The scenery is always changing

It's an interesting thing - that state after you wake up but before your full faculty is engaged. It's made more interesting when each day, as part of the routine, the window curtains are drawn back to reveal a familiar but always changing scene.

Today's surprise, a French amphibious assault ship, the Dixmude:

2013

As I sit here, the last hour of 2013 ticking steadily, impossibly by, I am once again overwhelmed by a sense of powerlessness. For all we can do, all we could do, in the end we have very little to say on the subject that is our life. We make decisions sure, and I'm not belittling those in the slightest, but for as much as we want to be in control, as much as we think we are, we are but dust. We each have our unique role in this world, and a duty to play it but it makes me think deeper, higher, to Him who is at the helm.

So as this difficult year passes and I look afresh at the possibilities, the hopes, the aspirations - even the wonder - of what this coming year holds, it is my prayer that this sense of smallness that encompasses me now might remain. That I would not forget my size, being overcome with pride. 

As 2014 arrives, my heart is moved:

Where you go, I'll go
Where you stay, I'll stay
When you move, I'll move
Who you love, I'll love
How you serve, I'll serve
I will follow you.

Braii

What better way to spend New Year's Eve than with the crazy (but awesome) South Africans on the ship?

And of course an amazing braii!

Holiday from the holiday

Or is that vacation from my vacation? I can't remember anymore - but you get the idea. This past week, off work celebrating Christ's birth and why we're here in Congo in the first place, has been a much needed staycation for me. The recent world travels were good but long. This was sleep in, play games, watch a movie 'till 4am, tweak that sensor on the helicopter, eat Christmas yummies until your stomach hurts kind of good. It's been great and refreshing but I'm definitely feeling the urge/need for a routine again. So back to work! Pray for our team to not be overwhelmed as we jump in to the exceedingly-large-but-not-growing-as-fast-as-it-once-was pile of work ahead of us in this (almost) new year!

To all those who so graciously hosted us on our world adventures...

THANK YOU!

And Merry Christmas from the not-so-northern-hemisphere-Christmas-cold Republic of Congo:

Made it to Ethiopia

Ethiopia you say? That's not where I'm supposed to be. It's on the wrong side of the continent!

Unfortunately our plane in Germany had issues with its de-icing system (discovered during taxi) and the flight was cancelled - /after/ sitting on the aircraft for 5 hours during the attempted fix. So it was either sleep in the terminal (Immigration wouldn't grant a transit visa for Penn so we could leave on another flight the following day) or route through Ethiopia. All in all, a 17-hour addition to the 38 planned.

But we /did/ arrive just in time for the sunrise:

Almost makes it worth it...

Almost.

WOTD

"Just now" (South African English): is going to happen imminently

Very confusing when compared with the other (non-South African) meaning: "just happened".