Episode #14 -- It's been a week...

since I returned home from Africa... and this week has been a blur!

I started the week by spending my first day back at work on Tuesday driving to Indianapolis for an I-69 meeting... not quite what you'd call "easing back into it"... on the road before 8 a.m. and back home well after dark!

On Wednesday, I spent the day attempting to ease back in... but everyone wanted a piece of my time to bring me up to speed on what happened on I-69 while I was gone...

We also had our monthly Thought Provoking Book Club meeting on Wednesday during lunch, where we were discussing Rob Bell's book, Velvet Elvis -- Repainting the Christian Faith... a rather interesting book -- Bell comes at faith in God from a very different perspective than most Christians...

In one part of the book, though, Bell talks about missions, missionaries and a different perspective -- so the question was posed to me during the meeting about what my perspective was when I left for Africa and whether I felt like I was "taking" the Gospel to East Africa. What a great opportunity to share my experience!

I told the group that, based on advice from several different people, I attempted to leave for Africa with few expectations as to what I would experience -- which is totally out of character for "this engineer" -- but, I desired to be open to what the Lord wanted me to show me and what He wanted me to do about it... In Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell suggests there is a different approach for missions work where "the issue isn't so much taking Jesus to people who don't have him, but going to a place and pointing out to the people there the creative, life-giving God who is already present in their midst." I said to the group that was exactly what I experienced on this trip -- as Bell describes it, the "depth and texture and connection" of our creative and awesome Lord amongst the people of East Africa! I saw God at work in the lives and the hearts of the people that I met there!

Another person then asked what I would take away from the trip spiritually, and I explained to them that I have a hard time just "going with the flow" -- I like to have things planned out and know exactly what I'm striving to accomplish -- you know, goals and objectives for everything... on this trip, though, our schedule was "sketchy" and not highly structured, therefore, I had to learn to simply rely on God and place my trust in Him that He would direct my thoughts, my words, my steps, my actions... everything! Essentially, what I took away was what means to live in His presence moment-to-moment, hour-to-hour, day-to-day... Everything that I did and experienced was totally new and, most of the time, overwhelming! But, God made himself readily apparent throughout all of the trip!

The rest of the week I spent working very, very hard to complete a supplemental agreement for our I-69 project, and coordinating with everyone that needed to provide input on it...

And with that, I'm back to the question I posed last week... So, now what?

I pray that the Lord will reveal to me the direction or directions that He would have me go in the aftermath of this adventure... wherever, He may lead me!

Episode #13 -- Finally Home and Now Recovering...

I've finally made it home after more than 24 hours on airplanes on Thursday and Friday!

Yesterday, I spent the day attempting to recover from jet lag, a mild sinus infection and a lack of sleep... Then, dealt with some stomach issues overnight last night... I also started the process yesterday of uploading the photos from my trip to Facebook and onto a CD in order to share them with others... I'm still finishing the process today since it's still raining here in E'ville.

I've been thinking a lot the last couple of days about my African Adventure and the effect it will have on the rest of my life and my family's lives...

The day I left for Africa, a friend sent me an email with an excerpt from a book that he had been reading entitled Just Courage: God's Great Expedition for the Restless Christian by Gary Haugen, president and CEO of International Justice Mission (BTW, I'm going to pick up this book and read it!)... My friend and I had talked at length about what was leading me to embark on this adventure to Africa, and when he read this passage, he immediately thought about our conversations... I'd like to share it with you, so here it is...

“Indeed, there comes a time in the life of every believer and of every church where a voice inside us simply asks, 'Now what?'

After we have been introduced to Jesus and have found peace with God through him. After we have been following Christ and have gradually been surrendering the compartments of our life to him. After we have asked him to redeem our past, to heal our wounds, to reconcile our marriages and to safeguard our children. After we have asked him to purify our thought life, to sanctify our ambitions, to soften our hearts, to comfort us in tragedy, to lead us in wisdom through confusion at work, at home and in our hearts. After he has filled our minds with the Scriptures and taught us his Word, his songs, his ways and his love for us.

After all of that, there is a voice that remains and simply asks, 'Now what?'

This is, I believe, a voice of divine restlessness. This is a voice of sacred discontent. This is a voice of a holy yearning for more. This is the moment in which we can see that all the work that God has been doing in our lives and in the life of the church is not an end in itself; rather, the work He has been doing in us is a powerful means to a grander purpose beyond ourselves.

This is the supernatural moment when the rescued enter into their divine destiny as rescuers.”

