Church

I woke up at 6:45 am...man is that a doosy for me. We got in the car to drive to chruch for the 7:30 am french services...and typical with Africa every church we stopped at did not have a french service today. So, we scrapped it and went home for breakfast on the porch. I had to get up early for nothing...I guess it is good for me to stretch myself :)

It was overall a slow day. However, I found myself a little bit more struck by the poor conditions. As we were driving, I noticed a few more children with the expanded stomachs from lack of food. I was reminded of the guards as we drove to Berberati. Every few Kilometers there was a guard station at which point we always provided a pen. It is sort of a good will token to provide easier access...however, I learned that the government demands that they write down the numbers of vehicles passing through for security reasons. Yet, the government does not provide pins. These pour guards have no way to perform this simple task b/c their income is not sufficient to cover this price. As westerns, we easily would just say come on guys figure it out...but we have no way to fully comprehend the depth of poverty and how hard it is to survive or perform the simpliest of functions.

The government in CAR has not be able to pay their civil servants for 4 months now (I think that is the right number). As you can imagine, that starts to stir some unrest in people and they are beginning to strike...the teachers, doctors, guards, etc. Although we did not have french church, the missionaries get together for a service every Sunday night at 7. Tonight an African joined the time. He has been studing English at the University and wanted to worship with us. As we presented prayer requests, he requested that we pray for the spirituality of his family and that as he ends his studies that he will be able to find a job that provides income so he can provide for his family. I believe he was tearing up as he talked about this....he is nervous that with all of the strikes he will not be able to find a way to provide for his family. Again, I can not imagine the fear of this...if push comes to shove for me I might just work for Starbucks and take a ton of jobs to make ends meet. I would find a way... but those ways are all the harder to find in Africa.

Although they are poor, I find these men and woman amazingly skilled and knowledgable. I am constantly amazed with how they are able to fix vehicles, electricity, build buildings, etc. with out much training. They do a great job with I guess we would call them apprenticeships. Many of them have gone through university...yet it is still very poor. I feel that they are without capital nor training on how to operate successful businesses to grow the economy. It makes it all the more exciting to be a part of ICDI as their vision is to empower the Africans to become everything God has created them to be.

Rain and Roosters

I woke up today by the sound of rain and roosters. It is rainy season in Africa and it rains a few hours each day. It is kinda refreshing...probably keeps from getting everything too hot. However, it is also very muddy. I have appreciated the new hiking boots my sister-in-law gave me. The chicken coop is right behind my building...so naturally the rooster gets to wake me up. I was warned so I had ear plugs handy...they didn't drown out all the noise but it helped all the same.

The place is beautiful. The ICDI station has two sections. One section is the well drilling, offices, and garage area and the other side has all the houses (5 in total) and a swimming pool. Yep, you are reading that right a swimming pool. For those of you who know me well, swimming is very thearpeutic and I love it. Two of the houses are larger french colonal houses with wrap around porches, flowers beautifully arranged. I would relate this to being like a rather nice camping trip in nice cabins. It is simple and yet beautiful.

The electiricity is run by generaters so we only have power from 7:30 am to 9:30 pm and even then the power may be turned off at times....there is wireless satelite internet. It is sort of fun to be in a place that feels very primitive but has great tools to still get the job done.

I enjoyed today as I got an opportunity to sit with Jim (my boss) and talk through a few ideas and direction items. It always inspires me to have a person to talk through ideas and due to Jim's travels we have not had much time to talk.

Tomorrow is church. I get to sit in a french church and not understand a thing. Honestly, I know I shouldn't think like this but I really don't look forward to it. I like meeting people but I can not say anything more than hello and how are you in Sango. I have found that most of my french lessons are not that helpful as most people speak sango. Of well...par for the course. So, the service will be in another langugage and I struggle through sitting still at English speaking churches. Hopefully, I will be surprised.

On Monday, I start working with Alphonse on enhancing the accounting in Berberati. It should be fun and I will be glad to develop a relationship around a mutually desired task. He seems very eager to do his best and is glad to be able to learn new techniques to allow him to do his best.

Travels to Africa

When traveling to Africa, one often finds oneself taking a large number of bags/items for someone else. I had four footlockers to ensure reached Africa and only one of them had my stuff in it. I will acknowledge that most of the items were for ICDI programs but all the same only one of four was actually my luggage. Now the airlines only allow two items each for 50 pds, so this amount of luggage would require a little bit more paperwork, grace from the airline stewards, and more money. Needless to say, I was a little nervous so I decided to get there early. To my surprise, it went super smooth and now I was sitting in Indianapolis airport with about 2 hours to wait. There was a flight before mine going to Chicago and I decided to see if I could get there early in case I needed extra time dealing with some issue in Chicago.

Since I made the earlier flight, I was 3 hours 20 minutes earlier than my departure time. My ticket did not tell me which gate so I looked on the departure screen….no Paris. Oh, it must be departing from the international terminal. So, I took a 25 minute jaunt down to that terminal…they promptly informed me I was in the wrong terminal and it is back in my original terminal. Ugh! When I get back, sure enough it was on the screen in a gate very close to the one I just left. I guess the flights are not presented on the screen until 3 hours before departure. Lesson learned.

