Saturdays are for pondering

For the last couple of years there have been two questions swimming around in my head. The answer to these questions has a direct impact on my daily life, but I can't seem to settle on an answer to either one of them. So I decided to post them here and see if anyone of you might have some insight.

The first question is this: Is it better to live everyday with a steady normal pace or to live bouncing between highs and lows? At first it seems obvious that a steady pace is better, but then you miss the emotional and spiritual highs. In my own life these highs can propel me for a long time. But then you get the lows too, so you can understand my dilemma.

The second question is a little more complex: When trying to make a difficult change, is it better to take little steps toward the goal or to just go straight for it. For example, if someone has a goal of running 10 miles every day, is it better to run 1 mile daily for a week then 2 miles and so on, or to just run 10 miles daily? This one also has a deep impact on daily decisions and spiritual matters.

There you have it. I'd love to hear some ideas on these. And for a quick update on the ship - The portion of the crew that was away has moved back aboard now. The generators are on and the AC is struggling to stay on. We will sail to Sierra Leone soon...

Welcome to conference room B

I wish I had a cool cross cultural meaningful story to write about. However, I've been working in the galley for the past few months and there's not much to report. Once when I was peeling carrots there was a carrot that looked like a person with arms and legs. Does that count? Maybe not. I've decided to make this a business like informational type blog entry.

Read the minutes from last time:

-The AFM is in South Africa to have it's generators replaced and some other major electrical work

-Cyle works in the galley because the hospital is not running currently

-Most of the crew has moved off ship to an abandoned college campus

-The ship has no AC because the power generators are in pieces somewhere

-The ship is an oven (think of getting into your car on a sunny summer day)

-We are scheduled to leave SA on January 16th to go to Sierra Leone for the 2011 field service

Any new business?

-The new generators are in and currently being connected and secured

-The departure date has been pushed back to January 30th because of delays in the work

-Cyle has finished work in the galley because it is time to start preparing the hospital for service mode (the hospital deck is currently covered in dirt and oil from all the work)

-Buses filled with crew members come every day to clean the ship and get it ready for sailing and service

-The medical screening process has begun in Sierra Leone, with large turnouts of people who need help

-Cyle is now playing in the worship band on the ship and enjoying having calloused fingers again

Now a word from our chief executive officer:

"Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life that you conferred as a gift through me, so they can be one heart and mind as we are one heart and mind."

Dismissed.