Karl Moraski: Beyond the Music...

Some pics from the last day...

2011-09-21T22:28:00.001-04:00

Almost home...

2011-09-21T21:48:00.002-04:00

It’s our last night and I’m back at our hotel in Port au Prince. The power just went out right in the middle of checking email which I haven’t been able to do since yesterday. It’s getting hot in this room now so i hope the power comes back on soon. I have battery power on my computer so i though I’d close up the blog for the week since it also provides the only light in the room! Ahhhhhhhh... it just came back on! I hope the air conditioning comes on now. It’s still hot!

We had a wonderful day yesterday and we all sat out on the porch last night and enjoyed a spectacular thunder and lightning storm in Zorange. We hit the hay early and got up early as well. We left there around 7 AM and started the long trek through the rivers and up the mountains (with steep sheer drop offs!) and then back down the mountain. We stopped a couple of times to stretch but otherwise headed straight here. It was about an 8 hour trip on the hard bench seats. Our behinds are pretty sore! When we got here we stopped for pizza which was really good and hen checked into our hotel for the night which is very basic but it feels good to stretch out. A bit later we went out for appetizers and headed back here to crash for the night. We have to be in the lobby by 6 AM to catch our flights back. After the long few days we will sleep well...

It has been a great trip and I’m so glad I finally got to see what we as a church have been doing here over the past 11 years. I had no idea this adventure started just a few months after my family and I started attending Hope and actually the very month that I came on staff as a part time worship leader when the church was less than 200 people and we had only 4 kids! Tadhg hadn’t been born yet. It’s really incredible to experience all the changes that have taken place here because of what we’ve done as a church. Because of those who have sacrificed to come here and give their time and talents and also those who sacrificed and gave of their financial resources. I’m excited to help put together the video we will produce to share all this with all of you. thanks for allowing us to go. Thanks to our families who made do without us while we were away and thank you God for letting us be a part of reaching Haiti for you and helping those in need just as You called us to do...

Thanks again for following along.

Until later,

- Karl

Back From Gandou...

2011-09-20T16:21:00.000-04:00

Back from Gandou...

The ride there was as bumpy as the trip up here was and included some drives through the river! The piece of land is in a really nice spot on top of a hill. The closest water supply for the local people there is down a steep ravine where the water comes out at only about a gallon per minute. Like in the Central African Republic, getting clean water is one of the biggest problems in these outlying villages. It will be great to see what happens here in the years to come...

Site for clinic in Gandou

We walked down and came back up sweating and hot. It’s quite steep and that was without carrying any water. When we got back to the top we have a nice surprise waiting. Some of the locals had brought coconuts for us and a man began to shave them to the point where you would break the seal with your finger and drink the milk. It was soooooooooooo good! Then he cut them in half for us and we could eat the pulp inside. It really helped to rehydrate us.

We then got in the car and headed back to Zorange. Still no internet, but they are working on it. I hope it come on because I would love to post these updates. I think that’s it for now. We are sitting on the porch of the dorm and it is really humid after the rain and I have ants crawling on me constantly but other than that, it’s pretty nice! While I’m waiting I’ll get some of the pics ready to upload so if we DO get internet it won’t take too long...

- Karl

Roads Slippery When Wet...

2011-09-20T16:09:00.001-04:00

Well, we made it to Zorange. [Zohr- awn- jhay]

big shots...

It’s raining right now but the rain held out for the most part until we arrived here. They had some fresh bread, avocado slices, (which Mike LOVES! ; )) and eggs. It took about 4 hours. The roads went from bumpy to crazy bumpy to me banging my head on the roof bumpy to driving through rivers. At one point we turned around because the road was to bad to drive on. That’s when we started driving through the river. Now THAT was crazy...

For the most part the trip was uneventful. The scenery along the way is just gorgeous. We climbed quickly as we headed straight up into the mountains. We’re going to rest and stretch out for a bit before we go and see what has been built and developed here in Zorange. We’ll have to take umbrellas so we can get some footage since the rain is steady right now...

Back From The Tour...

We just had a tour of the facility near the dorm. Again, the changes between now and the last time Mike and Mark were here are significant. The community center has become the center of the community. It houses a school where over 500 students attend, a medical lab and clinic are available to the community, a library, an area for eyecare and a worship center where services are held. Since the last time they were here it has been painted and updated including a concrete common area inside in the center. there is a soccer field out back where hundreds of people will come to watch a match being played and soon with the generator that Mark and Powersecure installed they will have lights on the field to be able to play at night.

They also now have a radio station which can transmit all the way to Jacmel. They play the messages from the worship service and other community service announcements. They also have a computer lab in the center available to teach people those skills. Here they will teach tailoring, computer skills and english.

We are about to head out to Gandou which will be the site of the next clinic like they started here in Zorange 11 years ago. It is just land now that has been given to them and the plan is to begin to develop it and reach thje nearly 20,000 people in that community. It’s about an hour away. through the river and forest I imagine!

I Woke This Morning to the Sound of Thunder...

2011-09-20T15:52:00.000-04:00

It’s 5:40 AM and we’re grabbing some coffee before heading out on the road. The thunder has been rolling for hours and the lightning cracks are REALLY loud. It really splits the air! One by one the guys are coming down. We’re having a conversation with another group of guys who are down here on a medical mission in another village. It’s always interesting to meet others along the way who are doing similar work in different villages. Well, time to head out in a few... more later.

Ohhhhhhhh... We're halfway there...

2011-09-19T19:04:00.000-04:00

It’s almost 5 PM and we just arrived at the hotel where we’ll be staying tonight. It was longer than 6 miles but also took us about 5 hours. At least they were paved roads though quite bumpy!

As we were about to land in Port au Prince the thought occurred to me that every mission trip I have been on to date has involved usually two overnight flights and long layovers somewhere along the way. (I fondly remember a 9 hour layover with the Band of Brothers in Moscow airport on our way to Kyrgyzstan in 2005 where we literally laid on the floor and crashed...) So it seemed like we were kind of “cheating” to be arriving only 6 hours after we had left Raleigh including the trip to JFK. The scene from the air was beautiful. The ocean looked inviting as it crept up to the shore where we were about to land. Again I was struck by the beauty of the scene. The outlying mountains surrounding the area and the lush green foliage in the distance seemed so inviting. That all changed once we touched down an exited the plane...

We entered into what reminded me of all of the other “third world” countries I have visited in the past. In disrepair, chaotic and uninviting. However, the people were not that way at all. Very friendly and I felt no trepidation as we got into our customs/immigration line. All went smoothly. We then went outside where we were to meet some friends of Jean’s who would have two vehicles. It was 91 degrees but it didn’t feel that bad at all. One 8 passenger suv and another suv that would have the two drivers and take our luggage. It was quite an adventure in the parking lot but we got on our way fairly quickly. The roads out of Port au Prince were jammed with traffic and were still showing heavy damage from the earthquake. Garbage at the roadsides in piles is a common sight. There were still many tent cities from the earthquake along the roadside. We had no ac in the back of the van so we had the side windows cracked for air. We drove for hours and slowly the scenery changed. Began to become more rural and we kind of followed the coastline. The views became quite breathtaking at times... the conversation was enjoyable and as we travelled, those who have been here before shared how Haiti has changed over the years. We began to gain insight into many of the changes that have taken place here in the country. For example, the hotel we are staying at has wi fi and so will the dorm we will be staying in in the village of Zorange we are headed to tomorrow. Many of these changes in the village are because of Hope Community Church and the Hope for Haiti Foundation’s work. Originally there were no dorms. Everyone slept in tents etc. so I am excited to get to the village tomorrow and experience all of this. It’s wonderful to hear the pride in the voices of those that have come before (John and Elade of course and more recently Mark Martyak and Mike Lee) and have been a part of the change here in Haiti. From generators to internet. Schools, clinics... So awesome to finally see what God has been doing through the people we know and love...

We leave early in the morning for Zorange which is the city where Jean grew up so that should be really cool...

More tomorrow. Thanks for following and I look forward to your comments...

Btw, here's the motley crue

- Karl

JFK... Haiti or bust...

2011-09-19T08:06:00.000-04:00

We’re sitting here at JFK waiting for our flight to Port au Prince. The crew is: Mike, Mark Martyak, Jean Elade, John Brown, Mark Hanna, Josh Hancock, Brett Durham and myself. When we all met up at RDU at 5 AM this morning the jokes started flying. I think it should be a fun trip!

They say it’s about a 4 hour flight to Port au Prince and then a 3 hour drive (Only 6 miles long if Elade’s telling the truth!) to Jacmel where we’ll spend the night. I’ll save my thoughts for AFTER I experience all of this.

Oh well... catch up soon.

- Karl

Heading North; then South...

2011-09-19T04:15:00.001-04:00

It's 4:02 AM and I'm showered and waiting for Mike to pick me up to head o RDU. We fly to JFK at 6:00 AM to catch our flight to Haiti. Crazy that you have to head north to go south but that's the fastest way. Is it not 2012? Anyway, I am packing light for this 4 day trip. Two pairs of shorts, some t-shirts, socks etc. all in a backpack. Kind of feels nice. I did pack some toilet paper because I'm not quite sure what that situation will be lie! Never mind.

There are quite a few guys going. I just found out yesterday that Brett our college pastor is going with us so I'm not sue who else I know may be going too. I'll find out at the airport in a bit.

Always a little anxious when leaving the country. especially this time after the episode we just had with Tadhg last week but knowing Siobhan is here with them allays those fears. She truly is a modern day pioneer woman. Very strong and independent. But in a good way... : )

She told me last night (and I've heard from others who've also been to Haiti) that some of the roads are actually quite frightening to get to the outer lying villages so NOT looking forward to that. Getting old I guess!

I am looking forward to experiencing Haiti and seeing what Hope for Haiti Foundation and Hope Community Church have accomplished over the years and sharing that with you over the next few days and then having Mark and Josh edit it all together in a film will be really cool.

Well, Mike should be here any minute. Please pray for us and our families as we travel this week. Mike told me yesterday that the weather forecast for Haiti for he next few days was 92 degrees with thunderstorms. Lovely!

Until later,

- Karl

Back to Raleigh (abruptly!) and off to Haiti next Monday...

2011-09-13T17:32:00.001-04:00

Well, we made it back to Raleigh although amidst some craziness. Siobhan and I got word that our youngest was having a severe asthma attack and was taken to the emergency room. By the time we got the message and talked to them they were about to transfer him to a regular hospital to admit him as his oxygen level was only at 81% and he had a fever of 101. We found all this out at 4am with Mike and Gary yelling up to our window from the middle of the street. We had no phone for them to contact us and luckily they had been by our place that afternoon because I was out of memory on my camera and wanted to upload my photos to my computer to free up space. I was awoken to a voice calling "Karl... Karl..." I told Siobhan and she thought I was crazy. Sure enough I got up and looked out my window to see them down there calling to me. Mike explained that he had gotten a call and that he felt we needed to know right away.

We quickly got online and Siobhan put us on the next standby flight with American Airlines (who she works for in the reservation center thank goodness) and our "down time" came to an abrupt end. We got on the 11:30 AM flight and 10 hours later we were in Chicago waiting for our flight to Raleigh. Those were the longest 10 hours not knowing what was happening to Tadhg... Everyone said Tadhg was a real trooper and very brave as he had to ride in the ambulance with just the nurses because Ciara was following in her car to the other hospital. Very proud of him. Almost exactly 24 hours later we were home and hugging him and Bear and Lorcan! He is fine now and is home from the hospital and doing well.

Please continue to pray for little "Hope"... I have not had an update since we left but I'm trusting God to pull her through and to use her in a great way someday. Born premature at 23 weeks she is a fighter already to survive this. Here is a short clip of her to show you how fragile she is...

We leave for Haiti next Monday as I had mentioned so please pray for that trip. What a privilege to be able to be a part of a church that is tangibly addressing the needs of not only our own community here in Raleigh and the Triangle but reaching out around the world to do the same...

Until later,

- Karl

Closing thoughts...

2011-09-10T11:15:00.001-04:00

Farewell...

Well, we have left Uganda and are spending a couple of days this side of the Atlantic before heading home. Lots to process and sort through. It was a wonderful trip and we have some concrete ways we know that we want to partner with Watoto. We had a farewell dinner with Doug the last night and he also is looking forward to working together with Hope Community Church. We talked of trying to bring the founder Gary Skinner to Hope to share when he is stateside.

As usual, the emotions went all over the board on this trip but God continues to remind us that we have "neighbors" everywhere as well as widows and orphans who he has called us to take care of. Let's pray that He will give us clarity as to how we proceed from here.

Thanks for following along. I always appreciate your comments and it's also nice to know that you are praying for us...

Lots of love,

- Karl (for all of us)

Sometimes There Are No Words...

2011-09-08T10:16:00.001-04:00

Well, it's late afternoon and we just returned from what was for me the most emotional day yet. I don't want to write yet I feel the need to put these thoughts down...

The first part of the afternoon was fun. We were picked up by Bonny and headed to Watoto Church Kampala. We went into the main auditorium and got to see several of the Watoto Children's Choirs (the ones we had brought to Hope the year before last) rehearsing. I also asked if I could go into their tech room so I could take a picture for Bob, Mark and Josh our tech team.

(post pic later. internet slow!)

We met several of the staff who were all very nice. There was a lot of activity there as they use the facility for all kinds of events for the community.

Then we went around the corner to see the radio station they have. Very cool. They play mostly Hillong/Passion music. They have a call in show once a week where a pastor will answer questions that come in. They said it's been very effective for sharing the truths of God's word.

Next door is Living Hope. Identical; in mission and purpose to Living Hope in Gulu where we were yesterday. The ladies were having their discipleship class so we didn't want to interrupt so then we got into the van and headed for Watoto Bullrush Baby's Home.

It is named after the account in Exodus where Moses is rescued from the Bullrushes in Egypt, then raised and sent into the palace as a leader. This falls right inline with the Watoto Philosophy of raising up leaders. This is what broke me today. Before we went in, Bonny gave us a short history of the place and the vision for it. These babies are dropped on doorsteps, left in hospitals, left at police stations; truly abandoned. And many are sick. Many are very sick. Right before we went in he said a 23 week old girl named Hope had been brought in 2 days ago. He inquired to see if she was still there or even alive. He said, with his big smile, "Good news, she is sill alive." And then we went in...

We peered through a glass window and saw the purple ultraviolet light shining into an incubator. It was surreal. I couldn't believe my eyes. I have never seen a human being so tiny. So fragile. So delicate. Literally skin on tiny bones. I looked for a moment and began to sob and walked away. Then I felt I needed to go into the room. I slowly walked toward the little child. So helpless and looking so utterly alone. I prayed to God to let her live, not even sure why. I had had my fill. I walked outside while the others went on to tour the facility. As I sat watching the other children being cared for in the beautiful bright sunshine God spoke to my heart and reminded me of the scripture in Ezekiel 37. I will close with that for now and remind you that the little girl's name was Hope and that God still does miracles...

Ezekiel 37

The Valley of Dry Bones

¹ The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?”

I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.”

⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath^[a]enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

This is Hope...

It's a Small World... Opportunity International

2011-09-08T05:48:00.001-04:00

We just got back from our meeting and tour with Opportunity International. We met with Teddy (a woman!) who showed introduced us to some of their clients and then took us to see some of their businesses. While in the taxi I thought I remembered her from a meeting I had in Raleigh 2 years ago but wasn't sure how to ask her. She said she had been in the states two times. I asked if she sang because I remembered that the woman I met had been a worship leader here in Uganda. IShe said yes and her face lit up and said "You're the worship leader!". Incredibly small world...

Teddy

Opportunity International provides small to medium sized loans to people with established small businesses to help them expand or grow their business. They are lent money in a "trust" with other businesses who are then also responsible for each others loans. Generally they are in the same small community and know one another. Trust is huge amongst them because of someone doesn't pay the others are held accountable. Hence the word trust. : ) They have a variety of businesses from retail stores, Boda Boda (Motorcycle taxis), welding shop, tailors, hardware stores, fish market etc.

They meet once a week to bring their loan payment where they all meet together. We got to meet a group this morning who shared what their business were and how it has impacted them and their families. Many have been able to secure their own homes and educate their children which is huge here. Then we walked around and saw their shops and where they did business. Really cool way to empower people to stand alone by partnering with others. Many were single Moms with up to 9 children. (they will take care of relatives children if the parents die) They were very shy to tell their stories but very proud to show their business later on. A very cool concept that we told them we would help promote for them. Not sure of the details as we have to do do a little research as to how best partner with them through local business men and women in Raleigh who would like to help someone in a difficult situation get a good start. A hand up not a handout... Anyhow, a few pics of the businesses and then we are off to see Living Hope in Kampala and the Watoto Bullrush Baby Center here in Kampala. It's a lot to process but each place we visit has it's own unique flavor and we can see God's hand of blessing on the people involved. Teddy's sister works in the accounting department of Watoto. As I said, it's a small world...

