Loud Loft

Fridge door art . . .

Okay, here's the deal. As most of you dear readers know, Lisa and I don't have kids. It never came up so we never went that route. It's never really been a big deal to either one of us . . . so there.

Still, I have recently faced the reality that being a Father or Grandfather is a door that has essentially closed and facts are facts. I will never experience the joys of being a parent (or the not so joyfull  . . . ummmm,  non-joys of being a parent). So I had to face that emotion, experience that emotion and ether kick that emotion's ass or get mine kicked. Actually, it was touch and go on who's ass was getting kicked for awhile there - but I eventually prevailed.

But (and there's always a big but isn't there), Lisa and I sponsor a child, Angillo Joseph. I first met Angillo in June of 2006 in Yei Sudan at the Harvester's Orphanage. I didn't pick him so much as he picked me. He was only a couple of years old at the time (if that) and he came up to me, reached out his little arms, wrapped them around my leg and marked me with his little snotty nose. Touching, yes? I wrote about it HERE

When I got back to Texas, Lisa and I talked about "sponsoring" him and decided that somehow we would be able to make do with $1 a day less so that we could send $30 a month to the orphanage to help provide for Angillo and the others. A real a big sacrifice on our part, right?

Over the next few years we would get a little card from Harvesters updating us about Angillo. There was always something specific about his attitude and what kind of little boy he was becoming. A year later I was back in the neighborhood one day (?) and was able to drop by for about ten minutes to see him as I was on my way to the airstrip to fly back to Nairobi. He was taking a nap but Mama Lilly woke him up and she took a picture of me and him. Of course, he had no idea who I was other than a strange white man holding him on his lap  . . . and he's was still not quite awake. Here's that picture.

So a few weeks ago a large envelope arrives from Harvesters. I figure it's either a promotional flyer or some other sort of informational material.

When I opened it up there was a blue colored sheet of construction paper covered in crayon scribblings. It was from Angillo . . .

Here's a picture of it hanging on our fridge door.

I had put to rest the idea of not having a child and not being a father. That was a very selfish act on my part. Making a difference in a child's life isn't limited to being linked by biology or sometimes even by proximity. I may never see Angillo. If civil war returns to Sudan, as many think it will in the next few years, pretty much all bets are off. If not, Yei Sudan is still a long way from Texas.

But, I've been there twice. I have friends who would put me up for a couple of nights and I have a reason to care about what happens in Yei, Sudan beyond the abstract. There's a little boy sleeping in a dorm, eating in a kitchen, going to school and playing with his friends. I know his name. It's Angillo and he's put his mark on me . . .

Water Is Basic 5K Run/Walk

IBC sponsored a 5K Run/Walk to benefit Water Is Basic on Saturday, October 13. It was a great success and raised over $12,000 from the 500+ folks who particpated.

Lisa's business, FIT by Design had over 25 folks sign up (not including babies and dogs) which is an incredible turn out. It was a beautiful morning and all for a great cause of course.

Click HERE to see the pictures from the event.

But here's the kicker . . .

As I was riding in to work on Friday morning I had an epiphany. Sitting in my garage was a 20 liter Jerry Can that was used in the Water Is Basic video that I shot last December to kick off the program. What if I filled it with water and carried it in the event?

First, I had to find out how much 20 liters of water weighs. Cleverly enough, one liter of water weighs one kilogram - which makes perfect sense but I need that in pounds not kilos :)

Well, it turns out to weigh just under 44 pounds . . . crap . . . that's a lot of weight for one person to carry.

This is going to have to be a team effort.

The next morning I filled up the can, found a metal pipe that would prove to be very important . . . and Lisa and I headed over to the run.

The bright yellow attracted some attention and Steve Roese even talked about it during the pre race welcome. That he was able to get a fully loaded, 45 pound jerry can up on top of his head was an event in itself . . . but this is common practice in Africa.

It's the job of women and children to gather water - I don't think I've ever seen an adult male carrying water now that I think about it and these aren't the most muscular people either if you know what I mean.

Anyway, we carried the can the whole way . . . with the help of six other people. I'm pretty sure that Lisa and I alone would have probably tossed in the towel at some point and dumped half the water out to lighten the load. Thanks to Rose, Arthur, Keith, Jewel, EJ and Pat for taking a turn and making it possible to finish.

Even though the picture shows Lisa and I carrying the can across the finish line . . . the other six played just as big a role as either of us.

