Currently Listening Just Who I Am: Poets & Pirates By Kenny Chesney don't blink see related

Hey People...

So you may be wondering how things are going in my world... well... pretty good i think.

My Back is still a problem. I am trying to heal and its been slow. I go to Physical Therapy twice a week... and hope to be better someday. God still teaches me through the hurt. Its like a thorn in the flesh for me sometimes.

My job is busy, but good. I got a new boss who is awesome. i enjoy his leadership and also insight into not just the workplace, but living in general. He's got a lot of experience that is similar to my own and yet when i seem to get frustrated, he seems to handle things better. Its been a great example to learn from. God is using him in my life.

Kristy leaves for Kenya today! Be praying for both of us. I'll miss her and all that jazz, but its hard to believe how much i have come to rely on her to balance me and help me think things through. I think it will be like missing part of my brain while she's away. Be praying that she is bold with the gospel and fearless in the face of all the new things she will face.

I'm raising support and am at about $250 a month right now. Please be praying about that, because i need to make it to about $1900 a month by next august in order to attend language school. Its been slow because i am pulled away by the wedding stuff, and all the other things going on in my world. I'm praying for more people to catch a vision for Togo.

Well, have a great day everyone and fill me in on whats new in your world!

God Bless,

~djk

Two Months...

About two months have passed since last time i was on Xanga. I apologize people... things have been crazy...

So the Update you've all been waiting for...

I am ENGAGED to Kristy Sue Hrinda. We are getting married on January 12th, and i don't think i can invite you all... but if you want an invite, i will se what i can do. Let me know.

Other than that... life has just been busy... for one... i am helping plan the Wedding... i know i know... everyone is telling me that i will want to stay out of it... that i will just get in the way... but so far kristy has said that i am actually helping not hurting the process... so i intend to continue helping... and organizing... and helping us not miss the details...

Kristy is doing great with everything... its been moving kinda fast, but she has taken it all in stride. How fast, you ask?

The first 2 weeks after engagement we set up Premaritial counseling, paid for the church and reception hall, found and bought her wedding dress (i wasn't there for that), picked out the tuxes for everyone, started a working list of over 200 invities, verbally confirmed the Wedding Party and more. Since then we have lined up potential catering for the rehearsal dinner, and the reception... we've taken over 500 engagement pictures, and have nearly finalized our invitation (its in the printing process today i think), and we have almost finalized a budget for the Wedding. The honeymoon needs to be confirmed (thanks for helping dad) but its well on the way.

Why so much so fast... well... We only have 107 days from today until the Wedding... In between Now and then... November 2 - 11 Kristy goes to Kenya, November 3rd is Albany Superbowl (Which i volenteer at), Then Thanksgiving (We are headed to Jersey), Then Christmas, Then new Years, Then our Wedding! So we have a jump on things making it easier during the chaos! i am really excited... this next 107 days are going to FLY!

During all this i mailed over 50 Pastors about Togo, and have begun the process of follow-up phone calls. I also lined up a meeting at my home church in October, and they already want me back for sometime after January. God has been working in my life.

Once thing i am learning is that even when it is crazy, i NEED to seek Jesus. Kristy and I take time to pray. We take time to talk. We make decisions. But through it all there is a major difference in how i respond to things when i am not taking time to spend in the Word. Its still tough (my back is still hurting me)... but God is still gracious. Please keep praying for us!

Thats it for now... i need to get some pics from my Fiancee to put on the site.

God Bless,

~David James Kelly

Currently Reading For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women By Shaunti Feldhahn, Jeff Feldhahn see related

Here's an Update

Hey Everyone!

Here's whats new...

I have officially been accepted as a Bible Fellowship Church Missionary by their board. The process took about a year to complete... and now i can start raising support in my home church and other BFC churches. I am pretty excited about that. For a while i was discouraged at how long it was taking. I didn't think i would get accepted... but lo and behold, God delivers yet again!

Another blessing... so far, in the past 3 weeks, i have had a person approach me dedicating themselves to $100 a month, $10 a month, and a third person for ? a month. They didn't tell me. But God is starting to build my support base. i'm still only at about 2% but it will be double (about 4%) when this money starts coming in.

Pray for me. in September i intend to present for my home church in Jersey. I'm hoping God brings them to support me full time. I have wanted them to be my sending church all along.

My Back... it is still hurting. 3 weeks ago i drove to NJ... then allentown PA... then NJ... then back to Schroon Lake. A week and 2 days ago, i moved, and stubborn me decided to lift some things i shouldn't have lifted. My back started bothering me. Last weekend, i drove to NJ AGAIN! Now i am sore... my leg is hurting a bit again... and it seems pretty sensitive. So pray i take it easy and heal some more.

