YL TANZANIA TRIP 2007

GROUP JOURNAL ENTRY

2008-02-29T05:59:00.002-05:00

Mambo Mizungus…

Wow… I mean honestly, I still don’t have a clue how, or even where to begin here... One sentence just as easily, really sums it all up… Our God is so FAITHFUL. Game over. End of story.

Oh sweet “T.I.A”…. It’s hard not to miss the day-to-day life ADVENTURE we experienced together this summer over in the motherland, where each & every day always promised to afford us with a new surprise, sometimes good, sometimes bad… always leaving us a little bit more PATIENT & FLEXIBLE than the day before. Am I right? In Africa, it’s almost like our daytimers & our watches really serve absolutely no purpose at all but to potentially drive us insane, with as often as the plans change. Come on, I know you love it. Let’s be honest, we’ve come a long way since our not-so-pleasant cultural experience that first afternoon out in Sokone One… yeah, that whole episode certainly made things a wee bit interesting upon “Beyond Atlanta’s” very first introduction to all of those kids & the surrounding community… I really, really find it impossible to deny though, that God was absolutely in control & was there with us all along…

Two specific moments on the trip, that really stand out to me, were the night a group of us worshipped together in the dark with headlamps, out on the hill in Legho, with Alexis & the Tanzania leaders…. And then later, on Kilimanjaro, the night a bunch of us stayed up late whaling out worship on my guitar in the dinner tent with our Porters, both in Swahili & in English, dancing like a bunch of crazy idiots up around 13,000 feet to “I’ll fly away”… before that crazy german couple approached Elizabeth the next day, & threatened to cut the strings on my guitar if we kept them up late again, singing praises to “Jesu”… of course, yeah, we did it anyway though, & honestly, the porters loved it as much if not more than we did… I guess I should probably also mention just how much I’ve missed falling asleep every night to Mcever’s over-dramatic but very, very entertaining commentary on his own personal war versus the mountain… I’m counting on both he & Chambliss to lead the climb next summer… On the other hand, I haven’t missed “Barraco Wall” or “the headache”, at all… at all. Honestly though, I think that if I were asked to personally select 37 people from out of NW Atlanta to travel over to serve in Africa together, there’s NO WAY I could ever have come up with as fun, strong & dynamic of a group as ours proved to be… and for that, obviously, again, we’ve got to thank GOD. It’s ALL because of HIM. By the way, Safari people, I was blown away by the way you all turned the “Safari from hell” nightmare into an unbelievable adventure that could probably be sold to one of these TV networks, as part of some reality TV series…

I think that when you really sit down & think about it, life’s way too short to forget, deny, or let go of the real weight of the TRUTH the Lord’s allowed us to wrestle with, grow in, & experience together in AFRICA. I say that because I think it can be so easy sometimes, considering the reality of the culture we live in, to allow busyness & the pace of life we often get so swept away in here at home, to distract or even numb us from the plain & simple reality we’ve potentially stumbled upon, that GOD IS LOVE and JESUS IS ALIVE… & that there’s really NOTHING in this world more important or valuable than the RELATIONHIPS we share, & so easily take for granted, with our Friends & Family, as we walk & grow together over the course of our lives. The bottom line here I think, is that the more & more & more we SACRIFICE & GIVE of ourselves to those around us, the FULLER the LIFE we’re going to find & receive in return. In other words, I believe the HEART of AFRICA offers us revival, & a renewed perspective of life, that comfort, security & success in this world wants so desperately to kill & steal from us, leaving us blind to the truth about this fallen world we live in, & just how desperately dependent on Christ each & every one of us truly is for life. Although at first glimpse, from a distance, Africa may appear Poor & without hope, I’d argue that beneath the surface, the truth is, that Africa is RICH… rich in HEART & SPIRIT… rich in RELATIONSHIPS & COMMUNITY. They have NOTHING, yet at the very same time, they’ve found EVERYTHING. Everywhere there seemed absolutely no reason left to have hope, we found people with a JOY, HOPE, & FAITH in GOD that was so real it was literally almost TANGIBLE, people whose HEARTS were full of love & whose trust simply lay in His promises alone. His LOVE truly is enough. I’ll say that for me personally, I really feel that the more time I spend around my brothers & sisters in Africa, the more I believe I see & learn about the Heart & Compassion of our Creator. It’s true, we are all God’s children… here’s no doubt, Fellowship and Friendships are being created in this land the LORD is using today to bring people together as one body, through Service, Suffering, Joy, and Adventure…

I really, really, really like this quote I get all the time from Alexis & other indigenous YL Africa staff across the continent… which encourages us to “Preach the Gospel at all times, & ONLY when necessary use words…” Based on my personal experience, I would agree with Alexis & Deo, “AFRICA truly is a land of SHARING”. Undeniably, the Hearts & the Spirits about these people, are so simple & full of life. No matter how little they may have for themselves, they’d rather serve us with everything they have, offering us their very, very best. Why can’t I say that I always treat my friends & family the same way back home? I think it really all comes down here, to forgetting about everything else but learning how to LOVE each other better, one person at a time. Again, I think we’ve got to get better at learning to pause, in the midst of all of our busyness, putting everything we’re working on down, just to take time to be STILL, & remember WHO GOD IS... I hope & pray that we’ll continue to reach out, love on, & encourage each other well, now that we’ve settled back into the daily routine of life here at home… I also pray we wouldn’t lose sight of the simple challenges our Grand Jedi Master – “Papa Deo” – left us with to think about, out in Legho… re/ our considering what is the higher priority in our lives, our material investment or our spiritual investment, going on to suggest that more of one leads to a greater absence of the other… & at the same time, encouraging us to consider exploring/pursuing a more personal relationship with the Holy Spirit…. Honestly, Hayward does the Papa Deo imitation almost perfectly….

This morning, my PRAYER for all of us, is that the TRUTH He's revealed to us in Africa, and the weight of the conviction He put on our Hearts in the midst of the experience we shared together there, would continue to become more & more & more REAL to us, with each new day, to the point that we can’t escape it. Again, the truth is that what’s going on here isn’t about Africa, or NW Atlanta, or Kilimanjaro, or a nightmare Safari, or Papa Deo, or Alexis, or any of us…. It’s ALL about Jesus…. & what God is saying to each of us about Himself & our Hearts, & the life He’s offering us.

