Saturday, July 30, 2005
Missions Camp
Last night I drove to Elijay, GA which is in the North Georgia mountains to speak at Missions Camp at Camp Highland. This camp holds normal one week camps for kids during the summer. But if kids sign up for "missions camp" they come during a particular week when my organization, MTW, sends speakers up and helps in other ways to make the week have a particular missions emphasis. This year they asked me to be one of the speakers. Honestly I wasn't too excited about it. Elijay is two hours away at least and my night was on a Thursday. So I knew it was going to be a long day. I left work early and waded my way through traffic and a thunderstorm and still managed to get there an hour early. God was definitely with me because I was really worried I wouldn't find it. It was in the middle of NOWHERE. But my talk went really well, and of course, it ended up encouraging beyond my expectations. It was particularly neat going to missions camp about two weeks after going to Sweden. When I went to church the Sunday that I was in Sweden, the youngest person at the service was probably about 60 years old. Young people there just don't go to church anymore. So to be surrounded at this camp by 35 attentive 12-14 year olds who excited about Christianity and excited about what God had in store was definitely cool, and a unique thing I think. I do have a friend who is 12 1/2 years old named Claire, and she is great and is excited too about her relationship with God. But normally she is my only exposure to kids of that age. So I'm glad to get a little glimpse too of what that age group is like!
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Alan, Ruth, summer interns, and me
Alan Boal is the pastor of Abbey Presbyterian Church, and Ruth is his wife. They are supervising these five wonderful interns this summer for five weeks. The interns help with art, radio, music, children, and youth projects for the church, all in hopes to build relationships with the Irish people.
Partly sunny, High of 95 degrees
Unbelieveably, that was today's weather forecast in Atlanta. It was sweltering hot. From the time I was young, I really got into enjoying the weather and weather changes. I think this partly comes from living in the Midwest, and living amongst the Ringsmuth family. Us Ringsmuth's really seem to get into reporting weather-related events and of course, most of us record every new event with massive amounts of digital photography. The Midwest region of the US is known for things like huge thunderstorms, tornadoes, hot summers, and cold winters.
Bev and I (see above picture) talked a lot about the weather when I visited her in Scotland. I think it is a common thought amongst most of northern Europe. I believe the forecast in Scotland is typical also across this region of Europe: generally cold, overcast, and slight chance of showers. I can't report on the temp because it's in celcius and my American mind can't compute that well.
I think having sun to Scots is like the fish who is obsessed with finding bubbles in the aquarium treasure chest in the movie "Finding Nemo". Without warning the chest will open and bubbles will poor out for a brief moment. This particular fish will then dart over to the chest and yell "BUBBLES!!! Bubblesbubblesbubblesbubbles. MY bubbles," and slams the lid of the chest down to protect what little bubbles are left. The sun doesn't come out much, so when it does you take advantage and make the most of it.
The weather definitely plays a role also in ministry. You know how it feels when you wake up in the morning and the sky is overcast and it looks like rain. You want to stay in bed with the covers over your head. It can be the same there. Of course they have to force themselves to still get up and do things, but it can be hard. Especially in the winter when the nights are long and the days are short. I believe they only get about 5-6 hours of daylight in the wintertime.
Weather is just one of the challenges that faces Christian workers in those regions of Europe. Postmodernism, atheistism, spiritual apathy, and decomposing families are all barriers to people experiencing a real relationship with Jesus Christ. The workers there that I was able to fellowship with offered great insight to these challenges.
On the plane ride home I tried to digest my experience as much as possible. Surprisingly, I found myself feeling thrilled to think of the prospect of someday getting to live and work among these seasoned laborers. One of the things I am the most passionate about is that Jesus Christ is relevant to all of us in our daily lives. He is real. His love is real. His forgiveness is real. His desire to have a relationship with all of us is real. I think that in Europe, that is what is lacking. A real experience with our Creator and Father. When I get there I'll just have to remember to dress warm and bring an umbrella.
