Howdy!
Whoa, it has been awhile since I last posted something! To start off, I have really found just joy in the Lord through playing some instrument. There is something about it that I can’t quite put my finger on it, but when I start playing, I feel amazing; it’s almost as if my spirit is tuning into God at a pretty close frequency and it’s a feeling that’s really indescribable. As always, satan tries his hardest to take me away from this connection, that loser. Several days after I started feeling this sensation, I start getting discouraging thoughts in my head that told me that I wasn’t good enough to worship God, I sucked, I wasn’t going to be able to play well at all, etc. It actually started to get to me but thankfully, I made the connection to that loser and dismissed it entirely.
Today was my first day of training for my NASA project! I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep at all the last night. It’s like when I started high school as a little fish, I didn’t know what to expect despite all the stories I’ve heard from pretty much everyone, but I felt that anxiety, excitement and fear all rush in my system like a waterfall of emotions. To make things even better, we were told that we had to arrive 10 minutes before the actual class started, which was at 7:30am, because the instructors were ex-military and extremely strict. This of course did not help with the anxiety, for if we had gotten there late, we would be turned down and disqualified! I woke up early and called my fellow crew member and ask him if he was going to pick me up and he replied, “I’m on my way”. So there I am at the meeting place at 6 waiting for him to arrive and as time went by, there was no sign of him and butterflies were practically gushing out of my mouth. 6:15…6:20…6:25…the wait was nearly unbearable and I just started to worry my butt off texting him and another crew member! After 6:35, I just simply told God that He is in control and that all things will work out. Not only was I filled with such peace, but this guy was just around the corner so he picked me up and off we went to NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Center. The awesome thing about this is that, when we arrived, not only did we make it on time, but the instructors were LATE!! Hallelujah! Praise God!! At this center, we were required to complete a physiological training in order to actually fly as an aviator. From about 8 till 11:30, we listened to lectures about the safety of flying and the dangers that can occur from being in a higher altitude. I know what you’re thinking: BORING! Actually, the instructors were pretty laid back and very funny so it wasn’t too bad. After lunch, we finished up the last portion of safety and did a briefing of what we were to expect. Basically, we were to enter a pressurized cabin with oxygen masks and gradually “climb” to an altitude of 25,000 ft. Our objectives were to experience what it felt like to be at 25,000 feet above sea level and notice any symptoms that we may feel at the time all while answering a simple questionnaire. So there I sat, completely excited and anxious, and ready to face anything that was going to happen! I had my mask on, my Oxygen tank was plugged in and all my equipment was ready as I was. After about 30 minutes of breathing in 100% oxygen and listening to a safety lecture, we were ready to begin our ascension. And as quickly as we could show them our Gig ‘em sign, we were off!
Almost immediately, my ears began to “pop” and so I performed the valsalva (where you pinch your nose, close your mouth and blow through your nose to release the air in your ear canal) and I began to feel a little light-headed but not too much. As we kept climbing, the gas in the chamber began to expand and you could see a light fog throughout the entire chamber. Before we reached the 25,000 mark, I did feel something weird in my ear. For some odd reason, I felt bubbles move around my ear and all of a sudden, the bubbles were released from my ear making a flatulent-type noise. It was weird, but there wasn’t any pain so I dismissed it as insignificant for perhaps the air was simply escaping. Better out than in! After we reached our mark, we were to take off our oxygen masks and for about 5 minutes, breathe the thin air as we waited for any symptoms to occur. Luckily, my group was second so we were able to watch the first group take off their masks first so that we may observe any signs that may occur. One of my crewmembers looked like he was about to just flop over and pass out after 2 minutes! After several kicks and giggles, it was my turn to see what everything was about.
I took off my mask and everything seemed fine so I signed my name at the top of the questionnaire. After working on it for awhile, I started to feel kind of dizzy and disoriented so I jotted that down. After about 2 minutes, I felt my eyes grow very heavy, tired and noticed that things were starting to look fuzzy. After about 3 minutes, I began to feel tingling all over my body and some hot flashes. Although I felt as though I could keep going, I decided to stop there and get my mask back on. Once everyone had their masks on, we descended and discussed what we felt and whatnot. Afterwards, we had to take a small test to show that we were paying attention to the instructors and we were allowed to leave.
The entire time going home, the only thing I could think about is how the tingling really felt familiar. It felt similar to when I am in the presence of God and can feel the Holy Spirit flow through me. Could it be that entering His presence is a lot like entering an environment that is hazardous to our bodies? It’s like, since our flesh is sinful, it cannot stand to be in His presence without feeling all sorts of weird things such as tingling sensations. Almost like, the body reacts violently. Almost like, our spirit is trying to emerge. I truly cannot imagine what it will feel like when I am standing in His presence. Will it be a tingling sensation? Will it be a disorienting sensation? Will it be a fuzzy sensation? I have no idea what I will feel but I can say this: when it comes to that day, whatever I feel, it will totally be out of this world; a feeling that will completely obliterate any prior experience that I have ever encountered.
Well that was pretty much my day in a nutshell and with that I am signing off!
Pabs
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