The testimony of a Backpacker

BACKPACKER TESTIMONY

Dear Traveller:
I have been a backpacker traveler for over fifteen years. My first
international travel adventure began within a few hours
after graduating with a degree in forestry from a university in Canada
in 1985. After five years of studies, I was ready for a
break and had the chance to head overseas, first to the forests in
Sweden for some work experience and then to travel in Europe.
Initially, it was very exciting to travel through different countries,
meeting people from various cultures and seeing things I had never
seen before.

However, I began to learn a few things as a first-time backpacker:
1. I met many people, but really did not get to know them that well.
Even for those I tried to stay in contact with by mail, I soon lost touch with them.
2. Much of the scenery I viewed, such as the Swiss Alps or the forests
of Sweden, was not much different than what one could see
in Canada.
3. When I returned home to Canada, one of my family members made a comment about the
pictures I had taken: “Where are all the
people? There should be a story behind every photo.” And looking
at my photos, many of them were of buildings or of scenery with few
having any people in them and with no story to tell.

So then what was the purpose of my travels? That first six month
journey helped me to begin to realise that there had to be more to life.
Certainly, relationships with people were more important than the
impressive architecture of European buildings, castles and churches.
Returning to Canada, I quickly found a forestry job, but after a few
months got bored and felt there were more important things I could
do with my career and experience. After a quick job search, I was offered a position in forest
research and new and exciting things began. I was on the road, travelling through the beautiful
province of British Columbia and getting paid WELL for it.
But I got bored again and began to ask myself some
serious questions.

So what if I was making good money?
So what if I was able to travel through and work in
some of the most beautiful wilderness areas of the world?
Why was I feeling dissatisfied with career and even with life in
general?  Was I missing out on something in life?

One thing I had to consider was the existence of “God”. I certainly
could appreciate the beauty and ecology of nature because of my training and experience in the
forests. I never assumed that evolution was a fact, just a theory and open to the idea that
perhaps there was a Designer, Creator or Supreme Being that was involved in bringing this
universe and world about.

I grew up with a “Christian” background as a child and
teenager, but in university I was occupied with my studies and had little time to seriously
consider or factor in religion in my life. My focus was in obtaining my degree. Now, just over one
year later, I was asking myself questions.

So, in the midst of travelling, working and earning money, I began my
search for God. It began as an earnest prayer, a desire to read from the
Bible and to try and discover if God was real. Shortly after this search began, a forestry friend
gave me a book to read called: Is That Really You God?

When I read the book, I began to understand for the first time what life could be like as a real,
true Christian or believer in Jesus Christ. I was encouraged to seek God more, to read from the
Bible, to “talk” with him, to know that I could have a relationship with him. As I did this and as I
look back over the years, I have come to believe the truth of these words as written in the
Christian Bible:

“God rewards those who earnestly seek Him...” (The Bible, Book of
Hebrews, chapter 11, verse 6)
There are many religions and ways that try and define “God” or
“gods” and many rules and rituals associated with them, but do they
really provide the answers to the questions one has in life?

I still travel and still work in the forests occasionally, but now God is the focus of my life. I have
come to know that there is a God who
does guide and lead, and that he does have plans and purposes for my life. I have found myself
in impossible situations and
have prayed and seen God answer and discovered how things were “planned in advance”. I
have realised that the goal in life is to love God with all my heart, and soul and mind and to love
others as myself. It took some time for me to realise that my problem initially was that I was just
loving myself, trying to find meaning and purpose in my own life.

Are you tired or bored with travelling or not quite sure that you really
have your life together? Your travels may not have turned out as
exciting as you thought they would be? How many people have you really
made true friends with? And what do you plan to do with your life or do
you really know?

I encourage you to start asking the question: God, are you real? Can
I find meaning and purpose in my life? Is Jesus Christ the answer and
is the Bible true?
If God knows everything, then he must know everything about your life,
wherever you are. You may be a total stranger among the people you are
with and the town or city you are in. Take a step of faith and begin to seek God earnestly and
you will be amazed. If you are really honest with God, you will meet people and things will
happen that will point you to Jesus Christ. Try it. Be
bold! You want a real adventure? This is your opportunity. You have
one life to live. Do you want to make it count, forever?

The road goes ever on and on...

