Summer 2015

Well this summer has been quite the adventure. To give you a brief run down I left Doha for Washington DC where I spent time with Nathan and Laura for a few days till Micah flew up from Florida so we could spend some time together over the weekend. Then I flew to Louisville KT to visit my good friend Josh and spend some much needed time together. Then I was off to Columbus to see my parents, my sister, and start my masters classes. After two weeks in Columbus I few to Kecskemet Hungary to finish my summer classes at the Kodaly Institute there. Once those were complete I headed to Budapest where I stayed, exploring the city and making friends until I came back to Doha just a few days ago.

Like I said it was quite the adventure! I learned so many things both professionally and personally. And I found some solid rest and relaxation and I can say that I am ready for the kid's to come back next week.

This year I decided to start a new hobby. Photography! You can be expecting some (hopefully) good pictures from my adventures throughout the year. Here are some of my favorites from this summer enjoy!

Oman and stuff

Over spring break I had the opportunity to travel out of Qatar for the first time since Christmas. I headed to Muscat, Oman with my friend Daniel. This is probably the first real vacation I've taken in years and it was fantastic.

Oman is beautiful with beaches and mountains and green things...I've missed the green things. Above all, Oman was quiet, soooooo quiet. There was no construction that started at 4 am everyday. There was no person standing below my window in the morning hawking the biggest logie known to mankind. And the beds in the hotel were amazing.

The driving wasn't that bad, but I'll come back to that. There are a few things I don't like about Qatar, but 90% of it wouldn't be a problem if there wasn't construction everywhere all the time. Oman is not under construction and therefore was peaceful.

The first day I layed by the pool, read and slept for the entire day. If you've vacationed with me you know I'm not that kind of person. But for this vacation I seemed to spend most of my time sleeping, reading, and relaxing.

Daniel and I tried to get out and see the sites, but I think most of the time we just couldn't be bothered to do much. And that was just fine.

We did rent a car which saved us some money, but it was my first time really driving in the middle east and frankly it was super easy in Oman. The driving isn't as crazy, which was nice, but we did see at least one crazy thing. While sitting at an intersection Daniel and I witnessed a man work his way into oncoming traffic while on a motorcycle and get hit by a car. Now all of this was at pretty low speed, but the guy still fell off his bike in the middle of the intersection. Two police officers just happened to be right there and as they walked up to the accident the man jumped up and ran away. The officers then moved his bike and talked to the driver and waved everyone else on. Daniel and I just sat there in awe of what we had just witnessed. It was nuts.

After getting back from vacation I have hit the ground running. I have a musical next week with the 4th grade. The 5th grade is working on their end of the year project which requires some part of the arts helping out. And tonight I have a choir singing the national anthem for the university graduation where there will be many big names in Qatar like the Emir himself.

Life is crazy right now but summer is quickly approaching. I hope to be able to see a lot of you while I am home this summer, but my plans are not solid yet. I'd like to try and see my brothers and if I can make it out to Arizona to see everyone there. However, I will be spending most of my summer in Hungary studying at the Kodaly Institute for my masters degree.

If you could keep all those things in your prayers over the coming weeks Lord know's I need it.

When Life Gives You Watermelons

Moving to the Middle East has not been all that I'd expected. Spiritually it has been difficult. Professionally it has been challenging in ways I never expected. Personally I've been back on forth on the whole decision. However, this week has been a good week. I have finished an education certification for the International Baccalaureate (IB). Perhaps more importantly this week I finished paying off my school loans. As of this exact moment I am debt free.

It's weird because most people told me it would feel like a weight has been lifted, and I really don't feel that. Am I glad to be done with it, sure, but as a single man in my late 20's I didn't feel like they were a big deal. I probably wouldn't have paid them off if Bible didn't recommend it as a good idea. Also, I don't know what else I would spend my money on. The reality is I am a pretty simple guy. I love simple things. When joy comes by complex means it is stifled by stress. I like to read the news with a cup of tea in the morning. I like to read a book when I go to bed. I enjoy the occasional tobacco pipe in the early evening and an intriguing TV series like House of Cards. Traveling can be fun every now and then, but I live in another country and for now that's enough.

Feeling content is a rare activity for me though, and it's something I wish I could enjoy more often. I'm certain God brought me out here for a reason, and I am pretty sure I know what it is. I've asked Him my whole life to make me into the man He wants me to be, and I have always strived to be someone else. Here I have a chance to grow up without expectation of who I am or what I think people want of me. I can just be. And like a cat stuck in a tree clinging on for dear life I haven't let go very well. I've hurt some of the people I love dearly in the letting go process and that haunts me.

However, this week is a week of celebration. I am debt free. Thank you all for your prayers. If ever I have needed them now is the time. Pray for wisdom with my next life decisions, and healing from the past. I love you all.

Recent Adventures

Life in Doha has been an interesting beast for the last couple of months with all the holiday travels and end of term shenaniguns (yes, they do call it term here, and yes we are split into four houses, sadly no I don't work at hogwarts). Over winter break I was able to make it home to Ohio and spend time with the entire family. The day after Christmas Micah moved to Florida and I gave him a hand so at 5:30 in the morning He and I jumped in the biggest truck we could get without a special license and embarked on the 14 hour journey to Jacksonville. Once we got him unloaded and the rest of his family got there I boarded a plane for yet another adventure to Arizona. While I was there I got to spend some much needed time with friends there. If there is anything I've missed about being abroad its spending time with those I love and it did my heart a lot of good. After 9 flights and over 10,000 miles of travel my winter break came to an end and I settled back into Doha.

At the moment it looks like the next big step for me will start with a couple weeks in Hungary studying at the Kodaly Institute in Budapest. Kodaly is a music methodology that I have been learning and studying about since my student teaching and I'm really excited about the possibility to study at the Institute. I'm trying to figure out just how much I can do there that will count towards my masters degree at Capitol and there is a small chance I might not be able to do it. But I do hope it will all come together.

Here are a few pictures from Christmas with the Doyel Family.

The Doyel Clan

Hey Audrey! I love this girl so much I can barely stand it.

When she waves and it melts my heart.

Here she is admiring the Christmas tree.

I wanted to finish this post up by saying thank you to everyone who has been praying for me. Life has been pretty intense since I left Prescott last year. Most, if not all, of you who read this love and pray for me so much its is truly humbling. Thank you all for your prayers, and please keep them coming. God is doing some crazy things in my life right now, and you're prayers are being answered daily. God is providing me ample opportunity to grow, and in a lot of ways I have. But I still have a long way to go. If you pray for me please pray that He will give me wisdom in the coming weeks as I try to plan where I will be this summer. Also I need prayer for continued growth and healing in this season of life. Thank you all for your love. It means a great deal to me. Also...call sometime I'd love to hear from you :)