The Willem

Popcorn Kernels

// November 21st, 2009 // No Comments » // Holy Random Batman!, I just started writing and...

preface: I haven’t blogged in forever. That doesn’t mean I haven’t thought in forever or had stuff to write. What it does mean is that I haven’t made time to tend to this blog as I should be. This is going to be the most random collection of thoughts I’ve ever assembled, which will probably be very therapeutic for me and very entertaining for you. Enjoy, I know I will.

I love prefaces. They feel like low-key, but still important, disclaimers. Nobody likes a disclaimer. Disclaimer means you’re likely to find something you don’t like and they’re taking either legal or preventative action to stave off complaints or lawsuits. Prefaces are more like “hey, just a heads up, this is what to keep your eyes open for.” I dig that.

You know what else I like? Boldness. Bold type is alright, but I just dig boldness. Kind of like digging the word “dig.” That’s part of why I liked Diglett so much. Dugtrio was ok, but Diglett was just awesome.

You know what’s good? Lots of stuff.

I went to Walmart the other day (ok, who am I kidding, I go to Walmart almost every day, even though I despise the company) and bought some Blue Bell ice cream that was listed at 51 pesos. In case you don’t know, the exchange rate hovers around 13 pesos to the dollar, making that pint of deliciousness priced at about $3.90. That’s a pretty decent deal if you ask me. Here’s the exciting part (as if delicious ice cream wasn’t enticing enough): they priced it wrong. My ice cream rung up for $35.10 pesos (oh yeah, they put the $ sign in front of their prices, which is hilarious to me. Did you know that it originally had two vertical lines connected by a little loopy thingy at the bottom. This is also called a U. Why? Because it used to be US smooshed together, but we got lazy and swapped it to one single vertical strike. Now you can understand why I find the $ in front of peso prices hilarious, right?). That means my pint of high quality, delicious Blue Bell pecan pralines n’ cream (why is there only one apostrophe on that?) cost me roughly $2.70 american. Baller.

I’m so sick of not having my dress clothes. I never expected to miss dress shoes, a nice shirt, and my tie, but I do. I feel like a scrub at church each week, and I’m still dressed appropriately in good jeans and a nice polo shirt. I wanna feel pretty. I might regret that sentence tomorrow. No edits.

I was going to work at Costco when I was in Yakima for our December break, but they told me they can’t afford to hire me. I’m considering looking for some other work for the three weeks, but I’m sure God will provide, in all ways, all that I need. I just keep remembering the scripture concerning not eating if you don’t work (2 Thessalonians 3:10) and thinking I should at least be willing to work. If anyone knows of anything I could do to earn a little extra, I’d greatly appreciate some leads.

Rachel and I just made up an absolutely hilarious dance to “Feliz Navidad” for El Colli in eight hours. Seriously, it’s awesome.

I think Gabi has a better monkey face than I do.

I’m rather perturbed (I might even say I’m vexed) that I have routinely been called “WillemPooh” after a girl started calling me “WinniePooh” a couple weeks ago. She’s been way too forward with me, and I’m not even allowed to date if I wanted to, which I don’t. I’m single on and with purpose, thank you, and I’m not breaking that streak in Mexico. If anyone calls me anything relating to that name, I will be ignoring you. Probably for the rest of the day. Ok, so probably for a good 10 minutes. This is why guys can’t hold grudges. We don’t care enough and we don’t have the attention span.

Tonight, I had an amazing discussion on postmodernism, Buddhism as a religion (it’s not, by the way), and Christianity, as well as my Christian responsibility to share my faith. I didn’t quote scripture in the conversation, since they all would have disregarded the authority I know to be present in the scriptures, but I did use an analogy I’m rather fond of:

As far as discussing it in public, I can think of no better place. What use is a discussion if it’s in private and with no dissenting opinions? That may be a difference in style between the two of us, but I absolutely enjoy being challenged and stretched in my faith and my thought process in front of everyone and with everyone allowed to chime in.

Part of your original post asked why everyone couldn’t just find what made them happy and keep it to themselves. I think if anyone kept it to themselves, that would make them the most selfish person on the planet. I share because I genuinely believe that Jesus is the path to salvation; the only path. I share because I care about people and I’m trying to learn to love them all, and part of that is at least telling them all about the wonderful thing I have discovered. I try not to be pushy, because I hated those people, but if I don’t at least tell people once, I feel as though I’m abandoning them and hiding something they could partake of. I’ve always been of the belief that more options are a good thing. More information available makes more informed (and thus, better) decisions. With that said, it then becomes my responsibility to make sure people know of this option. The fact that I believe it is the only correct choice is a bonus, of course.

It’s like handing someone a multiple choice question with only a, b, c, and d on it, knowing that e is the correct answer. That just seems awful to me.

If you can find a hole in that, let me know. I like shoring up my arguments and the best way to do so is to be challenged.

I’m trying to find churches to speak at about my experiences in Mexico and about all that God is doing in, through, and around us there. So far I’m booked at one on December 6th, but the rest of December and the first Sunday in January are still open. I’m planning to be in Yakima until Christmas and on the west side of the state after that.

