I heard You calling setting fire to my soul... - Sam Walter

This One Time in Transnistria In Quotes

Thu, 10 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Transnistria in Quotes

"I told her she was doing a good job. She replied, "ketchup?". - Michelle at McDonalds

"In Moldova hospital, you pay with kidney." - Sam (Read it in a Russian accent.)

"I'd just peel a raw potato and it'd make for a good movie snack." - Candice

"Is this Wicked?" - Sam --------- "It's Celine Dion!" - Michelle

After a morning of apartment renovations.

"I don't have brown poop anymore because I quit eating chocolate. It's green from going organic." - Leah

"Leah was freaking Agent Orange this morning." - Candice

"You have a weird beard." - Yuna (said more times than I can count.)

"Who was a women's rights activist?" - Leah -------- "Aretha Franklin" - Meagan

"I don't know. I am only translator." - Peter

"I wish I had Shazzam right now." - Candice --------- "Now that's a classic movie." - Sam (Apparently Shazzam is some sort of music thingy for ipods or phones.)

At a cookout with some of the wonderful families we me and got to know during our time in Transnistria.

This One Time In Transnistria...

This one time in Transnistria, Candice and I were riding one of the local transport buses into the town center when the bus's door wouldn't shut. I attempted the shut it, but the driver shooed me away, jumped out of his seat, jumped off the bus while we were moving down the road and proceeded to fix the door. Then he jumped back on the bus and proceeded to drive.

This one time in Transnistria, I rode in the back of the sketchiest ambulance someone's crazy imagination could create. Straight out of MASH. The "stretcher" was bolted to the side of the "ambulance" and held up by straps bolted to the roof.

This one time in Transnistria, we were detained at their fake border.

This one time in Transnistria, one of my teammates got in trouble from our pastor for putting on make-up. He said that "christian girls shouldn't wear make-up." Things here are much more traditional and conservative compared to any experience back home. Things like whistling and playing cards were also frowned upon.

This one time in Transnistria, we spent an afternoon playing volleyball with some of the young adults of the church here in Benderi and having a blast until the mosquitos chased us back inside.

Myself with one of the boys from our kids program.

This one time in Transnistria a drunk lady followed Leah around in the grocery store angrily telling her to get out of her country.

This one time in Moldova I was in the capital with a teammate so she could receive medical treatment for some pain she was having. One morning we had to rush off to the hospital, but we were waiting at the hotel for the taxi to show up to take us there. The receptionist behind the desk pulled out a syringe and some unknown liquid and offered it to us to inject her with.

This one time in Transnistria our team began renovations on an apartment for one of widows of th church. The apartment was about half the size of the utility room in my house back in Ohio. Our first object was to throw out the bed. As soon as we moved some of the blankets, the roaches and spiders went crawling everywhere. Possibly one of the most disturbing things I've seen knowing that she spends most of her time on that "bed." I had to try really hard not to gag at the thought of it all. We managed to get the abomination out to the trash. Within an hour, someone had taken the bed and mattress for theirselves. Good luck with that.

This one time in Transnistria, we started up an afterschool kids program to be held in front of the church. We played games and shared/acted out Bible stories. We began with just 2 kids, but were averaging 15-20 each day by the end of the month. Our highest single day total was around 30 and we probably had over 50 different kids attend over the course of the month.

This month in Transnistria, God blessed us with the most incredible translator we could have asked for. Peter couldn't have come into our team's life at a better time.

Team Monarch having fun with the window frame we found at the church.

This one time in Transnistria, Jesse and I were asked to dig a hole about three feet wide and chest deep so the church's dog could use it as a bathroom. Still scratching my head on that one.

This one time in Transnistria, the team went to Andy's Pizza for dinner and had a 14 year old girl at the table next to us completely flip out when she heard us speaking English. She was so nervous she could hardly say a word. Not to mention she was in tears from excitement and joy over the fact that we were real Americans. That was easily the biggest reaction we've seen thus far to us being foreigners.

This one time in Transnistria, I had borsch with one of the other men living at the church at the time. We sat down for our meal and he pulls out a few cloves of garlic and offers me a full pieces of it. He lets me know that I am to dip the garlic in salt and then eat the piece as a whole. I probably had half a clove of garlic all together. My immune system was probably working at sky high capacity after that.

This one time in Moldova, when at the capital with the entire squad for debrief, the hotel we were staying in for a few days told us that we needed to take more showers. They were worried that the inspector would show up and they would get in trouble because of our appearance and apparently our oder. Not to mention, we had a breakout of lice affecting roughly 10 different people on the squad. Team Monarch has escaped the infestation so far.

This entire month in Transnistria, I watched as our team made a night & day transformation in only a way that God could have orchestrated.

Myself with Jesse on the right and Peter our translator on the left at the Black Sea.

This entire month in Transnistria, our team fell hard for the different relationships we had formed with members of the church, the kids from our afterschool program, our translator, and so many others. Each month it gets harder and harder to leave.

This one time during a day trip to Odessa, Ukraine, my teammate Leah was baptized in the Black Sea by our translator Peter.

This one time in Moldova, during debrief, some of the squad got into a soccer match with a family of drunk Moldovans. You haven't seen funny until you see a bunch of people tripping over themselves, trees, and the ground itself while trying to play soccer after a day of drinking. Everyone had quite a good time playing "soccer."

This entire month in Transnistria was the first time we went without seeing/sleeping with/killing a single rodent.

This one time in Moldova, I had a chance to see my friend Andy who works in the Peace Corp here. We haven't seen each other in over two years and it was great catching up with him and getting a tour of the area/city.

This one time in Transnistria, our team found out that we would not be traveling to Mozambique with the rest of the squad. Instead, we would be spending next month working with Iris Ministries in Harare, Zimbabwe!

Team Monarch with some of the youth at the afterschool program.

Dinner With Dema

Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Our month here in Transnistria hasn't been so much about the ministry, but all of the relationships that we've built. A lot of the time our morning has involved painting a trashcan or pulling some weeds. Occasionally, there is a bit more, but not often. The afternoon is our after school youth program which is incredible. Like I said though, it's the relationships which have made this month special. God has just brought some incredible people into our lives at just the right time when as a team, we probably needed them most to pick us up, push us, and challenge in just the right way at the right moment.

So I want you to meet Dema. He attends the Baptist church which we've partnered with for this month of ministry. We had a desire to do some home visits with some folks who for various reasons don't have many opportunities to attend church. So one morning earlier in the month we were given the apartment for Dema and went to visit. We knew next to nothing about him when we arrived, but after 2 hours, he'd had a crazy powerful impact on our team. Here's part of his story.

He's an incredible man of God who is inspiring on so many different levels. He's faced adversity head on without so much as even a tiny waver in his faith. He is a divorced father of 2 girls (early-mid 20s) and a boy (14). He has the strongest desire to have a good relationship with all three of them, however his former wife tends to make that difficult. Rather than fight with her and run the risk of alienating everyone, he trusts in God to open doors which he cannot into the lives of his children. Several years ago he was hit by a vehicle while out working. The resulting injuries involved some crushed discs in his back which lead to him having pain 24/7 and most of his time spent in a wheelchair. He has special cructches to use otherwise. If he wants to go to something like church at noon, he must wake up at 3:00am to take painpills in order to do all of the moving he needs to do to actually get there. After his accident, when in the hospital, his apartment was broken into and essentially everything that he owned was stolen. Because of his injuries he is unable to work. Because he can't work, he can't earn the money needed for an operation that would fix his back. See the problem here? So most days he spends in his apartment with the exception of getting out on days that have good weather or when he visits his mother.

Did he complain once during the time we spent with him that first day? Nope. All he could do was thank God for the things he had and look at his struggles as opportunities to rely even more on his Loving Creator. After our first meeting, we prayed for Dema before leaving. God placed on our hearts a desire to go back and visit him again before we left.

So last Thursday we made that second trip back, making dinner and taking it over to his apartment to share. We stopped by the day before to make sure it was okay. He approved and apparently spent the whole day cleaning preparing for our visit. The second visit was good. Real good. A lot of the talk focused on him and his desires for the future and his belief that one day he would be healed. We strongly believed that that "one day" could be right then. So we prayed again. This time more fervently and intentionally that God would just bring him out of the wheelchair right in front of us. That the pain in his back would be gone. More than anything we desired to see God heal him right then and there and answer his prayers and unwavering faith.

It didn't happen however. When we finally left that night, Dema was still in pain. He didn't miraculously jump up and start running laps around the apartment. It really doesn't matter though. Something happened in that apartment that night. It can't be put into words, but we all left with that feeling that God still has some incredible things to do within Dema's life.

Hello? Huh? Anybody home? Think McFly. Think!

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Welcome to the conversation going on in my head the past week or so.

Hey! You there?
Yeah, I’m here.
Uh huh. I’m not really convinced of that.
Wait. What? What are you talking about?
Like I said, I don’t think you’re there right now. In fact, I know you aren’t.
I’m talking to you! Of course I’m here.
Yeah, and the current you is the problem. I’m looking for the old you. The one who started out on this crazy adventure.
Why would you want to talk to him? This year is about growth and change. Why would I want to be like the guy who started out nearly 4 months ago?
Because that guy from nearly 4 months ago had more faith than you. You’re lacking.
How so? I’ve seen so many things that have affected and changed my faith. Its been made stronger!
Ah, okay. Have you stood on any rocks in the middle of a river and made some declarations over a country lately?
No. But…
What about believing that part in the Bible where it talks about casting out demons, healing the sick, and raising the dead? Didn’t you begin this year ready to see these things happen?
Yeah, I still believe that.
You don’t act like it. You could’ve told Dema to get up and walk the other day. You didn’t. Why?
…….I don’t know.
What happened to the guy who witnessed the blind seeing, the deaf hearing, and the lame walking in the Dominican Republic? He wasn’t afraid to ask for those things to happen.
……..
You could’ve declared healing. Rebuked the pain in Dema’s back. All you did was ask for God to do it. Doesn’t seem to take much faith to do that I think. No risk on your part. Nobody knows what you did or didn’t ask for in that prayer. Where was your leap of faith? What changed?
It just sort of happened I guess. I don’t have an answer. Just forgot about it.
Forgot about it? Whoooee! Pull your head out and screw it back on straight. You’ve got others following you and willing to go there with you if you choose to go there. It isn’t just about you.
But I don’t even know what most of this stuff even looks like.
So? What does that matter? You’ve got faith right? It is time to put it to use and trust in the God who placed you where you are now. This race isn’t just about you or your comfort level. It never was. You won’t ever know or see any of these things if you never ask.
No, I suppose I won’t.
Then it’s time to jump. You’ll land right where you’re supposed to be. Hop to it Buck-o.

So last week one of my teammates lovingly called me on this last week and how something has changed between now and when we started out on this trip. I haven't been the risk taker in regards to the faith that I was so gung ho about early on. So I'm looking to change that. This whole year is about taking those leaps of faith. So beginning today really, I'm cutting some things out for awhile. Firstly, a media fast. So the computer, the music, anything electronically entertainment based is being ditched for the next week. The exception being stuff I need to do for the WR. Cut out the distractions and focus more on the relationships. With God. With my teammates. With our ministry contacts. So in part, here's an update. And in another part, I'm peacing out for the week and excited for it! Plus my promise to all of you is that you'll get some updates on things here in Transnistria once I'm back. Love you all!

