Sunday, June 21, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Saturday June 20
We all went to bed about 10 pm last night, and Ken & I both woke up about 4 am. Came downstairs to the lobby area to find Kam had already gotten up as well, so maybe we need to cut him a little slack on how much he’s been sleeping… NAH! There wouldn’t be any sense in that!
After I left off last night we all went over to The Palace – a compound across the street from KIU where Eternal Impact has their offices. Led by Anthony, we went around the room doing introductions – starting with the hosts. Let’s see, there was Anthony, Emmanuel, Peter, Aaron, Laura, Sophia, Harrison, David, Jackson, Evelyn, and Matthew. One thing that struck all of us was how each of them would start with “Praise God! I am Aaron and I’m born again.” To which the rest would respond “Amen”. The reason it struck all of us was that even in evangelical circles we don’t often see people wearing their faith on their sleeves to that extent. Most were students or recently graduated, most were from Kenya. Oh yeah – and they sang their own version of Hakuna Matata for us. Yes ladies & gentlemen, that term was NOT created by Disney! On the way back over to the campus, I asked Aaron how many students KIU had. They run around 11,000 which would make it a mid-range sized university in the states.
He also told me that the university is owned by a Muslim. From what they’ve explained to us, Islam is spreading rapidly in East Africa, and the manner of recruitment is a classic case of “find out what the people need and supply it - with strings”. As an example, many of the banks are owned by Muslims, and low interest loans are available to Muslims or those willing to convert. For Christians – not so much. I find this fascinating since the Islamic method of incursion in Europe is on the opposite end of the socio-economic scale. The people already living there already have all they need except workers to support their lifestyles. They’ve therefore allowed massive immigration from the less wealthy Muslim countries.
But I digress. It was decided last night that we were going to postpone the festival scheduled for today because we’re just not ready. The schedule had called for spending time yesterday rehearsing sketches and practicing worship songs, but by the time everyone grabbed a short nap and we did lunch and dinner, the day was wiped out. Meals at the restaurant are not like what we’re used to in the states. We’d arrive and it seems that they begin preparing the food at that point since we’d spend 30-45 minutes sitting at the tables chatting with the students. This is very enjoyable, but it is an adjustment to the harried pace that we’re used to. So by the time we got to the guest house (around 11) got cleaned up and ready to go (around 1230) went to eat and returned to the guest house (around 230) finished up some naps (around 5 pm) went to dinner, and had our social event at The Palace, we were back at the guest house around 9:30 pm.
An update on Nick. They took him over to the hospital last evening (Alex went with him as well) and he was given an IV to help re-hydrate him. We’re praying that a good night sleep will help him get back on his feet.
It’s now about 7:40 am and the rest of the folks (outside of Ken, Kam & I) are starting to stir. The girls had asked me to wake them at 7, but they apparently were woken earlier by some of the neighborhood crowing roosters and barking dogs. I haven’t seen any dogs yet, but they certainly are around! One other quick note on the urban wildlife here. There are a large number of very large storks flying around all the time. And I mean LARGE! We saw one sitting on top of a pole yesterday whose body was probably around 3’ long. When they fly overhead they look almost like a small plane! The kids are all remarking at how exceptionally ugly they are as well.
Update 7 pm
We spent most of the day at The Palace, rehearsing worship and sketches and helped them erect the tent. On tap this evening is a church service in the Main Hall here on campus. Branden found out this morning that he is preaching. Oh, and he’s also leading worship. He’s a little freaked out right now!
The highlight of the day was when us “mzumgu’s” (white people) were hanging out under the tent, helping the kids out with their testimonies. Somebody noticed that there were some tiny little black faces peaking through the gate. A bunch of little kids were going by and one of them somehow caught sight of a mzumgu – and they ALL had to see. We motioned them in and introduced ourselves, but Katie kept them completely enthralled by taking their pictures and then showing them what they looked like. It isn’t a very common occurrence.
As we were going through the same session, a group of the university students came outside and started practicing some of their singing – a capella. I swear there were angels in attendance. They were amazing!
The whole mzumgu thing is quite fascinating. We’ll be riding in the bus through town and kids walking down the street will spot us and get all excited, shouting “MZUMGU!” and waving very enthusiastically at us. We even passed a blonde white guy today, and he looked up, grinned and shouted “MZUMGU!” John had told us that we’d be like rock stars over here, but it’s almost like we’re from a completely different planet. All of them are extremely friendly, but we are definitely noticed.
We also had a dancing exhibition today, led by Bryan, Patrick, Laura, Sophie and a young lady that I haven’t been introduced to yet. Bryan is the leader of the pack, and can definitely bust a move. After they danced through several songs, all of our kids (and by kids, I include Branden, Katie, and Lance) got up and had Bryan and the other young lady doing moves and having our group trying to imitate them. There were varying levels of success. I was taking some pictures, and had 4 or 5 people come up to me to tell me “Sam is really good!” Patrick came up to her afterwards and said “You dance really well. Branden? Not so much. I think he has two left feet!”
Okay, I should probably head off to the church service. So much to tell, so little time to tell it. Lance is doing a fabulous job of coordinating us, and I’m sure Branden’s preaching will be great. Kennedy and Evelyn both asked me today if I was going to be preaching. I told them it would be probably the shortest message they’d ever heard. “Jesus is your best friend – never forget that!” The Lord may have called me to make this trip to Uganda, but I don’t believe I’ve heard him asking me to preach!!!