Between the $12,000 from the Run/Walk, $5,000 from Coppell High School and $6,000 from Flower Mound High School - over $23,000 was raised to fund the drilling of water wells in Sudan.

It was fun and all but every 15 seconds a child dies from water borne disease - and 8 died while you were reading this blog (more if you looked at the pictures).

Go to www.waterisbasic.org and help bring clean water to Sudan.

The world comes to Lietnhom Sudan - via Internet Cafe

If you've followed any of my journey this past summer, you will recall my trip to Lietnhom Sudan in July. While visiting that remote village . . . and by remote I mean a 500 mile small plane ride over the flooding Nile river and the Sudd Swamp and hoping that the small dirt clearing that they use as an airstrip isn't too muddy to land on type of remote . . . the discusssion turned to the internet.

Lots of people in the remotest parts of Africe have email accounts. They get them when the travel to more populated areas and use them to communicate to friends and family that are scattered around the world - during the rare times that they are somewhere with access to email.

But in Lietnhom, the only internet access is via these book sized Inmarsat devices that you hook up to your laptop and then move around till the signal connects. The bandwidth is very limited and the things are expensive to purchase and use. As for calling someone on a cell phone - forget it. The only voice communication is via satellite phone - which is even more expensive - or shortwave radio.

So, while videotaping the construction of the guest house and dining hall that ALARM is building on their property the opportunity to provide internet access at the dining hall just seems like a logical thing to do.

When the guest house and dining hall is not used for ALARM activity it functions as the local hotel. That ALARM has a building in which to hold meetings, seminars, training sessions and whatnot makes it very desirable to NGO's to use. Providing a cyber cafe makes it the local five star property :)

So - as soon as Mike Gwartney and I get back to the states last summer we begin the process of determining what the next step should be. We research vendors, get prices and get the basic information.

We schedule a meeting with Celistin and Bob Pyne with ALARM to tell them about our plan. They tell us that God had also planted that seed in them but they had no idea how to make it come to be. They were surprised at what we had to tell them . . . and happy to hear how God was taking care of it all by planting that seed in us as well :)

So the plan now is that I will return in January when the satellite dish is installed and the system is put into operation. The eleven room guest house (each room has it's own shower, sink and toilet with running water - this is a huge deal in Lietnhom) and the dining hall will be finished up by November and we are enclosing a small area of the dining hall for the cyber cafe.

But here's the kicker. David Farris is a young man who, until just this month, worked for IBC in the IT group. He's been looking for a way to serve God with his gifts. He will be going back with me to Lietnhom to stay for a year or so. He will work closely with the vendor installing the system and the person on the ALARM staff who will be responsible for administering the cyber cafe along with the guest house and dining hall. When that's all stable and running smoothly - he will move on to the next location.

I have no shame in asking you to share some of your blessings to help with this project . . . and to help with the cost of the cyber cafes and with the cost of sending David for at least a year.

The plan is for the cyber cafe to be a revenue generating business that will provide income for the local national in charge and to pay for itself. What ever profit is generated will go into funding the next cyber cafe.

Please email me at cog2803@mac.com and I will give you specific details on how to contribute.

See - the plan isn't just to drop into Lietnhom and then stop there. We plan to do this in at least three locations in 2008. There is a need all over Africa to bring "The World" to Africa . . . and bring Africa to "The World".

Please help - to do so, email me at cog2803@mac.com and I will get you the information right away.

Africa Posts Compilation

I've compiled all the posts in chronological order . . . and tried to correct as many grammatical and spelling errors as I could :)

It's a PDF and just under 10MB . . . just so you know.

Bill

Download africa_2007_compilation_revised.pdf

Africa Post 16 - Epilogue

The flight to Newark was another “dull and uneventful” journey - I’m liking this. Arriving in Newark was actually quite disconcerting. I felt more uncomfortable and out of place there than just about anywhere else I’ve been on this trip - of course it was New Jersey and people “really” talk and act strange there.

Cleared customs and since I’ve got just the backpack there’s no luggage to deal with. The flight to Dallas was probably the hardest leg of the trip. It’s only three hours but since my last two have been seven and eight hours - it’s more of an annoyance than anything else. The flight is also full of loud Americans yakking on their cell phones and generally being obnoxious. It’s little wonder the rest of the world has such a poor opinion of us.

Mike picked me up at the airport and dropped me at the house. I took a very long shower and eventually cleaned up quite nicely if I do say so myself. Lisa came home around 6:15 and it was so good to see and hear and hug her. I’m a very blessed man.

