True Religion

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." The Bible, James 1:27 (NIV)


July 30, 2009

Selamat Malam!

That's 'Good Evening' in Indonesian. It's evening here a world away in Oregon, USA. Today I sat in the Pacific Ocean on my surfboard and tried to will time to speed up...just a few months, that's all I was asking for. Tomorrow is the last day of July. That means we have three months left here in the cold waters of Oregon. As my feet slowly turned into blocks of ice inside of my wetsuit booties, I imagined myself in the warm waters of Bali, catching fun waves that break off of beautiful reefs. I thought of surfing in just my boardshorts and I have to admit that as I watched my beautiful wife surf, I daydreamed about how much better she looks in a bikini than in a 6-millimeter thick wetsuit!

But most of all I thought about 36 kids. 36 little ones who, until last April, had never heard someone say 'I Love You'. 36 precious little lives who had to be taught how to hug and kiss because no one had ever shown them affection. 36 children of God who spent the first 6 to 9 years of their lives being abused, neglected and forgotten. 36 kids who now have a home, a family and a future. 36 kids...kids that Camille and I are about to have the privilege of living with and serving.

This November, we are leaving our home in Oregon and moving to Singaraja, Bali, Indonesia to work in My Father's Home orphanage. My Father's home is not an orphanage in the traditional sense - none of the kids are up for adoption. The concept is not new and it is simply beautiful - all 36 kids will be raised in My Father's Home in a stable, Christ-centered environment where they will be loved as one big family, educated and eventually sent to college, hopefully returning to their villages in Bali and Sumba as doctors, nurses, pastors, teachers, engineers...you get the picture...with the skills and the heart to change their communities.

It's been quite a journey that has brought Camille and I to this point of being willing to 'throw it all away', move to the opposite side of the planet and invest in the lives of children we've never even met (except for a video call on Skype - Skype rules). This blog is going to serve as a sort of diary of our adventures in...for lack of a better term: reckless love. After this 'introductory' blog entry, I will attempt in my next entries to start at the beginning and chronicle our saga in order from the start. As the time nears for us to leave, I will be able to share our thoughts and excitement with you. But the real good stuff will start in November when we arrive in Bali and meet the kids face-to-face. I'm thinking that once you join us for this ride, you're not ever going to want to get off!

Anyone who's read any of my blogging in the past will know that I also like to share my daily, often humorous, experiences and relate what I learned through them. That will also be the case with this blog. Hopefully I can make you laugh a little, cry a little and be generally glad that you spent a few minutes of your precious time inside of my brain. Mostly, I hope to share with you how we can all help save the world - one child at a time.

For my friends and family and all of my facebook friends - you already know why I am not blogging under my given name. It's the same 'ole me, though! I still love to do things that scare my mom, I still manage to stumble into the weirdest situations on an almost daily basis, I still laugh when the ocean is doing it's best to drown me, I still cry every time I see the Tom's Shoes Visa commercial where they are giving shoes away to needy kids. I just have a new blogger name, that's all! Just so you know - it's a combination of names from my two favorite athletes of all time: pro surfer and 9-time ASP World Champion Kelly Slater and Olympic Champion/World Cup Champion downhill skier Pirmin Zurbriggen.

Thanks so much for taking the time to follow this blog. I'm not trying to sell you anything, except love. I'm not trying to convince you of anything, except love. I'm not trying to promote anything, except love. I'm not 'tooting anyone's horn', except love's. God loved us so much that He died for us. Really. That includes 36 kids in Bali. That includes me. That includes you. We're all in this together. All that is asked of us is that we pass it on (Galatians 5:14). Camille and I are heading out to pass it on, and we invite you to follow along!