So until tomorrow (or whenever I can get to the internet café again) I’ll sign off. We’re having a blast!
Oh, and I'm hoping to get some pics and maybe a video up tomorrow.
After I left off last night we all went over to The Palace – a compound across the street from KIU where Eternal Impact has their offices. Led by Anthony, we went around the room doing introductions – starting with the hosts. Let’s see, there was Anthony, Emmanuel, Peter, Aaron, Laura, Sophia, Harrison, David, Jackson, Evelyn, and Matthew. One thing that struck all of us was how each of them would start with “Praise God! I am Aaron and I’m born again.” To which the rest would respond “Amen”. The reason it struck all of us was that even in evangelical circles we don’t often see people wearing their faith on their sleeves to that extent. Most were students or recently graduated, most were from Kenya. Oh yeah – and they sang their own version of Hakuna Matata for us. Yes ladies & gentlemen, that term was NOT created by Disney! On the way back over to the campus, I asked Aaron how many students KIU had. They run around 11,000 which would make it a mid-range sized university in the states.
He also told me that the university is owned by a Muslim. From what they’ve explained to us, Islam is spreading rapidly in East Africa, and the manner of recruitment is a classic case of “find out what the people need and supply it - with strings”. As an example, many of the banks are owned by Muslims, and low interest loans are available to Muslims or those willing to convert. For Christians – not so much. I find this fascinating since the Islamic method of incursion in Europe is on the opposite end of the socio-economic scale. The people already living there already have all they need except workers to support their lifestyles. They’ve therefore allowed massive immigration from the less wealthy Muslim countries.
But I digress. It was decided last night that we were going to postpone the festival scheduled for today because we’re just not ready. The schedule had called for spending time yesterday rehearsing sketches and practicing worship songs, but by the time everyone grabbed a short nap and we did lunch and dinner, the day was wiped out. Meals at the restaurant are not like what we’re used to in the states. We’d arrive and it seems that they begin preparing the food at that point since we’d spend 30-45 minutes sitting at the tables chatting with the students. This is very enjoyable, but it is an adjustment to the harried pace that we’re used to. So by the time we got to the guest house (around 11) got cleaned up and ready to go (around 1230) went to eat and returned to the guest house (around 230) finished up some naps (around 5 pm) went to dinner, and had our social event at The Palace, we were back at the guest house around 9:30 pm.
An update on Nick. They took him over to the hospital last evening (Alex went with him as well) and he was given an IV to help re-hydrate him. We’re praying that a good night sleep will help him get back on his feet.
It’s now about 7:40 am and the rest of the folks (outside of Ken, Kam & I) are starting to stir. The girls had asked me to wake them at 7, but they apparently were woken earlier by some of the neighborhood crowing roosters and barking dogs. I haven’t seen any dogs yet, but they certainly are around! One other quick note on the urban wildlife here. There are a large number of very large storks flying around all the time. And I mean LARGE! We saw one sitting on top of a pole yesterday whose body was probably around 3’ long. When they fly overhead they look almost like a small plane! The kids are all remarking at how exceptionally ugly they are as well.
Update 7 pm
We spent most of the day at The Palace, rehearsing worship and sketches and helped them erect the tent. On tap this evening is a church service in the Main Hall here on campus. Branden found out this morning that he is preaching. Oh, and he’s also leading worship. He’s a little freaked out right now!
The highlight of the day was when us “mzumgu’s” (white people) were hanging out under the tent, helping the kids out with their testimonies. Somebody noticed that there were some tiny little black faces peaking through the gate. A bunch of little kids were going by and one of them somehow caught sight of a mzumgu – and they ALL had to see. We motioned them in and introduced ourselves, but Katie kept them completely enthralled by taking their pictures and then showing them what they looked like. It isn’t a very common occurrence.
As we were going through the same session, a group of the university students came outside and started practicing some of their singing – a capella. I swear there were angels in attendance. They were amazing!
The whole mzumgu thing is quite fascinating. We’ll be riding in the bus through town and kids walking down the street will spot us and get all excited, shouting “MZUMGU!” and waving very enthusiastically at us. We even passed a blonde white guy today, and he looked up, grinned and shouted “MZUMGU!” John had told us that we’d be like rock stars over here, but it’s almost like we’re from a completely different planet. All of them are extremely friendly, but we are definitely noticed.
We also had a dancing exhibition today, led by Bryan, Patrick, Laura, Sophie and a young lady that I haven’t been introduced to yet. Bryan is the leader of the pack, and can definitely bust a move. After they danced through several songs, all of our kids (and by kids, I include Branden, Katie, and Lance) got up and had Bryan and the other young lady doing moves and having our group trying to imitate them. There were varying levels of success. I was taking some pictures, and had 4 or 5 people come up to me to tell me “Sam is really good!” Patrick came up to her afterwards and said “You dance really well. Branden? Not so much. I think he has two left feet!”
Okay, I should probably head off to the church service. So much to tell, so little time to tell it. Lance is doing a fabulous job of coordinating us, and I’m sure Branden’s preaching will be great. Kennedy and Evelyn both asked me today if I was going to be preaching. I told them it would be probably the shortest message they’d ever heard. “Jesus is your best friend – never forget that!” The Lord may have called me to make this trip to Uganda, but I don’t believe I’ve heard him asking me to preach!!!