This is what I firmly believe led me to embark on this spiritual adventure -- a divine restlessness, a holy discontent... it was a desire to find a "grander purpose" beyond myself -- to reach out for my calling from God...

Throughout my trip, God revealed himself to me in a new and different ways... and, at various times, He revealed how He has been preparing me for this purpose... It's safe to say that this adventure will forever change the way I look at my world and, most especially, its people...

As I take new steps of faith in the aftermath of this trip, I desire most of all the satisfaction of doing life with God in an all-out pursuit of His honor and glory... to willingly let God use me for large or small impact, as He sees fit. This satisfaction comes only as I walk with God, where He is going, using my time, talent, and resources at His bidding, and experiencing Him at an deeper level along the way.

So, now what? Stay tuned for the next steps... with Partners Worldwide... with my new friends and acquaintenances in Africa... and with the rest of life... I plan to continue to utilize this blog to post new experiences with God as I continue to walk right alongside Him in this adventure called life...

Episode #12 -- Coming Home!

Just a short post from the Amsterdam airport... I'm on my way home!

I got a little bit of sleep from Dar es Salaam to Amsterdam. I couldn't tell you how much... and I know it was fitful, at best.

I'm now sitting here in Amsterdam, checking email and recognizing just how crazy next week will be... I've got to be in Indianapolis on Tuesday -- my first day back -- for a practical design/value engineering workshop on I-69 Sections 2 & 3... There have also been a number of requests for information from the team that will be working on these sections -- it's great to have a team in place that doesn't miss a beat when I'm gone! From what I can tell from emails, they handled things admirably!

My last day in Africa was just as amazing as all the rest of the trip! I spent the day in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with Margaret -- touring the area and seeing the sights... Even went to the Mwenge wood carvers market and picked up several souvenirs (I'll post pictures over the weekend). We ended the day at a restaurant on a cliff overlooking the Indian Ocean... I can now say I've seen the world's 3 largest oceans... Just amazing views!

As I get ready to board Leg #2 of the return trip, I thank God for my adventure to Africa! I've been stretched in my view of His world and its people... And, I look forward with keen anticipation of what He has in store in the days ahead! Praise the Lord, O my soul!

Episode #11 -- The "Real" Africa Experience

Today, I had what I told my fellow travelers at dinner tonight was the "real" Africa experience... I went on to explain that a lot of the things that we experienced today on our trip over to Sengerema were what I expected Africa to be like -- the incredibly rough, dusty dirt roads; the thatched roof huts along the road; the skinny cattle and goats grazing along the roadside...

We also were invited to the SISA Chairwoman's home for lunch and were treated to a "royal spread" including ugali (maize paste), African sweet potatoes, freshly caught Tilapia (for the third time in 3 days), freshly picked pineapple, bananas or plantains (not sure which, cause I don't really like them), and numerous other tasty dishes. The African hospitality is just incredible!

Our trip over to Sengerema started with a ride on the ferry across an arm of Lake Victoria. We got there early and waited about 45 minutes or so before we could board the ferry... so we took a few photos of us at Bismarck Rock -- one of the Mwanza landmarks -- and, yes, I'm again sooooooo looking like a tourist... the crowd to board the ferry was thick and we had to go through railings (kind of like cattle shoots) to give them our tickets... Great views of Lake Victoria from the ferry, though!

After arriving on the Sengerema side of the arm of the lake, we headed to SISA along an extremely rough dirt road... hoping we wouldn't get run into by a bus or truck coming from the other direction... it was a bone rattling 45 minutes to get from the ferry landing to the SISA Center... We then spent the next several hours meeting with the SISA board and group members and visiting a number of their businesses. By far, the most impressive business that we went to was a tree farm started by several young entrepreneurs about 10 years ago... this group has successfully taken seeds from the nearby national forest and transplanted them on a small plot on the edge of Sengerema and then sold the saplings to a variety of buyers -- including schools, businesses and home owners. They have also keep a "database" of everyone that they've sold the trees to over that 10-year period and periodically check on how well the trees are growing...

After we had lunch at the Chairwomen's home, we met with the SISA board and manager, Joseph... I was humbled when I was asked to give a closing prayer and bless the home we were in and SISA... The Lord has stretched me so much on this trip and displayed His presence a number of times, but none so powerful as when He gave me the words to close our time with SISA... We serve such an awesome and powerful God, who is merciful and gracious at just the right times!

Well, off to bed... I leave Africa tomorrow! I can't believe that my time here is over already... We fly from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam very early in the morning and then Margaret, the CRWRC rep who has acted as our interpretor here in Mwanza, is going to give me a tour of Dar. I then board a flight at 10:55 Local time for my trip back to the United States.

