Riverside Around The World

On the Ground in Israel

2010-07-14T18:57:00.002-05:00

The Israel team is on the ground and walking in the footsteps of Jesus. Click on the links under "Other Israel Blogs" on the right hand side of this page to follow those who are blogging about this trip.

The Truth is Hard to Tell

2010-07-14T08:48:00.002-05:00

I thought the blogging was done...but in my reflecting I feel there is something very important that I have not mentioned. I'm not sure why now except it is not my gift and I try very hard not to leave it up to me but to others to tell the story. I am a leader in almost every where I go but in this. I have good morals and God and church and family are very important to me. Someone needs to tell people about Jesus but that is not my gift so I pray that it doesn't get left up to me. But now I feel that I have to tell the truth that is in my heart.

You see I traveled half way around the world and had no problem sharing my heart; my love for my saviour; my love for Jesus Christ. Now I have never been one to preach to others because I truly hate to be preached to. I hope that the way I live shows my love. But I know many great people who give of themselves like no others and yet don't know our Lord. So just being a good person doesn't always reflect who we are and what we believe. We need to tell those we love about Jesus and yet sharing with those we love the most, and we most want to be saved, is the hardest thing for many of us. At least I know it is for me. I tend to shy away and not say a word. Someone aught to tell them about Jesus - they need to know. But that isn't my gift so you probably shouldn't leave that up to me. But if not for me than who. Who will tell the ones I love and who will tell your loved ones. So here I go. I am bearing my soul and I hope it changes just one life.

My children brought me to Christ and I will be forever indebted and grateful. One of my greatest regrets is that the roles weren't reversed and I didn't do that for them. None the less at this time it really doesn't matter. My faith has changed my world. I know now that I am never alone. I have faith to know that He will never leave me and the comfort in that is overwhelming. He knows me like no other and he hears me when I pray to Him even when my prayers seem so insignificant. He has wrapped me in his arms and He loves me even though I really don't deserve His love. He made me just as He did so in His eyes I am perfect in spite of all my perceived imperfections. Being able to share His love with my family is amazing and I wish I could share it with everyone I know and love. All I had to do to have this amazing gift be a part of my life was to believe that Jesus died on the cross for ME and accept him into my heart. Once I did nothing was ever the same. Don't get me wrong (and for those of you who know me well you can certainly confirm this many, many times over) I still do stupid things and say all the wrong things. But I know I am forgiven and thus get a clean slate to move forward. What a blessing. I would love to share my journey with anyone who asks for it is quite a journey. Every one needs to know and everyone needs to see, but you probably shouldn't leave it up to me! Remember it is not my gift.

The other reflection I had was the sameness and the difference in our two churches. At Riverside, a team of dedicated souls gets to church at 7 am to set up the stage for the music, the curtains to contain the church setting, the chairs, etc. We have a sound system, a screen to project the words to the music, the words from the Bible, and whatever else we may need and of course doughnuts to welcome the folks when they enter. We hand out programs with all the news of what is taking place during the coming week and we have both parking attendants and a welcoming committee. Though we worship in basically a play center we do everything we can to present a church atmosphere. In Iganga we worshipped in an empty building. On the front wall someone had written in big white letters "Spider Man". In smaller letters above it, it must have at one time read, "This is not a church". Someone had erased the not, so there is now a space between "This is" and "a church". They dragged in wooden benches with no backs where the kids sat 6-8 to a bench during the service. We have Glenn that leads our singing and worship time. They have a woman who leads there's but there are several groups of children that come up and not only sing but dance. No microphones - they just shout out their songs with dancing and smiles. The singing and dancing goes on for a good long time and they are in no hurry for it to end. There is no projector to show the words though there was a young boy pounding on a drum. When the benches are full the kids take to the floor. It is truly standing room only.

What I came away from church is that "church" is the same regardless of where you are. The important thing is that we worship our Lord and that can be done in any language in any building. There doesn't need to be an alter, the building doesn't have to be pretty, the language doesn't have to be understood. The truth is in our hearts and that can be done anywhere.

In closing, I'm sure there will be more revelations as I continue to sort through all my pictures and things come to mind. But for today telling about our Lord is NOT my gift and not something I am comfortable with. But I did it in Iganga with such a peaceful heart I just knew I had to do it here. I hope I have given some of you the courage to do the same. In His love, Sue

Final Thoughts

2010-07-12T19:46:00.001-05:00

I have now been home for a few days and have decided to try to recap the trip though I'm not sure I can put that in words on paper. The trip was an experience of a lifetime and I feel truly blessed to have had the opportunity to go outside of my comfort zone and meet our children on the other side of the world. The truth is that regardless of where they are children are children. They still like to play and they still want to be noticed and loved. Nothing is different than our kids here. Instinctively they are the same. These children have the most giving and loving hearts. And even though they knew we would be leaving them behind they were not afraid to open up and share themselves with us. They gave us their hearts and their souls and I will treasure that forever. I have to say I question how it is for them to know that we get to leave at the end of our time there and they will always be left behind. That part of the journey really bothered me. The tears they shed as we left were sincere and huge. There lives would go back to normal. Nothing would change. We had come and we had left just like other mission teams before us. I am still processing the goodness of that. I know we made a difference. I know that our love (as sincere as anything they showed us) made an impact, but how many, if any of us, will ever get a chance to go back. I have to say, I'd go back in a heartbeat. Those kids are now a part of my life and they touched my heart in ways I didn't think possible. I have been touched by lives I will think about often and would love to reach out and touch again. I'd love to take Cody, Sam, Kari, John and of course Steve with me. My family would just love on these kids and it would be an amazing experience to share as a family.

One of the things that Riverside Church talks a lot about is community. I feel like we live in a great community. We come together in times of difficulty and this has been true since we first moved here almost 15 years ago. My friendships here are strong and I love the people in the area. But I saw community in Iganga like I have never seen here. Here we have doors and we tend to come home and shut them to the world. We come in and shut out the world hiding in our air conditioned houses among ourselves. In Iganga there are no real doors. As a result the people sit on their front stoops all together - the adults and the kids. Children are running around everywhere and I never walked or drove down a rural road without seeing people on the streets. I miss the people. I miss that level of community. I had the sense that everyone knew every one and though they didn't have much they took care of one another. We as strangers came and their children walked (actually ran) right up to us. The mothers didn't shield their children from a stranger who might harm them. They sat on the stoop and watched with smiles on their faces as we interacted. There was no fear that we would harm their children. There was no stranger danger. We were taking pictures of their children. There was no fear of us posting them on the Internet and it going to a porn sight or some equally dangerous sight. There was a certain innocence that has long been missing from this country of ours. And it was a delight to see. The sense of community was amazing.

Along those same lines of community, our group of twelve was a very strong knit group. We bonded by the end of the first flight and the bond continued to grow throughout the trip. Everyone brought their own gift to the team but no one was afraid to jump in and help regardless of what was needed. The days were long and the sleep was short and tempers could have flared, but they didn't. God was definitely with us and he provided exactly what we needed when we needed. I know this first hand because my biggest prayer was for strength to make it through the trip. I was the oldest by several years (hence the name "Grandmother") and did not start out in very good shape. And yet, I managed to keep up though we burned the candle at both ends. I may have been dragged up Sipi Falls but I was there at the top with the rest of the team. And for the rest of the team I was there with the best of them! The weather was perfect the entire time we were there and we managed to accomplish quite a bit of what we had planned. The part, unfortunately, that kept getting pushed back, was VBS. In hindsight, this is a part that we need to ensure (in my opinion) doesn't take the back seat in future trips. It was a part that guaranteed we spent fun time with the kids and got to share about our Lord. In Uganda there is an unwritten rule that we had to visit and eat with several people who we have previously established relationships with. I have absolutely nothing against eating with these folks as it was a pleasure every time - to meet with them, see where they live and meet their families - but I wish we could have fit VBS in as well. On all three occasions it was very refreshing to see new surroundings in Iganga and always a challenge to see what the meal consisted of. Anyway, back to community I was blessed to have such a great group to travel with. I have made eleven new friends who I will always hold dear in my heart. What we shared will tie us together for a lifetime.

We left Iganga at 9 am on Monday morning our time and traveled to Jinja for some shopping. We all wanted the opportunity to buy some souvenirs to bring back and the chance to get in some bargaining. We stopped at a restaurant that served delicious food we actually recognized (I had something similar to a chicken fajita) and then crossed the street to shop. The wood working in Jinja was beautiful. Every African animal you can imagine carved in wood. I was in heaven. We spent a few hours there and headed to the source of the Nile River. I have to admit, the Nile is something I never ever thought I would see in this lifetime. And there we were. It was absolutely beautiful! Incredibly beautiful in fact. And right there to my left was a young man washing his clothes in the river. Here we were in awe and to him it was just another day to launder his clothing. I was struck by the wonder and the common place all at the same time. To my right another gentleman was bathing in the river. Again to him it was just another day. To us, it was magnificent. Pure beauty. And sadly enough at this time next year there will be a dam right there where we were standing. The beauty as we saw it will be gone. I found it difficult to comprehend the poverty and desperation on one hand and the pure beauty on the other all in the same place. Uganda is a beautiful country both in scenery and in its people. Smiles come easily for a nation so ravaged by poverty.

We then traveled to Kampala where we spent the night. This time our reservation was still valid and they had not given away our rooms. The hotel was really nice - hot water - soft beds and a great pizza place within walking distance. By the time we got back to the hotel we barely had time to enjoy the splendor as we were all asleep within minutes. The next morning we got up and met a friend of Brian's who is living in Uganda for lunch and then slowly started our trek back to Entebbe to the airport as our flight left late that night. We were all sad to leave Uganda as it had been a fabulous two weeks though I think we were all ready to get home and see our families. On the way we stopped to see the airplane that in the early 70's had been hijacked and forced to land in Entebbe. It is now permanently parked near a public beach so we got to see the plane and the beach. Near the beach were to camels not tied to anything. The first time we approached the camels one of them charged Kayla and almost got her with his hoof. Well this is all Jaimie and I needed. The stage was set and we were determined to pet them and win the war though Kayla had almost lost the battle. And I will have you know we did. I have a picture of me petting the camel. I may look a little leery but I did it!!

Our trip was not over yet...we finally boarded the plane headed for Amsterdam. Most of us by this point were hot, sweaty and tired. The first leg of the trip many of us slept and so all the cool stuff (movies, food, etc.) we missed out on. We landed in Amsterdam at 5:30 am their time, stowed our backpacks in lockers and took off to see the city. Our timing was perfect. The country had just won the semi-finals to the World Cup so their world was rockin'. There were orange decorations and soccer balls everywhere which was awesome for a soccer fan like me. We hiked around and finally found an amazing restaurant (though our opinion might be a little skewed based on what we'd been eating for the past two weeks) and sat down to some french toast and breads like none other. Breakfast was great!!! Then we took a boat ride through the canal and got to see the city from the water. Obviously didn't see it all, but we did get a feel for Amsterdam and it was much better than spending 8 hours in the airport. We had a chance to take the train, to walk the streets and to take a tour. All the while celebrating with them their victory the day before. And finally we headed back through security (for me it was the second to last time to drag the computer out of my very full backpack) and boarded the plane for another almost nine hour flight. And let me tell you this flight was LONG!!! Every time I looked up at the remaining time it seemed like only 15 or 20 had passed. It was a lot like the "Song that never ends!" Finally after a very short layover in Atlanta where some of us (myself included) had to go through customs we were on our way back home. By this time home was something none of us were taking for granted. We were all so ready to be there.

We were greeted at the airport by all our families and friends from the church who had seen us off. It was so good to see friendly faces. And though we greeted each one with a smile and a hug we were all ready to grab our bags and head home to our own beds. Somehow I've been back for less than a week and the trip already seems like a lifetime ago. I have over 8,000 pictures to go through (and that doesn't count Amanda's who took some magnificent photos) and I'm sure I will be looking at them for years to come. The trip was amazing. It was nothing like I imagined it would be, and everything I hoped it would be. I would love to have had more time with the kids. I would love to have gotten to know every one of them, but in two weeks that was impossible. I would love to have every sponsor get a chance to visit their child because every child (and I mean every child I spoke with) asked when THEIR sponsor would be coming. You each mean the world to these kids. Your letters are truly a source of joy to them. They stood in line for over two hours to get your letters and then shared it with every one around them. They had us take pictures of the pictures you sent. There truly is a lifeline between you and them and they are very, very grateful for all you do for them. You may think it is "just" a check you are sending. But to them you are real. You are a person who has changed their world. They know that and they are eternally grateful. They love you for what you have done for them. You can email them at Phil's email address and he will make sure they get your letter. If they don't speak English someone will translate for them. I would love to go back and see them all again and build on the relationship I have started.

I want to thank each of you who supported us financially and in prayer. You too, changed lives. We medically treated many children while we were there and we've left behind medical supplies to use in the future. You all made this possible. I thank each of you from the bottom of my heart. I hope you've been able to read this blog and see what an impact this trip has had on me. I have been blessed beyond words and my job now is to share my experience with all the sponsors so they will see these kids for who they are. I want them to be more than a magnet on the refrigerator. I want them to come alive so they can sponsor them with joy.

Sue

Click here to see a few pictures from our trip.

Mother would not be happy.

2010-07-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

This morning, after being told by the resident nurse that I had to start wearing shoes, I jumped backwards off a 110 meter waterfall. After following a stranger into the jungle of Sipi I tightened a rope around my waist and rappelled down the cliff, 15 yards from the fall. To get back to the resort Ryan and I followed a local up a vertical wall, in Chacos with mud up to my knees, and reached the sketchiest ladder I've ever seen. He told me to go first and, “do not get scared and wave your arms, the ladder will fall backwards.” The local then refused to use the ladder and took another trail. Might I add, when we reached the top and decided to race down the winding road, I kicked Ryan's butt.

Then we drove to what we all now feel as home in the worlds most chaotic traffic, where two lane roads are three cars wide and the yellow line down the middle is only suggested. Dodging potholes is a real talent, especially when the car coming towards you is doing the same and the goats don't give you any room to ride the shoulder.
After three U-turns in the middle of the highway we finally found the baboons, yes monkeys. Not only did these monkeys have teeth and snarl, but they ate bananas right out of your hand if you held them out the window far enough. Sorry mom, but today I hand fed a wild baboon.

After two and a half years of not eating meat, I picked Africa to start back up. Not wanting to offend Kyemba and his wife, I swallowed whole the large heaping of fish pieces I was served without a chance to deny. I've never been so thankful for unidentified starches. Tonight at dinner I used bug spray for the first time.

After a long day we are all exhausted and ready for bed. Time to go brush my teeth with the tap water and sleep in my dirty clothes. I love you mom.

Jaimie Piatnik

Potatoes and a new understanding of family

2010-07-01T15:53:00.000-05:00

As I sit here in the kitchen of the place we've been calling home for the past 6 or 7 days; i reflect on what all took place today! as many of you have read we have been busy since the day we got here, which has been wonderful and exhausting at the same time! Today we had an "earlier" start which means that our hobbit hole (Amanda, Sue, Susan and myself) has actually rolled out of bed before 9 am! Phil and Susan took us to "see" the farm when in reality turned out to be more than just seeing! They wanted us to really see and "feel" the farm. After walking through the jungle like scene they referred to as a farm we wind up in a clearer part where there are ant mound resembling piles. It was there that we got our hands on lesson of what it takes to be a potato farmer. As we began to get our hands in the dirt, we began digging into these root infested mounds, many shouts of enjoyment arose as some found their first sign of a potato in the mound! As potatoes went flying and sounds of enjoyment kept coming as the crew began to find small and big potatoes; it was there that some of us found how hard the task really was. In the midst of the hot, sweaty, and dirty mess of things our crew was able to find amusement and began to try and find songs to sing as we worked.........needless to say the singing did not last long ha. I along with many others found that we are not meant to be potato farmers and should therefore keep our day jobs. And for the record it is much easier to use a stick to dig instead of bare hands.

We go from digging out potatoes and eating with the locals of the village, to heading to see our CHILDREN :) For many of you who have ever lead VBS you would know that it is really challenging to lead a group of excited kids. Well try leading a group of about 100+ kids who don't speak your language.....needless to say its not always the easiest thing! As we are excited to see our kids we go to see them only to find out many of them are still at school. One determined team in search for the kids head to school to get our kids! We tour the school to see the rooms with no doors and kids all crammed on a tiny bench all eager to learn.......well at least until the Muzungu's showed up! It was a quaint little place, and a school in which i would want to learn in! So we round up our precious children and head back to the boys house to try and get some VBS in :)

As these eager little kids are interested to see what we have for them today, they continuously jump around us and are ready to play! We settle our crew of crazy excited kids and begin our lesson for the day. We start with a lesson from Romans 5:8 then begin to roll into our bracelet making! What we thought might be a disaster ended up being a success. We helped them make a Witness Bracelet, to help them tell the story and something they could keep as a memory.

