At the Heart of Africa, In the Heart of Africa....

Last week Rachel and I received the opportunity to speak at Navs Large Group about our experiences in Namibia. I felt like God prompted me to share some things out of my journal that I had written over there, and just wanted to share these things online for anyone who is curious.

I wrote this in a town called Rundu, on the Namibian side of the Namibia-Angola border, just south of the Okavango River. We had just finished our first day of outreach in a High School. You can figure out the rest from the entry......

"7/15/2008

God is good!! Today is what I would call our first outreach. We went to a local high school and shared about abstinence. It was great getting to mix it up with some kids again! I went and watched two other groups teach before doing ours with Laura L. and Jerome.

Fulla was teaching that one…full of 12th graders. At one point she was asking about the problems the youth of Namibia were facing and about what diseases they were fighting. A young boy stood up and said “AIDS – the disease which breaks my heart.” The class very quietly agreed that it breaks their hearts too.

At that point, I think it began to be real to me. We read the statistics on the internet: 20% of Namibians suffer from AIDS. But when we walk the streets and mix it up with folks, the only reminder of this epidemic is the cold poster signs hanging around town for various AIDS programs. But, it’s about more than just the sickness. To these kids, the heartbreak of losing a family member or friend to AIDS was what really tore them up.

We finally got our shot to share with a group of 8th graders at 5th period. We talked about God and His creation in Genesis 1:1. We talked about how God defines marriage in Genesis 2:24. We talked about the good and bad of sex inside and outside of marriage. We talked about the ABC slogan, which they all know: Abstain, Be Faithful, Condemize. We talked about the false safety in condoms and the risks that were still present.It was going good and I feel like we were making progress. But then class-time was up and we had to wrap up really quickly. Well, it turned out that their teacher for the next period wasn’t there (I think this happens a lot in Africa) and they all wanted to continue the discussion inside. We went inside and opened it up to their questions and had some dialogue through that.

But, finally, we got to talking about what you do if you’ve already had sex. How do you deal with that pain? One of the team members shared her story about how she had performed some sexual activity with a boy when she was in 7th grade. She shared about the pain and shame that she went through and how God was what helped her through and helped heal her. This is when I really started noticing them all begin to pay attention. From there, I began to sum up where we get the strength to do anything and shared the Gospel with them using the bridge illustration (a classic Navigators tool). The attention I had from every single eye in the room was astonishing.


It was here where I realized two important things:

1. We aren’t really here to tell them how to fix AIDS. We’re here to share with them the hope and good news of Christ. I think it’s astounding to many who read the Bible and see when Jesus forgives sin before healing them. But ya know, after talking about diseases, unwanted pregnancies, and poverty…it was forgiveness of sins and the story of Jesus that really captivated them. The underlying issue is an issue of sin that must be addressed before any social problems are really ever made progress on.
2. There is power in the Gospel. There is something so true and so hopeful about it that it’s captivating. These young Namibians are thirsting for Christ. They are thirsting for hope and for good news in a world, to them, in which very few of these two things exist.

God, please help these children to know you. Help them to accept the forgiveness you offer. Please, please, please reveal yourself to them. I pray that these kids would set an example and be role-models for generations to come. That their faith in Jesus would give them the strength to really impact the problems facing this generation of Namibians."

What are you doing here?!?

So, school has started, and since I don't have a job yet, I've had some time to hang out on campus and help out with Navs and Welcome Week. But, I run into a lot of friends and acquaintances, and the question that comes out of their mouth, almost without fail is, "What are you doing here?!?"

Hey, it's great to see you, too! Ok, that was sarcastic on my part, and I really don't think that. But, seriously, I've been getting that question about 4 times a day. It's become kind of frustrating explaining myself and the situation I'm in. It is such a taboo thing to say I'm not doing "anything" right now.

Why do I have to explain myself? It's like I'm afraid people will think I'm a failure if they know I don't have a job yet. In reality, I've just been trying to follow the steps I feel God has been laying out for me. And it just so happens that means I don't have a job right now when most people do.

But what is it that's at the heart of my insecurity? And I think it's just THAT: security! We like to have security in life. We buy insurance for just about everything: our cars, our houses, our things, our health, even our life! If this or that goes wrong, I've got a fallback, right? Well, right now I'm kind of in a vulnerable spot...I don't have any health insurance and no job....which is a great source of the "security" we put our faith in.

When I think about it, it's funny. Because, really, what's the difference between me (without a job or insurance) and everyone who has a job or is in school? I think the big difference is that they have plans and I don't. Don't confuse plans with hopes, dreams, and passions. I have plenty of those. But plans, I am fresh out of. I've made them before. Guess what, they don't always work.

So, if plans don't always work, do I have any less security than anyone else? Just look at the economy. The biggest banks and insurance corporations in the country, and probably world, are collapsing everyday. The stuff we really put our security in is hardly trustworthy. Maybe that's why Jesus says not to store treasures on Earth where moth and rust destroy, and where theives break in and steal.

I'm putting my security in Christ. Even if it takes me to a place that doesn't look secure.

He hasn't failed me yet in 23 years.

"The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps." ~ Proverbs 16:9

A Few Things On Africa

A good friend of mine, Kijana, asked me a few questions about my trip to Namibia. I think they evoked a better picture of my time in Africa, and so decided to share my responses with the world:

- Was there anything that frustrated you (logistically, equipment-wise, etc.)?

Umm, Yes lol. Pre-paid cell-phones to name one thing. Everyone prepays and will buy, basically like 6 minutes at a time. So they run out every day and have to buy new minutes on a street corner. It’s frustrating when two white Americans get lost in the African Slums and their cell phone is out of minutes. And their friends who call to find where they are at don’t want to talk longer than a few seconds so they don’t waste their minutes! Haha, that happened to me, if you couldn’t tell. It was scary b/c we stopped in the slums and everyone just stared….and not in friendly ways. Turns out the only time they see white people sitting there is if they are lost or want drugs.

