Time Away

Years ago as I was being trained to be a church planter (I doubt planting ONE church really makes me a planter), I was given a very sage piece of advice: once a month get away and be with the Lord.

It seemed simple enough. Just go away and be with the Lord. So that's what I did...I intentionally blocked off 24 hours in my schedule each month to get away.

It was a time of listening..a time of waiting on the Lord. I'd take my Bible and a legal pad and go. Typically, the first few hours were an exercise in turning down the background news. It's amazing how much noise we live with.

When we owned a boat, it made a perfect place to retreat to. When we didn't, I'd rent a cabin or a hotel room.

Somewhere along the way I got busy. And I stopped getting away. Too many important things to do. So much to attend to.

I never realized how much perspective God can provide in just 24 hours away...until I stopped getting away. Unhealthy habits like workaholism returned. Margins disappeared. Vision, both for my personal life and the church began to get really fuzzy.

Enough is enough. It's time to get back to doing what worked...what will still work if I'll engage.

Jesus made a habit of retreating from his very fruitful ministry on a regular basis. If it worked for him, it'll work for us.

Let the retreating begin!!!

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Denominations, Movements, and Other Things

I'm in not-so-sunny Ashland, Ohio for denominational executive council. It's here where we wrestle, on behalf of the Brethren Church, with things political, financial, and strategic.

One big question this week: are we a national church with international partners or an international church. The implications are enormous either way.

If we ARE an international church, then our funds get dispersed around the world. If, on the other hand, we simply have international partners, then our funds largely get spent at home.

Given the current economic climate (I know one church where 25 families are now unemployed), it would be tempting to keep the funds at home.

But then I read the book of Acts and I see desperately poor churches giving to other churches simply because there was a need and the Spirit said give!

GCC is an international church. We have chosen to form close supportive relationships with like-minded church leaders around the world, starting in Kenya, then Malawi and Mozambique, and who knows...maybe Mexico.

These relationships, like the Acts relationships are a mutual blessing. We share our resources, they share the ministry opportunity. They get help. We get a cross-cultural experience for our folks at home.

And it does something else...it reminds us as Americans that there is a bigger world our there and that it's not just about OUR needs.

Our position as an international church allows us to experience the Acts story for ourselves...and really, how does it get any better than living in the pages of the book of Acts?!

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GCC Mens Retreat Begins!

Canaan Valley Resort in West Virginia will never be the same...the men of GCC are here! Matt and Todd led us in some awesome worship, Don, the men's ministry director told his story and shared his health challenge of this week. Don recieved healing this week...a genuine miracle!

I shared out of Philippians 1.

These guys are in for a great weekend!

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We're home! On the shuttle at Dulles after 21 hrs of flying. Thanks to all who prayed for us. It's good to be home!

We're home! On the shuttle at Dulles after 21 hrs of flying. Thanks to all who prayed for us. It's good to be home!

We just landed at Heathrow...tight connection...we have 45 mins to find our gate and board.

Uneventful flight...11 hours

Chilling in Joburg

We're relaxing in Johannesburg, bags checked for Dulles, hanging out near our gate. Reentry is difficult. From mud huts to the 'City of Gold' as they call it here. We're rested and ready for the two longer legs...8 hours to London, 6 hours from there to Dulles. We're anxious to get home and begin planning the 2010 trip. So...who's up for the NEXT trip???

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We're in rainy Johannesburg! So much for the short flights. Uneventful flight...connected with an Indian man who owns the largest car rental business in Malawi. A number of Americans on this flight who are doing humanitarian work in East Africa.

Chileka Airport is a miniature study in inconsistency and chaos theory. Procedures change from trip to trip. This time around we were required to exchange our money and take less than 3000 mk's (Malawan kwacha's). Going through a random pat down the young man asked me how much I had on me and tried to get me to exchange the rest (I had to show him my wallet and count the kwacha's I was exiting with). You never know if he really wants me to exchange it or surrender the rest to him to avoid the hassle. We finally made it through. Hey Rick, guess what? No exit charge this time! The gate lounge is a curious mix of languages. It's hot!

We're at Chileka Airport. A tearful goodbye. Got our tickets, bags are checked to Joburg, sipping a Coke, probably the coldest of the trip, the airport bar has and old-Africa feel. Now for the time of processing.

It's Saturday morning. It's a mix of excitement and sadness. We all miss our family and friends and consistent hot showers, but we feel like we have friends and family here too. Rogers and his team as well as friends in the villiage. There is such a love for God in these people. Perhaps fueled by ongoing need for the essentials like food, shelter, and health care. Or perhaps it's just that they peed simpler lives out of necessity.

It is an inexplicable thing that these villages in Malawi would be connected with a village in Virginia named Winchester.

