Yes, I could write about more troubles, struggles, and pitfalls, but I am going to choose to say something nice. I am attempting to adjust my attitude, although when I am tired it does not come naturally. One prayer item; an attitude adjustment, finding a solution to the unknown reason for the attitude problem, its not being thrown in anyone's face, but, its keeping me silent and ineffective. I do not want to be this way, but I find I am not as stable as I use to be. God is teaching me many awesome things, and I am looking forward to enjoying them, but I have a feeling it will be in retrospect – you can always see things clearly after-the-fact.
And now, a word to you who are elders in the churches. I, too, am an elder and a witness to the sufferings of Christ. And I, too, will share his glory and his honor when he returns. As a fellow elder, this is my appeal to you: Care for the flock of God entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly--not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God. Don't lord it over the people assigned to your care, but lead them by your good example. And when the head Shepherd comes, your reward will be a never-ending share in his glory and honor. You younger men, accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for "God sets himself against the proud, but he shows favor to the humble." So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that your Christian brothers and sisters all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. [1 Peter 5:1-9]Today I spent the day with Carol and Denise, as I do every Monday; it is always a good time. There is something comforting being with other people from the same cultural background. I have realized I am much more of a deep-friendship kind of person though; people gain my trust by opening up, sharing troubles, and then asking me for the same thing, and exchanging. This is not going to happen here – at least not naturally. I want to share my entire life, all the good and the bad with everyone here; I want to tell them my life story. This is how I initiate friendships, it may be strange, but it is how I work. In the States, this is not a normal thing either, but people are a lot more open to hear about it. My goal over the next few weeks is to go out and share my heart with my Polish friends; I want them to know the real Travis.
