reflection

2009-04-08T11:59:00.002-04:00

Simply put, my week in New York with some of my favorite people on the planet was fantastic. Here are some simply reflections on what I loved about our trip to NYC.

First, I loved that we really didn't care what we saw. We put no pressure on ourselves or our fabulous host by saying from the beginning that there was almost nothing we HAD to see. Now that being said, over the course of wandering and wondering around the city we DID see many of the more "touristy" things there are to see. In our one morning without Marty (our host/uncle/10+ year resident of NYC) we did go to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Incidentally, that was the one morning we were up before 11 am...

Second, I loved that we were with a local. Of course there is great benefit to not having to pay for a hotel, but even more than that, Marty was able to point out endless amounts of things and share endless amounts of information. And I don't think we looked too badly like tourists. No one should ever go to NYC without staying with Marty and having him take off work and serve as your personal concierge and guide.

Third, I loved the food. I do feel like all we worried about was where we would get our next meal. Everything was fantastic. I had so much cheese-cake it's not even funny. And lobster tails...oh - my - gosh...don't get me started....

Fourth, I hated leaving. I know some people say the best thing about NYC (and other large metropolitan areas) is leaving. I couldn't disagree more. I feel like I could just wander around the city forever and never get tired of it. How I survive in a county of ten thousand I have no idea. I would move to NYC in a heartbeat if not for the fear of a large meteoroid striking the Atlantic Ocean, thus sending a large tidal wave which would destroy the city and me when I lost a straw-draw to determine whom from my place of employment got to escape on the company helicopter, leaving me to drive to beach and stare-down the massive wave with some old guy...

While it is entirely cliche, I can completely understand the classic t-shirts that state what I feel and what I'm sure so many feel upon visiting the city: "I [heart] NY."

NYC: Day Two

2009-03-09T10:15:00.002-04:00

It's been a whirlwind of a trip so far with very little time or energy remaining at the end of the day to blog. It's all I can do to muster the energy to post pictures...

Day one we got to Philadelphia early and had lots of fun wondering around on our own seeing what we could see. We visited the Museum of Art, with its famous Rocky steps, Independance Hall, the Liberty Bell, and some other cool things before we headed to NYC via train.

We arrived in NY Penn. Station where Marty met us at about 7 pm and headed to his apt. We had dinner at this great little Chinese/Japanese place where we all ate until we couldn't anymore: sushi, steamed vegetable dumplings, plus entrees.

Sunday we went to the 10 am service at St. John the Divine Cathedral, an Episcopal Cathedral and the largest in the United States if I'm not mistaken. It was an awesome service, and I found the whole service much more welcoming to an outsider than I expected.

We grabbed lunch at a Mexican place (it was very good....so far we haven't ate anything that wasn't) before heading to Wicked. We had awesome seats and Cameron and Jessie absolutely loved it, of course. Though I'd already seen it twice, I loved it too and would watch it again today.

We had dinner reservations at a French Restaurant called Le Bonne Soupe. It was VERY good. I had Minestrone, Jessie had French Onion Soup, and Cameron had a hamburger. He was very disappointed it didn't come on a bun (it was actually a chop steak).

We wondered around the city for another couple of hours, visiting Marty's workplace, Times Square, the Apple Store (which was amazing), and other places before we finally headed home.

And now we're ready to start another day (even though it's already 10:30). I'm sure we will pull another late night.

Day One Pictures

Day Two Pictures

NYC: Day One

2009-03-07T23:02:00.001-05:00

Pictures from day one posted at Facebook.

NYC Vacation Starts in Philly

2009-03-07T13:11:00.000-05:00

More pics and a day recap coming later...

Appalachian Mailbox

2009-02-24T22:32:00.000-05:00

Today I visited eastern Kentucky and was reminded of the need in our
own backyards. More later, but for now enjoy this mailbox (I did).

Golfing

2009-02-15T15:13:00.000-05:00

Today I did one of the most frustrating things ever: I golfed. Dad
and I joined Austin, Dave and Doug McLain. Crossing this bridge was
definitely the highlight of my round!

Wicked Weather

2009-02-11T16:11:00.001-05:00

I had to try a new iPhone app called Pano which stiches together
multiple pictures to make one cool pan. Not bad for a phone!

Warm Enough to Ride

2009-02-11T13:40:00.002-05:00

Monday evening, with temperatures in the high 60s, I went for my first
substantial bike ride in some time (although I had been out two weeks
earlier when the temperature was only 58). I turned down a county
road I'd never been on, and the only thing I saw was these cows...

The last few days in a picture...

2009-02-05T18:48:00.001-05:00

Dayquil, niquil, Orange Juice, my warmest blanket, my dog and the
couch...yeah, that about sums it up. I'm hoping for some of Mama's
chili tonight!

What Attracted Our President to Christianity?

2009-02-05T13:46:00.003-05:00

Like him or not (I happen to like him)...I found this section of his remarks at this morning's National Prayer Breakfast particularly insightful.

From the whitehouse.gov blog:

"...I was not raised in a particularly religious household. I had a father who was born a Muslim but became an atheist, grandparents who were non-practicing Methodists and Baptists, and a mother who was skeptical of organized religion, even as she was the kindest, most spiritual person I’ve ever known. She was the one who taught me as a child to love, and to understand, and to do unto others as I would want done.

