From the Heart of Avalon to the Heart of Africa

So I have made it to Africa. I am loving it and it seems that it is going to be an AMAZING trip. Now, I am not sure what I will be doing quite yet but somethings have already happened and others are in the planning stage. Like today:
First I woke up to rain forest birds chirping outside of my window...in my parents living room/entry way.
Second, a quiet time (okay so far it hasn't been too different)
Third, about an hour drive in a beat up Toyota down a beat up road where we were literally off-roading and trying to get around giant craters in the road, driving through markets and crowds of Africans...they all stared and commented on my white skin.
Fourth, went to the first ever girls under 15 soccer game of the entire COUNTRY. (Okay this one doesn't sound that cool but trust me...it was. You should have seen the kids watching and the girls playing, who had NEVER played a game of soccer before. And when they made their first goal, the only goal i saw made, it was crazy. people running and jumping and hugging, just great!)
Fifth, I was surrounded, literally, by hundreds of kids, some my age and younger, completely staring at me while I simply stared back at them. I would greet them and they would shyly greet back and then say something in French or Lingala and begin to laugh when i just stared with a blank look. I don't know what they are saying so they would use that A LOT!
Sixth, back in the Toyota on the way back to TASOK (The American School of Kinshasa) and we actually found our way back, an amazing thing. We drove along the Congo river and I got to see some of the rapids never successfully traveled and the local fishermen.
Seventh, I made it back to TASOK in one piece and took a little nap...nice but I had my contacts in so not amazing once i woke up.
Eight, I went to play tennis with my dad and a man named David Law, who actually is an amazing man from the Congo, but not black, and who offered me the chance to travel five days down the congo with him in about two weeks...which is unheard of and an opportunity VERY few have. I really hope it works out.
Ninth, i left the tennis game (my dad and David played another man and his son) and took a walk through my first ever/one of the last rain forests in the world! Beautiful trees.
That is what brings me here and now i have dinner and later we are going to the Stone's (some friends of my parents) for dessert and discussing about a trip to Kicongo we are taking on Wednesday to Saturday. What an amazing trip this is turning out to be. Any questions for me then just ask and please email me if you would like. joe.cabalka@gmail.com I will email back and will give you any details if you would like them. I miss the States but I am seeing the beginning of what God desires to do in me and in the Congo. Continue to pray for these people, that God can become real to them. Hope to hear from you all soon.
Peace,
Joe C.

awww faw shaw

What up erbody... this is M diggy dang dog in da house!!! actually, i'm in my house, which is in santa rosa... wow. another quota has come and gone. I fee like this one has been the shortest, it seems like only a little while back when I was leaving home in january... so much has happend since then. kind of. actually not really, life has been pretty much the same. but still its flying by. I like to relate it to a car. When you are born, your car is fresh off the lot, its getting used to the road, its going pretty slow, but as you get older, the car starts driving faster, flowers on the side of the road start to look like blurs, things get caarazy, you tend to veer to the left and right, and get warned by the divots, i guess when you get old, you accelorator gets stuck down, and your brakes are all worn down and the car just goes flying off a cliff. You feel weightlessness briefly and that moment is bliss, but then you realize that you are hurlting down 400 feet into the raging sea. Panic, and then acceptance. And then SPLASH... but I digress...

Good 'ol joe SEE-Balka is leaving. off to the land of AFRIKA. We will all miss him. At the same time, we are stoked that he gets to see his parents and shadow missionaries. It will be super exiting for him. So Joe, we are sad to see you go, but happy to see you go do something awesome. I will be looking foreward to your return.

Anyway, break is going good. I am stinkin excited to go to Vail to visit the brother there. Although, its going to be hard to leave weather that is in the mid 70's. Still, some shreading is in order, as well as some air time. Keith will be here recording all week with Patch and Danny. Joe, will be flying to Africa. Evan and Joe Mo are holding down the fort at yee ol' Avalon.