So until tomorrow (or whenever I can get to the internet café again) I’ll sign off. We’re having a blast!
Oh, and I'm hoping to get some pics and maybe a video up tomorrow.
Friday, June 19, 2009
We Made It!!!
Well, we made it! Flight landed at Entebbe at approximately 8 am local (Friday). This flight it seemed most everyone managed to catch a few zzz’s. Nick appears to have recovered from his “events” from yesterday, so overall everyone seems to be doing well.
Entebbe – where the airport is located – is about an hours drive out of Kampala. Ti took us the better part of an hour to clear a health check station and customs before we could start rounding up all of the luggage. We were met by Kennedy, Matthew, Antonio and a couple of other gentlemen whose names I didn’t catch. These guys immediately introduced themselves and then took over loading all of our luggage and such into the bus.
For anyone who is not aware, Uganda was at one time a British colony, and as such has a lot of British traditions that linger. The most notable of these is that the driver sits on the right side of the car and drives on the left side of the road. Or at least that appears to be the intent. Like other third world countries – and downtown Boston, from my experience – the lines in the roads are meant more as an exception than the rule. Branden & I agreed that we’re not about to attempt to drive here – more than happy to be shuttled about by someone more familiar with the local rules. That is if there are, in fact, any rules!
As we were landing and driving into Kampala, I was trying to figure out where I had been that would be comparable in terrain. I finally landed on San Diego or Monterey in California. There is a lot of open grassy areas, plenty of palm and other trees, some beautiful flowers on occasion and generally quite pleasant to view. If anyone had visions of it being jungle or rain forest, you would be mistaken (I was before I started reading more about it). I’m frankly kind of amazed at the misconceptions I had prior to beginning this adventure several months ago. I assumed that it would be ridiculously hot and humid. Nope. It is humid, but I don’t think the temps are supposed to get above around 85° F the entire time we’re here. When we got off the plane (down stairways, of course) it felt very pleasant. Got a little sweaty inside the terminal as we were going through that process, but once outside again all was good. As a matter of fact, Katie just sat down and was complaining that she’s cold.
As we traveled through Entebbe and then Kampala, I was mentally soaking it in and comparing it to the closest city that I’ve ever visited in terms of socio-economic levels – Mexico City. There are areas of obvious poverty. In fact, by our standards, the vast majority of the area is very poor. The thing that struck me most, however, is that the people here seem to work harder at keeping things more tidy. I don’t notice as many wrecked cars and rusting machinery, etc as I did in Mexico City. As a matter of fact, I don’t notice as many of them as I do when I’m in Nampa, Idaho (sorry folks, that’s a family joke).
And then we arrived at our living quarters – the Emmaus Guest House. We are not roughing it, ladies & gentlemen. This place is much nicer than what we expected. We each have our own bed, complete with bug nets. The girls’ room has a bathroom complete with a tub, etc. Our room (Ken & I are sharing) only has a shower, sink and toilet, but still not bad. Clean, relatively new furniture, and the garden area behind it is beautiful with a well manicured lawn and lots of flowers and shrubs.
Most of the kids called home as we were leaving the airport – even if they were very short phone calls.
Well, I’m not sure how often or when I’m going to get internet access to be able to post this, but I’m jotting down my thoughts as we go along.
Update approx 6:30 pm
We left the guest house around 1 pm and went down to Kampala International University (KIU) for some lunch. The food here is obviously very different – lots of rice and beans, but the dishes are very flavorful and are providing all of us with some new culinary experiences. I have GOT to get their recipe for rice! We returned to the same restaurant for dinner. I believe the cafe here at KIU is called Mama Mumbasa's - And I hope I'm forgiven for spelling mistakes!
The students that we've been meeting are intensely curious about what our lives are like, and it is quite fascinating to learn about theirs as well. So far I've been speaking with lots of them from Kenya and one from Tanzania. I'm beginning to wonder if they actually have any Ugandans attending school here!
On the prayer request front, we'd like to ask for continued prayers for Nick. He had another bout this afternoon, and Lance & Kennedy have taken him to the hospital this evening, just to make sure he's okay. We'd ask that you pray for his health and recovery. The good news is that he's been getting lots of sleep.
Well, we're off on a tour of KIU so I'll wrap this up for now. I'm sure we'll all have lots of stories when we return!
Entebbe – where the airport is located – is about an hours drive out of Kampala. Ti took us the better part of an hour to clear a health check station and customs before we could start rounding up all of the luggage. We were met by Kennedy, Matthew, Antonio and a couple of other gentlemen whose names I didn’t catch. These guys immediately introduced themselves and then took over loading all of our luggage and such into the bus.
For anyone who is not aware, Uganda was at one time a British colony, and as such has a lot of British traditions that linger. The most notable of these is that the driver sits on the right side of the car and drives on the left side of the road. Or at least that appears to be the intent. Like other third world countries – and downtown Boston, from my experience – the lines in the roads are meant more as an exception than the rule. Branden & I agreed that we’re not about to attempt to drive here – more than happy to be shuttled about by someone more familiar with the local rules. That is if there are, in fact, any rules!
