Thing One:
You can now click here to go to devozine's Web site to read my "I Dream of Africa" series of articles and blogs. One article and one blog are online now. The remaining six stories will be added over the next few months. Devozine is a teen devotional magazine published by the Upper Room.
Thing Two:
A Facebook group I joined is organizing a prayer vigil of sorts for Zimbabwe as they approach the June 27 presidential run-off election. Reports coming from the country are describing increasingly desperate and terrible acts being committed against people to keep them for voting against the current leadership. Whether you "officially" join the vigil or not, please pray for God to intervene in Zimbabwe. What I heard while I was in Zimbabwe last fall is that the people of Zim really don't want a war. The current administration continues to commit physical atrocities, though. How are people to defend themselves? There are many Christians in Zim. Please support them by praying for their country, praying that they will get good leaders. The message below offers some specific ways for praying.
We are inviting you to join us in the Zimbabwe Global Prayer Network for the Zimbabwe Presidential Runoff Election. The purpose of this network is to mobilize God's children to set aside time to pray and intercede for the nation of Zimbabwe. The prayer network will start on 8 June 2008 until 27 June 2008. To be part of the spiritual movement all you have to do is follow 3 simple steps:
1. Choose any time of the day which you will pray.
2. Specify your 5 minute interval of prayer.
3. Send us your details - Our goal is to have 1 million people praying for Zimbabwe all over the world at any given moment in time. In order for us to keep a record of all those committed to this movement we need to know:
1. Your name
2. The interval of prayer that you have committed yourself to
3. Your location
So please email this information to us at presidentialrunoffelection@gmail.com or presidentialrunoffelection@yahoo.com ors us on +27 78 323 3579.
Please encourage your friends and family to set aside time and pray for restoration to be brought to the nation of Zimbabwe.
PRAYER POINTS
1. Successful, peaceful and conclusive presidential runoff elections (1 Timothy 2:1-2)
2. Economic and social restoration and prosperity of the nation of Zimbabwe (Jeremiah 29:11)
3. Reconciliation of all tribes, races and political parties leading to all Zimbabweans living in harmony (Psalms 133:1-3)
4. A spirit of forgiveness where the lives of the people are rebuilt in a constructive and empathic manner to achieve national unity (Luke 4:18)
5. restoration of human dignity and respect for human life (Genesis 1:26)
6. The ability for every individual to have the choice and access means and resources to achieve their God given purpose. (Philippians 4:13)
7. A peaceful transition after the elections (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Friday, June 13, 2008
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
another article for your viewing pleasure
I finally have another bit of evidence for you that I really did write "official" articles from my Africa months. :-) I think if you click here you'll be taken to a soon-to-release-in-print article I wrote for devozine. This article is the first in a series of four Africa-related articles and four blogs I've written for them.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
uganda photos
There are obviously many, many photos from Africa that I haven't gotten to share here. I'm slowly, slowly working to make more of them available online. To start, click here to access an album of Uganda photos. Enjoy!
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
tilapia is the coolest word of all
(For photos to accompany this post click here or scroll down to the January 8 entry.)
Two weeks ago tonight I enjoyed one of the perks of my job. My writing-assignment-of-the-week was a profile story for Nashville Arts Magazine on a couple of Nashville’s restaurant owners. Mid-afternoon I met them at one of their restaurants and got to know them a little as we chatted and I wrote down their answers to my questions. Very pleasant people.
As we ended our interview time, they invited me to come back to that restaurant, the one in Sylvan Park, and to their other one in, the one in East Nashville, and enjoy a dinner on them, noting that experiencing their restaurants would be helpful for writing the profile story on the owners. Very wise people.
I decided it was a good week to take them up on their offer, even if it was going to take up more of my time and even if sure-to-be-scrumptious meals are better enjoyed with dinner companions than alone. My cupboards were fairly bare, and my meal-creating energy almost completely depleted. Taken together, this created a good moment for a job perk. A good meal is surely nearly as great as health insurance, right?
So Monday night I enjoyed a drive through East Nashville streets that always make me want to own a little front-porched house on a side-walked, tree-lined street with neighbors to wave at and nearby coffeehouses to haunt. And a neighborhood café that serves delicious fare would be nice too.
I ended up choosing an entrée from the list of specials for the night. The tilapia dish attracted my attention, and when the bartender recommended it, I was sold. Choosing tilapia dishes is one of the residual results of my world being opened up by my Africa travels. Tilapia. I learned I liked it. And guacamole and avocados too. These foods have been added to my list of choice foods, courtesy of Africa.
I was not disappointed. The tilapia special was scrumptious indeed, as were the cheesy grits served with it. (I always thought I didn’t like grits either! And I kind of enjoyed not liking them and being a rebel southerner. Hmmm, is there any other kind of southerner?) This tilapia was much tastier than the last tilapia order that Africa prompted me to choose and that I tried to write about on this lovely blog.
On that occasion, ‘twas the night before Christmas and I did some thing I had never done before. I ordered fish at a restaurant. My parents, my sister and brother-in-law, my nephew and I ate supper at Applebees before they closed early for Christmas Eve. I perused the menu and saw the parmesan tilapia. It made me think of Africa. Just 23 days or so removed from that continent, I was happy to take my mouth and mind back there and to have an excuse to do something I’d never done before. Actions in the service of sentimentality can be nice.
Tilapia makes me think especially of my couple days on islands in the Ugandan waters of East Africa’s vast Lake Victoria. Fishing is one of the major industries of the people who live there. And I was told that they were catching mostly tilapia and Nile perch. I don’t know what either of those fish look like, so I couldn’t check out the veracity of my informants, but I’ve decided to trust them.