I signed up for classes today at PSI. I'll be taking "personal and spiritual life of the psychotherapist", "ethical, legal and professional standards", and "methods and models of integration." I'm nervous but really excited too. Especially about being able to walk on this new path, and experiencing what God ultimately has in store for all of this.
Sunday, July 24, 2005
Ireland was great too!
Christopher Meloni
Well I wanted to give an update about Ireland as well! I was only able to spend about 2 1/2 days there and only in Dublin, but I really enjoyed getting to know the Irish pastor and his wife that MTW is partnering with, and the 5 summer interns that we have there. It was interesting getting to participate in some of their outreach programs, and learning more about the historical conflicts between the protestant and catholic church. The church that we are working with is called Abbey Presbyterian, and it's located in a building that's over 100 years old and it attraches a lot of visitors from Dublin and elsewhere. The interns are able to great the people at the door, hand out brochures about the church, serve tea, and answer any questions. I was able to participate in this as well, which is called "open abbey". It was a ton of fun getting to meet people all over the world! It was interesting hearing some of the visitor's questions, especially the ones that came from the Irish people. They would ask things about what it meant to be a presbyterian, a christian, or would make statements about how they had never been in the church before because it used to be that catholics weren't allowed in protestant churches and vice versa. I learned a lot about the conflicts that occurred between these churches. I think now most churches in Dublin I'm sure are looking towards the future for healing.
I also randomly met Christopher Meloni in a cafe while I was there! He plays Sgt. Elliot Stabler on the TV show Law & Order SVU. I am a huge Law & Order fan and I've seen the SVU one a bunch of times, so I immediately spotted him when we went into that cafe, located right next to the church, for lunch one day. Of course when you see someone you think is famous, you have to discuss it over with your friends to confirm that it's really who you think it is, then you have to go over to the person and talk to them to make sure. That person was me. I think he saw us talking about him, because when I walked up to him and said "are you...." before I could finish he said "yup". He was in Dublin doing a play, and it he looked and acted just like he did on TV! It was great. We chatted for a few minutes before his food came and then he left.
Well I wanted to give an update about Ireland as well! I was only able to spend about 2 1/2 days there and only in Dublin, but I really enjoyed getting to know the Irish pastor and his wife that MTW is partnering with, and the 5 summer interns that we have there. It was interesting getting to participate in some of their outreach programs, and learning more about the historical conflicts between the protestant and catholic church. The church that we are working with is called Abbey Presbyterian, and it's located in a building that's over 100 years old and it attraches a lot of visitors from Dublin and elsewhere. The interns are able to great the people at the door, hand out brochures about the church, serve tea, and answer any questions. I was able to participate in this as well, which is called "open abbey". It was a ton of fun getting to meet people all over the world! It was interesting hearing some of the visitor's questions, especially the ones that came from the Irish people. They would ask things about what it meant to be a presbyterian, a christian, or would make statements about how they had never been in the church before because it used to be that catholics weren't allowed in protestant churches and vice versa. I learned a lot about the conflicts that occurred between these churches. I think now most churches in Dublin I'm sure are looking towards the future for healing.
I also randomly met Christopher Meloni in a cafe while I was there! He plays Sgt. Elliot Stabler on the TV show Law & Order SVU. I am a huge Law & Order fan and I've seen the SVU one a bunch of times, so I immediately spotted him when we went into that cafe, located right next to the church, for lunch one day. Of course when you see someone you think is famous, you have to discuss it over with your friends to confirm that it's really who you think it is, then you have to go over to the person and talk to them to make sure. That person was me. I think he saw us talking about him, because when I walked up to him and said "are you...." before I could finish he said "yup". He was in Dublin doing a play, and it he looked and acted just like he did on TV! It was great. We chatted for a few minutes before his food came and then he left.
Saturday, July 16, 2005
Last Sweden update
Hey everyone! I think this may be my last time to use
the email, so I thought I would make the best of it!!
