I woke up this morning to the rushing waters of the Nile
River. I slowly got out of my sleeping bag and crawled out of my tent. I walked
over to the edge of the balcony and just gazed into the majestic views of the
longest river on earth and began to ponder life.
I just finished
reading a book entitled A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. All throughout the book he talked
about life being a unique story, a story that demands a character that
overcomes conflict and yields reward. I started to think about my life and my
story. I started to wonder if my life were a movie, would I want to watch? Well
actually, I first questioned if others would want to watch my life on the big
screen but then I realized that I am not living this life for anyone other than
the Lord; so, then I questioned if I would want to watch and would it please
the Lord?
Miller expanded
on the idea of conflict and reward. Essentially, he reiterated the age-old
idea: the greater the risk, the greater the reward. He explained that in order
to add excitement to a story that there needs to be an element of risk. No one
wants to read about the man that stood on the bank of the Nile and watched the
rapids ferociously devour everything that entered its path. They want to read
about the man who took a risk and challenged the beast. They want to read about
the man who got into a raft and conquered class five rapids.
So, I had a
decision to make. I had the choice to be the man that stood on the bank of the
Nile or I had the choice to be the man that conquered the rapids. If you knew
my personality, then you would know that I would never pass up an opportunity
to experience something so incredible. I decided to be the man that would enter
the mouth of the Nile River.
I was on the
phone with my parents the other day talking about possible return dates, so we
could schedule a flight home for Thanksgiving. It is hard to imagine that in
three and a half months we will be at home celebrating Thanksgiving with our
family and friends. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a bit homesick. I
spent the rest of the day thinking about that Thanksgiving meal: the green bean
casserole, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the yams, the vegetable platters,
the deviled eggs, the pumpkin pie, the jello dishes, and of course, the turkey.
But then, I started to think more about the people that made each of these
amazing dishes than the actual dishes themselves.
I started to
think about my dad who would take me to the local practice fields when I was
younger just to go toss the football around and then take me to get a slurpee.
I started to think about all the late night movies and market runs that we
would make together. I started to think just how fortunate I was to have a
father that was so involved in my life.
I started to
think about my mom who always puts my needs before her own. I started to
remember all the fun we would share in the short-trips down to San Diego or
Malibu. I started to think about the times when she would have to go into work
but still needed to watch me; so, she would bring me into work, set up a movie
in the conference room, and get me breakfast from McDonalds. I started to think
just how grateful I was to have such a deep agape love from my mother.
I started to
think about my aunts, uncles, and grandfather who would treat me as if I was
one of their own. I started to think about all of my cousins who are basically
my siblings. I started to think about all of my friends who would drop anything
just to help me if I ever asked. As I thought about these blessings, I thanked
God for such an incredible group of family and friends. I am reading a book
called Boundaries and it states that one
of the greatest desires in life is to build relationships. I have those
relationships and could not be more thankful. The Bible says that there is no
greater love than to lay down your life for someone. I would definitely lay
down my life for my family and friends without hesitation because I have the
greatest love for them. So, I don't need to wait for Thanksgiving in order to
be thankful for such a blessing. I love you all so much and cannot wait to see
you all soon!
After
a ten-minute walk from our house, through the sandy roads of Moshiba, we
arrived at the Malanatha church. It always intrigues me to see the differences
between cultures, lifestyles, and even churches as we travel from country to country. Below are a list of differences between my current church and my church back at home.
Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania Agoura Hills, USA
Length of Service 4 hours 1 hour
Congregation Size 20 ppl 5,000 ppl
Type of Worship Extreme Evangelical Conservative
Prayer Focus Freedom of Witchcraft/Demons Strength in Spiritual Journey
Types of Ministries Door-to-door Habitat for Humanity
We are all so
different yet all play such a vital role in the kingdom. In order to reach the
people in Tanzania, a certain type of ministry, worship, and prayer needs to be
practiced; and in order to reach the people in Agoura Hills, a different type
of ministry, worship, and prayer needs to be practiced. Thank God for our
differences and our strengths.
I thought it would be better to explain my time in Busia,
Kenya through a video. I hope you enjoy the video as much as we enjoyed making
the video.
