Friday & Final Thoughts

Friday was an emotional day as we said goodbye to the children at both YMCA's and pastor Bell and his crew.  Our students quickly formed bonds this week with the children at the YMCA's as they read stories, played on the playground and made picture collages.

Groups 1 & 2 didn't slow down at all on Friday as they helped install rubber roofing on a soon-to-be barbecue restaurant.

After a tough morning of physical labor, they were rewarded with a cookout featuring pastor Bell's famous "Kirk Sauce".

After hearing about Kirk Sauce for the two years since our last visit to Chicago, I can attest that it lived up to the hype.

Groups 3 & 4 concluded their trip with an Immersion, in which they were given a CTA card, a map and $2 per person with which to eat for the night.  Along the way, they were given a series of tasks that were suggested they perform.  It was a positive experience that allowed them to see the stark realities of the homeless population in Chicago.

Meanwhile, Groups 1 & 2 worked at the Saint Thomas of Catebury soup kitchen where they got to interact individuals eating dinner there.

Saturday morning was our chance to say goodbye to our City Hosts who helped us navigate the city and challenged us to stretch our comfort zones. Moses, Emily, Joe and Kaelin did an outstanding job and greatly added to our experience in Chicago.

Overall, we had a great trip to Chicago.  God really worked on the hearts of some of our students. We all felt an overwhelming urge to continue our service after our return.

Blog vs. Sleep - Friday

It was an epic battle, but at 12:15 am sleep wins. I'll try to put together some thoughts about Friday and the trip as a whole when we return.

Free Day Fun & Food - Wednesday

After checking the radar about a hundred times and coming up with Plans B - Z, we finally decided to take our chances and press on with the original plan of spending our free day at Navy Pier.  It proved to be the right call, as what was forecasted to be severe weather turned out to be perfect.  Our students enjoyed the many activities at Navy Pier with some much deserved time to just have some fun.

We even found a nice spot for story time with Blaine.

The anchor was a popular spot for pictures:

With the threat of severe weather looming and a tight window in which to get seated at Gino's East pizza, 43 of us hopped on a trolley before navigating 5 city blocks in downtown Chicago in record time.

Gino's East took great care of us, both with their service and their quality of food.  If you ever find yourself trying to figure out how much pizza to order for a party of 43, go with at least 13.  That's 104 slices, if you're scoring at home.

All in all, it was a great day; a well deserved one at that.  We're back at it tomorrow and we are looking forward to a worship service with the other groups that are serving here this week.

Please continue to pray for our students as they serve the people of Chicago this week.  We're praying that this is a week that changes their lives.

Let's Jam Out and Eat Pickles - Thursday

What another great day in Chicago!  The Windy City definitely lived up to its nickname today.  Cooler temperatures and a steady breeze made it feel more like fall than summer.  Each serving group visited their morning serving site and then headed to the shore of Lake Michigan after a quick bite to eat. 

I knew we were in for an adventure when I saw the lifeguards wearing pants, hoodies and jackets as they watched the water.  A few brave souls ventured into the   water, only to be called back onto the shore by the lifeguards.  The cool temperatures and inability to enjoy the water didn't dampen the spirits of our students, as evidenced by these pictures:

Our evening started off with an authentic Mexican meal, during which we were able to fellowship with the other serving groups in Chicago this week.  After dinner, we entered into a time of worship led by a few of our city hosts.  We also heard a powerful message from a local pastor that incorporated original poetry and spoken word.

During our debriefing session to end the night, we asked each serving group to come up with a couple Bible verses that parallel what they've experienced this week.  Our students blew us away with the messages they gave us about how this week has impacted their lives.

Now, about that blog title...

Today's blog title is a quote from one of our students.  Candace was reflecting on her time at a soup kitchen where she saw a man sitting at a table by himself.  Candace noticed that no one wanted to sit by this man because he was dancing to the music in his head and he had an affinity for pickles.  Candace shared with us that the only thing she could think of to say to him was "Let's jam out and eat pickles".

While is may seem a little humorous on the surface, it illustrates a point that we've been trying to stress all week.  Proverbs 14:31 tells us "He who oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God".  We are called to love our neighbor, without regard to their socio-economic status.  Some of our students struggle with knowing what to say to start a conversation about their faith.  Candace's story is a great illustration that shows us the point is not how we start the conversation, but that we start the conversation at all.

The thoughts of how we continue our service when we get home are already stirring in our students' minds and we are encouraging them to not lose sight of the experiences they are having during our time in Chicago.

