WEDNESDAY IN FLORENCE

Woke up with the sound of church bells ringing. Ate bread and cheese for breakfast and then walked to a local church. Discovered it cost $6 to enter. They allowed us to enter the side entrance for prayer only.

We then went to the church and museum of St Mark where Father Angelico painted each cell of the monastery with vivid paintings of the life of Christ. Father Angelico would pray before each painting and then follow the Spirit in creating images of Christ – serene, peaceful and reverent. He never retouched his paintings because he trusted that was how God wanted them.

At the Galleria dell’Academia, we stood in amazement at Michelangelo’s magnificent masterpiece DAVID carved from a single block of marble when he was only 29. Viewed many other well known works of art.

We are now on a train to Rome where we will spend the night before flying to Athens, Greece tomorrow morning. It seems like every train trip has been an adventure. Today’s surprise was when I opened a bottle of mineral water and there was a loud pop as the cap of the bottle flew across the aisle landing in another seat. We all jumped at the loud crack, including the passengers around us.

So far, we took one Eurorail fast train – was a very different experience – filled with tourists and quite a few people who spoke English. The other trains have been slower trains filled with commuters. Takes longer, but far cheaper.

We are grateful for all the ways we have met Christ in Italy during the past week. It has truly been a time of very meaningful spiritual retreat and reflection exceeding our expectations. Not sure if we will have internet as much in Greece, so don’t worry if you don’t hear from us every day.

REBUILD MY CHURCH

San Diomani is a short walk from Assisi through olive groves, the place where St Francis heard Jesus tell him to rebuild the church. As I walk through the buildings, I am a (tourist) pilgrim – in awe at the historical significance of this place – imagining the life and call of St Francis and St Clare.

I walk through a second time, this time as a (spiritual) pilgrim and get no further than the first room where the crucifix hangs. As I sit on the hard wooden bench, I am struck how the cross disables his hands and feet. Without hands, how can Jesus heal the blind man, cast out demons and evil spirits, raise Lazarus from the dead, feed the multitudes, calm the sea, wash the disciples feet, and break bread with his disciples?

Without feet, how can Jesus walk to the well and offer living water to the Samaritan woman? How can he walk to the village where he gathered the small children on his lap to bless them?

I am drawn to the crown of thorns encircling his head. How humiliating! Is this what he deserved after healing people? After setting people free from sin and evil? After offering the world nothing but compassion, love, peace, and joy? How cruel and unfair! What pain, suffering and humiliation! Does he not deserve a crown of glory rather than sharp thorns piercing his head?

Finally, I am drawn to the large wound on his side where the spear pierces his heart and lungs. As I sit alone in this ancient small chapel, I am overcome with emotion – the body of Christ wounded and disabled – his hands and feet made useless, his head covered with thorns, and his heart pierced with a sword. I find myself weeping.

Jesus could have resisted, but he chose to be completely obedient and fully surrendered to his Father’s will even though he knew it would cost him his life. He humbled himself and endured the cross to set us an example of humility, obedience, and servant hood.

I move to the foot of the cross and kneel. I look up. The feet of Jesus are directly above me nailed to the cross. The wound in his side is further up. His arms outstretched and hands nailed to the cross are even higher. And then I see his face. His head hangs on his shoulder looking down at me. His eyes are closed. I notice the blood dripping off of his hands and feet. Blood gushes forth from the gaping hole in his side. It is as though all of his blood is being poured out on me. It falls on my face and shoulders. It washes over me – the blood of a human being who faithfully endured horrific pain, suffering and humiliation – the blood of the divine Son of God.

As it flows over me, I find it both challenging and refreshing. The blood mixes with my tears, now flowing down my cheeks. I receive God’s gift again – the gift of grace and forgiveness – the gift of Christ’s example of humiliation, obedience, surrender and servant hood – the gift of God’s love extravagantly poured out as I place my trust in God.

Later in the day, when I see the actual crucifix that St Francis was kneeling before as he heard Jesus tell him to rebuild the church, I am disappointed. There is no blood flowing from his side. In place of the crown of thorns is a halo of glory. His eyes are open, not closed. His lips are turned down in an expression of deep sadness. It’s easy to imagine this image of a living but saddened Jesus telling Francis to rebuild the church.

As I sit and meditate on this crucifix I hear God’s call to love and forgive as Christ loved and forgave. I hear God’s call to rebuild the church today – not with stones and mortar but with living stones – to build it with even more grandeur and stunning beauty than even the magnificent basilicas.

May this call of God be reborn in each of us during this season of Lent.

Walking in the Light

Leaving Venice and Arriving in Florence

Gaze upon Christ, consider Christ, contemplate Christ, imitate Christ. – St Clare

To imitate relates to the word “image” – to become the image upon who we gaze. This past week, we have done a lot of gazing upon Christ. There are many images of Christ to gaze upon- Jesus holding the little children, Jesus healing the sick, Jesus lying in a manger, Jesus resurrected from the dead, Jesus coming again. We become the image upon which we gaze. If we gaze on these images of Christ, we become like Christ.

For St Francis and St Clare, the image of Christ on the cross became the central image to gaze upon and imitate. In the cross hey saw humility, poverty and charity. For them, this meant to not cling to anything including goods, titles, honors or position. It meant to be a servant to all.

We have joined St Francis and St Clare in gazing upon Christ. This morning, we visited several new churches in Venice before we departed for Florence. Most churches have a large picture or sculpture of the crucifixion of Christ in the front center. However in one church, at front center over the altar was a large painting of the resurrection of Christ. At every worship, mass or prayer, this is the image you gazed upon.

In another church, a large crucifix greeted us as soon as we entered. You could not walk up the center aisle without walking around it. Soon after we entered, a businessman on his way to work came in, stood at the crucifix for meditation and prayer for about five minutes. What a way to begin your day of work – meditating on the image of Christ crucified.

It is a bright sunny day, much warmer than yesterday. We are now on a train, on our way to Florence. My thoughts are drawn to everyone back home, family, church family and friends. May God bless each of you today with health, peace, and joy. My thoughts and prayers are drawn to our friends and workers in Africa. May God give you strength and wisdom as you continue to meet the challenges you face. And our thoughts and prayers are drawn to family and friends in Ecuador. In less than two weeks, we will be in Ecuador. May God be with you in all of your activities!