We'll head to the airport at 9:00 'American time' (close to 9:00). Chileka Airport isn't a study in efficiency. So we get there very early and then haveca cold coke in the upstairs bar and grill that looks like something out of Casablanca.

We're making our way back to Blantyre from Magaleta. Our visit was well recieved. The chiefs of four different villages came to welcome us as well as pastors six or eight of our churches. Mike Mountain is still there and apparently stll bears my name. Amazing.

We spent time with the orphans. Almost 100 of them now. They speak some english and are very well behaved. We are still providing them a meal a day. Not enough. But better than starvation.

We worshipped under a tree as we did in Dowa, Masenjere, and Monkey Bay. One of the pastors in Magaleta proposed that if we can buy corrugated roofing, they'll make the bricks. Sounds like a job for Pastor Rick and Scott!

As a whole the village is barely getting by. They will consume the corn crop long before the next growing season. Then they will all go hungry. One pastor said that without help, soon all that will be left will be the mountain...everyone will starve.

It is very hard to look in the eyes of men and woman desperate to feed themselves and their families.

1 John 3:17....James 2:17

"now that I have seen, I am responsible..." Brooke Fraser

We're on the road to Magaleta in the Mwanza region. Funny, it didn't seem this far last time! We're travel weary. Calculating at breakfast, we have traveled almost 2000 kilometers this week.

Byron stayed at the lodge today: he caught a cold and feeling pretty rough. Pray for him-head colds and air travel don't mix well.

We have an orphanage here, housed in two different buildings.We're just 11 kilometers out now, but the last 11 are rough. And now Rogers is driving!

This is it...our last full day in Malawi. It's a cool clear sunny morning as we head down for breakfast. Our thoughts are a mix of travel preparation and how we can help GCC Malawi develop a self-sustaining model. As the church here grows by serving the poorest if the poor, we together must help them discover the means to feed the poor. GCC America will never have enough. Father, meet us in this profound sense of need. Amen.

We're safe and sound back in Blantyre. We left at 7 this morning, it's 8:30 now. We're bone weary, but a very good day. Dinner at a little place nearby called Blue Savannah(somtimes we call it Al Jazeera...we'll explain later). Even Rogers is worn out. Tomorrow we visit Roger's home village...Magaleta, 100 kilometers from here.

Just had another police stop. THIS guy asked for our passports...very unusual. There was a few minutes of tense silence as he looked through each passport. When he finally returned them and we started moving, one of our Malawan friends Charles remarked, "he was only flipping papers!" I love Charles!

We're driving the 4 hours back to Blantyre. We stopped at Lake Malawi long enough for a quick swim and to shoot some interview footage. We're driving from one small town to the next, the smell of woodsmoke in the air - dinner's on. Many people beside the road, many goats IN the road. Driving further south along Lake Malombe, the minibus driver blowing his horn to get people to move aside. Then there's the occasional police stop. They are rather emposing, pausing to ask 'where are you going? What are you going there for?

Returning from Masenjere the other night, a policeman/military officer singled me out to ask where we'd been. I answered Masenjere. He asked what for? I answered 'church'! 'What church?' He asked. 'Grace Community' I replied. 'Church' he said, 'then where are your texts (Bibles)?' Jon and I both pulled ours from our pockets. 'Oh...ok' he said. Move along! Byron made the mistake of shooting a photo of a policeman. He warned Byron sternly...NO PHOTOS!! Do you understand!

The sun is going down as we drive. I much prefer NOT to travel at night here due to potential for breakdowns or accidents. This is where faith comes into play. It'll be a late dinner.

We just left GCC-Monkey Bay. We were greeted and welcomed by the chief of the village, an elderly man with kind eyes and a gentle spirit...he is a Christ-follower. He told us we are welcome to do ministry as we wish in his village...a huge gesture on his part in a heavily Muslim area.

We worshipped, most danced (except for the 'azoongo'- us). I preached from Collosians 1:15, the uniqueness of Christ compared to Mohammed. I hope in the next year they will build a building and launch other churches.

We're our early this morning for the 4+ hour ride to Monkey Bay on the southern coast or Lake Malawi, a large lake that borders much of eastern Malawi. Monkey Bay is a new work by GCC - Malawi. It is being established in a predominately Muslim area. The roads aren't dirt, but they're not interstate highways either!

My iPhone spell check miscommunicated in the last entry. I meant to say nearly 100 people die each day at QECH (the hospital) each day

We're settling in for the night after enjoying dinner at an Indian restaurant nearby. Indian in Africa...who knew?

We're all wrestling with the effects of visiting Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital, where nearly 100 people due each day. It is without a doubt the most hopeless place I have ever visited. Patients lie in beds or on the floor for days unattended. When someone dies, the next patient takes their bed without even changing the linen.

