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July 20th

We are back in the airport in Uganda, our flight is supposed to fly at 5:00pm. We will have a layover in Ethiopia for quite a while it seems. The flight from there is planned for 7:45am which will put us in Rome in the afternoon. Hopefully that gives us enough time to go straight to Casoria, or Naples.

The flight left Uganda at 5:00pm. We have become a kind clumped with the original passenger list of people that were scheduled for our first flight and have been traveling with them here and there. We landed at 7:30 and made our way through the airport. Having no idea what is going on or where we should be going, we just kept moving with the crowd of people. We eventually made our way to the main doors to the airport and found a few other original people. Some representatives eventually showed up and Looked at a piece of paper that we had been given with the name of the hotel we would be staying at. We were ushered outside to a van that had the hotel name "Churchill" written on it. We met an Italian woman by the name of Clara who is one of the original and is also going to Rome. She is a UNICEF worker in northern Congo where the LRA is still present and fighting. Se said that she lives in a container out in the middle of the jungle where she does her work. She said that the things that she sees out there is national geographic type stuff. I would love to see it.

We got to the hotel and got checked in. Both Julie's and my room are on the 6th floor of a hotel building that, from what I can tell, rises out of the middle of a slum. My room is on the corner of the building and overlooks dimly lit alleyways, and tin roofs. I opened my windows and experience a stillness of the area. The crickets are chirping, and the Muslims are in prayer. There is something beautiful about it to me, yet at the same time I don't really feel comfortable with it. It is beautiful to my ear, but disgusting to God's. They are cries to a false God that can not save them from sin. I need to go to bed. The bus takes us back to the airport at 5:20am. The flight should put us in Rome around 2:00pm, but I'm thinking that Julie and I may be catching a train on our own to Caserta.

We finally arrived in Rome, caught a shuttle to the main train station. I had no way of contacting the other team to find out where they were or where we needed to go. Julie and I checked the ticket machines to see when the next train to caserta departed. We then ran down the stairs of the train station into the underground to find a SIM card that I could put into my phone. My phone got switched over from Uganda service to Italy service but it took some time to activate, so we just decided to buy the tickets straight to Caserta. Our train departed on time with an estimated arrival time of 7:30pm. Julie and I had some good conversation on the noisy ride right up to 7:30 when our stop approached. I looked out the window to look for the Caserta sign, but I could only find one that said Isernia. I looked back at Julie, then to an old man that was sitting across the row from us. I asked him if he spoke English. "yes, a little." I held my ticket up and said, "Caserta." He said, "No, no! Big mistake, you make big mistake!" we were supposed to get off in Casino, and switch to a different train.. The next half hour I spent talking with Train officials, and our friends in Naples on my phone trying to figure something out. I couldn't understand what the official was saying so I would call my friends, and then they would talk to him, and then they would try to tell me what he said, but I couldnt understand them either. The official knew what was going on and made sure that we got to where we needed to go, thank you Jesus. After the second pick-up attempt, we finally were united with the team at a pizza restaurant, and started the Italy Camp Mission.

We spent the first night at the old mill (Vecchio Mulino). Though I was still in a bunk bed, at least now I didn't have to wrestle with a mosquito net. The Mosquitos that were at the camp were less than they have been in past years, but they still did a few dive bombs into my ear canal. I think that is the worst sound in the world. It is a sound that results in your arm whizzing past your ear so hard that you jolt yourself either upright, or into a completely new sleeping position. I never get them either, because they come back about 45 seconds later doing the same thing; new sleeping position.

We drove back into Casoria for church and heard Doug Valenzuela deliver a great message in perfect Italian. We could only sit and listen hearing the occasional word "Americano" drop. After the message, we returned to the camp and prepared for the campers to arrive a little later in the day. we had many new faces this year, which was really great. A lot of the older people couldn't come due to work or school. The students that we did have were amazing though. The week was filled with joy. We played team building games, volleyball, soccer, night time activities, study and meditation times that were led by the Italian leadership, and had great worship led by the Americans. I am really proud of the American team because of the way they integrated themselves in with the Italians. It is amazing to me the bond that you build with someone that you have never met before having spent only a week with them. God was with us on this trip, and he let us be examples of Christ in the way that we interacted with them and with each other.

 

July 28

We are now on the train back to Rome. Our whole team is spread out between two different cars, and only a few of us are lucky enough to be seated next to someone we know. The sun is going down and the lights have come on in the cabins. The train sways back and forth in an irregular motion as it winds around bends in the railway. I can see the Mediterranean sea on my left, and little castles on buttes on my right. Amy Simonson is sitting directly across from me sharing her headphones with an Italian girl that is on her commute home. Americans keep walking past the door to our cabin asking questions and saying hi... We have just a few hours before we are in our beds sleeping.

We walked around Rome for a few days. I think I have reached a point where the colleseum doesn't do much for me any more. I had much more enjoyment spending time with the team walking around, whether it was at the colosseum or not. I have seen everything but the Sistine Chapel in Rome. I had an opportunity to go, but I didn't feel a desire to go. The more I travel I find that I am less likely to need to see monuments and landmarks. I don't really care about them. Some of them are fascinating, but after I see them for a few minutes, I have this feeling like, "okay.. I can walk away now." I think it very much has to do with the people that I am with. I think it is true for more than just sightseeing also, if I am at home I can play a video game, but if I am by myself, it is boring. I can go and see the most amazing things that man has built, but if I am by myself it is just not as amazing. God has designed us for relationships, and that is exactly why I feel that way.