One of those trips to Jersey was all about going to the beach with Kristy. She was funny! She was afraid of the waves a bit, and i had to talk her into going out into the deep blue with me. By the end of the day she was boogie boarding on her own, and laughing and playing in the water. She still likes lakes better... but give me time and i might be able to change that. hehe... i bet she'll read that and stubbornly say she won't change. It was fun. only draw back... i got a bit of sunburn on my shoulders. Still, i'll live. It was a blast. Thanks Mom and Dad for taking us!!!

Kristy and I celebrated 9 months of dating yesterday. it was so much fun. We didn't do anything overly extravagant... we actually ate with her parents. My back was bothering me so i didn't go to a meeting at the Inn, and instead we took it easy. We ended up reading a book together. It was a lot of fun, and our conversations inbetween the chapters were really refreshing, encouraging, and revealing. Thank you Kristy for sharing!!! To God be all Glory for this relationship.

Well, enjoy your day everyone! God Bless!

~djk

Currently Listening The Road and the Radio By Kenny Chesney see related

Hello People...

So, how is life???

I am doing well... well enough to say well. Here is the update on my current status and situation.

1) I still am dealing with the nerve pain. I have been to 3 Doctors, 2 chiropractors, an MRI guy, and e-xray girl, 2 Physical Therapists, and a Physical Therapist assistant. So far, all they tell me to do is stretch. There has been... i think change is the best word... in my symptoms. Now instead of it hurting a lot when i am sitting, it hurts a little all the time. I can't tell if that is good or bad. It also hurts less in my leg and more in my hip and back. I wish this nerve wasn't so long! It hurts a little different everyday. I am hoping that the changes mean it is starting to get better. Keep praying. i have been sleeping more hours, but getting less sleep because it hurts when i lie down now. Good news is that a church is considering sending me $25 a week to go to the chiropractor. I pray that works out, because i haven't been able to afford going regularly.

2) Remember when i lost my job at Word of Life. Well, they asked me to take it back. It was a lot of stress that i didn't expect, but God used the whole situation to re-affirm my devotion to going full time into missions. It also taught me to rely more on Him, and to trust even when i don't understand. The job has medical insurance, which is a big thing for me right now.  After some prayer and counsel, i did indeed take it back. I love my job, even if it has been a little crazy.

3) When i lost my job, i took everything (literally) that i had in savings and paid the balance on my loans. So i am officially debt free. That is a huge weight off my back. I was on a plan to finish around August, and simply moved that plan forward a bit so as to free me up to leave for Jersey, PA, Quebec or wherever God would take me when i didn't have a job. Now that my job is secure again, i will be able to save a little better, and manage my finances easier. Thats a blessing.

4) The missions trips i have been organizing have been great. I just got two trips back from Guatemala and Honduras. They both went well (a couple of snags in airports, but nothing major). I now have another trip to Honduras in August, and a trip that seems to be coming together for December. Then i get to really push to work on Next year. My goal is ten full trips. We shall see.

 5) With Kristy, things are great. She's a consistant smile in my day. Sometimes i get grumpy or i have a negative attitude. The constant pain does get to me sometimes, and i allow my attitude and focus to slip from Christ to my circumstances. Through it all, God has been very faithful and has often used Kristy to confront the sin. When it comes to us, we are learning as we progress. I think i really enjoy her heart to reach out to people around her. She gets attached to people more intimately than I do.

For example; Her best friend Megan is overseas in Hungary, and Kristy misses her terribly. She gets sad when she thinks about it, and even wakes up in the middle of the night hoping to catch Megan on IM. That would be the farthest thing from my mind. It would be one thing if i stayed up in order to surprise someone and make them feel special, and another to stay up because i miss someone. I don't miss a lot of people. I guess i have the attitude that God is using them elsewhere so why miss them. I'll just pray for them. Kristy has a bigger heart than I do, i guess. It operates in a different way. But i love it. She challenges me to really think about the impact people have on me, and why it is i don't miss them. Is it because i am ungrateful, or because i'm not emotional in my attachment? Its been interesting thinking about this whole discovery. Josh Kelso is one of my friends overseas, and i kinda feel like i miss him sometimes, but never to the extent Kristy feels. I'm like that with places too. Kristy was saying that if her parents ever move, she'd be sad they would sell the home she grew up in. I'm like... ummm... why? if my parents sold our home, i don't think i'd be sad at all. I just don't get as attached. Yeah, so its been fun learning about me and her.

Moral and Biblical question of the day:

I encourage you to reply, but i have pretty much come to a conclusion on this one. Steve Sochor and I were talking Greek the other day, and its been an interesting Study...

In Light of Romans 1:26-31, Ephesians 6:1, and other verses...

Do YOU have to obey your parents if they are not asking you to sin?

If you answer i encourage scriptual backing. Its been a tough discussion for me lately because of some circumstances in my life, and in the lives of a couple of other people i know. I have heard people say both yes you are responsible to obey, and no you are not responsible to obey... Godly men i respect disagree... so please don't come in with guns blazing. Its ok to disagree, but no personal attacks please. What do you think the Bible says about this. 

Well, enjoy your day!!

~David James Kelly