We had some dinner and then I came home and collapsed into bed and slept till about 3:30 when I got up and started looking on Google Earth for all the places I’ve been the last few weeks. I took a Garmin GPS with me and would create a “mark” at different locations. I was able to find all the spots in Rwanda, Sudan and Kenya . . . very cool and mark them as locations in Google Earth. Send me an email if you would like me to send them to you so you can place them in your Google Earth.

My intentions were to go to work for at least a short time on Tuesday . . . but jet lag and exhaustion nipped that in the bud. Mike dropped of the items that he had brought back with him and I drove over to Alicia’s house Tuesday evening around 8:30 (after sleeping a major portion of the day) to pick up some items she had brought back in her luggage.

I will begin the process of capturing all the video to disk and then editing the video. I actually still have some items from “last” year that I need to work on too. The first will be the Medical Clinic in Goli Sudan, then a short clip to show in church on August 12 and another clip for the Water Is Basic website. Which is www.waterisbasic.org if you don’t know by now.

As soon as those are wrapped up - I will begin looking for the right reason to go again. There is a church in Nashville (Fellowship Bible Church in Brentwood) that has taken a group to Lietnhom every year for the past six or seven years. They go in November/December when it is the dry season . . . hmmm.

I will leave this series with this last thought. If God is putting things in front of you, shining a light on them and directing your gaze in that direction - it doesn’t matter if it’s Africa or Arlington, stop considering all the reasons to turn your eyes away. The joy is in doing and nothing gets done without that first step.

Journey on . . .

Africa Post #15

And so begins my last day in Africa for this trip. Last night was quite cool, probably into the 40’s. They put a hot water bottle in your bed when they turn it down for the evening. I could get use to that. I slept very well and woke up around 3:30 to find that they must turn off the electricity during the wee hours . . . or they just got turned off as they were back on before Stephen arrived with hot tea, sugar, milk and biscuits (cookies actually). Since I had showered the night before and gathered up most all of my belongings I was ready to go right away.

We met Protus at 6:45 and he took us on an amazing drive thru the park. The highlight was the hippos and crocodiles at the Mara River. We were at the crossing that you see in all the National Geographic, Planet Earth videos. We saw the biggest crocodile I’ve ever seen in my life and the biggest hippos ever. It was a great experience and I’m so fortunate and blessed to have this experience. He dropped us back at the compound at 11:30 and lunch is at 12:30. So we can have a leisurely lunch and then lounge around the compound until 3:30 when he will pick us up to transport us to the airstrip to fly back to Nairobi.

We accidently got on the wrong plane leaving the camp. Who knew that there would be an Kenya Airways plane landing just a few minutes before our. For the second time in my life I’ve had to crawl into the cargo hold of a small plane and find bags. I’m getting good at this :)

The flight back included a very short leg to another camp along the way to drop off two and pick up six - then on to Nairobi and into Wilson Airport. Jack met us there and we also joined back up with Dawn and Alicia. They had arrived in Nariobi the previous afternoon and had spent their time shopping and resting up. We just had time to drive over to the Java House, get a quick bite to eat, rearrange the luggage and head over to Jomo Kenyatta to check in and begin the journey home.

Mike convinced me that since I only had my backpack and one box to return with - that it would be best for them to include my box with theirs and save me the hassle of retrieving it in Newark and then having to check it back in for the flight to Dallas. Did I mention that I like Mike a great deal? I stayed with them for just a bit and then headed over to the next terminal to check in at British Airways. It’s very “liberating” to fly with just a backpack - this is the way to go.

Check in was dull and uneventful (recall from last year that I swore off praying for “dull and uneventful” as God seemingly has a different definition of that condition than I) as was the flight to London. I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Heathrow, Terminal 4 waiting for them to assign a gate for my flight to Newark . . . and then on to Dallas.

If not for missing my Beautiful Bride - I would have stayed in Africa longer if I had something constructive to do. Certainly the students at the Boot Camp would continue to pepper me with question until a cried “uncle” and snuck off in the dark of night. They crave knowledge like a thirsty man craves the taste of cool water on his tongue. I could have stayed in Kilgali and documented ALARM projects for another week, and traveled to each country where ALARM has a presence and repeated the process. Maybe that’s my next trip. Who knows? I’m certain that I don’t. I had know idea that I would be doing this until the last day of the trip last year and even that was just a hypothetical question posed by Bishop Taban.