Retail Shop Owner

Welding Shop

Boda Boda!!

Incredible Day...

2011-09-08T02:52:00.001-04:00

Good morning!

At 3:45 AM (a half an hour ago) I awoke with a start to a light flash and someone standing over me! Luckily, it was Siobhan! Since they have rolling blackouts, the clock in our room (which is on my nightstand) is a battery operated one which lights up when you pick it up so you can check the time. She was awake and not sure what time it was and wanted to check. I jumped up! When we got back yesterday night the internet was out and we were bummed we couldn't touch base with our family so Siobhan was restless. She checked the computer and the internet was on so she was able to check messages etc. Now it's my turn as I am wide awake.

I was hoping to update last night when we got back but the internet was down. BTW, Ryan and Tyler Vet if you are reading this, your folks are fine and send their love. They haven't been able to access the internet yet.

Well, let me remember back to yesterday morning... We had a light breakfast around 6:30 AM and were picked up at the hotel at 7. Bonny (that IS the right spelling. It was originally Bonnyface. Pronounced bonny-fuss in a french sort of way) was there with a huge smile to greet us. The first thing I asked him was about the spelling of his name. I told him people would make fun of him in the states for being a "boy name Bonny". He thought that was funny and then told us his full name...

Bonny!

We headed out to the local airstrip to board our 15 seater plane to the Gulu region. It was about a 20 minute ride through parts of town that were much less developed. On the way, Siobhan was reading the local paper. This was on page 3 I believe!

Things you don't want to read in the paper when you're heading to Gulu...

When we arrived, they weighed each of us to determine that we were safe to fly! Luckily they announced it in kilograms so we had no idea how much each other weighed! We flew with a few other people who were going further north than us. Our pilot was Dutch (we think) and very nice and very confident. It was through an organization called MAF, The Missionary Aviation Fellowship. It was so cool before the flight to have the pilot say, let's pray together before our trip. You don't get THAT on American Airlines! : )

Into the wild blue yonder...

The flight was smooth and took about an hour. We flew at about 10,000 feet at 120 knots an hour. (I don't know how many mph that is, google it!) When we arrived we were greeted by Pastor Joe, the Pastor of the Gulu village Watoto Church. He was so friendly also. We headed to Watoto Village Gulu. It was a bumpy ride but we were enjoying hearing history again through the eyes of those who lived through the horrible times that the Ugandans endured during the era of The Lord's Resistance Army. One interesting fact was that the leader actually thinks he is a prophet of God. And many times the local people will attach God, or Lord to a movement. He truly believed he was doing God's will when he would capture the children and have them slaughter their families to develop his "army". He is still alive and is in different parts of Central Africa, trying to rebuild his army with plans to possibly come back to Uganda and try to take over again. Incredible. Something else that many of the local pastors shared was that witchcraft is alive and well and is often times a last resort for people living here when they can't get medical aid. Even Christianity many times becomes a bizarre blend of witchcraft and Christian faith. False doctrines creep in and the people are confused. That's one of the reasons the Skinner's felt compelled to start Watoto Church. To help to re-establish true Biblically based Christianity and help people escape from some of the bondage they are in spiritually and physically. Very enlightening...

We stopped by the local church building (really only to use the bathrooms!) and were again impressed with how clean and well thought out everything is about the facilities. Always beautifully landscaped by their people and well kept. We then headed to Living Hope which is one of the ministries of Watoto Church.

Living Hope ministers to women who have been disenfranchised for one reason or another. Abuse, AIDS etc. Here is the sign on the front of the center which says it all.

We had a quick snack and a coffee which Jacky (Joe's wife and the head of Living Hope) had prepared for us. An incredibly sweet woman with a heart for God that overflows. (Seems to be a pattern in that department!) Then we were off to visit the baby home there in Gulu. It was run by Triumph who gave us a tour of the facility. Clean, well kept and beautifully lanscaped. They take pride in all of their centers and churches here. That has been really cool to see. It was as always, hard to see so many abandoned babies but also wonderful to see the love and care that the women there showered upon the children. There were kids everywhere. Around each corner you would find more. There were several we saw in one room being bottle fed by two women. Three of them in a little triangle. So cute. Siobhan, Laura and Martha held the babies and played with them. Siobhan and Laura had two right to the end and they bawled when they put them down which is heartbreaking because we know we have to leave them. But, they are left in good, capable, loving, God honoring hands so that makes it bearable...

Next we headed to Watoto Village in Gulu. That was about 17 miles away but seemed to take forever. Bad roads and recent flooding made it an adventurous trip with bicycles and motor bikes racing by on either side. Glad I wasn't driving!

We arrived to see a beautiful spread of land with several buildings visible from the road and more once we entered into their village. They have the same type of set-up with 8 homes in a circle facing inward to create the common area. A school building, a clinic and the dug out area for a worship center they hope to build this year. Right now they worship outside if it's nice or on one of the other buildings if the wether is not so pleasant. Speaking of which it has been gorgeous here! They say we are lucky as it is usually much hotter.

Kids at Watoto Village Gulu with Pastor Ivan

We met Ivan, the pastor of the church there. An immediately likable young man of 32 who looks about 25. Very witty and very warm. He loves the children and they have a great affection for him also. We met some of the children and they all run up for hugs or a high five from the "white people". They have a name for us which escapes me right now. He gave us a tour of the place and described the vision for their future enthusiastically. They continue to walk by faith for the building of homes and the finishing of their facility as well as for house Mums to take care of the children. A real "life" work. Not a job. That is one thing we noticed. Not one of the staff we met ever gave the slightest impression that this was a job for them. Truly a calling. The same goes for the house Mums and volunteers who help Watoto in many facets.

The skies were darkening and some big black clouds were rolling in. So we headed back toward Gulu to have a tour of Living Hope facility. Jacky had sandwiches for us when we got back and "real
lemonade and passion juice. So delicious. Siobhan bit into a sandwich which had egg in it. (She's allergic!) She didn't eat it but recognized the taste immediately and just put it down. They were so sweet and made her a chicken sandwich with tomato onion and dressing. (At least we think it was chicken!)

The facility does many different things. They have training to empower women to re-enter the workforce which is huge for them. Many times (most times) their dignity has been stripped away and they feel they have no value to society or even any value at all. They are broken. The center teaches them skills such as sewing, language skills, life skills and they also include a Bible study and discipleship program. They make it clear that women are welcome whether or not they are Christian but time after time the love shown to them by Jacky and the people at the center draws them into a relationship with Christ over time. There are countless stories of reconciliation between families who have abandoned them or even the men that have abused them as God's love heals those relationships through mutual forgiveness and love. Beautiful to see and experience... They also have come up with a business of creating women's sanitary napkins through a unique process using papyrus. It was fascinating to see their workshop and the diligence in which they work to create this product which is something we take for granted but many people can't afford. They offer it through different programs for free to many young women entering puberty and also are able to sell it to different organizations to help them sustain what they are doing. They told us that many girls will experience their first menstrual period while in school and be so embarrassed that they drop out os school and never return. Shunned by their community. This is another way Living Hope reaches out to women. Even young women. When the women "graduate" from the program they can take the sewing machine with them to help them continue to be a productive member of society and empower them to stand on their own. A really beautiful work they are doing.

We've come to see over the past 2 days that Watoto is much more than a place for child orphans. It's a place where people's needs are being met, families are being restored, and God is lifted up in the process. It is a holistic ministry not just treating symptoms but treating the core problems. Their philosophy of ministry is very much in line with what we believe at Hope Community Church. Very cool...

It was time to say goodbye and head back to the airstrip. We said goodbye to Joe and boarded our little plane. Once in the air we encountered some storms. I could see on the radar screen green, yellow and red and even I know that isn't good. We flew much lower about 5,000 feet and at one point he tried to fly around these two huge clouds. The plane was pretty bumpy and it was raining. He was informed by radio that he was flying over a restricted zone (never a good thing in these volatile countries) and quickly went around to the other side of the clouds. He spotted an opening between the clouds (we never saw it!) and flew through it. Before we knew it we were landing. He announced for us to make sure we tightened our seat belts. But then he had left the speaker on and we heard a computer voice say "terrain, terrain, pull up!". He was in control, but it was just a warning that we were nearing the airstrip. We landed and applauded him for his excellent, calm maneuvering through the storm.

Bonny was there waiting for us with a big smile on his face. (Shocking!) And we headed to dinner to meet with Chris and Heather. Chris is Gary Skinner's right hand man and Heather runs Watoto children on the ground operations, I think. They shared their stories and more about the vision of Watoto and we explored more how we might partner with them as an organization and with our people. It's very exciting to me some of the things we talked about but we will wait until things are in place to share them with you...

Well, I have to get up in an hour and a half so I will finish up after uploading a few pics. Thanks for reading along and thanks for your comments! We look forward to today and what God has in store for us. Love to family and friends from all us...

- Karl

P.S. Never did get to bed. Mike and Gary and I had a breakfast meeting then got stood up! It's taken forever to load the photos and now we are leaving to meet with some people who do micro-enterprise. Not part of Watoto but friends of a friend from Hope. More tomorrow...

Early to rise...

2011-09-06T21:55:00.001-04:00

Clock says 3:15 AM. Went to bed by 11 PM. Woke up around 1:30 AM. Went back to bed and now I'm wide awake. I guess it's those 2 all night flights and the fact that it's still Tuesday night back home that has me wide awake at this hour when we have to be up for the day in less than three hours. Oh well, you only live once!

Yesterday morning we arrived at Entebbe airport. The weather was wonderful. Like a fall day back in PA at first. It warmed up throughout the day but was still always fairly pleasant. We were greeted by

Bonny (spelling) who picked us up at the airport with a huge smile and a medium sized bus. We had met him last time we were here. He's so full of joy and told us some history and showed us the sights on our traffic-filled way back to the Hotel where we are stying. It took so long that we had time only for a quick shower before heading out for the day. Siobhan and my room wan't ready so they took us out to a terrace outside and brought us African tea. It was heavenly. SO rich and think already steamed with milk and served each in our own little pot. It really hit the spot but also gave us only a half hour to un-pack and shower and be back in the lobby while the others had 45 minutes! We made it with bells on!

When we got down stairs we headed for Watoto Church Central where we were going to pick up Pastor Doug who was going to show us around yesterday. He is the same guy we met last year and when we saw him he greeted us all warmly and we were on our. way.

Since it was already noon we headed out to Subi Village where we were to meet a house Mum and have a traditional lunch there with her and her children. It took about an hour to get there over roads that were many times dirt but always bumpy! The bus was warm and because of our long trip from Raleigh; many times you would find yourself or someone else just nodding off as we bounced along. Meanwhile Doug shared the vision of Watoto again to all of us and he spoke glowingly of its founders, Gary and Marilyn Skinner. Their vision is to take in orphans and raise them up to be the next generation of leaders in Uganda. I will find their vision statement later as it is really well put!

When we arrived at the village children came running up to all of us and hugged us. They are definitely a "huggy" people! It was so cool. At that time we separated and Siobhan and I went with Bonny (I will find out the spelling of his name today!) went with our house Mum and her family while Mike, Laura, Gary and Martha and Doug went with the other Mum and he family. The children were sooooooo cute and well behaved. One girl had just arrived to live with them the day before. I think she said she was 5. Many are orphaned very young and they will stay with the house Mum and she will raise them until they are ready to leave Watoto village. Little Leon who we met was 11 and he was incredibly helpful to his little "sisters and brothers". The lunch was very good and I had no idea you could have bananas so many different ways! It was neat to see them all playing in the common area between the houses. The houses are built 8 in a circle facing to this common area. They have no electricity but are very comfortable with bunk beds for the kids,an eating area, a tiny kitchen where they cook with charcoal and have a chimney inside to let the smoke out, and a small sitting area. We got to know them a bit and then had to head out to continue our tour for the day. We said good bye with many hugs from the children...

The village is set on top of a beautiful hill with an incredible vista. We headed down the hill to the baby dorm. Wow is all I can say for the women who take care of the babies. They were so friendly and loving. there are 81 orphan babies currently there. When we went in side it is immaculately clean. We walked into a room where there were i think 10 little chairs in a semi-circle on the ground . Empty. In the next room there were 10 little babies lying in a row, heads propped up getting ready to be fed by i think only two women. We got to hold the babies for a bit before they had their feeding. the women were so sweet and loving and the children were absolutely adorable. Not that I love babies or anything! We gave them back and they proceeded to set them up with their bottles for their meals. In the next room, countless toddlers were lining up for their bath in a large sink/basin. They also were so cute and they seemed to keep coming out of nowhere to line up for their bath. The women said they almost do it in instinctually! It's sad that they are all orphans yet they seemed truly loved and cared for by these women. Once they reach the age where they are old enough to be with a family, they are then placed with one of the houses Mums who then takes on the role of raising them.

Truly women of God, obedient to the command to take care of the widows and the orphans. They quickly made me realize that the sacrifices we think we make on any given day pale in comparison... We were only here an hour and l was already getting convicted.

We then headed over to the metal and woodworking shop where they make their own doors, frames and furniture etc. for the village. It's an incredible operation and very professional with excellent craftsmenship. We then wandered over to where some of the young girls in school were in a place where they learn to be seamstresses and also make jewelry etc. Kind of a design center. they were making robes at that time for many of the children getting ready to graduate from the Watoto school. They have a formal education and then can go on to university. The girls were friendly and again, the quality of their work reflects the pride and the "give God your best in all you do attitude" instilled in them from their childhood. Beautiful.

We then went down to visit the goat farm which is part of a big project run by one of the girls who graduated from University after growing up in the Watoto village. She had discovered that goats milk is the closest thing to breast milk that infants can drink in place of nursing. She has a whole set up with filtering machines etc. and many goats! They use this milk to feed the orphans in the baby center up the road. Incredibly sharp young woman and again so filled with love and an obvious love for God as well...

Next we headed of to another village. The first one they had built, I believe. It took 'a while" to get there and again the bumpy roads took us in and out of consciousness. Laura got a great picture of Martha asleep on the bus! I WON'T post it! This village had a wonderful feel to it. Well established and it seemed so natural somehow. The kids were out playing in the common area. Young men and women could be seen outside of their homes hand washing their clothes (and our kids complain about unloading the dishwasher!) or just having fun. School was out for the day and it had a magical sense about it. God was truly caring for these young abandoned children in a homelike setting. It never felt once like and "institution". When we mentioned this to pastor Doug he said something very interesting. I'll quote but I'm paraphrasing... "This was never God's plan. God's plan was to have a child raised with his parents, in the home he was born, with his brothers and sisters. But we believe God showed us a "Plan B". Their Plan B seems to be working incredibly well and already we have been discussing ways we as Hope Community Church can come along side Watoto Church and partner with them as they raise up the next generations of Ugandan leaders...

Well, the flight leaves soon (I think it's a ten seater!) so maybe I can catch another hour of sleep or so before heading out. I am so glad God allowed me to be awake this early to put these thoughts down before the day got away from us. We will be gone all day heading out to the place where "The Invisible Children" lived/live. The Gulu region of Uganda. Watoto has been working there for about 4 or 5 years now and we are excited to see the work they are doing there. Pray for safe travels and a fruitful day. Thanks for reading along. I'll try to post again tonight when we get back. Miss all of you, especially my kids...

- Karl

Night, night...

2011-09-06T14:03:00.000-04:00

Too tired to post right now. Made it to Uganda. Arrived early this morning got a quick shower and headed out to tour many of the different Watoto ministries. Got to hold babies, meet lots of people etc. the people are so friendly and really made us feel welcome . Will write in more detail tomorrow. Have to crash now as we have o get up at 6 am to take a small plane north to the Gulu region. Thanks for praying and more to come later...

- Karl

On our way...

2011-09-04T22:13:00.000-04:00

Well, here we are at JFK. It's 9:45 PM and we just had a good meal before boarding the plane for London where, after flying through the night, we have most of the day as a layover. We plan on going into the city and exploring with Siobhan as our guide. Then we head to Entebbe on Monday evening. So far all has been uneventful though it was stressful today thinking about the kids while we will be away. But I just got off the phone and Petra (our dog) was fed and Tadhg (our youngest) had showered, so all seems to be going well!

We had a great weekend at Hope and Ciara singing really made the weekend special for us and a lot of other people. It was a great way to prepare for the trip. Mike spoke about "sharing your story" and the songs all spoke to trusting in God in the good and especially in the "bad" or difficult seasons of life. Heading into unknown territory, as we are about to do, it was a great reminder to rely on God in all situations.

