Tuesday, December 20, 2011

"I Will Beat You"


I am reminded of one of the reasons why I am here, in Nairobi, every time I hear someone open their mouths and something horrifying comes out.

A baby in the building next to me cries all day and night. I don't have kids, but this is not the cry of a stubborn child. It's the cry of a neglected and abused child. From what I can tell, the single Mother works all day, leaving the raising of her precious baby boy to an impatient, intolerant, unloving house keeper, who either ignores the baby or screams at him.

I hear him cry for what seems like hours with a cry that leaves you wondering how his little throat is not bleeding. And then I hear these words out of her mouth as she stands in the doorway from outside. “Nitakuchapa! I will beat you saa hii… Ohhhh to Jesus be glory!!” And then she goes back to her 90 degree angle, hunched over a pile of laundry or sweeping the hallway with a small bunch of reeds all the while singing praise songs that she likely learned at church.

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Wow That's Unprofessional

Of course the day I do a guest post at my friend's blog site is the day that the file hosting website I use decides to crap out leaving my pages full of broken images.

How pretty... and professional my site looks right now.

I'll get it fixed asap.

Sorry guys

Oh and some are wondering where the 'heck' I've been and what the 'heck' I've been up to.
It's been raining paka na mbwa for over a month and so trusty (by trusty I mean not trustworthy) Kenya Power has been having outtages all over the city almost on a daily basis.

So you try uploading videos or blog posts when your modem is resetting every few minutes.
No, don't try it, it's not fun...

Which is why this is short but do not fear! updates are coming your way. Soon-ish. I'm trying, I promise.

Until then, enjoy my broken images, aren't they pretty?
The links still work though so wander over to my "Watch" page and start clicking away.

Thursday, November 3, 2011

I Wonder If They Can Hear Me

This couch, this noisy wooden couch...
Every time I move it creaks.
And if the sound of the vampires upstairs, stirring around 12:30am on a daily basis, are any indication of how sound travels through this poorly constructed concrete building, then I'm sure my neighbors can hear me.
Do they hear my hips pop when I sit up because this noisy couch is like lounging on a stone?
I wonder if they can hear me shut my bedroom door, or flush the toilet,
or yell at my video game when I blame it for my screw-ups?
Can they hear me like I can hear the ghost from unit 8 who's daily routine is radio, soaps, movies and more radio; all at a level only partially deaf people enjoy their sound systems?

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Kicked Out

I found out some very interesting news yesterday: My resident visa application cannot be processed yet.
The reason? apparently a letter from my college stating that I am a graduate, complete with school seal, is not good enough proof for the Kenyan Immigration Authority that I am educated.
I guess I'll need to send someone on a hunt for my diploma, which I'm sure is very buried and very dusty in storage.

Would have been nice to have known this before I paid for the letter from school and WAY before it was time for my tourist visa to expire.

I have to leave Kenya.
Not just Kenya actually, the region... something about an East African Visa makes it unacceptable to just cross over into Tanzania or Uganda and hop back in. And heading north seems like a bad idea at the moment; Somalia and Sudan both having their issues. Ethiopia could be an option, but I'm not really sure yet where I'll go.

It's not like I'm not up for an adventure, but this necessary trip was unexpected and therefor not budgeted for.
Not knowing a lot of people in surrounding countries makes it even more expensive because hotels have to be factored in and unless I want to sit on a bus or a train for days, airfare also has to be considered.

I know that God already has an idea for me, He just hasn't told me yet.
I will have to leave by November 30, and will also need to look into acquiring a visa for wherever I'm headed, so please join me in praying for travel details and expenses to be provided for very quickly.

Any suggestions for cheap travel on this continent?

Thursday, October 13, 2011

A Phone Stalker and a Big Fat Fail

It was the fourth hang up I had in 2 days from this number. One of the calls being at 6:30 in the morning. I decided to get to the bottom of the situation.

As I rang the number back I tried to chill out, in case it was someone I knew trying to get me on a different number. But when the guy picked up, I think my annoyance shot through the phone before I could suppress it.