I had fish quite often while in Africa. I don’t especially dislike fish, but I usually don’t choose it when there are other options. Like chicken options. And I definitely don’t like picking out those spindly fish bones. But since I usually was eating whatever was offered me during my travels, I ate fish and learned that I like it. And I particularly learned that I like tilapia, at least tilapia recently pulled from the lake. I also learned how to spell tilapia, which is a good thing to know because it’s such a cool looking word.
My novice palatte still can’t distinguish well between different kinds of fish, but now I feel like I have a fledgling relationship with one specific member of the general fish category. It’s a pretty one-sided relationship, but a relationship nonetheless. So I must now take advantage of any opportunity to deepen that relationship. So Applebees tilapia it was. It arrived with accompanying rice pilaf and veggies and earned points for choosing good friends. It had nice texture, looked good and was thankfully boneless, but when its parmesan blanket was scraped back, well, it was pretty one-dimensional. Boring. Bland.
And I have to confess that part of me was a little bit glad that looks were deceiving. Because actually, the blackened, salt-preserved fish that appeared to take hours of preparation around a wood fire was tastier than that fancy, boneless Christmas Eve version. The island tilapia was served sans head but with fins to accompany its sliverly fish bones. Fins aren’t exactly appetizing-looking, but memory says that the fire-cooked fish tasted much better and had much more character than the nice American restaurant version, which made me proud of my island hostesses. And made me feel connected to them again. Which made me wonder if my Applebee’s tilapia had been caught by one of the island fishermen I met. Which made me feel connected to them too.
And so I think it’s now a done deal that tilapia will always take me back to Africa and to kind and smiling hosts who labored over my meals and reminded me that we’re all alike on the inside no matter our outer trappings. Those are memories that make me smile and feel warm inside, whether the tilapia proves to be tasty or not.
Two weeks ago tonight I enjoyed one of the perks of my job. My writing-assignment-of-the-week was a profile story for Nashville Arts Magazine on a couple of Nashville’s restaurant owners. Mid-afternoon I met them at one of their restaurants and got to know them a little as we chatted and I wrote down their answers to my questions. Very pleasant people.
As we ended our interview time, they invited me to come back to that restaurant, the one in Sylvan Park, and to their other one in, the one in East Nashville, and enjoy a dinner on them, noting that experiencing their restaurants would be helpful for writing the profile story on the owners. Very wise people.
I decided it was a good week to take them up on their offer, even if it was going to take up more of my time and even if sure-to-be-scrumptious meals are better enjoyed with dinner companions than alone. My cupboards were fairly bare, and my meal-creating energy almost completely depleted. Taken together, this created a good moment for a job perk. A good meal is surely nearly as great as health insurance, right?
So Monday night I enjoyed a drive through East Nashville streets that always make me want to own a little front-porched house on a side-walked, tree-lined street with neighbors to wave at and nearby coffeehouses to haunt. And a neighborhood café that serves delicious fare would be nice too.
I ended up choosing an entrée from the list of specials for the night. The tilapia dish attracted my attention, and when the bartender recommended it, I was sold. Choosing tilapia dishes is one of the residual results of my world being opened up by my Africa travels. Tilapia. I learned I liked it. And guacamole and avocados too. These foods have been added to my list of choice foods, courtesy of Africa.
I was not disappointed. The tilapia special was scrumptious indeed, as were the cheesy grits served with it. (I always thought I didn’t like grits either! And I kind of enjoyed not liking them and being a rebel southerner. Hmmm, is there any other kind of southerner?) This tilapia was much tastier than the last tilapia order that Africa prompted me to choose and that I tried to write about on this lovely blog.
On that occasion, ‘twas the night before Christmas and I did some thing I had never done before. I ordered fish at a restaurant. My parents, my sister and brother-in-law, my nephew and I ate supper at Applebees before they closed early for Christmas Eve. I perused the menu and saw the parmesan tilapia. It made me think of Africa. Just 23 days or so removed from that continent, I was happy to take my mouth and mind back there and to have an excuse to do something I’d never done before. Actions in the service of sentimentality can be nice.
Tilapia makes me think especially of my couple days on islands in the Ugandan waters of East Africa’s vast Lake Victoria. Fishing is one of the major industries of the people who live there. And I was told that they were catching mostly tilapia and Nile perch. I don’t know what either of those fish look like, so I couldn’t check out the veracity of my informants, but I’ve decided to trust them.
I had fish quite often while in Africa. I don’t especially dislike fish, but I usually don’t choose it when there are other options. Like chicken options. And I definitely don’t like picking out those spindly fish bones. But since I usually was eating whatever was offered me during my travels, I ate fish and learned that I like it. And I particularly learned that I like tilapia, at least tilapia recently pulled from the lake. I also learned how to spell tilapia, which is a good thing to know because it’s such a cool looking word.
My novice palatte still can’t distinguish well between different kinds of fish, but now I feel like I have a fledgling relationship with one specific member of the general fish category. It’s a pretty one-sided relationship, but a relationship nonetheless. So I must now take advantage of any opportunity to deepen that relationship. So Applebees tilapia it was. It arrived with accompanying rice pilaf and veggies and earned points for choosing good friends. It had nice texture, looked good and was thankfully boneless, but when its parmesan blanket was scraped back, well, it was pretty one-dimensional. Boring. Bland.
And I have to confess that part of me was a little bit glad that looks were deceiving. Because actually, the blackened, salt-preserved fish that appeared to take hours of preparation around a wood fire was tastier than that fancy, boneless Christmas Eve version. The island tilapia was served sans head but with fins to accompany its sliverly fish bones. Fins aren’t exactly appetizing-looking, but memory says that the fire-cooked fish tasted much better and had much more character than the nice American restaurant version, which made me proud of my island hostesses. And made me feel connected to them again. Which made me wonder if my Applebee’s tilapia had been caught by one of the island fishermen I met. Which made me feel connected to them too.
