Africa: Kenya & Ethiopia 2016

(Preamble moved to comments section.)
Feel free to comment with any questions. I will do my best to answer them either in the comments section or possibly within the blog itself. Thank you!
Just so you have a general idea of the trip plans, I'll give a flyover view here. Week One will be spent in Ethiopia visiting schools operated by Adams Thermal Foundation (of Adams Thermal Systems in Canton, SD.) During this time, the entire crew will be present, including the Huisken group, Adams Thermal group, and Central Baptist Group. After that week, the Central crew will be returning home, while the rest spend a day or two visiting Heritage of Faith, an orphanage in Kenya. After those few days, everybody but my uncle and I will be returning home. Kurt (my uncle) and I will spend the rest of the week in Kenya. After that, I will leave him and travel to Ethiopia back to the schools where I will be working there alone for a few weeks.

By way of introduction, let's get to know the group. From left to right: Stan Graber (Central), Tom Gabe (Central), Allen Green (LifeLight), Bryan Mulder (Central), Jeff Wheeler (Central), Kurt Huisken (Huisken), Mike Adams (Adams), Justice Adams (Adams), Kent Huisken (Huisken), Tad Anderson (Adams), and me, Cody Huisken (Huisken). There are two more not in the picture: Alex (our guide, also with Adams), and Mike (from greater Minneapolis, has adopted Ethiopian children.)

Travel days: As we walked through the automatic doors into the Sioux Falls airport, our luggage wasn't the only baggage being carried by us. I looked around to see many emotions weighing on the group. Many happy ones, yet many bittersweet ones as well. The emotional high one gets from embarking on a journey of this sort is exhilarating! Answering the King's call to do His work in His Kingdom for His glory, how can that be anything but thrillingly exhilarating? Despite my upbeat spirit and my checked baggage weighing less than the allotted fifty pounds, another weight was sinking in. I do believe that everybody carried this same emotional burden, though it clearly weighed on some more than others. The weight of leaving loved ones behind. Spouses. Children. Parents. All staying behind while we travel halfway around the world to visit people we have never met, all because the King called. That weight did not come because of worry or fear. There was a universal sense within the group that each individual had complete faith in God for their safety as well as for the safety of loved ones back home. The weight came from simply knowing that there would be days, weeks, and even a month having to spend each night in a cold, unfamiliar bed without your lifelong partner by your side or being able to kiss your kids goodnight. Me, I don't have any kids. Well, sorta. No kids that are here yet, but I do have one on the way. Maybe that's why this goodbye was harder than previous goodbyes. Leaving Jenny behind in her state of perpetual morning sickness as our 14 week old child (as in 14 weeks inside mom's tummy) is practically doubling in size each week, was tough. Knowing I'm missing this stage in my family's wife was no light burden. However, the weight of what I am missing is more than offset by the freedom found in responding to God's call. I am reminded of my favorite sermon of all time. Nope, it wasn't one of pastor Wheeler's, but actually comes from my favorite pastor. One of my favorite quotes from the sermon is "Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and all these things will be added to you." Yeah, the sermon on the mount. I rest assured that by answering God's call, He will provide for my needs overseas as well as the needs of those back home.

Travel was uneventful. I'll spare you the meaningless stories and inside jokes, most of which were aimed around Tom's sushi adventure in Chicago or Brian's mad Yatzee skills. The real stories will be revealed in full when we arrive in Heaven as many seeds were planted to searching souls sitting in neighboring seats on the airplanes (everybody had sat next to a stranger on a plane at one point or another). I must admit, the way Allen and Jeff can engage in conversations and work the Gospel into a conversation in such a seamless manner was remarkable to me. As an introvert, striking up conversations with unfamiliar people is well outside my comfort zone. But after witnessing such seamless witnessing, I have faith that God will give me the words to say when the opportunity presents itself. Despite me sitting next to strangers (whom I could not carry on a long conversation because I was having trouble deciphering their heavily accented broken english), I had plenty of 1-1 time with pastor Jeff. I let him do most of the talking considering I was simply listening to some downloaded sermons from previous Sundays where I wasn't in attendance at Central.

Side note: as I write this (Saturday 7:30 pm Central Time), were flying over Egypt. Too bad it's 4:00 am local time & pitch black outside, otherwise we might get to see something interesting such as the Nile River or perhaps a pyramid or two. Oh well. Maybe on the flight back home. For now, I'll go back to unsuccessfully trying to sleep. Time for another sermon. Funny how listening to pastor's sermons while in church puts me to sleep but it doesn't have the same effect on a 13 hour flight! I'm just kidding! (About being sleepy in church, not about my inability to sleep on planes.)

A few hours later, as we are in the final hour of the flight, the sky starts to light up. I am absolutely convinced that there is no sunrise as beautiful as an African sunrise! Even with my (partially) colorblind handicap, my eyes can still take in these radiant colors that transition from deep, dark blue to vibrant orange and the rainbow of colors in between. Unfortunately, you don't get a picture this time due to two factors: 1) me having an aisle seat, & 2) dirty windows on the airplane. I promise to capture the colors during a later sunrise. Praise God for His mercy & grace! As the beauty of a new day awakens, God reminds me that His mercies are new every morning! Hallelujah!

...

Well, we made it to Addis Ababa! First up on our agenda: recuperate! We had intentions of attending an international church service at 10:30 local time, but we didn't get checked into our hotel soon enough and missed that opportunity. Shucks! Instead, we had a nice brunch together and then went to our respective rooms for some much needed R&R at the hotel. For those who read my previous Africa blog, rest assured, this hotel does not have electrical cords hanging from the shower head. We are not roughing it here, as we are in a very modern, very safe hotel. As promised earlier, the time difference between Ethiopia and South Dakota is nine hours. Ethiopia is nine hours ahead of South Dakota. So, as you attend church on Sunday morning, we will be finishing up our evening meal and preparing for bed. Fun fact, Ethiopia has it's own calendar system. I really don't know how it works, but what I can definitively tell you is that it is January 10 of 2008 here, while the rest of the world is on January 17, 2016. True story. Today's date in Ethiopia is January 10, 2008. Pretty crazy huh? Anyways, everybody is taking a nap right now. I haven't exactly decided what's the best sleep strategy at this point, so I'm not sure what my afternoon will look like here in Addis Ababa. Sleep, mingle with the locals in the lobby, read my Bible outside in this beautiful 72 degree day. I think I should take advantage of the weather and the view. While we are in a metro area, the highlands and mountains that are just beyond the city limits are clearly visible, making for a peaceful setting in a bustling city. There's really not much more planned for today, but tomorrow these boots will have their marching orders as we start to visit the schools.

After a few hours of much needed beauty sleep, the group reconvened for supper at the hotel restaurant. They had a variety of choices including both American cuisine and Ethiopian cuisine. Many people went with the familiar: chicken or burgers. Me? I'm such a foodie that I could not pass up an opportunity to try something unique to the area. I ordered Ethiopian Tibs with Injera. Truly, I had little idea what was coming. There were not pictures on the menu. My food came and to my delight it looked similar to a stir fry. I believe it was lamb with peppers. Injera is a spongy, sourdough bread frequently used in Ethiopia. It is used similar to how the Middle East uses peta bread with hummus. I used the injera to grab my tibs. No forks or spoons required! The tibs had a variety of spices that I could not place. Unlike Kenya, there was no curry in this meal. The spices came from a variety of chiles and peppers used in the dish as well as the Ethiopian spices Berbere, Awaze, and/or Kibbeh. It was wonderful! Dad (Kent) had some type of sampler and gave me a bite of his perch, which was caught in the Nile River. I thought that was pretty cool! After dinner, we had a short meeting about tomorrow's itinerary and it was off to bed for everyone. Tomorrow we plan on heading to the school in Ottoro, and spending the night in Hosanna, where the other school is. Ottoro is located on a rough road heading Southwest out of Hosanna.

