My goodness... what a story we have about our trip to Nairobi, Kenya yesterday. But the short message is this - we made it!! Though some of the team still doesn't have luggage (we have all of ours), we're all able to share and ensure everyone has what they need. We're hoping and praying that the airline(s) find the luggage and get it delivered within the next day or so.
We arrived at our hostel around 10:00, I think, last night (EDT folks are 7 hours behind us right now). The "light dinner" was fantastic. Our room is awesome. And we're expecting our eyes to be opened today...
Please pray for our VBS plans for the kids tomorrow (Wednesday). Please also pray for our safety today as we visit the largest slum in Africa, and get our feet on the ground in Nairobi.
God is good!
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In less than an hour, we'll be leaving on our trip. The Grandpa and Grandma hand-off went fine, and the bags are packed. Please pray for us! Specifically, that all our backpacks and school supplies make the trip, that all of our team members are ready and open to God's leading, that our flights and entry into Kenya go smoothly, and that we get back home safely. God bless,and hopefully I'll be able to post again within the next two weeks. |
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PLANNED SCHEDULE FOR TRIP June 28 8:30am Leave Graceland church for Louisville airport June 29 6:30 pm Arrive at Nairobi, Kenya airport June 30 9:00 Breakfast at the Heart House (our hostel) 9:45 Devotion with Scott/Sylvester 10:30 View Abandoned Baby Center (ABC), View Kibera (largest slum in Africa) 1:30 Late lunch in Nairobi 3:00 Meet the FOCUS kids (orphans in the FOCUS program) 4:00 Tour a few homes of FOCUS children (they sleep in other families’ homes) 5:30 Leave FOCUS 6:30 Dinner 7:30 Team meeting to coordinate VBS (run by Laura and Michael) July 1 9:30-5:30 Vacation Bible School for FOCUS kids July 2 10:00-3:30 FOCUS backpack day (giving filled school backpacks to FOCUS kids) July 3 10:00-3:30 Ruera Backpack Day (giving out about 500 backpacks so 500 local kids can go to school! Servant evangelism as the Spirit leads) July 4 9:00-5:00 Graceland Cup Basketball Tournament (guys play basketball with local youth and share Gospel at the Spirit leads – Michael will do this) AND 9:00-2:00 FOCUS field trip (the Americans not at basketball will take orphans on a field trip – Laura will do this) July 5 9:00 Ruiru Bible Baptist Church Youth Service (American Youth Pastor Jameson will preach, some American youth will give testimonies) 10:30 Ruiru Bible Baptist Church Main Service (American Youth Pastor Scott will preach, some American adults give testimonies) 1:30 Lunch in Nairobi 4:30 Youth Service at RRBC (run by American Missionaries) July 6, 7, 8 Safari July 9 9:00-3:00 Fix houses for FOCUS families 3:00-5:30 Play with FOCUS kids July 10 Shopping at outdoor market and Tea Farm tour with lunch July 11 4:00 am Leave for Nairobi airport, travel to Dubai 1:45-10:30 Dubai – MAY be able to leave airport and tour city July 12 9:50 am Arrive in Louisville, go home, get kids, readjust to America!!!
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I hope to use my LiveJournal account to post information about our trip to Kenya. However, electricity and Internet access may be inconsistent and scarce... or this just may not turn out to be a priority.
Here is our flight information:
JUNE 28, 09 - SUNDAY
DELTA AIR LINES FLT:5183
LV:LOUISVILLE 1134A 01HR 25MIN
AR:ATLANTA 1259P NON-STOP
DELTA AIR LINES COACH FLT:50
LV: ATLANTA 300P 11HR 55MIN
AR LAGOS 755A NON-STOP JUNE 29, 09 - MONDAY
JUNE 29, 09 - MONDAY
AIR KENYA AIRWAYS FLT:533
LV LAGOS 1125A 05HR 05MIN
AR NAIROBI 630P
JULY 11, 09 - SATURDAY
KENYA AIRWAYS FLT:312
LV: NAIROBI KENYATTA 730A 05HR 15M
AR: DUBAI 145P NON-STOP
DELTA AIR LINES FLT:7
LV: DUBAI 1030P 15HR 15MIN NON-STOP
AR ATLANTA 545A JULY 12, 09 - SUNDAY
JULY 12, 09 - SUNDAY FLT:4951
LV ATLANTA 827A 01HR 23MIN
AR LOUISVILLE 950A NON-STOPCurrent Mood:  keyed up |
I live every day with the idea there's something to look forward to. My next meal. The successful completion of a project. Quitting time at work. The upcoming birth of a new baby. The weekend. Our next vacation. Selling our previous house.