Fruit salad is a funny thing. If there’s yogurt, it’s heavenly. If there isn’t, it’s the Devil’s fruit. Here’s why: if you don’t coat the fruit in something (Yogurt was just the most common coating I could think of that isn’t marshmallow, which is disgusting and just wrong. If you coat your fruit in marshmallow junk, you are wrong. Repent. Go and sin no more.), the fruits all share juices and just end up tasting like the most dominant fruit. Put another way: they’re lying. Who is the king of lies? That would be Satan. You keep your Satan Salad. I’ll have none of it.

I don’t understand lettuce.

Seth pooped in the potty this week. Hannah wanted to throw him a parade. Before Mexico, I would have thought that’s the strangest reaction ever. Now? I’m on board. You might say I dig it.

We all bought a book called StrengthsQuest. I highly recommend it. You can go to their website (https://www.strengthsquest.com/) and take a test (if you buy a brand new book, you get a code to take the test) that shows you your top 5 strength areas. I disagreed with mine at first, but after reading the descriptions I can understand why I ended up with those results. Everyone in the house has to take the test, and I’ve already learned a ton about myself and about nearly everyone else in the house. It’s been extremely helpful, and I was a skeptic! With that said, my top 5 strengths are Restorative, Connectedness, Woo, Individualization, and Ideation. First person to make fun of me for having woo gets…gets…I don’t know. But you won’t like it. If you want to know what those mean, go to the website, because I’m not typing it all out (Don’t give me any guff about copy+paste. I don’t feel like it and when I’m ornery, there’s no messing with me.)

Tonight, a small group went to the homeless ministry. They ended up praying over a woman who was possessed and manifesting her demon(s). I don’t know all the details, but I heard that they kept praying for her for quite a long time and she tried to pray with them. Every time she tried to say the name of Jesus, her speech would suddenly cease and all she could say was “ayudame,” which means “help me,” for the Spanishless. Upon hearing their story, my eyes welled up and tears started streaming down my cheeks. I couldn’t help but feel incredible anguish for her. She is tormented, just like so many others in this world. How much pain can one Jesus take? He is incredible. I am absolutely amazed by Him.

On the being amazed by our savior note, my worship song is totally coming together. It’s one of the first posts on this blog, a song titled “With You.” Honestly, the title stinks, but the song has actually turned out rather well. I can play it on the piano and sing it now, and Matt is piecing together a guitar part (He wrote almost all the piano music. Actually, I’m not sure if I wrote any of it. I wrote the lyrics and the melody forever ago though, so I guess that’s something.) and Gabi mentioned wanting to learn/create a harmony vocal after she heard me playing it. We’ll be performing it at a local poetry night the day after Thanksgiving.

I need new Christian music.

Oh, I’ve thought of a few things I would like for Christmas (none is needed)

• A digital camera (preferably this one)
• Logos Bible Software (found here)
• Baked Goods
• Hugs
• At least one really really good high five
• A pocket Spanish-English dictionary

I’m barely conscious. Seriously, it took me like 35 minutes to write that Christmas list. I wonder if there are leftovers in the fridge.

Just soup. I’ll pass.

I just realized that I’ve written over 1700 words on this blog, yet I’ve been avoiding writing three 2-page articles summaries like the plague.

Best quote I’ve heard recently: “Excuse me miss, your postmodernism is showing.”

After this year, I’m never playing fantasy football again. I don’t care if I end up winning the whole league (which is totally possible; I’m in 3rd place). It’s way too stressful and distracting.

Also, I’ve decided not to drink soda next year. I’m tired of feeling so out of shape. I only weigh like 200 lbs, but I feel huge.

Just for fun, here are two hilarious pictures of me.

So ummm….Google Reader is my new favorite toy. It’s amazing. I get to keep track of everything I like reading all the time, but it puts all the posts into one spot instead of making me hop all over to different websites. Whoever came up with this idea should get a nice posh corner office overlooking something pretty.

In honor of my mom’s recent birthday, you should all click on this link and then click the big pink button to support breast cancer research and free mammograms for women who need them. (CLICK HERE IF YOU HATE CANCER)

I have to type a few more words so I can eek over the 2000 mark, just because I think that would be a pretty cool thing. I’m not sure why, I just get the impression that I’d be much more pleased with 2009 words of nonsense than i would be with 1986. Ok, I just realized that I just typed the current year and my birth year without intending to. Crazy sauce.