Day 1: Monday, January 18.

Today was a big day. This morning was an early morning as we met at 5:30 in the lobby. Before bed at 11:30, 6 hours before I had to be up and at it, I specifically prayed that the Lord would multiply my hours of sleep and grant me a restorative, vitalizing sleep. I woke up at 2:30, surprised that I wasn't knocked out from exhaustion until my alarm gave me a firm dose of reality. Instead, I was wide awake and feeling ready for what the Lord had in store for me today! Before I crawled out of bed, I flipped on the Broncos game and watched the end of that football game for about an hour, at which point I got up and did devotions until it was time to get ready for the day and depart. As I was brushing my teeth, I noticed a strange noise coming from outside. I approached my open window to investigate, then realizing that it was an Islamic call to prayer. While there were many churches within the city, mainly Ethiopian orthodox, there were also a fair share of Islamic mosques around town. (Update: turns out it was the Ethiopian orthodox call to prayer, although there are Islamic prayer calls in the area as well.)

Upon meeting the rest of the crew down in the lobby in the morning, I came to find out that I was not the only person effected by jet lag, but that God's grace was abounding, evident by the lack of sleep the night before, but how everybody still felt refreshed and ready to go. By 6:00, while there were still no traces of light in the sky, we split into groups of three and the trios loaded up into five Land Rovers, which navigated their way through a still sleeping city in the dark. It took roughly an hour to get out of the metropolis part of Addis Ababa due not to traffic, but to the wide spread nature of the city. The closer we got to the outskirts, the more light the sunrise provided us. Unfortunately, there is still no beautiful sunrise picture as there was significant cloud cover and/or smog from the city, . It's hard to describe the infrastructure of Addis. Like Kenya, there are no stoplights, but the intersections manage traffic through roundabouts, which I still think are awesomely chaotic at times. There are two types of buildings around the city: those that are built with money and paid labor, and those that are put up by gathering whatever material one could find. The way that buildings are constructed here by those that have money to pay for construction is the owner pays the construction company however much money he/she has and the construction goes only as far as that money reaches. No matter what stage the building process is in, the construction stops when the money runs out. The owner only continues the project when he can again fund the project. As projects are not funded to completion, approximately half of the buildings in Addis Ababa are simply concrete skeletons. There are entire city blocks that look like what I imagine a nuclear fallout zone would look like: concrete apartments a dozen stories high, without doors or windows, without inhabitants, only a shell of what could have been. (picture forthcoming) The projects that made it to completion, often feel like they are twenty or thirty years old, when in reality they are only two or three. This is simply because the building processed used is similar to how the United States was building houses seventy years ago. There's no sheetrock used here, it's simply plaster over cinder blocks. Not fancy, but sufficient. The makeshift buildings were made out of a variety of materials. Sometimes it was a few sticks with a tarp on top. Other times, there were cinder block walls with a simple tin roof. People operated their shops out of these units. If you want a new soccer ball, you can visit the local Scheels. (Sarcasm, picture forthcoming) If you want a nice T-bone steak for dinner, you can visit the local HyVee. (Sarcasm, picture forthcoming) Or maybe you're vegetarian and prefer a papaya for dinner? (picture forthcoming). People's housing was similar to the two varieties of buildings around the town. The majority of people seemed to either live in apartments, where the apartment buildings were thirty buildings wide and so deep that I could not see where the line of apartment buildings ended.

 The apartment buildings are owned by the government, who has a housing lottery, as housing is an issue. If one wins the lottery, they do not win an apartment, but they win the right to buy an apartment unit, and take out a thirty year mortgage from the government to pay for it. Those who couldn't afford an apartment or wasn't lucky enough to win the apartment lottery made due with nothing more than a tin box for a shelter. The shelters were maybe 8X8 and were nothing more than a few pieces of scrap steel put together to provide shelter. These units were built one right after another with little, if any space between the units. Again, this housing unit extended over the hill, and I have no idea where it ended. While these slums did not look as bad as the Kibera slums we saw in Nairobi a few years ago, it was still heartbreaking to see that people didn't have a safe place to raise their family..

As we got to the outskirts of the city, the amount of domestic animals increased. Donkeys, chickens, and stray dogs increased as the population became more spread out. (picture forthcoming) We saw a variety of things on our drive out, from a few dead hyennas being eaten by vultures on the side of the road, to people digging through garbage trying to find something useful, to dump trucks overloaded with plastic jugs to be brought to the recycle center for income. The city landscape was soon replaced by the absolutely gorgeous rural atmosphere. Grass huts, african trees, towering mountains, deep valleys, and small family farms for as far as the eye can see. The world seemed peacefully simple out here. The mountains towered above, but these mountains were not like the snow-capped ones of the Rockies. These mountains were green and had trees even at the top. I do not believe this is because of their lack of altitude, but because of our lack of longitude, being close to the equator. These were not hills, like Western South Dakota, but true mountains, like Montana. Cuts and ridges textured the mountainside in a way similar to that of the badlands. Absolutely gorgeous! Unfortunately, pictures do not capture depth or height very well, but I'm sure a good shot will be captured eventually. The soil here in Ethiopia is very fertile compared to the soil of Kenya. Crops can be found much everywhere, although the mountains do limit the production. The main crop is Teff, which is a grassy hay like crop with a variety of uses, from adding to mud to make clay, to providing a roof for the house, to making injera, Ethiopia's staple "bread." This time of year, the harvest is completed and there were injera piles everywhere, drying out to be used when ready. The further south we drove, the more "false banana trees" we kept seeing in farms. These trees look like banana trees, but they produce no fruit. However, they have an expansive root system that can be pulled up and boiled for a food source, called kocho. These false banana trees are popular because they are drought resistant. However, it takes over seven years for the crop to come to completion, and even then, the tree only provides three weeks worth of food. Seven years to produce three weeks worth! Not the greatest return on investment, but it gets the job done. Part of the equation in the hunger issue in Ethiopia is simply that family land gets divided amongst the children. As there is no birth control or anything here, most families have many children. So, each child gets a fraction of the land. Now, when the child grows up and have kids of their own, the next generation gets a fraction of the fraction of the land. After many generations, the problem has become that many families do not have enough land to work to be able to provide for their family. So why don't they just move, you ask? Well, many of them do. Once there is too little land to support them, they often sell or gift it to a sibling and move away in search of a better life. Many go to the city in anticipation of jobs. However, most rural citizens are uneducated, illiterate, and not trained in any specialized skill set, rendering them essentially unemployable by businesses within the city. So, now the city has a poverty issue because of the influx of unskilled and illiterate laborers with no home or reliable income. That's why education and schooling is of utmost importance. It equips them to be successful wherever they end up, be it rural or an urban setting. And even more importantly, while they have the education and skill sets to be community leaders, they are spiritually equipped to use their talents to further the Kingdom of God and fulfill the great commission!