With each arrival of an anticipated "hoped for" event, eventually comes disappointment. I get hungry again. Another project is started. Time to go to work. The baby is screaming. It's Monday. Vacation's over. There's still our current mortgage to pay...
It's human, natural, and universal for us all to look forward to things, right? Where does this longing come from? Why do we play this game? The next hug we can receive (or give) to a loved one. The next opportunity to receive or give a gift. The next great conversation. The next sporting event to witness (or play in!). Yet some things we look forward to have longer cycles... having grandchildren someday. "Retirement." Paying off the debt on the house. Amassing the wisdom gained from a lifetime of experiences, thoughts, and study.
Keep going further... what are you ultimately working for? Do you want to leave a legacy? Do you want to be remembered? By how many people? For how many generations? What is there to look forward to after you die?
Doesn't everyone think about these kinds of things?
I certainly do.
Isn't life, without something to look forward to after death, obviously meaningless? Just what makes something "meaningful", anyway? Even as influential as people like Plato, Aristotle, Newton, Darwin, Edison, Einstein... what is their posthumous influence to them? They certainly left their mark. They will continue to be remembered for generations. Some of them are praised for their thoughts and works, and mostly recognized for "the general improvement and progress of things". So what? Do you intend to be one of those people? If so, and let's say you achieve it, what is it to you? Would you lie on your deathbed completely satisfied that you'll be remembered, and that you've contributed greatly to society? What if you aren't remembered by many, and haven't contributed greatly to society? Are you worthless? What was it all for? Why did you work so hard?
Are you going to wait until that moment to think about it?
The Good News: There is meaning to life!! I believe there is a God, Creator and Ruler of everything, who made each of us for a purpose. He loves you. He wants you to know Him. He wants you to share the Good News about Him. He wants you to be with Him forever. He is the perfect Father... the Daddy who knows exactly when to rebuke, and how much to do it. When to give you a hug. When to wink at you, and laugh with you. The Perfect Teacher. The Ultimate Tear-Wiper. He applies Justice perfectly. He is everything Good, everything Love... and He wants you to know that you are alive for Him and His purposes, and that all the things we might look forward to in our lifetime pale in comparison to what we could look forward to after this life. I say could, because it's your choice. You don't have to accept Him, or His Son's sacrifice, which makes your redemption and after-this-life reward possible.
Does this God exist? Yes - I believe He does. Why do I think that? I hope to keep writing about it to explain...
Is your god this awesome?Current Mood:  thoughtful |
Been thinking a lot about culture lately. How a person's worldview, beliefs, and values influence their behavior... as a young adult, I know I'm still solidifying many of my own beliefs. But most of the very, very important questions I personally care about I've already dealt with. For many of those questions, I'm 99.99% satisfied I've arrived at the correct, true, logically necessary conclusion. For some others, maybe I'm 95%, or 85%, or 60%... but it got me thinking: what are those questions, again? If I lost all memory of everything tomorrow and had to start all over, what might I be conceivably concerned about that I'd want to obtain answers for? For this exercise, I decided I wasn't concerned with starting from an atheist or agnostic's viewpoint, but rather I wanted to start with the assumption there is a "god", but that I don't know anything about "it".
So I spent 10 minutes this morning mulling that over; and below are the questions I came up with in that short amount of time:
- What happens to me after I die?
- Does god care about me?
- Why and how did god create the world?
- Why do I exist?
- How do I know what is right, and what is wrong?
- What is the purpose of my life?
- Why should I care about others?
- Why does god allow bad things to happen?
- Does god know me, or can god hear me?
- Why are humans so different than everything else?
- Are people basically good?
- Does god want anything from me?
- What is love?
- Do I have free will?
- How do I know that I really know anything?
- Is the sum total of me a product of genes, environment, something else, or some combination of any of those?
Maybe some of those are unanswerable. Certainly most, if not all, answers to these are unprovable. Yet, I believe we have the ability to rationally ponder these things, gather evidence, compare them to our life experience, and obtain answers. I hope everyone has identified an answer to each one of these questions that is completely satisfying. Yet, my greater hope is that everyone finds the true answer to each of these questions, if such a thing exists (and I believe it does).