We arrived in Florence, walked to our hotel, and then visited the following churches - San Lorenzo, Santa Maria Novella, Santa Maria Del Fiore, Santo Spirito, and Santa Trinita. In each one, we gazed upon various images of Christ. The more we gaze upon Christ, the more we see of Christ. We are finding all the art and sculpture a powerful tool in helping our minds and hearts gaze upon Christ.

We concluded our day by walking to the river in Florence and sitting on the bridge watching the sun set. Thank you God for simple things like sunsets to enjoy with one another!

Venice Grandeur

MONDAY IN VENICE

We spent the day walking through Venice. To our surprise, this is the busiest place we’ve visited yet – thought it might be empty because of the winter season. After walking around all day in the cold, we are frozen, and return to our room to eat a wonderful salad after buying lettuce, cheese and other vegetables at a grocery store.

One of the places we visited was Piazza San Marco, the place Napolean proclaimed as the finest drawing room of all Europe. But nothing prepares you for the spectacle of the Basilica of St. Mark. Angels trumpet the way in glittering mosaics above vast portals. Inside, the soaring stone structure, the intricate geometrical designs of 12’th century marble flooring, and the 12’th through 15’th century mosaic domes with millions of glass tiles takes your breath away. This is the place where Venetian merchants smuggled the body of St. Mark out of Egypt in AD 828. Venice was without a saint and this was the way they got one.

It’s hard to imagine Mark, an early follower of Jesus and author of the gospel of Mark, approving all of this dazzling grandeur. I try to imagine how many hungry people in the world could be fed with all the resources it took to build this massive structure.

And yet as we enter a side chapel and join others in prayer, I see persons deeply moved in prayer. Perhaps there is some merit in bringing honor and respect to Jesus Christ and one of his followers, rather than just worshiping and honoring other gods. It is amazing to see thousands of people show interest in an early follower of Jesus!

We enter even deeper into an inner and smaller chapel – a place marked for prayer only. It is very still and quiet here – an excellent place for prayer – away from the throngs of people making their way through the main part of the basilica without stopping to spend time alone with the God whom Mark served.

A mosaic in the wall above shows Mark being burned and then being drug through the streets of Alexandria still in flames. It reminds me of our own Anabaptist fathers and mothers who were burned at the stake. No massive stunning basilicas built in their honor – not a part of our tradition or faith.

Mark was hated and dishonored as an evangelist in Alexandria, Egypt, and now thousands line up every day to respect and honor him.

In spite of not fully comprehending the purpose and grandeur of this Basilica, thank you Lord for this special place to become quiet and still and remember one of your early followers. May your call to Mark live in our hearts today!

Sunday Travel to Venice

We wake up to our first cloudy day since we arrived in Italy. As we take the train north from Assisi, the green fields slowly turn brown. Large piles of snow begin to appear along the tracks. Last weekend, all of Assisi was covered with snow. Two weeks ago, a major snowstorm shut down the entire area. Roads were closed, trains were cancelled, and electricity was off. Very unusual event for this area.

As we continue north, hilltops are adorned with villages, churches, and an occasional castle type of building. Olive orchards cover other hills with rolling vineyards in the valleys. A splendid country.

We arrive in Florence and are not certain which station to get off. Our ticket does not tell us. I stand up in the packed car and start asking, “Does anyone speak English?” Everyone is staring at me. I start walking through the train asking the question again. Someone is smiling. With great relief, I ask her if she speaks English. She says yes. She tells me to get off at the next station and then take a short train to another station in Florence. There we will find the train to Venice.

We get off the train in Florence, pay $1.50 to use the bathroom and then begin to hunt for our next train. It appears that a train is to leave Firenze-SNM on Platform 7 at 12:38 and the first stop is Firenze–Rifredi. Except the train on Platform 7 says a different destination and it does not leave until 12:47. We again look at the list of departures. This is the train that is supposed to be on Platform 5. Which sign is correct? And where is the train that is supposed to be on this platform leaving at 12:38?

We board the train and start asking if anyone speaks English. No luck this time. I keep asking one after another if this train stops at Rifredi. Most shake their head no – which later I realize means “no they do not understand me.” We get off the train. I keep asking people who are boarding the train, and no one is able to help. Finally I see young people coming towards me that look like potential Americans. Do you speak English? Not only did they speak English, but they were able to answer our question. Yes, this is the right train. We get back on it and ten minutes later arrive at Firenze-Rifredi, where we eat our homemade cheese sandwiches for lunch as we wait for another train to Venice.

The sun is now shining on tall mountain peaks with bright blue sky. We are on our way to Venice! We take time to reflect and pray. We pray for everyone back home as you are preparing for worship.

We just went through a long tunnel and when we come out the other side, much of the ground is now covered with snow. We are in the mountains. More tunnels – more snow – more mountains. Looks like Pennsylvania winter except mountain peaks are taller. We arrive in Bologna. It is 2:30 in the afternoon, but is now cold, dark, cloudy and wintry. We leave the station and it begins to rain. Our cabin for six is now a cabin for just Judy and I. We stretch out across the seats for a short Sunday afternoon rest.

A few minutes later, the sky is blue, sun is shining, and the land is flat. Not even a hill in sight. Vineyards and olive trees have been replaced with orchards of pear, peach, or apple. Small canals go through large green fields. It is like another world.

We step out of the train station in Venice and are met with stunning views of the Grand Canal. As we travel down the Canal to our hotel, the setting sun paints brilliant colors and reflections on the water. It is far greater than we ever expected. Hope to show photos later.

Rebuild My Church

We sit in St Stephen's Chapel, a small and simple chapel - one that St Francis would have preached and worshiped in. Two other persons just enter. Their every move and footstep echoes off the empty stone walls of this ancient chapel built in the 12'th century. They exit and it is once again complete silence. The bench is hard. I move slightly and the crack of the bench echoes noisily throughout the chapel. It is silent again. The outside world is completely shut off inside these thick walls.















It is like a prison and yet serves the opposite purpose. I come here not to be imprisoned but to be set free from the prisons of the world - it's cares and anxieties, its power and control, its cravings and desires. This is the freedom that time alone with God brings.




















