… though I sorta do know when I’ll be back again.  Here’s my latest update!  I leave next Thursday, April 19th, for Spain.  Adios!

Read my March newsletter here.

I got a call from the Spanish consulate today and my visa has been granted!  One step closer to Spain…

Please enjoy my update for February!

Here is my January Update in PDF form!  Hope 2012 is treating you well!

It’s a cool and rainy day here in East Tennessee.  The leaves have started to turn and the mountains are simply breathtaking.  I do love fall around here!  Work (intramural refereeing at ETSU) was canceled tonight, so I’m taking this chance to update you on my life.

I’ve fallen into a bit of a routine: support raising and other random computer jobs in the morning, refereeing and hanging with friends at night.  There’s not much else to report on, but I thought of a theme that best sums up the last month or so: service.  I was invited by a friend to preach at the Adoration service at Hopwood Christian Church last Tuesday.  It’s mostly attended by students of Milligan and Emmanuel.  I spoke about the idea of letting go of control in our daily lives and looking to others’ needs before our own.  I included the following quote from Richard Foster’s book, Celebration of Discipline, regarding service:

“…[W]e must see the difference between choosing to serve and choosing to be a servant. When we choose to serve we are still in charge. We decide whom we will serve and when we will serve. And if we are in charge we will worry a great deal about anyone’s stepping on us [or] taking charge over us. But when we choose to be a servant we give up the right to be in charge.  There is great freedom in this. If we voluntarily choose to be taken advantage of, then we cannot be manipulated… the fear that we will be taken advantage of and stepped on is justified. That is exactly what may happen. But who can hurt someone who has freely chosen to be stepped on?”

Now I want to take some time to brag on some friends who have embodied this for me recently.  I was out with my friend Kristen for a
late-night dinner and while we were catching up on life, she saw a girl sitting by herself, nearly in tears.  Kristen went over and talked with her and, sparing a lot of details, simply showed this hurting girl some love.  The next night, I was hanging out with a friend until late in the evening and on my way home, I had a bit of car trouble.  It was 1:30am, cold and rainy, and I was a little frustrated.  Then, a complete stranger came outside (in his boxers) to see if I needed help.  He went back in and put some clothes on and came back to help, introduced himself as Charles.  He held my flashlight and a cigarette while I fixed the problem and went on home.  They both saw a stranger in need and came to help – a beautiful thing to witness.

Finally, I want to brag on my friends Josh and Robert.  Every Saturday morning they get people out to do a service project.  After the bad tornadoes this Spring, they decided to go around and see if there were families that needed help cleaning up on the south side of Atlanta. They have given of their time and resources to help people like Mrs. Hamilton who could not have cleared the land on her own.  Their only aim in doing this was to serve someone in need.  I’ve been able to go out with them most weekends when I’ve been home and it’s been tough but awesome.  If you’re in the Atlanta area and want to help, please do!  Here is their facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Serving-Saturday/175651905821226

I want to encourage all of you to look for ways you can put others first in love and service.  Imagine the beauty you can bring to the world.  Thank you Kristen, “Late-Night Charles”,  ”Just Josh” and Robert for your example!

Much Love,
Cody

Just some of the damage

Working hard to clean up the mess

I was inspired to write this update from a combination of nostalgia and free music downloads.  Nostalgia because there are certain moments when I think: this would only happen here in Johnson City.  Free music because I get weekly emails from NoiseTrade with free music from artists that I might like; last week there was one entitled “10 from Tenn”, thus the title of this post.  Without further ado, here are my top 10 things I will miss about living in Tennessee.

10. Tennessee-isms: random strangers (mostly waitresses) calling me ‘sweetie’ or ‘honey’, someone talking about growing up in a hollow (a geographical feature pronounced ‘holler’), and the fact that ‘steal’ and ‘kill’ are rhyming, two-syllable words.

9. Starbucks – Free coffee from employee friends, free internet, great study place and it’s the only one in JC, so you’re pretty much guaranteed to run into someone you know!

8. Night Hikes – the best star gazing I’ve ever experienced has been up here in the Appalachians.  Once we almost froze in an attempt to watch the Leonid meteor shower at 3am on a school night, only to be thwarted by clouds from a weather front that obscured our vision.

We're innocent!

7. Mountain Music – I dislike country music, but something about the folk/bluegrass/alt-country music that’s so popular in this area has really captured my interest.  I like a band with a banjo and a mandolin.

6. Random Hijinks – I have learned how to skin a fox, how NOT to catch chickens and my complete inability to avoid implication in practical jokes played on Emmanuel professors.  Apparently I don’t have one of those “innocent” faces.
5. Mountains/scenery – Sometimes it takes being gone for a few days to help me remember how incredibly beautiful this area is.

