~Master Geek Mitchell~

Baja 1000 2007

From Stateside Tech Support:

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.


When I first heard Rod talk about this project I saw a once in a lifetime opportunity to drive a truck at Baja become a possibility for me. Wow, wouldn’t that be ‘crazy cool’? Life is life, it rolls along and God gives us what He wants us to have. So my trip to Mexico seemed to be ruled out pretty quickly. I dealt with it pretty well and accepted that I was where He wanted me… I didn’t know why and honestly didn’t really dwell on it much. My current life if pretty crazy and as it turns out this time of year really turned out to be much more exciting for me to be here, now. Training my replacement at work so that I can move to Yakima to marry the ONE… the woman God has been preparing for me while he prepared me for her… but I digress a tad. Knowing where God wants me is vague to me at times. I do my best each day to wake up with His Mercy and Grace that is feely given to me. To that end I have wondered lately about my calling. For so many years I was such a computer geek and that has waned some in the last couple years of so…just kind of gave up on it. Passion: that is what I want in this life. A consuming passion that keeps me on fire, that fills my heart and soul with joy at doing good work, and sometimes doing excellent work. So let’s fast forward to the weeks leading up to this event. I was presented with doing some blog updates, maybe sending some text messages, possible website updates… etc. seemed pretty simple to me the first time it all came up. No big deal, just some stuff to do to help out a little bit. Well I guess God had a different idea about my involvement and I got all fired up to have all data I needed on my computer at home, on a web based email contact list so I could get to it from anywhere I might be, and on my xv6700 windows mobile computer / cell phone. I just kind of figured that to be truly useful I should be prepared. Then of course I noticed a thing on the blogger site about ‘mobile blogger’ and I just *had* to know all about that. Turns out all I had to do was setup a specific email address to send from and whatever I put as the subject of the email would be the title and the body of the email would be the post. Wow… now that speaks to the geek deeply rooted in my soul…I made it work… tested it and I was ready to rock and roll. It was now possible for me to take a text message or email and within a few seconds have a blog posting done…. Totally, crazy, cool!! And right up my alley. Use technology to it fullest at all times. I could even do a post straight from my cell phone using the internet connection provided by the Verizon wireless network… so in all reality I could be anywhere and accomplish what you all needed in Baja. I try real hard not to sell God short, and again He proves to me what He wants *me* to do. In the hours since the race has started I have been on call, so to speak, 24 hours per day to post blogs, do website updates, communicate as best I can to 31 phones what is going on. Well let’s get back to what I have been up to. There has been a nearly constant flow of communication coming at me from many places. I have done my best to pass info along to the correct people, I have posted photos on the website, I have blogged my silly little fingers off. I have been useful! Wow! Do you mean to tell me that all these years sitting in front of a computer playing with technology could actually help the race crew, family, and friends from this far away?
I took the call from Bob Thompson from Score at 3:53 a.m. about Rod. I got up, notified as best I could and let God have the rest of it, it hadn’t occurred to me to see if I could make phone calls to the sat phones in mexico, and it turns out that either I can’t due to Verizon or I was too tired to do it right… either way it all worked out. Tonight we had a rollover, broken pitman arm and a frenzy to get the truck back on the way. Read the blog, what a team…. They did it. Nobody got hurt and we are still in the race… Glory Be To God! Amazing stuff.


So I’ve been rambling a bit, the real thing I am trying to convey here is that I am honored by you all letting my geek’dom soar and do my part to be a team member in whatever way I can or could assist. I am on fire, I am having a blast doing this. Using my toys to do two things: 1> create a really awesome record of events for the people back home and elsewhere to see and 2> to be part of getting people in Baja information. I am so very grateful to God for the Gifts he has given me to use in this life, the blessing of the toys that I have, and the brain he gave me to press on and basically work blind…. I don’t usually know who is asking for me for what, where they are, how they are… nothing really. I just act on what I get and keep moving forward, it’s been so fun.

Then I read Rod’s Blog. I take nikki’s phone call after the rollover and feelings overwhelm me. I cried reading Rod’s blog, tears of love. I acted as fast as I could to get as many people involved with the rollover but not to many so that I caused any distress back home until I had a clearer picture of what was really going on. God, once again, showed His Glory and all was well and the truck was moving again. Sweet. All that I guess I am really trying to say is a huge thanks to all involved for letting me spread my wings and be part of your crew. Reading how the deal went down with Rod and Dave brought a gigantic sense of what kind of people are down there doing this deal. I have already learned that when life gets hard I go to God first so to hear that Rod and Dave did that and more I could fill the Holy Spirit at work. What driver would sit still, not drive, and wait for Rod to get safely to where he needed to go? It speaks to a Holy person who understands that for our time here we do for others the way Jesus intended us to do. My respect for Dave has increased in the knowing that God helped him to make the decision he did…for if we don’t treat others as the Lord would then what do we really have?

I consider myself blessed to be in the presence of such a wonderful group of people and I will miss all of you greatly after I move…. But that is ok. I am going where I feel God has told me to be… I am going to marry my *last* wife. I am going to take this passion that has been reignited in me and let God show me where to use it. God Bless you all.

Philippians 4:6-7
6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.