And so I think it’s now a done deal that tilapia will always take me back to Africa and to kind and smiling hosts who labored over my meals and reminded me that we’re all alike on the inside no matter our outer trappings. Those are memories that make me smile and feel warm inside, whether the tilapia proves to be tasty or not.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
haiti on my mind!
Greetings! Just a quick update for now. Someday I'll hopefully have time to write again. For now time seems filled with admin and organizing tasks that aren't such good food for the creative parts of a person's brain. :-)
I'm working today to nail down my plane tickets for the Haiti trip, so I can finally make those plans official. If you stumble over to this post and send out a quick prayer that I'll make good decisions as I sort through the price and schedule options, I'd appreciate it! My tentative Haiti schedule is July 1/2 through 26. (Right now it's possible I'll leave Nashville on the 1st but not arrive in Haiti until the 2nd.)
Also, I'll eventually get this posted in the sidebars, but here's the link to the website of the missionary friends who will be hosting me and coordinating much of my trip while I'm in Haiti: Michael, Karen and Kaydence Broyles. Please pray for them and their work in Haiti, as well as the extra work that comes with hosting and coordinating things for a visiting friend.
Okay, back to the airline websites!
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
updates all around town
Greetings! Sorry again for a long delay here. I still have nearly-finished posts that were started in Africa and that I've not been able to complete yet. Some day, perhaps. Some day.
In the meantime, please continue praying for Zimbabwe and for Kenya. Here are a couple sources of info that I've recently discovered:
The Zimbabwean (I think it's published from the UK)
Rising from the Ashes: A Kenyan pastor who lost his home in post-election violence models forgiveness (from AIM, one of the organizations I overlapped with in Kenya)
In the meantime, please continue praying for Zimbabwe and for Kenya. Here are a couple sources of info that I've recently discovered:
The Zimbabwean (I think it's published from the UK)
Rising from the Ashes: A Kenyan pastor who lost his home in post-election violence models forgiveness (from AIM, one of the organizations I overlapped with in Kenya)
******
Life is full these days as I work to be fully present here while preparing for the next stops on the road. I have two big hurdles of tasks to get through before I can dig deeper into plans for Haiti. Please pray with me that those things will be completed within the next week. It's time for Haiti planning to begin. I hope I'll be able to be mentally and prayfully prepared for that trip and not let it get lost in the larger and probably much more long-term impending move to England. With food prices rising around the world, the poor in Haiti have been among those suffering from rising grain and rice prices. Please pray for God's provision for them. Things feel unsettled enough here in the US with our ghastly gas price increases, but imagine the bit of fear you feel as you watch the price increases you can't control applied to your staple, and previously cheap, food for your family.
And speaking of being present here, I'm about halfway through an eight-week commitment to help with an ESL (English as a Second Language) class for a group of Somali Bantu refugees living in Nashville. I tried to help out with a class last summer but just couldn't squeeze out the time to do it. I was excited to find that the dates for this round of classes fit just right with my Nashville months. It's fun to have an Africa connection here. The woman teaching the class is from my church, and it's great fun to have the chance to get to know her better. And it's great fun to welcome and help some new Nashvillians.
Many Bantu people from Somalia speak a language that's never been written down, so in addition to learning English, which would be hard enough on its own, many of them are learning to read and write any language for the very first time. This makes language acquisition, at least in a culture that places a premium on literacy, infinitely harder. Please pray for them as they try to learn the language that will make their transition here easier.
Thanks, folks! More later!
Friday, April 4, 2008
keep Zimbabwe in mind
Hey, friends...Just another update on Zimbabwe's elections. If these news reports are correct, everyone (opposition and ruling party both) recognizes Mugabe didn't win the presidential elections, but apparently the opposition candidate didn't win enough votes to take the presidency outright. Now there is to be a run-off election, and it sounds like the ruling party may be up to their old tricks of intimidating voters and worse in order to stay in power. It seems Zimbabwe's on the brink of change, so let's pray with the Zimbabweans that change will come without more suffering and that those who need to be courageous will be.
The country is a beautiful place and the people are great. There is much bad stewardship of the place in these days, with land and infrastructure and people not being used well.
This photo was taken from the yard of the bed & breakfast I stayed in while in Zimbabwe last October.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
zimbabwe's recent elections
It's quite a moment for Zimbabwe right now. Their elections were held on March 29, and, surpisingly, it seems there's a chance Robert Mugabe, the country's dictator/president of the past 28 years, is on his way out. I've had a hard time finding Zimbabwe news since I've been back, but the recent elections and the wait for results has the country back in the news. If Mugabe does leave power, who knows if the new regime will be any kinder to Zimbabwe's people and economy, but perhaps there's hope. Please join in praying for the people of Zimbabwe, that things will remain peaceful, that change will come that releases them from the terribleness they've been living in.
I was cautioned by friends and relatives against going to Zimbabwe last fall, mostly because the news reports suggested the place was in chaos. I'm so glad I still went because I found a different situation than I anticipated. Life for me, a visitor, was fine. I had plenty to eat and never, ever felt unsafe. In fact, I generally felt more safe and at ease there than I did in many of the other cities I visited. However, it was clear even in the briefest conversations that life has been terrifically hard for the people of Zimbabwe. When you ask someone how they're doing, it wasn't uncommon for the reply to be: "Half-half. So-so. Things are really bad here. This used to be a good place to live." Someone commented that things were better when the white farmers were still there. With the astronomical inflation rate, students at schools and universities were receiving extra tuition bills part way through the semester because the amount they paid at the beginning of the semester was no longer enough to cover the school's expenses.
What struck me, though, is that somehow people were making it. Somehow they were soldiering on. And that is to the credit of the resilience of Zimbabwe's people. In spite of the heaviness, people still laughed and smiled and welcomed a stranger into their midst.
