Kenya In September

I'm not sure if blogs are supposed to be long or short but mine run towards the long. So much happens on these trips that putting it down in just a couple of paragraphs is not possible so I end up with this.

Getting to know the Buckner Kids

The whole Crew

The last trip in this years series was Kenya. Each trip has been unique and Kenya was no exception. I had the privilege of being the team leader on this trip and was able to introduce the team that went form our church, The Church on Rush Creek, to the Buckner Kids.

A lot of this trip has to do with the travel part.

This is how we were greeted at the airport in
Kisumu Ok it wasn't just for us, still pretty cool

Here is the trip in a nutshell:
2 days to get to Kenya (left on 24th - got there night of the 25th)

2 days to get home
4 international flights

Getting there is half the fun

4 in country flights in Kenya - two of those on smallish prop planes

As I mentioned above we took the team Busia, Kenya to hang out with the Buckner Kids (more about them later)
About the region: (warning minor sociological content ahead)
The Busia District sits along the Uganda border in western Kenya and Busia City shares the border crossing with Uganda. The region is almost 100% agricultural and once you get on the road leaving from Kisumu airport, the third largest city in Kenya, heading towards Busia you know for sure that you are in Africa. There really is nothing that feels like it anywhere else in teh world.

One the villages on the way to Busia

There are always tons of people walking, biking and ambulating along the side of the road. Along with the people there are cows, goats and other assorted animals just wandering along the side of the roads. As you drive we come across a number of towns in which we encounter very busy markets with quite a few people trading, bartering and arranging for rides in the seemingly never ending supply of Toyota vans that you find all over Kenya. Driving from Kisumu to the hotel where we stay takes about 1.5 / 2 hrs. The time really does depends on what shape the roads are in and the type of vehicle. We were in a medium size bus as opposed to a van and it was pretty comfortable, if you weren't over 6 feet tall. The bus struggled a little in the uphill sections but got us there and back with no problems.


A couple of the neighborhood kids The Team in the bus, comfy huh?

An Example of how Kenya is different than the US
Upon arriving in Kisumu, as mentioned above the third largest city in Kenya, I had to exchange money, to pay for stuff ya know. We went to the bank, and based on the amount of $ I was wanting to exchange I was able to negotiate a better exchange rate than the going posted rate, go figure, we negotiated an exchange rate. Ok, a little weird but that's understandable, its just business right, what happened next however pointed out the more glaring differences from Kenya to the US. We started the process of making the exchange and the bank clerk realized after she started counting out the cash that not only did she not have enough cash to make the exchange, THE BANK did not have enough cash to make the exchange. While one clerk was counting out the exaggerated amount of KS (Kenyan Shillings) that was due, the first clerk went next door to as she put it "get more money". Yes, the bank did not have enough money and we aren't talking about that huge a sum of dollars. The clerk came back (with a rather large envelope from the "Pawn Shop" next door) to finalize the transaction. It was pretty crazy and took about an hour, of course the rest of the team were roasting quite nicely in the van.

OK, About the Kids
Buckner Intl. has a foster care program for orphans, most of which are orphaned due to AIDS. All the kids we had contact with have lost both parents to AIDS and are living in foster care, some with family members such as an aunt or uncle, but most were not with family. Buckner provides financial assistance to help provide clothing, health care, food and other basic needs for each kid, about $25 bucks a month in costs. They have social workers (pictured below) that make sure the kids needs are being met and I have to tell you, these people are great.

These are the people that make it happen for the Kids, thanks guys - get some rest now
Go to Buckner.org for more info on Buckner

Something else about the kids - They are great kids, they are well behaved, they are fun to be around, they are pretty well adjusted considering and they have great hearts. The other thing to remember - they are just kids. They do kids stuff, play, joke around with their friends and behave like kids, good kids not spoiled, bratty or snotty kids. Their ages range from about 6 years old up to 15. After 15, at high school age, if they have qualified they move on to a high school boarding school, this cost is also taken care of by Buckner (more specifically by donors).

Why did we go there?


Some may ask: Why do they have to go through that what they go through at all? If He is a loving God why make people suffer? Well the simple answer is that there is sin in the world, that sin leads to our separation from God and because of that sin we are all affected, in different ways, those kids are affected specifically by a disease. They did nothing wrong to deserve it, we don't necessarily deserve bad things, they happen because there is bad/sin in the world. Its not what He would want but its what we live with in a sinful world. It really is only through the intercession from Christ and his dying that we can again establish that relationship with God. It doesn't mean there won't be bad things that happen to us, its merely the fact that now we are not alone when it does. OK enough preaching and I probably didn't answer the question right anyways. All I know is that God told me to go tell those kids that He loves them. So I did. PERIOD

So we went and hung out with the kids and got to know them a little better. I cannot come close to understanding what they are going through in their lives. I hung out mostly with the older kids. 10 kids ages 13 - 15, 8 boys and 2 girls. Real smart kids to, asked some very smart and tough questions but I could tell they were somewhat hesitant to "open up" about any personal stuff. They have had other groups come in and do "VBS" with them, they were pros when it came to having the "bible lessons" and having their canned or stock answers to most of the regular questions so I tried to mix up the questions and open up dialogue just a little bit, not allow them the stock answers and tried to make them think about what they were saying.