Dear family and friends. We greet you all in Jesus name. We pray that you are doing well. By now many of you have been reading our news and blog updates. Many of you have also been praying for us that we might see the vision that God has given us become real. Our hearts have never given up the longing to see these backpackers come to know Jesus as their savior. We thank you for your prayers, your prayers that have kept the desire alive.


How can we tell you of the love in our hearts to see this vision come to pass? The Father is calling his lost children but how will they hear without a preacher? Someone must go to them, meet them, and find them in the trails and highways where they are lost and hopeless. Out there they are to be found, in their blindness, not knowing the compassion the Father has for them. They do not know that the Father longs to run to them while they are still a long way off and throw His arms around them.

We long to see them welcomed by the Father into the wedding feast, but they must be found in the highways and byways, they must be told they are invited so they may wear those wedding garments and be a part of the wedding feast. We long to be those going out into those highways and finding the lost wanderers. This is our vision, this is our heart.

How can you be a part of this? Prayer is the biggest part anyone can play in sending a missionary. Those who are sent by God cannot go without the faithful prayers of the warriors God calls to pray. Prayer is turning the heavens to see the hand of God move in miraculous ways to bring about change in our world.

The other way is by giving. Many times Paul encouraged the churches for their faithful giving to him in his travels. He acknowledged their giving as more than just money but as faithful gifts of sacrifice that was also building, for themselves, treasures in heaven. A missionary on the field is devoting his life to the calling that God has called him to. Sometimes this is to start up a business in which to draw the lost and seeking to God. Other times it is to travel the roads and paths to bring the gospel to those who are wandering. For centuries sent ones have struggled on the fields where God has sent them in ways few can comprehend. It is not an easy life. But the Father looks after those he calls.

In this spirit we want to share with you what our needs as a family will be for the first few years of our time in the land God has called us to. We understand that times are difficult right now but all we are asking you to do is to pray and then follow the leading of your Father. If this vision is on His heart then please let it be on yours.

Here is what we are looking at. A year in Scotland would be running our family somewhere around 42,000 dollars. Broken down this comes to 3,500 a month. This would cover our expenses from school fees for our boys, living expenses such as food and household items, teaching and discipleship supplies, bus and or train fares, bibles to give away to those who want one, shoes and clothes, etc. Basically this will cover everything we can foresee as being an expense for our family.

This however does not include the cost of tickets to fly there, shipping costs to move there, and visa and passport costs to live there. Many of these costs will be covered by what we can save up over the next few months with your support, however we may need extra on top as the cost of flying has certainly not decreased since we were last overseas. To let you all know we are hoping to move next year in July. Visas take three months to process so we would need to be at or above our support level no later than March. This time frame would give us the time we need to process passport renewals and visas.

Thank you for taking the time to pray for us and this vision. We would love for you to be a part of this mission. If you feel like you want to partner with us we will be having our support processed through Assisting Christians International, or ACI. For those of you who may have received our prayer cards a few years back the info is on the back of those cards. But if not or if you would like more information on how to send support you can feel free to write us and ask us any questions you may have. Thank you again and may God lead you and bless you.

Sincerely, Nate , Lia , William , Josue , and Gabriel Bierly

A Typical, or not so typical, Day.

This is a completely fictious story.  The elements are true in that you will often find a backpacker change his plans for the sake of the unexplored but the story itself is made up.  God is moving in the lives of these young travelers but they need followers of Jesus to be there in their moment of questioning. 

"The bus leaves at 6:00 am.  I guess I had better get up if I'm going to make my train."  The hostel room is a bit chilly this early in the morning and the stumbling around in the dark looking for a clean pair of underwear and a not so smelly t-shirt seems to make more noise than it really does.  Fortunately most of the other travelers in the room are sleeping off a late night of partying.  There is that clean pair of underwear, down in the bottom of the backpack.  After getting half dressed in the dark the somewhat awake backpacker decides it is just plain easier to get dressed in the hall way where he can see what he is doing.  Once out in the hall he sees that another traveler had the same thought.  She is just pulling on her jacket but looks down in time to see that she forgot her shoes.  The holes in her socks show that she has been on the road for a few months now. 

"Are you catching the 6 o'clock bus too," asks the young man?

