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!

Episode #7 -- I Discovered the Source...

Of the Nile River... but wait, I'm not the first... not by a long shot!

Very, very early this morning, I went along with several other guys -- Mike from the U.S. (who's living in Tanzania right now), Martin from Tanzania, and our driver, Livingstone, from Uganda -- to do our own explorations of one of God's wonders, that eluded people for centuries -- the source of the Nile River. Many, many explorers over the centuries searched for, but never found the source of the world's longest river... that is until John Hanning Speke did in 1862.

Now, you must recognize that there is still some debate among the mountainous countries in East Africa, but the general consensus is that the source is at the end of an inlet of Lake Victoria, near the city of Jinja, Uganda [Jinja is about 75 kilometers (about 50 miles for those of you in the U.S.) and takes about 1 1/2 to 2 hours to get to]. When it was first discovered back in the mid 1800's, the river was a series of falls and rapids, and thus it made traversing the river to reach it's source a monumental task. Today, the river just downstream of the source has two hydroelectric dams (which produce the vast majority of Uganda's electrical power), and so the distinction between the lake and the river is a little fuzzy, at first glance... but it's there and it seems that God has his finger in it...

The really, really cool thing about the source of the Nile is just how evident the boundary between the river and Lake Victoria is... It's as if God is taking his finger and drawing the water right into the river from the lake...

Here's why I say that... There is a small island at the boundary between the lake and the river that is no larger than my hotel room -- on one side of the island the water is still and generally call (the local call it "black water"); on the other side, the water is flowing just like a river. My understanding is that there are springs with a substantial amount of flow that reach the ground surface directly at the point of the island where there is a monument (see photo), that causes serious turbulence just beyond it and creates the river... It was fascinating to stand on the end of the island and watch the water rush by... and to recognize that God is the real source!

We also got the opportunity to see Tilapia fishermen... and a variety of birds, including several Marobou Storks... and my first African monkeys... I've uploaded the rest of my photos from today onto my Facebook profile so that everyone can see them... Enjoy!

Just had to show you the monkey, though!

Today, I also got my first real glimpse at the extreme poverty in East Africa... I saw some things on the way from the airport to my hotel on Tuesday night, but it was dark, so I missed a lot... the difference this morning was that we were driving in daylight and I couldn't miss the fact that the people in this country still approach things the way we, in the U.S., did 100 years ago... Photos won't do this justice, but I'm going to include a couple anyway -- I'm sure that I'll have more early next week when I visit Tanzania...

The thing that has touched my heart, though, is the people -- like the ones with the passion and desire and ingenuity that I met at the conference... they simply lack some knowledge, some resources, and some "seasoned" support... I've got to believe that there are others out there, just like the young people I met...

I've got one photo that clearly demonstrates this contradiction of realities -- "the boys with a bed on a bike"... the photo on the left is of two boys hauling a bed that I presume either they've made or a family member has, in order to deliver it to a shop to sell it or to the customer who has bought it... this bed is made of solid wood, with slats, no less -- it's got to be heavy! You might think this is a little backward, but these two boys are determined to deliver this bed... and if a bike is the only thing to use, then a bike it will be... that's hard work, creativity and detemination!

In the background of this photo, though, are a number of men digging a trench along the road... for a new pipeline from Kenya to Kampala, Uganda, a distance of over 200 kilometers! By hand, with picks and shovels... In dirt and stone... Yes, they're working hard, but there is modern equipment, even used equipment, that could do this project in a fraction of the time... my observation of this started a discussion in the car this morning (and at dinner tonight)... and here's the contradiction -- and the dilemma --our involvement in developing countries for God's glory should not simply be to create jobs doing things in the same old way, just in order to have the poor employed... As stewards of the abilities and resources that God has entrusted us with, we should help the people in these parts of the world use the ingenuity and creativity that God has blessed them with to develop plans to create wealth and pull themselves out of poverty.