Stranger - Hello?
Me - *pause* Who is this?
S- Mambo?
M- Poa. Who is this?
S- What's your name?
M- It doesn't matter what my name is. You keep calling my number.
S- I'm in some trouble, I need your help.
M- I don't even know who you are.
S- My name's Elijah.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

What the Heck are You Doing?!

Is a question I'm sure a lot of you are asking because, unless you are on facebook or follow me on twitter, you probably haven't heard from me in a while. And even twitter has been neglected lately.

I'm not going to start off with a bunch of excuses but I WILL tell you what I've been up to and the work that I've been so privileged to join in.

Let's start with the small stuff...

Monday, August 29, 2011

Slower Than You'd Like Me To Be


I met this guy the other day. He is the brother of a friend of mine and I love when I have the opportunity to talk to someone who is genuinely interested in my life rather than what I may or may not have in my pocket.

I’ve just come through a bit of a difficult week in interactions with the opposite sex. Let’s just say I ran into a lot of vulgarity last week on top of having to re-evaluate some friendships and deal with the always awkward, “we are just friends and nothing more” conversation. But God is faithful and gave me the grace I needed even when I was VERY close to throwing rocks at one not-so-gentle-man on the street.

That week aside, this conversation I was having with my friend’s brother reminded me of so many things that I love about this place; mostly the general importance of relationship over hustle and how the pace of life is just much slower than I’m used to.

Nairobi is a very busy city and the suburbs have followed suit. Everyone is trying to accomplish four or five projects at once, whether they are profiting, volunteering or otherwise. And compared to the rural areas… well there’s no comparison in speed really. The country side is way too slow paced for me to function.

But even though Nairobi is a busy city there are still many ‘African Community’ undertones. It’s not uncommon to be running 2 hours late because you stayed for a chat at one of your errands or met someone in town that you hadn’t planned on seeing and were invited for tea. Most people here don’t brush off those encounters, they respect them.

So, though I know this guy was only around the neighborhood to drop off a bag of sugar to his brother’s shop because of the sugar shortage, he sat and talked to me for about half an hour about family, school, business and aspirations. I love that about this place! There are no thick bubbles. Everyone knows everyone because they make time. They make time to sit and chat and learn about each other. They make time for caring about people, even if it means being late or losing a few hours of business.

We all know busyness gets in the way. We pack so many things into our day that we can barely accomplish everything on the list let alone make time for anyone else. And the area of life that Christians, like me, let that creep into way too often is in our relationship with Christ.

I’m not perfect; I can admit that I get way too busy to spend time with God…. a lot. But this slower paced life makes it harder to ignore my best friend. Because when I remember that tasks are just tasks and relationships are important, not only is that the purpose of the cross, but it changes my day to be relationship driven, not list driven. 

And it seems like the more time I spend with God the more I grasp this ashamedly alien notion: I’m not alive to accomplish lists, I’m alive to share what God has given me… life, freedom, forgiveness, love. And it’s only when I spend time with the giver of these things that I can freely give them.

So in this slower paced life I strive to do that daily. But not just here, it’s not about my location or the society that surrounds me. It’s about what’s under my skin and the pace of my heart that makes the difference.

Friday, August 5, 2011

Malindi Pt. 1

Multiple Stab Wounds

"A knife would have been free" I explained to my friend when he questioned how my doctor's appointment went.
I explained to him how much I hate needles but even more so how I hate that here, I have to pay for nurses to attack my veins with sharp objects.

It's been almost a month since I first discovered that I had a problem.
The first infection was in my throat and I'm not sure I've even felt that much pain breathing before.
The hospital I went to charged me to see the doctor and then of course to get my meds.
But these meds didn't work. After 5 days of antibiotics I felt much better, but not being at all trained in the medical field, mostly because anything medical related makes me queezy, I didn't realize that my persistently runny nose meant that the infection wasn't fully gone. So it was alarming to me when my ears started hurting but I decided not to wait too long to get checked out this time.

Even with my haste, my ears were well along in the infection stage and I was given the option: Pills or injection.
Naturally, I chose pills and would happily take them, along with my bag of over the counter pain killers.