As we were landing and driving into Kampala, I was trying to figure out where I had been that would be comparable in terrain. I finally landed on San Diego or Monterey in California. There is a lot of open grassy areas, plenty of palm and other trees, some beautiful flowers on occasion and generally quite pleasant to view. If anyone had visions of it being jungle or rain forest, you would be mistaken (I was before I started reading more about it). I’m frankly kind of amazed at the misconceptions I had prior to beginning this adventure several months ago. I assumed that it would be ridiculously hot and humid. Nope. It is humid, but I don’t think the temps are supposed to get above around 85° F the entire time we’re here. When we got off the plane (down stairways, of course) it felt very pleasant. Got a little sweaty inside the terminal as we were going through that process, but once outside again all was good. As a matter of fact, Katie just sat down and was complaining that she’s cold.
As we traveled through Entebbe and then Kampala, I was mentally soaking it in and comparing it to the closest city that I’ve ever visited in terms of socio-economic levels – Mexico City. There are areas of obvious poverty. In fact, by our standards, the vast majority of the area is very poor. The thing that struck me most, however, is that the people here seem to work harder at keeping things more tidy. I don’t notice as many wrecked cars and rusting machinery, etc as I did in Mexico City. As a matter of fact, I don’t notice as many of them as I do when I’m in Nampa, Idaho (sorry folks, that’s a family joke).
And then we arrived at our living quarters – the Emmaus Guest House. We are not roughing it, ladies & gentlemen. This place is much nicer than what we expected. We each have our own bed, complete with bug nets. The girls’ room has a bathroom complete with a tub, etc. Our room (Ken & I are sharing) only has a shower, sink and toilet, but still not bad. Clean, relatively new furniture, and the garden area behind it is beautiful with a well manicured lawn and lots of flowers and shrubs.
Most of the kids called home as we were leaving the airport – even if they were very short phone calls.
Well, I’m not sure how often or when I’m going to get internet access to be able to post this, but I’m jotting down my thoughts as we go along.
Update approx 6:30 pm
We left the guest house around 1 pm and went down to Kampala International University (KIU) for some lunch. The food here is obviously very different – lots of rice and beans, but the dishes are very flavorful and are providing all of us with some new culinary experiences. I have GOT to get their recipe for rice! We returned to the same restaurant for dinner. I believe the cafe here at KIU is called Mama Mumbasa's - And I hope I'm forgiven for spelling mistakes!
The students that we've been meeting are intensely curious about what our lives are like, and it is quite fascinating to learn about theirs as well. So far I've been speaking with lots of them from Kenya and one from Tanzania. I'm beginning to wonder if they actually have any Ugandans attending school here!
On the prayer request front, we'd like to ask for continued prayers for Nick. He had another bout this afternoon, and Lance & Kennedy have taken him to the hospital this evening, just to make sure he's okay. We'd ask that you pray for his health and recovery. The good news is that he's been getting lots of sleep.
Well, we're off on a tour of KIU so I'll wrap this up for now. I'm sure we'll all have lots of stories when we return!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
We made it to London!
Hey Folks - we made it across the big pond. Actually, the route of flight was more over Canada than anything else - over the top of Hudsons Bay and the north end of Labrador. Some slept like a baby (Samantha) and the others pulled a little - ranging down to Branden and I who combined probably rang up 1-2 hours.
Lance was telling us about the lady that he sat next to on the plane, who had been praying that she would be surrounded by Christians. Well, she had the window, Lance was beside her and the seat on the other side of him - as well as the entire row in front and the entire row behind her were Christians. God does answer prayer!
In a touch of unfortunate news, Nick appears to have contracted motion sickness towards the end of the flight. He's made several trips to the "loo" and is still looking rather pekid.
Other than that, folks are napping, blog writing, or - in Sam's case - pining for someone to go shopping with her. There's a ton of shops here in Terminal 5 at Heathrow. We're here until 9 pm local, which equates to 1 pm Pacific. It's a huge terminal with lots of seating areas, and we managed to find a bank of couches that people can take turns stretching out on. I think I'll go kick someone off of one and try myself!
Ta ta for now, and the next post should be from Uganda!
Lance was telling us about the lady that he sat next to on the plane, who had been praying that she would be surrounded by Christians. Well, she had the window, Lance was beside her and the seat on the other side of him - as well as the entire row in front and the entire row behind her were Christians. God does answer prayer!
In a touch of unfortunate news, Nick appears to have contracted motion sickness towards the end of the flight. He's made several trips to the "loo" and is still looking rather pekid.
Other than that, folks are napping, blog writing, or - in Sam's case - pining for someone to go shopping with her. There's a ton of shops here in Terminal 5 at Heathrow. We're here until 9 pm local, which equates to 1 pm Pacific. It's a huge terminal with lots of seating areas, and we managed to find a bank of couches that people can take turns stretching out on. I think I'll go kick someone off of one and try myself!
Ta ta for now, and the next post should be from Uganda!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Ready, Set, GO!!!
This is it, boys & girls. This afternoon at 2:30 we achieve lift off for Uganda. Well, actually, that particular flight is to Seattle, but you know what I mean!
Last evening we all gathered at Garricks to pack up. I believe Samantha was a little annoyed with me that I've trained the entire family to pack light. Her suitcase took the prize as the lightest, and when you saw all of the pieces of luggage gathered together, both of ours looked like little babies compared to some of the rest. Only one person exceeded the 50 lb. limit - I won't mention that person's name (Kayla!). Katie & Branden both brought suitcases that you could have packed 3 small children in.
So what are the emotions this morning? I can't give you everyone else's - Samantha is still asleep and none of the rest of the folks are here - but mine are the usual hodgepodge. There is a new sense of relief or inevitability (not sure which) added to the anxiousness and excitement this morning.