I hope you find time to follow along with us as we discover how we as a church can partner with those on the ground already in Uganda, who are raising up the next generation of leaders in that nation.

Well, just wanted to jot down a few thoughts before we headed out and get my typing fingers into motion!

Thanks for your prayers and thoughts...

Mike, Laura, Gary, Martha, Karl and Siobhan

Four More Days...

2011-08-31T09:24:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe we are leaving for Uganda in only 4 days. I certainly don't feel ready to go but then I never do for trips like these. It's not about packing because you don't need a whole lot. It's not about planning because there are so many unknowns that it's best to just keep an open mind to what will happen and go along for the ride. I guess it's just "leaving". Leaving everything you know (family, friends, our church family, "normal food", creature comforts, security, routine...) to spend 10 days with none of those things.

It's always eye-opening and always a great reminder to appreciate what I have but until I get back, those feelings don't really come into play. For that period I am disconnected from normal life but I also know that I usually reconnect with God in extraordinary ways. And again, it's one of the reasons we continue to go back. So we don't forget that not everyone enjoys what we enjoy and that there are place where you still have to walk hours for a cup of water and even then, most of us wouldn't drink it...

But this time will be unique because my wife will be with me. We have never gone on a "mission" trip together. I'm excited about that. To experience together what each of has experienced separately. She in Haiti and myself in many other parts of the world. Pray for us as we prepare and if you're reading this and we have already left pray for us anyway!

-Karl

New web link? What's up?...

2011-08-17T15:38:00.001-04:00

Hi All

Why the new name?

Since the old blog (hopeforthecarnow.blogspot.com) was used to update everyone on our trips to the C.A.R. and we have been expanding the areas we are serving in, I decided to have a more generic blog. My love for music goes without saying (if you know me at all!) but the opportunity to be a part of changing lives around the world in both a physical and spiritual way is exciting to me and is one of the reasons I love being a part of Hope Community Church. Hence the web link to http://www.karlmoraski-beyondthemusic.com/ I already have a music website but I wanted to have something that is totally dedicated to the other passion of my life which is sharing God's love in real and tangible ways. Btw, bog thanks to Todd Darling for getting it linked up!

I hear from so many people that the church is "all about getting your money" or "crazy right wing politics" or any number of things that we "are against". I want to be able to share the good we are doing for people simply because that's one of the things that God has called us to do as Christians. Help the poor and needy. Love our neighbor (whether they are in Cary, Raleigh, The C.A.R, The Congo, Haiti or Uganda) as ourself...

What sparked this passion?

In 2006, Mike (our Sr. Pastor) and I heard Bono speak at the Leadership Summit (basically a religious conference on leadership) and his passion for the hurting, poor and AIDS strricken was compelling. To both of us.

If you've never seen this speech you ought to check it out:
1st one- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIMcORRdJ_Y&feature=fvsr
2nd one- the wrap up- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvOIA4egNvk&feature=related

After hearing Bono speak we were inspired to go and see how we could be a part of the solution. Just a few weeks later we had our visas and were headed to meet up with Jim Hocking, http://www.icdinternational.org/ who had invited us for years to come and partner with him in what he was doing in The Central African Republic and our world was rocked in a way neither of us expected. We were, for lack of a better word, "broken". Our perception of reality changed forever. "Enough" in our normal western mindset vocabulary had been changed to "way too much". We were also blown away at what could be done in the lives of people with just a well, a latrine and some basic education and we were determined to go back to the church and share that vision with them.

We in America (even the poorest of us) live in excess compared to the majority of the people in that nation. It's one thing to see a bloated, malnourished body on a news clip or in the National Geographic Magazine; it's quite another to hold the tiny hand of that frail body and look directly into the eyes of hunger and thirst...

Since then we have been back many times and have seen what we as a church body have been able to accomplish. Entire villages transformed and lives changes forever. And so we will continue to reach our hands around the world and extend God's love in many different ways and I am excited to see where God will take us next....
I hope you will follow along on our journey and I hope if you are one of those that paints the whole church with one brush that you might see just a glimpse of the love of Jesus in the place we call Hope Community Church...

New Blog Title?? Uganda, Haiti, The Congo?? What's going on??

2011-08-13T11:57:00.000-04:00

On September 4th, Mike Lee (our Sr. Pastor), Gary Vet (our Spiritual Formations Pastor) and myself, along our wives will be heading to Uganda where we ended our trip last year with a whirlwind tour of Watoto and the incredible work they are doing in that nation. This time we will head up to the Gulu region (where the film The Invisible Children was filmed) via a small plane. We will be determining how we can best partner with this awesome organization in the future to help make a difference in the nation of Uganda.

A few days after we return, several us will be heading down to Haiti to do a short video documentary on the work that's been accomplished there. I am excited to see first hand what is going on and to experience what I have heard about for so long but have never seen with my own eyes. Our church has been doing a work there for many years. My wife has been twice! I've never been...

In January, Mike and I are headed to the Democratic Republic of Congo where Jim Hocking and ICDI (who we partner with in the C.A.R.) are about to begin a brand new effort to bring community development to villages in that nation. Jim has received government clearance and obtained some land to set up a base there. His heart for the Central African people has spilled over into this neighboring nation where conditions are as bad if not worse than they are in the C.A.R. which for me is hard to imagine... It's exciting as we will be in on the ground floor of this new effort and the first church to partner with Jim and ICDI in this area.

Soooo, a busy year about to begin. Not to mention that in November I'll be performing my Cinderella with Carolina Ballet, we will be doing a brand new Christmas Production with some original music and I am performing my Beauty and the Beast with Carolina Ballet in May! Did I mention the October 7th fundraiser for Haiti and C.A.R. at The Pour House in Raleigh?? (Don't miss it!)

Hence the new Blog Title. Life has gone way beyond just music and I am excited that God is allowing me opportunities to serve and use my gifts in other ways...

I Heard You Whisper In The Wind

2011-02-04T23:07:00.000-05:00

Farewell all...

2010-09-04T14:56:00.002-04:00

Well, that's all for this trip. thanks again for following along with us. It's been another incredible experience. we will continue to partner with our brothers and sisters on the African continent while we continue to explore new areas to share God's love and spread His message of love and redemption. Thanks for your help and prayers. We appreciate it... here are a few websites for you to learn more about us and the organizations we are partnering with in Africa.

Until later...

Karl

http://www.gethope.net/

http://icdinternational.org/

http://www.watoto.com/

The baby hospital...

2010-09-04T14:54:00.002-04:00

The City, the baby hospital...

2010-09-04T14:51:00.002-04:00

The FIRST Watoto orphan... Mama Maggie and us with Maggie's girls...

2010-09-04T14:47:00.002-04:00

One of the Watoto villages (on the hill)

2010-09-04T14:42:00.003-04:00

"The Shop"- woodworking, metal etc...

2010-09-04T14:40:00.002-04:00

Back in the U.S. of A.! Here are some pics from Watoto in Uganda... Thanks for following along.

2010-09-04T14:36:00.004-04:00

Finally able to post this in Paris. On the way home!

2010-09-03T03:29:00.002-04:00

Well, I’m sitting here moving at 464mph on board our KLM flight headed toward Amsterdam. It’s an 8 hour flight with a short layover followed by a flight from Amsterdam to Paris where we’ll change planes again before crossing the Atlantic as we head from Paris to Atlanta then it’s only a short hop, skip and a jump to Raleigh...

Today was amazing. Our emotions ran the full gamut. From having the best time and being excited by what we saw, heard and experienced to tears flowing down witnessing the babies in the Watoto orphan hospital. Watoto is an African word meaning “children”.

The day started with a trip to one of the Watoto churches. It’s an amphitheatre type of situation. Very cool. We were taken around by Doug Stride who until recently was the worship leader here in Kampala. He is now more involved more in the Watoto children’s area of ministry dealing with orphans and making sure they are getting proper biblical training in all the villages. He is originally Canadian and has been here for 5 years with his wife and children. He’s a great guy with a heart for God that spills out so naturally in his speech and in his actions. There was some Christian music playing quietly in the amphitheatre and I got emotional hearing it; imagining the place being filled with people worshipping our God just as we do weekly in Raleigh and where others worldwide also do.

We left there and headed to a workshop where they make furniture and metalworks which they actually use in all of their facilities. Chests of drawers, tables, iron door frames, tables. You name it, they make it. And they were all so friendly and proud of what they were doing.

From there we headed up the hill (an incredible vista) to where the classrooms and orphan care homes are. The village. The Watoto village model is incredible. Fully integrated with schools, homes for the teachers, orphan children and their house mothers, a baby center for 0-2 year old orphans all set on top of a hill which a few years ago was just a hill. Now it is filled with children getting a chance at life by being loved, cared for, educated, and spiritually built up. They learn all the basics such as science, english, math etc. and also have the opportunity to learn sewing and cooking skills and other practical skills. Everyone was very friendly and everyone knew Doug which is a real testament to him. We got to meet the first Watoto orphan (by chance while walking around the grounds as she walked from one class to another) who is about to graduate and attend university. She is 18 and has been in the program for most of her life. She was upbeat and excited to be moving on in her education. The orphans can stay with the house mother (who is really a mom to them) through university if they choose and they are free to live their lives. Some who have come into the program as older children have gone on and graduated university and are now back at Watoto giving back by serving there and some are employed there. there is a girl who majored in science and health and has discovered that babies (formula is soooo expensive) can actually drink goat’s milk if properly fed and maintained and processed in place of breast milk. They just began their first goat farm and she is heading it up. Amazing...

We then visited a house where “Mama Maggie” treated us to some home cooking and we got to meet her “children”. The house is modest with no electricity. has 2 bedrooms with bunks for the kids and one room for maggie to sleep in. A small kitchen and a common area that has the dining table and a few chairs and a small couch. The kids were so sweet and hugged us and sat by us as we ate and she told her story to us. She was a widow (her husband died of AIDS) and she had one daughter. Through attending the Watoto church near her home and serving AIDS families in her area, through a series of incredible circumstances she became a house mother. Each house takes up to 8 children. She cares and loves them as her own. Her love for Jesus and her faith in God was so real and so refreshing. She spoke with laughter and also close to tears as she shared how she was treated after her husband died. Her and her daughter were shunned by their neighbors who would cover their eyes as they walked past and said “There are the walking corpses”. Assuming they too would die of the disease which took her husband. Also her husband’s family came and took everything from her including the curtains on the wall of their home. Unfortunately her story is a common one... She is 60 and an absolute health nut and looks wonderful for her age and life story. God is doing amazing things through the Watoto ministry. We said goodbye- hugged all the kids and went down the hill to see the baby center. As i said they take care of 0-2 year olds but the kids were napping so we couldn’t go in and look around too much. It is a nice facility staffed by loving people.

From their we headed to the Watoto church in Kampala. It seats around 1500 and again we met some really nice people. One of the choirs was rehearsing (like we had at Hope last April) in the auditorium and there was also a group gathered who are waiting to go to the U.S. and Canada with a new production called, I believe, “Restored”. It tells the story through song and story of the child soldiers of the north of Uganda who experienced unspeakable horrors and how they have been restored through the power of forgiveness and the power of the cross. they are having trouble with their visas to get out of the country and now their trip has been delayed until they get them. Still, they were remaining positive and Mike prayed with them. It was cool to see their heart for God at such a young age. If we can, we will bring the to Hope when they get to the states...

After that we headed for the infant/baby hospital. They have everything from preemies upward. the staff,again. was so loving and caring. It is an enormous undertaking and these children are also ALL orphans. We all got to hold a child at some point but when the others walked around, I stayed with little Gavin. (a little guy-still a crawler, maybe about 7 months old) I walked around and held him, switching from one arm to the other when it got tired as I did with my own children when they were little for about 20 minutes. He was so cute and just wanted to be held and walk around. Right before we left a lady came and said it’s time for his nap. I thought I would lose it right there but i managed o hold it together until I got in the van to leave... Mike and Elade and adam meanwhile met a woman from the USA who works there. She was trying to arrange for a small boy who had multiple problems and needed multiple surgeries to get to the U.S. They took her information and already Elade has contacted people in the U.S. to see if they can help. You can pray for that...

We left their emotionally spent and we were to head to meet the CEO to talk with him before we headed to the airport. Alan and his wife were so nice and we talked about how we might partner with them. They are British so I was able to tease him some as so is Siobhan. (my wife) They had a great sense of humour as well as great vision for Watoto.

Afterward we headed to the airport and here I sit, trying to recall a whirlwind of a day. I hope I remembered everything. We are excited now to get back to our families and hold them and see them again. Absence sincerely makes the heart grow fonder and seeing the families who are not intact and live in conditions like the C.A.R. makes me remember how truly blessed I am. These trips always remind me of all we have in America that we take for granted and I’m thankful for that...

I’ll sign off for now as the snack and beverage cart is conveniently right next to me...

Thanks for reading along..

bye for now,

Karl (and the team)

In Uganda...

2010-09-02T03:58:00.002-04:00

Just getting ready to get picked up at our hotel. It felt great to shower last night! We almost didn't get out of Bangui.

They had overbooked the flight and if we hadn't had Jim with us we wouldn't have gotten out. They had told us no at first and then we had about 5 people working on it. There were two missionary women who were sobbing because they couldn't get out.

Well, we have to go. Our friends from Watoto are here to pick us up and go see their work. We are excited to see what they are doing and how we might partner with them...

Luv to all.

Yesterday we travelled all day long nd arrived here at midnight...

I'm tiiired...

Karl

Out of time... till later...

2010-08-31T15:27:00.001-04:00

More pics... the place where we delivered the drilling rig. This is where they get their water now...

2010-08-31T15:04:00.005-04:00

More pics...

2010-08-31T14:56:00.002-04:00

Goodbye Bangui

2010-08-31T14:41:00.005-04:00

Well,

It's our last night here and of course the internet has been down all day so I'm back at the internet cafe' we used to use on the other trips before Jim got wireless at the compound. Kind of nostalgic... I miss Rex being able to onl;y download 2 e-mails while Mark downloaded 240. Things like that...

Anyhow, we head for Uganda tomorrow which looks close on a map but will take us until 11:20 pm tomorrow night to get there and we have to leave the compound at 7am...

Today we went to the ICDI radio station and it was a good thing. They were having problems with the connections on the generator that Mark's company Powersecure donated last time. Within 15 minutes Jim had it running! He is the man.

We've had some stomach and other "inside" issues but nothing too severe. I may have lost a couple pounds but it won't kill me!

I only have a half hour here tonight so I'm going to try to upload some photos. I shrunk them down so hopefully I can get them through. Not sure what the internet will be like in Uganda but if it's there I'll update. Pray for our travels we have so many connections over the next three days it's ridiculous...

Lots of love to my family and love to all of you...

-Karl

Monday in Bangui... August 30th...

2010-08-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

It’s Monday and now we are heading into the home stretch. Only 5 more days on the continent and we leave the C.A.R. on Wednesday for Uganda. Mixed emotions as we can’t wait to get home but each day brings new excitement for what is happening and what we are a part of here in Central Africa.

Mike, Elade and I just got back from visiting a big stretch of land (about 325 acres) that the government is letting ICDI use for agricultural development. Wednesday the agreement will be finalized so you can pray about that. It used to be part of the govt’s center for agricultural but has become overgrown and basically abandoned. They will be able to test which kinds of vegetables and fruits grow best here and under what conditions. it will be used to fund the seed bank which will be used in villages all over the country to plant gardens in the villages that now have fresh water. It’s THE next wave in getting the people in the villages healthy after fresh water and hygiene is established. We are excited to come along side ICDI and begin to develop this emerging area. Without a good diet, they cannot sustain good health. Even diseases like AIDS can be treated relatively cheaply with medicines here but they don’t have the diet which will allow them to utilize the meds. Nanga (who recently moved to Cary from C.A.R.) is heading up the agricultural portion of ICDI. He is an awesome guy and if you live in the Raleigh area or attend “Hope” you will be seeing him around. He has such a passion for the people and for the work being done here to empower the nationals to take pride in their country and help them to turn this country around. This is groundbreaking stuff here...

We just finished lunch and it’s raining gently outside. We’re going to see where they are producing Spirulina which is a green algae; the highest source of protein in the world...

The trip to the Spirulina “farm” was really enlightening. They are producing the Spirulina in a co-op in conjunction with ICDI. Each “pond” (artficially made with cement for controlled growing purposes) produces about 600 kilos which is enough Spirulina (after harvesting) to provide protein/nutrition for about 1500 people. It employs people, helps people and gives hope to people. The man in charge took such pride in his work. It was incredible to see him explain everything and to introduce those who work along side of him. It is another project that ICDI is involved with that is really or really has the potential to make a huge difference here in the C.A.R.