The flight back to Portland felt quick to me, probably because I was in and and out of sleep so much. We landed around 10:30pm. I was met by Cary Samsel and my car key, so I got to drive away from the airport. Sitting in my car, I thought about all that I have done the last 3 months, and the things that God has allowed me to do. It was warm enouh for me to roll down my window and let the air flow into the car and across my face. I didn't turn any music on; I instead just thought as I drove. The streetlights went by as I thought about where I was just 1 day ago, 1 week ago, the people that I have been with, the things I have taught, learned, and experienced. I turned my blinker on and changed lanes. I didn't have to worry about running into a ditch to get around the car in front of me. I thought about the dangers where I was, and now being back in Portland; safe and secure not having to worry about a thing. I almost feel more at home where I don't have the luxuries that I have when I am home. I know that soon I will be sucked right back into this place, expecting the things that I have, and not appreciating them. Last night I woke up sweating because of the heat. Portland isn't very hot, but I had a down-comforter that i didnt need in a bug-free, amazingly insulated room. No mosquito nets, no cocroaches. The bed was more comfortable than any bed I have slept on in the last 3 months. I am about to go camping at the beach with my family. My brother Elliot and I usually pack a futon that fits my tent perfectly; I am already expecting a bed that will be more comfortable than any bed in Uganda. My tent is better at keeping bugs out than any mosquito net. I will wake up to a nice breakfast, and relax most of the day in the sun, or shade, or whatever I feel like. I will have electricity, and running water... Camping. I don't have a lot by American standards, but I am filthy rich.

Now what happens? I'm not going back to work, I am applying for work with a christian international disaster relief organization called Samaritans Purse that will send me where they have the greatest need.

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Yay, Ethiopian Airlines!

July 17

We had a nice drive back into Kampala the other day. We spent a little time at the souvenir shop and then at Lake Victoria for food. We waited until around 8:00pm before we left for the Airport, and dropped off the team. Robert then drove us back through Kampala to Seta. There was nasty traffic, and it took us quite a while. I took advantage of the opportunity and got my laser pointer out so I could play with people that were out and about. This place really does come alive when the sun goes down, it must have something to do with the temperature. We ended up getting back to the orphanage around 10:40pm. When we arrived at the orphanage all the lights were off and the gate was locked. I walked in and tried to find the keys to the gate. We eventually got in and had to rig up some quick mosquito nets before we could go to bed. It was the most primitive netting system I have seen... But it worked.

In the morning we woke up and went to church with the children. We washed some clothes and walked into town to get some of the essentials. I bought a bar of mint dark chocolate and a little box of tea. The children have been in testing at school all week, so the mornings are slow. After I wake up I usually have to go to the bathroom. Since they have closed the bathrooms that are near to us I walk across the orphanage to use the toilet. I get back to the house and we have tea and breakfast; which is either samosas or a granola bar. Then as we wake up we start to talk about what our lessons will look like for the Primary 7 children. We end up washing dishes, washing clothes, and talking to children and Mums throughout the day and then when 5:30pm rolls around we move down to the school and start to teach the lessons.

 

I have been slipping big hunks to children every now and then, it is so funny because you see the smaller children and they have sticky white nougat all over their face and hands. ...but they are so delicious!!

July 19

Get ready for a nice long paragraph...

I always forget what the last day is like when I am here without the whole team. I can't help but feel frustrated. The mums hear that we leave the next day and I get half a dozen mums coming up to me telling me that they have problems with their light bulb. There has been one mum that has been telling me she has a problem every day that I have been here. The initial frustration is that I was told that in all off the houses the light bulbs were replaced and the lights were turned on. The next one is that the mums will give me this look like i am turning my back on them and abandoning them with their problem if I can't fix it. I go to look at the mums house, and she shows me that her switch is broken. This means that I need to get into the container and find a switch, a screwdriver, and turn the power off. One of our interpreters sees me and tells me that breakfast and tea is ready, so I tell her to give me 15 minutes, so I go to the container and open it. I grab the cordless drill, find a screwdriver, then dig and dig through the place to find a switch. I lock the door of the container on may way out thinking this should be quick. I go to the house and set my things down in the main room and check the lights to make sure that I am in the right place. The switch does seem to be having problems. So I take my keys to the main panel to turn the power off to that house but I find that there is a new lock on the gate that protects the panel. Now I have to go find Mum Berna who has the keys. She isn't at her house. One of the Mums tells me where I can find her, so I go to find her. Then she says she will meet me at her house and she will give me the keys, so I go to her house and wait. She gets me the keys, and I walk back to the panel and unlock the gate. I open the panel and re-discover that unless I want to turn off the power to 15 houses i need to go to a different panel. I go to the new panel (which doesnt require a key) and turn off the breaker that shows the house I am working on. I walk back to the house and try turning the bulb on that still works. It still turns on. I start systematically turning off breakers until I have turned them all off except for the main breaker. The light still comes on, so I walk back to the panel and turn off the main switch for that panel, which I could have done from the main panel. The light finally turns off, so I go into the house and remove the old switch for the bad light, and wire in the new one. I set my tools outside so that I don't have to go back into the house, then walk back to the panel to turn on the power. The bad bulb still does not turn on. I grab the old switch and work it back and forth, and It feels like it works great. I think to myself, "Did I put the old switch back on? No, because this one has paint on it. It must be the bulb." I go to the container to look for more bulbs but find none. I go back to the house and tell her that I have no more bulbs, and can't fix it. She looks at me and says, "you don't have any lamp holders?" ...yes, I have lamp holders. I climb a set of bunk beds in the room and get in top of the wall. I inspect the light, and sure enough, the socket is all messed up. I climb down and walk back to the container and start to search for a lamp holder. I finally find one. I take it back to the house. Then I go back to the panel and turn off the main switch again. I go back to the house and try to take the drill, the screwdriver, and the new lamp holder up the bunk beds to the top of the wall. I get to the lamp holder to remove it, and the screws standard heads, which means that I have the wrong bit; back to the container. I get the new bit; back to the house, back up the wall, and start to remove the old switch. The dust is thick, and my nose is dripping. I shake my head to get rid of that drip on the tip of my nose, and realize that it is not a drip, but more like a shoelace. Without blowing a snot rocket in the house, and because of a lack of tissues in my pocket, I wipe it on my shirt and it looks like a slug crawled across my chest. I finish replacing the socket, and start to climb down. I take my things back outside and go to turn on the power again. I come back to the house to see if the light turns on, yes. I take the tools back to the container, lock the container, close up the panels, take the keys back to Mum Berna, then go to the bathroom on the other side of the orphanage, which I have been holding for some time, and walk back to the house and enjoy a nice cup of lukewarm tea. As frustrated as I was, on my way out of the Mum's house I saw a little boy in his school uniform standing in the doorway looking at me. His belly was big, and it was tucked into a maroon school sweater. He gave me a smile, and it made me smile. Sometimes it is easy to forget why I am here. If I put my frustrated face on, and walk around, who do they see in me? It's not Jesus. The work is worth the one smile that the little boy gave me. I remember that I am here to love these people, and not to worry about how many frustrating steps it takes to replace a lightbulb.