After my ordeal I was slightly hungry, so I went into the little food court. “Excuse me miss”…”Excuse Me”. An older man with a thick German accent was trying to get my attention. He came up to me and handed me a $10 voucher. He was on his way to Hong Kong and the flight was delayed so United gave him a voucher. He kept talking about how he wanted to help out others and give people a foot up. When he was young and poor, people did that to him and he wanted to do that for others. As a student traveling, I looked like I would appreciate a gift…nothing in return. When I get older and have a real paying job, I won’t need this as much. I like to travel comfortably. I am wearing thin sweet pants, a tee shirt, and a Lancer zip up sweatshirt. I got a small hiking backpack to operate as my carry on. All that in addition to my young appearance must have caused him to think I was still a student. He talked so continually and with such an accent he didn’t allow me nor did I have the heart to tell him I wasn’t a student and had been working for 7 years. It was fun and encouraging in that sweet and powerful way small acts of kindness can be. I found myself thinking that God orchestrated to let me know he is taking care of me…maybe it was just a fluke but I like the thought and I will hold it for now.

We arrived in Bangui at 5:15 am and didn’t get to the Baptist Mission until 8:30 am on thursday…I slept most of the morning. This morning I woke up at 5 am to travel to Berberati…we finally got here around 7 pm. It was a long ride. The first half was fairly smooth but then around 3 it got really bumpy as the road was completely dirt and gravel no pavement to be found.

So, I have reached my destination…it is hot in my room and the electricity goes out at 9:30 so there is no fan. Ah the joys of Africa.

The new endeavor

I mentioned that I was in a position that was draining the life out of me and that I wanted something more. I had a great job and great friends at my job. However, my life was basically only my job and it was a job that didn't have any major emotional satisfaction. I wasn't producing anything that was really of true value to anyone. I wanted something more but I didn't want to find a new job in a different place that was basically the same. I wanted something that I had passion about and could get excited about.

A few years ago, I went on a missions trip to teach computer skills to Central Africans. I loved it. The missionary we connected with was given a well drilling (water) company and started a non-profit organization called Integrated Community Development International. The focus is to develop Central Africans to become their fullest potential through an integrated approach. They drill water wells, provide orphan care, teach AIDS prevention, develop agriculture methods, teach hygene, provide micro loans, and broadcast via radio. They do this with the hope of being able to talk to their spiritual side and tell them about God and Jesus. In the end, hoping to have assisted with their physical and spiritual development.

This organization was formed about 4 years ago and has developed to a point where they need a full time accounting and finance function. So, the CEO called and asked if I would consider it. As you can probably tell, I took the job. When I was younger, I had convinced myself I would move to Africa and I entered college being a Pre-med student. My thoughts were I would be a doctor and then go to Africa. Yeah, I am not a doctor and accounting fit much better. However, I never thought accounting would ever work with Africa. So, when God brought a dream I had back around to me...I realized it wasn't my dream but his and I couldn't help but follow it.

So here I am...I have been working for ICDI since August and on Tuesday (tomorrow) I will be taking my first trip to Africa with ICDI. I have to admit I am excited and nervous all in the same breath. God has been working on my heart in a number of ways and I feel very emotionally raw. I have been overseas a number of times and to "third-world" countries. To say it is easy would just be a lie. Being in a different culture is emotionally exhausting and to go into it emotionally raw might be difficult...however, God may also bless. You never know hence the nervousness. But I am excited for the adventure, the opportunity to meet people, learn languages, eat new food...I know this is a part of me and I am excited to get to experience it and be a part of something bigger...

That is my story to date...I hope this gives you a running log of my stories and allows you to experience them with me....ups and downs included.

Drink Deep?

A few months back, I began to realize that somehow I had let my life be consumed by a career. Truly I was boxed in a stressed out cube. I was financially paid well but I was loosing. I was relationally, emotionally, and spiritually starved. So, I did something about it. This blog will be my sort of journal of what I did and the struggles along the way.

Before I go to far, I thought I would explain a little the title “Drink Deep”. A friend of mine loves a song by the Normal's entitled Brittle Bone. She wrote a portion of the lyrics in a journal as a gift for my birthday. I thought it was rather poetic but the meaning never really hit me. Recently, she played it for me...the entire song. I found myself captivated...I am not sure if it was speaking about me or speaking of where I wanted to be. No matter, the words are beautifully woven together.

Sunset skyline out my window
Stained carpet underfoot
Ain't that the way that it goes
We live in the bad and long for the good

Down here the well has been poisoned
Now everything's dying
Some sell forgiveness on gospel tv shows
And I wonder why anyone's buying
Cause the truth is a hard sell
For it burns out the lies

And I tear hard this brittle bone
And I drink deep this wine
I live rich on the meat of this table
Cause it's here where I can find
The grace of a saviour
The face of a lover
The abscence of what I fear
I'm not alone, for here I've found my home

I've been hiding like an ostrich
My head underground
And all my dirty feathers all across town
Lucky vampire has no mirrors
Me, I'm scared of what I'd see
I long for a last time with last times
Isn't that why You died for me?
I bow my head weeping
I pray I'll raise it to find You

And I tear hard this brittle bone
And I drink deep this wine
I live rich on the meat of this table
Cause it's here where I can find
The grace of a saviour
The face of a lover
The abscence of what I fear
I'm not alone, for here I've found my home

Cause I can think too much
I can think you away
Now that I've crashed hard
Can I see how you save?
There's a small cloud in the distance
So I'll keep on walking
Til Your grace sings so loud
I can't hear myself talking

And I tear hard this brittle bone
And I drink deep this wine
I live rich on the meat of this table
Cause it's here where I can find
The grace of a saviour
The face of a lover
The abscence of what I fear
I'm not alone, for here I've found my home