Things to pray for:

- Our continued safety during our time here and as we travel home on Saturday

- That God will continue to move in our hearts

- For the ministry sites we have worked with this week.  They all provide much needed services to the people of Chicago.

- For the city of Chicago itself.  Many of our students have commented about how "wrecked" the city is and how they had no idea of how bad it really is until this week.

My Goodness Snakes

Groups 1 & 2 adopted a pet at their worksite this morning and have a schedule worked out to where each of the team members will get to keep it at their house for two weeks at a time.

Groups 3 & 4 continued their work at the YMCA's, having a great time working with the children there.

This afternoon is our free time and we're headed to Navy Pier and then to experience authentic Chicago style deep dish pizza.

Sheep & Goats in Chicago? - Tuesday

Tuesday turned out to be a little more intense than the rest of the week has been so far.  Groups 1 & 2 continued serving with Pastor Bell on the south side of the city.  Everyone got their hands dirty as they helped clean out a garage.

Even though the work was exhausting at times, the students appreciated their work and enjoyed the privilege of working beside a wonderful man of God, Pastor Bell. Pastor Bell's ministry has been a favorite site for both recent trips to Chicago.

Groups 3 & 4 continued their work at separate YMCA's where they read books to children, played on the playground with them and even decorated the classroom doors.  During a quick trip for ethnic beverages at a nearby McDonalds, Karen gave an impromptu devotional on Matthew 25 when Jesus tells a story about a shepherd isolating the sheep from the goats. The McDonalds devotional turned out to be foreshadowing as the director of at the soup kitchen in which these groups served quoted the exact same verses that Karen read earlier in the day.

Groups 3 & 4 also did a prayer walk through the Uptown neighborhood where they learned about the infamous Blood Alley and how Cornerstone Community Outreach has taken it upon themselves to bring light to this once dark area, both figuratively and literally.  Another highlight of the Uptown area is the reconciliation mural that has become a rallying point of the neighborhood.

Group 1 spent part of the afternoon doing an ethnic plunge in a very culturally diverse area of the city.  The students were challenged to learn about the different languages spoken and cultures represented and the struggles that each of them face. Following the ethnic plunge, they enjoyed a Peruvian dinner before heading to a homeless men's shelter.  

While at the shelter, they were able to interact with the temporary residents and learned that each one of them had a story to tell.  This group of students came dragging back to the housing site at 10:30 p.m. to get some well-deserved sleep.

One common theme of the trip has been excellent ethnic food. Group 2 was overwhelmed by the hospitality of the staff at Sabor Latino, a Puerto Rican restaurant.  The owner even came running out to the van and said "You can't leave without giving me a hug!"  Groups 3 & 4 dined together at Silver Seafood, which is a Chinese restaurant.

During our debriefing session at the end of the night, it was clear that the Spirit is moving within our students.  They are asking lots of good questions and are starting to recognize what God is laying on their hearts.  We are challenging them to find ways that they can be sure the lessons learned this week don't stay in Chicago.

Highlights from the day:

- "The homeless people at the soup kitchen reciprocated the respect they were given.  You could tell how appreciative they were to have a hot meal and someone to talk to."

- "Preach the gospel at all times and, if you must, use words" - St. Francis

- "Jim needs to speak with me in the kitchen."

Wednesday's agenda includes our free day after serving at the morning ministry sites.  The weather forecast doesn't look very conducive to outdoor activities so it looks like we might have to move on to Plan B.

Things you can be praying for:

- Pastor Bell's ministry in south Chicago

- Leadership in the Uptown neighborhood has put up roadblocks for some ministry partners.

- Support for the growing homeless population in Chicago

- An end to the violence that is rampant on the streets of the city.

- Safe travels for our groups as they venture out into the city to go to ministry sites.

"Off in their own world..."

Monday was our first full day of serving the people of Chicago. Groups 1 & 2 began the day with a pastor who focuses on revitalizing neighborhoods on the south side of the city.

Groups 3 & 4 each served at different YMCA's where they interacted with children in head start programs. After a quick lunch, Group 3 learned a new skill: the art of making "plarn". Plarn is a yarn-like strand made from plastic shopping bags. Old bags are cut into strips and tied together to make long strands. A program called New Life for Old Bags takes the strands of plarn and crochets them into sleeping mats for individuals that experience homelessness.

You can see the sleeping mat in the foreground as Paige stretches out a strand of plarn.

