Nick Bogardus

This will probably be one of the more random updates I’ve written.  It’s 10:30 on Sunday night though and we’re exhausted so I’ll do my best.

I preached in church this morning.  I began by telling them the story about our engagement out here and the cross on the hill to show them how God worked to bring us out here.  Then I preached on the parable of the prodigal sons in Luke 15.  So far preaching has been a submersion in inadequacy for me; which is a good thing I think because it keeps me humble and dependant on the complete sufficiency of the Bible - it’s not about me or my abilities.  People seemed to be encouraged and they were very thankful, so I too am grateful for God’s work there and His faithfulness to use a flawed vessel like me.

After church all of the foreigners took a couple Russian vans way back into the hills behind the city for a picnic on the land that our friends Jonathan and Marielle just got from the government.  The M*ngolian government will actually give out land to people if they promise to care for it and protect it from loggers cutting down the trees.  Jonathan and Marielle have a whole square kilometer of land on which to build - for free!  To top it off they’re about 1.5 miles from the edge of the ger district and about a 30 minute drive from the city, so they’re really out there.

After a lunch of hot dogs the guys started kicking soccer balls over a steep valley to each other - because that’s what you do in the middle of nowhere. :)  I was launching NCAA-worthy punts over the little ravine trying to hit a tree trunk on the other side.  My only problem seemed to be that I can get them to go higher than they go far - 40 yards up, 20 yards out.  I was feeling pretty confident in myself when Kim came over to try her foot at the little game.  I propped the ball up on a dusty shrub like a football tee and let her go at it.  She ran at it and swung her leg as hard as she could but it glanced off her foot and tumbled unimpressively down into the valley (neither of us are soccer players).  I laughed a little and teased her for being “one step above Charlie Brown”.

Not 30 seconds later our friend Jonny sent his own 4th and 10 punt soaring over the valley.  I ran under it like I was going to catch a hail mary pass over my shoulder but at the last minute I had an idea.  “I’m going to kick this ball in the air on its way down and send it back over my head to them”, I thought.  “That’ll be cool.”  So instead of putting my hands out to catch it, I kicked my leg up to meet the ball in the air.  The only problem is I’m almost completely uncoordinated and as soon as I got my momentum going in that direction (up) the rest of my body followed and didn’t stop.

The result was a more ridiculous version of Pele’s bicycle kick - like if a gorilla did it.  Both of my feet were well over my head and I landed on my shoulders in a patch of dry sticks; the ball harmlessly landing 5 yards from me.  The entire group exploded into laughter as the real Charlie Brown was revealed.

I guess the lesson for today is that whether it takes preaching or the athletic display picture above, I’ve still got a long way to go when it comes to humility.

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Kim’s students’ photography exhibit got pushed from this weekend to next weekend because of the “English Olympics” in the city.  The extra time has turned out to be a big blessing and she has been working tirelessly on cutting foam board and mounting over 200 pictures, making and distributing flyers, and creating certificates and gift bags to give the kids.  I really think this years will be even better than last years and I’m so proud of her for all of the work she’s put into the class and how well so many of the photos turned out.  We’ll be sure to make a video for it like last year.

Random Things I’ve Been Digging

iFlash. It’s a flashcard program for Mac.  I’ve been jumping a little jump start on my Greek language for seminary and this program is really cool.  Aside from creating flashcards, a lot of teachers or schools offer class-related sets for download. 

The new iMovie.  Jonathan and I have been working on 30 minute presentation video for Magda’s school for a meeting they have with the government next week.  We’ve been using the updated iMovie and it is awesome.  All of the features are drag-and-drop and, though some of the intricacies are a little tricky, for the most part it’s really easy and…fun!

We Become What We Worship: A Biblical Theology of Idolatry by G.K. Beale. Yes it is a simultaneously daunting and awesome as the title implies.

Jimmy Eat World - Clarity (Live).  I used to listen to Clarity on repeat in the record store I worked at 10 years ago.  For me, and a lot of other Jimmy Eat World fans, this is their defining record.  The band finally did a tour where they played the whole album from front to back.  The highlight for me on this record though is “What I Would Say To You Now”, a single from a split 7” they did with Jejune prior to Clarity. 

Reunions from Sunny Day Real Estate and Far.  What?!  Joe Miskov where are you?