Thank you.

to all of you who have supported me. Really, thank you so much.

I’m continually blown away by it.

Thank you.

Thats all for now.

Jan 23rd

Hey! Sorry its taken me so long to update this. Things have been busy here and typically the internet connection is very spotty,  so I haven’t been able to keep everyone as updated as I would like.

As of right now we’re docked in french harbor, which is kind of our home base, there is internet in town, as well as a grocery store and other necessary supplies.  I can’t remember exactly the specific type of boat(s) we are on, but we have two 46-foot sailing catamarans, which are really really cool.

But here is what has happened so far:  I already mentioned orientation week. The next week week we had our first speaker, Jon Peterson, Jon has been a pastor for over 25 years, and he is an occasional professor at Fuller Theological eminary. We went though the book of John with him, and we read it 5 times in 5 days which was pretty intense. It was really great sitting and talking with him, and just having another male on the boat!

Our second speaker was a woman named Dina who talked about spiritual gifts/leadership/ Myers Briggs personality type stuff. She just left today. Having her here was really good as far as learning about how to be a better listener, a more impactful (and yes I did just make that word up) friend, and many other things.

Tomorrow we are sailing to a nearby island called Guanaja, which should be alot of fun. Chris, our base leader/ Destination Paradise founder/ boat captain is speaking. Other than that I’ve been getting alot of reading done, as wells as attempting to swim a quarter mile each day (which is tougher than it seems!) and alot of other things. All in all, its been REALLY good so far. So yeah!

Luke

In Honduras!

So, I am here! I arrived in Honduras on Tuesday after a redeye from LAX and a layover in El Salvador.

Things are great so far. Its nice to just…relax.

Anyways, this week has just been orientation week, getting to know everyone and getting familiar with the boats. (which are amazing)

Oh, and for those of you who do not know, I am the only guy on my DTS. Which is fine, because there are other guys. Jeremy is the guys leader and the skipper of one of the boats, and Chris is the base leader, so there are two other guys, me, five girls on the dts, and a girls leader.

gtg now!

Luke.

4:12 AM

It is currently 4:12 AM as I write this.

I’m working on a theory here. If I stay up till at least 5 AM, and then wake up around 9 AM, then I should be tired tomorrow. Then I will go to bed at a decent hour, wake up at a decent hour, and then get my biological time clock on a more reasonable schedule. I’m pretty sure that going to bed at 3 AM and waking up at 11 AM will not fly in Honduras. This really means nothing, but will hopefully explain the random pieces of information that I’m about to write.

First off, Sufjan Stevens is a genius. It just has to be said. His music helps me write, and think for that matter. I’m currently listening to “The BQE” which is a phenomenal instrumental. Listen to it.

Raising money has been frustrating. Its been nerve racking. It’s been a lot of things that are the opposite of words like “fun” and “enjoyable” and “comfortable”. There have been numerous times that I have complained to God about not “catching a break”, and I’ve begun to realize that while its true that I don’t normally catch big breaks, I do catch a lot of small ones. For instance, I’ve been in need of a backpack for my trip. There certain things in life that I do not really care for. Such as socks of how my backpack looks. As such, I don’t think I’ve ever spent much money on a backpack. Like a wallet, it was occasionally just bought out of necessity. So imagine my surprise when I discovered how much the kind of backpack I would need would cost. Do you know they sell backpacks for upwards of $500? How ridiculous is that? Anyways, I went into REI today looking to spend about $75 (as part of a Christmas gift from my parents) on a backpack that I had already looked at. When we pulled up we noticed that they were having a sale. I immediately found a backpack that was larger and nicer than the one that I had originally wanted. The original price tag? $189.00. The sale price I paid? $35.00. Like I said, I catch a lot of small breaks, and for that I am very thankful.

For those of you who don’t know, I am actually going to Honduras instead of Belize. To make a long story short, instead of having the boat I will be living on docked off Belize, there was a paperwork issue, and they had to move the boats a little further south. So yeah.

I’m still in need of ALOT of support, and I could definitely use prayer for that.

I should have access to the internet occasionally while I’m gone, and I will try to keep this blog as updated as possible.

2009 was a trying year. I had a lot of successful moments, and I had a lot of frustrating moments. I might write about that later. We’ll see.

One thing that stands out though, is realizing how truly grateful I am to have the friends that I have. I’m not nearly as good to people as they are to me, and for that I am thankful.

Resolutions: Write more. Read more. Listen more. Engage more. Talk less.

Goodnight.

Love.

When I open up a book for the first time, I occasionally wonder about who the book is dedicated to. Who is this “For Sara or “To David?” Tonight I had one of those questions answered for me.