After a few hours in the Land Rovers, we stopped at a place for brunch. Most of the crew had an egg sandwich, but me, I had another Ethiopian dish. It was essentially a beef stew with a hardboiled egg in it that was to be poured over injera and eaten with my fingers. So that's what I did, and it was delicious! Half hour later, we were back on the road again. A half hour after our resumption, we had to stop because a jeep blew a tire. While they fixed it, we had our first opportunity to meet with the locals of a rural community. A few children ran to meet us, and we interacted with them for five minutes, although the language barrier prevented meaningful conversation. Instead, it was mostly taking pictures and showing them, much to their delight, or giving them a breath mint and watching their mixed reactions to the taste.

A few minutes later, the tire was replaced and we were on the road again. Shortly after 11:00, we arrived at our hotel in Hosanna, where we would be spending the night. We did not stay there long; but instead we simply checked in, used the restroom and was back on the road headed to Ottoro, a small mountain village. This was an unpaved road, and an hour and a half trek, but the road conditions were not bad at all. There were no four foot ruts or complete sections that had been washed away during rainy season. By-in-large, the road conditions were much like that of a country road in South Dakota, much to our drivers' delight, who were expecting significantly worse conditions. Around 1:00, we reached Ottoro school. Words cannot express what happened next. The joy of nearly 500 children simultaneously praising God and thanking us as sponsors left us all speechless with tears welling up in our eyes. 500 of the poorest children on Earth, having an opportunity to get an education, learn about Christ, and better their physical condition because people back home listened and responded to the Holy Spirit. What a mighty God we serve! Praise be to Him! Right now, I don't have the words to describe the way I felt upon arrival. Awe, humility, compassion, love, and gratefulness overwhelmed my senses to the point of near breakdown. The worship and thankful singing would have lasted all day, had the school's principle not requested it to end after twenty minutes. (video forthcoming) At that time, the students quietly retreated back to their respective class rooms, based on grade level. The campus of the Adams Thermal Academy of Ottoro was anything but a sight for sore eyes. After an hour of driving where buildings were made of mud and roofs of grass, a well-constructed cinderblock building was definitely a luxurious sight. And the campus didn't just have one of them, but four large buildings with five classrooms in each! Good is good. There is a field for playing soccer or volleyball, a garden to help with produce, and a medical building, as the school provides medical services to the students and their families, whether the injury was obtained at the school or at home. The property was very well maintained. It was clean, in good condition, and it was very clear that the students appreciate and work towards making their school last as long as possible. Right now, Adams Thermal Academy of Ottoro has grades KG-8, with roughly 40 students per grade. Both of the Adams' schools (Ottoro & Hossana) are the top schools in the area, with a 95% success rate and ranking #1 in the region. There is high demand to get in to these schools, but the school cannot enroll the entire student population in the area. The school grants acceptance into the program based on need. There are many children who would not be able to attend school due to their extreme poverty. They would have to stay home to work the crops or gather water. These are the children that the school enrolls. There are many more students in the community that wish to attend, but cannot due to maximum capacity of the school, but there are aspirations to continue expanding the campus and more inclusively serve the community. But, as it stands right now, the school has other needs it must address first. First and foremost, is the need for water. Plans have been submitted for a gravity controlled pipeline which would supply water from a mountain spring just over five miles away. The pipeline would not only supply the school, but would give the community an opportunity to partner with the school by helping to maintain the pipeline and take responsibility for it in exchange for clean water for the area. The plans have been submitted, but the funds have not yet been raised. The second area of need is a lunch program. Students do not get enough nutrition in their diet, as they don't have much food at home. Student lunches would be covered by child sponsorship donations, but as of right now, only 25% of the students are sponsored, so there is a need to fund the school's lunch program for one year, at which time the goal is to be 100% sponsored. I will go into greater detail of the needs, water project, and lunch program at a later date for those of you who are interested in learning more.

After the students went to their classrooms, our small groups went and visited each classroom, having a discussion with the students through a translator. My group had Alex, Tom, Allen, & I. Allen would ask the students about Jesus in each classroom, and all the students responded to having a relationship with Christ. Students would proceed to recite memorized Bible verses in their native tongue and would pray for us and bless us. There were so many beautiful "God moments" and it was so encouraging to see so many students with such spiritual maturity in spite of their youth. It was overwhelming to see their richness in Christ's love in spite of their earthly poverty. The students informed us that they pray for us daily. They pray for us. How cool! We told them that we pray for them also. After classroom meetings, we met outside and had a quick discussion with the school leaders. Then we all laid hands on the faculty and prayed over them for probably twenty minutes. The Holy Spirit was definitely at work in that moment!

Before we left, we gave the school a suitcase full of biology textbooks that we brought over from the states. The schools have government regulated textbooks that they must use when teaching, but can supplement those textbooks with any material they wish, which is where these biology books will come in. A few of us also got to tour the medical building and speak to the nurses, who informed us that female genital mutilation (hereafter FGM) was a large problem in the Ottoro area. For those of you who may not know what FGM is, it's a form of spousal abuse where the husband will take broken glass, sharp metal, or a knife and literally cut his wife's lady parts so that sexual intercourse is extremely painful. The husband does this as a power play, to ensure that his wife does not sleep with other men. While I am not sure how it is here, in Kenya, while the men abused their wife's via FGM to ensure sexual monogamy from her, the men themselves were not faithful at all, often raping vulnerable women. In Kenya, FGM and rape are major issues, especially in the rural community. In Ethiopia, I know the same is true with FGM & would venture to guess that rape follows suit. Fortunately, this trend is changing, starting in the urban areas and spreading outward from there. In the urban areas, women's rights is continually expanding, where females are more frequently viewed as equal partners in a marriage, and given equal authority and weight in the decision making process. In Kenya, men were very lazy and it is the women who do all the work, from farming to gathering water to cooking. However, here in Ethiopia, it is more balanced. Women still do all those things, but so do the men. The men do work and attempt to provide for their family. However, just by observation, it seemed that the demographics outside any urban area was roughly 30% women, 20% men, and 50% children. There was noticeably more women than men, but children were everywhere you looked. (Keep in mind those are not solid stats, but simply my limited observation.)

We then left the school and went into Ottoro, the local village, to visit a student and her family at their house. The house was a mud house with a grass roof and a dirt floor with no real furniture of any sort. Inside, she had a small fire going and was cooking something. Outside there was a garden consisting of a cabbage like crop and the false banana trees mentioned earlier. I will not go into much detail on the property, but will let the pictures (and possibly video) speak for themselves.

It was then off to our hotel again. On the drive back to the hotel after visiting the school in Ottoro, I was praying and felt the Holy Spirit tell me to stop praying for the students. Wait, what? The Holy Spirit told me to stop praying for the students? Well... yeah! Instead, I felt the Holy Spirit call me to pray for the people that the students will minister to. I had a strong sense that the end result of the Christian education being taught at Ottoro was not that the students would find salvation, but that the students would go one step further and fulfill the great commission by going out and being ambassadors for Christ in their world. I felt God saying to pray for the souls of those whom the students would minister to. The school is not the end of the road for everybody pouring into it back stateside, but it is just the beginning. The trickle-down effect could be seventy-fold for the Kingdom! 480 students equipped to be future leaders in their communities with a spiritual foundation to bring many others within their communities to Christ, that's good stuff! God is good! Hallelujah!

An hour and a half drive, and there we were at our hotel in Hossana, exhausted and drained. After a half an hour of rest, it was time for dinner. We all ordered, but had a wonderful time of devotions and reflection during the wait. God was clearly working in everybody's hearts and minds as they reflected what they had seen that day, the people effected by the schools, and some self-reflection as God was speaking to each one individually, molding them. Dinner was delicious. I had kitfo, which is essentially Ethiopian meatloaf with a variety of local spices. The dish is supposed to be served raw, but I asked to have my hamburger cooked, which they were happy to do. After dinner, it was time for bed, which was very much needed!