The facility holds as many as 2000 patients at a time, men and women in wards together, children in separate wards.

It is purely tragic.

Pray for little Miguel, likely suffering from maleria, little Moses, suffering from pneumonia, and back in the states, long time GCC member Aubrey Smith, recovering from surgery at WMC.

We just visited Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital. It's a public hospital...we visited the TB ward. Some wards have as many as 80 patients with one doctor. Pastor Bosco was here three days for maleria recently...never got to see a doctor. GCC helped him move to a private hospital where he was successfully treated. Famlies were bringing food for the patients here...the public hospital provides little on the way of food. Their standard treatment for all is an aspirin at every meal.

We'll visit a public hospital at lunch. Pastor Rogers spent the early morning securing a permit for our visit.

We've spent this morning exploring the city...we needed coffee and Byron is looking foe a soccer jersey. After 3 days of hard travel, its a day of rest.

Pastor Rogers and I met this morning to review operations. 46 GCC locations in Malawi and Mozambique, and three orphanages where we feed a total of 170 children. Our investment? $.117 per child per day! Less than $.12 a child a day!

GCC you are doing an amazing thing here! Thank you.

We're safely back in Blantyre. But what a trip! The road was easily as bad as the road to Mozambique or worse. Crossing 14 rivers, deep ruts and ravines. Masenjere is a village of wonderful people, and seriously undernourished children. Rogers is using some of the money from the other orphanages to provide one meal a day for the orphans in Masenjere...not much to live on, but more than they'd get otherwise.

Tomorrow we visit hospitals in Blantyre.

I'm writing this time from Masenjere, 60 kilometers and 14 river passages from the main road and 200 kilometers from Blantyre. There are many orphans here. This region was recently ravaged by floods and the resulting maleria and cholera. We have a church here but have not begun to feed the children. Pastor Rogers has been using money from the other orphanages to help. Many children here evidence the bloated stomach of malnutrition. It is very hard to see and not act. We must act!

Africa time being what it is, our 9:00 o'clock ride isn't here yet. We had breakfast (veggie omelet, chicken nuggets, potatoes, and a tomato slice) and headed to a small outdoor market Jon and Byron found to buy African crafts (yeah...souvenirs). Friendly, persistent and open to much negotiation, the vendors are fun to deal with(if you like swimming with sharks in a feeding frenzy). Still, it's how they live. I don't feel bad about the few kwacha's they wind up with...it's not an easy life. We're headed to a new village this morning...Masenjere. I wonder if they got the van repaired over night...

We're back in Blantyre..water's back on, but cold! Tomorrow another village on the other side of the mountain from Blantyre. Today the Philippians 1:5 passage came to life for me. This IS a partnership. Amazing. We are partners with dozens of pastors and thousands of Christians in Grace Community Churches in Malawi and Mozambique. We serve a BIG God. This is what happens when we're willing to take a risk or two for Him!

We're on the road home from Mozambique, visited another GCC church, Dawa, Mozambique. Beautiful people. Commissioned two new GCC pastors and another asked to join our team. Had 23 people in a minibus built for 15. Bottomed out on the path back through the jungle. Knocked a hole in the tranny sump. These guys patched it with chewing gum I brought along. Amazing. Thank you God. We left the village close to sunset. If it hadn't been fixed we'd have either stayed in the village or walked to the main road. God is good. And these guys are so used to working with nothing that it was no big challenge! It's dark as we travel back, still 100+ kilometers from Blantyre. I sure hope the water system is back up.

One more thing...the water system in Blantyre is not functioning. So much for showers...hot or cold!

We've stopped at the Malawan equivalent to our DMV to get a permit to drive to Mozambique. Guess what?DMV's are the same around the world...slow, inflexible, and SLOW! We went by the bank and exchanged money. Those of us with traveler's checks took a 30 kwacha per dollar hit! An exchange rate of 140 per dollar versus 170 per dollar for American currency. Imagine 5 white people standing together outside the bank, a perfect target for street vendors and beggars. We have yet to leave Blantyre. It's going to be a long day.

It's Monday morning here. We had a safe trip to Nchalo yesterday. It was very hot there in the valley. Blantyre sits on a mountain so it's cooler. The children were amazing yesterday...approximately 200 there, 50 of which we care for in a makeshift orphange. The needs remain enormous, but we re making a difference. Orphans from other villages are beginning to find their way to Nchalo for food and shelter.

The time with the leaders went well as I shared from my heart about the realities of leading no matter where you lead. They were very receptive. We presented Pastor William, the Nchalo zone pastor, his certificate from GCC. He's a leader of excellence.

