Thursday, August 28, 2008
Pictures are up
I am back in the States. School is... going to be hard.
I have uploaded most of my pictures.
There are a lot of captions.
There are a lot of pictures. When all are up, over 1,100.
I believe you can leave comments, so please do. Or, even ask questions: I will try to answer all of them. Leave them on the photo, not on this post.
Ok, here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/remorehouse
The folders are numbered
01 Ethiopia
02 Ethiopia -> Kenya
03 Nairobi
04 Narok
05 Masaai Mara
06 Sudan (not completely loaded, check back)
07 Kampala (not loaded)
I have uploaded most of my pictures.
There are a lot of captions.
There are a lot of pictures. When all are up, over 1,100.
I believe you can leave comments, so please do. Or, even ask questions: I will try to answer all of them. Leave them on the photo, not on this post.
Ok, here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/remorehouse
The folders are numbered
01 Ethiopia
02 Ethiopia -> Kenya
03 Nairobi
04 Narok
05 Masaai Mara
06 Sudan (not completely loaded, check back)
07 Kampala (not loaded)
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Last Day
Today has been a good day. We had a pretty early start. We spent the morning going around and visiting students from one of the main universities. That was pretty interesting. Everyone treats me like a VIP because I am from America. That makes things awkward sometimes. I am looking forward to blending in again. But I had a really good time hanging out with Aaron and Mary, students who were walking around with me.
We enjoyed a nice Indian meal out in town. The pastor the the university ministry is named Kennedy. He is a really awesome guy, and we had a great conversation over lunch. He was explaining how a big problem here is that people trust westerners immediately, and it opens the door to a lot of a bad teaching. Brian McLaren has done several conferences out here, and the Mormons are building temples all over the place.
A lot of good work is going on as well.
I will be posting all my pictures in the next week or so. And I will probably have at least one more post reflecting on the trip, so make sure to check back in.
Kampala
Its been pretty relaxed here in Kampala. I have been hanging out with my friend Rusty, who used to live here. He started a university ministry which has since grown both in width and depth. They also have a bible study program that enrolls thousands. It seems to be a great system.
The guest house I am staying in is here: N 00 17.764 E 32 36.780
Yesterday we went out to see a food distribution. We were out in the slums here: N 00 18.304 E 32 39.348
They plant home churches by bringing in a bunch of food, doing a worship service, and giving everyone a free meal. One of the things I have been praying about since being here is a good attitude toward poverty. Its not easy. By Western standards, everyone here is living in poverty. By African standards, people are getting by: life as usual. So what do I do with the money in my pocket?
Also, because I have no personal experience in this area, I don't know how much good it does to use material lures to attract people to a spiritual message. Jesus seemed to turn people away when He knew they came with such a motivation. He didn't heal everyone, and He fed the 5000 once and when they came back for more He sent them away hungry with a stern rebuke.
More thinking to do....
The next two days will be long, both because I won't be busy and because I am really looking forward to being home. The final stretch is always the longest.
Oh yeah, I got sick yesterday, and I don't really know what the trouble is. I threw up a couple of times, but now I am feeling OK. Whatever. Bodies are stupid. Pray for that anyway.
Okay.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
More details on Sudan
This is the third post about Sudan.
I realized I was a bit lazy with my last post.
Here are some more of the details about what I was doing in Sudan.
I was in Nimule, which is just across the border from Uganda. You can find in on Google Earth. I am not going to be putting up GPS coordinates for the school because they are still in a lot of danger from the Arab government in the north. The peace treaty has been working well for the last few years, but no one expects it to last long.
The reason the school has been a target is that it sits right on the main road connecting south Sudan to Uganda. Also, the majority of their students are being prepared to be chaplains in the SPLA, the army of South Sudan.
I had about 40 students. Most of them were intending to go on to be chaplains, but some were training for ministry in general. Their English and prior education varied drastically. Some had already finished some other Bible training program; others had even finished primary school. That made teaching a bit difficult. We had to go over and over certain points to hammer everything in.
That being said, you could see intelligence shining through in certain individuals. The problem was more lack of training and knowledge than anything. Even the most intelligent men were ignorant of things we in America would take for granted.
A good example of this: One of my sharpest students asked this question, "If there were no cameras when Jesus was alive, how did they make the Jesus Movie?" He was referring to the film that many mission organizations show to villages. He simply assumed that what he was seeing was really the life of Jesus. This simple, naive approach was really common. It wasn't stupidity that created the question, but lack of experience and knowledge. I had to constantly remember that as I taught.
African Christianity has some serious doctrinal flaws.( I say that as a sweeping generalization, to which there are obvious exceptions.) One of the most frustrating is legalism. Many Christians here believe very emphatically that good works will save a person. They believe that going to church and doing good works is all that is necessary.
Teaching John, with its huge emphasis on belief, went totally in the face of that. Even still, it was very hard to get through. The heartbreaking part was seeing how much of their ideology could be directly connected to the old style fundamentalism that was imported from America, where Christians don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t wear shorts to church, where they are found every Sunday, and every respectable man wears a tie and takes Sunday off. Horrible.
The other major problem in Sudan is Roman Catholicism. Very few Americans seem to grasp the true message of the Roman church, or understand what it is doing in places like Sudan where there is no other church or school. Many people in Africa ask, “Are you a Catholic, or are you saved?” Not only do Catholics claim to be "not born again," they are proud of this fact about themselves. The gospel of justification by works, through the Roman Catholic Church alone, has been rooted deeply in people’s spiritual consciousness. Catholics are deliberately steered away from studying the Bible.
The reason Roman Catholicism became so prevalent here is that during the wars the only people that stayed behind to do ministry were priests and nuns. Many of these won’t even let Christians pray for those who are in their hospitals or schools. The dividing line between the true gospel and “another” can be clearly seen here, even if in places like America it is cleverly disguised by theological terms and ecumenical rhetoric.
Needless to say, studying John really shook up a lot of thinking.
The facility where I was staying is pretty nice. There is no running water, but they keep reservoirs full for showers and sinks. There is no electricity, but they run a generator for three hours each night. I watched a lot of DVDs on the TV they have there.
Like I mentioned before, the roughest part was not being able to leave the compound without an escort.
The weather was really nice. We had a lot of rain, usually in the evenings. There was lots of thunder and lightening. Really beautiful. The last time I was there it was very dry and I described it as a desert. This time, after months of rains, everything was lush and full. There was green everywhere.
All in all: a good experience.
I realized I was a bit lazy with my last post.
Here are some more of the details about what I was doing in Sudan.
I was in Nimule, which is just across the border from Uganda. You can find in on Google Earth. I am not going to be putting up GPS coordinates for the school because they are still in a lot of danger from the Arab government in the north. The peace treaty has been working well for the last few years, but no one expects it to last long.
The reason the school has been a target is that it sits right on the main road connecting south Sudan to Uganda. Also, the majority of their students are being prepared to be chaplains in the SPLA, the army of South Sudan.
I had about 40 students. Most of them were intending to go on to be chaplains, but some were training for ministry in general. Their English and prior education varied drastically. Some had already finished some other Bible training program; others had even finished primary school. That made teaching a bit difficult. We had to go over and over certain points to hammer everything in.
That being said, you could see intelligence shining through in certain individuals. The problem was more lack of training and knowledge than anything. Even the most intelligent men were ignorant of things we in America would take for granted.
A good example of this: One of my sharpest students asked this question, "If there were no cameras when Jesus was alive, how did they make the Jesus Movie?" He was referring to the film that many mission organizations show to villages. He simply assumed that what he was seeing was really the life of Jesus. This simple, naive approach was really common. It wasn't stupidity that created the question, but lack of experience and knowledge. I had to constantly remember that as I taught.
African Christianity has some serious doctrinal flaws.( I say that as a sweeping generalization, to which there are obvious exceptions.) One of the most frustrating is legalism. Many Christians here believe very emphatically that good works will save a person. They believe that going to church and doing good works is all that is necessary.
Teaching John, with its huge emphasis on belief, went totally in the face of that. Even still, it was very hard to get through. The heartbreaking part was seeing how much of their ideology could be directly connected to the old style fundamentalism that was imported from America, where Christians don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t wear shorts to church, where they are found every Sunday, and every respectable man wears a tie and takes Sunday off. Horrible.
The other major problem in Sudan is Roman Catholicism. Very few Americans seem to grasp the true message of the Roman church, or understand what it is doing in places like Sudan where there is no other church or school. Many people in Africa ask, “Are you a Catholic, or are you saved?” Not only do Catholics claim to be "not born again," they are proud of this fact about themselves. The gospel of justification by works, through the Roman Catholic Church alone, has been rooted deeply in people’s spiritual consciousness. Catholics are deliberately steered away from studying the Bible.
The reason Roman Catholicism became so prevalent here is that during the wars the only people that stayed behind to do ministry were priests and nuns. Many of these won’t even let Christians pray for those who are in their hospitals or schools. The dividing line between the true gospel and “another” can be clearly seen here, even if in places like America it is cleverly disguised by theological terms and ecumenical rhetoric.
Needless to say, studying John really shook up a lot of thinking.
The facility where I was staying is pretty nice. There is no running water, but they keep reservoirs full for showers and sinks. There is no electricity, but they run a generator for three hours each night. I watched a lot of DVDs on the TV they have there.
Like I mentioned before, the roughest part was not being able to leave the compound without an escort.
The weather was really nice. We had a lot of rain, usually in the evenings. There was lots of thunder and lightening. Really beautiful. The last time I was there it was very dry and I described it as a desert. This time, after months of rains, everything was lush and full. There was green everywhere.
All in all: a good experience.
Back from Sudan
I just got back to the FRM guesthouse in Kampala.
I am glad to be here.
Everything ended up working out really well in Nimule, but the time there was a real challenge. The hardest part, and this seems strange in hindsight, was simply all the time I had there. I was only teaching for about 3 hours a day, and doing some studying as well, but that left a lot of hours to kill. There really isn't anything to do there besides read and study, and unlike the other places I have gone on this trip, I couldn't leave the campus. There was no electricy, no town to explore, nothing to kill the time. Even when something did happen, it wouldn't last the whole day. Saturday and Sunday's were the hardest. It was stifling.
I don't do well with down time. My mind tends to fill with unpleasent memories, or I stew over this or that problem. So all that is to say, I want to thank everyone who has been praying for me this Summer. I am sure that it is making a big difference.
I did a lot of praying myself, which was a big jump for me. The last time I spent significant daily time in prayer was when I was still in California. I realized that I really haven't been reading the Bible like I used to either. I did a lot of that as well. Those two things are still really hard for me: Whenever I try to pray, or just read the Bible (especially Psalms), I end up hearing the voices of, and thinking about, people who caused a lot of spiritual chaos for me. I have realized that I associate anything remotely "spiritual" (prayer, reading the Bible devotionally, fellowship, worship, etc.) with a lot of filth from the past. The way certain people in Redlands treated me, or things they said, really wrecked a lot of my spiritual life.
Or, I should be more honest and say: I let them wreck a lot of my spiritual life.
I really feel like God is rebuilding a lot of that on this trip. I haven't been able to trust Christians the way I have on this trip in a really long time. Its hard getting used to, but its really nice at the same time.
During those long hours I had to figure out how I was going to cope with everything. I think I made a lot of progress.
