As for me, I will boast only about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Galatians 6:14)

This evening, I feel absolutely in love with Jesus. Words cannot express it. I was awoken by Pastor Danny's salvation message yesterday and the Night of Worship last night. I have a hunger for God's Word now. I read Galatians today, and I encourage all of you to read it as well.

I worked today, and I went to Del Tech to sign up for classes. I have been so happy and smiling to everyone and I feel very confident! I want to tell the Kainos family that I love you all. Steve, Chelsea, and Jon, I admire you so much. It can be hard to say this in person, so this is how I feel.

Friends and strangers, I hope that all of you will accept Jesus as your Savior. None of us are promised tomorrow. Understand that if you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, believe that He died for your sins, and accept Him as your Savior, you will spend eternity with Him in Paradise. He will wipe away all tears from your eyes. There will be no more death, no more grief or crying or pain. This is in the book of Revelation. This is the Truth. "Come, whoever is thirsty; accept the water of life as a gift, whoever wants it." I want to spend eternity with all of my friends. I do not want anyone to be left out.

Local man rides bike across America

On June 4, Shawn Yoder embarked on a bike ride across America with his cousins Bruce and Evie Yoder. Their three-month long adventure took them from Portland, Maine, to Portland, Ore.

Shawn, 25, of Cannon, is a graduate of Greenwood Mennonite School who has a degree in biblical studies from Toccoa Falls College in Toccoa, Ga. He works for Sam Yoder & Son in Greenwood. “We wanted to do something fun,” he said of the motivation for the trip. “Bruce’s and Evie’s cousins had done a similar trip a couple of years before.”

To kick off the trip, their fathers, Curtis and Ronnie Yoder, drove them up to Portland, Maine. They left Portland, having done little training beforehand. “The first part of the trip was hard,” said Shawn. “It wasn’t until a month into it that I felt like I was in good shape.” At the start of the trip they traveled 50-60 miles per day, but later on in the trip they went 70-80 miles per day. On one particular day they traveled 167 miles, because it was a barren area without any good campsites.

They carried cycling maps with them and combined some different bike routes. Most days started at around 7 a.m. and they rode until 3 or 4 in the afternoon. They spent their nights at campgrounds, where they cooked food. Breakfast usually consisted of oatmeal and granola bars at the campsite. For lunch they would pull over and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Then, they ate dinner at the next campsite. They usually bought food for dinner at the local grocery store. They ate a lot of bananas, nectarines, rice and beans, veggie wraps, sandwiches, tuna wraps, and ice cream cones.

From Maine, they went to Buffalo, N.Y., and Niagara Falls. As they made their way across the country, they visited Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park and Glacier National Park, which Shawn said was the highlight of the trip. In Anacortes, Wash., they finally saw the Pacific Ocean.

“I ran in the water,” said Shawn. The cyclists put their front tires in the water and took a picture. Their trip wasn’t yet finished, however. From there, they went down to Portland, Ore.

“We hung out in the city for a while,” said Shawn. “Portland is good, especially if you’re a cyclist.” It was in Portland that a family took them into their home. Then, some relatives from Salem, Ore., came and picked them up and took them to Salem. The entire journey concluded after a train ride home from Portland to Washington, D.C. Altogether, the trip totaled 5,000 miles, and they crossed 15 states and one Canadian province. By the end, Shawn and Bruce had shaggy beards.

They read a lot of books during the trip. Shawn mostly read novels, including some classics. One book that Shawn read, The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky, was a tedious read, he said.

The trip wasn’t without its fair share of problems. “Some days it rained and poured and was miserably cold,” said Shawn. “Riding in the rain wasn’t much fun.” Also, the Midwest was very hot and windy, and they stopped riding around noon during those days. The Appalachian Mountains were very steep. Evie’s bike had a lot of broken spokes, and the riders had a lot of flat tires.

For Shawn, the good outweighed the bad. “I liked being able to get away from everything and just relax,” he said. “Everything was beautiful in its own way. You do gain a great appreciation for nature.” He enjoyed being on a bike rather than being in a car, because “you’re out in it. You just feel more connected to everything.” Shawn said that it was nice to be able to talk to people. “People would come up all the time and talk to us. Everybody was really friendly with us.”

“When I think about this trip I don't think of it as a difficult physical task,” Shawn said. “After the first month or so of getting in shape it really wasn't too bad and I really think almost anyone could physically do it. But more so I think of it as a great privilege to be able to have the time and be in the position to be able to go on an adventure like this. It really was an amazing summer, one that I'm sure I will always look back on as one of the best things I ever did.”

