A Month of Merriness

If your sole purpose in life is to get updates on my life:

1) you must have a miserable life :)

2) hopefully this blog is not your only means of contact with me

Without further ado, I will attempt to give a brief account of the last month of my life. More importantly, there will be pictures to provide temporary relief from the mundaneness of text.

A little over a month ago, my sister Abby drove an old van out to Denver. Despite the front left wheel falling off on the interstate, everything went smoothly. My parents flew into said Denver from Brazil. We all collaborated our bodies and belongings, placed them in the van which had proven its complete trustworthiness, and began a road trip that would last a month.

ROAD TRIP PARTICIPANTS:

and of course....

Our trip took us to Wyoming, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Missouri, and Kansas as we visited friends, family, and churches. The bulk of our time was spent in Waukesha, Wisconsin as the Kitcheners all gathered at my brother Nate's house. There were a lot of us: Mom, Dad, U. Bob, A. Ann, Matt, Essie, Anna, Zach, Sarah, Nate, Tracie, Owen, Elsie, Asher, Uriah, Abby, and I!

Here are a couple photos in case you are interested in what these people may look like.

Puzzles were completed, songs were sung, food was eaten, and fellowship was had. It was a great time of reconnecting with a family that is typically spread out all over the globe. Only God knows the next time we'll all be together again. Abby's wedding perhaps?? :)

Highlights of the time up north include visiting friends from Moody in Chicago, seeing old friends in Waukesha, watching the nieces and nephews open presents, having a huge 25th birthday party with a Brazilian meal prepared by my mom, locking keys in the car multiple times, getting destroyed in a family bowling outing, and getting 3 hours of sleep every night.

TWR Update:

During the month of traveling, I was able to see many friends and family interested in my upcoming ministry with TWR in Slovakia. It was a lot of fun and a huge encouragement to be with people who care about me and my future plans! Thank you!

For the first time, I had the privilege of speaking at churches about serving with TWR as a social media coordinator. It made me feel like an official missionary, and it was a cool experience to introduce people to what TWR is doing! Thank you to everyone at Morrill Baptist, Northridge, and Community Bible for this opportunity!

The month of December was my biggest month of support raising yet! I'm now at 80% of my outgoing funds and pushing 20% of my monthly! Sometimes the generosity of people is mind-blowing. I am more aware than ever of how much teamwork ministry takes.

I still have a long way to go, but I am still hoping to leave this summer! If you'd like to play a role in giving me the privilege of serving in Slovakia, this link will provide you with the simplest method to do so.

I guess I will end this blog entry here. If you read this entire blog, you must be a very good friend. :) Thank you for your interest in my life! I am incredibly blessed. As always, please stay in touch with me.

Contact Information:

Email: p.a.kitchener@gmail.com
Phone: 262.951.8672
Mail: 474 Black Feather Loop #415 Castle Rock, CO 80104
Facebook Group: Paul to Slovakia
Website: twr.org/global_staff/kitchener/

P.S.

If you have followed the art. for. abby. campaign, there is some cool stuff going on with that! Check it out here.

The Newest Blog Entry Up To This Point

Hello, friend. You are a welcome guest at this blog.

If the following information does not interest you, you will have wasted a few moments of your life. As we know, life is but a vapor, so do not make this decision without much thought, meditation, and prayer. However, that in itself will be a time-consuming process. So, my advice is to skip the reading of this blog and do something more useful with your time (i.e. bake some cookies for a friend).

In case one of you is still reading, I will continue. I would love to keep in touch with you. Shoot me an email, message me on Facebook, or text/call me. For the time being, here is a quick update on my life since the last entry.

God created Colorado and saw that it was good:

The beauty of Colorado is undeniable. Thankfully, I've had the opportunity to take advantage of this from time to time. Around half a million people visit Pikes Peak a year, however, very few actually climb it. I've been able to take Barr Trail a couple times now to the top of Pikes Peak. One of the times I hiked back down as well (26 miles round trip) and had multiple blisters, sore joints, and aching muscles for a week because of it. It's definitely worth doing though! I also got to visit Garden of the Gods.

Kyle and I at the base of Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak in the background. The sun sure was bright.

Nearing the top. That little line through the rock is the trail.