I guess there are any number of reasons, the primary reason is because we were told to by Christ. OK He didn't speak to me one night and from above in a booming "10 commandments voice" say "go to Busia City and hang out with the Buckner kids"

(that's my name for them by the way), its one of those, I know because I know because I know things. We went to Busia just to let these very special kids know that someone (God) cares about them, cares about their well being and wants to have a relationship with them and has a plan for their life. Its simple really, all we were doing was taking them a message. Christ cares about each one of those kids and what they are going through.

Did I succeed? who knows, the communications barrier was a little difficult, they spoke better Swahili than English and I spoke better English than Swahili, but we did OK. I learned they don't know why they are here/there, they don't have direct sense of purpose in being, we talked about that a little, not sure if they got it, at least we were able to talk about purpose for their lives. I learned that they are still a little rattled by the violence that erupted earlier this year. Yeah we talked about it, they tried to explain the tribal thing to me, I told them I didn't get it, I was African but didn't have a tribe, they were OK with that (didn't get an offer to join their tribe though they told me I was probably the opposite tribe form theirs though).

Look, I have no good answers about what the best thing is for these guys. I think they have some hope of a better future, one of the girls in the group wants to be a doctor, she might have the smarts to make it and maybe even a better than average chance with Buckner in her corner. All we can do is go, give the message and the rest is up to God. He's got a way of getting his point across.

A couple of things that happened on the trip taught me something not just about these kids but about those that went.
That first afternoon we go there:
I saw the team, 12 complete strangers to these kids get off a bus and then I saw 42 kids come up to us, complete strangers, shake our hands introduce themselves and invite us to start kicking around a soccer ball or jumping rope. We didn't have to come pry them out of a corner, they approached us. How rare is that in today's world? You wouldn't get kids in the US to be that open, to some degree justifiably so, but even then.

Before we arrived some of the group were somewhat unsure of what to expect, some where anxious at how they would be received, some were not sure how they would connect with kids, that wasn't their thing. I think all those anxieties disappeared within a matter of minutes. I'm hoping that the relationships that were developed by each one can exist within that person for a long time. I'm not in this for the short haul, I'm in this for the long haul. I'll find a way to get back to Kenya and those kids as often as I can and do for them what I can.

As I look back on the trip one of the things that I can say without a shadow of any doubt in my mind is - That was were God wanted me to be, at that moment in time. He may have other plans for me in the future that don't involve Kenya or those kids but for those 5 days in September He wanted me to be right where I was. I truly love Kenya and can say that its a special place.

I've been home over a month now, sometimes you can write things out, come back a month later and go, wow, what a sappy bunch of crap. I've got to say that Kenya, has not faded in my mind. For that matter neither has China nor Paraguay. Each unique, each necessary and each a trip with a distinct purpose. I don't know where I'll be led next year, I'm already planning trips to Kenya and hope to go to Paraguay as well. I'd be kidding myself if I didn't know that my path is missions, I just have to find the right direction down that path.

Thanks to all of those that went. Thanks to all of those that made it possible for us to go. It would not have been the same trip without each one of the volunteers that went. I know that many went on faith, many were uncertain about going and others went with a purpose having had Kenya or Africa on their hearts for many years, but I don't think a single one of them would say that they either regret going or were not changed by the experience.

IN MEMORY OF EUGENE
DROWNED THIS PAST YEAR
HE WAS 15

Credit where credit is due, some of these pictures were provided by a number of people from the trip, thanks hope ya don't mind....

Oh yeah, our downtime was great also - Safari time, its always a great highlight at the end.

always remember.

It is what it is

Ahhh Blissful Belize

This summer had quite a few interesting and uplifting notes, among those and certainly not the least of which was my 10 year anniversary to the fabulous Tiffany. We always try to take a trip as a gift to each other rather than purchase another trinket that we may or may not truly appreciate. This year we went to Belize. Wow


Tiffany was somewhat worried about the scheduling since we sandwiched the week away in between the return from China one week and leaving for Kenya 2 weeks later. It worked out fine though.

I really did Love Belize. We rented a condo on Ambergris Caye, a 20 minute plane ride hop from Belize City on the mainland. It was great, from the plane ride down a mere 2 1/2 hours to the easy customs and the best part was, no crowds. That is one good thing about travel the first week in Sept. There are usually fewer crowds.

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The grounds where we stay ed were somewhat secluded yet an easy 5 minute walk to town or the grocery store, the humidity however was over the top a couple of days. We had a second floor condo facing the ocean (pictured left), the breezes from the ocean were nice in the evenings and walking up the beach to the various eateries was also a bonus. When we got there Friday, there were maybe 5 other people staying in the condos by mid week there was maybe 2, then a couple arrive before we left, that was it....now that's a vacation.