Shawn has advice for anyone planning a similar trip. “Don’t worry so much beforehand,” he said. “Don’t plan it out too far ahead of time. Just do it.” He recommends getting a touring bike, and carrying a couple of extra bike tubes, a patch kit, and spare tires. Shawn rode on a Novara Randonee touring bike, which is made by REI. It has 27 speeds.

Shawn is getting married soon to Kaylene Myers of Oil City, Pa. Evie lives in Harrisonburg, Va. Bruce is working for Air Serv International as a humanitarian aid pilot in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To learn more about the trip, and look at the photo album, visit the blog at www.pedal-to-portland.blogspot.com/.

The day that fate had it's way...A true story

July 3rd, 2005: I wasn't really feeling it that morning. I reached for my cell phone and called Justin. Justin's roommate, Greg, was visiting Seaford for the first time. I said, "I'm not going to go to church today, but I still want to go to the beach with you guys." We agreed to get up with each other later on about the beach.

But for some reason I changed my mind about church. I decided to get out of bed and go. When I got to Bayshore, I looked all around, but I didn't see Justin or Greg there. After the service, I called Justin, and he said that they were heading over to Ocean City. So I left church and made my way to Route 50. When I was about five or six miles out from Ocean City, I ran into heavy, stand-still traffic, which is typical for Independence Day Weekend. So I called Justin and told him where I was, and he said that they too were on Route 50, a few miles ahead of me, in stand-still traffic.

About an hour past, and I was really getting tired of the slow, stop-and-go traffic. So I called Justin and told him that we should call it off and go somewhere else. But Greg insisted that we go to Ocean City. So I put up with it for probably another hour, and finally crossed the bridge into the city. I parked at a Candy Kitchen and arranged to meet them there. They arrived, and we went down to the boardwalk.

We walked around in the blazing heat, and decided to eat at Paul Revere's Smorgasbord. The food was great, but one thing that really struck us was that most of the employees were Russian or European girls. Greg really appreciated that, and he especially like our waitress. After eating, we went outside and walked around the boardwalk some more. We decided to go sit down on the sand, so we picked a spot and walked out on the beach.

We couldn't help but notice these two blonde girls doing leg exercises about 40 yards away from us. Somehow Greg could tell that they were foreign. I told him that he should go over and talk to them, but he was chickening out. We kept talking about it, but for a while it seemed hopeless. But I kept pushing him to go over and talk to them, and so he stood up and walked over. Justin and I were flabbergasted. We watched as Greg laid down on the sand, on his side, and talked to them. They opened up to him and looked very happy. They talked for a couple of minutes, while Justin and I debated whether we should go over and join them.

Finally, we went over and met them. They were Russian, and they could speak English, but not so well. They taught us some Russian words, and we helped them with their English. We found out that they were staying in Ocean City for the summer through a college program that allowed them to come here and work. We had a good conversation, and then we walked them back to their place. They were staying with a lot of other Russian students in a house that read "Emily's Photo House" or something on the front of the building. Greg asked them if they wanted to hang out later on, and they said to meet them at the house in about an hour.

So we went back to our cars and freshened up and relaxed for a little bit. When the time came, we went back to their house and met them. It was starting to get dark outside. The five of us walked around for a couple of hours. Greg and one girl, named Nastia, made a good connection. They even went down to the beach by themselves for a while to talk. I connected well with the other girl, Vera. At the end of the night we said goodbye, got in the car, and drove up to Newark, to Greg and Justin's apartment.

The next day we planned on going to see Blue Oyster Cult play in New Jersey, followed by a fireworks show. But Greg wanted to go back down to Ocean City to see Nastia. So he went down there, and Justin and I went to the concert.

Over the next month or so, Greg and I kept hanging out with the Russians. We had a lot of good times. Greg and Nastia started dating, while I spent a lot of time with Vera. As the summer drew to a close, I was looking to get out of Seaford, and move up to Newark. Vera flew back to Russia, but Nastia actually moved in with Greg for a little while. Then, Greg called me and wanted to know if I wanted to move into the apartment, because he and Nastia were moving out. I said yes, and the next week I was living in Newark.

Greg and Nastia ended up getting married. And after a year of living in Newark, I felt like God was calling me to move back down to Seaford. So I moved back so that I could get back into going to Bayshore and what was then called The Edge. And that's how I got to where I am today. I'd like to think that I played even a small role in transitioning The Edge into Kainos.

The moral of the story is that every decision that you make counts. Greg chose to visit Seaford. He chose to go to the beach. Despite heavy traffic, he chose to keep driving to the beach. We chose to sit out at the perfect place on the beach, at the perfect time. He chose to go talk to those girls. We chose to meet them later on. He chose to keep going back to Ocean City. And it led to a marriage. What if I hadn't gone to the beach with them? What if we had gone on a different day?

Did fate bring those two together that day? Or was it God?

Is this good or bad?

