The Long Haul

Hello friends!

Today is my third day of being on the road going around and seeing friends and family before I leave California for Texas.  I am excited and filled with anticipation for the coming days.  It will be a long drive for sure, but I look forward to some of the stops along the way.  I have never been to the Grand Canyon before, and I am planning on stopping there as I will be staying the night on Wednesday in Flagstaff, AZ.

Any-who, so far so good. I covet your prayers as this journey goes on.  I have about 22 hours of driving to go, which is a long ways to go.  However, that is just the beginning of my journey, I may be wrong, but the real exciting part will be when I get to Texas Friday and get to start meeting a whole bunch of people!  I am really looking forward to the new relationships I make on this journey.

Some of you may wonder, why am I going all the way to Texas? Why am I moving so far away from those I love and those that love that love me? Well, it started at the beginning of summer when I graduated College.  After 5 years of college I finally earned my degree in communication. I am very happy that I was able to complete my education and graduate! It feels great to accomplish so much!  I had the privilege of being involved in so much throughout college and I will forever remember so many things! One of the things that I am very proud of is the fact that I competed as a student athlete at Fresno.  Playing Golf opened up so many doors to me throughout school.  I became involved in many extracurricular activities including: SAAC, FCA, and Big Heroes/Little Heroes.  I somehow was able to do a lot of things throughout my time at Fresno State.  I saw God work in many ways as I moved through school.  I saw him open doors in directions that I would have never expected, I saw him close doors that I thought would not be closed.  He is an amazing God! His plan is so great and his faithfulness is inconceivable!

As I look back, this decision has been in the making for many years now.  As I have traveled all over the world; on missions trips to the Philippines, Thailand, Mexico; golf tournaments all over the country and Scotland, I have realized I have a big desire for Travel.  However, traveling and moving are kinda different.  I am not only traveling to Texas, but I plan to be there for awhile.  As long as God has the doors open there I will remain there.  I've seen how he has opened so many doors for this opportunity.  From a simple phone call I was offered a temporary place to stay for a couple weeks, and I have been blessed to have help with opportunities in employment and living situations.  I have people in Texas that are excited to welcome me with open arms!  It is so nice to know that!

Throughout college I have always had the desire to go somewhere and experience something new and refreshing, but never had an opportunity to act upon those desires. I always had other things going on that I was responsible for and so, as I graduated and was praying for direction as many of us do, I realized while I was working up at Hume Lake Christian Camps that Fresno isn't my "home". I began to realize how easy life is as I lived at home.  I have a tremendous group of friends that I love! But as I evaluated life as you get to do up the hill, I saw the challenges I was facing each day with my campers and everything and I started to long for more of it.  I soon realized I needed to go somewhere else and go back to Fresno.  I had a desire to branch out a bit, as my grandma Nancy said, "You are spreading your wings and flying".  The thought of moving somewhere else went from a dream to a actualization.  The door was opened first with a place to stay with Marcus Jones and his family and I am taking it!  I want to be challenged and grow in my faith as I go off.  I know God has some awesome things for me on this journey I am embarking on and as I go, I will continue to pray Proverbs 3.

Thank you for including me in your Prayers!  I start the drive from my friend Gunnar's in Chino Hills this Wednesday September 29, 2010.  The plan is to hit the Grand Canyon and stay the night in Flagstaff, AZ. Then Thursday drive from Flagstaff to Amarillo, Tx and Finish up Friday with a drive to Denton, Tx my final destination!

Until next time.......

In Christ,

Todd