Kenbia- Mark's experiences therein.

I like my job

2009-07-28T02:39:00.000-07:00

This last week was a nice microcosm of my African experiences. I had to deal with disapointments (my knee injury and not being able to play soccer, go on walks, etc...), had adventures (like meeting a man who works at the hospital while going to pick up Karen's finished engagement ring, who then took me to the hospital, took me past any lines, gave me an x-ray and read it all for free. "I just wanted to say thank you for coming all this way to help out country"- his stated reason why), and some really enjoyable times of relationship.
Of note, I've gotten to explain the gospel in a natural and meaningful way twice in the last week. Both happened at the Boy's Ranch and flowed from what we were already discussing in Bible study. They weren't planned, and extended our conversations further than any of us had anticipated when we began. The first night, one guy, Beya (18) understood in a very personal way the reality that a day of accounting is actually going to come. It was a holy moment, actually, one which I've rarely been a part of.
I've also continued to enjoy the Bible study at the orphanage, and the children there seem to be getting into it a bit more. This Friday, they all had their assigned verse memorized! I'm so proud of them, especially that they've begun to work harder on it, rather than just letting it slide. I've continued telling stories to illustrate the truths in the verses we study, and they've continued to enjoy them!

I also got to have a skype conversation with John Kameru, my dear friend and colleague at AMCC! He was in high spirits, and enjoyed telling me about their first mango order (which brought in a $90 profit over two weeks, and also allowed him to stay at AMCC!), the accomplishments of the children at AMCC (many 3 of whom are ranked 1st in their glass, 2 are 2nd). One child at AMCC (Joseph) has been ranked 8th in his grade out of the 40 surrounding schools, and another girl (Teresia) won a poetry reading contest and will be going on a trip to Mombasa (the 2nd largest city in Kenya, 8 hours away, on the ocean) paid for by her school!
Nick is also wrapping up his time at AMCC, and leaves on the 31st- just a few days away!

Please pray for:
- God to move through the Bible studies that Karen and I are doing here.
- Grace in transition for the Walkers, Karen, myself, and Nick as we're all leaving Africa in the next month.
- Provision for AMCC, and for profits to increase from their sustainability project.
- Wisdom and presence for Karen and I as we transition, not only culturally, but relationally.
Thank you for your prayers and encouragement. They are appreciated!
Love,
Mark
P.S. No one has responded to me about paying for my Zambian visa, so don't feel shy if you want to! ;-)

Nick's latest post

2009-07-28T02:34:00.001-07:00

Another site seen daily here in Kimata. These women are carrying napia grass to feed their cows at home.

Speaking of home, Nancy's back! Upon her return, she brought with her various types of food including maize, avocadoes, potatoes, tarrow root and beans! These were donated by her family. I asked her what the best thing about going home was.She said that fixing her parents kitchen, which was days away from being totally destroyed, gave her great joy. The kitchen, by the way, was made from mud and sticks. Though the new one isn't permanent either, it is a great improvement from what they had been using. Maggs and I were very happy to have her back after two weeks.

About Maggs, SHE"S GONE! All of us here at AMCC were sad to see her go, though no one as much as me. She gave a speach to the kids before she left and they all hugged her to the point of collapse.

However, before she could depart, we welcomed Barbara and Chris who had just flown in from Holland. Barbara is the missions director from Grace World Outreach. Chris is her cousin who leads a college-aged ministry in Arkansas. As soon as they got to AMCC we put 'em straight to work pickin beans! (Not really; John and Nancy are way to hospitable/Kenyan to do that. I was the one who had to initiate the bean-pickin.)

It was a bitter sweet couple of days. I was excited to see a mentor of mine (Barb) but sad to see Maggs go. Of course the kids gave Barbara and Chris and even Maggs and I a warm welcome when we arrived. It was a huge hug-fest! When they wrap their arms around you, they don't let go until you pry em off or you're on the ground.

Mark's parents sent us a package! Thanks guys! The spices were much appreciated! It's amazing how a few spices can change a meal entirely. They also sent some good books for the kids to read and some biblical and educational decks of cards.

In other news, Paulo, the youngest got chicken pocks! Or small pocks, I'm not sure. Anyway we're countin on all the kids getting them in the next couple of weeks. This will be kind of a bummer deal but I guess they all gotta go through it sometime. Please pray that the Lord would bring quick healing and finances for the medical bills.

Finances! We have delivered our first mango order! We got a profit of 10,000Ksh which will help AMCC not to be in such great debt. Because the system is a bit different than avocado harvesting, we'll have to wait a week before we get the check. We didn't make as much as anticipated but we've got about 6 and a half months to figure out how to increase profits.

Bloom church in Denver sent AMCC a couple of letters, which were super encouraging to the kids. In response, the kids will have the oportunity to draw or write something back the Bloom this Sunday. THANKS BLOOM! You guys rock!

Dislocation Station

2009-07-21T03:23:00.004-07:00

Bad News: I dislocated my knee yesterday while playing soccer. Thankfully (or not, only time will tell) it was not the same knee that I dislocated two years ago.

Thus far it seems to not be of the same caliber that my first one was (I don't feel any chips of my knee cap floating around), but since it only happened yesterday I don't yet know how badly it messed up my ligaments, tendons, etc...

This is fairly deflating for me, especially as I consider trying to return to the US, find a job, and marry the woman of my dreams. Depending on how bad it is, my recovery time could be a year (or more) and that would dramatically change the number and kind of jobs that I can work.

I appreciate your prayer for healing, and trust in God's plan and provision. I'm not really worried, but I have begun grieving the things I won't be able to do because of this injury.

I also appreciate you joining me in thanks to God, that it wasn't anything worse, that it happened to me and not one of the boy's at the Ranch (whose access to medical help is much smaller than mine), and that God knew about this and will work it for me good- even Karen's!

My greatest thanks to you. May you sense the reality of the nearness of our God.

I spoke too soon!

2009-07-21T03:15:00.003-07:00

Does anyone remember like 2 months ago when I said that I had received all of the funds I needed for my trip? I was totally telling the truth... for my knowledge at the time.

However, I was forced to buy a $200 Zambian work visa three weeks ago (scroll down to read more about that frustrating experience). This cost was unforeseen by me and the agency whom I am working under here, and therefore was not in the amount that I had been trying to reach.

Soooooo, if you were thinking about contributing some money toward my trip but decided not to because I reach my goal, then consider your desires met! You can still make out a check to: Heart of the Bride Ministries, attach a sticky note to the check that says "For Mark Dawson" and send it all to:

Heart of the Bride Ministries

PO Box 786

Niceville, FL 32588

Thanks so much. I'll update again if/when this need is met.

Note: I had the address on this blog posted incorrectly yesterday. The zip code for HOB read "23588". It is now correct as "32588"

It's not a dream anymore!

2009-07-14T00:48:00.003-07:00

I’m getting married to the woman of my dreams!!!

Last Thursday night I asked Karen Hartman to marry me and she said yes! I’m ridiculously happy about this and am thankful to God for her. She is the only woman in the world that I would want to live with or spend the rest of my life with, and I am praying that I’ll learn to be a good husband to her.

We don’t yet know when we’ll get married, but we’re thinking it'll happen sometime in the future.

Here are some pictures! Isn't she beautiful?!?!

2009-07-14T00:40:00.000-07:00

I love my life! On top of getting engaged this last week, I’ve just had an absolutely wonderful time here lately. I live at the Boy’s Ranch, and I get really enjoy it! The boys are fairly well disciplined, and I’ve tricked them all into thinking that I’m cool, and we get along great. We play Frisbee, and one-on-one soccer, and tell stories together. I pray with them, and do Bible studies with them, and just talk to them. They tell me about their lives on the streets, and where they came from, and what they’d like to do, and it’s just really great to do!

Most of them also speak less-than-perfect Engrish (as it’s pronounced), and I share a number funny thoughts just with myself and God. The boys really enjoy hearing me talk about how “Kah-len is so byoo-tee-fool”. They get a kick out of it, and I enjoy the subject matter, so it’s a nice fit. They also spend lots of time asking me about America. Half of what I tell them is just made up (and they know I’m joking), but I also try to be intentional about portraying to them that America is NOT heaven-on-earth and that the physical amenities that people there have do not translate into fulfillment or happiness. They are surprised to hear that Americans commit suicide, or that they aren’t happy when they have a nice car or house. The problem isn’t that Americans have high standards, it’s just that their hearts do: physical things can never satisfy our spiritual longings, and it is the spiritual longings that really drive most of our actions (the need for acceptance, forgiveness, community, purpose, and love).

It’s so fun to talk to these boys about this stuff, and then I realize that soon I’ll be entering back into the culture which has ensnared me in the past. It’s a sobering thought to realize that when I go back I make a very complex trade with life here. I am able to get the ice cream I love, and play the sports which are fun to me, and be gainfully employed, and walk around safely at night, but the pressures of lust, materialism, and pride in my own accomplishments will also be felt much more (especially since in America I’ve done what’s cool to young people these days: volunteering in a poor nation). I’ll trade the laid-back relationships for more intentional tasks, and I’m excited and reluctant to make this transition. Most of all I will miss the people here, and in Kenya as well (whom I already miss, but somehow I will more when I’m in the US).

You can pray for me, and my fiancé Karen about these things.

As for AMCC:

- Nick got malaria!!! Please pray for his recovery and health, and that God would use this for his good, his gf’s good, and also the good of AMCC.

- Pray for physical provision for AMCC: food, rent, pay for the employees, and for us to be able to hire new employees since Nick will be leaving in less than a month!

- The children at AMCC to know God and His love, and to love one another.

- The kids at AMCC to work diligently at school, and to be healthy.

- Unity for all staff at AMCC, for us to balance our personal lives well with involvement at AMCC.

Post from Nick's blog last week

2009-07-14T00:37:00.000-07:00

monday, july 6, 2009
Friends! First I'd like to appologize for not updating my blog in about 3 weeks. A few things have happened which have kept me from doing so.

I've had some blogging complications that you will be recieving an e-mail about. The other reason is because for about 4 days Maggs and I went to climb Mt. Kenya! This was truly a blessing because we didn't think we would have a chance to do it.

Not much has changed here lately, except that Maggie and I have had a few days where we are the only two running the entire place. Thanks to the $100 that Grace World Outreach gave a couple weeks ago, Nancy has ceased the opportunity to go home for a break and bless her family with the money. This has been a long time coming. The last time she was able to go home was about 7 months ago. The Pastor is still working hard on the avocadoes and can spend some nights away from AMCC leaving Maggs and I to pick up the slack. Recently AMCC was blessed with avocadoes from some of our neighbors whose original avocado harvesters didn't show up. The children had a good time helping to collect them because the farms were so close.

Here at AMCC, and all of Kenya along with most parts of Africa, children are caned more often than those in the states. They seemed a bit more disciplined that most kids in the U.S. as well. It's very different for me culturally but I've become a little more used to it. I found that the children don't seem to feel oppressed or threatened by caning, however, Maggs and I have been instiuting some other ways of discipline. Here you can see David sitting on top of Jerald with their arms around each other. This was the consequence for their hitting each other. After a while sitting there, I asked them if they were brothers and if they loved each other. They both responded postively to each inquiry.

Njau the Butcher (pronounced "Jow") is a noteworthy person in our small sub-district. This man doesn't speak English but has a servant's heart that speaks louder than words. He owns this small butchery in Mukarara, a village that lies about 3 kilometers away from Kimata. When we have the money, we buy meat from him. He's always been faithful in allowing us to charge our cell-phones and any other electronical device for free. He plays a huge role in supporting AMCC in this way. He's also been super helpful for me to practice Swahili with.

Recently the rains have been scarce, forcing the children to hike to a nearby river to draw water. This is a picture of the kids hiking back up the side of hill with jugs full of water. None of them are fat.

The next picture is of a technique that John and Nancy use to get the children's attention when telling them something very important. You can see Nancy grabbing her ears as she tells the children to do the same. I know it looks a bit militaristic but don't worry, the kids are all laughing at this point.

This is another noteworthy person in Thika Town. Her name is Sho-sho (grandma) Victoria. She has a small shop in Thika where she sells a variety of fruits and veggies for a living. She loves the Lord and has always been an encouragement to Mark and I and helpful in supporting AMCC.

This man is Samual Mwangi. He deals with coffee in the area and has brought by a sample for us to ship to some friends in the U.S. The coffee that is bought in our region is going for about 25 shillings. The same coffee in the U.S. is being bought by 1200 shillings. Of course there should be a price gap from the famer to the consumer, but not a gap of 50 times the selling price. AMCC hopes to be able to buy the coffee from the farmers at a greater price than the Kenyan buyers. We're hoping this will give Kenyan farmers a hand in getting out of the cycle of poverty while helping AMCC pay the bills.

The last picture is of the four staff members walking to a celebration one Sunday afternoon. A lady that is a cousin of John was healed and the church she is a part of decided to celebrate by meeting at her house and eating together. I wish we did more things like this. The people here seem to have a cool spirit of thanksgiving. It was a great time hangin out with people who were so appreciative of the Lord.

The only other news is that we should be getting a mango order sometime next week. Please be praying that we can actually get the order and that all goes well with the new business venture. Nancy should have a few more days off befor her return. Also, pray that the Lord would give Maggs and I wisdom in how to love and discipline the children here while the Pastor and Nancy are out.

Mungu Akubariki!

Frustrambia!

2009-07-04T02:41:00.000-07:00

Ahhhhh!!!

Yesterday I had by far the most frustrating "Africa" like day of my trip. Which is actually amazing and pretty nice, considering I've been here over 4 months now! It's really not that big of a deal, but since my expectations were so different then it felt a lot worse (plus I had a hot date to get to!).

Basically, I had to renew (or extend?) my Zambian visa yesterday, since it marked exactly 30 days from when I entered the country on June 3rd. I went to the immigration office early and got there just as the employees were walking in (note: I rode in the cab of a flat-bed truck that was delivering security guards to their various locations. You might think that this isn't a very secure thing for such a company to do, but in their defense, the likelihood of finding an umusungu who would try to take advantage of them here is ridiculously low).

Since I'd only been in Zambia for 37 days in 2009 and my visa was good for 90 days in a calendar year I was expecting them to simply stamp it, extend my visa to August 3rd, and then I'd go to the orphanage for the Bible studies I was going to do there.

WRONG.

Turns out that I made a serious blunder (or no one told me about it!) in telling the immigration office that I was here to work at a home for street boys. That's WORK, and it requires a work visa. A $200 work visa.

!!!!

For the sake of my own sanity I will spare many of the details of the rest of the day. Here's what's important:

1. I was given an incomplete list of what I would need to bring with me, so when I came back later in the day I had to leave again.

2. I waited alone with two other people for 2 hours in the lobby, until 5 minutes before the office closed. Then the employee called all of us in, sat us down, then continued to work on our stuff right in front of us. I'm confused why he didn't do them one at a time to allow the other parties to leave earlier (i.e. 1.5 hours and 1 hour earlier!).

3. The Lebanese woman waiting with me was also misinformed about what she was to bring, even though she's lived here for 7 years, and was very upset that they didn't tell her key information. I was just happy that a non-Westerner was also upset.

4. I eventually got my visa, 15 minutes after close.

I wanted to verbally wound the guy, and it's good that my ride arrived just as stuff was finishing. I just left and tried to de-tox before I took out my aggression on an unworthy party.

Saver of the day: I still got to go on a hot date with Karen! Woohoo!!! It was even sweeter because of the difficulties of the day.

So if anyone wants to contribute a portion of that un-planned for $200, write me an email or just follow the instructions posted on my blog in March and April.

Also news: I am returning to the US on August 21st! I'll be flying into Denver at 11:45 and beginning a two-month stint of traveling... all in a country whose language and culture I (mostly) know. I'm very happy to do so, even though transportation in the US is generally much more expensive than here. For now, though, I am quite content to be here in Zambia!

Another week, a new schedule.

2009-06-27T04:17:00.000-07:00

My life here in Zambia is really pretty different than in Kenya. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm even in Africa at all, but then something unexpected will happen and I'll be reminded of my place. This week that thing was the decision for the boys whom I am supposed to be discipling to be let go from the program they're in right now. WHAT?

I don't know all of the history of stuff, but this week it was decided that their misbehavior has become too much, even obstinate and intentional. Therefore, the staff here (mostly Zambian) have decided that Chishala, Kellys, and Felix are all going to leave the Boy's Ranch and be on their own- in the next 2-3 days!

