Author: Alec Hartman

Howdy folks,

Well, today is the last day of my sabbatical. Last week I served with Love & Care Ministries in their kitchen, food pantry, & on the streets feeding those in need in Abilene. Working with L&C was certainly a rewarding experience! I was incredibly impressed how swiftly folks were served & how the kitchen always seemed to be tidy even during service. Of course, the people who work there are remarkable, Christ-like individuals who I respect a great deal for the work they are doing. I am happy that I spent my service week with L&C.

Over the weekend I have been resting & mentally preparing myself for my return to work. I also got a haircut so that y’all would be able to recognize me. Not to mention, I was able to watch so many baseball & football games I don’t think I could count them if I tried (GO ASTROS). Additionally, I deep cleaned my apartment which was much needed!

Anyway, thank you all for keeping up with my adventures throughout my sabbatical. I couldn’t have asked for a more delightful experience. What a blessing this time has been!

I will see you all in the morning,

Alec

Hola Amigos,

Over the last couple weeks I have made my way back to Texas, attended ACL Fest, and enjoyed some quality time with my parents & my grandparents in San Antonio & Laredo respectively.

The drive back to Texas from Los Angeles was beautiful. I was excited about the road trip before I left, but I couldn’t have foreseen the beauty I would experience along the way. From the peaks in CO to the canyons in AZ, I was stunned by the colors the Earth revealed to me. I have never been so mesmerized like I was while driving through the California desert. The mountains & the desert seemed to stretch on forever to me. Although my two shortest days of driving (8 & 9 hrs.) were through the desert, those days seemed to be the most exhausting to me when compared to the my 13 hr. trip on Sat, Sep. 30 through West TX -> CO. Anyway, the interstate trip was a grand success & quite enjoyable. By the Grace of God, I made it round trip with zero car trouble or severe traffic incidents.

I spent the weekend of Oct. 13-15 in ATX at Austin City Limits Music Festival. This was my fourth year in a row to attend (survive) the affair. This year was especially cool because one of my friend’s birthdays was on the 14th which was the day we were able to see the Red Hot Chili Peppers (his favorite band).  I too enjoyed their set not only because I love their music, but also because their bassist (Flea) provided a positive message of compassion & kindness towards one another. I felt as if this was appropriate considering the losses suffered in Las Vegas which revolved around live music. Upon concluding their set, the lead singer (Anthony Kiedis) exclaimed, “Thanks for keeping the company!” Those simple words rang so true to me at the time & still do. This entire sabbatical I have been focusing on spending quality time with family that I am not always so fortunate to see. I have been able to share & enjoy the company of those I love throughout my trip so for me, “Thanks for keeping the company” is almost like the motto for my sabbatical road trip. I am immeasurably thankful for this time as it has certainly been spent with good company.

Last week I spent my time in Laredo catching up with my grandparents & learning my grandmother’s top secret borracho bean recipe. My grandfather has become more & more frail the past two years so the time spent with him & my grandmother was really important to me. Additionally, I was able to stop in SA to bum & mooch off my parents! They were pleased to see that I was still in one piece after my weeks on the road.  I finally arrived back in Abilene on Saturday, Oct. 21 in time to celebrate ACU homecoming & visit with some beloved friends. As I write this, I am decompressing from my first community service day at Love & Care Ministries! The folks there are so kind. Not to mention, they have their meal services down to a science. Everything is so clean! I was quite impressed. I am looking forward to the remainder of my week there.

That’s all for now. Thanks for reading, I’ll keep y’all posted!

Peace,

Al

Hola,

Over the past eleven days I have been overwhelmed with the kind of love & hospitality that can only be found when in the presence of precious family & friends. As you all are aware, I spent Sep. 30 – Oct. 2 with my cousin. The time spent hanging out & playing with baby Audrey was so sweet. The innocence of a child is such a beautiful thing. I cannot imagine the weight of the responsibility in rearing a child. Having to find the right balance between equipping them to be independent & sheltering them from the ugliness that exists in our world is such a difficult task. Being able to disconnect & vicariously indulge in the innocence of my baby cousin’s world was a much needed retreat from the norm for me.

My night in the tipi was fun! It was pretty much just camping. I had a great time learning about Native American culture and going stargazing. The morning after the tipi experience, I was able to check out the Grand Canyon which was amazing. I had a hard time grasping the sheer immensity of the canyon.