Here's to Extreme Makeover - Transnistria Apartment Edition

Russia? I thought I was in Moldova!

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Oh my, where to even begin? It’s been a whirlwind week and a half or so. I now find myself in Moldova. Kind of. We are actually working this month in an area on the eastern edge of Moldova bordering Ukraine. This place is called Transnistria, population a few hundred thousand. It’s an area that fancies itself independent from Moldova. However, nobody except for Russia (go figure) recognizes the sovereignty of this place. It’s essentially a fake country but with very real borders, their own government, currency, military, and so on. Everything is said and written in Russian. I really feel like I’m back in Moscow, minus the lack of giant city. Transnistria is run as a communist state; though it’ll say they are democratic in hopes that other nations will recognize its independence. I think I’ve had more “you’re not in America” moments here in the past week than I have in the first three months. A trip to the local hospital 60 years behind in technology and riding in an “ambulance” that the cast of M.A.S.H. would have laughed at if you’d tried to pass that off as a stage prop pretty much woke me up to some harsh realities here.

Our translator from Moldova, an awesome guy named Peter, said that Moldova is a third world nation and in comparison Transnistria is “tenth world.” We also learned that there is a law in place here that says that any woman requiring medical attention at the hospital must FIRST go to the OBGYN before they can go to the hospital. Someone could be suffering from a heart attack or gunshot wound, but cannot go directly to the hospital. How jacked up is that? It’s a gloomy place. Literally and figuratively. There is a spiritual darkness hanging over this country filled with religious suppression (Orthodox church), superstitions, and just a feeling of hopelessness from so many people. Over 1 million people have left the country (Moldova) in recent years in search of greener pastures. A country with a population of roughly 6 million, or so I’m told. Human trafficking is a huge problem and apparently the black market for organs is alive and well here. The poor and uneducated are preyed upon for both.

While we’re in Transnistria, our ministry is working alongside the local Baptist church here in the small city of Benderi. Our focus is on the local youth, visiting members of the church who can no longer make it on their own, possibly teaching English, renovating a house, and some physical labor/yard work. We’re living in the basement of the church. Right now we’re trying to get an afterschool youth program off the ground and running. Last week we only had 2 participants. Today, we had nearly 20 youth join us in spite of bad weather. I mention the weather because it has to be kept outside. How cool!! Because Transnistria is communist, they regulate this sort of thing quite a bit, so Pastor Peter. not to be confused with Translator Peter, has warned us on what to say should any authorities come by asking questions. In a nutshell, we can tell them we are helping with church programs, but if they ask to look downstairs where we are living, we are to tell them that if they do, they will lose the blessings of the priests and it should keep them from asking any other questions. That’s just crazy sounding and sad all at the same time. This goes back to the religious suppression and superstitions.

I truly believe this place will see a revival soon though. This community. This country. These people. There are folks here seeking after God as hard as any that I’ve seen. They believe in His power and His ability to shape this nation. To remove it from the path of decay that it is currently on towards being a nation and a people which seek a personal relationship with the living God. I’m inspired by the younger generation in this church. What they do is inspire hope where it would be so easy to just give up and think that nothing could be done here. The people here are desperate for that. The roots are shallow right now, but they’re growing deeper and their reach will be great.

This One Time in Romania...

Mon, 9 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This one time in Romania, after our travel day into the country, we hopped off the train at 2 in the morning with no packs, because they were lost, at a dark and empty train station praying this was our correct stop. Thankfully, someone finally called out asking if we were World Race and all was good after finding out contacts.

This one time in Romania myself and a few others were given free break dancing lessons during a stroll in down town Draganesti by a guy named Ti-Ti.

This one time in Romania the 4 of us guys in Draganesti for the month dug a 7 meter well in about half a day using a man powered auger. It was pretty sweet finally hitting water.

Digging our 7 meter well.

About every night in Romania someone would come by the mission house and either kick the door, hit the window, try opening the door, or a mixture of all three.

This one time in Romania, for Candice’s birthday we had a party full of twister, balloons, a great meal, and a “surprise” cake which had the just about the best icing I’ve ever had, made with nutella.

This one time in Romania, I met a man who trains and races pigeons with Russian bloodlines as a way to help provide for his family.

This one day in Romania, we were coming back from an off day in Bucharest on the train. At our stop, the door would not open, so we had to find another open door. This meant that most of us had to jump off of a moving train because the stop was only for a minute.

This one day myself and another racer prayed for a widowed gypsy woman. We were greeted with the response of tears and a kiss to our hand. It was incredibly touching.

This one night in Romania, I was nearly asleep when I thought I felt something brush against my butt in bed. I jumped a little bit and kicked thinking “mouse” before deciding my mind was being weird, so I went to bed. The following night I went to bed again in the same bed. The following morning, I woke up with a dead mouse next to my phone only a few inches from my head. Apparently there was a mouse and I killed without knowing it and during the second night, it fell out from between the covers onto the floor. Joy!

This one time the 4 of us guys worked on church construction project building 3 inner walls of the church using these aerated bricks. We only helped with moving blocks and cutting them to an appropriate size. After two days, the three walls were built. The day after they were completed, high winds blew over two of those walls.

Working on one of the church walls that eventually blew down two days later.

Every day of ministry in Romania we began our day with 2 hours of prayer at Hope Church.

This one day in Romania the World Race guys went bowling with some of the Romanian leaders within the church we were working with. This was the first time bowling for most of them and they proceeded to more or less kick our butts in bowling.

This one time in Romania we had a photo shoot using clothes we picked up from the second hand store and clothes donated to Hope Church for families within the community.

Our Romanian photoshoot.

This one time in Romania we were spending a day in another village to just talk with the locals and having some youth programs for the kids. The local orthodox priest caught wind of this, called the police, and we were forced to leave.

This one time in Romania, we were playing musical chairs with the kids, but had no music. So we sang Disney songs and the Fresh Prince of BelAire instead.

This one time in Romania, Sarah Shirlen was enjoying an ice cream cone when a child ran by and grabbed the ice cream straight out of her cone and took off running.

This one time in Romania, we had a “breakfast run” through the city of Brasov which involved about a 2 mile race with 4 stations that contained some sort of challenge pertaining to breakfast food. Drinking coffee, shelling and eating a hardboiled egg, catching grapes in your mouth to avoid a penalty, and spreading cheese with a spoon on bread only using your mouth. We had a Romanian man join us on the run too. We finished near the start of a ½ marathon going on the same day which resulted in catching the attention of a few camera men. It was tons of fun!

This one time in Romania, we were expecting team changes for the entire squad only to find out that Team Monarch would be remaining intact! So now it’s off to Moldova/Tranistria for this next month!

Spending what we believed would be our last day together as a team in Brasov!

Putting Away Religion

Mon, 9 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Mmmm, Religion. Outside of politics, probably everyone’s favorite topic at the dinner table during Christmas or Thanksgiving. Who doesn’t enjoy a lovely topic to get everyone’s blood pressure to a lovely boil? Well, despite the lightening rod that the topic of religion can be, I’ve got it on my heart right now to share some things God’s been showing me as of late.

I’m not a fan of religion. I wasn’t always that way though. Years ago I was definitely the type of person who would bristle at any comment about religion being the source of the world’s problems. (Sidenote, I don’t believe it is a source of all problems, but definitely more than I ever would have admitted to then.) A few years wiser and my views on religion have shifted. Especially experiencing firsthand the weaknesses and faults of religion. The change of heart has been a process, but it’s so good.

So why is religion a potential problem? It has problems inherently because it is something that is manmade. It is our best attempt to connect with God or in some cases, millions of gods. Because of that, it has faults, it has weaknesses, and it has flaws. All of that said, I believe in the importance of community that it can create. I believe in the importance of being plugged into a church, the Body of Christ. But so many times I think that with religion, those who focus on just that get caught up in the legalism of things instead of making sure that we have the relationship with God that He’s always desired with us. In my first 3 months on the race, the flaws of religion have become even more evident, especially here in Eastern Europe.

In a previous blog I alluded to the Orthodox Church presence in this part of Europe, and that our contacts received a lot of resistance towards their efforts to reach out to their community from the Orthodox Church. Some of the problems they faced seemed pretty crazy, but then on my final day of ministry in Romania, we experienced it firsthand. We traveled to a small village outside of Draganesti with no evangelical church presence. Our goal for the day? Just talk with people, pray with people, give them some information, and invite any youth we see to the middle of town for a fun program we would be having filled with games, songs, and some teachings. Things were going well and I was in the van with our main contact when a man flagged down our van. Turns out he was the town priest and he was less than happy to have us there. So much so that he contacted the police to have us kicked out. We left him behind to continue on to the children’s program, already in full swing when we arrived. A short while later, our friend showed up dressed up in his priest garb and the police were not far behind. Long story short, we got kicked out of town and our contact Raul will likely receive a fine.

This priest is exhibit A of problems with religion. The Orthodox Church uses the same Bible we all use. They preach out of that Bible, and they will all say they are Christians. But here’s the thing, they totally miss the main point, and that’s the relationship with God. We should be able to go to them and say “Hey, let’s work together to reach out to this community.” Instead, what we have are modern day Pharisees, similar to the people who harassed Jesus all of the times about His teachings. These priests are more interested in retaining the political power that they have. This is their money maker. In a meeting with our main contact in Moldova, he mentioned that he was working with some medical missionaries who went to a lady’s house to help her with her health. As they finished up, they offered to pray and she turned them down because she had no money to pay for prayer. I don’t know about you, but that breaks my heart, because apparently prayer is only free when it’s in the actual church building. If you want it outside of church, it’s coming out of your pocket.

This sort of thing is just one of a number of problems with religion I think. Religion would rather be legalistic instead of relational. Religion would rather be judgmental instead of realizing that we’ve all got our faults and we are no more righteous than the next person. This is just one of a number of things I’ve been noticing lately. For the sake of time and space though, I want to wrap this up. What’s more important to you? Is it following what a manmade religion tells you what you should do to be “right” with God? Is it all based on rules regarding things that are more than likely trivial? Or is the actual relationship with God more important? Where you can live a life walking in freedom in Christ because of what His physical death did for every person on this planet. Free from your past. Free from the power that sin would otherwise hold over you. Free to not be bound by a bunch of legalism that hurts relationships and the ability to reach out to others, and instead meeting people where they are at and not where they should be. God wants the personal relationship. That’s what it’s always been about.

Romania in Quotes

Fri, 6 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT

"I'm caught again." - Meagan ------------ "Do you want a blanket?" - Jesse
"All the World Racers have Wi-Fi this month." - Reagan --------- "Great, now all of our personal relationships will deteriorate even further." - Sam
"I'm Leah" - Leah ---------- "Ahhh, you are the player." - Tavi (One of our Romanian contacts.)
"You thought I was a girl??" - Jesse to Tavi during introductions.
"Mamma Mia!" - Tavi
"That's tragic." - Matt after 4 shelves of food collapsed.
"No man! No! You put salt in your coffee." - Tavi to Jesse

Overlooking the city of Brasov, Romania.