Lots of factors I'm sure went into this decision, but I'm sure that a strong one was not wanting the younger boys to follow bad examples and receive bad influence. Last Friday was took in two new boys to the Ranch, Ernest (10) and Frank (11). They both look like they're about 5, in fact lots of the boys here look much younger than their actual age (a 19 year old who looks 12, an 18 year old who looks 13, 14 year old who looks 7). The day after they came, Saturday, two boys ran away from the Boy's ranch. Mana Mwape (19), and Chanda (12) just slipped out between the wire fencing in plain daylight. We're all confused about how they did it without being noticed because there were people well scattered through out our 4 acres. Either way, they left, and we mourned for Chanda especially. It seems that Mana has been to lots of centers for street children, and he does the same thing at every one: incite younger boys to run away with him. Thankfully only one went with him, although another (Kainda) would have gone had he not been called back for a conversation with one of our staff. I saw Chanda in town the next day and he refused to come back, but yesterday he said he was ready to come back. The staff seem unanimous that Mana fed him a bunch of lies and that he was manipulated into leaving. It blows my mind that a child would want to leave this place: they get 3 good meals a day, a warm bed to sleep in with a roof over their heads, friends who understand what they've been through, and adults who will be consistent and loving with them.

The boys that I've talked with have said that they never went hungry, though. Often they actually had a place to rent and would sleep there at night (rent can be as low as $8 per month). They told me that they could earn as much as $20-$50 a day, and on the streets they could spend it howevver they wanted: burgers, steak, glue to sniff, cigarettes, weed, alcohol, prositutes, whatever they wanted. They couldn't buy love with it though, and I think that is the differece between this program and other gov't run/sponsored ones around. Apparently they all have terrible retention rates (most kids run away after 1 or 2 months), but here we've had the same kids for over a year, and they're really different! They are loved, and that is becaus the people who work there know God and have been loved by Him. It's amazing to see it really work.

So my relationships will change now, but my schedule wasn't really finalized anyway so it won't be that big of a disruption. I've finally got stuff all programmed out, though, and this week I'll get to really dig in! I'm especially excited to finish the story that I started at the orphanage yesterday. It's a tale illustrating the truth found in 2 Timothy 3:16 "All of scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness". I tell stories a lot more when I'm teaching in Africa, and it's so fun to make em up right there on the spot, analogiues too. My fav so far: Many men get married just so they can have sex. That's like someone buying a car so that they can have a radio. They'll get a radio, yeah, but there's a whole bunch of other stuff along with it. A car is a big responsibility, and you can do wonderful things with it, or cause incredible pain and suffering.

Karen is still my favorite girl in the world. My goodness, I'm so blessed to be with her.

Glad to start!

2009-06-21T06:07:00.002-07:00

Well I'm at the beginning (or end) of a week here, depending on whose calendar you're looking at, and I feel a bit more rested and at peace now than I did a week ago. Main reason: I've mostly started the things I came here to do!

I spent my first two weeks just trying to understand the schedules, circumstances, and environments that I'll be working in here. Now that's I've got my feet under me a bit more I've begun, and I'm enjoying it!

I did my first Bible study with the kids at the orphanage on Friday, and it was really fun! There were about 8 kids ages 10-12 and they were 1:15 later than I thought they'd be home (though probably not their fault, in fact it was mostly Miss Communication's fault) so they had to eat lunch while I was teaching, but they were paying attention and seemed to enjoy it. There were two teachers from the orphanage who stayed in the room while I did it and they helped and encouraged the kids to speak up and not be shy with me "You can't fear him" they'd say in their sweet Northern-Rhodesian accents. :-)

I've also led my second Bible study for unmarried men aged 14-30 at the local church, and it's cool. Today there was just one guy for the first five minutes, then we found Shad, one of Karen's students (16) and eventually two of the guys from the church band came along. We talked about how God made sex good, and I tried to convince one of them that being made in God's image does not mean that God physically looks like us. I enjoyed it, and even though we didn't get through what I had planned for today, I was cool with it because I've got like 8 weeks to go- so we can just do it next week!

At the Boy's Ranch I finally figured out a plan for what to do with Chishala, Kellys, and Felix. I've finished my book on counseling for drug addiction (which, although it was written for professional counselors, was still quite interesting) and am ready to start a Bible study with them specifically designed for people with "life controlling problems". We're going to do that all together, and with no interpreter! They were pretty stoked about that, I think because then they won't have to worry about their leaders being there keeping an eye on them. On top of that I'll be meeting with them individually to talk about a whole host of things: business ideas, where they'll live when they leave, what they're struggling with right now, how to stay off the streets, what kind of a life they want to live, who is God to them, what team are they rooting for in the Confederations Cup, etc...

The goal of my interaction with these guys is to prepare them for when they leave, so I'm trying to let that guide me as I'm here. Ex: I'm wanting these guys to have a regular prayer life, so we're going to pray together 3 times a week. When none of them showed up the first day, I told each of them individually that I wasn't offended that they weren't there. That prayer time is not for me, I said, but for you. I know that I'm offering them some cool stuff, but I can't make them do it. They can take it or leave it, but I'm certain that if they do it they will benefit and if they don't they'll reap the consequences. I know that there won't be someone forcing them to pray, or plan ahead for their business, or whatever when they're gone, so I'm trying to get them used to becoming their own accountability. It's very freeing for me to know that it's not my responsibility to change them!

In other news, Karen's Uncle George and cousin Bryce have come and will be here till next weekend. AND BRYCE IS HILARIOUS!!! He and I are completely on the same page with our sarcasm and jokes, and it's just refreshing my socks off (it would be like if Desi came, but in the body of an unmarried 22-year old University of Arizona Wildcat). Uncle George is also pretty chill and fun to talk to, and I'm really enjoying my time with each of them.

Did you know that Emeralds and other such precious stones are fairly cheap in Zambia? I was unaware. Anyone want anything (not a diamond, please, as here they are almost certainly conflict-related)? Just let me know and I'll try to find it, quote you a price, and I can take it back for you!

I also harvested sweet potatoes this week, which was pretty cool.

My girlfriend is amazing.

2009-06-14T08:45:00.002-07:00

This is the latest blog post from Nick!

Kenyans can carry just about anything on the back of a bycicle. This guy's got talents I only hope to achieve one day.

John and I got to see Micah and Betsy again! They invited us to a 1010 Project meeting. It was a networking event and allowed me to see a bunch of white people like me and for John to connect with some other Kenyans running orphanages.

Micah also introduced us to Adam, the Executive Director of 10:10 Project who's 26 years old and also to the Kenyan Director, Fred who is involved with three other NGO's here in Kenya. One of the coolest things about the 10:10 Project is that their strategy and methodology for helping struggling organizations is very similar to what Mark and I are doing with AMCC. They're big fans of not just giving money for expendable needs, but rather to start income-generating projects.

It turns out that Fred and John are actually old preachin buddies! They used to live in the same town and preach alongside each other. Fred and Adam invited us back to Fred's house where we talked about how we can partner! This was very exciting stuff. We're hoping to recieve a grant from 10:10 for the chicken project to help with some of the funding in September. Currently the biggest grant that 10:10 has given is around $7,000. For our project, we're going to need about $15,000 overall, so we're hoping and praying that 10:10 can help us with about half the cost. There's no gauruntee though.

John's still hard at work with the avacodo business. Here's a pic of him with his game-face on. The business is getting more and more competitive as the season is comming to a close in about 6 weeks. We're having to go further and further to load the truck. We've reached the Mungiki territory in one direction, which means really bad news. They're like the Organized Kenyan Gang. They charge outsiders fees for any type of work. When people refuse, cars and farms are set on fire and occasionally people are murdered. So we're gonna have to fill our truck elsewhere.
Yesterday was a visiting day for the parents. It was a great time for the kids to get to see their parents or grandparents (those that have them). Most of the guardians brought fruit or greens or soap or some other necessity. It was quite a blessing to get to eat ugali and kales rather than getheri (maize and beans) last night. Even this morning they all got to take chai (tea with milk and sugar) because one parent brought milk. What a treat for the kids. John and Nancy also sat down with each guardian and discussed issues with their children and how they were doing at AMCC and in school.

Unfortunately, ....or fortunately..., one of the older girls told her mom she wouldn't let her leave without her coming along. Rosemary was saying that she didn't like it at AMCC. Her mom, who makes about a dollar a day, will have a hard time supporting Rosemary. Most likely she won't be able to go to school and will have to go for casual labor picking coffee or tea. Her mom asked her to tell the plain truth of what the problem was in from of John and Nancy. But Rosemary wouldn't say anything. Then her mom told her that she knows Rosemary is lieing about something because she wouldn't verbalize the problem in front of John and Nancy. So why would she leave?? I dunno know exactly. What I do know is that other kids have fought and screamed and cried to stay there instead of going back with their parents. My personal opinion is that Rosemary doesn't like being told what to do, i.e. pull water, saying "excuse me" before talking to her superiors, helping to clean her room with the other girls, etc... She is a bit older so maybe she thinks she can have a better life elsewhere. I hope she doesn't become uneducated and/or pregnant! I pray that the Lord would go with her and grow her in Him.

Oh, I almost forgot! The Big News from last time! So there's a lady who lives down the road, Mrs. Wesley, who has recently been widowed. Her late husband would often frequent AMCC on Sundays and teach the kids about the Lord. The Wesley's daughter, Dorithy, lives in London and is very involved with her church there. She's heard much about AMCC and has known
John since she was a child.

She's really pushing to get her church involved and recently a lady has expressed interest in raising $20,000 for AMCC to buy land! I dunno how serious this woman is but I'm praying that the Lord would put it in her heart to do so. Having no land of their own is one of the primary problems that AMCC has currently. So please join with us in praying over this situation!

The last piece of Big News is that Maggie will be here tomorrow! I'm so excited I can't sit still. May the Lord be glorified in our time together here! Please pray that we would remember to seek first the Kingdom of God and that He would use us to encourage one another in our walks with Him. I'm praising God because He has given us this opportunity to serve Him alongside one another. Whoo hoo!
posted by nick at 2:39 am 0 comments

2009-06-14T08:36:00.000-07:00

The lovely Teacher Nancy. I know most of you girls are jealouse you can't make your hair look like this on a daily basis. We call this "bush hair", as in "Some of those in Africa live 'in the bush'".

John's still workin on the avacodo business. We've made a 12,000Ksh profit so far! We're still waiting to collect the 5 grand that one of the workers ran off with, but the police are on the trail and we're still prayin. Nonetheless, John was actually able to pay the rent for AMCC this month!!!! Bwana asufiwe! (Praise God) He's also paid for medical bills for two of the kids and for Nancy to get one of her teeth pulled (ouch!) So AMCC is on their way! We even hoping to be able to collect money from various doners for more trucks and workers. John's feeling confident that AMCC can make some money for the future. He's also promised to put enough of the money into a "Deposit Only Account" so next year in May, they'll be able to do start right up again! This project is cemi-self-sustaining, because it only last for about 10 weeks. We're hoping we can go through the end of the year with the profits we'll make.

The Assistant Chief stopped by to give the kids a word of wisdom. Fortunately his office is next door to us, which allows AMCC to be a bit safer. I'm really thankful that John's got such a good relationship with him. This night he actually talked to the kids about sex! Talk about a surprise! I didn't know they talked about such things. Honestly though, he talked to the girls about not believing the lies of older boys. The week before, a freshman girl had dropped out of school, slept with a young man who told her that he owned what was actually his grandfather's estate, and had become pregnant. Now she's gonna have rough life and repeat the cycle of madness of her parents. He also encouraged the boys to stay in school and reminded them that there was a time for everything. He made sure they knew that school and marriage were for two different times.

John is becoming quite the barber. The first night he started, he shaved two and half kids' heads with the battery charged clippers before it went dead. The next night he shaved, he made it through 3 and a half, and this morning he did 5 kids! What a pro! These clippers are awesome by the way! Thank you guys sooo much for sending them! So far we're gonna save like 400Ksh! (haha, or rather not spend the 400Ksh we don't have)

Micah and Betsy came to K-ville (Kimata)! I can't tell you how pumped I was to invite them in to AMCC, not to mention John and Nancy. You know, Micah is the one who developed the AMCC official website. I haven't posted it yet cause it needs to be updated... I'm wanna wait to Micah has a chance to do so. We had a blast together even though it was for less than 36 hours. They are here working for the 1010 Project, who give small business grants to struggling Kenyan Christian organizations. So if you know of any, tell Micah and Betsy about it.;) It was truly a blessing to see some other Americans around who are dear to my heart! Thanks guys!

One last thing before I go. John was asked to be on the Red Cross committee for the Kadara region, which includes where AMCC is. So wherever Red Cross has potential to be involved, John is one of those on the chief decision-making team. Here's a picture a couple of those who were in charge during their training day. They took a 5-day training and crammed it into one! That's heavy stuff! I'm just glad to know that now John knows CPR.

There's some other really awesome things that God's got brewin for AMCC that have to do with some churches in another part of the world. BUT, unfortuntately I'm out of time today. So till then... Cheerio! ;)

Beginning of Zambia!

2009-06-14T08:35:00.000-07:00

My first week in Zambia has come and gone and I must say that I’m glad to be here and I have a full time ahead of me. I live at the Nehemiah Boy’s Ranch, a home for former street boys run by the Sarah Rose Children’s Foundation, a Zambian non-profit strongly connected with the local church here, Church on the Rock. I sleep in the dorm with the boys, on the bottom bunk underneath Matthews, a middle schooler who has a chain and likes to wear sunglasses.
Most of the kids at the boy’s ranch seem like normal kids, and I’m frequently surprised when I hear pieces of their stories. You honestly wouldn’t know that they used to live on the streets just by seeing them or even talking with them at school or something. But oh man, their stories. One boy, who came to the Ranch last June, told me that he’d spent the five years leading up to his time here drunk. He’s 20 years old.
Its pretty peaceful there, and I don’t mind that. I go to bed by 9:30 most nights, and get to spend the early mornings by myself while the boys work on the garden beds that each of them are tending. Tomatoes, spinach, Chinese cabbage, whatever it is that they’re growing they get to sell and keep the profits, and I think that’s great! It helps them learn responsibility and money management, as well as providing a helpful ethic of work to be built into them. This is one of the main things that the boy’s need help with, learning to do honest work for a fair wage.
There is a “chapel” every morning, with a different leader at the Ranch doing a short (20 min?) time of teaching. Right now we’re going through 1st and 2nd Samuel, and it’s cool to hear the different perspectives that the Zambian Christians bring to these passages. At night I do the “devotion”, which is just me commenting on the passage from chapel. It’s pretty chill, and done through translation, and I enjoy having a time of being able to speak to all the boys,
Different boys have different schedules, but most of them are supposed to have a half day of school. However, the teachers in the gov’t schools here in Zambia have been on strike for the last 3 weeks, so the kids are just hanging out at the Ranch (Ironically, the students in Zambia have recently organized strikes against the teachers, who are themselves striking against their low pay from the gov’t… and justifiably so. Zambian Ministers of Parliament get paid more than American Senators!).
My time thus far has been a mixture of being at the Boy’s Ranch and hanging out at the Walker’s, which is also where Karen Hartman lives (she’s my girlfriend). I’ve been trying to learn the schedule and routine at the Ranch so I can get a good idea of when to be there and when I should go to do other things. I’ve struggled some with feeling guilty about hanging out with Karen, and would appreciate prayer for wisdom to know when that is okay. I don’t want to be the lame boyfriend who shrugs off his responsibilities to hang out with his girlfriend, but I know that spending time with Karen is important to having a healthy relationship. It’s also compounded by the pressure of us not having lived in the same place for more than 3.5 years.
On Saturdays and Sundays I’m free, so I’m not sure yet what those will look like. This week I went to a nearby town to visit one of Karen’s Zambian friends and get to know more about her life there. Two of the leaders at the Ranch (who are themselves former street boys and are a fantastic testimony to the fact that kids CAN successfully come off of the streets) play on a local men’s soccer team, so I’ll probably go to their home games most Sundays. It’s cool to watch, and makes me miss the cartilage in my right knee.

That’s all for now! Please pray for Kellys (19), Chishala (23), and Felix (20). They are going to be leaving the Ranch soon after I leave and my main responsibility is trying to help them get ready to live outside of the Ranch. They’ve still got relapse problems from their days on the streets, even though they’ve been at the Ranch for over a year now, and we’re not sure right now if they won’t go back to the streets when they’re on their own.

Please also continue to pray for AMCC! I’ll post Nick’s most recent post just above this one. The avocado business has officially begun and it is bringing in about $75 a week of profit! PRAISE GOD! The needs there are much more than $75 a week, though, so they’re still in financial straits, plus the fact that avocado season ends at the end of July, so after that they’ll again be without income. Oh God, help AMCC!