The front of this church is empty except for one crucifix and its shadow. No large paintings or golden candlesticks in this chapel. Only a few candles and the crucifix.

The shadow of the cross on the front wall is stunning. Gradually, we notice there are two shadows, one on the left and one on the right. But there are two more being formed - one in my heart and one in Judy's heart. It is what happens when one becomes still and silent with God.

Judy and I continue to sit in silence. Eventually, we get out our journals and begin to write down our reflections. Time disappears when one is alone with God.

As we finally exit and return to the world, the world and all its noises seem less invasive. Our souls have been revived. God has been again been found. Christ no longer hangs on the Crucifix. Instead, we leave with a new sense of Christ living in our hearts!

Our last stop of the day is the Basilica of St. Francis. We visit the massive upper Basilica with all its stunning paintings. We visit the lower Basilica and again are overwhelmed with every inch of every wall covered with stunning art. Much of it is of St Francis to honor his life and ministry. We wonder how St Francis would feel about this. How different from the simple small chapel Francis worshiped and preached in!

We go beneath the Basilica to the place where Francis is buried. A line of people are waiting to pay $15 to have a holy mass said for someone. Suddenly I felt sick. Certainly St Francis would not condone this massive basilica and people selling and buying the privilege to pray for loved ones next to his remains. This seems to be the complete opposite of everything St Francis stood for.

We go back upstairs and a mass is just beginning. We sit down and try to join in the mass. Everything is in Italian. We understand very little and find it difficult to worship.

As we walk out of the basilica, we both say the same thing - what a way to end our visit to Assisi! And yet it also seemed appropriate. If Francis were alive today, certainly he would again hear the lips of Jesus saying, "Rebuild my church Francis!".

Francis is no longer alive. But you and I are. And we hear the voice of Jesus calling, "Rebuild my church!" We ride the bus back down to our hotel.

Thank you God for reviving our souls, rewnewing our vision, and confirming our call to rebuild your church! You are an awesome God!

Our Wonderful Lunch

I miss African earth

As I walk through town, I'm struck by the absence of earth. All the earth has been covered over by pavement, cobblestone, bricks, and concrete. Homes and driveways are protected from the earth. Seems like we have convinced ourselves earth is dirty.

Not so in Africa! Earth was everywhere - except on one main road that was paved. Covering up the earth was the exception, not the norm. Earth was swept clean of leaves and debri from the trees and animals.

I admit it is nice to not have sand on the floor of our bedroom. It's nice to have clean clothes and clean shoes. But I miss Africa and being close to the earth!

A day of spiritual retreat

A great day of spiritual retreat and reflection. Spent several hours at Sam Domiano - a significant place for both St. Francis and St. Claire. Walked back to Assisi and spent time at the Basilica of St. Clair in reflection and prayer.

We then took a hike up the mountain and rested at a picnic table overlooking Assisi. Feel renewed and refreshed – especially spiritually. Lots ofjournaling. Will share more perhaps tomorrow.

Photos of Assisi

Overlooking the beautiful valley below Assisi. We are staying down in the valley.







Basilica de S. Francesco (upper)










Basilica de S. Francesco (lower)










Sun setting over the valley.

The Trip to Assisi

First frustrating day of travel. Bought second class train tickets to Assisi. Very confusing to try to find the train at the large Rome train station. Asked several agents and were told to wait at the end of platform 1. When our train was to arrive, a high speed train pulled in. Our train was to be a regional so we knew then we were at the wrong spot.

We saw another train outside the train station several hundred meters away. We ran with our luggage and got on it just as it was leaving. In the process we didn’t have time to validate our tickets –something we knew we were to do but did not know where to do it and did not have time to look for it. On the bus, you do it at a yellow box on the bus. We were hoping you also do it on the train.

An hour later when the ticket agent finally came to take our tickets, she tried to tell us in Italian that we needed to pay a $50 fine per person for not validating our tickets. We tried to explain what happened. She knew no English. So she found a passenger who knew English to translate. She insisted we either needed to pay the fine immediately or we would need to pay three times more. It took almost all our cash, but we finally paid it – seeing there was no other option. We are going to try to contest it at customer service in Venice, but not sure we will have any luck. The ticket office at Assisi gave us a form to fill out.

When we got off the train, there was an Asian young adult traveling alone who was crying. The ticket agent was trying to make her pay the fine also and she had no idea what was happening. Someone was trying to translate in English, but she did not know any English or Italian. The ticket agent was trying to get her passport to get her name and address, but she did not understand the word passport.

Traveling in a strange country without knowing any of the language and not knowing how to get around can be a humbling experience. We love the adventure, but today stretched us a bit.

Arriving in Assisi, we finally found our way to our hotel after showing several people the address. Next, we had to figure out how to take the bus into Assisi. Still feeling frustrated, we were feeling a bit intimidated as we arrived at the top of Assisi and started hiking in the direction we hoped was right.

Within the first block, we encountered a freelance writer from Alaska who has lived in Assisi for 11 years and she knew English! She spent the next thirty minutes telling us all about Assisi, what not to miss, where to eat, and all types of secrets and hidden places only locals know about. We told her we were here on a spiritual retreat and she gave us even more information.

She was like a messenger from God. She turned our day around! We walked through Assisi and got to the other end as the sun was setting. Since we did not have lunch and it was getting late, we got on the bus heading back to our hotel, looking for a reasonable priced place to eat. Finally found a pizza place, then walked to a grocery store to buy water and found that it was already closed.

Now that we know our way around Assisi, we look forward to the next two days of rest and retreat with God and the spiritual men and women of this town such as St Francis and St Clare.

African Photos

Beryl in his all-purpose room - bedroom, meeting room, office, etc.








Judy in the kitchen.










A sunrise - happens every morning.










The masonry team!










Eating African style - almost!










Making the African meal.

Wednesday Photos

Judy outside the Colosseum








Inside the Colosseum










The Arch of Constantine










The Arch of Titus













Ruins of ancient Rome










The Pantheon










One of the many fountains in Rome.










One last goodby to St Peter's Square










Listening to the Pope greet us.