Keep in mind the following Quotes from Candice occured when she was sleep walking/talking. Enjoy!

"Who you talking to Candice?" - Michelle -------- "Homeslice." - Candice
"You have to leave the door open. Kitty wants in your room. Kitty has been with me but wants in your room now." - Candice
"I'll bet Suzanne took my puppets." - Candice --------- "Maybe you should go ask her and find out." - Michelle --------- "I can't because it's 4 in the morning." - Candice --------- "No it isn't. It's only 1." - Michelle ---------- "Maybe it was those darn gypsies. Bet she won't see me coming in her crystal ball." - Candice

Candice being read her birthday poem.

"We are having chicken and mashed potatos and by mashed potatos I mean macaroni and cheese." - Meagan
"Can't tell if I'm smelling french fries or a fart." - Rachel R.
"I'm eating around the mold." - Meagan
"What is your name? - Romanian Child -------- "Guess." - Tyler ------- "Your name is Gus?" - Child -------- "No no no!" - Tyler
"I wont be hired on looks. I'll just get the question, 'what tree did you just climb down from?'." - Sam
The following quote took place during church when I was speaking to the congregation. "Patche (Romanian for Peace with You) I'm sorry, that's all the Romanian I know." - Sam ------- Something said in Romanian from Romanian lady. ------------ "She says, 'it's okay, Jesus still loves you'." - Raul my translator.
"Never underestimate a fart on the World Race." - Candice --------- "That should be your next blog title." - Rebekah

With my friend Maria from the afterschool program.

"You sure were laughing a lot for looking at Pinterest." - Meagan -------- "Hey, I don't look at that "do it yourself" wedding crap." - Candice.
"Sam, I have so much gas." - Candice -------- "That you're going to explode?" - Sam ------- "I could fuel America for a year." - Candice
"I can't form words anymore. I'm gonna quit talking." - Rebekah
"I have goat blood on me." - Leah The first thing Leah says to me after getting off the bus in Brasov. Apparenly a man got on carrying a dead animal and fell against her while holding it.
"I don't have a concussion. I already slept for an hour." - Tyler

Team Monarch with the Weppler family after the wonderful dinner they prepared for us.

A Canning Jar God? Really???

Sun, 25 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

I knew coming into the race that there would be things that would just pierce my heart and break it. I’ve prayed into and asked for it to happen because how can I really help and have a better understanding of things if I’m not on a level where my whole being is invested and affected. There have been things in the first two months that have affected me and made an impact on me in many different ways. But I never felt that sense of heart break over anything. I don’t even know what that would really look like.

I felt it today though. It probably doesn’t help that emotionally I’m a bit scattered at the moment for a number of different reasons, but regardless a canning jar broke my heart today.

I went to Stoenesti for the day with my teammate Meagan to help out a husband and wife (George and Dana) in their ministry for this small village. Part of that ministry was serving a lunch to locals in need of some food. Dana prepared the meal and then George and the two of us went to the city center to serve it out. I’ve done this before. Pass out a hot meal to people who take it and disappear just as quickly. Pretty simple.

Today was nowhere near what I expected. We arrived to the town center and some folks there to eat helped unload the van. Chairs were gathered, the table was set and everyone sat down in a seat waiting patiently. Some well into their 80s with others no more than 5 or 6 years old. Meagan and I passed out full bowls of soup while George spooned it out. Nobody touched their food until it was all served and a prayer was said.

At that point everyone ate. There was next to no conversation. George spent some time talking about some of the people there. This woman lost her husband several years ago and now lives with a granddaughter in an abusive environment. This other woman lives with a daughter-in-law, also in an abusive situation. This young man is the grandson of this older woman. She watches over him after his father was killed and his mother ran off. These men live with friends because they don’t have a home. No one here has jobs. These kids are not taken care of in their own homes. All together there were probably 10 people there.

You could see the years etched in the faces of the older folks there. There was still some life in their eyes, but you could just feel that they have had it incredibly hard. For the young boys, there was a quite joy about them, but I never heard a peep out of them at the table. After two courses of food, that was it as far as what was being served. Then the old canning jars appeared. A couple of people had them. They put what was left of their lunch in those canning jars. Really nothing more than a few bites of sausage and spoonfuls of beans. My heart broke.

My heart broke because taking that small amount food in a canning jar is an indicator that they likely have nothing else to eat where ever they are living. My heart broke because I don’t have a clue as to what it’s like to have to do something like that for survival. My heart broke because even though I’m by no means living the high life right now, it’s still not even close to what they are going through. I’ve never been brought to the point in my life where I have to carry around a canning jar in my backpack to save food in just to ensure that I have a tiny bit to eat that night. I don’t know why God used that moment to wreck me, but He did. And the sad thing is I have always known that people have to scrape by everyday all around the world to make it by another day. Seeing it and just knowing about it are entirely different though. That’s incredibly clear to me now.

Two of the women we ate with returning "home".

Haiti Wrap Up in Video Form

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

I believe this is all I've got on Haiti! Enjoy the video!

When In Romania

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Hello family, friends, and the random ones who stumble upon this blog! I've wanted to post something for a little while, but have just had a lack of words to actually write down. Between some recent changes within our team and being sick for the last week, I've had a severe lack of motivation to actually post anything. First off, we have all made it to Romania safely! It was a crazy travel day and I still don't know how we made all of our flights and arrived when we did, but it worked out perfectly minus missing our packs for a day. We have those now however so life is good.

Draganesti-Olt.

Our ministry for the month here in Romania is legit. And it's not just because we have warm water to shower with and mattresses to sleep on! Team Monarch is working alongside the wonderful folks of Team Mosaic with a local church here in Draganesti-Olt, Romania. It's in the southern part of the country about an hour away from Bulgaria. Spiritually, this place is pretty much a dead zone. Of 500,000 people here, only about 0.2% are christian, or about 700 people total. Poverty, unemployment, the prevalence of witchcraft, and resistance from the Orthodox church here are all contributing factors to this. So our ministry for the month is under the heading of "church planting" but we are working in a wide variety of areas. In just the first week, we've assisted with youth programs, visiting the sick and widows, working in soup kitchens or clothing drives, gardening, cleaning of yards, logistics in the church, helping with church services, teaching English, and many other things. Unfortunately for me, I've been sick, so they haven't let me do much, but I'm finally on the mend.

The community we live is like an odd mixture of modern day amenities and hold overs from probably a century ago. There is a bank, a market, or a coffee shop, but then you've got horse drawn carts being pulled outside of them. Everything has an older feel here. The house we are living in is planted right in the middle of a rich gypsy neighborhood. So we're surrounding by these giant 3 story houses that look like small mansions owned by the local gypsy population. We're told most of them in this community are wealthy because of shady business dealings or they will travel to surrounding villages and countries to rob people and houses before returning here. It's strange. Apparently last month the team living here accidently let a woman in the house who walked right in, took food off their table and left before they could even react or comprehend what had happened. It's not uncommon to have someone try to open our door once or twice each night. Witchcraft is huge within this population too. We're told that there are days when you will literally see people out in front of their houses with cauldrons and what not. Apparently the so called "witchcraft" capital is about an hour from here. When it was jokingly suggested we travel there, they told us we could pray for that community from the comfort of Draganesti. Apparently it isn't uncommon either to see caravans of traveling gypsy's come through town as well. The great thing is though, we're getting to work with some of the gypsy youth as well in some of the church programs, so it's been great having the opportunity to reach out to this group too!

One of the giant gypsy mansions.

For myself personally, this month has been off to a rough start. Partially because I've been sick. The main reason though is that our Team Leader, Justin, made the decision to return home at the end of this past month and pursue the next chapter in his life he felt God calling him to now. That chapter being marriage. So while I'm super happy for him and harbor no ill will whatsoever, it was heartbreaking for me nonetheless because the guy I've felt closest with this entire trip is suddenly gone. On top of that, I was asked to step into the role of Team Leader, so there has been a learning curve to that along with a little stress. Maybe I got a little too comfortable with where I was at and this is God giving me a kick in the rear now? I don't know. Everything is still a work in progress at this point, so many prayers for myself and Team Monarch would be much appreciated!

Thanks to everyone and God Bless!

P.S. The next deadline for finances is April 1 and two of my teammates are still working towards that deadline. Please keep Jesse Morris ($1,100) and Candice Yates ($600) in your prayers and if you happen to have an extra few dollars laying around, any little bit will help them reach the next deadline! They are a huge part of my family out here and in no way could I fathom either of them having to return home. Thank you so much!

My family on the World Race!

This One Time in Haiti...

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This one time (multiple times) in Haiti, we have people come to the back of the compound and harass us to give them stuff. Usually they asked for iPods, watches, bracelets, headlamps, or anything else that you might be carrying. The best offer I received though was some guy trying to give me the key to a motorbike for my Carey honor roll sunglasses.

This one time in Haiti, everyone celebrated with cheers upon the arrival of one bottle of Coke for each Racer.

This one time in Haiti, some of us played the game Chubby Bunny using Fruit Loops bought in the Dominican Republic instead of marshmallows.

This one time in Haiti, Team Monarch washed the dinner dishes for over 40 people in record time with a major rain storm bearing down upon us. Sadly, we still didn’t get them done in time and ended up being soaked.

This one time in Haiti, part of a palm tree branch fell out of a tree landing on and ripping through my squad mate Ben’s rain fly, tent, and puncturing his sleeping pad.

This one time in Haiti, a massive rain storm hit us unexpectedly and flooded where most of the tents were located forcing many people to move their tents to higher ground or under cover in the midst of the storm. Personally, I had a waterbed of about 3 inches under my tent before giving in and moving as well by a few feet. Everything for me stayed dry.

This one time in Haiti, during our biggest concrete pour of the month, it was decided that the Americans would race the Haitians since there were two sections to pour. We had probably a 1.5 hour head start, less concrete to pour, less distance to travel with buckets, and probably 15 more workers than the Haitians. They still beat us and then came to help us out. Once it was all done after 8 hours, we all together jumped around, celebrating, and chanting Haiti.

This one time in Haiti, we had a day to hike through some mountains that were hit by the earthquake. Apparently today there are still a lot of homes and lives/people lost in that area that have not been recovered even today.

This one time in Haiti, one person from each team was allowed to go with the Pastor’s daughter to the market to pick up a few things for their respective team. Though that did occur, they also returned with a new puppy that someone on the beach just gave to them. We named her Bailey.

Every day in Haiti, we took an old white school bus to the worksite which involves driving down a riverbed that is mostly dry for half of the year.

This one time in Haiti, a truck that several World Racers were in was hit by a motorcycle and we also witnessed a dump truck versus stationary motorcycle hit and run.

Every day in Haiti, we would be privileged enough to witness an incredible sunset each evening.

This one time in Haiti, I swam to another island with a few of my teammates where we spent the afternoon dodging sea urchins, finding huge colonies of tiny crabs, and a couple of sea stars.

This one time in Haiti, I was stung by a jellyfish.

A couple times in Haiti, we played on the beach and/or soccer with kids from the Hands & Feet Orphanage which was started by the former band, Audio Adrenaline.