Rwanda & AMCC goodbyes

2009-06-06T01:41:00.000-07:00

Blog, oh wow, do I have stories! I’ll try to go chronologically from my last post:

I left AMCC on Sunday, May 24th and boarded a bus that night that was bound for the Tanzanian town of Kahama. This trip took about 18 hours and was mostly uneventful, save that I got to see Baobab trees for my first time in Africa!
I told the staff on the bus that I was headed to Rwanda and they advised me about what to do and where to go after I alighted in Kahama. This dusty town was bigger than I expected it to be, but they still weren’t used to interacting with mzungus like me (they told me that I couldn’t go to the Rwandan border until tomorrow bc the bus didn’t leave until then, and it took my 5 minutes to explain that I didn’t mind taking the tightly packed matatu that left in 30 minutes). This 4 hour drive was mostly flat and boring (reminded me of my home in Texas) but the end had two exciting points:
- Big rolling hills
- -A small-scale, grassroots run gold mine.

I didn’t know it was a goldmine at first, but the small town of tarps and loose wooden structures corralled my curiosity and I asked my fellow passengers what this was. It was in the middle of a bunch of wilderness, and had it’s own counterpart make-shift town about 2 kilometers away from where they actually did the digging and panning. Neat b/c Tanzania has a lot of gold mine, but most of that money probably goes overseas or goes into gov’t pockets. I don’t know why this mine is open and going, but I thought it was neat. And I didn’t see any guns or shady stuff.
That night I slept in a $4 motel that my matatu drivers arranged for me, and got up the next morning to get to the border. There was some mutual confusion and I ended up getting a refund from my matatu and gave that to a motorcycle/scooter driver and he took me the 15 miles to the border- SO FUN! This part of Tanzania is beautiful, and the Rwandan border was just gorgeous! Cascading hills, a gushing flood-fueled waterfall, and stark and steep cliffs. This was the Rwanda I had heard about, and it exceeded my expectations in physical beauty. Basically the whole country is hilly, like BIG hills (reminded me of the hills around the Bay area, huge, tall, but with flat, rice-filled valleys between them). For having murdered 1/8th of it’s population 15 years ago the country looked pretty good. Honestly, the standard of living seemed higher than all of the other African nations that I have visited (especially in the rural areas). The main reason that I can find for this is that Rwanda’s current gov’t since the genocide hasn’t been incredibly corrupt! The MP’s (Senators, functionally) actually spend the money they are allotted on their constituencies and helpful development projects, instead of paying their friends to do nonexistent jobs, or just outright pocketing the money. I’m so thankful to see this happening! Especially in light of the recent UK M.P. scandals, this is encouraging to me.
When I got to Kigali, the capitol city, I set out to find an ATM so that I could get myself some Rwandan Francs… but I couldn’t find any. None.
Turns out, after talking with a few locals and a few non, that there is no such thing as an international ATM in Rwanda. Wow. This was the first country I’ve ever been to that hasn’t had one. Fiji, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mexico, Uganda, Poland, Ukraine, England, Tanzania, Kenya, Germany, Zambia, they ALL have them. Turns out that Visa isn’t quite everywhere I need to be.
BUT the Lord still rescued me. I already wrote this story, but it’s the “right-place-at-the-right-time”-ness of it was, I believe, inspired and directed by my Dad. I happened to be in the only building in all of Rwanda where someone can get USD$ from their Visa card, and met two other young American guys who had gone there to do JUST THAT. I was just passing through the lobby and had given up looking in this place when I saw these dudes and gave them a nod. Then I honestly felt an urge that said “Ask them what to do”. They told me, and I was shocked. It turned out to be incredibly easy from then (I used my visa to get US $, then took that $ to an exchange place and got Rwandan Francs for it). They also told me where to find the hotel that I had been planning on staying in (and which no Rwandan had heard of when I asked them).
I loved Rwanda. I wasn’t feel like I was an alien from another planet, and I also found the best chapati and chai that I’ve had so far! PLUS, I could stay out at night without fear of being mugged/destroyed!!! I didn’t realize it, but I love being able to walk around at night and having my days functionally end at 6 has been hard for me.
I met my compassion bro, he was cool and chill. Knew English really well, and wants to be a lawyer. Considering Rwanda’s history I think that’s great and encouraged him to continue on in it. He’s in his last year of high school now.
I also visited the Genocide Memorial in Kigali. Very good memorial about a very evil thing. It was also a museum on genocides in general, and had exhibits on the Holocaust, Pol Pot in Cambodia, the Germans in Angola (early 1900’s, I’d never heard of this), Armenians in early 1900’s (3 million killed by Ottoman gov’t in Turkey), Kosovo/Serbia/Bosnia. Pretty sobering to realize that they have effected people everywhere no matter their religion, race, or economic status. My visit to the actual “Hotel Rwanda” (real name: Hotel de Milles Collines) was non-eventful. It’s still a functioning 4-star hotel and I found no recognition of what happened there during the Genocide. Turns out the one used in the movie is in South Africa, this one was surprisingly small, and makes the 1,000 people saved there seem even more impressive.
Then I left Rwanda! I got to the border at night, crossed after the sun went down, and then slept in a little motel about 200 yds from the port of entry. The next morning I got up, took another motorcycle back to the closest real city from the border, and began my laborious journey back. Laborious because when I arrived in Kahama at 12:30 that day I was told that the bus to Nairobi leaves at 5:30… am. So I had to wait there all day, get another hotel, and leave the next morning. Not only that, but this bus arrived in Nairobi at 10:50 PM, so I had to get a hotel once again when I got there because Nairobi is too dangerous to move around at that time of night (Kenya in general, actually. There’s no public transport at that time).
I got up on Sunday morning, exactly one week after I had left, and went back to AMCC. Almost on schedule, something had gone wrong there, so I ended up meeting Nick at the hospital instead of at AMCC. Onesmus, the toughest boy there, had gotten sick again, and was having trouble breathing. This was his…. 6th episode like this in the last two weeks? We’ve taken him to the hospital 3-4 times and it’s still happening. PRETTY frustrating. Especially when the hospital doesn’t tell us what’s wrong with him b/c it’s just not done that way in this culture.
Anyway, I got to talk to Nancy for a while, and then took another motorcycle/scooter thing (“motorbike” is what they call them here) to AMCC to say bye to the kids there. I walked in, they swarmed me and yelled and stuff and were happier than I’ve seen them be about me. That was nice, and also hard b/c right after that I told them I was leaving that day and they all became, no joke, downcast. They stopped talking, and looked down, and so I lied to them and told them that I wasn’t going to leave that day, and in fact I’d never leave again… Just kidding! For real, saying goodbye there was hard, and the kids were a lot more expressive than I thought they’d be given the culture. I’m glad that I’m planning on going back, though I don’t know exactly when it will be… hopefully by the end of next summer.
Pretty crazy to think that I probably won’t even be there for such a long time again, though. There were so many great kids there, and I became more attached to them than I thought I would. They’re smart, and sincere, and do dumb things and hit each other sometimes, and I’m going to miss them a lot. I’m incredibly thankful for AMCC, and that God let me spend time there. I believe that I DID accomplish my tasks there (build relationship with the staff, help out in physical and non-monetary ways) and I’m so thankful for that, but it is hard leaving there and knowing that their problems aren’t all better and life for them is still a roller coaster of provision and lack. I will continue to care about and love them, and I’m going to continue to live in the in between of the kingdom of God, having my heart in different places and loving things that hurt and not yet what I long for them to be.

Lately

2009-05-20T06:08:00.002-07:00

Here's a quick run-down:
- John went home to visit is family. They need to be together a whole lot more often, but lack the finances for this to happen. I'm thankful they had this time and am praying for a salary for John so that he can do things like this and feel relief from the weight of providing for his family (which is much more culturally heavy here in Kenya)
- Avocado business will begin... in June. Honestly, kinda disappointing to me that it'll be so late. BUT, John was excited, so I figured I'd just let that go and get on board. If it works AMCC will be able to pay rent for itself, even buy food for the next few months! Also, John and Nancy will be able to have some salary and can then give all their money away to their families (which is what is culturally appropriate here, even though Nancy has no husband or children) and feel a bit less from the monumental pressure and scorn they feel for working a job as volunteers. It's just not done here in Kenya, and they've suffered a lot for it. Makes me angry, frankly.
- After 6 different, conflicting sources of information about the Tanzanian visa possibilities I just went there myself this morning. I found out that the only visa available to me as a US citizen costs $100. BUT, it is good for 6 months (should have been a year) and is multiple entry- meaning that I'm going to go to Rwanda through Tanzania! This is totally new territory for me and I'm stoked to see it! The BOTTOM of Lake Victoria, and it'll just be cool! My bus ticket only takes me 1/2 way into Tanzania, so from there I have to find a vehicle to take me the rest of the way into Rwanda- so fun! I'll probably end up sleeping in some little $3 hotel and sharpening my swahili (since Kenyans speak a dirty, almost pigeon version of it). I'll stay in Rwanda, visit THE HOTEL RWANDA and also meet my parent's compassion child, Cristophe!
After that I'll go back through Tanzania, spend one night in Kenya, say goodbye to AMCC, and then head on through Tanzania all the way down to Zambia! I might take a train from Dar es Salaam, or a bus the whole way. Not sure yet. Either way, it'll be an adventure! My girlfriend says that buses in TZ aren't so great and I might not want to go on adventures in them anymore after this trip... so we'll see what happens! I might even get to see the Indian Ocean, and, if the Lord really smiles upon me, I'll find some soursop!

The changes before me are going to be pretty drastic, I think, even though I'll still be working in Africa with youth who mostly don't have parents. The stresses of AMCC (no food, no rent, staff all tense b/c they don't get paid, no medical funds, etc...) will be gone, replaced with different ones (a boy who has lived on the streets and has a LOT of baggage from that, trying to explain the gospel and do discipleship cross-cultural, language, and generation, etc...) . BUT, I am SUPER HAPPY to be near my amazing girlfriend Karen Hartman! She and I haven't spent more than 3 weeks together in over 3 years, so the possibility of spending roughly 3 months in the same town is more than I can appreciate right now. It still feels like a dream, like I'm trying to not psych myself up too much in case I wake up to discover it's not real. OH BOY!!!
From then on out I'm going to be forwarding Nick's emails on to people who want them, and also posting his blogs on mine so people can stay up to date on AMCC. Transitioning my priorities and heart to Zambia will be an interesting thing. I guess I don't want to completely, nor do I need to: part of being a christian is straddling two worlds, and having my heart in places where my body isn't. This transition won't be silky-smooth, but I say bring it on!

My best day yet!

2009-05-15T02:09:00.002-07:00

Tuesday of this week was, without question, my best day here yet. It was just a wonderful day in every way!
After sleeping in a fair amount, I saw Nick and John off as they went to go visit the local Member of Parliament (similar to visiting a US Senator). Shortly before they left though, I was informed by Nancy that it might be a good idea for me to make some pancakes. I was hoping she would say "John Brown cookies" since this is what Karen and I called the pancakes we made up for the kids when she was here.
Anyway, I love cooking, so I was glad to! Why don't I make pancakes more often, you might be wondering. Well, we don't have the money for it. The reason I made them that morning was because it was a special day: Nancy was going to Mombasa!
For the last 6 weeks we've all been joking that Nancy wants to leave her job here at AMCC to go to Mombasa (the Hawaii-like tourist town in Kenya, on the beach, hot, beautiful). Ironically enough, she DID go to Mombasa, though sadly it was to attend the funeral of the mother of one of the children at AMCC. We couldn't let little Cynthia (2nd grade and sharp as a razor) go the 500 km on her own, and John's back won't allow him to do it, so Nancy was elected to go. And I made pancakes for them to take along on their bittersweet journey (note: both Nancy and John have never been to Mombasa).
After finishing those goodies (I put bananas in them, made them from scratch with my own sugar-infused recipe, and cooked them one at a time over a wood-fire It took 2 hours to make 15 pancakes!)I began to focus on the meal for dinner, which also goes for lunch the next day (we always make double portions to save on time/firewood). It was githeri! This is the most common thing that Nick and I eat at AMCC, because it is the cheapest: maize and beans. We also add in a few onions AND, thanks to people who sent care packages, we spice it up something wonderful every night! I've taught the kids how to use the spices, and now they just go on their own. It's a bit different every night, but always tasty (btw, we're out of spices. If someone wants to donate $ for me to buy spices for AMCC that would rock!)!
I put on the githeri, walked Nancy the first 30 yards down the road, and then began a momentous and pre-legendary time for me: I was ALONE at AMCC!
Nick and I have been joking about what we would do if we were ever alone, and I'll spare you all the details, but it sure was fun. Nick came back soon after I began my party and we reveled in the wonderful rain that fell (and filled up our tank so that we didn't have to go get water). I also listened to my ipod for the first time since arriving at AMCC, and it was AMAZING (mine loses battery fast, and a friend in Nairobi has had it for the last 5 weeks)!
Anyway, Nick left again just after lunch, and I continued enjoying my time alone. The kids began to trickle back in, each as their different grades got out, and eventually it was just me and the kids! We enjoyed one another until Nick got back, talked about the day, and eventually Nick came as well- both brought great news!
First, John said that the local gov't is going to give us enough maize to last us a whole month, and it's supposed to arrive today (Friday). Woohoo! Also, they said that they'll even give us some food next month, since they know that we don't have land and can't be growing any of our own. John's going to ask them to give to us for the next 3 months, and I hope they do.
Second, Nick brought back 4 packages that different people in the states had sent to him and they were AMAZING! They had lots of stuff in them, and cost a bundle to send, but I've never seen the kids so happy in my whole time here. After unpacking and showing them, we all danced and sang for at least an hour straight (longer than Nick and I wanted, since we were hungry and hadn't been without this stuff for quite as long... or ever). Notable for me, there was trail mix, rice crispy treats, and... BEEF JERKY! I have since decided that Black Peppered beef jerky is my favorite food in the world. I come almost to tears eating it.
Anyway, it was just a fantastically beautiful day, and as the kids were singing I just reflected (cause I was pooped) on the sense of the Kingdom of God and rest that I had, it was just beautiful and really cool to see many things coming together for the good of these children. Amen, and praise God alone, who has caused such wonderful things to happen.

Mt. Kenya pics

2009-05-08T04:41:00.003-07:00

There will soon be pics and maybe even some video from my Mt. Kenya trip on the blog of Robert Quiring. Just click on this link to go there. I wish you all could go, it was the most wonderful scenery I've ever experienced.
www.rtqblog.com

Back from the mtn.

2009-05-08T03:32:00.002-07:00

I'm back from being on top of the world!
This statement actually holds two meanings for me. Not only did I ascend to the highest hikeable point on Mt. Kenya two days ago (with safe return), but I also got to spend a week with my incredible and amazing girlfriend, Karen Hartman (also with safe return).
Karen, myself, and Robert Quiring (a random Oklahoman whom Nick and I met our first day and have become friends with) took 3 days to go up and down Mt. Kenya, and my goodness it was worth it!
The trip was, by far, the most beautiful and luxurious outdoor adventure I've ever been a part of. The first night we slept in a cave and fell asleep to he sound of a waterfall rushing just 30 ft. away. After watching the sunrise from 5000 ft. above the plain to our East, we hiked to our 2nd camp (at 14,100 ft.) and slept inside of a built shelter- plenty warm, and plenty protected from the elements.
We woke up the next morning EARLY and began hiking at 2:45 a.m. to get to the summit of Pt. Lenana. The moon was out, silhouetting the jagged peaks of Mt. Kenya, and our hike began without a bit of foreshadowing for the weather to come. After the moon went down the stars came out even more, and the Milky Way was so bright it looked like a cloud was hanging in the sky. Then the real clouds came. It started misting on us, but as we went higher, the temperature dropped, so the mist turned to snow flurries, and the mud froze, and our hands got colder. (note: Robert had a migraine this entire time. Karen and I both thankfully never felt any effects from altitude sickness!). By the time we reached the top, the wind was blowing hard and my snot sickles had become a new facial feature. However, in the minute before we climbed up onto the actual top the clouds began to clear and the sun poked itself up above in the most overwhelming solar display I've ever seen. Pictures and my own descriptions won't do the view justice, suffice it to say that the view from the top, peaking down underneath the clouds which were swirling over and around us, was the most stunning and spectacular thing I've ever seen. The valley below us was at least 3000 ft down, and further in many places, and the main peak (ascendable only with 20 pitches of technical climbing) rose over 700 ft. above us. The canyon in between us was over 1000 ft. deep, and in between us lay the largest glacier on Mt. Kenya (which is shrinking rapidly, but definitely not that morning!).
In actuality, it was so cold, and the wind was blowing so hard, that it was difficult for us to really enjoy it. We spent less than 10 minutes on top, and then completed the 9 mile round-trip hike down to our campsite BEFORE breakfast. After eating crepes, sausage, french toast, and an omelette, we hiked 10 more miles down to the park gate, where we got into an incredibly impressive landrover and made our way down to Chogoria, the town which functioned as our beginning and endpoints.
Even without the beauty this trip still rocked because I got to spend wonderful time with my wonderful girlfriend, Karen Hartman.
I took her to the airport on time yesterday, though I contemplated trying to make her late on purpose so that she'd stay here a bit longer (just kidding!). Her week here went really fast, but it was just awesome. We had a lot of time to talk, and she got to see most of the places and meet most of the people that hold significance for me here. She even met the 3 closest members of gov't to AMCC (all of which were inside of matatus).
She and I made fajitas for AMCC, hiked a freakin huge mountain, had meals with many of those who support AMCC, and got to talk lots. It was fantastic. I miss her a whole lot, but am quite glad that I'm headed to go spend 3 whole months in the same physical location as her soon.