Birdman sighting:

In regards to basketball, it's all about the Denver Nuggets around here. One of the most unique guys in the NBA plays for the Nuggets. He is known as Birdman. If you're not familiar with Chris Andersen, he's like the white Dennis Rodman. He has lots of tattoos, crazy hair, hustles like crazy, and is extremely exciting to watch.

Now he has tattoos all over his neck as well.

Anyways, he lives close to Castle Rock. One day while I was chilling at a Starbucks, he came in to order some coffee. He is not a short man. I wanted to get a pic with him, but there were enough people bothering him already.

Quick driving tip:

The strategy to winning the battle at a 4 Way stop sign is to stop 10 feet in front of the Stop sign. It works every time and will save you at least 10 to 15 seconds (remember how life is a vapor..this is good stewardship of the time allotted to us!).

Art. For. Abby.

Recently, the Art. For. Abby. campaign was launched! Basically, I threw up some art that I've done over the last 5 years or so, and people can make donations for them. 100% of the profits go towards my sister Abby's ministry with OM.

I'm hoping to raise $2,000 for her, and things have progressed much better than I anticipated. You can check it out on Facebook or Blogspot. Spread the word!

Daniel and Emily's Wedding:

My good friends Daniel Schuring and Emily Nichols got married on October 3rd in Virginia. They had an awesome wedding (despite using Plan B due to Tropical Storm Nicole wearing out her welcome) and an entertaining wedding reception! I had the privilege of being one of the groomsmen.

It was such a good time of catching up with friends that it was hard leaving VA. Hopefully Andrew or Dru will get married soon so that this event will take place again shortly!

The official, professional pics aren't available yet, so here are a few that have made their way to Facebook.

Daniel and Emily

The wedding crew minus a few.

The groomsmen performing a choreographed dance to "I Want It That Way."

Music Suggestions:

Check out Ascend the Hill's new hymns album called Take The World, But Give Me Jesus. It has incredible renditions of classic hymns. Also, give Homer Hiccolm & The Rocketboys a listen. Their music is even better than their name!

TWR:

If you aren't on my mailing list, contact me. If you are, expect a nice little personalized letter in your mailbox soon with all the TWR-related updates. As always, thank you for your interest, love, and support!

Contact Info!:

Email: p.a.kitchener@gmail.com

Phone: 262.951.8672

Mail: 474 Black Feather Loop #415 Castle Rock, CO 80104

Facebook Group: Paul to Slovakia

Website: twr.org/global_staff/kitchener/

Twitter: kitchenerpaul

From Miserable to Majestic...according to Forbes

kä-lə-ˈra-dō ˈlīf

So, I moved from the hectic metropolis of Chicago to the relaxed town of Castle Rock, Colorado. According to Forbes, this was a wise transition. Forbes ranked Chicago as the 10th most miserable city in America and first in the "Most Stressful City" category. On the other hand, Forbes ranked Castle Rock as the 5th most desirable place to live in all of America. A nice little trade!

I actually love Chicago (besides winter and traffic), and they moved from 3rd most miserable last year to 10th this year. Things are looking up for the Windy City! It's beautiful out here though, so you should stop by.

For the time being I am staying with my good friends from Moody, Kyle and Mandee Lammott (pictured below). I will be working a construction job with their friend Chris.

I have been here for a week now, and it has been a good time of settling in. Mitch and Julianne stopped by on their way from California to Chicago. We had a great time! It'll be even better when they come for their Thanksgiving break! Right?

From L to R: Karis, Mandee, Julianne, Mitch, Kyle, Me

I was able to attend my friend Ben Mercer's wedding last Saturday in Denver. My sister Sarah and brother-in-law Danny came from Wichita to attend the festive occasion as well. We had a good time of catching up with the rest of the Mercer family.

Ben and Tina Mercer

My second night here in Castle Rock, I got pulled over by a policewoman. Apparently one of my headlights was out, but she just gave me a warning. "Welcome to Castle Rock, young man. Now get a new headlight, or I will personally escort you out of the state." She didn't say that.

Odd pic? Sure!

ˈtē ˈdə-bəl-yü ˈär

I've been a little behind on TWR-related activities with the move and all, but that doesn't mean things have been at a standstill. It has been ridiculously encouraging to keep in touch with friends and family who want to be a part of the ministry in Slovakia! Every time I think it isn't going to happen, someone will just bless the socks off of me (not sure if that's an accepted expression...but you catch my drift)! It's humbling and exciting.