The part of Zimbabwe I visited is located near the border with Mozambique, so it's possible things were even more dire in the Zimbabwe's interior than what I experienced. The people on the eastern edge of Zimbabwe could go over to Mozambique and down to South Africa to get the supplies and foodstuffs that had stopped being available in Zim. People in the interior would be less likely to be able to do that.
Here are links to some election news:
Zimbabwe bloggers react to delays
Deal 'close' for Mugabe to leave
Zimbabwe opposition leader: no talks
I was cautioned by friends and relatives against going to Zimbabwe last fall, mostly because the news reports suggested the place was in chaos. I'm so glad I still went because I found a different situation than I anticipated. Life for me, a visitor, was fine. I had plenty to eat and never, ever felt unsafe. In fact, I generally felt more safe and at ease there than I did in many of the other cities I visited. However, it was clear even in the briefest conversations that life has been terrifically hard for the people of Zimbabwe. When you ask someone how they're doing, it wasn't uncommon for the reply to be: "Half-half. So-so. Things are really bad here. This used to be a good place to live." Someone commented that things were better when the white farmers were still there. With the astronomical inflation rate, students at schools and universities were receiving extra tuition bills part way through the semester because the amount they paid at the beginning of the semester was no longer enough to cover the school's expenses.
What struck me, though, is that somehow people were making it. Somehow they were soldiering on. And that is to the credit of the resilience of Zimbabwe's people. In spite of the heaviness, people still laughed and smiled and welcomed a stranger into their midst.
The part of Zimbabwe I visited is located near the border with Mozambique, so it's possible things were even more dire in the Zimbabwe's interior than what I experienced. The people on the eastern edge of Zimbabwe could go over to Mozambique and down to South Africa to get the supplies and foodstuffs that had stopped being available in Zim. People in the interior would be less likely to be able to do that.
Here are links to some election news:
Zimbabwe bloggers react to delays
Deal 'close' for Mugabe to leave
Zimbabwe opposition leader: no talks
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
happy reunions
Since returning from Africa, I've been asked fairly often whether it's been difficult to readjust to American life. Generally, my answer has been "no." I'm apparently adaptable enough that I can recognize that life there and here are different from each other without really being thrown by it. This week, though, I've discovered a bit of readjustment that has been trickier than I expected: the shift from the mindset of guest to the mindset of resident.
I hadn't realized quite how deeply eight months of living in the always-flexing and always-trying-not-to-be-a-nuisance non-rhythms of the traveler have infected my person. It's turning out to be a less-than-immediate shift in my head as I work to let myself settle into a place again. The challenge is less in settling into my city and more about settling into a particular abode. It just feels so foreign to have furniture and large amounts of belongings again (these things really belong to me?!), to sit down at the same desk every day to do my work, to really unpack. I’m excited to cook my own food, for example, but I'm struggling to figure out where to start in a kitchen again when I'm not just offering to help someone else with the meal they're preparing. What did I used to fix for myself when I was choosing and preparing my own meals? I'm struggling to remember.
The positive side of settling, though, is showing me just how real it's been that working while traveling is really challenging. Efficiency is nearly impossible. God's generously provided me with a great living situation with my friend Alice. My room boasts a window perfectly situated for my small desk. I get to look outside, watching people come and go (which keeps me from feeling so lonely when work keeps me holed up) and enjoying the currently white-blossomed, soon-to-be green-leafed Bradford pear tree. It's awfully nice when you're in a stage where you're a beggar who can't be a chooser and you end up with an inspiring view out your window in a room that feels good for working in (the feel of the room is quite essential to productive writing, mind you). I'm so excited and hopeful to begin to slog through to do lists that have been taking way too long to get through and to work on writing projects that are part of my processing of these past months of experience.
Perhaps partly increasing the challenge in resettling is the reality that I finally know I'm not resettling here for very long, so there's still an aspect of temporary to it all. I expect to be in Nashville only through the end of June, but that's still long enough to practice "being" for a few months. And readjustment issues aside, I'm really excited to relish these next months in my city. Now that I know where I'm going (defined loosely) I can relax and enjoy where I am. And I can enjoy where I am better because I know that rather than boxing me in it's launching me out.
Because of being in one place, I can finally begin to soak in and sort through the experiences of the past eight months, particularly the four of them that were in Africa. Up to this point, I've felt like the trip wasn't really over because I've still been traveling. And even though I'm pausing for a stretch of time, I actually feel like the trip still isn't over, because I feel like four months in Africa was really just the beginning of a new season of life. In this new season, I'm working as a full-time freelancer with no other sources of income, and I'm exploring cultures and living into this part of my life that's been waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for the God-ordained moment to bloom. There's such a sense of energy and momentum and celebratory life in this part of this season; these are the things that cover over the awkwardness of readjustments.
As I reunite with the belongings that have been allowed to hibernate this winter, I’m discovering another bit of growth that Africa has brought for me. Traveling without so many things as I’m normally surrounded by has produced a healthy lessened attachment to my things. On a practical front that’s helpful as I embark on further purging; the purging is a bit less painful than it would be without that disconnection. On another front, though, there’s freedom. One of my lifelong challenges has been letting other people use my belongings. Perhaps it came from being the big sister of little siblings who might break things they borrowed or from living with people who are less careful with things than I am. Who knows. Whatever the reason, it’s plagued me. I’ve wanted to be generous with my belongings and have appreciated the generosity I’ve benefitted from when I’ve borrowed someone’s ladder or book or paintbrush. But, though I’ve improved over the years, I’ve continued to struggle. I expect the struggle’s still not over, but these months of being a traveler have certainly provided a bit of breakthrough.