That's right, my time in Kenya is almost over. I'm leaving AMCC on May 24th. AHHH!!! From here I'm traveling by ground to Rwanda to meet the Compassion child that my parents have been sponsoring for so long. After that event (which will last all of 1 hour, I believe) I'll head back to Kenya for 1 day (all that's left on my visa!), say a final goodbye to AMCC (though not forever!), and then head through Tanzania to Zambia. I'm hoping to pass Kilimanjaro on the way, and scoff at how uncraggy and intimidating it is compared with Mt. Kenya. I'll spend a day or two in Dar es Salaam, and then head down to Zambia (probably by train). I'm planning on arriving in Zambia around the beginning of June, though what day I do is up in the air.
All of that being said, please pray for me to remain focused and present in these last 16 days. Along with that, please ask God to provide for AMCC (again). We were supposed to start an income-generating project (aka small business venture) this week but it hasn't begun due to circumstances outside of our control. We'll run out of food again soon (early next week), so please pray that the Lord would move. We'd really like this project to work because it might create a lot of income for us. We could buy our own food, pay rent, salaries, medical bills, etc... and that would just be fantastic.
Also, pray for John, Nancy, Nick, and myself. For unity, love, and faithfulness to what the Lord has called us to. It really is something that gets lost on the whim of a moment.
I also got a package today with a whole bunch of multi-vitamins, so the kids will begin getting nutrients that the've lacked for most of their lives! Praise God!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING AND PRAYING!!!

New Financial Statement

2009-05-06T23:23:00.002-07:00

Hello! Thanks so much to everyone who has been following my trip and praying for what God is doing here. Thanks also to people who have given money to support what I'm doing here. The last time I posted my need it was $1510. Now, I need only $185 to be at full support for the rest of my trip. Wow! Praise God.
To send money do the following:
1. Make out a check to Heart of the Bride Ministries.
2. Don't put my name on the check. Attach a sticky-note that says "For Mark Dawson"
3. Mail it to:
Heart of the Bride Ministries
P.O. Box 786
Niceville, FL 32588
4. Pray that it gets there. :-)

Fund raiser and fun coming!

2009-04-29T01:27:00.002-07:00

Hello all,
I've only got 5 minutes here, sorry. For a nice description of the fund-raiser go to nick's blog at www.nicknkenya.blogspot.com . Summary: good, not great, not terrible. Over double the money that was put into it came out, though only 1/10 of what we were hoping for came in (about $500 worth of stuff). God is wise, though, it's making me pray for our potential income generating project even more!
Please pray for it! Starting next week we're going to be dipping our feet in an avocado collecting business. After all of our research on chickens, rice fields, and what not, this seems to be the best opportunity to help us get food on a more sustainable basis (by getting us more money to buy the food!). I'm trying not to get my hopes up, and also trying to walk with faith, believing that what I pray for will happen (I'm terrible at that).

IN OTHER NEWS: KAREN HARTMAN IS COMING TOMORROW!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D :D :D

I'm excited beyond words. She's gonna chill here for 3 days, meet a million people who want to meet her, and then we're going to hike up Mt. Kenya!!! Pray for all of these things, please (and that I don't wear Karen out with my excitement!).

Thanks for the one person who posted they were going to fast for the fund raiser- you rock!

Fast Food

2009-04-24T00:02:00.002-07:00

Our much-anticipated and greatly needed fund-raiser is here! It will be held on Sunday at 12:00 noon and we are praying for around 100 people to come. Including the 40 of us already at AMCC, we'll be feeding 140 people ourselves, and all for about $1.25 per person!
This fund-raiser is the first one that AMCC has ever held, and is a really good sign for them. We are stoked to see John and Nancy taking initiative and trying to engage the community around them to be involved with AMCC, rather than relying on Nick and I (and people we know) for the financial needs at AMCC. The money from this fundraiser will be spent exclusively on the needs that exist for AMCC. Food, rent, firewood, school fees, salaries (John and Nancy have not been paid in their 2 years of work at AMCC and have no other source of income!), income generating projects, transportation, phone bills, etc... We'll also be setting aside the amount of money that it put to put on this fundraiser so that when we need to have another we already have money saved for it. This is a BIG change in thinking and Nick and I are pretty stoked to see it happen!
I am writing here to ask people to PRAY- not give money! This fund-raiser is very much about what AMCC can do here, on their own, and is kind of a guage for us about what is possible here. I think that there's a lot more potential here than people give credit for. Anyway, I am asking people to please PRAY for God to move and for AMCC to be greatly provided for from this fund-raiser. The number that I've decided to ask God for is: at least 200,000 Kenyan shillings. That's about $2,500. It's a lot, but I figure that God is rich and creative so it's not beyond His hand to give it to us. Plus, the reality is that amount won't cover costs for even a full three months, so it's actually low in comparison with our need.
In particular, I am asking you if you'd fast one meal before Sunday, devoting that time to praying for AMCC and this event. Since it's pretty self-righteouss to tell people you're fasting, don't! However, I would like to get a sense of how many people are doing this. If you're going to fast, then please leave a comment under this blog post saying something like "I'm going to fast" or "Me and 35 friends are gong to fast", etc... Just make sure that you leave the comment as "Anonymous". I'm quite excited to see what happens when many people come together to pray for something. Thanks for praying for us, we'll be updating you on the fund-raiser next week!

Oh, and John and Nancy and the children say that they love you. :-)

Cuttin Time!

2009-04-23T23:25:00.003-07:00

We got our hairs cut!
Thanks to God's divine orchestration, we now have our own hair clippers and celebrated by having out first hair-cut yesterday! It was pretty cool. A professional guy came in to do it, charged 30% what he normally does, and taught two of our boys how to do it so that we can just do it ourselves in the future. The only thing we need now to do it is a generator, but thankfully John knows a man who lets us borrow one! So it now costs only 70 kenyan shilling (about 90 cents) to buy gas to fuel the generator, to cut our hair. Here are some select shots:
1. Me, lookin like Freddie Mercury (don't worry, the stache is gone already)
2. A live picture of someone getting their hair cut!
3. Joseph, David, and Dennis lookin "smart" with their trim heads. I think Joseph (far left) looks like Micheal Jordan.
4. The total amount of hair that was cut, about 1 inches tall and 24 wide.

Praise God! This thing will work for years and is a great investment for us. :-) Now we're all lookin smart for the fundraiser!

2009-04-21T01:58:00.002-07:00

Here are few pics of the pots that we bought on Friday! Woohoo! Thank the Lord for how He moved to provide these! The word on the street is that these are of a tougher breed than the ones that we had, so they should last us longer than the last ones (which took us about two years). In one of them you can see our current pots in the background- that black is the soot that results from cooking stuff over an open fire. We're also wanting to change that situation. The smoke is pretty terrible in the kitchen and it's a serious long-term healtch concern. Maybe the Lord will just give us new land! But that would still take a while to move on to. So we pray and wait, that's pretty much the name of the game around here. Adios!

Money Talks 2

2009-04-21T00:40:00.002-07:00

Hey all! So I wrote this in an email last Thursday. Sorry my delinquency in posting it, and THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed! Please continue to pray! We are hosting a fund-raiser this Sunday, here in Kenya. We want the money from this fund-raiser to go to:
- Begin funding sustainability projects
- Pay John and Nancy's salaries (at least something!)
- Buy food for the kids
- Cover rent for the next 3 months (and this month!)
- Pay for school fees for the kids to go to extra tutoring so they can get into High School (half of the kids last year didn't because of low test scores, i.e. half of the kids in the entire school!)
- Paying daily costs for AMCC, phone bills, transportation costs, etc...

So we're basically wanting God to move in people here and for a fair amount of money to come in (Around $800 would be awesome, twice that would be better, ten times that would be best. :-). Please join us in praying for God to move in people's hearts, get them safely to AMCC, and to only give if He tells them to.

Here's the recent update about money talks:

Yesterday, when Nancy and I came together for staff prayer (which
we want to happen every day but has happened 15% of the time, that's
frustrating for Nick and I) I asked her how she was feeling. She said
she was feeling well and was encouraged, and I followed up by saying
that sometimes Nick and I feel that we have been more of a burden to
she and John than a help. We've felt this way because we know that
they were expecting us to be coming with lots of money and we have
come with very little to none, including their own salaries. It began
a wonderful conversation where we both shared important things, things
which were shared at a slower pace (and in a softer way) that accounts
for Kenyan culture, but which I don't want to take the time to slowly
share with you right now.
I said that:
1. Nick and I feel like it has been harder on each of you for us to be
here than when we were gone.
2. Nick and I feel bad when you share needs with us because it seems
that it is an indirect way of asking for it. This is awkward because
we have already said that we will not be giving money, and we feel
that you may be either not believing us that we won't be giving more,
or that you're trying to pressure us into it.
3. In our culture, if someone is silent about something, that
generally means that they are not happy about it. We are an expressive
people, and if we enjoy something we make sure to let others know so
that they will understand that it's not that we don't care that they
have done it, and so that they would know to repeat it!
4. Nick and I have not heard either of you say anything like "I'm glad
that you are here because now I can sleep more/rest more/have a day
off/don't have to cook all the time/don't have to walk to charge the
cell phones/etc..." The only words that we have heard are things like
"The kids will all be expecting meat on Good Friday, so what do you
think about that?" or "We will be needing house rent next Monday"
etc... and so it has seemed to us that you are not happy that we are
here and mostly wish that we would give more money.

SO, just sharing those things at all was
A. Exactly what needed to be said!
B. An amazing thing that it could be said in a non-awkard way.
C. Not a planned conversation.

Nancy's response was better than I could have imagined! She said
that basically:
1. She and John are very happy and thankful that we have come. They
tell others this often, and have not said it to us because it is not
normal in their culture to do so. But we should be sure that they are
thanking God because of our coming.
2. They not been sharing financial needs as an indirect way of asking
us for money, at least not since we've had conversations about it
(which happened explicitly last Sunday). They have shared the needs
with us because we said that we had come to share the burden with
them. So they tell us so that we will also know, and share the burden,
and pray with them.

This conversation brought so much joy into my heart, and such
freedom!!! We basically repeated the conversation today with John and
Nick present, and then allowed each of them to elaborate on it. It was
just wonderful! I felt comfortable sharing all of the different things
that I had written down as needing to be shared. They were received
well because most of them are taken care of by the understanding that
when John and Nancy share needs they are NOT asking for money in an
indirect way, it is so that we also know and can experience with them
the things that they experience and pray with them (which is pretty
much exactly what Nick and I came to do!). The main problem has been
that it seems to Nick and I like John and Nancy think that God will
only provide through us, but in conversation today I believed them
when they said that was not so.
As we prayed at the end of our talk I was giddy, truly giddy! Very
much feeling the freedom to simply be obedient and faithful to what
God has called me to and trust Him with the fruit! I am so confident
that He has called us to be here and not give money, but I have felt a
great amount of pressure to take on financial responsibilities, which
made today so sweet. It was also a very enlightening thing when I read
an email from Nancy Love (tx-kenya missionary lady) who said that Nick
and I are not the only people whom God will use to provide for them.
It clicked for me that I was believing that lie, and that's where my
feelings of responsibility were coming from. If we don't, who will?
That's what I thought, and I wasn't trusting the Lord to use someone
who was not the mzungu! So I was doing the very thing that I was
frustrated with them for doing.
I feel very free here now, and am excited to see God move!! I
believe that we are formulating good plans about how to get out of the
cycle of continually running out of money, and I believe that God will
provide in the mean time. Scripturally, He said that if we seek His
Kingdom and His righteousness first then He will provide for us (and I
think that each of us are, though imperfectly, seeking His Kingdom and
righteousness first). He has also said that He is the father to the
fatherless, and there are definitely a lot of orphans here. The way I
see it, we've got two strong scriptural passages going for us, and I
REALLY DO BELIEVE THAT HE'S GOING TO PROVIDE BECAUSE OF THESE THINGS.
I've never believed it so strongly before, and it is just a freeing
thing! I'm going to bed now knowing how He will do it, and knowing
that our rent was due 10 days ago, and we'll have to borrow food on
credit if we don't get any by Tuesday, but I just KNOW that He will
provide! We've been praying that we would grow in faith (Ryan has been
praying that for over a year, and it's been inspiring for me to see
him praying for it so consistently), and I sense that God has been
doing that in me as of late.
I feel like a big corner has been turned, as we've now clearly
spelled out the things that we are going to give money for
(sustainability projects, but ultimately whatever He tells us to) and
what we're not going to (day-to-day and recurring needs, food, rent,
salaries, talk time, matatu rides, etc...) and we are at peace about
it all. John and Nancy both elaborated that it was good for us to talk
about the differences in culture and that "surely we were doing this
because, in our place, it is the best thing to do". Mostly, I believe
them, but I'm waiting for time to fill in the last 10% of that belief.
I really think it will though, and I'm so encouraged!!! Nick and
mine's task now feels very possible, and I will feel much more
comfortable leaving Nick here when this way of relating becomes normal
and I don't sense that they'll constantly be pressuring Nick to give
money that He sense God doesn't want him to give.

So we're really happy about that! Praise God alone. He is the One who makes things like this happen. Woohoo.

Chickens and Packages

2009-04-12T05:37:00.003-07:00

We're ordering chickens this Tuesday! Pray for this project to go well and for us to get lots of eggs and for it to be sustainable!

Also, we got two packages this week! THANK YOU SO MUCH to my Uncle Brian and Aunt Pat and my mom and dad for sending spices, sunscreen, pencils, hats, etc...

Money Talks

2009-04-12T04:12:00.007-07:00

Recent pics unrelated to this blog post:
1. Beautiful sunrise out the back door of AMCC.
2. A pic of Mt. Kenya, zoomed in from about 100 miles away.
3. Nick lookin good in a suit that he recently bought for himself.
4. Me in my new suit. They're pretty cheap here, we got 'em custom fitted. However, since the style here is different I had to get mine changed afterwards anyway. Oh culture.
5. Kids throwing a party after receiving some spices in the mail this week. They'll run out soon because there are 41 of us, but we're stoked to have them!!!

Here's ths post about money. Please pray for wisdom for all of us, and unity, and for the Lord's provision!

Since I last wrote more tension has come with money. Here in Kenya (as in America) money can bring a lot of tension. Most of the problems here have to do with culture, not John or Nick or I individually. The last 200 years of Kenyan history have led most Kenyans to believe that if they become friends with a white person then that person will take care of all of their financial needs. This is because it's largely what has happened. In more recent history there have been important strides taken to dispell this belief, but mostly among whites, they haven't really made a dent in the general Kenyan belief that the white man means money, smells like money, is made of money, and has an unending supply of money at his or her disposal.
Because of this, John was thinking that when Nick and I came we'd be able to help (and by help I mean completely take care of) AMCC's financial needs. Helping him understand that we're here to build relationship and help with physical daily taks, but NOT to give money has been a difficult task, but not as difficult as convincing the community! We've had a few honest and important conversations about this subject that we all agreed were really healthy. It's awkward and honestly difficult, but this is very much what Nick and I believe that we were called here to muddle through, and we're encouraged with how they have gone and everyone's good attitudes. Time will tell how well these really went, and if the things we've said have really sunk deep.
The hardest part of it for John and Nancy is that they have been volunteering at AMCC for two years now without pay. But it's been their ONLY job. They don't have part time jobs, and certainly didn't have a lot of money saved up before they began. They have gotten to live at AMCC, and eat what the kids eat, but they received no outside compensation for their work. Meaning that they don't have a way to pay for their own medical expenses, or the $3 fare to go see their families, or go to a restaurant, or give to one of their own friends/family members who are in need.
Culturally, this is even more difficult than in the states, because here children are expected to be providing for their parents after they leave the house. Not everything, but they should at least be bringing SOMETHING home whenever they come. And they should visit about once a month, more if they can. Since John and teacher Nancy don't have gifts to bring with them, it has created a lot of tension in their families, who don't understand that they feeled called to this and don't receive pay for it. It's doubly hard on John because male-breadwinner-ness is the assumed and strongly held belief here. It is difficult on his relationship with his wife and children for him to not come bringing things with him (a 40 lb bag of rice, and 3 pineapples, maybe 5 lbs of flour... total about $10 worth of stuff). Since he can't bring, it's culturally better for him to just not come. This grates at my soul and frankly infuriates me. I believe very much that John has been doing lots of work, work which should be paid, and work which he believes he has been called to by God. But it's not an easily understood thing (not in the states, and way more so in Kenya), so the tension continues. John's wife also works, and she and her kids are fed with the money that she earns. I don't know how Nancy's parents are doing.
Two years is a reeeeeally long time to not have income, and John and Nancy both know that they could burn out. In the conversation that we had with them, I just hate the tension in it. I don't feel that I am supposed to supply their salaries, nor could I even if I wanted to because I couldn't sustain it, but I believe strongly that they should be paid for their work. This is the current largest tension which we have. So add salaries onto the list of needs at AMCC. The suggested number is $100 a month for each of them. Blows my mind.

