3 Questions with Zach & Audrey

This is long overdue--between the travel, the jet-lag, the catching up here in Cairo, I've not been able to take the time to add the header and footer to this short, cheesy video.

Zach and Audrey Langford are wonderful friends, and soon to be teammates for Three-Worlds in the Liverpool, England area.  This past February, during my trip to the States, we had the opportunity to spend a couple of days together in Chattanooga, Tennessee.  During all that fun, we stopped for ice cream and filmed this:

A mentioned in the information on the youtube posting of this video, "special thanks to the Alexander family who filmed this and were great company during an awesome day."

We look forward to filming more "3W 3-Questions" segments in the future with other guests.  Of course, if you have a question for us, you know how to get in touch and you can ask anytime.

Pray for Egypt...

Week Without Walls 2013

As we highlighted in our previous quarterly report to donors, there are a lot of challenges to being a "Third-Culture Kid" (watch this short, excellent video by Adrian Bautista about TCK's for understanding this designation--previously posted on Three-Worlds)...



Our kids are new to these challenges, and they're adjusting marvelously.  Changing schools (twice in the past year for Grace and Titus); making not only new friends, but new friends from a variety of cultures; being exposed to new languages within this new culture and from these new friends; trying to learn and navigate the new cultural norms that can be quite different from those they grew up with in the States; and so many more.

Despite these unique challenges, there are also several distinct opportunities that they also can now access.  In fact, several of those challenges above can also be an opportunity.

Among these opportunities are travel and seeing/experiencing the world.  Grace and Titus have already been traveling to places that we have not yet seen ourselves.  Shortly after our arrival in 2012, Grace went on a class retreat into the Sinai peninsula; last fall, Titus went to Luxor on a class trip for a few days to learn that history among the antiquities there.

Tonight, Grace leaves on such an opportunity.  Each year, her school (Cairo American College) offers a Week Without Walls to give their students the opportunity to learn and experience the world through cultural, service, and/or adventure trips.

There is quite an elaborate process that allows students to rank their top 12 choices, which are submitted into a lottery process that gives everyone equal chance of attaining one of their top picks as there are only 20 available spots per trip.  Keli participated in the selection process this year and was impressed by their efficiency and fairness in the placement of all these students.

The trips themselves are simply amazing opportunities.  One of the new families we hosted this past summer in a welcome to Cairo mixer had both of their sons get their top choice--to be assigned into a team of ten students who will spend a week on racing sailboats to learn how to work as a team and compete off the coast of the United Kingdom!  I spoke with the father and one of the sons today about just how unique and exciting such a rare opportunity is in life.

Some students will travel to Vietnam and built stilt houses in the jungles there for families in need of this peculiar shelter.  Some will travel to study the art and art history in Vienna, Austria; others will travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg to discover some of the architectural and historical elements of those cities.  Another group will even travel to work on a Panda conservatory in China--we're told they will hold and feed baby pandas while learning about the challenges to their habitat and species.

What's Grace going to be doing?  Well, she actually "won" her first choice and will be the first among our family to head south of the Equator, but not too far south...

Grace will be going to Tanzania.  Here's the description of the trip for which she signed up:

This is a service learning course that aims to provide students with the opportunity to work with Tanzanian students at a local organization called Second Chance Education Centre. Set up by Lucy Renju and her husband, it gives a second chance at education to students who were unable to finish school due to difficult family situations or extreme poverty. Students will stay at Honey Badger Lodge which is adjacent to the Second Chance school. The accommodation will be basic but there will be hot water, clean shared rooms and plentiful local food. Students will do a variety of different work, that could include physical labour, developing and running language games, teaching computer skills. Students will also have the opportunity to interact socially with the students at Second Chance, playing football, talking together etc. CAC and Second Chance students will spend one day on safari together at a local game park. We encourage students who are willing to make a commitment to service learning, who wish to have an interesting cultural experience and who are willing to take initiative and reach out to others.

Grace will have a similar view of Mt. Kilimanjaro daily

 OBJECTIVES:

To strengthen the educational programme of Second Chance by helping with physical work on the school grounds and developing English language proficiency. To develop relationships with local students by learning some Swahili and sharing knowledge of English. To gain an understanding and appreciation of the local culture. To appreciate the natural environment of Tanzania.

We're proud of Grace's choice, happy for her that she got her first choice as a freshman, and we pray that this trip will be a special blessing in her life as she also is offered an opportunity to be a blessing to students in Tanzania.