I hope to spend some time in the next few months answering each of these on my blog, and maybe also explain why I've come to the previous conclusions I have. Have you ever seriously considered the implications of a real "god"? If "it" exists, what does that mean for me today, and for my future? Am I truly satisfied with the answers I have today for each of these questions, or are some of them depressing, shallow, unknown, non-universal, illogical, irrational, hurtful, or intellectually dishonest?Current Mood: thoughtful |
Played basketball this morning. Yikes. Had fun, but I ache! :-) Been pining to exercise regularly, and I enjoy something organized much better than going at it alone. I've also committed to whitewater rafting in West Virginia later this month, and I'd like to be physically ready.
Diving into church. We're going to a Newcomer's Class every Wednesday night at church at the same time that Edward attends AWANA. We think we've found a solid group of people to fellowship with on Sunday mornings, too. Next step - leadership training.
Decided to organize my 10 year high school reunion. Recently spoke to a classmate I hadn't seen in 9 years to start the process. If any random reader has interesting ideas for pulling off a good reunion, I'm all ears.
Work has recently been all about this. An important moment for my company.
Was lucky enough to spend some time in Florida a few weeks ago. The first time I've had to travel in 3 months (yay!). I snagged a few extra hours to visit St. Pete Beach, my family's old Christmas vacation spot. It was the warmest ocean water I've ever experienced (August is a bit different than December).
That's it - nothing deep, just informative. Until next time...Current Mood:  working |
| » Wow... it's been a long time. |
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My last post was in February. There have been many reasons for not "finding the time" to post since then...
Career Change
Simply put, I'm now working for another company. Still doing information security work, but no longer as a consultant. Very little travel. I'm head of all things security at a place that employs over 3,000 people. We're close to both sides of family, and loving that aspect very much. There's a long story as to why, and how, this career move occurred; appropriate details can be shared privately with anyone interested.
Buying and Selling Houses
With great effort, we got our old house in a condition to sell in anticipation of my new job. Unfortunately, it has received very little traffic and no offers for purchase. It's been almost three months since it was put on the market. In the good news category, we've just moved into a wonderful new home. It's pretty awesome to move from a 100 year-old house to a brand new one! :-)
Family
Genevieve is now almost 8 months old. Edward turned 3 in the Spring. So... we've been pretty busy in that arena. Need I say more?
Health
We've had some odd bouts with health issues; mostly at the beginning of the year. However, we just found out yesterday that my wife was pregnant while in the midst of trying to diagnose her severe abdominal pain. Cause? Ectopic pregnancy. :-( We're hoping medication will remove the need for surgery. She has a follow-up appointment on Monday, July 16.
So, a lot has been going on. Missing old friends, establishing new ones, lots of family time, unloading/unpacking boxes... I'm tired. But I'm generally happy and satisfied with the direction life is heading. Thank you, Lord, for everything You've seen us through the past 6 months. I look forward to the future You have in store for us...
Jul. 13th, 2007 @ 11:28 am
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| » Whoops - no small knives on planes? |
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Since December 2005, I'd been under the impression that small tools, including scissors and knives, were allowed on planes... as long as they were less than a certain length.
So, for every flight I've had since then (at least a dozen round trips, maybe more), I've kept my small Cutco pocket knife with me (it's on my key chain).
However, I usually throw my keys in my carry-on computer bag. This morning, I threw them in the bucket.
A TSA representative noticed. I was then told, "no knives". I protested, asking for the specific regulation he was referring to. Finally, I looked around and found a sign prohibiting knives of any length. So... I made a quick trip back to the car to keep my inch long pocket knife (it's Cutco - priceless!).
Determined to consult an authoritative information source... I just checked: I was wrong. All knives must be checked. Yet, I could bring a four inch, metal, pointed tipped pair of scissors and be okay.
Can a person bring a sharpening stone? And what TSA representative is gonna check the sharpness of a pair of scissors to ensure it's not really a modified pair of knives? And how did I get through multiple trips over this past year with my prohibited pocket knife?
I'm sure this wouldn't even have been an issue if I'd just remembered to toss my keys in my carry-on computer bag...
Feb. 5th, 2007 @ 06:41 am
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| » Huh - imagine that... |
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Some news that caught my eye this morning:
"Africa is being torn apart. And as Ethiopia's rift valley grows slowly wider, an international team of scientists is taking a unique opportunity to plot the progress of continents on the move.
The 28-strong team is led by University of Leeds geophysicist Dr Tim Wright, who has secured a £2.5 million grant from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to study the seismic events taking place in the remote Afar desert of Northern Ethiopia.
It's here that two mighty shelves of continental crust, the African and Arabian plates, meet -- and are tearing the landscape apart.
For most of the time, this happens at around the same speed that human fingernails grow -- about 16mm a year. But the gradual build-up of underground pressure can lead to occasional bursts of cataclysmic activity.