Seeing poverty on a new level today really opened my eyes just to how bad my life is. Yes, you read that right. Witnessing poverty caused me to do some self-reflection and come to the conclusion that my life really isn't all that great. Am I blessed materially? Absolutely. Financially, I am rich next to such poverty. But what about relationally? What about spiritually? Compared to the Ethiopian people at the schools, I am relationally and spiritually impoverished compared to their wealth in these areas. I have friends on Xbox and on Facebook, but everywhere I look in Ethiopia, friends are walking down the street with their arms around each other's shoulders. Everywhere I look, I see the type of friendship where one would lay down their life for the other without thinking twice. Relationships are meaningful here. Loving your neighbor isn't something that needs to be worked at, rather it comes naturally to this culture. What a blessing that must be! At home, happiness is so fleeting. Watching someone else miss a 27 yard field goal on the TV can ruin our entire month. Here, there is a joy that neither trivial nor non-trivial circumstances can extinguish. It isn't a moment of happiness, but a lifestyle of gratitude. Gratitude. The poorest of the poor: grateful & joyful. Why? They have nothing. But that's why my life is so rough: because my mindset is polluted. The fact that I question why someone who has nothing can be joyful and have such gratitude just goes to show how little I know about true joy and what it really means to be grateful. I do not mean to infer that I am indulging in self-pity. I am not. I did mean to show that God is doing a work in me through the people of Ethiopia on a scale equal to what God is doing through me for the people of Ethiopia.

"This is my fifth trip to Africa. I think it took me this long to figure out, its not the humanitarian relief we bring nor the schools we build or the water or the food that makes such a difference. It's the HOPE for a better tomorrow that brings joy.They have so little and yet are so on fire for Jesus. I am the one who receives a blessing today." -Kurt Huisken

Day 2: January 19, 2016; Hossana.

Like most of us, I woke up before 4:00 am, still jet lagged, yet feeling refreshed. (I write this on the morning of day 3. It's 3:45 right now and I have been writing for a half hour already. Still jet lagged, but also there were mosquitos buzzing around in my room and I could not sleep knowing that mosquitos are the leading carriers of malaria and other diseases. So, I packed up and went downstairs to the hotel lobby, which is relatively free from mosquitos.) I spent the next three hours blogging, devotions, and getting ready for the day. At 7:30, we all gathered for breakfast, which was buffet style. The buffet was all Ethiopian food, but nothing was too "far out" on the buffet. A porridge or oatmeal dish, two injera dishes: one with meat and one without, rice, veggies, eggs, a potato dish, and bread with jelly were on the buffet. Me, I loaded up on everything and added chili powder on top of it all. Tasted fine, but man was I having some serious stomach issues a few hours later! While in Ethiopia, it wouldn't be right to go without Ethiopian coffee! Everybody was drinking coffees. When we order a double tall coffee, it comes in a four ounce cup. Coffee here is essentially espresso back home. If you order a coffee, you get two ounces of insanely strong brew. I'd imagine they thought we were nuts when we all ordered an average of three "double tall" coffees at breakfast and then proceeded to dump spoonfuls of sugar in our strong coffees that would have made Mountain Dew look like a healthier option for a caffeine fix. We all had a good laugh about it, but that poor waiter thought we were nuts! Discussions were again very meaningful as we discussed what the Lord was doing within us this trip. Group devotions and prayer started our day with focus and purpose before we departed.

After a ten minute drive, we arrived at Adams Thermal Academy of Hossana where we were once again greeted by singing, dancing, and a beautiful welcome ceremony full of joy, gratitude, and God's love. The students then proceeded with morning prayer and the raising of the flag. While spoken in Amharic, it sounded like the morning prayer, prayed in unison by the student body, was the Lord's prayer. They then raised the national and regional flags while singing the Ethiopian national anthem. Now, it was time for school to start and they all departed to their respective classrooms based on their grade level. Hossana has grades pre-KG through 10th grade. 10th grade is the final year of high school in Ethiopia. After 10th grade, students take a government issued test. Depending on their scores, some continue to a college prep school, which is essentially grades 11 & 12, while others go on to a vocational school where they will learn a skill or trade such as construction, plumbing, and other skills. While the students were in their classrooms, we had the opportunity to tour the campus. The campus was similar to Ottoro's with multiple buildings, each with multiple classrooms, a large field for playing sports, a garden, and land for additional buildings. Adams Thermal Academy of Hossana is currently in the process of building a state-of-the-art high school on their campus. The high school would be complete with a modern computer lab, and a science lab that is the best in the nation. This building is really going to equip the students go excel in college and go on to be specialized experts in their fields. It's still really early in the building process, as construction hasn't even begun yet. The planning stages are done, and partial funding is completed. Construction is set to start in the near future and is scheduled to be completed by the autumn. The land which the high school is going to be built on is on a lot that was owned by the government, adjacent to the existing school property of Adams Thermal Academy. The government was receiving a lot of pressure from private developers who wished to build apartment complexes on the ground, but the government, who strongly supports the vision and production of Adams Thermal Academy, gave the land to the school in return for the promise of a high school. The high school is part of Adams Thermal Academy, and is not a public high school. Adams Thermal Academy has the same admission process and standards of that of Ottoro, focusing on the poorest of the poor, who need the education the most.

The garden at Hossana was full of apple trees, which provide food for the children. They had just finished harvesting garlic from the land between the trees, and had recently tilled it up in anticipation of planting another crop between the rows of trees in the near future. The apple trees provide much more than just a simply food source for the school, but are actually a first step out of poverty for the families of students. Apple branches are grafted into new trees, and sent home with the students, as well as an education of how to graft new trees once the existing tree is more mature. The families are then able to take their trees and not only eat or sell the apples, but actually sell the newly grafted trees. Apples are very expensive here, and apple trees are even more so. This really provides an opportunity for families to take the first steps to generate an income. While in the garden, some other suggestions came about, such as possibly having a beehive in the surrounding land, a few hundred yards away from the school. The beehive would provide pollination for the crops, as well as honey, another extremely expensive commodity in Ethiopia. Right now, food is very expensive in Ethiopia. The cost has doubled in the last year and is projected to continue to climb in the midst of inflation coupled with widespread area famine brought on by drought. Being able to grow some of their own food and provide families with the opportunity to earn income from the trees is a wonderful blessing.

As we were leaving the garden, government officials arrived to do a ground breaking ceremony for the new high school. While I'm not 100% sure of the officials' titles, I believe one was the governor of the region, another was a national director of education, and a few other big wigs. After introductions, the officials gave a few speeches, thanking us for our contribution and care for the school, saying what a blessing this new building is going to be and how it will impact the community, praising the students' academic achievements and success rate at both Adams Thermal Academies, as well as sharing one more area need that would benefit the community: a generator for the hospital. Electricity is very unpredictable here as power outages are frequent. Even in the finest hotel in the region, our electricity goes in an out. We had to pull out our flashlights on our cell phones during dinner tonight as the power outage left us completely in the dark. While it was not ideal during dinner, it was no big deal. I can't say the same could be said during power outages in a hospital that services two million people in the region. The officials requested funds for a new generator to be used during the power outages. After their speeches, we all went to the land where the new high school is going to be, and took ground breaking pictures, with shovels and all. It was neat to be a part of the ceremony.