Though we began with a fun, potato filled morning, followed by bracelet making with the little kids; the thing that stood out the most was sitting with some of the girls as they sat there and talked before they went to bed. As Nicole and I sat out there and told them about our potato picking adventure they laughed as we demonstrated how hard it was to work in a skirt. It was in this moment that i realized how much we mean to these kids. To some of these kids we (sponsors) are the only family they have, many have either lost both parents or have been kicked to the streets by relatives that were supposed to care for them. We as a community serve an important role in these kids lives. They are so interested to know about us and what America is all about! They want to know about our home lives and how many people live in our home, they thirst for a knowledge and understanding of how we live. As i walked with my sweet girl Sylivia and some of her friends, I was asked the question, "Which is better? Here or America?" Eagerly I responded "Here!" As I got many confused looks I began to explain my reason being this......

Here they live what we would call simple lives. There aren't as many distractions to steer them away from the importance of family, friends, and community. They have a love and respect for one another that totally blows my mind. So while they may think that America is better because of all the stuff (don't get me wrong everything we have is definitely a blessing) in the end it is only stuff. But the thing that will last forever is relationships with one another and with our Creator. So as I look at the simple lives the people of Iganga live, they have shown me the importance of relationships and how a tighter and loving community is something to strive for. We are a family of the Creator and even though some may never have the opportunity to meet face to face with their sponsored child, they consider themselves part of your family and hope to be considered as family. Here to have a community and family that loves you means a lot. Even though these kids and people may live completely different lives than us and are separated by a 19 hour plane ride, an ocean, and a 6 hour car ride; these people are part of OUR community.

-Liz

United Team / Conflicting Worlds

2010-06-30T12:17:00.003-05:00

The imposed rule that I have set is that the first cryer of the day is responsible for writing the blog. This is usually in place by breakfast and today was no exception. The long day yesterday was a great way to gel the group but also wiped us out. The clinic took us way into darkness last night. What we planned to do in 2-3 days the local doctor tried to force into 1. The group did an amazing job. As the sun set the mosquitoes came out in FORCE so I took a break to see what was happening in the back of the house and lather in bug spray. Among the amazing sites: Blake taking blood pressure and pulse, Tamara working hand in hand with 2 doctors giving assessments and shots, Amanda giving mouth exams and photographing the many decayed teeth and Nicole doing eye exams in the DARK with flashlight on either end. The exhaustion has brought us to a new place in the trip..

There is a point in every trip here when the realization of how we are perceived here comes crashing on you in a very real way. For Ugandans we are called Mazungu. This term of endearment is one (mostly) of respect. There are very few white people in the villages so we stand out from a distance. In many ways our presence is celebrated. We are invited to sit and visit with strangers, we are invited to shop or buy from any vendor, and we are greeted by most who see us on the street - nearly always from the children. From the surface this word Mazungu has an endearing quality. Translated; however, the word means rich white person. In Uganda rich and white are indistinguishable.

This is the point in the trip where the cross of cultures hits home. I stood in John's (out sponsor child) room yesterday for about 20 minutes. The colored concrete floor had been hand swept before I arrived and I stepped over several pair of flip flops in my muddy running shoes to sit on one of the beds. The room has a standard size locally made metal door and a small window. The walls are plaster taped with notes, report cards and occasionally etched with some art and markings of one of the residents. The wood rafters holding the tin roof are covered with running shoes, back packs, drying clothes and lanyards of the mosquito nets that drape the 3 metal bunk beds. At 2 in the afternoon it was mostly dark in the room and there is no lighting or power. I sat and cried for a while at the contract of our worlds. This room would be unsuitable back home for 2 prisoners. Here six boys were proud to call it home. Proud because in this part of the world a plastered wall and a metal roof are nicer than the street or a mud hut. Proud to have a 4" piece of foam they call a mattress to sleep on. Proud because they come from the streets. I sat there thinking about the house I am building at home... 1 bed for every kid and a bathroom for each sex... A castle to anyone in this country. I was embarrassed. As I stood to leave the room I read the sign at the bottom of the door neatly written "Please remove your shoes".

Our kids eat 3 meal a day. For breakfast they eat porridge - a spiceless watered down version of our oatmeal made from corn. For lunch and dinner (everyday) they eat pinto beans and posho - cornmeal stewed into a mash. At the house we have been eating at a large wooden table covered with 2 table clothes. It takes the whole room to feed the 13+ of us leaving minimal room for a fridge, computer table, floor mounted fan and a cupboard with all of the plates, silverware and coffee mugs. There is a large window facing the front yard that has old white sheets with a blue floral print neatly sewn together and hung on a strip of bailing wire attached to a wooden window frame by 3 temporary drywall screws. Our meals have been different from the kids. WE have been treated to many favorites from here and home. Mac and cheese, fresh fruit and vegetables, fish, chicken, goat, beef and eggs. TO drink we have ice cold bottled water or a selection of Cokes and local sodas. At night when we eat we close the window sheets. I am told that it is to keep the neighbors from looking in. I have my doubts... I am fairly confident that the 6 foot tall plastered courtyard wall keeps their views blocked. Closing them seems to be a bad idea too since it stops the only real airflow into the room. Nevertheless, we close them. I HAVE noticed that they do a fairly good job of disguising what we are eating from the orphans playing on the other side in the front yard. I am not sure they would really mind or be surprised. The only place to wash food is in the back courtyard that connects the house to their rooms and their outdoor unplumbed bathroom. The only way into the house from the courtyard is through a see thru screened door that leads into the kitchen. Needless to say, I am sure they are aware of what we eat. Sitting in the dining room this morning, I really felt like an American as I "earned" the right to blog today. I felt like an American doing our part to "help" the needy hiding behind a transparent sheet.

The truth of our trip is that we have become more aware of what we have and what people here don't. By the time we leave I will have many new and strengthen Ugandan relationships, 11 new American friends and many stories to tell. My hope is that we can look beyond the things we "have" a gain an appreciation for what matters when you don't... Pride for what you do have, thankfulness, and a clinging to God's provision as though life depends on it. It really does regardless of what you "have". My prayer is that both cultures can find genuine discipleship in the process.

Your Kingdom Come

Brian

CLINIC DAY!!

2010-06-29T16:33:00.001-05:00

Today was clinic...130+ files, pics, charts, eye exams, HIV test, polio, tetanus, and measles vaccines, vital signs, dental exams, and letters to sponsors. Praise God...ZERO HIV positive.

That's it for now. We're tired and going to bed. We'll get back to creativity tomorrow. J

Love to all!

Blake

Dances With Widows

2010-06-28T17:59:00.000-05:00

Sooo...the team had its first fight today. The time was 3am, the place was the mens dorm, and the best part; no one involved in the fight was awake to win it. But luckily I was there to witness my first sleeptalking argument from the safety of my top bunk. Full credit to my bottom bunk buddy, Ryan, for starting it off by screaming “STOP!!!” (ill let him tell you the details of the dream he was having, apparently I was spraying him with pesticide), following was Josh's witty retort, and I quote here; “Soolinjabberblah!”. Sure enough Brian quickly ended the dispute by snoring like a hibernating bear who's nostrils are made of french horns. That was the debut to our 4^th day in the African heartland,and although the rest of the day may have followed in the same scattered pattern of confusion and laughter, I'm not sure you could ask for a more fufilling day.

     Lets start with some daily irony, shall we? There are only two “White Houses” I'm aware of. One being Phil's house (Casa Blanca) here in Africa, and the other being the Presidential White House located in America. Right now there are Americans living in the one in Africa, and there is an African living in the one in America. Every thing's in its right place.

     Pre-breakfast was filled with a walkabout through the red streets of Iganga; streets full of commuters on bicycles, businesses unfolding for the day, and school kids happily hand in hand with a few of us Texans. Parting with one kid meant joining with another as we enjoyed being out numbered. An occasional stench from rotting trash or a tattered mud hut might be the only things there to remind you that your walking down anything less than a fertile community; full of people who understand joy and how to pass it on via smile. Ryan and Jamie take this chance to visit a African Chipate street stand and migrate back to the house for breakfast with two bags full of what we made out to be as fried tortillas.

      After we all survived the subtle heart attacks attached with eating something like that, we focused on the task at hand; labeling 200 custom hand crafted neon name tags with the VBS children's beautifully unpronounceable names. Brilliant! To be honest, in the midst of all the focusing, I found myself lost outside with Kayla, soaking a Slinky in bubble solution trying to reinvent the entertainment wheel. After figuring that no matter how many times I submerged that Slinky in bubble juice, it was not going to send soapy spheres flying in every which direction when I churned its springs. So we soon celebrated our defeat by heading out the main gate for two and a half hours of improvisation with the neighborhood kids. My time was spent watching the thrill seeking kids eat bubbles out of thin air while a dozen of the more curious-from-a-distance children were making themselves comfortable surrounding Kayla's lap. Either way, I was happy to be on their side of the fence.

      Now back at Phil's house, we have some issues to tackle, one being the yardbirds. After several consecutive 5 O'clock wake up calls provided to us by the roosters in the front yard, the vote was in, and rooster/chicken was on the menu for tonight's dinner. So the hunt was on for fowl. Most of the team felt obligated to participate, so out we went with a common goal so dignified, the walkout the door was almost in slow motion. Brian, our fearless leader, does what any self-respecting chicken hunter would do, and grabs a 2x4 board...priceless. For the next 10 min we played a classic game of Scare-the-chickens-from-one-unreachable-spot-to-another; but by the 11th minute Phil's main man, Ibra, was cleaning them. Job well done A-team.... B-team? OK B-team.

     VBS! Today was the day we cut the ribbon on a four day commitment of fun and fellowship that scales language barriers, cultural differences, and sunburn. Passing out the name tags became a lotto, but everyone eventually came out a winner. After re-organizing under a tree, you better believe we sang like we were the ones who put the "dang" in dangerous. So what if we had to belt an alternative version of "peace like a river" 4 or 5 times to get down the hand motions. After we broke down the choir, we went right into nameless games and did not stop until the van called us back home.

   On the way home, we made a stop to the Widows home, where 15 or so lioness women knitting, weaving, and pioneering making ends meet and looking after one another. Most of these ladies are the mothers of the children Phil looks after. They graciously invited us in to greet them, look around, buy anything we would like to take home to you all, and then we promptly relocated outside for what I can best describe as a welcoming ceremony. There we are on one side sitting in every chair and on any bench they could find while they take the mats and floor seats, leaving a ten foot gap in between the them and us. The awkward space was soon trumped by an elderly widow who had a dance move or two left in her. Could have been something in the air, or maybe fact no one should ever dance alone, but I stood up to dance with her and discovered that moving like Shakira is only a decision away.

     In the end, we got to pray over those Women, and in doing so, couldn't help leaving feeling like amen wasn't enough this time, and the next chance we get to love their children for them, may we do it in a moment of surrender, with all the more selflessness, and in such a way, words become evaporative, and we are left with only the faith that we attempted to love as hard as Christ calls us to. Always with his Strength, if only so its not our own.

-Colton

Pancakes, Praise, and Pizza

2010-06-27T16:44:00.002-05:00

Iganga. Day 2...or is it day 3? Either way, the saga continues! I don't think my new Riverside family realizes just how long winded this gal can be when I was nominated as blogger this morning. So get comfy, you might want to grab a snack and some water.

This morning we were greeted by Colton helping make banana pancakes to the musical stylings of Jack Johnson. That's right folks, Banana Pancakes. Double thumbs up.

Sunday. Worship day! After our lovely breakfast, donning our Sunday accoutrement, we piled into the vehicles. Aza, one of the boys who's crippled from Polio, had been left behind and needed someone to push his wheelchair. Brian promptly volunteered and started the trek towards the church. After we were all finally locked and loaded and headed down the way, we came upon Brian and Aza. Susan promptly raced toward Brain's, ahem, rear, honking. Completely unphased, he promptly sat on the hood as she came to a stop. When they started up again, Aza started turning the chair back and forth so they moved in a serpentine pattern while Brian stuck out his tukus and wagged it about. I'm scarred for life. Thank goodness we were headed for church. Everyone in that car, not to mention within visual distance, needed LOTS of prayer. It became follow the leader. Get a picture: wheelchair, Brian (whose hips don't lie), and a car following very closely, honking the whole way; are you with me here?

Africa Riverside church is part of the school, New Grace, and the service was amazing. I've never seen worship like that. And it had nothing to do with the singing, dancing, clapping, prayer, or sermon, it was their hearts. What a contrast: those with comparatively so little had the most passionate, heart-adoration in their worship of our Lord. The minute the entire congregation sang together, I instantly had a vision of worshipping together in heaven. This visit isn't really a visit; it's an introduction. These are brothers and sisters we'll spend eternity with. I cried. I did that a lot today. I shared during our morning devotion that God continues to bring perspective to my heart. It's a common saying that for those who are lost, this life is the most heaven they'll ever see, while for those who are saved, this is the most hell they'll ever see. What an amazingly vivid picture that is here. That made me the first cryer of the day. And thus, the blogger. Watching them, it's evident the joy of the Lord is their strength; He is their comfort, their provider, their all in all. Here it's more than a concept, more than a Bible lesson. It is very literally visible in their daily lives. In short, church was wonderful: singing, dancing, preaching, sweating, crying, sweating, praying, did I mention sweating?

Next on the agenda? Lunch. We had an extraordinary treat; Phil and Susan took us to a local resort to eat, and word had it that the whole fish was the way to go. Several of us, including me, went for it. I took pictures, and I'm very sad our internet connection prohibits uploading. I can just imagine y'all reading this as you're enjoying breakfast, and BAM! Fish head. Sadly, that awesomeness cannot come to fruition. It. Was. Delicious. We had an opportunity to eat, relax, an enjoy the scenery of the resort.

Susan requested homemade pizza for dinner, and a rumor was spreading that Nicole had the 411 on making some. So we headed into town on the way home to pick up ingredients. The market, which was more like a large convenience store, was an experience; mostly local stuff, and several name brands – even Johnson & Johnson bath products. No mozzarella, so sharp cheddar fit the bill. Let me tell you, Nicole was sweating the thought of making said pizza from scratch. Not Sandra Lee's Semi-Homemade, homemade homemade. She worked tirelessly for hours prepping all the toppings: bell peppers, mushrooms and Iganga breakfast sausage, and making and cooking the dough. I swear I saw her twirling that dough like a native Italiano. Mama mia! I don't know what she was so worried about; mega awesome pizza.

We spent time with Phil's kids and the neighborhood kids; lots of games, and tickling, and laughing, and hugging, and pictures. Colton and Ryan even had the kids singing “I want candy!” at the top of their lungs. Awesomeness.

After such a day, I was sure it was done and I sat to start my blog. Then I heard guitars and singing. Colton, Liz, Kayla and I went out front to discover Ryan sitting in a group of kids in the almost dark, singing with them. We joined in the fun. The girls got us to sing and dance with them. They tried to teach me a dance they do. They laughed hysterically. I can't imagine why, it was perfection. There were two little girls that I put my arm around while we sat and sang, and they didn't let go. They clung to me so gently and lovingly. I had my arm around the torso of a smaller girl, probably 7 or so, and she just kept rubbing the hair on my arm with her hands and face. I'm sure she was just fascinated with a hairy muzungu, but it was so sweet. I used to do something similar to my Mom when I was little; I loved to rub and smell the hair on her arm. You guessed it, I cried as stealthily as possible when I made the connection.

When our time was over, I came inside and started the blog. I got about as far as church when Phil called us out to come and see the dancing. All of the girls were gathered on their back porch singing and dancing so energetically. Which might I add just proves my theory that we're all born with an allotted amount of energy and expend the vast majority of it in our youth. Blake was cutting a rug when I first arrived (I ran for my camera as quickly as possible), then they began selecting us to take turns, yours truly included. Such fun, it was. We were all hootin' and a hollerin' and dancing away. Don't worry, blackmail-worthy photographic evidence will make it back to the states.

Since this will likely be my only blog, I have one final thought. As we all sat around the table tonight, cutting yarn for VBS crafts tomorrow, prepping medical charts, uploading pictures, and me blogging away, I realized something; we are all exhausted long before 8:00PM, but we continually stay up until almost midnight. It's not just the activities or preparations, it's the fellowship. It's the time we have together that we can talk and laugh and recharge. God is so good. He put together a motley crew of Jesus-lovers who love each other too. Each and everyone of them have indelibly marked me, and I can only hope I do the same for them. We genuinely like and enjoy one another, and that's quite a statement.

Africa is not what I expected in almost every way; I have so much yet to share, but that will have to wait for another time. Although I'll be coming home after a while, most of my heart will stay in Africa.

Everyone sends much love, hugs, and kisses to everyone back home. Thank you for holding the rope while we got in the basket. We love you!!!

~Amanda

Sex Ed. and Soccer

2010-06-26T15:51:00.001-05:00

Today we woke up after some much needed rest and had a lovely breakfast of scrambled eggs, potato's and toast. During breakfast we were listening to Phil explain who all the staff was and how they came to work for him when I looked around and noticed that Colton was missing. Now anyone who know Colton knows that this in not an unusual event :) We then heard music and looked out the front window and saw Colton out there playing his guitar and singing. He had about 20 little girls all around him and some of the neighborhood kids were scaling the wall to catch a glimpse of our resident rock star! My first thought was “this is why God has him here.” He has such a heart for these kids and I will admit he had me crying in my coffee. It was truly beautiful.