THANK YOU again for ALL of your PATIENCE both on the trip, & during the months before we left… This Trip has been a Dream come true, & I’m so thankful to have shared the experience with each of you. I want to ask you to be PRAYING with us over the future of “Beyond Atlanta’s” Africa initiative… & to encourage you to go out & tell your friends & family about what God is doing here… invite them to be a part of it. The tide of momentum is no doubt building… I believe with all my heart, that what’s happening here, is only the very beginning of something HUGE that God is doing among us, beginning with our community at home in NW Atlanta, reaching all the way to Africa.

Remember, God is with us… and Prayer is everything.

For His Glory,

Drew Voyles

"If you CLING to your life, you will LOSE it, but if you GIVE it up for me, you will FIND it..."
MATTHEW 10:39

“You have made known to me the PATH OF LIFE.” PSALMS 16:11

"He must become GREATER; I must become LESS." JOHN 3:30

“Through the power of the HOLY SPIRIT who lives within us, carefully guard the precious TRUTH that has been entrusted to you.” 2 TIMOTHY 1:14

“There is NO GREATER LOVE than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” JOHN 15:13

"They don't want our pity. They don't want our charity. Like all of us, they want to be KNOWN. KNOWING each of these new friends I've met has CHANGED me…. How POWERFUL it is to walk in someone else's shoes when they're BAREFOOT." JENA LEE

“It can be easy to make AFRICANS a cause that is advertised on a wristband or T-shirt or guitar case instead of people who reflect GOD'S IMAGE just as we do. It’s hard when all we see are the staggering STATISTICS & the children with bloated bellies & flies on their faces. Although it’s true, simple AWARENESS is a vital first breathe in the conversation about INJUSTICE, the GOSPEL calls us to something more TRANSFORMATIONAL. It provokes us to the UNCOMFORTABLE ACT of Knowing & to the INTENTIONAL DECISION to Be Present in the SUFFERING of a person whose shoes walk daily on the BATTLEFIELD where Hope & Death, Life & Despair wage their unyielding WAR.” JENA LEE

PHOTOS

2007-08-25T16:28:00.000-05:00

PHOTOS - Part IV

2007-08-25T15:51:00.000-05:00

PHOTOS - Part III

2007-08-25T15:43:00.000-05:00

PHOTOS - Part II

2007-08-25T15:34:00.000-05:00

PHOTOS - Part I

2007-08-25T15:27:00.000-05:00

PHOTOS - Kilimanjaro IV

2007-08-25T14:20:00.000-05:00

PHOTOS - Kilimanjaro III

2007-08-25T14:13:00.000-05:00

PHOTOS - Kilimanjaro II

2007-08-25T14:05:00.000-05:00

PHOTOS - Kilimanjaro I

2007-08-25T13:58:00.000-05:00

Putting faces with names...

2007-08-14T22:41:00.000-05:00

Richard, YL Arusha

Alexis and Jackie, YL Arusha

Hilda, YL Dar

Irene from Sokoni One

Laban, YL Arusha

Here are some pictures of some of our new friends that were mentioned in the blog so you can put some faces with the names...

We're back!

2007-08-01T17:24:00.001-05:00

Hey y'all!

After a 25 hour trek that started yesterday at around 10am Eastern Time, we are finally home. The last 36 hours have been eventful. We began the day (Tuesday, July 31) with breakfast at the hostel and an awesome devotion time lead by Randy. After breakfast, we had a little time to pack up and then had an optional tour of a Maasai Village. About half of our group went and about half stayed back for a little rest and relaxation. The tour was definitely interesting! We walked around and saw the huts where a lot of the women were selling things very similar to what we saw in the market the day before. Then Elizabeth, Louisa, Flora and Ashton rode a camel (yes, RODE a camel), and then we were on our way to visit the rest of the village where we met the man of the village, his 9 wives and some of their children. It was definitely a different experience. We got back to the hostel for lunch and then some walked down to the Cultural Heritage Center. By 2:30 we were on our way to the airport. Got to the airport, split a $6 can of Pringles (after Kilimanjaro anything unhealthy looked good) and then boarded the plane. Rory had the pleasure of sitting next to a overserved Arminian man who kept leaning over to kiss Rory on the cheek. He was pretty uncooperative with the flight attendants and kept unbuckling his seatbelt, waving his hands and speaking in a elevated tone. We couldn't believe it! This was like watching Cops! The flight attendants repeatedly tried to get this guy under the control with the help of a man sitting behind them in a red and white checked turban. We are still trying to figure out the guy with the turban's story (maybe under cover security). They were having no luck and said that if we needed to the pilot could land the plane during the flight and have this guy escorted off. Randy stepped in and talked to the pilot which was a good thing since we didn't have much time between layovers to catch our long flight from Ethiopia to Washington. The man was escorted off the plane in handcuffs after much arm flailing and loud words unidentifiable to all of us. Plane ride #2 was rather uneventful minus the large family of Ethiopians with alot of unhappy babies. That was about a 19 or 20 hour flight, stopping in Rome to refuel. Small world story: I sat next to Curtis Chesney, son of Steve Chesney who was the camp speaker out at Frontier Ranch two summers ago. He had been in Rwanda on business. We had no problems going through customs. We couldn't believe it with a group of 33. It was awesome to be back in the States as far as food was concerned. Randy and I definitely ate a cheeseburger at 9:30 am from Fudruckers. Not sure what we were thinking there. Short plane ride from DC to Atlanta (1 hour and 15 minutes) and we couldn't believe how relatively smooth our trip back had been.... until we got to baggage claim. 15 of our bags did not make the connecting flight from DC to Atlanta. A group of us waited at that point since the next flight was arriving shortly rather than take the gamble and hope that the bags showed up that night to our house. We now have all the bags and are safe at home. Thank you for your prayers. God answered them all. What an amazing experience. It will take a good while to process everything. Keep checking the blog, maybe we can get some more pictures up here. Please continue to pray for Drew and Heath who went on to Zimbabwe to join the Apostles group and Evan who went to Uganda to visit his girlfriend. God is good. It's weird to think that yesterday morning I was riding a camel and I am now sitting on my bed writing on my laptop. Looking forward to Mellow Mushroom pizza tonight!

Ashton

DAY #16 - July 31, 2007

2007-08-01T07:58:00.001-05:00

We will eat breakfast at the hostel, have our morning devotion by Randy and then some will walk down to the Cultural Heritage Center. We will go take a tour of a Mossai Village and then will come back for lunch and then will head out for the airport around 2:30 pm. It’s been a whirlwind the last 19 days. We can’t wait to show you pictures. Thanks for all of your support and for reading the blog!