It's not going to be simple... and it won't be completed in a short timeframe... but by God's grace and mercy, and with a lot of prayer, it can be done... it's going to take a lot hard work and creativity on everyone's part, and combine that with strategic planning and partnering to accomplish this important task.

If I've learned nothing else from this first week in Uganda, it's that we have a lot to learn from the people of East Africa. They are warm and inviting to people of any background, loving and generous to a fault (even outside their own family), creative and ingenius beyond imagination... Lord, I pray that hearts will be softened to the plight of the wonderful people of the developing world -- people like Timothy and Margaret and Gabriel and Ceasar and Joseph and all of the others -- and that you will push people to the edge of their comfort zone, like you've done with me. It may not be doing what I'm doing, but I ask that you help them search their hearts for how you want to use them in walking alongside someone in need.

It's all for Your Glory, Lord! Amen!

UPDATE -- New Photos

Just got back from Jinja and seeing the source of the Nile River -- Breathtaking!

I will be posting a new blog later in the day, but check out the new photos that I added to the posts below, while I'm preparing the next post which will have all kinds of photos of my trip to Jinja...

Blessings to everyone!

Episode #6 -- What an Amazing Day!!!

Today was Day 2 of the Uganda International Business Conference and it was just amazing in so, so many ways!

We had absoluting amazing worship before the initial session this morning... one of the Ugandans led us in a rhythmic clapping song where each of the three parts of the room were clapping to a different rhythm... we then started singing worship songs along with the clapping... one thing I learned is that you can't help but smile when you're clapping -- so our day started out with an extremely upbeat mood, praising our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!

After the initial session about customer care, I had tea with another civil engineer named Francis who is a member of Uganda Christian Business Partners (the second one)... he owns his own structural engineering firm here in Kampala. I'm so pumped about discovering a couple of Christian-owned engineering firms here in Uganda -- while these guys may be young, they're on fire for God and just desire someone to discuss the ups and downs of the consulting business with someone who's been there... This really, really intrigues me -- we'll see what might come of it...


During the second session, a pastor from here in Kampala spoke, and even though he was a little long-winded, his message was very, very powerful! He talked about seizing opportunities, which he defined as "doors that open to close", and how to identify when it's the right opportunity to seize... he had one quote that really stuck with me -- "Wisdom is the ability to turn surroundings into resources!"

Several of us then had lunch with the different attendees at the conference from Tanzania and talked about our visit there next week and their thoughts about the overall Partners Worldwide effort throughout the country. The photo on the right is of Joseph from SISA, the group we'll visit on next Wednesday. This should be an interesting upcoming week -- the two groups we're going to visit are really well-established, so we'll be curious to see how we can attempt to help them.

My big adventure for today was... get this, dancing with the African dancers at the Celebration Dinner tonight! There was a group of authentic Ugandan teenage dancers that performed during the dinner -- Here are some photos of them (without me, that is)...

The group singing...

The group dancing...

But, how do I get myself into these situations??? Well, it was kind of a dare... After Lou from PW and I went over to take some photos, he dared a lady from Uganda and another lady from Kenya that I was sitting at dinner with to go dance with the kids, and that he and I would go with them if they did... What?!?! And before I could say anything the ladies took him up on the dare, and all of a sudden, I'm over there dancing with the kids... It was both fun and exhausting! Plus, the lady from Uganda had said something like, "Mutakas (I think that's us white people) don't have any rhythm anyway." So I kinda had to show her that some of us do... I don't know how those kids did it for about an hour, though -- I was sweating profusely and just about beat after about 10 minutes... Oh, well! I will have to say, I had more Africans come up and compliment me on my willingness to get out there -- I think it made me a little more of a person to them, by showing them I wasn't afraid to have some fun... Yes, there were plenty of photos being taken of me dancing, so I'll post them once I get them from the others...

Signing off from Kampala! Usiku mwema (Good night)!

Oh, going to the headwaters of the Nile River very early in the morning, so no post until late tomorrow...

Episode #5 -- Day 1 of the Business Conference

I praise the Lord for this new day that He has made here in Uganda! It's a beautiful sunny morning here on the veranda at breakfast...