Wednesday

We took the 8 a.m. bus to the Vatican. Arrived at about 8:30, went through security and then into the grand Papal Hall where we waited for Pope Benedict XVI to arrive. Since we arrived early, we sat in the front third of the hall. The hall was packed with thousands of people by the time the Pope arrived. Many were large groups of students from around the world, screaming and clapping when the Swiss Guard walked in followed by the Pope.

The Pope welcomed everyone followed by about seven cardinals bringing greetings and reading a Psalm in seven languages from around the world. The Pope then gave an address followed by each Cardinal welcoming various groups from his region of the world in their language. Some of the groups sang a song for the Pope. The whole thing lasted about 1 ½ hours. Was a bit boring, but very educational and worth the experience.

Judy and I then walked from the Vatican to the Pantheon – a Roman temple at least 2,000 years old with a rich history of being the temple of all gods. In 608 AD, it was consecrated as a Christian church which it still remains today.

We then walked to the Roman Forum – an ancient Roman marketplace, civic center, religious complex and center of ancient Roman public life. We spent the afternoon walking through ancient ruins and the Palatine Hill. Around 4 p.m. we walked over to the Roman Colosseum – a massive arena built by Emperor Vespasian in 69-79 AD. It was used for gladiator fights, games, and as a place where many Christians were fed to wild animals in front of 50,000 people.

Exhausted and tired, we took the metro back to the Termini Station, where we found a nearby restaurant and then walked up the three long flights of stairs to our room. Another very full and rich day!

Tuesday Photos

Overlooking the city of Rome with snow capped mountains in the background.







Getting into the spirit of Carnival.













Enjoying the mass in St Peter's Basilica.










Getting the attention of the Swiss Guard.

Tuesday in Rome

Our morning began with an amazing free breakfast – yogurt, bread, meat & cheese, pastry, muselix, juices, and the sweetest red orange I’ve ever tasted. Thank you God for a beautiful sunny day in Rome. We slept very well except for the sound of the trolley beneath our window.

Found our way to the Vatican on Bus #40. Had no idea where to get off and no one spoke English. We got off at the right place and stood in a 15 minute line to get into St Peter’s Basilica. Went through some bronze gates, up the steps to where two Swiss guards were standing. We told him we wanted tickets for the Wednesday morning Papel audience. The one walked away and returned with two tickets. While he was gone, I quickly tried to take a photo. It was the only time the Swiss guard on duty turned his head and gave me eye contact with his hand raised. Fortunately they did not take my camera and still gave us tickets.

We entered St Peter’s Basalica and spent a relaxed morning strolling through the amazing art and watching a special mass occur with a long parade of cardinals walking in. Another beautiful choir sang accompanied by a pipe organ. Got some great recordings to bring home on my phone.

Finally found our way over to the Vatican Museums where we spent the afternoon enjoying lots of history, art, and the Sistine Chapel. A good time of the year to come – no lines, no waiting, and no crowds.

Found our way by metro to a location where special carnival activities were happening. Here there were large crowds, many costumes, lights, programs, and crowded cobblestone streets. Walked several blocks to the Spanish Steps which we walked up to the top where another church stands. Exhausted and tired, we sat in the church for a while to meditate on all of the day’s activities.

Took the metro back to the Termini station and are now back in our hotel around 9 p.m. with lots of sore muscles.

MONDAY – ARRIVE IN ROME

Hope the rest of the team arrived safely in Pennsylvania! We parted ways last night around 10:30 p.m. at the Dakar airport. Hope all went well for you in catching the plane to DC and Harrisburg!

We landed in Rome around 11:30 a.m. this morning. Finally figured out how to take the 4 Euro bus to downtown Rome. They told us we could buy the ticket on the bus, but after waiting in a long line for the bus to come, the bus driver told us we had to purchase tickets at the station. So we found the ticket station and bought a ticket for an hour later. Was a direct bus to the Termini Station downtown Rome and a lot cheaper than the 14 Euro train ticket. The only problem was I kept falling asleep.

Our hotel is Hotel California, just a couple blocks from the bus station once we figured out which direction to walk using our handy little map. Is a very nice room up three long flights of steps – however our long awaited hot showers are cold – but sure beats a bucket shower. I feel so clean. I also keep thinking about our friends who remain in Guinea Bissau without running water let alone hot water.

The weather here in Rome is quite different – cold and rainy – at least it is not snowing. It is supposed to be sunny and in the upper 50’s and low 60’s the rest of the week during the daytime.

After checking into our hotel, we went on a walk and found a lot of ancient ruins including a huge complex of Roman baths with the Coliseum in the background, three beautiful old churches with a lot of amazing mosaics and art. In the largest church (S Maria Maggiore Basilica), we sat in on the Rosary service and a Mass until we were so cold, we had to move on. No heat in these churches, but our hearts were warmed by an amazing boys choir that sang and led the music for the mass – the acoustics were amazing inside the basilica.

Began to rain again. It is now 6:30 pm and dark. We find an inexpensive Greek restaurant and shared a great Shawarma sandwich and platter of rice and curry. Brought back good memories of Palestine and Israel. We are now back at our hotel looking forward to a good night of sleep after traveling last night. My computer just reminded me of a Witness Commission meeting back home. Sorry I cannot be there with you. Thinking of you and praying for all of you.

Paris

Arrived safely in Paris about an hour late. Missed flight to Rome. Now on a later flight. hopefully arrived in Rome around 1230 or so. beautiful sunrise here in Paris. A cold 32° after being in the 90s.

Sunday morning

Sunday morning begins with the sounds of Beryl’s flip-flops walking outside our window. It happens every morning except this morning it is an hour later than usual. For breakfast, Judy makes French toast. Beryl leaves to meet a YWAM team who will be leading worship this morning. Another beautiful African sun rises as YES team and GO members arrive for breakfast!

Children begin arriving at the gate beside our room around 8 am. Ten to fifteen children have been there ever since making loud noise – doing whatever they can to attract the attention of all the whites inside. Yesterday, two were not feeling well. They feel much better this morning. I continue to feel sick in the mornings, but by lunchtime I’m usually good – think it is the malaria medicine I take every evening. Since several have gotten malaria in the past, I think we will continue to take it for the recommended 30 days after we leave.

It is now 9:30 and we are waiting for Beryl and the YWAM team to arrive. They were expected around 9 – should be here soon. Walked back to check the 300 baby chickens that arrived on Monday. It is amazing how much they have grown in one week.