Well, it was a good day. It’s heading toward 5pm and will be dark soon. We really haven’t had much rain considering it’s rainy season. Which is ok i guess except we were hoping to experience a big storm which is always cool. I’m going to try to post pics from the last few days but it takes so long to post each one that it’s kind of difficult and you can only post them in the evening because of the connection speed. Love to all from all of us...

Karl

Sitting by the fire...

2010-08-29T17:40:00.002-04:00

Sunday Night: Back in Bangui

2010-08-29T17:26:00.002-04:00

It's Sunday night and we just got back from dinner. We actually went to a real restaurant with Jim and two of his sons and their wives and Ted from ICDI. It was great to relax and be served!

Last night was great. They showed the Jesus film and the people loved it. They actually applauded when Jesus rose from the grave! We sat near the other side of the village and our tents with a fire and met with the pastor from the village and a few other men. We had great talks about their situation. They are in a strange situation which is kind of a bullying type of situation from the Central Africans. The Bayakans are bullied into so much and really don't know how to handle it. It was good to talk it out with them and give them a new perspective. After that we crashed in the tents. On the ground with a 1 inch mat. It was the worst night's sleep for all of us...

We all got of bed fairly early and sat and had coffee around the fire. then we went to the church service in the village. Very lively and an awesome message by Bernaden who travelled there with us. He spoke to our hearts in a wonderful way and spoke to the people there also with such wisdom. And a lot of it had to do with how we should live and love each other if we are God's children. Not so easy considering the dilemma they face but he really brought the message of jesus' love home this morning...

After the services we got packed up and headed back toward Bangui. We had a crazy ride and at one point the road disappeared. I'll post some pictures tomorrow if the internet is up for it. : )

But without too much incident, we made it back to Bangui. We're back in our room now. mike and Adam are reading and I'm about to crawl into bed. Elade is in the other room i think but I'm sure will crash shortly also. Tomorrow should be a chilled out day. we plan to drive to some Falls which Mike and I have seen before. Very beautiful, especially in the rainy season. Well good night for now...

Karl

It's Sunday night and we just got back from the rain forest. We are bushed...

2010-08-29T13:32:00.000-04:00

It’s Friday night around 8:30 and it has been an incredibly long day. We just finished the most delicious dinner but I should probably start from the beginning of the day.

First of all, it’s only the end of our 2nd day and it literally seems like we’ve been here for 4 or 5 days. Not in a negative way (well, maybe) but the days just seem long and today we did and saw so many things.

We got up before 7am and had a little breakfast in Bangui at the compound. We began to load the two Jeeps with supplies etc. for our journey to Moale. Of course that would turn out to be quite the adventure to get there and actually we won’t actually get there until tomorrow.

We headed out and started out on nice C.A.R. paved roads. Not much worse than Scranton roads so that wasn’t too bad. After about 3 hours bumping along we stopped in a little village where we have been before called Mbaiki. We went to a little hut and had some “lunch”. It was Dyker; (sp.) a kind of wild deer or dog. I’m still not sure after 3 trips here. And had monkey for the first time. Believe it or not, we all preferred the monkey! Very strange to think about eating that animal but hey when in Africa...

(The lights just went out in the place we are staying and immediately some bugs started flying at my computer screen. I charged it up before we left because I knew there would be limited power. I guess they just turned the generator out for the night. No warning. just pitch blackness and the sound of birds, crickets and other creatures outside the window and this wretched bug crawling around my screen. Cool soundtrack though.)

Anyhow, back to this morning. we ate and we were on our way again. We had a rather long way ride as the road turned from pavement to dirt. We passed the time joking around and discussing plans for the future in C.A.R. as well as Haiti and the uttermost parts of the world. Jim was driving our vehicle and it was Elade, Adam and me in the back and Mike up front with Jim. the other vehicle had two central Africans. The plane was to head to Jerusalem (crazy, i know) where we would nearby pick up the well drilling rig and park it there in that village where they will begin to drill next week when the rest of the gear and drilling team arrives. The road got narrower and narrower and by the time we met up with the drill rig (the Beetle!) the “road” was pretty narrow.

When we pulled into Jerusalem the people were soooooo excited. It’s a Pygmy village and it is way out there. This reminded me of the first time we came where the people had no fresh water and how unhealthy they looked. They were beginning to grow some fruit trees etc. (Jim and ICDI have been here in preparation) but still, without the water the hope of being truly healthy is impossible. They unloaded the drilling rig from the truck into the middle of this tiny village and the people were quite amazed and some of the women and children were frightened when the engines fired up. Still, we know that once the work is done they will not be afraid and will begin a new way of life. Jim took us along with some of the Pygmies from the village into the forest to see where they currently get their water from. (picture attached hopefully) It is a tiny stream and not very clean and they have to carry it about 10 minutes back to where they live. Not so far but; but also not very sanitary to say the least. We walked back to the village ( a guy climbed up a tree to show us what they can do on our way back! Incredible.) and got ready to heat to where we were staying for the night. Someone from the village was very sick so we took him in the vehicle with us back to where we were headed as they have a hospital there.

It turns out to be a Catholic mission with a hospital and a church. What’s really crazy is that they are a Polish mission. The priest was Polish as well as the nurse and the woman who cooks. When I was introduced I said to them in Polish “There will always be a Poland!” (which is one of the only phrases I know!) They were so excited and started to speak in their native tongue to me but I said “That’s all I got!” As American as you can get! They were so sweet... they showed us to our rooms. There are 2 rooms to a “suite” so we have a little privacy. It felt so good to shower after being in the jungle and out in the dust all day. Even though it’s only cold water no one minded at all...

We read for a bit and after the sun set we all went inside and enjoyed the scents coming from the kitchen as the food was being prepared. It smelled soooooooo good. No offense to Jim’s cooking but this woman knew how to cook. She prepared a wonderful mushroom soup, mashed potatoes, mushrooms the size of a salad plate which were breaded and fried and a delicious Hungarian goulash, a salad (like a coleslaw) with a dressing that was spiced with paprika. Incredible. A real treat. She had a fresh fruit mixture for dessert also. We talked and laughed with them as we shared stories together around the table. It was a great time. As soon as we were done eating half of the lights went out so we took the signal that it was time to retire for the evening. We thanked them and said good night.

Mike and i share a suite. he’s in the next room and HAS a generator light (senior pastor always gets the best of course! JK) and is reading a book. i can hear Elade and Adam talking next door in the suite they are sharing. they are playing trivial pursuit . I think. They asked me to play but if you know me you know I HATE games. plus I wanted to write all of this down before it left my mind for good...

And so here I sit; with the sole light from my computer screen staring at me as the thoughts pour out as best I can remember from the day that has just passed and is about to end. My body is sore from the travel and advil is in my near future. I always find this therapeutic to sit and reflect and to pass on the events of our trip. The next two days will be without internet so I know it will be a lot to read when you finally get this. Tomorrow we head to Moale, which was our final destination, where we will camp out in tents for a couple of nights. We’re already trying to talk Jim into shortening that after walking in the jungle today! We’ll see what happens...

I thought of “Hope” (our church) tonight when I read a phrase in a book by Brennan Manning called “The Signature of Jesus”. I haven’t gotten very far in it but he says (and I’ll say goodnight with this) “I want neither a blood-n-guts religion that would make Clint Eastwood, not Jesus our hero; nor a speculative religion that would imprison the gospel in the halls of academia; nor a noisy, feel-good religion that is a naked appeal to emotion. I long for passion, intelligence, and compassion in a church without ostentation, gently beckoning to the world to come and enjoy the peace and unity we possess because of the Spirit in our midst.”

Good night-

Karl

Saturday August 28th...

We just returned back from a 90 minute walk to where the Bayakan people from this village get their water. Good timing because the rain just started falling. We have our tents set up but are sitting underneath a tin roof outside of a hut. Kind of funny to be sitting here with the laptop fired up!

This morning we were awoken at 5:30 to the Catholic mission bells ringing. We didn’t HAVE to be up until 6:45 am so none of us were that excited to hear that. I got up and did some push ups (Mike and I are at least trying to do some kind of exercise while we’re here) and then put long pants on and went into the common area. The lady had hot water with instant coffee and some bread and cheese ready for us. We loaded up the car and then headed on our way. The road started off the same as the previous day but quickly got narrower and much “bumpier”. Because of the rains, the road take a beating during this season but we enjoyed the ride. Somewhere along the way we encountered a traffic jam! Incredible as we didn’t see one other car before this. We came along two broken down vehicles. It’s a slight problem when the road is not even wide enough for one vehicle. Oddly enough, on the other side of the vehicle was the truck that had brought the drill rig to where we were headed on it’s way back!. We tried to help them but there wasn’t anything we could do. We drove “around” them and continued on our way. The road got bumpier and bumpier (including a few huge puddles to drive through) but before we knew it, three and a half hours had gone by and we were in Moale. It’s smaller than we all imagined it to be. All the people ran toward us to meet us and say hello. This is the village where we will drill our next well.

We got out and set up our tents kind of on the edge of the village under a big tree. After that we had a little meal. [Jim’s famous cooking. Some kind of Dyker Meat Helper or something that resembled Hamburger helper. I didn’t ask what it was. i just dutifully ate some of it. : )] Afterward we got a shotgun and a 22 and headed into the forest to “hunt”. We walked out about 40 minutes into the jungle but never DID see any wildlife. We did some target shooting on a tree and I got a bullseye! Adam did well also and Mike DID hit the tree. Elade couldn’t even hit a tree in a rain forest.

After we got back we took a little break (it’s very humid) and then we headed out to see where they get their water from. It’s a 45 minute walk to the “water hole”. We were so disheartened when we got there as it looks really gross and is not very clean at all. Young and old, men, women and children all carrying big jugs either filled or partially filled with water walked along the pathway. It will be so awesome once the wells are completed. It will make life so much easier and the water will be fresh. I look forward to seeing the progress in the village a year from now...

Tonight we will have a big campfire which usually means a big celebration in a village like this. I’m a little melancholic today because my parents are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary today with a celebration at their house with all of my family. Siobhan and Tadhg are going to try to fly up and surprise them since I told them I was unable to go because I would be in Africa. It’s hard being away at times like this and sad to miss a momentous occasion. Still, I know they understand. It’s also Saturday and I know church will be happening today and I miss being there for that also... After the campfire they will show “The Jesus Film” which I’ve heard of but never actually seen. It is translated into their language so it gives us a chance to share about jesus and God’s love for ALL people. We brought a generator and a projector and some kind of screen I guess. It should be a good night.

Tomorrow we head back toward Bangui and we will either stay at the Catholic mission or drive all the way back to Bangui. It just depends on how things go.

The rain has stopped and Adam and Elade are playing soccer with some of the people from the village. Mike is sitting next to me and reading and I am finishing up this post. I will be glad to get back to Bangui to post this. Pray for us. The longer we are away the more we miss family and friends. Pray that the well drilling goes well here next week and that things go smoothly. I pray that God watches over our families and that our services touch peoples lives this weekend at Hope...

Karl

Just got back to Bangui and it’s Sunday night... we are wiped out. Try to catch up on today and last night later...

Miss you a lot honey...

Adam giving the kids sunflower seeds and Mike and I with our kids... oh yeah and Elade our eye candy...

2010-08-26T15:05:00.007-04:00

Fixing the well...

2010-08-26T14:15:00.001-04:00

Picture

2010-08-26T14:03:00.000-04:00

Seeing the orphans that we sponsor and a well repair...

2010-08-26T10:14:00.006-04:00

It's always wonderful to see the orphans that we personally sponsor when we are here. We gave them little gifts and told them we prayed for them and how well they looked. They stayed for a little while and then had to leave. It was sad to see them go but good to know that they are in a home where they are cared for and loved and are also getting educated and taught about the truths of the bible.

We just got back from the well repair. It will take a little more work than they had anticipated but they dismantled the whole well right before our eyes to discern what the problem/problems are. Jim's workers are incredible. They gave us a demonstration before we left the compound this morning of exactly how the wells/pumps work. Piece by piece. It was great to see it in action just an hour later as they diagnosed the problems in a real situation. This was a well built by someone else that Jim and ICDI will fix. the people in the village were very friendly and they all came around to see us. The men helped take he well apart under Jim's team's supervision. Pretty amazing... Barak and Kim (she is traveling with Barak) are actually from Blood Water Mission. www.bloodwatermission.com They are doing some incredible work in several different countries and are meeting with Jim to continue to partner with them. It's great to hear their perspective and heart for people.

I'm trying to upload a picture of the orphans but the internet connection is pretty slow. If I can't, I will post this and then we will try to get out to an internet cafe this evening and hopefully that will work better. I have some photos of the well repair and of the orphans which are cool and a couple others I'd like to post but I still haven't been able to upload this one. Oh well, it IS the C.A.R.! I'll post this text now and hopefully do that later. Tomorrow early we leave for the rain forest so it may be a few days until i can post anything but I'll write as I go and post it all whenever i get the opportunity. Thanks for reading along.

Karl

We made it to Bangui...

2010-08-25T15:10:00.003-04:00

Well, we made it. Twenty -five hours of travel. The whole trip went off without a hitch. It’s so much nicer not having the all day layover in Paris. It eliminates having two all night flights. When we arrived in Bangui, Jim met us at the airport and before we knew it we were headed for the compound. It was about 5pm.

Jim’s son Jay and his wife were there and another guy named Barak (pronounced bear-ock just like my son.) and also a girl named Pam. We put our stuff in the room. there are two bunk beds and one cot. I think adam will take the cot though Mike DID offer!

Jim had dinner ready. Some pasta with red “meat” sauce. Not sure what kind of meat. ; ) An onion and green leaf kind of salad. breath should be great tomorrow. And some fresh fruit. The papaya was sooooooooo delicious! We ate and reminisced and got to know the other folks but we’re kind of lethargic from the travel. Not tired really. We ALL need showers and will take them in turn.

Tomorrow we hope to meet up with the orphans that we sponsor. I look forward to that though it is always bitter sweet. It’s neat to see them but sad to leave them...

The next morning is when we are planning on heading out into the rain forest to a place we haven’t been before where we plan to drill a new well. It’s always incredible to see the difference that fresh water makes in a village. Tents for this trip Jim tells us. So that SHOULD be fun!

Well, time for MY shower. When we are in the rain forest I’m not sure how far we ar from internet. Jim said, surprisingly, we may find some coverage somewhere out there. If I do, i will update you all. If not, then as soon as we get out of that area. thanks for reading and thanks for praying for us. The city seems calmer than last time we were here or maybe we’re just getting used to it. Love to my family, my church family and all of our friends...

Karl

We are on our way...

2010-08-24T15:28:00.000-04:00

Well, we are finally on our way. Of course it’s a long way to the C.A.R. but we are on the plane heading to Atlanta where we will have a few hours to kill before heading to Paris, where we will have a few hours to kill before heading to Bangui, where, well, who knows what will happen?!

I couldn’t sleep last night (Mike told me he experienced the same thing- which didn’t surprise me.) At about 3am I was lying awake in bed listening to the rain that had begun to fall. It was soothing at first and then the thunder began. Not bombastic, but that kind of deep rolling thunder that is actually quite soothing to me. I got up several times to jot down a few things I’d forgotten and needed to get or do this morning. Like deodorant, some power bars and oh yeah to cancel my dentist’s appointment for this week! (I never did get to do that) Soon after I heard a noise from downstairs. It was my son “Bear” letting our dog Petra out who is so frightened during storms. I walked out and said hi to my son who was barely responsive at 3am. Still a good master of the dog (who sleeps in his room mostly) to let her out at that time of the morning. A short while later I heard more movement in the hallway outside our room. It was Tadhg, our 9 year old who was awakened by the storm and had to “use the bathroom”. I went out and said goodnight to him and asked if he was ok and he said he was. I thought the dog might get thirsty since she was up so I went into the kitchen and re-filled her bowl with water (about 3:45 by now). When I laid down again it dawned on me how simple that was. To go to the faucet, dump out her water and refill it with fresh water. Here we are about to on head to Africa to continue to partner with ICDI in drilling wells where people have NO fresh water and my dog has fresh water and is is better fed than some of the people in the places we will be going...

People ask all the time, “Why do you go? or “Why do you go back?”” Because if you don’t go back it’s too easy to forget how rich we are. How blessed we are. How little they have but how content they are with what they have. Already my mindset was changing and I hadn’t even begun my day yet. So thanks Bear and Petra for reminding me. I’m thankful to be able to go back and to go with guys who make it enjoyable as difficult as these trips are. We are one less this trip as Big Daddy really felt compelled through many of his friends and his own “listening to the still small voice” not to go. We hugged him this morning before leaving and he’s committed to pray for us while we are away. That was comforting. We’ll miss him.