The Namibians treatment of time was frustrating at first. No one was ever really on time (except a few). Our driver owned a business called James Pizza…and so he would usually show up really late to pick us up….sometimes after we were supposed to be at our destination. You can’t really count on many people to be on time. Being late everywhere really slows things down. I kind of enjoyed it at times, once I got used to it….or at least it didn’t bother me being late as much. It really slowed down the pace from our American “Get it done now now now” mentality.

(Our driver and amazing friend, James)

- What kinds of "hacks" or workarounds did you have to utilize to get the job done?

Can’t think of too much here. We never actually stayed too far outside of modern civilization (although we did go there) and usually had decent access to resources.

But I can think of one thing that is kind of a “hack”, more of a tip. If you want to win someone’s favor, or possibly get them to do something for you…just give them a Coca-Cola. They absolutely love coke! Some would buy a 2-liter and drink it like we drink a 12-ounce can! One of my local friends said that if you offered a visitor a Coke, it was almost a sign of respect. If you gave them Pepsi, it wasn’t like this blatantly disrespectful thing, but it just wasn’t as good of a thing to do for someone. Crazy, huh?!?

- Did you notice any ingenious systems/tools/ways of working that the locals had integrated into their daily lives?

It’s still amazing seeing the women carry so much stuff on their head.

One thing I did notice, is they just use what they have. There were lots of businesses just being run out of what looked like another house….especially in the slums. There wasn’t a need to build a fancy special purpose building. Appearances aren’t really as big of a thing to many….but probably mostly b/c they don’t have the money to make things appear nicer.

One thing that almost everyone had was a hot water heater. I’m sure they exist in America, but I’ve rarely, if not never, seen one. Basically, you pour some water into a plastic pitcher that has a coil in it, plug it into the wall, and you have hot water in a few minutes. Pretty handy.

Probably the most inventive things I saw were the toys. Kids would often have soccer balls composed of a lot of plastic bags compressed together and tied with some rope. Many kids had these little carts they would push around…wish I could have gotten some pictures. They were made of random stuff like milk cartons. At one of the orphanages, they had the play-car set that you could sit in….it was made out of old car tires. Money for toys is probably the last thing many kids will have over there, so they have to be creative and resourceful.

- Did you have any "necessity is the mother of invention" moments? If so, what did you do to tackle/solve the problem(s)?

Afraid not. There might have been one or two things that are escaping my memory right now. But like I said, we usually had fairly good access to what resources were available over there, so didn’t need too many inventions.

- Being in a place like Africa highlights the disparity between our First World living and their Third World lifestyle. However, not everything is "horrible", necessarily. Were there some things that stood out to you as "simple and elegant" solutions (that didn't require what we rely on as far as "technology" - electricity, microprocessors, etc.)?

Hmm, not too sure about this one either. I am quite an American, and being a Computer Engineer, I definitely learned to appreciate how the technologies we use makes things easier (notice, I didn’t say better).

I think the truth of the matter is, even in Africa, people rely on technology. Maybe not to the extent that we do. And what I mean by that is, if all technology were to just die today, our lifestyle would change drastically more than theirs. But, bar the folks living in mud huts and in the bush, most Namibians have cell phones, TV’s, even Satellite dishes (packed full with flakey American Christian TV).

Ok, I’m probably not going to be able to answer this question any more, but I would like to mention some things that are interesting to me that loosely relate to your question.

One thing I noticed was the disparity between the haves and have-nots in Namibia. “They” always say poor people in America don’t have it bad. I always thought that was kind of stupid. But I understand what they mean now…and kind of agree.

Some things seem silly to me, like when I was watching Oprah yesterday (yeah yeah I’m unemployed right now haha) and she gave away this pink pda/phone to the audience and they went absolutely bonkers….I mean pure nuts. Things like that upset me a bit since returning. I really don’t have a problem with our culture or the way we live, b/c I think anyone would live like us if they had a chance….but still, I guess it shows what we really put our value in.

I saw poverty like I’ve never seen before in Africa. And it’s weird, because there are two types of poverty that I identified. First, you have the people who live away from the Capital city, up North, who live in Grass and Mud huts. They really don’t have anything. Some might have a water pump in their village, some might not. This is what I think of as “stereotypical”, or “real Africa”….the Africa that Americans think of. Even though they had nothing, though, you didn’t feel it. There was a certain sense of contentment. For many, I think that lifestyle was all they ever knew or dreamed of.

(Kids in a small village in Rundu)

There was another kind of poverty in the city in Windhoek. Off toward the edge, in a place called Katatura, there was a neighborhood called the Havana Slums. It will be hard for me to use the word “Slums” anymore for an American hood…when comparing to these slums. These people have very little as well. They live in shelters that are made of scrap aluminum/tin sheets nailed and patched together. Don’t know how the water works there (I think you have to walk a distance to get it)…don’t think there is electricity. Definitely no plumbing…their toilets are just a sheet for some privacy.

(The Havana Slums)

These are poor people. And they know it. These are people who used to have something, or at least know what it looks like to have something. They live near the city and see the middle class and upper class often. There is such a greater sense of desperation there, than in the villages up north…where they have just as little.

We visited an orphanage there in the Havana Slums. 35 kids sleep in a shack smaller than your apartment. When it rains, the place floods. They really don’t have much food or water to go around. These kids are some of the poorest and most vulnerable human beings on earth. But yet, they are still just kids. They laugh, they smile, they play all day. And out of their lack of stuff, we still observed something beautiful. These kids, especially the brothers and sisters, help each other. I watched one brother help feed his younger sister. The brother couldn’t have been more than 3 years old. They look out for each other and care for each other in a way very few American children do. And I’m not knocking on American children or our culture b/c the need just isn’t there. These kids have to look out for each other.

(Brother helping out little sister)

Back In America

Nothing says America like McDonald's! Today, in honor of my return home, I ate a double cheeseburger, a large french fry, and an ice-cold Coca Cola Classic. It was delicious.....until it turned gross and I felt fat :-) I haven't bought McDonald's in years, but it just felt like the American thing to do. I probably won't buy it again until I go to Africa and return home again someday!

