I'm off

Today is the day,

I'm off to Austria on the coattails of the worst blizzard they've had in decades. Hopefully this will only marginally inconvenience our travels.

My good friend Christian has already written to inform us that he will be at the Munich airport to pick us up eliminating the hassle of shuttle transportation to Austria. You could not ask for a better scenario; a direct flight to Germany and a friend picking you up when you arrive.

I purchased a digital camera yesterday and hopefully I will be able to adequately use it while I'm there. There are so many options and bells and whistles that I hardly know where to start, but I'm sure that the user's guide will make fine bed-time reading.

I'm looking forward to sharing when I get back and my plan is to journal as well so hopefully I'll have some good blog material. If not I'm positive that it will be a capital time nonetheless.

Pray for safe travels,

Freaky Friday

I was checking my e-mail when I ran into a forwarded msg by my friend Christian. Someone had sent him a craigslist ad and he obviously wanted me to check it out. Here it is..

Paul Hurley
Reply to: mailto:comm-115336081@craigslist.org?subject=Paul%20Hurley%20Date: 2005-12-02, 3:57PM ESTLooking for an old friend, Paul Hurley, that I lost touch with. He would be 27 now, his bday is 5/23. Some mutual friends said that moved to northern VA but they didn't know how to get in touch with him, either. He worked for a construction company in Sandston so he may be doing construction up there. He grew up in and his family is from Middlesex county. If anyone knows him or knows how to reach him, please let me know! I can give out my info so he can contact me so you know I'm not a stalker or anything! Thanks!



And by the way....that is most definitely me...every detail.

Can't wait to find out who it is.

It's been a good weekend

I just want to take a second to publicly thank God for such a good weekend.
There were birthdays, gatherings, great discussions, and God's presence throughout it all.
He even gave me an opportunity to bring a non-believer to church and indications show that the guy will more than likely return.
It's all just so sweet. It was the kind of weekend that leaves you on a spiritual high for many days after.

Thank you Jesus

Rwanda Journal Day 5

8-14-05

We woke up early to get breakfast. We ordered the usual, American breakfast with amazing fruit salad and a Spanish omelet (w/out tomatoes for myself). We participated in the English service which started at 8:30 and I had to pick two songs to sing. I chose Holy & Anointed one and Alleluia Amazing Grace. We only had time to do the latter and it was the worst choice of my musical leadership career. Nonetheless, we were lied to and told that we sounded great.

Afterwards we headed to Gisenyi to meet w/ Bishop Alexis. I felt sick almost the entire trip. We arrived to find that we were staying at the Anglican complex and it was beautiful. We stayed in quaint huts, 2 boys 2 girls, that overlooked a lake. Needless to say, we were well accommodated.

After lunch, we headed out into a remote village in the province to discovery over a hundred Rwandanese waiting for us. We sang and praised with them for a few hours and it was the first time I felt like I was in Africa. Poverty was obvious but joy was as well. Even though we were in a sort of barn with a dirt floor we were so happy to finally have a chance to really be with the people. The experience overwhelmed me and I had to take time out that night.

I wrestled with God that night. I don't know if he met with me or not but I was determined to meet with him.

The night ended with what was referred to as family time with Eric, Jeannie, and Laura. Lots of laughter, some music, and Ambien led to good sleep and a few ticked off teammates due to the noise that come from the hut.