I'd like to add one more prayer request to the already extensive list this morning. Please pray for the parents and families who are staying home. Sending your child jetting halfway around the world to a strange place with a group of people that you don't really know is a definite leap of faith, friends, and the folks staying behind are experiencing anxieties of their own.
So ready or not, HERE WE GO!!!
Last evening we all gathered at Garricks to pack up. I believe Samantha was a little annoyed with me that I've trained the entire family to pack light. Her suitcase took the prize as the lightest, and when you saw all of the pieces of luggage gathered together, both of ours looked like little babies compared to some of the rest. Only one person exceeded the 50 lb. limit - I won't mention that person's name (Kayla!). Katie & Branden both brought suitcases that you could have packed 3 small children in.
So what are the emotions this morning? I can't give you everyone else's - Samantha is still asleep and none of the rest of the folks are here - but mine are the usual hodgepodge. There is a new sense of relief or inevitability (not sure which) added to the anxiousness and excitement this morning.
I'd like to add one more prayer request to the already extensive list this morning. Please pray for the parents and families who are staying home. Sending your child jetting halfway around the world to a strange place with a group of people that you don't really know is a definite leap of faith, friends, and the folks staying behind are experiencing anxieties of their own.
So ready or not, HERE WE GO!!!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
It's t t t tomorrow...
Wow. Just... Wow. In roughly 24 hours we'll all be gathering ourselves up and heading for the airport to begin what for most of us will be the adventure of a lifetime. I'm going to get a little personal with this one. One of the rather weird little quirks of my family is that we have a family theme song - The Great Adventure by Stephen Curtis Chapman. It's a fairly involved story that I won't bore anyone with right now, but if you're interested, you can dig into it on my personal blog at http://thegreatadventure-77.blogspot.com/ So we're all off on our own Great Adventure. "We'll follow our Leader into the glorious unknown!"
There's so many emotions that have been swirling for months, and I suspect that each team member is experiencing the same feelings but in their own unique way. There's a fear of the unknown. There's the excitement of traveling to what is, in many ways, a whole different world. There's nervousness about all of the processes and wanting to make sure we're doing everything right. And there's the anticipation - which is becoming quite palpable - at what the Lord has to teach each and every one of us.
And there's distractions. In the past week I've learned of a young man from Rolling Hills who chose to take his own life. I learned that an old friend of mine has a neighbor and friend - another very young man - who made the same choice. Two of my old friends have lost their fathers in the past 4 days. Multiple other friends are in the midst of significant battles with cancer. I'm not going to point the finger and say that Satan is behind all of these distractions -death and disease is a part of our fallen world. But they are distractions, nonetheless.
And so I - along with all of the rest of the team members - continue my preparations and try desperately to keep focused. Once again, I'd solicit prayers.
But in the end, I AM excited! I know this will change my life as well as the other members of the team. I pray that it will change the lives of some of the people in Uganda that we come into contact with.
So saddle up your horses, ladies and gentlemen - This IS the Great Adventure!
There's so many emotions that have been swirling for months, and I suspect that each team member is experiencing the same feelings but in their own unique way. There's a fear of the unknown. There's the excitement of traveling to what is, in many ways, a whole different world. There's nervousness about all of the processes and wanting to make sure we're doing everything right. And there's the anticipation - which is becoming quite palpable - at what the Lord has to teach each and every one of us.
And there's distractions. In the past week I've learned of a young man from Rolling Hills who chose to take his own life. I learned that an old friend of mine has a neighbor and friend - another very young man - who made the same choice. Two of my old friends have lost their fathers in the past 4 days. Multiple other friends are in the midst of significant battles with cancer. I'm not going to point the finger and say that Satan is behind all of these distractions -death and disease is a part of our fallen world. But they are distractions, nonetheless.
And so I - along with all of the rest of the team members - continue my preparations and try desperately to keep focused. Once again, I'd solicit prayers.
But in the end, I AM excited! I know this will change my life as well as the other members of the team. I pray that it will change the lives of some of the people in Uganda that we come into contact with.
So saddle up your horses, ladies and gentlemen - This IS the Great Adventure!
Monday, June 15, 2009
Monday morning - 2 days!
Two days until lift off. It is certainly bearing down, isn't it!
This morning I was thinking about how thankful I am to all who are supporting us. I'm thankful for the people who are providing prayer and financial support. I am thankful for the church, particularly Pastor Bill Towne and his prayers for us yesterday. I'm thankful to the parents of the kids on the trip and their remarkable support, their willingness to jump in and take care of last minute needs.
I'm thankful to John, and once again offer our condolences that he can't make the trip with us. I'm thankful for Lance and his ability to jump in at the last moment and do a "bang-up" job of getting us ready. I'm thankful to Juli and Kennedy and the rest of the Eternal Impact team for all of their efforts in arranging this trip.
I'm also thankful for the many friends who are offering encouragement and excitement to all of us. Over the past few days, I've had many people come up and start asking me about the trip and state "I've always wanted to do something like that!" That helps!
And most of all, I'm thankful to our Lord for providing all of the above! Without Him, none of this would be possible.
Oh, and one final thank you to the Mom's of the kids on the trip. Thank you for not arranging matching t-shirts for all of us!