We finished our last day at the orphanage. It seemed to fly by from the moment I woke up. I don't even know what I did all day after the electrical fix. Our last bible study started on time and finished on time. It was on faith. "Saving faith isn't only knowing about God, saving faith isn't only for now, saving faith is trusting in Jesus Christ alone for our eternal life." I wanted to emphasize that the saving faith if not accompanied by action is not a saving faith, like James chapter 2 talks about. The kids were a captive audience, and I think God worked on their hearts. At the end I asked them if any of them would like to accept the gift of eternal life from Jesus and many of them shouted, "Yes!" I told them that if in their heart they really wanted to, then they could pray a salvation prayer with me. I don't know how many of them accepted Christ, but I am so blessed to be a part of it.

A little later I was walking through the orphanage as it was getting dark and Godfrey came up to me and said that he was sad that I was leaving. He gave me a big hug. I started to walk again, but he just clinged on and started to walk with me. It has got to be so hard for those kids when visitors come and become so attached. I wish I never had to leave them. Someday in heaven, there won't be the sadness of departing.

Its 11:40pm.. We are now at the Uganda airport. Andrew, Julie, and I are playing a boardgame waiting to go to our gate. Andrew's plane takes off about 2 hours after ours.

1:50am.. on paper, our plane is flying away right now, but we are sitting in the terminal.

3:45am.. Oh here is Andrew coming through the gate boarding his plane to fly to Japan. Hey Buddy..

4:10am.. They are saying our flight has been cancelled. We are waiting to hear from the Ethiopian Airlines representative about what we can expect.

6:15am.. They are crossing our exit stamp on our passports off because we have to go back into Uganda to a hotel. We are boarding a bus for The Imperial Botanical Beach Hotel. Next flight will be around 5:00pm tomorrow.

 

Lira

Tuesday July 10

Lira has been amazing. When we arrived the some of us had mixed feelings of being here; torn between missing the children in Seta and being excited about being here. They said, "I dont know how I feel about being here, I'm just not that excited and I would almost rather be in Seta." After we spent a day here they came back and said that now, they we're excited to be here. The Lira kids got a hold of their hearts and were filling them up with joy.

We have been here for just under a week now, the chicken coop is moving along nicely, and we have wired all of the homes with solar lighting. After we went back to the hotel last night, I started to plug things in to recharge, and just after I got my last thing plugged in, the power went out. Joe said, "Isn't this ironic that now we have no lights, but the orphahage that has never had light has their lights on right now?" I am so glad that we have given them the solar panels, because now as unreliable as the power grid is here, they will always be able to turn their lights on.

We have been blessed to worship with the kids. Julie said to me that this is what it sounds like in heaven, and I think she is right. When they worship it is so beautiful. In Matthew 18 it says; "we must become like little children if we are to see the kingdom of heaven" and it is no wonder to me for they sound so beautiful. They move their bodies, clap their hands, gently whisper and shout at the top of their lungs, they stomp their feet and play their drums. One of the girls brought out an instrument that she had made out of can. They can harmonize... They can chant... They do all of these things together and it is beautiful.

This being my first time as the leader I vaguely knew what to expect, I almost feel spoiled to have a team like the one that I have. They are all so even keeled. They don't complain, they don't have many needs, they do what they are told, they desire to do what God wants, and they try their hardest to put the children before themselves. God is spoiling me.

 

July 13

Our time in Lira came to an end. I don't like leaving. Our last night we talked about all the different experiences that we have had, and the stories and moments with the children that we want to share with people when we get home. I wanted them to think about what they will say. It seems when people ask you how the trip was back home, you have one of two answers. It will either be "good", or it will be a 3 hour dumping of information that someone may or may not be ready for. We have heard testimonies from the children that make even the hardest testimonies in America seem weak by comparison. I have never heard of someone in America having their parents executed in front of them and then being abducted by rebels; being forced to carry guns, materials, food, anything that they want or face being shot or tortured. They run from bullets as they try to escape, showing the scars from where the bullets have torn through their legs. Care is rejected by their own people because these little ones still have a grandmother that is alive in their village that can care for them; a woman too old, being forced to labor in the fields, working to try and provide food for her children's children. The children beg and plead for a way out of their nightmare, but how do you say yes to 2 million children? If too many people get on the boat we will all drown. I feel the least I can do is give up my spot on the boat. I say this and then get on a plane to go back home where we are all rich and i am back in the place of comfort and luxury. Meanwhile the old lady is still toiling, and the children's world is still shaken to the ground.