Group 4 headed to play BINGO with residents of a low-income senior housing center. They were big hits with the residents, especially after they learned the nuances of calling out the BINGO letters & numbers.

After a much appreciated shower, Groups 1 & 2 set off on their Immersion. Small groups of 4-5 students are given a small amount of money that they are to use for food while experiencing different parts of the city via public transportation.

 It was an eye-opening experience. During our debriefing session at the end of the night, one student commented that "everyone was off in their own little world" and people were doing whatever they could to avoid eye contact.

Group 3 became familiarized with the diverse nature of the many neighborhoods. They were given a list of questions about a specific area and encouraged to meet business owners and residents to learn more about the various cultures represented. This definitely put some of our students outside their comfort zone, but that added to the impact the exercise had on them. They even learned about new foods:

Here are a few highlights of our debriefing session that illustrate the impact of today's activities:

- "I learned that a little action can have a big impact."

- "The city has a darker side that most people don't see."

- "The kids at the YMCA fed off our affection."

- "During the ethnic plunge, it felt weird to walk down the street and be the minority."

- "Talking to the Muslim store owner made me realize that despite our differing religious beliefs,  we're all here to serve the collectiveness of humanity."

After my much appreciated shower, it's time for lights out.  Check back tomorrow for another update.

Greetings from the Windy City

After 8 hours on the road, 35 high school students and 8 adults rolled into Chicago.  After getting settled in the housing site and a brief orientation from the Center for Student Ministries (CSM) staff, we headed out to dinner.  Half of the group ate at a Puerto Rican restaurant, while the other half of the group dined on authentic Vietnamese cuisine.  One of the unique aspects of CSM trips is the opportunity to experience many different ethnic foods.  After dinner, each serving team went on a driving prayer tour around the city.  It was amazing to see the stark contrasts between the affluent and impoverished areas of the city, some of which are separated by only a few blocks.  While on the tour, we learned about the rich history of Chicago and many of the problems it faces today.  We ended the night with a quick debriefing session which gave our students the opportunity to share their initial impressions of our short time in the city.

Last Post for This Trip

It's Friday, which means in less than 24 hours we will be on our way home. Which means that between now and then there will be lots of tears shed. Our group has connected in ways that many of them weren't expecting. Already they are anticipating the inevitable, and not exactly looking forward to it.

We wrapped up the work that we could finish this morning, which was basically continuing to trim and hauling the brush out of the back door of the compound to be burned at a later date. If your child went on this trip and ever complains that you are making them do too much work or too many chores, feel free to remind them how much work they did here. (Please don't tell them I suggested that) They have worked their tails off! I am so proud of them! And subtract the minor bumps and bruises and there was no drama at all. That is rare for a youth trip, let me tell you.

Ice cream sure is popular! Last night we took some students who were being rewarded for good behavior out for ice cream, and today we will be making homemade ice cream with all the kids. You won't hear me complain.

Sorry for the lack of photo updates at our Flickr site. I have problems uploading pictures. When I get back to the States, I will try it again.

Thanks for your prayers, financial, and emotional support. We couldn't have done it without you. See you soon!

Hard Stuff and Shopping

Last night was pretty rough emotionally. After our normal time spent playing soccer, we gathered together with Staci in the meeting room. During that next hour, we asked her about certain children that we had become close to and she filled us in on their life details. Most, if not all, of these children have been through a very rough time and are dealing with a lot of emotional baggage. As a dad it was very difficult hearing all of these details. But I think it was good for our students to hear the reality of what these children are having to, or have had to, deal with. And it was also great to hear stories of the redemptive power of Jesus Christ. One girl had been abused to the point of her father sticking her feet in boiling water. Some time after having come to the home, she informed the NLCH staff that her feet no longer say who she is, that now, Jesus tells her who she is. She realized that her abuse doesn't define her, but what Jesus says about her does. What an encouraging message that is! And great for us all to hear.

After that, we needed a light and easy day today so we went to Antigua. We left early in the morning and went to a five-star resort in Antigua and had a buffet breakfast. It was delectable! From there we took a tour of a coffee plantation and learned how coffee is made and processed. Did you know that for 1 pound of coffee it requires the beans from one coffee plant for an entire year? After touring the plantation we then checked out Antigua, some of the shops there, and some ancient church ruins. After a chicken lunch we then went to the market and spent way too much money on some very inexpensive items. We may have to pay for some students' extra baggage fees on the way home.