This one time in Haiti, I finally accepted that my name is no longer Sam, but in fact “You You You.”

This one time in Haiti, I made a bet with my teammates Leah and Meagan regarding who would be the last to throw up on the Race within our team. The winner of this bet will have a blog dedicated to them and written by the two losers.

This one time in Haiti, we played Candy Land, and included a spaghetti noodle to signify one of the player pieces.

This one time in Haiti, we had a US vs. Haiti soccer match with some of the local kids and young adults we would occasionally play soccer with. Justin, Tyler, and I painted our chests with “U” “S” “A” for the game. Two local kids showed up shortly after with a card board box and a pop bottle attached to it with a strip of long black tape. They used it as a large camcorder, going around pretending to video tape and interview people. It was tons of fun. Also, in the same game, the ball hit a woman who was washing clothes in a river nearby. She got ticked, grabbed the ball, and threw it in the ocean.

Haiti in Quotes - Month 2

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

*Please be warned. We are an open and honest bunch with just a little hint of sarcasm thrown in for good measure. All of these brought a good amount of laughter with them. Enjoy! (This one is a bit shorter due to living with 38 other people and not being around each other 24/7.)*

"Is that weed?" - Michelle asking about a bag of seasoning in the store.
"Grasshopper? Haha. That makes me hungry for cookies." - Michelle
"Five hours? I would need to pee. I'd probably get some cookies. Heck, I'd need a beer after that and I don't drink!" - Meagan
"Justin, would you move your can opener?" - Candice ---------- "I swear I don't know how it got in my backpack." - Justin
"How are all those bags working out for you Cinderella?" - Candice
"Yesterday I was making fun of people and I suddenly realized, 'yes! I'm back'!" - Candice after being sick for a few days
"So apparently for me to sleep through the whole night, I need to do 4 hours of construction and 8 hours of laying concrete laying concrete by hand the day before." - Sam
"You are like a black Steve Urkel. No! I mean white." - Candice
"Gonna lay down right here. I like the view." - Candice after falling.

Candice "enjoying the view."

"Is that goat barking?" - Leah
"We've forgotten what a Hershey Bar looks like." - Sam during debate of candy bars.
"Meet our friend Lars." - Sam
"Ca-ca-ca-ca-ca." - Leah (Not a said quote, but written one.)
"Hey guys, I'm gonna be the noodle." - Michelle
"So you know that love letter I received in church? It wasn't meant for me." - Jesse
"So yesterday I signed up for a geo-caching membership." - Jesse -------- "That's what you do with your hour of internet?" - Candice ----------- "It's okay. It was 1:00am." - Jesse
"Would you just shut up and let me prefer you?" - Candice
"When I get to JFK (airport) I'm gonna get some Texas Pete." - Candice ------- "Is that a type of beer?" - Michelle (Just in case you don't know, it's a type of hot sauce. I didn't know it either.)
"If someone says 'achoo' before I achoo, then I cannot sneeze." - Leah

Team Monarch singing for the end of debrief Talent Show.

My Jesus and Musings of the Motion(ally) Sick

Wed, 7 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This month in Haiti, I cannot say that there have been lots of lessons learned in the physical labor itself that we have found ourselves doing. But, through some of my own reading, thinking, and prayer, God has really laid a lot on my heart regarding being lights within the world. That we should not be separating from the rest of it through our thoughts, words, and actions, but instead engage it and plant ourselves directly in those areas that need the most light. In fact, Jesus himself prayed for this before he was crucified. John 15:17 - "My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one." I think he’d look at the Christian sub-culture that we’ve created today, shake his head, and say, “It’s not supposed to be this way.”

On our way back from Jacmel, in the midst of trying not to throw up from motion sickness, my mind wandered into thinking the approach that Jesus would likely take were he physically present here today. I’d like to share what resulted in that.

My Jesus. My Jesus is not just confined to four walls and a steeple.
Nor the weekly Bible study or worship service.
My Jesus does not live a life of “us versus them.”
Living in a Christian bubble where one’s faith is never challenged or put to the test.
My Jesus would not be found on the front lines.
Picketing and protesting the latest book, movie, music cd, or law that offends our Christian sensibilities.
My Jesus does not sit there condemning others or in judgment of them.
Those who are alcoholics, divorcees, criminals, porn addicts, or heaven forbid they listen to hard rock music.
My Jesus is not quick to judge others based on appearance, dress, tattoos, or piercings.
Rather He knows the frivolity of such things, and that it is the state of the heart that matters.
My Jesus would probably leave his WWJD bracelet and “Life Saver” t-shirt at home.
Choosing instead to let His life, actions, and own words speak for the faith He has.
My Jesus lives in the world and engages the world.
Instead of hiding away in fear of being offended or because of feelings of self righteousness.
My Jesus does not spend His time hanging out in Christian coffee shops.
Rather He’s in the houses of prostitutes, the jail cells of convicts, and the streets of the homeless.
My Jesus tells us that whether we choose to leave someplace or not, He is staying.
Particularly in those uncomfortable situations and places that have the greatest need for Light.
My Jesus, were He physically here today, would live out a faith that is fearless.
Do you?

Updates on Haitian Life and Upcoming Romania

Wed, 7 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Hello family and friends from Haiti for one final time! This time next week, instead of kicking it on a beach with a coconut in one hand and shovel in the other, I should be freezing my rear off in Romania. Granted, coming from Ohio and Iowa, cold weather is nothing new. Going from sun, flip flops, and short sleeves to likely clouds, snow, and cold is quite the extreme change. That said, I’ll be happy to have a reprieve from the humidity.

The purpose of this blog is to more or less let you in on a few things. I’ve got 2 more blogs planned regarding our time here in Haiti, but I’m not ready with either of them, so this is what you’re stuck with for now until Romania. I do have a couple of fun little tidbits to share however.

1. We had a day off the other day and as a squad took a trip to Jacmel (spelling?) to spend time at a wonderful beach for the day. While there, we more or less camped out at the home of Dr. Ken, a man who recently started an organization called Surf Haiti. We met him and he has an interesting little claim to fame. He comes from Hawaii. If you are familiar with the movie Soul Surfer, about the girl who lost her arm to a shark, he is the actual man portrayed in the movie who was her youth pastor and the surgeon who performed her operation after she was bitten.

2. We leave for Romania this Sunday at 5:00am. Prayers for a smooth couple of days of travel would be very welcome. We fly from Port-Au-Prince to JFK in New York. We’re all hoping for a decent layover which would allow for some time for some greasy food (that will likely rhyme with ‘urger’) that does not consist of any sort of rice or beans. From there, we fly to Turkey before moving on to Romania for the month. We’ll be with working with the all girls team, Team Charis, and working/living with Team Mosaic which I’m super stoked about. They’re a great group of people and we’re going to have a great time in ministry this next month. We’ll be living in Dragnesti, Romania. The population of the county we are in is about 500,000 with only 700 or so Christians. Our task is church planting, but we’re pretty sure that ministry is going to look like a lot of different things next month, and not just church planting. Either way, we’re stoked for it!

3. This week we are having our first debrief session which essentially is a time for the squad to rest a little bit, recharged, and refocused and in the state of mind God desires us to be. Our two coaches from the States arrived last night and we’re happy to spend a couple days with them. Lots of cool things are planned for the week.

4. Finally, the biggie. Finances. Fundraising. I don’t have an exact amount total right now, but if I’ve figured things correctly, I’ve now got roughly $600 left to raise out of a total $15,500! I’m blown away right now and can’t believe how close I am to being fully funded. Thank you all who have been a part of this. Special thanks to the anonymous $220 and $100 dollar donations since I can’t thank you more personally. So, I’m all set for the next deadline of April 1 easily. Here’s the thing, I have teammates who are not there yet. If you could please pray for Candice, Jesse, Justin, and Michelle, they have not yet met the $11,000 deadline yet. If you have been planning on making a donation towards my account, I would like to ask that you prayerfully consider sending it to one of them instead. I cannot in any way, shape, or form imagine continuing this journey without even one of them. We’ve done life together 24/7 for the last 2 months. We’re not ready to give that up yet.

Thank you all again for giving this a read. I promise 2 more Haiti related blogs with pictures and hopefully one video once we get to Romania and are settled in. We’ve been told that internet access should be a daily occurrence, so no more 8 day gaps in between contact. I love you all and God Bless!

Meet Len

Wed, 29 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This is likely to be a common theme during the World Race, but I love meeting people who completely rock my world. In a nutshell they are individuals, or groups, who really make me question my life and whether or not I’ve actually had a hand in accomplishing anything of significance or meaning. Seems weird I think to question how I’ve lived my life up to this point, but my desire over this year is to push myself for something beyond just my own life. I’ve probably met four or five such people in Haiti already who have given up so much of their former life for the current one they are living. So I want to introduce you to one of these people.

Meet Len.

Len is pictured in the middle.

I mentioned his story a little bit in a previous blog. However, since then I’ve had a little more of an opportunity to spend some time with him and getting to know him more. Honestly, I’m not sure where to begin with him. He’s managed to take a huge tragedy in the life of him and his family and turn it into an opportunity to change lives here in Haiti for many years to come.

Myself (green shirt) with Meagan and Brett catching empty buckets and refilling them with concrete.

In 2010, his daughter Britney was down here in Haiti for a mission trip through her school. While down here, she sent a text message to her family stating her desire to someday come back to Haiti and build an orphanage. A few hours after that, the earthquake happened. Two days after the earthquake, Len and the rest of the family was informed that Britney had been found alive, was on a helicopter heading home, and that they needed to go to Florida to meet her. I’m not sure what exactly happened, but what they were told was inaccurate. Britney was killed in the earthquake and her body was not found until 33 days later.

Britney

Since then, Len and his family have devoted their lives to seeing Brittany’s dream come true. Len will be retiring from his current job this next year to move down here to Haiti with his wife to run the Be Like Brit orphanage fulltime. The orphanage, currently being built into the shape of a capital “B”, is expected to be opened in about 1 year. It will house 33 boys and 33 girls. One child for each day that it took to find Brittany’s body. Over 1 million dollars has already been raised and they are continuing to raise more funds. A book is also currently being written that will detail Brittany’s life, the search for her after the earthquake, and the work being done now to see her dream become a reality in Haiti. Funds from the sales of the book will go into an endowment fund which will be used to fund the orphanage for years to come. If you're interested in finding out more, please visit their website http://belikebrit.org.

C Squad at the Be Like Brit worksite with the orphanage in the background.

Listening to Len speak about this would just about bring you to tears. His passion for this orphanage and this country just bleeds through his actions and words. I’m astounded by this family’s willingness to take what was a tragedy in their lives and use it to fuel something good. Something for the future. I know that we as a squad we truly feel blessed to play a small role in this story and have an opportunity to contribute towards the fulfillment of such an incredible undertaking and dream.

Dominican Republic Wrap Up

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

This will be my last blog regarding the Dominican Republic. Enjoy these short little stories that weren’t big enough for their own blog.

This one time in the DR, we saw one motor bike carrying 6 people. We saw another carrying a washing machine and a third carrying a field plow.