Gascony Conclave

This weekend I found myself in a secluded little town in Eastern Virginia known as Kilmarnock. I was there on official "send off" business in regards to the wedding of one John Brian Anderson whose single status ends Dec. 10th of this year. It was a rich weekend.
We stayed on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay at former senator Paul Trible's estate. The house (the one we stayed at) was built in the seventeen hundreds and is decorated with pictures of Paul and Ronald Reagan as well as family pictures from several generations. The room of main attraction is the den which includes a fireplace and a bay window that offers a view of windmill point and the Chesapeake Bay. The property is surrounded by fields and a refreshing sense of peace. (sounds and looks like a travel brochure...my apologies)
We, being Jake, John, Matt, and myself, arrived late Friday night after a stop in Tappahanock to gather supplies from Wal-mart and to trump each other's lack of dietary care as we ordered our meals from the local Wendy's. As we turned into the Gascony driveway, we were greeted with a fireworks display put on by none other than the host and John's best friend Barrett Peters. I have to take a moment to applaud Barrett for being a laid back yet thoughtful and organized host throughout the entire event. There was a short time of discussion before we each selected our beds and rested for the upcoming day.
The next day started with breakfast followed by prayer and worship. The rest of the participants began showing up around 11:00 am and soon after we were shooting skeet and grilling hamburgers. The culmination of the daylight events occurred as we migrated to a selected location for a one on one introduction to a M1 30 caliber and an AK-47 assault rifle. Target practiced ensued and we all developed a new respect for the weapons of war and those who wield them to protect our country. It was an empowering yet humbling experience simultaneously.
We returned to the house to shower and then we headed off into the sleepy town of Kilmarnock for dinner. We ate and laughed and shared stories of our families and of ourselves as well as some of John and Kiersten (his bride to be). The dinner ended and we headed back to Gascony for a final word given by George Madison and a time of prayer for our dear brother John. George's message came from Ephesians where Paul is describing the four types of people of the world; the natural man, the spiritual man, the newborn believer, and the backslider believer. The words rang true as the Bible always does and they seeped inside of us with challenge and conviction. The entire weekend was a call to action which included us understanding that we all are not only to be men of Jesus but also that we are responsible for John and Kiersten's marriage. As a community, we shoulder this responsibility together and should encourage and continually speak wisdom to these two and any others that we have relationships with.
This is an interesting point that we should all consider within our various relationships. Are we supportive or do we tear down and just as worse...do we do nothing? On a relational level, are these not the questions we have to consider. These are the very questions and dynamics we use when discussing our obedience to God and all of his commandments. We are to always be hot, but never lukewarm. My friend Sam and I discussed a similar issue recently and it seems the likely solution is a prayer for sustenance. Sustain us with your fire Lord. We wish to not be cold nor lukewarm, but burning with your Spirit so that it is light projected from us leaving no room for shadow and darkness. Burn within us gracious Father and burn within John and Kiersten.
I wish you two the best and hope and pray for many years of happiness and a neverending desire for God's kingdom. God keep and bless you both always.

Rwanda Journal Day 4 & An Austrian Teaser

It seems like a good time to publish another chapter of the Rwandan Journal.

I'm also announcing that I'm going to Austria in late Dec. and will hopefully have many pictures and fun tales of snowboarding the Alps, missions to remote monasteries, and expeditions to Northern Italy. It should be riveting.

Rwanda Journal 8-13-05

This particular entry is only a list meant to help me remember. Obviously I never went back to capture everything, but I'll do my best to disclose what I do remember.

The list:
-Wedding
-I was called a mazungu (sp?)
-Little kid grazed me
-Jake's zit
-Great talk w/ Eric
-met people from Oklahoma City (Allen from Ethiopia)
-Saw Paul Kagame (president of Rwanda)
-Felt utterly disconnected from everything and like I had zero purpose (nothing new for any of us I'm sure)


Wow... this is bringing back some great memories.
That morning started with us going to the Kigali parish compound to get prepared for Dr. Zac and Erin Senga's wedding. (the ambassador of Rwanda to the US)
Sam and Kim went out before us and when we arrived we discovered that Kim had ventured off into the streets by herself. (not smart)
Sam and I were dispatched to search for her which led to some really wonderful encounters for me. As we rounded the corner past the parish, we found ourselves on a street lined with shacks and Rwandans of all ages. A young boy spotted us and quickly announced to the whole neighborhood "mazungu, mazungu" which means white person. It's not a derogatory term like you might think. It is simply the word for white person.
We continued along the streets and found no signs of Kimberly (later known as Kim from Berlin).
Eventually we decided to head back to the compound and as we did we passed close to a mother and her young boy. As we passed each other, the young boy reached out and touched my leg. He just wanted to touch me because I was white and he probably rarely saw any white people. This made me extremely happy because I had been waiting for that moment ever since I decided to go on the trip. Children are such a gift.

Mazungu Identifier



The wedding was similar to a traditional American wedding except for a few details. There was definitely more singing and more preaching. I think Dan had to speak three times (two of which I don't think he knew about it) They also receive an offering from all of those gathered. The bride and groom stand in front with baskets and everyone comes and gives them a monetary gift. (of course they ended up donating all of the money)


The reception on the other hand only resembles ours by the fact that there is food, music and dancing. This little event seemed to go on for hours and hours. One group would dance then three men would stand up and declare what gifts they were giving to the family (typically livestock) and then more dancers would perform and then someone would sing and then....
I thought it would never stop.
It was a great experience and we were fortunate to be a part of it, but when you are sitting in your seat for about four hours you tend to get a little restless. There were a few bright points that I must mention. One is that we sang for the crowd which included president Kagame and his wife. Two, we had the opportunity to experience Rwandan traditions like the dancers as well as the Bride and Groom feeding those who gathered for the reception. They both went into the crowd and served us cake. I thought that it was an interesting and tender tradition that connected all to the newlyweds (although they were already technically married but that's another discussion).



I hope that this suffices.
The only other thing that might need explaining is Jake's zit.

I stayed with Eric for the entire trip and that night Jake came into our room to talk.
As the conversion developed, we found ourselves listening to Jake describe his discomfort afforded to him by a huge zit on his chin.
We laughed hysterically like little school girls.

Can you see it?