Q Fever

Left to Right:
Eric Downing (Base), Barak (Keyboard, Vocal, Guitar), Eric Yoder (Drums), Eric Ferraris (Lead Guitar)




From Left to Right:
Barak, Eric, Eric, Eric :) Seriously
Barak, Eric Yoder (White Coat), Eric Ferraris (guitar), Eric Downing.

SHE SAID YES!!!!!!!

Praise the Lord! I'm getting married! "It is not good for a man to be alone...." yup, I agree :)
Well I am so very excited to be able to broadcast to the WORLD that I am the most fortunate one who gets to call Alison Anne Korock my fiance', and soon my wife!! It's also so very exciting to share without shame or hesitation, my intense LOVE for this beautiful woman! Proverbs 18:22He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD! This is very true, and what's more is that I have found not only a wife but an AMAZING wife...which makes me realize that I am receiving more than favor but also favortism from God! :) It's quite amazing to think about all that God has blessed me with and how He gives freely and without reservation to those of us who don't deserve it.
God was so good in coordinating the timing and details of my acceptance to med-school, return to CA, obtaining a ring, and making the proposal to my love, I couldn't have planned all, or any of it as well as it turned out. I'll try to give a quick recap of all that has transpired over the last (wonderful) week of my life.
After being trapped in a 5 star hotel in India for 3 days, Willie & I finally were able to squeeze into a couple 1st class seats back to O'hare and then direct to LA. This was simply amazing and actually a direct answer to prayer because we landed 12 hours earlier than our original plan which allowed me to spend the entire day choosing and purchasing Alison's (gorgeous) ring. That was pretty funny because we went directly to Robbins Bros from the airport, Willie & I were in the same clothes that we had been in for the 3 days we were stuck in Delhi, my shirt had stains on it, my hair was messy (greasy), I hadn't shaved in days, and I smelled like the better part of a dirty laundry hamper! The sales guy asked who was getting married and had a funny smile on his face when Bryant said I was the man. It was great, they had several options of the exact style ring I had conceived in my head years earlier. After picking the ring, and choosing the diamond I finally got to go home to shower and change, then Bryant, Boogs, and I went to see "Transformers" and then pick up the finished ring! Shortly after that we drove to LAX to pick up Alison, whose luggage was also lost. So now Ali & I are both back in Simi without any clothes of our own! :) The point is we didnt' get home till after midnight, but before going to sleep I told Alison that I wanted to watch the sunrise from the cross which overlooks Simi Valley. Our entire trip together was so planned out with who we were to be with and where we were to go that the only option for a time alone was before the masses were awake. It was such a perfect morning! We went to Fourbucks and got tea and then walked to the cross. We got there around 5:30 am and talked for 2 1/2 hours while enjoying an incredible sunrise. At about 8 o'clock I asked if we could pray together. I knelt at her feet as she sat at the foot of the cross and we prayed for nearly 20 minutes. After we finished I decided not to waste any more time so as I reached into my pocket I said, "oh, there was one more thing I wanted to ask you about, (no pause) will you marry me?" It was great! After a couple coin tosses and a quick consultation with her father she said yes! Actually she took the oval marble box I purchased in India, and hugged me and said yes! I finally told her that she was supposed to open it! haha, it was very funny. And that was it! Since then it has been a whirlwind of excitement, story telling, parties, and planning!
There are stories to tell, and so many pictures to see but I'm going to leave you with you have here! My life has changed completely, and it's about to be altered again :) I move into an apartment in Louisville, KY next week and then Med-school starts August 13th. Thanks for everything, for those who contributed to the kids in India, for the prayers offered for me & Alison, and the love you give to both of us!
Love,
BJ
For engagement pictures please see Pappa-Rock's blog (that's my father-in-law-to-be Ron Korock) http://www.ronkorock.blogspot.com/

Trip to South India

Barak & Willie are currently traveling through the southern region of India. They haven't had much time for blogging, but Barak asked me to post the following e-mail in the meantime...

"Please pray for me (Barak) during your work day, I am really sick. I feel awful and now we are in the middle of a very long week of intense traveling! I got some sort of a cold and flu. Not queasy but very week with chills and a fever. The mother here sent her son for some medicine so i hope it works. I just am really, really weak and my cough is pretty intense. Sometimes i think i'm going to vomit simply because my cough is that much. However i'm excited about where we are and what we are doing. We flew down to Bangalore today and I never went to sleep b/c the mosquito's were that bad. I only had 4 hours anyhow but truly never slept. We leave for Madurai on Monday night for an all night train ride then onto Kanyakumari or some other coastal city. Then we attend an Indian wedding on the 7th before our flight back to Delhi on the 8th. I am out of time and have to return to my place of lodging so i must go and then tell you more later. Please use this as a small blog for me."

Please keep praying for Barak & Willie. They will have a full week of traveling before returning to the US on July 11th.

Thanks!
Alison