There have been a number of developments since yesterday -- we've switched hotels (long story and not enough room here to explain), completed the first day of the business conference, and been dealing with Internet connection issues... So, this post is being done from my Blackberry... I'll update it with photos later... [UPDATE -- Here's the view from my room at the new hotel -- the Kampala Golf Course Hotel -- and, yes, that's the golf course through the trees -- Plus, on the left is a photo of the hotel itself -- that 's a revolving restaurant on top that we ate at on Thursday night]

My single greatest impression from Day 1 of the conference is the desire of the African business people -- for more knowledge and to serve the Lord through their business... I was humbled by the number of young people who sought me out for advice -- guys and gals like Musoke and Florence and Ceasar and Gabriel and so many others (I'm not using last names, just as a precaution)... It was almost overwhelming... I was especially drawn to Ceasar, who is a civil engineer and has his own consulting practice here in Kampala... He sought me out late in the day on the advice of Timothy (who was like a proud father all day) because of our common backgrounds -- we're going to talk more today and I may get the chance to see some of his projects. [UPDATE -- The photo on the right is of Cheryl Broetje from Washington state, with her NGO's executive director Glenn, and she talked about servant leadership -- I met Cheryl last fall at the PW conference in Michigan; she and her husband own the largest apple orchard in the world and have created a community for their "migrant" workers in Washington -- what a power message she gave about the "servant" model of leadership]

I thank God for this opportunity to make an impact in the lives of these wonderful people! Their fire is just infectious!

Well, off to Day #2 of the conference...

Episode #4A -- Usiku mwema, Uganda!

That's Swahili for "Good night, Uganda!" And, yes, I'm attempting to learn some Swahili for when I'm in Tanzania next week... Just some basic cordial greetings -- nothing too elaborate... It's actually been pretty easy to pick up, because unlike a lot of foreign languages, Swahili uses the English alphabet and doesn't have a lot of special pronunciations... and similar to the Hawaiian language, you pronounce every letter and syllable. Here's the fun part, if you go and watch Disney's Lion King again, you'll pick up a number of Swahili words and phrases... Like Hakuna matata! which means "no problem" or Rafiki which means "friend"... Some of you are probably saying "Enough with the language lesson, already!"

So how was my day, today??? Actually, it was rather relaxing! After completing this morning's blog post, I had breakfast with Nana Yaa, the Partners Worldwide coordinator for East Africa, so that we could get to know each other a little better, talk about our trip next week to Tanzania, and share stories about family, friends and food (yes, Nana Yaa the word is going to get out about you and food...).

Always the networker, this afternoon I met with a couple of different Ugandan engineering firms -- NewPlan and Kagga & Partners. It was really good to meet people here in Uganda with similar backgrounds to mine, but with vastly different experiences. We shared with each other the types of civil engineering projects we both work on and the services our respective firms provide... but mostly, we discussed the similarities and differences in how we advance projects through the process to eventually be constructed. Life in Uganda is much simpler and more laid back...

So, my big "adventure" for today -- being stranded in downtown Kampala... and, I had a nice leisurely walk back to the hotel -- 2 to 3 miles away! (Yes, honey, I made it just fine)

Here's how the story goes... I got finished in my meeting with NewPlan at their office in the heart of downtown (see photo) and couldn't get a hold of anyone to pick me up... I had taken a taxi from my hotel to the meeting and the driver had given me his cell phone number to call him when I was done... obviously, I didn't write the number down correctly, because I got a "call failed" tone more than once when I tried to call him... I thought about contacting Nana Yaa, but I knew she was supposed to be in a meeting at the conference hotel, which is right near where I was at... And I wasn't about to get on one of the bodas (the motorbike "taxis" so prevalent here) -- at least, not yet... So, I improvised and took off down the street walking -- I figured if I looked confident in where I was going, I would manage...