Wish I could upload photos for you to see. Maybe we will have faster internet in Rome so I can upload a few. We plan to have bean sandwiches for lunch for all 15 of us plus the 15 YWAM members.

We are hoping all the transportation goes okay this afternoon to the airport and then all the flights go well so the men can return home and Judy and I can continue on to Rome. Thanks again for your prayers.

The children in the church are now screaming and the drums are beating loudly. The YWAM team must have arrived. Time to post this and go to church.

Saturday Update

It’s the weekend so things are a bit more relaxed, but not for the men- who are hard at work at 7 a.m. as the sun rises. Today we wash clothes before leaving tomorrow afternoon. We walk out of the village through dense groves of cashew trees and find men using machetes to prune the trees and mow the tall weeds and brush. We observe large groups of children playing at each housing compound which includes extended families. No isolated families living here. They experience the blessings and joy of being community with one another.

In the midst of that community, I am struck by the joy and laughter and good times. I am also struck by the way children fight and hurt one another. This happens in our culture also, except here it seems more violent and frequent with children beating one another with their hand or a stick. It makes teaching children in the nursery school difficult.

I learn that children are often given names that in English mean anger, liar, etc. It is thought this will keep the demons from harming them. Imagine if your name was named anger or liar. How would that affect you and how people viewed you. Lots of opportunity for receiving the new names God wants to give us. I can imagine Jesus giving a lot of new names in this village – peace, love, joy, patient, kind, etc.
I listen to a new believer share how he has not yet paid for his wife. His wife’s family has come at least twice threatening to take her back if she is not paid for. He was asking me for money or to help him find a way to earn money so he can pay for his wife. He began the process of payment 7 years ago, but never finished it. The process of determining the amount owed is very complex. It is the brothers of the wife’s father who decide. The wife’s uncles need to agree on the compensation and then each one be paid the agreed upon amount. It would be easy to give money, but it would bring further complications and disrupt the culture. We explored the possibility of helping them start a hog project – offering it to several of the new believers. Beryl feels this would be a very good income making project. There is evidently a big demand for pigs in the area. Doing mission can be complicated and messy – as we also know back home.

The men are working until 2 pm today to try to get as much done as possible.
Our afternoon is full of meetings and saying goodbys. It is now evening, the sun is setting, and we are getting ready to eat. After the evening meal, Judy and I have planned a time of prayer and blessing for each member of the team here. Tomorrow morning is worship and in the afternoon we head to Zinguinchor to catch our flight to Dakar and then the men back to Lancaster and Judy and I on to Rome.

Thank you for your prayers for safety. We will be thinking and praying for all of you tomorrow morning as you worship. Blessings!

Thursday and Friday

THURSDAY

Men are making good progress with the school building, now using the scaffolding that has been found. Judy is always busy planning, preparing and cooking the next meal and helping to clean up afterward. After breakfast, Judy and I walk through dense cashew groves, past village homes meeting new people, learning about fishing, watching families make salt, asking about various herbs, finding mint tea, buying tasty fresh grapefruit for 5 cents a piece, and watching beautiful birds.

After break, Judy prepares lunch, the men go back to work, and I continue to reflect on the challenges Christian marriages face in this culture and prepare for the evening meeting. Lunch is again at about 2 p.m. (9 a.m. back home).

After lunch I walk over to the clinic to help Derrick teach English to a class of 18 teenagers and young adults sitting on African wood benches. Eager students pack the front benches as Derrick teaches them to pronounce the ABC’s and think of a word that begins with each letter of the alphabet. The students seem very engaged and interested in learning English.

I walk back across the village in the hot sun and notice how the land belongs to every living creature including pigs, chickens, cows, bulls, and goats – all sharing the same space with the people. Small fenced-in areas are to keep animals out of small gardens, not to keep animals in a pasture. All other land is shared freely with all living things.

When I return, Judy is peeling potatoes and slicing carrots for an African version of a Shepherd’s pie. Jon is just returning from working at the construction site. I don’t know how you do it in the hot afternoon sun Jon. I go out to the well and pump water to fill a bucket for a bucket shower. The hot afternoon sun is still high in the sky, even though it is 5:30 pm (lunch time back home).

We eat earlier this evening, at about 7 pm so we are done in time for the meeting. Six men eventually arrive with one spouse. I share some scriptures and then time for questions. What if a married couple cannot have children? In this culture, you are looked upon as cursed if you do not have children. What do you do when your wife is under the rule of her parents? What does it mean to leave your father and mother and still honor your father and mother? How does one leave if you have limited resources to build a house? How do you show affection to one another when this culture makes fun of men who spend time with their wives and show affection to them? May blacks marry whites? What would a Christian marriage ceremony look like in this culture? In the past, most marriages had a traditional ceremony when the wife’s parents were paid in full. Today, there is often no ceremony or wedding. The relationship begins when a women gets pregnant. There is no mark or moment when the couple is officially married and blessed.

Some of these questions are similar in our North American culture, but seem much more pronounced and complex here. We can give guiding principles but our North American solutions are not necessarily their answers. I believe the Holy Spirit will continue to show them the way as they continue to seek God, study scriptures and pray together.

Continue to pray for the new believers here who face many difficult challenges. Pray for Judy and I, Beryl, Andrew and others as we continue to walk with them.

FRIDAY

After breakfast, we walk through the village and meet one of the new believers and listen to his difficult night. His father hard an argument and fight with one of his wives all night until 3 am this morning. The new believer’s wife had just returned home last night after being away for the last month because her mother had come and gotten her. It has been a very difficult time for this new believer and his wife. Pray for wisdom and direction for both of them. They were both at our meeting last night.

Walk over to get bread and then back again to get water at the only good water well in the village, 400 feet deep, dug by a clean water project for each village. While in the dry-compost outhouse, I jump at what sounds like a gunshot – and realize it is just a large seed plummeting down 30 feet from the top of the palm tree onto the tin roof.

Walk through the orchards with Beryl learning about all the different types of trees and plants he has planted. This is the hottest day yet since we have been here. The men have finished the back wall of the school – looks great! Spent time talking more with individual YES team members about various aspects of mission and ministry.