Today I got to take two of the interns, Alicia and
Susannah, to Linksöping which is south of Tranås,
which is where the MTW team is. We got to ride a train
there and check out the city, which may be a future
place for an MTW church plant. We got to sample some
awesome chocolate (don't worry, I'm bringing some
back) and walk around the old part of the city which
was built in the 1800's. So that was cool.
Yesterday was probably one of my best days here so
far. I got to each lunch with David and Stacy Bergmark
and their three year old daughter Miriam. The
Bergmark's have lived in Sweden as missionaries for
about 5 years. David is Swedish himself. So they
offered great perspective on the team dynamic here and
also just the Swedish culture in general. It was
great. It was at their house that I found out that
Sweden has Heinz Ketchup just like we do. Also,
yesterday, I was able to have the truly Swedish
experience of biking a long distance while it was
raining. Like I was saying before everyone bikes here
(my thighs are getting quite rock solid) and somehow
yesterday I managed to misplace my rain jacket, just
as it started to rain and we all needed to bike home.
We were leaving from visiting a youth group that's a
conglomeration of youth from several churches in the
Tranäs area. I'll have to tell you more about that
when I get back. It was fun yet very interesting. And
it is indeed sort of strange to leave from a place
like that, late at night, and bike real hard to get
home, in the rain, and then go straight to bed. I was
like on an exercise high, and then wet and sweaty
laying in my bed, with the sun finally going down at
like 11:00pm. That was sort of a gross mental picture
I'm sure, but I wanted you to get the full effect.
Anyway, tomorrow I will get to experience the church
service here, and Monday I am going to Stockholm and
then Monday night headed out to Scotland for a day.
Thanks again for all your prayers. I can definitely
tell that the Lord is using this trip in a mighty way.
the email, so I thought I would make the best of it!!
Today I got to take two of the interns, Alicia and
Susannah, to Linksöping which is south of Tranås,
which is where the MTW team is. We got to ride a train
there and check out the city, which may be a future
place for an MTW church plant. We got to sample some
awesome chocolate (don't worry, I'm bringing some
back) and walk around the old part of the city which
was built in the 1800's. So that was cool.
Yesterday was probably one of my best days here so
far. I got to each lunch with David and Stacy Bergmark
and their three year old daughter Miriam. The
Bergmark's have lived in Sweden as missionaries for
about 5 years. David is Swedish himself. So they
offered great perspective on the team dynamic here and
also just the Swedish culture in general. It was
great. It was at their house that I found out that
Sweden has Heinz Ketchup just like we do. Also,
yesterday, I was able to have the truly Swedish
experience of biking a long distance while it was
raining. Like I was saying before everyone bikes here
(my thighs are getting quite rock solid) and somehow
yesterday I managed to misplace my rain jacket, just
as it started to rain and we all needed to bike home.
We were leaving from visiting a youth group that's a
conglomeration of youth from several churches in the
Tranäs area. I'll have to tell you more about that
when I get back. It was fun yet very interesting. And
it is indeed sort of strange to leave from a place
like that, late at night, and bike real hard to get
home, in the rain, and then go straight to bed. I was
like on an exercise high, and then wet and sweaty
laying in my bed, with the sun finally going down at
like 11:00pm. That was sort of a gross mental picture
I'm sure, but I wanted you to get the full effect.
Anyway, tomorrow I will get to experience the church
service here, and Monday I am going to Stockholm and
then Monday night headed out to Scotland for a day.
Thanks again for all your prayers. I can definitely
tell that the Lord is using this trip in a mighty way.
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Sweden rules
I am sitting here next to Alicia, who is one of my intern missionaries, hanging out and doing some emailing. I'll put down some highlights here of my time in Sweden so far:
-going to IKEA and eating Swedish meatballs w/lingonberry sauce and other sauces. It was reallly good. I LOVE sauce on things as many of you know!! We also got to have beer, which was kind of funny, because it was like a cafeteria style meal, but beer was one of the beverage options that came with the meal...sweet.
-rondells...aka roundabouts. Who needs stoplights when you have those??
-the missionaries here. I've felt very welcomed and loved.
-having pizza with tuna fish, pineapple, and a few other things. It was pretty good.
