Flying on planes, walking on water III

More to talk about as far as PR, but first I must share this:

Today I rode with Bart to Louisville so that he could take care of some business at the school. As we came home, he plugged in this CD that he got at the youth leaders' conference. It was Brennan Manning. Oh, yeah! People who don't like what he has to say I believe don't really listen to what he has to say; they just listen to the "unpolished" way he says it. The problem I have with him is that he makes it so simple that I wrack my brain either by trying to absorb what he's saying or by trying to make it harder than it really is. I've not decided which it is yet.

One thing he said on the CD REALLY stuck out in my mind. Most folks I have heard have said something to the effect of you expect to fail more than God expects you to fail. He believes in you! I've always felt encouraged by that statement. But on this CD, toward the end of his talk, Brennan, speaking as Jesus, says, "I expected you to fail more than you expected you to." At first I was kind of taken aback; after all, that doesn't sound that great. But then I started thinking more about it and it kind of relieves the pressure or something. I don't know; I think it makes me feel better. I guess it makes me understand that all the weight is on Jesus and not on me. I always want to think I have something to do with it, at least.

On to PR...

Tuesday we left Mayaguez for San Juan. After dropping off our bags at the school close by where we were spending the night and we grabbed a boat to Old San Juan. The streets there were more narrow than Yauco's and they were laid in brick that Colombus's men brought over from Spain. (They used them as ballasts for their ships. They would unload them on the shore (I don't know that they built the streets then) and then they were reload their ships with gold. Neat stuff. We ate at the local McDonalds that was in one of the rowhouses there, then we went on to sight-see. We saw a chapel there that was from Colombus's period and a fort that was also from that time. Then we went shopping. The shops are all rowhouses and they have balconies that remind you quite a bit of the French Quarter in New Orleans.

We admired the cruise ship that pulled into dock while we were touring, then we boarded the ferry back to San Juan and went to a mall that is one of the largest in the world. We ate, then Mary, her son-in-law and daughter, Heather and I all proceeded to get lost.

We spent the night in the school. Little did we know before we got there that morning that the school was situated in a violent part of town. Nice. As a result, the guys and the girls shared sleeping quarters. Not what anyone wanted, but it happened. It just wasn't safe for the girls to sleep separately. (I'm still wondering how many eyebrows shot up when that word broke.) But we all made it in and out of the area safely. That's what counted.

The San Juan airport experience was more friendly than Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky's was. (Those people are UPTIGHT, and it has nothing to do with heightened security.) Actually, I didn't mind spending 6 + hours in Newark, either. If I had had to stay in CVG that long, I would have been a threat, I think--just to the workers. They are nasty!

It's getting later than I want it to and I know I've missed tons, but that, in a nutshell, is our trip. Even if I've glossed over it here, I'm still rerunning the experience in my mind. One day I hope I can reflect on it more. It was an awesome experience.