We got home in time for dinner and had our normal beans and tortilla dinner with our various homes, with the added joy of plaintains. I don't know about anybody else but I love those things! Afterwords who headed back to the gym for some more soccer. Being later in the week, we are starting to get some nicks and bruises here and there but nothing serious and nothing medical-attention-worthy. Don't worry moms and dads, everyone is fine.

While the shrieks and laughter of game-playing wafts out of our common room, I am going to head to bed. Thanks for staying up to date with us!

Church!

Something that is encouraging to me is the fact that we worship the same God who is worshipped around the world. We went to church this morning (Sunday) at a huge church in Guatemala City. The facility seats 12,500 people, and there were probably 6,000 people in worship. While most of what happened was lost on us - particularly those of us whose translating headsets didn't work (about half of us) - there were some connection points. They sang two songs that we recognized and we took Communion. As soon as the message kicked in, a few of us were lost, but we were able to connect by looking up the Scripture references that were on the screen.

After church we took eleven of the younger kids who were being rewarded for good behavior to McDonald's for lunch, followed by a visit to Space Zone (think McD's playland on steroids). The little ones had a blast running around, many of them in dress-up clothes. The favorite was the little boy who wore a dinosaur costume, fairy wings, and a witch hat. They wore themselves out, so many of them slept on the way back to the home.

Back at the home, we ate dinner at the various home units. Each night we break up and eat at the separate homes: big boys, big girls, little boys, and little girls. Generally speaking we have some form of beans and tortillas and something else. Those meals are enjoyable, but challenging as the language barrier is so pronounced when you are sitting around a table looking at each other. But our crew is doing well and is not intimidated by the experience. After dinner, we played in and out of the rain with the kids, some more than others. And after they all went to bed, and we had our debrief time, we gathered with the interns and two of the oldest boys, Esdras and Ramses, for a fierce game of volleyball (it was soccer with all of the kids the night before and last night). The most fierce was clearly Austin. At one point a simply tried to punch the ball, missing it completely, and it hit him in the face. I thought we were going to need oxygen for some of our team from laughing so hard!

Yesterday was a work day, so we got split up into three teams to complete various menial tasks around the compound: weeding, trimming 'hedges', filling ditches, dismantling rotten picnic table, cleaning out gutters, and so on. It's not nearly as much fun for the group as it is hanging out with kids, but they served joyfully knowing what good their work was doing for the kids and the missionaries here. When we do these jobs, it allows them to be doing other things, so everyone wins. As a result, we were a little spent last night. I think lots of ibuprofen were consumed. We will have more of the same today.

It's almost breakfast time, so I will sign off and try to blog more later. Thank you for your continued prayers!

Guatemala Pics

I just uploaded some pics from our first day plus in Guatemala. I hope to update more tomorrow. Suffice it to say we've had a great time with the kiddos!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/theporchlacroix/sets/72157630486651232/

Made it to Houston

Guatemala #1: Made it to Houston safe and sound. We all got on the plane OK, despite Cory asking if we needed to keep 'this,' pointing to his boarding pass. I heard on the trip to the airport that Megan doesn't do well on flights. Needless to say, I ended up sitting next to her. :-) Except for a bit of an upset stomach, she made it through with flying colors. Everyone was real excited and energetic in the van on the way up; that gave way to sleep, reading, talking, and playing on cell phones on the plane. We'll be leaving for Guatemala shortly, so thanks in advance for your prayers!

Update from Halley (Team Williams)

Yesterday was exhausting, so our team had a hard time getting up this morning. We are working with Y-CAP this week - a day camp for inner city students. They've been such a blessing.

The students have been in charge of 45 minutes every morning. That include a game and devotions. Tomorrow we have the 45 minute block and a 2 hour block. Some of the students have never done a devotion without access to materials besides the Bible so it has been quite the learning experience. The boys gave their testimony this am and the girls did the Good Samaritan yesterday.

Ashley Miles had a young girl tell him that they had never heard the story of the Good Samaritan. This blew her mind.

We also had a young man walk up to us yesterday as we were carrying sheet rock and asked us if we were doing all this on our vacation. He was dumbfounded.

Team Williams Out.

Tired

It's only 3:30pm and I'm pretty wiped already. I'll blame it on the 4:30am wake-up call. But we did have a full day and we still have dinner and a prayer tour to come. So to have a little window of rest is a good thing. Not all of the groups have this luxury. Ha-ha!