As I mentioned in our previous post, it just so happens that two of the other families who attended our new to Cairo mixer, and the wives/mother with whom Keli has been meeting regularly, have daughters who are also on this trip.  It's another unique connection among our families.

Traveling into Tanzania brings its own share of health warnings and even more vaccines that she had to receive.  Pray that she stays healthy, free from injury (as well as her whole group), makes some stronger friendships & wonderful memories, and is able to hear the still, small voice of God and know His presence.

Can You Be Busy in Bureaucracy?

From Meriam Webster online...

bu·reau·cra·cy
3: a system of administration marked by officialism*, red tape**, and proliferation***

*of·fi·cial·ism: lack of flexibility and initiative combined with excessive adherence to regulations in the behavior of usually government officials

**red tape: official routine or procedure marked by excessive complexity which results in delay or inaction

***pro·lif·er·at·ing: to grow by rapid production of new parts, cells, buds, or offspring

Moving nowhere fast,
paddling furiously under water--
is this the international symbol of
bureaucracy???

With such definition, as well as our experiences in bureaucracies, you can see why it's hard to get anywhere sometimes, even with the most routine of tasks--but though you may not be moving very quickly to a destination, you can be furiously banging your head against walls of red tape.

We've been quiet as of late, but we have been busy!  Not that we needed bureaucracy to make us busy; between the schedule of the kids and the new weekly CCF Kids ministry that has really taken off, we would have our hands full.

But it seems we also have had our tied by bureaucracy.

As we've been Egypt for more than a year, it has been time for us to renew our annual visa that allows us as expatriates, to live and work within this country. This is a "typical process" for those serving internationally; for us, it will be an annual renewal until we reach 5 years, at which time we can apply for a 5 year visa.  (At least, that is the current rules, and no one these days cares to venture a guess on whether or not the current rules will be in place next year, next month, or next week!)

Of course, the phrase "typical process" may mean different things in different places, and this is Egypt, so it's hard for me to imagine it being like anywhere else on the planet!

Titus took this picture last year
as we drove around the roundabout at
Tahrir Square--the Mugamma is
the building in the background.

Last year, I chronicled my first experiences in what I affectionately called the "DMV Nightmare", a.k.a, the Mugamma. The Mugamma is the large/main government building at Tahrir Square, so you've likely seen it on some news video in the background of any number of protests in the past few years. The Mugamma was actually closed down and barricaded by protestors before I left on my USA trip, which prevented us from attempting this annual renewal before I left.

After last years endless denials and requests for one more copy, one more stamp, one more seal, one more picture, I came prepared with multiple copies and examples of any and everything I might possibly need. This is not a process I can do by myself, and so Dr. Latif has to travel from Alexandria to help me; Dr. Latif is the Secretary of the Executive Council of the Church of God, our sponsoring organization here, a pastor of one of the churches, and our best English speaker among the national ChoG--so we make this trip together.

Dr. Latif and the national ChoG also face their own red tape leading up the process before we ever get to the Mugamma: they have to write a letter, signed by their Chairperson, sealed by their Executive Council, approved by the national Evangelical Council of Churches, which is recognized by the Egyptian government to keep a record of all officially licensed churches and pastors. This letter includes information about who each of us are, where we live, what we will do, etc.

That letter with the two sets of signatures and seals is taken to a separate government office that validates that the signatures and seals are official and acceptable.  If so, it is approved with it's own signature and seal at the top of the letter.  If this is approved, then the letter along and its three sets of stamps and signatures, is taken by Dr. Latif and I to the Mugamma.

Once inside, you may have to fight your way past all the other people desperate for renewal who are mobbed at specific windows depending on your nationality, the type of work you are doing, and the type of visa you are requesting--this was quite the trial and error process as we pushed our way through the various possibilities of 60+ windows and their respective mobs.  One side note--lanes, lines, and order are not high social norms here in the Middle East--if there's the slightest opening, you push your way through it and join the mob attempting to get the attention and favor of the clerk on the other side.

If the clerk feels you have what you need, you will be sent to another window to purchase various government stamps that represent the various taxes and other duties that are required to file and process the paperwork--then you come back and fight through the same group again to show the stamps to be affixed to your paperwork--if it's all there, and you are not sent away for another copy, letter picture, seal, or whatever, the clerk will document your information in a ledger, and chronicle the documentation in your passport on the page that your visa will one day be applied.  Your completed applications will be sent off for processing, and you will be sent away.