-Ashton

DAY #15 - July 30, 2007

2007-08-01T07:57:00.000-05:00

Today we went to the market and got to experience bargaining at its finest! It was pretty neat to walk around and see everything. We met back up at 6:00 for a surprise dinner at the Chinese Restaurant. We are stepping out! First, African Indian food and now African Chinese food. Not much more to say there.

-Ashton

DAY #14 - July 29, 2007

2007-08-01T07:56:00.000-05:00

This morning the Safari crew went to church and later in the afternoon the Kili crew got back and after they took showers for the first time in 6 days, we all went to a great dinner down the street. Gabriel, John Simon and Young Life Arusha leaders Alexis, Jackie, Labon, and Richard came with us and it was so much fun to all be reunited again after being separated for a week!

-Ashton

SAFARI - July 25-28

2007-08-01T07:55:00.000-05:00

Safari… Based on a true story.

It’s been two days since we arrived back in Arusha after a very “interesting” safari and we’re still laughing at everything that happened. We hope you enjoy…

Day 10: Wednesday July 25th 2007:
(soundtrack: Beautiful Day – U2)

Our first day of the safari - it couldn’t have been any better. It was full of great talks, life stories from one another, unbelievable snacks at the lodge, awesome views of the Ngorongoro Crater and the first sighting of the 93 birds species that Mark D eventually saw throughout the trip.

Day 11: Thursday July 26th 2007
(soundtrack: Old McDonald Had a Safari)

We left early in the morning and headed down into the crater. We saw many giraffes, (which our guide – Edward – referred to as “geeloffs”), zebras, hippos, ostriches, warthogs, hyenas, flamingos, lions, birds, wildebeests, cape buffalo, more birds, gazelles, antelopes, monkeys, and even more birds. I think the bird count is now at 18. Lunch at the hippo pool was pretty cool. We just had to watch out for the hawks.

Now the real fun begins…

(soundtrack: Highway to Hell – maybe the Eagles sing that but we’re not sure – if you know, let us know. Respond to the blog.)

After lunch one of our cars broke down and it had to be taken to a nearby (well, maybe it wasn’t so nearby) garage to be fixed. After a couple of hours we finally hit the road only to find out that the car was still broken and had to return to the garage. The other car, Eddie’s Minibus, decided that it would continue on to the next lodge. Eddie and his cargo (Mark D., Christin, Ashley, Ansley, Lindsey, Mebbie, and Flora) headed off for a three hour tour, a three hour tour. After one long, straight, boring, bumpy, animal-less road we realize that we have missed the one and only turn to our lodge and that we are lost. A ranger tells us that we need to make a u-turn. Eddie apparently didn’t take the same Driver’s Ed that we all did. It was here that he made a 17 point u-turn where he rammed the front and the back of our minibus into the banks of the road. Later on we learned that he also didn’t know how to reverse. His method was to look straight ahead and swerve at random intervals. After 2 hours of backtracking we find the turn! On this road, Eddie took an unsolicited turn and we found ourselves in a swamp (no worries parents, it was very shallow. In fact we drove right through it.) In a matter of 10 minutes we made another u-turn, a passenger got sick, we violently and highly illegally ran over an innocent gazelle (one point goes to team Eddie Minibus.) After realizing that the lights we thought to be our lodge were actually smoke stacks we got back on the right track and made it the hotel around 9:30.
The other car (Stephanie, Christy, Lorie, Matthew, Ellie, Rebecca and Audrey) arrived at the hotel around 10 after a very long wait at the garage, a stand-off with a cape buffalo and a rescue mission from the bottom of a hill. We called the company to ask for a new car which they promised would be there at 8 am. We all went to bed with hopes that the next day would go a little bit smoother. We were wrong.

Day 12: Friday July 27th 2007
(soundtrack: Danger Zone – once again, we don’t know who sings this song. Please respond)

8:00 – no car
9:00 – no car
10:00 – no car

Our new car, with our new driver Isaac (the chosen one) finally arrives only to break down 10 minutes after we got into the desert. Isaac goes back to the lodge leaving us with Eddie’s minibus yet again. We decide that it might be time to roll 14-deep in the minibus and head back to the lodge as well. Just as we’re about to go back, Isaac returns and we head off. The desert is again animal-less because it is now the middle of the day. After lunch we leave Serengeti not knowing that we cannot get back in. So we head to the next lodge. Although the reservations were wrong we still had a great time.

Day 13: Saturday July 28th 2007
(soundtrack: a great medley of “I Will Survive,” “On the Road Again,” and “Bad Day.”)

We leave early in the morning for our Sunrise Safari. One might think that this would include seeing lots of animals, but it dosen’t. We saw lots of gee-loffs. That was about it. At this point we’re exhausted and ready to head home. On the road it starts to rain, a downpour you might say. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem but when your luggage is on top of the car without a tarp the 8 passengers turn into a 3-ring circus, trying to get the luggage down. Mark D., not even one of the 8, somehow managed to become the dirtiest. The luggage ends up in the back of the car, which has conveniently been empty the entire time. We get back in, soaking wet, and head to a lunch at Gibb’s Farm. After a scrumptious lunch we’re finally headed home. However, our car doesn’t think its time for us to leave and the battery dies… while driving… does that really happen? Yes. We wait, yet again, for an hour and half. We get back on the road and in a short distance the tire blows out. At this point it’s not even a surprise.

We get back to the hostel around 7:30 (oh, you know, 4 hours after the time we thought we were getting home) to the welcoming arms of Alexis, Jackie and Heath.

Throughout the crazy 4 days we saw God at His greatest. With all of the animals, the mountains, the laughter, the fellowship and even the mishaps we realize that there is purpose in everything and His plan is much bigger than anything we could have ever expected.

“Touche my friend. Touche.”

Final Bird Count: 93
Score: Team Safari – 1 (the gazelle), Africa – 928
The Fellowship – Priceless

- Written by Team Safari

THE KILIMANJARO CLIMB - July 24-29

2007-08-01T07:51:00.000-05:00

Well, this is written after the fact. To be honest, there wasn’t much time to blog on the mountain after hiking 8 or so hours each day from our tents. I don’t even know where to begin. All we can say is wow.

This is something that will take all of us a long time to process what all we learned on the mountain. We started out with 22 people and I think it is fair to say that none of us really knew what we were getting into. Most of us have hiked Mt. Chrystolite out in Colorado at Frontier Ranch or at least Stone Mountain or Half Dome out at Yosemite and I think we al thought that this would be tough, but not too much harder than any of those listed above. Wrong.