Worked with one of the African worship leaders who leads in a high falsetto voice which is difficult for others to follow. Should he learn to sing in normal voice or continue in high falsetto. Derrick and Peter from the YES team came and continued to work with him. There are so many cultural differences. An amazing place to study anthropology and culture!

Sun is setting and Carnival is beginning. Got some great video of celebration. Was without internet all day, so I’m quickly posting this so others can use it.

Wednesday

Continued the daily routine of breakfast by candlelight, men off to work, prayer, scripture and journaling, walking around the village talking with people, buying food for break and lunch, doing odd tasks, hanging out with YES team, and eating lunch. In the heat of the afternoon, the guys repaired bicycle tires, finally got the scaffolding, and rested.

Judy and I met with Beryl and Andrew to learn more about the history of the mission here, the future vision, and talk about various mission items. I continue to work at learning the language with a workbook and speaking with people. If we were here a month, I think our Spanish would allow us to pick up the Creole fairly quickly. It’s easy to begin conversations when going on a walk. People are very friendly.

As you walk by their house, many are outside working and cooking. I often begin the conversation asking what it is they are cooking, what their name is, how they are, how their family is, etc. It usually evolves into taking a photo or two of them and showing it to them to their delight! When taking a walk, children are eager to shake your hand and hold your hand and walk with you.

Had the evening meal at 7:30 when several of the YES team and medical staff got back from riding bike to a local village about 4 miles away. Feels like we are beginning to establish daily routines. The school is mostly built up to the top of the windows. On Thursday, they will be using the scaffolding to begin building the walls to the top.

Thinking of everyone back home. Hope all is well! Love to all!

Tuesday Update

Breakfast at 6:30, eating by candlelight. Take pictures of a beautiful sunrise. Walk over to the school and take pictures of men building the school. Walk to the big cashew tree which is the local market where women are selling fish. How lucky we are this morning to find a huge fish. We walk down the street where someone weighs it at 5 KG – 11 pound. Walk back to the cashew tree and ask the ladies to scale it for 20 cents. Judy is now making it for lunch.

Time for the men’s break and discover we need more bread. Quickly walk out to the bread maker. They were just getting ready to put the bread in a large clay oven. They invite me into the little shed surrounded by posts, burlap bag, palm trees and other scrap materials. I watch as they put the long loaves in the oven with an 8 foot long handle. Fifteen minutes later freshly baked loaves are pulled out. I run them back to the men where they are waiting with butter and jelly – just waiting to melt on the hot loaves. Can’t get it any fresher than that! Discover sugar is needed for the tea, so I run out to the store again for sugar.

Judy and I walk over to the clinic where Shawn was attending to one patient after another with Derrick translating. Good job guys! Played with a little girl waiting on a bench inside the clinic – she wanted to share her sticky lollipop with me but I chickened out. As we walked back, some boys called out my name who were playing at the pump and storage tank for the orchard. Went over to talk with them a while.
We get back to the smell of fish. Judy and Lia cook the fish – which was enough for lunch and evening meal. For lunch, we had fried fish, rice, and fish with a wonderful citrus flavored sauce. What a treat. The rest of the fish was used for crepes with a cheese sauce for the evening meal. It reminded us of Valentines Day, eating by candlelight and finishing it off with chocolate covered and peanut butter filled crepes. Everyone missed friends and spouses back home.

Before the evening meal, I had opportunity to have another extended conversation with Julio – a Christian brother on fire for God and gifted as an evangelist, but struggling with deep hurt, misunderstandings, and pain. Plan to meet with him some more. It is now 7:30 and getting dark as I quickly walk back through the village to where everyone is ready to eat.

As we are finishing the meal at 8:30, six men come for a meeting to talk to Judy and I about struggles they have in this culture with marriage. Many of the problems are similar to American struggles, but are manifested in different ways. For example, husbands and wives have little time together – wives go their direction with their work and men go their direction with their work and they seldom have time to talk together.

Another struggle is relationships with extended families – this is complicated with parents having much more authority over their children after marriage. Another struggle is finances – especially the struggle to build a house and move out from under parent’s control. In their marriages, husbands keep the money they earn and women keep the money from their jobs. It would be easy to give them money to build houses, but this presents numerous problems, disrupts their culture and makes them dependent upon Americans.

I am impressed with their ability to work through problems, and the hard work and effort both men and women are willing to put forth. We plan to meet again with more discussion and bible study on the topic of marriage – next time with their wives also present.

Finished the meeting around 10:15 pm. Thank you Andrew for an excellent job translating! Thank you Beryl for initiating this very helpful meeting! Found the YES team lying on the picnic benches gazing into a dark sky full of stars. They soon left for their sleeping quarters and Judy and I found ours.

Love to all back home!!!

Monday Evening Update

Don, Jon, Jim and marlin begin their morning with breakfast at 6:30 a.m. while it is still dark. They finish breakfast and head to the construction sight at 7 when it is just beginning to get light.

Judy, Leah, and I traveled to a village market to buy tomatoes, oranges, garlic, potatoes, and other items. Met Julio while boarding the bus and talked with him during the 20 minute bus ride while standing on the overcrowded bus. Great to hear and see his evangelistic heart in action as he shared Jesus with everyone.

Arrived at village as the market was just opening, so we talked with Leah, a worker from Brazil, who has worked at many places around the world, and learned a lot about the local culture. She fits in much better than we white Americans and the local people talk with her openly. Learned about how dirty and messy we Americans are – our feet are dirty, we don’t sweep the leaves off the ground, etc. Talked a lot about how we do mission. When we finished our shopping, we waited on a small mini-bus for about half an hour until it filled for our trip back to Catel. Leah is a very valuable asset to the program here.

After returning to Catel, we did our wash in three buckets and then hung it up to dry. While Judy prepared lunch and the men continued hard at work, I sat down with Mario on the concrete veranda to shell peanuts along with about 30 women from the community. Was a great time to talk informally with Mario and learn more about the challenges he is facing. After lunch , I hung out with local youth and enjoyed practicing Spanish and seeing how similar it is to Creole.