"Yes, I'm going down to the coast. They have some interesting ruins down a somewhat hidden stretch of beach.  The guy in room 12 was talking about them in the pub last night.  I thought I would catch 'em early, you know, before the rush of last night's partiers."  She smiles and continues to tie her shoes.  "Would you like to come along," she asks? 

He thought about it for awhile.  He had planned to go on to the next big town but the thought of a hidden stretch of beach sounded appealing.  "Sure, why not," he said.  "I'll be down in a minute."  He walked down to the bathroom to brush his teeth.  The girl walked in behind him and walked into one of the stalls.  It used to bother him, using a co-ed bathroom.  But four weeks on the road in Europe had broken him of that uncomfortableness.  She came out and washed her hands and walked out.  He spit and wiped his mouth and walked out. 

At the bus stop he lit a pipe he had picked up on his travels and looked through the morning fog for any signs of the bus.  Buses in this part of the world were rarely late.  But this one was, by about 10 minutes.  The girl went to get a schedule and see if there was an attendant with any answers as to the reason the bus was late.  She came back with neither a schedule or an answer.  "There is no attendant this early in the morning," she said.  They stood there together in silence.  "Thank you for coming," she said.  "I saw your train ticket.  Were you going on from the station?"

"No where particular.  Besides the sound of some hidden ruins sounded exciting.  I could put my journey aside for that.  Thanks for asking me along.  So what are these ruins anyway?"

"The bus is here.  lets get on and I'll tell you what the guy told me about last night."  For the next few hours they talked about the ruins and other things.  Apparently they were the ruins of an old monastery that was attacked by vikings back in the day.  The history was fascinating.  Eventually the conversation turned to religion.  "So what do you believe," she asked him?

"Well my parents took us to church but they were never very serious about what they believed in.  My mother later got more into her religion but it was a little late for the rest of us.  I realized that god could be any god you choose.  As long as your belief doesn't hurt some one else then anyone can get to heaven.  I just don't want someone pushing their belief on me."

"Well I don't have much use for religion although I certainly see the value in some of these missionaries who go into the little African countries and take food supplies and the like.  At least they care enough to do what others won't do.  I spent a year in Africa about two years ago and worked with some real great people, however they were never able to convince me that god existed," she replied.  Suddenly the guy in front of them turned around and spoke up.

"I couldn't help but over hear your conversation.  My name is Hank.  I am also on my way to the ruins.  A friend of mine saw them last year and said they were worth it.  But I heard your views on God and was wondering if you wanted to hear a third opinion."

"Why not," the other two travelers said.

"Well I heard you talking about the monks who were at this monastery but you haven't heard the whole story.  From what I have read they were missionary monks who were going to the surrounding isles carrying with them food, furs, supplies, and tools.  They also helped the villagers to read and write.  When the vikings came the monks tried to save as many villagers as they could that came to the monastery.  The monks hid the villagers in some nearby caves, which by the way are said to have some interesting wall paintings still there.  But to draw away suspicion from the caves the monks went back to the monastery to try and turn the vikings away.  In the end every monk was killed in brutal ways.  When the villagers came out the next morning the vikings were gone but they had left the monks bodies hanging up on pikes in the monastery court yard.  The Father of the order was in the center with a cross clutched in his hand.  The villagers knew what had happened and buried the monks right there.  Then they all bowed and accepted the Jesus the monks talked about.  No king or ruler of theirs ever put their life on the line for the sake of the villagers and yet these monks did so to the end.  Today their is a small church in the village because of the sacrifice of the monks.  The ruins are left unnoticed but there have been many artifacts found and are now on display in a small museum in the village and in the national museum.  It is pretty interesting stuff.  I have been on a pilgrimage for the past month taking in most of the pilgrim trail."  The Christian traveler ended his story because the bus arrived and he got off and went on his way.

The other two travelers walked down the beach together talking about what Hank had told them.  They both seemed touched but unsure about what he said.  When the reached the ruins they saw Hank sitting in the court yard, or what was left of it.  He was reading a small black book.  He looked up and told them it was a bible.  He asked them if they liked the ruins, which of course they said yes.  He then asked them a very strange question.  He asked them if they understood the sacrifice made by the monks.  They were unsure how to answer.  He told them to ask the townspeople in the nearby village.  Then he gave them his email and said if they wanted to talk further to shoot him an email.  Then he was gone.