After breakfast Tamara gave a health talk to all the girls and all of the ladies in our group had the pleasure of assisting her. We talked to all of the girls about basic health and cleanliness and their changing bodies. We then dismissed the girls who were 12 and under so we could discuss some more sexual education. We had great presentation from Tamara explaining the symptoms and causes of many common STD's, and Susan did a wonderful job translating. It was actually pretty entertaining to watch because any time Susan had to translate something she was a bit uncomfortable with she would make a sound that reminded me of Billy Bob Thorton in Sling Blade....Ummmm Hmmmm ....! We also discussed how to avoid STD's by abstaining from sex until marriage. We handed out cards for the girls to write down any questions they had and were too embarrassed to ask. We were very impressed with the questions that came back. Many of them wanted to know more about HIV and AIDS. They had questions about the menstrual cycle and about infections. After the Q&A there were a couple of girls who came up to Tamara with symptoms of and infection they were concerned about and it ended up being just a common vaginal infection that is easily cured with some medication that we had with us. Without the information, these girls could have gone months before they said anything. Knowledge is power.
At about 2pm we went over to the boy's dorm to have lunch with the children. The team was treated to the same meal that the children eat twice a day. Posho (corn flour and water) and beans. After lunch we had a lot of time to play and socialize with the kids. It is very overwhelming because there are 149 of them. All of the kids want to talk to you and take a picture with you and want to know about their sponsor family. Believe me when I say the kids do know who you are and they treasure your letters. When I met my boy Eliya the first thing he asked me was “How is Lee? And Kaitlyn and Ryenn?”. I met a friend of mine's child who asked about her sponsors daughter's trip to camp which I am sure was mentioned in a letter. You would not believe how much you mean to them. You are their family.
The kids LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to have their pictures taken. Sue and Amanda spent 3 solid hours taking pictures of the kids. The boys are quite the soccer players. Girls here do not play soccer, they play a game with a ball (tightly waded grocery bags) called Net Ball which is kind of like our basketball except they don't dribble. Colton, Ryan and Jamie played soccer with the boys and they were all pretty unsure about Jamie playing. Every time she got the ball they laughed. They called her “Muzungu” (translated as “white person”) until she scored a goal (which was pretty darn awesome to see) she must have gained some respect because from then on they called her “brunette”!
When we came back to the house, Tamara brought back some kids that needed some care. I helped her with some minor medical issues, but we did have one boy with a serious ear infection. When you see Tamara in nurse mode, you get the chance to experience a truly God given calling. She is pretty amazing. It has been so enlightening to see each of the team members gifts emerge. I could not have asked for a more amazing group of people to accompany me on this adventure.
In His Service,
Nicole

Arrival in Iganga

2010-06-26T00:28:00.000-05:00

When I arrived at the airport a few days ago, my wolf pack was just one lone wolf. It quickly grew to twelve. This is the story of how it grew even further.

What a day! We travelled from Entebbe to Iganga. The distance would probably take only a couple of hours on I-35, but this journey took about six hours. We stopped in Kampala at the Walmart of Uganda, called Game, and a supermarket. We bought snacks and toured the stores for a rather long time while Phil went to secure our hotel reservations for the trip back into town. We continue… Kampala is crazy. Motorcycles, vans, and trucks litter the underdeveloped but massive city and drivers vie for position. We also stopped at Phil’s mechanic’s shop and visited for a while. It was here that I began to learn the hand shaking customs of Uganda. The men softly hold your hand for an extended amount of time. Even knowing this coming in, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat awkward the first time. The men will even walk hand in hand and arm in arm. Colton wouldn’t go for it.

We got back on the road and stared out the windows. The land is beautiful with much more vegetation than I expected. The people are friendly and the children laugh and wave at a van full of muzungus (white people). The driving is hilariously fun. At one point Phil, in the truck ahead, went to pass a big truck and trailer. We follow. Suddenly a Toyota Corona (no typo) passes us as well. Here we are, three wide on a two lane road, and I look up to see the grill of a large Mercedes truck bearing down on us. We avoided catastrophe and I could not stop laughing!

We stopped in a forest at a roadside market. The vehicles were surrounded with men and women holding out chicken on a stick and roasted bananas. We begin with the chicken, which a few of us were admittedly a little alarmed at the appearance. It as insanely delicious! We then begin to see the rest of the “on a stick” specials: livers and gizzards, beef and I think a lizard. The roasted bananas that we were each looking forward to actually terrible and I ended up with Kayla’s half chewed first bite on my lap as she frantically dug for money to buy some beef on a stick to wash out the flavor of the dried out corpse of a banana. We continued down the road.

Entering Iganga we drove through a stretch of bars and restaurants in little mud-brick shacks. The televisions inside were so loud that we could hear the vuvuzelas from the street. We arrive at Phil’s home to children yelling “Phillipo!” We emerge from the van to what seems like thousands of smiling and laughing faces. Children run, spin, and dance to us to hug and to say thank you before we have done anything. The tears were impossible to hold back. My final initial greeting was a darling little boy staring up at me with somewhat timid eyes but also full of curiosity. I crouch and hold his chubby little body close.

After unloading, we come out to play. We spend an hour arm wrestiling, roaring, dancing, singing, hugging and holding hands. At one point I think I had fifteen little hands in each of mine. My wolf pack had grown. We howled like a pack of twelve year old Ugandans and a bunch of happy muzungus. Eventually, it was time to say farewell for the night Thank yous are amazing and tears come again. Dinner and laughter say goodnight.

Father, thank you for more safe travelling, for good meals, and great company. Thank you for opening our eyes and breaking our hearts only slowly- any faster and we may be blinded.Please give us hearts for all we meet. Please give us hands to do your work. Please give us feet to walk the path. Please give us eyes that see like yours. Please give us ears that hear the cries. Father, please continue to protect us. Please continue to break our hearts. Please continue to hold our family’s hearts in yours. In Jesus name.

They have arrived

2010-06-25T13:39:00.000-05:00

The team has arrived in Iganga at Phils house. Many have gotten to meet their child (the child they sponsor), which was very very sweet! When Brian met John (our boy), the first thing he said was, 'How is Anna Faith'? It is very moving to think how connected they really are to our families.

Everyone on the team is 'excited and exhausted', but feeling well!

Keep praying for em...

Court
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

They made it!

2010-06-24T12:46:00.000-05:00

Jack just talked to Phil & the team is there! They are all off the plane, all the luggage is on the truck & they are on way to hotel! Now for some rest....

-Jen (sent from my blackberry)

Trip to Detroit

2010-06-23T16:08:00.001-05:00

Ok ignore the first blog I meant to push save and instead hit send. Let me try again. Please post this one.

First, we want to thank everyone who came to the airport this morning. What a wonderful blessing to have each of you there and to have Scott pray over the group. We really appreciate you being there. Personally I should have known something special was going to happen when I got on 281 this morning and there was absolutely no traffic and every light was green!

Our flight to Detroit was interesting. We got rerouted a little due to weather so we waited for more gas. Meanwhile the A/C dripped on us, their was only one bathroom and the aisle was tiny. God must be preparing us and we all know he has a sense of humor!

We'll update you again.
Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Trip to Detroit

2010-06-23T15:35:00.001-05:00

We want to thank everyone who came to the airport to see us off this morning. We really appreciate you being there for us and for Scott praying over us. We truly do believe God is leading us on this trip and we are taking a part of each of you with us.

Now for our flight. The bags all got through with no problem. The gentleman weighing them
Sent on the Now Network� from my Sprint® BlackBerry

Two More Days!

2010-06-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

Preparations for Uganda

For the last 6 months we have been meeting and preparing. And now, in less than 48 hours, our team of 12 will be boarding a plane and will eventually make it to Iganga, Uganda. Meeting together for the final time before we leave, the church leaders came and prayed over us. We packed 24 bins with medicine, clothes, food, VBS supplies, medical supplies and anything and everything we could think of to help care for our kids in Uganda. For many of us the reality is beginning to sink in and we feel the weight of what we are about to encounter. The excitement and feelings of anticipation are at times overwhelming. We know, however, that God put together an amazing team and He will use us in ways we never imagined possible. Please keep us in your prayers. To sign-up to be a part of our prayer vigil please click here.

In the airport....tired....but thrilled

2009-08-08T15:15:00.002-05:00

I think I truly fell in love with Israel this time. We have seen more than I ever imagined and had time to linger and experience some things I never thought I would. Last night we watched as thousands came together at the Western Wall and danced and sang as Sabbath began. The sun set and all went quiet. Family and friends walked home together laughing.

The memories of this trip are crystal clear. The Bible once again has opened itself up here with a richness that is irresistable. When Cathi and I commited in prayer that Israel would be my PhD, we couldn't have know what a wonderful adventure it would be.

Now we head home and I am looking forward to everyone being together again. Praying for worship and my great friend Bryan Dunham's return.

Shema and Shalom

Slowly Making Our Way Back to the States!

2009-08-06T21:55:00.000-05:00

In an hour Dasha is taking me to the train station to meet up with the rest of the team and head back to Moscow. We should arrive around 6am. Check into hotel, visit monestary, shower at hotel, dinner, and then the ballet! Saturday we will be heading home. Again, bittersweet. :)

I still have 2 days to post and I'm sure more from our time in Moscow coming up. However, I will not be able to blog again until I'm home in Texas. Please check the blog in a few days and we should be all caught up. Thank you so much for your support, comments, and prayers.

Pray for safe travels. We love you all!
Jenny

Last Day in Uganda

2009-08-06T04:16:00.002-05:00

Hello,
It's our last day in Uganda and it's amazing to look back on all that has happened. I have really noticed how much everyone has grown in this experience including myself.

We left Phil's house yesterday morning and I have to say that was the hardest part for me. As we were packing and getting ready to leave all of the girls of the orphanage were doing their chores. I walked into the kitchen and saw Ruth, I had gotten so attached to her throughout the week. I went up to her and said goodbye and told that I would write her all the time. It broke my heart when she started to cry and told me that she was going to miss us and that she didn't want me to leave. I just sat there and hugged her for a few minutes and thought about how much all of the kids loved us and how much they were so happy that we came. I knew that nothing could ever replace the feeling they get when we are there in person spending time with them. We could have sent thousands of dollars and they could have gotten so many things that are temporary, but being there in person and spending time with them is long term and it will always stay in their hearts.

Back on Saturday, New Grace had a celebration for us because Riverside funded the money for the fence that was built. It was very big and it look like they put allot of work into it. After all of the staff from the school had a chance to speak they brought out food and cake to serve to us and everyone else. The looks on the kids faces as they were looking at the food just tore me in half. When they passed out pieces of cake to the kids all chaos let loose. Kids were pushing and hitting, they had the look of hunger in their faces. As I looked to the back of all the kids fighting I saw a group of kids just standing in the back not even fight to get the food. The kids in the back were Phil's kids. The pain I felt from seeing those kids fight was lessened because I was so amazed at how well behaved those kids were. It showed me that everything Phil was doing was working... Big Time. Things happened at the celebration that shocked me and it is to much to explain correctly. The big culture difference is hard to take in, but all of had to push through it and just take in our surroundings.

Now I know I just talked about something negative. But trust me there was so much that happened that changed my heart and the way I think of things.....

Well its time to go, and I am super sorry that we have only blogged a few time.

Yesu Akwagla!

Megan

Children's Hospital and Meetings

2009-08-04T17:43:00.002-05:00

Welcome to the Children's Hospital! This trip is the first year The Russia Initiative was invited into the hospital after coming on 5 previous trips.

We were instructed to not say anything about God, Jesus, Methodist... So, the team got creative and decided to do a puppet show talking about the Good Shepard. The kids loved it.

The people with the name tags are our team members. From left to right is Christine, our translator ( I feel terrible but I can't remember her name.) and Holly. Holly is presenting "LiveStrong" bracelets to the nurse for the children. She explained all about Lance Armstrong and how he has pushed through, survived, and fulfilled his dream. This was very cool to all the children and I know the were deeply encouraged.

Just a little close up of their sweet faces. If only you could hear their voices!

After the Good Shepard play, one of the 5 crafts Holly and Nicole set up were sheep from a cut out of their hands. Everywhere we have gone the children LOVE THE CRAFTS!!! It is also sweet for us because we can sit close to them, use hand motions and broken Russian to communicate "how to", take pictures together and then look at them, pray over them while the concentrate so hard. Honestly, my favorite, is just laughing and smiling back and forth together. (This sheep was made to go back to some of the children that could not come out of their rooms. On the back reads..."I came all the way from Texas to tell you, I love you!")

Just another precious face we were able to love on all day!

The Pink Ladies. This sweet girl was so much fun to talk to in my very broken Russian, while we were making God's eyes. Later some of the kids had a little presentation prepared for us. She sang a beautiful song in Russian and had an outstanding voice!

The children waiting patiently for Bri and Janet to make animal balloons! BIG HIT!

I just went back through and read the post...I feel I haven't even come close to capturing all that is taking place here. I don't quiet know what to say to convey how beautifully the Lord is moving here. The comments that we receive from everywhere we have been are things like, "your smiles change the room, I've caught myself smiling watching you, you all are a ray of light to us, why would you come all the way from Texas to Vologda just to see us?, Do you have to go?, Do you remember me from last time? I remember you, when will you be back?, thank you for what you are doing for our children...and me." I could go on and on. IT'S ALL HIM. Seeds are being planted everywhere. I know that Christine, Holly, Beth, and Mark are also seeing fruit from previous years.

After meeting with the children we were invited back by the nurses for tea and conversation. I was so encourage by these beautiful ladies. The LOVE the children and love what they are doing. (For some reason I can not download the pictures of our tea. When I return home I will go back through the entire trip and drop in more pictures!)

Mom, Jessica, and Stacy, this one is for you. Bananagrams and chocolate chip cookies in Russia! Dasha, I have loved my time with you!

Quick One (Updated with Pictures)

2009-08-04T17:36:00.001-05:00

Sorry, I just can't seem to get the Russian commands down! Some of these pictures will be random...I just can't seem to get them to go where I want them! Anyway, this is just another sweet moment with Dasha and her mother Natalia over tea! Yes, tea is everyday...a few times a day...and it's always this cute!

Americans!

After our 4 1/2 hour bus ride we finally made it! This is the orphanage's bus we took up to the camp. Here we are unloading more supplies and food for the children.

When we arrived they had sweetly set our table for tea and lunch. Notice the flowers the girls picked.

Watermelon for snack time!

This boy is using a coal to help burn out the center of the spoon he is making. I was way impressed!

You guessed it...craft time! God's eyes once again were a huge hit.

I'm not sure how well you can tell, but there were a ton of campers! I think I heard about 150 out there. It was quiet the set up.

A few English speaking Russians. Phew! Nice break every once in awhile.

As we were meeting with the kids from the orphanage at their camp, other counselors came up and asked if the "Americans" could come down to their camp. This is a picture with some of the other children. Precious.

(This picture makes me laugh. Just before it was taken, all the girls headed down to the...hole in the ground, to use the restroom. You would have thought none of us had ever been outside. We we all so exhausted by this point that we were slap happy and could NOT STOP LAUGHING. All I (and Christina later confessed as well) kept thinking was that we must look like the biggest bunch of obnoxious idiots! There was a big volleyball game going on right next to us and all of the sudden we heard, "Americans" and they all stopped and looked at us. I didn't want to ask the translator what they said, but I did anyway. She said, "I'm distracted by all of the Americans smiles.")

Last gift before we got back on the bus...TEXAS baseball hats! One of the ladies said that the children love that they have friends in Texas that they know are praying for them.

This was the wonderful bus

This was taken this morning (Tuesday) when Dasha dropped me off at the church.

...and this is the church!

I'm so sorry this is going to be so short. It was such a long, BUT WONDERFUL day!!! I can hardly keep my eyes open so here are just a few things for everyone back home...

David, I saw your comment on the blog and, yes, I will tell Christine she is missed! You are as well. I know she has tried to send you a few texts messages (because others are able from their iphones here) but it says she has no service. She sent a text and waited for a day and then realized it never sent. She was wondering if she needed to have international service set up before hand. She is doing great. We have become very close and have laughed a ton!

Stacy, yes, I will bring Katia back with me and send her to Cali...along with Rita, sasha, tanya, kolya, denise, ana, ... Yes, mom, it was a struggle to leave. More so today than yesterday!

Today we were scheduled to go to an inter-city orphanage to spend the day with the children. Turns out they are all sent away to "sports camp" during a part of the summer for annual maintenance on the buildings. Holly and Christine decided we would just go to the camp to see them. Let me tell you, these two ladies have the biggest hearts I've ever known. We took a 4 1/2 hour bus ride to the camp, could only stay for 2 hours and drove 4 1/2 hours back, yes, all today. Honestly, it was worth every second of it. I will post pictures tomorrow. The team knew the kids were wanting/expecting to see them (they have meet from previous visits) and the team wanted to see them just as well. After we reached the camp and all settled for tea, Holly said to all the children (with our fabulous translators) that while they have been away, they have continued to pray for the children by name and have missed them very much (as Holly held her heart.) One of the older boys very sincerely said back, "we feel just the same." I know with all of the seed planting from previous years, this had to be a pretty profound moment for some of the past team members.

Mark is hilarious with all of the boys. Running around playing tag, wrestling, and chopping wood, they love him. He is sooo in his element.

