Just another day . . . not!!!

This is not a long post, but I just had to write something because, come on, this has been one of the most amazing days EVER.

This morning I got up and went outside, only to see . . . desert to the right, and desert to the left. We were just over halfway through the Suez Canal. I've been interested in the Suez Canal and Panama Canal for a long time, and when I first was thinking about coming to the ships and inspecting a map, I again noticed the Suez Canal and thought, wouldn't it be inCREDible to actually be there and go through that canal??? and of course I never imagined it happening.

And today it happened!!!!! So amazing. We were seriously sailing through the desert. Once when I went outside, we were passing a military training ground where they were doing drills. Other than that, just sand dunes forever. WOW.

I think that was one of the highlights of my life. Maybe even more than visiting the pyramids (I make it sound like I'm a full-time tourist, don't I?)

THEN, after that, sometime this afternoon we entered the Red Sea. THE Red Sea – the one that God parted for the Israelites to pass. THE Red Sea. Incredibly (again!), my Bible reading today just so happened to be . . . in Exodus, just where that story is! I looked out the windows and thought, you know? They could have crossed right here! Or right there! You know, or not . . . but regardless, I will sail straight across those waters that God blew apart with a strong east wind. (I was thinking though – in Bible times that must have meant that the wind was blowing to the east, not from it – otherwise how would they ever have gotten across?) Somewhere underneath me, the sea bed was once dry and marked by thousands of Israelite feet, not to mention the six hundred Egyptians who were swept up and drowned!

This is so. amazing. 

On initiative

I have a good boss. He's very, very different from some of my previous bosses; actually he reminds me of my dad to some extent.

Things get slow with the media sometimes, so when our department is designated random jobs, usually I'm the one who takes them on. There are many new things I've never done before, and sometimes they freak me out because I know I'm young and clueless. I don't get a lot of trial runs; the things I produce are often used with few revisions. I wrote a brochure, and thousands have already been printed and distributed. I created a presentation for the Advance Preparation team to use in soliciting sponsorships which may yield thousands of dollars.

Seriously, half the time I don't have a clue what I am doing! But my boss goes by the “learn by doing” philosophy; he told me that if I go to another person to get all my ideas, then I may as well just let them do the project themselves. It's definitely a challenge for me to step up and take a lot of initiative, but actually its been great and I am learning so much.

I'm learning the value of that philosophy as it applies to work and to life. So much of my life these days requires me to just do my best – make a choice, and see what happens. Sometimes it's the wrong choice, and sometimes it's the right choice; either way, it is a learning opportunity. I don't always have the luxury of understanding all the details related to my choices, but that doesn't relieve me of the responsibility of making a decision.

But it's hard. It's hard when your foolishness bursts in your face. It's hard when people let you down. It's hard when your world gets shaken up, and you can't tell one direction from the other. It's hard when the good in your heart is practically indistinguishable from the bad. And I know that the Bible offers the best direction, but sometimes it's just confusing, and I just don't know.

Sometimes, all I want is just for somebody to come and tell me what to do.