This morning our group went to Project CURE, which is an organization that ships medical supplies to developing countries. They are doing great work all over the world. Half of our group tested, sorted and moved hospital beds, while the rest of us sorted and packed medical supplies: syringes, sutures, catheter tubes, gauze, etc. While not the most interpersonal form of ministry, it is cool to think about the people that our work is helping (and I don't just say that as someone who has received medical treatment in one such country).

At lunchtime we met up with Team Lynn. What a story they had! While digging to prepare a garden, Intern Dave and Alex hit something hard. It turned out to be what appeared to be a large bone, perhaps a femur. They continued to dig, unearthing around 30 bones, including what seemed to be vertebra, shoulder blades, hip sockets, and so on. The police were called and they came with a forensic investigator. Needless to say we are hoping it was just a deer, but if not, Intern Dave may be getting a call.

This afternoon we got oriented at our anchor site for the week, Family Affair Ministries. They provide an array of services for people in the community, from tutoring children, to feeding them, to providing food service training, to teaching computer skills, and so on. Our job will be to help them with their day camp, which could draw 150 kids. Our group is getting pumped! What a great organization to get to work with!

I also got an interesting picture texted to me from Team Cline. It turns out that part of what they did was to wash the feet of the homeless individuals who came in, and the picture was our Danny Rees performing one such pedicure. I wish I could have been there for that!

Going to go get my rest on now. More updates to come, but hopefully not at 5:00am..,

We're Here!

After an uneventful trip, we made it to Nashville safe and sound. After unpacking and getting settled and a brief leaders meeting, we departed for dinner. But not before meeting our roomies from near Muncie, IN. Part of our group went to the International Market for Thai food, while the rest went to Istanbul for Turkish. While at the Thai restaurant, some of our crew decided to try the squid jerky. I'm pretty sure that's the last time they'll try that.

After dinner we came back to the Eastland Baptist Church, our home for the next week for our orientation. We have a great group of city hosts. Our (Team Cash) host is Jonathan who seems really great, despite his directional disadvantage. (translation: we have already gotten lost) The others seem great also. Then after our orientation, we basically hung out until bedtime.

Bedtime went off without a hitch. I can't say the same for wake-up. Some of our guys were up before 5am. That is why i am blogging on my phone at 6am instead of sleeping. That has to change or I will hurt someone...Not literally...maybe. We'll see if they are still getting up that early by Thursday or Friday.

Thanks for your continued prayers. We look forward to bringing home lots of stories...

The End

...is only the beginning. It's the end of our week in Swaziland, but I sense that it's just the beginning - or one step - on a lifelong journey. Where it will take us I don't know for sure. But I do know that I won't leave this trip the same, and I doubt that our students will either. Swaziland has changed us, and I only hope that we were able to have even a small impact on the lives of the people we encountered. Now the big question remains: How are we different? Each person will have their own answer to that question. For me, I hope to be a more grateful individual. I experienced what gratitude should look like, and I hope I can capture just a portion of that, and pass it on to my kids.

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Litsemba was today. What a day! We got to see our kids, gogos and pastors one last time for this huge worship gathering. What a joy it was to see their smiling faces through the dusty windows as they waved when they recognized us! Twenty-three full-size buses pulled down the dusty road to our parking area, where each child and adult received a bracelet. This bracelet meant that, at the end of the day, they would receive a hot meal and a gift bag, which included a Bible and a bar of soap. But that was the end of the day. After they exited the buses and got their bracelets, they hiked down the dusty road to the concert grounds, which will be turned into a greenhouse after today. They were treated to a great show, which included music from local artists, the Taiwanese group, artists from North Point Church in Atlanta, and our own Renovate Band. I was so proud of our youth as they lifted high the name of Jesus while leading over 3,000 orphans in worship. As I told them, this was a once in a lifetime experience. Who knows if they will ever have an opportunity like this again. But the band weren't the only ones I am proud of. All of our youth stepped up today - and all week - to bring hope and love to a country that desperately needs it. Whether that hope came in the form of a meal or some bags of beans or a smile with a 'take five' or simply holding a child on their lap, our youth were there providing it. If you are a parent reading this, your kid deserves a big hug for serving the Lord in a life-changing way this week.

Well, we head for home tomorrow. Thank you for your prayers and your support. We all appreciate you! See you soon!