4. Seasons – part of what makes the scenery so beautiful are the different seasons.  A little bit of snow in the winter (but not too cold), an explosion of green in the spring and summer, and the myriad of fall colours when the leaves change.  Johnson City rivals Puebla, Mexico, for my favorite climate I’ve lived in!

3. ETSU – Before I even moved up to TN, I started looking for jobs in the area, knowing I’d need to work to sustain myself in grad school.  My favorite job (outside of Globalscope) to that point had been as an Intramural referee at Georgia Tech, so I checked out the local universities and, as it happens, the head honcho at ETSU had worked with a GT ref before and decided to hire me, even though I wasn’t a student there.  I love the job and especially the people I have worked with – it’s been a huge blessing and part of what helped make JC my “home”.

Grilling out at Lake Watauga

2. Emmanuel – I came to Emmanuel School of Religion (now Emmanuel Christian Seminary) really having no idea what I was getting myself into.  My boss in Mexico, Nathan McDade, simply said that he thought I would enjoy it (being naturally very curious, I love school and learning).  I’ve certainly learned a ton, and some of that has happened in the classroom.  Most of it has happened over coffee with friends, or out to lunch or golf with a professor.  It was such a stark change from GT, having professors invest in us personally and genuinely care about who we are becoming and what we’re doing with our lives.

1. Community – the common theme in the previous 9 favorites has been the community that has helped me to experience and enjoy them. My friends here are who have made it feel like home and what will make it that much harder to leave.

Speaking of leaving, you’re probably wondering why I’m still in Johnson City.  Aside from a little bit of paperwork, all that I’m missing before I am cleared to leave for Spain is monthly supporters.  Tomorrow, September 8th, is my 30th birthday.  I’m not big on gifts, but if you would like to consider giving me one… seriously consider becoming a supporter of my mission to Spain at $30/month.  That’s one dollar a day.  If you believe in what we’re doing and want to put your money where your mouth is… well, it’s easier than you think to be more conscious on how you spend in order to save a dollar a day.  If I can get 30 supporters at $30/month, I’ll be 20% closer to Spain.  Please think about whether you’d like to be one of those 30!  Of course, feel free to give more (or less) as you can.  More on my budget below.

Please continue to pray for the En Vivo ministry in Salamanca and the students whose lives will be changed by experiencing God’s love there!

Much love,
Cody

How to give
Monthly commitments – $2910 (64%)
Monthly need – $4550

One-time gifts – $6775 (88%)
One-time need – $7677

It’s that time of year when everyone is gearing up for the fall, preparing to go back to school or getting ready for football season, while also trying to fit in one more weekend at the lake or the beach, one more summer evening on the back porch grilling out with friends and reminiscing.  Yes, that’s quite the run-on sentence, but that’s what this summer has felt like to me.  Over a six week span, I spent less than 20 days at “home” in Johnson City.  I made trips to Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, St. Louis, Lincoln, NE, and Atlanta, of course.  I read two books and listened to four more on my ipod.  I helped numerous friends pack and move, and even changed apartments myself.  But now summer is coming to a close and so are the trips and craziness.  It’s time to gear up for the fall.

One of my trips was a week in Indianapolis for the annual Globalscope “Celebration” conference.  It’s a week when as many of the GS
missionaries as can make it come together to celebrate what God is doing through the different ministries.  We learn from wise people,
hear about different and new strategies for growing our communities and simply enjoy spending time with friends who are living their lives
with the same passions/desires.  I was inspired and a little humbled to be included in this group of dedicated servants who are giving up
the chance to live close to their families, to have a “normal” life, in order to do something extraordinary.  Their joys and their tears
reminded me why I am excited to join them soon!

Another summer highlight was a retreat to St. Meinrad’s Archabbey in southern Indiana with a group from Johnson City.  We spent two days at the monastery, cut off from the daily routine of life at home.  I checked out from technology (phone and email) and spent a lot of time
reading and reflecting in the time between the daily hours (5 different prayer times with the monks and fellow retreatants).  One of
the priests, Father Jeremy, spent a lot of time with our group, talking about their forms of worship (the Benedictine liturgy), inter-denomination (or ecumenical) issues, and what life is like in a monastery.  The whole experience was enlightening and refreshing and
gave me hope that we might be able to form bonds with the local Catholic church in Salamanca, rather than feeling at odds as the
Protestant churches sadly tend to be.  I highly recommend the place if you want to get away for a spiritual retreat!

At last check, I had over 60% of my monthly support committed, and I’m waiting to hear back from a couple of churches in the next few weeks.
I really hope to get to Spain by October, so I need your help.  If you’ve committed to give, please start giving (click on the “give” page for more info) as soon as you can.  If you haven’t committed, but are interested, please get in contact with me! If you know of people or churches who might be interested in hearing more, please pass that information along too!  :)

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and support.  Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Much love,
Cody

Retreat Group at St. Meinrad's Monastery