The most dramatic event came in September 2005, when hundreds of deep crevices appeared within a few weeks, and parts of the ground shifted eight metres, almost overnight. More than two billion cubic metres of rising molten rock -- magma -- had seeped into a crack between the African and Arabian tectonic plates, forcing them further apart..."
Eight meters of movement almost overnight? Occasional bursts of cataclysmic activity? Reminds me of this...
Feb. 2nd, 2007 @ 07:32 am
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| » Father Jonathan |
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I struggle with my purpose for writing in this blog. What do I have to say to "the world"? What could I do that would be of benefit, or at the very least, do no (little?) harm?
It's a tough question. I often get inspired to post about a controversial political issue. Or a religious issue. Sometimes I find myself wishing I could post more specific personal or family news and information... and almost every time, I stop myself for one perceived good reason after another.
When I itch to write a politically or religiously themed post, I often think of Father Jonathan. It is an immense difficulty to write truth succinctly about an issue and be a gracious, forgiving, and helpful responder to comments. He does it well.
( What about me? )
Father Jonathan does a great job. I'm thankful for his column. Indirectly, though, his professionalism and genuine spirit give me pause. Am I up to the task? Is blogging something I should be doing?
Jan. 29th, 2007 @ 07:48 am
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| » She's finally here! |
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Only three "official" days late... Genevieve Eileen was born on Wednesday, November 22, 2006. She weighed 8 lbs., 13 oz. and measured 20.75" long. Both mommy and baby are doing great, and her older brother appears to be pretty excited about her, too. :-) Happy Thanksgiving!
Nov. 24th, 2006 @ 01:04 am
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| » Muslim outrage |
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The pope quotes a 14th-century Byzantine emperor (Manuel II Paleologus) in the middle of a speech, saying, "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." He also said that violent conversion to Islam (meaning, through force) was contrary to reason and "contrary to God's nature."
I've read the speech. The news sources I consulted clearly indicate the speech was generally about the pope's concern that European society, led by the West, is moving toward a secular way of viewing reality, divorcing themselves from faith and religion, and excluding religion "from the realm of reason". I happen to agree. It's actually a pretty good speech, in my opinion.
What was the reaction within the Islamic world?
- Pakistan: Pakistan's parliament adopted a resolution condemning Benedict for making what it called "derogatory" comments about Islam, seeking an apology. The Pakistani Foreign Ministry summoned the Vatican's ambassador to express regret over the pope's remarks.
- Lebanon: "We do not accept the apology through Vatican channels ... and ask him (Benedict) to offer a personal apology — not through his officials," Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, Lebanon's most senior Shiite cleric, told worshippers in Beirut.
- Turkey: Salih Kapusuz, deputy leader of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's Islamic-rooted party, said Benedict's remarks were either "the result of pitiful ignorance" about Islam and its prophet or, worse, a deliberate distortion. "He has a dark mentality that comes from the darkness of the Middle Ages. He is a poor thing that has not benefited from the spirit of reform in the Christian world," Kapusuz told Turkish state media. "It looks like an effort to revive the mentality of the Crusades." and... "Benedict, the author of such unfortunate and insolent remarks, is going down in history for his words," Kapusuz added. "He is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini."
- Iraq: Iraq's often divided Shiite and Sunni Arabs found unity in their anger over the remarks, with clerics from both communities criticizing Benedict. "The pope and Vatican proved to be Zionists and that they are far from Christianity, which does not differ from Islam. Both religions call for forgiveness, love and brotherhood," Shiite cleric Sheik Abdul-Kareem al-Ghazi said during a sermon in Iraq's second-largest city, Basra.
- Britain: The head of the Muslim Council, a body representing 400 Muslim groups, said the emperor's views quoted by the pope were bigoted. "One would expect a religious leader such as the pope to act and speak with responsibility and repudiate the Byzantine emperor's views in the interests of truth and harmonious relations between the followers of Islam and Catholicism," said Muhammad Abdul Bari, the council's secretary-general.
- United States: A Muslim group, the Council for American-Islamic Relations, asked for a meeting with a Vatican representative and urged more efforts at improving understanding between Muslims and Catholics. "The proper response to the pope's inaccurate and divisive remarks is for Muslims and Catholics worldwide to increase dialogue and outreach efforts aimed at building better relations between Christianity and Islam," the group said.
Muslim demonstrations across the world, Christian churches firebombed, and more Muslim leaders in several countries across the world demanding an apology.
Childish. Reactionary. Selfish. Dangerous. Full of anger, indignation, and self-righteousness...