Julianna's Blog Entry from Swaziland

To the folks back home,

Sawubona! Let me first say that I have been so richly blessed this week. That God would direct my path to Africa - to the most beautiful country of Swaziland - is mind-boggling and wonderful. But for Him to choose to bless me further by allowing me to work alongside the youth of La Croix on this journey - that has been indescribable. Going out to the community with Chase and Taylor was a life-changing experience for all of us every day - an experience hinted at by the glowing, Spirit-filled faces of our other youth. Each night as we share stories, inevitable I was floored by these young adults' willingness to answer the call. With both a natural knack and a deep fervor these youth are daily going to the ends of their worlds and shouting the Good News. And as we become vessels for the Lord, He shapes us into something that beautifully echoes Himself. The love of Christ I see on their faces and in the actions of these youth has been undeniably changing them as it flows through to their communities. Every time I talk to Blake about His day, I am amazed at how clearly he reflects God's heart for the people of Swaziland. I have seen the spark for this place and these people - and all who have need - in the eyes of all of our youth. I just love hearing to how Tyler and Rachel tell stories of the people they have met, how they are so quick to frame the perspective in empathy and Christian family. To the parents: I am so honored to have shared this week with these awesome men and women of God. To the youth: I love you all more than words can say - can't wait to come back with you. To La Croix and Cape Girardeau: Be ready because some blazing hearts for Africa are coming your way.

Wax Elephants - and real ones, too!

Blake got his luggage last night. He was almost as giddy about that as about serving in Swaziland. OK, not even close, but he was pretty happy.

David had such a good meeting with Allen. Like I wrote earlier, David brought a bunch of t-shirts and candy for him. He was overjoyed! As he opened each shirt, he smelled it, read the words on it, and tried it on. His favorite was the one that said 'Watts' on the back. And each package of candy got read aloud as well. They also got to see his home, which was a treat. Allen told David that he is going to walk to America. Now that would be a feat! (pun not intended)

Some of us are on our way to the game drive (safari), some are going shopping, while the other teams are going to their churches for the last time. There are bound to be some tears with that last group.

I'm excited to go to dinner tonight. They are going to show the video of the chicken conquest.

Boy, can Kevin sleep! After only a short trip in the van and he starts nodding. A few minutes later and he's out. I wish I had that ability! I wouldn't be so tired right now.

We took a collection from our team yesterday to buy supplies for our church. Our team leader just informed us that we collected enough to buy two large utensils - used to stir the food in the large kettles they use - and 31 bags of sugar beans! There's going to be some serious praising going on tomorrow!

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What a treat this morning! It started with being able to sleep in about an hour and a half later than normal. That goes a long way toward making one feel better. Then it was off to the Game Drive. While we desperately wanted to see a lion, which didn't happen, we did see several elephants - including one who staged a face-off with another Jeep - a handful of rhinos (or is it a clash of rhinos), a few wild boar, many antelopes and impalas, and a single giraffe. What a cool experience! While we didn't get to see them as closely as we do at the zoo, this was much funner experience.

We also stopped on the way back to the hotel for some more shopping at a different market. This was a little more, shall we say, civilized. There wasn't nearly the pressure to buy something like at the other place. We got to watch an artist make elephant candle. Very cool!

Tonight I think we are meeting to decide what clothes we are taking to our church. Some of the stuff just won't fit the children, so it may go with another church. Not sure how that will play out. We are excited to see their faces, though!

Swaziland - Entry One

As I type this, we are in the home stretch of our flight to Johannesburg, with just over an hour to go. It seems like this trip has lasted forever already...maybe because it started at 3:00am on Friday and has included very little sleep (for me) since then. On the first leg of our Africa flight - we made a stop in Dakar - not many of the youth slept. However, since that stop, many of them slept like rocks. That's a good thing, knowing the week we have ahead of us. My lack of sleep did have one benefit: I got caught up on movies, TV shows, and reading, so it's not all bad.

The American portion of our flight was pretty uneventful, except for the fact that it took our plane at least 30 minutes after take-off to cool down. It's fun getting all sweaty when you know your next shower is days away. In DC, we had plenty of time to kill, so we ate good lunches and sat around and took walks and played Apples to Apples. Julianna was on a different flight than the rest of us. She sprinted to make sure she got to the flight on time, only to realize that she had been reading her ticket wrong and that she had an hour to spare.

It's fun being on a flight where we are the foreigners. The Africans have a cool accent and some of the phrases they use are interesting. For example, when you want to get someone's attention, like the flight attendant, instead of saying, "Excuse me..." I've heard them saying, "Sorry..." It's enjoyable experiencing a new culture.