What I am certain is that God knows quite well what His blueprint is for me . . .and when He knows that I’m ready he will switch on a lamp and gently turn my gaze until is is full in my vision. The next step will be my willingness to “see it” and my willingness to make myself available. All of the rest is in His hands.

That’s quite a comforting thought actually. All I have to do is keep my eyes and ears open, keep my heart open and then stay out of the way. As I’ve shared with several folks back in the states my itinerary for the last few weeks - I can see the look in their eyes. “Is this a mad man before me” is how I can best describe it. At that point I simply say that “God made me too stupid and slow to fully understand what I’m doing”. That seems to sum it up nicely.

Time to upload this post. There will be an Epilogue to wrap up the trip so stay tuned.

More to come.

Africa Post #14

The flight from Kigali to Nairobi went off without a hitch on Saturday. No problem leaving and no problem arriving. Jack met us at the airport and we were able to collect our luggage without incident. This is always a very good sign. We didn’t have time to get a bite to eat in-between arriving at Jomo Kenyatta and making our way to Wilson . . . but it’s not really a problem as we had a small meal on the plane and we also had a quick breakfast at the ALARM compound before we left.

Jack took us to the SafariLink office near Wilson. This is the same place we started our journey to Yei last summer and I remember it well. Check in here was uneventful. It’s almost scary how smooth things are going.

When they drove us over to Wilson, I saw John Hildebrand in the terminal. He's the AIM pilot who flew me from Loki to Lietnhom and then returned and flew me down to Yei. He had come down with his family to join other AIM pilots and staff at a meeting there at the AIM office at Wilson. Small world isn’t it.

We boarded a twin engine, high wing plane that seats 18 plus the two pilots, for the short flight to Kichwa Tembo at Masai Mara. It was a beautiful flight over incredible terrain. It’s hard to describe how beautiful this country is without lots of gestures and pictures. We arrived and were greeted by Protus who will be our guide for the afternoon and tomorrow. We were offered either coffee or teaHe took us on a short drive thru the compound. We saw Thomson Gazelle, Baboons, Warthogs, Giraffes, Elephants and Lions. We drove within 20 meters of the elephants and even closer to the Lions. It was incredible beyond belief. God must have wanted to favor this land as He spent extra effort to make it so beautiful..

Around 6:30 we headed to the main compound and checked in. When you are greeted at the door by a woman holding a tray of hot towels to wipe off your hands, face and neck - you know this isn’t going to be an “ordinary” stay over. We were invited to sit and make ourselves comfortable and were given a glass of cold orange juice and a soft place to rest for moment as we completed the registration form.

After we were told of all the extra curricular activities and offerings of the resort, our bags were carried to our tents and we would have a time to freshen up before dinner at 7:30.

Ok, by tents I mean a raised wood platform with canvas walls, screened windows, a very nice bathroom with separate water closet and shower, a front porch with table and chairs . . . and the biggest, softest bed that I’ve seen this trip. This is very, very nice and such a contrast to my time in Lietnhom. It’s really almost humorous in a way. My tukal in Lietnhom with mud brick walls, thatch roof, cold water showers and pit latrine about 30 meters away and having to make sure I didn’t fall into the bomb shelter along the way during the night . . . and then this. I really have to laugh at the incongruous nature of it all.

The sounds of the insects have begun and it’s actually quite soothing. The air is clean, the accommodations are impeccable I’m betting that the meal will be exceptional and I’m laying on this comfy bed thinking, “Lisa might go for this”.

At 7:30 we all walk up to the main building from our tents (it seems silly to call them tents since they are more like four or five star hotel rooms) to have dinner. They serve a very nice tomato soup for the first course. The second course is a lovely salad buffet followed by the main course of prawns and ribs cooked over an open grill with grilled vegetables, along with steamed broccoli and a potato/sweet potato casserole of some sort. We have water and white wine with our meals and then a lemon tart and fresh decaf coffee for desert. This is very nice and such a treat. It really is almost a bit embarrassing after all I’ve seen the past few weeks - but I will just accept this as a precious gift from God and not ruin it by being ungrateful.