As for what’s next, here goes the announcement I’ve been hinting at: I’m making plans to move to London this fall, in mid-September, in order to continue living cross-culturally as a writer and mostly because as much as I can understand His voice that’s where God’s directing me to go. I’m slowly getting used to saying with some level of confidence that this is what I’m doing. But, I suppose it could still fall through. My freelance life has taught me not to live in the world of the definite until after the thing has happened, and my language about future plans tends to reflect that.
In addition to that big news, I’m also planning to spend most of July in Haiti working with some MAF missionary friends to do what I did in Africa. I had to figure out what was happening with England before I could figure out Haiti, so I haven’t talked about it much, though it’s been sliding around in my grey matter (that would be brain not hair—yet!) for months.
There are many details to work out on all these fronts. Those will come. For the moment, I’m first relearning how to live in a place. It’s an important thing to relearn.
I hadn't realized quite how deeply eight months of living in the always-flexing and always-trying-not-to-be-a-nuisance non-rhythms of the traveler have infected my person. It's turning out to be a less-than-immediate shift in my head as I work to let myself settle into a place again. The challenge is less in settling into my city and more about settling into a particular abode. It just feels so foreign to have furniture and large amounts of belongings again (these things really belong to me?!), to sit down at the same desk every day to do my work, to really unpack. I’m excited to cook my own food, for example, but I'm struggling to figure out where to start in a kitchen again when I'm not just offering to help someone else with the meal they're preparing. What did I used to fix for myself when I was choosing and preparing my own meals? I'm struggling to remember.
The positive side of settling, though, is showing me just how real it's been that working while traveling is really challenging. Efficiency is nearly impossible. God's generously provided me with a great living situation with my friend Alice. My room boasts a window perfectly situated for my small desk. I get to look outside, watching people come and go (which keeps me from feeling so lonely when work keeps me holed up) and enjoying the currently white-blossomed, soon-to-be green-leafed Bradford pear tree. It's awfully nice when you're in a stage where you're a beggar who can't be a chooser and you end up with an inspiring view out your window in a room that feels good for working in (the feel of the room is quite essential to productive writing, mind you). I'm so excited and hopeful to begin to slog through to do lists that have been taking way too long to get through and to work on writing projects that are part of my processing of these past months of experience.
Perhaps partly increasing the challenge in resettling is the reality that I finally know I'm not resettling here for very long, so there's still an aspect of temporary to it all. I expect to be in Nashville only through the end of June, but that's still long enough to practice "being" for a few months. And readjustment issues aside, I'm really excited to relish these next months in my city. Now that I know where I'm going (defined loosely) I can relax and enjoy where I am. And I can enjoy where I am better because I know that rather than boxing me in it's launching me out.
Because of being in one place, I can finally begin to soak in and sort through the experiences of the past eight months, particularly the four of them that were in Africa. Up to this point, I've felt like the trip wasn't really over because I've still been traveling. And even though I'm pausing for a stretch of time, I actually feel like the trip still isn't over, because I feel like four months in Africa was really just the beginning of a new season of life. In this new season, I'm working as a full-time freelancer with no other sources of income, and I'm exploring cultures and living into this part of my life that's been waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting for the God-ordained moment to bloom. There's such a sense of energy and momentum and celebratory life in this part of this season; these are the things that cover over the awkwardness of readjustments.
As I reunite with the belongings that have been allowed to hibernate this winter, I’m discovering another bit of growth that Africa has brought for me. Traveling without so many things as I’m normally surrounded by has produced a healthy lessened attachment to my things. On a practical front that’s helpful as I embark on further purging; the purging is a bit less painful than it would be without that disconnection. On another front, though, there’s freedom. One of my lifelong challenges has been letting other people use my belongings. Perhaps it came from being the big sister of little siblings who might break things they borrowed or from living with people who are less careful with things than I am. Who knows. Whatever the reason, it’s plagued me. I’ve wanted to be generous with my belongings and have appreciated the generosity I’ve benefitted from when I’ve borrowed someone’s ladder or book or paintbrush. But, though I’ve improved over the years, I’ve continued to struggle. I expect the struggle’s still not over, but these months of being a traveler have certainly provided a bit of breakthrough.
As for what’s next, here goes the announcement I’ve been hinting at: I’m making plans to move to London this fall, in mid-September, in order to continue living cross-culturally as a writer and mostly because as much as I can understand His voice that’s where God’s directing me to go. I’m slowly getting used to saying with some level of confidence that this is what I’m doing. But, I suppose it could still fall through. My freelance life has taught me not to live in the world of the definite until after the thing has happened, and my language about future plans tends to reflect that.
In addition to that big news, I’m also planning to spend most of July in Haiti working with some MAF missionary friends to do what I did in Africa. I had to figure out what was happening with England before I could figure out Haiti, so I haven’t talked about it much, though it’s been sliding around in my grey matter (that would be brain not hair—yet!) for months.
There are many details to work out on all these fronts. Those will come. For the moment, I’m first relearning how to live in a place. It’s an important thing to relearn.
Friday, March 21, 2008
emptying suitcases. woohoo!
Greetings! Just a quick update for now to let you know I'm finally in one place for a little while. Traveling is wonderful but so is unpacking. ;-) For the first time since last July I'm actually settling into a room for longer than 3-4 weeks (most of the time my stays have been two weeks or less). I'm looking forward this weekend to moving some of my very own furniture over to my new abode off Nolensville Road in Nashville, where I'm living with my generous friend Alice. It's quite amazing to shift gears in my head from being a constant guest in people's homes to living in one again. I'm excited to cook for myself and use my own towels! I suppose it's true that traveling helps you appreciate the simple pleasures of life.