I'd have to say that Belize or more specifically Ambergris Caye and San Pedro is all about
The Water.
The water is magnificent, Belize works hard to keep it that way but you may have never seen water quite as clear as this. The water temperature was excellent and the visibility was amazing. Due in no small part to the presence of the second largest barrier reef in the world about 1 1/2 miles off shore, the waters were generally very calm.

So we did the expected tourist stuff, snorkeling with the sharks and mantas ( pretty cool), We did the fishing thing as well. Lets see, I caught Nada, zip zilch but Tiffany caught a decent sized Barracuda (pictured).

We also did the zip line thing through the rain forest on the mainland with tubing down the river inside the caves *also pretty cool if your not claustrophobic or afraid of bats (both on Tiffany's top ten don't likes) she was extremely brave throughout.

Luckily there were no crowds, we were told there could be waits of up to an hour on the zip lines and with the humidity that would have been brutal.

It was very laid back on the Caye, the locals were in a down mode and were not really expecting things to get going again for about two months, it was the beginning of their vacation time, many restaurants were closing for remodeling or just closing till the tourists started coming back sometime in mid November. It's not cheap in San Pedro, groceries are expensive, as you might expect on an island and restaurants are expensive for what they are. But we managed, cooked a few meals in the condo and all in all it was great time.

For our anniversary dinner we took a night-time water taxi ride of about 20/30 min. to a resort that is really only available by water taxi, it was very laid back, quite and the wait staff were nice enough so it was very relaxing evening. The Food? ok they tell me its not about the food, but who are we kidding, unfortunately I'm all about the food. Don't go to Belize for the food, its about average to below average and overpriced but we did have a couple of great burger joints that we frequented so that was good, still all and all go for the water not the "upscale" eateries.


Would I go back - you bet, but there is so much more of the world yet to be seen together it might take us a few years to get back there. The water alone makes it worth traveling back to, especially since we saw only a very small part of the reef. Thanks to the guys at Paradise, it is aptly named and they did a great job in making life easy for us.

Thanks Tiffany for 10 years of wonderful marriage and I can't wait to see what the next 10 bring and the 10 after that and the 10 after that and the 10 after that and the 10 after that.........

As for Belize, common guys ya know it by now.......

It is what it is

What I learned in China

What did I learn?

About the City

• I learned the New (less than a month old) Beijing International airport was amazing.
• I learned the New (some less than 2 weeks old) Subways are pretty easy to navigate.
• I learned the city is really vibrant and modern, not what I was expecting.
• I learned that its hot in Beijing in August, go figure.
• I learned traffic might be one traffic cop short of crazy with about 2 million more cars on the road.
  

About the People

• I learned they are proud of their city, as they should be.
• I learned they love to interact with each other in their community.
• I learned they go about their daily lives just like us in normal non-Olympic times.
• I learned they go to work in the morning, home in the evening and hang out with family on the weekends.

• I learned that some don't like their jobs, others love their jobs.
• I learned that its a pretty laid back schedule for professionals.
  
  
  About Society
  

• I learned that the retired folks stay very busy and active for the most part.
  I learned they love to exercise and interact with each other almost every day.
  
• I learned that some of the older folks don't like the hustle and bustle that Beijing has become, others thrive on it.
• I learned the subways can be cramped but pretty quiet and we Americans are loud and stand out in a crowd (as usual).
• I learned that Chinese society is pretty homogeneous, yeah there are many people groups in China but they don't mix.
• I learned that they care deeply about their families and are very family oriented.
  
  About Pre-Set Impressions
  
  
• I learned they care very much what we in the west think of them, them personally for sure but about "them" as a nation as well.
• I learned they have AMWAY salesmen.
  
• I learned they have no specific thoughts on religion but they do on spirituality, but it remains a somewhat vague notion for some.
• I learned they do have opinions on politics and will share them with you.
• I learned taxi cabs can indeed be bugged.
• I learned they have great great food in Beijing.
• They don't quite "get" us.
• There is a lot below their surface they don't say.
  
  
  
  About their Future
  

• I learned Beijing is a thriving metropolis but 40 miles outside of the city its a different picture.
• I learned that University students are the same all over the world, they have hope.
• I learned that the country needs God.
• I learned that the Buddhist temple was a very "dark" place spiritually.
• I learned that people are searching for something beyond their own lives.
  
  
  
  
  

  • I learned I haven't even scratched the surface.
    
    

  China is what it is
  

Paraguay Remix

Who doesn't love a baby pic?

We went to Paraguay in June - sounds so simple huh? "hey Norm" what did ya do in June?
"oh I went to Paraguay in June..."

Why is it that those things that sound so simple aren't quite that way. We had the usual issues before going, the worries the small issues that pop up with the Parguayans, they obviously have their own agenda and it doesn't always match ours which is a shame, just a little bit more of understanding and it would make things really easier on everyone, that having been said, they are great people, Mirtha the foundation director down there is amazing, she has so many issues I'm not sure how she gets by a regular week, much less planning for our team to arrive.

