ericaroundtheworld's Xanga

Jet Lag Stinks

Wed, 19 Sep 2007 02:30:54 GMT

So I just got back from a two week trip in the States (it was wonderful, by the way!) I'm now dealing with jet-lag. Just when I thought, "Maybe I'm starting to grow out of this jet-lag thing..." then it rears its ugly head and bites me.

I woke up this morning at 3AM. Nevermind that I kept myself up as late as possible and finally turned out the light at 1AM. So I forced myself back to sleep and after a series of funky dreams, I woke again shortly before 5AM. This time I was up for good. Dang it! I hate getting up early. It makes the day seem so long.

Yesterday I slept all the way 'til 7AM. Wow. A regular Rip Van Winkle. But that was sleeping pill assisted.

So what am I to do? I don't know. Just deal with it I guess. They say it usually takes one day to adjust for every time zone you cross. That means 8 days for me. Yippee.

(On the plus side, all this extra time in the morning gives me time to write my bi-monthly blog entry.)

Hurry Up and Wait

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 08:51:11 GMT

So I have this truck that's broken down. It's broken down in Northern Kenya, about 12 hours from Nairobi. It's pretty much my main means of transport into the bush, but now I'm stuck using public busses and the ever-hated matatu.

Well, last week I set about to finish fixing the old beast. I travelled to Wamba with a mechanic. We spent the next day pulling out the transmission, looking inside it, putting the transmission back in the vehicle, pulling it out again, looking inside it again, and so on and so forth until we came to the conclusion that the transmission needs to be repaired in Nairobi. "Yay! Another ride in a matatu to Nairobi!" I thought to myself very sarcastically.

Well, I made it to Nairobi and I even got the transmission fixed in about two days. That was three days ago. Now I'm still here. Why? Because in Kenya they have a saying, "Hakuna Haraka", which means "no hurry". It's pretty much the way of things here and that probably well explains the guys you see just sleeping on the side of the road as you drive around the country.

No Hurry is a nice mantra when you aren't too excited about doing something, and it's equally useful when you need an excuse to be lazy. But when you have nothing else to do, it get's really frustrating.

You see, the thing keeping me held up in Nairobi is that a shop-owner owes me money. I bought some parts from her and when it was clear that they weren't the right parts, I returned them. I paid 20,000 shillings - a handsome sum of change around here - and I want my money back. It's that simple. So she said she'd give me the money on Friday. Friday came and went, no money. She said, "Tomorrow... No hurry..." Well, like the musical Annie, tomorrow is always only a day away and it seems that's where my money is perpetually stuck. Arghhh!

So I wait... and wait... and wait... pretending to be in no hurry, but knowing that I am in a hurry to fix it and move on with my life.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get my money.

New Sudan

Wed, 18 Apr 2007 20:26:53 GMT

So I write this from the country of Sudan. I now have another country to check off in my list of travels.

We are in a town called Yei in southern Sudan. It's about 50 miles from the Ugandan border. It took us three days by bus to reach this place. But it's beautiful here. This is not what I expected Sudan to be like. I expected it to be like Samburu District in Kenya where it's hot and dry, there's nothing green, no water, etc. But at least this part of Sudan is lush and green. The weather is comfortable, but humid. It's really quite lovely here.

The mango trees are just ripening now, so mangoes are everywhere. Any time the wind blows, they come crashing down. It sounds like a bomb if one of them happens to land on a tin-roof and you're underneath it. I only mention bombs, because it wasn't too many years ago that bombs were regularly dropping on houses here. The people of Southern Sudan have been through a lot. Many of them are just returning as refugees from Uganda and Congo. They all have remarkable stories.

There is one family that was just dropped at the side of the road by the UN High Commission for Refugees and basically told, "have a nice life..." They've got no food. They had to build a basic house. But they basically have nothing and have to start their new life that way. There are a lot of stories like that here.