After the groundbreaking ceremony, the government officials departed and we started classroom visits, unlike yesterday, when we broke into small groups and each group visited different classrooms, today we visited every classroom as a large group. The younger classes were really fun to interact with as it's easy to communicate non-verbally and entertain them using gestures such as thumbs up or winks. Or, if you're my dad, you can be extremely silly and make up weird (like really weird) handshakes and acting gigs for the kids. I'm pretty sure the younger kids think my father is a circus clown by trade, but the young children absolutely ate it up. They loved it as they were laughing hysterically. Each class, students would recite a few Bible verses from memory, and there would be a chance for questions directed at us, and then us to them. My favorite interactions came from the upper classes. While visiting the 7th grade classroom, one of our group members asked the class what they wanted to do for a career after they finish their education. I was expecting an answer like "scientist" or "doctor," but the student's answer was incredibly powerful when she informed us that she wanted to be a cardiac specialist with aspirations to open a clinic here in Hossana for impoverished people of poor health who could not otherwise afford cardiology care. What a heart she had for her loved ones, her community, her oikos. To the 9th graders we asked what they were most looking forward to in the new high school considering they are going to be the first class to break it in. I was expecting an answer along the lines of "a computer lab" or "a modern science lab," but once again, the answer caught me by surprise and broke my heart. A male student answered, saying he was most looking forward to the new high school because it would allow more students to enroll and give more students the opportunity to have a Christian education. I am absolutely in awe of the selflessness of every student, of how they truly love their neighbors. They want a new school not so that they could thrive, but so that it would give an opportunity for their neighbors to thrive as well. They want to use their education to come back and change the community, to break the chains of poverty, and to do so in the name of Christ. They fully intend to use their talents to further the Kingdom of God. Even with those wonderful interactions, my favorite response came from the 8th grade class. We asked if anyone could recite a Bible verse from memory in English at which a boy stood up and recited from the book of Isaiah. He then proceeded to preach on how they were called to fulfill the great commission and how he was going to use his education to go and make disciples and tell the lost about the hope and life found in Jesus Christ. The presence of the Holy Spirit was almost palpable as I'm not sure there was a dry eye in the room. It was so powerful! And that's EXACTLY what I was praying for yesterday! God is incredible! What a wonderful God we serve! Hallelujah!

Classroom visits concluded our time at the Hossana school, and it was time to grab a quick lunch from the hotel. Once again, I had an Ethiopian dish that was wonderful. After lunch, we heard a commotion on the streets sounding like a parade. Sure enough, there were a thousand people marching down the street singing and wearing paper crowns, similar to the ones you can get at Burger King. Turns out, it is the Ethiopian Orthodox holiday of Epiphany, where the celebrate the baptism of Jesus. We had to quickly load up the jeeps to get to our next destination before the government officials closed down the streets due to all the people beginning to pour into the streets surrounding the Orthodox church across the street. We loaded up and took a short, ten minute drive. We parked in a residential section of town where we met with a group of women who had children at the Adams Thermal Academy of Hossana. These women were a part of an Adams Thermal Foundation program which focuses on not only educating the students, but also empowering their families by teaching them a craft and helping them start a business. There are X groups of family members, where each group learns a different craft, from sowing to jewelry making, to farming. The groups take out a microloan for materials, use their skill to create a finished product, and then try to sell it on the market, pay back their microloan, and earn a profit. The group sets aside a bit of each profit and puts it in a savings account, so that they can be self-sufficient and no longer need to take out a microloan. With their savings, they are able to provide microloans to other groups who are still in the beginning stages of business. This particular group of women made scarves and blankets. They invited us into one of their homes and showed us their products, as well as explained how it was made and the business model being implemented. They also presented a growth strategy and goals, as well as popped fresh popcorn and brewed coffee for the group to show their appreciation. It was wonderful to see entrepreneurship at work to alleviate poverty & a spirit of selfless gratitude that accompanied it. Some group members purchased a few scarves to take home to their wives. Before leaving we prayed for the group as a whole, and then specifically for a few individual women with prayer requests. One woman had cancer, so we all laid hands on her and prayed that God would heal her and that it would be a testimony to His power and love. There is power in the name of Jesus! Amen?

We then headed back to our hotel, where we had an hour to share thoughts about the day while sharing each other's company and drinking a cold Ethiopian beer, which was surprisingly very good. The discussions were focused around strategies about what is the best way to help. We discussed how easy it would be to buy a few suitcases full of scarves and jewelry to sell in the United States for an even larger profit margin, and then bring that profit back to the group. However, there are sustainability concerns that need to be addressed when deciding if that is an appropriate route to take. By doing so, the women would not be building as strong of a local market as they could. They would also get a huge cash burst for the first year or two, but what happens when all of our friends and churches have bought scarves and we can't sell much more because everybody has some. Now, they're sitting with some cash that will last them a little while, but their business and income is suffering because the foreign market which was providing the income boost is now no longer doing so and in a few more years, they will be back to square one. It is essential that they establish a local presence so that they can continue to expand their business and have long term sustainability and continue to have income generation in the future, a decade or two out and beyond.

Another area discussed is how to maximize crop production and food capabilities. There's a variety of solutions that could help. One is simply teaching about crop spacing, crop rotation, and soil capabilities. Another is to introduce new crops to the area that would better meet their food needs. However, there's also areas of concern in that solution too. An ecologist would need to assess how introducing a new crop would effect the local environment and wildlife long term. A nutritionist or health expert would also need to assess how a change in diet would effect the community as well. There's a lot on the table, but so many angles to investigate everything from. We want to make sure that any effort made actually results in good and ensure that there are no unintended negative consequences. There's a lot of thought and time that goes into any proposed solution before it ever even reaches the next stage of planning, funding, and implementing.

After our discussion, we headed as a group to the dining hall, where we had devotions. Tad's son was on a mission trip in Guatemala and reported back that he had accepted Christ as his personal savior. Praise God! I would like to ask Tad to write a segment and share that story. So hopefully more details forthcoming from Tad himself. We had a time of prayer and worship for a lost sheep that was found. Then Allen Green taught us how to share our faith in an effective way that is non-invasive to the listener and in a way that isn't as scary to us. Essentially, it boils down to just sharing your story. Here's who I was, here's how I met Jesus, here's what he's done in me, here's who I am now, and here's what my life would look like if I had never met Jesus. It was a great learning session and felt the Holy Spirit sharpening some tools on our spiritual tool belt. Allen had materials that explained it all too. If you are interested in checking out he materials or learning more, stop by the Lifelight office and Allen will be more than happy to hook you up.

Day 3: January 20, 2016: Sponsor Child Visits.

After the usual morning routine of breakfast, devotions, and 5 gallons of macchiato, we were off. The morning was planned with visiting children and their families that are sponsored through Adams Thermal Foundation by one of our group members. I have requested that each sponsor write their own segment on their experience. I should be receiving those in the next few days. I'll post them as I receive them.

First up: Allen's child. Allen's child, Yesfaligen (Yessi for short), lived with her mother and five siblings. Her father had passed away a decade ago, when she was still a baby. Instead of me telling the rest of the story, I have requested that Allen write this segment from his perspective, in his own words. I hope to have that to you soon…

The next sponsor's child we visited was Aberash, Kent's sponsor child. Once again, I'll have a section straight from the horse's mouth here shortly.

The final sponsor's child we visited was Mike's. (Once again, sponsor's perspective coming.)