But 2 days later, as the antibiotics were subbed in because I was not strong enough to fight anymore, the pain in my ears was beyond any of the dulling that these lame pain pills could muster. With about 1400mg of ibuprofen in my system I still had a hard time sleeping.

So on the third day I went back in for my check-up and filled the doctor in on all that had gone on since I last saw her. Her response was injection. That was the only way, she told me, to make sure that this infection would be on the run completely.

So me, being somewhat used to vaccinations, though I still don't enjoy them, assumed I knew what I was in for. Boy was I WRONG!!

I watched the nurse fill up a giant syringe with 2 vials of clear liquid. (I think I heard the words "20ml" and then "not that bad") And as I was losing the battle of a sure-to-come panic attack, I asked where exactly he intended to stick me.

"In the vein", was the response I got and I nearly keeled over as I thought of bruised up IV hands. But I had to be tough, so I just whined a bit rather than full on sobbing.

He was good though. Explained what was happening as it happened and treated me just like a 3 year old, like I asked. I was thankful. But I did ask him if he though it was backwards that I had to pay him to stab me. He just laughed.

So I type today with a belly fully of drugs, two puncture wounds and empty pockets
Healthcare is expensive and I found myself thinking more than once about the people who can't afford the doctor's fees, let alone the drugs they are prescribed.

Please pray for me.
For this infection to leave me completely so that I would be healed and healthy and energized to serve.
And pray for those who are sick and can't do a thing about it.

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

I knew I Forgot Something...

I was on my way to Malindi this morning and I realized that I left my vlog for this week at home on my other hard drive. So, no vlog today.

BUT
I'm in Malindi, which means that there is some really beautiful video of the coast coming your way.

We left at about 4:30am and after a little bit of tire hunting along the way, to switch for one unreliable looking one, we arrived in Malindi at 4:30pm. But strangely it didn't seem like that long.

We drove east and then headed north past villages and towns, fields and plains, enormous trees and tiny commuting school children. The landscape here can make you forget where you are, with it's familiar looking crops and hills and then suddenly hit you with a passing donkey or a tied up camel next to a flipped tractor trailer or a small mud hut with a thatch roof. Those are the moments that wake you up and remind you where you really are. That's why the drive didn't seem so long. There was much to see and even more to talk about.

There are eleven of us on this excursion and I'm so thankful for the opportunity to come back out here to the beach. It was a last minute decision when there was a sudden vacancy in some friends' vacation plans. I filled the gap and I now get to enjoy a couple of days with great people in one of the most gorgeous parts of this country: the coast of the Indian Ocean.

I can't wait to see the ocean tomorrow. And I can't wait to share it here.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Just Pray

It was my first night in my new apartment and I was looking forward to getting some good sleep after such a long day. But that wasn’t going to happen. Not because it was a new place, not because I was alone and not because Reagan and I had killed about 200 cockroaches that afternoon and I was worried they had called in re-enforcements. (Don't worry, they were all quite small)

The screaming started around 10:30 that night, echoing through the stair well and bouncing off every surface. It was hard to tell exactly where it was coming from until I heard banging on my ceiling from the neighbors above. It was a woman, in great distress, and not being a complete newbie to this country I had an idea of what was going on. 

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

I should Not Be Surprised

But that still doesn't mean that this kind of thing is not frustrating.

My computer battery is about to die and I don't have long to post this.
So why don't I just charge it?
Well, because the cord or adapter or something is broken.
I've tried different outlets, I've tried jiggling it... nothing.
So once this battery dies my computer will be useless until I can find another cord.
And hopefully, not an expensive one.

So this means no laptop for a bit.
It also means no vlogs for a bit.
And no video work in general for a bit.

Frustrating?... yes.
Am I surprised?... no.

I am no stranger to hiccups in ministry. This stuff always happens cause there's always someone working against you. The good thing is that God is for me and with Him on my side, a little power cord isn't going to damage my purpose for being here. I don't need a computer to join God in His work.
well... eventually I will need it, but I'm alright for now.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

My New Apartment

If anyone would like to throw me a housewarming, I would gladly accept.

Here's what happened...