The purpose of the trip, supporting the Centro Medico Bautista in Asuncion, Paraguay. We take medical teams down to primarly raise awareness of the work of the Centro Medico. While in Paraguay this past time we conducted outpatient clinics in some very under-served areas outside of Asuncion that had been identified by the Centro Medico Bautista (see previous blogg about that trip in detail). The group was relatively small this year, 15 volunteers but as it turned out (on this as on the other trips) it was the perfect group. God has a way of picking people he wants to go, not necessarily people we would pick to go. If I told you I would prefer to go through resumes and pick the people that went I would be lying to you, we put out the request, these individuals that volunteer feel led to serve and God sends them. Weird that He would know more than we would about who needs to go on these trips.

One of our clinic's outside that day

We or maybe "I" had some concerns about this trip

• We had some concerns over the size of the team - it turned out to be the perfect amount
• We had some concerns about the money needed for medicines at the start of the trip - it turns out we had the perfect amount
• We had some concerns at the amount of money we would have available to donate for scholarships and some other needs the foundation in Paraguay had - it turns out we had the right amount needed
• We had some concerns over logistics - it turns out there were no problems with logistics everything went smoothly
  

Our concerns it turns out were within Gods reach, imagine that, we couldn't have concerns greater than those problems God could handle.

That is the lesson I learned from Paraguay. God doesn't have concerns - he has solutions, if we just shut up and listen.....

It is what It is

Paraguay, China, Belize and Kenya (what I did on my summer vacation?)

So this blogging thing is something you have to keep up on or it becomes somewhat a daunting task to update - especially after the past three months, they were somewhat full.

As I look back at the posts that I have already published and then contemplate all that has happened since it seems like forever since that first post at the beginning of summer, the one where I said I would post as things occurred, well best laid plans and all that...

This summer of travel started with the Paraguay medical mission trip which was great, I really do mean great, and at the time it seemed that it could not be topped. I now look at it this way, its not that it was topped, but it was certainly the beginning of a great sequence of unique trips and events.

Each trip - Paraguay, China, Belize (anniversary vacation) and Kenya were amazing. Each uniquely different, each an eye opener in its own way.

I was able to travel to four very unique and distinct parts of the world over a three month period, how cool is that? I got to not only travel there but to spend some time with the people of those countries, getting to know just a little bit about them, getting to learn just a little bit more about their culture and their lives. There were unique circumstances in each country that taught me a different lesson about their lives, their cultures and the way that we fit into the greater scheme of life. I learned a little more about who I am and more importantly about who God is. I'm going to do a different blog for each country. They are going to be long (sorry its my blog and I'll do it my way) but there is so much to say about each one. Thanks for indulging me....

Paraguay is already "on the books (on the blog?)" but I wanted to update that just a bit, not delete the one that's there but give it a new spin with a new perspective based on the rest of the summer events and then move through the rest of the trips. THANKS to TIFF
Let me say a couple of things about my wife, the fabulous Tiffany. I could not have done these trips without her support and sacrifice. I know people say things like that all the time when looking back and reminiscing however it is so true in this case. It is because of Her hard work that I was able to travel to all these places and experience so many things. She stayed behind and dog sat, house-sat, worried and worked hard. I could not have had the summer of experiences I did without her full support. Simply put It Could Not Have Happened, I owe her so much and there is no way I can thank her enough. Knowing she was praying for me and knowing she supported my decision to go allowed me to do the things I felt I had to do (period).
Thanks Tiff
There were many others out there that were praying for me while I was traveling and I want each of you to know that I truly appreciate your prayers and thoughts, knowing that each of you were there made all the difference in the world. Thanks

Well, check in later for the updates on each trip, if not have a happy life and all that and if ya didn't know it already..........

It is what It is

Moving Forward

*I wrote this blog before going to China - I didn't want to post it before going, I was sure I was wrong on most of my pre-trip impressions. Since writing this particular blog I've been to Beijing and contrary to what I thought before going, the below really does still apply - some of the ideas I had have not been disproved nor have they been proven out, they are merely my impressions, as is anything having to do with life. I made no changes to the essence of what I had written before I went.



As the next step in the ongoing summer travel extravaganza approaches I've been looking at a lot of maps. The various sources of these maps and what they show and how they show it just keeps pointing out one thing. How small I really am.

If I start from the point of view of my neighborhood, then slowly zoom out, expand the view and begin to "pan" around the globe it is truly just amazing how small I am first on my block, in my neighborhood, in my city, in my state and in my country. (Isn't Google Earth great?)

I'm heading across the globe in a few weeks to a country that couldn't be more of a contrast to the US. Oh, they say that its changed, that its the new China, Welcome to Beijing home of the 2008 Summer Olympics. I have no idea what the new China represents, what it really is or even if it really is New.