-riding a bike everywhere. And mine is really nice. I'm basically having to relearn how to ride because I haven't done it since I was like 10. Yes, I'm wearing a helmet.
-having FIKA, which is like tea time.
-everything here is soo pretty. There are tons of lakes, trees, flowers, plants, you name it. It also looks exactly like northern Minnesota. So much so that a few times I forgot where I was. Until I see a weird Swedish word like Stoeryd and I'm like..whoa what is that??
That's just some of the things so far. I'll be here until Monday, so I'm sure there will be more adventures!!
-going to IKEA and eating Swedish meatballs w/lingonberry sauce and other sauces. It was reallly good. I LOVE sauce on things as many of you know!! We also got to have beer, which was kind of funny, because it was like a cafeteria style meal, but beer was one of the beverage options that came with the meal...sweet.
-rondells...aka roundabouts. Who needs stoplights when you have those??
-the missionaries here. I've felt very welcomed and loved.
-having pizza with tuna fish, pineapple, and a few other things. It was pretty good.
-riding a bike everywhere. And mine is really nice. I'm basically having to relearn how to ride because I haven't done it since I was like 10. Yes, I'm wearing a helmet.
-having FIKA, which is like tea time.
-everything here is soo pretty. There are tons of lakes, trees, flowers, plants, you name it. It also looks exactly like northern Minnesota. So much so that a few times I forgot where I was. Until I see a weird Swedish word like Stoeryd and I'm like..whoa what is that??
That's just some of the things so far. I'll be here until Monday, so I'm sure there will be more adventures!!
Tuesday, July 12, 2005
Saturday, July 09, 2005
The One
In light of the below post, check out www.one.org. It's the website started I believe by Bono (U2), who's a huge activist in the fight against AIDS and poverty in Africa. Because I work closely with many of our missionaries in Africa, I've also become more aware of the plight of the people of that continent. I looked at this site last week in light of the G8 conference and the Live 8 concerts going on. It's interesting stuff and I feel like it's a cause that many people in the First World are taking on and are working towards raising money and awareness- from Hollywood stars to ordinary folks.
My roommates and I have been watching the reruns of the Live 8 concerts this afternoon. Pretty good stuff. I think they worked too because the G8 summit reached an agreement to give over 50 billion dollars to people in Africa (see http://www.live8live.com/ for more info).
Also, here's a shameless plug for the movie "Hotel Rwanda". If you haven't seen it, definitely go out and rent it. It exposes another continual problem in Africa- civil war. And it talks about what the First World can do to help.
My roommates and I have been watching the reruns of the Live 8 concerts this afternoon. Pretty good stuff. I think they worked too because the G8 summit reached an agreement to give over 50 billion dollars to people in Africa (see http://www.live8live.com/ for more info).
Also, here's a shameless plug for the movie "Hotel Rwanda". If you haven't seen it, definitely go out and rent it. It exposes another continual problem in Africa- civil war. And it talks about what the First World can do to help.
Friday, July 08, 2005
Update from Nairobi, Kenya
This is a recent update from a college girl that's on a team of 9 summer interns that are in Nairobi this summer with the organization I work for, and that I helped to send. Her name is Emily, and she has some neat insights on what is going on there. It's kind of long, but I think you will find it interesting. She mentions the same places where I went in February of 2004. This update was written and emailed out by her Mom, but the quotations are Emily's own words.
Dear Friends & Family:
We now understand that Emily and her team are working in three different areas: Kibera, the largest slum outside of Nairobi; Kawingware, the Sudanese refugee slum, and Muthiga, the Kikuku tribe slum in the mountains. Everywhere are the children with whom most of their work is focused.
"Last Saturday, I held a little boy in Kibera most of the day because he was not feeling well. He could not have been older than two, and he just stared blankly into space while the other children played games at the Bible Club we were directing. I was not feeling well myself with a sinus infection and I scooped him up in my arms for the rest of the day while he slept. I went back to Kibera on Tuesday and I found him lying on his back in the sewage-filled street just staring into space while his older brother played around him. Once again, I scooped him up and he slept in my arms for the remainder of the day. I asked Tony, one of our translators, about him and he told me that his mother attends the church and he thinks he is probably HIV+. When the MTW medical team gets here, I definitely want them to look at him.