As we are flying over Africa, it's interesting to look down at the landscape. When I fly I'm used to seeing houses, businesses, highways, and such. Africa is a completely different experience. You don't see much of anything (at least the part we have been flying over - I'm sure Johannesburg will look more developed). David and I noticed a large area that looked like snow. He mentioned how surprising that was. When you think of Africa, you don't generally think of snow, but we could have been flying over a high-altitude area...or maybe it wasn't snow at all. It's definitely funner, though, to think of it as snow.
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Now, we are on a  charter bus heading for Swaziland. Chase and Tyler are playing guitar and singing, Taylor, Julianna and Blake are listening to iPods, Cori and David are goofing off, and Kevin is snoozing in the back.

When we got to J'burg, we discovered that one of Blake's suitcases was not present. He and I waited in a line for a pretty long time to report it. It should be delivered on Monday. Until then, he will be living off of the clothes that were slated for donation. Toiletries? He's sharing with David. I'm not sure if that includes his toothbrush or not. I hope not.

The hotel we stayed in was really nice. And the Heart for Africa people greeted us with a pizza reception. The general consensus was that the lamb Mexican pizza pretty much rocked. Some of the youth played Mafia while I tried to access the wi-fi. Not having luck, I went to bed at 9:45 and got a good night's sleep. I still feel a bit like a zombie, minus the desire to eat brains.

We had a fantastic breakfast buffet this morning! And, like I said, we wait to reach Swaziland. We should be there in a couple more hours...
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After arriving at the Lugogo Sun
yesterday, we went to the market, which is about 1/4 mile from our hotel. Much money was spent. This is a completely different experience from shopping in the US. The market is comprised of interconnected 'shops' (more like shacks) with corrugated metal roofs and dirt floors. There is a person in each shop beckoning you to come to their shop and 'look around. I give you good price." And once you're in there they will do what it takes to male the sale, from bartering to standing in your way from leaving to guilt trips ("Please sir, I am trying to support my son. He only has three years.") It's quite the experience! I bought, among other things, a large giraffe so we would have some African artifacts in our home in honor of our adopted baby. And Tyler won't stop making fun of me for buying that giraffe.

When we got back, Janine Maxwell led our orientation where we learned some rules for the week and some cultural guidelines, such as how to greet Swazis and how to shake hands. (when your child gets home, see if they remember) Then we had a fabulously huge dinner at the nearby Royal Swazi hotel. It was a BBQ. All of the sides - potatoes, rice, etc. - were in huge cast iron pots over a fire. The smoke was a little overwhelming for some, but it was a cool experience nonetheless. After dinner, it was bedtime for some, while others stayed up to watch the World Cup. Can you guess which I did?

We had an early start today, and will so every day. Our team has a two-hour drive to our church, so we had a huge breakfast at 6am and were on the road by 7am. We had our first adventure of the trip already. We got pulled over by the police for inspection. It turns out that we didn't have a permit to get to where we are going. So we had to sit in the van while our driver discussed things with the officer. It was a little nerve-wracking for some. But soon the van owner arrived and we were on our way, which is where we are as I type this. We have beautiful scenery outside our windows and a great team led by Eric Stallworth, a volunteer youth leader at North Point Church in Atlanta. I am on a team with Tyler, Kevin, and Rachel, among others. We are ready for a great week!
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A glance at our week:
-We will go to our churches Monday through Wednesday working in gardens, doing other work projects, and playing with children
-On Thursday we will go on safari.
- On Friday we will go to Project Canaan to get ready for Litsemba, a large worship gathering at which we are expecting 3,000 plus orphans. Tyler, Chase, Rachel and Cori will help lead worship at that.
-Saturday is Litsemba,
-Sunday we go to church and head to the airport. We fly out around 10:45pm.
-Monday afternoon - HOME! See you then!
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Wow! That really sums it up. Wow!

We had an amazing first day at our church. As we rolled up in our van, all the kids got very excited and waved at us. And when I started taking pictures of them and showing them the pictures on the viewfinder, well let's just say, I didn't make it off the bus. They were all clamoring for a spot so they could have their picture taken. And I'm fairly certain I got some good ones. When we could pull ourselves away, Pastor Joseph gave us a tour. He showed us the building which consisted of a preschool room, a kitchen, and a third room. The kitchen had two large kettles in it where their cooking was done, and they were heated by a fire that was kept burning outside. The highlight, though, was the garden. It was already beautiful, and we got to help plants seedlings later in the day.