So we still need prayer for the fund-raiser, and will officially run out of food around this Thursday. Plus our rent was due three days ago, and our fire-wood will run out tomorrow. The local gov't has said that they'll give us 10 bags of maize, and we're supposed to get a large tree cut down and given to us this week, and we'll be having a meeting with out board to figure out what to do about rent, but none of these things have a definite date of arrival, especially because we're in Kenya/Africa/the 2/3's world. Please pray that the Lord will provide. There are probably other things that are about to run out that I don't even know about. So pray for those too (gas for our lamp at night, kerosene for lanterns, etc...).
Nick and I are bracing ourselves to go without food for a time; pray for unity for all of us, and for the Lord to surprise us all.

Adventure Day!

2009-04-12T03:46:00.001-07:00

Here's the pics from the trip!
1. The kids who came on the trip, from l to r: Simon (9th grade), Agape (8th grade, also John's oldest child), Ann (8th grade), Joseph (5th grade), and Jeffrey (7th grade, the one who ran away from school a few weeks ago).
2. Here's a pic of the water hyacinth covered river, with Kilimambogo in the bakground. The distubed section of green in the foreground is where the hippos have been eating it.
3. One view of 14 Falls
4. Check out the tree growing out of that rock- sweet roots!
5. All of us, me in the foreground, and about 60% of the falls in the background.

So...
I'm planning/hoping/praying to hike up Mt. Kenya in about four weeks. It's a 17,000 ft. mtn (although I won't be topping out because the last few hundred feet are technical rock climbing and I can't do that anymore) so I figured that it would be wise for me to do some training/see where my knee is at before I attempt such a venture.
So, with that in mind, yesterday I led a trip of myself, teacher Nancy, and five of the best academically performing kids from AMCC to Kilimambogo, the highest mountain around. I've been looking at it since I got here, and had spoken with many people about wanting to walk to the top. It actually doesn't look that big, but since it's in the middle of a plain it sticks up pretty well. I thought that by myself it would be about a half-day of hiking, but since I had Nancy and the kids I planned for the trip to take the whole day.
Boy did it.
Yesterday was definitely an adventure, and a reminder that I'm actually not as adventurous as I had thought. Things started out normally (we left late and took too long in town gathering supplies), but as we came upon the hill there were a number of surprises in store for us:
1. The matatu does NOT drop us right at the gate to the park.
- So all seven of us got on 3 motorcycles and paid a dollar each to get to the gate to the park.
2. It's a Kenyan National Park. Meaning that it is not so expensive for Nancy and the kids to get in (the kids were about 60 cents each) but is for me ($20) b/c I'm not a Kenyan citizen or offical resident.
3. In order to be in the park, Kenyan or not, I have to have a Kenyan Wildlife Service Guard with me the whole time, which costs $20 for the first 6 hours, and $40 if I go over that.
- All of this meant that I didn't have enough money for us to get into the park. This was pretty deflating for me, because I was wanting to hike, but mostly because we had told the kids that this trip was a reward for doing well on their recent end-of-term exams. I had taken them on this 2-hour long trip to get to the gates and get turned away. Bummer.
So, we called the motorcycle-taxis to come back, and paid them again to take us back to where they had picked us up in the first place.

4. The fourth thing I found out was good news: Fourteen Falls is very close to Kilimambogo!
So close, in fact, that we decided God was telling us to go there instead of Kilimambogo! So we took a short matatu ride, got out, and enjoyed the day at Fourteen Falls (see pictures). We got to see a river covered 100% in water hyacinth, Hippos feeding (though really we just saw like the mouth of one for about three seconds), a 140 yd-wide, 25 ft. tall waterfall, a tree growing out of a rock, and more mzungus than I've seen in this area (4 total). We had a nice day, ate peanut butter and honey sandwiches and fruit for lunch, and had a really fun time playing on the rocks in the river.
We also noticed that Kilimambogo (about 4 miles away) was rained on but we stayed pretty dry, so that was cool to see that if we had gone there we would have gotten soaked but were dept dry at the waterfall (ironically).
Other things that I found out about Kilimambogo also made it apparent that it was good we didn't go:
- It's a 1800 ft. ascent from the bottom to the top
- It's 6.4 miles from the gate to the top, making it almost 13 round trip.
- It's completely forrested except for a small area at the top. I had thought it was completely bald (that's what I get from judging the mtn. from 30 miles away).

So it turns out that we wouldn't have been able to do it like I wanted to anyway (I had thought it would be like 5 miles max). In the end, the kids had a good time, as did Nancy, and we were all safe so it was a succesful day.
Except that this whole trip originated as an opportunity for me to test my hiking ability, and that didn't happen at all. Therefore, I'm thinking of going back to Kilimambogo this Thursday and trying to get to the top and back in under 6 hours (so I don't have to pay an extra $20). I haven't done much touristy stuff since I've been here, and I'm spending my own money, and it's my day off, so I'm feeling good about it. Feel free to pray for me! It'll be just me and the guard, and will be the longest hike I've done since my knee got jacked.

Nothing clever to put here.

2009-04-08T22:14:00.002-07:00

Note: Take a virtual tour of AMCC on Nick's blog! www.nicknkenya.blogspot.com

Awwwwwwww yeah! Yo Yo Yo! This is Mark Dawson, releasing a deep lunged holler from deep in the Kenyan hill country! I'm sending out a call to all the friends and the lonely, the posers and true, and all who are drawn to mammon as the end of our problems- be free!
Okay, that was pretty ridiculous. :-) It's just that listening to Switchfoot puts me in this awesome and grand mood. Since I hear music of my choice for about an hour each week it makes it pretty special. So please excuse my excitement, but this is my blog, so I get to do that...
This week I finally felt like not much craziness of note happened! It could also just be that I'm getting used to the constant stream of craziness. Rent for us was due last Sunday and we haven't paid a shilling of it. John said that our landlord consented to give us 5 days to get stuff together, but we won't be able to call a meeting with the Board until later than that because of the Easter holiday. Nick and I are learning how to be patient and in many ways, feel very right about this situation. We're here to go through this tension with them, not bail them out every time because us bailing them out is not a long-term solution.
Today was a pretty encouraging time for Nick and I about our approach here. We're not here to give lots of money, and we're both refreshed and energized to pursue our real tasks here wholeheartedly (form relationship with John and Nancy, help with day to day tasks). We've been reminded recently by some wise friends to let go of the tension to "do something" or make sure that we see results for what we're doing here. God has called us to be here to speak love with our hands and our presence, whether anything changes or not. Nick and I feel renewed in our call being here, and are just stoked that the Lord will do as He wills.
Lately I've been really impressed (or scared) by the story of the beginning of Saul's reign over Israel. Basically, Samuel tells Saul to organize sacrifices to God and then wait for Samuel to come before he does anything. Saul waits the number of days that Samuel told him to, and when Samuel doesn't show up all of the Israelites begin leaving him. So he does what seems to make sense, he offers sacrifices to God as the Philistines loom nearby in large number. Bad move. Two quotes stick out to me from this and are very pertinent to me here,
"Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, of obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams."- 1 Sam. 15:22
"Saul said to Samuel, 'I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice." - 1 Sam 15:24
I'm hoping that's kind of self-explanatory, cause this isn't a sermon blog. But those ideas have been really big for me lately. And honestly, they're pretty freeing.
In other news, we're stoked because there will be a fund-raiser hosted here, at AMCC, by AMCC, in just over two weeks (April 26th!). We got some snazzy lookin cards printed up and have been stoked by cool happenings with them.
1. The print shop made a mistake and printed way too many of the cards. Since it was their mistake though, they just gave us all of the extras for free.
2. When we went to Bidco Oil's company headquarters they asked for 50 cards, which is 20 more than we were planning on giving them!
3. We're already given out over 120 cards! And by we, I mean John and Nancy. We've got a schedule now, and they have been on "office" duty so far this week. It's part of being in the office to do stuff like that, and they've done wonderfully.
In a related-yet-unrelated note, while John was visiting some of the guardians of kids at AMCC yesterday to hand out cards he was in a region where they grow pineapples... and found them selling for less than a quarter each! He picked up 11 of them for $2.50! CRAZY.
John also wrote an official letter to the District Officer yesterday requesting the gov't to give us some food (like 1,500 lbs of it) and seems pretty hopeful that we might actually get something out of it! I took it to the Chief this morning, who stamped it, and Nick will deliver it to the D.O. tomorrow morning. I don't know why we haven't done this at all in the last two years, but I'm pretty glad that we're pursuing it now! We're praying for this and want you to also.
MY GIRLFRIEND IS COMING TO VISIT ME IN THREE WEEKS!!! This has actually been an incredible thing, because I'm pretty nuts about her but I haven't been going crazy missing her since we've been separated (again). I can't give a nonsupernatural answer about the reason for that, but my culture makes it difficult and cliche to explicitly say Why I think that is (that God helps us in some subjective and unquantifiable way). She and I are both pretty involved in our different locations (Zambia and Kenya, respectively) and yet aren't feeling like something is just being lost in our relationship either. It's one of the first times in my life that I've been so confident that God wants me to do something that I'd just rather not. Yet I'm just so okay with it because I know that even if we were together right now it wouldn't be right... so it makes me even more excited for her to come visit for a short time because I do sense that God thinks it's good and it's a blending of two of my greatest affections in life. Hopefully she's not blushing like mad at me posting this on the internet (hey Karen!).
Maureen (14 yrs old) got a tetanus shot yesterday and some antibiotics to take because... she might have tetanus! I don't know the details, but my guess would be that few of the kids here have a tetanus shot. So, when one of them gets a half-inch cut on the metal trunk that they keep stuff in, and a week later their ankle and foot swell up like they've been injected with petroluem jelly, we have her walk to the closest clinic (about 2 km away, up and down 300 ft. hills) and get her some medical attention. Thankfully, medical care in Kenya is MUCH cheaper than in the states. Maureen's visit plus the shot, dressing her wound, and the meds cost $3.10. I took Mary (7 yrs) to the gov't run hospital today and the whole visit cost $1.25. She has "p-cells", which are some bacteria that I don't know but makes the skin in her face get lighter in splotches. It's such a strange thing for Nick and I to do. We go to the clinic, looking "smart" because it's culturally appro-pro, and try to act like we know what's going on. Even though everybody in these places speaks English we can't understand their accents very well, and we normally end up having someone half our age translate for us. Thank the Lord that the kids at AMCC know English really well. The girl who translated for me today, Sarah (13 yrs) wants to teach English at the University level. And I think that's cool, because she's an orphan and doesn't have many resources, but I believe her when she says that she wants to be a professor. She could be, if she's able to stay in school. Well, she needs to study a little harder too, ;-)
The rains came back on Monday-woohoo! It was the biggest rain so far and filled up our water-catch tank, which had been emptied in order to install a faucet at the bottom so that the kids don't break it by having to climb on top to get water out of it. I found out on Sunday that it's normal for the rain in this season to come for a few days, then be dry for a few days, then rain again. I'm glad! I was also glad because the guy who told me was from...
Bidco oil! That's right, Bidco stopped by again last Sunday! They AGAIN brought food with them (not as much as last time, but still a whole lot- 5 cabbages, 20 lbs of potatoes, the 4 biggest loaves of bread I've ever seen, sugar, 20 onions, 20 tomatoes, and a few other things including "Lucozade"- Kenya's version of Gatorade) and this time they also did two fantastic presentations for us: one on HIV/AIDS, and another on TB (Tuberculosis). Honestly, the guy who did them (James) was fantastic. I was amazed he was just a volunteer with this "Educate the Public" program that Bidco has going on, because he was just awesome. It was really good to hear good stats and info on both subjects (75% of HIV infections in Kenya happen from unprotected sex, TB is an epidemic in Kenya, just to give you a little taste). After they left John told me that one of them said "If you pray then we'll come on Good Friday and be able to give some more stuff". This statement is Kenyan and makes me laugh/offended. But I'm praying anyway, and will welcome Bidco no matter when they visit us next.
Speaking of Good Friday, I'd like to say something about Jesus' death here on my blog. I don't know what I could say right now that would be honest and literarily stimulating (i.e. I could list things about his death in a Creed-style format, but no one wants to read that, but doing my prose about Jesus' sacrificial death is woefully cliche). I am thankful that Jesus died. I know that although I, as a finite being, will never be able to fully appreciate His love for me, it is possible for me to appreciate it more than I did in the past. And I know that that my life gets richer the more that I believe Him when He said that He loved me and that He forgives me. As my life continues I probably won't be able to articulate anything that profound or different from what those who have preceded me in Faith have said, and I think that's actually expected. This truth of love is deep, but simple, and I think that God intended it to be like that. Being a simple thing, it can be worded in an easily cognizant form and embraced by persons of all intelligence and social classes. Being a deep thing, it is has an ineffability which requires that each person to individually discover it in order to understand it. So Good Friday to all of you, may you grow in your appropriation of His ineffable grace.

Support update

2009-04-04T00:01:00.000-07:00

Hey all, just wanted to give my latest support update: $1,123 still needed. Give only if you feel that God wants you to. :-)

2009-04-01T22:41:00.001-07:00

It's RAINY SEASON HERE FINALLY!!!
It only came a month late (meaning that if it ends at the normal time then we've lost a third of rainy season!). This was the first day of rainy season, and it was awsome. It rains here now pretty much every night, is cloudy in the morning, and then gets partly cloudy by the afternoon. Stark contrast to the clear skies that happened pretty much right up until the day the rains came. The rain is reeeeally good for the community here and needed for people to do the farming that supplies a lot of their food. We're hoping maybe people will be able to have some to share with us!
BY the way, this is the courtyard at AMCC. The girls' bedrooms are on the left, the boy's on the right. It's a real cozy place, and I like it quite a bit. :-)

Second picture is of the outside of the kitchen. Do you see all of the smoke coming out from the chimney? Me neither! This is a problem! Maybe 5% of the smoke created when we cook goes out of the chimney (even though it is located directly above the fire). The rest flows sideways (though there's no wind!) and has enveloped the walls in that room with soot. A whole year of it, 3 times a day. It's nasty, coughy, sooty stuff and we really want Nancy and the kids to stop having to breathe it all the time! Any suggestions that cost little money (and a little money to buy it!)?

Third picure is Reverend Mark. Not really much of a story to this. I get asked to 'have a word' a lot more here than I did in the US, and it's just funny to me. I normally either find a passage, read it, and then comment loosely on it, or talk about how nothing will satisfy us except for healthy relationship with Jesus (which I believe is true but sounds suuuuuuuper lame posed as a one-liner on my blog). I have to dress up here a lot more, maybe that's the other thing about this post.