Mungubariki! (which is "God bless!" in Swahili)

Episode #10 -- Indescribable Day!

I had a day that it will be hard to put into words... for a variety of different reasons.

Today we met with WADOKI here in Mwanza. WADOKI is a credit and savings association that works with microbusinesses (1-2 employees), small and medium businesses (SME's with 3 to up to 40 or 50 employees) and large businesses (over 50 employees), in order to make capital available and create jobs for the poor. This is the "vehicle" that is used in most of the developing world to increase opportunities for the poor, because of the high interest rates and collateral requirements of the banks in these countries. It is a concept that I've spent some time researching over the past year, so it was interesting to see it in action.

We started our day by being introduced to the WADOKI staff by the Chairman, Mujid, who I met last week in Kampala at the UCBP Conference... I'm pretty sure I made an impression on Mujid with my African dancing (not totally sure, since he only speaks Swahili), because he referred to it by mimicing me while introducing me to the others... It was surprising to me how many young people work for them, in a variety of roles -- from the manager to the treasurer to credit officers to the tellers.

We then started making visits to various businesses who are members of WADOKI... most of whom are located in the same neighborhood as WADOKI and our hotel. Everything from the restaurant/bar across the street to one of the tailors down the street to the grain mill around the corner to the fish market a couple of blocks away... this is truly what I would call a "neighborhood bank"! These visits were unimaginable when we left and pretty much indescribable now -- the sights, the sounds, the smells... everything! At any rate, here are a few photos... The lady above actually sub-leases space in the restaurant/bar along with 4 others and they all provide the food service for the restaurant -- interesting business model!

After making 4 stops at specific businesses, we entered the fish market... where we must have met 15 or 20 different people who are WADOKI members... all business owners who have a small piece of the process from boat to truck -- fisherman, fish preparers, buyers/sellers, exporters, transporters... you name it we met them... you're probably wondering what kind of fish... stinky, smelly fish! Actually, they are small, minnow-sized fish called Dagaa and they are dried and bagged to send off to fish processing plants to be made into chicken feed. Oh, I also got yelled at by some of the workers for taking this photo... Oops!

After meeting all of these different business owners, we went back to the WADOKI offices, across from our hotel, for their weekly membership meeting. All of us who were there representing Partners Worldwide were introduced (me, Nana Yaa, Lou and Margaret) and put on the spot to say something... which made no sense to the members, because we spoke English and the meeting is conducted in Swahili! Because Margaret had to leave early in the meeting to pick up Lou from the airport, Nana Yaa and I were kind of lost through most of the meeting, although we did have one of the young men from WADOKI attempting to translate for us.

After eating lunch at the restaurant/bar that we had visited in the morning, we met the board members and senior staff of WADOKI... Up until that point, I had been a little discouraged with the visit, thus far -- the language barriers and the types of businesses just didn't feel like a good match.. That changed with this meeting -- we got to see the leadership and senior staff of WADOKI in action. Besides having nearly $250,000 available capital, the board members have initiated their own capital-generating business called WADOKI Enterprises. We were all so encouraged by their vision and financial stability! This savings and credit association is a huge success in the business as mission world, that really no one knows about... Plus, it's an incredible mix of Christians and Muslims -- I kind of see why God placed Muslims on my heart and that I took the class at church

And, yes, it is great to have "outdoor meetings"! Africa is amazing!

Well, off to bed -- we have to catch an early ferry across Lake Victoria to visit the Sengerema Informal Sector Association, another business as mission group.

I thank God for today and the way He continues to reveal Himself to me in new and different ways. I prayed this morning for discernment to know the direction He wants this adventure to lead... I truly believe He is providing that!

Episode #9 -- Tanzania!

We've arrived in Tanzania! To a totally different environment... Around noon today, Nana Yaa and I flew from Entebbe airport in Uganda to Mwanza, Tanzania -- just 200 short miles across Lake Victoria... but if you didn't know better, you'd think that we stepped into a totally different world!

Where it was lush and green in Uganda, it is a little browner and dustier in northern Tanzania where we're at now... where it was cooler and humid in Uganda, it is hotter and drier in Tanzania... where English was spoken with regularity in Uganda, Swahili is the official language of Tanzania and few people even know English... where Kampala was more urban and compact, Mwanza and its surrounding area is more spread out and rural in nature... where Christianity predominated in Uganda, Tanzania is an equal mix of Christian, Muslim, and indigenous religions (i.e., witchcraft and voodoo)... I will say, though, that there are some pretty spectacular views of Lake Victoria from Mwanza... and this week should be a totally different kind of adventure for me!