After playing with the kids some, some our team took to the kitchen some sugar beans that we had brought. They were in for a surprise. When they went into the kitchen, they were greeted by a celebration. The gogos - their name for grandmother - started clapping and cheering and ultimately broke out into song for 5-10 minutes. One girl on our team cried because she was so overwhelmed with emotion.

All the kids were then brought into the preschool room for one of their many 'classes.' They performed several songs and chants, generally revolving around how much they loved God. It was so inspiring! And fun!

After lunch, we played more with the kids, including soccer and bubbles. Wow, did they like bubbles! I went inside at one point and was rolling cars back and forth with a couple of boys, when one little girl  started tickling my neck from behind. I reached behind me and tickled her. This started a brawl with lots of kids 'sneaking' up one to tickle - or scratch - my neck and I would reach back and tickle them. I had to quit when they tried to grab my glasses...and definitely NOT because I was tired.

Our final task was to help them finish the garden by planting hundred of seedlings. I'm fairly certain they could have done or much more quickly without our help, but they were grateful for the relationships we were building with them.

A cool story that Eric told us on the van ride back: Pastor Joseph told us that the fruit trees we planted (yes, we planted fruit trees, too) would live forever, and that the story would be passed down to future generations about a group of people who came from across the ocean to plant them. It's humbling to think that these wonderful people will be talking about US to the children and grandchildren.

Things that we experienced that is so unlike things in the US:
-Cows walking in the street
-So many children without a mommy or daddy
-Unbridled excitement at the delivery of food.
-Ladies -or men, for that matter - gardening with a child strapped to their backs.
-Bus drivers who don't stay in the bus and do their own thing, but rather get out and work alongside us.
We were blessed to be exposed to all this today!
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Is it possible that we have only been at our sites for two days? Because it feels like a year's worth of blessings.

After another big meal last night and a good or bad - depending on who you talk to - night's sleep, we were back at it bright and early at 7am, heading toward the Swedish Free Church. We were told yesterday that we would be visiting the sick and shut-ins. I had spoken to Danae Johnson who had done this the day before and, based on what she described, I was a little intimidated.

We had another great morning with our kiddos and gogos. Lots of playing with soccer and beach balls. The highlight of the morning was either Tyler and Rachel - with the rest of us, but they were the true leaders - teaching the kids the words and motions to two of the songs that will be sung at Litsemba on Saturday. They did great and were so energetic. The teacher said that she would work on the songs with them tomorrow. I guarantee that they will have it down pat because of her. She leads those children well!

The other option for highlight was: the chicken. While we gardened we noticed a chicken outside the fence. I dared Kevin to catch the chicken. After much hemming and hawing, I dared Tyler to do it. As he headed out, Kevin decided to give it a shot. He didn't try for long, but at least he tried. Then I gave it a shot and chased it around for a while until it escaped into the woods. Then an attempt by me and Tyler, and one by me, Tyler, Rachel and Hayley, the self-proclaimed expert. After all those failures we headed back to the children.  After a short while, someone point out the the chicken was behind us in the yard, and the chase was on! We chased it across the yard and had it boxed in, but it split the defenders. It headed toward the gate but for some unknown reason headed toward the garden and cornered itself. Hayley and I had it boxed in. The chicken tried to get through the fence and got stuck and I sprung. I grabbed its tail, pulled it out and grabbed it by the neck and feet, per instructions. I proudly carried it to the gogos thinking they could maybe cook it up for the kids. They just laughed. So I took it to Alex and asked him and he said, "The owner is not here." We clarified by asking if someone owned the chicken, and he said yes. I was so bummed! I was excited to present this gift to them, but I was shot down. But I will always have the memory of catching the chicken in Swaziland.

After lunch we headed out to visit the sick and shut-ins. We visited four people in all. We didn't really know what was wrong with any of them, but I think I heard the pastor say something about AIDS at one man's home. At two of the homes we were welcomed inside, and at the others we gathered on the porch. We did a short service at each home that consisted of singing, a short message from the Word, giving a gift of onions and other food, and praying for the individual. I had the privilege of praying the first house and sharing from the Word at the second. Our youth stepped up, too, as Tyler shared the Word at one home and Rachel led a song. I was quite proud of them!

The thing that sticks with me as I experienced this was the level of hospitality that we were shown. We were strangers to these families, and yet they welcomed us with open arms. That generally does not happen in the US. When we get sick, the last thing we want is for someone to come over. Maybe to drop a meal off, but certainly not to visit. What a different world and mindset this is. I kinda dig it!