Then Judy and I went to see if Julio was home. Since he was out in other villages evangelizing, we visited with Kinta and other villagers for about an hour. Kinta and her son Menno Simon, who just turned four years old yesterday, took us to see the lot they are clearing for their new house. Then went to a neighbor’s new house which is being built and Kinta told us all about each room of the house and what it is used for and family life in this culture. Very interesting – learned a lot.
Then walked to the temporary house where Julio and Kinta will live until their new house is built. The inside walls of the house were being painted by Sharon = a member of the YES team and another worker. We finally said goodbye to Kinta and Menno and returned to make the evening meal. Needed a vegetable, so I walked across the village to where there was supposed to be lettuce. Using Spanish, I learned all the lettuce was too small. But when Kinta learned that I was trying to buy lettuce, she led me on a long walk to the gardens where they found four heads of lettuce they could sell me.

It is now 7:30 p.m. and the sun is setting and it is getting dark. Them men and some of the YES team and other workers are sitting around the table. Time to light the candles and eat our evening meal together with the masonry workers, the YES team, Leah, Shawn, Andrew, and Beryl – about 15 of us.

Last night, we all sang hymns together from 8 to 9 out of the Mennonite hymnal, sitting around the table by candlelight and flashlight.

Another day in Guinea Bissau is coming to a close – so much to learn with many opportunities and challenges. God is at work! Thank you for your continued prayers!

Sunday evening in Catel

It is a hot sunday evening in Guinea Bissau. Just got back from a long walk with Abraham who took us around the village and to meet his father, the village chief. Jim, Jon, Don and I were on the walk. The Sunday activities began Saturday night at 9 p.m. with a children's church worship service led by the children - about 30-40 children. The sounds of worship and drums lasted until about 9:50 p.m.

Morning worship began again with the children led by Mario at 9:30 followed by some children lessons until 10:15 a.m. Have some good video and photos of everything.

Adult worship began at 10:15 and singing continued until about 11:15 a.m. I then preached for about 25 minutes followed by about 10 minutes or so of questions and answers. I continue to feel the effects of a bad cold, but am taking cold medicine and drinking tea.

The YES team made us a great African meal of rice, beans and leaves for lunch - sat on the veranda of their house on mats eating the meal out of three large meals. Thank you YES team!

We are now sitting on the back porch of the church where the kitchen, our room and Beryl's room is. We are enjoying talking with people fromt he village and some of the YES'ers. It is now about 5:30 p.m. and will get dark around 7:30.

It is so great to meet all the people from the village, the church, the YES team, and other mission workers. Thank you for your prayers!

Photos

Doing well in Guinea Bissau

We have arrived in Guinea Bissau. Not sure if this will post due to slow internet, but I will try. Everyone is doing well. Wish I could post photos. I might try again to see if it will work. Don, Jon, Marlin and Jim are making good progress on the school building. I will be preaching tomorrow. Judy is cooking great meals so far. Meeting a lot of people. Lots of interesting events and opportunities for God to be at work. All day long there are people with various needs and opportunities for ministry. It is in the 90's, sunny and hot, no more dust cloud, low humidity and nice breeze in the shade, but very hot in the sun. It is great to be with the YES team and Beryl and others. they give greetings to everyone who has been here. They would love to see you. Thank you for your prayers! God bless! Ron

Arrived in Ziguinchor

We had a great time in The Gambia and feel like we have a much deeper understanding of the mission and vision there. Yesterday afternoon we visited all the villages where churches have been planted and met families in the villages. Thank you Jeremiah, San Pierre, Nyamo and others who spent so much time with us and telling us about the work and opportunities there. And thank you to Cecilia for the wonderful tasty meals! Everyone says hello to Jim Bailey!

We are now in internet cafe in Ziguinchor with Beryl. Made it here safely through all the checkpoints and past all the potholes. Eventually found Beryl in the large taxi parking lot. Now looking forward to traveling to Guinea Bissua and learning more about the ministires there. Thank you for all your prayers.

God at Work in The Gambia

TRIP TO THE GAMBIA: In Ziguinchor, Beryl took us to the taxi station. We expected taxis, instead it was a hub of 100 run down station wagons. I kept looking for the taxis. Beryl went to a man at the center sitting at a card table and bought us tickets. Slowly it began to dawn on me that our taxi was one of these beat-up station wagons. I get sidetracked for a second and see Beryl motioning for us to come. Behind him comes a vehicle being pushed by four men. I’m thinking – don’t let that one be our taxi – it doesn’t even start – how will it take us on the two hour drive to the Gambian border? It’s ours. We pile in – three in the very back, three in the second seat and two in the front. We hold our backpacks – sure glad we did not bring our carry-on suitcases. Four more men push us backward around the corner and then straight ahead until it starts. We are off on our journey to Gambia. We get through all the checkpoints and Jeremiah is waiting at the border. I can’t find my camera anywhere – must have lost it or it got stolen along the way. But when we arrive at MEHDA, I find it and am so thankful!

IN GAMBIA: Cecilia feeds us a wonderful lunch of rice and fish and more. We take a long walk through the community meeting various people, and then through the rice paddies and finally to the community gardens and then back to MEHDA where we look at the banana trees, orange trees, casaba and other plants they are growing. We learn about the fence that has deteriorated to a point where goats get through it and are destroying the casaba and orange trees. We look at the solar water pump which is foundational to MEHDA. We hear of Jeremiah’s vision for the banana trees, orange trees, and casaba to support the workers and hopefully even the school. In order for this to happen the fence must be repaired. We hear more about the five year vision of MEHDA and the importance of it in the community. After eating another wonderful meal and more talk, it is bed time. At the guesthouse, using my cell phone as a flashlight, we are greeted by a large gecko near the top of our door. I try to chase it off the door so it does not enter our room. It runs down the door and enters the room in a crack at the bottom. I use Judy’s journal to try to chase it back out the hole. Instead it runs into our room where I frantically chase it until I finally get it outside again. On the wall is a huge brown spider the size of a quarter. Umm… another nighttime partner, unless…. We fall asleep amidst the wonderful nighttime sounds of west Africa. We are so exhausted, we sleep past our breakfast time of 8 a.m. and to our embarrassment don’t wake up until 8:30. Cecilia has breakfast waiting for us.

We walk through the village to the community center that is partially constructed. About three years ago, the village community organization was complaining that they had built the original MEHDA buildings for free and were never paid back. They were asked how they could be paid back – they said a community center. So an agreement was made to provide the materials for a community center. Three years later, the walls are built, but no floor, no roof and no money. We meet the president of the local community organization and have conversation with him. We meet an elder in the village who speaks English.