Nashville's blooming Bradford pear trees and other flora are announcing that spring is here. It doesn't seem time for it yet, but that's because I still feel like it should be fall. My timing's still a bit off seasonally. I'm glad to welcome spring, though. And glad to be in Nashville for it.
Plans are afoot, but I'll wait for a future post to announce them. Stayed tuned. All signs are saying that more adventures are still ahead!
Nashville's blooming Bradford pear trees and other flora are announcing that spring is here. It doesn't seem time for it yet, but that's because I still feel like it should be fall. My timing's still a bit off seasonally. I'm glad to welcome spring, though. And glad to be in Nashville for it.
Plans are afoot, but I'll wait for a future post to announce them. Stayed tuned. All signs are saying that more adventures are still ahead!
Sunday, March 2, 2008
meeting england
Just wanted to let you know I've been continuing my traveling ways in England the past couple weeks. Somehow it just didn't feel quite right to post an England post here on my Africa blog. This time, anyway. Instead, I decided to give the post to my other blog, the one that's been languishing away from lack of attention these past months. So, if you're interested in England or in spires or in how England and Africa are linked in my life, brew a nice cup of tea and go read along on my other blog. Cheers!
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Africa Upper Room story online
Another of my "official" stories is available online as of yesterday. Click here to read all about how "Africa Upper Room director guides growing ministry."
Last night was my first group report on my travels. My generous hosts for these first couple weeks back in Nashville are part of a group that meets monthly to follow Wycliffe missionaries and missions in general. They invited me to be the "guest missionary" last night. I enjoyed meeting the small group of folks who were there and getting to tell the story of God's work in this season of my life as well as describe some of the impressions I gained through my travels. They were a generous audience!
Today I'm wrapping up the last really pressing article assignment from Africa. There are more assignments to finish, but after today the biggest, hardest, most immediate ones will be done. Hooray! Also today I need to finish a story on the relationship between the church and the arts for a local arts magazine. So, it's a very full day that seems a bit impossible but that's when optimism comes in handy. After today, I'll hopefully be able to breathe (and sleep) again. Here's hoping!
Last night was my first group report on my travels. My generous hosts for these first couple weeks back in Nashville are part of a group that meets monthly to follow Wycliffe missionaries and missions in general. They invited me to be the "guest missionary" last night. I enjoyed meeting the small group of folks who were there and getting to tell the story of God's work in this season of my life as well as describe some of the impressions I gained through my travels. They were a generous audience!
Today I'm wrapping up the last really pressing article assignment from Africa. There are more assignments to finish, but after today the biggest, hardest, most immediate ones will be done. Hooray! Also today I need to finish a story on the relationship between the church and the arts for a local arts magazine. So, it's a very full day that seems a bit impossible but that's when optimism comes in handy. After today, I'll hopefully be able to breathe (and sleep) again. Here's hoping!
Monday, February 4, 2008
are we so different?
During the month of January, I was busy writing up stories from information I collected while I was in Africa. Until now, I didn't quite realized exactly how much work I lined up for myself during this trip. Normally, I might be working concurrently on 4-5 stories at the very,very most. I might have other stories lined up to work on after those stories were completed but wouldn't have to work on them until the first set was done. I didn't get to order things that way this fall. Instead, I just had to collect mounds of information, trying to make sure I collected the right information, and then sort through much of it once I returned to the US and finally had time to write.
The result of that process has meant that, as I write the stories, I've been revisiting places I visited months ago, places I didn't get to sit in for long before having to move my head and heart (and feet, too!) on to the next stop. It has been good to go back to them now with slightly more time for listening to what they told and taught me then.
While in Kenya, I interviewed two men who are government employees, perhaps accurately categorized as mid-level manager types, one more senior than the other. I met with them in their offices in the main government building during my fourth or fifth week in Kenya. By that time, I'd heard plenty of stories about government corruption, misappropriation of funds, road projects uncompleted because of the corruption and misappropriation, etc. (And I'd ridden on said roads and experienced their terrible state.) I'd heard stories of Kenyan pastors exhorting their congregations to pray for the evil spiritual hold on government to be broken--particularly in light of the upcoming election--,citing reasonable evidence that political leaders have to take oaths and make agreements that amount to pacts with the devil, something that stems from Kenya's (and much of Africa's) spiritist history. Additionally, I heard stories about the growing violent, gratuitous crime in Nairobi, in particular. The things that are happening with increasing frequency there sound very similar to the reports that come from Johannesburg, one of the most dangerous cities in the world. I heard stories about a former president who was a friend to the church yet was considerably shady.
So, to be honest, based on the things I heard when I was in Kenya, the things happening there now, though nothing short of tragic, aren't surprising to me. The seeds for all of it, from rigged elections to awful violence were there. In many ways the reports about how stable Kenya was and how surprising all of this is don't feel correct to me. Perhaps it was stable by the numbers or on economic fronts or on world diplomacy fronts or something, but in just a few weeks of listening there, one could hear a very different story.
However, in spite of all that, when I interviewed the government guys, I came away hopeful for Kenya. It seemed the government was working on some important reforms, and these guys were excited about them. One of the reforms was a shift from process-based management to results-based management, a shift from services getting bogged down in the process but never delivering to government entities and employees being evaluated on the actual delivery of services and products. Employees were being given performance contracts with expectations for work to be completed. Additionally, both men spoke well of ways to address other issues and of the possibilities for pan-Africanism (greater cooperation economically and otherwise between African nations, perhaps in the spirit of the European Union) to help solve some of Africa's challenges.
One of my interviewees gave me a copy of a brochure describing "Kenya Vision 2030, a competitive and prosperous Kenya." As I read it in January, in the midst of the post-election violence, I found it sadly ironic. The Vision 2030 development process was launched by Pres. Mwai Kibaki in October 2006. Here are some quotes from the first page of the document I was given [emphasis mine]:
The result of that process has meant that, as I write the stories, I've been revisiting places I visited months ago, places I didn't get to sit in for long before having to move my head and heart (and feet, too!) on to the next stop. It has been good to go back to them now with slightly more time for listening to what they told and taught me then.