I didn’t become a Christian until many years later, when I moved to the South Side of Chicago after college. It happened not because of indoctrination or a sudden revelation, but because I spent month after month working with church folks who simply wanted to help neighbors who were down on their luck – no matter what they looked like, or where they came from, or who they prayed to. It was on those streets, in those neighborhoods, that I first heard God’s spirit beckon me. It was there that I felt called to a higher purpose – His purpose..."

I hope that my church and others around the world strive to be churches that are attractive because they are loving others the way we are supposed to be. This doesn't mean we have to compromise on Biblical truths (I realize the President's theology might be a little more liberal than mine). I just find it very strange that what drew him to organize religion were people who were getting their hands dirty.

Interesting Clip...

2009-02-05T10:29:00.001-05:00

I don't want to give the impression that I'm stuck on racial issues as of late, but a good friend and one of the only people who faithfully follows this blog shared this video with me, and I want to share it with you.

Winter, Hillview, and a new App

2009-02-04T21:11:00.001-05:00

I recently read about a person who took a picture every day for an entire year. I think it would be interesting to do. I don't know that I can keep up with that, as a matter of fact I'm pretty confident I cannot, but I'll play it by ear and see what happens. This picture was taken during the ice event with my iPhone and modified using a must have app for the iPhone called CameraBag that simulates various cameras from throughout history...

An Observation

2009-01-24T11:30:00.001-05:00

I was listening to a friend tell a story about another friend who got into a fight. He got into a fight with "a black guy" and then "the black guy" brought "like four more black guys" over to his apartment to "mess him up."

Question: Is it relative to the story that the "guy" and subsequent "guys" were black? If so, why? Are they more prone to violence? When we learn that detail are we supposed to say, in the back of our minds, "Oh, he was black, well that makes sense."

Now I know every story like this ends with what I'm about to write, but I have to because it's true. My friend is not a racist. At least I don't think so. He's just speaking like he's learned to speak. When a black person is involved in a story, you can't tell it without mentioning he's black.

Why?

I think I'm going to make a conscious effort when telling stories, to say "and this white guy came over and brought a bunch of white guys with him..."

By the way, I was watching CNN the other day and saw a black guy being sworn in as President of the United States of America.

Okay, now that time is was relevant to the story...

An Autumn Ride...

2008-11-03T18:07:00.004-05:00

Some pictures from a very pleasant ride I took today on some roads in Crawford County I have never even been on!

I'll Be Lookin'

2008-10-28T08:58:00.002-04:00

In moving into the parsonage, I came across a tape that we found after my great grandmother died. It's more than likely the earliest surviving recording of a young Sam Bowles singing.

Try to guess how old I am (grandma will reveal the answer at the end).

click here to listen

Samson's Photo Shoot

2008-10-24T14:20:00.001-04:00

Check out pictures from Samson's latest photo shoot.

Waffle House: "Dinner and a show"

2008-10-18T00:10:00.000-04:00

Yes. That's a bride in the background...

Too funny...way better than the real deal...

2008-10-08T15:09:00.001-04:00

Getting ready to enjoy a Cardinals game

2008-09-23T19:13:00.000-04:00

Holiday World's New Ride

2008-09-22T15:41:00.002-04:00

I just had a chance to finally check out Holiday World's new ride (for 2009) The Pilgrim's Plunge, which according to their site will be the world's tallest water ride. It looks awesome, and I can't wait to ride it. I do think the name is a little insensitive to the hundreds of pilgrims who lost their lives to the depths of the sea while crossing the Atlantic, though.

Ike Strikes Marengo

2008-09-14T13:23:00.000-04:00

Driving through town was reminiscent of the day of the tornado, though
not quite as bad.

Our first meal at our new table

2008-09-11T20:56:00.000-04:00

Samson's first haircut

2008-09-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

I'll post before and after picks later.

Samson: styling and profiling...

2008-08-15T21:24:00.000-04:00

Samson is home...

2008-07-28T20:20:00.000-04:00

Today I got my new roommate, Samson Oliver, from Frankfort, Ky. (It
was kind of lonely here by myself.) He's a miniature schnauzer and is
about 7 weeks old. He's settling in well and just ate his first
dinner. Watch for updates...

Samson Oliver Bowles

2008-07-28T14:21:00.000-04:00

CIY MOVE: Fun Day

2008-07-24T16:08:00.004-04:00

Let me say this...the group had no faith in old Sammy finding something fun to do.

Tori wanted to go to Chattanooga (because she thought that is where her friend that is a boy was going) so we decided to go there last night. Of course today, Tori and the girls wanted to go to the river to swim (that youth group had changed its plans)... We went to Chattanooga. I didn't really now where, specifically, we were going but I followed the signs to Lookout Mountain and we all rode the Inclined Railway (the world's steepest passenger rail transit system) to the top for a spectacular view. We had a great time. We are cleaning up now for dinner out.

Enjoy some iPhone snapshots...

CIY MOVE

2008-07-23T14:37:00.002-04:00

It is only by a serious of unforeseen events that I ended up at CIY summer conference this week. While I was excited about coming to CIY, I was not excited (as I told some friends) about leaving home, again. I enjoyed the two nights of sleep I got in my own bed...