Look, Muslims don't have to like the pope. Don't have to agree with him. Don't have to listen to him. Don't have to trust him. He doesn't speak for all Christians. He doesn't even pretend to. He's Roman Catholic, remember? Whether one agrees with him or not, there's no reasonable justification for violence and public demands for an apology based on what he said.
So, why this reaction?
Maybe it's because Islam is bent toward violence, force. Maybe it's because Muslim leaders are poor examples, or give into political pressures. Maybe the media is overblowing the reality of the protesting, and it's actually a very small percentage of Muslims who find the pope's comments worthy of such a reaction. Whatever the reason, tensions between Muslims and Christians won't be going away. How could they? They are opposed to each other at their very core.
Sep. 16th, 2006 @ 09:26 am
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| » Random thoughts |
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Been swamped at work for easily over 2 months now. Looking forward to a break, execution of a change in strategy. (impossible to overemphasize both statements too much)
Pregnancy's still going very well. Sorry if my "It's a girl!" post confused the handful of readers I might have (wasn't trying to announce birth - just ultrasound technician's strong assertion).
Feeling generally tired and uninspired. Day-by-day, even hour-by-hour view of life. Unacceptable...
Miss spending time with old friends. Sure, I love my "newer" friends, but definitely looking forward to the October marriage of an old high school bud - a chance to catch up with some people.
Fascinated by changes and events happening at work. Can't/shouldn't elaborate here. "Fascinated" definitely doesn't capture the feeling, but that's a strong element of it. Need to find a good Greek word with a lot of historical context to paint the full picture... work consumes my thoughts, actions. Totally NOT in balance with personal life.
Still fighting to get out of debt. Will enjoy looking back at this time of life, thankful for the effort we put into making this a priority. Certainly stressful in the meantime, adds to the overall mood of this time of life.
Just realized that it shouldn't be affecting my overall mood... presence of joy should/can be independent of "life condition". Whoops.
Reading more and more news articles about the religious pulse of America. Not positive reading.
I love Apologetics... considering doing something to educate myself on the particulars of public debating tactics - not to be sly/shady/sneaky/etc., but to successfully communicate logical points in a way that has the best chance to fall on listening ears, and negate the effects of untruthful statements. Fine line between my abilities and the Holy Spirit's... will need to always be mindful of that.
Enough therapeutic (I think) thought-diatribe... Time for sleep!
Sep. 12th, 2006 @ 11:59 pm
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| » What's happenin'? |
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PERSONAL
- Pregnancy is going well (see previous post)
- House is desperately needing some repairs (and general improvement work)
- Nominated and confirmed as Adult Christian Education deacon at church (asking God for effectiveness)
- Taking advantage of the summer heat (already multiple trips to the beach and neighborhood splash pad)
- Need a reliable and safe car that can handle 2 car seats (and the money to buy it!)
- Looking forward to December vacation in Florida
WORK
- Got promoted (definitely happy in general about that, but it comes with mixed feelings)
- Too much stuff to do (what else is new?)
- Still traveling a lot (20% reduction goal this fiscal year)
- Well compensated (solid summer bonus, and less taxes per paycheck after a major Form W-4 adjustment)
- Lots of responsibility (work/life balance is as crucial as ever)
Jul. 4th, 2006 @ 02:00 pm
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| » Father of the future bride... |
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It's gonna be a GIRL!!!
Jul. 4th, 2006 @ 01:49 pm
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| » Is the fact that I can't sleep at 2 a.m. a good sign? |
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It's been a fun last few days.
Taken from flustar.com
Apr. 25th, 2006 @ 01:58 am
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| » The Day of the Lord |
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When you're sick, and tired, and overwhelmed in a way that cannot easily be described... it's definitely time for some good scripture reading. An obvious question is, "Well, why did you wait until it got to this point?" I consider that a good question.
My basic objective is to obey more and more often, and with more consistency. I think that's way too general of an objective to be effective.
Reading spiteful words thrown in my direction doesn't help, either. Out of everything I read tonight, Psalm 69 seemed to speak to me the most...
May God break my spirit so that I can be filled with His. And may His hand of protection rest over Baby Tres...
Apr. 19th, 2006 @ 11:57 pm
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| » New website |
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After surviving quite a learning curve, our new family website is up and running. There's a lot of work to be done, but at least there are some new pictures.
   
Oh... yeah, I blatantly stole Dave's homepage style and made it my own (at least for the moment). I'm sure he won't mind. :-)
Feb. 14th, 2006 @ 01:07 am
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