It is so difficult to comprehend that I am comforting a little child that will probably not live to see the age of five. I began to question God as to why He did not vindicate the poor and fatherless, and why the children had to suffer the repercussions of their fathers' sins. He then led me to the passage at the end of Job, when Job is questioning God. He reminded me that everything works together for His glorification, which is our sole purpose on earth: to glorify Him.
Who am I to question His sovereignty? Was I there when He laid the foundations of the earth and brought the starry hosts out one by one? I am joyful to report that the simplification of my faith has been monumental in my growth.
God allots us each different lives for reasons that we may never know, but He has also entrusted to us certain responsibilities that come with our lives. I know that at this time, I am doing what God has intended for me to do at this time in my life. It is so comforting to know that I am hidden within the shadow of His wings. He has truly become my hiding place and refuge from the storm of tribulations that I witness daily.
Being able to see the children smiling and holding out their arms to us makes me realize that Christ is the source of my love. Why would I love a group of people that are amuck in the sea of despair? It is through the love that Christ has lavished on me that I am able to lavish it on others."
"In Kibera, I found the three children that the Youth group at our church (FPC - Macon) sponsors. I will get pictures with them."
"Most of the children that we work with in Kibera are HIV+."
"In Muthiga, we have done door-to-door evangelism. In the US, I am skeptical of it because people come and talk to you and then leave. Here, it is different. One of the nationals told me that I may go to someone's house and say the exact same thing that she does, but they will hear me and not her. The people have been receptive, and I am learning a lot about stepping outside of my realm of comfort."
"The work that I am doing in Kawingware is much more difficult. I have been teaching school there, and yesterday I had the 1st. and 2nd. grades. The classroom is made of tin walls and the ground is the floor. There is minimal light that shines through a hole in the wall. A chalkboard is propped against a bench and the children sit on wooden benches. They speak their tribal language, Dinca. Our translators do not understand Dinca, so the communication barrier is nearly impossible to overcome. Several of the kids have severe learning disabilities aside from the language barrier. I would not let them go to recess until they had finished copying some sentences off the board. One little boy did not like that idea, so he kicked me. Not hard, just enough to get his point across."
"In the church service, the pastor does announcements. They sounded normal, such as Bible studies, etc. The one that stood out to me the most was when he informed the congregation to keep an eye on their small children because there had been some recent kidnappings, and they had been sold."
"Today, I went to Kibera. It has been raining nonstop for over 4 days. The feces river had rapids in it. The man at the stick bridge decided to charge us a toll to cross, so on our way out, we took another route through a sugar cane field. We had to hop on giant rocks to get across. All of Kibera is like a giant obstacle course. It is a lot of fun to hop across trenches and climb over trash piles with pigs. I have never been more thankful for my agility than I am now."
"My Swahili vocabulary is expanding daily. I am beginning to understand parts of conversations and even interject Swahili comments at times."
"The past couple of days have been incredible. All of our prayers have more than been answered. Yesterday, the 4th., we went to Dr. Tim Hutchinson's house. He is a long-term MTW missionary that moved here with his family last October. We ate American food, and my favorite part was the brownies. We played football for a little while and then just hung out with our team, Martha & Imbumi (pastor of Kibera church), the Hutchinson's and our translators. After dinner we all sat around and sang some hymns with the guitar. It was so nice to have a break from everything. Their house felt like home."
"Today, Dr. Hutchinson called and invited me to work with him and the medical team in Kawingware. I learned how to do vitals for patients and then I went through all of the who, what, where, when, why, how questions for intake. I learned so much.
We saw one lady with a foot that looked just like the nutty professor's. It was humongous. She has what is called elaphanticism. It is a disease that you can get from drinking sewage water.