Anyway...needless to say, I'm glad to be here. Now I know every youth group comes to CIY (for some it's just church camp) every summer and it changes their lives and this time they're going to "take it back," they're going to "live like this everyday;" I say this, acknowledge this, because I don't want anyone rolling his or her eyes reading this post, specifically what I'm about to say.

This week is different. Now I can't guarantee that our kids or any others won't go home with the same abstract goals and fail in the same ways, but what I can say is that CIY is not doing what they normally do.

First of all, the conference is now called "Move." That's not just this year's theme. Secondly, there is a major push for action. In the past I've felt like it was one big week of camp crescendoing in lots of emotionally charged decisions that don't last much longer than a week. Call me crazy, but I just feel like this week is different.

CIY is challenging everyone to write a personal ministry plan this week. I've been trying to carry this into group time at night. To the point that I'm annoying when our kids say "I'm going to live for Jesus" or "I'm going to change," I've pressed them asking them to be specific, to set specific goals, and asking what their source of accountability is going to be.

I'm not sure that I'm not just rambling now, so I'll stop. But I can just say things are going very well. Our two hour youth group times at night have gone very well with great and serious discussion (and lots of laughs, too). I love CIY.

CIY Move: Day One

2008-07-21T10:17:00.000-04:00

First day. First session. Tyler on stage. Surprised?

Honduras: Day Fourteen and Fifteen

2008-07-10T21:45:00.003-04:00

On day fourteen, we headed to the Puerto Cortez, a costal city not far from the airport in San Pedro Sula. The beach left a lot to be desired, but the hotel had a nice pool, and we had a great, great time with Hector, Joseph, Joche, Suamy, Dereck, and Maria Jose. I threw Joseph, Hector's 9-year-old son, in the pool and then had to rescue him when he didn't surface...little did I know he couldn't swim. I felt bad when I pulled him out and he was coughing up water. I think he enjoyed playing with us, though. We had Church's Fried Chicken for dinner on the hotel's balcony overlooking the ocean.

Today, as we were going through the airport in San Pedro Sula, we happened to run into the Honduran National Futbol Team headed to Los Angeles. Joche pointed out one of the players from Olimpia, the Tegucigalpa based team that is my favorite and also happens to be the best in the country, and I got my picture taken with him.

All went well until we made it to Chicago. Our plane was already running late but then when we got to the gate to disembark, the jetway motor burned up and we had to move to another gate. It took about an hour and we missed our flight.

So I write to you from the Best Western, awaiting our 6:55 am flight tomorrow morning. We had a good dinner together here at the hotels restaurant, compliments of American Airlines.

We still have some final pictures to post, and I'll do a rundown of our special dinner and final night at the mission...I'm too tired now...

Honduras: PICTURES (ROUND THREE)

2008-07-08T19:26:00.002-04:00

Here's the link to the latest posting which includes the last couple of days and features the pictures from La Cumbre...

http://gallery.mac.com/samuelcbowles#100193

Here are two good ones: Ana and Deniss and their son Fernando (they run the blog) and our team.

Honduras: Day Thirteen

2008-07-08T18:55:00.002-04:00

Today, day thirteen, we finished the foundation at Villa Franca (though some of the ladies stayed here at the mission and helped Marina clean). We prayed for the church after we were done and Miguel, the pastor there, wanted us to know that we had not just laid a physical foundation but a spiritual one as well.

We were done by 2 and headed back to the mission. They are preparing for our special dinner tonight, however, so we are confined to our rooms. It should be a very special night.

Look for an update about tonight as well as a posting of more pictures soon.

Tomorrow we go to Puerto Cortes, a costal city in the northern part of the country. We'll have the afternoon on the beach and evening in a hotel before driving 40 minutes to San Pedro Sula to fly out at 7:30 am.

Honduras: Day Eleven and Twelve

2008-07-07T23:55:00.003-04:00

Day Eleven was Sunday here at the mission (and elsewhere, I presume) and was a wonderful day. We started off the day with church, as Christians are prone to do on Sundays, and it was great. It was fun to see the worship band and all the church members, and Larry got to preach. He did a great job and three people came forward (after a fiery invitation/mini-sermon from the local preacher) and will be baptized next week, so obviously we are excited about that.

After lunch on Sunday we went to the Valley of the Angles. It is pretty much the souvenir capital of Honduras. It was raining, but that didn't stop us. We got some cool stuff but those of us who were here in 2002 were disappointed in how much the prices had gone up and selection gone down. Don't be dismayed, though, we still found good stuff. We returned home to find that the new team had arrived (13 people from Carthage, MO).

Today, Monday, we returned to Villa Franca to do some serious labor. We mixed concrete, carried concrete, mixed, carried the whole day. We gotten a lot accomplished, though, and overall, we've gotten so much more physical labor done than Larry and I thought possible.

After dinner (much more crowded with the new team) we went to another mall. I loaded up on Olympia gear and the team finished up shopping. Let me explain Olympia...there are two major soccer teams in Honduras: Olympia and Montagua. Olympia is sponsored by Coca-Cola (who also sponsors the national team) and Montagua by Pepsi. It is the most heated rivalry I've ever seen. IU and Kentucky don't even compare. Most of the mission guys are for Olympia and from what I can tell they have actually won more in recent history, BUT I chose Olympia last time we were hear because I'm a Coke man... Anyway, I've got one funny picture of me decked out in my Olympia gear (at right).