We returned home on Wednesday after 28 hours of flying. I have some kind of flu or bronchitis that I'm trying to work through. It's not debilitating, just kind of annoying. But man, in certain ways, it feels really good to be home. Walking down the street and feeling normal. Feeling like you really belong here. Fitting in and not being starred at. Not being a foreigner. I can't lie, it feels good...it feels relaxing. I don't know how celebrities do it with everyone always starring at them. Maybe that's why they're all crazy!

Thursday morning was kind of a challenge. I was so depressed as I was traveling home all by myself. Where were all my friends at?!? What am I doing now with my life? I had spent the last 30 days with amazing people...waking up doing great things everyday. As I walked through the Detroit Airport by myself, I realized I had my whole life ahead of me with no plans. A bit unsettling, eh?

But God calmed me down and restored my joy pretty quickly. I'm excited to be getting involved in some new stuff...in some new ministry aspects. And a new job. I called the company I used to work for. They had sent me an e-mail while I was in Africa. Apparently, some guy quit or something and there may be a spot open to hire someone new. And I am first on their list. Pretty exciting because it would involve stuff I actually want to do with a company I really like! Nothing is final yet, but it sounds good.

I still haven't made it home yet...staying at my brother's place in Louisville. Tonight we make the final drive up to Xenia. Mmmm I hope Mom has a big dinner waiting for me!!

One Last Week

Hey!

As always, thanks for the e-mails and encouraging words.

Tomorrow will mark the beginning of our last week in Namibia. We've been doing lots of planning and trying to be as useful and effective as we can with our final days. We hope to spend some time reaching out on the UNam campus, and helping out in a clinic and 2 orphanages.

Last Friday, we did an assembly for a local primary school. It included a dance we've all learned, a karate demonstration (we have a new member who has a Karate Ministry who shares with them), sharing of the gospel, and a testimony. I gave a short testimony in front of about 500-600 5th, 6th, and 7th graders. Haha...that was quite a new experience for me. :-) We did another assembly today for a few hundred 1st-5th graders. Both times, the principals were really supportive afterwards and sincerely thanked us for what we were doing...and even reinforced to the kids to listen to what we had said and follow Christ. Hmmm not in America!

On Saturday, we drove out to the fringe of Windhoek to a neighborhood called Katatura. I think I discovered what real poverty looked like here. As we drove down the dirty, sandy road, I looked out the window and saw rolling hill after rolling hill of tin shacks. No running water, no electrcity. The orphanage we went to was also a tin shack, probably about one-half the size of my bedroom in Cincinnati. 35 kids sleep there each night. These kids have nothing. We took them some food and shared Jesus with them, sung some songs....and just played. One girl came up to me and rubbed my face and hair for about 2 minutes haha. It's easy to pity these kids when you see them....but when you begin interacting, it's hard to not have the hope of Jesus for them. I don't really know what to say about them...you kind of just have to experience it for yourself. We hope to go back again this week and give them some matresses or something.


On another note, our team leader's brother-in-law has passed away and the family would really like him to be there. So, Ed will be heading back to the States tomorrow (Tuesday). He has left Molly (one of the team members) and myself in charge of the team. Please pray for Ed as he travels back and prepares to leave us for the remainer of the trip. It will make things a bit more challenging since he is the money man! We are going to try to purchase as much today as we can before he leaves. Please pray for all the arrangements and the new responsibilities we will face. We have some great Namibians to help us out, though, and you can be rest assured that we will be just fine :-)

Thanks for your prayers and for reading through these long e-mails! I've got about 5000 pictures (they add up fast with 9 photographers) and 7 hours of video for anyone who is interested in seeing a bit more of the trip...when I return.

I hope to write one more time before returning!

In Christ,
Dan

Back In Windhoek

Greetings again!!

I have so much to say...and only 42 minutes left to type it all out! Again, thanks to everyone who wrote me...I read each e-mail with a smile, but just don't have time to get back to all of them as we only have a few minutes each week to get online.

But, on to the news!

We spent the last week in Northern Namibia in a small town called Rundu. It sits right on the Namibia/Angola border and overlooks the Okavango River...quite a site. Rundu is what you and I would call "Real Africa!" Haha. We left two Sunday nights ago and took a 9 hour trip in our Coaster Deluxe (our big 25 passenger bus) before we reached the land that we would call home for a week. We stayed in at the Youth For Christ building. Although it was only 4 years old, most of us would guess it was 30 years old! The back yard (and the rest of the town, for that matter) was sand, dirt and dust. We had showers with hot water...but really, you just can't get to the point where you feel clean in Rundu. We all had black feet by the end of each day because of all the sand. Everywhere you walk....sand! But really, we were extremely blessed to be able to stay in the YFC building. It was quite nice when compared to what most people live in there.

We spent four days in two local high schools teaching Choose-To-Wait material. It's crazy how different the school system is down here. They pretty much let us roam around and enter classes. We had a schedule for which classes we could go in teach. But often times, teachers just wouldn't show up and the kids would beg us to come teach us. Sometimes, teachers would come find us and tell us to teach their class. Often times, as I set outside, I would here an 8th grader shout out of his window "Mista Dan-yell....come teach us, come teach us!" This soon got me the Nickname of "Teacher Daniel" among the Africans on our team! haha


But, man, to say God is good and is working in these schools would be an understatement. Over the course of 4 days, we shared the Gospel and encouraged Abstainance to more than 100 class periods at two different schools. We broke up into teams of 2 or 3 (about 7 or 8 different teams) and hit as many rooms as possible. We would get many of the same classes and tried to develop relationships with these kids as we shared our lives with them. I personally taught about 15 classes....plus we did an assembly for the whole school on Friday morning. We did a African Dance that we all learned. It was quite frightening....but it went well! There were probably 1000 kids there?? We also shared some other stuff at the assembly.