Things I did this Halloween

// November 1st, 2009 // No Comments » // Holy Random Batman!, I just started writing and..., Life

Packed all the El Colli stuff in the truck and van in a tidy and organized manner (this has never been done)

Ministered to tons of kids through song, dance, and helping with the day’s Bible story (I was a discus champion, and I was good at it)

Handled a parent’s questions in Spanish by myself (and figured out who her kids were)

Discovered that being called “Gordito” by the local kids is, in fact, not offensive here (I’m still not sure I believe that)

Lashed out in a passive-aggressive manner towards people yelling nonstop in the study room (I apologized later and I should have handled my need for quiet in a more tactful fashion)

Ate a lot of honey-roasted peanuts and hershey’s kisses. (I truly think this might be the best combination of snack foods)

Wrote a paper on an amazing book (the paper is below, and significantly less impressive than the book)

Admired Seth’s and Baby Henry’s incredible costumes (Baker In Training for Seth, Pooh and a Pumpkin for Baby Henry)

Had a great chat with a mentor (although part of it was more hilarious than mentor-mentee relationship)

Ate amazing food, all throughout the day. (Home-baked goodies, tomato basil soup, baked potatoes, yum)

Did the best makeup job I have ever done for Mike’s demon outfit (Seriously, he looked Joker-esque)

Complained about the egregious lack of good tape in this country (I honestly have no idea how they hold their stuff together without the glory of duct tape)

Continually ran back and forth between a fake party and the Judgment Seat, where I then draped myself in a sheet that wouldn’t stay up (due to lack of good tape) so I could play God

Met a couple of very cool new people and got to practice my Spanish in a long car ride around 1am. (They said I spoke very well!)

Had a very healthy and helpful chat with a very good friend on the way back from that long car ride. (I’d been looking forward to this particular conversation for a while)

Of Baptisms, Mountains, Cowboys, and Comida

// October 12th, 2009 // No Comments » // Holy Random Batman!, Life

Sundays really are the best day of the week. We (Angela, Phoenicia, and myself) woke up early this morning to go out to our friend Daniel’s house, where we met his parents. We then followed them out to meet where their church usually meets (Daniel’s dad, Rodolfo, is the pastor). It turns out they meet in a clearing on the side of the road and set up a tent. Today, however, we said a quick prayer and headed out to the middle of nowhere in a caravan. We drove for about an hour out of town and it was absolutely some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. Eventually, we turned off to a rolling sideroad which was barely paved, then drove on that for about 10 minutes while staring at all the beautiful cliffs, forests, wildlife, and graffiti (even an hour out of town into the wilderness, there’s graffiti in Mexico). At the end of the road was a little resort type camp, where we unloaded tons of food and some various gear, then packed through the gate. There were beautiful rock pools everywhere throughout the camp and a large building towards the back where we set up food and had service. A little old lady named Lori gave her life to the Lord.

After the service, everyone changed into swimsuits and gathered in one of the lower pools. There, Rodolfo baptized 7 people, much to the delight of all involved. It was a very exciting way to take a huge step of obedience for all of these people, and it was an incredibly lively and supportive group. I was absolutely blessed to be a part of this.

After hanging out in the pools for a while, we all migrated towards the food, which was plentiful and flavorful. There was pollo molé, a marlin dish, tons of fresh fruit, and a delicious pasta salad. On top of all of that, there was a pastor’s wife trying to feed me until I popped. This was one of those times they trained us for, where you smile, say gracias, and eat everything they put on your plate or in your glass. It hurt. It hurt so good.

After stuffing our faces with food, everyone decided to jump back in the pools for a a few hours of some bizarre version of volleyball, wherein Rodolfo decided to announce every move that was going on. It was hilarious. Also entertaining was everyone’s reaction to my lack of participation. I didn’t feel like swimming today and I don’t particularly enjoy swimming in pools, so I didn’t join. Daniel’s mom kept trying to hit it by me to entice me to jump in out of reaction, but it never did work.

After a few hours of doing nothing, the three of us headed back over the hills, but took our time so we could stop and take tons of pictures of all the great views and interesting stuff, including random Mexican cowboys in the mountains herding cattle off the crazy road.

The whole adventure put several different thoughts into my head. Principally, I started thinking about how we need to celebrate the rebirth that baptism symbolizes. Honestly, we put on some pomp and circumstance and make a production out of it, but is that genuine? Is that true celebration? Are we honestly rejoicing in the progression and the obedience people are displaying and committing to? Another thing I thought today was how truly evident God’s creativity is everywhere we go. How do we miss it every day? How are we constantly ignorant of it? I pray that I would keep my eyes and heart open to see the evidence of God everywhere I go.

After we got home, Stacia and I laid around in the living room doing homework and complaining about being hungry for sweets. We finally found Katlyn and asked her where the remnants of the no-bake cookies were. After we scarfed those, we set to work finishing our reading, lectures, and an assignment (we actually turned an assignment in over a week before it’s due!).

Eventually hanging out in the living room caught up to us in the form of everyone in the house gathering around us and making noise, making studying impossible. We all decided to go to Plaza del Sol, where we ate Pizza Hut (or, as I call it now: Pizza Butt) and some extremely stale pastries. After running around trying to find everyone by yelling Marco Polo, Richie and Jen decided to soap all the fountains in the whole plaza. It was not very successful, but we got a lot of funny pictures and we had a great time.

Now we’re back at home trying to organize a game of Mafia that just won’t work. Everyone’s complaining and laughing at each other and I’m just sitting in the corner as a witness to this calamity. I’ll add some pictures to this post as I get my hands on them.