So here we are, the 4 of us (Mike, Adam, Jean Elade and myself) beginning our journey. Pray for us and follow along and I’ll try to update as often as possible. We are ready for what lies ahead though we don’t have as many details as we’d like. We know we are going into new territory in more ways than one. God leads us and we follow as best we can. Thanks for reading. Bye for now...

Karl

8 more days

2010-08-16T14:20:00.002-04:00

We leave one week from tomorrow and it seems the days are going by so quickly...

I was moved once again after seeing the following video. I am so glad that Jim has been able to partner with Charity Water to help fulfill his vision for the people of the C.A.R.

I had to take a minute and post it so you can see what's happening there and the passion Jim has for that country... enjoy the video. (copy and paste)

http://vimeo.com/14176808

Karl

It's almost time to go again...

2010-08-12T21:16:00.004-04:00

Well, we have our tickets and we leave for the C.A.R. in 12 days. It's Mike, his son Adam, Elade (our missions pastor) and "Big Daddy" and me. When it gets close to the time when we are leaving i always get a weird kind of "advanced homesickness" and i kind of wish that I wasn't leaving the family and our church friends an family. I know it's just feelings but they are feelings that are real nonetheless. We are going to some areas of the C.A.R. that we haven't been to before and we'll actually do a bit of roughing it in the forest with tents this time. Sounds exciting but after having seen the "civilized" areas, i'm not sure this will be at all romantic! Still, we know that Jim (Hocking-the head of ICDI who we partner with) will take good care of us.

We have a fundraising concert with the Band of Brothers to raise money for wells just two days before we leave the states. I believe we have already raised over $23,000.00 in advance of the event. I think Charity Water is offering to finish wells for every $4,000.00 raised so this concert alone will provide 6 wells with water for 6 villages (up to 500 people per well) for the rest of their lives.

We will also get to see the children we have been sponsoring each month for the last several years. That is always such an emotional time. I remember last time when we saw "our little girl" Dieu Reviendre and just sobbing in the car as we drove away. It's always a sobering reminder of the wealth of blessings I have. A family, a loving home... the contrast is too stark to even put into words, hence the tears. Still, to be able to help in small ways and letting them know that we care by actually going and continuing to foster the relationships with the local people there is a great incentive to continue to reach out and to love and care for them. I really fell that it is a privilege to be able to help so many people while at the same time letting them know that we are doing it because Jesus asked us to. I love the reminder in Mark's gospel: “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’

Well, after putting my thoughts down I don't feel quite so torn about going. I know I need to and I just pray and ask you to pray that God would keep us safe and that His love would be seen through us. Pray for our families at home that they would be taken care of by friends and neighbors and that the time would pass quickly while we are away.

I'll try to keep current once we leave but of course sometimes that is just not possible in that country. We are visiting Uganda on the way back as I had hoped and look forward to seeing the work they are doing there wih the hospital and the orphanages.

Thanks for reading...

Until later,

Karl

It may be time to go again...

2010-06-19T13:33:00.003-04:00

It's been about 16 months since we were last in the C.A.R. A lot has happened and a lot of change has occurred. Some good, some bad. Bandits have stolen some of the trucks that Jim used for drilling but luckily no one was hurt... Still, ICDI continues to work tirelessly around the country to bring water and community development to many villages. Hope Community Church continues to be a part of the immense undertaking of bringing fresh water to every part of that country. We are currently planning a trip in August and I pray it all comes together. That trip will also include an additional visit to Uganda where we will meet with some people from Watoto (more another time about them) to see the hospital they have built and what they are doing there with orphans in hopes of transferring that knowledge not only to the C.A.R. but to Haiti as well as we continue to work in that country as well. Please pray for a safe and fruitful trip. Thanks for your prayers and support...

Bye for now,

Karl

It's time to go...

2009-02-12T11:16:00.004-05:00

Thursday! February 12, 2009
7:04 am

Mike and Jim’s son John (now named Prince John-for he shall one day inherit the kingdom of ICDI!) and myself are sitting out in the common area. Mike’s reading, John’s on his laptop and I’m writing.

We had an incredible storm during the night! It started just before 3:30 am. It started for a few minutes of light rain and a couple of thunderclaps and then the skies opened up. The sound of the driving rain pounding above on the metal roof reminded me of standing by the ocean when huge waves come crashing in one right after another. Very intense. Of course being on the top bunk made it even louder! It lasted about 15 minutes and started to die down. It put me right back to sleep and I slept through until about 6 am…

The others are all asleep and I assume will be getting up soon. Jim said we could sleep in today and that we would meet at 8 am for breakfast. What a nice guy! We go to Air France this morning at 9 am to pick up our boarding passes for the 10 pm flight tonight. I know; it doesn’t make sense!

This afternoon Mike and I are scheduled to meet our orphans that we sponsor at 3 pm. The other orphan kids have other activities so they can’t get them all together today. After that, we may go for a ride up in the hills of Bangui. That’s where the only nice homes are. Rex is excited to see the architecture. It’s a long day when you’re ready to leave. It’s not that the time hasn’t been profitable and fun, we just miss home…

I’ll add more later…

1:42 pm

We had a tour of the area this morning and visited some of the other missionaries we’d met before. I even “got to” (guess who set this up!) play the accordion for everyone! It was good chatting with them and catching up for a bit. We went to Air France this morning and we now have our flights confirmed for tonight! Barring something ridiculous we should be on our way to Paris in about 10 hours. Then we have a 5 hour layover and we’re off to New York.

We go to visit our orphans in about 2 hours and then Jim organized a meeting with about 50 of the orphan kids so we’re going to bring the sunglasses we brought to hand out and we also have a lot of candy to pass out to them. I think big daddy brought 2 trunks full! Oh! While I’m thinking of it, I did want to say hi to Kienan! (My son who’s doing his AIT in the Army) Thanks for the comments, I would have e-mailed you back but I never got your new e-mail address! I love you and I’ll call you from New York! I’ll steal a moment to say hi to Ciara, “Bear”, Lorcan and Tadhg while I’m at it! I miss you guys AND Mum as well! : )

I’ll finish up after we come back this afternoon…
5:15 pm
Well, I knew it would happen eventually. Tears flowed today as wel left the orphan care center and met with our “orphans”. Mozane is so solemn and it was hard to say good-bye. Mike’s girl is a little older so she was a little more interactive but not really. It’s hard to leave knowing that their day to day life is so difficult and there is no father here for her. She seems so lost although I know because of what we do she is better off than most kids we’ve seen. Still my heart broke as we pulled away…

Afterward we went back to visit with the kids we saw the first day that we were here. They were so excited to see us and that helped take my mind off of Mozane. Mark had brought sunglasses and they played games where they would recite bible verses to win the prize of the glasses. It was a lot of fun and then we handed out lollipops at the end. They sang for us and really were thrilled that we came back to visit them again. They felt loved and cared for and that was see in their eyes. Well, it’s time for me to post this. I have enjoyed sharing with you all and have thoroughly enjoyed your comments. I look forward to seeing you when we get back and to those who I haven’t met and wrote (or read along); Thank You!…

Until next time,

God bless,

Karl

Back to Bangui...

2009-02-11T04:10:00.005-05:00

Wednesday, February 10, 2009
7am

It’s a slightly cloudy day but the sun is slowly breaking through the clouds. Below me is dense forest and I can see what looks like a river in the distance winding through the forest. Jim (who’s sitting beside me) said it’s actually a very low cloud formation. I can see the reflection of the sun off the formation, which adds to the illusion. We’re at about 4600 feet and climbing in our 6-seater plane heading back to Bangui. The sun continues to reveal itself through the clouds and we are beginning feel the heat coming through the glass on the airplane. We’ll top off at about 8000 feet and it looks like we’ll be beneath the clouds for the hour and a half flight back to the capital city.

We awoke at 5am, (I was already awake for about an hour) brushed our teeth, collected our stuff and headed for the “kitchen”. Jim was there making coffee and boiling water for oatmeal if anyone wanted it. He asked me to get some bread, cheese and meat out in case anyone wanted that. As usual, I think my stomach was still processing the dinner from the night before so I passed on breakfast. We loaded up our gear in the truck, said goodbye to Pastor David (daw-veed) and then headed for the airstrip. (Long dirt road)

Yesterday the guys got back about 6:30 or so. They were pretty exhausted. The trek in to see the gorillas turned out to be a 4 hour round trip hike through some very dense forest and rough terrain. They all said it was a very strenuous hike. I remember from last year how difficult it was but they had an even longer hike than I did. But they saw the gorillas and there are only 3 families (if that’s what you call them) of this type left anywhere in the world. They are called silver backs. As soon as they got back, they cleaned up and we all headed off to a local family’s house for dinner.

Their home (very small) was on the river in the village nearby and they had a screened in porch on the water where we ate. They were very hospitable. The man who lives there is named Berna Din. He is a Central African who has been working with the Pygmy villages sharing about God and Jesus. He said he felt called to do this very clearly in a dream. He was so passionate as he spoke about doing God’s work and having a heart for these people that are outcasts in this society. He is even criticized by his own people and they tell him that he himself is now nothing; garbage, just like the Pygmies. Still he feels compelled to continue to show love to them and share his faith. Truly an amazing man. His wife had prepared dyker and also fried fish with rice and some kind of fish stew. The fried fish was very good. And they brought out this very hot sauce that I had last time I was here. Mark, Rex and Big Daddy added that to their dish. It was great to watch Rex’s face as he took his first bite of that! They loved it though and asked if he could find some for us to take back home.

After dinner they brought out popcorn, which was kind of random and served us coffee which was really good even though it was hot outside. We thanked them and said goodbye and headed off for the Pygmy party.

This year’s party was much better than last years. Mark and Rex brought guitars and John brought his jembe. (drum-spelling?) They would play a song and we would sing and then the Pygmies would play and sing something. We sang songs like ‘lord I lift your name on high’, ‘lord reign in me’, only a god like you’ etc. We taught them to sing a song called ‘Hallelujah’ that you’d probably recognize if you heard it. They would play this one song where they would dance in the middle of the circle. (We were all in a big circle with a fire going and the moon was full and bright overhead, illuminating their tiny village) It was kind of like a competition and when the person who was dancing, ended, we would clap and then another person would go in. Mike got up and did his ride the pony dance. It was hysterical and they were amazed. They applauded when he finished and then the song stopped. I guess he won! Then we broke out into a Band of Brother’s favorite, ‘That’s What I Like About You’ and they seriously couldn’t get enough! They went over by Mark at the end and they wanted to learn how to sing the title. So Mark said it over and over until they got it! It was crazy. Mark definitely knew how to pick the right tunes for THIS crowd! We stayed for about an hour and then said our goodbyes. Elade said to me at one point while we were there that this really shows them and the Central Africans that we value them as human beings and that they’re not humanity’s garbage…

We then headed back to the compound. On the way (it’s only about 10 minutes in the car) we were thirsty and asked if there were any stores in the village that were still open. Berna Din said probably not but we asked him to take us in just to see. It was Mark, Rex, Tom, Berna Din and myself. The store was closed when we got there but people were still hanging out and getting a little rowdy. The patrolmen (two guys with machine guns) were yelling at the rowdy ones to go home. Berna Din got out and asked a guy in front of the store if they were open. He sent him around back and a few minutes later, the owner came up and invited us in. We filled up a case of cold 12 oz bottled cokes, fanta, and something else. Rex paid him and we were on our way. He was really pleasant and glad to oblige us. Berna Din took two for him and his wife and walked home from there. We headed back to the compound with cold drinks for everyone!

I’m looking out the window now and there is a river winding it’s way through the forest. It’s beautiful to see from this vantage point. There are glimpses of sunlight reflecting off the water and low clouds hovering just above it in others... Other than that it’s trees, trees and more trees… Mark and Rex are asleep and Jim is next to me working on his calendar. Chris is flying shotgun today so he’s enjoying the view from the front of the plane.

It’s hard to believe our time here is coming to an end. It’s been wonderful seeing the progress made here since last year and very satisfying knowing that our church has been instrumental in much of the change we’ve seen. It has fortified our desire to continue to invest in the lives of the people here; both their physical needs and their spiritual needs. To be God’s hands and feet; stepping out of what is comfortable and embracing the forgotten and the unloved. Coming here for a week and a half doesn’t feel like a sacrifice at all. When you see the hope in the eyes of the people and the improvement in their physical well being and the way they praise God wholeheartedly in their worship it feels more like a privilege. Two days from now (God willing) we’ll be together with our family and friends and back to the incredible abundance that we have in America. I just pray that I don’t forget that contentment doesn’t come from having things, but from our relationship with God and by loving and caring for our neighbors both at home and afar. The question “Who is my neighbor?” might just as easily be phrased “Who is not my neighbor?”…

It’s been great sharing this adventure with you and the comments have been much appreciated. The serious ones as well as the humorous. Tomorrow we’re hoping to visit the orphan care center in Bangui and Mike and I hope to see the orphans that we sponsor and talk with them and give them some small gifts. I’m looking forward to that. We also have candy and some gifts for the other children at the center. I’m going to try to add a few pics as yesterday right during the middle of uploading, the power went out and the internet just stopped. I was glad I sent the text first! I had a feeling that would happen. Don’t ask how…

We’re about 5 minutes from Bangui now and the sun is really warming up the inside of the plane. I’ve spent the entire time writing and it has flown by. I know, bad pun… Once we land, the pilot will refuel, then go back to pick up the others. The rest of the guys are going to have a toasty flight back.. I can see the city as we approach. We’re flying pretty low right now (my ears are popping) so we’re almost there! Well, pray for the rest of our trip and that we don’t run into any delays. We are all excited to see our families…

Until later

-Karl

photos from the last couple days...

2009-02-11T03:56:00.009-05:00

try some pics-internet is SLLLOOWWW

2009-02-10T10:07:00.005-05:00

google earth coordinates for hopes well at "the end of the world"...

Google Earth longitude/latitude but I don't know how to find it.Can someone find this and let everyone know how to see this?He really wants everyone to know that Hope has touched the lives of these people and they have water, even at the ends of the earth!North 2 degrees 38’ 16.9” latitudeEast 16 de 04' 8.4"

http://mail.gethope.net/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.mapquest.com/maps/l=2.63778;g=16.0689

we made it to bayanga

2009-02-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

Monday Night 7:11 PM February 9, 2009 (and Tuesday)

MY BODY IS SO SORE! We just got to the Swedish Mission Compound where we’re staying tonight. The plane flight was only 45 minutes. It was very cool. A six seater plane and I got to ride up front! With the co-pilot’s headset and everything. The flight was very mellow and we landed w/o incident. Mike and the rest of the crew were waiting on the dirt airstrip to meet us and then we headed off for “the end of the world”.

The first part of the road we had been on before; last year actually when we thought we had seen the most dense forest we had ever been through. And up until today it was. We stopped at a village where we gave out sunglasses last year and had some candy to hand out to everyone. Adults included. They were very appreciative. Jim talked with them a bit about their well and made sure that everything was ok with the well and with them. There was a problem with the power steering in one of the vehicles and they tried to fix that as best they could and then we continued on…

It wasn’t 15 or 20 minutes later of driving that it started to get very dense. We REALLY felt out on the edge of civilization. Thick foliage with a very narrow road and the canopy overhead was covering us. OH! That reminds me. Before we stopped at the 1st village we saw one of these huge ant colonies crossing the road. They are solid thick line of ants about the thickness and density of a radiator hose. The guys in the front car (who had just run over it) stopped and got out to look. By the time Big Daddy, Chris and I decided we would get a look and snap a picture, they were starting to spread. They’re fast and they’re mean and they are hard to kill! Before we knew it they were on us. I was closer to the car so I hurried back inside but they were already on me. Even as I’m typing this, I can still feel them on me!! It’s weird! I managed to kill the ones that were on me but they were on the floor and still climbing in the car because I had left the door open. Mike gave me his hat and I was trying to crush them and it wasn’t easy. Meanwhile, behind the truck in the middle of the road, Chris and Big Daddy were trying to get them off each other and the two Central Africans were helping. (and probably laughing inside because we were so stupid to get out of the car) Eventually we got them off and they got back in the car and we were on our way; still feeling them crawling on our skin!

Now where was I? Oh yeah, we were getting deeper into the forest and it really had the ‘Jurassic Park’ feel. After a while, we came upon a little Pygmy village. Very poor, very remote but Jim had put a well in there so at least they had water. Still they were very disconnected from anything else. We continued on and a short while later we came upon another village and the land kind of just opened up. And then we saw the river. This setting was absolutely beautiful and the village was so clean. Most of the huts were made of wood instead of straw and there was our well. One of the one’s that Hope paid for and here it was at “the end of the world”… Incredible. The people were very excited to see Jim and us for that matter. Tom, our driver said that they very seldom see any white people at all because they are soooooooo far removed. The people looked so healthy and vibrant. Jim said part of the reason is because of the fish they get from the river and the access to Cameroon which is literally right across the river. We got the coordinates from the GPS and we got a hold of the church on the satellite phone and passed them so you can Google Earth it! If you have them (I didn’t write them down when we were at the village) please post them in the comment section of this part of the blog. We met the chief of the village and some of the other people there; after a bit we got into the vehicles and started out on the two hour journey back.

