Catching up

Hey all. Sorry for not posting in several days. Time is beginning to speed up and days are beginning to blur together. This week has flown by with all the "normal" scheduling. Been doing work around Apostle Battery (Jam's campsite in Cape Town). Cleaning bathrooms, yardwork etc. Today we put in a new fire pit. A victory circle South African style as I like to call it. That was a lot of work and a lot of fun. I continue to build awesome relationships with the JAM staff. It is truly a blessing to get to work here. Yesterday (Thursday) was our day off. We went into Cape Town down to the waterfront with a girl from Imizamo Yethu. I hope that it was a blessing to her, it was really awesome to take her out. She is disabled and doesn't get to go out much. Her name is Gloria, by the way. As I said earlier the days are beginning to blur together. I am finding myself into the niche of JAM ministry but find myself missing things from home in lulls in time. I miss stuff like mexican food, the NBA playoffs (Go Lakers!!!) and driving... on the right side of the road. God reveals to me the life of a missionary.

Here's what I've been dwelling upon:
"And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man." And calling the crowd to him and his disciples, he said to them, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." And he said to them, "Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power."
Mark 8:31-9:1

That's a mouthful... sorry, but it's so powerful. I've been reading Dietrich Bonhoeffer and he talks about how to fully embrace discipleship of Jesus Christ we must fully embrace the sacrifice of the Cross... meaning that we know God loves us because he gave his Son and so we must also give of ourselves as well. So to sacrifice sometimes we must miss Boni's Tacos, Taco King, the NBA, BBQ with mom, chilling with roommates, etc. For me to live is Christ.