The team as a whole has united and meshed together beautifully. It is obvious the Lord hand picked each member of this team to work together. I loved our time on the bus getting to know each other even better as we shared personal stories about some God moments in our life, family and friends, work, and a whole lot of yadda yadda yadda.

If anyone else would like to leave a message I will be sure to pass it on. Over all, everyone is doing great. Nobody is sick. Host families are wonderful. The Lord has being blessing our socks off by the minute!

Once again, PLEASE excuse the post. I'm too tired to go back and re-read and correct all my errors!

One last thing...we would not be doing as good as we are without all of your prayers and support. We feel it here in Russia, appreciate it, and love it. Please don't stop!

Shalom!
Jenny

2009-08-02T13:57:00.026-05:00

Hello Everyone!

Goodness, where in the world do I start. First of all, today was my second shower in a week and first glass of wine! I guess I would call today "bittersweet" because we also said good-bye to all the kids we spent all week with and FELL IN LOVE WITH at camp. Here are a few pictures of our time...I'm sorry today is going to be brief...my eyes are getting heavy.

I've never had more hugs in my life than I've had from Tanya. She was my buddy all week. Every time I turned around I would hear, "shenny!" (Family: Just like baby katie and mary used to say!" I had forgotten that I gave her my cross I had around my neck the first day she asked about it. So today when we were leaving camp she kept tugging at my same but new necklace (that were made for the trip.) Honestly, I was thinking..."I have given her so much and she only wants more "things." Did I make any impact on her at all?" Well, Tanya quickly grew very frustrated as I continued to say, "nee penyee mayoo" (I don't understand) as she kept pulling at my necklace. She called over Masha to translate and this is what Masha translated, "Jenny, I remember the necklace just like this one that you gave me the first day. I will never forget it. Every time I see it I will pray for you. Will you please pray for me when you see yours?"

After my first shower after 2 days of traveling, I came out to find sweet Dasha in her kitchen. Her mother made some wonderful crepes with some sweet cream to pour over them, topped with homemade jam by her grandmother! Heaven on earth!

We took an hour bus ride outside of Vologda to get to camp. Then we stopped at the bridge and walked another 30 minutes to camp. When we approached the camp all the kids ran outside and met us at the gate yelling, "Привет!" Which is pronounced Pree-veet and means Hello! I fell in love immediately.

This is the first thing I saw as I walked in the doors...a banner that read, "Welcome to our camp!" in English and 33 precious children waving us in to sit at their table for tea!

Sasha, Katia, Nicole (on team), and Jenny during our fist day of crafts. If I could get ALL of you reading this to pray for Katia, as she is not going back to her foster family after camp, but back to the orphanage. :(

Pin the tail on the Donkey at the Hoedown! Katia, Rita, Sasha, Tanya, ( and Illiad? who ran in the picture last minute holding HIS end where he thought the tail should go!)

Talent show night!

Hoedown night! Enjoying the campfire just after teaching all the kids (expect the older "cool" kids!) the Cotton Eyed Joe!!! Anxiously awaiting...yes of course...S'MORES!!! I think they had about 5 each!

This picture was taken this morning right before we started worship. People are starting to get teary-eyed because we know it's our last day together.

This was placed in the middle of our table this afternoon before we left camp. It is sweet bread made with fresh picked berries from the lady who lives behind the camp! So sweet and very yummy!!!

I just re-read my first post...please excuse all the grammatical errors!!! In all my future posts in Russia as well!

I love and miss you all terribly!

Jenny

I can see Lebanon

2009-08-02T08:32:00.003-05:00

Things are moving fast and furious here. We have study toured En Gedi (twice), Arad, Wadi Zohar, Masada, Avdat, En Avdat, Qumran, Bet She'an, and Bethsaida. That's two days.

It is interesting to begin to listen for how G-d wants to lead this tour. Some of the places I have been many times have new meanings while others are refreshed and so clear.

Wadi Arugot in En Gedi is unbelievable. So beautiful. So powerful. Arad has an entirely new faith lesson. Bethsaida may as well.

While the study is intense the company is great as well. Tim is a scholar (in fact he just helped me spell scholar) and a great friend. We laugh often and have a similar passion for G-d's story. Our guide Boaz has been excellent as always and in this smaller company has opened up at length about present day Israel. It has been facinating and challenging.

Tomorrow is Arbel and the Orthodox Triangle, Tiberius, and probably some stuff we have never seen. Boaz likes to suprise us.

Miss everyone. Praying that church was great. I know Meg was Awesome.

Shema and Shalom

Yesu akwagala!

2009-08-02T06:54:00.002-05:00

Jambo!

We are sorry for not being able to blog more. We are taking advantage of the chance we have had. So much has happened that is close to our hearts. For now all three of us (Megan, Tori, and Emily) wanted to share a story with you all.

One of the first days we were in Iganga we were helping in the kitchen at the boys house. Basically we filled up gasoline containers with water from a glorified puddle. This is a tedious process and would have taken about 20 minutes. However it took longer because we wanted to help fill up the other kids containers. We were able to serve the surrounding community by helping them with their day to day chore. The experience was irreplaceable. The coolest part was after we left one of the men continued to help people fill their containers. This sounds so shallow because there have been so many little pieces that make up every picture and we are pressed for time. So that's something to chew on, until we find another stable internet connection.

Webale

Hoedowns, Horseshoes and Hats!

2009-08-01T15:18:00.000-05:00

“Hoedown & cowboy hats were a hit. Horseshoes & washers. Banya too! Campfire & s'mores tonight. We are all happy & healthy. Please send notes to families too! XOXOXO”

Dobriy dyen', ya’ll! (or Howdy, as we would say!)

That’s probably what they’re saying over there after last night! The latest text from Holly and Jenny was brief (see above), but the western hoedown last night was undoubtedly a hit! They introduced the Russian kids to horseshoes, washers, cowboy hats, and square dancing. Then, in a purely Russian tradition, they hit the banya! Tonight, they’ll sit around a campfire, toast marshmallows, and make S’mores, a real crowd pleaser last time I was over there! Holly says everyone is happy and healthy and they send their love to all their friends and family!

Tomorrow, it’s back to Vologda after sharing a church service and one last day at camp. I know there will be tears, from kids and adults alike! But I know that these kids will leave more blessed than they came, and may just end up beginning a new relationship with Christ because of this experience! I can say with absolute certainty, the team has been touched in a way they will never forget!

Keep the prayers coming!

Till the next update (maybe it will be Jenny posting!),

Carey

Russia Update #3

2009-08-01T08:16:00.002-05:00

Hi, Everyone! It's Carey again.

Not much to report, but the team did say that they had a great day of fun at the camp this morning, making dream catchers and stick horses, and sharing bible stories and oil lamp prayers! They’re doing a western theme for all the activities at camp, so there’s lots of cowboys and Indians in Russia! This evening (it’s 9:15PM in Vologda right now) they’re having a hoedown, complete with C&W music and square dancing! That should be lots of fun for the girls in particular – they all seem to be dancers from what I remember!

That’s it for now. I’ll send more when I get it!

Carey(For Jenny)

Russia Update #2 (Still Carey)

2009-07-30T17:04:00.000-05:00

Well, just as I thought I wasn’t going to have anything to send, I got a text message from Holly and Jenny! They said the summer camp is great with lots of kids and lots of love! Unfortunately, there’s also lots of bugs! David Chambers and Shirley Derryberry (heading to camp in a week) – be sure to bring bug spray and fly swatters!!!

Other than that, the problems with Jenny’s cell phone continue. She won’t be blogging until they head back to Vologda in a few days. In the meantime, Jen Taylor, Jenny’s friend in San Antonio, has been trying to come up with alternatives to get updates to everyone. I’ll continue to email you (and post them to the blog) when I get text messages.

Thanks to everyone for your continued support, love, and prayers! Please pass this email and blog to anyone who might not be on the list, and let me know --- I’ll add them to the email distribution!

до свидания!

(that’s Do svidaniya or “See ya later!”)

Carey

In Vologda

2009-07-29T13:10:00.001-05:00

Hello everyone! Thank you all for your patience. I'm sorry for the delay. As you may have read in the previous post, the phone is not working for updating the blog. It looks like my next post will be when I return from VBS camp. I'm sure there will be lots to share!

I can't tell you how WONDERFUL it was to take a shower after 2 full days of traveling and touring! It has already been and incredible time. Funny enough, the train has been one of my favorite thing so far. I stood in awe last night looking out the train window at the sunset, saying over and over, "I can't believe I'm in Russia!" I've started drinking tea over coffee (if you know me, this is a big deal!) and I love it.

This morning we we thought we had until 9am to sleep in! Ha. At 6am the train stopped and someone knock on our door. "Welcome to Vologda!" It was one of our translators. All discombobbulated, we got off the train and into a warm embrace by all of our host families. I recognized Dasha right away. We had been facebooking a bit before I came and she was just as sweet and beautiful as she looked in her pictures. We hurried back to her place where she immediately offered me a shower and a hot meal. I must have looked and smelled pretty pathetic!!! After a shower it was crepes and tea for breakfast and then I was off to sleep! (I had to jump out of the shower to grab my own shampoo. Dasha showed me a whole shelf of good smelling shampoos and such. When she left I went to grab one when I realized they were all in Russian! I thought I should grab my own as opposed to maybe washing my hair with body soap!) Dasha had to leave for work so her mother, who speaks little english (and I even less Russian) just made me lunch. Again, I couldn't believe that I was here. That I was sitting in a sweet Russian ladies kitchen trying to communicate back and forth and laughing the whole time at each other. They are so hospitable and I feel very at home here...even though we can barely talk! There is something sweet about that. This lunch is something I will remember for a long time.

I'm about to repack my bags for camp and head out. I'm afraid it will be a few days before we are back in touch. Hopefully, next week I will have more time to download some pictures.

Everyone else on the trip seems to be holding up very well. Please pray for our week with the kids! I keep thinking about words we often hear..."preach the gospel, and if necessary, use words." I guess that is what the Lord is wanting for me this week. I'm looking forward to loving on some kids! God Bless you all.

Jenny

Austin to Israel....Leaving

2009-07-29T12:25:00.004-05:00

The hardest part of every trip is leaving. But, now I am on my way.

This time is different. This time the focus is on scouting a study tour that I will lead. No RVL. No fun community. Simply a great friend in Tim Becksvoort and the guide of champions - Boaz. For those of you that are new to all this you can catch up at followtherabbi.com

The prayer is that next year in early June G-d will see fit to allow me to lead a group of Bracken Students and a few others over the mountain. It is often said that Israel is the fifth gospel. It will be great to get back to reading.

We will be hiking, praying, and studying the bible together with blistering intensity. I am both looking forward to it and nervous.

Isn't it interesting that Riverside is worldwide right now. Maybe we should pray that way all the time?

Will miss you all. Especially Ryan, Emily, Ethan, and Kylen. Not to mention the love of my life. Wish you were here. And don't worry sweetheart as much as I want to I won't sign off with P.S. I love you.

Shema and Shalom

First Post From Russia - Almost!

2009-07-28T20:54:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone! This is NOT Jenny posting! Actually, I'm Carey Dietert, husband of Holly Dietert (mission organizer) and father of Nicole (team member), and dutiful "ground crew" here in Austin. I got word this afternoon from Holly and Jenny that the team made it to Moscow safely and happily, toured a bit, and were settling on board their train to Vologda at around noon today, central time. For those who are counting, that's 9PM Moscow/Vologda time! Holly said it was time for making their bunks, sharing a devotional, then bedding down for a nice "relaxing" nap on the 9 hour train ride north.

Now, the reason I'm blogging instead of Jenny --- that rented phone is still not working to update the blog! So, Holly and Jenny had to use Holly's phone to send their messages.

That's it for now. Hopefully you won't be hearing from me again, but instead be able to read blogs from Jenny. However, if the phone won't cooperate, I'll be back to keep you up to date!

Keep the prayers coming!

Jenny Rudd to Russia

2009-07-26T16:43:00.005-05:00

Okay, yes, I'm in! I had to rent an "international phone) to do so. Its NOT a blackberry so I will be smart texting from a regular phone. Some of the post may be brief while at the camp, however I still plan to update everyday!

Shalom!
Jenny

Pray Constantly

2009-07-25T23:47:00.002-05:00

We have been so blessed by the support the community has given us and is sending to the group in Uganda! What a privilege to be part of this. Thank you God for who you are and for how much you love these people. We continue to aproach your throne as a community thankful for your faithfulness and awestruck by your perfect planning. Continue to go before us and be our rearguard. Give us your eyes and your heart, that we might be righteous PVC pipe showing Phil and his team and their kids how much you love them and care about every detail of their lives. Please guard our families, etc. back home and unravel any schemeing the enemy is intending. You rock and I cannot wait to see what you have for us all.

Blessings for the Africa team.

2009-07-25T12:36:00.003-05:00

Dear Linda,
This is for you and your team.
I don't have a list so you will need to forward.
Love,
Gina

Father God,
We are so thankful for all those traveling to Africa to share Your heart and be Your hands and feet. Bless them, equip them, protect them from harm and keep them in good health. Watch over those they leave behind and open every door needed for smooth entry, time spent and exit. In the authority of Jesus' mighty name we cast out all fear and say no plan of the enemy will succeed. May they find favor in Your sight and in every situation that it is needed. Surround them with heavenly hosts, be their front and rear guard day and night and make their path and Your signs, very clear. Thank you LORD for their willingness to travel the world to love. We bless Your name and to You be the glory.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen

And He said to them, “When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?”
So they said, “Nothing.”
Luke 22:35

LORD - You provide and daily we overlook Your provision.

Daily we take for granted
the flowing water
that allows us to brush our teeth
and wash our hair.

Some people live lives without ever
having bathed...where the only
running water they're familiar
with is that which
comes straight from the heavens
or rushes down from the mountains.

And yet...You cleanse us LORD.

Daily we take for granted
closets and drawers full of
ways to dress ourselves in order to
brave the elements.

Some people have no choices
to make in what to wear. What they have
may have to last until "who knows
when," or beyond the point of threadbare.

And yet...You clothe us LORD.

Daily we ingest our choice of
sustenance and shove
uneaten portions in receptacles
labeled "trash."

Some people could survive a
a week what we've chosen to discard
in one meal. They know what it is to "hunger."

And yet...You nourish us LORD.

Daily we are in touch with our world
through various forms of technology
such as television, phones, newspapers,
computers and books.
Opportunities for learning are taken
for granted and lost over that which "entertains" us.

Some people have never been 10 miles
from where they were born, seen a classroom or
had the means to give their children a
better life.

And yet...You supply us LORD.

Daily we cry out because our means of travel
breaks down, our bodies don't function
optimally or our credit cards have reached
their limit.

Some people have never travelled any other way but
"on foot," received medical treatment but
for compassionate medically trained missionaries,
or even had a use for money - for in their culture they
simply give away...in order to receive.

And yet You provide LORD.

Father God,
Daily You are with us...all around us
and we don't see...
all that has been provided...
so faithfully and so free.

Your beauty has been covered up
by all we think we desperately "need."
Your provision goes unnoticed and our
wants have become a form of "greed."

Forgive us LORD for always having
"more than enough," yet being
"never satisfied."

You have given us the World and
all that is within it. In so many ways
those with the greatest lack and
simplest lives are truly
the ones with the greatest blessing.
They know the source of their
provision and they know what
it means to be grateful.
There could not be a way to live
in such great need without a
heart that appreciates each small
thing ...You meet them daily where
they are - for You are seen by
those who search for You.
Help us to look at the ways You provide
with a fresh set of eyes. Help us
tear down everything that we've
erected that obscures the beauty
of Your provision. Maybe then, we
can quit depending on the things
you never truly provided in the first place.
Maybe then, we will finally see that all we
ever truly need is You - our Jehovah-Jireh.

Thank you LORD and bless those who look
to You for Provision.

In Jesus' Name,
Amen

This piece and prayer was inspired by those who travel the world to
bring medical attention and care to those in need. Faithfully
they go about their duties...the embodiment of His provision.
A special thanks to Woody with Pediatric Orthopedics of San Antonio,for sharing your story.

Two Nights Before We Leave!

2009-07-25T00:13:00.009-05:00

July 25, 2009

Friday

Hey Everyone!

It's two nights before we leave for Uganda on Sunday and everyone is excited!
Tonight we had dinner with the families of the missionaries on the trip at the Moore's house!
We had a very good bar-be-que which tasted delicious!
As we prepare to leave all of the last minute things are coming together.
We and all thanking the LORD for all he has made happen this past week; from packing the backpacks into suitcases, to getting all of the luggage there!

Everyone pray for the team's safety as we make our way into Africa and pray for the families that are being left here in beautiful Texas!

Picture of the team!
Emily Cheves, Jack Dean, Josh Shields, Megan Shields, Linda Marceau, Teresa Moore

Picture of the team and their family members.

Psalm 23

1 The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepared a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Love,
Megan
(Uganda Team)

Home

2008-10-17T23:01:00.000-05:00

We made it. Just deplaned. Lots to tell - I will try to tie up loose ends in the next day or so.

