Joe Ragan

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While in Almaty, I took a group of friends up to the mountains surrounding Almaty.  Medeo is a sports complex situated in the mountains.  During the winter it serves as a skating rink.  During the winter, there were people roller blading and riding bikes around the surface.

After taking these shots just above Medeo, we [...]

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While in Almaty last weekend, I went to a village about 50 km from Almaty.  There is a rehabilitation center with several men and one woman trying to recover from drug and alcohol addictions.
When we arrived, they had just begun butchering a pig.  So the first hour was spent watching them cleaning up the mess, [...]

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I made my first long road trip in my car to Almaty last week.  My friend, Max, went with me.  The trip is more than 1,000 km (over 600 miles).
There isn’t really too much to see along the way.  The Kazakhstan steppes cross through the heart of the country and extends almost the whole trip [...]

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Willie Nelson’s song is becoming my theme song!  I am leaving early Thursday morning for Almaty.  This will be my first cross country trip driving my car.  It is more than a 1,000 km (more than 620 miles).  I will drive there Thursday and return on Sunday.
I spent an interesting Wednesday morning at a nearby [...]

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Wow, they really know how to put on a good show in Astana!  The city was gleaming for its 10th anniversary.  The city and national governments did a good job of showcasing the city.
Last Friday I drove around with some colleagues to see the sites.  First off was a stage set up on Respublica Street.  [...]

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My cousin, Keith, lives in the Akron, Ohio area.  Recently his church decided to do some mission work right in their own neighborhoods.  Click here to read the story.
This is a great reminder that the church should be invovled in missions wherever God leads.  Whether you are called to do missions across the ocean, somewhere [...]

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I am in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan.  The city is celebrating its 10th anniversary as the new capital.  Today some colleagues and I spent much of the day visiting different sites where new fountains have been dedicated and observing some of the festivities.
The day was WINDY, but we enjoyed the day.  I hope to [...]

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I am in Astana.  The city is celebrating their 10th anniversary as the capitol of the country and there are events every day until July 6 (which is also the president’s birthday).
Also, I have some friends from other places arriving this weekend and so I am here to meet them.  They will be visiting several [...]

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This morning I was reading the headlines from the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.  I ran across a story about a landmark burger shop in Jacksboro.
I spent 7 years of my life in Jacksboro.  I really loved that place.  A small town where everyone knew everyone.  I know that can cause problems (gossip, etc), but sometimes it [...]

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