The Oath

Words can be so ambiguous. To some people they can be gold, and to others they can be meaningless. Taking an oath of office may seem meaningless on the surface, but it holds a tangible power.

For example, I was re-sworn as a police officer yesterday. The actual event was somewhat informal and only took about 5 minutes (and that is stretching it). The actual oath was just words, but gave me so much authority. In the most brutal of realities, the oath could be recited by anybody at anytime and seems meaningless..... BUT, the fact that it was recited by the Chief of Police to me (after the pain and effort of department training AND six months of the police academy, 7 years ago AND 4 years of sworn law enforcement experience) I became something that I was not 24 hours earlier. It feels great to be the popo again.

Unfortunately it's just something that you will never appreciate or understand unless you do it yourself. I have shed blood an tears being a police officer in the past. I have done things that you only see on TV and in the movies. However, it comes at a cost. It is with that thought that I give Teri my complete and absolute thanks. She made the effort to attend my ascension into something that makes me a better man. It's always a sacrifice, but it's who I am.

Summer Movie Wrap-up

I just saw the last movie on my summer "must see" list (GI Joe). I enjoyed the movie purely based upon what I expected the movie to be. I didn't expect the greatest acting, storyline, character development, or special effects. I did expect to see an action packed movie injected with 80s nostalgia. I must admit that the action sequence about half way through the movie had me laughing out loud because it was so well done. The action was awesome, the special effects were great, and it is certainly something that I have never seen before on the big screen. The movie producers also did a great job of updating the GI Joe franchise without straying too far from the 80s cartoon that my generation grew up on. (It didn't piss me off like the first live action Transformers movie.) Overall the movie was good and I recommend it. Just don't go see it with your expectations too high. Also, Snake Eyes kicks butt!

I've touched on other summer movies in my 6-23-09 blog and my 5-12-09 blog. I must say that Star Trek was by far the best movie of the summer. It was a perfect mix of all things that make a movie great. There was something for everybody. I know people that have never really cared about anything Star Trek who become instant fans after seeing that movie. I guess I can indirectly include myself in that group. I have seen all of the Star Trek movies from the mid 80s on. I respected them and paid to see them, but I was never really a fan until now. I can't wait for a sequel using the current cast.

The worst movie of the summer was also easy to identify. Terminator Salvation sucked. It was slow, boring, shallow, and offered nothing fresh to the Terminator franchise. Christian Bale's performance was terrible as John Connor. I think he is a great actor but this character was abrasive, nasty, constipated, and oddly enough not human (in that the only emotion he conveyed was anger). The movie was not fun, and a post apocalyptic setting has been done a million times before. The movie did have a great twist at the end, but it's hard to care when you're not really engaged in the movie and its characters. Do not go out and see this movie. I'm not even sure that it's worth 5$ to rent.

In conclusion I must mention that I didn't see any dramatic or girly movies this summer. I also skipped the Harry Potter movie due to the fact that I have never seen any of the previous films. All of said films are exempt from my beautiful and glorious rants.

Speed bumps, scorpions, and a blessing named Tim

The life of a christian is not an easy one. Stepping out of your comfort zone to serve God is difficult, but we all know that actions speak louder than words. So once a year my wife and I go to Guatemala to work at an orphanage. The trips are bittersweet because leaving the comfort of home and all our loved ones (especially Sammy D) is terrible, but seeing all the kids in Guatemala is great. Teri and I have been building relationships with these children for years, so seeing them is like seeing distant family members.

Our trip was cut short this year. On Tuesday night Teri got extremely sick. When I found out, I went to see her and knew immediately that she was going to end up in the hospital. She was shaking from head to toe, had a fever, nausea, fatigue, and abdominal pains. Sure enough we left for the hospital around 10:30pm due a possible appendicitis, and so began the worst night of our lives. Just moving Teri 10 feet to the car caused her to start dry heaving. She was loosing consciousness on the way to the hospital and every speed bump seemed to make her worse. I can't explain the amount of fear I was in knowing that my wife was on her way to a hospital in a third world country. Thankfully one of the permanent missionaries (Tim) knew a hospital that would provide Teri with the best care available in our area. Tim also worked in an ER for six years and spoke Spanish. I was just as helpless as Teri upon arriving at the hospital, but thank God Tim knew what to do and gave 100% for Teri. My 100% was meaningless, I wouldn't even know how to ask the staff where the bathroom was.

After the initial exam the doctor concluded that her appendix was the problem and that it needed to come out. Surgery was set for 8:00am and Teri and I faced a long night of fear, uncertainty, and worry. Neither of us could believe that she was going to have surgery in another country. The worst case scenario of Teri never making it out of that hospital had become a possibility. I made some essential phone calls and updated friends and family on her condition. Word spread fast and the faithful began to pray (overtime).

I spoke with Teri late at night before we attempted to get some rest. She told me that the pain was getting much better and that she didn't want to have the surgery unless she really needed it. I agreed and now had all night to make sure that her request was granted. I had to sit in the waiting room all night. It was dark and boring. There were no people, magazines, TVs, and the chairs were horribly uncomfortable. I had a lot of time to worry and freak myself out. I didn't sleep but I did get some action around 4:00am. I saw a huge black scorpion strut across the room and crawl behind a filing cabinet. I stared at the cabinet for about an hour until the black death emerged again. I engaged the enemy in battle and won. It was a disturbing realization that scorpions were roaming about the hospital, so for the rest of the night I had to keep checking to see if there were any ghouls on me.

Morning came and so did Tim, we had a conference with the new daytime staff and voiced our concerns. Teri was re-examined and we were in the presence of a miracle. She was no longer in need of surgery and was in no pain. The doctors could not explain what had happened. Teri was released from the hospital and I got her back to the states ASAP. The final diagnosis was that she had a viral intestinal infection that aggravated her appendix and then miraculously got better. In short, prayer works. God has great plans for Teri and is not going to let her expire in some crappy hospital thousands of miles from home.

Thank you is not enough for all of those who lifted Teri up in prayer, and for Tim and all of our Guatemala team members. You were all part of a miracle, the closest one to me that I have ever experienced.