March madness is in full swing. I just figured out why the call it madness... because thats how I get when the team I choose to win the whole things crashes and burns in the elite 8. Stinkin Kansas, I had them going all the way. Now keith is going to beat me in the brackets... Keith, don't gloat, nobody likes gloaters, I don't want to hear it. Don't say anything. Just let me be a looser on my own accord.... thats the worst part about it. I know that Keith will gloat... so don't gloat, or you'll sink in the moat, or be devoured by a goat, or you will be sloat, or you'll lose your coat, and I'll sink your boat, because it won't float, murder, she wrote...

well, thats pretty much all I gots to say right now. I hope alls yalls is doin good. I wrote a poem a little while back one day in class, I close with that...

As The Stars Go By, by Matt Fitch:

As the stars go by, the lone salt gazeth,
The night sky shines down, brighter than the day.
Long shadows cast about, lie strewn upon the land,
the reflection in the sea, the smoothness of the sand.

The old man waited, for something to come his way,
long had it been, since the sea shook that day.
Thoughts of the past, constantly haunting he,
who could have known, why this man wasn't free?

Furled brow, curled lips, whiskey on his breath,
As wrinkled as a prune, his countanence was death.
But in the proper moon light, his eyes did seem to gleam,
Just remember this my child, nothing is as it seems.

Each inhale breifly visible, the codger puffed his pipe,
Smoke slowly left his mouth, the old man's thoughts were ripe.
Perched upon the weared sea wall, back in recline,
Weary as the day is long, his life was in decline.

His only strand of hope, serving a sail and a sheet,
But this rope called life was loosened, from the dockside cleat.
A silouetted boat had passed, which captured the gleam from his eye,
the old man lay there dead, and watched the stars go by.


Fin.

-M

Updation

So, for those of you who don't know, my house is still a house. Yes, I still post, though I don't know if people still read. We all are still alive and we all are enjoying the beautiful weather God has given us. I shall try to update everyone on my, Joe Cabalka's, life for my life is the only life I know know about 100%.

School:
It's fine, I am ready to be done and will be done in about 2 weeks. I have an amazing improv class that I got to make a mask in. I will try to get a picture of me with my mask on up here on the computer. I also have to prepare for 2 finals that i have and am not so excited about that. I just really want it to be over.

Friends:
Exciting because Andrew Nelson from my summer project was here till yesterday and Tine got here yesterday. She is here until the end of the week. I am so excited but I don't really get to hang out with her until the start of this next week. Other summer project people are coming up to SLO on Wednesday...I hope. I just miss my summer project friends so much. I have not been as blessed to be able to see them as often as others but whenever I do, it is a cherished time. I also am still loving the guys in my house [i kinda have to say that since they WILL read this ;-)] No, but I really do think that the guys in my house have been exactly what I needed for this year. We shall see where God takes me with friends next year but only he knows that. (Okay, that sounded weird but i got it so that is fine).

Life Changes:
There are a few HUGE life changes for me right now. The first is that my sister, Kierstin, is moving to Portland, OR. I am so excited for her. She leaves on Wednesday. I also am going to be another uncle!!! The next baby is due August 11th. The biggest for me right now is that I am preparing my life to go to Africa and live with my parents for 10 weeks. I will be leaving on March 27th and I can't wait. I think that is why everything else in my life has been so hard. I am ready to go, I mean mentally but not really, so I don't want to think about school or anything else except the flight and the chance to live in DR Congo for 10 weeks. I am going to be job shadowing with missionaries...hopefully. Truly, God is the only one that knows what I will be doing but it is in his hands and I am just ready for him to send me.

Okay, so that wasn't really much about the Heart of Avalon but I am a part of that so a huge change for the guys living here as well. I am excited for them too because without me they are going to be so lost! JK but seriously I think it is going to be a sweet time for me and for them to NOT have me here (it sounds self conceded but again, I know what i mean so i don't really care.) Well, any other questions then ask me in a comment. God loves you and I, isn't that all that matters eternally. Peace,
Joe C.

Seize the Day

Today, I siezed it. I dusted my dresser, book shelf and desk and organized it in a way that will make me ultra super productive. That is all i have for you today, and this picture. I want to know how jon and jamie have huge pictures on their blog. Anyway, blogs from keith and joe and maybe evan will come shortly. they just are lazy, forgive them. Maybe I'm just nerdier. umcay, I'm outty.
-M

Can you find three sail boats in this picture? Look harder...