This morning I was thinking about how thankful I am to all who are supporting us. I'm thankful for the people who are providing prayer and financial support. I am thankful for the church, particularly Pastor Bill Towne and his prayers for us yesterday. I'm thankful to the parents of the kids on the trip and their remarkable support, their willingness to jump in and take care of last minute needs.
I'm thankful to John, and once again offer our condolences that he can't make the trip with us. I'm thankful for Lance and his ability to jump in at the last moment and do a "bang-up" job of getting us ready. I'm thankful to Juli and Kennedy and the rest of the Eternal Impact team for all of their efforts in arranging this trip.
I'm also thankful for the many friends who are offering encouragement and excitement to all of us. Over the past few days, I've had many people come up and start asking me about the trip and state "I've always wanted to do something like that!" That helps!
And most of all, I'm thankful to our Lord for providing all of the above! Without Him, none of this would be possible.
Oh, and one final thank you to the Mom's of the kids on the trip. Thank you for not arranging matching t-shirts for all of us!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Saturday Evening - Preparations for Departure
It's Saturday evening, June 13. All of the members of the Rolling Hills Impact Uganda team are locked in spiritual preparations for the trip...
Branden and Katie are watching Top Gun. Actually, Katie is trying desperately to comfort Branden, who is weeping inconsolably over the death - once again - of Jester. "WHY? WHY JESTER?!" Branden shrieks. Katie hands him another piece of pepperoni and that quiets him some. "But what is Meg Ryan going to do now?" he sputters through tears and cheese running down his face.
Sam and her Mom are engaging in some last minute bonding - painting each other's nails.
Alex & Nick have been in a heated paintball battle since 10 o'clock this morning - a true duel to the death. Actually, Nick got hungry around 5:00 and went home to get some dinner, but Alex is still out there, stalking his adversary.
Lance is watching ESPN58 - which is showing re-runs of the 2007 Women's World Cup rugby game between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan. 2 of the players on the Bulgarian team are now on the Olympic shot put team, and Lance is looking to see if there are any techniques he could use from the way they scrum.
Branden and Katie are watching Top Gun. Actually, Katie is trying desperately to comfort Branden, who is weeping inconsolably over the death - once again - of Jester. "WHY? WHY JESTER?!" Branden shrieks. Katie hands him another piece of pepperoni and that quiets him some. "But what is Meg Ryan going to do now?" he sputters through tears and cheese running down his face.
Sam and her Mom are engaging in some last minute bonding - painting each other's nails.
Alex & Nick have been in a heated paintball battle since 10 o'clock this morning - a true duel to the death. Actually, Nick got hungry around 5:00 and went home to get some dinner, but Alex is still out there, stalking his adversary.
Lance is watching ESPN58 - which is showing re-runs of the 2007 Women's World Cup rugby game between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan. 2 of the players on the Bulgarian team are now on the Olympic shot put team, and Lance is looking to see if there are any techniques he could use from the way they scrum.
Erika and Kayla, both having graduated from high school in the last week, are lamenting their lost youth. It is a harsh reality when one starts on the slippery slope towards spinsterhood.
Friday, June 12, 2009
The Countdown Continues
Okay Ladies & Gentlemen, we're now down to 5 days until departure. The anticipation grows, the frantic last minute preparations continue. I know that from my perspective, I pack for travel on a very regular basis and it usually takes me about 10 minutes. This time, however, I've been plotting and planning what I'm taking, how I'm going to pack it, preparing the clothes (spraying them with bug repellant), getting shots and obtaining other medications, rehearsing dramas - and the list goes on and on.
So this morning I would like to solicit prayers from anyone reading this. Pray for safe travels for all of our team members. Pray for open hearts in the people who we encounter. Pray that we would have open hearts to learn what the Lord has in store for us. Pray that each of us would learn what the Lord has for that particular individual. Pray for boldness, that we might portray and communicate Him to those who do not know Him yet.
We appreciate all of you and hope you share in some of our excitement!
So this morning I would like to solicit prayers from anyone reading this. Pray for safe travels for all of our team members. Pray for open hearts in the people who we encounter. Pray that we would have open hearts to learn what the Lord has in store for us. Pray that each of us would learn what the Lord has for that particular individual. Pray for boldness, that we might portray and communicate Him to those who do not know Him yet.
We appreciate all of you and hope you share in some of our excitement!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Can you believe it?
One week from today folks. We had an extended meeting last evening to discuss some last minute logistics and Q&A and to do some rehearsals on some of the dramas we'll be doing on the trip. I think it's finally starting to hit home to everyone.
One week from today we board a flight for Seattle (Horizon), then switch over to British Airways for a flight to London. After a 7 hour layover in London, it is on to Entebbe airport outside of Kampala, Uganda.
So we're asking everyone to get the prayers fired up - we're getting set for the Ugandan Adventure!
One week from today we board a flight for Seattle (Horizon), then switch over to British Airways for a flight to London. After a 7 hour layover in London, it is on to Entebbe airport outside of Kampala, Uganda.
So we're asking everyone to get the prayers fired up - we're getting set for the Ugandan Adventure!
Monday, June 8, 2009
Update June 8
A bit of unfortunate news this evening. John's Mom is in very poor health, and he has decided to forego the trip in order to stay close. We would ask everyone's prayers for the Garrick family.
Because of that, we are moving to the "backup plan". Lance will now be our new Fearless Leader. His first command decision was that he didn't like the term "backup plan". We will henceforth refer to it as "Operation Bulgarian Thunder".