This one time in the DR, we traded the use of our bathroom at the apartment for seven chocolate brownies.

This one time in the DR, we were on a rooftop at night when a group of people ran by on giant stilts while a man in a bath towel stood out on the street corner watching and chatting with his neighbor.

This one time in the DR, we helped lead a church service that took place entirely by the light of our headlamps. That same service saw a drunken man stumble in and sit down at the front and declare in front of everyone that he was drunk. We thought for a moment too that he was going to pull his pants down in front of everyone too, but was escorted out before he could do that.

This one time in the DR, we gave a couple of kids a drink of water and they showed up later at our apartment with a bag of fresh limes and a seven foot tall pole of sugar cane.

This one time in the DR, we shelled peas with a wonderful family and shared stories about faith and life.

This one time in the DR, instead of being woken up by roosters, a flock of peacocks decided to take the lead.

This one time in the DR, we ran entirely out of water so a couple of us walked down to the “stream” that “runs” through town and carried back buckets of water so we could flush our toilet. Another time, we were without water, so a group went and filled all of our containers going out by truck. By the time they returned half an hour later, our water was back on.

This one time in the DR, at the church in Cigual the guys went on a giant spider hunt on behalf of the girls and we managed to get three of the creepers and slept that much more soundly that night.

This one time in the DR, we tented on top of a mountain, where most of use spent half the night praying that the wind wouldn’t rip our tents apart and throw us down the mountain.

This one time in the DR, we had an off day where we traveled to a beautiful beach in Borahona where we were the only people for as far as we could see.

This one time in the DR, the “Empanada Boy” we would go to for food made Michelle a heart shaped empanada the day we were leaving.

This one time in the DR, one of the owners of the store next to our apartment that we would go to told two of our girls, in their mid to early 20s that their youth was behind them when he found out they weren’t married.

This one time in the DR, we rode in a van with 21 people. On top of that, the woman behind me began breast feeding in front of everyone. Not that that is really strange or crazy I think, but coming from the US, it’s just not all that common to breast feed in a vehicle full of strangers.

This one time in the DR, we spent four hours in the back of a truck to reach the remote village of El Gramazo. Some of our inclines and declines were so steep, that if you let go, you would have rolled straight back of the truck.

This one time in the DR, I had a lady who was pretty far along in a pregnancy give up her chair for me and would not sit down in it when I tried to offer it back to her. Instead she stood.

This one time in the DR, we tried to get our stove hooked up to see if we could cook, only to quickly discover that our stove had a decent gas leak.

This one time in the DR, we successfully crossed into Haiti!!!!

We Made It To Haiti!

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Our arrival into Haiti went pretty flawlessly. Three buses, one flat tire, and about 13ish hours after we started, we arrived into the main base of operations for Hope for Missions International. I really didn’t expect there to be a big change between the DR and Haiti. Granted the DR is considered to be a developing nation while Haiti is third world. But this has been like going from a 5 star hotel to a Motel 6 or something with regards to feel and look of everything. We drove through the middle of Port-Au-Prince and it was shocking. I thought I’ve seen some poverty, but this was on an entirely new level with just huge amounts of people everywhere. It’s shocking what passes for a home, plus there are all the tent cities for those people who have been displaced following the earthquake. I cannot even begin to put an accurate portrayal in writing here of how things look.

This month the entire C Squad (42 of us) is staying in the city/town of Grand-Goave outside of Port-Au-Prince. This area was affected pretty well too by the earthquake. We are staying this month at Hope for Missions International’s main base of operations area, for lack of a better term to call it. It feels like a little resort here. My tent is probably only 20 or so feet from the ocean. So cool falling asleep to the crashing of the waves at night. We also are blessed with the modern miracle of electricity and running water this month. We cook over the fire with the help of local Haitians working here too. Pretty much every day I’ve had fresh mango and coconut which the locals climb 40 feet up in the palm trees to get with a machete in hand. Spiderman eat your heart out. Five days a week we will be in ministry while on a sixth day each team will have one day that they stay back to help prepare all of the meals, clean up the facilities, take care of laundry, and so on. Mondays then will be our off day to rest and relax a bit.

Ministry will look a little different from last month for sure. We’ll be spending most of the month here at the main Compound of Missions for Hope International. Our team has been given the task of building two houses here on the compound to house incoming missionaries. The majority of the frame for the building is up, but they literally told, and I quote, “This is what we have so far and this is what we want it to look like (pointing to the homes across from our structures). So what this will entail us doing is plumbing for two bathrooms, pouring concrete, electricity, walls, ceilings, windows, doors, painting if we get that far and whatever else we can get done in this time. There may be days we help out elsewhere as well. There is an orphanage being built here called Be Like Brit. PLEASE look it up online for a moving story of its history.

Overall, things are good. Please keep us in your prayers for the month. Safety is a bit more of a concern here outside of our housing area and quite a few people have come down with flu like symptoms since we’ve arrived. So far I’ve been fine, but prayer for the health of my entire squad would be great. Thanks!

P.S. I only get internet access once a week, so the next time you hear from me will be a week and one day from today.

Rescue on the High Seas on Haiti

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Sometimes on the World Race, things or events occur that you cannot just make up even if I wanted to. One such event happened the other day during our lunch time on our first day of ministry.

So we’re having lunch and right outside of the compound here a group of probably 20-30 Haitians has gathered. We weren’t sure at first if they were just talking loud or arguing. Some seem a little upset including one guy swinging a machete. Eventually some of the locals in our compound get involved too and start yelling. One guy in particular is chewing out a man standing in a canoe just off shore.

Finally the man in the canoe takes off into deeper water and we come to figure out that there is another local out in the ocean hanging onto a buoy. We’re told most people here don’t swim, so the arguing it seems was a debate on whether or not anyone would go out after this guy. So as Canoe Man is heading to the Buoy Man, the rest of the crowd on the beach is just eating this up. It was like being at the movies. If I had popcorn, it would have been a hit. Plus they keep referring to the man as a “mun fu” which translates into “crazy person.” The sort of “insane asylum” crazy apparently.

By this time, all of us who’s ministry is at the compound have gathered on the beach too to watch. Canoe Man reaches Buoy Man and nothing happens for awhile. They’re both floating out there. Slowly Canoe Man floats further away while the other guy is still in the water. We can’t decide if he’s crazy enough that he won’t get in the boat or what. Canoe Man then paddles close again and suddenly he either jumped or fell out of the boat. The crowd goes wild. Two other guys grab a second canoe and start running toward the water and get it in. Suddenly Canoe Man pops back up in the boat and shortly after we can see him pull in Buoy Man.

They stay out there probably another 10 minutes before coming back to shore. Again everyone is going crazy back on the beach as they get close. Two of my squad mates run out into the crowd to get a firsthand look at everything and figure out what’s going on. Canoe Man and Buoy Man get to the beach. Buoy Man looks to be in either his 50s or 60s. Suddenly one of the two people who ran down to the beach calls out to the rest of us that Buoy Man has luggage with him. Sure enough, he’s got a decent sized bag in hand. Then we hear/see that he brought the buoy back with him too along with a mess of chicken wire and magazines. Just like that then he smiles at everyone and walks away down the beach like nothing happened.

Eventually the crowd disperses and we finish lunch. We honestly have no idea how this guy got at least a quarter mile offshore, how he dragged luggage out there with him, why he came back with the buoy, or anything else about him. Some days strange things just happen on the World Race. This was definitely one of them.

The Dominican Republic in Quotes - Month 1

Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

*Please be warned. We are an open and honest bunch with just a little hint of sarcasm thrown in for good measure. All of these brought a good amount of laughter with them. Enjoy!*

"Lunch Lady Leah" - Michelle
"If I weren't a Christian, I would..."(insert what you would do) - Everyone
"Estoy bien." - Justin ------- "I think you mean 'Esta bien'." - Michelle
"See if I help you vomit again." - Michelle
*Justin drops our bag of chicken.* - "Its no problem. Already dead." - Manuel
"I think its cold in the shade and hot in the sun." - Meagan ------ "That's a good observation." - Candice
Never have I ever been in a traffic jam involving cows." - Sam
"Please God make the rooster hoarse." - Sam
"Uno. Dos. Tres. Cinco. Go!" - Jesse

"I think we should make a list." - Manuel
"Its okay! Journalist." - Jesse
"Relatively speaking, compared to rice and spaghetti, we haven't had beans in awhile." - Sam
"Is he really going to look for Pepitto (the dog)?" - Candice ----------- "He'll probably come back with a package of hotdogs." - Justin
"Its all over the floor!" - Candice ---------- "Mmmm, its possible." - Michelle
"What happens in the back of the truck stays in the back of the truck." - Justin
"Do any of you know anything about papaya?" - Sam ---------- "3.14" - Michelle
"Oh no! Oh no! I just spit toothpaste in that lady's house!" - Candice
*After our water comes back on after five days without it.* - "Gonna go have a celebration poop." - Justin
"Could be. Cool beans." - Meagan

"We're building a house right now." - Leah
"New record!" - Manuel
"Where do you think it came from? - Sam referring to a lime. --------- "Probably a tree." - Meagan
"I think someone just broke something outside." - Candice --------- "You mean like a bone?" - Michelle
"Time to water our dirt." - Justin (In reference to everyone here always watering the dirt in front of their homes.)
"I'm not ready. My shoes are on the wrong feet." - Meagan
*During discussion of the smell of weed smoke coming through our window.* - "I could really go for smores right now." - Michelle
"Its a 'pequania' word." - Manuel

"Hey Michigan." - Sam (Meant to say Michelle)
"Does anyone else's boogers stink?" - Michelle
"Hola Padre!" - Jesse to random old man.
"Did you just take a poop while eating bread?" - Meagan -------- "I wasn't actually eating it while I was in there." - Sam
"I'm gonna jack a pig and ride it up the mountain." - Candice
"I declare brain fruit ice cream to be the future. I approve this message." - Manuel during his president impersonation since he slightly resembles Barack Obama.
"I will be the apple. You can bite me." - Michelle when figuring out roles for Adam/Eve skit.
"Today's weather is hot/cold." - Manuel in radio weatherman voice.
"Really digging the shirt Manuel." - Justin --------- "Glory to God." - Manuel
"I'm so glad that your response was to not share." - Leah
"Oh. You are black in your heart." - Manuel
"You will be able to eat empanadas every day now." - Manuel after it was decided that Michelle would marry "Empanada Boy."
"There's a flock of teradactyls." - Candice

We are leaving for Haiti at the end of this week. Roughly 12 hours on a bus! It looks like we'll be camped out on a beach for the month with the rest of our squad working with Missions for Hope International!

Crusade in Padre Las Casas

Sat, 4 Feb 2012 00:00:00 GMT

My teammate Jesse put this video together of the Crusade.