Since I had been inside of Yessi's & Aberash's house, I decided to just hang outside for this one, which turned out to be a remarkable blessing. Standing outside on the street curb, there was much foot traffic passing by, many interested in what a group of white people were doing chilling outside of a home in Hossana. As people were walking by, I noticed a man who was not walking by, but was crawling by. Kent turned to him to see if he spoke any English, which he didn't, but fortunately, his good friend, Peter, who was with him did. Peter translated our English into Amharic for his friend, whose name was Amarch. Amarch had lost the use of his legs in an accident a few years ago. Amarch's right leg was a stump, and his left leg had no nerve or muscles functionality. There are no wheelchairs in Ethiopia and crutches wouldn't do Amarch any good considering both legs are dysfunctional. Despite Amarch's physical handicap, he was beaming from ear to ear. We asked him why he was so happy, to which he replied, "Because of my God. I love Jesus and He loves me." Hallelujah! We then asked how we could pray for him. His prayer requests were that he would be a good father to his children and that he would get a job to support his family. He said he would love to be a taxi driver, since taxis cabs are "tuk tuks" in Ethiopia, which are essentially three-wheeled mopeds with a passenger cab attached. We laid hands on him and prayed for those requests. By this time, a small crowd of about 50 people had gathered around to see what was going on. Allen then had Peter translate to the crowd, asking them how many of them had a Bible or how many of them knew Jesus. The gospel was presented and an alter call was given. Over a dozen prayed the prayer and said they took what they prayed seriously. Allen then handed out some small gospel tracts which were written in Ethiopian. What an awesome God we serve!

The rest of the day was relatively uneventful as we traveled back to Addis Ababa. Epiphany celebrations were still ongoing, so we would run into a parade or two blocking the road, but they were only minor setbacks. In Addis, we ate dinner at an Ethiopian cultural restaurant, where everyone had to try Ethiopian cuisine. The restaurant also had a live band that would play traditional Ethiopian music and dancers that would dance in accordance to their tribal traditions. It was a good time, but the hotel was a welcoming sight after dinner, as we were all really tired.

THIS IS WHERE THE BLOG ENDS. UNFORTUNATELY, I DID NOT HAVE ANY TIME TO COMPLETE MY DAILY BLOGGING, AS THE DAYS JUST GOT TOO BUSY. HOWEVER, I DID PUBLISH MULTIPLE STORIES FROM MY CONTINUED ADVENTURES. PLEASE CHECK OUT THE "ETHIOPIA WITH ATF" ARTICLES ON THIS BLOG FOR THOSE STORIES. (LINKS ABOVE.)

Isaiah: An ancient prophet to a modern nation from an everlasting God.

Consult God's instruction and the testimony of warning. If anyone does not speak according to this Word, they have no light of dawn.

This is what God the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who gives breath to all life, says:

"From the beginning, I have been with you. I protected you when you were vulnerable. When you were weak, I made you strong. Yet, you have rebelled against Me. Woe to the sinful nation, a people whose guilt is great, a brood of evildoers, children given to corruption! You have forsaken the Lord, spurned the Holy One, & turned your backs on Me. Why do you persist in your rebellion? Can't you see that the nation is crumbling right before your very eyes? Can't you see that destruction is at your doorstep? Only a few remain faithful to Me.

Leaders and people of America, look at your actions - what are they to Me? When you speak of Me, your words are hollow and empty. When you observe holidays designed to honor Me, your celebrations are self-serving and meaningless to Me. Your religious pretenses are a burden to Me; I hate them with all of My being. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide My eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening! Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourself clean. Take your evil deeds out of My sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Take up and defend My causes. Though your sins are like scarlet, I can make them white as snow if you repent. Though your sins are red as crimson, I can make them like wool if you turn from your wicked ways. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land, as you did before; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.

America look! You have become a prostitute! You were once full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in you - but now: murderers! Your rulers are rebels, partners with thieves; they all love bribes and chase after the pleasures of the world. They do not defend My causes. Therefore, I will vent My wrath on my foes and avenge Myself on My enemies. I will turn My hand against you; I will thoroughly purge away your dross and remove all your impurities. Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered, for I will take vengeance. The remnant who remained faithful will be delivered with justice. They will be rewarded for their righteousness. But rebels and hard-hearted sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish. You will become ashamed because of your morals, in which you have delighted. You will be disgraced because of the laws that you have chosen. Both your morals and your laws will fail you. Listen, you lovers of pleasure, lounging in your security! You have trusted in your wickedness, your wisdom and knowledge mislead you. Disaster will come upon you, and you will not know how to conjure it away. A calamity will fall upon you that you cannot ward off with a ransom; a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you. America's greatness in which you take pride will be humbled by collapse; even here economy will go down in the flames.

When I send My judgments in justice, the people learn righteousness. But when grace is shown to the wicked, they do not learn righteousness; even in a land of uprightness they go on doing evil and do not regard the majesty of My Holy Name. My hand is lifted high, but they do not see it. I am the Lord, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness! I hear My people cry out to Me: 'Let them see Your zeal for Your people and be put to shame; let the fire reserved for Your enemies consume them.' Thus, I command: 'Stand firm in your faith! For if you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all.'

All people are like grass, and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall simply because I, the Lord, breathe on them. Surely, people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the My word endures forever. Surely, the nations are like a drop in a bucket to Me; I regard them as dust on the scales. Before Me, all the nations are as nothing. With whom, then, will you compare Me? Turn to Me and be saved, all you ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By myself I have sworn, My mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: before Me every knee will bow and every tongue will swear. Deliverance and strength can be found in Me alone. Stop trusting in mere humans, who have but a breath in their nostrils; why hold them in esteem? All who have raged against Me will come to Me and be put to shame, but all who put their faith in Me alone will be delivered. In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength. I long to be gracious to you despite your past rebellion. I yearn to show you compassion, despite your transgressions against Me."

This is what the Lord Almighty says:

"Come, all you who are thirsty. Seek Me before I hide My face; call on Me before I deafen my ears. Surely, My arm is not too short to save, nor are My ears too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from Me; your sins have caused Me to hide My face from you. Forsake your wicked ways and your unrighteous thoughts. Turn to Me, and I will have mercy on you and pardon you freely because of My Son. For it was My will to cause My own Son to be crushed, to suffer, and to die as an offering for your sin. He took up your pain, bore your suffering, and took your punishment so that you may have everlasting peace. He was pierced for your transgressions. He was crushed for your iniquities. By His wounds, you are healed. Because He poured out His life unto death and was numbered with the transgressors, He bore your sins and made intercession for your transgressions.

This is what the Lord, your Redeemer, who created and formed you in your mother's womb, says:

"I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord your God, your Savior. You are precious and honored in My sight. I love you. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. I will be your solid foundation when everything around you is falling apart. Trust and fear Me, and I will pour out upon you a reach treasure of salvation, wisdom, and knowledge. I will bind up your broken-heartedness, free you from the chains that bind you, comfort you when you mourn, grant you a crown of beauty in exchange for ashes, fill you with joy in exchange for your mourning, and give you a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? It is I who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. It is because of My great power and mighty strength that not one of them is missing. I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things. I am the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. I do not grow tired or weary. My understanding is immeasurable. I will give you strength when you are weary, and empower you when you are weak. Even young men grow tired and weary, and strong men stumble and fall; but those whose hope is in Me, will have their strength renewed. Put your hope in Me and you will soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint.