I don’t write on this blog as consistently as I’d like to. I get busy. I get distracted. I make excuses like getting busy and distracted. But I do read other peoples blogs pretty consistently. One of the blogs I read is Donald Miller’s. Don is the author of the bestseller “Blue Like Jazz”, which is dedicated to a “David Gentiles”.

Through reading Don’s blog post, I learned that David Gentiles was Don’s youth pastor. David recently passed away and Don gave his eulogy, which he posted on his blog at Donmilleris.com.  David was the one who initially encouraged Don to write.  And apparently he encouraged people to do a lot of things. Apparently he encouraged a lot of people period.

I did a Google search for “David Gentiles” and within a minute I had 10 new tabs open to things people had written about David following his passing. They all reiterated the same message, Love. David loved people.

Being home these past few weeks has not been easy for me. For a number of reasons really, but there is one I’d like to mention here.

For proclaiming to follow such a loving God we Christians sure are a judgmental group. It is no secret that a large majority of the people who I grew up with…have not made the most of their lives (to put it nicely). So coming home for me is tough, because I keep seeing friends and saying to myself “what are you thinking?” and I kind of want to say that (and some other things) to them. But I know that everyone else is saying those things. I mean, People say those things to me about my friends. So I know they hear it. In condescending tones adults ask me, “What is (Bob) doing with his life?” and the truth is I don’t know either and I have just as many questions for (Bob).

But I know that if I were Bob I wouldn’t want to answer those questions either if people asked me in such a judgmental tone. And I’ve usually chosen to stick by my friends no matter what their situation, because I figure that if I was in their situation, I would rather have someone standing by my side than someone asking “wtf are you doing with your life?” And maybe I should ask the tough questions of my friends, and sometimes I try to. I don’t if they need tough love or just love. It’s a dilemma that I don’t have the answers to.

But I’m tired. I’m tired of all the negative talk about the kids I grew up with and what their doing or not doing. I’m especially tired of hearing “what is he doing with his life?” from people who aren’t providing a very appealing alternative.

I’ve basically stopped fielding questions about my friends. It’s really, really, frustrating and disheartening to be honest with you.

I was very lucky to read about David Gentiles tonight. He appears to be someone who just loved. Period. And I know that I don’t know how to do that right, but I know I could try harder. And I know the adults that I’m fielding questions from could try harder to love the people that their speaking so negatively of. I know the Church(s) I attend could try harder to love the people they speak so negatively of. Isn’t that what we’re supposed to do?

And I know about “tough love” and constructive criticism and such, and I know there is a time and place for it, and maybe I’m completely wrong and that time and place is right now. But I can’t help but think that my friends need more people like David Gentiles in their lives.

Man, I’m going to miss this city.

Photo Credit: Troy Holden

I’ve been meaning to write for awhile, honest. I’ve definitely got a lot on my mind. What I don’t have is alot of time. Finals ended yesterday, and I’m flying home tomorrow. I’ll write more when I get home, but for my last night in the city, here’s a short list of things I’ll miss:

Good Coffee: It’s ridiculous how much high quality coffee there is here. I feel like I’m cheating on San Francisco every time I walk into a Starbucks now.

The “I actually live in San Francisco” feeling: I know I’ve been here a almost a year now, but I still get that feeling, and I think anyone else who lives here gets it too from time to time. It’s little things, like the guy on the bus with the parrot, the fantastic vistas, or the way the fog will suddenly envelope a building 50 feet away.

Speaking of the Fog: I will miss the fog. There, I said it. I know that as a southern Californian, I’m supposed to view anything that even seems like a cloud with anger and dirty looks, but sometimes…the fog is just so…fitting.

Muni: This could be considered blasphemous considering how horrible the service is, but there is something incredibly enjoyable about sharing a (very slow) ride with a bunch of strangers. Whether it be the journey, the money I’m saving on gas, or the ridiculous things people do on public transportation, there is will always be a place in my little heart for our poorly run transit system.

Delicious (cheap!) ethnic food: My neighborhood in particular has the best ethnic food, whether it be Thai, Turkish, or Indian, the food is usually delicious and always  affordable.

People: I’ve met some amazing people here, whether it be through work, church, school, or some other random spot, San Francisco has some really amazing people, and I cannot thank them enough for their impact on my life this past year.

And last but not least…

The view from Dolores Park: I tried to find a picture that would do it justice, but its hard. Of course you’ve seen the view of San Francisco with the painted ladies in the foreground, but I don’t think its the best. There is something magical about sitting in Dolores park, looking at the skyline all lit up (preferably while eating some Bi-Rite ice cream!). For a glimpse of that magic, click on the link below, but to truly experience it…You’ll just have to come and see…

http://www.flickr.com/photos/68625749@N00/2974769371/sizes/l/

Support letter

The following is my support letter for my DTS in Belize. If I have your address this letter may arrive in your mailbox in a couple of days. No matter how you come upon it, I would appreciate if you took a moment to read it. Thanks. -Luke

Dear Friends and Family,
As some of you may know, I have been accepted to a Discipleship Training School in Belize starting on January 5th of 2010. I have been meaning to write you this letter for some time because I’d like to share a bit about what this trip is, and why I feel it’s so important.