The saddest thing that I saw today was a woman who had malaria, at least that is what we think she had. She had a fever and kept collapsing, so we set her on the floor. She asked me to go and get her bag. When I did, there was a child with her. He was almost 2 years old, and also had a fever. I gave him some Tylenol, stripped off his clothes, and patted him down with wet rags. He was so dehydrated, also. We did not have any diapers, so we made him one out of maternity pads and gauze. There was really nothing that we could do for either of them because they desperately needed to go to the hospital. He gave the lady some anti-malaria medication, but it will probably make her sick because she has not been eating."
"We got to take a one day/night safari. We stayed in tents with running water, electricity, and canopy beds. We were treated like royalty. We ate impala for dinner, and it was the best meat that I have ever had. We saw zebras, gazelle, antelope, a dikdik, giraffe, hippos, and many more species of 'deer'. The most exciting part was seeing lions only 5 feet away from the vehicle. We saw the sunset over the African plain, which was absolutely beautiful. The next morning, we saw the sunrise and 7 lions walk right in front of our vehicle. It was absolutely amazing."
"I have kissed a giraffe and eaten at the Karen Blizer House that is named after the lady that 'Out of Africa' is about. It reminded me of the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette, where 'Fried Green Tomatoes' was filmed. I have also eaten crocodile, ostrich, and camel."
"God has opened the eyes of everyone on our team so that we are able to see the people here as His children, just as we are. These are real people with the same thoughts, feelings, and emotions that we have. When I look at them, I do not see the dirt and filth; instead, I see their faces radiating with the same love that Christ has bestowed upon me. We are all clothed in filthy rags, no matter what context you use it in. I have come to know, love, and respect these people."
Thank you again, dear friends, for your love and prayers for safety for Emily and her team members.
Dear Friends & Family:
We now understand that Emily and her team are working in three different areas: Kibera, the largest slum outside of Nairobi; Kawingware, the Sudanese refugee slum, and Muthiga, the Kikuku tribe slum in the mountains. Everywhere are the children with whom most of their work is focused.
"Last Saturday, I held a little boy in Kibera most of the day because he was not feeling well. He could not have been older than two, and he just stared blankly into space while the other children played games at the Bible Club we were directing. I was not feeling well myself with a sinus infection and I scooped him up in my arms for the rest of the day while he slept. I went back to Kibera on Tuesday and I found him lying on his back in the sewage-filled street just staring into space while his older brother played around him. Once again, I scooped him up and he slept in my arms for the remainder of the day. I asked Tony, one of our translators, about him and he told me that his mother attends the church and he thinks he is probably HIV+. When the MTW medical team gets here, I definitely want them to look at him.
It is so difficult to comprehend that I am comforting a little child that will probably not live to see the age of five. I began to question God as to why He did not vindicate the poor and fatherless, and why the children had to suffer the repercussions of their fathers' sins. He then led me to the passage at the end of Job, when Job is questioning God. He reminded me that everything works together for His glorification, which is our sole purpose on earth: to glorify Him.
Who am I to question His sovereignty? Was I there when He laid the foundations of the earth and brought the starry hosts out one by one? I am joyful to report that the simplification of my faith has been monumental in my growth.
God allots us each different lives for reasons that we may never know, but He has also entrusted to us certain responsibilities that come with our lives. I know that at this time, I am doing what God has intended for me to do at this time in my life. It is so comforting to know that I am hidden within the shadow of His wings. He has truly become my hiding place and refuge from the storm of tribulations that I witness daily.
Being able to see the children smiling and holding out their arms to us makes me realize that Christ is the source of my love. Why would I love a group of people that are amuck in the sea of despair? It is through the love that Christ has lavished on me that I am able to lavish it on others."
"In Kibera, I found the three children that the Youth group at our church (FPC - Macon) sponsors. I will get pictures with them."
"Most of the children that we work with in Kibera are HIV+."