Because of that, we are moving to the "backup plan". Lance will now be our new Fearless Leader. His first command decision was that he didn't like the term "backup plan". We will henceforth refer to it as "Operation Bulgarian Thunder".
Sunday, June 7, 2009
John Garrick
And finally here's John "Fearless Leader" Garrick. I'm just wondering, however - if he's Fearless Leader, does that make Branden & Katie actually Boris & Natasha? Does it then follow that Alex & Nick are Rocky & Bullwinkle? Such mysteries to ponder!
Anyway, I could cut and paste (i.e. plagiarize) John's bio from the Eternal Impact web site, but rather than going through the trouble, I figured I'd give you a link to their site and let you read about him and the other folks there.
http://www.eternalimpact.com/about/meet-the-staff.html
Anyway, I could cut and paste (i.e. plagiarize) John's bio from the Eternal Impact web site, but rather than going through the trouble, I figured I'd give you a link to their site and let you read about him and the other folks there.
http://www.eternalimpact.com/about/meet-the-staff.html
Nick Merriman
We've almost got the whole team down! Meet Nick Merriman.
My name is Nick Merriman I have been a Christian since I was about 9 I am currently 18 years young and just graduated high school and am attending Chemeketa Community College. Some of my hobbies include paintball, going to concerts, music (Mainly Hard Rock and Metal), kayaking, video games, movies, and just relaxing. I have been on 3 Previous mission trips, all of them to Mississippi. This will also be my first time traveling overseas.eet
My name is Nick Merriman I have been a Christian since I was about 9 I am currently 18 years young and just graduated high school and am attending Chemeketa Community College. Some of my hobbies include paintball, going to concerts, music (Mainly Hard Rock and Metal), kayaking, video games, movies, and just relaxing. I have been on 3 Previous mission trips, all of them to Mississippi. This will also be my first time traveling overseas.eet
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Lance Briggs
Meet Lance! I had made up a story this morning about him being the coach of the Bulgarian Olympic Women's Shot Put team, so he sent me his actual information.
Lance was born and raised in Sherwood, Oregon. He attended Sherwood High School then went on to graduate from Azusa Pacific University with degree in marketing. Lance has a passion for both adventure, and the outdoors. After college he spent time in Colorado working as a lift operator, and in Utah working as a river guide.
After moving home to Oregon, God laid a calling on his heart to seek a more purposeful adventure. He connected with Eternal Impact and traveled to Uganda as a member of an Impact Team in June 2008. Lance has now joined the team at Eternal Impact as the Impact Team Director and is excited about continuing to live out the adventure that God has for his life. Lance is eager to lead more young people on the journey of discovering what it means to live out our faith both locally and in East Africa.
Lance has one older brother and five younger step-brothers and sisters. He currently lives in Wilsonville and is a member of Grace Chapel. Like a true Oregonian, Lance loves anything outdoors, especially when he can share his passions and adventures with others.
Lance was born and raised in Sherwood, Oregon. He attended Sherwood High School then went on to graduate from Azusa Pacific University with degree in marketing. Lance has a passion for both adventure, and the outdoors. After college he spent time in Colorado working as a lift operator, and in Utah working as a river guide.
After moving home to Oregon, God laid a calling on his heart to seek a more purposeful adventure. He connected with Eternal Impact and traveled to Uganda as a member of an Impact Team in June 2008. Lance has now joined the team at Eternal Impact as the Impact Team Director and is excited about continuing to live out the adventure that God has for his life. Lance is eager to lead more young people on the journey of discovering what it means to live out our faith both locally and in East Africa.
Lance has one older brother and five younger step-brothers and sisters. He currently lives in Wilsonville and is a member of Grace Chapel. Like a true Oregonian, Lance loves anything outdoors, especially when he can share his passions and adventures with others.
Branden Campbell
Under threat of me making up something completely fabricated, Branden sent me his bio this morning. No word on whether or not he likes Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain.
My name is Branden Campbell I am 24 yrs old and I am the High School pastor at Rolling Hills Community Church. I have been a youth pastor for 4.5 years and I still love it! My wife Katie and I have been married close to four years. We have 2 crazy cats and a dog. We love long walks on the beach, the vast sunset, and underwater bee bee stacking. We moved to the Portland area appx 14 months ago and have loved every minute of it. This is my first mission trip and I am excited and ready to make it happen!
My name is Branden Campbell I am 24 yrs old and I am the High School pastor at Rolling Hills Community Church. I have been a youth pastor for 4.5 years and I still love it! My wife Katie and I have been married close to four years. We have 2 crazy cats and a dog. We love long walks on the beach, the vast sunset, and underwater bee bee stacking. We moved to the Portland area appx 14 months ago and have loved every minute of it. This is my first mission trip and I am excited and ready to make it happen!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Alex Merriman
The next member of our merry band is Alex.
Hello, my name is Alex Merriman and I am 15 years old. Some of my favorite things to do are playing guitar, play sports with friends, going to church, going to movies, and some video games. I have two siblings, a brother named Nick (who is also going on this trip), and a sister named Justine. I've grown up home schooled and gone to church my whole life.
Hello, my name is Alex Merriman and I am 15 years old. Some of my favorite things to do are playing guitar, play sports with friends, going to church, going to movies, and some video games. I have two siblings, a brother named Nick (who is also going on this trip), and a sister named Justine. I've grown up home schooled and gone to church my whole life.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Dale Lockyear
Okay, since some of the team members have not yet sent me their bios, I'll bore everyone with mine.