8:48 PM

We just got back from dinner. Dyker (a kind of deer meat) kind of like jerky, rice, and some meatballs which were good, BUT, I have no idea what they were made from! The pastor’s wife cooked the meal for all of us and they were very welcoming. The power will be shut off in about 40 minutes so we’re all trying to get cleaned up a bit before bed. Then it’s flashlights and headlamps for the rest of the night! Tomorrow we’re going to try to see the elephants like we did last year, so there will be a bit of fun! Obviously this isn’t going to get mailed tonight so I’ll write tomorrow’s in before I am able to post this. Thanks again for all of your comments! I enjoy reading them all!

-Karl

TUESDAY February 10, 2009
2:30 pm

Today started at 5am. We got up (in the dark using our flashlights) and got ready. We all met up at the main house in a tiny kitchen. Mark had gotten up earlier to make some eggs and something else with it. Most of the guys ate and had coffee. It was a little early for me and I THINK my stomach was still digesting the dyker and meatballs from the night before if you know what I’m sayin’…

We left here in 2 vehicles and drove off to pick up our guides. They’re some Pygmy guys that Jim uses all the time. They’re good trackers. Some of us would go to see the elephants and the others would try to see the silver back apes. Mike, Mark, Chris, Tom, and Paul our pilot who stayed the night in Bayanga with us. He’s an interesting guy and very pleasant.

After we drove for an hour and a half we parked the xar and got out and started walking. We weren’t 5 minutes ion when we saw two huge elephants (what other kind are there?) right in from of us in the water. You have to cross the water to go to the area where the elephants usually hang out in an area that is a big plain. We stopped and watched them for a bit and then our guides chased them off! (I’m glad they ran away from us and not toward us!) Then we walked through the forest to the place where they hang out. Sure enough they were there and we observed them for about 45 minutes. It is pretty cool to observe animals in the wild… After a bit we headed back to the car and went to meet the guys who had been in search of gorillas. After an hour or so we got back to where they were and they hadn’t left yet. They did go for a ½ hour walk and saw one gorilla which is pretty amazing. They were then going to go out for the regular “hunt”. Since only a certain amount of people can go and I had seen them last year, Mike, Jim, John and I took one opf the vehicles and headed back to run some errands. We stopped by the village where the little boy was so sick last year and got to see him. He was standing! He’s still got some health issues but he looks so much better. To think that he wouldn’t have made it in the condition he was in last year was awesome to see. Hope has provided a well in that village also. Very cool. Then we went across the street to where the well was put in and met the chief and some of the kids. A few of them had just washed off and told Jim, :Now we can wash whenever we want to.”

After that we stopped at the “garage” where they were fixing one of the flat tires we had gotten. Since we got to this part of town we’ve counted 3 flats, lost the clutch and lost the power steering. We think Jim loves this stuff! Then we stopped at the Pygmy village we are going to tonight to make sure that the party was on. Jim talked with them and asked if they needed anything. Mike and I suggested a big white ten with crepe paper and balloons! Anyhow, after that we headed back here to the compound. I’m typing this up because we can go to the Wildlife center to use the internet at 3pm. I’m not sure how many photos I can upload but I’ll at least get this update off. Tonight we have dinner with a local family who Jim says makes some interesting African dishes. Then it’s off to “Dancing with the Pygmys” party. I only hope it can live up to last years! : )

Tomorrow we fly back to Bangui in 2 shifts again on the same plane. I’m not sure what’s on the agenda other than hoping we get back!

I’m sitting here just dripping with sweat. It’s so hot in the afternoon and there is absolutely no cross breeze of any kind flowing through the kitchen. We take so much for granted. A fan would be so welcome right now, but without electricity, there’s not much point to that anyway! Mike’s taking a little 20 minute nap. He got a little overheated at the last village and felt a little nauseous. Jim is sitting next to me typing up his e-mails so when we go to use the internet we can just send the stuff and not take too much time. I like this part of the country and this is the part of the country that Hope is adopting so it’s neat to see what’s happening here. I’m looking forward to hearing stories from the other guys when they get back later on. With Big Daddy along, who knows what will happen?!

Well, thanks for reading. Three days until we’re back in the states. I’m looking forward to coming home and seeing my family. I miss them as do all the other guys miss their families. Still, absence makes the heart grow fonder and my heart is ready for home…

Till tomorrow…

-Karl

we're getting ready to fly to bayanga...

2009-02-09T05:26:00.007-05:00

I've decided to post this now in case I can't get on tonight...

Monday February 9, 2009

It’s 9:20 am Monday morning and we’ve had a great morning. I’m writing this out on the cement porch in front of the guesthouse in Bereberati. It’s kind of quiet. I can hear the hum of equipment coming from across the way where the mechanics garage is located. Mark is inside taking advantage of the internet. Rex is out on the grounds sketching a house. Elade is still hanging out with the mechanics next door. About half an hour ago Mike, Chris and Big Daddy left with Jim to go to the plane that will take us to Bayanga. It’s the first time we’ve been split up since we arrived. Believe it or not, it makes me a little sad even though we’ll be leaving to join them in about 2 ½ hours. The plane is too small to take everyone so Jim had to get all of our weights and divide us into groups. I’m happy to say that I’m on the skinny flight as well as Mark, Elade, Rex and John. (Jim’s son who weighs about 100 lbs soaking wet!) It had something to do with the way you can fuel the plane without refueling after the first flight. Never did quite understand it. Oh well, I’m cool with being called skinny either way you look at it! : )

This morning we got up at 6:30 to meet with Jim’s workers here at the compound. Each day they do a1/2 hour bible study from 7 to 7:30. He introduced all of us and then introduced people there and told us what they did. They have the “garden” and the auto shop as well as some of the well drillers who double doing different jobs when they’re not on the road drilling. He has about 50 Central Africans employed. Thirty of them were with us and the other 20 are out on the road. Mark and I got ot go to the garden after the meeting to see and have explained to us what they are doing. It was incredible. They have so many fruits and vegetables growing ther that they than transfer to villages in the area to help them be able to feed themselves. The agro portion of ICDI is really advancing rapidly and they are constantly testing to see which varieties grow better and how to take care of the plants and maintain vitality. For example they have 29 different kinds on banana and plantain trees groing ion the garden! I didn’t even know there were that many. Tokundo, who is about 50 years old, showed us around and was so polite and also spoke very good English. He told me proudly (I don’t know why) that now I was his friend. Such a sweet spirit… The other went two by two (sounds like the book of Acts!) to different areas. The auto, the lathe machines etc. I’m glad I met Tokundo and got to visit the gardens. They are well maintained and very organized, with everything labeled and in order. It’s a whole side of ICDI I had not seen or learned about before.

Afterward, we came back and had pancakes! Amazing… AND they were really good. The woman, Elise who has been cooking for us here has made some very tasty and different dishes. We had beans in a peanut butter sauce, (sounds gross but was sooo good) a potato/carrot/ soup, a beef dish with a delicious sauce. It’s WAY better than Jim’s cooking! (sorry Jim…)

I’m not sure when you’ll get this since I don’t know the internet situation where we are going. I think this is the place where last year we were able to use the internet service at the World Wild Life Federation. If so, maybe I can post this tonight. If not, you’ll hopefully get it by the next day… I’m going to pack my backpack and get ready for the flight. I can’t WAIT to see this plane…

sunday...

2009-02-08T11:42:00.004-05:00

Sunday February 8, 2009

Well, we had an awesome morning! I got up around 6:30 and most of the guys were beginning to stir. (except for Elade and Big Daddy!) We met out on the porch and shot the breeze for about 45 minutes. Jim was telling us a bit about the history of the mission movement since the 1920’s here in the CAR. (the people we are associated with at any rate) It was very moving; a cool way to start the day. We sat and had a light breakfast and got ready to head to church. We were going to go to the church where the lead well driller whose wife died two weeks ago attends. It was an “Apostolic” church. (not sure what that meant till we went there.!) They were VERY exuberant in their worship!

When we arrived they were already singing away. They sat us in the front row so we were really “on display”. They were dancing and singing at the top of their lungs. They put us to shame! : ) Someone would share from the congregation and then everyone simultaneously would pray aloud for that person. If it was a praise, you could feel the joy in their voices; if it was something sad, you could feel the pain and the storming of heaven with petitions. It was really powerful to me. It’s incredible that we have everything and want for more and they have so little but praise God with every fiber of their being. It was very convicting…

They introduced us each by name and then they had Jim say a few words in Sango. Before he spoke they said that he speaks better Sango than anyone there! They had a great sense of humor. At one point they were all dancing and the singer made a joke about us (Jim translated) that we were kind of clapping along but just standing there, so Chris started dancing. The people loved it! They said one of them is getting it but the others will learn! : ) The pastor spoke on Psalm 133 but went on to talk about how the word of God needs to be our guide (Jim translated again!) for daily living and how church can’t be just a Sunday thing. He also encouraged them to continue to meet together at church and for Bible studies they have throughout the week. He used us as an example that even though we were far from home we found other believers to worship with and that what we were seeing was a little pre-view of how in heaven ALL people groups will be worshipping God together. It was really cool…

At a certain point (the service was about 2 ½ hours long but didn’t seem it) they asked if we would like to sing for them. Mark and Rex played guitar and bass and Mike and I stood up front facing them and led them in Lord, Reign in Me! Their percussion players joined right in. It was so awesome. Then during the middle of it, I looked at Mike and I started dancing! He joined right in with me and the people absolutely loved it! After that the man whose wife died stood up front and shared with the people. He said “she’s home and someday I will follow her; I’m sad but I don’t want to cry because I till have joy in my heart.” That was too much for me… I had tears flowing down. We then shared communion with them and then they asked if I would pray in English, so I did. It felt good to thank God for what He had done that morning and what He had showed me even though I knew they couldn’t understand… very humbling. God reminded me that Jesus shed his blood for all men and women everywhere… After that they took an offering where they all come up one at a time and put their tithe in one basket and anything else in a different basket. The women’s dresses were so colorful and the men wore their Sunday best. It was such a neat part of the service. They gave some announcements after that and asked Elade to close in prayer and he prayed in French. It was so cool to hear that… After the service, we went outside and the well Jim had put in was lined up with people waiting for water.

The bad part of the morning was that Big Daddy missed the whole thing! Right before we left for church he felt awful and looked terrible. He was very sick so Tom, one of the guys from here, stayed with him and we called once to make sure he was ok during the service. By the time we got back he was feeling fine and he’s doing well! He said he asked God for a healing and got it…

We just had a tour of the facility. It’s incredible. The mechanics section is filled with car parts, bolts, tools, bays, all made from shipping containers. The guys that work for Jim were very friendly and they do amazing work. Nothing is wasted. This afternoon 9right now) we all have a little free time and then we’re going to go to visit another orphan care group in this part of the country. Since we’ve never been here it’s all new to us so it’s been very exciting to see what ICDI is doing down here. Well, I’m going to take a little break and I’ll finish this up later on…

Well, it’s late afternoon and we just got back from a neat experience. Mark got to meet the orphan he and his family sponsor in her home setting. She was so cute and very shy at first but began to warm up after a while. We had fun giving out candy to the kids in her family (I think the mom cares for about 14 kids. Eight are her own but her husband is not alive… We spent probably an hour with them joking around and getting to know them. It was a great way to end the day. We’re back at the compound now and some of the guys are playing soccer/basketball, Mark and Chris went to look at some “tech” stuff with Jim (seeing where the generators will go when they arrive and helping Jim to understand how to hook them up), Mike is sitting by me with headphones on watching a movie on a laptop, and I’m writing this so I can try and get on the internet and post this. Tomorrow we fly (that ought to be interesting!) to Bayanga where Mike and I were last year. They have since put in a well there and then we drive as far south in the CAR as you can go to a place known as “the end of the world” here. We (Hope) have built one of our wells there so Jim wanted us to see that. Should be an interesting day! Well, we ALL miss you all and I appreciate the comments on the blog. Thanks for keeping up with us, it’s nice to know you care. Until tomorrow…

Karl

we made it to berberati...

2009-02-07T12:39:00.012-05:00

Saturday Night February 6th: 5:50 pm

We just arrived at Berberati. This is where the other big base camp is. For this area it’s actually beautiful. Several guest buildings, an auto shop, the orphan care office and the agro office.

It was a heckuva day of travel. We left early on 5:15 am ahead of schedule by 15 minutes! We packed up two suv’s with crates, luggage and 13 people! We stopped in Mbaiki (a tiny town) and had a CAR donut (like a greasy dunkin’ munchkin- thought of you ciara) and coffee, tea or like me, I felt safer with a coke! That was about 9 am. We then continued driving until about 11:30 am where we stopped for these mini-type omelet’s that were served on little rolls and had another big green leaf filled with the spicy meat like we had yesterday at the Angus Hut. Back in the car and on the road again. It was cramped quarters but we entertained ourselves as best we could. We felt the car we were in acting funny so we stopped along the roadside. We had a flat! Almost immediately a brother and sister appeared by the roadside. We gave them a candy each and they watched us the whole time. Keeping in mind that we’re in the middle of NOWHERE! They were so cute. (see pic below) The Central Africans that were with us changed it fairly quickly and we were on our way again. After a while, Jim’s son John who was driving at the time noticed the clutch slipping so we pulled over again. Jim took over driving our vehicle and he was able to drive it up through third gear without it slipping so that’s what we did the rest of the way. We stopped one more time to have a little sandwich break and stretch and then we continued on… After that it was fairly uneventful. We’re here. We’re sore and tired. (you couldn’t sleep driving on these dirt roads that were filled with huge holes) But we made it and we’re all safe. I’m assuming we’ll eat in a hour or so and then hang out for awhile and then crash.

I’m sitting out on a large porch with a nice breeze blowing. It’s hot but fairly comfortable. There are dark clouds in the sky and large trees surround the house. The people here are friendly. Mike, Mark, Chris, Rex, Tom Peters (who works with Jim) and myself are sitting at a large low table talking while I’m typing this. It feels good to relax a little. Tomorrow morning we have church service somewhere nearby and then I’m not sure what the agenda is for the rest of tomorrow. It’s been 4 ½ days but it seems like so much longer. I miss home, my family, and church. Knowing that Saturday night services are going on today and we’re so far away from everyone and thinking about church tomorrow makes me melancholic… The wind is picking up and the sky is getting darker. You can hear the breeze rushing through the leaves and it’s comforting in a haunting sort of way. Almost feels like a storm is brewing. I can’t really describe it. It kind of matches my emotions at the moment. I guess you’d have to be here. I’m going to transfer my pics to my laptop now to see if there’s any from today that I can add. Pray for us over the next few days. We miss you all…

- Bye for now

Friday...

2009-02-06T12:44:00.011-05:00

Friday morning, February 6th 6:35 am

Well, we had our first nights’ sleep in the CAR. (I’m now eliminating then punctuation from that word because it’s 3 more key strikes and I’m a terrible typist!)
Mark is sitting cross from me in the common area and Jim’s son John is sitting to my left (he’s 20) and all you can hear is the sound of clicking keys on the laptops…

I awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of a crash. I immediately thought it was Big Daddy banging into the bathroom door in the hallway. I’m not sure why! : ) Turns out the pantry door in the hallway just fell off in the middle of the night. Then at 4:14 am (I looked at my portable led clock!) I woke up and looked down from my bunk and I could see Rex moving about by his bed. It sounded like he was building a model home using his laptop, wires and some gaff tape! I’ll have to ask him later what he was doing and let you know… Then at 6:23 am Mike (from the bunk below) began to serenade me as only a grown man could do. It must have been something he ate! He reminded me of my 8 year old son Tadhg who also serenades us in the morning with similar sounds!

Well, last night Mark, Big Daddy, Mike, Elade, Rex and myself made it to the internet café. I was able to upload the pics and Mark caught up on business and e-mail etc. Rex never could get the connection to work (we felt bad) and Elade wrote some e-mails home. Mike and Big Daddy sat in the waiting area watching a movie on his ipod with 2 headsets until mike knocked a bottle over. It shattered! The two of them and Rex thought maybe they should walk back to our guest house! (I just made a cup of instant Nescafe’…. So delicious. At this point it tastes as good as one of Joe Bosco’s coffees from the church coffee shop! (Well, almost…) Mike just came out and got some coffee. Chris, Big Daddy, and Elad are still asleep.