Tomorrow we return to Villa Franca to mix concrete, and I'm hoping we can finish the floor. We're excited about all that we've gotten to do and the work is certainly catching up with us (you can probably tell from the mistakes littered throughout these late-night posts).

Look for more pictures sometime soon.

Honduras: Day Ten

2008-07-06T11:25:00.002-04:00

In the morning of day ten, we prepared for a mini-Community Fest we would through in the afternoon. When we arrived in the area of town were we did what we've come to call a street festival, we couldn't believe how kids just kept coming out of the wood work.

At first we tried to organize three stations: water ballon toss, ballon animals with clowns (Tyler, Sam and Tully) and cross necklace making. The stations worked for all of three minutes. We made balloon dogs until we were out of balloons, and although it did de-evolve into chaos, I think all the kids had a good time.

After that we did pinatas, and that, my friends, is a very violent thing all around. First of all the site of a poor dog, even though he's made of newspaper with innards of candy, being beaten brutally with a stick by little kids all the while hanging from a rope is a little disturbing (I have the pictures to prove it), but that's the least of it. When the first pieces of candy fall it becomes a running-of-the-bulls-esque dash for the epicenter where if you are small you had better watch out or crouch and tuck and hope for the best. We were trying to break-up the madness, parents were trying to rescue small children from within the mob, parents were flinging small children into the middle of the mob so they could get more candy...it was crazy. No one was hurt. I exaggerate a little bit.

We got home at 4 and everyone made a mad dash (I mentioned in video post) to get ready for our night at Tegucigalpa's finest restaurant, La Cumbre, which means in Spanish "the highest point." The food had improved since 6 years ago. I had chicken cordon bleu with a shrimp on melba toast appetizer, Susan had salmon with a brie vol-a-vent appetizer, Tina and Brenda had stuffed chicken, and the rest of the gang had a mushroom chicken--it was all very good.

The view was still as beautiful as I remember it. We ended up sharing the evening with several of our Honduran friend most of whom I don't think had ever been. We ended the evening with dessert: chocolate and cherry cheese-cakes, pecan pie, and flan, which was, I think most would agree, to die for. It was a very enjoyable evening. We're getting ready for church now. Look for pictures soon.

Honduras: More Video

2008-07-05T18:28:00.003-04:00

Everyone is frantically getting ready for our trip to La Cumbre (the awesome restaurant with an awesome view) but here a few videos to keep you occupied until we get back: one of us singing in a school (basically a medley of all the songs we sing everyday) and another of us traveling to San Larenzo through the beautiful mountains (this video is while we were still on the good "main" roads, too)...we should have some great pictures.

Honduras: PICTURES (ROUND TWO)

2008-07-05T01:22:00.002-04:00

Enjoy the second round of pictures...

If you didn't get a chance to see the first, look for the previous post.

Honduras: Day Eight and Nine

2008-07-05T00:24:00.003-04:00

Greetings Honduras blog followers. We are back from a wonderful trip to the southwestern part of Honduras (we could actually see the Pacific Ocean, though several miles off, from atop a mountain today). Here's what we've been up to.

On day eight we traveled to San Larenzo, a small community of about 25 families. It took at about 3 hrs to get there, the last hour being done at under 5 mph over very rough terrain. When we got to the town we immediately went to the local school, making witness

bracelets with about 14 kids before heading to the church for lunch. After lunch most of the team split into groups to go house calling (I stayed at the church to review my sermon notes for the message I would preach later that night.) The groups that went door to door, though, had a great time climbing the mountains and seeing the people. One group crossed a river twice and both groups had to continuously dodge donkey droppings. Everyone really enjoyed it.

That evening we had church, and I had the opportunity to preach a message on forgiveness (the ultimate "F" word, although I wasn't brave enough to use that title, Keith). It went well I think, although Bobby will be happy to hear that I broke 30 minutes...(breaking my rule) but the way I look at it you have to divide that in half because everything I said had to be translated...

After the service, we had movie night for the townsfolk using the missions projector. We watched "Facing the Giants" in Spanish but with English subtitles. I had never seen it, and I have to admit I teared up a few times. I turned around at the end expecting to find Susan rolling her eyes at how cheesy it was, but she was balling too. It was pretty funny.

We headed to some church members' home for a good meal and then things got really interesting. The boys and girls split up, heading to three different houses which served as our lodging. The beds were primitive, to say the least, though some had hammocks. It was an interesting experience which some enjoyed (although none wanted to do it for much more than one night), but

I can't say everyone enjoyed the experience.

So on day nine (today) we headed out early to another community, La Victoria, and saw some amazing scenery (rocks, mountains, the Pacific) along the way. We went straight to a school and did the witness beads again, enjoyed lunch at another La Victoria Church member's home and headed back to the mission. We were so happy to make it back to our beds and showers.

This afternoon the ladies, mainly Tina, prepared pies for us to celebrate the 4th and I know Tina enjoyed helping one of the Honduran girls make a cheese-cake.

