Happy Thanksgiving -- Talents

This Thanksgiving I have many things to be Thankful for.  I was at church last night and heard a sermon on Talents.  I was encouraged to know that God has given me a certain personality, certain gifts and abilities that He's given no one else on this earth.  He's given me resources that maybe He hasn't blessed others with, one of the most important being my time.

As I travel and see the world upon the new adventure the Lord has blessed me with working for Interstate Batteries, my Spanish is daily getting stronger and my faith increasing just as quick.  I know through my current job responsibilities, the Lord is preparing me for something bigger.

This Thanksgiving I am going to be thanking God for the Talents he has provided me with and praying that He would show me how to use these for His Glory and His honor.  I have so many different ideas, but I just have to start somewhere and I challenge you all reading this to do the same in your life.  You were designed for a certain purpose, for a certain reason, and God is expecting us to be great Stewards of these gifts He's entrusted us with.  For me, it's to communicate, communicate in Spanish, teach, play baseball or at some point in the future coach baseball.  I'm extroverted and out going, and love community.  All these are wonderful but part of my prayer is I wouldn't get lost in the materialism of this world and use that small list to please God.

-  Jonathan E. Garza

Preparation for Guatemala

I started getting ready yesterday for my trip to Guatemala.  I'm extremely excited.  My co-workers inform me that it's somewhat dangerous so I'm trusting the Lord to take care of me but more importantly, praying His will be done as I head to a country full of turmoil.  So far, the countries I have visited are:

-  Costa Rica

-  Colombia

-  Panama

I have really enjoyed them all in a different way.  Costa Ricans are extremely hospitable and such servant hearted people.  Panamanians have an east coast mentality and aren't as eager to sit around and shoot the bull with you.  The part of Colombia I was in was the coast.  I spent time in Barranquilla, Cartagena, and Santa Marta, and they were very carribean and a lot of fun.

So far, one of my most memorable experiences has been visiting "Monte Verde" Canopy Resort in Costa Rica.  I went zip lining across the valley/mountain side and off in the horizon you could see the beach.  As you climb this mountain to get to the resort, you are traveling off road on a dirt road called a "calle de lastre."  It was such a rush being up there in this canopy and shooting straight down from a tree the size of a 4 story building and the guy at the bottom of the canopy controls your life!  I truly recommend a trip to Monte Verde if you ever get a chance.

As far as things I am learning is how to be more pro-active in setting an agenda and having a plan.  I am still working on learning to trust God and guide me.  This job is very demanding and it takes a lot of hard work in order to be successful.  I pray that I not pursue success but that my true success always remains in the Lord.

The Life of a Nomad

I am sitting in my apartment in Dallas, TX wondering what my next trip will be like.  I just returned from New York and learned a lot about life there.  The really cool thing about New York is you don't have to go to other parts of the world to experience "culture."  There is literally a performance at every train stop and every corner.  Sitting in a subway, if you look to your right and then your left, you see ethnicities from all walks of life and I love that. 

My next adventure I will be exploring will be to Baranquilla, Colombia.  I don't know what to expect.  I've spoken with my Sales Manager and my Office Manager and felt a little nervous for some reason.  I guess because I haven't sold in the past 2 weeks and have not spoken as much Spanish as I'd like so I was kind of rusty.  Hopefully I can find a church to attend and I'm praying the Lord will bring me some believers to encourage me.  Sometimes, the road and the hotels can get a little lonesome but you just have to embrace the inconvenience in order to grow or be successful.  Through it all, I know the Lord is preparing me for something bigger and I pray that he uses it to continue perfecting me.

Colombia, HERE WE COME!!!!