Once we arrived at the airport and struggled our way through customs (a story for a different day...), we were met by Margaret, who is the CRWRC (Christian Reformed World Relief Committee) representative for Tanzania... She will serve as our host and interpretor for this part of the trip -- she is originally from Kenya, but has spent about 18 years in Tanzania and is fluent in Swahili. After we had checked into the La Kairo Hotel here in Mwanza, we ate lunch with Margaret at the restaurant at the hotel and discussed our schedule for the next couple of days. Check out what I got... Fried Tilapia -- and they fry the whole fish! Thankfully, I've had no stomach-related issues since arriving in Africa! The next couple of days will probably be the test, though, as we'll be visiting more rural areas where cleanliness is not as foremost on their minds...

After the late lunch, Margaret then gave us a tour of the city... Wow! Besides the differences in the physical environment, the thing that struck me was the diversity of the people -- many different types of dress, including modern Western attire, colorful authentic African outfits, traditional Muslim clothing and Maasai warrior dress...

We have meetings scheduled for tomorrow and Wednesday with two separate business as mission groups here in the area -- tomorrow with WADOKI here in Mwanza (actually, across the street from the hotel) and Wednesday with SISA in Sengerema, which is across an arm of Lake Victoria. Lou from Partners Worldwide flies in tomorrow morning and then will join us later in the day. Our schedule for tomorrow includes tours of some of the member businesses and meetings with members and the board of the group. Not sure at this point, what our schedule will hold for Wednesday.

I pray that the Lord will be present for each of our meetings here in Mwanza and that we will have discernment and clarity in our direction relating to these two groups!

I pray also for Teresa and Rachel, as they continue to hold down the fort in Evansville, while the two men in the family are enjoying their world travels! I pray for strength and stamina and courage for each... I love you both and I can't wait to get home on Friday!

Episode #8 -- Just a Quiet Day

Other than going to church this morning, today was a very quiet day...

I ended up going to Watoto Church, here in downtown Kampala, by myself. Until very recently it was known as the Kampala Pentacostal Church... but, the service was very much similar to our home church in Evansville, Crossroads Christian Church... similar contemporary worship style (including a Chris Tomlin song), similar multi-media technology, and the pastor read from an NIV Bible -- so it felt comfortable. The worship team wore these same outfits as in the picture on the right that I found on the internet...

The church is initiating a capital building campaign, so the pastor's message was from Ecclesiastes 3, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." Kind of seems appropriate for this trip, huh? I was moved that God seems to get His message across to me whatever the context may be...

I ended up walking back to the hotel again after the service... this time was a little bit farther than last time, but I had a companion this time -- a young Ugandan man who had attended Watoto's service with me. I enjoyed talking to him, and I think he liked talking to an American -- he loves to read U.S. history, so he was asking a lot of questions. I'm fascinated by just how open and friendly the people are here in Uganda -- many people just want to talk to me. I also saw an interesting sight after the two of us went our separate ways... check out the cows in the back of the truck in the photo... driving through the downtown area of a major city of over 2 million people... oh, and those are the local taxis -- van that they'll cram as many as 15 people into...

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading in my hotel room and enjoying the weather with the window open... that is until it started to pour down rain... it was raining so hard at one point I couldn't even see the golf course outside my window.

I also realized I haven't shared much about my hotel room here in Kampala... it is just as nice as most of the hotels that I've stayed at in the U.S. It's a big room with a flat-screen TV, a little fridge, a nice sitting area with a couch and chair, and check out the wall carving that's above the bed -- except, there one thing missing... it has no clock anywhere in the room! I've also noticed that the vast majority of the people in Uganda don't wear a watch! It just confirmed for me that time is not valued nearly the same way in this culture that it is ours...

This evening, I went and visited the shop of one of the Ugandans from this week's conference -- it's a small clothing store at one of the local hotels. The lady's name is Peace and she designs all of the clothes in her shop. Picked out something for Teresa, but wouldn't tell her what it is... Not telling you either -- you'll just have to wait until I get home and I'll take a photo of her modeling it.

Lastly, I just called and tried to set up a breakfast meeting for tomorrow with Ronnie, one of the Ugandans from the conference. We fly to Tanzania around 12:30 local time and I wanted to connect with him, but I learned that he's been extremely sick over the weekend. He thinks he may have malaria... Lord, I want to pray for Ronnie that he would be healed of this disease! He was one of the people that is an inspiration to me and so I ask for this in Jesus name! Amen!