You will come back with your passports after 1 week to a different window and a different clerk (and likely, a different mob).  You will provide your passports and she will review your application to be sure nothing else was required.  If not, then your passports and the previously approved documentation that required your blood, sweat and tears to obtain during your previous trip(s) will be placed in a pile of similar passports and documents.  I watched this pile fall to the floor after ours were added last year--it's quite unnerving to watch all of that scattered, scooped up, and precariously rebalanced on the desk!

You are told at that point to come back in a couple hours and it will be done--various other clerks will review informations, record into handwritten ledgers all pertinent informant, and file all the paperwork while visas are printed and eventually affixed to new pages in our passports. Last year, i walked around Tahrir Square, and took some video and pictures while I waited. Due to the current unrest in the city that has already led to days of the Mugamma's closure, I will not let those passports out of my sight until they are back in my hands.

So, that's the process in a gargantuan, scary "nutshell".

Our hero, Dr. Latif, with Grace last year.

We, Dr. Latif and I, went to the Mugamma yesterday--I thought we were ready, only to find out that the clerk wanted one more stamp that we did not have with us. The process was stalled before it had even begun; Dr. Latif returned to Alexandria yesterday to get the stamp, and I went home empty-handed.  Dr. Latif cleared his schedule so he could make a return trip today, so we could try again.

We went inside with everything we needed.  This time, the clerk refused the letter because the President of the Executive Council's signature wasn't at the bottom of the letter--instead, because he has been out of the country, the second in charge signed.  This was unacceptable to the clerk, and to her immediate supervisor, despite the government approval stamp at the top of the letter validating the other signatures and seals.  Dr. Latif vehemently argued until he got approval to appeal to the head honcho--a guy who was busy hearing appeals from everyone who could not find satisfaction throughout the immigration floor--a guy whose job I don't think anyone would envy.  Somehow, Dr. Latif managed to get our request to the top of the stack, and the head honcho agreed with Dr. Latif and was quite preturbed at his subordinates bothering him with such a nonsensical appeal.

The other clerks became helpful again, and we are now successfully "in process" and I can return again next week (after Grace is back from Tanzania) to collect our new visas.

Once this is done, we will not be done with Egypt bureaucracy. We will then start the very different, and even more messy process of selling the jeep - transferring title, etc, and then--glutton for punishment--we will restart the process as a buyer (hopefully).

I see a sad future of waiting in government offices and lines :(



Meanwhile, as previously stated Grace prepares to leave for Tanzania this weekend for her school's Week Without Walls component. Grace and 20 peers will be taking an amazing service learning experience in the midst of Tanzania's rainy season at the base of Mount Kilimanjaro. Her High School peers will all be in groups of 20, traveling on one of a variety of international trips from England, South Africa, Morocco, Jordan, Philippines, Vietnam, China, and more. Amazing!

Don't let the good form fool you--
the only thing nice out there is the view!

Despite all the work, I am getting a chance to play this weekend, too.  Several of the international wives with whom Keli has been regularly meeting has led to friendship among the men, too--and, we all agreed to play in the school's booster club's annual golf charity scramble.  So Saturday, I will be teeing it up with a few dads, and making fools of ourselves in the process as we're all a bunch of hacks! Actually, three of us will have daughters on the Tanzania trip!  These are all families that we met during last summer when we hosted a "new to Cairo" mixer.

Then, it will be back to work as we prepare for the long Easter season here in Egypt this year. We will have some activities for Western Easter at the end of this month, but then the activities will stretch out until the beginning of May for Eastern Easter. Lt year, the two were only separated by a week, the shortest possible separation--this year is the longest possible separation. More on Easter plans in the coming weeks...

So, hopefully that helps catch you up on several of our coming and goings around here. Thank you for your continued interest, thoughts, encouragement, and prayers for our family and for Egypt.

I will likely be writing again soon with various news updates from an increasingly troubled region.

Pray for Egypt...

Lagging Forward

"Jet lag, medically referred to as desynchronosis, is a physiological condition which results from alterations to the body's circadian rhythms resulting from rapid long-distance transmeridian (east–west or west–east) travel on a (typically jet) aircraft. It is classified as one of the circadian rhythm sleep disorders." (from Wikipedia)

Maybe it's my advanced age :) - or, maybe it's a part of how busy I was over the past couple weeks - but I'm experiencing much more "jet lag" from this trip than in all my previous trips combined.