"In Muthiga, we have done door-to-door evangelism. In the US, I am skeptical of it because people come and talk to you and then leave. Here, it is different. One of the nationals told me that I may go to someone's house and say the exact same thing that she does, but they will hear me and not her. The people have been receptive, and I am learning a lot about stepping outside of my realm of comfort."
"The work that I am doing in Kawingware is much more difficult. I have been teaching school there, and yesterday I had the 1st. and 2nd. grades. The classroom is made of tin walls and the ground is the floor. There is minimal light that shines through a hole in the wall. A chalkboard is propped against a bench and the children sit on wooden benches. They speak their tribal language, Dinca. Our translators do not understand Dinca, so the communication barrier is nearly impossible to overcome. Several of the kids have severe learning disabilities aside from the language barrier. I would not let them go to recess until they had finished copying some sentences off the board. One little boy did not like that idea, so he kicked me. Not hard, just enough to get his point across."
"In the church service, the pastor does announcements. They sounded normal, such as Bible studies, etc. The one that stood out to me the most was when he informed the congregation to keep an eye on their small children because there had been some recent kidnappings, and they had been sold."
"Today, I went to Kibera. It has been raining nonstop for over 4 days. The feces river had rapids in it. The man at the stick bridge decided to charge us a toll to cross, so on our way out, we took another route through a sugar cane field. We had to hop on giant rocks to get across. All of Kibera is like a giant obstacle course. It is a lot of fun to hop across trenches and climb over trash piles with pigs. I have never been more thankful for my agility than I am now."
"My Swahili vocabulary is expanding daily. I am beginning to understand parts of conversations and even interject Swahili comments at times."
"The past couple of days have been incredible. All of our prayers have more than been answered. Yesterday, the 4th., we went to Dr. Tim Hutchinson's house. He is a long-term MTW missionary that moved here with his family last October. We ate American food, and my favorite part was the brownies. We played football for a little while and then just hung out with our team, Martha & Imbumi (pastor of Kibera church), the Hutchinson's and our translators. After dinner we all sat around and sang some hymns with the guitar. It was so nice to have a break from everything. Their house felt like home."
"Today, Dr. Hutchinson called and invited me to work with him and the medical team in Kawingware. I learned how to do vitals for patients and then I went through all of the who, what, where, when, why, how questions for intake. I learned so much.
We saw one lady with a foot that looked just like the nutty professor's. It was humongous. She has what is called elaphanticism. It is a disease that you can get from drinking sewage water.
The saddest thing that I saw today was a woman who had malaria, at least that is what we think she had. She had a fever and kept collapsing, so we set her on the floor. She asked me to go and get her bag. When I did, there was a child with her. He was almost 2 years old, and also had a fever. I gave him some Tylenol, stripped off his clothes, and patted him down with wet rags. He was so dehydrated, also. We did not have any diapers, so we made him one out of maternity pads and gauze. There was really nothing that we could do for either of them because they desperately needed to go to the hospital. He gave the lady some anti-malaria medication, but it will probably make her sick because she has not been eating."
"We got to take a one day/night safari. We stayed in tents with running water, electricity, and canopy beds. We were treated like royalty. We ate impala for dinner, and it was the best meat that I have ever had. We saw zebras, gazelle, antelope, a dikdik, giraffe, hippos, and many more species of 'deer'. The most exciting part was seeing lions only 5 feet away from the vehicle. We saw the sunset over the African plain, which was absolutely beautiful. The next morning, we saw the sunrise and 7 lions walk right in front of our vehicle. It was absolutely amazing."
"I have kissed a giraffe and eaten at the Karen Blizer House that is named after the lady that 'Out of Africa' is about. It reminded me of the Whistle Stop Cafe in Juliette, where 'Fried Green Tomatoes' was filmed. I have also eaten crocodile, ostrich, and camel."
"God has opened the eyes of everyone on our team so that we are able to see the people here as His children, just as we are. These are real people with the same thoughts, feelings, and emotions that we have. When I look at them, I do not see the dirt and filth; instead, I see their faces radiating with the same love that Christ has bestowed upon me. We are all clothed in filthy rags, no matter what context you use it in. I have come to know, love, and respect these people."