It has all made me realize how important it is to get things right. We can't mess around with Truth or God or church or Christianity. I got hurt pretty bad back then, but I know people who were hurt even worse. And I know people who are still perpetuating the same suicidal spirituality.
This is important.
_____
All that and: The class ended really well. I think a good amount of the students missed a lot of the material, but even so a lot got it as well. The language issue continued to be a problem. Also, it was pretty clear by the end who was really on board, and who was there to get a good military job. But, they will either get changed or quit.
The pictures are going to tell this part of the story better than a blog. I will be home in about a week, and I should have pictures with captions up in two.
I now have a week in Kampala. I don't really know what I am going to be doing, so keep checking in to find out!
I am glad to be here.
Everything ended up working out really well in Nimule, but the time there was a real challenge. The hardest part, and this seems strange in hindsight, was simply all the time I had there. I was only teaching for about 3 hours a day, and doing some studying as well, but that left a lot of hours to kill. There really isn't anything to do there besides read and study, and unlike the other places I have gone on this trip, I couldn't leave the campus. There was no electricy, no town to explore, nothing to kill the time. Even when something did happen, it wouldn't last the whole day. Saturday and Sunday's were the hardest. It was stifling.
I don't do well with down time. My mind tends to fill with unpleasent memories, or I stew over this or that problem. So all that is to say, I want to thank everyone who has been praying for me this Summer. I am sure that it is making a big difference.
I did a lot of praying myself, which was a big jump for me. The last time I spent significant daily time in prayer was when I was still in California. I realized that I really haven't been reading the Bible like I used to either. I did a lot of that as well. Those two things are still really hard for me: Whenever I try to pray, or just read the Bible (especially Psalms), I end up hearing the voices of, and thinking about, people who caused a lot of spiritual chaos for me. I have realized that I associate anything remotely "spiritual" (prayer, reading the Bible devotionally, fellowship, worship, etc.) with a lot of filth from the past. The way certain people in Redlands treated me, or things they said, really wrecked a lot of my spiritual life.
Or, I should be more honest and say: I let them wreck a lot of my spiritual life.
I really feel like God is rebuilding a lot of that on this trip. I haven't been able to trust Christians the way I have on this trip in a really long time. Its hard getting used to, but its really nice at the same time.
During those long hours I had to figure out how I was going to cope with everything. I think I made a lot of progress.
It has all made me realize how important it is to get things right. We can't mess around with Truth or God or church or Christianity. I got hurt pretty bad back then, but I know people who were hurt even worse. And I know people who are still perpetuating the same suicidal spirituality.
This is important.
_____
All that and: The class ended really well. I think a good amount of the students missed a lot of the material, but even so a lot got it as well. The language issue continued to be a problem. Also, it was pretty clear by the end who was really on board, and who was there to get a good military job. But, they will either get changed or quit.
The pictures are going to tell this part of the story better than a blog. I will be home in about a week, and I should have pictures with captions up in two.
I now have a week in Kampala. I don't really know what I am going to be doing, so keep checking in to find out!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
In Sudan
I am updating this through a cell phone so I will keep it short.
Everything is going well. I have been teaching the Gospel of John for
the last four days. We are almost halfway done. This is the hardest
class yet because their English is very basic and very heavily
accented. I am told that they understand more than they seem. Also,
because most of them are going to be chaplains in the SPLA, we have no
garuntee that they are even born again. Its hard teaching John when
you dont know if anyone has even read the other simpler gospels. Pray
for that.
I will try to update this again, but no promises. I wont be able to
get on the net again until the 19th.
I am safe, healthy, and taking lots of pictures.
Everything is going well. I have been teaching the Gospel of John for
the last four days. We are almost halfway done. This is the hardest
class yet because their English is very basic and very heavily
accented. I am told that they understand more than they seem. Also,
because most of them are going to be chaplains in the SPLA, we have no
garuntee that they are even born again. Its hard teaching John when
you dont know if anyone has even read the other simpler gospels. Pray
for that.
I will try to update this again, but no promises. I wont be able to
get on the net again until the 19th.
I am safe, healthy, and taking lots of pictures.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Nairobi to Kampala
So its been an eventful five days.
I just arrived in Kampala a few hours ago, have gotten a hot shower, and my clothes are in the laundry. I will give a good day by day run through of the last 5 or 6 days.
July 31
I left Nairobi pretty early to go to Narok. This is a small town about 3 hours southwest of Nairobi. My friend Ester put me in touch with some people she was with there last year. It was kind of fun arriving, and having no idea who was going to be there, or what I was going to do. Morinke, Ester's friend, met me at the post office there. We spent the rest of the day walking around town, and meeting a couple different groups of people. The first were a couple who are doing work with orphans and impoverished people in Narok. The second were people working at Narok Bible College.
This second part was the main reason I wanted to get down and spend a day in town. They have a pretty nice facility there, but its really underfunded, so its understaffed, underenrolled, underused, and generally performing under potential. This is no fault of anyone there; they are just trying to get things up and running again. It was build in the 40's and 50's by a missionary couple, but has since been revitalized by a native denomination.
We went to a fellowship meeting at Morinke's church. There was a guest pastor there, whose main point was that if someone is going to be a preacher they need to look sharp and wear a tie. Unfortunately he probably learned that from some stupid American.
I got a chance to have dinner with the principal, and we talked about the school, and his plans to get things up and running. His name was Steve, and was a really nice guy.
I spent the night in a guest house on campus.
August 1st
The next morning Morinke took me back to his place for breakfast (Tea and bread) and hung out in town. His house is here: S 1 5.050 E 35 52.439 (I didn't get them from the school, but it should be about 1km directly south of Morinke's house) We had a really good time. His English was really good, which means that I could joke around. My sense of humor does not translate well. So that was good.
I got a tour of the Bible College from Steve, and then headed back into town to meet my ride.
I really enjoyed the short time I got to stay in Narok. Also, I started getting a cold.
The safari vehicle got into town around 2ish, and it was awesome! I was joining a group, so I didn't know what to expect there. I wasn't sure if it would be Korean tourists who didn't speak English, Americans ready to party the whole time, or what? It turned out to be a whole gang of Europeans, none of whom were traveling in groups larger than two. We all ended up getting along great.
I have just been informed that I need to give up the computer. :(
So here is the quick story: I spent most of the safari hanging out with two girls from Belgium, who were incredibly fun and funny, and made the whole time great. We had a bad breakdown the second day and spent six hours stuck. But we still saw: Lions hunting Zebras, Wildebeast crossing the Mara river in front of crocodiles, crocodiles, cheetah, giraffe, vultures, water-buffalo, hippos, elephants, every imaginable kind of gazelle/deer, and hundreds of literally thousands of wildebeast and zebra. all in all: every zoo (at least the Africa part) is now ruined for me because it was so sweet. I took lots of pictures. Also, i visited Tanzania for 10 minutes (it borders the park) putting my country total for this trip at a whomping FIVE!
Quickly, i went back to nairobi, and quickly I arrived here. The bus trip was pretty miserable, but faster than expected. I am now in Kampala. Tomorrow I leave for Sudan. If you want to know more about my safari, you will have to wait!
Quick GPS SAFARI!!!
my tent S 1 27.429 E 35 12.933
middle of masaai mara S 1 30.944 E 35 3.012
border kenya/tanzania S 1 33.291 E 35 1.462 (this may be the farthest point from home on the trip)
The brutal breakdown S 1 32.203 E 35 1.203
Nairobi to Kampala
bus station in nairobi S 1 16.934 E 36 49.481
nakuru S 0 17.388 E 36 3.045
kisumu S 0 6.042 E 34 45.078
I slept through the equator :(
border of kenya/uganda N 0 27.913 E 34 5.968
FRM guest house, Kampala: TBA
I just arrived in Kampala a few hours ago, have gotten a hot shower, and my clothes are in the laundry. I will give a good day by day run through of the last 5 or 6 days.
July 31
I left Nairobi pretty early to go to Narok. This is a small town about 3 hours southwest of Nairobi. My friend Ester put me in touch with some people she was with there last year. It was kind of fun arriving, and having no idea who was going to be there, or what I was going to do. Morinke, Ester's friend, met me at the post office there. We spent the rest of the day walking around town, and meeting a couple different groups of people. The first were a couple who are doing work with orphans and impoverished people in Narok. The second were people working at Narok Bible College.
This second part was the main reason I wanted to get down and spend a day in town. They have a pretty nice facility there, but its really underfunded, so its understaffed, underenrolled, underused, and generally performing under potential. This is no fault of anyone there; they are just trying to get things up and running again. It was build in the 40's and 50's by a missionary couple, but has since been revitalized by a native denomination.
We went to a fellowship meeting at Morinke's church. There was a guest pastor there, whose main point was that if someone is going to be a preacher they need to look sharp and wear a tie. Unfortunately he probably learned that from some stupid American.
I got a chance to have dinner with the principal, and we talked about the school, and his plans to get things up and running. His name was Steve, and was a really nice guy.
I spent the night in a guest house on campus.
August 1st
The next morning Morinke took me back to his place for breakfast (Tea and bread) and hung out in town. His house is here: S 1 5.050 E 35 52.439 (I didn't get them from the school, but it should be about 1km directly south of Morinke's house) We had a really good time. His English was really good, which means that I could joke around. My sense of humor does not translate well. So that was good.
I got a tour of the Bible College from Steve, and then headed back into town to meet my ride.
I really enjoyed the short time I got to stay in Narok. Also, I started getting a cold.
The safari vehicle got into town around 2ish, and it was awesome! I was joining a group, so I didn't know what to expect there. I wasn't sure if it would be Korean tourists who didn't speak English, Americans ready to party the whole time, or what? It turned out to be a whole gang of Europeans, none of whom were traveling in groups larger than two. We all ended up getting along great.
I have just been informed that I need to give up the computer. :(
So here is the quick story: I spent most of the safari hanging out with two girls from Belgium, who were incredibly fun and funny, and made the whole time great. We had a bad breakdown the second day and spent six hours stuck. But we still saw: Lions hunting Zebras, Wildebeast crossing the Mara river in front of crocodiles, crocodiles, cheetah, giraffe, vultures, water-buffalo, hippos, elephants, every imaginable kind of gazelle/deer, and hundreds of literally thousands of wildebeast and zebra. all in all: every zoo (at least the Africa part) is now ruined for me because it was so sweet. I took lots of pictures. Also, i visited Tanzania for 10 minutes (it borders the park) putting my country total for this trip at a whomping FIVE!
Quickly, i went back to nairobi, and quickly I arrived here. The bus trip was pretty miserable, but faster than expected. I am now in Kampala. Tomorrow I leave for Sudan. If you want to know more about my safari, you will have to wait!
Quick GPS SAFARI!!!
my tent S 1 27.429 E 35 12.933
middle of masaai mara S 1 30.944 E 35 3.012
border kenya/tanzania S 1 33.291 E 35 1.462 (this may be the farthest point from home on the trip)
The brutal breakdown S 1 32.203 E 35 1.203
Nairobi to Kampala
bus station in nairobi S 1 16.934 E 36 49.481
nakuru S 0 17.388 E 36 3.045
kisumu S 0 6.042 E 34 45.078
I slept through the equator :(
border of kenya/uganda N 0 27.913 E 34 5.968
FRM guest house, Kampala: TBA
Thursday, July 24, 2008
Kenya Apologetics
This post has two parts, the first is about the class I have been teaching. The second is about what I have been up to for the last few days. Choose your own adventure!