Reagan, Michelle and I headed into Jamhuri late Friday afternoon. Reagan had called me about this place an agent wanted to show me, but true to all agents, he wanted money for me to look at it. I decided against it, and instead, we headed over to our old apartment, and our favourite duka (shop). We parked in our same old spot. On top of the burnt trash pile and next to the random brick.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

That Was Dumb

My neck is a vibrant shade of pink today.

I was out house hunting with Reagan yesterday and didn't even think about it at the time, but spending 4 and a half hours walking around in the blazing sun is probably not the best idea for someone as fair as I am... base tan or not.

I didn't document the first day because I wasn't sure how it was going to go. But I think I'll take the camera out today and show you all some of the flats in my price range.. and maybe even some of the ones that are not.

Oh, and I've decided that I'm going to institute VLOG WEDNESDAY.
To the best of my ability, I will upload a vlog every Wednesday to be a bit more consistent.

So tomorrow I will bring you some house hunting.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Loneliness Isn't Pretty

I promised myself I’d be real in this blog and that promise gets harder to keep every time I’m faced with difficulty that proves my inability to do this work on my own.

If you don’t ever want to feel lonely, don’t be a missionary.

I think I may have overlooked my lack of community when I was preparing to come back to Kenya. You see, in the past when I lived here and served here, I was part of an organization that forced you into a community whether you liked it or not. I served with teams, I lead teams and I partnered with teams. I was always surrounded by peers and co-workers and like minded people.

Now, I have come back as an individual. I am the only member on this end of my ministry team and I am the sole representative of Global Outreach in this country.

Why is that such a big deal?

Because I don’t have a community yet, and that can make you feel really vulnerable and lonely. Because we were made for companionship. We were made for community. Even the most severe of introverts require solid friendships and people to lean on. And in this line of work, where the days can be exhausting just watching and listening to people in need, for me, it’s the evenings where I crave those friends that I can talk to.

Monday, June 6, 2011

Flying To NBO

I finally caught up on the vlogs.
Here is a REALLY short one I recorded during my very long journey to Nairobi. Airports are boring and sitting in a metal tube for 8 hours is boring so there wasn't a lot to capture.
But I did upgrade to business class which was totally worth it!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Kingston, Not Jamaica

Two days before I left for Nairobi, I spent the day with some family in Kingston.



Friday, June 3, 2011

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Fun Stuff

Thinking of texting me?
Or not sure why I haven't replied to your email yet?

Go here (or click on 'Toys' above)

I've fixed the widgets in the toys page to reflect my current location.
You can now see time/date, weather, location and a currency converter there.

So don't expect me to respond to a text you send at 8pm... because it's 3am here and I'll probably be sleeping.
Oh and just so you know... the future is great!

Excuse Me, That's Not Your Bag

That's what I would have said, had I seen the person leaving the airport with my luggage.

I landed in Nairobi Last night at 8:30pm (EAT) and proceeded through customs to baggage claim. 2 of my bags were on the belt right away so I hobbled over as quickly as I could, with a giant ankle, and grabbed them. I then stood there for 20 minutes eyeballing the belt and checking the bags that were on the floor (I still don't know why the Jomo Kenyatta airport staff will take random bags off of the belt).

It wasn't there. So I went to the baggage help desk and they informed me that the bag had been on the plane but naturally their scanners weren't working that day so they hadn't scanned any bags that had arrived. So we knew it was on the plane. I filed the report and they said they would contact me if it showed up.

Thankfully, that same night someone had returned it.
They took it by accident thinking that it was theirs... which is surprising considering it had an Air Canada tag on it with my name and address.

And then I got to thinking... they don't check bags on the way out of the airport. People could just grab like 5 bags and take off.
I'm not trying to give you any ideas but it would have been a good thing for me to clearly mark my bag. I normally do but I got lazy.
And even better... If I had neon green bags, no one would get away.

So long story short.. I have all my luggage now.
The flights were as good as two 7+ hour flights could be without being in first class.
And this week hopefully I'll have a plan regarding house hunting.

Thanks for all the prayers for my travels.

Monday, May 30, 2011

Goodbye... For Now

About to head to bed for my last night in Canada for a while.

It's been a tough day and I know the morning will be difficult as well.
Just finishing up those goodbyes takes a toll.