Thank you again, dear friends, for your love and prayers for safety for Emily and her team members.
Active sitting- Chapter 3
Just to give you guys an update, I am now loaning out my active sitting ball to Allison at work who is with child. I decided that I didn't really need it because I'm just...with.
She's due Sept 3, so stay tuned for more updates after that.
She's due Sept 3, so stay tuned for more updates after that.
Pics from 4th of July weekend
Here are some pics from my weekend in Minnesota with my mom's side of the family. Thanks to Debi and Mike for their great hospitality and for taking these fun pictures!!
Shannon is my bro's girlfriend (and hopefully my future sister-in-law!!), my aunt Debi, and me, trying to do my best impression of what it's like to live in thugish hotlanta sometimes.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
Wednesday, July 06, 2005
Prayer
I read this great and challenging quote on the plane ride home today from "Before the Throne of God," a book on prayer:
"Prayer has often been compared to the physical act of breathing. Both actions are prompted by the same type of distress. Just as the physical atmosphere around us put pressure on our lungs and stimulates them to breathe, the spiritual atmosphere of our lives puts pressure on our souls and stimulates them to pray. The more effectively we breathe, the more we enjoy our physical existence. And the more effectively we pray, the more we enjoy our relationship with the Father."
"Prayer has often been compared to the physical act of breathing. Both actions are prompted by the same type of distress. Just as the physical atmosphere around us put pressure on our lungs and stimulates them to breathe, the spiritual atmosphere of our lives puts pressure on our souls and stimulates them to pray. The more effectively we breathe, the more we enjoy our physical existence. And the more effectively we pray, the more we enjoy our relationship with the Father."
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
The Secret Life of the Rausch Family Women
Just before I went to Minnesota for the 4th of July extravaganza with the Rausch family, I finished reading a book called "The Secret Life of Bees". If you haven't read it, I would highly recommend it. It's about a group of women who bond together over the hardships and racism that cross their paths in rural South Carolina in the 1960's. After I finished the book and discussed it thoroughly with my fellow book club members, I put it on the shelf thinking I had exhausted all possibilities of bringing it up anymore. Not so. If you've read the book, you soon notice that one of the key parts of the these women's lives is something called "The Daughters of Mary." Simply defined, the DOM is a homeade religion that creates an outlet for followers to bond, fellowship, worship, and enjoy each other. Us Rausch women totally had a DOM moment this weekend as my cousin Danielle dazzled us with various Mary Kay products at her MK party she hosted. It was soo much fun. Danielle was a trooper too because we gave her a lot of crap, especially about the Mary Kay pin she proudly wore throughout the party.
We joked, laughed, complimented each others makeup, laughed some more, and drank some cocktails compliments of my cousin Kristy's husband Chad, who humored us by being the cabana boy. It was a great time to be a Rausch. It's neat how such a simple event turned into more time for us to bond as a family and enjoy each other's company, something that I do not get to do often as I live so far away. It did make me miss my mom, and I assume that others who were there last weekend also had similar thoughts of longing for her joyful presence, hearty laugh, and witty comments. But it is good that we forge on making new memories, while still thinking fondly of the old.
Oh, and about the picture. I wanted to post a picture of my little plane buddy, Quin, who is one of my honorary nephews. His mother is my cousin-in-law Natalie, and she ended up going to visit fam as well and left on the same day as I did, and we were able to get on the same flight and sit next to each other! As you can see, Quin is quite the cutie, and his size definitely addes to the cuteness, which everyone in the airport also seemed to notice and would comment on it. But the most random comment came from one of the flight attendants as Natalie and I were boarding the plane. When we were stepping into the plane this flight attendant had a grin on her face and was looking at Quin, so I thought we were about to hear another round of "ooohhh-he-is-so-cute", but instead this came out of her mouth: "WOW, what a whopper." Natalie, being the good sport she is, just smiled and said something nice. Being single with no kids, it was especially interesting to see how many strangers would talk to us because of him, and what they would have the nerve to say!!!
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