After dinner, we moved the ping-pong table to the temple so we would have more room, and I

decided to organize a tournament. By the time it was over, it had evolved into a battle between the United States and Honduras that even began with each group singing its country's national anthem. Each country had 7 people who played through a randomly drawn single elimination bracket producing a champion for each

country. Representing the United States was Tyler Tolbert and representing Honduras was Melissa Scott, the missionary here who, although she has applied for residency, is actually an American herself. Melissa ended up taking the gold medal after a heated three game series. Tina had made a medal for the winner with Honduran coins and then we had crafted a trophy for the winning country. We had an absolute blast, and I know the Hondurans loved, loved, loved it. Deniss and Ana's son, Fernando, was our mascot, and also served as the Honduran flag (it has blue and white strips) during their national anthem.

Following the tournament we ended the night with the Pecan and Apple pies and a cheese-cake. It was a great day.

Tomorrow we stay in town, heading to a town where the mission is trying to plant a church. We're going to be doing a miniature Community Fest, and we are looking forward to that. In the evening, though, we'll be heading to a nice meal at Tegucigalpa's finest restaurant, La Cumbre, which boasts the town's best view. We'll get there early enough to watch the sun set, enjoying some fine food and fellowship as well. We've invited the handful of younger people (most of them my age) that have helped us everyday to join us.

Stay tuned and enjoy the second round of pictures which includes pictures of all the stuff I've mentioned in this post.

Honduras: Day Seven

2008-07-02T23:56:00.002-04:00

Today we were scheduled to prepare and deliver food to a home for the elderly and then present at a local school. We learned early in the morning, however, that the school had canceled classes for the day. Not to worry, we still had a great day.

We went to the home for the elderly and spent more time than we had planned. We gave them the food, sang songs with and to them, and I even delivered a devotion about them still being able to contribute to the body. I sang the Jake Hess song "I just love old people..." and they liked it.

We came back for a late lunch and after that we got cleaned up for an exciting afternoon at a local mall. Tully, Tyler and I hung out with four of the Honduran guys and had a blast. We went to this really nice arcade that had credit card things that you loaded with money and then played the games with it. I put $10 dollars on it and the seven of us played games for over an hour...the money went really, really far. For example, a basketball shooting game or a racing game that would cost a dollar or two in the states cost five limps or twenty cents per person to play. The games spit out tickets and after our hour we had enough to get two marbles. It was so fun. The rest of the team had a great time, too. I think I speak for all of us when I say we are continually amazed how far a dollar goes here in central america.

We had Wednesday night services tonight, and it was special because it began with a baptism. The whole teaching time that surrounded the baptism was fantastic and wonderful, and it was such a privilege to witness it.

We are traveling down south tomorrow and will be there over night, so it will be Friday night before I'm able to post again. To everyone at home, we love you and be assured that we are having an absolutely great time.

Honduras: Day Six

2008-07-01T23:56:00.004-04:00

Today I'd like to welcome to by blog a guest blogger, Tina Key. She will graciously and, I'm sure, more than effectively recap today, day six, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. I now relinquish the keyboard to her.

Hola, Mi Amigos in Los Estados Unidos. Dios esta aqui. (The Lord is here.) Just showing off the Spanish I've learned. There is really no way to capture all that is happening, but it isn't for lack of trying. We are journaling every evening. Today we traveled the hill (mountain) to Villa Franca where we continued the deconstruction of the worship building, leveled the ground in preparation for a concrete foundation.

The Hondurans recycle everything. I have become a master nail straightener. Sam thinks this would be a good business to get into when we get back. I only hit my thumb once. Once is once too many.

It was amazing at how much we accomplished. In three days we have torn down two buildings, pulled all the nails from all the boards, straightened them all, hauled 3 loads of dirt, poured a concrete wall, leveled the entire space for the church. The Honduran ministers were very impressed with how hard our team works.

We are also becoming very close with each other. If you don't believe me just check out the photo Sam will be posting. This ceremony was inspired by Susan's daughter Whitney. This was taken at our evening devotions. A highlight of my day because we always laugh and share everyone's favorite moment of the day. If you miss something, you can bet someone else shares it and somethings you wish they didn't especially if you are the one who did something silly like instead of telling a waitress thank you (gracias) for taking your menu you tell her goodnight (buenos noches).

Gob Bless and see you soon in the states.

~Tina

Honduras: PICTURES (ROUND ONE)

2008-06-30T22:28:00.002-04:00

I've finally had some time to upload some pictures. Here's the first round.

http://gallery.mac.com/samuelcbowles/100163

Honduras: Day Five

2008-06-30T19:59:00.003-04:00

Today we returned to Villa Franca to continue work we had started there. It was a day of hard labor but much was accomplished. The Hondurans said they were impressed with how hard our teens worked.

Larry and I were able to finish the car-port covering that will be used as a provisional multi-purpose/Children's classroom. The rest of the team worked on deconstructing the current church structure, mixing/pouring concrete, and moving fill-dirt to prepare the rest of the area for concrete pouring. It was a good day.

Best of all, we came home to the best meal Marina has made for us yet: beef fajitas y frijoles con arroz...(Lindsay, correct me if I got any of that wrong)...at any rate, it was so, so good.

The youtube videos seem to be a hit, so enjoy three today: worship in El Paraiso (yesterday), concrete mixing third-world style, and me moving fill-dirt in a way that could have rendered me incapable of having children...