I know that as soon as I'm able to sit on the plane and get to take off my eyes will shift forward and I'll be able to focus on arriving instead of departing.
But I do miss this home already, and all the people in it.

I already miss lunch with friends and dinner with family. Video games and renting movies. Pool parties, small group and 24/7 internet access. Spontaneous meals at restaurants and ordering in. Church on Sunday morning and that other church on Sunday night. Playing with kids and crafting with big kids. Building things, fixing things, playing games and laughing.

I know that I will be able to do all of this in my new home...
the difference is that I can't bring the people that I love doing these things with.
I miss you all already. Don't forget that.
Just cause I'm gone, I will still think and pray for you all the time.

And now, as I make my way to bed with 17 hours left on my flight countdown clock... I thank God that I am able to say goodbye. That I've made it this far. That I have a reason to leave and a reason to stay in touch.
The only reason leaving is this hard is because I love and I am loved.
And that is something to be really thankful for.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

All The Single Ladies...

and gentlemen.

I have been following this series of talks lately by a the Pastor of North Point Community Church in Georgia. His name is Andy Stanley and I've heard him speak a few times before but this series is fantastic.
There are 4 parts to his message about
"The new rules of Love, Sex & Dating." 
The reason I love it so much? Single people in the church don't hear the truth enough about what God desires us to experience through a committed relationship. All we ever see is what relationships look like in our families, in our neighborhoods, on our TVs, even in the church.... and most of the time... these are not good pictures. These are not relationships that are enticing and certainly not long lasting.

In this series, Andy focuses on a better perspective of solid relationship finding and building: "Are you the person you're looking for, is looking for?" (In other words, are you the kind of person that would be attractive to the kind of person you would want to spend the rest of your life with?) He talks about the myth about the "right person", the way you deserve to be treated, the truth about sex and the importance of preparation before diving headlong into promises and vows that most people can't keep.

If you are single... or don't know how to have "the talk" with your kids... or even if you just need to be reminded that as much as television has sucked the life out of love, we have NOT met the tragic end of what you always thought your marriage would look like, then I suggest giving this series a listen.

Parts 1 - 4 can be found here

Part 1 - The Right Person Myth
Part 2 - Gentlemen's Club
Part 3 - Designer Sex
Part 4 - If I Were You

It was a breath of fresh air that I will most likely re-visit.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Like a Ton of Bricks

This title seems to blanket my last week in Canada so far.

-Saying goodbye to my grandparents was like a ton of bricks to the gut.
-I sprained my ankle when I slipped down the stairs and hit the floor like a ton of bricks.
-5 days didn't seem so dismal till I looked at the calendar and the nearness of my departure hit me like a ton of bricks.

Seriously... 5 days? Yikes!
I still have a lot more goodbyes to say but I have to take them one day at a time. If I think about them all at once it gets really overwhelming. 
Leaving is hard. 
I've never liked that part. 
I'm a bit of a crier too, and I'm not great at the pretty cry. And don't even try to get me to talk while I'm crying... it's messy and sounds ridiculous. So, the only way I can avoid being a mess every day is to take one day at a time. And think of the arriving more than the leaving.

It's not that I'm trying to brush aside the people I care about. But it's that I'm trying to remember, and keep in the foreground the reason for why I'm leaving. The work that God is preparing for me to do is so much bigger than my relationships. More important than my accessibility to family and friends.
He will always provide that support group I need too! In my North American home and in my African home.

So I try to see big picture, and soak in every remaining moment and remain very very thankful for technology's ability to shrink this world.

And now, with this sprained ankle I don't have much time to sit and let it heal before I have to travel for 2 days. So please pray for quick healing and that this wouldn't hinder any of the tasks I need to accomplish in order to find and get settled into my new diggs in Nairobi.

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Page Updates

Just wanted you to know that because there have been so many things happening in the last week, I have updated some pages to be more current. And others I will be updating very soon. So stay tuned (as they say in vintage TV land)

'Watch' I apologize. I have two vlogs ready to edit... I just don't have the time. They will come in a couple of weeks though.

'Prayer Team' will now be updated much more regularly as things get a little more eventful.