We arrived at the gates and checked in. It was interesting to see how the porters (the people who carry your bags on their heads up the mountain) would linger around the gates and wait for the guides to hand pick them to join their group. Once a porter was picked, they would sprint up this hill and wait until all of the porters were picked for this particular group-ours consisting of 22 people plus John Simon and Gabrielle (our two guides) and Labon (Young Life Arusha) and Jerome who both acted as Assistant Guides for our trip. We waited around for awhile and then were assigned a porter. We went and met our assigned porter who put our bag and a sleeping bag into a big tarp bag. We then ate our boxed lunch that was provided for us (butter sandwich, hard boiled egg, carrot stick, orange) and then we began our trek through the rain forest to conquer Kilimanjaro.

We had been hiking for about a couple of hours or so and then one of the first funny moments occurred. Elizabeth, Louiza, and I went to go to the bathroom. As we ventured into the woods, Elizabeth stepped and almost fell in something less than pleasant - we’ll leave it at that- on two different occasion. Those of you that know me pretty well know that I have a problem with smells. Well, I threw up on myself. Yes, you read that correctly. I apologize to those I do not know that are reading this and are wondering why I am putting this on the blog. It was probably one of those “you had to be there moments” but it is something that brought Louiza to tears, she was laughing so hard, and Elizabeth and I provided a lot of laughs about that for the rest of the trip. That should have told us something right there about things to come the next week on the mountain.

We hike several hours the first day and then got to our camp site at 10,000 feet. We paired up and each pair was assigned a tent. We were pretty tired. We set up our sleeping bags in our tent and then went to dinner and were blown away! We had several long tables set up for us inside a big tent and we had candles lit and had a surprisingly great dinner! Our guides, John Simon and Gabrielle, were wonderful. We were so excited to have Labon join us on Kili who is very familiar with the mountain as he used to work on thesearch and rescue team before getting involved with Young life Arusha. It was nice to have a familiar face in the mix! Jerome was amazing and we were lucky to have him with us as well! After dinner, we hit the sack and spent our first night on the mountain.

The next day, we were awoken by a “knock” on our tent with a bowl of warm water and soap to wash our hands and we had our choice of tea, coffee, or Milo (a hot chocolate energy drink.) We had some time to pack our bags back up and then be at breakfast dressed and ready to hike some more. Porridge was an every day breakfast occurance accompanied by some eggs and bacon. Sidenote: the food was way better than expected! The cooks went all out. Meals (Matt Petersen that is for you if you are reading this) were a little tough as it was very similar to eating lunch at Sokoni One. The porters kind of hung around outside of the tent while we ate. When we finished our meal, the porters would get the leftover food. I’m not sure if we ever got used to that.

We hiked another long day and got to our next campsite (12,500 feet) right before dinner. Another great dinner and then we had one of our favorite nights. After dinner, we went back into the dinner tent and had worship. Drew brought out the guitar and we had some songbooks and started singing. Slowly, some porters began to come inside the tent and soon enough there was a line of porters standing out of one end of the tent. We loved that they wanted to join us so we sang one worship song in English and then they would sing one in Swahili. We went out with a bang and ended with “I’ll Fly Away” which has become a favorite of everyone’s on this Africa trip- especially Matthew Hawkins! Just like one night in Lego, this too was a little glimpse of what Heaven will look like one day- except we will all be speaking the same language. It is indescribable to be worshipping alongside of the porters and the guides who were modeling the epitome of servanthood. More on that later. We went to sleep and then got up and started it all over again.

Day 3 was a tough day. We hiked up to the lava tower which sat at 15,100 feet. This is the highest that any of us have ever hiked. I think all of us underestimated the effect of the altitude and we all got a front row seat of what real altitude sickness looks like. To use the words of one of our group members, it was really a “crap shoot” or more like playing roulette. We had no idea how our body would respond to such a high altitude since none of us had prior experience with such a high elevation. Some were affected more than others and it had nothing to do with being in shape, prior hiking experience, etc. This day came with some severe headaches, a migrane, and some vomiting by some of our group members. We had four that had to go down a little early back down to the campsite so that they could quickly descend and see if they could get to feeling better. After the lava tower, we hiked back down and slept at 12, 950 feet that night. That was a little frustrating initially to know that part of the plan all along was to hike to 15,100 and then to hike back down to 12,950 feet. It initially seemed like a day of extra hiking, but the reason our guides had us do this was to help our bodies better acclimate to the altitude. We got back to our campsite and our friends weren’t feeling much better. We got in our tents, were still for about 10 minutes, when we felt the rumbling of a big earthquake underneath us for about 30 seconds. This was a little unsettling as any earthquake is a little scary, but when you are sleeping directly on the ground you really feel the enormity of the movement. Oh well, we just chalked it up to TIA (This is Africa) or AWA (Africa Wins Again) to use the term we liked even better!

