Stop 20 - Washington DC

After an early flight at 'O Dark 30' and a cup of Starbucks, I have arrived in the vicinity of the beltway. I am looking forward to a few additional months on the East Coast while still avoiding the northern winter. Using a computer at a generous USO lounge, I hope to explain logical progression behind my recent break from world travel. Along the way, I also saw some famous DC landmarks (can you guess the landmark in the picture?)

A monastic life in the United States, what fun! Recently, I decided to take a brief internship with YWAM to pray and fast in Washington DC. As a Christian, God mandates that believers pray for all governmental leaders (Republican, Democrat, and Independent) to have wisdom and govern justly. In the Bible, many people ( ie Esther, Daniel) took time to pray and fast for a wide variety of leaders. As a result, mass murder was averted and many kings were humbled by God's great mercy. In light of the past success, I have decided to spend several months in a kind of modern monetary. (think of granola and young people instead of monks)

Stop 19 - St. Louis

Back to the home of toasted ravioli. (and my birthplace) I spent one week in St. Louis visiting family and speaking at my home church. Along with the comforting plethora of St. Louis sports paraphernalia (go Cards!), I was able to enjoy good home cooking, many friends, and chances to touch a piece of heaven (I mean praying with other people not putting a hand on the St. Louis Arch)

Stop 18 - Road Trip (Indiana)

While driving through Indiana, I saw a blue sign highlighting a local tank museum. As a good member of the armed forces and a man who loves firepower, I decided to exit the highway. After a few miles of driving through beautiful farmland, I came upon a man's farm that was filled with giant hulks of metal. As a five-year-old in a candy store, I enjoyed climbing on tanks, learning history by experience, and testing the weapons (unloaded of course, see picture above) Local workers who restored the vehicles at the farm told many fantastic stories. Engineers in past wars improvised huge leaps in technology to assist the survival of the US against numerous opponents. On a larger scale, I am thankful for God's fantastic engineering skills that allow the earth to sustain life and catapult around the sun.

Stop 17 - Road Trip (West Virginia)

As my wandering adventures turn to the United States, I endeavored to drive from Boston to St. Louis. Along the way, my adventures took me to Harper's Ferry in West Virginia to see the site of one of the worst US military defeats. In the Civil War over 12,000 Union soldiers surrendered to the famous southern general named Stonewall Jackson. On the battlefield, a ridge overlooks a beautiful river (see picture above) From my vantage point overlooking the natural tapestry, I decided to spend time in prayer and talking to God. Afterwards, I was struck by the stark contrast between the ugliness of defeat on the battlefield and the beauty of the nature. The contrasting scene reminded me that God's beauty is far greater than our mistakes and suffering. 

Stop 14 - Washington DC - The Call

Excited about fasting. Yes, Really! I was very excited to have a chance to fast on the Capitol Mall in Washington DC with 70,000 other people. Despite the lack of physical food, my soul was well nourished and I had an amazing spiritual experience with Jesus. The Call (http://www.thecall.com/) was part of a series of gathering by Christians from around the country to pray for God to bring great blessing and healing to the United States. Although I love the USA and thank God for the many blessings we have in America, several tragic national decisions (slavery, abortion, Native American deportation) have caused innocent bloodshed. A solution to the past mistakes can be found in Joel 2 of the Bible where an entire nation is called to fast and pray for God's forgiveness. In Washington, many people rallied to pray for God to forgive past sins, bring great healing to national divisions, and pour out tremendous blessings on the US government. Besides a radical encounter with God, The Call really gives me hope that better days are ahead for the United States and the people serving in the Federal government.

Stop 13 - London

During my three hour layover in London, I decided to leave Heathrow Airport and take a whirlwind visit to England's capital. By taking a 15 minute express train I found myself in Paddington station. (ie Bourne Ultimatum) After walking around Westminster for 20 minutes and drinking some excellent coffee, I rushed back to Heathrow for my plane to the United States. Along the way, I realized that I may want to learn British for my next trip across the pond. As an example, the picture above is a warning sign for people to not stand to close to approaching trains.

Stop 12 - Koln Germany

The picture was not in Boston, but Germany. My coffee gulping seen above took placed at a Dunkin' Donuts in Koln, and I wanted to have documented proof that you can get American coffee in Europe. (even with English writing on the cup)