I did all right after my arrival on the evening of March 6, sleeping in a bit that Thursday morning. But since then, I have moments where I'm really awake, or really tired--and those moments seem to be at the wrong time! I'm not a full Eastern or Central Time Zone experience--it's just a few random hours, never at the same time, here and there throughout a 24 hour period. For example, last night, from 1:50 am till about 3:50 am--I was up; then, from about 9:00 am to 12:30pm today, I was in deep sleep.

Well, as I try to readjust, the world continues to spin and the calendar pages turn, keeping us in the midst of some exciting areas of ministry.

CCF continues their weekly worship on Sunday evening, but just prior to my USA trip, we began a children's program at the villas that had 15 in the first week, and as many as 30 in my absence -- this weekend, we had 19 children of all ages (including our 3) and that was with a large group deciding not to travel on Saturday due to area protests and uncertainties. The parental involvement has been strong with this new ministry, too -- we have enjoyed getting to know a few of the parents, and we're eager to involve many of them in the weekly leadership so that we can have greater opportunity to interact with all the parents. The parents have created a Facebook page to keep each other informed of the program details and to spread the word.

Of course, this excites the older CCF members and gives them great hope of another generation being blessed and enriched by Christian Education. We're excited and blessed by how well our own children (who are much older than the kids in attendance) are helping to enthusiastically lead and assist the younger children.

We are nearing the expiration of our ministry visa; next Monday, I will go to the main ministry building at Tahrir Square with one of the Egyptian national Church of God Pastors to attempt to renew this crucial visa. Please pray for access to the building, favor in the process, and the ability to have this renewed in one trip as opposed to multiple trips.

As Western Easter approaches, so do several spring events. We will once again host the annual sunrise Easter service here at the Maadi villas and garden. Unlike last year when Western and Eastern (or Orthodox) Easter were separated by only one week, our special events will span more than a month! We will have a Choir Cantata in April, and then the day after Eastern Easter, we will have the Egyptian festival of Spring, Sham el Nissim on Monday, May 6.

The weather is heating up, and appears to be settling into warmer temperatures continually after bouncing back and forth for a few weeks. We began sorting our winter/long sleeve clothes, for our summer/short sleeve clothes. It was a much shorter and milder winter than our first in Cairo, though this one saw a much greater, and unusual amount of rainfall. Keep in mind that Egypt has two seasons (summer for 9+ months, and then winter); and the average, annual rainfall in Cairo is between .5 and .75 inches (it may have been twice that in the past three months)!!!

Though political and financial concerns seem to continue to mount, at least according to the news, the day to day seems to continue without much interruption around us. The Nestle plant had a fire, and so there has been a shortage of their bottles of drinking water. The power has more frequently been interrupted for hours at a time. Other than that, all continues here in Cairo, Egypt.

Though all appears well, national church pastors decided that now was not the time to make a trip by train to Upper Egypt to visit congregations and pastors there, as we had planned to do this weekend. Within hours of that decision, we received a caution from the US State Department declaring that their personnel were prohibited from using the Egyptian trains until further notice due to unrest and other irregularities in the service.

The national Egyptian Church of God will hold their annual General Assembly meetings at the end of this month in Alexandria. I hope to be able to participate in those meetings again, depending on national events. A couple of the young leaders we met in January have been in touch and are eager to see us again when I go to Alexandria; a couple of our support congregations with whom I was able to share over the past couple weeks have pledged to help raise the funds necessary to send 3 Egyptian young adults with me to the Lebanese Ana Terzo young adult camp in August. I'm excited to get this worked out so that we can begin helping these prepare for that event.

Thank you for your continuing interest and prayers for our family here in Egypt. Continue to pray for my father, Bill, who will undergoing 7 weeks of radiation therapy for remaining cancer cells; pray for his strength and courage, as well as my mother, sister, and brother who will be patiently encouraging and helping him through this time. Thank you.

Travel Playlist, 16of16

Down to my final few hours of traveling.

Yesterday, I had song dedications to my awesome kids -- so you can bet the final song dedications of this Travel Playlist will be to my wonderful wife. The first is an appropriate "missing you while I'm traveling song," the duet by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat, "Lucky" -- and I count myself more than lucky to be in love with my best friend...