'Join Me' now includes option #4

'Toys' will be updated with Nairobi settings once I land.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Plane Ticket? Check!


I always get scared when booking my own flights online.
Not like I haven't done it a bunch of times before but it's one of those things where if you mess up the data, you could end up paying BIG TIME.

But my confirmation was emailed, I am on the passenger list and my departure date is.... drum roll please....

May 30, 2011 at 5:30pm

I am flying from Toronto with KLM through Amsterdam cause they are cheapest and I have a points card and who doesn't love collecting points?
I have a 4 hour stopover and then I will arrive in Nairobi on May 31 at 8:15pm (EAT)

I put a countdown timer on the left... cause I can.
And that's about it.
Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to add 4 more pages to my to do list.
Something tells me this is going to be a short 2 weeks!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

We Did It!

Just a short update to tell you that FINALLY, my monthly support goal has been met.

I've written before about part of the reason that it took so long 
but it's an amazing feeling to know that,
1. God really does have a job for me in Kenya because He's arranged my way
2. I don't have to look like a wandering fool anymore, just a regular fool
3. My patience, the little that I had, is being rewarded with so many answers to long prayed prayers.

My departure date is SOON... very soon.
The date is in my head and I think I will purchase my plane ticket tomorrow.
When I have that ticket, then I will tell you the date.

Thank you a billion times, those that have been praying, giving, encouraging and all that good stuff.
And for those that weren't so sure I was right in the head... it's alright, I forgive you cause,
I'M GOING TO NAIROBI

Thursday, May 5, 2011

3 Weeks To Move Out

The house I've been staying in is being rented out the end of May. Which gives me 3 weeks to the day to move out.

The good thing: I'm pretty much already packed. I have been for months.

The bad thing: I'm in no position to pay for rent in this country and imposing on friends or family is really low on my list of hobbies.

Obviously the best option - that I can see - is to move to Nairobi and begin my work there. But the only thing that is stopping me from that is $80 a month.

I am praying for and waiting for the last couple of people who are able to join my team through monthly support so that I can say peace out to homelessness and head over to help the homeless in Kenya. (and orphans and widows and anyone else I can assist.)

I know I've said this before but if you have been thinking about it, or are even thinking about it now and are able to join me in this work... no gift is too small. If you can afford $10 or $15 a month, that could be what gets me to the end of this road. Check out how you can sign up for monthly support here. (see #2)

I have three weeks, and though I know that God often works in the "11th hour," I'm really hoping that I will be able to get on a plane before the new renters show up to the door with all their furniture.

Monday, May 2, 2011

You May Not Like Me After This...

But that's ok.

I don't normally make my opinions known on matters of this kind of controversy but I'm tired of the messages of hate being louder than those of love.

Twitter was what alerted me of the the President of the US's statement last night. And twitter was where I saw the opinion flood rise. It is possible that this is a moment in history that you will remember (more certainly so if you are American) much like the death of Lady Diana and the planes that crashed into the world trade centre.

It was that event, the attack on New York City, that hurled this man hunt for Osama Bin Laden into full gear almost 10 years ago.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

My Favourite Restaurant: Proof That I'm Classy

The best thing about chickens is their delicious wings.

If you live in Ontario or Edmonton, (don't worry rest of Canada, I'm sure you will have the chance soon) you too can experience my very favourite restaurant in the world (so far):
click the logo to visit their website

It's my favourite for three four reasons:
1. It is inexpensive
2. It has 91 sauces
3. You can eat with your hands
4. It's the only restaurant where they laugh at my jokes

I had this idea last year, to try all 91 of their wing sauces in a year (at the time there were 101). Well, it was kind of an unrealistic goal for a single year so it's actually been about a year and a half and I have currently tried 69 flavours. I'm gonna share with you my secrets on how to do this quickly. Then I'll share my fav sauces, my least fav sauces and the ones that scare me a little.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

This Is Where You Participate *Gasp*

I know you are out there.
I know you are reading this because I look at my blog stats. They tell me that you are reading this.
Ok, not specifically you... that would be a little '1984-ish' and probably an invasion of social security, but I know there are a number of people that visit this blog and I would LOVE to know who YOU are.