*Sorry about the quality. I will try to upload a better version once I get some better Internet but we don't have much quality Internet here in Africa.
It is hard to
believe that we are already entering month seven of this journey. My team and I
spent 14 hours on a bus traveling from Nairobi, Kenya to Dar Es Salaam,
Tanzania.
We are working with a local pastor sharing the message to
the congregation as well as the surrounding community. So far, I have had the
chance to speak with the youth in the church as well as share at the Wednesday
night service.
We were
recently blessed with the opportunity to travel to Zanzibar, as our pastor
visited a team in another region. Although the trip was brief, it was an
incredible opportunity to travel some place new and experience yet another
culture.
I do have to
admit that fatigue is beginning to set in as we begin our second month in
Africa. During our first month, 10 out of 14 of our teammates were struck with
malaria, 2 of those teammates that were infected with malaria were also hit
with typhoid, and one team member had malaria, typhoid, and pneumonia.
Furthermore, one of my immediate teammates was recently sent home because of an
ailment that was not properly treated by the doctors here in Africa. I have
been blessed with great health and have not had to endure any sicknesses so far
on this trip. Will you all please keep these team members in prayer and pray for
renewed strength for all the missionaries on this trip as we head into the last
leg of our mission?
Currently, my
team is not all together as some are still back in Nairobi receiving treatment
and resting. We are hoping that we will be back together within the week and
will be able to finish our month in Tanzania strong. Thank you all for your
continued support and prayers. I hope that you are all doing well and that the
Lord is making His face shine upon you. May God bless you all.
After an
interesting bus drive from Kitale to Busia, I arrived to something more than
just another ministry site but another lifestyle. Although I was mindful to the
fact that we would be living a simple life at some point during this trip, it
still proved to be a bit of a shock compared to life at home.
I was in
desperate need of doing laundry, so I asked where I might be able to wash my
clothes; I was directed to a bucket on the front lawn. I soon learned that the
water needed to fill the bucket came from a well on the side yard. Our contacts
informed us that we were not to use any water from the tap because it may be disease ridden. So, every time we wash our hands, brush out teeth, wash
the dishes, or take a shower; we need to drop the bucket down the well and pull
up water free of disease. This is our first exposure to bucket showers and
although I don't feel as clean, it does the trick. Finally, due to the scare of
mosquitoes and the various diseases they carry, we are to spend our nights
under a mosquito net. Although it can be difficult getting adjusted to this
lifestyle, I am grateful for the opportunity to live as the people do here in
Kenya, such a different yet amazing life.
As we arrived
at the airport in Nairobi Kenya, memories began to flood my mind. I walked
through the terminal and remembered sitting in the same exact seat three years
ago waiting for a delayed flight with my cousin. I remember purchasing
something from a shop and then having my cousin inform me to rip up my receipt
because the entire credit card number was printed on the receipt. I never
thought that I would be back in this airport, let alone within a few years.
Although I was excited even at the thought of visiting Africa again, when I
stepped on African soil it was such an incredible feeling. I just hope that
Africa loves us just as much as we love Africa and none of us have to
experience any severe sicknesses.
We spent our
first few days at the Milmani Backers Hostel in Nairobi to hold a debrief
covering the last few months in Asia. Although it is meant to be a time of
rest, it was absolutely crazy. However, it was great to see everyone. We have
since departed to our respective ministry sites to start month six. I still
can't believe just how fast this trip has gone so far. This month we will be
working with Deliverance Church in a variety of areas: construction,
evangelism, preaching, and other service projects. We will not have much
Internet connection so I wanted to be sure to send out at least one post.
So, this was from the last time in Kenya with my cousin Megan, but I don't have any current pictures yet and I wanted to give you something.
"People don't know whether to expect love or hate.
Everything lies ahead of them. Everything is the same for everyone: there is
one fate for the righteous and the wicked, for the good and the bad, for the
clean and the unclean, for the one who sacrifices and the one who does not
sacrifice. As it is for the good, so it is for the sinner, as for the one who
takes an oath, so for the one who fears an oath. This is an evil in all that is
done under the sun: there is one fate for everyone (death)" - Ecclesiastes 9:1-3
Solomon speaks on the futility of life: the emptiness of
pleasure, the emptiness of possessions, the emptiness of work, the relative
value of wisdom, etc. What is the meaning behind it all? After the loss of my
brother, I truly began to ask these difficult questions. What is the goal of
life? What are we to do here on earth? Why do bad things happen to good people?