Sandy and Claire did crafts with the kids, and spoke with the women. Byron gave the kids their soccer ball. It disappeared quickly. Jon's shooting pictures like crazy.

All in all, a very good day. We're headed to Mazambique later this morning. A long drive on roads that get smaller and smaller. Pray for us.

We just had worship at Nchalo...LOTS of dancing. Lots of singing. We feed 50 kids here...beautiful children. Children who matter to God. They're not starving any more thanks to GCC USA. Sandy and Claire are doing stories and crafts with the kids. I will be doing leadership training with the local pastors this afternoon. Jon and Byron are recording events with video and digital camera. Our partnership with GCC - East Africa is makng a difference!

We're up early today for the journey to Nchalo. Our friend James, the cook at the lodge, made us, eggs, French fries, and sausage for breakfast. Rogers was to be here at 7:00am 'American time' meaning 7:00 am sharp. We'll be sharing at the worship service, sharpening our dance steps, and then in the afternoon, we'll do some teaching. Byron will deliver a soccer ball for the kids of the village. It's warm already, mid-70's already at 7:00 am. Sunny, beautiful.

Kudos to Barbara for troubleshooting from the other side of the ocean to get the mobile blog working. Hey Staples...you were right!

So here we are in Blantyre...it's definitely the rainy season! We met with Pastor Rogers, his wife, and Some of the Blantyre pastors. Headed to one of our orphanage villages tomorrow, Nchalo. 100+ kilometers on some interesting roads. Pastor Williams is the zone leader for that area. GCC has 46 churches in Malawi and Mozambique.

Test, test, is this thing on??

Hello Joburg!

We're in Johannesburg, South Africa after a 10 hour flight from London. I hope everyone got more sleep than I did!

We've had some baggage issues...as in the weight limit per person is reduced. Jon had to pay extra. Oh well, one more reason to leave it all in Malawi!

After going round and round with South African Air over the baggage, we are relaxing with some cold Cokes (thanks Claire!).

We load for Blantyre in an hour. We're really done flying for a while!

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Plan B

Technology is great. Technology is frustrating. It often calls for a plan B.

Exhibit A...my plan was simple...reactivate the Treo...which I 'knew' worked in texting to blog.

Oh the best laid plans of mice and men...

That's not quite working out. SO, new plan. Blog wherever we are and then SEND it when and if I can find wifi in Blantyre (it COULD happen!).

Backup to the backup is to locate an Internet cafe in Blantyre (more likely in Blantyre).

Either way, it'd mean a once a day update which, due to time zones will seem a day behind.

We'll see how it plays out.

We're all a bit bleary-eyed...sleepless nght, up early, and sitting around at the airport. Oh well, we'll board in 45 minutes.

Thanks for your prayers!

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hello heathrow!

We're here at Hearhrow in London. Uneventful flight. Having our second cup of coffee. Not enough time to get into the city so we'll hang out here.

Interesting conversation at brunch about what we expect from the trip.

Awareness. A bigger God. Bigger hearts. A wife for Byron. We'll see.

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a small world...

Guess what? We ran into GCC'er Todd Breem(that's CAPTAIN Todd). He showed us his 'office'. WOW! That cockpit's a bit bigger that the Mooney. And a LOT more knobs and lights!!

Thanks Captain!!!

Boarding for London now.

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We cleared security!

We're at Dulles and Byron has already proved helpful! He knew the TSA guy and got us moved to a SHORTER line! Now...if be can do that at Heathrow, we'll all be really impressed!!!

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Testing my phone for text to blog capability...

My iPhone Won't Text to Blogspot

So...a few days to go before we leave for Africa and I discover my iPhone won't talk to Blogspot thru texts!!! Am I gonna have to do this the old-fashioned way and go to an Internet cafe? Rats!!! Ideas, anyone? Tick, tick, tick, tick....

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Goodbye My Friend

I hate saying goodbye to friends. Especially when they've been around for years.

Today we said goodbye to our family our cat Jack. Jack was 17 years old. He lived with us in three different houses. Untiil the last few months, he was a feisty animal.

He used to pick a fight with me every morning.I think it was his way of getting attention. When he was quicker than me, he'd bite me. I guess that's why he and I were never close. Still, I can't count the number of times he'd be watching through the living room window waiting for us to come home.

I've never been a cat lover...but I'm really going to miss that guy. He was alright...for a cat.

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Marriage for the Long Haul

It was palpable in the room today. Clearly, people WANT to work on their marriages. They WANT to believe that their marriage has the potential to be fulfilling and enduring. What would happen if couples began to dialogue about their hopes and expectations? What would happen if we really began to pray for other married couples?

For the next 30 days GCC will focus on The Marriage Benefit by Mark O'Connell. Let's see how this lines up with God's Word!

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