Goodbye, Turkey

2008-10-17T03:08:00.000-05:00

After a 2 hour delay, we scrambled and got to the plane. Boarding now. A few pix from yesterday - no time for comment.

Last day - cappadokia

2008-10-16T14:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, this is from the bb - last night is always a late night, and we have 3:00 am wakeup tomorrow. An amazing day of community. Will update in airport tomorrow.

Day 13 - Paul and a Turkish School

2008-10-15T14:19:00.007-05:00

Late night = quick posts. Lots of pix from a special day.

Last night's rain leads to today's slop. Following in the mud of the rabbbi.

A lesson about the explosiveness of the kingdom in this sheep pen.

Another bubble burst - no winter birth, no quaint barn for Jesus. We knelt in the filth of what he was born into.

We then traveled to the town of Kayali. Years ago RVL stumbled across this town, and they took him and his group in. He has been returning for years since. The mayor, the superintendent, and the teacher all showed up. The kids came out and played in their finest. And we were regaled with lunch in the only schoolroom:

Finally, a moving lesson on Timothy and the outcasts in our society on this tell.

Grace and Peace.

Karl

Day 12 - Antioch of Pisidia - God's Curriculum

2008-10-14T12:26:00.002-05:00

A long, early morning drive through the Turkish Lake Region to Antioch, the Fort Hood of Pisidia and the Roman Legions. Founded in the third century BC by the Seleucids (successors to Alexander the Great, this area became a huge military complex, retirement center, and ceremonial location.

There were many carvings of logos and images of the Roman Legion.

The Augustinian Gate. At this complex, RVL gave a stirring lesson that transformed Jesus' trial and execution into a triumphal entry.

RVL likes to say that interruption is God's curriculum. A short time after this piture it began raining hard. Combined with the cold wind, it was more than we thought prudent, and we headed back to the hotel for a lecture on Mithraism and the greatness of our God.

Sorry for the lack of pix - I don't have a waterproof camera!

Grace and Peace

Karl

Day 11 - Hierapolis, Collossae, Laodecia

2008-10-13T13:10:00.006-05:00

An interesting day looking at three cities, and their futures after a devastating earthquake. Hierapolis was rebuilt, but lost its culture to the Romans. Collossae was not offered anything, died, and is largely forgotten. Laodecia was so proud of its riches that refused Roman money, kept its culture, but kept its pride as well.

RVL gave a stirring lecture on how the ancients dealt with bones. No wonder the dog was interested. There were tons of sarcophagi laying around.

A somber lecture on crucifixion. Another set of mis-teachings set right - a t not a cross, done at eye-level, hundreds at a time.

An interesting discussion on modesty in an ancient Roman toilet.

Who is this guy and why is he trying to horn in on my picture of a giant incense bowl?

Actually, I did get a request for a picture of the haircut. And, by the way, that's the spa - an amazing mountain of white minerals.

An indelible impression was left in our minds as RVL further revealed the cruelty of the Romans in this place that commemorates the martyrdom of Philip. Sadly, no plaque nor visitors. We wondered if the edginess of the Revelation was informed by John's grief at the death of his friend.

This one is for my Paul - a Turkish Dune.

Learning in Laodecia about how the early church thought of itself growing from the root of Jesse.

Moonlight over Laodecia. Goodbye, Asia.

Grace and Peace

Karl

A Haircut

2008-10-12T15:27:00.004-05:00

OK, so I rushed around before I left the U.S. and the one thing I didn't get done was get a haircut. I figured I would find a barber at a hotel, I just didn't think it would be this close to the end of the trip.

We are staying in the very nice Richmond Pamukkale Thermal Spa. The rooms aren't as nice as the Annemon in Manisa (goodness, it had leather and panel and very modern), but the buffet is good and the pool looks great (like I will have a chance for a dip - hah!).

So I wasn't surprised, but was delighted, to see a barber. Five Euros for a haircut, and an extra Euro for washing my hair. A very modest and very pretty young Turkish woman was minding the store, and through signs and babel I discovered that I had about a half hour to eat and return.

When I did (with my dirt-caked hair and sweat-streaked clothes), I was graciously seated with my head in the wash basin. That girl's kind ministrations to my baked noggin were delightful, bringing a huge smile to my face. I think they call it grinning like a loon.

The barber (who may have been her older brother or uncle) came in, and through more signs and less babel (he knew some English), let me know that although he needed cash, he would take US dollars and could wait until after the haircut.

I started to make more signs about how I wanted it cut (I am, after all, an American), but he waved me off, with a bemused look that seemed to convey "Sir, I think I know what I am doing."

Meanwhile, his assitant was now playing solitaire on a laptop. I said "Internet?" and she nodded affirmatively. I showed them both my lanyard with my "In the Footsteps of the Disciples" identity card, and pointed to the computer, and said "Internet." She pushed the laptop over.

Let me tell you - it is quite an experience to be in a foreign country and show what you have been doing to the local population. I pulled up this blog and although they couldn't read much of the words, the pictures showed them our interest, respect, and appreciation for their country. He asked "Archeology" and I nodded. A far sight better reaction than the schoolteacher in Philadelphia, who when he heard we were from Texas, made signs and sounds imitating a rifle being fired.

Anyway, the haircut is perfect. Randy and Brian came by, laughing at my indulgence, and to my exclamation "I feel like royalty," they replied, "You look like royalty!" I still have a smile as I write this.

So after all was done and I approved the work, I sprinted back to my room. Now 6 Euros is right at 8 bucks, and I would have paid ten times that for how good I felt. I handed him a twenty. He asked "Change?" and when I shook my head, he grabbed my hand, kind of around the thumb, like what we called in my youth a soul handshake.

Then he pulled me closer to him, and pressed his right temple to my right temple, pulled back, and pressed his left temple to my left temple, all the while grasping my hand. He smiled broadly and said, "This is Turkish Hello!"

We are safe and happy.

Grace and Peace

Karl

Day 10 – Thyatira, Philadelphia, Aprhrodisias

2008-10-12T13:20:00.007-05:00

Alright, here is the only picture you need about today's archeology lesson – RVL having his mind blown by the two-story sculpture panels lining the street in Aphrodisias. All he could say was, “Wow!” :

A brisk morning in Thyatira, learning about Son of God, the bronze feet, the color purple, and iron scepter, dashed pottery, the morning star and Jezebel:

Close quarters on the streets of Turkey – the bus driver is amazing, and everyone is so gracious to one another – a completely different concept of personal space. Personally, (no pun intended), I think we need to work on this if we are going to usher in the Kingdom:

Grapes are everywhere. Here they use the concrete slabs in the middle of the fields to dry raisins:

OK, I resolved to put up more people pix, so God sent more people. We were met by a schoolteacher and village children at the top of the highest point of Philadelphia. Hope you’ve got plenty of bandwidth:

Closed out the day with an amazing lesson on running the race in a Greco-Roman arena. A cloud of witnesses, indeed:

Grace and Peace.

Karl

Day 09 - "Where Satan Has His Throne."

2008-10-11T13:07:00.006-05:00

Today was an interesting and faith-challenging day in Pergamum. First we visited the Aesculapion, the worship center for those who followed Aesculapius, the god of healing. He was described by his followers in ways much like the descriptions of Jesus as a healer, only thousands of years earlier. Universal truth, preemptive counterfeiting, or God sowing seeds? His symbol was the caduceus, the snake on a stick. Coincidentally, if you believe in such a thing, without knowing where we were going this morning, I wore my BSB-EMS hat which has a caduceus on the front.

Those entering the compound (essentially a medical center) would be able to drink from the fountain on the right which had running water. These Greeks called it “living water.”

RLV led us in an amazing journey into the medical treatment of patients who came here. By adopting first-person question and answer roles, we learned that they had a form of medical insurance, sought all over the known world for herbs and medicines, and adopted a holistic approach to health. Pergamum gave birth to Galen, a physician to whom all modern physicians trace their practice.

Here, in the dark, soothing sounds and drugs would be accompanied by priest physicians advising patients of what the oracle held for them.

The message – the truth of our faith lies in something greater than science and art, but in the truth of the Gospel of Jesus of Nazareth the Christ.

We skipped a big hike today, and spent the rest of the day on the acropolis studying the rest of the letter to the church in Pergamum. Get it out and read it, and keep in mind words such as “sharp, double-edged sword,” “where Satan has his throne,” and “Baalack who enticed the Israelites to sin.”

After using this statue to lead us through Ephesians 6’s description of the armor of God, RVL then noted that the double-edged sword from the Revelation would have been what Romans used for close-quarters combat – John using language of the community to convey Jesus eternal message – the unsheathed Word is the true Sword.

An extended discussion of the Throne of Zeus and the presence of evil in the world. The throne that was once here now takes up an entire wing of the Pergamum Museum in Berlin. Glowing white and once sitting on this hill, it would have loomed over the entire area.

Dionysus would, in today’s world, be called the King of Spring Break. You laugh, but our kids today face enormous challenges to live wholesome lives – the drinking and gorging and immorality that goes on as a matter of course is exactly what John was writing against. Jesus offers the real party.

Pix courtesy of Laura Valenzo (I forgot my camera today).

Tomorrow we travel east to Laodecia.

Grace and Peace, KTR

Day 08 - Ephesus

2008-10-10T15:16:00.005-05:00

Day 08 – Ephesus

We began the day with a fun but, again, challenging hike with some rock crawling.

Check out this view of Ephesus – it is a huge city.

On the ground we got an incredibly moving story at the Magnesian Gate about the callousness and suffering created by the Roman practice of abandoning unwanted newborns for economic reasons, and the overwhelming love of the adoptive parents and faith communities that took them in. After all, our Father in Heaven has adopted all of us and given us a new inheritance.

The theatre, where Paul’s teachings stirred up a crowd and caused him to be unjustly accused of blaspheming Artemis. It was thrilling to be standing in the very place where a dramatic scene from the Book of the Acts of the Apostles happened. RVL noted this and many other similarities in Paul's life to the life of Jesus. A rabbi following his Rabbi.

After leading us through the life of Paul, RVL took us through John's context for the Book of the Revelation. In a stirring and vivid recounting of the arrival of the persecution of the Christians by Domitian, RVL brought to mind the way our ancient brothers and sisters walked the walk: read the text, learn the text, teach the text, live the text, die the text. Hundreds of thousands died in this place.

We showed our solidarity with our ancient brothers and sisters by tracing a carving of a fish that laid buried for thousands of years.

Grace and Peace.

KTR

Day 07 – Priene – House Church

2008-10-10T14:21:00.012-05:00

Today was a special day for our community – we saw our ancient ancestor Acacia groups! But first a few lessons:

Here is a wild olive branch. Smaller and less fruitful, RVL made the point that no one in his right mind would graft in a wild olive branch. But when Jesus says we are grafted in, He is the master gardener that can transform even the unfruitful into the fruitful.

The Acropolis above Priene. Hmmm, wonder what is going to happen up there.

A public water fountain. This community believed that Artemis brought them all their water. Imagine be a Christian in this community, where you were in the vast minority, having to teach your child, in front of your neighbors and peers, about the one living God who provides the living water from which you never thirst. What an opportunity, but what a challenge. Here RVL introduced us into all the things you might have to go without, like fire, service in legislature, selling in the market - real, everyday obstacles. What keeps you from being committed?

Notice how these large stones lay on top of the paving stones. This must have been something for someone to have permission to interrupt the street’s path. Archeologists have discovered this house originally had a side entrance, but converted to a front entrance after being converted to a worship space. The "original" house church (at least "an" original!)

Roman society had highly stratified social classes, with privileges such as who got water or food first and who served whom. In a vivid lesson, RVL asked us to imagine how transformative it would be for slave to be served by master, as brothers-in-Christ. This would have been revolutionary.

The temple to Artemis – a huge structure like the one in Sardis. Imagine the challenge of getting your children to attend your humble church home or synagogue. Sadly, the effects took their toll – the second picture shows how synagogues and churches changed from resembling homes to resembling pagan temples.

A challenging hike to the top of the Acropolis, including a bee attack (everyone is ok). RVL says we were only the second group to make it to the top with everyone. Check out Brooke’s blog for a group photo.

Sorry for the late post.

KTR

Sardis

2008-10-09T16:19:00.010-05:00

First, my apologies. A day without pictures is tough for you, I imagine. It was a tough day for me – my emotions have been riven by RVL’s stark teachings calling into question things that so many who profess the name of Christ hold dear. And my heart is being riven by circumstances largely beyond my control. Pray for us – we are safe but challenged.

Sardis – characterized in the letter in The Revelation as being both alive and dead. RVL showed us how that imagery comes from the land – the acropolis and the necropolis. Hmm, wonder what Rabbi John learned that from.

Next we traveled along the ancient Roman road. Even though the religion was banned, some of these shopkeepers were brave enough to make a mark that would reverberate around the world. In a country where something like this faith dominates, do we have that kind of courage?

Around the corner is the gymnasium, where the humanistic world view predominated. A sacrifice to the false god was required. To what gods do we sacrifice our children when we hand them off to schools and colleges ill-equipped to deal with walking the one true ancient way?

As we saw in the Galilee, a synagogue with a school attached. Only this school is the school of the pagans. With the help of an exemption from state worship, Jews were free to say “Our God is the one true God.” In a world dominated by secular humanism and hedonism, are we strong enough to teach the One Truth?

Up on the mountain, the Temple of Artemis. Depravity of the deepest sort went on here. With vividly horrifying images, RVL recounted how in dark corners of this world, like Calcutta, such depravity continues.

And yet these early Christians were brave enough to build on the very grounds where this Gate of Hades stood. Where do we hide our churches?

We closed out the day with a hike to the top of the acropolis.

Finally, for Craig, from Scott, Psalm 18:32:

He makes my feet like the feet of a deer;
he enables me to stand on the heights.

Peace, KTR

Turkey

2008-10-08T15:36:00.000-05:00

Got in at 3:30am and up at 7:00. Out till dark tonight with a serious hike. A tough day. Two hour drives both ways. Maybe some pix in the am. KTR

Turkey - Izmir

2008-10-07T16:08:00.000-05:00

On the ground and feeling like a rented mule. Tomorrow should be interesting.

Day 05 - Turkey

2008-10-07T12:46:00.000-05:00

Safely on the ground in Istanbul. An hour or so here, then on to Izmir. Thinking of all of you.

KTR

Israel - Day 05 - Memories from Mt. Carmel

2008-10-07T10:11:00.003-05:00

RVL sitting under a fig tree, Nathaniel-like. I don't think there is any guile in RVL either. Actually, this is a metaphor for being under the authority of a Rabbi.

I can't tell you how cool it is to be sharing this experience with even more of my friends than last time. The olive trees midway up Mt. Carmel are thousands of years old. I wonder if Jesus . . . .

The lesson at the top of Mt. Carmel. Praise God we only had to climb uphill, not down.

Israel - Day 05 - Shalom, Yisrael

2008-10-07T07:56:00.002-05:00

Standing in line at the Turkish air counter. On our way to Izmir.

A quick morning visit to Belvoir, a Crusader castle. I have just one thing to say - what were they thinking?

Then, a challenging hike up Mt. Carmel. While fully laden Israeli F-16s circled overhead (training), RVL delivered a stirring message about zeal. Are we zealous enough for our father's house to be mistaken for Elijah?

I'll try to get up pix later.

Shalom, KTR

Galilee - Day 04 - Writing Words Upon Hearts

2008-10-06T15:48:00.008-05:00

Ok, you all know that your brothers and sisters are a bunch of Jesus freaks, but did you know they are some pretty fine scholars as well? I know that the thought of walking 5 to 7 miles each day in the sun straight up rock-strewn goat paths is your idea of fun and games, but there is a fair amount of work to be done (and RVL’s fussing at us when it doesn’t get done). With apologies to those I didn’t catch in the moment, here are some scenes from today’s studies. Personally, I think these images should be posted wherever there are children or students – the people in them inspire me every day to walk faster, climb higher, think harder and pray longer.

Shalom, KTR

Galilee Day 04 - Jordan, Beit Sean, Susita

2008-10-06T13:10:00.001-05:00

An amazing day. No pix right now, not sure I'll have time - packing for the trip to Turkey tomorrow. Finally, answers to my questions - all trip RVL has been saying "I'll answer that in Turkey."

Morning started with an Immersion in the Jordan. Not quite a baptism, more an invitation to repentance. A moving scene - imagine the part of our annual Baptism celebration where we all get in the water, only doing it in the Guadalupe with the river running about 3000 cfm. You get the picture - to get me clean, it's gotta run that hard, and do I feel for the fish downstream. Seriously, an amazing event.

Then to Beit Sean, a Polis of the Decapolis. The Polis of Polises. God showed us there how much we love our stuff, how much we have to sell to follow him, and how quickly it can all be taken away. And especially, how you never approach the Decapolis without wet feet. Prayers from the Holy Land to all of you at home watching what's going on in the markets. A timely visit.

We ended the day at Susita, the site of a Byzantine cathedral and an even older Roman city. RVL made a compelling case (trust me, it was, and I'm a lawyer) that this was the place where the crazy man's demons went into the pigs. Little known fact - a spiritual decendant of that man may have been a co-author of the Nicene Creed. Ask me later.

