Well I know I said I was goin to do better about posting but once again the craziness of the past few weeks has kept me from doing quite a bit. It's hard to know where to start but I guess the biggest improvement since last time is finally after moving 4 times to 4 different places since we've been in Wyo we are finally settled in! We are renting rooms from this guy that goes to our church Mike Ragan. He's a math teacher and defensive coordinator at the local high school and he's awesome. He's got a great house for us to be in because we get the whole upstairs. He's got two sons in college and two girls in high school that live here every other week. It's really a great situation, my only beef is with their two cats JJ and Pistol Pete. Pistol Pete will bite you if you refuse to pet him and JJ's the most curious creature I've ever been around. He's constantly messing with my stuff, walking across my computer keyboard while I'm trying to type, and he loves to swat his dirty paws at the ice in my drinks. He knocked over my full glass of tea today and I seriously almost killed him. One more time and we'll see how well he can adapt to the wyoming wilderness.

We finally got our substitute teaching stuff back and I've already subbed one and a half days. The first day I got to sub out on the rez at Wyoming Indian High School. It was a really different but cool experience. They are pretty untrusting and not very conversational at all, all except for one girl, Shota, she was real friendly and talkative. I did however get to play basketball for two periods and after watching me get schooled multiple times by some of these kids I think they felt a little more comfortable around me. Basketball has always been rough for me and it's the one game their amazing at. So yeah fun times... At the end of the day I felt like it was going to be impossible to ever get close to these kids and I felt like I spent most of the day in obscurity. But it was cool because today I was hanging out with some teenagers on the rez and a couple of them that I didn't have in class recognized me as "the new sub". It's funny how they'll say nothing to you in conversation but word about you travels like crazy.

Subbing at Lander High was much different. The students are predominantly white but there's still alot of Natives. They were all super talkative and eager to get to know me because I was new. One kid sat in the front row and talked my ear off about these dunebuggies he builds with old car parts and wrecks intentionally just to see what will happen. Brilliant kid but I swear only in Wyoming.

When I'm not substitute teaching, I've been working on starting my new landscaping/maintenance/snow removal business. I've got a couple jobs under my belt and a couple more lined up. I'm learning a lot about the need and difficulties of raising capital but between an old mower, a beat up trailer, and a new weed trimmer I'm making out all right. When I'm not subbing or working on the business, Joel and I work for Clark Lucas a contractor here that's helped us out a ton. This week we stripped a roof and started remodeling this house. My body is hating life. The good and bad part is between the 3 I've been staying pretty busy but I'm ready to get one consistent, good paying job that will enable me to do the job that I moved here for. So please pray for that. Pray that God will provide the best job that will enable me to commit more of my time and energy to ministry.

I haven't had alot but what little social life I've had has been awesome. This past Sunday we went to Boysen Lake with some of our "rich" oilfield friends who have boats and jetski's. I got to embarass myself wakeboarding and cruise around on the jetski's which was totally awesome and totally needed. It was a great day. I love my pastors family more and more all the time. He has totally poured into me and encouraged me time and again. Last Saturday he let me print off my sermon at his office and while I was he prayed over me and told me that the church was completely committed to supporting us in every way that we needed. I've spent many late nights at their house just talking to them or hanging out with their sons who I've become pretty tight with. His wife, Mrs. Lorinda and daughter Carissa, made me a cake for my birthday Monday and although I never really care for big birthday celebrations it was nice to have someone far from home take the time to make me feel good. Their whole family has been awesome and I thank God everyday for them.

We're continuing to try and make our way into the reservation circle. We keep meeting more and more people and trying to see what the best aproach to reaching youth will be. We still have such a long way to go so please pray that God will make it clear to us what our mission is and that he will enable us to accomplish it. This week there was a team here from Birmingham, Alabama. It was cool because a couple of them were from Brook Hills, the church where David Platt one of the most inlfluential preachers in my life, is the pastor. Today was the only day we really got to hangout with them but it was awesome. It was so good to hear southern accents and talk about SEC football. They should be the last of the short term teams for awhile but with all the job pressures we've had lately it was great to have them help point us back to focusing on the ministry.

Despite some the struggles we've dealt with, God has continued to be faithful and I know that He will continue to watch over us. Right now I'm craving for God's vision for this reservation and for our work here. Robert E. Lee said once, "The greatest thing a man can do is his duty, he can do nothing more, he should never do less." He believed that was the key to perfect peace and I completely agree. The most peaceful times in my life have been the times when I knew I was doing the work that God has planned for me. I know without a doubt that this is where God has called me to but the exact work is still a question. One of the greatest traps that I'm constantly in danger of is my desire for success and wanting to prove myself to myself. I want to know that I can not only survive but thrive anywhere, I want to feel like I can do anything I want and although that's not necessarily bad it can sometimes distract me from what God has ultimately brought me here to do. So basically I need clarity because that line between my will and His can be quite blurry sometimes.

I hope all of you are doing well. I love where I am but I always remember everything I love in Maryland and Jacksonville not to mention my Georgia fam. You all have truly been such a blessing to me and as much as I love adventure, it can make me sad to think about everyone that I miss so much. But things are great here and I'm loving embracing the "new thing" that God is leading me through. I'll leave you with a verse I found encouraging this week, I love yall and I'll try to post more frequently. Thanks for reading!!!

17 This is what the LORD say your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go."

Isaiah 48:17