If our impressions of China were derived from its history and looking at that moving into where it (The Modern China) has evolved we are led down some pretty slippery slopes. I found myself reading a lot about Chinese history and found it to be somewhat overwhelming to do so just glancing at the mere surface. First of all its broken up into the very very very old, very very old, old, less old and then somewhat newer. Kidding aside its truly fascinating.

(WARNING HISTORICAL CONTENT AHEAD)
If nothing else the mere length of its overall history is daunting. Its first dynasty perhaps the Xia Dynasty if some of the books are to be believed occured over 4000 years ago. There is some controversy regarding the actual establishment or time period of this era however some have suggested that this Xia Dynasty *period, began around 2100 BC to perhaps running up to 1600 BC. The following Dynasties have written history so they are easier to establish beginning with the Shang Dynasty running from 1600 BC to 1300 BC and then successive Dynasties following this (way to many to enumerate here, especialy since I'm doing this from memory more or less). However it is important to note that during most of these eras there were deep divisions in the country, both in size, mass or even in number of people groups. We have to keep in mind that the country as it is now bears little resemblance to what it looked like at various points along its history line, the division of the country into smaller countries or different feudal systems makes it difficult to categorize what we see today as having a unified history. As with any country with over 4000 years of history and the sheer land mass of China there have been a lot of ups and maybe even more downs. One thing that as westerners we have a hard time dealing with is the fact that what we see now is not what has always been. Even if we go back only one hundred years the China of then is very different than the China of today. The country was fragmented as recently as the 1920's. Keep in mind that the Chinese civil war lasted from approximately 1927 through 1950. The result of this internal power struggle were Taiwan (established by the loosing party KMT) and maybe of even more important was the emergence of Mao Zedong and the "new" Peoples Republic of China, its modern name. May of 1966 marks the unofficial beginning of the Cultural Revolution. This led to the purges that went on until 1976 officially but realistically carried through to 1980.

TO ALL OF THOSE HISTORIANS OUT THERE THAT WISH TO CORRECT OR EVEN CONTRADICT ME - FEEL FREE - BUT I JUST DID THIS FROM MEMORY AND IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE THE EQUIVALENT OF A DISSERTATION SO SAVE IT

In China, the thousands of years of history, the vastness of the country, the vast number of people groups that exist and the immense quantity of the population mold a very complex society. Glancing at China we see just the tip of this massive ice-berg. I know that what I will see will be an even smaller portion of that ice-berg.

The "New" China I expect to see - I never new the "Old" so will I recognize the the New?
I know, I know, its the up and coming, the "new China" is emerging, the host of the Olympics however, when I read about some of the Chinese history what I see is a country divided from within on so many levels, a country that considering its vastness in size and population and within that history going back a mere 1000 years, was actually a country used as a door mat by its neighbors; the Koreans, Russians, Japanese and for a period of time, the English, French, German and yes, even the US. What do I expect to see considering all of this? What can I see that will affect me as new? The Modern China - new Beijing that I am supposed to be amazed at, and sure I will be, after all they have spent how much to amaze me? 100's of Billions of $?

I want to be amazed - I want to like China - I want to like the Chinese - I want to get to know them. I'm just not sure that I will in 10 days...that frustrates me a little.

There are other things about China that fascinate me other than their convoluted history. Their traditions, their pageantry, the sense of meaning taken from the smallest things in life are in deep contrast to our US sense of the here and now, the here in an instant to change in an instant. Where we make plans for the next 5 minutes if we have any foresight and if we have any kind of future prospects a plan for the next 5 years if we are lucky. In their past the Chinese as a whole plan looking at centuries of history and how it will effect centuries of future. Yea yea, the "new china" lives for the here and now, the up and coming "middle class" the western way, the clamor for goods, for a different life, however the amount of people that this truly affects is such a small percentage of the 1.5 billion population in China that it is somewhat laughable when we are taken in by such gimmicks and outright slight of hand perpetrated by the powers that dictate what is and what is not to be seen by the west.

Here is what I look forward to: Getting to talk to real people. Not hearing an official party line, not having to see what the official press says, just sitting down and talking to an individual that lives and breaths the day to day life in China. Do I think I will get to know what that means in a few minutes, or if I'm lucky an hour? Of course not, there have been people that have lived in China for decades and still do not understand what it means to be from that country. I don't really think they know. If you were to ask me what it means to be an American I'm sure my answer would be different than a great majority of the US population.

I think we in the US live in such a cocoon, that we truly believe the world revolves around what happens here, by here meaning to a certain degree, here in our neighborhood, our city and our state. The world is so huge, the people so diverse, the environment so welcoming in some places and so unforgiving in others.

My greatest hope and expectations are that I will come back having learned something, having made a connection to something so much bigger than myself and hopefully having gained some small understanding of what it is to be Chinese.

Always keeping in mind,

It is what It is......