Maintain justice and do what is right, for My salvation is close at hand and My righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the one who clings to Me and keeps their hands from doing any evil. This is what I have called you to do in My name: loose the chains of injustice, set the oppressed free, share your food with the hungry, provide the homeless with shelter, clothe the naked, stop pointing fingers, cease malicious talk, and honor the Sabbath. Do these things and your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you and the My glory will be your rear guard. You will find your joy in Me. When you call, I will answer. I will guide you always; I will satisfy and strengthen you.

Heaven is My throne and earth is My footstool, but where is the house you will build for Me? Where will My resting place be? These are the ones I look on with favor and seek to dwell in: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at My word.

"I am He: I am the first and I am the last. My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts. My word that goes out from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will happen. My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

Verses used: Isaiah 1, 5:20, 8:20, 14:24, 26:9-11, 33:6, 40, 43:1-5, 44:22, 45:7, 45:22-25, 46:10, 47:3, 47:8-11, 48:12, 48:17-18, 54, 55:1, 55:6-11, 56:1-2, 58:6-14, 59:1-2, 61:1-3, 66:1-2

Falling Down the Mountain

(Written when I found out that Jenny, my wife, had a miscarriage and found out that we lost our first child. [Yes, I believe that life starts in the womb. The Bible makes that abundantly clear.])

I expected to be on a mountaintop with an absolutely breathtaking view. I expected an experience transcending reality, a moment frozen in time, my emotions overwhelmed with pure joy and amazement. As I reached the mountaintop, there was no breathtaking view. Clouds rolled in, rain came out, winds came up, and I fell down. Climbing a mountain is a tough experience, but it builds up your muscles and strength. Falling down a mountain is even tougher, leaving you cut up, bruised, and broken, in need of healing, not sure whether to cry or curse, to get back on your feet or to simply lay there in defeat. That's where I find myself today. After weeks of climbing a mountain in anticipation of the beauty to be found at the peak, I now lay on the other side of the mountain, broken, without finding the anticipated beauty, the rain still falling, and wondering whether it's even worth standing up right now or if I should let the chaos of the storm blow over first. I am tired. I am drained. I am broken. I am in need of healing.

"A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. The disciples went and woke Him, saying, 'Master, Master, we're going to drown!' He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 'Where is your faith?" He asked His disciples. In fear and amazement they asked on another, "Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him."

Lying in the shadow of the mountain, my storm still hasn't subsided. I've asked, but no miraculous intervention has occurred. Now what? Do I not have enough faith? Is that same question asked to the disciples being asked of me? Probably, but at least the disciples didn't have to worry about the storm anymore. Where does one go to find faith? Where does faith come from? "Faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God." There it is. To the Word of God I go…

"I am the man who has seen affliction by the rod of the Lord's wrath… Even when I call out or cry for help, He shuts out my prayer... He pierced my heart with arrows from His quiver… I have been deprived of peace; I have forgotten what prosperity is… My soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. I say to myself: 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for Him.' The Lord is good to those whose hope is in Him, to the one who seeks Him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. For no one is cast off by the Lord forever. Though He brings grief, He will show compassion, so great is His unfailing love, for He does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone."

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God."

"Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you."

"Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to You, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the Rock that is higher than I. For You have been my refuge, a strong tower against my foe."

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy, and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,' declares the Lord. 'As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. As the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is My word that goes out from My mouth: it will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.'"

"How precious to me are Your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!"

Now, with rain still falling, but winds dying and thunder ceasing, I stand up, strengthened. Looking around, I see no path, for the rain has washed any clear path away. Honestly, I'm not even sure I want there to be a path. No. I want a chairlift to take me back to the top where I can wait for the clouds to part and partake in the beautiful view. I want to sit back down until someone clears a path for me, but time ticks on. Life doesn't wait. Now what? Where do I go now? What is God thinking? Exactly what are His thoughts? Clearly, He's got an incredible plan, but I can't see it. Time to take the first step, despite not being able to see exactly where it is I'm going. "For we walk by faith, not by sight." So be it.

I was sure by now, God, You would have reached down and wiped our tears away, stepped in and saved the day.

But once again, I say "Amen", and it's still raining.

As the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain: "I'm with you."

And as Your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away…

And I'll praise You in this storm; and I will lift my hands, for You are who You are, no matter where I am.

And every tear I've cried, You hold in Your hand; You never left my side.

And though my heart is torn, I will praise You in this storm.

I remember when I stumbled in the wind, You heard my cry to you and you raised me up again.

My strength is almost gone; how can I carry on if I can't find You?

As the thunder rolls, I barely hear You whisper through the rain: "I'm with you."

And as Your mercy falls, I raise my hands and praise the God who gives and takes away…

And I'll praise You in this storm; and I will lift my hands, for You are who You are, no matter where I am.

And every tear I've cried, You hold in Your hand; You never left my side.

And though my heart is torn, I will praise You in this storm.

Higher than the mountains that I face,

Stronger than the power of the grave,

Constant through the trial and the change,

One thing remains:

Your love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me.

I'll stand, with arms high and heart abandoned, in awe of the One who gave it all. I'll stand, my soul, Lord, to you surrendered. All I am is Yours.

Credits:

Luke 8:22-25.

Romans 10:17.

Lamentations 3:1, 8, 13, 17, 20-26, 31-33.

Psalm 42:11.

Psalm 55:22.

Psalm 61:1-3.

Isaiah 55:1, 8-11.

Psalm 139:17.

2 Corinthians 5:7.

Praise You in this Storm by Casting Crowns.

One Thing by Jesus Culture.

The Stand by Hillsong United.

USA: the Republic under God

What if…

I believe that...

Democracy as it has come to exist in America today is dangerous to personal freedom

Democracy allows the government to do anything it wants, as long as more people bother to show up or speak louder to support the government than to show up to say no

Our democracy erodes the people’s understanding of natural rights and the reasons for government and instead turns political campaigns into beauty contests

Democracy is a fraud

The purpose of contemporary democracy has been to convince people that they could prosper, not through the voluntary creation of wealth, but through theft from others

The government persuaded the people that they could acquire wealth through political activity, by means both destructive and parasitical

The idea that we need a government to take care of us is a fiction perpetrated to increase the size of government

The government misinforms voters so they will justify anything the government wants to do

The government has never created wealth

The government bribes people with the money it prints

The government gives entitlements to the poor, tax breaks to the middle class, and bailouts to the rich just to keep everyone dependent on it

Everything the government owns it has stolen

The fatal cocktail of big government and democracy ultimately produces dependency

Both political parties want taxes, welfare, and perpetual government growth, but offer only slightly different menus on how to achieve them

The government enacts laws to make it impossible for meaningful political competition to thrive

Democratic government, once it grows to a certain size, begins to soften and weaken the people

Big government destroys people’s motivations and democracy convinces them that the only motivation they need is to vote and go along with the results

The majority thinks it can right any wrong, write any law, tax any event, regulate any behavior, and acquire anything it wants

The majority always gets its way, no matter what the laws are or what the Constitution says

The majority recognizes no limits on its power

It doesn’t matter how you vote as long as the government can maintain control of the majority

The tyranny of the majority is as destructive to human freedom as the tyranny of a madman

The government knows this and approves it

This is the way we lost our republic

Our strength as individuals and durability as a culture are contingent not on the strength of the government, but on the amount of freedom we have from the government

A vibrant republic requires not just the democratic process of voting, but also informed and engaged voters who understand first principles of human existence, including the divine origin and inalienable individual possession of natural rights

We could free ourselves from the yoke of big government through a return to first principles

The current government system does not want a return to first principles

… What are we going to do about it?