Why were my prayers unanswered?
"When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the
activity that is done on earth, I observed all the work of God and concluded
that man is unable to discover the work that is done under the sun. Even though
a man labors hard to explore it, he cannot find it; even if the wise man claims
to know it, he is unable to discover it" - Ecclesiastes 8:16-17
Well, that was not the answer that I wanted to hear; I
wanted to understand why. It is hard for me to remain content with, "Let it
be". Honestly, I am a bit confused because we are also instructed to seek
wisdom and knowledge. Are those not contradictory thoughts: seek understanding
but you will never understand? I know that I will never cease in my search for
truth. Sometimes I may receive an answer that I understand, other times I may
receive an answer that I don't understand, and still there will be times where
I may have yet to receive a response. As we search for truth in our lives, it
is important to remember "there is no end to the making of many books and much
study wearies the body. When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter
is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity. For God
will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or
evil" - Ecclesiastes 12:12-14. So, as I endure this state of being discontent
with answers, I realize the importance of remaining obedient and upholding
faithfulness.
"The journey begins in
darkness but ends in light, but it is important to recognize that even behind
the darkest cloud God is smiling down on those who remain obedient and
faithful."
The last few weeks have
been anywhere from the 90 to 100 degree weather; the last few days have been
around 104. Just yesterday it got a bit hotter though when we had to put out a
brush fire. We were playing a card game of golf, when the neighbor ran over and
told us that the property, which is a few miles away, was on fire. We quickly
changed our clothes, loaded 20 people into a truck that normally holds 10
people, and raced over to the site. When we arrived we were met with clouds of
smoke and few different flames covering the property. We quickly grabbed any
buckets, water lines, pick axes, hoes, rakes, etc. and tried to tend to the
flames. The goal was not so much to fight the fire, as it was to prevent the
fire from burning the new house that was just recently built for the girls of
Remember Nhu. We were fortunate enough to actually prevent the flames from
burning anymore and allowed the flames to burn itself out. I have never had to
fight a fire before but it is the world race and anything can happen.
My friend John Smith needs to raise an additional $4,000 by the end of this month in order to continue this mission. The men on our squad created a video just to show how much he means to us and how vital he is to our team. If you feel led to help fund John, please visit his blog at jonathansmith.theworldrace.org. Thank you so much for following my blog and all of your encouragement.
family and friends. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a bit homesick. I
spent the rest of the day thinking about that Thanksgiving meal: the green bean
casserole, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the yams, the vegetable platters,
the deviled eggs, the pumpkin pie, the jello dishes, and of course, the turkey.
But then, I started to think more about the people that made each of these
amazing dishes than the actual dishes themselves. 
life is to build relationships. I have those
relationships and could not be more thankful. The Bible says that there is no
greater love than to lay down your life for someone. I would definitely lay
down my life for my family and friends without hesitation because I have the
greatest love for them. So, I don't need to wait for Thanksgiving in order to
be thankful for such a blessing. I love you all so much and cannot wait to see
you all soon!
We are all so
different yet all play such a vital role in the kingdom. In order to reach the
people in Tanzania, a certain type of ministry, worship, and prayer needs to be
practiced; and in order to reach the people in Agoura Hills, a different type
of ministry, worship, and prayer needs to be practiced. Thank God for our
differences and our strengths.
life at home.
was directed to a bucket on the front lawn. I soon learned that the
water needed to fill the bucket came from a well on the side yard. Our contacts
informed us that we were not to use any water from the tap because it may be disease ridden. So, every time we wash our hands, brush out teeth, wash
the dishes, or take a shower; we need to drop the bucket down the well and pull
up water free of disease. This is our first exposure to bucket showers and
although I don't feel as clean, it does the trick. Finally, due to the scare of
mosquitoes and the various 
diseases they carry, we are to spend our nights
under a mosquito net. Although it can be difficult getting adjusted to this
lifestyle, I am grateful for the opportunity to live as the people do here in
Kenya, such a different yet amazing life.