That night sitting in the hostel the backpacker was sipping his tea.  The story moved him in ways he didn't understand.  He had many questions.  The townspeople had very interesting stories and the girl and him talked the whole way to the next city where they were both heading, but they could not seem to find an answer.  Just then an older man sat down with a Cup 'o Noodles and a Bible.  "Can I sit here," he asked.

All our tomorrows.

Dear Family and Friends, thank you so much for praying for this vision of the Prodigal Son Project. In case some of you maybe aren’t to clear about this mission here is a good source of information from a group of people who had the same vision and right now they are in Spain doing it: http://oasistrails.org/en/reli-reizen/backpackers/ . This is a very interesting website and we encourage you to look around on it, and for your information the two flags in the upper right hand corner are for Dutch or English. Just click on the flag of your choice and the page will re-load in that language.


This target people group has been on our hearts for several years, as some of you know. We as a family been praying and waiting and we feel like this time we just have to run with it. I know some of you probably wonder if your money will bring fruit in this mission. But remember in Philippians chapter 4 Paul encouraged the church for the gifts that they gave to him and spoke of the fruit added unto them. With a lot of prayer and hard work we believe we will see much fruit from The Prodigal Son Project because the fields are ripe and ready for the harvest.

Backpackers are a restless people who are looking for a “good time” and many of them are on a spiritual journey looking for some kind of enlightenment. When they come to us we will show them the light, the love, what it means and what joys there are when living in the freedom of Christ. We accept them as prodigal sons and daughters and disciple them and bring them back to our Father. When they move on they will carry that light and that love, to city, town, or country where they are going and spread that love and light. This way they become a torch to places where missionaries cannot or will not go to and as travelers they can very easily enter places because they are considered a tourist but at the same time they are meeting people and sharing the change of heart they found. New believers are the best missionaries because they can’t contain their joy and they have to share it to someone. With lots of prayer and faithful believers along the way we hope they will be kept in the heart of their Father.

Why did we pick Europe? Europe is the starting point for many backpacker trails. Many pilgrim trails and hiking trails, not to mention the great Hippie Trail, all originate from Europe. Many backpackers start in Europe for “pleasures” and or history, then move onward to Asia for cheap drugs, enlightenment and Nirvana, which we all know Nirvana is not in Asia it’s in Hawaii. Just Kidding!! And on all of these travels they meet people searching for the same things they are searching for: truth, life, sex, and drugs. In Europe it gives us the advantage of reaching them with the true life of Jesus before they find the more appealing doctrines that come with many of the eastern religions. Can we all see the possibility of the gospel spreading like a wild fire through this restless people? I myself get exited just thinking of the gospel reaching out to Muslim countries not to mention all the Hindu and Buddhist nations. Or if they decide to stop with the wandering and come home and then tell their family and friends about the change they met on the road. It is truly exciting.

As a family this ministry is beyond our reach and capabilities. We do not understand how God is going to work. As a family we let go of this ministry last year and surrendered it unto God. So we got a place in Albuquerque, Nate got a steady job, I stayed home with three little monkeys who I am constantly losing my mind over but I won’t give them up for the world or change anything about them. But deep down in our hearts we know God has not let the vision of these backpackers die in our heart. So we start praying casually and waiting on God while we are doing our daily routines. I like the routines and the income that comes in and being a light to our neighbors and being patient with Wal-Mart employees.

Then in April God brought this vision back and since then we’ve been praying more than ever. As a wife and mom I worried a lot hoping secretly that God will somehow change His mind by not sending us because that means uprooting this family again right when I am enjoying having a bathroom in my own house, a car to drive and convenient restaurants and groceries that carry my brand of cereals. The boys have friends who speak their language and there is an awesome park nearby. Yup, this is way different than Africa.

I know many moms out there are not freaking out so much when their husband comes home and says, “Honey, God wants us to move”. I struggled for a while but I realized I have crowded my life with junks, material things, and I have push God into a tiny corner of my life and I don’t trust him as much as I used to. God has woke me up from this and we are trusting God to provide for this mission and we really believe that this mission will bring fruit and we will see God’s hand moving through the backpackers. I urge everyone to please consider standing with us in prayer and in financial support. We have a big God and to be His children is to trust in Him for our needs. We will let you all know what we expect for our monthly needs and we are in the process of finding a good estimate on the cost of living in Scotland. Please let us know if you would like to receive our newsletters.