We saw a short slide presentation in the bar at 9:15 about the migration of the Zebras and Wildebeests from the Serengeti to the Masai Mara region that we are in here at the compound. It was pure National Geographic/Discovery channel images telling about the massive herds that move back and forth following the season and the dangers they face from crocodiles as they cross several rivers. We walked back to our respective tents and I take a hot shower in this very luxurious tent/room . . . with real nice soap and shampoo (for the first time this trip) and crawl into bed with nice soft sheets, a comfy blanket, four perfect pillows . . . and the laptop to finish this post. Did I mention the hot water bottle under the sheets that was put there when they came to turn down my bed while we were at dinner?

This will not be the last post as there is still the entire journey back to the states. I counted them and I will have been on 14 different planes on this little junket. All the way from a 747 to a Cessna 167 with the back seat pulled out and a fuel drum in its place. Quite the contrast there - much like the accommodations. This has been a different trip than last year but one in which I’ve seen first hand what money given to drill water wells can do to a village. I’ve seen first hand what money given to construct and staff a clinic will do for an entire area. I’ve seen first hand what can happen when you give someone tools and training and how that can effect an entire country. It’s been a trip where I’ve been so blessed to see the spirit, gratefulness, appreciation and love of people who have received things that we take for granted in our every day existence.

It’s been a very good trip.

It’s 10:15 and the room steward will be by at 5:45 with tea to wake me up so that we can leave at 6:30 for our morning game tour. We will have “breakfast in the bush” - which will be an experience and a real treat I am sure. We return to the compound for lunch and then we are taken to the private airstrip to fly back to Nairobi at 4:00. Then the real fun begins. We will stop off at the Java House for dinner and whatnot and then head over to Jomo Kenyatta to begin the process of checking in and catching the first flight of our journey home. The rest of the group leave around 10:00 and my flight leaves at 11:30 so I will have even more time to myself before I start the odyssey back to my Beautiful Bride in Texas.

More to come.

Africa Post #13

It’s post thirteen and also Friday the thirteenth (I finished this one on Saturday morning) but I don’t believe in superstitions so there. Another good day in Kigali. We shot an interview segment with the students. I “interviewed” Mike and the students video taped it and then we moved the cameras and I repeated the questions. They captured the clips and then edited the pieces togethor. It was a bit challenging as you have to really wrap your head around the concept of taking two segments shot at different times and from different angles and making them appear as one. Of course they got it.

Around 2:30 in the afternoon. I called a time out on the lessons. The rest of the team wanted to go into town, exchange some US dollars for Rwandan Francs and stop by a small market and get some gifts for the folks back home. On the list of things I would be interested in doing in a foreign country - that ranks right up there with having to get a root canal - but these are very sweet people that I’m traveling with and we were going to stop by the Hotel that was the “Hotel Rwanda” from the film. I was not going to miss that.

The drive into town was very interesting and I shot some more video out the truck window of the incredibly busy city of Kigali. In is such a beautiful city. To think that such horror happened here is difficult to reconcile in your mind. It took a bit to make our way thru downtown to the bank and then we stopped at the Hotel.

It’s smaller than one would think and looks like it was built in the 60’s sometime. The grounds were beautiful and I wandered around getting images of the flowers and the exteriors. I wanted to make sure that I came away with beauty to offset the ugliness that occurred there.

We drove around the area just up the hill from the hotel. It’s an area full of very nice hotels, government offices, schools and various other buildings that house NGO’s from around the world. When an American thinks of this place . . . they do not think of these streets, these buildings and these people that I see before me.

We stopped at a little cluster of shops that have the things that people who visit Rwanda purchase to take back as gifts to their friends and family back home - well everybody except me of course. I do buy three little stuffed dolls for Lisa to go with the small stuffed doll that I brought her last year from Yei. Even I make exceptions. It is just something that I don’t care for and see no reason to do . . . other than provide some commerce for the folks who make the items.

Fortunately, the ladies, and Aaron approach this concept in a different manner than I do and are generous with all the items that have brought to Rwanda. I would never throw items to children on the side of the street as I drive by - I find it offensive and feel embarrassed for children. I know that the kids like the candy and all - but at some point it turns into a game that I just am not interested in playing. That is just me and I don’t fault them at all - but I won’t do it. Ever.

Of course, to prove what a Scrooge I really am, the ladies (and Aaron) gave quite a few folks around the compound nice little groups of gifts - which makes me look like a real @$$ - but that’s something I’ve come to accept as just another one of the wonderful facets of cheerful Scottish personality.

Enough about that - moving on.