Honduras: Day Four

2008-06-29T23:53:00.003-04:00

Today, as you might imagine I would say, was very cool. It was Sunday, but instead of a normal church service here in Tegucigalpa, three congregations that are a part of Mission Caribe and our whole team traveled to another Mission Caribe church in El Paraiso. There were enough of us to fill up two buses.

We then went door to door in teams inviting people to a service which was held at 4 pm. This was our teams first opportunity to do street evangelism and I think, for the most part, the team enjoyed it.

There were so many people that our team helped entertain the children outside the church (maybe a hundred kids or more) while the adults has service.

It was a good day, but an exhausting one. The drive was 2-3 hours both ways.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll have the time and energy to post some more videos and even some pictures.

Honduras: Day Three

2008-06-28T19:49:00.006-04:00

On our third day in Honduras, we spent the morning preparing for a trip to Villa Franca (this time to do a program for the kids). Susan worked with the "Industrious Women" club of the church, teaching them how to make her infamous chicken salad, pasta salad and cookies with home-made icing. My favorite moment was when Susan and one of the Hondurans were making icing. She said to the translator, "Tell her to blend it very slowly..." The woman said, "Si." She turned on the blender and it sounded like a small boat motor (it certainly wasn't slow), but Susan didn't miss a beat she said, "...or whatever speed we have..." The women loved it, Susan loved it, and the coolest part is that we then took all that food and fed it to about 50 kids at Villa Franca (where we also presented a enacted Bible story for the kids). It was a blast.

We also had the opportunity in the morning to go shopping (Susan had to get what she needed for the Industrious Women). We went to their Wal-Mart equivalent (and believe me, it had everything) and our team loaded up on just about everything. Ana, the mission director and a native Honduran, said, "You guys buy the strangest stuff." She also noted that Eva, Tina and I bought all the Coke Lite (diet coke) they had in the store.

It's amazing to see how far Honduras has come in just a few years infrastructure wise. And, of course, it is such blessing to see how the mission and those involved and grown and matured.

Enjoy a video showing us delivering food to one of the churches, and one of the kids singing Father Abraham.

Honduras: Day Two

2008-06-27T23:11:00.003-04:00

Today was our first day on location. We woke up to a great breakfast (Pancakes and Bacon)...the food here is unparalleled as far as mission work goes. We then had a corporate devotion time with the Mission Caribe staff. They expressed how glad they were to see us returning (Larry, Eva and I were here in 2002). It was really cool as faces we recognized stumbled in throughout the morning.

After that we headed to one of the churches, Villa Franca, which is on top of a nearby mountain. We tore down the small (16 x 20) building that housed the Sunday school and began leveling the ground in preparation for concrete pouring. They're getting a new building. Larry and I, working with Hector, a Mission Caribe minister, used the lumber from the disassembled building to extend the pastors roof over his carport, making a dry and shaded place to use for children's worship and whatever else the need may be. We didn't quite finish up, but we'll be going back in the next few days to do so. I think we might even be tearing down the current church building itself to make way for the concrete and the new building.

The team is gelling perfectly. Everyone worked very hard today and all went very well. We did have a few injuries, though: Larry stepped on a nail and Michael (one of the non-Hillview people that joined us) hit his thumb while hammering. Michael's thumb looks pretty bad, but his spirits are high.

At Mission Caribe...Safe and Sound

2008-06-26T23:56:00.002-04:00

We just got in to Mission Caribe (someone on the team that was here before us installed a wireless router, so I'm enjoying a high-speed connection from my bunk bed!). The trip from San Pedro Sula to Tegucigalpa is less than 200 miles, I think, but it takes so stinkin' long because it is a two-laned highway, it's filled with semis that are going entirely too slow, and it involves several mountains.

Dinner was waiting for us, and most of us have eaten, but we are all exhausted and thankful for a bed.

The connection seems to be kind of fast, so maybe I'll even be able to post pictures...

Hanging at the Airport

2008-06-26T13:01:00.000-04:00

We're settled in at Miami ready to depart for San Pedro...flight
delayed...

We're having fun, though!

Honduras here I come...again

2008-06-26T05:37:00.003-04:00

I'm writing from the airport in Columbus, Ohio (one of a few airports with free Wi-fi...it's cool but definitely not worth the drive) as I prepare to depart on a mission journey to Honduras. Some of you might remember that in 2002 Hillview's youth took their first mission trip, working with Mission Caribe in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. We are all excited about returning and looking forward to catching up with old friends.

We're already running into some trouble, so keep us in your prayers. American Airlines here in Columbus informed us that we would not be allowed to take our crates into Honduras (we have all of our personal stuff in bags and other luggage, but supplies for the trip and mission are in plastic crates). We sweet-talked the Columbus guy into sending them to Miami, so we'll have to try our luck there

If I have an opportunity to post any info or pictures I'll do so.

Amazing, amazing

2008-06-22T22:07:00.002-04:00

Please take the time to read an amazing record of a recent happening in Africa. Don Buckner, missionary to Tanzania working with Haven of Peace Christian Church in Dar es Salaam, has posted a detailed record of a recent trip the elders of Haven of Peace in Dar made to the Congo. It's long, but so, so encouraging... God is certainly doing great things there.

http://bucknersinafrica.blogspot.com/

The Clarion News

2008-06-18T11:18:00.004-04:00

Lee Cable of Obannon Publishing's Clarion Newspaper recently wrote a very nice article about me. (scan below) If you click on the image, it will open in your browser large enough that it is readable.