At this point, you're probably asking "So, how did he know how to get back to his hotel?" Well, that's a good question... because I wasn't 100% certain myself... on the way to NewPlan's office, though, I rode in the front seat with the taxi driver, and being the engineer that I am (those out there who are one or love one, know where I'm going with this...), I watched the route he took very closely -- examining the roundabouts and the street system -- and pretty much remembered it... following it backwards was a little bit of a challenge, though...

I will have to say I got to see a side of the city you won't see from the back of a taxi... like the Uganda Parliament (see right) or some of the other interesting buildings (like this bank behind its security fence)... or the diversity of people -- business men and women; military, police and security guards; parking attendants; street vendors; and beggars... and yes, I was one of the very, very few Caucasian people on the street -- but, that didn't make me feel uncomfortable. I just said a little prayer and started on my way...

About 30 minutes and 2 to 3 miles later, I was standing back in my hotel -- sweating a lot, because of the humidity (Temp. was about 75 degrees, but humid) -- and trying to cool off before meeting with the gentleman from Kagga & Partners.

Isn't it great how God gives you the confidence to deal with life's "small" challenges? It's just a matter of practicing the presence of God in your ordinary moments -- whether at work or at home or being stranded on a street corner in Kampala, Uganda -- so that it's easy to call on Him for help, even if it's just to get directions back to your hotel...

Episode #4 -- Good morning, Uganda!

As I write this, it's about 6:45 a.m. Uganda Time on Wednesday morning... and I'm sitting at my desk listening to the birds outside my hotel... and the traffic -- the cars, trucks, motorbikes, etc. -- which I've already learned is one constant in Kampala...

The sun is coming up... and with it the start of my first full day of my adventure in Kampala, Uganda! Here is the view from my room... Not much, just the compound of some legal association, but that's OK, I'm here at my destination!


I just woke up after having truly slept for the first time in about two days -- 6 hours worth... Whoo hoo! Needless to say, I have trouble sleeping on airplanes... and this trip was no exception! I caught about an hour of fitful sleep on the flight from Amsterdam to Entebbe, but that was about it (below is the KLM plane that brought me to Uganda... Almost exactly the same as the one from Detroit to Amsterdam)... The one good thing about not sleeping on the plane is that it gave me a substantial amount of time to practice the presence of God... And man, did he ever reveal himself in new and different ways to me!


Yesterday was a series of reminders from Him of just how awesome our Creator is! The first was sitting in the Amsterdam airport... I wrote in my journal that it was the ultimate in cross-cultural experiences -- more languages and nationalities than I have ever encountered in one place at one time in my entire life... simply put, it was a clear reminder of God's plan of diversity within the Body of Christ...

The second was while flying from south from Amsterdam... I was struck with a different, but just as awesome, display of the creativity of God outside my window... We flew over the snow-capped Alps, the clear blue Mediterranean Sea, and the vast Sahara Desert -- natural wonders that I'd never before seen... A clear indication of His creative power!

Upon arriving in Uganda, I discovered the third, seemingly unconnected, indicator of God's creativity... On the drive from Entebbe to Kampala with Timothy and Nana Yaa, I was struck by the "simplicity" of life in Uganda and the disparity of wealth... from the poverty of the roadside markets, with everything from fresh meat (Timothy said it was goat) and produce (more bananas than I've ever seen) to TVs and other electronic devices, to the prosperity of downtown Kampala with its modern office buildings and hotels... It was a revealing indication of what my week may have in store.

Each of these encounters reminded me of something that I had read during one of the flights by Rob Bell, a pastor in Michigan. In his book Velvet Elvis, he writes "If there is a divine being who made everything, including us, what would our experiences with this being look like?" In Exodus, Moses was looking for a god that he could wrap his mind around... but instead he encountered God, who when Moses asks for his name replied, "I am who I am." (Exodus 3:14) The writers of the Bible go to great lengths to describe God as a being with no boundaries, but it is something that people have struggled with since the beginning...

