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cam4long
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Name: Cameron
Birthday: 9/24/1984
Gender: Male
Interests: The water and anything to do with it, water skiing, swimming, wakeboarding, stuff like that. I would love to learn how to surf one day too! Aside from that I like all the regular stuff like catching up with friends for coffee, long walks along the beach, picinics in parks and lying flat on my back and watching the stars. I really like listening to music, John Mayer is my favourite artist!!!, and I like singing and playing the guitar. I have made a few feeble attempts at song writing, so if im ever hanging around with a guitar and you are there feel free to ask me to play one of my songs for you.
Message: message me
MSN: cam_4long@hotmail.com
Member Since:
7/9/2006
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| Hey guys I have switched to blogger.com. So from now on check out http://cameron-forlong.blogspot.com/ for your dose of Cam. Now you can comment on my blogging...so please do.
Peace!
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| Well it has been a week of fun american traditions and crazy
experiences. Thursday last week was thanksgiving as all of you should
know. Our family heads up to Davis every year for a big dinner. Due to
the crazy traffic a trip that should have taken an hour and a half took
four hours! Oh well it was definitely worth the drive. I met some of my
american extended family which was a great experience. I thankfully
managed to stay out of a discussion on politics, my family here are
mostly Democrats who's policies seem to be at odds with my own beliefs
and opinions. The food was amazing, turkeys, pumpkin, pies of many
varieties (unfortunately none of the meat pies though), mashed potatoes
and other yummy things. My first thanksgiving was a highly memorable
time and I look forward to many more thanksgivings.
The crew of kids that went out and braved the wild, windy, wacky dunes
(note the biggest most irresponsible kid in the centre of the picture
who rolled his quad a total of three times, once right in front of the
people who rent them out getting himself in big trouble in the process)
This is a typical set up on the beach, where the back half of the
trailer has a fold down door and is used to store more
quads/motorcycles or any other vehicle that people can get their hands
on
A sweet old truck that has been raised like all the cool kids have
their trucks, generally the higher the better. As they say on shrek: 'I
think he is compensating for something'
Amazing dune rails that have huge engines and huge shocks, all the
better to do huge jumps off dunes and land comfortably while still
being able to watch tv and listen to your stereo all for a bargain
price of $100,000. This particular model didnt have all those features
but would still sell for between $50-60,000...USD... Yikes!
The amazing view from our hotel, isnt creation an awesome testimony to just how creative and amazing God is?
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| Just so you know I have gone back and added photos to a few of my webblog entries so that you guys can get a bit of a visual insight into what it was like to have those experiences :) Some photos that are just as random as this post: 
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| I am currently listening to John Mayers 'In Repair' from his new
album Continuum. The line 'I'm in repair, I'm not together
but I'm getting there' really describes my life right now and all of
our lives as Christians. We are continually works in progress where
Christ is shaping and molding us, repairing the areas of our lives that
are messed up, often replacing them with way better Godly traits. I am
a little confused at the moment about my lifes direction. I have learnt
a great deal about myself during my time here in America and I am
looking forward to my time spent in Europe where I know God will
continue working on me and my life. I am being challenged about: what
it is to be a Christian in the Western world, my thoughts and theories
on dating and marriage and the actions that come out of those theories,
how I relate to people that I know really well and those I have only
just met and whether those two things differ, and ultimately what I
will be doing when I get back to NZ. The answers/resolutions to these
will be a process which isn't always easy for me deal with... I like
being able to think through problems, seek advice, pray and make a
decision but instead I am learning that I need to fully rely on God and
be patient. Thankfully he has filled me with peace about my current
situation and where I am heading and I am so thankful for that. It is
definitely uncharacteristic of me to be so rational and at peace with a
situation when my emotions are in relative turmoil so I'm totally
thankful for the work of the Holy Spirit in my life in this situation. As
you all know Halloween is a huge deal here in America. Some see it as
an evil holiday that no Christian should participate in. Personally I
think that while historically it is rooted in the occult, halloween in
America today is an excuse for kids and adults alike to dress up in
crazy costumes, eat yummy food and have great fellowship with family
and friends. So with this in mind I dove headlong into the holiday and
had an awesome time. Here is a bit of a small video diary of halloween
for me :) 
Carving pumpkins! It was super fun although picking a design was tough, in the end mr ghost won. 
Michelle
(one of my good friends here in Cali) and I, the crazy
pirates, before we went out with a group of friends to a halloween
house party. 
The crazy extent to which people go with their costumes, both of these costumes where hand made! 
My cute cousins Rach aka Goldilocks, 11, on the left, Kenna Racheals friend, and Carly aka Marilyn Munroe, 8.  The
triumphant pirate returns after a few hours spent walking the
neighbourhoods in search of booty, of the candy kind. Unfortunately
people dont really respond well to adults walking up to their door for
candy so I had to resort to raiding my cousins candy bags at the end of
the night. 
I grew the fuzz especially for halloween... the perplexed look was also my own. So
yeah that kinda sums up halloween, it was super fun and I wish we did
it in NZ but it probably wouldnt be the same as my first halloween in
America. | | |
| I continue to have amazing experiences here in the States. I attended another baseball game, Oakland Athletics v Detroit Tigers, on wednesday night last week which turned out being an all american experience. Forthose of you who didnt hear, one of the New York Yankee's pitchers was killed in a plane crash and he used to pitch for theOakland A's and so we had a moments silence in his honour and the largest american flag I had ever seen was unfurled on the pitch and the nationial anthem was played by a sole saxiphonist. It was a stirring experience which I will remember for years to come. Unfortunately the game wasnt quite as memorable. The A's went down and have since beenshutout of the playoffs by the Tigers. Here are a few photos from the game:
  
The rest of the week just kept getting better. I am realising that mytime away is preparing me for something, what I am not quite sure. Godis definitely working on areas of my life that need his expertdemolition experience so that he can craft something way better for mylife.
Saturday night was spent with a group from Church at the HarvestCrusade. Kutless played along with Seventh Day Slumber and Jeremy Camp.The bands were really great, especially Jeremy Camp. Greg Lauriepresent a really clear gospel message based around the Parable ofthe Lost son. The whole night was a very moving experience for me. Sixof the people I went with to the Crusade went forward when Greg madethe altar call to commit their lives to Christ for the first time or torecommit their lives to Christ. With them were approximately 2000 otherpeople standing in the presence of God commiting their lives to theirmaker and saviour. Five of the people from our group are from thewednesday night bible study I go to which as I have mentioned wasformed as a kind of support group for the friends and family of a youngguy called Nick who was killed in a car crash about a year ago. Thislegacy that he left, spurring people on to seek after you andultimately commit their lives to Christ is a legacy that most of usdream of having but may not achieve. Nicks mum and Dad, Joe and Gina,were at the Crusade with us and they were also moved by the wholeexperience. We have the bible study in their house on a Wednesday andit has been a tough road for them over the past year or so and so for atime of pure joy like this to happen was a welcome reliefe. For me itwas totally inspiring to see so many people commiting their lives toChrist and I definitely saw some of Gods heart for the lost and Itotally want to get more of that, as scary as that is for me. I want tobe involved in sharing the Gospel with people and helping themunderstand God and what is to be a christian and ultimately lead themin commiting their lives to Christ. I dont know what I will be doingwhen I get home but whatever I end up doing I want to continue to bereal with people about my life and theirs and be ready to give ananswer to their questions about Christ as well as taking opportuntiesthat present to give my testimony and challenge them to consider commiting their lives to Christ.
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