Things I simply love about being in the US

Today, I'm in Des Moines. It's about a two-hour drive from Cedar Rapids, and the only place in Iowa with an Apple store. I needed some help with my computer, so after 3 meetings with supporters, I headed west on I-80.

As I was driving, I had to smile at the things I was appreciating:

• having a variety of great radio stations from which to choose
  
• driving for two hours without having to ditch a single pothole or slow down for a single speed bump
• drinking my favorite "food drink," Naked Juice!
• listening to the weather forecast for the next few days: possible snow
• paying just $2.27 for a gallon of gas, as opposed to paying $4.65 a gallon in Kenya!
• seeing people driving to see their families, cars packed with gifts
• having a vehicle to use thanks to a family at my church...
• being able to use the Internet to make an appointment at the Genius Bar at the Apple store, and know that when I walk into the store, the guys will be able to answer every question on my list!
  

Things I'm still trying to get used to:

• the abundance of life in the US
• not seeing a lot of African people around me...

I had dinner with a person who wanted to know more about what we do in Kenya. I really do enjoy telling the stories of the things I had seen God do this past year. I especially love telling people about the work in Sudan.

Tomorrow, I need to head back to the Apple store to see again if we can figure out my outgoing mail configuration. Yes, yes, I know I had said earlier I loved knowing that they'd be able to solve all the issues on my list, but I ran out of time, so I chose to go back tomorrow morning. I'm staying in Des Moines this evening.

For now, I'm going to turn off my computer and read The Heavenly Man, the true story of a Chinese Christian.

It's one of at least six books I'm currently reading, yet another caveat of being in the US: having ready access to great books!