For me, these encounters were a clear reminder of just what an awesome God we serve... creative, yet mysterious... powerful, yet unfathomable... He is obviously preparing my mind and heart for the adventure to come in Africa!

Episode #3 -- Sitting in Detroit...

Hujambo Rafiki! Which is "Hello, Friend!" in Swahili. Welcome to Blog Episode #3 from Detroit!

Just sitting here waiting for my flight to Amsterdam -- my first
international flight. Also, this will be longest plane ride I've been on -- 8 hours. Then 5 hours later, I have another 8 hour flight to Uganda... Ugh!

I'm posting this from my PDA, and I guess I can't include the photo of the plane... Oh, well! [UPDATE: Here is the photo...]


During the flight from E'ville and while eating lunch, I've been reflecting on what God is teaching me through this adventure... One thing I believe he's pointing me toward is to take the time to embrace and appreciate the culture I'm entering... Particularly, it's people. Instead of focusing on solving a problem or addressing an opportunity, this trip will focus mainly on developing new relationships with a people half a world away...

Thank you, Lord, for the reminder that people and our relationships are what's most important in this life!

My African Adventure -- Blog Episode #2

Scrambling to get everything done before leaving tomorrow for Africa...

Packing (as you can see below) and getting my suitcase under 50 lbs... Contacting credit card companies before leaving the country... Taking care of bills and banking... dealing with computers and electronics... and buying our plane tickets for Ireland...

BUT GOD IS GOOD! A couple from church (yes, it's you, Neal & Dawnya) prayed for me and our family right after the 2nd service -- that God would open my eyes to see what it is that He has in store for this trip and that He would protect all of us... It was so uplifting and affirming!

A lot of people have asked me what my expectations are for this trip, including the group from Partners Worldwide I will be joining in Uganda. Honestly, I don't have any... which is really a drastic change for this Type A engineer -- I'm consistently set goals and objectives for most activities that I'm doing.

Lou from Partners Worldwide probably said it best, in response to me saying I don't really have any expecations when we met in mid-July... He said that's perfect, because that way God can work and I won't be dissappointed if it's totally different than what I expected.

This entire trip has been, is and likely will be a real "stretch" for me... what better reason to fully rely on God for what is to come.

Better head to bed... I'm winging off to Africa tomorrow morning!!!

The First Episode of "My African Adventure"!

Welcome to my first blog post!

I am currently preparing myself -- spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally -- to take my first trip overseas... to East Africa, no less... by myself... to explore establishing a long term relationship with business people in this unique part of the world... all for His glory!


THAT'S WHAT I CALL AN ADVENTURE!


For some time now, I've felt the Lord leading me to take a "vision trip" to more fully explore the "Business as Mission" (BAM) movement in an international setting... After attending a missions conference at our church about 18 months ago, I sensed God drawing my focus toward BAM and prompting me to investigate and research the movement more deeply. This led me to read a number of books on BAM, seek out several people working in BAM with different mission organizations, and attend a BAM conference in Michigan last fall. After all that, I prayed and sought God's guidance about making such a trip during 2009.

I will be traveling with staff members of Partners Worldwide (PW) [http://www.partnersworldwide.org/], who sponsored the conference I attended in October '08. I have had a continuing dialogue with staff from PW since that time about making such a trip... and early this spring I learned about an upcoming business conference in East Africa and I had felt drawn to the plight of the people of this region for some time.






The details of my adventure... I leave on Monday, August 24th at about 10:15 a.m. from Evansville Regional Airport. I arrive in Entebbe, Uganda about 26 or 27 hours later at 8:15 p.m. local time on Tuesday night. I will then spend the next ten days or so in Uganda and Tanzania networking with a variety of East African business people. I am attending the business conference in Kampala, Uganda from August 27-29. I then fly to Mwanza, Tanzania on Monday, August 30th to meet with two different groups about a possible partnership.

During my time in Africa, I'll attempt to post my thoughts, prayers and photos. I'd ask each of you to continue to pray for me as I "seek to have eyes to see and ears to hear" God's will for this trip!