At the same time, there is something that I see in the children that I don't see in the hopeless in the USA. Despite their burden they have joy that is unexplainable; a joy that makes no sense. There is no formula that you can apply, or logical explanation for it. They peek at you with half of their face hidden behind a crumbling building. You can only see one of their eyes as they study you from a safe distance; their curiosity getting the best of them. When you make eye contact, they show you the white of their teeth and a smile that overtakes your heart. With their eyes hidden behind their cheeks and they quickly disappear. They have no sense of entitlement. They humble themselves to us when we should be the ones that are humbling ourselves to them. Their happiness comes only from God. They have faith that can move mountains and a joy that overflows so much it fills me up. That is what being set free from sin by the blood of Jesus does. It is the freedom of forgiveness and truth that allows you to have joy despite such great suffering

We completed the chicken coop, purchased 40 laying hens, 5 roosters, and bags of feed that will allow the chickens to adapt to their new home so that they an go out and free range again. We set them up with a ccken coop that Dr. Peter says will accommodate up to 200 chickens. I don't know that it will ever get that far, but the children are very excited about having and taking care of the chickens. I pray that at some point they will be able to sell chickens and eggs to keep progressing toward a sustainable orphanage. Our solar lights are all in place in the houses. I believe our next step in Lira and in Seta is to adapt the pumps to solar power so that they do not rely on the power for water, and so that we can removIe their power bill.

We had a really, really awesome party for the kids on the 11th with sodas, cookies, sweets, singing, dancing, drama, and speeches. They asked for the leader of the Ukids team to give them a short speech, so I got to deliver on the cuff. I reinforced that they may think we are rich, and we do have money that God has given us, but one thing that we can not buy with that money is Joy. "You children have a joy that so many people in America wish they could have, yet they fail to see the way to experience the real joy that you experience. We always say that we are coming here to do all these things and give you children something that you need. We forget to say that when we come here, you give us something that we need. We are in debt to you, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as you. You are co-heirs with Jesus Christ, and your joy that comes from Him overflows into our cups."

We are now in Merchison Falls National Park at the Red Chili Safari Camp. We had a game drive on the way in, spent the night in huts, and today we have been on a Nile Boat Safari. Our next step is to sleep tonight in tents, visit the top of the falls, and drive back to Kampala where the majority of our team will fly home. The remnant of the team will then be Andrew, Julie, and I.

 

The Remnant

June 25 2012

I was talking to Susan Gosvener about the day we went to visit our children that are now in secondary school. I believe it was last saturay. Our team was split into two busses. I was on the 2nd bus as we drove onto the school campus. We were planning on making a suprise visit to the kids, but two giant busses of white people isn't really subtle. As the first bus drove up to the parking place Susan saw Joan searching the bus for me.. Her eyes were wide open and had a look of determination as she scanned the first bus. When she didn't see me on the bus, Susan said that her shoulders dropped and her eyes looked down as she moved to the back of the group. Children quickly filled her spot as other they looked for their sponsors. The second bus started up the driveway and Joan heard its engine. She turned and looked toward the bus and the excitement slowly returned to her eyes. Susan watched her as she studied the bus. The door opened and we started to file off the bus. Thats when she noticed me. Susan said she flashed a big smile and instantly started cutting her way through the crowd to get to me. This is when I remember seeing her; her eyes were fixed on me. She was showing me her pretty smile as she moved in my direction until finally I had the little girl that I sponsored 6 years ago in my arms. I think every year I am a little taken by the way that these children love us. If only I could show them what they have done for me in my life...

 

Okay, so like an idiot, I decided to wear a cutoff the second day here and didn't apply any sunscreen, I got a little more sun than I was thinking, which I think is always the case, and got a nice red color on my shoulders. They have peeled already and now I'm left with the skin that doesn't look like it should be doing its time yet. I a little afraid to wear cutoffs again, but I think I might bust them out tomorrow morning while we are tossing brick and put on a shirt mid morning when the sun really starts to get hot.

 

Today is Tuesday June 26th

We have been doing a great job teaching the curriculum to the children in VBS. It is called Evangelism Explosion. And what it is doing is helping the children to see just what Jesus did, and how He is the only way to heaven. I got to teach the memory verse to my little group today; Romans 6:23. We are discovering that some of the mums and the children here are really focused on doing works to earn their salvation. It is amazing to see how they respond when we tell them that it is not something that is earned or deserved.

 

We had the leaders of Evangelism Explosion in Uganda come to the school today to start instructing the teachers with the curriculum, and have had several teachers re-dedicate their lives to Christ. It has been a time where God has been glorified. We have 1 week to go before part of the team goes north to have a little fun on a Safari trip and then fly home. I have really appreciated everyone on the team this year. Talking to some of the members, they have told me that they would rather stay at the orphanage than go on safari, they think that they safari would be fun, but that it would mean more for them, and for the children to just spend the time at the orphanage instead.

I have had the pleasure of working with a few of the guys on the team in prayer each night. What we do is while our meeting is going on, I pass around my notebook and have people put down their prayer requests and their name. Then after the meeting all team members who want to be a part of it can stay a little later. We worship together and end in prayer. We make sure to not only cover the requests on the list, but also anything that God has been placing on our heart. I have had time to pray for my brothers and sisters in Italy, and back home. It really is amazing what prayer does. We have had sickness go away, people have given their lives to Christ, and even had mosquito bites disappear. Back injuries have been relieved and joy has been restored. The team is performing as a well oiled machine. I have been really impressed by our team with the unity and the willingness to serve without complaint. It really is a joy to serve God. We do it because we love him.