While in Kenya, I interviewed two men who are government employees, perhaps accurately categorized as mid-level manager types, one more senior than the other. I met with them in their offices in the main government building during my fourth or fifth week in Kenya. By that time, I'd heard plenty of stories about government corruption, misappropriation of funds, road projects uncompleted because of the corruption and misappropriation, etc. (And I'd ridden on said roads and experienced their terrible state.) I'd heard stories of Kenyan pastors exhorting their congregations to pray for the evil spiritual hold on government to be broken--particularly in light of the upcoming election--,citing reasonable evidence that political leaders have to take oaths and make agreements that amount to pacts with the devil, something that stems from Kenya's (and much of Africa's) spiritist history. Additionally, I heard stories about the growing violent, gratuitous crime in Nairobi, in particular. The things that are happening with increasing frequency there sound very similar to the reports that come from Johannesburg, one of the most dangerous cities in the world. I heard stories about a former president who was a friend to the church yet was considerably shady.
So, to be honest, based on the things I heard when I was in Kenya, the things happening there now, though nothing short of tragic, aren't surprising to me. The seeds for all of it, from rigged elections to awful violence were there. In many ways the reports about how stable Kenya was and how surprising all of this is don't feel correct to me. Perhaps it was stable by the numbers or on economic fronts or on world diplomacy fronts or something, but in just a few weeks of listening there, one could hear a very different story.
However, in spite of all that, when I interviewed the government guys, I came away hopeful for Kenya. It seemed the government was working on some important reforms, and these guys were excited about them. One of the reforms was a shift from process-based management to results-based management, a shift from services getting bogged down in the process but never delivering to government entities and employees being evaluated on the actual delivery of services and products. Employees were being given performance contracts with expectations for work to be completed. Additionally, both men spoke well of ways to address other issues and of the possibilities for pan-Africanism (greater cooperation economically and otherwise between African nations, perhaps in the spirit of the European Union) to help solve some of Africa's challenges.
One of my interviewees gave me a copy of a brochure describing "Kenya Vision 2030, a competitive and prosperous Kenya." As I read it in January, in the midst of the post-election violence, I found it sadly ironic. The Vision 2030 development process was launched by Pres. Mwai Kibaki in October 2006. Here are some quotes from the first page of the document I was given [emphasis mine]:
Kenya Vision 2030 is the new country's development blueprint covering the period 2008 to 2030. It aims at making Kenya a newly industrializing, 'middle income country providing high quality life for all its citizens by the year 2030'...The vision is based on three 'pillars' namely; the economic pillar, the social pillar and the political pillar...The economic pillar aims at providing prosperity of all Kenyans through an economic development programme aimed at achieving an average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 10% per annum over the next 25 years. The social pillar seeks to build 'a just and cohesive society with social equity in a clean and secure environment'. The political pillar aims at realising a democratic political system founded on issue-based politics that respects the rule of law, and protects the rights and freedoms of every individual in the Kenyan society.
It's frustrating that the current president could have endorsed such a plan and then act as he has in the current situation. And Raila Odinga seems little better. From afar it sure seems like neither of these men really has the best interests of their dying and displaced countrymen in mind. It's hard not to believe they're not both motivated mostly by a desire for their own power.
It's also hard to understand the depth of hate that spawns ethnic violence. (I found an excellent BBC radio report here that was helpful. It's just over 20 minutes long but is worth listening to.) On Friday, though, I was reminded that we're not immune to such things here in the US. The Graduate Christian Fellowship group I'm part of at Vanderbilt University invited a speaker on immigration issues to address our group gathering.
I've struggled to follow the immigration issue that has been a fairly hot topic for a couple election cycles now (senate/congressional and now presidential). Mostly I just know I've heard things from people and commercials and sound bites that seemed pretty uncaring (to put it mildly) toward the immigrants in our midst. Plus, I'm increasingly confronted by the reality that my closest relationships fall within a fairly small subset of the American Christian community, so there are things being espoused by American Christians that I don't think of as widespread because I don't hang out with people who talk that way.
Our group discussion on Friday night included an attempt to understand what Scriptural exhortations are relevant to this issue. We discussed Biblical commands toward love, hospitality, and care for both neighbors and strangers and commands against from selfishness and hoarding what we have away from others. We talked about addressing the in-country issues and economic disparities that prompt people to try to get into the US. People shared stories of Christians they know who actually say that people trying to cross the border should just be shot. We talked about how many of the illegal immigrants are hard-working people who are less likely to be involved in crime than American citizens. We wondered how many people who advocate "keep 'em all out, shoot 'em if they come in" type measures have ever considered themselves in the shoes of those trying to get to America. We discussed how much racism plays in: why do we always only talk of Mexican immigrants when there are Canadians working illegally in the US, too? We talked about how Americans want to be free to go anywhere they want but want to keep other people from coming here. And, we're all immigrants to this land anyway, so where to do we get off trying to keep other immigrants out? We talked about how much fear feeds and plagues all of this: economic fears, fear of "the other," and so many more fears.
We acknowledged that the issue is complex, and we didn't solve it or figure out which immigration policy to endorse. (Though I wish we could just let whoever wants to come, come, I guess I understand why we can't do that.) It was good for me--in a this-is-the-truth kind of way--to be reminded of how much hate still exists in our country. We can take a moral high road and condemn what's happening in Kenya. But, perhaps we should consider how far away we really may not be from something similar here. Bad things must certainly follow when we don't love our neighbors, be they like us or not like us.
whereabouts
Sorry for my pretty lengthy delay between posts! I've got much I want to get written for this blog yet, but I've been very covered up with writing assignments, most of them still from information gathered in Africa.