First: the church where I have been teaching is here: (S 1 18.235 E 36 44.776). There are more coordinates throughout.
Today is the last day of the apologetics class. It’s been very interesting. Everyday I go some issue comes up that I had no idea was going to be a controversy, or cause so many problems, or be difficult to understand. You really have to think on your toes. Here are a few of the apologetic issues that I have found need to be covered here, which were not covered in any of the materials I brought. Some of them still come up in America, but they seem to be areas someone coming here to do apologetics should be especially prepared for:
1. Fideism - Does something become true because I believe it? Or do I believe something because it is true? Many students in the class (particularly pastors) strongly believed that the first case was the most noble or spiritual.
2. Miracles - What are miracles for, and where should we expect to see them? Of course, the SES stance is that "apostolic gifts", like miracles, no longer happen, so any material we have produced is hopelessly unprepared to handle all the questions in this area. (Not to mention a pretty indefensible position. Sorry guys! It’s true...) In Africa, everyone has a story of some miracle or another happening, and not all of them through the hands of God's people. We spent about 2 hours going over and over just this one area.
3. KJV vs. other translations - Is the KJV historically accurate, or are other English translations better? I know that this still comes up in the States but it seems to be a fringe issue now.
4. Tradition vs. Scripture - Legalism is pretty rampant here, with many churches still observing a mix of Old Testament and New Testament morality. Along with that, elders are incredibly respected (which is good) even when what they are saying is not true (which is not good). The result is a lot of questions, and even protests, about what is right, wrong, true, false, good, evil, etc. etc. Yesterday I spent over and hour and a half talking about just the issue of drinking alcohol. The thing that touched it off? A mention that Jesus drank wine for communion. Incredible.
Today we are going to have a question and answer time, most of which is going to be consumed by two major issues that have come up over and over and over again. 1. Why shouldn’t we observe the Old Covenant? 2. How do predestination and free will go together?
Whew. But it will be fun. We are also going to have a short “graduation” ceremony. All the people who came every day will get a certificate. I think we have about 40 of those. Pretty cool.
Ok. Part II
Besides teaching for four hours a day, I have had to spend a lot of time studying. I am going to be teaching the gospel of John at my next stop, and getting all my notes ready has taken a significant amount of time. That hasn’t given me much freedom to do too much exploring.
I did get a chance to get out on my own on Saturday. I went and visited Nairobi National Park (S 1 20.190 E 36 46.785). That was fun. I was trying to hitch a ride into the park itself, but that was far too expensive. They have a small animal sanctuary nearby. This was pretty cool because one of the groundskeepers hooked me up and gave me a behind the scenes tour. I got to see a Rhino from about a foot away and pet a cheetah. Unfortunately, my camera got smashed on the way here (more on that later) and none of the pictures actually took. But I got to see it anyway. The other cool thing they had there was a raised boardwalk that goes out into the park itself a short way. It overlooks some big watering holes. I got to see a whole ton of baboons, some warthog, and two or three kinds of gazelles. I sat and watched the baboons for a while.
After the park, I caught a bus into town. I was trying to find the National Museum (S 1 16.449 E 36 48.871). It took some doing, but I got to see a lot of downtown in the process. Nairobi is a big city. I finally found it, and spent a good 3 hours walking around. They have some pretty good displays on African animals, and some really interesting information of Kenyan culture. They had a special exhibit on African rock art. They also have an entire wing devoted to human evolution. Many major discoveries of “missing links” have turned up in Kenya, and they had many of them on display in the museum. I could include a major editorial here, but I will only say that I found the displays disappointingly unconvincing and the depictions of early human beings strange.
After a good day out, I came home.
Monday I went out with a group of guys from the church to go street witnessing. I let my buddy Meshach do all the talking, of course. Afterwards, we had lunch at his house. It was really, really good. His house is here: (S 1 18.119 E 36 44.471).
Yesterday I went to Kabira slums, the biggest slum in Africa. It is roughly 8 sq. km, and is home to over 1.2 million people. The church has some projects in the slums, supporting schools and helping children. It is a pretty amazing sight to visit. Most of the major violence during the election were in Kabira, because it was their MP that was (allegedly) robbed of the presidency. They burned a lot of surrounding buildings, and a lot of the damage was still being fixed. There was a lot of really cool street art in the area.
I finally broke down and bought a new camera. I got a good price, but still, it was frustrating to have to spend the money. I figure the pictures are invaluable, and my church in Charlotte insisted I take a lot of pictures, so it’s justifiable from that side. Pray that God protects this one!
So I got pictures in Kabira, and I will be taking a lot today of the church, the class, and the people I have been working with.
The plan from here: Tomorrow I leave to Narok to visit a bible college there that my friend Ester told me about (Hi, Ester!). I will be there about a day and then I take a little “vacation” into Masaai Mara National Park. My friend David here in Nairobi got me a killer deal on a 3 day camping trip into the park. I will be tagging along with a group of folks. After 2 weeks of hard work here it will be a nice breather before 2 hard weeks in Sudan. I get to Kampala Uganda on the 4th, and my plane leaves the 5th for South Sudan.
I don’t know how much access to the internet I will have for the next three weeks, but I will try to keep thing updated as often as possible.
First: the church where I have been teaching is here: (S 1 18.235 E 36 44.776). There are more coordinates throughout.
Today is the last day of the apologetics class. It’s been very interesting. Everyday I go some issue comes up that I had no idea was going to be a controversy, or cause so many problems, or be difficult to understand. You really have to think on your toes. Here are a few of the apologetic issues that I have found need to be covered here, which were not covered in any of the materials I brought. Some of them still come up in America, but they seem to be areas someone coming here to do apologetics should be especially prepared for:
1. Fideism - Does something become true because I believe it? Or do I believe something because it is true? Many students in the class (particularly pastors) strongly believed that the first case was the most noble or spiritual.
2. Miracles - What are miracles for, and where should we expect to see them? Of course, the SES stance is that "apostolic gifts", like miracles, no longer happen, so any material we have produced is hopelessly unprepared to handle all the questions in this area. (Not to mention a pretty indefensible position. Sorry guys! It’s true...) In Africa, everyone has a story of some miracle or another happening, and not all of them through the hands of God's people. We spent about 2 hours going over and over just this one area.
3. KJV vs. other translations - Is the KJV historically accurate, or are other English translations better? I know that this still comes up in the States but it seems to be a fringe issue now.
4. Tradition vs. Scripture - Legalism is pretty rampant here, with many churches still observing a mix of Old Testament and New Testament morality. Along with that, elders are incredibly respected (which is good) even when what they are saying is not true (which is not good). The result is a lot of questions, and even protests, about what is right, wrong, true, false, good, evil, etc. etc. Yesterday I spent over and hour and a half talking about just the issue of drinking alcohol. The thing that touched it off? A mention that Jesus drank wine for communion. Incredible.
Today we are going to have a question and answer time, most of which is going to be consumed by two major issues that have come up over and over and over again. 1. Why shouldn’t we observe the Old Covenant? 2. How do predestination and free will go together?
Whew. But it will be fun. We are also going to have a short “graduation” ceremony. All the people who came every day will get a certificate. I think we have about 40 of those. Pretty cool.
Ok. Part II
Besides teaching for four hours a day, I have had to spend a lot of time studying. I am going to be teaching the gospel of John at my next stop, and getting all my notes ready has taken a significant amount of time. That hasn’t given me much freedom to do too much exploring.
I did get a chance to get out on my own on Saturday. I went and visited Nairobi National Park (S 1 20.190 E 36 46.785). That was fun. I was trying to hitch a ride into the park itself, but that was far too expensive. They have a small animal sanctuary nearby. This was pretty cool because one of the groundskeepers hooked me up and gave me a behind the scenes tour. I got to see a Rhino from about a foot away and pet a cheetah. Unfortunately, my camera got smashed on the way here (more on that later) and none of the pictures actually took. But I got to see it anyway. The other cool thing they had there was a raised boardwalk that goes out into the park itself a short way. It overlooks some big watering holes. I got to see a whole ton of baboons, some warthog, and two or three kinds of gazelles. I sat and watched the baboons for a while.
After the park, I caught a bus into town. I was trying to find the National Museum (S 1 16.449 E 36 48.871). It took some doing, but I got to see a lot of downtown in the process. Nairobi is a big city. I finally found it, and spent a good 3 hours walking around. They have some pretty good displays on African animals, and some really interesting information of Kenyan culture. They had a special exhibit on African rock art. They also have an entire wing devoted to human evolution. Many major discoveries of “missing links” have turned up in Kenya, and they had many of them on display in the museum. I could include a major editorial here, but I will only say that I found the displays disappointingly unconvincing and the depictions of early human beings strange.
After a good day out, I came home.
Monday I went out with a group of guys from the church to go street witnessing. I let my buddy Meshach do all the talking, of course. Afterwards, we had lunch at his house. It was really, really good. His house is here: (S 1 18.119 E 36 44.471).
Yesterday I went to Kabira slums, the biggest slum in Africa. It is roughly 8 sq. km, and is home to over 1.2 million people. The church has some projects in the slums, supporting schools and helping children. It is a pretty amazing sight to visit. Most of the major violence during the election were in Kabira, because it was their MP that was (allegedly) robbed of the presidency. They burned a lot of surrounding buildings, and a lot of the damage was still being fixed. There was a lot of really cool street art in the area.
I finally broke down and bought a new camera. I got a good price, but still, it was frustrating to have to spend the money. I figure the pictures are invaluable, and my church in Charlotte insisted I take a lot of pictures, so it’s justifiable from that side. Pray that God protects this one!
So I got pictures in Kabira, and I will be taking a lot today of the church, the class, and the people I have been working with.
The plan from here: Tomorrow I leave to Narok to visit a bible college there that my friend Ester told me about (Hi, Ester!). I will be there about a day and then I take a little “vacation” into Masaai Mara National Park. My friend David here in Nairobi got me a killer deal on a 3 day camping trip into the park. I will be tagging along with a group of folks. After 2 weeks of hard work here it will be a nice breather before 2 hard weeks in Sudan. I get to Kampala Uganda on the 4th, and my plane leaves the 5th for South Sudan.
I don’t know how much access to the internet I will have for the next three weeks, but I will try to keep thing updated as often as possible.
Half way
Hopefully everyone found the pictures. Check out the link on the Nairobi post
Things are basically the same here. Some information about where I am staying, and what its like:
I am staying in an apartment that was being used by a missionary family that has since gone back to the states. Its pretty big, and pretty nice, so it feels kind of weird to be the only person in it. Plus, there really isn't any furniture besides the bed i am in and a table in the dining room. Its on the 3rd floor, so its really easy to forget where I am. Also, we are pretty cut off from the city. I haven't been able to get out as much as I did in Addis which is really too bad. My teaching schedule also makes it hard to get out. My class is from 1-5 so the day is pretty much cut in half, and I have to do a lot of studying in the mornings.
Its pretty cold here. Very chilly and night, and sweatshirt whether during the day. Its been rainy just about every morning since I got here. Its not the thunderstorm downpour we got in Ethiopia, but its still gets everything pretty wet.