If you are a frequent reader, first time reader, have commented before, have never commented before, don't read a lot of blogs, love blogs, know me personally, don't know me personally, reside on this earth somewhere, have ever used a computer, think you rock technology, think you suck at technology or are reading this right now, either through email or directly from this blog, I'm talking to you.


So, this is where you participate.
Here are a few questions to get the ball rolling.

1. What's your name?


2. Where are you from?


3. Where is the furthest place you've ever traveled to?
    OR what's the longest you've ever been away from home.


I look forward to getting to know you.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

It's Not Work If You Love It

...cliche but very true.

And as a "professional volunteer" I find myself doing a lot of things for free. But one aspect of volunteering that makes not being paid not such a big deal is if you really love what you are doing.

Well I love video production so when I heard that Carruther's Creek Community Church (C4) was putting on a big concert and streaming it live, I offered my service. And wouldn't you know it, the day I volunteered was the day someone had pulled out of operating a camera.

So I get to do what I love for this awesome show.
I'll be working one of the cameras which is exciting for me because it's been a while since I worked with a crew.

If you can come out to the show tonight it's completely FREE. Doors open at 6pm at C4 and the rest of the info is below.

But if you don't live in the area, or if you just can't make it, the show is still free and you can watch it from the comfort of your own home (assuming your home is comfortable).

So tune in, or come in, or whatever you do to participate, it's gonna be a great night.

Sunday April 17 @ 6:15pm EST

Here is a listing of air times:
6:30PM EST (Ontario, Florida, East Coast US)
5:30PM CST (Illinois, Winnipeg, Tennessee)
4:30PM MST (Colorado)
3:30PM PST (California/BC)

10:30AM - New Zealand
5:30PM - Colombia
7:30PM - Brazil
11:30PM - London, UK

Venue info here
Watch it LIVE here or here

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Sooooo Close!

What can you buy with $80?

a 4gb mp3 player,
groceries for the week,
new pair of jeans (2 pair if you don't shop at the Gap),
2 or 3 DVDs,
a camera,
dinner for two at a fancy restaurant,
new pair of runners,
a couple video games,
a full tank of gas (with some left over...hopefully)

what would $80 a month do for me?

Thursday, April 7, 2011

I'm so white, I'm grey!

yes... Americans... that's how we spell it.

Seriously though... winter has been so long, that at this point of whiteness, I could get burnt by standing near the window too long. And I'm about to head to an equatorial country and live in a city where 3/4 of the year is sunny and is 5200 feet closer to the sun than I am here.

So what do I do about that? well I'll tell you but you have to come close....
Closer!! I don't want anyone else to hear.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

"You're Not Going Anywhere With That Attitude!"

"Fine then, I'll just sit here and mope for a year about life and about how you won't let me go."

I don't think it's a coincidence that now that my heart is back in one piece that my financial goals are almost met when they were sitting stagnant for so long.

And this is where I leave my dirty laundry all over the floor for you to have a look at.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

85% and Death by Taxation

I'll let the title speak for itself.
haha.. yeah right.

I started re-looking into flights again.
I like to stay on top of things, know how things work, have my ducks in a row... problem with ducks is that there tend to be stragglers. But I do enjoy feeling knowledgeable occasionally. So I'm entering some tentative dates into the flight search and picking different options to get a handle on price ranges and just as I expected, flights have gone up.

It wasn't a surprise, I'm not worried about that, but when they show you a subtotal that looks decent, expect to have a mini stroke after looking at the total after taxes.

Like Car Accidents and Taco Bell

Has your life ever spontaneously 'derailed' (I use that word in the most dramatic way possible) from the direction it was headed and taken you somewhere else against your will?
Regardless of your plans somehow you ended up in a ditch and once you get your caboose back on the track in this new direction you look back to realize that you are so thankful you got slammed off the track in the first place?

Yeah, me neither.

Thursday, March 24, 2011

There's This Girl I Know...

She had lost her joy.

She’s been going through some rough stuff recently that we can all learn from. It’s a struggle that many have experienced but I assure you it ends in victory.
(don’t worry, I have permission to write this)

Saturday, March 12, 2011

70%

I'm so thankful.