We are here on sort of survey mission. We wanted to see the spiritual atmosphere here and see about possible ministry in the future. We've been staying at a compound called Harvesters - Reaching the Nations. (see www.hrtn.org) They run an orphanage and school here. We were hoping to be able to get a pretty good glimpse of ministry with the locals, but unfortunately most of the time we're in the compound and we don't have any translators to go out with us and visit the local villages. We do visit houses every evening for fellowships, but we're not out for very long. So our vision trip to Sudan so far has been a bit short-sighted.

You can keep us in your prayers. We'll take that 3 day bus ride back to Kenya on Monday, travelling in Africa is always an adventure. But you can also keep Sudan in your prayers. There is a window of peace here right now, but in 2011, there will be a referendum and the people of Southern Sudan will have a chance to vote for independence. Pretty much everyone believes that the independence vote will win, but the question is will Khartoum honor it? Probably not. And so this place will go back to war. I generally don't get involved in rebel movements, but I can say that I support the southerners on this one and I'm just waiting for official recognition of a new country called New Sudan.

God Bless the New Sudan!

Kenya Update

Mon, 19 Feb 2007 20:19:18 GMT

I hope you’re doing well. Sorry it has been so long since I last wrote. So much has happened that I’d love to tell you about, but most of it will have to wait for now.

I’m here in Kenya now with two young men from the US: Bryan Lent and Tony Garcia. Both have been out here before and both wrote to me asking if they can come out to Kenya again for a longer time. So they’re with me until May. It’s truly been a blast having them out. I’ve been able to see Kenya again through the eyes of ‘newbies’. Everything that I’ve gotten calloused to, they see with fresh excitement and vigor. From the poverty and corruption on the one side to the hospitality and friendliness of the locals on the other side, it’s been wonderful to see Kenya afresh through their eyes. Even the other day, the remark was made, “Look, that woman is carrying a table on her head!” It’s definitely fun!

So tomorrow, we will be heading to a place called Osegel. It’s in Maasai territory. We’ll be visiting some schools and leading some Bible studies with the locals there. There’s still a great number of Maasai that don’t know Christ, so we’re hoping that we can make a difference for eternity there. We’ll be there for six days, so please keep us in your prayers as we travel there and minister there.

In March, we’ll be heading to Samburu District to continue the ministry there. We want to spend the entire month out in the bush doing some serious, life-changing ministry. We have a lot of ideas and have done a lot of preparation for March, so we’re praying that God will be with us as we work there. We’ve prepared some lessons to teach people the basics about the God of the Bible and why Jesus Christ had to come. It’s our prayer that we will be able to lay a foundation for people to put their faith in Christ. Please keep us in your prayers for the month of March.

But the big news is that in April we plan to go to Sudan. We were in Nairobi two weeks ago getting our permits and no the road is clear for us to go there. There are still a lot of details to work out, like how we’ll get there. The guys want us to drive there, but I dread driving that journey – I’d rather fly. We hope to spend 2 to 3 weeks there visiting an orphanage and encouraging the local churches in the area. I know a lot of people think of Sudan as a death zone and say, “How could you go there?!?” I’d rather you not be worried for us, but pray for us that God will open up the way and guide us as we go there.

There are so many more stories and things I’d love to tell you about but because of space, I can’t. So keep us in your prayers. I thank God so much for you. Thank you for your support, prayers, and encouragement!

Take care and have a great day!

My Bottom Nine List of Names for Children

Sat, 30 Dec 2006 19:28:30 GMT

So here's what my friends have suggested as possible future names should the opportunity of naming another child ever present itself.

From best (or least worst) to worst (with comments):

Arianna (I don't know what this name means, which therefore puts it in the lead.)
Rahab (not a very good name, I try to generally avoid naming children after famous prostitutes, but the others are so bad that this one comes in at no. 2)
Hezekiah (a good name if the child was a Jewish king living three thousand years ago.)
Uriah (this was actually a 'non-suggestion' but it's better than the other suggestions, however its closeness to the word 'urine' holds it back from going up higher in the list.)
Atila (as in 'the hun', another 'non-suggestion' that ranks better than the others.)
Carlos Garcia (would be a good name as long as the child was not ashamed of his/her non-hispanic identity.)
Julibobsteve (any name that combines three other names needs work.)
Greg-is-good-looking (I'm not even sure what to say about this suggestion.)
Camel's Breath (this might work for a foul smelling candle, but Camel's Breath is not the most flattering moniker that you give a child. Sorry, you come in last.)