Day 4 on Kili. This was a sad day as we lost 5 of our friends on the hike. Three out of the four from the previous day were still not feeling any better and the decision was that it was safest for them to descend completely. Two more joined them and so then our group was down to 17. It was tough to say goodbye for both parties. As the rest of us started out for Day 4’s hike, it was quickly apparent that the group that had to leave made the right decision. Hiking back up to 15,100 included something that could have been taken out of the movie “Cliffhanger”. Well, maybe not quite Cliffhanger but scaling the Boraccan Wall was no small task, and if you were feeling nauseous with a migraine, that would not be an ideal situation to say the least. We all had our moments during these first few days of times when we would get frustrated. For me, this really occurred on Day 4. Randy and were back on “Team Caboose” we were essentially bringing up the rear on the hike. This was a long day- maybe 9 hours of hiking and I don’t think either one of us said much this day. It was a great day where the Lord revealed a lot to me. I couldn’t look up at the mountain, for I would get discouraged upon knowing how much more we had to hike. So instead, I just keep starting at Randy’s feet in front of me. With each step that he took, I would model my steps after his. I did this for the next few hours we had remaining on the hike. I felt the Lord telling me not to get distracted by those that were going faster than me or trying to pass me, just as I was stepping where Randy was stepping, I felt the Lord telling me I should just step where He steps. Essentially, I felt the Lord telling me, “Ashton, follow me.” We are going to have distractions in the world, and those distractions become very discouraging when we take our eyes off of God. Through the encouragement of Randy, Drew, Hayward, and Laban, I got through Day 4! I cannot tell you how proud of each other we all were upon completing Day. What a day. We got to our campsite at 15,100 feet, again, and we had about an hour to sleep before dinner. We ate dinner and then we went to bed around 8pm only to get up around 11:30pm to start the big time hike. The Summit. You should have seem dinner. Fear was definitely apparent around the dinner table until Randy gave us the "run through the tunnel speech" about how ESPN didn't create the term "No Fear," but rather Jesus. We have nothing to be afraid of if the Lord is with us. We had no idea what to expect during the next 7 hours except for every day had been really tough and we knew "The Summit" would only be tougher. And, to know that we would be hiking up 4,000 more feet AT NIGHT was intimidating to say the least. We left camp around 12:30 am with our headlamps, dressed for a blizzard. We were a rough looking crew. Several of us had pretty bad colds by now and usually when I am sick back in Atlanta, I don’t feel like doing much of anything outside of watching movies under a blanket on a couch. Never has this included hiking up 4,000 feet in the middle of the night in the freezing cold. But, it was game time and we got suited up for battle- or the 4th quarter as Randy says. We all looked around at each other and knew we were over our heads. Our group quickly dropped back to 15. Two of our folks were throwing up, again, and too sick from the altitude to go. I went to put on my pack before it was grabbed from me by Laban (who voluntarily was a member of “Team Caboose” each day) who said I wasn’t going to carry my pack this day. He knew I was sick and would struggle and carried my load for me up the mountain. Talk about a servant heart. I was blown away. My pride initially got in the way. I didn’t want someone else carrying my baggage for me. I could do it. Or so I thought when in reality I don’t think I could have. This is a recurring theme in my life and I know in so many of ours. The thought that we can do it all by ourselves. Laban essentially represented Christ for me this day and relieved me of all by baggage and lightened my load. We started our trek up the mountain and no exaggeration, each step was nearly impossible. It is almost not worth writing because there is no way to explain what we went through, but I will try. We hiked for a couple hours and then lost one more who had been throwing up that morning and kept feeling nauseous. And then there were 14. We kept hiking. It was hard to tell the difference between the headlamps on the switchbacks on the mountain far off in the distance and the stars. They blended together. It was pitch black outside. We would trip over rocks. We would take deep breaths only to receive little air. There was intense coughing. Nose bleeds because of the altitude. We were gone for another hour and then one of our girls kept collapsing and we knew that we were now down to 13. Another porter was sent to go back down the mountain. You never want anyone to feel bad, but secretly I was a little bit envious. With each step, I was so close to throwing in the towel. What was I doing. Who even cares about this stupid mountain. We were up to around 18,000 feet just before the Crater rim at Stella Point and we lost one more in our group. Now we had 12. Would we all make it? I thought we had 30 more minutes to reach the top and then I heard the news that we had 2 more hours. I sat down in the middle of the mountain. I couldn’t move. There is no way I could go for 2 more hours. Now Team Caboose consisted of just me and Randy and Drew dropped back to walk with us and Laban and John Simon. To be honest, I didn’t think we would make it. The headache and nausea was really setting in and having never had a bloody nose ever before, I was freaked out. As I picked up each foot, it felt like it was stuck in cement and it weighed a zillion pounds. With each step, I was reciting Philippians 4:13 and Psalm 18:32-36, one that Matthew Hawkins read to our group back on Day 3. We were challenged by Drew to pick out a verse that was going to get us up the mountain because we were told we would need it. He was right.

I am still trying to process why in the world God would want me up on the mountain. I know it is nothing that I could do on my own. God got me up there and sent an angel through Laban, carrying my pack for the entire 7 plus hours. The last several hours, he had two packs, mine on his back, and another one on his front. I still cannot grasp the servant heart of this new friend of mine. We talked about it and he told me he just wanted us to have such an amazing experience and that this joy comes from the Lord. Clearly. The Lord could be the only reason why someone would voluntarily strap two huge backbacks on them and walk up to 19,400 feet. I will forever be grateful. The rest of our group had been on the top of the mountain for about an hour or so. Team caboose finally got there. The reunion we had was pretty neat. It did not matter how in shape you were or weren’t, whether you were male or female, not one to normally show emotion-you experienced brokenness this day like never before hiking while up to the summit. We all were faced with the fact that we couldn’t any longer pretend to do it by ourselves. We had a motto that what happens on the mountain stays on the mountain, but without naming any names there were a lot of tears, standing at 19,400 feet, from both genders. We were stripped of our pride. God broke us. I know I struggle with the fact of why did God want me on top of the mountain? Especially when some of the people that had to do down were much more in shape than I am. They deserved to get up there more than me. Most of them wanted to get up there more than me. It still doesn’t seem fair. I’ve had a couple of days to process this. The only thing I can think of is this. We laugh about this, but those that had to come off the mountain had a little pool going (just picture March Madness) and they ranked the 12 that were left based on who was most likely to make it to the top. It’s ok, I can laugh about it now but I was told that everybody but one (thank you Matthew Hawkins!) had me not making it to the top. I have torn my ACL twice, I still have a pretty bad cold, and basically I am a walking nightmare as I have no coordination on level ground much less walking up to 19,400 feet in the dark. Why did God want me up there on top of Kilimanjaro? The only reason I can possibly think of is it was to affirm to me and others that fact there is no way in the world I could have gotten up that mountain without Him. It just wasn’t possible. Against all odds. I am out of shape, I am pretty stubborn about wearing my knee brace, and I was usually the last person off of the mountain each day. We all had our individual experiences on the mountain. This is a glimpse into mine. I can speak for the group that we all experienced brokenness and were taught a lot about pride, but I would encourage you to ask the other 11 about their experience and what the Lord revealed to them on top of Mount Kilimanjaro, standing at 19,400 feet in the snow in the middle of July. It is something I will never forget. Thank you for taking the time to read this and allowing me the opportunity to share this experience with you.

Our descent was not an easy one. I will spare you all the details, but envision dirt skiing for the next several hours and then once you got to level ground, it started to snow and so we walked the last hour in the snow! We camped out at 10,000 feet that night and then making it back down to the gate of Kilimanjaro was pretty crazy. Porters were cheering and I am still blown away by what their job entails. Carrying up people’s 40-50 pound bags on their head for 6 days for $5 a day on average. As I said, there is still a lot to process from our time here in Africa. Well, I just looked at my watch and it’s 2:45am. We leave tomorrow at 6pm for 17 hour plane ride back to Atlanta. Thank you for partnering with us in prayer and sharing this journey with us. We have felt your prayers. We cannot thank you enough. We love you.