These ideas are not my original thought, but were obtained from Andrew P. Napolitano, former judge of the Superior Court of New Jersey & current Fox News Journalist.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/07/24/what-if-democracy-is-fraud/

The Importance of Worldview

Everybody has a worldview. I do. You do. Everybody. Out of the 7+ billion people in the world, it is doubtful that any two people have exactly the same worldview; and that's a beautiful thing. Worldviews are often referred to in an extremely broad sense, such as a "Christian worldview," "Muslim worldview," "Democratic worldview," etc. Fact is, within these broad worldviews, each member has its own specific worldview. For example, do Muslims that support Jihad view the world the same as the Muslims that embrace peace? No. Does Billy Graham share an identical worldview as the local pastor down the street? Nope. So whose worldview is right? There's only one human alive with a perfect worldview. There used to be three, but time has narrowed it down to one. But I'll reveal this person's identity later on. For now, I'll give you a hint: it isn't me.

So no two people have the exact same worldview, but how is that beautiful? The beauty is found in balance. When's the last time you have appreciated a thing of beauty of any sort, be it an original painting, a composer's musical masterpiece, a sunset, your spouse, a newborn baby, an ocean, mountains, or even a random act of kindness? Were any one of these exactly the same, made of the exact same color, sounded exactly alike, and made you feel exactly the same? No, they were all uniquely different, demanding uniquely different reactions, emotions, and thoughts. Their difference is what makes them beautiful. But it is not just their difference, but they all have underlying themes. Not all music is beautiful, nor all paintings, nor beaches. In fact, some are just plain ugly. So what sets apart the beautiful from the ugly? The theme(s) from which the beautiful thing originated. These themes speak to us, consciously or subconsciously, and create a response based on how it corresponds to our worldview. Themes that are generally universally accepted as corresponding to beauty include love, peace, honesty, innocence, etc. Yet, there is balance. A peaceful symphony is not played overly loud, nor too quiet, but composed at a range of volumes and pitches that balance each other out and create a beautiful sound. Yet, like all things that balance, there must be a counterweight. The same is true in one’s worldview. One cannot know the true value of peace until they have experienced turmoil, honesty until they have experienced deceit, innocence until they have experienced corruption. This is part of the reason why no two worldviews are completely identical, because we have all experienced both sides of the balancing scale to different degrees at different stages in our lives. It is for this reason why beauty is recognized in a multitude of differentiating ways across the world. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. This is not saying that beauty is 100% relative, because it is not. Just because someone views something as beautiful, does not make it beautiful. Adversely, if something is considered ugly, does not mean that it has no beauty. What it does mean is that the lens through which one views anything effects the value they will place on that particular object.

Sad truth is, that while beauty is everywhere, too few people stop to appreciate it. The reason for this is not an over-saturation of beauty, but rather too few well-rooted worldviews from people who both recognize and understand the lens through which they view the entire world, both macro and micro. When one becomes aware that they have a worldview and can define it, then one is able to give specific reason as to why they see beauty or ugliness in an object, action, or idea. When someone does not understand their specific worldview, nor even recognize the existence of one, they are more easily swayed by outside influences such as peer pressure, news media persuasions, sweet talking politicians, or government propaganda (if you believe in such conspiracies.) It is for this reason that an extremely vocal minority can dictate and persuade multitudes of people to support their cause without providing any logical rationality to back it up. They take advantage of worldviews who have no roots. That is, when a person cannot define the specific elements making up their worldview, if the person even consciously recognizes that they even have a worldview. Without a root system, it is easy to be persuaded when someone appeals to vague concepts which align with the vague worldview one holds. Think about Obama’s campaign slogan that he won on: hope. Who doesn’t like hope? Without a worldview that defines what specifically hope looks like to a specific individual, anyone is free to define hope for that individual. Tolerance is used so frequently in the public school systems today. What is tolerance? How to you define it? How to those preaching tolerance define it? Or love. Everybody believes in love! Love is universally accepted as a key ingredient to a healthy ingredient. So why should the government stop two people in love, regardless of sex? Why? Well, that too is defined by one’s worldview. How does others define love? How do you define love? And for my final example, sharing. After all, "sharing is caring." We teach our children how to share, how to love, how to be tolerant, and to chase after their hopes and aspirations. Socialism believes in sharing, and love, and tolerance, and a hope for the future. So is socialism wrong? What’s your definition of sharing? If something appeals to an ideal which aligns with the general make up of one’s worldview, but yet seems troubling, it’s time to dig deeper. If there seems to be a contradiction, one must check his premises. By which, I mean if one seems to be confronting a contradiction, then at least one of their relevant beliefs is false. Recognizing and defining one’s worldview in specific details helps strengthen one’s belief system, as well as creates recognition as to what has played a role in the shaping of their worldview, for better or worse. By recognizing one’s worldview on a macro level, and defining the specific details it entails on a micro level, one establishes roots, able to flourish and grow in the nutrient rich soil of reason and understanding. If one does not establish deep worldview roots, they are more easily swayed by the blowing of the wind, not being rooted in their knowledge of why they believe what they believe, and having no well-defined reason to back it up.

Yet, even amongst people who have deep-rooted worldviews, their outlooks and beliefs differ widely, and not just on the minor details. There seem to be entire worldviews that are both deep-rooted, yet clashing with each other, constantly at battle. There seems to be, because there is. There are multiple worldviews at war with each other at all times. It is these worldviews that can make political debates feel like a warzone, or differing religions that both preach love despise each other, or fuel racism. Isn't the difference in opposing worldviews supposed to be beautiful? Yes, to the degree that iron sharpens iron. It is good to bring depth to one’s worldview by playing devil’s advocate, but when one goes toe to toe with the devil himself, that sword will become mighty sharp mighty quick, or one will die trying. It’s a silver lining, perhaps, but back to the point of balance: one cannot truly appreciate their own worldview, nor someone else’s worldview, until they experience a worldview in direct opposition of their own. So in this war of worldviews, how does one win? A win would be defined as converting an adversary to change his worldview to match one’s own worldview to an extent. To win the war on worldviews, one must first have a deep-rooted worldview with respect as an offshoot of the love root. Ultimately it is love that will win a worldview war, but by means of respect. When one loses sight of the fact that they are fighting a war against an adversary’s worldview and not against them as a person, the war has already been decided. Neither side will win, for both will go to their graves still in a vicious battle to the end. However, if one chooses weapons focused on attacking an opposing worldview, while managing to respect the person holding that particular worldview, then there is hope. This is the difference between pro-life groups that murder abortionists and pro-life groups that stand against abortion by legal means and means that to not personally target those involved. This is the difference between those that stand for traditional marriage by means of “hating the sin yet loving the sinner,” and those who verbally, physically, or otherwise attack a homosexual as a person.

Love is the basis for any truly beautiful worldview. Not beautiful just because I am the beholder, but beautiful because love is beautiful by nature. Respect is a part of love. Love and respect can change worldviews, leading to a change in the world. There was one man in history who understood and capitalized on this concept more than anybody else. This is the only person who has a perfect worldview. He is Jesus. He loved those who held such opposing worldviews, that it was inconceivable from anyone looking from the outside in. From tax collectors to beggars, to adulteresses to thieves, these are the worldviews that Jesus changed by means of love and respect. It is His worldview that is perfect. It is His worldview that this world is at war with. It is His worldview that one should constantly revise their own to better reflect. The way Jesus viewed the world changed the course of history, as written in John 3:16-21. Will your worldview change history? What impact will your worldview have?