Last night I went with my host family, neighbors and friends to a fireworks show down in Teguc. We ate chicken, bean sandwiches, banana soda and brownies in the back of the pick up. Good times were had by all! The fireworks are sponsored by a fast food chicken place called Campero.
For the next 10 days, I{m hanging out with Jen, a SP missionary who works in India. She will be doing various presentations and promoting Servant Partners and India. Today we are going to a radio station to share (I think she{ll be doing more of the sharing). This Christian radio station has given Puerta al Mundo an hour and a half each week to talk about missions.
I will also be moving into my new house sometime next week. I have a mattress and my roommate has already furnished part of the rest of the house.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Good Bye
I leave on Wednesday, only 3 days left in Colorado! We had some family pics before I left, which had to be taken using the self timer.... so despite the many tries, we had a hard time finding pics that everyone was smiling in. Here are a couple:
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
..meaningful media..
A couple book and music recomendations to pass along
This is a great CD. Thanks Tara for introducing me.
A new and pleasant surprise in this new disc from Enter the Worship Circle. Their usual style is folk, but this album is all electric. I really love Simple and Tambourines.
Here are two books that I read for my Servant Partners training. The first is a great overview/introduction to the urban slums of the world. The second is a very complete resource for community organizing, and how the Kingdom of God intersects with the powers of the world (politics, economics and religion). Both are great reads.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Good bye
This weekend I've said good bye to many things:
Manila, Pilippines after being there for 5 weeks
our friends and community in Balic Balic
my team (pictured above)
being too hot and sweaty 24/7
rice with every meal
the threat of giant cockroaches crawling on me in my sleep
pandesal with mango jam for breakfast
bucket showers (not really good bye, more like 'see you later')
Monday, October 30, 2006
Balic Balic Up in Flames
I wasn't planning on writing another update from Manila, but a recent event has made such an impression on me that I can't help but share:
Around 5 pm on Sunday night a fire started in a house along the tracks in Balic Balic. I was opening the door to sweep out dirt and was surprised to find the sky filling with thick smoke! A rush of terror and action hit eveyone as they scrambled to find out where the fire was. I ran just 30 yards from our house to the tracks... I can't describe the scene that was there: people everywhere, running, yelling, kids crying, everyone close to the fire taking as much as possible out of their houses, flames and black smoke coming from the dense jumble of buildings along the tracks. What really touched me was the bucket line that had already formed from the river towards the fire. Jeoporadizing their safety and health, men jumped into the river/sewer and the buckets of blackish water were quickly passed all the way to the roof. My host family lived just a few houses down from the fire, so I joined them in running their belongings out of the house and dousing their walls with water. At one point I ran past Myline, 21 yr. old niece of my host family. She was standing on the sidewalk near a pile of their stuff watcing as the fire approached the house. I stopped and hugged her and we both cried and didn't say anything. It felt painful to not have any words of comfort for her. The fire trucks did eventually arrive, but even then, the fire lasted almost 2 hours. There aren't any fire hydrants in Balic Balic, so every other fire truck is a water tanker. Almost a dozen trucks attacked the fire from different angles.
After the fire was deemed "out" we went back to the Sears' house (my host family) and helped them clean up. It was surreal to be on hands and knees cleaning dirty water out of the kitchen where we had previously shared meals, laughter and life. While I was experiencing the pain of the situation, I was also struck by the fact that I would never really know what it was like to walk in their shoes. Many were displaced by the fire and or wet homes. We all painfully wondered where they would sleep and what they would eat that night as we went back to our own safe homes. Later that night and into today, a typhoon passed close enough to Manila to bring on constant and heavy rains. Monday the tracks were much more quiet than usual as the damage was assessed, the buildings gutted out and remains salvaged. Nobody was hurt or killed, but around 12 homes were completely destroyed.
Ironically, this has happened just a week before we go home... just when we were getting a little more used to the poverty. For me this has been deep and meaningful reminder that below the surface of poverty lies a very fine balance between life and death, stablity and chaos, enough and desperation as the poor live in a constant state of vulnerability. Perhaps even more than this realization, I have been touched by the pain of the poor that is both deep and wide. I truthfully ask God what comfort and what hope He has for those who live in this reality of vulnerability and pain. I have renewed my own hope in the truth found in Is 61:
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
Tonight I am thankful that Jesus came not only for our sins, but for our brokeness and pain also. Please keep the community of Balic Balic in your prayers.