But, I'd like to tell you more about the classroom time. We taught "learners" from grade 8 to grade 12. We would typically go in and ask them some general questions about sex and lead into Genesis 2:24, where God first talks about sex and marraige. Kids are a lot more open to Jesus and the Bible than they are in America. The kids have heard about AIDS so many times, and we really wanted to give them a different view point and give them some real power and reasons to abstain....instead of just "Condomize" and suffer the same consequences.

Every class was different and we really had to rely on the Holy Spirit to guide us in each class. Sometimes we would just take risks and bring up subjects that we really weren't prepared to talk about. Sometimes the kids just weren't paying attention. But I tell you, my friends, if there is one thing I learned, it is that there is power in the Gospel of Christ. Every single time, without fail, when we got the part where we shared the Gospel with them, they were captivated. As I shared what Jesus did for us, and how that has affected my life....I could look out and make eye contact with any single pair of eyes that made up the 40 students in each class. It was incredible...astounding even. There is something deep inside the human soul...no matter what that particular person's story is...that so longs to hear the good news of Christ. Ya know, it's funny. We would talk about AIDS, unwanted pregancies, street children, and the list of problems they face, as youngs Namibians, that goes on and on. We would talk about all that....but the thing that got to them the most...the thing I really think tore them up inside the most was the issue of sin. What do we do with the guilt we have. If we've been having sex, how do we stop? How do we change our lives? The questions many of them asked, led us no choice but to share with them the good news. They were practically asking for it....and God was there to deliver it.


There were a number of students that came and talked to us individually througout the week. I think it was especially good for the young girls of these schools. They are the ones that get stuck with the pregnancies and feel like meat. They often feel that they owe it to guys and really just don't know how to live a pure life. But they want to know. It was awesome to see the girls on our team get to encourage them with their own stories and with the words of Jesus. You couldn't believe the stories these kids could tell. There is one teacher at the school who takes high school girls home and has sex with them. He has HIV, and he knows it. THe girls don't. You never know who has AIDS and who doesn't. The people themselvse don't even know, usually. As I sat in one of the classes taught by Fulla, she asked the students what kind of problems they were facing today. One of the 12th graders stood up and said solomnly: "AIDS...the disease which breaks our hearts." It is hard for me to keep a dry eye as I think about this young students confession. AIDS and disase has ripped these people apart....physically, and emotionally.

I'd be lying if I said this week wasn't a challenge. I'd be lying if I said we weren't mentally and physically drained at the end of each day. It takes so much energy to really passionately pour youself out to such thirsty, hungry, and needy people. But, we press on toward the goal of the upward calling of Christ.

There are so many stories we could tell...but 7 minutes is all I have to finish up this e-mail. We spent time on Saturday and Sunday ministering and visiting with the Bushmen. Quite another sand-filled experience! God is moving in Namibia. Please, please, please keep these people in your prayers....especially the high schoolers who were exposed to the Gospel last week. Pray that God will complete the good work that He has started in them. We are trusting Him to!


Pray for our team the rest of our time in Windhoek, too! Pray for our plans and the people we will be encountering during our last 2 weeks here. We have all been healthy, except for a few days of cold here and there....praise God for that!

I miss you all!!

In Christ,
Dan

Greetings From Namibia

Mornings Mornings! (as they say here)

We finally arrived in Windhoek (pronounced vinhook) yesterday around noon...and with all our luggage! We were greeted with a blast of cool desert air and some friendly Namibians named James, Martha, Siku, Veronica, and Living. Our accomodations are quite nice and my fears of this place have been taken away now that I've seen it. Windhoek is different from a typical American city, of course, but at the same time, it feels very similar. We just walked through a mall in downtown and are all sending e-mails back in an internet cafe right now.

It's kind of funny, because I think we are quite the spectacle. It's not everyday you see 9 white people walking around together in Windhoek!! Haha. But God has really blessed us so far. The plane ride was quite a trip in itself. 20 hours!! We took off in the afternoon, flew through the night and into the morning, and finally landed in Johannesburg at sunset. Some friends doing missions in South Africa picked us up and packed us into their cars (it was quite tight, we all pretty much fell out when the doors opened!!) and took us to their house for some warm soup and hot chocolate...and of course a local treat called milk tart! We stayed in a guest house later on.

In Namibia, we are renting a two story house in a nice, safe neighborhood. All the houses in Namibia and South Africa are gated and fenced in. It's weird to get used to. The house is a really nice place which a family down here is letting us rent for really cheap! It's actually cheaper than it would be to camp out! One thing, though, about southern Africa in the winter, is that it gets quite cold here! It was nearly freezing last night (literally) and there is no heat in the house. So we just bundle up and get under the covers!! It feels quite nice during the day, however...kind of like Spring time in Ohio.

Last night, we worked out the plans for our month and some things have been changing. Instead of traveling to a town called Outjo, we will be heading all the way to the Namibia-Angola border to a small town called Rundu...which is the home town of our new friend Living. They have been praying that we would be able to come and help them...and wouldn't you know God is answering their prayers!!

It has been difficult adjusting spiritually, for the whole team, to this new environment and mission. But God is good and we know that He has called us to be here. A lot of people have been praying and waiting for us for a long time. It's quite humbling to think that we are the answers to some of their prayers. Please pray for the friends we have made already, because it is them who will be laboring for the Kingdom long after we depart. Udabong Idometer (which is a fun name to say!), who is the Navigator Zonal leader of Southern Africa greeted us in Johannesburg and shared with us the verse that God gave him about Namibia: "You did not choose Me, I chose you and appointed you that you should bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give to you" ~ John 15:15

We are going to try to take hold of that promise!

Thank you so much for your prayers!

With Love from Namibia,
Dan

Counting Down The Days

So, the last few weeks have been awesome. I've had the last three weeks to relax, have fun, and get ready for my trip. The later has kept me busy enough, though. I've been steadily buying things, getting shots, and packing things each day. It's kind of annoying b/c I can't quite get my room clean when I'm in travel mode. I've had stuff sitting out everywhere for about 2 weeks now trying to conveniently fit it all in one check-in and one carry-on.