The students I have are really awesome. They have an amazing amount of questions, many of them not directly related to the subject matter, but important none-the-less. They have some major doctrinal problems here with legalism, qualifications for church leaders, and prosperity/word-faith stuff. So those sorts of questions come up often. You have to really think on your toes.
I am really wishing that I could have gotten a team together for this portion. My mouth is physically sore by the end of the day. Maybe next summer?
Things are basically the same here. Some information about where I am staying, and what its like:
I am staying in an apartment that was being used by a missionary family that has since gone back to the states. Its pretty big, and pretty nice, so it feels kind of weird to be the only person in it. Plus, there really isn't any furniture besides the bed i am in and a table in the dining room. Its on the 3rd floor, so its really easy to forget where I am. Also, we are pretty cut off from the city. I haven't been able to get out as much as I did in Addis which is really too bad. My teaching schedule also makes it hard to get out. My class is from 1-5 so the day is pretty much cut in half, and I have to do a lot of studying in the mornings.
Its pretty cold here. Very chilly and night, and sweatshirt whether during the day. Its been rainy just about every morning since I got here. Its not the thunderstorm downpour we got in Ethiopia, but its still gets everything pretty wet.
The students I have are really awesome. They have an amazing amount of questions, many of them not directly related to the subject matter, but important none-the-less. They have some major doctrinal problems here with legalism, qualifications for church leaders, and prosperity/word-faith stuff. So those sorts of questions come up often. You have to really think on your toes.
I am really wishing that I could have gotten a team together for this portion. My mouth is physically sore by the end of the day. Maybe next summer?
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Nairobi
First: one of my awesome comrades from Ethiopia has put up some pictures from the trip here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/pcdenio/EthiopiaTripPictures2
I just finished by 3 teaching day in Nairobi. It is a lot more work than the last stop; I am doing about 2-4 hours a day. It is pretty tiring work. Lots of questions about all sorts of things. That is nice, because it makes it a lot of fun. But, it is also pretty rough because I am doing a lot of mental work to keep up with all the topics flying around.
We are doing a basic overview of Christian apologetics (Dr. Geisler's 12 points, if you are familar). They are really interested. Many of the people in the sessions have never had any philosophy at all, and so they are incredibley interested in just learning the basics. I am having a really good time teaching this class.
We have about 30-40 students a day. A lot of people trickle in as the class progresses. Africa Time is in full effect here; this means that if we say we start at 1, people start showing up around 1:30, and by 2 we are up to full numbers. That can be a bit frustrating, but what can you do?
Calvary Chapel Nairobi is a pretty sweet church. They have been in their current location for about 2 years, and and the Bible college has been going for about 1.5 years. Their first students will graduate next spring. The church is made up of about 100 adults (or so) and about 200 children. Sometimes they have even more kids show up. It is really a neat thing to see. They do services in English and Swahili. This works out well because those are the two national languages of Kenya. Everyone here speaks exellent English. Most of the people my age are completely fluent. The fun part is, their accents are African but much of their pronunciation is British.
More to say, but I have to go get dinner, and this is long enough already!
http://picasaweb.google.com/pcdenio/EthiopiaTripPictures2
I just finished by 3 teaching day in Nairobi. It is a lot more work than the last stop; I am doing about 2-4 hours a day. It is pretty tiring work. Lots of questions about all sorts of things. That is nice, because it makes it a lot of fun. But, it is also pretty rough because I am doing a lot of mental work to keep up with all the topics flying around.
We are doing a basic overview of Christian apologetics (Dr. Geisler's 12 points, if you are familar). They are really interested. Many of the people in the sessions have never had any philosophy at all, and so they are incredibley interested in just learning the basics. I am having a really good time teaching this class.
We have about 30-40 students a day. A lot of people trickle in as the class progresses. Africa Time is in full effect here; this means that if we say we start at 1, people start showing up around 1:30, and by 2 we are up to full numbers. That can be a bit frustrating, but what can you do?
Calvary Chapel Nairobi is a pretty sweet church. They have been in their current location for about 2 years, and and the Bible college has been going for about 1.5 years. Their first students will graduate next spring. The church is made up of about 100 adults (or so) and about 200 children. Sometimes they have even more kids show up. It is really a neat thing to see. They do services in English and Swahili. This works out well because those are the two national languages of Kenya. Everyone here speaks exellent English. Most of the people my age are completely fluent. The fun part is, their accents are African but much of their pronunciation is British.
More to say, but I have to go get dinner, and this is long enough already!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
I have not perished.
I have arrived safely in Nairobi. I got in at around 7 PM last night. The following entry is all the details of the incredible adventure it was getting here. It is long, and I didn't really proofread it (sorry!) you will get the idea anyway.
July 12th
I got the bus station at around 5 AM. The scene there was pretty chaotic, but I brought an Ethiopian friend with me who helped navigate some of the difficulty. After we found the right bus and paid the fare, I settled down for a while to wait for us to leave. At this point I experienced a bit of a panic. It was a pretty daunting task ahead of me, and I realized that I had no language to get myself out of trouble. I had 800 miles of Africa in front of me, most of it days away from any civilization. I overcame that with a bit of prayer and some pride as well: what would I say to everyone who knew I was going to Nairobi by bus? That I wussed out? Heck no. I talked with a passenger named Zilalem for a while. He was an English major at Addis Ababa University. Nice guy.
We left around 6:15ish, and were out of Addis Ababa by 7:00 or so. Traffic was light the entire way.
I was sitting in the front, behind the driver, so I had a pretty good view of the road. I ended up falling asleep for a while which was a good thing because I was started to get car sick from being so tired. I didn’t get much sleep the night before.
We stopped for breakfast around 9 at a little roadside place. I didn’t eat anything because I still was feeling a bit sick from the last week. I sat with Zilalem while he had some breakfast. He was on his way home for the summer break.
The rest of the days ride was pretty uneventful. I read some and enjoyed the scenery. We were basically going downhill all the way, so there was a big change in the vegetation. It was very lush through the highlands, and didn’t get more arid until we got near the border with Kenya. There were a lot of mud and thatch huts with small farms along the way. This was true pretty much throughout Ethiopia.
We arrived in a town called Dilla around 2 PM. This was going to be our overnight stay. It was bit bewildering because it wasn’t at all like I expected. There was no clear direction to move in, and I knew I had limited time to look like I knew what I was doing. We pulled into a clear area inside a fence and everyone got off the bus and moved on. Luckily the conductor directed me towards some folk, and this random kid showed me where a hotel was. All the other passengers from the bus were there as well, and this turned out to be a very good thing.
It was there that I met Emmanuel and Paulos. They were part of the Ethiopian version of the Boy Scouts, and were on their way to Moyale to pitch the whole idea to the government there. Paulos spoke excellent English. They invited me out to get some drinks and food, so we spent the afternoon walking around town. No one had any power so we had to walk around a bit to find a restaurant that had food available. After a few hours we went back to the hotel, which was not a bad place. For 20 birr (about 2 dollars) you got a room with a bed and a chair. There was a communal bath area. The toilet was completely shot, just a hole in the ground with some bricks to stand on while you squatted. I didn’t bother using the shower. While we were there I also met Ali, a Somali from Addis. I got to share Christ with him; he is a Muslim.
July 13th
The next day was another early start. We had to be at the bus at 5 AM once again. I had a great night’s rest though, so I didn’t feel poorly at all. I met up with the others, and ended up sitting next to Ali on the bus.
On this part of the trip we experienced the greatest changes in elevation. The result was fantastic views as we came down off the tops of various hills and ridges. Ethiopia is a pretty beautiful country. The weather was beautiful. Outside of Dilla were more of the lush forests and farms. A lot of people were growing bananas. As we dropped lower the landscape and flora changed dramatically. We ended up in arid plains, still being farmed. On the way I saw much of the same domestic animals: horses, goats, cows, and sheep, but lower down there were also groups of camels. I also saw some good sized monkeys; baboons maybe?
Giant termite nests became a common sight as well. These stand over 10 feet tall sometimes. They look like pillars of dirt. At some point the soil must have changed dramatically, because instead of being brown they turned to bright white. Some of them were very elegant, almost like statues. You could imagine marble forms in some of them that were quite convincing.
We broke down in the middle of nowhere for about an hour. This was an interesting experience. Luckily these people are amazing for getting things up and running. The bus must have been in terrible condition from the sound but we got underway again. It took about an hour to fix the problem.
We arrived in Moyale around 1 PM.
What a mess.
Moyale is a frontier town, and as close to the Wild West as I can imagine still existing. There is one main drag that consists almost entirely of hotels and whorehouses. It seemed, anyway. We pulled into the same kind of lot that I saw in Dilla, but with even less direction as to where to go and what to do.
Ali ended up being a big help (he had family in Moyale), but even he didn’t really know what to do. The goal was to find a hotel, and then work out a ride on a truck into Kenya. This turned out to be a bad idea. The whole town seemed to full of “brokers” and “tourist agents” who wanted to get you into the hotels they had deals with and get some money out of you on the way. I had to get rid of these guys. A truck driver in Addis told me the best bet was to go to the customs office and try to find some other westerners to travel with. I stuck to that plan instead of trying to get a hotel. This turned out to be a VERY good thing.
Ali helped me find the customs office and then went on his way. While I was there I met Sahar and Nir, an Israeli couple honeymooning their way through Africa, hitchhiking and so forth. They were on their way to Mt. Kenya, which is right near Nairobi. We decided to all travel together. This would turn out to be amazing.
They spoke very good English, had been in Ethiopia about a month, and were really happy to have another friendly to join them on the road. They had been in Moyale for about a day and had figured out the truck situation. It turns out you have to walk about half a mile across the border to find their starting point. I also needed to get my passport stamped before I left the country. It was a good thing I got that worked out that day.
We got some supper together and got to know each other decently well. They had just gotten married. Both have served in the IDF. I found out later that Nir had seen a lot of action. He was really relieved to meet someone who didn’t hate Israel. We got a chance to hang out a lot over the next two days. Sahar was really cool as well. She had a vibrant interest in people, and was constantly talking to everyone, even those that couldn’t understand English very well. It was a lot of fun.
I got a hotel, and went off to meet Emmanuel and Paulos before I left. I got to buy them some Cokes, and we sat and talked for a good hour. They were really good people. They walked me back to my hotel. In Ethiopia it is very common for friends of the same sex to hold hands while they are walking. As we started off, Emmanuel grabbed mind. Totally weird! But, what can you do?
The hotel I was staying in was a complete mess. The first thing I did was destroy two cockroaches and throw the deadbolts. Moyale seemed to be a very dangerous place. Most of the hotels were also whorehouses and bars, and I don’t think mine was an exception. I had guys sitting right outside my room most the night drinking and listening to loud music. The rooms were just off a courtyard used by the restaurant. Also, they ran a generator most the night. After the generator was shut down, I got to listen to the cats fight World War 3 on the tin roof about my head. Plus, the whole time I was waiting for someone to break in and slit my throat. Not much sleep in Moyale.
July 14
Morning was wonderful.
The weather was amazing. I met up with Nir and Sahar around 7 AM and we walked across the border to Kenya. It pretty neat to walk across the border of two significant countries in Africa. I was 2 days by road from any significant town.