Mom's Cherry Tree Incident

2008-06-14T16:53:00.002-04:00

7 am
While the rest of her family was sleeping, my mother, who often does more than any human ought to be able to do in one day, being the super-mom she is, decided that she would pick cherries from the cherry tree in our backyard.

7:50 am
She was not quite to the top of the 8 foot ladder when she reached out to grab a branch that was probably just ought of reach. As her weight shifted the ladder's leg sunk into the ground which was damp with dew. Though she could move her arms and legs, she could not move, couldn't even crawl. She yelled "help, help...help, help."

8:00 am
Our neighbor, Red Eastridge, hearing Mom's yelling, came to her aid and had our other neighbor, Pat Bowman, call 911.

8:05 am
Isaac walks into Dad's room and wakes him, saying as though someone had just called and left a message, "Dad...Red Eastridge wanted me to tell you that Mom fell off of a ladder."

"Okay...is she hurt?" Dad said.

"They called 911."

8:15 am
My alarm woke me at 8 and I had already gotten ready and was doing my devotions when Isaac stumbled into my room.

"Did you know they are putting Mom into an ambulance?"

"No...what are you talking about?"

I walk downstairs and there are 5+ Emergency response vehicles including an ambulance into which Mom is being put.

I got dressed and rode with Dad to Bloomington Hospital in Orange County where we spent the next couple of hours.

It turns out she has a fractured L1 vertebra and although the physician initially thought she would need surgery, the specialist said he would see her and fit her with a body cast on Monday. So they doped her up, we laid her across the back seat of the Key Family Medical Transportation Vehicle (pictured are the crew and Dad in the front seat) and now she's home on the couch.

Rest assured, though, Tina Key retrieved the cherries, so we'll still get to have the pie.

Commencement: The Family

2008-06-06T21:45:00.002-04:00

Again, I'll be posting an entire album when I have the pictures, but for now, here's a shot I got via e-mail from USI's photography services.

Bybee Pottery: yes, they are crazy...

2008-06-06T08:44:00.002-04:00

Members of the infamous Fufus made a trek to Eastern Kentucky's Bybee Pottery. Though the kiln was empty and the shelves in short supply, much fun was had. (pictures below)

Also, the last remaining copy of the hit Indie film "Oh Bybee!" is currently in the process of being digitally remastered. Expect it to be posted sometime in the near future.

Sleeping in line (above) and in the vehicles (below)
(They arrived at approximately 2:30 am, 5 hrs and 30 mins before the doors opened.)

Buzz, pictured here, is one of two brothers who operate Bybee Pottery. If you recognize his face it's probably because he was the keyboardist for the Kentucky-born band Exile ("I wanna kiss you all over...")

Andrea's purchases (this was her first trip...she was, as they call them, a "Bybee virgin")

Journey members pictured with Harvey, glazer extrordinare.

Journey members pictured with Buzz.

Church Clothes: Cultural Expectations

2008-06-04T15:37:00.004-04:00

Today, Mitchell, Bobby and I headed to Carefree's Country Style Plaza (which, by the way, has very good food and reasonable pricing). We immediately made a pit-stop in the restroom and a guy said, "Where are y'all traveling?" (It is a truck-stop, interstate exit, restaurant after all.) "Oh, we're local," we responded. "We're ministers at a church down the road." He looked at Mitchell and me and his eyebrows raised as he said, "You must be in your civies." Mitchell and I looked at him confused. "It's a military term for civilian clothing, being out of uniform" he explained. After the encounter I noted to Mitchell and Bobby that he'd probably be disappointed if he showed up on Sunday and saw our "uniforms."

The encounter got me thinking about cultural expectations and perceptions of someone in ministry. I assume he thought we ought to have been clad in dockers and a nice, tucked-in, button up shirt. (Mitchell and I were in shorts and t-shirts.) Now we don't normally do Sunday morning in t-shirts and shorts, but if you've been to Hillview you know that we as a staff have made a conscious decision to dress pretty casually on Sunday mornings. I think people who stumble in with a more traditional expectation are usually pleasantly surprised. As a matter of fact, I think our casual dress is in the spirit of the New Testament church, keeping the main thing the main thing, while a uniformed garb is a little more liturgical and pharisee-esque. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against dressing up for church (I love to dress up), but for now, I feel really good about our chances of relating with the average Joe who gives church a chance and finds us in jeans worshiping our God with electric guitars.

I guess I'm an adult?

2008-05-30T13:49:00.005-04:00

I realized, looking at my blog, that though I'm quick to post pictures and sometimes even attach jokes (admittedly, in poor taste) that elicit responses from public relations officials of large corporate entities, I haven't really posted anything of substance about life after graduation.

As many of you know, I graduated from the University of Southern Indiana on Sunday, May 11 (Mother's Day). My first day as a full-time employee at Hillview Christian Church in Marengo was the following Monday, May 12. So I've been here for almost three weeks settling in, and I can say with certainty that I love it. The other three guys on staff are a joy to work with and are quickly becoming very close friends.