Around 5 pm on Sunday night a fire started in a house along the tracks in Balic Balic. I was opening the door to sweep out dirt and was surprised to find the sky filling with thick smoke! A rush of terror and action hit eveyone as they scrambled to find out where the fire was. I ran just 30 yards from our house to the tracks... I can't describe the scene that was there: people everywhere, running, yelling, kids crying, everyone close to the fire taking as much as possible out of their houses, flames and black smoke coming from the dense jumble of buildings along the tracks. What really touched me was the bucket line that had already formed from the river towards the fire. Jeoporadizing their safety and health, men jumped into the river/sewer and the buckets of blackish water were quickly passed all the way to the roof. My host family lived just a few houses down from the fire, so I joined them in running their belongings out of the house and dousing their walls with water. At one point I ran past Myline, 21 yr. old niece of my host family. She was standing on the sidewalk near a pile of their stuff watcing as the fire approached the house. I stopped and hugged her and we both cried and didn't say anything. It felt painful to not have any words of comfort for her. The fire trucks did eventually arrive, but even then, the fire lasted almost 2 hours. There aren't any fire hydrants in Balic Balic, so every other fire truck is a water tanker. Almost a dozen trucks attacked the fire from different angles.
After the fire was deemed "out" we went back to the Sears' house (my host family) and helped them clean up. It was surreal to be on hands and knees cleaning dirty water out of the kitchen where we had previously shared meals, laughter and life. While I was experiencing the pain of the situation, I was also struck by the fact that I would never really know what it was like to walk in their shoes. Many were displaced by the fire and or wet homes. We all painfully wondered where they would sleep and what they would eat that night as we went back to our own safe homes. Later that night and into today, a typhoon passed close enough to Manila to bring on constant and heavy rains. Monday the tracks were much more quiet than usual as the damage was assessed, the buildings gutted out and remains salvaged. Nobody was hurt or killed, but around 12 homes were completely destroyed.
Ironically, this has happened just a week before we go home... just when we were getting a little more used to the poverty. For me this has been deep and meaningful reminder that below the surface of poverty lies a very fine balance between life and death, stablity and chaos, enough and desperation as the poor live in a constant state of vulnerability. Perhaps even more than this realization, I have been touched by the pain of the poor that is both deep and wide. I truthfully ask God what comfort and what hope He has for those who live in this reality of vulnerability and pain. I have renewed my own hope in the truth found in Is 61:
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners, [a]
2 to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn,
3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty
instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness
instead of mourning,
and a garment of praise
instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness,
a planting of the LORD
for the display of his splendor.
Tonight I am thankful that Jesus came not only for our sins, but for our brokeness and pain also. Please keep the community of Balic Balic in your prayers.
Monday, October 09, 2006
Monday, October 02, 2006
A few things about Manila
I am currently in Balic Balic, a slum in Manila. Here are a few things worth listing:
9 hours slept on our flight from LA
13.5 total hours of flight
10 hour time difference between Manila and Colorado
3 stories in the house I am staying in
2 bucket showers per day is the norm for Balic Balic
100% humidity, my guess anyhow
6 SP staff in my group, 4 from Lincoln Heights team, 1 from Thailand team and me
5.5 weeks we will be in Balic Balic
$2 the cost of my dinner tonight
9 hours slept on our flight from LA
13.5 total hours of flight
10 hour time difference between Manila and Colorado
3 stories in the house I am staying in
2 bucket showers per day is the norm for Balic Balic
100% humidity, my guess anyhow
6 SP staff in my group, 4 from Lincoln Heights team, 1 from Thailand team and me
5.5 weeks we will be in Balic Balic
$2 the cost of my dinner tonight
Sunday, September 24, 2006
GUTS...