I worked with Kivy and Esperance last night after dinner with Andre and his wife at their house. Andrea and Alivera gave us all gifts. The guys got shirts and the ladies got wrap skirts and tops. Very nice and very appreciated. We packed up the gear that Kivy will take back to Congo on the bus, I packed up my stuff and went to bed around 10:30.

We got up at 6:00 and had a light breakfast. All the folks from ALARM came with us to the airport to see us off. John and Alphonse gave Mike and I a gift of a carved wooden statue. It was very touching.
We passed thru all the various checkpoints here at the Kigali airport and we all are sitting here with our laptops using the free wi-fi to check email and whatnot. Mike, Cheryl, Aaron and I are flying to Nairobi and then on to a quick overnight safari. We go over to Wilson airport and catch a Cessna Caravan or something similar (it turns out to be a DeHavilland STOL Twin Otter for my aviation friends) to where ever it is we are going, spend the night and then fly back to Nairobi . . . and then catch the first flight of our journey back home.

Our flight leaves in a bit so I must cut this one off and go.

More to come.

Africa Post #12

It’s Thursday evening around 6:30 in Kigali Rwanda. I can hear people walking down the dusty street outside the walls of the compound. The air is cool and I there are goats bleating in the distance. It’s beginning to get dark and the city is shutting down for the day.

I could live here. That will be a huge shock to Lisa . . . so close your mouth sweety, we’re not moving right away. But, this is a gorgeous place and probably pretty cheap to live here too.

We finished the next to last day of training . . . really it’s the last full day of training for everyone as Ronnie has to catch a bus tomorrow morning back to Uganda at something crazy like 5:00 or 6:00 in the morning. Maybe that’s when he has to leave the compound for the bus station. Either way, he heads off tomorrow leaving Kivy, Esperance and John behind. I will do any remedial, catch up type of things with them on Friday and we will then help them gather up all their gear to prepare to leave on Saturday. Of course, the gear that John will use stays behind, along with the fourth kit.

John has to go to Burundi in a few weeks to work on their email and computer equipment down there and he will take that kit and teach them to the best of his ability at that time. The fifth kit finally showed in Nairobi and Jack was sent to the airport to get it and take it to the ALARM offices. It will either stay there or Mike will bring it back to the states - at this point it doesn’t matter to me.

The students have done very well. Ronnie is very creative and has great ideas. John is obviously very good with technology and is not intimidated at all. Kivy is really working to take it all in. He’s still at that point where he’s not quite sure of himself - but he knows more than he thinks he knows. Alphonse works here at the compound in Kigali and will get tutelage from John in the areas that he has misses since he gets pulled away at times. Esperance works with Kivy and has paid close attention to everything that has been presented. Somewhat like Kivy, she’s still a bit unsure of what she has learned but I’m sure she will be able to put it all to some use once she gets back on her home environment and there’s no crazy American pretending he’s some sort of teacher.

It has been a blessing to have all of these good people as students. In the past, my educational experience has been focused towards one on one instruction in a very controlled environment. This is the first “class room” type of situation in which I’ve found myself as the instructor. I’ve enjoyed it but it has been a struggle as it always is the first time you do something outside your comfort zone.

Last year - everything was outside my comfort zone. This year - I’ve been very comfortable in just about every situation I found myself in - even the transportation snafus at Loki and Yei. I knew that it would all work out in the end . . . and they did.

The ladies and Aaron have gone out every day to schools or groups. Some of the groups are children, some adult, some a mix of both. The most unsettling experience was with a group of women who were all HIV positive and at varying stages of the disease. The one thing that all of them mentioned was that it was the first place that they could see no hope . . . only despair in their eyes. The team was deeply moved and saddened by what they saw - much like Jesus had compassion for the woman who’s son had died, their hearts felt for the hearts of these women.

It’s hard to say it’s “good” for them to see such a situation but in the long run I think there is enormous benefit for us very blessed Americans to see first hand the despair that so many people suffer from in this world. What aggravates me - I don’t know how the local Rwandans, Congolese and Ugandans feel about this - but when we show up once a year with our sanitizing wipes, anti-bacterial lotion and our laptops - blow into town, toss some candy and preach a few sermons - and then go back to our homes . . . well, I really have to show grace at this point and shut my pie hole . . . until I publish it for the world to see on this blog of course.

Moving on.

Mike came by and I joined up with the rest and we drove with Andre and Alivera to a Novotel/Accor hotel in town. It was very nice and we ate outside under an open wall thatched roof area. The buffet was excellent, the desserts were scrumptious and the coffee was very good. Such a contrast to Loki, Lietnhom and Yei. Much like Wayne and Garth “I am not worthy”.