We will be working with YWAM Scotland as staff for two years. They have accepted us and are very excited about this mission. During this time we will be working on the base in various jobs like cooking and doing other work duties, we will be learning about the culture, and visiting the hostels and establishing relationships with them. We will also be staffing on their Discipleship Training School as part of our two year transition, and praise the Lord they don’t speak Gaelic!! This is part of their new staff transition as we have been told from the new leadership team over there. This will also be a good time for us to reacquaint ourselves into missions work again. If you have any questions or suggestions for this mission please let us know. Thank you again and God Bless.

The Vision, Mission, and Goal of the Prodigal Son Project.

Hello again everyone.  We wanted to share something with all of you in hopes that you will let us know what you think either through email or by posting a comment on our blog here.  This vision statement is the result of some recent prayer and words from the Lord regarding our mission that we shared with all of you about three years ago when we came home from Africa.  Well, as we said in an earlier post, we still have the vision for the mission The Prodigal Son Project.  So here is our vision statement.  Please read and tell us what you think.  We are not starting any kind of fund raising at this time, just trying to see what peoples thoughts are.  Thank you.

• The Vision- “My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Luke 15:31-32

This is the foundation for our mission, the calling back of the prodigal children of God, these wandering backpackers. Many years ago God gave Nate the vision of these backpackers coming to salvation in Jesus and taking the gospel to the world on the trails wherever they might roam. On a few occasions we had the opportunity to share the gospel with some backpackers. While we did not see any accept Christ we saw a willingness to hear the gospel and share about different beliefs. This openness is the key to get into their minds and hearts with the message of Jesus.

• The Mission- The mission of the Prodigal Son Project will be a two step plan. First will be the home side. This plan consists of regular bible study/discussion times during the week in our home with backpackers from around the nearby hostels. This will be done by putting up notices in the local hostels inviting backpackers to our home on certain nights of the week to participate in religious study/discussion. Food will also be provided as a means to draw people in and as a way to show hospitality.
The second step is to reach the backpackers where they are, in the hostels and on the trails. This plan involves three backpacking trips throughout the year. These three trips would fulfill what our Lord commanded by reaching our Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost ends of the Earth.
The first trip would be our family traveling together. This would be primarily a research trip to find new information about hostels and sites of interest to backpackers so we have updated information to share with the backpackers we meet. The idea is to go somewhere close to home and gather this information while also sharing the gospel should the opportunity arise thereby reaching our Judea. The second trip would be primarily to share the gospel so our children can also learn how to take part in the ministry but would also be a bit further abroad. This would mean traveling a farther distance from our home, thereby reaching our Samaria, and staying in hostels for a period of time. The last trip would also be primarily to share the gospel but would be reaching out to other parts of the world such as main land Europe, Asia, and the Middle East for example. Until our children get old enough for such a trip this would be only Nathan traveling alone. This trip would thereby reach the rest of the world.

• The Goal- The goal of the Prodigal Son Project is to reach the Backpacker community with the gospel of Christ making disciples who will then take this same gospel out into the trails and roads they travel thereby spreading the good news of Jesus wherever they go and thus fulfilling the great commission to go into all the world.

Thank you again for taking the time to read this.  Please pray with us about this mission and let us know what you think.  You can also check out our page titled The Prodigal Son Project and watch a short slide show there on backpackers.  You can find the pages on the left hand side of our blog.  Thanks again and God Bless.

Happy is the man who knows who he is.

What makes a man? What is a man for? Better still is what man knows the answer and knows that he is a MAN? In this day and age of masculine suppression and tolerance of unacceptable substitutes it is hard for a real man to come forth as he is often looked down on for trying to be a man. But when a real man does come forth how can we be sure he is in fact a Real Man? How can he be sure he is a Real Man? A much harder question to answer this is.