We had to spend some time talking to Kenyan border agents, but they were very nice and helpful. Nir and Sahar had to buy visas. Once we got that worked out we head to the center of Moyale town on the Kenya side. The town has the same name on both sides. All the trucks met in a big open area in front of a bank and some shops. There was the usual assortment of brokers trying to get you to arrange, through them, for a price, a trip on one of the trucks. These were medium sized trucks with the bed attached; they did not have trailers. They were open to the sun on the top, with a lattice work cover that could be used to support a tarp. If the truck wasn’t too full you could sit down inside, but most the trip was spent sitting, 15 feet above the road, on the pipe lattice. The best places were near, or on top of, the cab because the bumps would be lessened. The tail end is horrible. You would most likely be thrown to your death.
After a great amount of haggling, arguing, some yelling, and so one we got on a great truck for a very good price. Also, it was hauling jugs of gasoline, so a good amount of the bed was free. They fill the bottom with dirt so that they can hide things they don’t want customs to find. This makes a pretty comfortable spot to sit down. It also was a good break from sitting on top of the cover. We got under way around 10 PM.
The Kenyan army had check points all along the road, so we were constantly stopping to show passports and ask questions. The soldiers were a lot of fun, and all had excellent English. We had some illegal immigrants on board, so every stop was a long drawn out argument with between the driver and the soldiers and the Ethiopians, and everyone had to work out how much it would cost to carry them through. I think a lot of money changed hands. This was also very annoying, because it ended up adding a lot of time to the trip.
I got to spend a lot of time talking with Nir on the truck, even sharing some about Christianity with him.
The views were incredible. For a while the land around us was pretty well populated, even though the terrain was brutal. It was pretty much desert, but even so some places were covered with small brush. It would have been impossible to walk across. In the midst of that we were able to see a lot of wildlife, mostly small birds and gazelle. Later that day we say some ostrich. Eventually the land gave way to a massive plain that was covered almost entirely with basketball sized volcanic stones. There must have been some massive explosion that annihilated the land. I wondered what it was until we pasted, at the very end of the day, a huge crater. It didn’t look like a volcano, but probably a meteorite. I want to do some research on that.
It was VERY dusty. Most of the time I wore a bandana over my face, which Nir thought was pretty funny. A genuine American cowboy!
The ride was a lot of fun. We moved along at about 30 or 40 miles an hour and the roads were horrible. Lots of bumps and sand and grooves. For the next 2 days I didn’t see one foot of pavement. There were a few times I thought the whole thing was going to go over. It was a bit scary, because you knew that if we rolled that son of a gun half of us would be dead immediately and the other would be in a very bad way. We were about as far from help as imaginable, and no one would care about a beat up truck and a bunch of peasants in the middle of the desert. I loved it. There were a few big bumps which, if we hadn't been holding on for dear life, would have knocked us off the truck.
We arrived in Marsabit very late; about 8:30 PM. 10 or 11 hours on the road.
I was in a pretty bad mood when we got there, because just outside of town we got stopped again, and this time it took about an hour to get the right bribes into the right hands.
We found a great hotel, the best so far, and settled in for the night. It was funny looking around the table and seeing faces covered with dust and grime. We enjoyed a good dinner and got to bed. We had no idea when the trucks left this particular town, so we agreed to be up at 6 AM to look around.
July 15
Up early and miserable. I got great sleep, but not any where near enough. It was pretty cold in Marsabit as well, probably in the 60’s that morning. We had to walk around a bit and ask around. Finally we settled at a gas station in town, and figured that the trucks would have to go by. This turned out to be true. Nir and I walked around a bit for something to do, and almost missed a great ride. Sahar was pretty upset with us at first. We ended up having two choices: one was a truck like the one we had the day before, the other was a smaller police truck carrying tanks of fuel. Nir decided to go for the police, and for good reason. We figured they wouldn’t get stopped as much, were more trustworthy, and if we got into mechanical trouble at least someone would rescue us.
This was a very good decision.
The early morning drive was really sweet. We were flying along. They drove a lot faster than the other guys. Sahar was feeling really poorly which sucked, but there was nothing to do about it. The sun came up behind us as we drove.
Really beautiful.
We stopped at some point and the guys in the cab invited Sahar to join them there. That was a great thing for her. Nir and I were really enjoying the view in the back. The wind in your face, and an amazing African landscape around you.
The plains were dotted with little ridges of hills and rocks. We passed some amazing cliffs and massive stones. We say a lot more of the gazelle and birds. There were some beautiful blue birds that looked a lot like pheasants or turkeys. They would come flying off the bushes as we drove.
That morning I sat up on the cover behind the cab; it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I haven’t felt good about anything, just pure joy, for quite a while. It struck me that all the crap I have been through in the last couple years ended me up in that place, seeing those sights, having that EXPIRIENCE, something completely unique, dangerous, special, exhilarating, and totally and completely and overwhelmingly adventurous. I remembered reading adventures as a younger man, Lord of the Rings, Conan, Dune, books where the world is big and strange, and men conquer obstacles for glorious ideals. I always wished that such worlds really existed, that there were Lonely Mountains, and Mines of Moria, strange Stygia to navigate, battles and goblins and sorcerers and sand worms. Being there, in that place made me really experience that this world God has given us is huge, and menacing, and there are such adventures to find and have. I was traveling through a strange world, out of necessity (no money) and with a great goal: to teach the Bible. I felt close to God, and the most profoundly active sense of being NOT LONELY.
That morning was beautiful in the deepest, most profound sense of the word. I cannot descibe with words what I felt that day. I will remember it for the rest of my life.
We saw 3 giraffe that day, which was really sweet.
The 3 police officers were really great. When we stopped at various places for a rest we enjoyed tea and chapattis with them. One man, Wilberforce Kofia, ended up being a great friend. The other two were Ali and Peter, the driver. At around 2 PM we got to a town called Isiolo, which was where I finally had to say goodbye to Sahar and Nir. They were splitting off to find Mt. Kenya and climb it. I was envious. We got a meal with Kofia, Ali, and Peter. It was a great time to relax from the road. By the time we got there the truck had been filled with about 20 people, and about 20 goats. My euphoria from the morning had worn off through cramped quarters and bruised ribs. The bars on the truck take their toll after 2 days.
I continued on with the police officers. I got to ride in the cab for the next bit which was nice. We were going on to their station, which was pretty close to Nairobi. This was a good turn of events. We weren’t able to get all the way, though, because it was getting dark. We stayed the night in a little town called Nauru. Kofia treated me to a great dinner, which we enjoyed with about 3 other officers from the station. Afterwards about 5 of us went out for some drinks. I was completely exhausted from a long day. I got to bed around 11 PM. It was really great to be a part of the daily life of these people, though. To see the places they spend their free time, to live in hotel rooms they stay in, to pay the same prices, and be on the inside of their lives.
More than anything on this trip I have seen that the human experience is so universal. We are not as separated by culture and language as we high-minded intellectuals would like to think. The world is filled with men and women, and these are the same the world over.
The hotel was good. I slept soundly.
July 16th
I got to sleep in a bit. This was great. I met up with Kofia and we went to get breakfast and find and internet café. We took care of this business and went on to Embo, their station. This took about 2 hours. On the way I crossed the Equator! I am now in the Southern Hemisphere. It was great seeing the numbers tick down on my GPS. Once we got there I hung out in the housing unit for a few hours waiting for who-knows-what. Africa time is strange. Eventually Kofia showed up; he was going to take me up to Nairobi. It was not far, a couple of hours in a minibus, called a mutatu here. We got up to the city around 5 PM and met the folks from Calvary Nairobi. It was a really good thing that I Kofia went with me. I would have been lost for sure. He was a really great guy, and there is a lot to say about him. I will leave that for another time. Anyway, we got back to the apartment where I will be staying here in Nairobi. The people here are great. Kofia spent the night with me, and it was really special to be able to show him the hospitality that he extended to me on the road. We stayed up pretty late last night talking about our lives, and Jesus, and life in Kenya.
Once again: the human experience is overwhelmingly universal.
Hopefully I will be able to keep in touch with him. We went to bed around 10 PM after a good long day of travel.
I arrived at the apartment around 7 PM, 4 days 14 hours after leaving Addis Ababa. Incredible. Altogether I covered about 800 miles of country. It was worth every second, every hardship. The sense of accomplishment is impossible to describe. This is a great victory. I saw that God’s hand was on the trip from start to finish. I met so many good friends on the road, and so many seemingly random meetings ensured that I made it safely “home” to Nairobi.
Here are the GPS coordinates for the trip:
Left HQ, Addis: N 09 01.274 E 038 44.879
Saw a big lake: N 08 05.110 E 38 454.698
Stopped for breakfast: N 07 55.366 E 38 424.889
Big bell tower in Dilla: N 06.25.313 E 38 17.768
Bus station in Dilla: N 06 24.247 E 38 18.757
Hotel in Dilla: N 06 24.167 E 38 18.778
Middle of nowhere: N 5 44.536 E 38 16.739
Breakfast: N 5 38.475 E 38 14.286
Nearing Moyale: N 03 40.878 E 38 54.445
Hotel Hell in Moyale: 03 32.239 E 39 03.051
On the way to Marsabit: N 03 28.510 E 39 05.653
On the way to Marsabit: N 03 28.375 E 38 52.716
On the way to Marsabit: N 02 42.542 E 38 5.230
Giant crater: N 02 24.080 E 38 2.973
Hotel in Marsabit: N 02 19.935 E 37 59.407
On the way to Isiolo: N 01 53.480 E 37 53.365
Pavement finally begins again: N 00 22.556 E 37 35.364
Isiolo for lunch: N 00 21.094 E 37 34.984
The EQUATOR: N 00 00.001 E 37 39.638
Police Station in Nburu: S 00 3.761 E 37 39.754
Hotel in Nburu (or close): S 00 3.831 E 37 39.800
HOME IN NAIROBI: S 01 16.489 E 36 47.376
Someone can let me know that all these are working. Enjoy the trip!
July 12th
I got the bus station at around 5 AM. The scene there was pretty chaotic, but I brought an Ethiopian friend with me who helped navigate some of the difficulty. After we found the right bus and paid the fare, I settled down for a while to wait for us to leave. At this point I experienced a bit of a panic. It was a pretty daunting task ahead of me, and I realized that I had no language to get myself out of trouble. I had 800 miles of Africa in front of me, most of it days away from any civilization. I overcame that with a bit of prayer and some pride as well: what would I say to everyone who knew I was going to Nairobi by bus? That I wussed out? Heck no. I talked with a passenger named Zilalem for a while. He was an English major at Addis Ababa University. Nice guy.
We left around 6:15ish, and were out of Addis Ababa by 7:00 or so. Traffic was light the entire way.
I was sitting in the front, behind the driver, so I had a pretty good view of the road. I ended up falling asleep for a while which was a good thing because I was started to get car sick from being so tired. I didn’t get much sleep the night before.
We stopped for breakfast around 9 at a little roadside place. I didn’t eat anything because I still was feeling a bit sick from the last week. I sat with Zilalem while he had some breakfast. He was on his way home for the summer break.
The rest of the days ride was pretty uneventful. I read some and enjoyed the scenery. We were basically going downhill all the way, so there was a big change in the vegetation. It was very lush through the highlands, and didn’t get more arid until we got near the border with Kenya. There were a lot of mud and thatch huts with small farms along the way. This was true pretty much throughout Ethiopia.