For four nights last week, Team Monarch was involved with the Hope For The City Crusade here in Padre Las Casas. The Crusade itself has sparked some interesting discussion amongst our team just regarding the approach of the overall Crusade and the approach the main speaker takes biblically. Personally, knowledge in this sort of area is not a particular strength of mine, so I’ve found the discussions to be good for my own knowledge. As for whether or not things were too this or that at times, or if the right points were being made and driven home regarding the Gospel and salvation, I don’t really know. Even after nearly a week to process it all, I can’t say I’ve come to any conclusions. I know some of this leads to big ol’ theological debates or whatnot. I’m not really interested in advocating or not advocating for any of it. But here’s what I saw with me own eyes over those 4 nights. Things I directly witnessed. Things that could have happened only through the presence of the Holy Spirit being at work. The presence of God was real.

Over the four nights, I’d put a ballpark estimate of roughly 800 or so people giving their life to Christ. I remember looking into the eyes of some of those people after they’d prayed. Tears streaming down their faces. The look of pure joy on their faces. Hugging anyone they could find. Lives changed. That was real.

Along with people being given the opportunity to pray, the first three evenings ended with people being invited down to be prayed over for healing. Our team was asked to assist and be a part of all of this too. So while I can’t say I ever found myself in this situation, I absolutely believe in the healing power of prayer and that the Holy Spirit will work through people to do that. Without a doubt people were healed. There was deafness, blindness, pain, and other things. That was real.

I watched the speaker pray over a man with blindness in one eye where he could not see more than a few feet. He would pray for him and then test his sight by holding up fingers. The first few times the man would indicate that it was not better, so the speaker went and prayed again. Eventually they brought him to the front and talked with him before testing him. The man who a few minutes earlier could not see more than a few feet in front of him was able to correctly identify fingers being held up from roughly 10 meters away. They said they initially had to help him up the stairs because of his sight. Afterward, they had to help him back down because he was crying too hard to see straight. That was real.
We prayed for a boy with severe arthritis in one of his legs. Bad enough that he used a walker and didn’t put pressure on it. At the end of the night, he was taking tentative steps without the walker and without pain. That was real.
We prayed for a woman with three golf ball sized cysts either on or around her spine. She took our hands and placed them directly on the cysts. After praying, the cysts that she’d had for at least 18 months were gone. She said she was pain free and could not feel them. Tears streaming down her face. That was real.
I watched a woman go from not being able to flex her knee to jumping up and down on it. A woman with severe back pain that left her unable to twist or turn at all, showed everyone that she could now twist with the best of them. That was real.

None of this was our doing. It was a Holy Spirit thing. It was real.

Loving Ain't Easy

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Here comes that nasty little word that they told us at training camp to try to remove from our vocabulary for this upcoming year. Expectations! You know my current struggle? I expected to love on people this year. Through words, actions, and just being present. I expected it to be easy to love on the kids with no parents, those who have lost loved ones, those in poverty scraping to get by, those enslaved in human trafficking, those in the prisons really trying to turn their lives around, or those just feeling completely lost.

Here’s the problem with that list. It doesn’t include EVERYONE. Which is what we’re called to do.
1 John 4:11-12 - Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.
No mention there of loving only certain groups of downtrodden people. It’s all about Loving Each Other.

Yesterday I struggled with that. Personally, it was easily the most frustrating day I’ve had thus far on the World Race. Mainly because a lot of people were brought across my path whom I had no interest in loving.

The older kids (age 10ish) at the basketball court beating up the younger kids (age 6ish), therefore ensuring that this circle of violence they live within continues on, because the only way they know how to solve problems, is beating the snot out of each other. I’ve seen fights before. Heh. I’ve worked with military youth so that’s nothing new. But yesterday I felt completely helpless to do anything other than physically separate children literally every few minutes.
The parents of said youth who aren’t present in their lives. Who aren’t letting them know that what they are doing is not acceptable.
The men who are the product of the hyper sexualization of society here in the DR. The cat calls and “psssttts” directed at the girls. At the end of last night I directed a comment towards a group of them, that while not inappropriate, still wasn’t reflective of who I am in Christ or reflective of the love that needs to be given to everyone.
The man (who apparently is one of the bigger drug dealers in the area) and his buddies who decided to park themselves right next to our group at the Crusade last night and proceeded to take video on their phones of the people around them, particularly females. Which meant constantly stepping in front of the video. Which took away my chance to enjoy the event. On top of that, we heard from one of the locals that they go to these events looking to take people home with them. All I really wanted to do then was just slug someone.

God, why wasn’t I warned ahead of time how hard this would be? I thought this would be one of the easiest things to do. To just love those around us. Turns out its one of the hardest right now.

God, grant me the patience to love ALL right now. To realize that no matter where they are at in life right now, You created them. That You love them. That I’m no better than them. That they are just as deserving as love as any of the people I expected to love on over this next year.

(Today’s our day off. I do hope to get a more joyful post up later today still, before leaving for another round of remote villages, regarding the Crusade taking place over the last 4 days. Don’t get me wrong, so many wonderful things are happening here. Loving others is just the bigger issue on my heart right now.)

Field Of Dreams? I Really Don't Know.

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

The background is a medium sized mountain standing tall over the town of Cigual. The same song is blared on repeat over a loudspeaker somewhere in the distance. A few kids are running around barefoot on what constitutes the town’s baseball field. The ball field itself? It probably makes the ball field from The Sandlot look like Wrigley Field in comparison.

Balls gloves are literally held together by neon pink baling twine and strips of some unknown fabric. Behind where home plate should be located, there’s a tree with a flock of chickens up in it hollering and crowing. First base was a crushed pop bottle while second base consists of a deflated basketball. Far as I could tell, third base was stolen a long time ago. Goats and sheep have left the outfield a minefield of animal feces.

For the outfield fencing, a mixture of ridiculously large cactus plants and barbed wiring ensures that there will be very little crashing into the wall in order to make that Sports Center highlight reel catch. At one point a ball lands at the base of the cacti easily within arms reach. Yet one of the youth gets a 6 foot long stick to dig out the ball. I nearly found out firsthand why. I ran over just to grab it with the “glove” I had on, and was met with an angry swarm of wasps that populates all of the cactus plants. At that point, I couldn’t decide if I was on an actual ball field or prison yard meant to keep its occupants from escaping.

And foul territory? It isn’t quite as bad, but if you hit a ball in there, you’ll likely pay in scratches, skin, and blood for that one too. Briars and brush with thorns that are at a minimum of an inch long await those who have to wade in after the balls. Leaving them there isn’t exactly an option baseballs are not exactly of an unlimited supply.

It’s funny the things that hit you. That sort of rocks you a little bit with a solid dose of reality. For two weeks I’ve been in and out of houses. Houses with maybe 3 rooms and you cook out in back on a fire. Or I’ve seen little naked kids running around with machetes. There are the trash piles throughout the streets or sidewalks. Despite those things never being the norm of any of the places I’ve ever lived or traveled to, nothing was exactly shocking to me either. Of all the reality checks I could have had, it was a baseball field that gave it to me. Maybe it is because in the US I’d be hard pressed to find a field with even one of these issues, much less all of them.

Despite the conditions, the youth will play on. This is their pastime. They live, breath, and sweat baseball here in the Dominican Republic. Poor conditions or not, this baseball field is one of constant joy for all who play there.

Meet Manuel

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

I want you to meet Manuel. (Not to be confused with our translator.) To be truthful, I know very little about him, except his name and that he lives in the small village of Cigual which was to be our home for two days of ministry. He doesn’t speak English. In fact, he doesn’t speak at all. The most he can get out is more of an incoherent groaning sound, but is usually followed up by a mostly toothless smile.

Shortly after arriving to Cigual, we were getting ourselves unpacked out of the truck and all of our gear stored up in the church before figuring out our next move for the day. Three of my teammates and our translator left to go figure out food preparations for the day, while the other four of us were left to look after things. Before too long, we noticed this older man slowly making his way to the church. When I say slow, we’re talking that even the tortoise wouldn’t need a head start to win a head to head race with him.

Two of the girls went to him to assist him the rest of the way into the church and into a seat. Having no idea where he came from, it’s possible he could have been walking more than ½ hour to get to the church. After getting him seated, we felt the urge to just pray over him, despite not knowing anything about him. We did and he responded by raising a clenched fist in the air as if to proclaim, “Yes! Yes!” and one of his toothless grins. Candice read him a little bit from Psalms in Spanish, and myself feeling moved in his faith to walk as far as he did to the church considering his current physical state shared Romans 5 in Spanish. This whole time he keeps raising up that fist and smiling.

Candice, Manuel, and Myself sitting outside.

I was captured by his heart. I just sat with him with my hand on his or on his shoulder. I could have sat with him all day and not said another word. Eventually though, we had to move outside with all of the young kids that we’d managed to attract with our presence as the church was cleaned. Manuel seemed to take a little joy in lightly hitting a few of them on the top of their heads and raising his fist if they got to close or were bothering me by going after my hair.

After a little more sitting Candice busted out her notebook and drew a lovely stick figure picture of herself, myself, and Manuel. The expression on his face was golden. With shaky hands he attempted to carefully fold up the picture and put it in his pocket, but needed a little help in doing so. Finally, he must have decided that he’d had enough of the loud/busy children, got himself up, and slowly made his way back to which ever home was his in Cigual.

Like I said, I know next to nothing about him, but in those few special hours that we managed to spend together, he was absolutely an added joy to my day.

Manuel slowly heading home from the church.

Adventure? I Might Have Found It Here In the DR.

Sat, 21 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

As you all read this, I want everyone to know that in order for me to get this to you, I had to set the computer on top of my head in order to get a good enough internet connection to get this blog sent out. Just so you’re aware of the things we do sometimes to keep everyone posted. (I wish I could post up some pictures, but the internet is just too slow right now. I promise some though soon!) Please enjoy the video at the bottom though my team made during our Launch in Florida!

Hola mi familia y mi amigos! See what I did there? Spanish.   8 years after my last Spanish class, that’s about all I remember. I’m wondering what will happen when we end up in countries for the last 10 months with languages that I haven’t studied. Language is an adventure. This first week has been an adventure.

Our translator for the month? His name is Manual and I absolutely love him! He’s a man of God who is passionate about the Lord and truly cares about bringing people into a personal relationship with Him. He sings in the praise band of one local church, is the new Pastor of another, helps lead a local basketball program, and so much else. On top of that he’s got a quirky sense of humor and pretty much every single conversation with him is an adventure whether its making a list of food for lunch or Candice trying to describe "hill billies" because we have no idea what he’s likely to say next. Language is a challenge, but I know that he's really trying.

This week has been pretty stretching thus far to say the least. Most of what we do in these villages we are traveling to is go door to door and just talk with people. Get to know them a bit and share with them why we are here in the DR. Pretty much everyone has welcomed us with open arms and coffee, which is shocking. Because this is the sort of thing that causes people in homes back in the US to turn off the lights and hide under the table when someone shows up. The hospitality is incredible though, and no matter where we go, they always have enough plastic chairs for everyone hidden somewhere in their house.  The chairs thing is almost magical.

We've had the chance to speak with many families, pray for lots and lots of folks, and have spent all of it up in the mountains which I think rank second only to Switzerland. Earlier in the week we had a 3 hour hike into the mountains to some hot springs where we had lunch with 6 Dominican men roughly my age. We waded across one river a total of 34 times to get there and back, but it was worth it. Adventure. They prepared lunch for us and are just a group of great guys. The next day we had a chance to sit down with them for a few hours and speak with them about being men of God, using their talents (which they have many of) for Him, and lifting each other up and keeping each other accountable. We've had many other conversations like this with others too throughout the week!