 

Holly is one of the girls on our team who shared a testimony tonight during our meeting at the hotel. I thought I might share a little of what she said, because though the team was laughing at her gestures and the way she explained things, what she had to say was really good. She was talking about the beauty of the children here, and what it is about them that gives them that beauty in her eyes. She spoke about their purity. They have been so un-polluted by the world. They have a confidence that just inspires and baffles her because they walk around with clothes that are tattered, buttons are missing, their sandals just about to break, scabs all over their bodies and in need of a bath. Yet, somehow they walk with a confidence that in America would be shunned and scorned. ...because they don't see what we see back home. Their souls are not connected to the magazines and TV shows that tell us what we need to be in order to have confidence. They have a natural confidence that is not afraid to show its face for fear of scorn. They are beautiful.

 

She also talked about her experience when she gets back to the hotel after a day at the orphanage, she turns on the hot water in the shower and it just barely trickles from a spout that you have to kneed down into the tub to get to. She cherishes the little trickle, and values it so much. She starts to think about how the children and even the mums get excited about what in our eyes is the smallest thing. Our team does some of the children's studies with the Mums and they cherish the little paper crowns that they make, the tiny little paper crafts that we would just throw away. We have so much, and they have so little. Never has she loved that little trickle of warm water as much as she does now. We are so rich.

July 1

We are now the remnant. Most of the team has gone on their trip to Merchison Falls up in the north and we have had some of our people that travel to Lira with us fly in. We will be in Seta until Thursday and then we go north.

We had a great day yesterday. Tiffany Gosvener and Chris Ratzlaff had their Uganda wedding. All of the children from Lira were bussed into the orphanage, all of the secondary students were brought back, the mums, pastors, and even the Ridar Hotel staff were brought to the village for the ceremony. As we waited for the bridal party to show up, all the students lined the red carpet that they had strung out on the path that leads down to the pump house. The ceremony was to take place on the cisterns that we had built back in 2008. Standing around trying to figure out where the vehicles were going to drive in from, the clouds covered the place and God opened up the floodgates of heaven for a moment. The children and adults scattered to the nearest shelter to get out of the rain. A few days earlier we had noticed, while doing inspections of the homes, that one of them had a room that was full on umbrellas. I ran with one hand holding my camera, and the other covering my lens to get an umbrella that was up the hill. The rain never fully went away, so the crowd slowly came back out when they had gotten umbrellas. It actually made the wedding very beautiful. Umbrellas of purple, blue, green, and red speckled the crowd of children that watched from the hillside. After the ceremony we had a wonderful party and saw the children off; back to their schools.

I am getting excited for Lira. I love and miss those children so much.

 

Out of Italy into Uganda

Before you read, you must know that I have been wrestling with about 100 other people for bandwidth since I have been in Africa. If that weren't enough, you cant stay connected for more than about 15 minutes at a time. I may have one more post in me, but when I go north to Lira in another week, I may not have access to internet until I stay in a Hotel in Italy.

 

Friday 6/15

-somewhere in the air between Italy and Ethiopia

 

I have been silent for some weeks now. Though I have been doing many things, I seem to have had no motivation to type. I finished my time in Florence and moved on to Naples. It seems to me that I don't ever want to leave when I start to spend time with people. Its almost like my heart just clings on, and the idea of leaving makes it want to be bitter, but then it soon latches on somewhere else. We had a few days in Naples together before the Quicks split off to stay with missionaries Justin and Jenn Powell in Barcelona for a few days

 

Pastor Marco and his wife Maria allowed us to stay in their spare apartment, which is a huge blessing. After the Quicks started their journey to Barcelona I was left to myself in the apartment. I don't really take pleasure in being alone but if I have to I can. Fortunately for me, I found a friend. I met Gabriella Martucci a few days prior at church and was surprised to hear an American accent. She was actually staying in the apartment that was adjacent to mine, so she and I were able to go and see Naples and entertain each other since we are the only ones that had nothing to do during the day. I think, however, our little two person team was largely one sided, because she is the one that spoke italian so I depended on her greatly. She came to Naples not knowing anyone; just wanting to be used by God to strengthen and encourage the worship teams of the church in Italy. She is quite talented and I know that God will use her in a great way. My prayer for her is that she will be encouraged herself and that she would be allowed to impact the worship teams of the Casoria and Arzano Church. If you would like to pray for her in that way too, I'm sure that she would appreciate it.

 

Right now I am flying from Rome to Ethiopia with on a plane full of Italian people. It is so funny, because when the lights go out, a plane full of Americans gets really quiet and sleepy, but it only seems to get louder on this plane. There is an Italian lady in front of me that has been standing, talking for nearly two hours taking breaks only to sip on her little bottle of airplane wine. There is also a man sitting next to me that has been waving his hands around vigorously in conversation since he got on the plane. Out of the side of my eye it looks as though he is trying to get my attention, and after the 3rd or 4th time of looking and taking my headphones out, I decided to try and ignore it.

 

The pilot says that we are about 15 minutes behind schedule, but they will do everything they can to make up the time. My watch says 8:00pm and I should be hopping flights onto another plane in another hour or so.

 

Saturday June 16

 

I made it to Uganda... Without my luggage; it is somewhere between Addis Ababa and Entebbe. The flight from Rome to Ethiopia, being late, resulted in my bags not making it onto the plane headed for Uganda. I packed only a few items in my backpack either to make the travel easier, or to ensure that they were handled with care. As I stood in front of the conveyor after nearly 30 minutes, it occurred to me that I might not be getting my bag. The frenzied scurry to wrestle bags off the conveyor had ended and I was left standing there with another couple that had come from Rome. I thought through the flights and figured there was no way that my bag would have had time to get onto the new plane due to the delayed flight. I went to report a missing bag and walked out the door of the airport only to be barraged with 12 taxi drivers all interested in getting me somewhere. I asked them, "Are any of you from the Ridar Hotel?"