I am a 49 (well, almost 50, but not quite!) year old guy, married to a wonderful lady named Linda. We recently celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary by getting sick with food poisoning together. We have 2 children - Ben who is just finishing up his first year at Seattle Pacific University and Samantha (whose bio you can read here on the blog).
I'm a self-employed consultant, working with various computer systems that help companies plan their distribution and transportation needs. My work takes me all over North America, but this trip will be my first trip outside of the US, Canada and Mexico.
My primary role on the team is to help coordinate the dramatic sketches for the various assemblies that we'll be doing over there. I've been an amateur actor and member of the Rolling Hills Candlestick Players for approximately 10 years, and acting is probably my favorite pass time.
I'm very much looking forward to expanding my horizons in the Lord on this trip!
I am a 49 (well, almost 50, but not quite!) year old guy, married to a wonderful lady named Linda. We recently celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary by getting sick with food poisoning together. We have 2 children - Ben who is just finishing up his first year at Seattle Pacific University and Samantha (whose bio you can read here on the blog).
I'm a self-employed consultant, working with various computer systems that help companies plan their distribution and transportation needs. My work takes me all over North America, but this trip will be my first trip outside of the US, Canada and Mexico.
My primary role on the team is to help coordinate the dramatic sketches for the various assemblies that we'll be doing over there. I've been an amateur actor and member of the Rolling Hills Candlestick Players for approximately 10 years, and acting is probably my favorite pass time.
I'm very much looking forward to expanding my horizons in the Lord on this trip!
Katie Campbell
I would like to introduce everyone to Katie Campbell.
Katie is married to Branden - the Rolling Hills High School Pastor. We all know and understand that Branden would not be of much use to us without Katie! Seriously though, Katie and Branden live in Wilsonville, and she is an avid photographer - particularly focusing on animals.
Katie tends to be a very organized person - the type who makes "to-do" lists and then is driven to complete them. Looking at the personalities of several other members of the team, her presence is going to be vital, since several of us are completely and totally unorganized.
The girls on the trip have also informed me that they plan to make some shopping excursions with her!
Katie is married to Branden - the Rolling Hills High School Pastor. We all know and understand that Branden would not be of much use to us without Katie! Seriously though, Katie and Branden live in Wilsonville, and she is an avid photographer - particularly focusing on animals.
Katie tends to be a very organized person - the type who makes "to-do" lists and then is driven to complete them. Looking at the personalities of several other members of the team, her presence is going to be vital, since several of us are completely and totally unorganized.
The girls on the trip have also informed me that they plan to make some shopping excursions with her!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Samantha Lockyear
Everyone say hi to Sam, the next member of our dauntless team!
My name is Samantha Lockyear (Sam, Sami) and I am a 15 year old, just finishing up my Freshman year at Wilsonville High School. I've been a dancer for 10 years, with my favorite dance styles being lyrical and hip-hop.
Once I entered high school, I left competitive dance to focus more on acting and singing, although I still dance in musical numbers at school. Last Fall I played a Russian dance instructor - a MAN! - in our production of You Can't Take It With You, and was voted Best Supporting Actress for the school year. I also sang in the school Symphonic Choir and went to the state championships with the group, where we placed 5th.
I am an unusually tall girl - 6 feet - and I see my height as a gift that God has blessed me with. I live with my Mom & Dad, and have one brother - Ben - who is just finishing up his first year at Seattle Pacific University. I love all of them very much.
My name is Samantha Lockyear (Sam, Sami) and I am a 15 year old, just finishing up my Freshman year at Wilsonville High School. I've been a dancer for 10 years, with my favorite dance styles being lyrical and hip-hop.
Once I entered high school, I left competitive dance to focus more on acting and singing, although I still dance in musical numbers at school. Last Fall I played a Russian dance instructor - a MAN! - in our production of You Can't Take It With You, and was voted Best Supporting Actress for the school year. I also sang in the school Symphonic Choir and went to the state championships with the group, where we placed 5th.
I am an unusually tall girl - 6 feet - and I see my height as a gift that God has blessed me with. I live with my Mom & Dad, and have one brother - Ben - who is just finishing up his first year at Seattle Pacific University. I love all of them very much.
Cameron Gregson
I'd like everyone to meet Kam Gregson. Kam is 16 years old and is just wrapping up his freshman year of high school at Westside Christian.
Kam is a 4 time - 4 TIME! - state chess champion, twice with individual honors and twice with team honors while in middle school. He also enjoys playing basketball on his high school team and - like pretty much every teenage boy in the US, loves to play computer and video games.
He has attended Rolling Hills Community Church his entire life, but really came to know the Lord while attending Jr. High camp, and was subsequently baptized there.
Kam is looking forward to learning what God has to teach him on this trip, and to continue growing in his faith.
Kam is a 4 time - 4 TIME! - state chess champion, twice with individual honors and twice with team honors while in middle school. He also enjoys playing basketball on his high school team and - like pretty much every teenage boy in the US, loves to play computer and video games.
He has attended Rolling Hills Community Church his entire life, but really came to know the Lord while attending Jr. High camp, and was subsequently baptized there.
Kam is looking forward to learning what God has to teach him on this trip, and to continue growing in his faith.
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