i'm back...i guess you know this...

hey yall-
sorry it has taken so long for me to post this...i have been reprimanded for my lack of zeal in my postings...i want to thank you guys so much for your prayer support over the last month...it was much needed...want to especially thank mrs. templin for your awesome support...you were so excited to hear about my trip and i know that your thoughts were with me the whole time...

we made it back safe and sound and everyone still has all their appendages...although, at some points in the trip i almost took some of them off...no for real it was a sweet time to see christ working in the hearts of a culture that is lost...we stuck together as a team and i learned so much from these guys...most of it will take a while to process as i tell and retell the stories from our trip...

thanks again for your support and prayers, they were crucial! im excited to take this next step...but i wont lie im scared to death as well...i will be starting classes at dallas theological seminary in the fall and i will be working at saltgrass steakhouse as well...it seems the working world is calling and i guess i have to respond somehow! actually im really excited to get back into the working world...there are so many lessons there that i have missed out on for a long time...i will be going to school two days a week and working four days...

please keep the kazak people in your prayers...specifically: rawan, rustem, ruslan, and azamot...please also continue to pray for the m's there, jake and steph, as they devote themselves to spreading Joy! thank you guys and i hope someday i wont have to have these blogs to post about a trip i took and came back from...maybe i can just go there and stay...

jon david

No im not moving on to mikey, d.o.

i thought it worthy to let you (d.o.) know that i fully hope to be roommates with both of you (i.e., d.o. and mikey) simultaneously...so heal your heart quickly cause my furniture is heavy!

for the rest of you guys-
wanted to let you all know that we are doing great! we have only a few days left and we are loving our new friends! they're hilarious! we will visit the banya again today or tomorrow! thank you! i think my mom was prolly embarassed by my last banya posting (sorry). i bet you liked it though g-money! thanks so much for your prs and thoughts. its so cool how father works...sometimes in subtle ways and sometimes outright for everyone to see...we met a brother here one night on a bus and he speaks and english and knows our father!!! he said he would love to meet our new friends and help tell them about Him...thank you! learning much about the life of m's here...gosh. they dont much care for the entrapment of "materialism"! oh if i could apply attention to that area of my life. somehow, somewhere there is a wall that blocks this knowledge and disgust of materialism from becoming a reality in MY life...it is so easy to talk about, but much harder to employ. miss you guys. please stay in the word cause i heard it makes our roots grow really deep and strong, like a tree beside a river.

jon david