"Ridar Hotel, yes I know it."

"No, no, did you come from the Ridar Hotel to pick me up?"

"Yes, I know where it is"

I thought to myself, "you have got to be kidding me"..

One of the other taxi drivers understood what I meant and asked me if I had the number for the Ridar Hotel. He called them and handed me the phone. I spoke with a woman named Margret who said that she was expecting me. Then out of nowhere, an arm reached around my neck from behind and put me in a choke hold... Andrew Millikan, that dirty dog. My driver and Andrew had been sitting in the car out in the parking lot waiting for me. We made the fastest trip to the hotel I have ever done and finally arrived at the hotel at 3:40am. The decision to figure out what I was going to put on in the morning wasn't real hard because the only clothes that I had were the clothes that I was wearing... That makes for an aroma, but what can I do? I will just have to go shopping.

 

Morning came, and I slept till about 9. Then I got to reconnect with the team here and there around the hotel until we all hopped on the bus and headed for the orphanage. As usual, the children put on a welcoming party that was wonderful and exciting. The road was lined with children waving palm branches displaying enormous smiles that periodically burst into laughter and shouting. A cluster of children regulated the speed of the bus by proudly and beautifully displaying their tribal dance down the middle of the road. We turned the corner into the village and encountered an eruption; cheering and clapping for the bus as we passed by the Mums. The children shouted even louder as we opened the doors and Mark Gosvener stepped off the bus. He was engulfed in a sea of little smiling faces. One by one we all got off the bus. I will never forget the feeling of having 40 children all trying to hug me at the same time. I felt someone run into me and latch onto my side. It was my girl Florence. There is nowhere else on earth I would rather be.

 

The day was filled with joy. I spent time eating with my house of girls during lunch, arm wrestling and tickling the boys in the afternoon, and walked back to the hotel on the dirt roads that wind through marketplaces and fruit stands. I finished off the day connecting with a friend from Festival Arzano 2011 in Italy, who called out my name as I walked past her down at the hotel restaurant. This world really is a tiny one...

 

Monday 6/18

 

I have a bag!! I received a call from Ethiopian airlines today and they told me that my bag has been found. They transported it to their Kampala office where they do much of their booking.... The team went to the orphanage this morning for their first day of work and bible school. We had a wonderful morning working on the 2nd floor of the school in the sun while the children in the classrooms periodically recited various things aloud. I think my favorite was when they all sang "Father Abraham". It is one of those moments when you hear what is happening and all you can do is just smile. They are singing their hearts out... and you know that God is smiling too.

 

We passed quite a bit of brick for the workers; getting it to the places that would be the most helpful for the masons. We had multiple lines tossing brick from the ground up a few levels of scaffolding to the second level. It is a good work out; lots of sweat and brick dust. I love it. I had to bail just about lunch time to go into Kampala with Robert, our bus driver, and get my bag back. Oh, how I long for a clean pair of underwear. The Ethiopian Airlines office was quite full and I feared that I would be waiting for some time. We mentioned to someone that we were here to pick up a bag and were ushered into a back room where bags were being stored and I handed them my baggage claim ticket. I noticed my bag as soon as I walked through the doorway. The lady went to the bag and checked to see if the numbers matched, and wouldn't you know it; they didn't. "Oh my gosh, I swear this is my bag! I can tell you exactly what is in it!" the lady looked at me and smiled, she said "I believe you." she tore the tag off and gave me the bag.

 

On our way back to the orphanage I was looking out the front window and noticed a taxi cab. They decorate the taxis quite a bit here. On the front and back of the taxis you will see these huge words and they will say things like "GOD IS GOOD", or "KING OF GLORY". This taxi had written on the back "NO ONE IS PERFECT", however, the government had required a registration sticker that was right on top of the "NO". One is perfect.

 

I finished the day getting to talk to some of the construction workers, and teachers. I saw Florence standing off to the side looking at me and held out my arms to her, and she came running.. I gave her a giant hug and a note that I had written for her. I told her teachers that she was my sponsored child, and my daughter. She told me that tomorrow if i would come to her house she would show me her reports from school to see how well she was doing in school. I cant it to see her tomorrow. It was late in the day at the orphanage. I looked for my team members and noticed the bus backing up and getting ready to pull away. I looked at my watch and it said 5:34pm, so I said my goodbye to Florence for the day and sprinted to the bus. Mark later told me that he had said on the bus, "Adam is going to be our first example of what happens when you are late for the bus." He said that of all the people on the team, I was the one person that he would be comfortable leaving in that situation because he knew that i could take care of myself here. I brought a smile to my face. I love every moment I spend at the orphanage. I always will. it is one of the places on earth that I truly feel at home.

 

Tuesday, 6/19

 

I laughed at Andrew yesterday because he burned in the sun with his tank top.. Well today I wore a cutoff and God is showed me that I too can be burned. The team was amazing today; everyone worked so hard moving bricks. Yesterday we had two truckloads of brick dropped at the work site and our team was able to get the whole pile moved up to the second floor. At some point in the morning I sent half our team up to the third floor and had them help move some tiles that are used to lighten the weight of the slab when they pour the concrete. We got the whole floor covered. My arms felt like rubber and my face was coated in brick dust, and so was my hair. I sat in on the bible school for the kids and got to help out with the small groups when they split up. It reminds me of back home helping at the church on Wednesday nights with the youth.

 

Afterwards I saw a large gathering of kids on the soccer field, and I heard the children singing. Every day after school the children gather for prayer and worship. There are several children among the village that act as pastors and provide a short message. The singing is beautiful and the prayers are amazing. Today one of the mums came out and told the children that they need to go to one of these people who come from far away and pray for them. "Thank the Lord for your parents that God has provided for you. Thank Him and Praise Him for them aloud with your lips and with your words so that His name might be praised!" and just like that I had 20 children grabbing my hands, touching me, and praying for me. It is truly amazing. we left the village just overwhelmed with love. These kids earn a place in your heart more quickly than you would expect. Just watch them pray and you will be changed.