When we got back to the compound I found that Kivy and Esperance had shot and edited their very own version of a project that the students had completed in class. I could not believe how good it was and how accomplished they had become over the last few days. Kivy and Esperance are the ones who I mentioned “know more” than the think they know and they just need the confidence and encouragement to make it happen. I ran around the room like a crazy person hugging them all. It was an overwhelming example of God’s Grace and power. There is no reason that they should be able to perform at the level they displayed today. Not because they can’t - but the time that I have had with them is so incredibly short and they start at the very bottom of the learning curve. It just goes to show what these fine people can do if you give them just a small, tiny push in the right direction. I can not and will not take the credit. I’m making all this up as I go along and I’ve never taught a class like this in my life. It must be one of those “God Things”.

We stayed up till after midnight talking with Ronnie and then getting him packed up with all of his gear that he has to take back to Uganda with him. His bus leaves early and a driver will be by to pick him up at 5:00 or so tomorrow morning.

More to come.

Africa Post #11

Hmmm . . . so all this time I thought editing was hard. It must not be - since the students are picking it up incredibly fast. It can not be that I am a good teacher as this is the first time I have actually taught a class like this over several days. My experience in the past has been more along the lines of sitting with an individual and mentoring them as they learn. More likely it is because the students are very very bright and they have such a desire to learn the techniques and the process.

Towards the end of the day, once we had covered the most basic elements camera, audio, editing and other foundational items related to using the iMac computers. I just let them play and explore using some stock footage that comes with the training material. It was absolutely incredible to sit behind them and watch as they discovered how to edit images together. They worked on the computers until dinner and then later into the evening after we had eaten. I went to bed around 9:30 and they were still going.

I have had faith all along that this would be a successful journey. But when you see something take root and then grow like these students are doing with the equipment and software that we have brought them . . . it is incredibly satisfying and even more humbling to think that I have been a part of it.

We will continue the training today. Yesterday was introduction, overview and dipping their toe in the water. Today I will take them into the pool a little bit deeper, maybe up to their waist.

We have an extra set of equipment here and somewhere in between here and Amsterdam. A decision must be made as to what we do with the gear. John Samvura is the student from here at the ALARM Compound in Kigali and is very, very bright. He’s picked up so much knowledge in the past day or so about the iMac, the editing software and the rest of the gear. One scenario is to leave the extra box here in Kigali and he will be responsible for training whom ever eventually is able to come and get the gear. Even though that would be a big responsibility for him, I think he is capable of handling the basic education. If it does not happen for a few months, he will have learned even more and will be further along in his own knowledge.

In every training situation that I have ever been a part of, the teacher learns from the process right along with the students. Given that, it would be a good experience for him as well.

It’s a little after 7:00 AM in the morning here in Kigali. Someone is tending the grounds with a hoe and I can hear the construction workers arriving up at the front of the compound. They worked very hard all day until just before 6:00 and then left to go back to their homes and families. I don’t know what a person makes here in Kigali in the building trade. I hope that it is enough to provide for them.

I am very fortunate to have a good job in Texas and a loving wife to come home to at the end of the day. Today is Wednesday and we depart Rwanda for Kenya on Saturday and then leave Nairobi late Sunday night for Dallas. That’s three more days of training and then the travel portion begins. Mike and his wife Cheryl and I will have a very brief overnight safari trip beginning Saturday afternoon and bringing us back to join the rest of the group Sunday afternoon. They will fly out on KLM to Amsterdam, change planes there and fly Northwest to Chicago and then on in to Dallas. I will fly British Airways to London, change planes to another British Airways plane into Newark and then American into Dallas. I arrive about ninety minutes after they do on Monday afternoon around 4:00 Going back to the states the time zone differences work with you and make the trip seem shorter.

There is an eight hour time difference between Nairobi and Dallas so you lose a third of a day that direction. It really doesn’t matter as your sleep patterns are all jumbled up from how ever much you are able to sleep, or not sleep on the plane.

I will make an attempt to go into work on Tuesday afternoon and at least present myself for an hour or two. I will miss next Monday as Lisa and I are traveling the Saturday after I get back from Africa to another part of the world called Columbus Ohio to her nieces wedding. That should prove to be an adventure as well, but for many different reasons.

More to come.