...yes, I've got them, and I'm officially there. I am in LA for my official Servant Partners new staff training, called GUTS (Global Urban Training School). We start tomorrow, Sunday, so I haven't met anyone else yet. I'm staying with my friend Lauren and her roomates in Pomona. Today I drove up to Encino and saw my cousins, Stacey and Tyson. We had not all been together for a while, so it was good to see them. We are definitely all on different paths: Stacey, married and ready to have her first baby any day now, Tyson, engaged and pursuing a music career in LA, and me, moving to Honduras to pursue my own dreams. I'll post a picture later.
So I'm in LA for one week and then on the 1st we fly to Manila, Philippines. I'm a little nervous for the flight but generally very excited about everything. We'll be there until Nov 5th.... a long time. I still have $110/month left to go-so keep praying and advocating. For those of you who actually read closely, here is a preview of the new website I'm working on.
So I'm in LA for one week and then on the 1st we fly to Manila, Philippines. I'm a little nervous for the flight but generally very excited about everything. We'll be there until Nov 5th.... a long time. I still have $110/month left to go-so keep praying and advocating. For those of you who actually read closely, here is a preview of the new website I'm working on.
Monday, September 18, 2006
Almost there!
I need $110 more a month in pledges before I can go to Honduras. I'm doing pretty well on my one-time gift needs, I think I'm with in a few hundred dollars.
Keep praying! Only 14 days left in Colorado to work on fundraising (4 now, 10 in November).
Keep praying! Only 14 days left in Colorado to work on fundraising (4 now, 10 in November).
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Photo Shoot
Today my dad and I took some pictures of my sister, Sarah, for her senior pics. Here are a few shots from the day. It was pretty windy, so she might have to try again on a different day.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
What do you think?
I can't wait to get my hands on this! It wasn't in the grocery store yesterday when I went to look. More to come on this....
Monday, September 04, 2006
roots
A photo I took when we were in Moab this weekend.
This tree reminds me of this....
But blessed is the man who trusts me, God,
the woman who sticks with God.
They're like trees replanted in Eden,
putting down roots near the rivers—
Never a worry through the hottest of summers,
never dropping a leaf,
Serene and calm through droughts,
bearing fresh fruit every season.
Jeremiah 17:8 from The Message
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Book Recomendation
I've been finishing up my readings for my upcoming Servant Partners training in Manila. One book that I would recomend if you are interested in learning a little more about the urban poor and why they are a priorty people group is "Dispossessed~Life in Our World's Urban Slums" by Mark Kramer.
The book is mostly a narritive of stories about individuals, families and communities around the world. The book is divided by geographical location. It covers Manila, Nairobi, Mexico City, Bangkok, and Cairo. The last chapter, called Knowing the Dispossessed is great. I'm including some quotes that I really liked from the book:
The author quotes another author, Wangari Maathai:
"Africa continues to be marginalized politically and economically and even socially. There is lack of genuine support, cooperation and equal partnership from the rich international community... but as if to justify relief and financial aid, people from rich countries are more willing to go to Africa to implement relief services like feeding emaciated infants, discover Africans dying of horrible diseases like AIDS and Ebola, be peacekeepers in war torn countries and send horrifying imagies of tragedies for television. Hardly any of the friends of Africa are willing to tackle the political and economical decisions being made in their own countries and which are partly responsible for the same horrible images brought to their living rooms by television."
"Differences among peoples and cultures are real. Distance and ignorance of one another keep us apart. Even after reading this book, you may be wondering how you'll ever truly identify with the experiences of people living in informal settlements. Consciously or not, we identify and differentiate ourselves and others through a variety of means: a passport, culinary tastes, ethnic heritage, language, religion, style of dress, the amount of melanin in our skin. Our own identity becomes a point of reference that defines who we are and how we relate to the rest of the world. It also helps us define who we are not."
The book is mostly a narritive of stories about individuals, families and communities around the world. The book is divided by geographical location. It covers Manila, Nairobi, Mexico City, Bangkok, and Cairo. The last chapter, called Knowing the Dispossessed is great. I'm including some quotes that I really liked from the book:
The author quotes another author, Wangari Maathai:
"Africa continues to be marginalized politically and economically and even socially. There is lack of genuine support, cooperation and equal partnership from the rich international community... but as if to justify relief and financial aid, people from rich countries are more willing to go to Africa to implement relief services like feeding emaciated infants, discover Africans dying of horrible diseases like AIDS and Ebola, be peacekeepers in war torn countries and send horrifying imagies of tragedies for television. Hardly any of the friends of Africa are willing to tackle the political and economical decisions being made in their own countries and which are partly responsible for the same horrible images brought to their living rooms by television."