On Friday, I fly to DC...and then on Sunday, I get on a plane for 20 straight hours and fly to South Africa. The next day, we make the final 2 hour leg to Windhoek, Namibia. It's hard to believe that it's already here. I can't wait to see what God does in Africa....I have a feeling like my life is going to change forever.

I still don't have a job for when I return. I started to get a little nervous about that yesterday, because it's just not "normal" to not have a job lined up soon after college. But, sometimes you just gotta realize that God is in control. He can provide for me in any way He wants. And He usually chooses to do so in the ways where I know it's Him...where I can't take credit. So we'll see what happens. I've applied to two different companies, but at this point, I'm going to stop thinking about it until I return in August. I'm going to [try to] leave everything behind for the next month and pour 100% of myself into what God has planned for Namibia.

Peace out America....see you in August!

Ahhhhh

Graduation was today....it was fun finishing it off. A few pics...then it's off to some grad parties.

On to Africa

I wish you could have been there to see my face as I climbed the steps from the 5th floor dungeon of Swift yesterday as I finished my last exam at this hallowed institution. I probably smiled for five minutes straight. It was such a great feeling that I don't think can really be explained...it can only be experienced. It feels so good to have accomplished something like graduating from college because it took a lot of hard work, determination, and of course...a lot of help from a ton of people!!

I now enter a new stage of life....the life of a real adult!! Blahh hahaha. No, it's exciting....especially since so much of the near future is up for interpretation. I have decided to live in Cincy next year. God gave me a pretty big sign about that one! Hopefully, I'll have a job lined up for August.

But, for now, I can move on to Africa. 22 days and I'll be leaving on a jet-plane, bound to Namibia. *So my computer just randomly picked out the graduation song by Vitamin C, how awesome is that!!* I went and got me some Hep A/B, Typhoid, Tetanus, Diptheria, and Pertussis (Tdap). So far I feel just fine. My arm is a little sore, but it's expected and is nothing to complain about. I have to go back in about 10 days to get me some Polio and MMR. We'll see how those go :-D

But man, I am so excited for Africa. We got a first draft of our schedule. We've got a full schedule and will definitely be kept busy. It looks like we will for sure be doing some clinic rejuvenation, school outreach (teaching AIDS education), door-to-door ministry, and a ton more!

I'm especially excited because we are going to Etosha National Park, in northern Namibia. It's a real-deal safari game-park with lions, giraffes, elephants and everything! It's the one thing I really wanted to do just for fun. It looks like we are also going to this place called GocheGanas, just outside of Windhoek. We won't be staying there b/c it's a luxury health resort, but apparently we can go and check out the wildlife there. We do have a 2-story house in Windhoek with a pool and Braai (grill) area. We'll be there for about half the time, and off in the hinterlands camping or staying with (random, to me) people the other half.

I'll let you know when I find out more...but for now, I must begin the season of graduation parties!

Un día a la vez

So what am I going to do when I get back from Africa? That's the question everyone wants to know. Where am I gonna be...what am I gonna do? Well, I don't know :-)

It's tempting to get caught up in not knowing. To feel like I have to know. I kind of feel like I should have a job lined up when I get back, but that's only for two reasons. 1.) It looks bad if you just sit around and do nothing after graduation. 2.) I need some kind of medical insurance.

As I was taking a shower this morning, my Dad's words were echoing in my head "So what are you going to do when you get back from Africa? When are you going to start applying for jobs?" As I conversed with him in my head (don't act like you don't have conversations that don't really exist), Matthew 6:25 came to my head: ". . . do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on". I'm following Jesus as best as I know how, and I really just don't feel any push to be out applying for jobs. I did apply for one, but that's it so far. Lack of time has been a big reason I haven't applied for more, but mostly, I just don't feel like it's what I need to be doing right now.

Anyway, after I was thinking about these things, I went downstairs and checked Chamber's 'My Utmost For His Highest' and found that he was talking about Matthew 6:25. Is it by a lack of faith that I am worried about insurance or my resume being full? I fell pretty convinced God is telling me that He is gonna take care of me just fine as long as I am really seeking Him.

Changing the subject. The last few days have been pretty incredible. I've had so many significant and meaningful conversations with people. Every year in the spring, we (Navs) goes to the football stadium and we talk about how many people we have a vision to impact. Toward the end of the talk, we all split up and go pray somewhere in the stadium. I decided to go up to the very corner, at the very top, since this would be my last time. As I sat at the top, I wondered what kind of impact I've really had on this campus. What kind of impact have I really had in people's lives?

When we gathered back, one of my friends called me over to talk. I had made a simple phone call to this friend while she was on co-op, and it turned out to be at a pretty hard time for her. We talked for about 3o minutes...and God ended up doing some really cool "coincidental" stuff with exactly what we happened to talk about that night on the phone. She ended up telling me that phone call (and the sequence of events that followed) was the thing that got her back on track and wanting to do this whole giving-our-lives-away and impacting people thing.

When it comes down to it, hearing a story like that is the thing that keeps me going. Knowing that some of the small, everyday decisions we make to be good news to our friends and the people around us are having life-changing impacts by the grace of God.

Pretty sweet.

Jehovah

This was in 'My Utmost For His Highest' today:

"You must keep yourself in the proper condition to allow the life of the Son of God to be manifested in you, and you cannot keep yourself fit if you give way to self-pity. Our circumstances are the means God uses to exhibit just how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure His Son is. Discovering a new way of manifesting the Son of God should make our heart beat with renewed excitement. It is one thing to choose adversity, and quite another to enter into adversity through the orchestrating of our circumstances by God’s sovereignty. And if God puts you into adversity, He is adequately sufficient to "supply all your need" ( Philippians 4:19 )."

I liked that. I've been so busy with school and life lately. Pretty much every minute of my days have been scheduled. I've been spending an average of about 5 hours in the lab a day working on projects. Adversity. It's refreshing to think God is in control....that He puts us in challenging situations so that He could be glorified in new ways.