We watched the sun set over Tiberias and the waters of the Galilee, and had an amazing, tender and unforgettable exerience to close our last night here.

Shalom

KTR

Galilee Day 03 – Gamla, Omrit, Caesarea Phillipi, Mt. Hermon

2008-10-05T22:07:00.008-05:00

Thank you all for the gracious words. We miss all of you terribly. Paul and Justin, you know who I miss most. I can’t wait to share with you the treasures God is storing up in my heart. Mr. Rauser and I talked about how much you and the Rauser boys would love Gamla – it’s like right out of Age of Empires.

OK, you say Gamla, I say Zealots. In the years leading up to Jesus’ birth, a pot was stirring in the Galilee that didn’t boil over until after his death. Everyone was expecting the kingdom of God, and everyone was expecting it to bring peace forever – it’s just that no one knew if was by power or by some other way. Gamla is an amazing story of intrigue, prophecy, treason, tragedy, and an abject lesson in what happens when your second most important commandment is not loving your neighbor.

The breach in the wall at Gamla. Many suspect Josephus (the Zealots' Benedict Arnold) of having sold out the secret of Gamla’s fortifications. Yes, Beth, that is Jeff's head poking in.

Jesus taught in all the synagogues in the Galilee. Gamla is in the Galilee and has a synagogue. Ergo, we were where Jesus must have been. And we had a meeting like the one Jesus would have attended when He declared the Scriptures fulfilled in Him. Sometimes, being there makes the real seem realer.

If we are sitting on the floor, it must be a synagogue.

Then, on the ride to far north Israel, Boaz (our Israeli guide) gave us a stunning history (the truthful one that you don’t see on CNN) about the conflict between the Arabs and Israel. All the while our bus is passing army bases filled with tanks and trucks protecting the Golan Heights. What a great injustice the politicians have done to the land promised to the children of Abraham.

Israeli Hummers waiting on their next orders.

For years, archeologists knew there was a third Herodian temple to Caesar. They have found it in Omrit. The cool part – it is right where the Via Maris takes its turn to Damascus. Yes, that road, where Paul had his experience (Meg, Jeff and Scott agree with you that a “tweaking” is too mild a term. It was so cool to see the physical evidence of the struggle between an earthly savior who sold out to the adversary, and our heavenly One that walked and was the ancient path to shalom. But RVL blew our minds with the number of pre-Gospel scriptures that commission prophets in the same way Paul was commissioned – my brain still hurts.

The Temple. Tributes, not taxes.

Caesarea Philippi – Herod’s son’s playboy mansion. Located next to an ancient pan-worshipping goat-loving moral cesspool, this was the location for one of Jesus’ most compelling declarations – that the gates of Hades would not withstand the onslaught of his church. And on a nearby hill, a crusader castle, “safely” planted on a hilltop. Which are you going to be – the one who storms the enemy’s stronghold, or the one who “safely” hides behind walls?

I think we have heard it said that when Moses and Elijah showed up just before Jesus’ ascension, the disciples were so overcome by not knowing what to do that they just blurted out, “Let’s build a tabernacle.” Using an amazing analysis, starting with David’s prayer for truth and light in Psalm 43, and ending with Psalm 46, RVL showed how the disciples were simply following what the scriptures had told them they should do, thus, once again, showing that Jesus’ talmid were men of the text.

Galilee Day 02 - Nazareth and the Light of the World

2008-10-04T20:44:00.009-05:00

Yesterday God led me to write that you are the light of the world. Today RVL gave us another image of what that is like. Imagine that the field shown below was your inheritance. Covered in rocks and thistles, this acre-or-so sized lot was what you had to live on. If you started sowing seed, some might fall on rocks, or among thistles. Not a good thing. Does your light burn bright enough to destroy the thistles so that the rocks in your heart are uncovered? Do you live in community so that those rocks can be dug up and tossed aside? Have you circumcised your heart so that God’s word can spring up a bountiful harvest?

We spent some time in this field literally picking up rocks and tossing them on top of these ancient boundary lines.

Imagine that you were a Jew, or a Muslim, whose ancient history was death of your family at the hands of those wielding cross-shaped swords bearing crosses on their flags and crosses on their tunics. Crusader is a dirty word for many in this part of the world. If we are to speak to them in a coherent way, perhaps another symbol, as precious as the cross is to us, is one that speaks to them.

RVL suggests an olive branch as that symbol. We carried them in our hats for the rest of the day.

TEKTON – carpenter or stone mason? RVL suggests the latter. Imagine the Stone the builders rejected preparing you, His living stone, for a place in His Father’s house, so that His Father has a place to live. And you are from the same quarry as that Stone, and that of Abraham, Issac, Joseph, Jacob, David, Paul, Stephen – you get the picture. Maybe next time you are dealt a sharp blow, it might help to think of it as an edge that needed to be refined so that you can fit with your neighbor into that perfect spot in the one House.

RVL asking us to imagine a little dark-haired, dark-skinned boy following His earthly father, learning the skills of the trade.

Herodian Jews decided that living with fresh water toilets, smooth paved streets, and stylishly decorated homes were the right way to live. Sound familiar? But to a Galilean Jew in the time of Jesus, these would have been lavish uses of money that could have gone to heal the sick, feed the poor, and clothe the homeless. Do we really believe Jesus when He says to sell all you have and follow Him?

An incredibly detailed mosaic in Zippori, the jewel of the Galilee. RVL estimates it took 40 man-years to complete. Jesus would have been offended by this image - Deuteronomy 4:15-19.

Once again on an eremos tapos, a lonely place, we were challenged to listen and hear Jesus’ commission to make disciples. Are we ready to disciple and be discipled? To whom are you accountable, and who is accountable to you?

One of RVL’s disciples, and the Galilee over his shoulder. That we would always live with the Galilee over our shoulders.

We ended our day with the moon rising over Tiberias, standing on the cobbled stones of Bethsaida, and contemplating the amazing mission the boys from that village undertook in fulfillment of that mission.

Sorry this was late - I fell asleep almost as soon as I returned to my room. Know that we love you and pray for you often.

Shalom, KTR

ARBEL AND THE PARABLE OF THE WEEDS

2008-10-03T20:06:00.002-05:00

Today was an amazing day.

Conquering Fear.

I knew that I had, to a certain extent, conquered my fear of heights. Arbel has, since June 2006, been a symbol of walking in faith. Literally.

That first time up Arbel, I remember, following Tom Grimmius, smug in my relative youth and physical fitness, as if by the sweat of my brow and the labor of my hand I was going to fight gravity and singlehandedly pull myself up the mountain. Forgetting why God had me there in the first place.

And then, the moment of fear. Of looking down at what looked like an impossibly wide chasm, spanned only by the tiniest sliver of metal hammered into the side of the mountain. I was seized.

All I could think was, “Don’t look again or you will be walking back down to the bus.” And that wasn’t’ possible. Not the shame. Not the defeat. RVL would not have permitted it. I would have had to fly back to the US.

So I said to God, “I know you did not bring me here to die on this mountainside in Israel.” And I stepped out in that faith. And like Tom and everyone else before and after me, I crossed over.

And that story has been a standing stone in my life since.

But today I put up another stone in that place.

I was excited to see Arbel again this morning, October 3, 2008. The same place, but two years further on my walk. And in the company of some of my closest friends. Surrounded by love.

I had no doubt that I was going to do it again. I was somewhat curious – how wide was it, really? Would I have the same fear, only more confidence? Would I even remember it the same way?

The hike up was more challenging than I remembered. I am not in the same condition I was – older, fatter and not as diligent in my training. It was showing, in my panting and on my pulse monitor. Praise God for the cool breeze and the stops along the way.

As we drew nearer, the adversary started again. “It will be even tougher this time. This path is too narrow. Give in to the temptation – throw yourself off. Your overconfidence will kill you this time!”

And then, it was there. Like many giants, it wasn’t as big as I remembered. In fact, it seemed so trivial, so insignificant, I almost laughed aloud. Like brave Sir Robin at the bridge, I thought, “That’s easy!” And I crossed over again.

We all gathered at the top. I shared how I think we make life harder than we should. By not believing God. By not believing in His power. By not believing His Son, whose yoke is easy and the burdens we carry in His name are light. Knowing that we are called to encourage one another, I shared my previous fear and my current victory.

It seems to me that it often happens when we are vulnerable, when we are intimate, when we create a safe place for the truth, the same intimacy and truth comes to the surface in the other hearts in that place. Today that heart was J___’s. She said, “Karl, that place was scary for me, too. Thank you for sharing – it strengthened me.” Chazaq indeed. What a blessing. What a sister. What a God.

Then we came to the hardest part – the way down. The way that, two years earlier, in a moment of community building, Scott took the feet of the woman on the cliffside above him and placed them, gently, step-by-step until she was down.

With colors flying, the banner of faith in Christ and confidence in His Father’s power, today, we all got down that mountain. Easily. Fear had no place there.

Praise God.

I pray that you make it up and down your mountains, fully confident in the hope of His Son, our Lord and Christ.

Wheat and Weeds.

There is evil in the world. No one who sees the news, both foreign and domestic, can doubt the very real battle that goes on every day. From the innermost rooms of our hearts, through the hearths and halls of our homes, to the streets of our villages and cities, across this nation, this globe – a darkness spreads through the land.

A light came into that darkness and has not been overcome by it.

So, then, how does His kingdom come? Does it come like a mighty wind, blowing down the foundationless strongholds of our adversary? Does it come like a thresher’s scythe, a winnower’s fork, an unquenchable fire?

Not yet, John. Not yet.

No one knows the day and hour the Father has appointed for the Son of Man to return. But we know what His Son told us the kingdom is like now: wheat and weeds. Shalom and chaos. Together, for now.

I’d like to think it is not just because the process of separating the weeds from the wheat runs the risk of destroying the good. No doubt it does – that was our Lord’s point. But what about this:

My youngest son once said something I have heard many Christians say, something they have picked up along the way. He said, “I just want Jesus to come right away.” I looked at him with all the love and attention I could muster, and asked what he thought would happen. Of course, he said that Jesus would take the believers to heaven. And what of the unbelievers, I asked? Well, they would go to the other place. And then I asked, “Do you really want to deprive them of the opportunity to repent tomorrow?”

I wonder if Our Father is waiting. Oh, I know He is, He told us so. But I wonder if He is waiting for us to believe in the transformational power of His love. A love so strong, that even the weeds, like ten lepers into healthy men, are transformed into wheat. Into something clean, and holy, and pleasing to God.

Father help us to live with the chaos around us. We are the light of the world. Light in darkness. Wheat in weeds. Help us to believe that your kingdom is here, is now, on earth as it is in heaven.

I know you are willing. Be healed.

Shalom

KTR

Galilee Day One - Arbel, Korazin, Capernaum

2008-10-03T16:22:00.008-05:00

OK, that was a pretty fast 24 hours. Sorry for the news blackout. We are safely settled into the Ein Gev resort on the east side of the Sea of Galilee, a change from our itinerary (we will not be at Nof Ginosar). Our rooms are within a stone's throw from the water - desirable in our hometown, but not here. For a Galilean, this sea is the abyss, a source of life, but also a source of fear.

Our first day started with a drive up the eastern shore, around the northern shore (Joshua-like, we crossed the Jordan, but set up stones only with our memories), then down the western shore to just north of Tiberias. To Mt. Arbel.

Joanie and Josh, on the road to Arbel with Tiberias in the background, waiting for what comes next.

Made it to the top!

Where we started. If you look carefully, you can see our bus in the middle of the picture, where it dropped us off.

Will, doing his best imitation of a Rodin.

Insulah, Korazin style. RVL thinks Jesus would have preached surrounded, in these tight quarters. No wonder those men of faith broke through the roof!

Deep thoughts from Brian at the synagogue in Capernaum.

RVL taught us, until dark, at the likely spot of the Beatitudes. We left a memorial to those whose faith were standing stones in our faith lives.

We miss all of you. Sending our love from the home of the One who loved us all.

Peace, KTR

Tel Aviv

2008-10-02T11:08:00.001-05:00

Safely on the ground, now boarding the bus - two hours and then, God willing, a clean, soft bed. Yippee!

A Long Night

2008-10-02T04:14:00.003-05:00

But on the ground in Istanbul.

On to Tel Aviv! (Boy do I need a shower.)

Just Like That

2008-10-01T15:31:00.002-05:00

So, we all met up at the Turk Air counter. RVL and his right hand man, Tom Harrington, shepherded us through the line smooth as silk.

And then there was RVL, in a five minute talk, in the middle of a bustling, crowded airport, a few choice words of scripture, a prayer, and just like that, the lesson begins.

Lord open our looking eyes that we may see, open our listening ears that we may hear.

Chazaq!

A Pleasant Surprise

2008-10-01T09:39:00.004-05:00

Cindy, Dan is ok. For those who couldn't know, Cindy Mooney saw the blog last night, and called her husband, Dan, who is in Chicago on business. Dan's flight was scheduled to leave just after we arrived, and he met us at the gate! What a great welcome.

We're in Chicago, so a group took off to get some genuine Chicago pizza.

Now we get to wait for a 5:00 pm flight.

Sleepy in San Antonio

2008-10-01T09:04:00.000-05:00

OK, we're off. A 6:30 flight on American to Chicago means an early morning at gate 35. Being someone who travels for work, it is a great joy to meet so many of your friends at the airport. A quick snooze and here we are! Next stop, Istanbul.
Peace, KTR

The Last Night (this is it!)

2008-09-30T21:36:00.001-05:00

OK, feverishly rushing around, violating every piece of advice RVL has about making sure to relax and cleanse your mind of everything that isn't about following Jesus - the busyness of the world, yada yada yada - still working. Packed (almost) and heartbroken that one of us, Sherry Outlaw, looks very iffy, having broken a heel in a fall. Oh, she must be so strong in the Lord to have such a heartache to carry! Flight at 6:30 to O'Hare, so a very early morning. Good night, Spring Branch, and tomorrow, on to Istanbul and the Galil!

Peace, KTR

In the Dust of the Rabbi, again

2008-09-19T11:57:00.007-05:00

OK, it's less than two weeks away. On October 1, a group leaves for 17 days in Israel and Turkey, earnestly desiring to learn what it means to be a follower of the Way that Jesus taught. Led by Ray Vanderlaan, composed of elements from Riverside and Alamo Heights United Methodist Church (who are honored to be led, in turn, by Pastors Scott Heare and David McNitzky), this group will spend the days hiking, praying, learning, praising, singing (and, at the end, rubbing sore muscles) in search of what Jesus meant when He said "Follow me!"

Please pray for us - we have been training for several weeks, with weekend hikes to Enchanted Rock, Eisenhower Park, Friedrich Park, the John Knox Ranch, and mid-week workout sessions. We have been blessed by Laura Valenzo, whose vocation as a personal trainer has done wonders to get us ready.

Follow us here - although we expect to have some internet access, it is by no means the most reliable thing, but we will make sure to check in from time to time.

Peace, KTR

Remember the children

2008-06-11T15:33:00.001-05:00

look carefully at this picture, the one above was taken at a bedouin house two years ago, the one below was taen two weeks ago at the same house. can you find this girl? this one is for Cathi Heare.
the one below was also taken two years ago and you can see them above.

the picture above, taken two years ago, the one below two weeeks ago. it was amazing to see how they have grown and to see new faces this time.

the boys are back in town

2008-06-10T20:21:00.008-05:00

we are home safely, with minor airport delays. it was a very long day as our wednesday has last some 32 hours. we traveled from 7:30pm tues Israeli time until i arrived at my house at 4:30pm wed texas time, there is an 8 hour difference which means 29 hours traveling. hopefully i will be able to post pics soon from the trip as it was hard to do in the limited time i had to blog. stay tuned for the next few days and i will put some on with explainations. thanks for all the prayers we can't wait to tell our story.

Tben

P.S. yes I still Love Brooke

good bye sweet Israel

2008-06-09T15:33:00.004-05:00

Well we are at the air port and made it with only a few snags through customs. they didn't confiscate any of our special items which was very nice of them. we got to visit the temple mount today along with the mount of olives. we walked through the old city and visited gethsemane. today was great but we were so tired, we look like the trip of the living strun about the airport We are boarding soon and then the thirteen hour flight to new york which i will be removed from if we have to watch ps i love you again, or 27 dresses. so if those are the movies i may be detained a few more days. otherwise we will be there in a day and a little more than a half or so i don;t really know because of the time change. any way don't respond because i can't look again until i get home. it is very sad to leave but i look forward to seeing all of you.

Tben

P.S. brooke i love you

the end of days

2008-06-08T11:31:00.004-05:00

First things first, happy happy happy happy birthday to Brooke, i love you and that you were born, you look more beautiful today than the day i met you, you are a blessing to me and it is my highest honor to be the husband of such a magnificent bride. honey I love you.
Well the days just keep getting better. Today we visited the temple mount and the southern wall. It is amazing to see it again, we didn’t go up to the western wall but hopefully tomorrow.