On Tuesday it was announced that the place where I work, Invista, will be cutting jobs drastically. Right now there are 800 employees there, but by the summer of 2009 there will only be 100 employees. What this means for me, I don't know. Will I keep my job? Should I be looking for another job yet? Should I go back to college? If so, what should I study?

This could be a good thing though. It could put me in a new position, right where God wants me. The future is hazy. Only time will tell where I will go from here. I trust that God has everything under control. Please pray for the men and women working at Invista in Seaford. Thank you.

The Big Apple That Never Sleeps

September 26th: Justin and I boarded the train in Hamilton, NJ. We were headed to New York City, a place that I hadn't been to in ten years. We rode by the vast, dilapidated New Jersey suburbs for an hour and then I could finally see the summit of the Empire State Building in the distance. The anticipation kept building and building until we stepped out of the train at Penn Station, right in the heart of Manhattan.

We were suddenly walking rapidly amongst a throng of people, like a herd of animals rushing to get their next meal. And it was exciting! We rode up the escalator to the street and, well, we were on the streets of New York! We fought our way through the crowds of people and made our way towards our hotel to meet Adam. There were beautiful women everywhere. We walked a few blocks, going by the Empire State Building, and then we saw Adam standing on the sidewalk with a smile on his face. We greeted each other, then we entered the hotel.

The Affinia Dumont hotel was luxurious! We stayed on the fourth floor, which offered a good view from the window. It was very quiet and relaxing. We unpacked our stuff, rested for a bit, and then we walked back outside. And let me say, when you walk out of any building in New York, it is very surreal because you are reminded that you are in New York. It is a breath of fresh air as you hear the sounds of the city, and look up and see the skyscrapers around you. What a rush!

We went to the Rockafeller Center (you know, the place with the gold statue of a naked guy named Prometheus and the ice skating rink). Then we went to T.G.I. Friday's and ate dinner. Every restaurant is like 50% more expensive in New York. Afterwards, we wandered around until we came to Times Square, which was a phenomenal feast of sights, lights, and sounds.


The next day we got in a taxi and went to Greenwich Village. We walked around and went to some shops. We saw Chinatown and SoHo. After a while, we decided to take another taxi to downtown. Once we got there, we saw the New York County Courthouse, Wall Street, the New York Stock Exchange, we went inside a cathedral, and last but not least, we went to Ground Zero.


Ground Zero was fenced up all around, and they were doing construction. It was an emotional moment and I felt anger and sorrow inside of me. I kept playing the events of 9/11 over in my head. After that, we went down to the riverfront and saw an amazing view of the Brooklyn Bridge. Then we went on the subway back to our hotel. It was cool riding the subway because you hear so much about it all the time on tv. It was cheap and a fast way to travel around. I liked it a lot better than the taxis.

That night we went to an Irish Pub and had a delicious dinner. Then we went to a party on the roof of an apartment, and we met Adam's sister. We also met a cool chick named Heidi, who had gone to the University of Delaware. Adam's sister gave us a ride home and we went to bed.


The next day we took the subway up to the Upper East Side. This was a fantastic neighborhood. We saw Park Avenue, which was like a canyon of beautiful apartment buildings leading down to a cluster of office skyscrapers. Then we walked into Central Park. It was serene. We hiked around for a while, and we saw a lake, several monuments and statues, baseball fields, and we went to the top of an observation tower. But it was almost time for Justin and me to catch our train, so we headed back to the hotel. Just then it started to downpour. Luckily, we had umbrellas. We went inside the famous Plaza Hotel (the one from Home Alone 2). Then we took a taxi to the hotel, said goodbye to Adam, and rushed over to Penn Station.

New York is probably the greatest city in the country. There is just so much to see and do. And pictures don't do it justice. As with any other place, you'll never know what it's really like until you actually visit it. And in New York's case, you will be blown away.

My advice

Over the last month I have made some important changes in my spiritual life. Nearly every night I go outside in the backyard and pray to God. This is good because I am separating myself from distractions, such as the computer, tv, and family. I am able to speak more freely with Him. It feels as if God is right there with me. Being able to look up and see the stars adds a whole new dimension too, because it reminds me of how God created this universe. And if you are quiet, the Spirit may tell you something.

I would like you to try this tonight. Go outside and pray. Thank God for all that He has done. Thank Him for dying for us. Thank Him for the fact that you are alive, and that you have food, a home, a family, friends, good health, a job, and abilities. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Pray for yourself, bringing everything that is troubling you to Him. And last, pray for others. Pray for people specifically, or pray for the church as a whole, pray for Israel, pray for America, pray for your church, or anyone else. Also make sure that you sit still and just meditate, thinking on the great things that He has done. This is relaxing, especially if you are laying down and looking at the stars. Or you can kneel down, in full submission to Him.