So there you have it: my bottom nine list of names for children. Any comments?

Saturday, December 16, 2006

Sat, 16 Dec 2006 04:30:42 GMT

Taken from my last email update:

One of the things about life in Africa is that it is never dull. There is always something lurking just around the corner. That, I guess, is part of the adventure of living here. It’s also part of the joy of living here. Of the many things that I’ve experienced in my years here, I now have a new accolade to add the list: I have named someone’s child. (Don’t worry, it’s not my child!) Part of Samburu tradition is that the parents don’t name their children. Instead, they ask a friend or family member to do it. So I was asked by a family to name their first-born daughter. I doubt you’ve ever been in the position to name someone else’s children, so let me tell you about it: There is a lot of pressure on you – what if they don’t like it, or they can’t pronounce it, or it means something bad in their language that you’re not aware about. There are so many things that could go wrong. But on the other hand, that tradition explains how kids get names like “Bomb-blast” or “Sniffer-dog” (both from the Embassy bombings in ‘98) or “Osama” or “Saddam”. So encouraged that I wasn’t going to name the girl “Sniffer-dog”, I gave her a name I thought was appropriate for what we were doing there. I named her “Kristi Naserian” which in Samburu means “Christ is peace”. The family is not exactly Christian, but they’re on their way. Keep Kristi’s family in your prayers so that they all might embrace the peace that comes from knowing Jesus Christ.

By the way, what would you name her? I need suggestions in case I ever get another chance.

Africa Update

Mon, 13 Nov 2006 06:37:22 GMT

The Bible says in Proverbs, “Wealth brings many new friends” and that is especially true in Africa where many people jockey to get themselves in a position to reap from you. Lately, I’ve been going through a process of finding out who is a genuine friend in the ministry and who is hanging around with ulterior motives. The process hasn’t been easy, nor is it much fun. But God has sent some refreshing my way this week. A good friend of mine from the USA is here, Greg Strock. He’s a missionary to the Czech Republic. It has been great to be refreshed by him and it’s fascinating to compare ministry in Europe with ministry in Africa.

Last weekend, we traveled to one of the national parks. We saw the beauty of God’s creation. It is truly awesome to see the majesty of God displayed in Mt. Kilimanjaro and the creativity of God displayed in all the different animals and birds. Truly ‘the heavens declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim his handiwork.’ If you ever get a chance to go on an African safari, don’t miss it.

We finished the weekend by preaching at a local church near the park. It was the church of a very close pastor friend who moved from Samburu District to the other side of the country. I’ve really missed him in Samburu, so it was great to be with him again. It was him who gave me the idea of getting camels for the ministry in Samburu. We had a wonderful time of ministry together – myself, Greg, and Pastor Nyaga – as we reminisced and laughed about the past and looked forward to the future.

This week, Greg and I will be traveling to Wamba in Samburu District. Of course, Greg wants to see the infamous Pedro the Camel and be sure that it’s not just an elaborate scam. While in Samburu, we’ll be spending a few nights at Nkiseu. I would appreciate your prayers for us as we go there: one of the things I want to do is challenge the old men there to take some ownership of the church and donate one goat each from their herds so that we can complete the church. I expect there to be some resistance because they like getting free things (who doesn’t like getting free things?) But we’re trying to wean them off that reliance on other people doing things for them and show them how to do it themselves. It’s definitely an uphill battle. Keep us in your prayers, we’ll be there from Wednesday through Monday.