Paraguay and Back

Well, I tried to blog from Paraguay but there were a couple of obstacles. One was time, finding the time to sit down and write down thoughts and impressions after a long day and with some unfinished business at the end of the day it just seemed I didn't have time. The other was that my wireless on my computer decided not to be compatible with the wireless they had at the hotel. No big deal I guess. Here's the summary of where we went and a couple of short impressions from each site.

Saturday - May 31, arrived in Asuncion, late due to a flight change (wouldn't be a mission trip without one of those), went straight to the hospital from the Airport.
Centro Medico Bautista. - Having just come from an overnight flight and another 2 hour flight from Sao Paulo to Asuncion, the adrenaline kicked in I guess and we did fine. This year it was short and sweet, tour of the new areas in the hospital and a short lunch with the usual speeches by various hospital staff. Lunch was good and the tours were also very well done. (I'll give a bit more info on the hospital later)

Sunday - June 1 - Almeida - Left hotel at 5 am, not much fun getting up so early (4 am) after a long two previous days but we survived. Had a 2.5/3 hour drive to the clinic site. A church in the town of Almeida, this is an area that would have been very difficult to get to a few years ago (could have been a 6 - 7 hour drive) until the new "highway" went in. This was probably the least prepared of the places we went, but the people were very nice, the team was still feeling itself out a bit and so after a little bit of a rough start it smoothed out and we had a pretty good day. There is always supposed to be a strong evangelism side to the clinics with support from the local pastor and the chaplain from the Hospital but it was a bit amiss today. The team did really well, saw a good number of patients and had a pretty good day. I worked as a general facilitator - directed traffic - kept crowds moving etc.

Monday - June 2 - Emboscada - Very poor area, a true mission church. The night before it had rained cats and dogs and so it was very muddy, so of course we had our first event. Its not a mission trip until the bus gets stuck in the mud, so we got to check that one off our list, twice. The people were very nice and the local church folks were very involved, sometimes bad sometimes good, in this case very good. We had a really good day, the rain probably kept the crowd down a little bit but it was an area of a lot of need. Very gracious people. Worked in Eye Clinic and a couple of other areas as needed.

Tuesday - June 3 - Mora Cue - Maybe one of the more unusual situations. The area was a little tight, the church compound was enclosed by a fence but the crowd seemed larger than usual. We had a very good crowd but it was a little hard to get the feel for the place. I worked in a couple of areas on this one, eye, facilitator and a little as translator etc. Eye clinic was out back under canopy, opthamologist inside, medical inside (the noise was pretty loud) the pharmacy was also inside the church so it was pretty tight at times when the crowds were not kept under control by the local church facilitators. Overall it was good though.

Wed - June 4 - Villa Industrial - Somewhat large church, lots of space for everyone. The crowds here were very mellow, not unusual for Paraguay, we had a good day, no major stresses, other than the amount of people seen in eye clinic kept getting stretched out over the afternoon.
I worked in eye clinic as facilitator and filled in a couple of other areas. Well run and organized clinic. It was a good day.

Thursday - June 5 - Yukyry - It took a bit of re-organizing once we got there but it all worked out in the end. This was probably the most stressful day (for me at least) The medical side was pretty basic and they finished pretty. The logistics for the eye clinic were just a bit weird so we couldn't really move people any faster than we were doing, so it dragged on and on and on. After about the umpteenth person from our team asked me how much longer it was going to be (it was still pretty early in the day) I kinda snapped, oh well, alls well that ends.....We saw some interesting cases that were going to need followup at the hospital in Asuncion. The particular case that really touched me was that of the 10 year old boy who couldn't see and his right eye had been removed and he desperately needed a prosthesis, this among others was very sad. Again this was a very poor area but the people were very gracious, as are most of the people of Paraguay. The local pastor kept adding people to the list of those to be seen in the eye clinic so it was a long day, even though we ended before the estimated time of 3:00 they had set for us.

Friday 0 June 6 - Centro Medico Bautista within the Hospital had kind of messed up the - This is the hardest one for me to sum up. We usually have huge (can be up to 600 people) crowds. We were told they would keep it to no more than 300 people so we had mentally prepared for the crowds but they did not materialize. A snafuannouncement there was going to be a clinic that day so we only saw a third of what we were prepared to see. The eye clinic saw its share, about 130, but medical took it pretty easy. The hospital had staffed up, making about 10 of their doctors available, oh well. I wasn't around much, I went to the TAM (Brazilian airline) offices to make sure we had confirmed tickets for the trip home. Not a bad decision but it led to some other stuff that happened back at the hospital that I wish I had been there for.

Friday PM and Saturday - Traveled to Iguazu falls - 5 / 6 hour bus ride but well worth it. Got to interact with 4 of the hospital residents that had been with us all week, it was good trip overall. The falls as usual were amazing, definitely one of Gods wonders.