I wanted to give you a quick update on my schedule, though. (Partly so those of you in Nashville will know when I'm in town!) I arrived back in Nashville last Wednesday night. I plan to be a good citizen and vote in the presidential primaries tomorrow. (That information isn't particularly relevant to this post, but, hey, I don't see any editors around these blogger parts. ;-) ) I'll be in Nashville until Feb. 18 when I'll head to the UK for two weeks of hanging out with friends and investigating options. Then back to Nashville for a couple days before heading up to Illinois to spend some time with all four grandparents and extended family. Then back to Nashville for a couple months at least.
It's a strange thing to be living this bohemian nomadic existence for a little while longer. I've had friends who've done it in the past, and I always wondered quite how that worked. And, now, suddenly, without planning for it, that's become this stretch of life for me.
I continue to be amazed at God's provision and presence in the midst of all the great unknowns of this season. There's much molding that happens in a year of sleeping somewhere different every couple weeks, in a year of depending heavily on the generosity of others (both friends and strangers!), in a year of learning to receive well, in a year of soaking in all the little provisions that add up together to be God's great care for me, in a year of hoping to steward that care by passing it on to others.
This month and next I'm beginning to do a couple group reports on my trip. Mostly likely Sun, Feb. 17 in the afternoon will be the date of the "report gathering" for my church, but others here in Nashville are welcome to come to that. Email me or leave a comment in my blog if you'd like more info. On Fri, Mar. 28, I'll be the "speaker" for the Vandy Graduate Christian Fellowship large group gathering. Then, in March or early April, I'm hoping to hold some other sort of gathering for Nashville friends and supporters who aren't connected to either of those groups, though any of you are welcome to come to the groups' gatherings, too.
I welcome your prayers in this season. I'm still praying through what's next. Most up in the air is where I will live, as I expect to continue freelancing. I'm in a reasonably rare spot in life in which I have a great deal of freedom. I have no home. My belongings have already been packed. I'm almost at a point with my work that I could live almost anywhere (add in a bit of God-orchestrating on the work front and I could live anywhere). I don't have a husband or children to consult. I'm not in great financial debt. I have a current passport. And, to top it all off, my immunizations will continue protecting me for a while, and my travel luggage has already gotten some travel experience! I feel a sense of responsibility to steward well this moment, this time of opportunity. So, please pray with me that I would do that.
Here's the recap of the schedule things I mentioned above:
now-Feb. 18: Nashville
Feb. 18-Mar. 3: UK (London and Oxford)
Mar. 3 - ?: a couple nights in Nashville
approximately Mar. 5-15: Illinois
Mar. 15-at least mid-May: Nashville
Feb. 17: tentative "tell about my trip" gathering for Grace Community Church folks and anyone else who wants to come
March 28: Vanderbilt Graduate Christian Fellowship large group speaker
I wanted to give you a quick update on my schedule, though. (Partly so those of you in Nashville will know when I'm in town!) I arrived back in Nashville last Wednesday night. I plan to be a good citizen and vote in the presidential primaries tomorrow. (That information isn't particularly relevant to this post, but, hey, I don't see any editors around these blogger parts. ;-) ) I'll be in Nashville until Feb. 18 when I'll head to the UK for two weeks of hanging out with friends and investigating options. Then back to Nashville for a couple days before heading up to Illinois to spend some time with all four grandparents and extended family. Then back to Nashville for a couple months at least.
It's a strange thing to be living this bohemian nomadic existence for a little while longer. I've had friends who've done it in the past, and I always wondered quite how that worked. And, now, suddenly, without planning for it, that's become this stretch of life for me.
I continue to be amazed at God's provision and presence in the midst of all the great unknowns of this season. There's much molding that happens in a year of sleeping somewhere different every couple weeks, in a year of depending heavily on the generosity of others (both friends and strangers!), in a year of learning to receive well, in a year of soaking in all the little provisions that add up together to be God's great care for me, in a year of hoping to steward that care by passing it on to others.
This month and next I'm beginning to do a couple group reports on my trip. Mostly likely Sun, Feb. 17 in the afternoon will be the date of the "report gathering" for my church, but others here in Nashville are welcome to come to that. Email me or leave a comment in my blog if you'd like more info. On Fri, Mar. 28, I'll be the "speaker" for the Vandy Graduate Christian Fellowship large group gathering. Then, in March or early April, I'm hoping to hold some other sort of gathering for Nashville friends and supporters who aren't connected to either of those groups, though any of you are welcome to come to the groups' gatherings, too.
I welcome your prayers in this season. I'm still praying through what's next. Most up in the air is where I will live, as I expect to continue freelancing. I'm in a reasonably rare spot in life in which I have a great deal of freedom. I have no home. My belongings have already been packed. I'm almost at a point with my work that I could live almost anywhere (add in a bit of God-orchestrating on the work front and I could live anywhere). I don't have a husband or children to consult. I'm not in great financial debt. I have a current passport. And, to top it all off, my immunizations will continue protecting me for a while, and my travel luggage has already gotten some travel experience! I feel a sense of responsibility to steward well this moment, this time of opportunity. So, please pray with me that I would do that.
Here's the recap of the schedule things I mentioned above:
now-Feb. 18: Nashville
Feb. 18-Mar. 3: UK (London and Oxford)
Mar. 3 - ?: a couple nights in Nashville
approximately Mar. 5-15: Illinois
Mar. 15-at least mid-May: Nashville
Feb. 17: tentative "tell about my trip" gathering for Grace Community Church folks and anyone else who wants to come
March 28: Vanderbilt Graduate Christian Fellowship large group speaker
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