Then we went to Hezzekiah’s tunnel, it was colder than I remember, but still so cool. Only G-d could have connected those two tunnels. After that we went somewhere new, it was an amazing experience but heart breaking. We went to the Holocaust Museum. Boaz led this part of our trip giving up Shav’ uot with his family. There was a children’s memorial that had a dark room with four candles in it and mirrors so that there was 1 light for all the million and a half children killed in the Holocaust. They had pictures of some of them, we all wept. I thanked Boaz and all I could think to say was sorry as he had many relatives ed in the holocaust. then we traveled to Bethlehem and to the Herodian. We even got to see Herod's tomb tha was discovered a year ago, not even RVL has been where we went. and today is Shav'uot and the city is bustling. this would have been pentacost for the early christians the day the Spirt came and G-d wrote his word on the people's hearts. it is facinating to see all the peole dressed up for this major feast, coming from all over the world to celebrate in Jerusalem.
Tomorrow is our last day before the great plane ride home i am sad, but excited to see al of you again and share more in person as it is impossible to explain on a blog. it will also be nice to have some rest. I love you all and will pray for you tomorrow at the wall.

Tben

P.S. happy birthday Brooke, I will always Love You

Jerusalem

2008-06-07T13:11:00.005-05:00

well we got to Jerusalem to today and i took a group of us up to the old city in search of the Western Wall, we didn't find it but i know its there. It was awesome to walk throught to ancient streets at night thinking that they must have looked very similar in Jesus' day. The people walking around are so facinating to watch, the devotion they have was humbling for many of us, noting that what if we took time every day to go to church to pray, worship, and talk with G-d? we'll i am tired and it seems only a few are reading so i am going to bed, L-rd willing i will write more in the morning. Oh, Mount Carmel and Caesarea by the Sea were fantastic. i will go back and add some pics to earlier blogs. sorry pics won't upload. Lyndesy i got you some more sea shells and stones from the med.

Tben

P.S. Brooke i love you

Good Bye Galilee

2008-06-06T21:53:00.004-05:00

the sun is just coming up and we are getting ready to leave galilee. it is hard to believe it is over already, it seems as though we just left the desert. And yet it also seems as if we have been here weeks. you are all in my thoughts and prayers, i can't wait to pray for you before the Western Wall. it is very still this morning and quiet, i will be shocked if people aren't slow getting up after yesterday, it is getting harder and harder for me. i am going to see if i can retrieve the blog somehow from this sight as it was saved but i don't know where. i am too tired it seems to think of what to say so i will just say take great care of my wife and our menagerie. tonight i will be writing from Jerusalem may G-d bless you and shine his face upon you.

Tben

P.S. Brooke i still love you

I retrieved the lost chronicle scroll down the page and you will find it.

awesome day 8!

2008-06-06T13:26:00.002-05:00

Today was awesome! we started the day by hiking to the Jordan River. It wasn't much at all like I was expected. It was alot smaller than I've seen in the pictures from Jesus day...at least in the picture Bible. In all seriousness, the experience was amazing. the crisp clean rushing water was unbelieveable. Just to think that I have been soaked in the same river that Jesus was is unreal. The restof the day was aewsome including a visit to the largest Tel in all of Israel...77 LAYERS OF DIFFERENT CIVILIZATIONS! I have learned so much it is amazing!

I hope everything is going well!

CALEB

after Arbel

2008-06-06T12:56:00.005-05:00

well this morning i got up and spent 30 minutes writing a blog with a great teaching, but it was lost somehow in cyber space, so i am just going to have to trust G-d with it. (I am not Joking) today we walked from Nazereth to Sephoris. it was a great walk were i picked wheat and rolloed it between my fingers and ate the kernals of wheat, it was pretty good. it was amazing walkingthe path again, when you learn it with your feet it is amazeing what you remember. i could have found it without a guide. 2 years ago right at the beginning there was an elderly man picking cucumbers from his field, this is the sabbath year and his field was unplanted. I said a special pray for G-d to bless him for his obedience to Torah, as there were many fields that were planted. we also had a special treat in that we went to Meggido, some of you will recognize it as Har Meggido or Armegedon. it was very heavy, for we stood ontop of the alter that would have been used for infant sacrifices during the time of Abraham. it is too graphic to put on here so you will have to wait to hear what they did, but it breaks my heart. there was also a tunnel much like hezzekiah's tunnel but much smaller, but still impressive. Meggido is the largest tell in Israel, gezer is the second having 29 layers of civilization. Meggido has 77, it is crazy, but if you wanted to control the world the easiest way was to control Meggido. we then went to some place very special, the place most likely referred to in mark 1:35 and Luke 6:12. Mount Arbel. it was an amazing hike that i had serious doubts about our group making, but they did. it was awesome. up on the top we talked about what kind of dedication it takes to hike up to a place like that just to pray for someone. sorry adults, i didn't eally pray for you, but i did pray for you children, many of them by name. i laid on my face and with all the fire i can muster i earnestly battled for them. we owe it to them to pray for them as we have never prayed before, with all the energy it takes to climb a mountain and more. they are the treasure G-d is trusting us with and what a treasure it is. Let's lead them by example to be the men and women G-d is calling them to be. it was also cool that we prayed for our disciples and mine happened to be up there with me.
we are all exhausted and i have a sweet tan line, you will all be jealous. tonight is our last night in Galilee before we move to Jerusalem. I can't wait to see it again. I pray that many of you are seriously considering the October trip, my heart leaps at the idea of sharing an experience like this with those in our community.

Tben

P.S. Brooke I love you

morning thoughts (the lost chronicle)

2008-06-05T22:01:00.005-05:00

The sun will be up soonand the day will begin, I am asking myself agan, "who are you and what are you doing here?" It seems almost simple to answer as i walk through the brambles, the sharp thorns cutting my legs as i go. It even seems easy here, in the early morning at the kibbutz. But who are we really? what are we really doing here? why is it such a difficult question at home where things become practiced? what does it take to know no matter where you are or what you are doing. Sitting in the ancient bathouse on a toilet that is at least 1300 years old, the greek in me says, "hay this is pretty comfortable, i could use this." It makes me think however, how often do i get sucked in by that very kind of thinking. toilets aren't bad, if fact they are one of my favorite inventions. think of what life would be like in a city of a million people if there were no toilets. i know right. i also realize that the hellenistic way of life lead to where i was the toilet. Rome, because of its depraived society, was destroyed by farmers with sticks and rocks. it would be like if Uganda conquered the United States. i also see the difference in the world views and even now by looking at the ruins you can tell what they valued. in the jewish cities, you find large houses with many chambers extending off a common court yard, narrow roads, and every synagogue has a school. in the Roman cities you find all these decadent buildings, theaters, arenas, public spas, shopping centers. they have wide roads paved with cut stones and drains, and gymnasiums which you would attend naked because man is the measure of all things. In the Jewish ruins it is clear that family was the ceter, that they desired community above all else, and sometimes hundreds lived in the same house. In the Roman ruins self was the center, pleasure and finding what was right for you was what guided their liveseach having their own big house. as i am asking myself, i ask you to ask with me, what would my ruins tell the world? breakfast is starting but i will leave you with this, "big is the gate and wide is the road that leads to destruction, but narrow is the road that leads to life."

Tben

P.S. Brooke I still love you

this is the one that was lost

by the Jordan

2008-06-05T13:35:00.004-05:00

today was one of the best days we have had yet. we started off the day by going to the Jordan river, it was amazing to be there in that place again. we had two high school students that got baptized for the first time there, it was amazing. but for me that wasn't the best part. first i got to help while Emily and Caleb did mikvah in the Jordan and then do it myself. i also prayed for our community in general and many of you specifically there. i hope to be bringing home water for the church from the Jordan. one of the prayers i had for our community was Psalm 133. it could be the most improtant Psalm for a community in my opinion, sorry you will have to look it up. also during calebs 16 rite of passage dinner i read him a verse from Jeremiah 12:5 and it says; "if you have raced with men on foot, and they have wearied you, how will you compete with horses? And if you are worn out on flat ground, what will you do in the thickets by the Jordan?" I told caleb that he was a man that i would be proud to walk through the thickets with and today we walked through those thickets. i wept. it was awesome to see so many people desperately seeking to follow G-d with all their heart, with all their soul, and all their might. it brings me great joy to think that one day i will trudge through the thickes by the Jordan with many of you. I took a rock and wrote the Riverside community on it and placed it on top of another rock by the river as a standing stone to all that may come. i wrestled with G-d over you and i believe we will see great things in our community.
we also went to Bet She'an, it was hot, getting to 120F we had to move through it fairly wuickly but it still makes me sad. Alexander the Great was willing to do way more to promote his world view than christians are willing to today with theirs. we spend so much on so little and when it come to showing people the love of jesus we don't have enough. breaks y heart.
we came back to the hotel early but wnet past it down to the dock where a big wodden boat met us and took us across the Sea of Galilee. as we are leaving the dock i ask the man, can i drive? "come, come" he says and i steered the boat across the sea. it was a great experience to think of Jesus and his disciples following a similar path as they made their way to the decapolis. don't worry dad you would have been proud as i captained our boat. we went up to susita and talked about witnessing, and some of the people shared theirs. my heart aches for somee of these people as they have dealt with some difficult tragedies. once again mh heart yearns to be with you all here sharing our lives, walking the same paths, encouringing each other because we can do it. it brings tears to my eyes to think that one day we might help each other over the rocks in timna or through the rushing water of the Jordan. trying to see what it is like to truely live in G-ds type of community.
I know there is not much teaching from me, my hope is that in October we will be here again together. it is too hard to try to explain in the time that i have what we learned, but know that my heart is pleading for you and my spirit will not give up until G-d blesses us. I pray that we will "stand at the crossroads and look, ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is and walk in it. then we will find rest for our souls"

Tben

P.S. Brooke I still love you

real quick

2008-06-04T22:15:00.002-05:00

well i don't have long before the morning starts and we are off, could be that we are going to the Jordan river, could not. i am going to have the same breakfast i have had everyday, at least it is good. Good news honey i didn't buy anything from Kojak, or should i say dad since last time i used your credit card. whatever, the morning are getting a little harder each day but after the easier day yesterday i am looking forward to a pretty full day today. i will try to bring some living water back from the Jordan, we will see. I also adopted our guide Walid who has been with us while Boaz is with RVL, i told him he was welcome in texas anytime and that he could stay with us. he said that his house was mine which is great because its worth like a million dollars because of the land its on. So honey we now have a house in Israel, sweet. anyway I am wearing my riverside t-shirt today so guess who is coming in the Jordan with me. we will pray for you all.

Tben

P.S. brooke i Love you more

early evening

2008-06-04T12:11:00.003-05:00

well today we had a great day, we started the day at a place that is very special to me, a place i like to call Gamla. this is where the zealots lived during the time of Jesus, biblially it says Jesus spoke in all the synagogues in the area and the only one for that time that was not built on top of. so the bema could very possibly be the same one Jesus spoke on. that is so cool. but it has more significance for me because most likely if i had lived during that time i ight have died there fighting the Romans. we left there and driving through the war torn Golon heights we went to Caesarea Phillipi. the Golon height do not look like they seem on TV. No war, no bullets, no bombs. it was a beautiful sight and was safe than spring branch road. by the way RVL and Todd say hello. well tonight we get to talk with Kojak. for those of you who don't know Kojak is the one who made my ring here and he looks exactly the same. Gamla is a good reminder that we cannot use the worlds techniques to try to bring about G-d's will we must use G-d's way to bring about his will. Well emily keeps looking at me like she thinks because this is her computer she should get to use it. so write to you all soon, oh and i got us a mission trip to Canada, OH Ca na Da.

Tben

P.S. I Brooke I love you

good morning

2008-06-03T22:13:00.002-05:00

we know that people are reading, its just that it cost us 2 dollars for every 15 minutes that we are on and like now i have to get up a 5 in the morning to post. its just nice for us to hear from you also. we think of you all often on the trip and and are blessed by the comment you make. we have breakfast in a few minutes and then begin another day in Galilee. i am not sure but i think we are going to cesarea phillipi, we will see. I am excited whatever the day brings. there are so many wonderful people on this trip, i am pretty sure i have all their names and have definately had time to talk to all of them. it has also been awesome to share the experience with Brent again. we are adopting two canadians they will be coming to visit sometime with their families. and i think more, more of them want to live in texas. gotta go eat, i will pray deeply for you all today wherever we go

Tben

P.S. Brooke I love you.

THE SEA OF GALILEE

2008-06-03T12:25:00.003-05:00

After an awesome day today of visiting the triangle of Capernaum, Chorazin and Bethsaida, we returned to the kabbutz, changed into our swimming suits really fast and headed toward the sea of Galilee. It was so refreshing! although the dead sea was really unique, this was much better to jump into after a long day.

Yesterday was awesome as well, highlighted by a visit to Qumran the home of the Essenes, and probably better know as the place where the dead sea scrolls were found.

Anyway I don't really know how much more I should blog because A)It doesn't look like anyone is reading, at least not commenting:)and B)Every minute cost money which goes back to point

If any of you read this I hope everything is going well:)

is anyone listening

2008-06-03T12:13:00.001-05:00

if no one is going to respond I ain't bloggin

Tben

P.S. Brooke I still love you

the triangle

2008-06-03T11:58:00.001-05:00

Today we went to Capernahum, chorazin and bethsaida. It was awsome, a bit lighter day walking, at least it was flat walking, but great teaching. i have had lots of things to think about wandering through the cities and feilds where Jesus would have walked, listening to the words he spoke. it is always amazing to see it come to life. we talked about insula today and it reminds me how blessed i am to have the people in my acacia group that i do. it is awsome to be able to share life with people you love as G-d intended. I am also reminded that there is more G-d wants for us if we are willing to trust him. its easy to see in the picture of following someone, realizing how often you quietly question their judgement. it is sad really and humbling knowing that all the time i silently, and sometimes loudly question G-d's judgement. hearing the story of Phillip and his daughters is a tough reminder not to give up. we did get back early and went a swimming in the sea of Galilee, huge contrast with the dead sea. the salt from the dead sea permanently stained my shorts and was like hot bath water. the sea of galilee was cool almost cold and so refreshing after a hot day of walking. we take for granted how important water is to life, but here it is so easy to see, I pray that all of you have the chance to understand this experience some day soon.

Tben

P.S. Brooke I love you

brooke's typing too

2008-06-02T21:59:00.002-05:00

i see that you just commented so i just wanted to say again i love you, and wish you were here, you bring me living water daily. thank you.

Love Tben

here comes the sun

2008-06-02T21:41:00.003-05:00

its just about time for the sun to come up over the sea of Galilee. The bible says, "For those who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays." i am very tired this morning but wanted to just hop on for a moment. soon we will be wandering the hills and towns of Galilee and really probably come as close to actually walking where Jesus walked as possible. evidently I need long pants for this first place we are going which should tell those of you who have been where that is. it is so hard not to tell people what is going on. you get so excited, like when you're a kid and going to your grandparents house and you start to recognize land marks and realize you are soooo close. my feet are much better and i pray they will hold out G-d will give me feet for whatever path he has for me today. i do realize that they must have had pretty rough feet back then, they only had sandles. caleb and i are trying to learn hebrew by watching Israeli soap opera's, music videos,etc.. so far not working so well. we even watched and Israeli basketball game, i think caleb pretended the winner was the spurs. he is not coping well with their loss. well the sn is up and i have to get ready for breakfast love you all. more to night after swimming in the sea of galilee.

Brooke brad and shallon and thier 7 month old are moving to Israel in two weeks to study. brad seems very excited and was very excited to see me but i think he called scott a pansy, i don't know. oh and i need to work on my sunscreen skills.

Tben

P.S. Brooke I still love you

Tears in the Desert

2008-06-02T13:49:00.003-05:00

we left the desert today after visiting Ein Gedi and Qumran. It was very difficult for some of the group and it has cost us some of the sights but it has been great getting to know the people and who they really are. I was very sad to see the desert go but am excited about being in Galilee. We arrived at our hotel and i ran into someone I knew a man named RVL has a group here also and Brad grey is his facilitator. they said hi to the group. it is great to see RVL something about him always makes me smile. bless G-d for the men who lead these trips for those of us who are hungry. RVL talked about the trip in OCtober and is very excited to have us, Brooke get ready cause I want to go and I am not coming with out you. I even saw Kojak the guy who made my ring. we did hike a different trail at ein gedi u the wadi eingot, it was pretty sweet but my feet are a little mushy after being wet all day. I hope they are better tomorrow. Ein gedi reminded me that we are to be like streams of living water in the desert, which means we have to be in the desert. without the desert the water loses its meaning. we need to be a place that gives life to those who are in the desert. a great picture that i am working out in my head. sorry about no pictures we are having some technical difficulties hopefully now that we are at one place a few days we will be able to get some up. we drove through the west bank today and it might have been the most unexciting part of the trip so far, if it weren't for the fact that the airconditioner in the bus froze over and it was blazing hot. this is truely a beautiful land and an inspiring place i pray that G-d is moving in many of you to take the trip in Oct. because I desparately want to share this experience with you. i continue to be humbled by some of the men helping and sacrificing for their wives. I was so proud of becky(the lady with no knees) she twisted it at the end of the day yesterday but she pushed through like a champ, and even better she gave G-d the glory. it has only benn 5 days and yet it seems like weeks, and even now I know it will not last much longer. we will look for G-d in all that we do and try not to miss a moment of the time we have with him in this special place. I will try to get up at five and write some more but now its time for bed.