We arrived in a town called Dilla around 2 PM. This was going to be our overnight stay. It was bit bewildering because it wasn’t at all like I expected. There was no clear direction to move in, and I knew I had limited time to look like I knew what I was doing. We pulled into a clear area inside a fence and everyone got off the bus and moved on. Luckily the conductor directed me towards some folk, and this random kid showed me where a hotel was. All the other passengers from the bus were there as well, and this turned out to be a very good thing.
It was there that I met Emmanuel and Paulos. They were part of the Ethiopian version of the Boy Scouts, and were on their way to Moyale to pitch the whole idea to the government there. Paulos spoke excellent English. They invited me out to get some drinks and food, so we spent the afternoon walking around town. No one had any power so we had to walk around a bit to find a restaurant that had food available. After a few hours we went back to the hotel, which was not a bad place. For 20 birr (about 2 dollars) you got a room with a bed and a chair. There was a communal bath area. The toilet was completely shot, just a hole in the ground with some bricks to stand on while you squatted. I didn’t bother using the shower. While we were there I also met Ali, a Somali from Addis. I got to share Christ with him; he is a Muslim.
July 13th
The next day was another early start. We had to be at the bus at 5 AM once again. I had a great night’s rest though, so I didn’t feel poorly at all. I met up with the others, and ended up sitting next to Ali on the bus.
On this part of the trip we experienced the greatest changes in elevation. The result was fantastic views as we came down off the tops of various hills and ridges. Ethiopia is a pretty beautiful country. The weather was beautiful. Outside of Dilla were more of the lush forests and farms. A lot of people were growing bananas. As we dropped lower the landscape and flora changed dramatically. We ended up in arid plains, still being farmed. On the way I saw much of the same domestic animals: horses, goats, cows, and sheep, but lower down there were also groups of camels. I also saw some good sized monkeys; baboons maybe?
Giant termite nests became a common sight as well. These stand over 10 feet tall sometimes. They look like pillars of dirt. At some point the soil must have changed dramatically, because instead of being brown they turned to bright white. Some of them were very elegant, almost like statues. You could imagine marble forms in some of them that were quite convincing.
We broke down in the middle of nowhere for about an hour. This was an interesting experience. Luckily these people are amazing for getting things up and running. The bus must have been in terrible condition from the sound but we got underway again. It took about an hour to fix the problem.
We arrived in Moyale around 1 PM.
What a mess.
Moyale is a frontier town, and as close to the Wild West as I can imagine still existing. There is one main drag that consists almost entirely of hotels and whorehouses. It seemed, anyway. We pulled into the same kind of lot that I saw in Dilla, but with even less direction as to where to go and what to do.
Ali ended up being a big help (he had family in Moyale), but even he didn’t really know what to do. The goal was to find a hotel, and then work out a ride on a truck into Kenya. This turned out to be a bad idea. The whole town seemed to full of “brokers” and “tourist agents” who wanted to get you into the hotels they had deals with and get some money out of you on the way. I had to get rid of these guys. A truck driver in Addis told me the best bet was to go to the customs office and try to find some other westerners to travel with. I stuck to that plan instead of trying to get a hotel. This turned out to be a VERY good thing.
Ali helped me find the customs office and then went on his way. While I was there I met Sahar and Nir, an Israeli couple honeymooning their way through Africa, hitchhiking and so forth. They were on their way to Mt. Kenya, which is right near Nairobi. We decided to all travel together. This would turn out to be amazing.
They spoke very good English, had been in Ethiopia about a month, and were really happy to have another friendly to join them on the road. They had been in Moyale for about a day and had figured out the truck situation. It turns out you have to walk about half a mile across the border to find their starting point. I also needed to get my passport stamped before I left the country. It was a good thing I got that worked out that day.
We got some supper together and got to know each other decently well. They had just gotten married. Both have served in the IDF. I found out later that Nir had seen a lot of action. He was really relieved to meet someone who didn’t hate Israel. We got a chance to hang out a lot over the next two days. Sahar was really cool as well. She had a vibrant interest in people, and was constantly talking to everyone, even those that couldn’t understand English very well. It was a lot of fun.
I got a hotel, and went off to meet Emmanuel and Paulos before I left. I got to buy them some Cokes, and we sat and talked for a good hour. They were really good people. They walked me back to my hotel. In Ethiopia it is very common for friends of the same sex to hold hands while they are walking. As we started off, Emmanuel grabbed mind. Totally weird! But, what can you do?
The hotel I was staying in was a complete mess. The first thing I did was destroy two cockroaches and throw the deadbolts. Moyale seemed to be a very dangerous place. Most of the hotels were also whorehouses and bars, and I don’t think mine was an exception. I had guys sitting right outside my room most the night drinking and listening to loud music. The rooms were just off a courtyard used by the restaurant. Also, they ran a generator most the night. After the generator was shut down, I got to listen to the cats fight World War 3 on the tin roof about my head. Plus, the whole time I was waiting for someone to break in and slit my throat. Not much sleep in Moyale.
July 14
Morning was wonderful.
The weather was amazing. I met up with Nir and Sahar around 7 AM and we walked across the border to Kenya. It pretty neat to walk across the border of two significant countries in Africa. I was 2 days by road from any significant town.
We had to spend some time talking to Kenyan border agents, but they were very nice and helpful. Nir and Sahar had to buy visas. Once we got that worked out we head to the center of Moyale town on the Kenya side. The town has the same name on both sides. All the trucks met in a big open area in front of a bank and some shops. There was the usual assortment of brokers trying to get you to arrange, through them, for a price, a trip on one of the trucks. These were medium sized trucks with the bed attached; they did not have trailers. They were open to the sun on the top, with a lattice work cover that could be used to support a tarp. If the truck wasn’t too full you could sit down inside, but most the trip was spent sitting, 15 feet above the road, on the pipe lattice. The best places were near, or on top of, the cab because the bumps would be lessened. The tail end is horrible. You would most likely be thrown to your death.
After a great amount of haggling, arguing, some yelling, and so one we got on a great truck for a very good price. Also, it was hauling jugs of gasoline, so a good amount of the bed was free. They fill the bottom with dirt so that they can hide things they don’t want customs to find. This makes a pretty comfortable spot to sit down. It also was a good break from sitting on top of the cover. We got under way around 10 PM.
The Kenyan army had check points all along the road, so we were constantly stopping to show passports and ask questions. The soldiers were a lot of fun, and all had excellent English. We had some illegal immigrants on board, so every stop was a long drawn out argument with between the driver and the soldiers and the Ethiopians, and everyone had to work out how much it would cost to carry them through. I think a lot of money changed hands. This was also very annoying, because it ended up adding a lot of time to the trip.
I got to spend a lot of time talking with Nir on the truck, even sharing some about Christianity with him.
The views were incredible. For a while the land around us was pretty well populated, even though the terrain was brutal. It was pretty much desert, but even so some places were covered with small brush. It would have been impossible to walk across. In the midst of that we were able to see a lot of wildlife, mostly small birds and gazelle. Later that day we say some ostrich. Eventually the land gave way to a massive plain that was covered almost entirely with basketball sized volcanic stones. There must have been some massive explosion that annihilated the land. I wondered what it was until we pasted, at the very end of the day, a huge crater. It didn’t look like a volcano, but probably a meteorite. I want to do some research on that.
It was VERY dusty. Most of the time I wore a bandana over my face, which Nir thought was pretty funny. A genuine American cowboy!
The ride was a lot of fun. We moved along at about 30 or 40 miles an hour and the roads were horrible. Lots of bumps and sand and grooves. For the next 2 days I didn’t see one foot of pavement. There were a few times I thought the whole thing was going to go over. It was a bit scary, because you knew that if we rolled that son of a gun half of us would be dead immediately and the other would be in a very bad way. We were about as far from help as imaginable, and no one would care about a beat up truck and a bunch of peasants in the middle of the desert. I loved it. There were a few big bumps which, if we hadn't been holding on for dear life, would have knocked us off the truck.
We arrived in Marsabit very late; about 8:30 PM. 10 or 11 hours on the road.
I was in a pretty bad mood when we got there, because just outside of town we got stopped again, and this time it took about an hour to get the right bribes into the right hands.
We found a great hotel, the best so far, and settled in for the night. It was funny looking around the table and seeing faces covered with dust and grime. We enjoyed a good dinner and got to bed. We had no idea when the trucks left this particular town, so we agreed to be up at 6 AM to look around.
July 15
Up early and miserable. I got great sleep, but not any where near enough. It was pretty cold in Marsabit as well, probably in the 60’s that morning. We had to walk around a bit and ask around. Finally we settled at a gas station in town, and figured that the trucks would have to go by. This turned out to be true. Nir and I walked around a bit for something to do, and almost missed a great ride. Sahar was pretty upset with us at first. We ended up having two choices: one was a truck like the one we had the day before, the other was a smaller police truck carrying tanks of fuel. Nir decided to go for the police, and for good reason. We figured they wouldn’t get stopped as much, were more trustworthy, and if we got into mechanical trouble at least someone would rescue us.
This was a very good decision.
The early morning drive was really sweet. We were flying along. They drove a lot faster than the other guys. Sahar was feeling really poorly which sucked, but there was nothing to do about it. The sun came up behind us as we drove.
Really beautiful.
We stopped at some point and the guys in the cab invited Sahar to join them there. That was a great thing for her. Nir and I were really enjoying the view in the back. The wind in your face, and an amazing African landscape around you.
The plains were dotted with little ridges of hills and rocks. We passed some amazing cliffs and massive stones. We say a lot more of the gazelle and birds. There were some beautiful blue birds that looked a lot like pheasants or turkeys. They would come flying off the bushes as we drove.
That morning I sat up on the cover behind the cab; it was one of the happiest moments of my life. I haven’t felt good about anything, just pure joy, for quite a while. It struck me that all the crap I have been through in the last couple years ended me up in that place, seeing those sights, having that EXPIRIENCE, something completely unique, dangerous, special, exhilarating, and totally and completely and overwhelmingly adventurous. I remembered reading adventures as a younger man, Lord of the Rings, Conan, Dune, books where the world is big and strange, and men conquer obstacles for glorious ideals. I always wished that such worlds really existed, that there were Lonely Mountains, and Mines of Moria, strange Stygia to navigate, battles and goblins and sorcerers and sand worms. Being there, in that place made me really experience that this world God has given us is huge, and menacing, and there are such adventures to find and have. I was traveling through a strange world, out of necessity (no money) and with a great goal: to teach the Bible. I felt close to God, and the most profoundly active sense of being NOT LONELY.
That morning was beautiful in the deepest, most profound sense of the word. I cannot descibe with words what I felt that day. I will remember it for the rest of my life.
We saw 3 giraffe that day, which was really sweet.
The 3 police officers were really great. When we stopped at various places for a rest we enjoyed tea and chapattis with them. One man, Wilberforce Kofia, ended up being a great friend. The other two were Ali and Peter, the driver. At around 2 PM we got to a town called Isiolo, which was where I finally had to say goodbye to Sahar and Nir. They were splitting off to find Mt. Kenya and climb it. I was envious. We got a meal with Kofia, Ali, and Peter. It was a great time to relax from the road. By the time we got there the truck had been filled with about 20 people, and about 20 goats. My euphoria from the morning had worn off through cramped quarters and bruised ribs. The bars on the truck take their toll after 2 days.