 

Perspective

        In the heart of the Czech Republic, just outside the busy city of Prague, there is a place called Lidice. In this town lies a history that leaves you with wonder and sadness. The area has changed from what it once was long ago. It is a place that was wiped off the face of the earth by Hitler during WW2; men shot, women sent to concentration camps, children gassed, buildings destroyed, graves uncovered, and trees removed; all to the innocent. In the place where there was complete destruction, now lies a place that is more peaceful than most that I have been to. There is a reverent silence that flows through the grounds of the memorial. You can hear the chirping of birds and the wind moving through the trees as the sunlight streams past their branches. The light through the trees speckle the nicely kept grass that holds the remains of this place and a memorial to the children of Lidice; frozen in time as they gaze on the land that they once used to run and play. They are people remembered not by the way they lived their lives, but the means by which they came to an end.

        I had some time to walk alone on the grounds. The sun was going down. There was a stone that marked the foundation of where the first building stood. This is when I looked up and thought about the stillness and peace of this place. After I had walked through the grounds, I turned back and began to walk along the same path back to where we were staying. I was blinded with the setting sun breaking through the trees. I stopped and moved a little to the side of the path so that the trees would block the light, and there God decided to give me a beauty shot of his creation. The trees were breathtaking, the light was glorious, and I didn't really want to move. I did not notice this place coming from the other direction because it was just a couple of trees that I had to walk by to get to where I was going.

        As I stood there I thought about how different this place looked from these two perspectives. Isn't that true about so many things in life? There are always multiple perspectives. Sometimes when we are in mourning it isn't desirable to think positively of losing a loved one, or when we are depressed to think positively about anything at all. My dad was alive 17 years ago, and now he isn't. Its been a long time, but I know that he is in heaven meeting amazing people that we can only read and dream about. If I were up there, I would be so completely overwhelmed with the Glory of God's kingdom that I would only be able to think about God alone. I know that Dad is just working his way through a line of people who are cheering for him and excited to see him, in fact, they were waiting for him to get there. It is a celebration bigger than I could possibly imagine. I doubt that he has looked back yet, and when he does I will be moving right behind him meeting the people that he met before me. We will approach the throne of God and see Him standing there with open arms inviting us to His throne. Who cares about the worries of this life! I really don't care if I must endure a little suffering while I am just some man on this earth. I will be so overwhelmed by what I am experiencing that I will care in no way about the troubles I had while I was alive. Some of us will suffer greatly, and some not as much. To me, Dad's death was a tragedy, but in God's eyes it is a welcoming home that is beyond our comprehension. I can choose to be sad, or I can choose to be happy. I can try to see things in my life through God's eyes, or I can just sit in my discomfort and welcome sympathy. God can make good out of anything. Am I willing to see it?

Colle Val d'Elsa

Main Gate to the Castle

On Monday we decided to take a small day trip to one of the nearby cities. We had to do a little planning as there was no direct route to where we were going. Dennis had talked to our landlady about areas that we could go that we're away from the Tourist hot spots. This place is called "Colle Val d'Elsa." I did a small bit of Wikipedia before we went so that I would know a little bit about what was going on. The city, after repeated assaults from neighboring cities, built a wall around themselves. Located on top of a hill, it became a castle. We walked the narrow road that led up the hill to the city and over a small bridge that led us to the main gate of the castle. I was surprised, the entrance to the castle was more attractive than a normal castle. We started to discover that it was more of a community than what we usually think of when castles come to mind. I always think of a king in his castle, but I am unsure that this castle had a king.

 There were really no tourists there with us, and the locals that had shops and restaurants were vastly different than those who operate within popular touristic areas. We found a nice restaurant in the castle that was very beautiful. We enjoyed a glass of wine, and just admired the beauty in the history of the area. There were numerous small doors that led into private residences which from the street seemed only to go straight up. It looked to me that the average width of a home must have been about 10-15 feet, but looking up you could see the differing roof lines indicating different buildings. Thinking about them made me want to go inside, light a bunch of candles, and enjoying some wonderful stew cooked over the fireplace. Why do I love small places?

 We went back down the narrow road to the city, we ducked into a small cafe. The server was very happy to have us and seemed to enjoy attending to us. We had some lasagna for a late lunch and afterwards moved in the direction of the bus stop that would take us back to a town called "Poggibonsi" where we would get on a train that headed back towards Florence. While on the train we all ended up napping while waiting for the train to pull in.

 Last night we had our first gathering of our students and friends in the area. Dennis prepared a little piece about forgetfulness and how the bible tells us that forgetfulness is okay when it comes to remembering things of this world. Hebrews 12 says "let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." Forget about the things that cause us to stumble; the things that take our eyes away from our creator, Unwholesome TV shows, video games, gossip... The things that ensnare us into focusing on things that are not pleasing to God. Speaking of forgetfulness, we tend to remember the things that we ought to forget, and forget the things we ought to remember. If you are familiar with Finding Nemo, we must appear to be like Dori to God. We hear things and forget them almost as fast as we heard them. We can listen to something in church, and have this desire to change the way we live. We desire to change, but when we walk out of the church, we completely forget that desire we had and slip right back into the things that apply only to this world. How sad that must be in God's eyes. It's like if I were to be in love with a certain girl and desire that she would simply look in my direction. One of her friends describes me to her, and she wants to look and see me, yet when she leaves her friend, she completely forgets about me, and instead looks at someone else leaving me there to watch her pursue someone else. The pain and jealousy that I would feel doesn't even scratch the surface of what God feels when we look the other direction. He is a jealous God, abounding in love. This is even in his 10 commandments! He says have no other God before me, but that is exactly what we do when we put something in our lives before him; when we forget his love and look in the other direction. How do I look in God's direction, and ignore the things that i love to pay attention to?