Now on to more news that has no related picture!
This week we developed a rotating schedule of daily responsibilies for John, Nancy, Nick, and myself. Nick and I were pretty stoked about it, and upon reflection so glad that we waited a month before to created one because it helped us have a better grasp on what is really needed and healthy for this place. Nick and I alternate being "errand boy". Meaning that we go places that someone is needed, but not for a culurally specific task. Ex: I walk 50 to the closest source of electricity for our cell phones to get charged.
Yesterday I had my best errand adventure yet: school parent meeting!! I was told it would start at 9, I showed up at 9:10, then left for an hour because I was the only one there, then returned and waited in the shade until it started at 11. The meeting was conducted in Kikuyu (the mothertongue here, not Swahili, the national language of Kenya which Nick and I are learning), and I sat through 5 hours of it.
BUT, the middle 2 hours were an end-of-the-term ceremony, where they announced the placement of every single student in the school and had them all get in order according to their placement in their class! The fun part of this was that AMCC students pretty much kicked butt, AND, since I was the rep for AMCC, I got to go up whenever it was time for a parent to accept an prize, or pin an award to a kid's shirt. Pretty much the closest I've ever felt to being a parent, and honestly, I was pretty dang proud of our kids here at AMCC! We have the 1st ranked kid in 5th grade, 3rd in 2nd and 7th, and 2nd ranked kid in 8th grade. And we got prizes for these kids (a thermos to keep chai warm, a washing basin, and two juice pitchers). Everyone laughed when I would go up to accept these awards, because it was obvious that I was not the parent of any of these children. I'd love to go to another, because our kids are doing well and it is pretty encouraging to get some recognition for it!
The bummer of it was that I didn't know that the meeting would last more than 30 minutes, and I didn't know it would be outside, so my nose got FRIED. It's the worst sun-burn I've had here yet and will take a while to go away. Though hopefully it will all be gone in a month because my girlfriend is coming to visit!! Woohoo! Lord willing, Karen will arrive in Kenya on April 30th and leave May 7th. We're going to try to ride some rhinos and other stuff. In reality, she'll chill at AMCC and then, hopefully, we'll hike up Mt. Kenya!!! (google it, that thing is awesome)
We'll see. I'm stoked about this, though not being able to be physically affectionate with her in public will be difficult (word on the street is that we could get arrested for such indecent acts!).
Welp, I'm out for now! Thanks for everyone who reads this and contacts me somehow! Your energy is like multiplied a hundred times by the time it gets to me and it means a heap. Adios.

2009-04-01T22:32:00.001-07:00

Hey! More comments on my sweet pics! The first one here is from my trip to visit John's place. This is mostly John's family in front of the shanty that his wife Nancy (pictured) sells stuff from. She makes covers for couches and tabletops. Anybody want one?! She does the embroidery and cutting herself in this "shop" and sells them here as well. With the money she gets from this she pays rent on her place, and buys food for herself and their 4 kids- which also enables John to work at AMCC for no pay.
The biggest bummer is that they live about 80 miles away from John, and since transport costs is equivalent to a week's worth of day-labor around here, he doesn't see her very often (i.e. it's happened once in the 6 weeks Nick and I have been here). Please pray that they would be able to be together... and that John won't leave AMCC. ;-)
The second picture is all of the food that Bidco oil donated to AMCC last Sunday. WE'RE SO HAPPY ABOUT IT!!! Praise God for this, as it is an answer to many prayers (provision, variation in food, health food, kenyans to support amcc).

2009-04-01T22:29:00.002-07:00

Hey! Here are a few pics finally on my blog! The first is of John's entire family (and me)! Nick and I went on a lovely 2 hour journey to visit JOhn's wife and children two weeks ago. They live close to Mt. Kenya (well, about 40 miles away, but that thing is so huge it feels close) and the trip in general was really enjoyable! We ate wonderful food prepared by John's wife, Nancy, and enjoyed great conversation with friends as well. I "looked smart" for the occassion, as it is actually how I should look for almost everything I do around here. Right now it's my day off, so I'm in a t-shirt and shorts. Woohoo.

Second picture is me balancing firewood on my head. It stayed on for about two seconds. WE cook all of our meals over an open fire here, so we have to pay about $40 a month for firewood. It's a lot of wood, and all of the kids walk about a quarter of a mile with it on their backs to bring it back to AMCC once a month. That's on the day's when they're not fetching water from the well across the courtyard...

The last picture is when Bidco oil company (as in, cooking oil) came to visit us last Sunday. It was AWESOME! The kids just started running around and yelling and laughing and clapping and it was just one of the coolest things I've experienced here. I also got pretty stoked about it, because God answered our prayers for other sources of input for AMCC, especially for ones to come from Kenya! They brought foods which Nick and I have never eaten at AMCC, and honestly I got crazy happy also. It was so much fun to see God providing this stuff, and for it to be coming from Kenyans was so cool to see- something which others in the community think will never happen since Nick and I are here (i.e. white people= money, so no one will help AMCC out). We're praying for that stereotype to chance and are stoked to see steps toward it!
Also, since I'm on the picture that has people all happy, let me say that AMCC is now very close to completing the 2 year process of becoming a gov't recognized children's center! The public health officer came last week and said it was "very clean", which apparently is pretty rare. We're stoked about this approval and are looking forward to the legal benefits that this status will grant AMCC. Due to fantastic Kenyan bureacracy, it might take a year for this to happen, but I'm hoping it'll only be a few months. Literally, all we need to to file the correct paper work. Oh waiting!

Relationship, not sponsorship.

2009-03-28T04:52:00.002-07:00

I'm really encouraged!
The last two days we had meetings with the legal guardians of the kids at AMCC. Thursday was for the kids in High School (aka Secondary School) and yesterday was for 1-8th grade (aka Primary School).
Thursdays meeting was mostly John talking, which, thankfully, was translated from Kikuyu into English by Nancy the teacher/secretary/matron/mom/cook/janitor/rocket scientist. It was so cool hearing John speak, because he shared a lot of his heart and his methods for what he's doing and it's just beautiful stuff to hear. Cool also, because even though it's translated into English it is still done in Kenyan style. That means that there are lots of illustrations, analogies, and questioning used to make a point. i.e. "Would you have your children getting involved in all kinds of destructive actitivites while they are here? Then you can see why we have this rule about when they are allowed to leave the home, etc..." It works really well in this culture, and Nick and I are learning to adopt it as well when we are talking with others.
A few reflections on these meetings:
1. Only half of the guardians came. That's a bummer, for a number of reasons. I don't know how to interpret their truency though; it may be for lack of concern, or for lack of funds...
2. The most that any of these guardians makes per month is $38.00. That's the MOST that any of them made. All of them had jobs, which were: casual labor on coffee or tea farms ($1.00-$1.25 per day), house help ($1.00-$1.25 per day) or selling fruits in the market. They all shared what they did and how much they earned, and it was pretty sobering to me.
I did some math, and figured out how difficult that would be to live on. For example, two pounds of rice costs here costs about 55 cents. That would be great for me if I earned US pay, but here it's over half of my daily wage! What if two pounds of rice cost me $45! Or what if one tortilla cost me $20! That's the kind of equivalent wages that people here are earning. It's true that, aside from specialty items (like mozzarella!) food here costs less than in the states, but since people earn comparatively less most people don't benefit from it. Pretty crazy for me to think about. The monthly rent at AMCC is about $65, which is just under DOUBLE what these adults earn in one month. So I guess it's true that the kids at AMCC need assistance...
But, they don't need sponsorship! We have been talking with John a lot about how to partner, and we've kind of honed in on the word relationship. It is a much more involved interaction than sponsorship, and we're excited about where God will go with this new model for partnership.
John told the parents that AMCC is not trying to create a parasitic relationship for them, where one party benefits and the other simply gives and gives. This isn't healthy for anybody in the long run (at least not when people are involved, though it does seem to work for the mosquito population). So John is wanting the guardians to become more involved in the provision for these children. Most of these guardians, by the way, still have more children at their home whom they are caring for. They talked about it with the Secondary school guardians, and each agreed to bring the equivalent of about $18 to the fund-raiser we're holding on April 26th!!!
--- News Flash ---

AMCC is hosting a fund-raiser for itself on April 26th! Please pray for us about this! We're inviting people in Kenya, the guardians, friends, officials, just different people we know somehow. Our food will run out right around this time (actually, a week or two beforehand it looks like) and so we're doing to this to try to get some money to buy food again.
I can't tell you how happy I am about this!
1. It was John's idea.
2. It's in Kenya, with primarily Kenyans as guests!
3. The guardians will be contributing funds to it as well!

It seems very much like a step in the right direction, or rather, a step in lots of the right directions for AMCC. Please be praying for God to bring people, and for Him to provide for AMCC. We'll need money to pay for the dinner that we're serving to our guests (which may cost about $40 total) and we'll need the Lord to move in people to give gladly.
I'm stoked about this, and very encouraged to see where AMCC is headed. We're also still researching how to start having food for ourselves on a sustainable basis (i.e. keeping chickens, or growing food, maybe paying for a rice patty to be kept and then reaping and selling the harvest for profit).
I'm also happy to report that today, for the first time in four weeks, the children will be eating ugali (the staple in Kenya). Bwana asifiwe! (praise the Lord)

Big Post

2009-03-21T04:09:00.000-07:00

Q: What do you do when your star pupil doesn't come home from school?

A: Call the area chief, assistant chief, counsellor, boy's father (who lives 300 km away), principal, send out two groups to walk around the area looking for he boy and asking around, and pray.
This question (and others) have been some of what Nick and I have been learning to answer since I last wrote.
Turns out that the most effective part of the answer that I gave above was pray. No one had heard of Jeffrey, seen him, or knew anything about where he might have gone or why he might have left. Academically, he's #1 in all of 7th grade in school, and Nick and I have really enjoyed him because he's been an excellent swahili teacher for us!
Still, on Wednesday afternoon Jeffrey didn't come home from school. After a fair amount of searching and calling, Nick and I prayed some. We're both reeeeeally inexerienced and new to anything that could be called "spiritual warfare", but we've figured that we'd better learn some and quick. We prayed, and God did just what we asked for: he kept Jeffrey safe from physical harm, spiritual harm, and from bad ideas. Jeffrey also ended up in safe hands (a pastor and his wife, of all people!). After walking about 3-4 miles on his own, through two villages, Jeffrey asked someone if he could borrow their phone to call his dad. This person asked a few questions, and eventually gave Jeffrey to a local pastor, who called Jeffrey's dad, who then called us here at AMCC. Whoo-hoo!!
The following morning John was to go pick Jeffrey up, but he develop a terrible, bronchitus-like cough overnight and was pretty beat. So Nick and I walked 2 miles to go pick up Jeffrey from this man we'd never met before. Turns out, this dude's wife runs a Chemist (aka drug store), so we bought some cough medicine for John as an indirect way of saying thank-you for taking care of Jeffrey. Though we could have taken a matatu back to AMCC, we figured that 2 miles would give us plenty of time to talk with Jeffrey, so we walked back as well (answering another prayer of ours, that Jeffrey would recieve both love and discipline when he returned). Nick and I spent a while talking, listening to Jeffrey, and then talking again. Turns out that he's spoken Kikuyu (aka mothertongue) in school, which is not allowed there. Beyond that the details get fuzzy, but suffice it to say that he was afraid of coming back to AMCC because he thought he'd get sent home... so he decided to just go home by himself first (there are plenty of inconsistencies in logic in his plan, but that's not pertinent, he's in 7th grade, so his thinking's not always going to be stellar, nor his desire to accept appropriate discipline for knowingly breaking rules).
In the end, Jeffrey is back with us- praise the Lord!! I'm sure it's hard on him to be back, because this is a shame-based culture and he brought shame on AMCC by both speaking kikuyu in school and also by not coming back. The kids will give him a harder time than I would like, but Nick and I aren't really sure yet how to speak into that.
So praise God that Jeffrey's safe, and back with us!!! Pray for him to be accepted back here by the kids (John and Nancy have fullen accepted him back and aren't holding any grudges), and to continue to do well in school. He's got a really bright future if he stays here, but returning home would be the end of his education.

Food and Money.
We've got lots of both of those in the states. Turns out that here in Kenya... not so much. People in the upper class have plenty of money, and thusly they've got plenty of food. But there is a WHOLE LOT of corruption in Kenya, so the poor generally stay poor. AND, since there's been a huge shift in weather here in the last ten years (everyone will tell you about it, whether or not they've heard the term "global warming" or could say it in english or swahili), the rains don't come as much, and the resulting drought means that people are also struggling to grow their own food to eat.
From the conversations I've had with people in the community, this part of Kenya is actually pretty fertile, as long as there's enough water. Infrastructure is not so hot around here, though, so there are few wells, and even fewer small farms with enough water to irrigate them (many of the wells are used by the community, and thusly do not contain enough water for people to take care of immediate needs (drinking, cooking, cleaning/bathing) and future ones (irrigation) because the well simply runs out of water).
So these are some of the factors which are working against the kids at AMCC. Most of the farms around here (maybe an acre or so in size) have either nothing planted (because the rains are 3 weeks late and people have lost their crop due to early planting the last few years) or a cash crop (tea of coffee) which is currently bringing in a meager amount of profit (case study #1: in the 70's the price of coffee was about $1 for 2 pounds, today it is 10 cents or less). Word on the street is that this change is due to corruption and middle men, since coffee costs more to buy today than it ever has. Speaking of, anybody know how to start a business that sells free-trade coffee/tea??? Seems that this community could benefit hugely.
Case study #2: John's dad currently grows about one acre of tea leaves. After paying his employees his monthly profit is about $25. He could earn more if we could get a well (so that he could irrigate), but thus far has been unable to get $60 at one time to pay someone to dig one. This boggles my mind.

That's all a backdrop for AMCC, and our struggles with food and money. The aforementioned forces (especially corruption by high-level government officials) are strong conitributing factors to why poverty persists in Kenya, but more recently we're struggle because of two things: Nick and I.
The perception here, pretty universally, is that when a white person comes to a place then that place his basically won the lottary. The white person will pay for any needs that exist, and more, and all of one's troubles and worries will be gone... so the thought goes. This myth exists because it has happened in many places in Kenya/sub-saharan African/the 2/3's world. Anyway, Nick and I came with open hands to help, but also comparatively empty pockets. We brought some money to make a contribution toward sustainable food efforts (i.e. to buy stuff to grow our own food), but even if we took that money and spent it all toward immediate food needs it would be gone in about 7 weeks (that's why we want it to go toward sustainable food efforts, so that they're not perpetually in need of donations).
So when Nick and I came, the community saw that "your wazungu have come" (aka your white people have come) and figured that they didn't need to support AMCC anymore. It makes sense to me, if I were poor already and thought that a need was getting taken care of by someone else, then I'd be stoked to sell the bananas I would have given to those kids at the market, or give them to my sister's family who are in need of food. But Nick and I came to get to know AMCC, and to help with menial daily tasks (cooking, going to trade out cell phones, delivering the payment for school fees, etc...), not to throw money at this place.
That's made kind of a perfect storm of difficulty for us here, since the community thinks we're going to be providing, but we were counting on the community for that. So Nick and I have eaten githeri (a mixture of maize and beans) for every dinner here for the last two weeks. It's also what the kids eat every day for lunch. It's also what I eat for breakfast most days, and have taken for lunch whenever I'm here for the last week or so. Thankfully, it's a wonderful source of protein (two parts maize + one part corn = 3 bits of protein, so says my Appropriate Technology Manual), so still, the variation and other vitamins and minerals are missed.
Nick and I now make it a conscious effort to try to tell people when we meet them that we love it here but are having a bit of a difficult time at AMCC because the community has stopped supporting them. We're also praying that God will pretty much tell people to give us food/money for supplies/rent/school fees, etc... because it'll be a good while before AMCC will be self-sustaining and/or Nick and I will feel comfortable and be able to raise funds for them on a regular basis. Pray with us please!

In order to combat the current situation of want, John has suggested that we get down and dirty (prayer without bathing... jk about not bathing). Yesterday we spent about 30 min. compiling a list of stuff that we're going to pray for every day. John anticipates it will take about 2 hours every day (yikes!!!), you can pray for us about that. ;-)
Here's the list of what we're going to praying for:
1. House Rent ($70 a month)
2. $ to pay for a neighbor's saucepans (which are now broken anyway)
3. $ to Buy bigger saucepans.
4. Food, regular provision and healthy variation
5. $ for exams
6. $ for cutting hair (would anyone like to send hair-clippers??? Email me!)
7. $ for cell phone bill (about $60 a month)
8. Firewood ($38 a month)
9. Propane for pressure lamp ($13 a month)
10. Parafin ($3 a month)
11. Patroleum Jelly for Lotion
12. Toothpaste
13. Laundry Soap
14. Toilet paper
15. Shoe polish (a necessity here!)
16. Spices
17. Unity/love all here, Staff And Children (SAC)
18. Patience for SAC
19. Increase our faith
20. God to bless our partners, for them to give only with cheerful hearts.
21. Our own land.
22. An income generating project.
23. For self-sustainabing food (growing our own food, planting or rearing).
24. Wisdom, how to spend $ and handle issues.
25. Self-Sustainability
26. Another worker for AMCC
27. John's family is far away, that's not so great.
28. John's back to be healed.
29. For the enemies of AMCC, that God would bless them and we would also.
30. Protection from Satan's attacks.
31. SAC would become closer to God.
32. Children's schooling, that they'd work hard, do well.
33. School fees (secondary school, university, vocational school).
34. School fund
35. For more friends and partners for AMCC
36. $ for transportation
37. A vehicle of our own. Fuel for it.
38. Community to be involved, even though wazungu are here.
39. Encouragement for Nancy, and all of us to keep going.