My plan is to attempt to upload this post from the Charles de Gaul airport in Paris, France--and, if I am able to make this upload from Paris, what better song than Stevie Wonder's "My Cherie Amour"?



:)

Thanks for your ongoing interest, support and prayers. After I see my kids and recover any jet lag, we will be finalizing our February newsletter, which is obviously running late; and, I will dive back into the local Egyptian and regional news to see what's happening in various and ever-changing the social, financial, and political climates.

As you pray for our family, pray for us to finalize the visa renewal that allows us to live and serve within Egypt.

Thank you!

Travel Playlist, 15of16

Yesterday, I had three wonderful meetings: I began with a long overdue personal meeting with Pastor Bob Moss. I have so enjoyed my time with the Salem church and we're so encouraged by their partnership.

I also met with Pastor Tom Planck of Journey Church in Cincinnati. Tom and his wife were students at Anderson University, just a few years ahead of us; we haven't seen each other often since then, so we had a lot of catching up to do. It was great hearing his "journey" and more about what God is doing in their ministry. There's a possibility of Tom participating in an upcoming Three-World event, and I was to help him better understand the unique, diverse, and exciting ministries and opportunities in the Europe and Middle East Region.

Finally, I ended the evening with my Uncle Dick and Aunt Stephanie at their home very near to where I've been staying the past few days. I've not gotten to see or spend a lot of time with them since my grandmother's funeral in 2005. Their children, Sarah and Tyler, are both married now and Sarah has had her first child, and the first grandchild of the family. It was great just to reconnect with all of them around the dinner table and to get filled up with some very sweet desserts!

Nearly every meeting is done on this brief, and yet long, journey except one: I will conclude this time with some interaction with the Salem Church of God staff during their weekly meeting. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with different groups of this congregation. (I will get to see Pastor Bob, Pastor Nabil, and several from the congregation in August/September for the Lebanon Ana Terzo Camp and annual Heart for Lebanon Staff Retreat.)

And then, it's back to the airport. It's one last, short drive in my wonderful rental car--those who saw me during this trip saw that I got a premium rental for the same cost of an economy :) -- I felt no shame driving a Chrysler 300 around, especially since I spent more time in that car than I did at any single location, logging more than 2600 miles during this trip!

Though it's a short drive to the airport, it's a long trip home. I will take-off from Cincinnati at 3:55 pm on Tuesday, March 5 and not arrive at the Cairo airport until 6:55 pm on Wednesday, March 6 -- subtracting the time zones, that's 20 hours. But that still won't be home--another hour + to get through baggage claim, immigration and customs and then the taxi ride home. I figure by the time I begin driving to the airport and until I walk in and hug my family, it will take between 25 and 26 hours. One last long day!

So, today is part 1 of the long trip home, and today, I list songs in honor of my kids, whom I've missed and I'm looking forward to seeing:

For Grace, Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" :) I love singing this song with Grace because her dramatic, fun personality comes right out--it will soon be her turn to help me with dishes and she can be sure I'll be playing this for that reason!



For Titus, Foo Fighter's "My Hero" - I'm impressed with how well our kids face the various challenges of living in the overwhelming environment of Cairo. Each faces unique situations, and each has had to grow in courage daily. Titus likes this song and I hope he'll realize how much we admire his growing courage.



For Zeke, Jackson 5's "ABC" - I love that my kids have an appreciation for the "King of Pop" and Zeke has the flexibility and the craziness to potentially duplicate some of his dance moves :)



I love my kids, and I can't wait to see them soon and give them the various goodies we have for them.

But as I look forward to seeing my family in Cairo, there is a bit of sadness at the separation that will take place from our families here in the USA. There's an added sadness for which I also seek your prayers: my father, Bill Oldham, will have begin radiation therapy for lingering effects of prostate cancer -- a cancer we had believed to be completely removed last year through surgery. This treatment will be 5 days a week for 7 weeks. Please keep him in prayer for strength during this difficult time; pray also for my mother, brother and sister's family as they continue to encourage him through this challenging time. Praise The Lord--He is Able!

I look to upload the final post of this series from Paris tomorrow, the final stop on my way home.

Pic from yesterday (my uncle's family)...