We did smallgroup this week on the names of God. Pretty cool stuff. Some I particularly liked:

YHVH (Yahweh, Jehova, etc) - Self Existent or Eternal One. When Moses asked God at the burning bush what he should say His name was, God responds: "I Am Who I Am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you." ~ Exodus 3:14

Sometimes I try to think about that, but it just blows my mind. We define ourselves (and everything) in terms of something else....always. I am Danny G. I am a student. I am an engineer. I am a person. For God, it is simply 'I AM'. He is all that is. All that is was created by Him. Without Him, nothing would be. Nothing would exist. Try and wrap your mind around that one.

Jehovah-Jireh - The LORD will Provide. Just like Oswald was saying above, He is adequately sufficient to supply all of our needs. I took a test last week that I thought I failed. Well, I did. I got a 56%. But, the professor patted me on the back and said I did very well when he returned my test. 56% happened to be on the upper half of the bell-curve. Jehovah-Jireh.

About a month and a half ago, I set out on a journey to raise $4700 to go to Africa this summer. It seemed like a lot. At the orientation they told us to send out letters and follow up by calling people and what not. That takes a lot of time, though, which I just really didn't have this quarter. So I just sent out about 60 letters and hoped and prayed money would come in. Well, as of last night, I am 101% supported for my trip. And the other miscellaneous costs that aren't budgeted (like flying to DC) should be covered with more money that people say they'd like to donate and other upcoming fund raisers. Jehovah-Jireh.

Jehovah-Tsidkenu - The LORD is our Righteousness. I like this one a lot. It's pretty incredible in it's prophetic context:

"The days are coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.

In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The LORD Our Righteousness.

~ Jer 23:5-6

The LORD is our Righteousness. Jesus is my righteousness. I couldn't have it any other way. God knew and foretold the story of Jesus in the days of Jeremiah. It was always under His control. Pretty sweet.

Check this:

Rounding Third

I can't explain how busy I've been lately. At any time, I have about 3 (really time-consuming) projects going on, not to mention preparing for Africa, and trying to get a job...on top of the usual Navs and other stuff. I guess it's good. I just really hope I graduate. I think I'm failing one of my 600-level engineering classes. I've skipped (with permission) half the classes to tutor at Frederick Douglas Elementary. We had the first midterm today and I failed it. Some people might challenge the fact that I don't know.....but after 5 years of test taking, I know when I fail. Not a big deal, I'll dig myself out somehow.

I don't know, I'm really ready to be done with school. It's too much to do on top of the rest of life. In case I haven't told you, the plan for now is pretty much to get a job lined up for when I get back from Africa and see where things go from there. It's frustrating, though, because I don't even have time to look for a job. And when I do find time, I usually find myself thinking about how much I don't want to get one!! Woe is me.....

God has been providing for my trip to Africa....I've reached 70% of my goal. It's crazy and encouraging to see how God calls certain people to give. I can't wait to go this summer. And I just have this feeling like this won't be my last trip overseas.

No great epiphanies tonight....just life.

Rounding third and heading home........if I only knew what was waiting for me there.

The Verdict Is In

"Daniel, we regret to inform you..." are the words I finally heard from the University of Texas today. Well, that rules out grad school in Texas. I got into the University of Michigan (which is actually an excellent engineering school), but on top of having no real desire to go there, they didn't offer me any financial support....and it costs $30,000 a year. After I got the news from Texas today, I checked on UC's website and the last day to apply for grad school here was yesterday! Haha. Me thinks God doesn't want me in grad school, at least this year.

So what does this mean? Well, you tell me and we'll both know! I'm actually not really disappointed. I feel like my desire to attend grad school has been stripped away from me...so the idea of not going for awhile, I think, is quite OK for me. It's just that now, I really have to start listening to God. The plan my whole life has always been to get an undergrad degree and go straight into a masters in engineering. But it looks like that's not the way I'm gonna be rollin'!

I'm kind of excited, honestly. There's something exciting about God throwing a wrench in my plans. There's something exciting about the unknown. I don't think I could say that if I didn't really trust God, but I do.

God speaks to everyone in different ways. Sometimes, God speaks to me through lyrics. It seems like I always zone into a song at just the right time to hear some ridiculously relevant lyrics. Last night I was at the gym working out and had my I-pod on. I had just started listening in-time to hear the lyrics of this song called 'Gold', by an Irish band called Interference: "If a door be closed, then a row of homes start building."

I like that line...a lot. It seems like I know someone who is building a Kingdom.

One door has been closed.

Now, I am in search of some good land for building....

The Fork In The Road

I just got back from watching the sun rise at Eden Park (which was amazing), and on our way back to campus, we stopped and got Dunkin' Donuts to-go. As I sit in a quiet, and almost empty Econ room waiting for class to start, I pull out my "Manager's Special" donut, which is an amazing-looking donut that has white icing sprinkled with four-leave clovers and a rainbow on top. It really is a work of art. As I finish the first half of my donut, I decide to look behind me for some reason, and to my surprise, see a girl staring rather intently at the delicious donut I am enjoying. Haha, I wanted to laugh out loud, but I thought that might be kind of rude.

It's things like that which make me think this is just another week. But it's not. I've come to the realization that the decisions I make this week are going to set a course for the rest of my life, and maybe eternity (yeah I know, that's intense).

I spent last weekend at an orientation in Charlotte for my summer trip to Namibia. It was an incredible weekend! The road-trip was so fun and the people were amazing. I feel really encouraged to actually go on this trip, now. I went into the weekend as this trip being something I was just going to do. I left feeling called that Namibia is where I am supposed to be, at least for this summer.

So why is this week so important? Well, I called the University of Texas, and they said I should have my letter of Acceptance/Rejection by this upcoming Monday, for sure. It's crazy, because I feel like my desires have been flipped upside down. Before this last weekend, and for the last 6 months of my life, I would have been more concerned about getting rejected from UTexas. What do I do if I get rejected? But now, I'm more concerned about what I do if I get accepted! I'm really not sure it's where I'm supposed to be because I feel like God has been working some other things in my heart. But I don't know, really.