To God be the Glory,
Ashton

DAY #8 - July 23, 2007

2007-08-01T07:47:00.000-05:00

This will be short and sweet. We had our last breakfast in Lego and then left Lego and drove on the bus a couple of hours back to Arusha. We stopped in Arusha for lunch at Indian restaurant. Those of us hiking Kili the next day were a little skeptical about African “Indian food” and how that would come into play the next day while hiking but all was well. We came back to hostel and the group split for the first time. The Kilimanjaro folks had a couple of hours before they left for their hotel and will leave in the morning to attempt to climb 19,400 feet. The safari folks will have another day in Arusha , will go to a Young Life club in Sokoni One on the 24th and will leave for the Safari on the 25th.

-Christy & Stephanie

Climbers are summitting

2007-07-27T17:32:00.000-05:00

As I write this our group of Kilimanjaro climbers are making their ascent to the highest peak in Africa. They started out at 6PM tonight, Friday (1:00AM Saturday their time). It should take them approximately 6 hours to reach the summit (1:00AM Saturday in Atlanta), and they will hopefully see the sunrise. Catherine and Abby's youngest sister, Liza, was fortuante to talk briefly (the call was lost) on Thursday to Catherine to find out they could see their breath inside their tent and they were very cold. I personally thank everyone for praying for the climbers since 2 of my 3 daughters are partaking in this adventure. Liza found this verse which she wishes the group could see to encourage them as they climb. Their climb will consist of 13 hours for Saturday alone. Romans 5: 4-5, "we also rejoice in our sufferings, becuase we know that suffering produces perseverance, character and hope. And hope does not disapoint us, becuase God has poured out his love into our hears by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us."

The blessings of giving and serving

2007-07-24T07:46:00.000-05:00

What a total joy to wake up to all of your updates this morning! A million thanks for writing.....It allows us to "walk" this journey with you. Your descriptions of how the African people have sacrificially served you meals and snacks out of the little that they have is so humbling and convicting. The spontaneous and unconditional love they exhibit is such an example for all of us. What a gift for all of you to be able to step out of our materialistic, self centered society of abundance and be immersed in the simplified, unhurried pace of life that the Africans lead. All of you are living out the meaning of Acts 20:35: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." All of us, along with you, are being challenged, motivated, inspired and blessed by your experiences on this trip. We are all praying for each of you continually! God bless you!!!!
Lots of Love,
David and Beth

A message from Habbakuk

2007-07-24T03:04:00.000-05:00

" THE SOVEREIGN LORD IS MY STRENGTH; HE MAKES MY FEET LIKE THE FEET OF DEER, HE ENABLES ME TO GO ON THE HEIGHTS". Chapter 3,Verse 19.

Our prayers are with you all as part of you ascend the Mountain, and the rest enjoy you safari. May our Lord watch over and protect you. May He give each of you "feet like a deer" as you go.

DAY 8 - July 23, 2007

2007-07-23T23:48:00.000-05:00

Last breakfast in Lego...
Left lego and drove on the bus a couple of hours back to Arusha. Stopped in Arusha for lunch at Indian restaurant. Came back to hostel and the group is about to split. Kili folks had a couple of hours before they leave for their hotel and will start hiking in the morning.... Join us in praying for them...

- Christy & Stephanie

DAY 7 - July 22, 2007

2007-07-23T23:47:00.001-05:00

Today was a day filled with reflection. Our Sunday morning prayer and worship service started with a challenge by Randy and Papa Deo for us to examine our lives and see how we were spending our time and what we were giving attention to. Papa Deo spoke how the closer we are to material possessions the farther we are from God. Here in Africa it is easy to see the simplicity of life. We don’t need all the modern conveniences we rely on daily (although Papa Deo does have and often uses his cell phone J) when we asked what time sunrise was we were told “no time, its whenever the sun comes up”. We will miss the simplicity of Legho village, expect for the bathrooms or lack there of.

After worship we began our hour and a half hike up the mountain to view a magnificent waterfall. The hike was difficult at times, but well worth the challenge. Our pictures could never do it justice, but that’s going to be true of this entire experience. After some fresh roasted peanuts and a coca-cola (the villagers are so generous) we began our decent back down the mountain. We then had the pleasure of spending more time with each other including YL staff from Dar Selam and Arusha. We had an evening worship on the mountain looking out toward Kilimanjaro. After several worship songs and prayers the clouds parted giving us our first sighting of the mountain since flying over (next to) at 16,000 feet last Saturday. We ended the evening singing in Swahili and dancing together. Evan Carter pointed out how this was a glimpse of how we will all worship together in heaven as one body of Christ!

Tonight is our last night in Legho and the goodbyes are sure to be difficult. Papa Deo thanked the guys for not killing the roosters that has been their wake up call at 3:45 every morning.

Those hiking Kilimanjaro leave tomorrow for their last night of rest before they begin their trek up the mountain on Tuesday. Please pray for their safety.

Musi kuwema (Good night)

– Stephanie Naglich & Christy Buchanan

DAY 6 - July 21, 2007

2007-07-23T23:46:00.001-05:00

Thank you all so much for your continual prayers. God has definitely been answering your prayers by protecting us and showing himself through the people here in Tanzania. A portion of the support money raised paid for all the supplies and construction for the first medical clinic here in Legho. Today we worked as a team to help lay some bricks and mortar. We are so excited to be a part of this project, as one of the rooms will be designated for labor and delivery brining many new lives into this world. In addition to the manual labor on the clinic we visited the village school. We had hundreds of crayons, markers, coloring books and stuffed animals to give to the children. It was awesome to see all the little faces lined up in front of the school patiently waiting to see what we had for them. In the early evening we went out to the top of the mountain to spend some time in awe of God’s amazing handiwork. Papa Deo shared how his vision for the mountain and his home was for it to be a retreat for followers of Christ. He’s been praying for over 20 years and YL Northwest Atlanta is the first group ever to begin bringing this vision to fruition. Please as you pray tonight pray that God would continue to bless Papa Deo, Momma Irene and their family.

Christine, Momma Irene and Hilda all shared a fun experience of ants in the pants. Our room kept the entire house awake with the sound of uncontrolled laughter for the next 30 minutes. I hope we never forget the spirit we all expierenced in laughter here in Africa.