Though I knew I would be doing this full-time before my student teaching, I did learn from student teaching that I would enjoy the classroom should I ever end up there. However, what I love about ministry (or at least my current ministry) is all the different aspects of my job (and my office, pictured).

Right now, my official title (those of you who know me, might know that I love to create titles. I am after all the one who created the "intern" alternative, "Summer Ministry Assistant.")...anyway, my official title is "Ministry Associate." However, when I'm ordained by the church later this summer, I will become an "Associate Minister"....semantics. My responsibilities, though, concern two areas: Worship and what we call Communications (although, I think I'm going to make a push to call it "Creative Arts," as that seems to be the hip term...).

So for the "worship" side of things, I pick out the songs for Sunday services, get the music ready, rehearse with musicians and vocalists, get the slides ready, and make sure all other aspects of the service are covered.

For the "communication" or "creative arts," I design and produce all print publications as well as digital media such as videos, sermon audio recordings, and, most notably, our websites, hillviewchristian.com and youth.hillviewchristian.com.

So between those two things, I am always doing something that I really, truly enjoy doing anyway. To be doing it for God and getting paid is truly a blessing.

On top of that, Hillview is sharing me with Teen Mission, USA and I'm helping them out with some of the creative arts stuff (videos, publications, web) as well. I love those guys and love working with them.

And I'm still doing some free-lance design on the side, designing and maintaining such sites as daddybilllpublishing.com, the official website of local author Krisanne Roll and the just-launched landmarkwood.com, the official website of one of Crawford County's most cutting-edge (I couldn't resists...I'm so punny) sawmills.

So that's the update...

First Day of the Season at Holiday World

2008-05-29T14:13:00.001-04:00

Isaiah got on this kicking and screaming but then wouldn't get off.
We rode ten times. Its called Reindeer Games, but I think they bought
the Hellivator from KY Kingdom and gave it a new paint job... (j/k, obviously)

And here Isaiah is on the "Holidog Roller Coaster" as he calls it... He rode by himself for the first time ever...

Commencement

2008-05-27T21:26:00.003-04:00

Though the official pictures haven't arrived, here are some screen captures from the DVD which just arrived today.

Holiday World Fundraiser

2008-05-19T12:32:00.000-04:00

Keith (pictured), Eva, Susan, me and a handful of others are spending
the day atop Splashin Safari's newest atraction, kimu bay. Its cold,
wet (obviously), and it looks like rain. Believe it or not, there are
a handful of people letting their kids in this freezing water today!

Student Teaching Wraps Up...

2008-05-10T01:12:00.002-04:00

Today was my last at my 7th grade student teaching placement at Helfrich Park Middle School. I enjoyed the kids, well most of them, and, as always, parting is such sweet sorrow. I took class pictures and some more candid shots in the hall.
(viewable here http://gallery.mac.com/samuelcbowles#100140)

Commencement Approaches

2008-05-05T21:28:00.003-04:00

Commencement is approaching. On Sunday I will graduate summa cum laude with honors with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. I will also receive the President's Medal. Even if you love me, do not feel obligated to attend commencement, though. Do, however, feel obligated to attend the open house reception my parents are holding in my honor the following Sunday, May 18, at their home in Marengo.
I've included here the link to the USI article.
http://www.usi.edu/newsinfo/release/press_detail.asp?num=2701

I have a motorcycle...get over it.

2008-05-04T21:28:00.003-04:00

Sorry to be so rude, but I'm waiting for the day when I can pull up to a group of people I know and pull my helmet off, revealing to them who the mysterious rider is, WITHOUT them bursting into laughter. Or the day when people quit saying, "YOU, got a motorcyle??? I'm sorry I just can't picture that..." Did I miss a memo that says you have to have been a convicted felon to ride a motorcycle? Sorry...just needed to vent...

Buying a motorcycle had never crossed my mind until I was in Barcelona, where the streets are absolutely filled with them and their smaller cousin, the moped. Of course the streets are full of them, gas in Spain is over $6 a gallon! So with gas approaching $4 here, I thought, I'm going to get a moped. So I started looking into it, and, fortunately, a few wise friends talked me into something less dorky, and, thus, I decided to buy a motorcycle--not a big one that would defeat the purpose of great gas mileage (besides being to big for me to handle). So two weeks ago I bought a Suzuki GZ250. I filled up yesterday for $7.84 (2.5 gallon tank), and that will take me over 120 miles. Pretty sweet if you ask me. Besides, with my helmet (which looks like something out of The Terminator) and my new jacket, I look like, as Bobby J. has been quick to dub me, "The Silver Powerranger."

So go ahead an laugh, world, but I'll be laughing when it cost me $8 to fill up my tank this summer and your taking out a second mortgage to fill up your Expeditions.

My first passenger...

2008-05-04T21:25:00.001-04:00

Isaiah takes his first motorcycle ride.

Welcome to Blogger

2008-05-04T18:26:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I know I am always changing things up. But I think I'll actually stick with this (not that I'm committing to blogging more often than I do now...by "this" I mean using Blogger). The fact of the matter is that Blogger does this better than iWeb. Blogger will also allow me to post via my iPhone and iWeb will not. This might be beneficial when I'm traveling. It should also make posts easier for you to see. Enjoy.