Greg will leave Kenya next week and I’ll get started winding up things for this year and planning things for next year. Thanksgiving weekend I’ll be with my friend Shane Gauthier ministering to missionary kids at an Africa Inland Mission conference near Nairobi. Then the first week of December, I’ll be taking a group out to Samburu District for a weeklong mission. Since December is the season to be giving, we’ll distribute some relief food in Samburu and also some clothes to the people there. Of course, those things are secondary to the ministry we’ll be doing of sharing God’s word with the people and showing them the love of Jesus Christ. Please keep the both the AIM conference and the December mission in your prayers. Especially the December mission, because I don’t know who will be joining us and I’m praying that I’ll get some genuine guys who want to serve God and not go on a tour of Samburu-land.

My Love Life

Tue, 07 Nov 2006 06:39:07 GMT

It seems that all over the world, my love life is a popular topic of conversation. I don't understand it, but if that's what floats your boat, then fine.

A week ago, I got back from a mission to the Pokoot tribe in Northwestern Kenya. The mission went very well with all the usual adventures that we have come to expect on a mission (i.e. vehicle getting stuck in the mud, nowhere to sleep, rain disrupting evening ministry, disorganized plans on the ground there, etc.) But what I can report is that the people there are looking out for my romantic welfare. You see, the Pokoot people know that it is not good for man to be alone -- that includes me. What a shame it is, they say, for such a strapping young lad such as myself to be single with no sons to pass his legacy on to. So, most generously, they have offered me two of their daughters.

All I have to do is steal 25 cows and bring them to the girls' fathers and the women are mine. Forget about wooing them. Forget about a long engagement. It's a give-to-get scheme: I give the cows, I get the women, everyone is happy.

What do you think about that plan? I know it can create some issues, for instance the passage in 1 Timothy about a man having only one wife. But that passage is just talking about elders and overseers. So what if I don't want to be an elder or overseer, then can I have more than one wife?

Alas, these are all questions my missionary friends in Europe don't have to consider. (I think they must have it really easy there.)

Well, maybe you can help me make up my mind. Is it possible that this isn't God's will for me? Maybe God has something better? I went to my homepage and tried the 'lovetester', but I don't know their names so I can't get a good answer from that thing. Maybe their names are something from the Lion King, like 'Nala' or 'Serabi', but those don't turn out very nice results. What's a man to do?

Que sera, sera...

Nairobi: The city you love to hate

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 05:53:14 GMT

Murphy's Law says that if anything can go wrong, it will go wrong. That's an apt description of life in Africa. The other day I needed to go to Nairobi to deal with a few issues at the Immigration department and then get a few spares for the truck. I hate using public transport, so I thought I'd use my motorcycle to make the three hour drive. Now, it's raining in some parts of Kenya and I didn't want to get stuck in the rain with a motorcycle -- that's a very unpleasant experience (imagine being soaked through and through and then having a whole crowd of Africans gather around you and debate what happened to you, which after some time one of them will give you some inane advice like, "you shouldn't ride your motorcycle in the rain." Thanks for the advice.) So I called my friend Shane and asked if it was raining in Nairobi. He told me that it hasn't rained and it's very dry around Nairobi. Good, I thought, now I can ride to Nairobi in style.

So I left for Nairobi and reached without complication. I even got my immigration issue dealt with effortlessly. It was truly an amazing day. But the next day, my fortunes changed.

I woke up on Wednesday to the sound of thunderstorms. In Homer Simpson style, I said, "Doh!" I knew I would be riding back to Nakuru in the rain. So I have to wait out the rain. It rained all day. Dang it.

Now, on Thursday, another issue has developed. My motorcycle is smoking like crazy. Although I pretend to be a mechanic, I'm not really a very good one. So I have another guy looking at the motorcycle, more like disassembling the motorcycle, and it's lying in pieces on a garage floor. I don't know if I'll be going back to Nakuru today either. Doh!

So, now I'm wondering, does God want me in Nairobi for something? I hate Nairobi. It's loud and polluted, everyone yells "Mzungu!" at you, and there's no shortage of con-men here trying to pry a few shillings from your hand. Why am I here in Nairobi? Is God punishing me? Maybe this is some sort of trial. A test for sure. I just want to go home to Nakuru, is that so wrong?

Doh!

I would walk 500 miles...