"Differences among peoples and cultures are real. Distance and ignorance of one another keep us apart. Even after reading this book, you may be wondering how you'll ever truly identify with the experiences of people living in informal settlements. Consciously or not, we identify and differentiate ourselves and others through a variety of means: a passport, culinary tastes, ethnic heritage, language, religion, style of dress, the amount of melanin in our skin. Our own identity becomes a point of reference that defines who we are and how we relate to the rest of the world. It also helps us define who we are not."
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Stroms on Longs
For my dad's 50th birthday, which occured this May, we decided to climb Long's Peak as a family. It would be my two youngest sisters' first time and probably summit #25ish for my dad. The rest of us were somewhere in between. Here is a play-by-play of how the day went.
1:00 am I fall asleep on the floor/couch because with a full house there are no extra beds.
3:00 am Mom wakes us up and I am well rested :-)
4:00 am We arrive at the trailhead, only to find that we have to park about a mile below on the road because there are so many cars. Apparently all the cool kids start hiking at 11:30 pm these days.
4:00-5:00 am The worst hour of the day! Hiking in the dark woods with flashlights, all uphill, switchbacks, 4 miles in one hour. I think my body tried to reject this new reality-I started sweating buckets, I felt like I was going to puke the whole time, I couldn't eat anything and every time I closed my eyes for even a blink, I felt like I could fall asleep.
5:00 am Sunrise. Just as we broke treeline, the sun started to rise. We were sandwiched inbetween a great view of the sunrise to the east and the early morning glow of the light hitting the east face of the mountain. At this point I could finally eat and felt much better.
5:00 am - 8:00 am More normal trail hiking, only we are now above the treeline. We get to the boulder field, which includes a pit stop at the privies. At the end of the boulder field is the key hole, which is when you start hiking on the west side of the mountain, so the views are incredible.
8:00 am-10:14 am Our "hike" turns into lots of rock scrambliing where we use all fours. Through the key hole, around the back side, up the trough, over the narrows and finally over the home stretch. By the time we got to the trough, my pace was "take ten steps, breath for ten seconds, repeat". Rachel and I coined the slogan "Holy Trough Batman!" for this section.
10:15 am VICTORY! All 6 of us made it to the top. Becca and Sarah did an awesome job, especially for their first time. My dad of course, was gracious to stick with us, as he could have been up in back in the time it took me to do the trough.
All in all, it was an awesome experience, especially since I'm moving away in just a few months. I won't be back to visit the summit for a few years, I imagine.
1:00 am I fall asleep on the floor/couch because with a full house there are no extra beds.
3:00 am Mom wakes us up and I am well rested :-)
4:00 am We arrive at the trailhead, only to find that we have to park about a mile below on the road because there are so many cars. Apparently all the cool kids start hiking at 11:30 pm these days.
4:00-5:00 am The worst hour of the day! Hiking in the dark woods with flashlights, all uphill, switchbacks, 4 miles in one hour. I think my body tried to reject this new reality-I started sweating buckets, I felt like I was going to puke the whole time, I couldn't eat anything and every time I closed my eyes for even a blink, I felt like I could fall asleep.
5:00 am Sunrise. Just as we broke treeline, the sun started to rise. We were sandwiched inbetween a great view of the sunrise to the east and the early morning glow of the light hitting the east face of the mountain. At this point I could finally eat and felt much better.
5:00 am - 8:00 am More normal trail hiking, only we are now above the treeline. We get to the boulder field, which includes a pit stop at the privies. At the end of the boulder field is the key hole, which is when you start hiking on the west side of the mountain, so the views are incredible.
8:00 am-10:14 am Our "hike" turns into lots of rock scrambliing where we use all fours. Through the key hole, around the back side, up the trough, over the narrows and finally over the home stretch. By the time we got to the trough, my pace was "take ten steps, breath for ten seconds, repeat". Rachel and I coined the slogan "Holy Trough Batman!" for this section.
