I just got through reading the book of Hebrews in my Bible. I recommend, if you haven’t already, read chapter 13. WOW!!!
Monthly Archive for May, 2008
Here is a video we did for church a couple of Sundays ago. Let me tell you, it was extreamly hard sitting there with a straight face. With Cole doing his lines…it was crazy! I think I should win a “straight face” award or something.
Melanie came home the other day and told me that I got another check for $100 for the mission trip. To the donor, I want to say thank you so much. You are a very special lady!
So, here is an update. I have purchased 4 wireless access points off of eBay. Yeah for eBay! Now I have to get the antennas for these, that is going to cost around $300 - $400, yikes! I have also purchased a used Dell laptop from eBay. Yeah for eBay…again!!! I really need a computer to use while I am there, plus, I am going to leave it there so they can get some good use from it.
I started doing some really heavy thinking last night and realized that the power in DR Congo is 220. The access points that I got are 110. The power supply cannot handle the 220. So now I have to buy some converters….it never ends!!! I found a website that has the converters for around $13 each. If anyone knows where I can get them cheaper, email me.
Magic Jack…this thing is really cool. I wrote a small post about it the other day. It has been working great. So what does the Magic Jack have to do with the mission trip? By the way, the Magic Jack is a VOIP phone service that cost $50 the first year and like $20 each year after. So, what does it have to do with the mission trip? Well, I am going to buy another one and take it with me. I bought cheap telephone from Wal-Mart today, one that does not require external power, to see if it worked on my Magic Jack…it did. That was great news. So I am going to take the phone and Magic Jack with me so the mission team will be able to call back home for free! Including me! My plan is to keep the Magic Jack there this way the communication from DR Congo to the USA is free. Isn’t technology wonderful…isn’t GOD wonderful!!!! I just hope that the government over there isn’t blocking certain Internet traffic, so please be praying that this works. This technology is going to be HUGE for them if it all works. Anyways, that’s all for now.
God Bless Your Day!
Once again, God has shown his Glory!!! Check it out.
So I ordered a Magic Jack the other day. It cost me $50. Their web site says that for $50 I get calls within the US for free, for a year. Yes…for a year. Then after the first year, each year after it is like $20 or $30. Hmmm…I pay $30 a month, not including taxes. That is $360 a year, again, not including taxes. So I decided to get this little gadget and see for myself if it works. I actually installed it today. It took less than 5 minutes, oh, and I did it on my Mac. I called Melanie at the church and it was more clear than my Time Warner Cable phone. I had a friend of mine call me at the new number and he was really impressed. I will play around with it for the next month. If all is good, I am probably going to cancel my TWC phone service. With gas prices going up, we need to save every penny we got. I will post up later my pro/cons of the Magic Jack.
I got a really awesome view of the area I will be in while in Africa. I asked some of the staff at the seminary if they had a drawing or map of the area, this way I know what I am dealing with for the wireless I’m going to install. This is the google map they gave me. Mulungwishi
Seeing this really pumps me up. It makes it more real.
If anyone has an extra Linksys wireless access point I could use it on my mission trip to Africa. I need around 3 - 4 of these. The model number I am looking at is WAP54G. I am specifically looking at this because I have to order different antennas for these and the connectors are specific. Here is a link to NewEgg if someone were looking at buying it new. They are cheap!
Wow, it has already been 10 years that Melanie and I have been married. Totally AWESOME!!! I thought I would attempt to write a poem for her. Check it out at Word Junkies.
Well, I am getting very discouraged about this mission trip. Just thought I would let you guys know. Please be praying for me.
When I was 9 when I moved in with my real dad, Randy Barnes, and his wife, Carol Barnes…my step-mother. You know, I really don’t like using that “tag” step-mother, because she did raise me, even though she was not my biological mother, she played the part and she played that part very well. You see, I came to them from a very, I mean very abusive step-father. So mom and dad went from raising a daughter that was about to start 1st grade to immediately having a 9 year old, not even a month later 10 year old son. One thing that stuck out was mom and dad’s love for God. I am not going to say that it was a “Cinderella Story” for me, because it wasn’t. It was TOUGH for me.
Now that I am older, and a father, I look back at the whole situation. I put myself into Carol’s shoes and thought of every thing that she went through. I was not her son, I was my dad’s son that was coming from an abusive home. Wow! That must have been an extremely hard decision for them to make, for her to make. That was a life changing event in their lives. Not only was it tough for me, it was extremely tough for them as well. Probably harder on them then it was me. I was by all means not the perfect kid…come on, I had learned some very bad survival skills from my abusive ways. But, you know what, I would not change the events that happened. Could it have been better, sure, but God had a plan for all of us. I could not imagine how my life would have turned out if it wasn’t for Carol. She taught me some very good life lessons that I use, some everyday.
Carol, Mother, Mom, Friend….I thank you and Love you more than you will ever know!!! Happy Mother’s Day!!!
P.S. Thank you for not being the “evil step-mother”.
Recent Comments