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 19:26:43 GMT

A few years back, the Proclaimers sang a love-song about walking 500 miles and then walking “500 more just to be the man who walked 1000 miles to fall down at your door, na, na, na...” I don’t know about the falling down part, but I can relate to the walking part. I just got back last week from the bush where I had spent 16 days traversing the countryside to visit the local Samburu people. That meant a lot of walking, sometimes walking four, five, or six hours a day (not every day, but some days). I will admit, it was tiring, but it was worth it. We decided to not take Pedro the Camel because he’s slow and lazy and he would hold us up, so that forced us to be minimalists – only carrying what we absolutely needed for the journey: a change of clothes, some food, and our Bibles. That’s it. But it was a wonderful time. I slept several nights in a mud hut which was an experience in itself. Imagine sleeping on a dried out animal-skin, with a fire at your feet, mosquitoes and flies buzzing around you, and you’re wrapped in a thin blanket to stay warm, that’s what it was like – oh, and you’re sharing the animal-skin with about 4 other people. It’s a far cry from suburban America with duvets and 4-post beds. Maybe the conditions are ‘different’ but God gives the grace to endure them and the time I got to spend with the people was invaluable.

The days were sometimes a bit boring because most of the locals would take their animals out grazing, which left me and my interpreter Daniel at the homestead alone. So, bored, we would head down to the dry river bed to find water to bathe with. I can’t say that I enjoy bathing in wide-open public spaces (especially when you’re as white as I am people might confuse you for an angel taking a bath), but sometimes you have no choice. When in Rome, do as the Romans...

We got to spend some quality time with the people there, talking to them, sharing with them, and praying with them. We have kept sharing the Gospel with the people there, and slowly they’re beginning to understand it. But we still need to pray that God would open their hearts to understand the gospel fully. The first Sunday there, at place called Nkiseu, I preached and again I pleaded with the people to cry out to the Lord and ask Him to save them from their sins. Sometimes you wonder if you’re ever getting through to them. As the service was finishing, they asked me, “When are you going to finish building this church?” I was more than a bit irritated because, first, they weren’t listening at all to the preaching, and, second, because we told them that we would put up the posts and rooftop and they can put up the walls. Theirs is a culture where they’re used to getting things done for them for free, so I told them that it was their job to put up the walls. To which they told me, “We’ll just wait then...” So that was frustrating.

But the second Sunday, in a place called Engilai, I preached and I felt such an assurance that God was speaking through me. As I proclaimed the Gospel, in the most clear and Biblical way that I knew how to, I could tell that the Holy Spirit was working in the lives of the people there. I’m not a preacher but that morning I preached for over one hour and the people listened, not distracted or falling asleep, but listening intently. It has been a long time since I’ve felt used of God in a mighty way, as His faithful messenger, and yet I can’t even give any concrete reasons why. I didn’t ask for a show of hands, or call for people to come forward, because I’m convinced these days that those are not Biblical methods of evangelism. Rather, I told people what the Bible says, “You are sinners, you’ve rebelled against God, you’ve broken His commandments, and unless you cry out to God and ask Him to forgive you and regenerate you based on what Jesus Christ has done, you will die in your sins.” That’s not a very conventional message in today’s seeker-sensitive world, but I can tell you that there was a soberness in church that morning that I’ve rarely seen in my short life. And I praise God for it because it means He’s working in people’s hearts in Samburu.

So you can praise God with me for the way God is moving in Samburu and you can continue to pray for the people of those two locations, Nkiseu and Engilai, that God would fully open their eyes and take away the spiritual blindness that affects everyone who isn’t born again. I know that Samburu is on the verge of something great happening there.

It’s nice to be back now in civilization for a few days, but sometimes I miss the bush. You can pray for me as I go out for a mission later this week. I’ll be going with a church in Nakuru to a place called Ngoron. I don’t know where that is, I only know it’s far away from civilization, the people are of a tribe called Pokoot, and most of them don’t know Jesus Christ. We’ll be doing medical ministry, Jesus Film ministry, and door-to-door visitation. Pray for us from Thursday to Sunday that God would be watching over us and blessing our work.