Travel Playlist, 14of16

What an awesome day yesterday (Sunday, March 3)! I was blessed in so many unexpected ways. It was a long day that was planned to include several aspects of interaction with the Salem Church of God near Dayton, Ohio. It began with introductions during both worship services, which were comically scripted by Global outreach pastor Nabil Safi. (Nabil is Lebanese and we interacted last summer through the Ana Terzo Camp and H4L Staff retreat); he began by greeting the congregation and introducing me in Arabic, and then I arrived on stage and we exchanged a brief set of Arabic pleasantries before he transitioned the conversation to English. It was a great intro set to a representative of a family the Salem Church has been supporting for over a year. I then had the opportunity to interact with the adult Sunday school groups through a brief presentation and Q&A session. Joining us in the presentation was my Uncle Richard (my father's youngest brother) who lives near by. I was hoping to connect with them over the next couple days, and he was able to get to me ahead of my plans. It was great to see him and to spend the Sunday morning with him. Also, my childhood pastor and his wife, Dave and Jan Cox, have retired in the area and now attend the Salem Church--it was great to see them and to interact with them after many years. Jan directed the formative Children's ministry at my childhood church that had such an impact on my spiritual formation--wow, the reunions and thanksgiving just continued on a day I least expected it!

I came back to the hotel and interacted briefly with my wife (to whom I can't wait to get home), and then I took a Skype video call from North Modesto Church of God (California). Pastor Brian Smith led some Q&A, and then allowed the congregation to ask their own questions--interesting questions make for interesting presentations! We are so blessed by their partnership and thankful for the technology to interact with them during their Faith Promise Missions Banquet. They have supported us in the last year, are planning to increase their support, and are looking to help us get some young Egyptian leaders to the Ana Terzo camp in Lebanon this August! Wow--just a blessing all around.

Then it was time to get ready quickly to return to Salem for the Youth's Sunday night "Epic" Service. I love sharing with teens and young adults and I was so thankful for this opportunity to encourage these teens to pursue "living in the movement instead of living in the moment" -- the message was well-received by youth and leaders. I was really impressed with the commitment level of the adults who served these teens in a variety of ways each week--Salem is without a current youth pastor, and their ministries continue to the next generation because of the sacrificial and dedicated service of loving adults, many of whom do not have children in the group.

So now, it's Monday, the day before I fly home, but there's still much to do today:
1) I'll begin with breakfast with Pastor Bob Moss -- again, I'm so excited to finally meet and have the opportunity to interact with him more personally. As he said, we have so many points of connection in our circles of friends, mentors, and ministries--it's amazing we haven't had this opportunity before now.

2) I'll travel down to Cincinnati to meet with Pastor Tom Planck of the Journey Church. I was a freshman when Tom was a senior at Anderson University; we shared at least one class together, and we had some shared experiences. We've only seen each other once (that I remember) since those days. Tom has been able to plant a church after a lot of effort, prayers and tears that (from what I read) is representative of the dream he had in college. It will be really cool to see this church, but also to interact with him again. Patrick Nachtigall has invited Tom to speak into the 3W region by sharing in a 2015 Budapest Lecture series--it's great that we will have this opportunity to reconnect and share about what God is doing in our region and how he can contribute to inspiring others.

3) I will have the opportunity for one last family dinner on this trip as I will go to my Uncle and Aunt's home--so glad that we've had this opportunity to see each other again. I know my uncle is among the many who regularly pray for us, and we know that we would not be able to do what we do with such regular prayers for our strength, safety, and wisdom.

So, what songs will play through my mind or on the radio on a day like this? I'm so overwhelmed by the good family and friends I've been able to see again, and the new friends I've met along the way--such feeling has filled me with such gratitude not only for each of them, but for the God of my life who has loved me and given to me through each.

So, the song is "Thank You for Hearing Me" by David Crowder Band -- each of these relationships were either spoken or unspoken prayers that have been answered by God abundantly in my life:




Pics from yesterday:
(me and my uncle; the Salem lobby filled with representatives of wonderful outreach/service ministries; me with the Cox's, my childhood pastors; and the start of the Epic Youth service)

Travel Playlist, 13of16

I woke up this morning to Keli's Dad Frank cooking me bacon, eggs & toast for my long day. I got to share the quick meal with Frank & Pat as my last interaction with friends and family on this trip. Then it was loading up the car in freezing rain, and hitting the road to Franklin, Tennessee, the site of my first face-to-face Heart for Lebanon Board meeting.

No one necessarily gets excited about board meetings, but I was looking forward to this; H4L is such an impressive organization that meets so many diverse needs with Kingdom values and partnerships--I was looking forward to seeing the caliber of leaders in the group, understanding the issues that affect them, and perceiving more of founder Camille Melki's vision beyond obstacles to greater things. The meeting didn't disappoint these expectations.