Sunday - June 8 - Clinic at the Hotel - We always do a clinic for the hotel staff and family. They take very good care of us while we are there so we try and do a clinic day for them, its very short usually and well worth the time. The hotel treats us like kings and after our invasion its the very least we can do. After clinic and lunch, off to see the minimal sights of Asuncion on the way to the airport for our long, long, long flight home. Another flight delay in Sao Paulo - just to kind of finish things out.

This is a long posting but it gives a very brief summary of the trip.

Biggest reason to go - the 500+ decisions made for Christ - not through our efforts or anything we could have done but by and through HIM

Second reason to go - the 1800 patients that were seen

As a bonus we also got

Mission trip Triumvirate -

1. Bad weather - 15/20 degrees below average w/ rain - check - - check -
2. Bus Stuck in mud - twice - check - check
3. Flight Delays - twice - check - check

Bonus point
1 Sick team member - check -

All together a really good trip.

Ready to Leave

Well we have completed our planning and preparation for the Paraguay Trip. We had a last minute flurry of activity with a lot of e-mails back and forth with Paraguay in an attempt to finalize some last minute changes. At this point not much more can be done. We will just need to try to get the bags to the airport in the morning and then go hang out at the Miami airport for 10 hours, wow can't tell you how excited I am about that.

At this point we do have some conflicting info on how much the bags can way, if they can be checked through all the way, if we can get ticketed all the way through to Asuncion and if its going to cost us any additional $ to get the bags with glasses and meds down there. Oh well, kinda out of my hands now.

The overnight flight to Sao Paulo is really not all that bad, 10 hours or so and then a couple of hours layover before going on to Asuncion.

This year we get in early enough to get checked into the hotel and then head off to the Hospital (Centro Medico Bautista) for a lunch and reception. I hope we can make it an early evening since we need to leave Sunday around 5:00 am for our first clinic. That is going to be the killer day I think, it usually is the hardest day.

Well I'll update throughout the week and let everyone know whats happening down south.

Keep us in your prayers and know that we will be thinking about home throughout the week. And remember - It is what it is

How could you not want to see this. A couple of kids from our last time in Paraguay.



To the Left, pictures do not do justice to the Iguazu Falls, this is only one small section that can be seen.







There is so much that is great about Paraguay and so much that is not so great. The people are very laid back, kind and truly appreciative of the medical attention they receive. Paraguay is the poorest country in South America, only slightly poorer the Bolivia. The country is landlocked, has no true natural resources and other than the falls that are on the border with Brazil and Argentina does not really have any great scenery.

The country fought two very unsuccessful wars with its neighbors, one with Brazil, giving up a huge amount of its territory to the east and then with Bolivia, again giving up some of its territory, which Bolivia ended up giving back because it was so worthless. Now its largest export is energy produced from the Dam sitting between Paraguay and Brazil, which was built with money from Brazil so they got a very good deal, a deal that by the way was never approved by the Paraguayan Parliament but is thought to have put a very large amount in the pocket of the countries president at the time.

The country was under a dictatorship for over 50 years and had the dubious distinction of being named as the most corrupt country in the world (and that is saying something). Post World War II it was host to some very unsavory characters, the most notable being Joseph Mengele and a few other Nazi war criminals that would move between Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The country is changing slowly and corruption although present is not as acceptable (out in the open) as it once was, contraband is not quite the business it used to be and they have clamped down on human smuggling.

So one might ask, why would someone go there. This country needs our help. They are trying to change their image, trying to become a more acceptable country among their peers and are trying to move into the 21st century. The Hospital we work with Centro Medico Bautista was established back in the early 50's by a couple of medical missionaries that had to get there via boat up the river from Buenos Aires Argentina, after having gone by boat to Argentina. A five week trip all together.

I'll get into the hospital and what it does and how it does it later, but suffice it to say that what it is able to do with its limited budget is truly amazing.

Once there I'll upload some recent pictures and let everyone know whats happening with the group.

But remember - it is what it is

Getting to Paraguay

I know my first post was way to long but its a start, i hope to get better as time goes by.

Getting to Paraguay has always been an adventure. For one, Paraguay is not a destination country. What this means is that Paraguay is not on a lot of peoples maps for tourist travel, business travel and really for those individuals going for the sheer pleasure of travel.

Don't get me wrong, I love Paraguay, the people that I have met and the attitude of the people at the hospital we work with is great. But, it is not for everyone. I'll give some Paraguay history on a later blog, i think it is somewhat fascinating.

One of the primary difficulties in getting to Asuncion is the fact that we have to travel using TAM airlines. If you have never had to use TAM, the Brazilian airline, you don't know what you have been missing. Knowing they are a monopoly makes them very indifferent to customer service or efficiency. They try to be professional, nice little uniforms, nice clean planes (at least the ones from Miami to Sao Paulo) however they are a nightmare when it comes to professionalism. We may complain a lot about US air travel now days, but to better appreciate what we have I dare anyone to use TAM. First of all their US agents have no authority to approve anything. As a group we try to get group mission rates, however you cannot call someone and discuss the price, itinerary or schedule. You send your request via e-mail (it used to be via fax) to the US agent, they forward it to Sao Paulo Brazil and then after a few days, 1 week or more. After you have successfully guessed the right combination you are given a written contract which more than likely is wrong *ours had the wrong dates approved so we are traveling a day earlier than planned.