We walk to the school where there are 96 eager children taught by three teachers. We learn about the mission and vision of the school and the importance of it in the community. The free lunch program is a huge motivation for children to come. The lunch program will be discontinued in September due to lack of funding. How will this affect student attendance and the future of the school?

We return to MEHDA and the community development director shows us the beautiful tie-die projects and ear-rings made out of pieces of coconut shells and tiny tie-died fish bones that have been made by My Sister’s Company. We buy several bags and ear-rings. The women are currently not working until more are sold. If anyone wants a beautiful tie-died bag for $6 or ear-rings for $5, let me know by tonight. I may have time to check my email at zookron@gmail.com before we leave tomorrow morning and could bring some back home. Wish I’d have time to upload photos of everything and our experiences. After lunch, we will be going to surrounding villages to visit the churches and meeting the church leaders. We have been very encouraged and blessed by everything we are seeing. Many needs and opportunities and much fruit and harvest from all the work Beryl began here years ago, Gary and Denise have continued, and many of the local people like Jeremiah are continuing. God has blessed and continues to bless!

We make it here

WE ARRIVE

TUESDAY MORNING: Flight arrived a bit early in Dakar from Dulles. Seemed likely we would make the 7 a.m. flight. Went through customs control and made our way to the Senegal ticket booth. Flight is closed, they told us - taking off in 30 minutes -too late to board. After insisting that we need to make the flight, they agreed to pursue it. Then the issue of luggage came up. You are 120 KG overweight. We will need to charge you. We explained we carefully weighed everything to make sure we were not over the weight limit. They said the weight limit was 20 KG per person. We told them their website says it is 35 kg. They insisted each of us was over by 15 kg for a total of 60 kg. And since Judy and I brought four extra bags for Beryl plus our carry-on bags, we were over another 60 kg. They charged us for 100 kg – a total of $220. We had little choice but to pay. They were holding the plane for us. The others boarded. Judy and I paid for the luggage and were finally escorted directly to the plane.

DISAPPOINTED: Off we go towards Zinguinchor. Forty minutes later we descended into Ziguinchor airport. Landing gear down, brakes on, ready to land, but suddenly the plane thrust forward and upward and then turned. Our first attempt at landing has failed, the pilot announced. The weather had deteriorated and it was impossible to land. The dust and fog are too dense to land. Back to Dakar we go. Could be thirty minutes or an hour until we try it again, we were told. Two hours later, they said we may depart in the evening or next day. Very strange weather – heavy dusty fog with bright sun shining through, but very low visibility all day. Beyrl says it is dust from the desert. We waited on hard seats in the dusty airport. Finally call Beryl and Patrice to come and get us. As we were ready to leave, the airlines tell us it is scheduled to depart at 6 p.m. Are you sure? Yes! Will it definitely depart? Absoultely! Are you sure? Yes. So we decide to stay at the airport and go to a Senegalese restaurant in the airport for some good food about 2:30 p.m (9:30 a.m. back home). 4:30 p.m. Here we sit again. Hope we take off soon and land in Ziguinchor! We put our trust in you God.

CANCELLED: We ask again to borrow someone’s cell phone. Call Beryl, call Patrice. Patrice comes and guides us in taxis to a guesthouse. Went to ATM machine. Bought a large 3 gallon jug of water. Finally got to bed at 9:30. Awake at 4:20 to leave by 4:40 for airport in two taxis. Arrive at airport. Wait in line. Ask what to do. They tell us to go to gate. What about boarding passes. Use what you used yesterday. What about our luggage? It will be taken care of. Go through security for about the tenth time in two days. They confiscate our water for the first time. Drink the whole bottle. At the gate we ask if we are on flight. They say yes. What about luggage. It will be on the flight. Don and Jon go over to luggage storage area to make sure it gets on. They come back with an affirmative. We finally sit down. An agent calls us to the gate. I show her our tickets and our baggage claim tickets. She shakes her head and says come with me. We go back out through security again to the ticket counter. After another half hour of not being able to find us or our bags on the boarding list, a supervisor comes and helps clear everything up and helps us and our bags get on the plane – we hope.

Feels like everyone knows us at the airport. The Sengal ticket agents. The security persons. The persons who work at the café who sold me a SIM card that didn’t work in my cell phone. The kind lady in another shop who loaned me her cell phone and wouldn’t take anything for it. Another shop owner who sold me a $6.00 calling card that I thought would be mine to call Beryl, but instead used it to add minutes to his cell phone.
We go through security again – hopefully for the last time. Jim and Marlin get stopped – batteries from the flashlight get confiscated. Every other time – no problem. Why now? The plane is still sitting out there with no activity. The flight to Ziguinchor is no longer on the screen. The dust/fog doesn’t look good. Suddenly an announcement – Ziguinchor boarding now. Hope is revived. As we drive to the airplane on the bus, we see the wheel barrel on a wagon waiting to be loaded. Yes – at least one item will make it. A good sign.

ARRIVE IN ZIGUINCHOR: We take off – are on our way again. Smooth flight. Descent begins. Fog and dust. Finally we see ground. Good sign. A few moments later we are on the ground, claiming all 14 pieces of luggage. It is so good to see Beryl and be out of the Dakar airport. We walk about 15 minutes from the airport to a guesthouse. Beryl buys us bread and fruit for breakfast. Judy and I go with Beryl to get everyone visas to Guinea Bissau. I’m sitting in office waiting for visas while Judy and Beryl are grocery shopping. Next adventure is our journey to Gambia.

SIDETRIP TO THE GAMBIA: We arrived. Will hopefully give the story of this adventure tonight or sometime, but the improtant thing is we arrived and we are safe. Lots of photos but no time now.

Love to all!
Ron

On Our Way to Africa

We are on our way, sitting in the Dulles airport waiting for the flight to West Africa. To our surprise, SAA has agreed to checkin all of our bags directly to Ziguinchor, which means that we might all be able to make our 7 a.m. flight to Ziguinchor. Just skyped with Beryl and he is amazed. Seems like God is already at work! Thank you God. Thank you for your prayers.