Wednesday May 9

Since we reconnect with the youth on Sunday, we have this week to relax and just live in Florence. One of my favorite things is to go into our main room and throw open the shutters. You can hear the birds in the courtyards and the spaces between buildings. During the day the temperature is warm, but not unbearable like it is in August. The sun pours into the main room, and lights up everything it touches.

There are high ceilings, and all the surfaces are hard and smooth which causes the sound of birds chirping to echo throughout the apartment. When I glance up and out the window, I see the giant dome of the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore that dominates the frame of the window. Birds are seen flying between the massive circular windows that adorn the sides.

I sit here gazing at the immense structure. Some of the marble tiles that once covered the brick structure have been removed or fallen off, exposing the core of its beauty. Something that is so beautiful is actually boring and ugly beneath the skin. Isn't that something true about all of us? We try so hard to be beautiful on the outside, and all the while we don't consider what is happening on the inside. Our soul is where true beauty is... despite what Jim Carrey said in Liar liar. If we are boring and ugly beneath our skin, but beautiful on the outside, then we might as well be an empty shell. We strut around putting ourselves on display in hope that other people might look at us think that we amount to something based on what we look like, but what do we amount to? Is what we look like really where we get our sense of self worth?

Lets go back to what God said. "But the Lord said to Samuel, 'Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." May we all get a better sense of where our real value lies. Think a little less about the way the world sees at us and a little more about the way God sees us.

I read a story online a while ago about a boy that had taken lessons playing the violin all his life. He became so good, that he became famous. People had heard of his talent all over the world. His concerts always sold out and were difficult to find tickets for. During one of his concerts he began to play and after each song he performed, the crowd stood, clapped, and cheered. Despite the cheering and clapping the boy began to become annoyed and almost disgusted by the cheers. The concert went on. When he had finished his last song, crowd going crazy, he turned to them and looked up in highest balcony where an old man sat in the dark. The old man showed no emotion, but then stood to his feet and looked down to the boy. He smiled and applauded the boy's performance. They boys frustration turned to joy and he bowed to the old man and to the crowd that adored him. The old man in the crowd was the boy's teacher. Throughout the whole concert the boy knew that his performance, though applauded by those who did not now what it took to be a master violinist, was a failure if it was not approved by the master. If we are not approved by the God in heaven because of our outward appearance, then why are we so determined to be defined by it? We seek the approval of those who don't know what it takes to be a master. We seek the approval of those who don't know what it is to lead a significant life.

Back to Florence

With little struggle, we have arrived in Florence. I always have a hard time putting an exact time on how long it took for us to get to this place from Portland, but it is easy compared to some places in the world. We had some pretty funny moments along the way. One of them was in the New York airport. We had a few directional signs that were proving to be a little difficult to follow. Having a Delta flight that was operated by Alitalia didn't help, in fact it is probably where the confusion came from. We started by looking at our tickets and since it was a Delta flight number, headed in the direction of what our ticket said, which was a shuttle ride to Terminal Building 4, and could not find our flight to Rome on any of the reader boards, so we started asking around, and we eventually went to the Alitalia desk, which was in the main terminal, and they told us that we needed to get new tickets. Originally, our seats were arranged somewhat close in proximity, but after we got the new tickets, they were all over the place. Then they told us that we actually needed to go to Terminal 1, not 4. so off we went to Terminal 1, It felt like we got off a boat at Ellis Island for the next 45 minutes as we stood in a rather long line that reminded me of a cattle stockade. When we got through security, we went to our gate, and it was just in time for boarding. Then we flew... through the air... like a bird, and partook in the miracle of human flight. I did not sleep on any of the flights, but I was blessed to be able to watch some movies; The new Sherlock Holmes and The Great Escape... a classic in my book. Steve McQueen displays great perseverance. We went and got our bags from the baggage claim at the Rome airport, and then over to the train station in the airport that takes us into the main train station in Rome. There was an Italian that decided to pick me out of the line to search my bags as a sort of customs inspection. He was standing in between a few other people who had their luggage spread out on the floor. I was carrying Dennis' and my bag, so when I went over to him I put my bag close to where he wanted it. Dennis, Karen, and Micah came up behind me to watch and wait as he did his thing. The guy looked at them and realized that they were with me and by taking me out of the line, he was going to have 3 additional spectators as he rifled through my things. He just decided to see if I was who my passport said I was, and then sent me on my way. We ended up taking a shuttle to the train station, which was right by the coliseum, so we had a nice little sight seeing tour on the way there. We bought our tickets for the slow train, and jumped on. We got into Florence around 4pm. Dennis had been trying to call the lady that we are renting the apartment from all day, and his phone had not yet been re-activated by the Phone company. So we hung out for a little while, until we could get a call to her. We stashed our things somewhere safe, and decided to walk around for a bit till she could meet us. We eventually got in, and for the rest of the day we got settled, and fought the desire to fall asleep. It felt like I had giant curtains as eyelids that just wanted to roll shut. But I held out till 9pm, and fell asleep within the hour.. if I remember correctly.

This Morning, I woke up to Dennis strolling into my room with Skype open on his computer. Doug Valenzuela got to say good morning to me which was just a real nice surprise.. Today was one more day tiredness while we put the finishing touches on jet-lag. I didn't have a problem, as I slept till 10:00, but Micah was having trouble. We went to get some groceries we needed, walked around the open air market, and just spent some time together. Tomorrow I am excited to see what is in store for me.