– Christy Buchanan & Stephanie Naglich

DAY 5 - Friday, July 20, 2007

2007-07-23T23:42:00.000-05:00

Singing on the mountain

Today was full of surprises some fun and others less pleasant. Beginning with an extra hour of sleep followed by Gina’s special treat of somosas (chicken and cheese filled pastries) and then an unexpected stop at a “convenience store” on our way to Legos Village in Moshi, where Matt Hawkins graciously bought us all cokes. Please keep in mind each cost 350 shillings, which is about 30 cents! But, you wouldn’t believe how delicious a passion fruit Fanta is!!! The next surprise was being told we were all to get off the van with our luggage and must walk the rest of the way. This was NO joke, TIA (This Is Africa)! We are literally in the bush of Tanzania and hiking, many of us in flip-flops, about 2 miles up hill (thanks for the heads up) was not among the fun surprises. Once we tirelessly reached the homestead of Papa Deo, Irene and his family we were graciously welcomed in true African fashion. After an amazing lunch, of rice and chicken, we didn’t have to venture far to find the most breath taking views that words can’t even describe. Looking over the mountainside toward Kilimanjaro we all sat down and sang a few praise songs. We were blown away by the magnitude of God’s creation. From the breath taking views of the lush vegetation to the coffee and banana trees we all spent most of the afternoon awestruck.

Dinner once again acceded all of our expectations! We are constantly amazed by all the love and care not to mention hard work that goes into preparing these meals. After dinner we once again all got together for praise and worship where we learned a new song in Swahili (Amazing). This morning Randy asked us to spend some time alone with God and listen to what it is that he is trying to teach us and what ways we can implement the changes that we are experiencing in our hearts when we return to Atlanta. Rory O’Day talked about how amazing it would be if we all loved the people in Atlanta the way that the children of Sokoni One loved us. What would it look like if we freely loved people based not on who they are, what they wear, where they live or what they do, but simply because they are people. Just think of all the people that you come into contact with daily. What would it look like if you loved them without knowing them?

We are off to bed excited about an early rise for a beautiful sunrise! ;)
Lala solama (Sleep well)

–Stephanie Naglich & Christy Buchanan

so humbled....

2007-07-20T12:29:00.000-05:00

Thank you, Ashton and Evan for sharing your thoughts with us. I feel so close with all of you as I read your daily journies and pray for all of you. Ashton, I was in tears with you as your shared your goodbye with Irene. Each of you is such a blessing to the children...and who knows who we will all meet in heaven...maybe the little boy with the broken marbles...

DAY #4 - Part II

2007-07-20T03:06:00.000-05:00

Swahili Bible

Irene

Flora and friend

Thursday, July 19 2007, 10:22 pm

Wow. Today was a big day. As Evan wrote, we had our last day in Sokoni One. Tonight’s time was amazing as we again went around the circle and everyone shared their highs and lows today. I’ll touch on a few. It was neat to hear how Ellie Mann had really bonded the last few days with a little guy and all week the two of them had played marbles. He would pull the marbles out of his pocket- so proud. The majority of the marbles were broken in halves or fourths, yet prized possessions of his. When it was time for Ellie to go, he reached in his pocket and pulled out the whole marble that he had, and gave it to Ellie. He wanted her to have it. She talked about how she was overcome with his generosity, giving her the best of what he had to offer. It was amazing to walk through the village, through all of the smells and trash everywhere, seeing how proud of their homes and their families these children are. We heard a lot tonight from our group about how incredible it was to be sitting there in a one bedroom house the size of a closet, holding hands with these African families, taking turns praying for their families as we went to the different houses. One person talked about how in one of the homes they visited, they looked up and there was a bible verse written in Swahili on the wall. Christin Hartsfield talked about looking through a Swahili bible and realizing just how big the God we serve is.

Alexis (Young Life staff Africa) shared one of his highs for the day. He talked about observing Flora Theden with this little baby boy that she had been holding. Flora was so concerned for him and took great care of him. He was hurt and his wound needed some attention. Flora took some alcohol and put it on his wound. We all know how alcohol stings, and as a result, I think it’s safe to say most babies cry. This baby didn’t. Why? Alexis proposed it was because this child felt loved loved- safe in the arms of Flora and maybe this child doesn’t always feel that love.

We knew it would be hard to say goodbye to these children, but I don’t think we knew quite how hard. Irene looked up at me today as I was hugging her and trying to pull away and she wouldn’t let go. She finally looked up at me with big eyes and said “Quesho?” (which means tomorrow) and I had to say no. I tried to “keep it together” but failed. For once, I didn’t care. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen to Irene. What would the rest of her life look like? I have to have faith that she is God’s child; not just “my girl” for the week. What a blessing it was to be able to hug this precious child, pull her in close for the last time, and silently pray for her. Thanks y’all. Off to Lego!

by ASHTON THURMOND

Day #4 - Last day @ Sokoni One :(

2007-07-19T10:31:00.000-05:00

Day 4:

Day 4! There is very little time to write unfortunately because we are borrowing the YL internet really quickly before dinner and we’re running a little late as it is. Today was a pretty difficult day of working again, mixing concrete by hand and pouring the foundation for the YoungLife club building for about six hours or so. We got the pleasure of having the local community work alongside us and it’s amazing to see how much work can be done when everyone the same language,After we came to a stopping point, we gathered all 100+ kids in a large circle, then distributed lots of crayons, coloring pencils, coloring book pages, candy and even Beanie Babies that were all donated and brought over here wit us. Words will not do it justice and I’m fairly certain that pictures won’t either. The looks on the children’s faces when they received their stuffed animal was like it was Christmas, smiles from ear to ear as they clinched their new treasure with all their might. Childlike screaming sounds of “asante sana” were muttering over and over as they all continued to thank us all. So, thank you all for all the donations that you sent over with us!

After that, we had the surprise of being given the tour of Sokoni One…behind the village walls, getting to see where lots of the YL kids live and go inside their houses, capturing a more accurate picture of their neighborhood. It was both difficult to see the living conditions and humbling to see how much they are able to live at home without.

Tomorrow morning we will be heading to Lego Village for three days to work on their local clinic that’s under construction. We have two huge duffle bags full of medical supplies that people donated from Atlanta that we will be bringing them and we’re told that will be a huge blessing since it’s so difficult for them to get decent medical supplies due to the high cost locally. Since we are headed to such a remote village, we will unfortunately not have internet to update the blog until early next week…so don’t worry, we’re still alive and well! Thank you all for your continued prayers, we can’t wait to share more stories and lots of pictures when we get a chance!!! God bless! ~ Evan

Day #3 - Better late than never...