Today, the plan is to leave at 8 am to see a well repair in action. Then visit the radio station (where they broadcast news, hygiene, health, aids education –development programs- in 4 languages- AND the gospel message. Then Jim hopes to take us to see these amazing Falls that Mike and I saw the first year. They arrrrre beautiful so I hope we can get to show the guys that. OH!!- I just remembered- we’ve had fresh pineapple at lunch and dinner yesterday and it is so fresh, sweet and juicy I’m hoping there’s some in the kitchen for breakfast this morning. One last thing, the power outage yesterday turned out to be nothing more than the main breaker being tripped. They discovered that at about 6:30 pm last night when we noticed that everyone else in the area had power! Unbelievabe…

Friday night, February 6th 5:30 pm

We just got back from our fun filled day. It actually was entertaining at times! We started the day by going to see a well being repaired. All the kids in the area hang out there (as well as some adults) waiting for the “water to come back on.” We had fun playing with the kids and seeing Jim’s ICDI team in action. They are very professional and dedicated to doing an exceptional job. One of the things the kids like was to take their picture and then show it to them on the camera. (see picture of Chris) We spent about 45 minutes there and then headed on to the radio station. It’s a bit of the beaten path on the top of a mountain. This is one of the places one of the generators will go when they arrive. (not looking good at this point) On the bright side, Chris and Mark figured out what was needed there and gave instructions to Jim’s guys on what wire they needed to run and exactly what they would need to finish the job. By the time we went back a few hours later to pick someone up, they had dug and run the wires. Not the right ones however! So Mark and Chris figured out a way they could do the job with the wires they had (too technical for me to pass on to you) and they set off to work again, carefully following the instructions this time! After we left the radio station the first time we headed for “The Falls” which is where the power for the area comes from. They’re gorgeous and we all wondered what it must have looked like in it’s natural setting in the rainforest before they cleared the area to build the facilities surrounding the hydro plant. While we were there everyone except Mike and I headed to “the bridge”. (you can see it at the beginning of this year’s blog) They walked across and headed to the other side of the falls. Mike and I hung out by the falls and just talked. It was a nice break in the action. Then we headed out on the road again. We stopped in this little town to have some lunch. There was a little restaurant that remarkably resembled the Angus Barn. We called it the Angus Hut. (see pictures) Good food. Good service. Great atmosphere! As soon as our taste buds were done dancing, we headed back to the radio station to pick up our passenger but I already told you all that! Then, we headed back here to the guesthouse. The time flew by as we joked around in the van on the way back. The scenery is beautiful and we even got a little rain while were out. Except for word that the generators have still not been released it was a good day… We’ll try to go out tonight to the internet café and post this along with some pics. Thanks by the way for your comments! I loved reading them and have passed on your messages to your loved ones! Well, it’s almost dinner time. I wonder what we’ll be having tonight? Some pineapple I hope!

‘till later…

p.s. I’m including a picture of big daddy dancing with the orphans. Yes, Janice he wore the wig and teeth!

Also, we get up at 5am tomorrow for a ten (at least) hour drive! So there may be no post tomorrow. Pray that it will be a safe journey and I’ll catch up with you as soon as I can…

i'll try to post as many pics as this will let me! miss you all...

2009-02-05T13:52:00.006-05:00

pics from today... i'll have to send pics later; Mike is getting restless and the connection is too slow... sorry.

2009-02-05T11:13:00.003-05:00

Had an awesome time with the orphans, they did an awesome "show" for us... some pics included below including a little girl who stole my heart immediately, Bionca...

here we go again... this stretches you in so many ways...

Our First day in country... pictures in next post

2009-02-05T11:11:00.000-05:00

Wow, it’s hot! We just got back from our first journey, which was about an hour car ride away, and then a good 20 minutes each way thru the bush. It’s an area where one of the agro forestry/micro enterprises is taking place.

We arrived in Bangui about 6am (I think) as scheduled and all our crates etc. all arrived with us this year! We loaded them all up and headed for the base house in Bangui in two separate vehicles. We got to see the friends we’ve made in the past that live here in the CAR and Jim’s son John is here also. It was awesome. When we got back we picked our cell, uhhhhhh bunk mates and then Jim’s helpers made a light breakfast for us. Cinnamon rolls, I think! Mike and Rex and I are in one room and Mark, Big Daddy, Elade and Chris are in the room next door. (Bunk beds- I’m on top in our room- the youngest you know!) The others all wanted Big Daddy because he brought so much junk food!

Whoah. The power just went out!! Welcome to Bangui… luckily as I had said I’m typing on my laptop, which has battery power, left! Elade is outside journaling and the others are resting. We got worn out on the walk. It was so hot and we hadn’t slept much on the planes the last two nights but I thought I’d catch up on this while it was still fresh in my mind.

ANYHOW, after breakfast we headed out to meet the guy who runs the micro enterprise business. He was very nice (he’s pictured below) and also seems very capable. He explained how they have now about 54 businesses started and the people get anywhere from $60.00-$100.00 to start with. In three months they have to pay it back with a small amount of interest. They are also helped with their business plan and practices. One of the guys has the biggest chicken business in town now. (sounds funny I know but it’s really quite amazing) Some of the other businesses are vegetable or fruit, simple stands to sell things, brick making, chair making. Whatever there is a need for. So after he explained it all, we headed into the car to make the journey I spoke of in the first paragraph.

The village people there were very welcoming and the kids followed us around. Some of them started imitating my laugh as they followed us! : ) I’ve included some pictures of the gardens and the people tending them. There’s a little boy we named “Lil’ Donnie”! See if you can pick him out!

They are very proud of what they are doing and it is wonderful to see the enterprise that they are involved with. Just another way ICDI is getting involved in the community and helping people help themselves… On the ride back we all had the bobbing head syndrome because the heat and the walking really wore us out. In about an hour we’re heading over to where one of the orphan care groups meet. If the power comes back on before then, I’ll post this and then fill you in on that later. Keep praying for the containers to be released. Jim has been in constant contact with them since we got here and has another meeting in about a half hour. There’s still a possibility that we could get them released and in place in time, but the chances are getting less and less with each passing hour. They will have to drive 24/7 and even then it’s iffy… Still, God brought us here safely and we are already seeing signs of improvement since last January so that’s very encouraging. Alright, I’m going to try to catch 40 winks before we leave. Bye for now…

We're almost there!

2009-02-04T15:56:00.004-05:00

Tuesday February 3rd
Here we are in RDU (that’s Raleigh!) we are just getting ready to board our first leg of the flight. What I normally do is type out the posts on my laptop in my free time and then when connected to the Internet, all I have to do is copy and paste. It saves a lot of time especially when Internet use is dodgey at best!

I started the day by getting a phone call from American Airlines informing me that the first leg of our trip to New York had been cancelled. I had Siobhan (my wife) get up (7am) and get on the phone with them (she works for them) and reorganize and confirm all 7 of our flights! (She loves me!) In about 10 minutes she had all of us booked thru Chicago to Paris getting in only an hour later. So here we sit (in the Admiral’s Club thanks to Big Daddy) waiting for our flight to Chicago. We had lunch and spent time getting to know each other better. Some of the guys had never met before so it’s been really neat. We’ll get “REAL close” soon when we get to the C.A.R.!
We’ll meet Jim in Chicago (head of ICDI) and travel over to Paris with him. Elade’s cousin is going to pick us up in Paris and takes us to their house for breakfast. That ought to be a trip! Then we’ll kill the day in Paris while we wait for our all night flight into Bangui. Then, who knows?…

Wednesday February 4th
Well, we made it to Paris. Hooked up with Jim in Chicago. It was great to see him and he got a chance to begin to know the other guys. At the moment we’re at Elade’s cousin’s (Pouchon) house who lives just outside of Paris. They picked us up at the airport in two cars. He is so hospitable, making hors dourves ; salmon pate on small round bread, olives (of course Mike’s not being adventurous!). There kids are playing out in the little yard outside the apartment. We spend the day in Paris and fly out to Bangui on another all night flight to Bangui. We had an uneventful flight and no one is looking forward to sitting on a plane for another whole night! I’m assuming we’ll go into the city later on (it’s 11am). I’ve been reading a book called the Traveler’s Prayer. Fictional but with some great principals on living life and being a leader. An easy read but certainly worthwhile. Pouchon is now busy making some kind of meat dish. : ) Those are his friends in the picture, Canson and Amber. They have made us so welcome. Mike’s waiting for coffee. The food on the stove smells delicious. It’s crazy. We’re in Paris listeneing to Carribean reggae and smelling Hatian food… Incredible.

So it’s 9:35 pm on Wednesday and we’re an hour from boarding the plane to Bangui. We made it thru security and spent the afternoon driving around Paris to see some sights. We stopped and had a dessert and coffee in Montmarte and while we sat there the slow was falling gently outside the café window. I know. It sounds romantic until you realize that there were 10 guys sitting in there together basically using the bathroom one after another. Kinda’ kills the romance! Wives, we miss you! Mark and Chris and Jim and I are trying to connect to the Internet. If I connect I’ll send this before the flight. If not, it’s tomorrow in C.A.R. The containers have still not been released from the port so please pray for that. Time is our enemy at this point… Anyhow, I’ll close now. We all look ragged from the travel and we’ll look even worse after the all night flight. Can you spell “shower”??
Look forward to your comments on the site.

-Karl

TROUBLE VIEWING?

2009-02-03T08:44:00.003-05:00

TROUBLE VIEWING? download flashplayer 10! takes about 2 minutes and it's free...

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One More Day...

2009-02-02T15:36:00.004-05:00

Well, we leave tomorrow. I always feel a little melancholic before these trips. I'm glad to go yet sad to leave my family and all that's familiar. That being said, our carry on trunks are packed, we've had our shots, we've got our visas, I've already started my malaria regimine so I guess we're as ready as you can be for a trip like this.
If you're the praying type, I'll ask you to pray for our families back home who have to do the jobs of mother and father while we're away and that life would go smoothly for them.
Also, as of Saturday, the generators we shipped over several months ago were still stuck in port where the corruption is absolutely awful. Pray that they will be released in time for them to get them to the destinations we are heading so Chris will be able to set them up.
Pray for us that we will be sensitive to what God has in store for us this time as we attempt to be salt and light in a place that is often very dark and desires water rather than salt...
So many things are unknown to us but they are all known to God so we are going confidently to accomplish the tasks ahead of us.
The next post will be from the C.A.R. which I guess will be on Thursday, February 5th! I'll try to include pictures as often as I can and look forward to sharing our adventure with you as we travel. Thanks for your support and I look forward to reading your comments while we're away.

Karl

Has it really been a year?

2009-01-21T16:53:00.011-05:00

Wow! It's been almost exactly a year since we got back from the Central African Republic and now we're just 13 days from heading back again. With new projects, some new people and a renewed commitment to impacting that nation...

We are excited to be returning with Mark Martyak who went with us last time and also taking along some "fresh blood"!

Joining us this time is our new missions pastor from Hope Community Church, Jean Elade. Also new to the C.A.R. is Rex Bost, who has been on many other mission trips but not to the C.A.R., Michael Dean Chadwick (who will be referred to from here on out as "Big Daddy"!), and Chris Ellis, who works with Mark Martyak and will be helping with one of our big projects. We are excited to go back and see how things are progressing (I'll send pictures!) and also embark on some new adventures.

First let me give you a quick update of what's gone on since we were there last January...

In 2008, Hope Community Church raised funds to build 10 new wells. That provides clean drinking water to over 5,000 people who until last year had none. Not to mention the latrines that go with them and the agroforestry skills they are being taught such as planting fruit trees. It means new life to the people of the villages. One place we drilled was in the village where last year we met the little boy who was so sick we didn't think he was going to make it. Jim Hocking has seen him since and he is doing so much better! I'll try to get a current picture... Also last year we sponsored over 100 more orphans from the C.A.R. (through Vision Trust International) This means a home to live in, food, and a Christian education. Also, from the money we raised last year we are able to help maintain the wells we have already dug which is a huge task in itself. We are excited to visit the villages we have helped and visit with those people that we are getting to know; our brothers and sisters in the middle of Africa...

For 2009, we have an additional task. Along with digging new wells, Powersecure (http://www.powersecure.com/ the company Mark Martyak is a big part of) has donated 3 generators. Now these are not the simple kind you buy for your homes; these are full on generators that had to be custom made and shipped over by boat in a huge container. One will be used to power the radio station ICDI has. This station is heard by thousands all over the C.A.R. and they are able to spread God's word far and wide because of it. Another will be used to power the ICDI main offices and guest house. The third one will be in Berberati and provide power for the Orphan Care Center and the Base Camp for the Drilling. This is an incredible feat and will make a huge difference in the operations of ICDI and the other facilities mentioned. We are VERY excited about that!

Well, that's a taste of what's to come in 2009 and a recap of 2008. Please begin to pray for this trip as there are always stumbling blocks along the way. Today I heard from Jim Hocking that their lead well driller's wife died due to complications from high blood pressure. Please pray for him, his family and their team as they are mourning their loss. Pray for us also as you follow along on our journey. I'll be keeping you posted as we make our way around the C.A.R.

Thanks for partnering with us again in 2009...

-Karl

Heading home...

2008-01-23T13:24:00.000-05:00

Wednesday night:
Hi
We just got back from Bangaya. It was only a 10 ½ hour journey because we had no breakdowns! AND, we didn’t go to church which was probably about 1 1/2 hours last Sunday. We made it back before sundown which is a real blessing. We’re packing up to go home since we have to do the luggage drop in the morning. We have hardly any clean clothes so we’re trying to put together what we have to wear on the plane for tomorrow evening’s flight. We have the video/interview tomorrow with Tina for "True Love Waits" and a stop at the orphanage to drop off the gifts for the sponsored Orphans from "Hope". That will be exciting. Nothing else planned after that. Jim is heading back to Bayanga where we just came from at 1pm. He’s taking a plane there and driving back. Still, what a crazy schedule. It’s been fun keeping you all posted while we’ve been away. I hope it’s been helpful. It’s been cool for me to write each day and re-live the day afterwards. A good way of taking in all that God’s doing and can do. Also a great reminder of his faithfulness as He’s been so good to us on this trip…

Thanks for keeping up and “traveling” with us while we’ve been in the C.A.R. The trip has been absolutely wonderful in so many ways. We’re looking forward to partnering with Jim and ICDI for the long haul. Until we see you again, goue zouii (gwee-zowee; goodbye in Sango)

2008-01-22T12:57:00.000-05:00

Tuesday:
Hello! We just got back from a really fun day. We got up at 5 am (not fun) and left at 5:30 for a couple of wildlife adventures. We headed to a reserve where we split into 3 groups. Mark, Ryan, Dan and Brian went to see the Elephants, while Mike, Jim, Scott and Adam and I headed to the Gorilla area. We were to swap later. When we got there though, they said only a total of 6 could go into the gorilla area in one day and in groups of only 3 plus the guides. Soooo, Mike and Jim passed and Adam, Scott and I went into the woods. It was really cool. Too much to describe but really awesome. Gorillas in the wild are incredible to see. Mike and Jim went during that time to see the Makuku (monkees!). They had a great time too! When we met the other car on the way to switching places they said the elephants were awesome so we were excited about that. They were, and it was like being in a prehistoric village or something. Anyhow, there was a lot of cool hiking through a lot of dense terrain. We’re waiting back at the compound for the others to arrive back. They should be here shortly. I’m hoping I’ll get a chance to post this tonight, but I’m not sure about that yet. I just have to wait and see. We have dinner with the Pastor (David- pronounced daw-veed) here tonight and then we’re supposed to go to a pygmy village and dance around their fire tonight. That’s what Jim told us! We told him sounds like the makings of a good new TV show; “Dancing With the Pygmy’s”! It could be a huge hit! Anyhow we leave here very early tomorrow to drive back to Bangui (the 14 ½ hour drive!) so please pray for a safe trip. We pack up when we get back because on Thursday morning you have to check your bags for the n11pm flight out. It’s cool in a way. You get rid of your luggage and have the rest of the day free. Brian and I are supposed to interview the woman who does “True Love Waits” program here in this area. She’s a neat lady. Mike and I met her last time we were here. Then we’ll probably do a couple little things and get ready to get the plane to Paris. It’s gone quickly in an odd sort of way. The days seem long but somehow we’re coming near the end of the trip. It’s been really wonderful and it’s been great getting to know the other guys. I hope they feel the same! Well, we’re all back safe and sound. We just had dinner with the American who has lived here for 22 years. We met the two orphans he takes care of and he’ll be joining us at the Pygmy Dancing and Fire event! We hear it’s THE party to attend. We’ll see… We’re on the way now to the internet place and hopefully we can get in. I’m literally typing IN the car and on THESE roads that’s no small feat!! Hope they’re there!