PRAISE GOD FOR SWITCHFOOT!!!
I'm listening to my least favorite album of their's right now and it's still just incredible!!! I'm just psyched up!! "We are slaves of what we want" So true.
Maybe it's because I haven't listened to a song I know in 2 weeks... On a positive note, I do enjoy the music here in Kenya a lot. The rap is cool, and since I can't understand the words it's pretty fun. The Congalese style music here is also pretty fun, I think I'm really going to get into it. :-)

pics on Nick's

2009-03-12T07:15:00.001-07:00

check out nick's blog for recent pictures. www.nicknkenya.blogspot.com

AMCC online!

2009-03-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

Hey! Check out AMCC on this company's website! We're praying that this company will sponsor AMCC with food on a regular basis. www.bidco-oil.com It's the article about visiting a children's centre.

Week too!

2009-03-12T04:37:00.002-07:00

Habari jioni!
Good evening to you! How are you doing lately? Have you been enjoying your electrical sockets, or running water? I hope so, because they can be marvelous things. Nick and I are now about to enter our second week without such modern amenities, but actually aren't missing them all that much. We can't charge our laptop, but other than that we're really doing just fine.
So, as you may have heard, two people were lynched in the town nearest to where Nick and I are staying. That's right, a mob of people came together and lynched two men last Thursday in the town of Thika, Kenya. Kinda crazy. Nick and I were nowhere near it, and now the town has settled down again (in fact, Nick and I were dropped off in the matatu at the establishment where the deed happened).
I like it here. A LOT.
This last week has been (of course) a mixture of stuff. Our meals are becoming more regular (that is, we eat beans and maize for dinner every night, and skip the maize porridge for breakfast every day), and our schedule has also evened out (we spend the days talking with John and Nancy, walking to nearby places to meet people, or assisting in preparing the meal for the evening (which mostly consists of picking out the bad beans from the good, which takes about two hours each day).
I also want to take this time to say that I now drink tea every day! It is Kenyan chai, and I love it!! Even more than the Aveda tea which Tap room taught me to appreicate (thanks dacia!).
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HAS PRAYED FOR US AND/OR EVEN SENT US AN EMAIL!! I've been surprised at how many of you are contacting me, and I think it freaking rocks.
This last week has been pretty cool. We've started learning swahili more intensely (thanks to the training that Nick took at Missionary Training International) and have also become more familiar with our surroundings! Today we came to Thika completely by ourselves, which is awesome because John was thinking that the earlier we might do that would be May!
We met the local schools that the kids go to, and are assisting in the normal duties of the day. Ex: Nick and I have each spent about 6 total hours picking through beans this week, sorting the good from the bad. We can also go with the kids to get water from the well (they need to be supervised), or help to even cook the food. The responsibilities here are great, and even though it's Kenya there is plenty to do.
JOHN PASSED OUT ON SUNDAY!! So his bad back/nerve problems got him and we awoke to find John, unresponsive, on the cement kitchen floor. He was breathing and had a pulse, and so I began working through the Wilderness First Responder training I've had on what to do in a situation like this. After about 20 minutes we realized that could hear us and could signal with his eyebrows. We communicated with this hair-raising (ha!) feat for the next 45 minutes while the rest of his faculties slowly came back. The next was his right hand (he wrote us a message on a peice of paper, which was just crazy!), then his left, then his jaw, etc... He eventually got up and Nick and I walked him back to his room where he stayed for the rest of the day, resting on his bed. This has happened to him at least five times, and the paralysis has sometimes lasted up to 8 hours.
Also, we're 3 days from running out of food. This is their constant situation. We've had a number of very good talks Nick and I are very hopeful for AMCC. John and teacher-Nancy do seem to be very genuine and trustworthy people. Time will tell, may the Lord guide us. They want to start an income generating project so that they're not dependent on donors anymore- woohoo!!!! They even have some contacts who may be able to help them host a fund-raiser here in Kenya to raise money for it!

So please pray for:
- John's back. We want it to be completely better!!
- Provision of food for AMCC. It is an awkward situation, because the community assumes that they don't need to help AMCC with food anymore since Nick and I are here. John was thinking that Nick and I could just write to our friends any time that they needed money, but for now that is the kind of relationship we are trying to avoid with AMCC.
- Pray for wisdom about how to handle money with AMCC. We just want to listen to the Lord and do what He directs. We don't want them unhealthily depending on us.
- An income generating project to be settled on by John and for him to move forward confidently with this. And for provision of funds for it.
- We MAY get hooked up with a regular food distribution program run by a large business (Bidco oil). Pray that this would happen!!! It would be AWESOME and would take much stress off of everyone. It may take 2-3 months for us to get onto it, so let's begin now!
- Praise God, some of the kids at AMCC scored very high on their recent tests. Jeffrey (who also happens to be our swahili teacher) is first in his class (7th grade) at school!
- Praise God, it has rained the last two nights! Rainy season was supposed to start 3 weeks ago, and there has been a drought here for the last 3 years. It is another compounding influence on the food situation here.

Care Package!

2009-03-12T01:27:00.002-07:00

Anybody who wants to me mail me something (or even better, 41 somethings so that I can heartily share) can send mail to:
Mark Dawson c/o AMCC Kenya
P.O.Box 3946 Madaraka
01002 Thika
KE.

Currently, I am personally in need of a baseball cap (to keep the sun off my face), sunscreen spf 30 or higher (because it might as well be made of gold it's so expensive here), and a few big things of Lawry's seasoning salt. Anything else you want to send me will surely be appreciated!

Financial Update

2009-03-11T23:20:00.003-07:00

Hey!
I finally did the math on my current financial situation. With the last info I had, I am still in need of $1510 to reach my goal for this trip. Any checks can be made out(tax deductable!) to:
Heart of the Bride Ministries

Mailed to:
Heart of the Bride Ministries
P.O. Box 786
Niceville, FL 32588

Other friends

2009-03-06T03:20:00.001-07:00

Hey! Check out Nick's blog for a different taste of our time here in Kenya: www.nicknkenya.blogspot.com
And go to Karen Hartman's blog for some of what's happening in Zambia: www.zambiakaren.com

And don't be bashful about posting on my blog. ;-)

Lynching and unrest

2009-03-05T13:14:00.002-07:00

So there were two people lynched by a mob in Thika (the closest town to AMCC). Nick and I were in Nairobi, and it's possible that we won't be able to go back to AMCC tomorrow because of the unrest. There's a big controvery over this organization called "mungiki". I don't know much about them

Wanna come?!?

2009-03-05T13:06:00.002-07:00

By the way, YOU are officially invited to come visit us at AMCC!! Please email me (markjadawson@gmail.com) and we'll see if it would be a good fit, I'd love for you to come.

Also, I think that my phone number is more accurately dialed:
+02540716927086

2009-03-05T13:03:00.000-07:00

Mimi ningependa sema na wewe!
"I would like to talk with you", friend who's reading this email. Just a bit of swahili for you there, the acquisition of which has occupied Nick and I about 10% of the time. It has been encouraging for me to see that this language learning is not as overwhelming as it has sometimes felt in the past. Also, it has been a sweet ride learning with Nick, who is even more stoked than I am to learn swahili. Speaking of Nick, he just shot all of the kids here below grade 9... with a camera! Lord willing we will be able to post more pictures on my blog this time (www.markdawsoninafrica.blogspot.com) and send some to other supporters. Our time here has been FULL! Since my last email we have...
- Riden down the side of the Rift Valley in a car.
- Stopped by IDP camps (Internally Displaced Persons, still refugees after the December 2007 elections!!)
- Riden mountain bikes across the plains with antelope, buffaloe, warthogs, and tigers (jk about the tigers).
- Visited a house-church-ish gathering in Kenya
- Met another Kenyan man who respectably runs a small orphanage
- Recovered my lost large bag (woohoo for my pepper grinder!)
- Met most of AMCC's Board members
- Heard beautiful singing by the kids at AMCC
- Met the local chief, Member of Parliament, and two other government somebodies.
- Ridden in a mutatu (which is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay cheaper than a taxi!!)
- Taken bucket showers (here at AMCC they boil the water beforehand, so it's hot. :-)
- Walked 30 min through beautifully planted and rolling hills to the mutatu stop.
- Talked with John for at least 4 hours.
- Been asked for money by strangers.
- Heard some cool stories about God's moving here.
- Put up our mosquito net.
- Joined with 40 kids in (what will become a regular) hour-long prayer meeting before bed.
- Learned more swahili
- Fed birds with worms which we held on our tongues.
- Gotten calls from dear friends abroad (congrats to David Okada, first caller).
- Felt confirmation and peace about God's leading us here.
- Eaten rice and beans (lunch), rice and beef (lunch and dinner yesterday) , and two bananas (breakfast)
- I've enjoyed chai a lot, but the caffeine and sugar doesn't go so well with Nick's body.

Praise God for all of these things! He has taken wonderful care of Nick and I, and we have been very encouraged by some of the things that we have seen here thus far (good relationships with some neighbors in the community, with government officials, and wonderful conversation with John and the other staff here at AMCC, Nancy the Teacher, "teacher Nancy").
Thank you so much for your prayers for Nick and I! Our meeting and first day here at AMCC has been very nice. And my bag has been found, ptl. Neither Nick nor I have gotten sick, and we both have been in pretty good spirits throughout our journey thusfar.

Please pray for:
- Wisdom in relationships here, between ourselves, AMCC, and others.
- Regular and healthy food for the children at AMCC.
- God to raise up Kenyan Partners for AMCC- keep praying for this! We have been very encouraged by some seeds we're seen since we arrived! May the seeds become sequioas!
- John's neck and back to be healed and not in pain anymore.
- Wisdom for all in leadership at AMCC (John, board members, teacher Nancy, Nick and myself)
- God to raise up others to visit AMCC while we are here. We have recently received news that some who were hoping/planning to come may not be able to. :-(

Thank you so much for your prayers and emails and encouragement!! They mean a whole lot to us! We're currently without running water and electricity, and it is about an hour's journey (walking and riding a mutatu) to get to the internet cafe. We've been fed plenty, though without as much variation as would be normal in an american home. We are happy and well and enjoying our time here. "Slowly by slowly" friendships will arise, our eyes will be opened, and our tongues will learn swahili- we are feeling patient. ;-)

Also in an attempt to make my emails a bit shorter, I'll be posting all of my detail-ridden stories as a PS to these emails. So you don't have to read them! Also, I'm planning on posting other stuff on my blog, which now has 5 great pictures from my time in Kenya on it!!

Most sinceriously,
Mark, on behalf of Nick and myself.

P.S. Cool story so far...
Our first day at AMCC was AWESOME. Nick and I share a room at the orphanage with the director, John Muhika. Nick sleeps in a bed, John sleeps in a mattress on the floor because it's better for his back, and I sleep under Nick's bed. It's pretty tight (i.e. I can't roll over on my side without a bit of maneuvering).
Anyway, my day started when I was woken up by a bunch of kids... singing... at 4:45 a.m.
The kids at AMCC all gather for a time of singing and prayer twice a day. Waaaay early in the morning (since a lot of them have to be at school at 6:30) and before dinner for about an hour. It's pretty inspiring and cool, especially to see them all dancing and singing, and 40 year old John gingerly dancing right with them.
Since Nick and I were feeling like it, we slept in quite a bit. By the time we woke up all the kids were gone to school, so we had breakfast (2 bananas and a cup of delicious chai!), took warm bucket baths, and got dressed to go meet our local member of parliament! John told us to make sure that we weren't late, but we left about 5 minutes late anyway (c'mon, it's the 2/3'rds world!) and started our beautiful walk. It goes past the local private secondary school (where 13 kids now go to school thanks to money that people donated!) and the public primary school (which has teacher student ratios such as 1:60), past a bunch of coffee plans, down a beautiful hillside, across a sweet bridge which has more gap than planks, and then up the deep red dirt hillside to the local butchery- were we charge our cell phones!
So there's no electricity at AMCC, or running water. All of the water the kids get out of a bore hole that a gracious local woman allows us access to (I think for free, which is really nice), and everything gets cooked over a fire. Everyone in Kenya (probably the whole of Africa) has a cell phone now, whether or not they have electricity. Since they're so vital to life though, people get creative. AMCC's solution for what to do is pretty cool: they have an extra cell phone or two, and they always keep one charging with their friend at the butchery 25 minutes away. So when one gets low they just go to the butchery, grab the newly charged one, switch out the sim card (which is home to the specific phone number and contact list, etc...) and leave the dead phone for charging- pretty cool! I've already gotten to take advantage of this cool system, though I must admit that I'm partial to the phone I bought in Zambia (mostly because my sweet girlfriend put a little personal message on it when it turns on. :-)
So we go to the butchery, I switch out my sim card, and then walk to the road to board a matatu which will take us to the M.P. For those of you who haven't yet chilled in East Africa, a matatu is the main form of public transportation around here. They're cheap, plentiful, and all shaped like the 80's style toyota vans that my family got when I was in elementary school (the cockroach, it was affectionately called ). I like matatu's a lot. They're slower than taking my own car, and 95% of the time there's at least one more person in it than would be legal in the states, but they're just so cheap and fun and I just love 'em! They've got the same set up in Ukraine and Russia, which is where I first fell in love with public transport. We get in the matatu and ride to the local gov't office. Upon arrival we get told that we're late (which we were, but I figured it wouldn't be a big deal), and subsequently join the crowd of waiters outside, where various people try to strike up conversation (about half of them would like us to give them some money for something... we declined)
The M.P. was a big shot dude. Really nice though, so that was pretty cool. John does seem to have good relationships with a lot of people in local gov't, which is good I think? After meeting Mr. Peter Kenneth (shout out to my brother Ken, the only other person I know with the name Kenneth) we went across the parking lot and met another high-up dude, who was wearing a sweet purple shirt and assured us, like everyone else that we met in the gov't, that we were most welcome in Kenya. The M.P. told us that if anybody gave us trouble then we should call him. So I will. I've got his number.
After those meetings we rode back with another Board member from AMCC (who thankfully got Nick and I some clean water!) and spent the rest of the afternoon talking with John. Conversations with him have been really nice. In his words he seems to be so honest and real. He says that he often encounters people in the gov't who want bribes, but since he doesn't give them stuff goes a lot slower for him. That makes me frustrated and also very happy at the same time. Talking with John can be really inspiring for me, especially when I consider the reality that he has been scraping out life for these kids for a few years now.
Nick took new pictures of all of the kids at AMCC, which we'll be post, Lord willing, sometime in the next month. Our internet is slower than I anticipated, so sending pics might take a while. I took some nice pics of outside, journaled some, and learned some more swahili. Oh, and the rope (which holds the bucket that gets water) broke in the afternoon, so we were kinda low on water. Oh, Lord help us all.
After the evening prayer/singing session (which I really enjoy!!) we "took" rice and beans for dinner- then we started study time! All the kids got out a book to read from school and we just read in silence for about an hour. Nick and I joined in, reading swahili stuff. John said that he's going to assign two of the kids to help teach us swahili when we get back, which we're both stoked about!!
After dinner I brushed my teeth and enjoyed the views of the night sky from the courtyard. The nights there are so nice!! It's cool, with a slight breeze blowing through the banana trees in the farm just outside our back door, and the stars are so bright!! If there's no clouds I can see the milky way every night, and from this place on the globe there are news stars to see!

So that was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long. My apologies. I'm tired and out of practice. I vow to make these better in time ;-)

2009-03-05T12:19:00.002-07:00

Description of the pictures below:
1. This is AMCC!!! Actually, AMCC is the portion of building on the far left, which has the blue doors. That's it!! 40 people sleep, eat, study, play, wash, and live in this place! Everything else is other stuff, and the whole place is owned by somebody else. Their rent was due today... and surprise, they didn't have the money for it!
2. People in leadership at AMCC. The two taller people standing in the back are the staff at AMCC: John Muhika Kameru, and Teacher-Nancy (whose last name I've never learned). Everyone else is on the board of AMCC. Two people local to the community, and John's parents (on the left).
3. Here's me and a bunch of the kids from AMCC! That metal contraption in the back is a hoist that they use to get water from 100 ft. down in the well. A bucket goes down there, not the kids. ;-)
4. I'm chasin' some zebras. I caught one and rode it, but the Kenyan gov't said we weren't allowed to take pictures because no human has ever tamed a zebra before. This is in Naivasha, 100 miles away from AMCC. VERY different terrain/animal population.
5. I'm holding custard apples!! These were my 2nd favorite fruit from Fiji, and I haven't seen them since I left Fiji 2.5 years ago. They were delicious, and I've eaten three of them now. Delicious.