Things will be more clear when I receive a letter from the Lonestar.

Or, they will be incredibly unclear.

I'm hoping for the former. Either way, I'm excited.

And now I leave you with a some fun pictures of our amazing road trip to NC....

Thoughts from TUC

So I just passed out in TUC in one of those big comfy black chairs on the main floor. Yeah, I'm one of those guys. I always laugh inside when I see people sleeping in those chairs...but it just felt like the right thing to do this afternoon!!

Yesterday was awesome because I got to sit on the steps outside of TUC again! If you know me well, you know that sitting on the big steps outside of TUC is one of my favorite things to do. I spent about 2 hours out there yesterday. Now, you may ask yourself, "Danny G, how do you find so much time to hang out in and outside of TUC?" Well, I had every intention to do work during those times yesterday, but sometimes sacrifices have to be made. And plus I'm in 4 100-level classes....so I never really have as much work to do as I think.

I also started tutoring at Frederick Douglas Elementary yesterday. We got paired up with a kid yesterday and will remain with the same person the rest of their school year. The kid I will be tutoring is a 4th grader named D'Andre. Honestly, he is an awesome little dude and I love him already!! After I tutor him for a few weeks or months, I can start mentoring him and hanging out with him outside of class. I'm so excited!!

Anyway, I gotta go to Geology.....172.

Peace :-D

Abased and Abound

So last time I wrote, I was telling you all how exhausted and tired I felt. Well, I spent that whole night going back and forth from shivering uncontrollably for hours, to sweating like I had just finished a marathon. I went to the doctor the next day and found out that I had some kind of viral infection. The fever only lasted a day or two...but then I got a real nasty stomach virus the whole weekend of the Key Laborers retreat.

In the midst of all that, on Thursday, I got the call I had been dreading to receive for almost a year now. My Mom called me as I was resting in my bed to tell me she didn't think my grandma was going to live through the night. I slowly and calmly made my way over to Anderson Mercy Hospital, thinking I had much more time then I really did. The whole situation was foreign to me. As I walked to the emergency room toward room number 3, I tried to imagine what was going to happen. I walked into the dark room, and as my eyes began to adjust, I could see my 97 year old grandma lying still with both eyes and her mouth wide open as my family members quietly sung through some of the hymns of the Faith. I shuffled past my family and to my grandma's side as she quietly gasped for air every few seconds. In 22 years of life, I'd never seen her like this. I was lost for words when my mom reminded to tell grandma that I love her. It's in those moments that you realize those words are just about the only words worth speaking. Nothing else really seems worthy enough to be spoken. No more than twenty minutes later, she had passed away. I had never seen anyone die before that night, and it makes you consider a lot of things you don't normally consider. It puts into perspective what really matters and what doesn't.

It's really interesting to me because I look back on that week of sickness and death and it is obvious that I really struggled to seek God. The night my grandma died, I didn't want to do anything besides be with my family. When I was with my family at the hospital, it was good....we all shared in the same loss and it was just good to be with them. When I came back to Clifton, though, I didn't want to do anything besides stare into nothingness. When I was sick with fever and stomach bugs, just about all I could think about was how bad I felt and how long it would be until I got better.

In preparing for smallgroup the other night, I came across this verse:

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. ~ Phil 4:13

I think that so often we look at this verse like it's saying we can do big and extravagant and crazy things with and because of Christ, who strengthens us. We can go out and change the world through Christ who strengthens us. We can go out and climb a mountain through Christ who strengthens us. And although I think that is partially what Philippians 4:13 is saying, I realized for the first time that that's not really the point Paul is making. Take a look in context:

10 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity.
11 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content:
12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

I think Paul is getting at the point that he has learned how to do all things through Christ in the good times, but in the bad times as well. And by "to do all things", I think he means to seek God in all things. He has learned to seek God even in the really hard times: when we are sick, when friends and family pass, when school or work gets hard and frustrating, when friends betray us, when the good times stop rolling. Do we have joy in these times...the type of joy that can only come from seeking God and hearing what He has planned for those situations?

I went to church this Saturday and something struck me as I listened to the prayer. Pretty much all that was prayed for was sick friends and family members. It's like that pretty much every week. Obviously, that is a very important thing to pray for. But, I wonder how often we *really* seek God. Do we use God as a means to heal us and help us through the hard times, or are we really seeking Him as a goal. When we are sick, do really seek God and ask Him how He wants us to use the situation, or do we just ask for healing. When we are overwhelmed with a group project, do we thank God for the relationships that are being developed and ask Him how He wants us to further the Kingdom in that class, or do we just cry for help. When we really seek God in those situations and ask how He is going to use the tough situations for good (Romans 8:28), that is when our sorrow is turned into joy. When we realize that there is a bigger opportunity to have an eternal impact in the midst of hard times, that is when the hard times seem....not so hard.

I'm not there yet, but I'm working on it :-)

Rest Your Head

I've been inspired by some of your own posts to get back on here and write something. I want to write something deep, but it's just not gonna happen right now :-)

I am e-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d. You know how sometimes we get tired and just want to sleep, and sometimes our whole bodies just tell us we need sleep? The latter is where I'm at right now. I mean my right tricep has been twitching uncontrollably throughout the day. I've been so busy the last few days. I've been going from one thing to another and even feel like I've been surprisingly productive! And it's not like I've even been cutting God out of the picture, I actually feel like I've been giving Him more time and attention then normal. But ya know, sometimes we literally just don't get enough sleep. I suppose I could be getting sick too. But I really do think the most holy thing for us to do sometimes is just GO TO BED! GET SOME SLEEP! What good are we to ourselves or others if we are too tired to even talk straight. What good am I when I stare at blackboard for five minutes trying to remember what button I was just about to press?!?

So do me a favor if you're tired right now....go get some sleep!