2008-01-21T14:17:00.000-05:00

Hello from the bush!

Well, it’s around 10:30 pm on Sunday night. What a long day. I’m writing this now in case we have a chance to get to an internet hook up tomorrow at some point. We’re all wiped out but thankful to arrive after a 14 ½ hour car ride. We had two vehicles with 4 of us in each and a driver and all our “stuff”. We left Bangui at 6am and had a very eventful day! After a couple of hours we stopped in Mbaiki for coffee and tea and some bread type rolls and bananas right off the vine. Not too bad. We gassed up the car and headed onward.
Further on down the road we found a church to worship at. The timing was amazing as when we pulled up they were just getting ready to begin. The people were incredibly friendly and the worship was really awesome. They had Jim introduce each one of us by name and then he had them pronounce our names back to us. They were amazed at how well Jim spoke Sango. It was awesome to once again hear people praising God in a language that we can’t speak. Listening to the prayers rising up and joining in agreement with them while including our own personal prayers and knowing that all around the world God is hearing prayers in countless languages simultaneously was a great reminder of our limited understanding of just how awesome God is and how much of Him we don’t understand It was a beautiful experience…
A little while later as we stopped at a check point the car that Adam, Brian and Mark and I were in made a loud noise. It turned out to be the primer on the clutch. (I have no idea what that means!) Jim and the other driver, one of Jim’s employees fixed it and we were on our way relatively quickly. A little while later the car started to overheat (ours of course!) and we pulled over. The radiator hose had been rubbing against something and had a tear in it. Jim quickly got to work and fashioned something out of what looked like a part of a vacuum attachment he found in the car, together with an old rubber tube and cut the old hose in two and stuck it all together. We called him McGyver! It worked perfectly and it lasted us the whole way here. Unfortunately, once we pulled away from the stop. The clutch broke and we drove the rest of the way through those crazy roads w/o a clutch! Probably 10 hours. Jim was awesome! Anyhow, we stopped once for a drink somewhere and after that tried to keep going and just get to where we are now. Well, with God’s help and Jim’s ingenuity we made it so thanks for your prayers.
Somewhere along the route, we stopped to try to phone “Hope” and say hi during the worship service back home. We had to time it right so it was near the end of the service and after they showed our fake “satellite feed” from Africa video that Mike and I had done before we left Raleigh. Unfortunately we lost satellite connection just before they passed us on the Steve who was preaching. We were really disappointed. We tried again next service and the connection went through. It was cool to know that everyone was listening to us all those miles and hours away. We said that we were 12 hours away (by car) from the nearest airport which has only one flight in and one flight out of the country per week! That’s out there !! When we got off the phone and the excitement ended, we were all homesick. We were quiet in the car for a while after that and then we tried to get back into the swing of things with our usual stupid jokes and humor, which is probably only funny to us at this point! I’m kind of tired so I’m going to call it a night. Oh, we heard that you all liked Mike and mine’s “live feed” from Africa. I know, we should be in Hollywood. What can we say. We’ve got star quality! I’ll sneak in a hello to my wife Siobhan, Kienan, Ciara, “Bear”, “Lorcy” and Tadhg. I miss you guys and I know all the other guys mss their family and friends back home too. But hey, I’m the one up typing this and they’re all in bed asleep! J Can’t wait to see you guys when we get back…

Monday morning:
We woke up around 6 with the roosters crowing and had some homemade “donuts” at 7 with coffee. We toured the Swedish Baptist compound where we are staying. It’s pretty fascinating. We learned about the things they grow and saw how they are trying to educate the local people about agricultural methods and hygiene and so many other things we take for granted. I’m sitting in the kitchen now at a small wooden table with a gas lamp that doesn’t work because there is no oil in it and a candle, half burnt. It’s 9:45 am. There is a 12 volt car battery in the kitchen which provides power to a fluorescent bulb which hangs naked above me on the ceiling. The stove is an old 3 burner gas stove which is gas powered from a tank we brought with us on the journey. A refrigerator bearing the Electrolux brand stands next to me quiet and lifeless. The floor is cement. Stained, with a crack running the entire length of the kitchen. The walls are a faded yellow and a breeze is blowing through the window opposite me. It feels great. There was a rain that came in the middle of the night last night that immediately cooled the temperature by probably 10 or 15 degrees. The rain falling on the metal roof was very soothing and helped me to fall off to sleep. This is the first “down time” we’ve had. All the guys are scattered around. Each passing time in their own way. I can hear Adam outside singing a very mellow version of “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. I’m surprised he even knows it. I can hear Ryan, Scott and Dan talking quietly underneath a small gazebo outside the building I’m in. In the room next door, Brian is sitting at a desk logging video footage, which reminds me, I’ve got to do that for the footage I shot yesterday. Mike is outside reading his book and had just come in the kitchen for a cracker and some peanut butter. He mentioned that it was nice to have a little break. I agreed and went back to typing. Jim is gone for an hour to an hour and a half to take care of some business in the area. I was going to read the book I started last night and felt like writing instead. The book is Thomas Merton’s “Seeds of Contemplation”. I read something last night that was pretty cool I thought and am going to type it in here. It’s rather lengthy and you can skip it if you like but I think its message is worthy of the time. If you knew what a bad typist I am you’d laugh but I think it’s worth the effort.
“The mind that is prisoner of conventional ideas, and the will that is the captive of it’s own desire cannot accept the seeds of an unfamiliar truth and a supernatural desire. For how can I receive the seeds of freedom if I am in love with slavery and how can I cherish the desire of God If I am filled with another and opposite desire? God cannot plant His liberty in me because I am a prisoner and I do not even desire to be free. I love my captivity and I imprison myself in the desire for the things that I hate, and I have hardened my heart against true love. I must learn therefore to let go of the familiar and the usual and consent to what is new and unknown to me. I must learn to “leave myself” in order to find myself by yielding to the love of God. If I were looking for God, every event and every moment would sow, in my will, grains of His life that would spring up one day in a tremendous harvest.
For it is God’s love that warms me in the sun and God’s love that send the cold rain. It is God’s love that feeds me in the bread I eat and God that feeds me also by hunger and fasting. It is the love of God that sends the winter days when I am cold and sick, and the hot summer when I labor and my clothes are full of sweat; but it is God Who breathes on me with light winds off the river and in the breezes out of the wood. His loves spreads the shade of the sycamore over my head and sends the water-boy along the edge of the wheat field with a bucket from the spring, while the laborers are resting and the mules stand under the tree.
It is God’s love that speaks to me in the birds and streams; but also behind the clamor of the city God speaks to me in His judgments, and all these things are seeds sent to me from His will.
If these seeds would take root in my liberty, and if His will would grow from my freedom, I would become the loves that He is, and my harvest would be His glory and my own joy.”

Sorry for being contemplative and lengthy today. I just needed to unload and Siobhan isn’t here to share this with and I had to get it all out…

Monday night:
Hi,
What a day. We started out after Jim got back and headed to a Pygmy village to see their fish pond and their spring (for water). The hike to the fish pond was pretty cool. Into more dense forest than we had seen as of yet. When we finally got there, the fish were gone and the stream had kind of dissipated. While the Pygmy men had gone hunting in the bush, the women came and drained the pond area to get the fish. When they saw that they were small they didn’t bother to dam it back up and they began to farm there. Classic example of lack of communication between husbands and wives!
After that we visited the spring that was running but had a small leak. The water was clean. It was basically a pipe coming out of a wall. While we were there we were treated to two young kids playing congas. Really awesome!
Next we headed to another Pygmy village not too far away. The people did not have a well. We met some kids and they showed us how to shoot an arrow. No one got hurt. J We went to the back of the village area and met some more people. There was a woman there with lots of kids and one was very sick. I’m not sure what he has but it was very serious. Jim spent time asking her questions and offered to give her some money to take him to the hospital. She agreed but was going to wait a day or so. He didn’t look like he should wait but we really have no say in it. We prayed with Jim leading for the boy and laid hands on him. It was a really heavy moment. We left there in a much more somber mood than when we went in. It was very sobering. Please pray for this little boy…
After that we headed deep into the bush into some really dense forest with trees down in the road (we had to get out and move it. We felt like real manly men!) and brush flapping against the windows. It was a very narrow road and got narrower as we went. When we finally got to the village the people were so excited. It was about 37 kilometers. Jim checked their well and it was fine. The people there were so much happier and healthier. The clean water really does amazing things. We gave out sunglasses and toys and they were very excited.
Next we had one more stop before heading back to the compound. It was another village but there is an American who lives with them named Louis. He’s lived here for 22 years. He’s a musicologist who originally came to study the music. Loved it and moved here and stayed here. Don’t worry Siobhan, I have no such inclination!! J We stayed for a while and some of the guys bought some souvenirs (some of which were actual things from their huts!). I won’t spoil their surprises but I think Ryan, Scott and Dan’s wives are in for a shock! We drove back to the compound and we’re getting ready for dinner. It’s about 7pm. After we eat we’re going to hopefully try to post this via internet somewhere nearby. Soooooooooo, that’s it for now. Hoped this made up for missing a day!

1st pygmy village

2008-01-19T14:19:00.000-05:00

Hello everyone,
This morning we visited the Pygmy Village where Mike and I had been on our first trip here. (see photo at the bottom of the blog). Since we were been here last time, it’s changed dramatically. There was only the one hut shown in that photo. Today there are 10 or more huts (see the picture above), two latrines, and an area where the church they now have meets. We handed out some candy, pens and gum and they were thrilled to get something. Anything. They have simple needs. It was very refreshing and very humbling.
They still don’t have a well (it is actually being put in next week) but ICDI built the latrines for them. I asked through the interpreter why they had built up the village. They said that the hope of a well and fresh water was enough to motivate their people to move into community together. They have a pastor and the hope that comes from God in their lives also. They’re trusting Him (Jesus) to provide what they need and they said they are enjoying the life they had since they have come to believe in Jesus. It was a wonderfully simple faith. They mentioned that the needs they still have include schooling for their children, (they can’t afford it) and medicine for their people. Many are sick, malnourished and have sores etc. that are easily treatable. Even still, we’re all coming to realize that the needs being met by partnering with Jim is truly life changing for the people here. Not only the physical but the spiritual also. They know that God thinks they are important because they see that we think they are important and we’re here because God called us to be here. Relationship is everything in this culture and the ongoing relationship they have with Jim and other believers has really been key to the ministry here in the C.A.R.
This afternoon we went to do a well repair (well, we went with the crew who was fixing it!). The people were at the well when we got there. It had a leak and they had to remove all the piping to replace a section. It was neat to watch. We also got to hold a huge rat on a string that a kid had caught (killed) to bring home for dinner. It was not too appetizing to look at. We headed over to the medical clinic afterward to meet the Dr. and to introduce Dan (the dentist). He has sent a couple of dental chairs over and they will be setting up a new addition at the clinic. Dental care! So that’s pretty cool.
Tomorrow we leave for the “bush” so internet connection may be limited to the laptop/satellite phone deal which means text only, if we’re lucky! We’re gonna try it, but don’t be nervous if it’s a day or so before we are able to update. Keep praying. Wives, thanks for getting together to pray for us!!

I remember from last time that this is the hardest part of the trip. But we’re excited to see what God has in store for us. Thanks for reading and I’ll be back soon… Enjoy the “Satellite Feed” at church this weekend! We miss all of you…

the well drilling...

2008-01-18T14:50:00.000-05:00

Hi again. Today has been a really cool day. I got up at 6am to the smell of coffee. Jim had boiled some water and was having a cup of instant Folgers! We headed out early to a Catholic mission site about a half hour away where they were to break ground for a new well. They waited for us to arrive and we got to witness the excitement of all the kids (and adults) there. At this mission they have an orphanage, a ministry for the handicapped, a school and a computer club. It was amazing to see the drilling process. Adding 10 feet sections of pipe at a time to the drill bit as they drilled deeper and deeper until they began to hit some water. THAT was really cool. They continue drilling deeper to make sure that the well is deep enough to avoid contamination. After they hit rock, they take the drill out and begin to insert metal pipes to avoid cave-ins later. It’s a long process that takes a lot of muscle. It was cool to watch their drilling team work together. We saw one of the kids’ pet monkeys (on a chain, VERY bizarre!). We left around 1pm to go back to the mission compound to have some lunch before heading out to a different site where there is already a well that is in need of repair. BUT right before we left, Jim got word that they REALLY struck water so we headed right back over there to see for ourselves. It was awesome! Seeing a long stream of runoff as we pulled into the mission was very cool. There were some kids running through it in their bare feet and people already bringing buckets and pails to fill up. I think they thought they could fill right up! Jim told us it will take about 2-3 weeks to complete the well. Doing testing, pouring concrete around the hole in the ground and installing the actual pump. Still, even with THAT water they can cool off; and once again, it gives them hope for the future. Very cool.. The kids were also excited to see us again. All the guys had anywhere from two to five kids hanging on them at a time and trying to hold their hands! It’s 6pm and the power is out. Right on time. I’m writing this (in the dark) as a word file on my laptop and will upload it later. Technology’s awesome BUT, we’re all still sweating like crazy! Especially Ryan, he’s out on a run with some missionaries. He was wearing some realy short, shorts. He looked a little like Daisy Duke! Keep praying for us. It’s been wonderful so far…

the orphan care center

2008-01-17T11:34:00.000-05:00

We just got back from the orphan care center and it was so moving. I can speak for all the guys on this one. We were able to play with them, give them gifts, watch them sing for us and they were SO excited to see us. What an amazing work being done here through the center and to think we (HOPE) have such a big part in this. It’s really wonderful to see. Here are a few pics from the day. The kids with mike and I are our kids we sponsored. Mine was so shy and Mike’s was really cute! Well gotta go! Internet takes a while to upload photos! Be back soon!!…

we made it

2008-01-17T11:27:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the long delay. I haven’t had internet access till now and it seemed pointless to update from the airport in Paris! Well, we made it to Bangui! It seems like a week has gone by already. All went amazingly smoothly. Except for Mike Lee’s luggage not making it. : ( He had his malaria pills with him, but all his clothes and food were on there and some boots etc. So I guess he’s going to go hungry!
We’re going to an Orphan Care Center in about 2 hours. Mike and I are excited as we’re supposed to meet the orphans we sponsor. Cool.
All the guys are in good health (jet lagged for most of us, although Dan and Scott are currently down at the river kayaking with a 2 locals, who were both naked btw, who took them out for $3.00!)
Just a quick post to let you know we’re ok and to ask you to continue to pray for us now that we’re “in country”. Thanks for reading!

One more day

2008-01-13T15:10:00.000-05:00

It's Sunday! One more day and then we leave. Thought a picture of the whole group would be cool... The next time we all meet will be at RDU when we load all the containers of gifts, drill bits and food. Pray for smooth connections and all that good stuff. What a handsome bunch we are!

Four more days...

2008-01-11T11:11:00.000-05:00

Well, (no pun intended) we leave in four days and the last two weeks have been jam packed with details. Yesterday I received a 240 lb. box of drill bits to pack for the trip. This morning, Mike and Adam and I were trying to weigh and organize them into containers this morning to take on the plane as luggage. Can you imagine the airport inspectors, "OK, let's see, 3 pairs of pants, shirts, socks, toothpaste, 3o lb drill bit?". Yesterday, Laura Lee and Lisa Miller were packing the little gift bags for the orphans that people have put together. There are hundreds of bags! It will be awesome to give them out to the kids we see there. Mike and I are excited to meet the 2 orphans that we are sponsoring personally.
We have our emergency evacuation insurance, our Visas, plane tickets, food to pack (there are no stores where we'll be travelling), flashlights, sleeping bags, sunscreen, bug spray! The dental x-ray machine that Dan had sent over arrived safely so he'll be able to help some people when we are in the city with dental needs. Still it seems each day that there are little details that escape you. Yesterday, I went and bought an acoustic guitar to take over that we'll have some music around the campfire! We'll leave it at the mission compund for future visits or other teams to use.
I don't know if i'll write again before we leave so if i don't please pray for our team while we're away. We are excited to see how God is going to use us. I'll try to do a daily update while we are gone. So check back daily! We can use the satellite phone with a battery powered laptop to send e-mail from "the bush". pretty cool stuff. I'll close this with a thank you and a list of all the guys going so you can keep them in your prayers...

Karl

Karl Moraski, Mike Lee, Ryan Wuerch, Mark Martyak, Brian Blackmore, Adam Lee, Dan Davidian and Scott Newnam

Photos from the 2007 trip to the C.A.R.

2008-01-03T09:47:00.001-05:00

Karl and Mike with kids from the C.A.R.

Pygmy Village with no fresh water.