All in all, it was an awesome experience, especially since I'm moving away in just a few months. I won't be back to visit the summit for a few years, I imagine.
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Los cielos
1-3 Be good to me, God—and now! I've run to you for dear life.
I'm hiding out under your wings
until the hurricane blows over.
I call out to High God,
the God who holds me together.
He sends orders from heaven and saves me,
he humiliates those who kick me around.
God delivers generous love,
he makes good on his word.
4 I find myself in a pride of lions
who are wild for a taste of human flesh;
Their teeth are lances and arrows,
their tongues are sharp daggers.
5 Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with your glory!
6 They booby-trapped my path;
I thought I was dead and done for.
They dug a mantrap to catch me,
and fell in headlong themselves.
7-8 I'm ready, God, so ready,
ready from head to toe,
Ready to sing, ready to raise a tune:
"Wake up, soul!
Wake up, harp! wake up, lute!
Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!"
9-10 I'm thanking you, God, out loud in the streets,
singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
every cloud is a flag to your faithfulness.
11 Soar high in the skies, O God!
ready from head to toe,
Ready to sing, ready to raise a tune:
"Wake up, soul!
Wake up, harp! wake up, lute!
Wake up, you sleepyhead sun!"
9-10 I'm thanking you, God, out loud in the streets,
singing your praises in town and country.
The deeper your love, the higher it goes;
every cloud is a flag to your faithfulness.
11 Soar high in the skies, O God!
Cover the whole earth with your glory!
Psalm 57 from The Message
Psalm 57 from The Message
Saturday, July 22, 2006
A weekend away
I had the great fortune to take a couple days away with the girls in my small group (Bible study). We went to Glenwood Springs for the day and night on Friday and then spent the day hiking in Aspen before coming back.
Thanks for a great weekend girls!
Thanks for a great weekend girls!
Thursday, July 20, 2006
What do we need to get the job done?
This: http://www.urbana.org/wtoday.ephesians.cfm is a great devtional based on Ephesians about God equiping and sending us into the world. A few of my highlights from the devotion:
"Jesus’ Great Commission to disciple the nations is a daunting, even impossible, task apart from the promise of his presence and his supernatural equipping. As so often is the case, God accomplishes his purposes through human agents. You wonder why he should slow himself down so much – except that he loves us intensely and welcomes our participation in the adventure closest to his heart."
Impossible task.... daunting... yes, this is how I feel. Supernatural equipping, yes this seems like the only possibility between here and there. An adventure close to God's heart, that is where I am trusting that I am.
This is pretty much what my team's work is about in Honduras. God-gifted trainers of pastor-teachers? I don't know. Willing to walk alongside? Yes. Willing to share all that we've learned and experienced, the good and the bad? Yes. Willing to walk into this new era of missions as equal and unique partners? Yes.
The exercising of God's gifts in different areas of the global Body of Christ is one thing I'm really excited about seeing.
"Jesus’ Great Commission to disciple the nations is a daunting, even impossible, task apart from the promise of his presence and his supernatural equipping. As so often is the case, God accomplishes his purposes through human agents. You wonder why he should slow himself down so much – except that he loves us intensely and welcomes our participation in the adventure closest to his heart."
Impossible task.... daunting... yes, this is how I feel. Supernatural equipping, yes this seems like the only possibility between here and there. An adventure close to God's heart, that is where I am trusting that I am.
"Observing the growing church today, particularly in Latin America, Africa and Asia it would seem that there are enough witnesses and evangelists in each continent to share the good news. What are sorely lacking are people to disciple all the new followers of Jesus. Church leaders in these places are crying out for more God-gifted trainers of pastors-teachers."
This is pretty much what my team's work is about in Honduras. God-gifted trainers of pastor-teachers? I don't know. Willing to walk alongside? Yes. Willing to share all that we've learned and experienced, the good and the bad? Yes. Willing to walk into this new era of missions as equal and unique partners? Yes.
"When all these gifts are being exercised freely in any group of believers, they will naturally be doing good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2: 10)."
The exercising of God's gifts in different areas of the global Body of Christ is one thing I'm really excited about seeing.
Friday, July 14, 2006
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