G'night

P.S ~ I've been thinking about this verse tonight...I really like it so here it is for you to enjoy as well:

Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the Words of eternal life. ~ John 6:68

Walking on Water

25During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
26When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. "It's a ghost," they said, and cried out in fear.
27But Jesus immediately said to them: "Take courage! It is I. Don't be afraid."
28"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on the water.
29"Come," he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
31Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. "You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?"

Matthew 14: 25-31

The waters are stirring.

How will we respond?

Grace Defined

King David was called the man after God's own heart. He is supposed to be the guy we try and be like. But really, do you realize what this guy did? In 2 Samuel 11, it tells us plenty of huge mistakes he made. David messed up in the absolute worst kinds of ways imaginable to the human mind. He stole someone's wife and impregnated her, tried to trick and lie to this man, and eventually had the man killed. Not only did he have Uriah killed, but he had Uriah deliver a message with his own death sentence to David's army commander, Joab. I mean, seriously, how low can you go? His decisions hurt (and even killed) so many people. It's always kind of comical to me, for some reason, that after this whole story is told....it ends rather crassly and abruptly with the piercing words "But the thing David had done displeased the LORD." No kidding.

How is this ok? How is David someone I should strive to be like? Well, there's more to the story. Just recently, I discovered Psalm 51, which is David's response to being confronted about the whole situation by the prophet Nathan. In it's entirety (because it's that good), here it is:

Psa 51:1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David, when Nathan the prophet came to him, after he had gone in to Bathsheba. Have mercy on me, O God, according to Your loving-kindness; according to the multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Psa 51:2 Wash me completely from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
Psa 51:3 For I confess my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me.
Psa 51:4 Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done evil in Your sight; that You might be justified when You speak, and be clear when You judge.
Psa 51:5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psa 51:6 Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part You shall make me to know wisdom.
Psa 51:7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psa 51:8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which You have broken may rejoice.
Psa 51:9 Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Psa 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.
Psa 51:11 Cast me not away from Your presence, and take not Your Holy Spirit from me.
Psa 51:12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
Psa 51:13 Then I will teach transgressors Your ways; and sinners shall be converted to You.
Psa 51:14 Deliver me from the guilt of shedding blood, O God, O God of my salvation, and my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
Psa 51:15 O Jehovah, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
Psa 51:16 For You do not desire sacrifice; or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering.
Psa 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise.
Psa 51:18 Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.
Psa 51:19 Then shall You be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.

Sometimes in life we make mistakes. Sometimes we make big mistakes. It's inevitable. David made some big mistakes. But what really makes David a man after God's own heart is how he dealt with his mistakes. Psalm 51 reveals his heart when he finally realizes the things he had done. He is torn. He is distraught and crushed. He is grieved at the things he had done. He acknowledges his mistakes. He doesn't run from them or make excuses. Instead, he mans up to them and begs mercy from God. As he realizes the repercussions of his mistakes and his sinfulness, he can't help but see the mercy of God.

But you see, what makes David even more special is that he also understands the Grace of God. If God had only given David mercy, that, in and of itself, would have been incredible. If David did not receive punishment for his crimes....murder, adultery, and so the list goes on....that would have been an astounding thing for God to do. And it was an incredible thing which God did in fact do. But David goes further. He asks not only for mercy, but for Grace as well. He asks for it in verse 8 when He asks God to make him hear Joy and Gladness. He asks for it in verse 10 when he asks God to create in him a clean heart. He asks for it in verse 12 when he asks God to restore the joy of his salvation. Mercy is an incredible thing. But even mercy cannot save us. For Paul himself writes that it is by Grace, through faith, that we are saved. If mercy is God not giving us the punishment that we deserve...then Grace is God rewarding us with what we do not deserve. Mercy is looking past David's sins and not destroying him. Grace is forgiving him and restoring his joy and salvation and upholding his place with God for eternity in heaven. Think about it. If that's not incredible, I don't know what is.

I think if we are all honest with ourselves, there are things in all of our lives that should lead us to have this prayer in Psalm 51 with God. The fact of the matter is this: the sin we commit, no matter how big or small, is enough to separate us from God simply because of how good He is. The Lord knows, and you probably do to, that I've made plenty of big mistakes in my life, even recently. But this is inevitable, really. And it is here, in our mistakes, in our sinfulness, where our greatest opportunity of power and salvation arises. In our weakness, God's power is made perfect and complete. When we come to the point where we can pray Psalm 51 in truthfulness and honesty to God, we come to the point where we are dependent on God, and not ourselves. It is then that God can really have his way in our lives. It is then, I believe, when we will start seeing God begin to do truly incredible things through us. It is then, when we will begin to see the full and awesome power of God in our lives.

Grace and Peace to you.

A New Year

2008 is here! That means graduation year for me. I never thought I'd see this year get here so fast! 2008 is sure to bring a lot of big surprises for me as I get closer to graduation and continue to be unsure of my future. Sure, I have plans, but when have my plans ever really came to pass? Who knows, maybe this time they will. Either way, I'm not really concerned. I'm just excited to see what God does with my life.

The year two thousand and seven ended great! I'm about half way through my fourth week of break and am having a great time. Going home for a week and a half was probably the best trip home I've had in years. It usually gets kind of boring. But I had a great time and had some meaningful conversations with old friends, which was pretty sweet.

I also went to three weddings this last weekend. I've seen it all: bride's maids passing out, getting their trains stepped on, the mothers lighting the unity candle (instead of the couple), and a catholic priest wearing one green and one red sock. But I had lots of good food and good dancing! It's kind of weird seeing my friends getting married and getting engaged, though. It's just weird because I'm nowhere near ready to get married and am in no hurry. I couldn't imagine being 22 or 23 and being married.

Anyway, I'm excited about this year and this quarter. My classes will be much easier this quarter so I hope not to get so overwhelmed! I'm pretty much taking a freshman level quarter. 4 100 level classes and a single 200 level class....and that is Arts Appreciation! Senior project should keep me plenty busy, though! We'll see how it goes....

More to come later.

Happy New Year!!!