Tben

P.S. Brooke, I Love you

The Desert and The SPURS (G-d's Team)

2008-06-01T22:11:00.002-05:00

well, my post won't be as long as Ben's because 1)I'm not a ver good blogger and 2)it is almost breakfast and I'm definitely not going to miss that. Yesterday was so awesome we got to hike for hours up and down some super steep trails. For most of the trip i was right behind Todd, but once we were near the top i got to stop and wait for the rest of the group at one of the hardest parts to elp and encourage them. To see some of the people pushing their limit and giving everything was really amazing. Also, because I was down the mountain right with Todd, i got to run water back up to the people who were still coming.

On the SPURS side of things I got to vent a little on my hatred for the boston/l.a.(all lowercase) series on about a two hour bus ride yesterday...while it did help to vent I'm still in agony over it. PLEASE G-D CAN THEY BOTH JUST LOSE!

I hope all is well at home. Everything here is amazing and i can't wait to get home and see all of you(especially Emma because i haven't seen you in forever!)

early in the morning

2008-06-01T21:49:00.003-05:00

Hey all, we are back at the dead sea and as i am writing i can see the sun coming up on the other side over the mountains of moab. it is pretty amazing. yesterday we were in timna and it was b far te hardest hike of any of the trips that i have been on. we hiked from the entrance of the park over the highest mountain in it all the way to solomons pillars. it was over 4 and a half miles not countint the altitude and it was between 105 and 110. i really thought we might have a mutiny at several points. but we made it and everyone has a new appreciation for the forty years of wandering. last night when we returned to the dead sea we were able to go down to the dead sea and float the water, and yes it was as fun as i remember and i believe all my chaffing will be gone soon. i brought a handfull of the salt(and other minerals) back and hopefully will make it through customs with it. it is pretty sweet. i am also realizing what a blessing it was to have brought my wife with me the last time, one because of the shared experience we had but also because she took way better care of me than Caleb does. i have to bring my own snacks and keep up with the gatorade, clean up my bathroom stuff, do my laundry, and even pack my own suitcase. let me tell you its for the birds, not that we have seen many in the desert.
its funny brooke that you don't think i am funny because everyone here does so whatever. i just wanted to make sure people were loving on you and thought that would seal it for sure. i love you and no ps i love you is not healthy for boys to watch. i will say one other thing, i had the pleasure of walking with craig and becky yesterday down from Timna, becky has no knees, arthritis has nearly ruined them. going down was very hard for her and she wept over not thinking she could make it. but her husband craig held her and nearly carried her the whole way. which being that it was like 2 and a half miles and dropped more than the snake path at masada(2700 feet) was a humbling experience to watch, he could easily be at the front if he wanted. it was an amazing example of what a husband should be and makes my eyes water everytime i think of it. i am sorry honey that i am not that for you. so husbands out there get it together we look pretty sorry right now.

be strong, be strong, and be couragous.

Tben
P.S. Brooke I love you.

For Brooke's eyes only!!!!!

2008-05-31T13:09:00.002-05:00

You guys are terrible trying to read this blog, if your not Brooke turn back now. still reading aren't you. Fine, Honey since we obviously can't be alone I will just tell you that I do miss you and wish you were here. Caleb is great but he won't let me snuggle with him. we need to really try for october. i love you and pray that god is close to you now as he is close to me. give the dogs and mini's a kiss for me, next time we'll bring tina and bandit and a cart and they can pull us around, this walking is for the non-mini horse owners. I even asked an Israeli guy on my plane if they let mini horses in israel, he looked at me strange and then he asked about them. I think i won him over. love you and don't tell everyone your pregnant.

love you but need sleep

Tben

ps sorry 4 the spellin i is tird

Mitzpe Ramon-Caleb

2008-05-31T13:00:00.002-05:00

well Ben told me that if I didn't think the Israel was any good that he would pay for my trip, so...unless things change soon, Brooke you'll probably be paying me some money.....The truth is so far it has been amazing and although it has only been two and a half days, it feels like I have been here two weeks. Looking back at how much has happened and I have learned in two and a half days, i am extremely excited to see what is still to come. I hope all is well at home.
Caleb

at mitspe ramon

2008-05-31T12:44:00.003-05:00

Well we have madeit through three days. Sorry we have not been blogging but we hae been just too tired. the plane ride over was fantastic. the plane was small and did not have personal tvs, so we got to watch P.S. I Love You. thanks to my lovely wife i have now seen it twice in one week, and am starting to question my masculinity. we finally arrived in Israel and jumped off the bus and into Gezer. it was a great first day, it was amazing how familiar it was even after two years. i could still pick out the tree we stopped under and even the places we left the path to trudge through the thistles, yes my legs are cut up. the next day we traveled through the shephelah revisiting Zorah, Azekah, Aijalon, Maresha, Elah, and a new stop at Lachish. i almost died walking up Zorah, it was as hard as I remembered it to be. And today was our first day in the desert. It was awsome to be at Arad again but one of the coolest things was revisiting Hadija's house, i could still remember the women, they haven't changed, but the kids have grown. Cathy's girl with the shoes on the wrong feet was there but she has grown. i almost couldn't believe it. then we went to Masada where everyone almost died, it was so hot, water is our friend. but we all made it and are rehydrating ourselves for tomorrow. tonight we are staying at Mitzpe Ramon and looked at the crater before we came to the hotel. we packed our over night bags so we can't upload any pictures but we will tomorrow night once we return to the dead sea, its still dead. i am beat and its my turn for the shower so i just want everyone to know we are fine and the trip is amazing, be writing more soon.

Tben

P.S. Brooke I love you

Check out Emily's blog

2008-05-30T15:19:00.001-05:00

For those of you looking for updates on Ben, Caleb and Emily also be sure to check out Emily's blog. She updated it today.

Brooke

It Seems So Surreal

2008-05-27T20:12:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow we head to Israel for a new journey. It all seems so surreal at this point, I suppose it will hit me when we get on the plane tomorrow. Hopefully, throughout the trip Emily, Caleb and I will be able to keep everyone updated via this blog. So check back in the next few days for more details. Tben

Goodbye Jordan

2008-04-12T01:11:00.000-05:00

WE'RE COMING HOME!!!! We'll try to clean up a little first : )

We ended the trip yesterday at one of Herod's many desert fortresses located in Jordan - Machaerus. From the top of the mountain, you can look out across the Dead Sea into Israel. This is the palace where Herod imprisoned John the Baptist before beheading him in his banquet hall. It was a pretty powerful way to tie things together. Something that hit me was the fact that John lived everyday boldly doing what he was put on earth to do. I've always just looked at the day of his death as his sacrificial obedience, but he was that way every day.

Last night was went to a fancy fish restaurant. I love the way they eat here. They serve food communal style bringing out lots of dishes of olives, cheeses, hummus - all sorts of good stuff and you put what you want on your plate and dip your fresh yummy pita bread into it and eat up. I don't know what all we ate, but it was good. About the time we thought the meal was over, they brought out the main course - fish, lamb and chicken. We stayed the night at the most fancy hotel of the trip - luggage was put through x-ray machine before we could go in.

Camel conversations . . .

So we're sitting at the airport in Amman waiting to board. We are starting to say goodbye to film crew and audience group as some of us are already flying different directions. One more hotel in Chicago, then God-willing home to SA tomorrow afternoon.

Thanks for sharing the trip with us!
Cathi & Scott

Leaving Jerusalem

2008-04-10T13:36:00.000-05:00

It is with mixed feelings that we leave Jerusalem. It would be an amazing place to live for 6 months - to really dig in and learn where things are - to FEEL the city. We've had a fast and furious 3 days here. We ended tonight on the Mount of Olives talking about Christ on the night of His arrest. It was amazingly beautiful to film outside under the moonlight in a garden full of olive trees. From there you can look across the Kidron Valley into the Old City and see where Jesus was tried and crucified. It is such a privilege to walk in such an ancient place, see the old stone roads and just imagine. Did you know that where Abraham caught the ram to be sacrificed in Issac's place is practically in the same place as where Christ died? It is as if God is telling the same story over and over again - same story, different characters and everthing coming to fulfillment in Jesus. Hmmmmmmm......

We leave in the morning for Jordan for one last day of filming. Then on Sat. we head to the airport to come home!!!!!!!! Very much looking forward to seeing the kids, our family and all of you. We have missed you dearly - but you have been with us!

God is good and His love endures forever,
Cathi

p.s. Scott went back to the Western Wall tonight for one last visit - he's hooked.

The Gan

2008-04-09T10:27:00.002-05:00

Alive and well from Qumran yesterday.

Today we spent a lot of time looking at the terraced "gardens" of Israel. They are called gans and they teach powerful lessons. They are small and don't look like they would produce a lot - and they don't- they provide just enough. Olive trees, grape vines and fig trees- part of the land flowing with milk and honey that God promised the Israelites.

Each gan has a retaining wall to keep top soil from getting away. Your wall is below your garden. You see the picture of community in that each level of gan effects another. If your neighbor's retaining wall has a problem or hole, it affects all other gans below it. And likewise, you have to maintain yours for the benefit of others. Look at the picture and see if you can see the terracing. It made Scott & I proud of Riverside's Hope Center- that is definitely one way our community reaches out and helps others who need help with their gan.

We are about to have dinner and then go for a quick walk into the Old City before it gets too dark.

Love and blessings,
Cathi & Scott

Qumran and Jerusalem

2008-04-08T11:36:00.000-05:00

This morning we woke up on the Dead Sea. It has been strangely cool this trip. We usually begin our day in long sleeves. A strange feeling in the desert. But, a welcome relief from the 120 degrees that we have experienced before.

Today we visited the Essene community of Qumran. This is where many of the Dead Sea scrolls were found. The settlement at the bottom of the mountain is completely excavated and really powerful to study.

We did a great study on Mikvah, Conversion Ritual Cleansing, and Baptism. Really cleared up a few things. Look forward to sharing....

A prominent peice of the day included an exporation of an anaqueduct that brought "living water" (water brought by G-d) from the wadi in the mountain down to the ritual baths (mikveot) in Qumran. It is an incredible structure running along and even though the dolomite mountainside. The moving realization about the aqueduct was that it was not the most practical and definetely not the easiest way to move water for use. But, it was the only way to get "living water" which was needed to be obedient.

How far are we, am I, willing to go to be obedient?
What would an explorer find out about us 2000 years later?
What would it say about our community?
What would it say about the intensity of our faithfulness?

This evening we drove into Jerusalem. There are few words to describe the feeling of coming over a hill, or in our case out of a tunnel, to see the city laid out in front of you. The busload gasped and then went dead quiet.

There is so much to share personally. There is so much to share about our community. There is so much to share about Jesus. There is so much.

Cathi and I are not sure how this will all come out. We will need some time to digest it all.

Our next two days are here in Jerusalem. More tomorrow night!

Shema,
Scott and Cathi

En Gedi

2008-04-07T11:55:00.000-05:00

How fitting for us to be at a place called En Gedi and talking about living water only to come back to the hotel to find letters of encouragement from our community! Ya'll are an like living water to us! How perfectly timed - or could that be God's little love note to us as well?!

We had a beautiful hike today all around Wadi David. These are the same mountains David hid from Saul and possibly where Jesus faced his temptation. RVL did an amazing teaching correlating lessons learned in the Exodus and Christ's temptation. (Can't say too much and blow some of Scott's future sermon's!) We actually stopped early today - had lunch at 3:30 and finished the day by 4:30 - very unlike RVL - we weren't quite sure what to do with ourselves!

We head for Qumran tomorrow - amazing hike - and then to Jerusalem. We are enjoying the opportunity to be here and study - I've only once accosted a mother with a newborn for a quick cuddle - did my heart good! Thank you again for all your sweet support - love & blessings,
Cathi & Scott

At The Dead Sea

2008-04-06T10:11:00.001-05:00

We are at the Dead Sea tonight and tomorrow. Brooke, Ben & Karl - you were with us in spirit today. RVL was explaining that this last year, Israel got little to no rain. Tribes of Bedowin's have been having to send their flocks via trucks to more northern areas of the country for adequate grazing grounds. Just when we thought we wouldn't see any flocks - our friend Kylen spotted some - which means the bus immediately pulled over and we all RACED off the bus, down a hill, over a hillside to try and catch up with them. (I was personally relieved that the flock slowed down - RVL would have followed them all the way back to the Red Sea!) The flock did turn back and the film crew arrived just intime to capture the sheperdess calling out and singing to them. They know their sheperd's voice - perfect picture of God being our gentle shepherd and His desire for us to know His voice. It was stunning to watch them graze on the paths of righteousness - yes that is what they are really called.

Started off the day at Timna where the Egyptians ran a copper smelting slave camp. You can see examples of their worship at different points including worship of Hathor - which includes a calf. Sound familiar? Imagine smelting copper in 120 degree heat! They also have recreated the Tabernacle. Scott won't let me give away the teaching on the Tabernacle - huge insights and oh my gosh - I've never been interested or cared before, but I'll say it is another way God is trying to tell His story.

We have 2 big hiking days to come then off to Jerusalem. Trying to post some more photos later tonight. Love to everyone - God is good and His love endures forever.

Cathi & Scott

A Few Pictues Too!

2008-04-05T12:49:00.001-06:00

Our Bedowin friends -served as guides and chefs! They made fresh bread for us - cooked in the ground by covering it with hot ashes. Can't wait to try this at home - bread anyone?

Today just after crossing border into Israel. Gulf of Acuba behind us- beautiful!

Israel At Last!

2008-04-05T12:29:00.000-06:00

We made it! Yeah- we all feel so good to be here. Better food, better accomodations and a lighter feel all the way around. We have a new appreciation for why God brought the Israelites out of Egypt! The scenery there was beautiful, but it is a very dirty, dusty, grimy place. So much air pollution that you couldn't completely see the sun set at night. We all laughed at dinner tonight that at our Egyptian hotel, they were rotating the meat around as and presenting it as a new dish - we were all sustaining ourselves with hard-boiled eggs, rice and bread.
Communication will be much easier now too. In Egypt the entire group had to share one computer placed in a smokey, urine-smelling lobby. So we would all just take turns checking emails from home.

So what are we doing each day?! Laughing a lot, learning a bunch and hiking everywhere. There are about 22 pl. in the audience group and another group of 25 make up the film crew. They are incredible- they have been carrying gear everywhere we hike! Only once on Jebul Catrina did they have help from camels. We get to a teaching spot, lay out where RVL will teach from and where we will stand, they set up their cameras then we re-hike in. They film the teaching and film us hiking out. Then we have to repeat the walk ins and outs a few times for different camera angles, etc. There are always 3 camera's going. 2on RVL and one catching our reactions. It's difficult sometimes to keep engaged when there is a camera right in your face. The team is incredibly gifted. They sense who is moved when and they are on it! It's fun to watch it all.

The main teaching theme of the trip is about how God is telling a story. He started it with Adam & Eve and it has continued throughout history and includes us today. Same story just different characters. If you remember our Isreal trip 2 years ago, we studied Herod quite a bit and how his "kingdom" juxtaposed Jesus's kingdom. We see that same theme in Pharoah. The world keeps trying to sell us the "anti-kingdom" (power and might are what's important) versus God's kingdom of love, mercy and compassion. It has been fascinating to see what the Israelites picked up from the Egyptian culture and how God is so patient and loving as He tried to re-teach them and as He tries to re-teach us today.

I'll write more tomorrow. We have the best community ever and we love you all!
Cathi & Scott

Leaving Sinai

2008-04-04T11:51:00.000-06:00

Well, we've had 4 nights in the Sinai! I think we've climbed every mountain here and gone through every wadi as well. (valley created by flood waters.) RVL has some amazing footage from the Egyptian desert, so tomorrow, we head for Israel's desert. More mountains anyone?! Egypt has had a very different feel and look and we're all looking forward to a change.

Our biggest day here was climbing Jebul Catarina. It is the highest mountain out here standing at 8,652 feet. It took us 6 1/2 hrs to get to the top, but God got us all up there! 3 hrs. to get down and some wobbly legs too. Amazing that Moses climbed it 4 different times - God could you speak to us on our first time up?! Great analogy for how much effort we will put into hearing from God.

One of our girls got dehydrated on the mountain today. A camel came up to help take her down. She was not impressed with the ride, but I kept reassuring her that even though she was miserable, she'd look back at the day and smile. She's running a fever - we're praying she is better by morning - prayers for Andrea, 17.

We are so excited to head to Israel tomorrow. We love you all and hope all is well at home. While hiking, we share stories of Riverside and our amazing community and all the powerful ways God is moving. Ya'll are famous!

Thank you for your continued prayers! We can't post pictures here, but our friend can on hers- she's putting one of us on it - dirtfromthedesert.blogspot.com - so kids if you read this go give us a smile back.

Blessings and peace,
Cathi

At Sinai

2008-04-03T13:00:00.000-06:00

WOW!

We have been in the desert of Sinai for the last few days. The lessons we have learned here will last a lifetime. It will also take us a while to digest it all. We are already planning to share in a few different ways, but we won't be in a rush. More on all of that later...

We have found a better more equipped blogger among us...Check out dirtfromthedesert.blogspot.com

SHEMA,
S