2009-03-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

2009-03-05T07:39:00.000-07:00

2009-03-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

2009-03-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

2009-02-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

2009-02-27T05:56:00.002-07:00

Jambo and habari yako to you! (Hello and how are you?) I’m writing this blog a bit earlier than I anticipated to because… well things have gone a bit differently.
On top of Nick’s flight getting in 4 hours later than we thought, me forgetting my journal in Lusaka (which had all of my pertinent phone numbers for Kenya), and my bank not allowing me to withdraw money (even though I told them I would be leaving the country beforehand), my one checked bag got lost by the airlines yesterday. Thusly, Nick and I are having a much more relaxed day in Nairobi, waiting to see if my bag gets found. We’re done with all of our errands (which, praise the Lord, were all accomplished within a five minute walk of the place where we are staying, the home of Mr. and Mrs. John Gichane, who were my hosts the last time I was in Kenya and whom God used WONDERFULLY to welcome and encourage Nick and I last night) and, since we’re waiting/praying for my luggage, we’ve got time to use the free internet at a local coffee shop. I’m also enjoying maybe the best smoothie of my life!
So, this is mostly to let you all know that Nick and I are safely in Kenya, that I CAN now get money out of my bank account, and that my bag (which had most of my clothes and other non-important things in it) is lost. I’ve lost no sleep over it, and in fact have found myself laughing that something like this finally happened to me. I’m certainly glad it happened to me and not to Nick. Oh yeah, and they almost didn’t let me into the country because I didn’t have a return ticket for when I leave Kenya. It took about ten minutes to persuade the officer that I was going to take a bus out of Kenya, that this was always my plan, and that I wasn’t going to be stuck in Kenya (she said that sometimes friends don’t help even when people are stuck, so they don’t like people in who don’t have a ticket. Praise God I was allowed in, and if you come to Kenya then don’t do it one-way).
So pray for my bag, and for Nick and I to learn swahili, and travel well. Thank God for his provision and care of us so far, and that we’ve had a really enjoyable and fun time here. Ooh! I found my 2nd favorite fruit from Fiji today in the store- custard apples! Anyway, God is good and it’s been fun so far. We’re headed on to Naivasha from here, and eventually to Thika. Oh, and if you want to call Nick or myself you are certainly welcome to! Don’t forget the country code (254).
Nick: (254) 0712397294 Mark: (254) 0716927086

Chapter one

2009-02-21T07:20:00.003-07:00

After three day, 20 hours in airports, 20 hours in airplnes, 7 on a bus, and one at the immigration office, I'm safely in Kitwe, Zambia, typing on a computer and enjoying the light rain outside (it's rainy season here).

My trip went smoothly (all of my flights were perfectly on time!) and I even had a sweet surprise at the end!

I've been re-reading a fantastic book on cross-cultural immersion (Cross Cultural Connections, Elmer) and on the plane to South Africa it hit me: I'm not interacting with AMericans anymore.

One of the things that I have gleaned during my travels is that I should not treat everyone the same (stay with me those of you who think I've lost my moral compass). I'm not talking about the value that I place on each person or the respect that I give them, but rather that the way I show respect and interact with others should change from culture to culture (since different cultures have different norms and guidelines for how to show respect and give honor to one another; I should adapt to that culture's ways in order to show them respect and honor). So what I mean is that the specifics (what words I say, gestures I use, eye contact, speed of speech, etc... ) of how I relate to others can and should change as I interact with different people if I am attempting to be consistent in treating everyone the same (that is, treating them well in a way that they will receive as respectful and honorable).

When I landed in Johannesburg (backdrop to Alan Paton's class "Cry the Beloved Country") I was pretty awkward talking with the airport informational helper people, and just people in general- I was re-learning a new way of relating to people. Thankfully the janirtor in the men's bathroom was nice and ended up talking with me for about ten minutes. After that enjoyable interaction I felt more comfortable and enjoyed the rest of my time in the airport by: walking for 90 minutes (to get in my exercise!), reading a lot, listening to a Zimbabwean choir thwas going to the states to talk about their church's involvement in a cholera outbreak in Harare, talking with guys from that choir, and (the highlight) having a 35 minute conversation with the immigration officer about my desire to honor God and have a healthy relationship with my girlfriend by not sleeping with her before marriage. I'll leave out the details, but it was one of the coolest conversations I've ever had, stranger or not.

After that chat I got onto my plane to Lusaka, took a pic of the Jo-Burg sunrise, and watched two hours of African scenery disappear past my window. After I got my luggage I spent about two seconds looking for the guy I had arranged to pick me up from the airport... only two seconds because someone else had told him to not come! Tada- Karen cam eto pick me up from the airport!! (what a gal!!) It was an awesome surprise and I greatly enjoyed the rest of the day with her. I got to take a shower at a friend's house, and then she and I ran errands around the capital city (renewing her work visa (aka waiting in line), trying to go the Indian consulate, and asking questions at the American Embassy). We eventually got on the Euro-African bus and headed up to Kitwe (a trip which should have taken six hours, but was more like 7.5 because... well, it just seemed like the cars were all going slow. I guess that's called traffic, but it didn't feel like the traffic I'm used to, I digress...).

The other awesome part of my yesterday was staying with Joseph. Joesph is a Zambian guy who is in change of the agriculture stuff happening ad the Boy's Ranch (where I'll be volunteering for three months, starting in June) and he's basically doing a bunch of stuff that I learned about in my community development classes in college! He's got a bunch of crops planted, is raising chickens, and tending rabbits and pigs too. He's got a well, a ltrine, and surely a bunch of other stuff that I haven't seen yet. Seeing all of that stuff, along with the cool night air really took me back to my trips to Fiji and Uganda, and it made for a really cool God-with-me-no-way-to-make-this-not-sound-overly-spiritual-and-I-hate-that kind of night. Yesterday was honestly one of the best days of my life. I fell asleep around 10 and woke up only once before getting up at 6 this morning to change the water and feed the the animals. I feel pretty adjusted to the time schedule here (thanks to the people on my Ukraine summer mission trip 4 years ago, who taught me to just grit it out and get on the new sleep aschedule the first day).

That's all for now. The next few days I'm going to be meeting the boys at the Boy's Ranch, learning from Joseph, and spending some much-missed time with Karen Hartman. I leave here next Thursday and arrive in Kenya that night (the 26th). That's when the real craziness begins! Nick and I will meet in the airport, go to the home of John Kinyanjui Gichane (my hosts the last time I was in Kenya!), get some stuff from Nairobi, and then head to Naivasha to stay with some missionaries there a few days. They're going to give Nick and I an opportunity to reconnect before heading to AMCC, and also give us tons of advice and good bits to think about as head to Thika to visit AMCC. Wow. Nick will be coming from Thailand. That's nuts.

For those of you who'd like to, please pray for:

- Nick and I to both be well prepared in the next week for our time in Kenya.

- Good (and holy!) time with each of our girlfriends, peaceful goodbyes.

- John Muhika's neck to get better.

- The kids at AMCC to have healthy food.

- God to raise up Kenyan partners for AMCC.

- Friendship with all at AMCC.

Adios!

2009-02-21T06:55:00.002-07:00

FOUR PICTURES: Sunrise at Johannesburg airport, bed I'm sleeping in, cool plants outside front door of my place, view from front porch of my place.

Here I Go!

2009-02-17T21:33:00.002-07:00

Well, the day has finally arrived. Tomorrow I'll get picked up at 3:25 a.m. by a shuttle and taken to Denver International Airport. My flight takes off at 6:25 a.m., meaning that it'll be too dark for me to see the beautiful Rockies one last time. Oh well, better things are in store... (and higher ones e.g. Mt. Kenya)
From there I'll spend 5 hours laying over in D.C. before I leave for Johannesburg, S.A. at 5:30 tomorrow night. That 15 hour flight will put me in S.A. around 3 in the afternoon, and I'll then make camp in the airport for about 15 hours until I leave the next morning (the 20th) for Lusaka.
From Lusaka I've got to get from the airport to an ATM, get some food, and then get to the bus station. It's a 6 hour bus ride from Lusaka to Kitwe. I wonder how much I will remember, and how excited I'll be!! (Last time I tried to fly to Zambia it took me 30 hours longer to get from Lusaka to Kitwe than I had anticipated, I'm really hoping that it'll go smoother this time, though God has His ways and I trust Him...)
Once on that side I'll make a blog post and talk about how interesting/boring my trip was. And post some pictures too! I'm very excited for this, my longest international travel sequence ever (not counting my bicycling trip, which certainly deserves a category of it's own).

I am venturing out on this trip, and not just to a different continent. I've left my job, my community, the stability of life that I've developed in Denver, ease of language, access to most of my favorite foods, and a general understanding that I know what my life is going to be like when I wake up each day. This trip will probably not be like that...
For the most part, I'm going on this trip to develop relationships, with John Muhika (www.amcckenya.org), Nick Jackson, the boys at the Nehemiah Boy's Ranch (http://web.mac.com/walkersxl/iWeb/Walker%20Fam%20in%20Zam/The%20Nehemiah%20Project.html) , and Karen Hartman. Please ask God to guide each of these and for His Kingdom to come in and through them. I also ask that you'd pray for personal discipline for myself. I no longer have the support structures I've grown accustomed to, and my falls in africa will go farther and hurt deeper. I greatly appreciate your Body-Movement in this regard. Please let me know how I can pray for you!
Kingdom Come.

Out of this world!

2009-02-04T21:45:00.003-07:00

Hey everyone! Here are some pictures from my time in Roswell so far. It has been a very enjoyable stay thus far. I've gone on some great morning walks, eating some delicious food, and had some (safe) adventures cutting limbs from trees! Most of all I have greatly enjoyed my hosts, Bill and Polly Hartman.

New Financial Update

2009-02-03T12:46:00.001-07:00

As of today $1,399.22 has come in from thirteen different people. Thanks to everyone who has contributed!

$2,100 is left for my original goal, though my shots cost about $400 more than I was expecting... the Lord will provide. ;-)

Nick and Mountains

2009-02-02T16:58:00.004-07:00

Here's some of Nick and I... from the last time we'll see each other until the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi on Feb 26th!!

Plus some pretty mountains on my drive down to Roswell. It was gorgeous out.

2009-02-02T16:58:00.001-07:00

Pics from the last while

2009-02-02T16:44:00.003-07:00

Here are some pics from my last week of life!

1-5. Going away party thrown with friends downtown.

6-7. Pics of Andrew and Ansley, my cousin's kids. One of Scott too. They're such an awesome family, I love them!

Phase 1: Complete

2009-02-02T16:09:00.002-07:00

It's official: I quit my day job.

Last Friday was my very last day of gainful employment for a long time. It went just fine (ptl) and I had some nice goodbyes with people at work. I also got to see my cousin Scott and his wife (Becky) and kids (Andrew and Ansley) at work on Friday- unplanned and super cool.

After packing like a mad-man and eating nice great pancakes (thanks Ryan!) I drove down to Roswell, NM for a week of chillin with the Hartman clan. So far it's been really nice here! Nice weather, nice people, nice food. I was unexpectedly asked to speak at the adult sunday school class yesterday, and had a really enjoyable time sharing what God has been doing in Denver in the last year. Someone even said that they wanted to support my trip to Kenbia afterwards! How creative is our God?!

Today I'm choosing the insurance that Nick and I will use, blogging here, and other stuff associated with the trip. I'm pretty stoked to go!!!

Also, my apologies on not updating my financial situation like I said I would. So far about $1,200 has come in for my trip- about 1/3 of the total goal! Thanks to everybody who has sent stuff in, that's pretty tight cause I hear that there's not a lot of cash to go around these days.

Well, that's it for now. I'm here in Roswell until next Saturday (the 7th). Here's my schedule from here on out:

7th- Leave Roswell for Camp Eagle

8th- Leave Eagle for Austin

10th- Leave Austin for JBU-land

13th- Leave JBU for Austin

14th- Leave Austin for Denver

18th- Leave Denver

20th- Arrive in ZAMBIA!!!!!!!!

I'd love to see you before I go, so email me (markjadawson@gmail.com) or give me a call (512-470-2781) and let's get together. Vaya con Dios!

My Denver

2009-01-17T17:19:00.004-07:00

Here are some nice pictures that show my Denver, it's beauty, ugliness, and sense of humor.

OH HECK YEAH!

2009-01-17T17:11:00.003-07:00

Ta-da!!!

God has again done miraculous (not quite magic, as the onomatopoeia would imply) things with AMCC!
This morning, through the generous contributions of various entities, I was able to moneygram over to John Muhika $3,600 for the three children who passed their exams to go to school!!! THIS IS AMAZING! Especially because about $2,500 of it came in yesterday- oh how God loves to wait until the last minute!

Also, it looks as though school will not begin until February, which means that there will not be a problem with John getting the money on Monday (John had said that school would begin on Monday, but banks are closed on Sunday. So, we prayed about this situation last Thursday and- BAM! God does this!)
I am VERY EXCITED about this and want to thank everyone who contributed to this effort, especially those who prayed for it- our prayers are heard! John said that they were weeping at AMCC, but I think maybe I misheard him. Oh well, that's why Nick and I are going over there- to find out what it's really like! Thanks especially to our God, who cares far more for the kids at AMCC than any of us. He's pretty tight.

Pics pertinent to my pronouncement!

2009-01-15T19:44:00.001-07:00

Kenbia here I come!

2009-01-15T19:08:00.002-07:00

News FLASH: Mark's ticket to Zambia and Kenya has been bought!!
Woohoo!!! Thanks to Fellowship Travel International for finding a cheap one-way from Zambia to Kenya, and to Heart of the Bride Ministries for letting me use them to keep myself financially accountable!
And a BIG THANK YOU to everyone who has contributed to my trip! I wasn't updated yet this week, so to my knowledge there's still only one person's contribution in my account. But I suspect that tomorrow when I get an email from HOB that will change...

Also, great news and prayer answered: Nick and I will be taking both a laptop and a scanner with us to Kenya! Woohoo! These marvels of modern technology will not only save us loads to time and money on internet cafe expenses, but will allow us to do exponentially more than we would have been able to. We can keep track of and document things much better, as well as send out more detailed emails. We'll take more pictures, videos, and be able to do so much more in terms of interaction with the states while we're there. This is great- Praise the Lord! (ptl)

Thank you for everyone who has been praying for AMCC to get all the money for the kids to go to school next Monday. Keep praying! Who knows what our God will do?

SUPPORT SCHOOL

2009-01-11T15:55:00.000-07:00

This week I found out that 3 of the kids at AMCC didn't pass their High School entrance exams. BUMMER. But, the total cost of the year of school is now $1,200. So only $2,600 is needed for the three kids who did pass their exams to go to school this year- which starts Monday Jan. 19th!!
AND, super cool, someone has decided to make a dollar-for-dollar matching contribution to help achieving this goal!!! The money is needed by this Saturday- contact me if you want to help! (512-470-2781)

6 weeks and counting...

2009-01-11T15:40:00.002-07:00

Well, that's the plan at least. I still haven't bought my plane ticket (Lord willing that will happen this week), but I feel much closer to leaving. This week I got some more shots, am taking my typhoid medicine, and got my prescription for malaria (Doxycyclene- bring on the sunburn!).
Cool story: the travel clinic that I went to for my meds gave me a $100 discount on my visit as "their contribution toward my trip"- how cool is that?!
In other news, Nick found out that missionary training school is a LOT more expensive than we had thought, and most of my old shots had expired so I had to get more new ones (should I get another meningitis shot? It's EXPENSIVE). I have only 3 weeks of work left at Shred-It!! This job has been super supportive of my trip and I'm very thankful for them. :-)
I've decided to use this blog as a way to keep people updated on my financial support situation. I'll update it on Wednesday of each week. On Wednesday of this week I had one financial donation in to the folks at Heart of the Bride. I'll hopefully have more by this Wednesday!
Nick's church, Bloom, is also very excited about how they can support he and I during this trip. Nick and I will be speaking there on Jan 25th about our trip- praise the Lord for a good meeting with them and the opportunity to share!
Also, my own church family (Ancient Paths Church Network) is hosting a going-away party for me... except that I just realized it is on the same day that I'm speaking at Bloom. Hmmm....

Well, that's a bit of an update for now! If you have any specific questions for me then post them in the comments or email me and then I'll blog about them! Adios!

The Professor who advises me.

2009-01-03T13:32:00.001-07:00

Desi will help me get this party started.

2009-01-03T13:29:00.001-07:00

Let's Get This Party Started

2009-01-03T13:13:00.002-07:00

Well hello there!

So this is my first blog post. Let's all pray it's not the last. ;-)

For your personal interest, here are a list of things that I need to do before I go:

- Visit the dentist

- Get my malaria medicine

- Buy my plane tickets

- Get enough money for the trip

- Catch up with lots of people

- Eat Round Rock Donuts

- Buy an LSAT book

- Start learning Swahili

- Take Miguel, Jose, and Frankie bowling

- Get lots of good advice

If anybody knows of anything else then go ahead and email me, I'd appreciate it. :-)