We don't know what many of the conversations we have lead to, but we do trust that God knows their hearts and we realize that as a Team, we are here more to cultivate the soil for even something more special down the road for these villages. So results may not be immediate or even visible, but we trust that God knows what he's doing.

Some last minute tidbits.
I've had more coffee in one week here than in my entire life. I seriously mean that too.
I've also spent more time riding in the back of trucks in one week than my entire life too.
We've got a black little dog that follows us around in Padre Las Casas everyone on my team calls Pepto or Plattypus or something like that.  The dog and I are not really on good terms after he tried to take off with my retainer.
I was clotheslined by barbed wire the other day. Why people would put that stuff at head height I will never know.
Only one mouse killed so far by Jesse.

To wrap everything up, I have some wonderful news! I’ve hit third base and am rumbling full steam ahead to home plate. After my first week of ministry here in the Dominican Republic, I checked my support account to discover that I’ve now got over $12,000 raised out of a needed $15,500! This means I’ve surpassed the April 1^st deadline! I’m continually blown away by God’s grace and the answering of my prayers. That final number seemed like a ridiculous reach when I first started out, but I’m almost there. As always, many thanks to everyone who has been supporting this endeavor!

This week I ask that you all please pray for
The Health of Team Monarch
Continued Safety and Protection
Language Barriers Overcome
Boldness
Open Doors and Hearts

Launching Into the Dominican Republic

Sat, 14 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

My new season has kicked off. I arrived to the Dominican Republic Friday evening. It was a busy travel day but all pretty manageable. I think the highlight though was that after a three hour bus ride from the airport, Team Monarch and Team Agape were dropped off along the side of the road to split off in a direction different from the rest of the teams. Our main contact arrived in his truck with 13 World Racers gear strapped down on top. We proceeded to then load a total of 16 people onto this same truck, which meant that I got to literally hang off the side of it for the next 30 or so minutes as we traveled up the mountains at about 30-40 mph. I know family is going to love hearing that! J

We have more details for ministry this month! It’s going to be crazy! Challenging! Stretching! So much else. I feel blessed to have this chance to experience what we are going to experience. We’re staying in Padre Las Casas on the weekends, but during the week, Team Monarch will be hiking to remote villages to stay there 2.5 days at a time to build connections and relationships with the local people in each village. Now when I say remote, we’re talking that this is probably the first time that a white person has ever likely set foot in some of these places. Places that have absolutely zero church presence. Places where idolatry is the norm. That means we really have to be on the ball and ready to go, because we’ll be making a huge impression one way or another, and hopefully its one that is incredibly positive.

Also, in less than 24 hours, God has already opened a huge door too here in Padre Las Casas. On the way to pick up this Wifi, we met another missionary couple in our neighborhood who have been here about 3 months. They are working on a sort of Christian festival for two weekends from now. The last one they helped put on brought in about 8,000 people and they would love for us to be a part of this next one! How cool is that?

Please continue to keep us all in your prayers. Prayers for safety, for open hearts and minds, for open doors and big opportunities, for strength and unity, perseverance.

I'm Ready

Thu, 5 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

I'm Ready

Minus that I haven't packed a single thing even though I start the journey to Florida in just a little over 24 hours. (It's just sprawled over the sun room that I've decided to take over since being home.)
Minus that I still have to actually get down to Florida.
Minus that I'm still waiting on some last minute things to arrive in the mail.
Minus that I still have roughly $5000 to raise.
Minus that I still have some big "until next times" to say.
Minus that pretty much every day I wake up I DON'T feel like I'm leaving for 11 months in the next few days.
Minus that I STILL haven't managed to figure a way to keep all the ice cream I plan on taking from melting.

I really am ready though. I promise. No freak outs yet. I'm not a freak out person, but even still I've sort of expected the magnitude of soon to departing on the World Race to wollop me upside the head and cause some freak out about being gone for roughly 11 months while roughing it out of a backpack the whole time. That would be the normal response to all of this at least right?

So why exactly is it that I feel ready?

Jeremiah 1:5-8 - “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”

“O Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I can’t speak for you! I’m too young!”

The Lord replied, “Don’t say, ‘I’m too young,’ for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid of the people, for I will be with you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Jeremiah 29:11-13 - "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me."

Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet and called as a messenger proclaiming the Word and the good works of God. He faced opposition. He faced rejection. He found himself in some poor and tough situations. But he still chose to be obedient in this calling. He chose to put his faith in and trust in God. He had doubts, as we all do, but God basically told him not to sweat the small stuff. He would let him know what to say. That He had things planned out. That He'd be with Jeremiah every step of the way on his own journey to which he'd been called.

I don't expect this to be a walk in the park. Maybe some days, but not all of them. I don't expect us to be accepted or what we might say to be accepted everywhere we go. But my prayer is to have the same faith and perserverance that Jeremiah had throughout his life and throughout his work.

This is why I'm ready.

As an added bonus, instead of focusing on the things I will miss and won't have/see/hear/taste/etc in the next 11 months , I've decided to celebrate the things experienced in day to day life that I will not experience or miss for the next year! So here's my Top 5 things I won't be missing this next year.

5. The Celebrity Gossip Industry. - I'm beyond thankful to not have to be subjected to this every single day.

4. Starbucks - I'd love to just say coffee in general, but I realize there's no chance of that actually happening. :)

3. 2012 Election Campaigns - I do believe in being involved in the election process and I do think it's important for everyone to be aware/informed of the various candidates and issues. I am however thankful that I pretty much miss the whole presidential campaign season. We're just under 11 months away and I've already had my fill.

2. Cell Phones - Every time I think about this, I do the Snoopy happy dance because I'm so giddy. Nearly a year without cellphones??? Paradise! But what could possibly be better than this since it's only at the # 2 spot? (This picture by the way is of recycled cell phones.)

1. TSUN aka The School Up North aka Meatchicken - I'd like to keep this blog kid and family appropriate, so I'll refrain from actually using the name of said school. But suffice to say, it won't be missed at all.

Answered Prayers, Goodbyes, and Our First Ministry Assignment

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Hello Family and Friends! It's getting a little crazy now, but I'm down to something like 16 or so days before I need to be down in Florida for Launch. That time is quickly approaching. Probably a little moreso than I want sometimes. Other times it might not be quite fast enough.

Answered Prayers

So over the past couple of weeks I've tried to keep a running tally on where some of my squadmates were in terms of fundraising and meeting the Dec. 18 deadline. I think one week prior to that deadline there were 6 or so people short who were in need of a combined $8,000ish in order to leave in January. Whelp, prayers were answered, funds were raised, and God pretty much left the most recent deadline in the dust! I will be seeing every single person on my squad come this January! I cannot thank you enough! The power of prayer is so incredible and to see first hand how those were answered and for thousands to be raised and donated in a matter of hours is just too incredible. Just another thing of many confirming the amazing things that God is going to do through this squad. Thank you for helping to make that happen.

Goodbyes

On a more somber note, I've now departed Iowa (departing being somber) for home back in Ohio (returning being not so somber). I do enjoy being back amongst pretty much all of my family, but it's bittersweet leaving some place that has more or less been home for the last 2.5 years. A place were I managed to get plugged into an incredible church and meet some amazing people through involvement in choir, the young adult Sunday School class, and the church services in general. I've left, however I'm so thankful for their continued support in my life and of this trip as they follow along with what we'll be doing this next year. I look forward to coming back at the end of this trip to share with you all what we did and how your involvement and support in this made a larger difference in the rest of the world.

It's hard leaving some place where I spent the first two years in grad school and the whole 2.5 working with Camp A in the main office. To leave a program that I've been involved with for a little over 6 years that has had a large positive influence in molding me and providing me with many of the skills I possess today is not easy. It's nice to know though that I can Chugi with the best of them. Seriously though, more doors opened through my involvement with Camp than I ever dreamed possible. So many incredible friendships, stories, and connections. Thank you all who has been a part of that, either from the get go or for just the past few months.

With my departure from Iowa though, that can only mean one thing! It is almost time to depart. And with that...

Our First Ministry Assignment

So in case there is someone who isn't aware of how ministry works, each month teams are paired with in country ministry partners and organizations that we will work with during the duration we are there. Sometimes teams may be placed together at one site, other months we may all be seperate from one another and won't see each other until the end of the month.

Whelp, for this first month, Team Monarch gets to start things off with a bang! There isn't much in the way of details, but in a nutshell, we'll be backpacking through the Dominican Republic visiting and working in remote villages. Roughly 5 days working with/in each village and a couple days rest in between. I have no idea what that work will look like, but that's part of the exciting part too! Suffice to say I'm pretty STOKED for this first month.

Please keep everyone in your prayers as we continue to prepare over the next couple of weeks and that the paths ahead are set and the hearts of the folks we will meet are open. Merry Christmas!!!

Desires For Haiti

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

(Music video that was put together to raise money for Haiti after the earthquake.)

So my squadmate Rebecca Burger and squadmate/teammate Jesse Morris have been putting together blogs for every country we are traveling to that give a little snapshot of the issues at hand in each country and some statistics of interest. For Haiti it was decided that instead, they would gather from each C Squad member what we desire to see and have happen during out time in Haiti. So copied below is the final product of Rebecca's and Jesse's work.

Also, an update on the financial situation for my fellow squadmates as of Wednesday night. My teammates Jesse Morris and Candice Yates have now both met this weekend's Sunday deadline! Whoo hoo! Alicia Thompson (also in my squad) has informed us that she just met the deadline as well. Thank you for all of those prayers! HOWEVER, I still have at least 6 squadmates who haven't met the deadline yet, so those prayers are still much needed!

JC Cubol - $1970
Sarah Craycroft - $2000
Keeley Jackson (no recent update. Last count I think was about $1500)
Johnfrank Dieguez - $400ish
Janelle Rademaker - $400ish
Matt Blair - $300ish

They have until this Sunday to meet their financial deadlines. Please keep praying that those are met! Thank you!

C-Squad's Desires for Haiti

If you've been following our blogs, you'll know that my teammate, Rebecca Burger, and I (Jesse Morris), have been posting prayer requests and information about our 11 countries we'll be traveling to. For our LAST country, Haiti(which isn't last anymore because the order of the countries we'll be travelling to was switched), we decided to get a little creative- we have asked every individual on our squad to share in a sentence what they look forward to see God do in Haiti.