From Oct. 4 through today (Oct. 10) I have been staying with my family in Newbury Park, California. The days spent here are always bliss. I was telling Drew & Taylor a while back that explaining my family gets confusing in a hurry. To simplify, my father found his birth mother in ’08. The people who I’m staying with are the youngest of his three sisters & her family. Being told you have a bunch of extended family that want to meet you can be kind of an intimidating thing as a teenager. You’re worried about getting along, and anxious about what kind of people they may be. However, my father’s reconnecting with his mother has been one of the most treasured blessings in my life. My aunt, uncle, & their kids have always had a special place in my heart, and it had been too long since I had visited them. I saw this sabbatical as a chance to catch up & get some much need quality time in. And that is just what I did. I was able to cheer at several soccer games over the weekend, enjoy the beautiful nature in Malibu & Thousand Oaks, and simply hang out. Oh, and I visited some neat record stores too. I am so happy I was able to make this trip happen. Despite being a little bummed about leaving, I feel so full of love & hope leaving this place. Plus, Austin City Limits Festival is this weekend so there’s no time to be blue! I’ll catch y’all up on my adventures soon.

Al

Hey y’all,

So this morning (Oct. 1) I woke up to the same disgusting news we all did. As a result of the recent violence, I will be forgoing my stay in Las Vegas & will be heading straight to LA on Wednesday after my night in the tipi tomorrow. My condolences & prayers are with the individuals & families of those who were lost & injured last night. It’s been a grim ~24 hours. I can’t help but feel a mourning in my soul for this loss of human life.

Al

Well folks, the time has come for me to depart from this wonderful workplace for the next 32 days. As I so often am, I was reminded once again of just how great of a workplace this office is this morning. Sure, our facilities are nice & the benefits very generous, but it’s the people we employ here that truly define our culture & atmosphere. I elected to have a private send-off with Ray & Dave this afternoon as oppose to a company-wide send-off. I know, SHOCKER. Oh, you mean that super introverted dude that sends out the production reports elected NOT to have a company-wide send-off?! Yeah, big surprise. However, this morning, Drew was excited enough to be rid of me for the next few weeks that he brought breakfast burritos for he, Stokes, & I to celebrate my departure. Before we dug into our breakfast, I laid out my sabbatical plans for Drew & Taylor. You all will eventually read the details of my excursions, but I figured it would be a good idea to share my plans for the first few days here.

Tomorrow morning (Sep. 30), I will be departing for Aurora, CO to visit my cousin (Sandra), her husband (Dalton), and their one-year-old daughter (Audrey). I will be visiting with them from Saturday through Tuesday morning. I am SO excited to spend time with my family & especially to get to know my new baby cousin! You can find a picture of the precious child below:

Isn’t she the most beautiful little girl you’ve ever seen?? Anyway, enough bragging. Tuesday, my adventure continues as I wonder into the Arizona wilderness to see the Grand Canyon with my own eyes for the first time. In addition to seeing the GC, I will be staying a night in a tipi. Yes, you read that correctly. A genuine, Native American tipi. I know I know, I’m a hippie. No apologies here, though. I anticipate having one of the best views of the cosmos in my life to date. Stargazing on Oct. 3rd will certainly be a night to remember as the area where I’ll be staying in is located in rural AZ with, I imagine, very little light pollution. I anticipate excellent conditions given the desert climate at the beginning of Autumn! I’m excited to enjoy the nature & admire our Creator’s masterful hand throughout my road trip, but especially in AZ. You can find a picture of my humble abode for a night below:

My road trip will also include a stop in Las Vegas to meet my dad for a Wednesday night church service…just kidding, but he is there on business so I figured I would crash with him for a night since I am in the area. The stark contrast between staying in a tipi in the middle of nowhere to taking the Las Vegas strip for the first time should be a pretty big culture shock. Again, I am excited to soak in the experiences. My other stops include Los Angeles, CA to visit some family, Austin, TX for Austin City Limits Festival, Laredo, TX to visit my grandparents, and College Station, TX to celebrate my sister’s Ring Dunk (R.I.P. her innocence)! I’ll catch y’all up on the remainder of my road trip as the days expire.

So back to why this place we call “work” so is great. After laying out the details of my trip to Drew & Taylor, Drew offered to pray over me & my adventures. He called in Addison, Lori, & Nadene, and they all laid hands on me for a blessing. I cannot express my gratitude for this simple, yet meaningful gesture. The sincerity of our people & the love of Christ that is on display daily is why I love coming to work here every day.

Finally, I would like to thank Kris & all those who have had a hand in making these sabbatical opportunities happen with this company. I look forward to a unique, rejuvenating learning experience as I explore the West. When you find the time, please keep me in your thoughts & prayers while I am on the road. Even as I write this it is hard to believe the time has come, but I am excited. I will miss you all, and I’ll be back soon.

Peace,

Alec