fourteenweeksofcollege.

they cuss. they smoke. they love jesus. and they're doin work.

i went to the orphanage in mexico for the second time, and to be honest, i wasn't terribly excited going into it. as much as i wanted to play with the kids there for hours on end, i wanted to make a difference in the orphanage that could extend into the community. i didn't see that as a probable outcome of that trip, but i decided to go anyway because i wanted to practice my spanish with the adults there. god has this funny way of presenting you with unique opportunities that you could never have guessed, almost as a way to say "hah!  i'm the freakin boss around here. don't tell me wat will and will not happen!" i am not impressed with that attitude most of the time, but he caught me at a good point in my life: it's like he knew wat i was thinking or something.

anyway, my friend who drove us down there invited another group of guys to meet up with us during the first night. turned out that this group of four guys go around the world doing exactly the type of thing that i have been searching for. they travel around, looking for hurting communities, and finding sustainable and scale-able solutions to the problems that they face. i tagged along with them for the remainder of the trip, and we conducted interviews and took tours and learned about the clockwork behind the orphanage. they are struggling to meet the rent and overall costs of running the facility. so the main issue is money. selling marmalade is clearly the solution, right? they seem to think so. here's how it works: 

the orphanage already grows apple trees. time and money are already being poured into the trees, so why not do something useful with them? teach the older kids how to make and jar marmalade. those kids can then teach other (and younger) kids. sell the marmalade. not only does that bring in money and attention from the sales, it also gives the kids job experience in both food and business for future careers. by including kids from outside of the orphanage in the business procedures, word about the facility will travel faster and wider than ever. attention is important because that could generate more sources of donations. more donations means that the orphanage could provide better service to more kids.  

not a bad set of ideas. :] we go back in january to see how everything is holding up, and plans may be put in place to get this business up and running. totally stoked right now.  

would it be a conceited move to reference my own autobiography?  >,<

"i do not think 'homeless' would look very professional on a resume, but i believe being without a permanent place of residence requires more work than many of today's jobs do.  someday i will live on the streets with the shallow-pocketed."

i had the privilege of going downtown with a community of believers to feed and clothe a community of need. i had never seen such a large population of homeless people in my life, and it was alarming at how much we overlook the poor in america. we definitely "house" the richest poor people in the world, but if we helped ourselves so we could help others... just a thought.

thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's evolved to revolve around food and family. both are near and dear to my heart: meaningful, satisfying, necessary. my thanksgivings always involve a lot of people, sports, food, and quality time. this year i was fortunate enough to have the presence of my roommate at our gathering. he's a one of a kind kid that i wouldn't dare try to characterize with a series of adjectives.  you'll have to trust me that he's somebody worth getting to know. anyway, he has these cravings for both food and family so i figured he would do fine. :] i had a blast getting to chill with him, as well as getting to have quality conversations with other family members. my aunt always asks how my girlfriend is doing, and each time i explain that she is a friend: a good friend, not a girlfriend. however, the conversation moved past that superficial teasing, and it was great! same thing with my grandpa. who might be reading this so i'll have to be careful here. ;D he's super a great guy, as shown by the care he pours into the family and the man he raised my dad to be. i got to sit down with him and talk and we covered so much ground and i realized how much i have yet to learn about my family. i always try to put god first, but rarely do i intentionally try to put family second.  that's gonna have to change.  

have you ever been in a vehicle and thought "i should probably put on a seat belt because getting in a car accident would really suck."? have you ever had that thought, then actually gotten into a car accident?  it's a pretty wild feeling to say the least. the first car stopped. the second car swerved. we stopped.  smoke. silence. brace. crash. the fourth car stopped too. #carcrashvirginitygone

the past few weeks have shown me just how difficult and important it is to master the art of patience. a few specific people come to mind when i think of patience, and someday i hope to be one of them. i  used to think myself a patient person, but i found my breaking point earlier this year, and it was not nearly as high as i had thought it would be. no, i am not a patient person, but i met a woman two weeks ago that could find joy in planting a seed and watching it grow into a mighty oak. in fact, that's exactly wat she did to another one of my peers, and watching the two of them communicate is an amazing experience. she plants a seed of trust that allows for open communication, and that seed sprouts and reaches out in every direction. it's an incredible thing to witness. and i applaud those who do not thrive solely on instant gratification.  

hipsters are going to change the world, one non-mainstream step at a time. buy your toms and beanies now cause they're taking over. and i'm totally hopping on board, cause these non-profits aren't gonna run themselves.  :]

and just in case i'm on your list of people to christmas shop for, i'll be accepting mission trip donations from now until may. please&&thanks. :] oh, and if there's any way you could score me a music date with christina perri, i will accept that gift as well.  

[2 chronicles 7:14]