Thailand!

The first half of my summer has officially come to a close. I left Juneau on the morning of the 8th, and after an amazingly long 5 day road trip, I've arrived safely in Dallas, Texas. One of the highlights of the trip back was the border in Vancouver, BC. Steven and I got to customs at around 8:30 on Saturday morning, only to find 2 lanes of traffic backed up for over a mile, slooowly being let into America. After sitting behind what must have been over 500 vehicles for a couple minutes, we noticed a third lane to the right that was completely clear of traffic.

Our first thought was, "Oh look, an empty lane!" so we immediately shifted over and began to bypass the traffic. It appeared to a be a clear shot to customs, so our second thought was, "Hmm, wonder why nobody else is using this lane..." As we approached the end of our apparent shortcut, we were met with signs reading "Nexus Lane ONLY," and began to realize that this most assuredly did NOT apply to us, which was unfortunate because we were now blocked into our lane by metal barriers (which were probably intended to prevent exactly what we were about to do). At the front of the line, right before customs, the other 2 lanes were held back by a light to regulate traffic at the border. As we crept past the backed-up line of countless cars trying to enter America, Steven and I had a crucial decision to make.

1) Continue in the Nexus lane and probably be gunned down by Canadian armed forces... or 2) Jump back into the other lane and frustrate the many people we would pass in so doing.

Well, we chose the latter (there was a break in the barricade that we squeezed through), and thus GREATLY expedited the process of going through customs. Right before we went through customs we began a conversation with an elderly man sitting in his car next to us, and he kindly explained that the Nexus lane was only for people who had a special electronic pass that would allow them to travel through customs without delay. A part of me feels bad for bypassing all those other people, but less so when I realize that we were able to make it all the way to Salt Lake City later that night! Who knows how long we would have sat at customs, haha.

Aaaannyways, so here I am in Dallas hanging out in my parents' hotel room, and in about 12 hours I'll be heading to the airport with my good friends Steven Gordon and Andrew Wise to board our plane to Thailand. It's hard to believe it's already here. A part of me still isn't convinced that this is really happening, haha. It's going to be a short trip (only 2 weeks), but I'm looking forward to experiencing a culture entirely different than my own, and I know that I am going to take a lot away from this opportunity to witness the Lord at work among another people group. I honestly don't know how much I have to offer in only 2 weeks time, but I'm excited for the opportunity to learn about their ministry, and to experience the Gospel in another cultural context. I'd greatly appreciate prayers for safe travel, for the people of Thailand, and for my eyes to be opened to whatever it is the Lord will teach me through this experience. Thanks for taking the time to read my blog, and thanks again to my supporters, without whom this wouldn't be happening!

Robert

p.s. On a side note, I typed this while watching an old episode of Walker Texas Ranger. I'd almost forgotten the incredible, stoic power of Chuck Norris, and I want to encourage you to watch an episode as soon as possible.