I continued on with the police officers. I got to ride in the cab for the next bit which was nice. We were going on to their station, which was pretty close to Nairobi. This was a good turn of events. We weren’t able to get all the way, though, because it was getting dark. We stayed the night in a little town called Nauru. Kofia treated me to a great dinner, which we enjoyed with about 3 other officers from the station. Afterwards about 5 of us went out for some drinks. I was completely exhausted from a long day. I got to bed around 11 PM. It was really great to be a part of the daily life of these people, though. To see the places they spend their free time, to live in hotel rooms they stay in, to pay the same prices, and be on the inside of their lives.
More than anything on this trip I have seen that the human experience is so universal. We are not as separated by culture and language as we high-minded intellectuals would like to think. The world is filled with men and women, and these are the same the world over.
The hotel was good. I slept soundly.
July 16th
I got to sleep in a bit. This was great. I met up with Kofia and we went to get breakfast and find and internet café. We took care of this business and went on to Embo, their station. This took about 2 hours. On the way I crossed the Equator! I am now in the Southern Hemisphere. It was great seeing the numbers tick down on my GPS. Once we got there I hung out in the housing unit for a few hours waiting for who-knows-what. Africa time is strange. Eventually Kofia showed up; he was going to take me up to Nairobi. It was not far, a couple of hours in a minibus, called a mutatu here. We got up to the city around 5 PM and met the folks from Calvary Nairobi. It was a really good thing that I Kofia went with me. I would have been lost for sure. He was a really great guy, and there is a lot to say about him. I will leave that for another time. Anyway, we got back to the apartment where I will be staying here in Nairobi. The people here are great. Kofia spent the night with me, and it was really special to be able to show him the hospitality that he extended to me on the road. We stayed up pretty late last night talking about our lives, and Jesus, and life in Kenya.
Once again: the human experience is overwhelmingly universal.
Hopefully I will be able to keep in touch with him. We went to bed around 10 PM after a good long day of travel.
I arrived at the apartment around 7 PM, 4 days 14 hours after leaving Addis Ababa. Incredible. Altogether I covered about 800 miles of country. It was worth every second, every hardship. The sense of accomplishment is impossible to describe. This is a great victory. I saw that God’s hand was on the trip from start to finish. I met so many good friends on the road, and so many seemingly random meetings ensured that I made it safely “home” to Nairobi.
Here are the GPS coordinates for the trip:
Left HQ, Addis: N 09 01.274 E 038 44.879
Saw a big lake: N 08 05.110 E 38 454.698
Stopped for breakfast: N 07 55.366 E 38 424.889
Big bell tower in Dilla: N 06.25.313 E 38 17.768
Bus station in Dilla: N 06 24.247 E 38 18.757
Hotel in Dilla: N 06 24.167 E 38 18.778
Middle of nowhere: N 5 44.536 E 38 16.739
Breakfast: N 5 38.475 E 38 14.286
Nearing Moyale: N 03 40.878 E 38 54.445
Hotel Hell in Moyale: 03 32.239 E 39 03.051
On the way to Marsabit: N 03 28.510 E 39 05.653
On the way to Marsabit: N 03 28.375 E 38 52.716
On the way to Marsabit: N 02 42.542 E 38 5.230
Giant crater: N 02 24.080 E 38 2.973
Hotel in Marsabit: N 02 19.935 E 37 59.407
On the way to Isiolo: N 01 53.480 E 37 53.365
Pavement finally begins again: N 00 22.556 E 37 35.364
Isiolo for lunch: N 00 21.094 E 37 34.984
The EQUATOR: N 00 00.001 E 37 39.638
Police Station in Nburu: S 00 3.761 E 37 39.754
Hotel in Nburu (or close): S 00 3.831 E 37 39.800
HOME IN NAIROBI: S 01 16.489 E 36 47.376
Someone can let me know that all these are working. Enjoy the trip!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Moving Forward
Today I finished teaching my first fully accredited, college level teaching expirience. Whew.
Besides that I ran up to the bus station to try to buy my tickets (I couldn't: you have to get them in the morning). From there I ran some other errands before meeting up with one of my students for lunch. His name is Solomon. He has a pretty incredible testimony, which I will hopefully remember in full. Briefly, he was raised in the Ethiopian Orthodox church and got saved as a teenager. When his father found out he kicked Solomon out of the house, along with several of his siblings who had been found by the Lord. They worked their way through the rest of high school together before he got into university. He has been a pastor for about 11 years now. There are a lot more details, but... its a better story to tell.
We wrapped up class this afternoon with a quick lecture on Angels and Demons (lots of questions about exorcisms and so forth). It went really well. After that my students had a prepared a small "program," which consisted of an Ethiopian hymn, a short blessing from one of my students who is a pastor, and some snacks. I also got a sweet t-shirt and a traditional Ethiopian shirt as well.
So now I move on.
I get up tomorrow morning around 4:30 to catch my bus to the border of Kenya. From there I hitch a ride on a truck the rest of the way. All together the trip is supposed to take about 5 days. Exciting.
Please pray for my saftey, and continued health on the road.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Fourth of July
And no fireworks...
Well, not a whole lot of changes here. I just finished my third week of teaching. It is very rewarding, but also very nice to have an upcoming weekend. We spent the whole week going over Doctine of Salvation and Doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Some of them had never had a solid biblical explaination of either so there was a bit of shaking up to do. The main questions surrounded loss of salvation and the gift of tongues. There is so much bad theology out there... I have one very encouraging story to share from a week of good times.
One the students in my class, Joshua, was under the basic impression that if a Christian dies before confessing his current sin to God he will go to hell immediately. Apparently that is a very common belief. After serveral days of class he shared with me that he thought he understood salvation but I "had destroyed everything, and it was such good news!" Hahaha... thats so awesome! The idea that God has forgiven the sins of the past, present, and future was brand new for many students.
The other great step forward was concerning the Holy Spirit. The idea that he is present in all of those who believe can cannot leave us was brand new. From the questions I gathered that their understanding was that only certain gifts, like tongues, proved that the Holy Spirit was present. Worse still, His presence comes and goes with those gifts, so one has to be diligent throughout the day to "stay filled." It is those gifts, not the Holy Spirit, who is the "seal" of our salvation.
I am so glad that I am able to be here to simply share the clear, beautiful truth of the Word of God! There is so much more to share, but I have no idea how to write about it.
Tomorrow we are getting out of the city again (hooray!). We are going hiking in some forest somewhere that is supposed to be full of monkeys. Sounds good.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Happenings
Things have been going well. Over the last few days we have been going over the biblical data on salvation. Many of my students seem to have been unware that the Bible actually says anything about predestination and election... just another indication that the whole council of God's word needs to be emphasized.
We have also been doing some visiting. A few days ago we went out to a huge orphanage, Salam Children's Village. They take care of about 400 kids, and are completely self supported. They do this by raising flowers, vegtables, and cotton. They sell these, and get premium prices because of their quality. They also have a complete school system up to highschool and on into vocational schooling for those who don't test high enough to get into university. They make sure that every one getting out has the ability to succeed on their own. They don't allow any adoptions because they want strong, healthy (spiritual, mental, physical), Christian men and women to go back out into Ethiopia to make a change in the culture itself. It was a really encouraging project. You can find it here: 9 1.619 N 38 50.036 E
We were also able to get out of the city on Saturday. We went to a crater lake about 2 hours away. SIM has a retreat center on the lake, so we were able to relax, go swimming, canoe, and hang out in relative peace. It was very refreshing. During the Marxist regime it was used as a confrence center for the underground church. Pretty cool. You can find it here: 8 47.587 N 38 59.559 E
Today we are going to put together the biblical truths about the predestination of God and the free will of man. Fun! I have some great charts that I have been drawing up, which if not helpful to them, have been very fun to create for me. We'll see.
I am finding that now that I am over the initial loneliness (which still comes and goes) I am starting to miss the regular comforts of life. I really really really really wish I had brought my favorite jeans, some more T-shirts, and my MP3 player... oh well. I am completely sick of where slacks and polo shirts, even thought that is the "culturally acceptable" garb. Trials and tribulations...
Things have been going well.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Guest House
Thanks for you comments on the last post. Its good to know that there are others who are thinking about the long term results of humanitarian aid.
I haven't said much about where I am staying. The SIM headquarters has a "guesthouse" on site. This is actually a pretty large structure, bigger than most apartment buildings. It is set up like a hostel. There are 2 floors with rooms that hold anywhere from 1 to 4 people. I share a room with another member of our team. There is a shared bathroom area that is composed of about 10 small rooms off a central hall (some are just toilets, some are just showers, some are both.) There are also several small apartments for families or missionaries. The foreign staff of the HQ stay on site as well.
Meals are provided from a kitchen downstairs. These are at regular times during the day, and to get one you have to sign up early. At the end of your stay you pay for all the meals you registered for. The food is pretty good. It is mostly pretty common fare for a western home. Spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, oatmeal, etc. Since Addis is a big city these sorts of things are easy to come by.
There is a constant flow of different groups coming in and out. So far I have met people from all over the world who are on their way to other destinations within Ethiopia or Africa. They are all in some way connected with SIM. This makes for interesting conversation. (see the last post!)
I don't know how much of the HQ shows up on Google Earth. If the images are old enough, it may look different that how thing are now. I don't know if ETC shows up, it was built on a dump by a river, and that may still be what you see. Its a lot nicer now.
Everything is going well. Teaching is a lot of fun, and I think a lot of good is coming from it. Some students have already shared with me how they have begun to apply their learning in their current ministries. Your contributions and prayers are already having a lasting effect.
One student, Yonatan, shared how the teaching on God's unchanging attributes has changed his life. He has already taught a sermon on it for his church: "God's Unchanging Attributes: Our Guarantee". Pretty sweet. Its encouraging to know that this trip is already having a lasting effect, but also sobering: I have to be very careful what I say, knowing that I am placing myself under a harsher judgment. I pray for clarity, truth, and wisdom.
Another point that seemed to be very helpful was a discussion we had on the difference between objectivity and subjectivity, and how the basis for our faith must be objective facts (God's nature, the Bible, etc.) instead of subjective facts (feelings, spiritual premonitions, other people's spiritual premonitions, etc.). Both are necessary for a healthy Christian life, but only one is a strong enough rock to build on. This distinction was, apparently, tremendously helpful.
Today we begin our discussion of Salvation. Controversy abounds! Pray for that.
You can also pray for my next stop, Nairobi. This has always been the wild card portion of the trip and it keeps getting wilder. It appears that my time there will be significantly less than what I had planned, and it is very difficult to nail down any sort of solid schedule. In short: I have no idea what I am doing in Nairobi, or for how long I will be there. Needless to say, this makes planning difficult.
I having a great time!
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Mosquitoes
There aren't a lot of mosquitoes in Addis Ababa. That can mostly be attributed to the altitude. I have been taking Malaria pills since I got here, because eventually I will be traveling down-country. Its a big problem once you get into the valley. I was thinking about the conversations I have had over the last few days here at the guest house. I pick of little bits and pieces of the ideas people hold to be true, the reasons they are here, the point of their ministry, and some of them are like tiny buzzings in my ears... irritating but small. These little ideas are seem so inconsequential when they come up in a tableside conversation.
They don't carry much weight, and the one introducing them may not even know what they are saying. What we don't realize is that bad ideas have serious consequences.