I was sitting in my room the other day, silently, just thinking. 
You know those times when everything is still but your mind? 
And I was having this one sided conversation with God about how I don't know how my bills will be paid and how being home is so expensive and how I don't feel productive and before I would let Him get a word in I just went about organizing my room and busying myself. And then my phone rang. It hadn't been 2 whole minutes since my belly-aching to God when I found myself having a conversation with someone who was calling about joining my support team.

It's as if God was like, "you know... you can't ignore me. Everything is under control."

I am currently at 70% of my financial goal before I'm able to fly over to Nairobi.
Just over a month ago I was at 39%. He is so faithful.

There are also 3 vlogs that I've edited and posted
and here Packing Tips

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

One Name at a Time

80% of the world's population live on less than $10 a day.



You can be part of change!
To join this growing team click here for information on how to give a gift that will change someone's life.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

There's a reason I like being behind the camera...

but unfortunately, life calls for you to be in front of it sometimes...
And sometimes you have to speak in front of large groups of people.
Like this Sunday.
So I'm fighting my anxieties with prayer and preparing for the weekend with scripture so that I can share not only an update about how things are looking for my particular ministry but also about the reason that I do this work in the first place.
So if you aren't busy on Sunday morning and would like to be brought into the loop on said topics, please join me at Hope Community Church (in Terry Fox Public School, 30 Kerrison Drive West, Ajax) @ 10:00am.

Friday, January 14, 2011

How To Put Yourself First

Tonight I sat in a waiting room of a spa, wasting time as a friend of mine finished up with a client so we could head to dinner. I glanced over at a stack of magazines and on the cover of one in particular I spotted the words, "How to put yourself first."

It's amazing how expensive that lie is and even more amazing is how many people will buy it.


Truth is, we are receiving sales pitch after sales pitch about how to be more selfish when it's something that we are already really really good at. Any of us could write an article about how easy it is to put ourselves first. Show me a baby who, before learning how to form sentences, hasn't already mastered the word, "mine."

Good parents try desperately to teach their children to share and to be kind - to be less selfish. Training these young people for a world that doesn't reciprocate because at the end of the day, especially in first world nations, sharing is for chumps and being kind is equated to "being a push-over."

At least that's what we are lead to believe. Every single advertisement you see, except maybe charity ads, are pleading with you to realize your inner selfishness... and embrace it.

Embrace it why? Because the only thing more important than myself, is a happier version of myself. And just how is that attained? Apparently by buying new things and making more time for me.

I can hear it now, "what's wrong with buying things for yourself or relaxing every once in a while?"
Absolutely nothing. But it's when these things overcrowd our lives and we forget what the needs of others look like that this becomes a real problem. And let's be honest... when we unconsciously obey these ads does it really make us happy? Do they really offer the sense of completeness that they promise? When you headed to walmart because they were rolling back prices did you lay in bed that night and think, "wow, I saved $13 today and I feel fantastic."

I admit that I have felt the rush of a great pair of shoes on sale and I've enjoyed a weekend away to recuperate. But it didn't last long and if my life were to end today and I had time to write a top ten list of "my life's favourite moments" you can be sure that neither of those items would be even close to making the cut.

It's in my selfishness that I hurt others. It's in the selfishness of others that I feel hurt. The only thing that putting myself first really accomplishes is shallowness, loneliness and missed opportunities to be a light in this world.

The most notable people in history, in this world, and in your life are the people who put others first. They are the people who hear the trumpeting of self betterment and turn their gaze to someone in need. These are the ones who go out of their way to help, to comfort, to encourage and to aid even when they may be in need themselves. And the most honourable thing about these people is that when they serve others, they don't do it in hopes of being returned the favour.

I want to be that person. I want to live the kind of life that is sacrificial. 
To take my innate selfishness and spit in its face. To hate the ply of the majority and their convincing tactics to focus only on myself.


It really doesn't take much to make a difference in this world.
You don't have to be rich or brave or successful or even brilliant.
It starts with putting others first.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Radical

It speaks for itself.
Radical by David Platt
Find it online or at your local book store and then
Read it.