I also try to read the Bible every day, even if its just for fifteen minutes. If you are new to the Bible, I would suggest that you read Genesis Chapters 1-12, then jump on over to John and read that. Remember, the two main tools of a Christian are prayer and the Bible. Strive to be as much like Jesus as possible. Everything that you do, do it in Jesus' name.

"you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
(Matthew 22:37 – 40)

The Twin Cities

July 9th: Matt and I were at BWI Airport, and I was about to fly for the first time. I was a little nervous. Suddenly the plane started to move forward rapidly. I wasn't nervous anymore; I was ecstatic. I looked out over the city as we got higher and higher, and then we were above the clouds. Talk about surreal.

We arrived at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International. We met up with our friend, Jayce, and exchanged some jokes. We then took a bus to St. Paul, which is where Jayce and his wife Laura live. This was the first time I had laid my eyes on the Midwest, and I liked it. We went by street after street of small 2-3 story houses.



The entire city of St. Paul is like this, except when you get to downtown. When we got off the bus we were at the XCel Energy Center, home of NHL's Minnesota Wild and this year's Republican National Convention. We then walked up a hill toward where Jayce lives.



We saw a beautiful cathedral, and walked inside. Then we went to Jayce and Laura's and relaxed there for a while. Then we walked down the street and ate dinner. The Twin Cities are very walkable by the way, and the bus system is great. We took it easy for the rest of the night, then we went to bed.



The next morning we walked around downtown, then we got on a bus and went to the Mall of America. I was expecting it to be a little bit better, but what can I say. It's a mall. It may be a little overhyped. There are about 500 stores, on 4 floors. There is an Aquarium and an Amusement Park. But in the end it is just like any other mall, just bigger and more of the same. The highlight was when we went in and saw Zohan, which was hilarious.


We took a train into Minneapolis, the big city. We got off at the Metrodome. We walked around downtown and took in all of the sights. We walked around the Skyway System, a 7-mile stretch of interconnected, temperature-controlled walkways. It is almost like a big shopping mall for those who work in downtown, because many of the buildings have mall-like shops in them. Altogether, Minneapolis is a great city. It is clean, it feels safe, and it is laid-back. There is a lot to see and do.



The next day was a scorcher. I think it was about 93 degrees, and we were walking around all day! After sweating and staggering for a while, we took refuge in the Minnesota State Capitol building in St. Paul. After a while we went back to Minneapolis and kind of did the same thing we had done the day before. Then the next day we flew back home.

I had a great time with you guys (and Laura)!

The best year of my life...and it's not even over yet!

Moved in with my friend Owen and lived with him for six months. Had a great time with him and Jess.

Went snowboarding for the first time. I ended up bruised, dehydrated, exhausted, and frustrated, but the conversation I had with a beautiful woman in the ski lodge made it worth it.

Watched an amazing Super Bowl game!

Came oh so close to getting into the Navy.

Went bodyboarding many times-there's nothing like doing that by yourself at sunset on a peaceful beach with good waves. It was almost heavenly.

Went to Atlantic City with five friends...and we stayed in a 2-bed hotel room! Went bodyboarding amongst giant waves.

Flew on a plane for the first time to Minnesota with Matt to visit Jayce and Laura. Had a great time and Minnesota is an awesome place, believe me.

Moved back in with my parents to save money. That night went to see The Dark Knight in a drive-in theater with Kainos (our church ministry).

Connected with all of the great people at Kainos, including Jon, Steve and Chelsea, Mark, Travis, Aaron, Dominic, Taffy, Ryan and Hailey, Alexis, Amanda, Andy, Aenas, Big Dave, Chad, Tara, Joyce, Puller, Mike, and forgive me if I am forgetting anyone else.

That day that Kainos went to Ocean City and Mark danced for us at Steve and Chelsea's. That was a fun day.

Hiked nine miles at Gettysburg Battlefield.

Hiked up a mountain at the Delaware Water Gap in Jersey. The view from up there was spectacular. Hiked ten miles, part of it on the Appalachian Trail.

Went on a three-day camping trip in Virginia with Kainos. We swam in the bay, played sports, rode bikes, had bonfires, and ate good food.

Went to New York City for three days with Justin and Adam. Probably the best weekend of my life.

Connected with God every day (since mid-September) through prayer and Bible Study.

The Blog is Revived

In August I truly realized what I am. I am an adventurer. I live to have fun, to go to new places, to see the beauty of both nature and city, to hang out with friends, to laugh, and to enjoy every day. At any given moment, you have the power to make that moment fun. One of my goals is to get the most fun out of every day as possible.

In reading this blog, I hope that you will be inspired to not only get out there and have fun, but to serve God as well. Enjoy!