I know this two-year ministry is going to happen because God opened the doors and continues to make it evident that this is the right direction to pursue. Do you want to be part of the team that makes it possible for me to work with TWR in Slovakia?

A couple people have asked me to give a clear picture of what it will take for me to get there. At this point, it will take around 40 to 50 more individuals, families, and/or churches investing financially. Hopefully this doesn't come across as impersonal, but here's a simple breakdown of a possible scenario:

Financial Support Needed to Reach 100%:

1 @ $350/month

2 @ $200/month

5 @ $100/month

8 @ $75/month

10 @ $50/month

20 @ $25/month

If you'd like to join me in this way, cruise on over HERE or write me an e-mail at p.a.kitchener@gmail.com.

Regardless, I'm having a blast just keeping in touch with people. Thank you so so much for your prayers and all the encouraging emails, letters, phone calls, texts, and Facebook messages!

Thanks for taking the time to read this update on my life!

Keep in touch:
Email: p.a.kitchener@gmail.com
Phone: 262.951.8672
Mail: 474 Black Feather Loop #415 Castle Rock, CO 80104
Facebook: facebook.com/pkitch
Facebook Group: Paul to Slovakia
Blog: pkitchener.blogspot.com
Website: twr.org/global_staff/kitchener/

Twitter: kitchenerpaul
Skype: p.a.kitchener

I think I saw you in my sleep...

Here is a pic to get this blog started off right!

Hey, thanks for reading this by the way. I'll be honest, I rarely read other people's blogs, but it meant so much to hear from a bunch of people that took the time to read mine.

ˈtra-vəl

This Wednesday (18th) morning, I'll be driving 1,036 miles from Chicago to Castle Rock with an approximate travel time of 16 hours and 26 minutes according to Google Maps.

If I were to walk instead of drive, it would take approximately 13 days and 20 hours, although carrying luggage such as my 350 lb. harp would add some travel time I'm sure. No, I don't own a harp.

shə-ˈkä-gō

So, the last few days in Chicago have included me trying to squeeze in a few things I've never done in the city. I got to go to the Blue Man Group for free with my roommate Ryan. All you have to do is be an usher before the show and help clean up a little after (takes like 10 minutes).

Besides leading a few people to wrong seats, it went smoothly. Apparently all the tickets have "A" on them for "Adult" tickets, but "A" just so happens to be the front row as well. Ha. I'd show some pics, but they have a strict "No Photo policy."

I also ventured to a couple local sites that have gotten some television/film exposure: the house in the Family Matters intro and the house from the Home Alone movie. It was an uneventful and forgettable experience, but here are a couple pics!

Hmm....

ˈkȯ-fē

A wonderful and terrible thing happened this summer when my roommate, a Starbucks barista for over 3 years, came upon an $800 espresso machine. While I enjoyed the incredible lattes and cappuccinos it produced with its built in coffee bean grinder and steamer, it was very controlling. It forced us to constantly fill up the water, insert more coffee beans, and buy more milk and vanilla sweetener.

I wanted to stop, but I couldn't and wouldn't. In a zombie-like trance, I made espresso after espresso and rarely slept due to the caffeine in my system. Sometimes I'd wake in the night and stare at the green light saying: "Go for it!" The madness will finally end when I leave it behind to plague my roommate, helpless in its clutch. Although I plan on taking a drink for the road. Here is a picture of the monster:

mi-sə-ˈlā-nē-əs

1) So, there's once, twice, thrice, and then....What comes after thrice? I've wondered that a few times, and finally took the time to look it up. Nothing comes after thrice. Unfortunately, now our only option is the time consuming process of saying two words ("four times", "five times", etc.).

2) I had an elderly woman give me advice on relationships the other day while I was at Sunrise assisted living. She said, "Pick a cute one. They're sweeter! The ugly ones are bitter. I should know - I'm a cutie!" All I could do was smile, and assure her that I would!

3) Anyone else notice the new penny design?

kən-ˈklü-zhən

This blog has reached the end. Here is my new address in case you want to come visit me:

474 Black Feather Loop

#415

Castle Rock, CO 80104

Here is the rest of my info. Please stay in touch!

Email: p.a.kitchener@gmail.com
Phone: 262.951.8672
Facebook: facebook.com/pkitch
Facebook Group: Paul to Slovakia

Website: twr.org/global_staff/kitchener/
Twitter: kitchenerpaul
Skype: p.a.kitchener