One of those leaders and fellow board members was Pastor Bob Moss. I've heard about Bob and his ministry for years; Bob also serves on the 3W oversight group called the Roundtable. Though we've exchanged a lot of correspondence, we have never been able to meet in person. It was great for us to meet on Saturday, because after the meeting, I would drive to Dayton, Ohio so that I can share with the Salem Church of God on Sunday, which is the congregation that Pastor Bob serves as pastor.

So, the meeting concluded and I took the long drive from snowy Tennessee and into wet/cold Ohio. It was a long day, and I'm one tired traveller.

As I prepare to share with the Salem Church of God, I'm preparing to share in different ways in different settings. During the day, I will also have a Skype conference with the North Modesto Church of God in California; I will be interviewed by Pastor Brian Smith for their faith promise weekend and take time for a Q&A.

As I wrap up this trip and having had time to consider all the wonderful people who have blessed my life along the way of our journey, I've come full circle in a couple of different ways. One, I've returned to the southeastern Ohio area from where this little journey began--I've traveled over 2500 miles so far, with a few short drives remaining. But two, I'm also returning to the midwest where my journey began in life--I never anticipated doing what I have opportunity to do for The Lord and for others--I never, ever anticipated that would I did would be something that people would want to hear about, even scheduling time to talk with me.

In many ways, I still see myself as the scrawny, little, unconfident kid from Nowhere, Indiana. And though I've experienced the Lord's working within me that has recreated me with the confidence to step up in these unique opportunities, I'm still often lacking confidence at times in my own worth.

A song that speaks to this is by Shawn Groves called, "Should I Tell Them"--I can't hardly get through listening to the chorus without tearing, specifically when it says, "...should I tell them that I am the perfect example of all you can do in a life..."

How The Lord has taken me, saved me, shaped me, given me purpose and direction--it's more than I could ever have imagined then, or can completely fathom now. I am truly blessed in so many ways, and I am happy to be a small part in helping others experience the same...



(no pics from Saturday)

Travel Playlist 12of16

My amazing and brief family visits come to a close this morning as I not only leave Decatur, but also north out of Alabama and into Tennessee first, before eventually making it into Dayton, Ohio later this evening. It was good and difficult to see family and friends for such a brief amount of time--there is so much to say, to share, to hear, and to express in such a short space of time--we all did our best, but time is cruel as it runs out.

I head north this morning to Franklin, Tennessee and the site of the Heart for Lebanon board of directors meeting that is the reason for this whirlwind tour through the southeast USA. I will spend at least 6 hours with passionate Christian leaders who will hear reports and make decisions regarding one of the most impressive ministries that I have seen anywhere. I am excited not for meetings, but for the resulting inspiration and encouragement that will result from such a meeting. In the process, I'm likely to have my heart broken and humbled as I hear the continuing needs and plight of refugees, orphans, and others in desperate circumstances that H4L serves daily.

This leads me to my song of the day by the Dave Matthew's Band entitled, "Funny the Way It Is", which is a song about the irony of the various experiences of people not only around the world, but potentially in the same area. It acknowledges that it's not necessarily "right or wrong" but just the way it is. I will think about this song as I hear these reports of needs and lives facing difficulties that I can barely imagine, all the while we sit in a comfortable, safe place and consider the use of resources and personnel to meet these needs that we can hardly fathom. We will be we'll fed while we consider those with nothing, and warm while others are cold, and will have paid enough money to sit around that table that could have helped to meet even more needs.

I'm not attempting to be critical or cynical about this--we will be performing a necessary task that enables the ministry to continue not only a little more wisely (hopefully), but also with integrity thought the accountability that we provide. It's just "funny the way it is"...

http://youtu.be/R2mFDTTWqOU (click link, or copy to your web-browser)

After the meeting, I will hop back into the car and drive northeast to Dayton, OH where I will crash!!! Then it will be time to share with the Salem ChoG in person (and North Modesto ChoG via Skype).

Thanks for your continued interest, thoughts, and prayers for my travels here, and for Keli and the kids in Cairo. We have all appreciated your kind and encouraging words during this time.


Pics from yesterday (hanging out with Julie and Staci at Starbucks, lunch was followed by a brief organ recital by Ms Jane, and the Decatur area family gathered for a meal and storytelling)...