Walking down the mall I have seen many different forms of acceptable (and I use the term very loosely) examples of men today. We have all seen a tough guy before, you know which ones I'm talking about. The ones who think that being a man is dressing and acting the part. Foul language, a tough persona that shows no emotion, a rock that can take on anything. And at the other end is the man who is not sure if he is in fact a man. He is the one who for whatever the reasons has made a choice to be more of a woman than a man. Emotional, feminine, not aware of his masculinity. And then there is everything else in between. These are the board men, the weak men, the copy cat men who think that following the styles of this world will make them who they are. Then there are the lazy men, afraid in their hearts to do anything for fear they might actually prove something of themselves, or the ones who work, work, work in hopes that drowning themselves they will finally feel like they have proven themselves and maybe earned a little glory for themselves before the end.

But is this what being a man is all about? Is this all that any man has to look forward to? I do not believe it to be so, and I know in my heart there is more. To know for sure we must look to Jesus, the one true man to have ever walked this earth. Yes there have been a few men along the way but it is getting to be precious few as we travel the length of time. Jesus showed us that shedding a tear can show strength, courage. Taking time for the children can show honor, humility. Taking time to drive out the money makers in the temple could show us passion, boldness. And dieing for those he did not even meet, at least as the man, could show us nobility, love. Jesus was a real man but he did not drive himself to the grave from work. He waisted time at a well just so one woman might come to feel true love for the first time in her life. He cried over the pain and stupidity of others in a city because he knew that they were lost. He showed strength in a hot moment of passion and what it could do when controlled. Jesus was a man. And yet today we are afraid of him. So we change him to fit our own image, or rather we change him into something we no longer need to fear.

"Safe? Who said anything about being safe? Of course He isn't safe, But He's good."

What happens when a good man comes along? I will use a bit of scripture here to say what I think. I know it is a bit out of context but I still think it works. I think that when a real, or good man comes along the world is not worthy of him. The prophets spoken of in this passage from Hebrews were real men. Yes they made their mistakes and plenty of them, but they all had an unflinching faith in the one true man which is God. So when we see a true man today even with all of his mistakes I firmly believe the world is not worthy of such a man. Such a man knows what it means to live, not survive, but live. Such a man knows how to fight, not brawl, but stand firm in the face of the evils of this world and not flinch from duty, honor, valour, and truth. Such a man knows how to love, not the love of this world which is fleeting, childish, built on a selfish desire for one's own pleasure, but love, selfless, committed in the face of all trials and losses, sacrificial, strong and gentle to the very end, love. I hope one day those who knew me will be able to say those things of me.

I have met and known a few such men in my life and my life is the better for it, but there is one in particular I would like to call attention to. His name in this earth was Vince Bierly, but to me he was always "Pap". A few weeks ago my Pap went to be with his Creator, Jesus the Messiah. I know that right now he is happy as a lark to be in that wonderful place with no more pain or fears or problems. And I envy him, I know I would like to be there with him, but for the time being I am needed here to raise my own boys to become men and to love my wife with all the love I can give.

I do not know much of my Pap's life apart from the short span of it I was around. From the funeral service I learned of things like how happy he was about five years ago when he was in the hospital. He was never in the hospital so he thought it must have been serious and he was thrilled to think he was about to die to go be with Jesus. He didn't go just then though. And a few years ago he was talking in a group meeting or bible study or some such thing and he was sharing how much he still loved my Gram, even called her his little chickadee. During the war he helped to work on experimental engines for airplanes and helped to fix the air conditioners on troop trains bringing wounded home. If he had gone he might not have made it back from Europe. According to my Gram most of his unit did not return. He stood for what he believed in and had wisdom that was from a lifetime of walking with his God. He was a mountain man and loved the nature around him, the nature he knew came from his heavenly father. He was a man, a man after God's heart. Would such a man be recognized today?

I love my Pap, my Dad, and all the other men I have met in my life who have shown an integrity in their actions that the world would never understand. Do all these men make mistakes? I guess another way to answer that question is to ask if any of us are perfect? Since no one is perfect until death then yes, all these men make mistakes. What we do with our mistakes is the key to what kind of men we are. Do we love our wives forever, constantly pursuing them even when they are fifty, sixty....and do we stand for truth even if it gets us in trouble, looses a job....do we see our time as money, or time we can never get back so we should use it wisely? There is a whole host of things demanding our life and strength. Our noses were not made for a grindstone and our strength was not made for money. Our hearts, souls, strength, and character was made for God. What does He ask of us? You might say it is easier to give up, blend in, disappear, so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for us to decide.

"All we have to decide is what to do with the time that has been given to us."