Two summers ago, after I got back from Africa, I did an internship at Youth With A Mission(YWAM) in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood. The Tenderloin is the city’s poorest, grittiest, and in many ways it’s worst neighborhood. My job was working with teams of high school students that came through to experience mission work in a new way. I guided them through the neighborhoods and gave them a taste of the ministry that YWAM did in the area.

The time I spent working in San Francisco drastically changed the way I viewed and experienced Church, Christianity, and life. The people I worked with had a profound effect on me. The staff at YWAM challenged me to go deeper in my relationship with God than ever before. They we’re the type of people that I wanted to become. They followed Jesus the way I wanted to, and they continue to shape the way I follow Jesus today.

God is now calling me to pursue a Discipleship Training School(DTS) though YWAM. The school consists of an initial three months in a classroom setting. There are numerous guest speakers, discussions, and book reports. The next phase is a two month outreach, this time will consist of taking the things that have been previously learned, and then implementing it in real world situations.

The final phase of my DTS is an extensive internship that focuses on leadership. This internship phase is unique to the Belize base, and is why I chose this location. The internship would provide me with an opportunity to take the things I have learned and experienced and translate them into something that is meaningful and beneficial to others, as well as giving me a clearer picture of the direction I want my life to take.

I am asking you to prayerfully consider joining my financial support team by helping me reach the required goal of $8,000. The money raised will cover tuition, rent, food, travel, and insurance.

Without your support none of this is possible. Thank you for simply taking the time to read this letter. It was your support that allowed me to go to Africa two summers ago, and I am forever grateful to God for His provision through you.

Please feel free to call me at any time at 909-289-3655, or email me at Lukespray@gmail.com, I would love to tell you more about my upcoming journey. If you’re thinking about supporting me, you can send me a check at the address below. No matter how much you’re able to give, you’re participation brings me that much closer to doing something meaningful, and for that I cannot thank you enough. For more information on ways to support, please visit the link below.

In Christ,
Luke Spray

2815 N D st.
San Bernardino
CA, 92405

1hundredproject.wordpress.com

Dear Jesus,

I could really use some help.

Amen.

Alleyways.

This is weird to say, but I love alleyways.

I always have. In a world where things are constantly fixed and updated to make them look better, we tend to end up with a seemingly fake world.

Alleyways are authentic. They are the parts of cities that just…are.

I was recently lucky enough to be a part of http://iliveheresf.blogspot.com/

I’ve been reading “I live here:SF” for quite awhile now, and I had always thought about participating, I thought it was a really cool idea, and I loved reading about the people that were featured on it.

When I created 1hundredproject, I realized that being a part of “I live here:SF” would be a good way to get the word out (I know, I know, shameless self promotion)

So I shot off an email to Julie (aka Tangobaby of http://tangobaby2.blogspot.com/), the creator of “I live here: SF” and luckily she wasn’t too picky about subjects for her project!

So we met up last week in my neighborhood and did a little photo shoot. I had never done a photo shoot before and was glad I got to do it with Julie. She made the afternoon into a nice conversation and walk that just happened to have a camera following along, and for that I was grateful.

Some of my photo shoot ended up being done on a friends rooftop, but my original plan was to shoot in the cool little backdrops that alleyways provide. I guess I was trying to show myself as authentic as the alleyways that I love. I hope that people find “my story” authentic, because I want them to find me and my project to be authentic. I strive to be authentic.

One of the things I liked about Julie and her project was that is spawned from an authentic desire to learn how to photograph people, and to hear their stories. She had this cool little idea, and she ran with it. It pulled me in, along with many others, and has even been featured in The Chronicle. Not many people can say that about their little blog projects.

I hope that you check out the cool and authentic work that Julie is doing.

I hope that you check out my attempts to be authentic and raise money.

But maybe most importantly, I hope that you come to find authentic desires and pursuits and passions within your own life.

…Damn that was corny, but it was authentic. I promise.

Where All We Had Was Laughter

I went to visit a friend of mine in prison last week.

It was the first time I had ever been to prison.

I don’t know what to say now. I didn’t know what to say then.

Its hard to find meaningful words when the situation is deserving of them.

So we sat there and laughed, about all the stupid things we used to laugh at when we were high school kids who didn’t have to worry about careers or life in prison.

It’s crazy how one small decision can change things so much.