Here's what they had to say:

Matthew Escobar Blair Sr "I'm looking forward to being able to carry light into a darkened country, and thankful that God is using even a tragedy like the earthquake to open up many doors and hearts." www.mattblair.theworldrace.org

Rebekah Clark "I'm looking forward to bringing the LIght into a dark place where disaster has struck and to also LOVE on kids because they need it!" www.rebekahclark.theworldrace.org

Alicia Thompson "I love to build-so if there is a construction project, I would love that but building doesn't always have to be construction. If I get the chance to have even a single conversation with someone and help lay a solid foundation for their faith to grow-that month was completely worth it!" www.aliciathompson.theworldrace.org

Justin Orr "I watched a documentary the other night called, "Freedom Project", on CNN. It highlights modern day slavery and how 300,000+ displaced Haitians are trying to survive in horrendous conditions. I hope we get to make a difference by ending the slave conditions that these people are suffering through." www.justinorr.theworldrace.org

Tyler Hamilton "I think or look at Haiti as a country with potential. I have met many many people and friends from Haiti at Disney World 2 years ago and it seems like the problems come from the lack of or low quality of education! These people are so amazing and I want them to know how their people or culture can impact the world and what God will do." www.tylerhamilton.theworldrace.org

Sam Walter "I see a country that, a few years ago, was basically ripped apart. Buildings; families; lives. Yet despite this, I believe the people here are poised to come roaring back! To rebuild what was lost! Mend what was broken! Heal where there is suffering! I believe there is a revitalization of people with regards to their faith and putting everything they have into the Father's hands and I see us being in the middle of that." www.samwalter.theworldrace.org

Reagan Taylor "I want to go and listen to their stories. Let them know that we see them; hear them......that they have not been forgotten; that they are important and precious to God, and therefore to us." www.reagantaylor.theworldrace.org

Janelle Rademaker "I am looking forward to humbling myself down to nothing and putting myself in the situation that the people of Haiti have been living in....Showing them love and giving them the Hope of Jesus; letting them know that we love them as our brothers and sisters and that they are not alone in this world :)" www.janellerademaker.theworldrace.org

Ben David Mullett "I'm looking forward to Haiti exploding with Life because of them discovering the greatest Love of all ages!!" www.benmullett.theworldrace.org

Lianna Ward "In Haiti, I'm excited about: sharing/learning/loving/blessing/being blessed through them!!!" www.liannaward.theworldrace.org

JC Cubol "I'm looking forward to revealing and sharing the crazy love that God continually shows us all the days of our lives!" www.jccubol.theworldrace.org

Rebecca Burger "I look forward to loving on the children in Haiti and to see them experience a new mindset of the freedom and love only found through knowing our Pappa! :)" www.rebecccaburger.theworldrace.org.

Jesse Morris "I'm looking forward to working with kids in Haiti and really being able to be a big brother to them after the hurricane tradgedy. I know many of them must be orphans and it would be great to be a figure that they can look up to and learn from!" www.jessemorris.theworldrace.org

Austin Ulsh "I'm looking forward to showing the Haitian people that they have not been forgotten and that there is healing through the Hands of Christ." www.austinulsh.theworldrace.org

Chistina Schlabach "I'm excited to do my part in taking back the ground that the enemy has taken in Haiti and let God restore what was His in the first place!" www.christinaschlabach.theworldrace.org

Meagan LaFoy "I'm looking forward to bringing restoration and hope to the people who have remained in Haiti and showing them that our Father still cares for them." www.meaganlafoy.theworldrace.org

Leah Malone "I'm with Reagan Taylor on this one. I just want to listen to the people there and let them feel heard and cared about. I get this feeling that there is so much power in their stories that is just waiting to be released. They just need a chance to share them!" www.leahmalone.theworldrace.org

Andrew Holloway "I personally want to do all of the above. It's so crazy that we all want to love on these people and share "True Life" with them; that we all can have a brokeness for a people that we don't even know. I desire to go with you all and be the "salt and light of the world" as spoken about over in Matthew. I also desire to fulfill the Great Commission that our Lord has called us to do. Not that I may boast in what I do, but that I may boast in Christ so that He may receive all the glory that He is due. And lastly, I just want to be a brother/father to the broken and hurting, and I want to share the love that Christ has generously and abundantly lavished on me! Matthew 5:14-16 :) " www.andrewholloway.theworldrace.org

Brett McConnell "My desire is to show Christ's love in many ways but specifically to help rebuild communities so that families have a home and not have to live in camps. Also, to show the love of Christ to the widows and orphans and share with them that the Lord has not forgotten them when the world has." www.brettmcconnell.theworldrace.org

Rachel Ruth Rush "When I think of Haiti, I think of rebuilding-spiritually and physically. Can't wait to be a light for a month for a place that needs hope. A month may seem a short amount of time but even a second of love and hope can change someone's life." www.rachelrush.theworldrace.org

Dania Spillett "I'm looking forward to seeing God use us to bring the Haitians out of spiritual death and show them that the darkness (and sometims satanic-focused life) many of them live is not their only option and that God can bring healing and light to their lives." www.daniaspillett.theworldrace.org

Michelle Imig "To be quite honest, I dont know too much about Haiti besides the devastating earthquake that happened a few years ago. I have heard, however, that the church is strong and growing in Haiti. I would consider it a privilege to work alongside the church there by ministering to the Haitians who don't yet know the Lord." www.michelleimig.theworldrace.org

Jenna Hartkopf "Honestly, I don't really know what I'm looking forward to becasue I have no idea what to expect. But the one thing I know is that God is going to show up big time and I can't wait to see what He has in store for the people of Haiti. So, I guess what I'm looking forward to is being a part of God's plan and getting to talk to and become friends with people who can smile even after such a big storm." www.jennahartkopf.theworldrace.org

Together as C squad, we hope that we can have a profound effect on the people of Haiti through the love of Christ shared not only in the Gospels, but with each of us to each other and to the Haitians as well. We believe that this is very possible and in less than a month, we'll have that opportunity to make it happen! Thank you to God for His love shared on us and thank you to all who have supported us this far!!!! We hope you all have an amazing Christmas this year :) :)

State of the Union (my life) Address

Wed, 7 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Haaalllloooo out there! I hope if you're reading this, you're ready for a hodgepodge (fun word to say) of things to be covered over the next few paragraphs. Times are a changin' so its high time to let you all know what's been going on lately and what's just around the corner!

FIRST! I can now officially say that I will be leaving in January for the World Race!!! I need to be in Florida on January 9th to be exact. My account today was updated to reflect the total amount raised this far, and I have now surpassed the $6,500 deadline of December 18th! Thank you thank you thank you to everyone who has been a contributor thus for towards this journey. I honestly wouldn't be here without your support in all of this. So I've now reached second base and am blazing towards third base faster than the speed of light already! Based (no pun intended) upon some expected donations, including an incredibly generous one by First United Methodist Church here in Cedar Falls, IA, I have now cleared the halfway point and have less than $7,000 (according to a rough estimate) to go! At this rate, I hope to meet the March deadline of $11,000 before even leaving in January.

SECOND! I have some huge prayer requests right now because although I've met the next deadline, I've got 2 teammates (TEAM MONARCH) and several other squadmates and close friends who aren't there yet. They're working to raise funds right now for the December deadline in just 11 days. Anywhere from a few hundred dollars to about $2,000. So please pray that their financial needs are met in some way, shape, or form and that God would just be present and show up with them over the next 11 days as they work to meet those deadlines. Below are the people (that I know of) who are still working to meet their goals. Click their names to check out their blogs and find out a little more about them. I can't imagine this trip without any of them as each one brings such unique qualities and gifts to this squad that are going to be used to bless that nations we are visiting! The power of prayer is unbelievable and this C Squad has seen so many answerd already in huge ways!

Jesse Morris (Team Monarch) - A few $100
Candice Yates (Team Monarch) - A few $100
JC Cubol - about $2,000
Keeley Jackson - about $1,500
Matt Blair - about $1,000
Alicia Thompson - about $1,500
Janelle Rademaker - Not sure, but still in need of funds.
Johnfrank Dieguez - about $400

Matthew 18:19-20
"Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

FINALLY! I am now pretty much down to two weeks here in Iowa and even less than that for my current job. My last day is next Friday. :-( I'll then make the 10 hour drive back to the Buckeye State for some needed time with the family and any friends still in the neighborhood over the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Some time after the new year, I will be departing Ohio to head down to Florida, hitching a ride with my wonderful Grandparents who are heading south for the rest of the winter season. So it'll be great to spend a little more time with them before I'm off for 11 months! I'm not sure that the magnitude of 11 months has hit me yet. Should be an interesting time when it finally does...

SIDENOTE! If you have not made a donation yet to help me out with fund raising and have been considering so, please CLICK HERE to make an online donation. If you would rather mail in a check, then please send that to

Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470

Checks should be made payable to Adventures in Missions. My name (Sam Walter) would then go on the memo line. Print off this page and detach the portion below and include that along with the check as well! TA DA!

World Race Program

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Please make checks payable to Adventures In Missions.
Return this card (and check if applicable) to:
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Adventures In Missions is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donors will receive receipts for their gifts with the understanding that the disbursement of those gifts lies completely at the discretion of Adventures In Missions and that the gifts are non-refundable and non-transferable, per IRS regulations. Gifts may be tax deductible; please consult a tax advisor.

Be Thankful

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT

Tomorrow apparently is Thanksgiving. Which means something along the lines of 7ish weeks or so before Launch. Man, how time flies! It doesn't seem like long ago, I was punching the "submit" button for my World Race application.

Anywho, I've been thinking about putting up a post with the whole Thanksgiving/giving thanks theme to it, but wasn't really wanting to just list out a bunch of "stuff." God knows I've plenty to be thankful for. During my lunch break, I ended up going home to grab a bite to eat. The plan was a sandwich. Said plan ended up being derailed upon the discovery of half a moldy loaf of bread. No worries, I did manage to find something else in the cupboards. I sit down for lunch and grab my Bible hoping to get through a few chapters of Psalms which I've been reading through lately. I'd left off at Psalm 91, read through it, and didn't manage to get any farther than that. Something about Psalm 91 really struck me, so I want to share that now.

^{Psalm 91

1} Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
      will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² This I declare about the Lord:
   He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
      he is my God, and I trust him.
³ For he will rescue you from every trap
      and protect you from deadly disease.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
      He will shelter you with his wings.
      His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
⁵ Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
      nor the arrow that flies in the day.
⁶ Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
      nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
⁷ Though a thousand fall at your side,
      though ten thousand are dying around you,
      these evils will not touch you.
⁸ Just open your eyes,
      and see how the wicked are punished.

⁹ If you make the Lord your refuge,
      if you make the Most High your shelter,
¹⁰ no evil will conquer you;
      no plague will come near your home.
¹¹ For he will order his angels
      to protect you wherever you go.
¹² They will hold you up with their hands
      so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
¹³ You will trample upon lions and cobras;
      you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

¹⁴ The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
      I will protect those who trust in my name.
¹⁵ When they call on me, I will answer;
      I will be with them in trouble.
      I will rescue and honor them.
¹⁶ I will reward them with a long life
      and give them my salvation.”

I read that through a few times and it really hit me that there are really only two things that I need to be thankful for. God's grace and God's promises to us. I think that right there just about covers all of it.

Father I thank you for Your grace and promises for my life. Thank you for the gift of Your Son. For protection and safety when the enemy attacks. For courage when I am scared. For family and for community when I feel alone. For strength when I am weak. For a stronger faith when I begin to doubt. For unconditional love and forgiveness when I screw up. For nourishment when I am hungry or thirsty. For a place to rest when I am weary. For You.

Be sure that you are thanking the One who really deserves the thanks this Thanksgiving.

And for my guilty pleasure, I'm also thankful for ice cream.