Two different ideas I have run across made me think of this.
The first is an approach to Biblical interpretation. It is called the "Redemptive Hermeneutic." The basic idea is that morality and truth are moving along a historical trajectory. The Bible is a snap-shot of that movement; it represents one slice of the slope. The end goal is God Himself, but we don't find that in scripture: only the slope that leads to Him. This is observed by the "shifting morality" between the Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament slavery was good, in the New it is frowned upon. In the Old Testament woman were property, in the New they have the same role, purpose, and ministry as men. In the Old Testament homosexuals were condemned, in the New the power of love has removed all gender barriers: salvifically, relationally, sexually.
And it goes on.
So morality is moving onwards and upwards, God is "redeeming" it from the Biblical text. It stands to reason then, that slavery is even more immoral, men and women are even more liberated from gender roles, and love is freeing us for relational and sexual expression beyond even the confines of a New Testament standard of "right" and "wrong."
This hermeneutic is being propagated by those that would call themselves conservatives who hold to the inerrancy of Scripture. The great tragedy is that the application of this approach actually destroys the beauty and freedom found in the Kingdom of God. How are these ideas being addressed?
The second idea is from the "Christian" aid side of the work here. The simple paradigm is this: Men are victimizing women and leaving them as single mothers. Sometimes they even get AIDS. It is impossible for mothers to raise their sons to be godly men. So their sons will grow up and victimize more women. It is impossible for women to change that cycle; the men are completely at fault. Aid is given to the mothers to provide school supplies and food for their children. Nothing is being done to work with men, young and old, to change their behavior: they are "victimizers." Nothing is being done with women, young and old, to change their behavior: they are "victims." The "solution": millions of western dollars are spent on... pencils. Or paper. Or new trousers. Or lunch money.
None of those things fix the problem, and the real issue (SIN!) is not even being addressed. Women are above criticism (victim!) and men are beyond reform (victimizer!).
I would suggest that those of you who support aid organizations like World Vision, Compassion, Samaritans Purse, etc. do some hard research on where your money is going.
Is it fixing a problem?
Or is it feeding a system that has no solution in mind, and no desire to implement the hard changes. Is it using a material solution to fix a spiritual/social/mental problem? You get a picture of cute little boy or girl and read about the great new clothes your money bought them, but what kind of Man will he be? What kind of Woman will she be?
In 10 years will you be sending money to his abandoned responsibility, birthed from her foolish weakness?
These bad ideas are little mosquitoes, buzzing, that will give malaria to the weak, or the unwary. What are we doing about them?
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Getting Lost
I got lost in the city a couple of days ago. I was out with a friend, trying to find a good sized hill to climb to get a view. We found a pretty good spot, took some pictures, and then he took off. I decided to do some exploring. I headed down a main road, but it kept going further and further away from where I wanted to be. There are a lot of cross streets that run into residential neighborhoods. I decided to try my luck with those and ended up lost in the middle. I wouldn't call it a slum, but it was pretty close. Here are the points. I can't wait to have a look at where I was!
When I realized I was lost: 9 0.231 N 38 45.855 E
I walked along to these points: 9 0.403 N 38.45.655 E and 9 0.515 N 38.45.545 E
I eventually came out here: 8.59.310 N 38 45.079 E There was a massive outdoor market all through that area. They were selling clothes of all kinds, but they were all clearly used stuff from the States. Interesting. The other interesting point: I have noticed that the farther I get off the beaten track, the less harassment I get from people I see.
Hopefully that is interesting. The GPS is a lifesaver, because I can always navigate towards the where I need to go. I don't have to worry about losing my sense of direction down some back way.
Some quick prayer requests:
That I would be able to get to sleep easier; my mind has been filled with thoughts as I try to go to bed.
For discipline in speech; to know how to keep my mouth shut when it needs to be shut.
That the second week of teaching would go as well as the first
That the Lord would help me develop a good Islamic apologetic for Nairobi
THHHHHHAAAAANNNNNNNKKKKKKKKKKSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, June 20, 2008
Exploring
Over the last few days I have been exploring the city. I don't know a lot of the details but I thought I would record some of my impressions and so forth. The first thing that I noticed, having been in other major third world cities, is that the traffic here is surprisingly regulated. That is to say, you aren't going to get run down immediately if you don't look where you are going. There are a lot of cars, but even more mini-buses which serve as taxis. There are almost no motorcycles and no rickshaws or three wheelers at all. There is a lot of pollution. Everything runs on diesel, is old, and there is nothing close to smog checks.
Almost every street you walk down is lined with people selling all sorts of small goods, from food to wallets to candy to used auto parts. Its like a giant market. There are bigger shops as well, and certain areas are definitely more commercial. Everything not meant for tourists is dirt cheap. Taking a mini-bus around costs 7 cents. A shoe shine (sometimes a must before teaching, because of the mud) is about 10 cents. A loaf of bread is about 35 cents, and is fresh baked. Meals out are usually between 2 and 4 dollars. There are beggars everywhere, which is a difficulty, because one doesn't really know what to do. Being white, I stick out like a sore thumb and many people shout and me, try to talk to me, and harass me in general. The best response is to ignore them.
There seem to be the regular type of street people here, those who we are used to in the US. But there are also a lot of people with severe disabilities. These are prominently displayed. There are amputees, blind, deaf, crazy, deformed, polio victims, cripples, people with elephantitis, and so forth. It is possible to buy little books of meal tickets to various shelters. These seem to be the best way to show compassion, but guarantee that it is going to be helpful. Mixed in amongst the real need are a host of conartists.
My GPS device has been very helpful. Instead of sticking to the main roads, I can cut through back streets and alleys to really get a look at the "real" city. Most of the back ways are cobblestoned, lined with houses and shops built of corrugated metal or plastic. There are even smaller walkways that no car could fit down. I don't think I will venture into these areas. There are two fears: one is that I will get robbed, the other is that my presence would cause offense of distress. The smaller, back streets are where one gets the really interesting sights, sounds, and smells.
Tomorrow we may take a bus trip around the city. Its horribly touristy, but many of the things on the tour are out of walking distance. Perhaps the bus trip will give me the courage to revisit some of the sites later.
I finished my first week of class. Everything is going great.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Classes
I finished my third session of class today. Things seem to be going really well. The student's English is a lot better than I was expecting. It seems that they have a harder time speaking it than understanding. I am basing that assumption on the fact that once I understand their questions they prove to have a keen grasp on the material being covered. Today we finished the section on the Bible, and tomorrow we begin Theology Proper.
I have about 14 students, most of which have never taken a class at ETC. The ages vary. Some I would guess are still 18 or 19, others are probably in their late 50's. That makes a nice dynamic. As far as being students go, they are pretty typical for a summer school program. They think we have too much reading, too much homework, and don't I know that they have work in other classes too? I am sure they would appreciate your prayers. They seem very interested in learning, and most of them seem to have a good working knowledge of the Bible. I am having a really good time.
I was wondering how students would address teachers here. Interestingly enough, they are on a first name basis with all professors, but not for the reasons I would expect. In Ethiopia everybodies second name is actually the name of their father. So there is no such thing as a family name. To call me "Mr. Morehouse" would be very strange for them. As far as they are concerned, Morehouse is the name of my father. So I am simply Raymond. It makes it feel less formal for me, which is nice, even if it doesn't make any difference to them.
I also did some serious exploring today in the city, but I will save that for another day.
Monday, June 16, 2008
A Lot Has Happened
So I am able to post new articles via email, but I can't access my page for some strange reason. That means that I can tell you what is going on, but I can't read comments. Booo...
But you can send me emails. And please keep leaving comments because I am sure I will sort out the problem one of these days.
I got into Addis Ababa about 12 hours behind schedule because of a 45 minute for-no-reason delay in Charlotte. I ended up being rerouted to Paris instead of Amsterdam. There I had a 12 hour layover. Sleeping on the floor of a European airport was sort of nostalgic. I didn't leave the airport because I don't know Paris at all, and Euros are worth about a million dollars these days. Or close. I made sure that I bugged every agent I met to please-call-the-ground-crew-about-my-bag and waited until I got the "Yes, Mr. Morehouse, it did arrive from Charlotte, or Detroit, or Paris..." And so on. So I got here in one piece, and with my bag waiting for me. Hooray!
Addis Ababa is home to several million people. It is big, dirty, and full of people. It also sits at about 7800 feet above sea level. So I am out of breath a lot as I get used to the altitude. But its also a lot of fun. I also get that familar burn in the back of the throat familar to anyone who has lived near Los Angeles in August. There is a lot of smog.
When we first got here we went through a lot of orientation type meetings to get the lay of the land. After these we were pretty much turned loose to figure out the ropes for ourselves. Most of the city gets around by walking or taking mini-busses around. They call these taxis. To get to the College and back takes about 20 minutes and costs around 14 cents. The exchange rate is about 10 to 1. Take that Euro! A meal at a good sit down resturant is about $3.50.
Addis is pretty safe for a big city. Unless someone is an out-and-out con-artist people are honest and helpful. Walking isn't dangerous, even at night, you just have to watch where you are going, as there are open manholes and gutters all over the place that would probably kill you to fall into.
Today was the first day of class and my first day completely on my own. Class went well. I have a mix of degree and diploma students. I don't understand the difference. Some are getting a degree in Theology, some are getting a diploma. Who knows? I have around 13 students. They seem to speak good English, and can understand me (as far as I know) pretty well. I am going to have a lot of fun.
I am a little bit jet lagged. As a result the night hours are kind of miserable. My mind gets filled with bad memories, which come out of nowhere. That can be prayed for. Also, I am a bit lonely. Otherwise I am having a really good time, enjoying the company I have, and looking forward to another 4 weeks in Ethiopia.
I have posted some GPS spots, with more to follow.
More to follow.
Trouble posting in Addis Ababa
I am here, but for some reason posting is not working. I can update
the sidebar, though. I am loading this via email, which I don't know
will work.
the sidebar, though. I am loading this via email, which I don't know
will work.
Everything is going well.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Airports are little nightmares....
Well, the inevitable has happened, and one slight delay has caused me to miss all my connections. I will now be going through Paris, and arriving in Ethiopia 10 hours later than expected. Oh well... My little prayers for patience seem to be answered, so I am in pretty good spirits. Now I get to go find some food!
My GPS doesn't work in the airport (figures) so no fun there either.
My GPS doesn't work in the airport (figures) so no fun there either.
On Leaving Comments
You can leave comments on entries without having a blogger.com account.
To do so, simply select the "name/URL" bubble under "Choose an Identity"
You can then enter your name as it will appear next to your comment. After you have done that, just hit "publish your comment" and you are done.
To do so, simply select the "name/URL" bubble under "Choose an Identity"
You can then enter your name as it will appear next to your comment. After you have done that, just hit "publish your comment" and you are done.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Longitude/Latitude
I have armed myself with a simple GPS device, and will be updating this page as the trip progresses. The list is just to the right of this post, and will show the entirety of my trip. To follow my progress you can simply copy and paste coordinates in Google Earth. Pretty sweet. I leave in 2 days.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
This is a great start.
Ok, so I am leaving in about 2 weeks. I am getting pretty excited. There have been a lot of obstacles to overcome to get this trip off the ground, but it looks like God has had His hand in things and I am getting off the ground.
I will write more once the day approaches.
I will write more once the day approaches.
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