The last time we traveled on TAM we were not told that our group was booked on two different flights on our second leg. Once we were in Sao Paulo, we found that half the group was booked one flight that was leaving about 1/2 hour before the second group, so some got there earlier than others. Some of us on one flight made a stop, a stop that was not even on the ticket we were issued or the itinerary, just to add to the excitement. We were flying along then the plane landed at Iguazu Falls, on the Brazil / Paraguay border, to pick up about 4 or 5 passengers. These planes are also not in the best shape either, they shake, vibrate, rattle and looked like they may have transported livestock at some point (but the flight attendants have nice uniforms).

We discovered quite by chance that our return flight from Asuncion to Sao Paulo had been discontinued, not cancelled, discontinued. If we had not gone by the local TAM office in Asuncion one day to get copies of our seating assignments we wouldn't have found out until the day of our flight. Keep in mind we had a group of 45 people and had to re-book everyone on a different flight. TAM had no intention of notifying us that the flight had been discontinued and that we would need to rebook on a different flight.

The adventure this time is really no different. We have received our confirmation and it had errors in it and we were told "oh its ok, they can fix that at the airport". Not quite satisfied with that answer we did request a corrected and confirmed itinerary, which they did issue. They are also going to issue everyone tickets, not that this guarantees anything, we could still get to the airport and find there are no seats available. The travel agent we used for this specializes in mission travel and send people all over the world and she has indicated that TAM is by far one of the most difficult airlines the work with.

Oh well, its all about the adventure. I'll let ya know how it goes.

It is what it is.

What the Heck!!!!

So this is blogging, not sure why a person would do this, some would say its the ego stroke, some might consider it just a form of expression, those that are more practical would consider it informative. I might be more of the later, just informative, especially when traveling, just to let people know what is happening on the "road" or in the air as it might be.

Over the next few months I will be traveling to various parts of the world on trips. Those trips are going to be to:
Paraguay, for a medical mission trip.
EA, during the Olympics no less, as a way to get to know the culture and the people of East Asia .
At the tail end of summer going into fall, to Kenya. The purpose is to work with children that have been orphaned, primarily due to AIDS. All of these trips are different yet so similar in purpose.

Trip to Paraguay
Paraguay, having been lucky enough to be involved in the planing and organization of the trip gives it a special place in my heart. Its a trip that I have made a number of times already so it has a familiarity about it and I feel very much at home traveling to Paraguay. The last trip, in 2006 was quite extraordinary in many ways. While there I was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, not exactly what a person wants to hear, but on the bright side, the condition was diagnosed and I was able to make a pretty good recovery. Another member of the team was hospitalized on the second day and ended up having emergency surgery, bowl resection, and spent another week there at the hospital recovering after the team had left to come back to the US. On the other hand, we provided care to over 3800 patients during that week, the medical teams where amazing and the treatment provided discovered a range of conditions that probably would have remained undiagnosed and could have resulted in that patients death. All that participated saw Gods hand in the events that took place daily.

This years trip has a slightly different feel, it will have fewer people and will probably be more focused once we get there.


Trip to Kenya
Kenya has been a part of the Africa that everyone associates with safaris, but as a country with a pretty stable government for the last 40 years, it has been overshadowed by the plight of many of the other African nations that have struggled with famine, civil wars and numerous other difficulties it has remained somewhat quite. The bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi brought it to the forefront however after a year or so that even dropped back to the shadows once the world trade centers fell. However there is a problem that has emerged in all African countries that even Kenya could not escape, AIDS. This disease has decimated the populations of so many African nations. Africa is thought to be the origin of the virus by many, although this has never been proven fact, just scientific conjecture, but none can deny that the disease, regardless of its origin has had a devastating effect on Africa. One of the results of this disease are the thousands of children that are left orphaned as a result of both parents dying of AIDS. We as a society have turned a somewhat blind eye on these kids who, through no fault of their own have been left in many cases to fend for themselves. Last year as part of a vision trip on behalf of my church we were able to go to Kenya and meet some of these kids. It was determined that while many church organizations don't want to have anything to do with AIDS and the negative connotations it has within traditional church circles we could not stand idly by and do nothing. We are going to try and do something, if nothing else just let these kids know that someone does care about them, it seems like so little yet I hope it can mean something. We are taking a group of individuals that will get to spend some time getting to know these kids, getting to learn from them about life and maybe just maybe make an impact on them.

Well that's it for now, as each trip nears and as each trip occurs and as each trip is behind me, I'll write some stuff about it, maybe it will only mean something to me, maybe someone else might be inspired to go themselves or maybe it won't amount to a hill of beans but as i have always been popular of saying and you will see it a lot.

IT IS WHAT IT IS !

Later to all,

norm