2007-07-19T10:27:00.001-05:00

Day 3:

Day 3! More chants last night from the church with the megaphones on the outside! Some of our crew has resorted to ear plugs. Smart move. More peanut butter and banana sandwiches and eggs for breakfast, some words of wisdom from Randy and a 45 minute quiet time before we were on our way back to Sokoni One. We had our usual warm welcome by our rafikis and then we got to work moving more big rocks for the foundation and then filling in the holes with dirt. We had our bowl of rice, beans, avocados, bananas, pineapple, spinach, and cucumbers for lunch prepared for us by the mamas of the village. We are still struggling with looking up at all of the kids lined up on the hill watching us as we eat, waiting for us to finish before they are able to be served. God, please grant (us) the serenity to accept the things which (we) cannot change! After lunch, a little concrete mixing 101 was held- that was comical. We then made an assembly line of buckets with the concrete mix and ultimately spread it on top of all of the rocks. We’re clocking in some long hours. We left around 5:00pm and then got to take a little tour into town and saw three schools where Young Life will hopefully get started pretty soon. At the third school, we got to get out of the bus, walk around and saw monkeys! We then went to see Alexis’ house/the Arusha Young Life office. He has a banana tree and an avocado tree in his backyard and we got to meet his two dogs. On our way back to the hostel, we were able to observe all of the hustle and bustle out on the streets. There are people everywhere! It is still so funny for all of us to see the African women walking down the street with these HUGE loads of stuff on top of their heads. I saw a lady today with a giant bucket of at least 100 tomatoes. No coordination/balance here whatsoever, so I am thoroughly impressed.

After dinner, (same as last night- noodles, carrots, green beans, cabbage, rice, and some type of stew, and pineapple) we came together again to sing, pray, recap and hear from Labon (the mossai warrior who is AWESOME by the way) who shared his life story with us--in English! He doesn’t wear the Mossai garb, but we have seen some other Mossais decked out walking around town. They have this red cloth/blanket that they wear over them and drape over their head and they always have this stick/staff/spear not sure what it is in their hand. It is really easy to pick them out! Apparently, the Mossais are pretty hard core! Sidenote: Labon did share with us that before he started to do Young Life, he worked on Kilimanjaro as part of the rescue crew so feeling good about the fact that he will be hiking kili with the kili crew.

It has been encouraging to hear everyone’s heart each night and their perspective on the day. Tonight, after the tremor we felt from the earthquake (yes, earthquake, but don’t worry we’re fine), we again talked about where we saw God today/where we see God working. Everyone has incredible insight. In particular, Hayward McEver had some neat words that he shared with the group tonight. He mentioned how Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:3 “Truly I tell you unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Hayward spoke about the refreshing ability of these children to trust us so freely and he related this to our personal relationship with Christ-- how it is hard to trust Christ like this with all the distractions life throws you as we get older. If only we could trust the Lord like these little children trust. What would our relationship with the Lord look like? This verse came alive today as Christ was evident in the faces of all of these children. Specifically, I think of Irene who has now had the same dress on for the last three days and is absolutely beautiful. She is timid and shy and loves to be tickled. I think of Douglas who tells us stories and knows so much about the history of Africa. His work ethic is admirable as he shoveled gravel all day long. He is also quick to share his faith with you and is not afraid to ask how your relationship with the Lord is going. I think of Sarah who was just dying for someone just to pick her up and hold her today and the joy she received from being given half of a crayon and a sheet from a coloring book. Our relationship with Christ SHOULD be as these children have demonstrated this trust to us—with an uninhibited faith.

Each day, the children run after the bus as we enter and leave Sokoni One. It is amazing to turn around, look out the window of the bus and see little people sprinting after us- full speed ahead. The imagery is beautiful if you think about it. Hayward said it best. The parallel between these precious kiddos running after us parallels our Heavenly Father, chasing after us with wild abandonment. Thank you Lord for opening our eyes and for creating this visible picture of your love for us! ~ Ashton

Learning to Blog

2007-07-19T06:03:00.000-05:00

After much help from Mrs. Dick and Professor Geek, Im able to finally blog on. Ive enjoyed hearing about each of your days and am so excited about what God is doing in Africa through each and every one of you. Your lives will be different when you return. We all want to wish Hayward a Happy 27th Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HIs birthday is on the 20th and I want to make sure he gets this blog!!!!!! We love him and miss him and can't wait for his safe return. Every one of you is in our prayers for safety, strength, a hedge of protection against illness, and just sustained energy for the entire trip. We love you!!
Kim McEver

DAY #2

2007-07-18T03:20:00.000-05:00

Reflections on the first night of sleep in Africa. After waking up at 3:00 am, forgetting where I was and throughougly confused as to why I was entrapped by a giant net (mosquito net), I was able to go back to sleep only to wake up to extremely loud chanting at 4:00 am by the Orthodox Christians at the church across the street from our hostel. Again, went back to sleep and then ready to go for breakfast (peanut butter and banana sandwich) and then hit the road to begin our day of work. We returned to Sonoki One Village where we spent a little time yesterday. It was amazing to see the greeting we received again today as our buses made their way back down the dirt road to the village. It makes me laugh so much to see a little African child scream and point “Muzungas!” (translation: white person) as we got into town. It was really neat to see some of our friends from yesterday come and run and jump into our arms. It is amazing to see how fast a relationship can form between an English speaking Muzunga from Atlanta, GA and a Swahili speaking five year old child from Arusha, Tanzania. The language barrier is frustrating, but we’re picking up some Swahili and the kids just laugh at our pronunciations- but I will give them props for being so patient with us! Most of us have learned a Swahili song that they sing at Young Life club here in Arusha. Our work today consisted of laying the first part of the foundation for a club room/community center (spreading dirt and moving big rocks).

Lunch was a special time as some of the mothers in the village prepared lunch for us. They prepared a bowl for each one of us with rice, pinto beans, spinach, avocado, pineapple, banana, and cucumbers all piled up together. The community and fellowship with one another was incredible. It was hard to process though as the mothers made the children sit up on the hill and wait for us to finish our lunch. As we would finish lunch and bring our bowls back up, they would distribute the food that was left in the pots and immediately put it back in the same bowls that we had just used without washing them for the children. It was hard not to feel guilty that we got to go first and that essentially these children were being given our leftovers. Randy gave some great encouraging words for us this morning and sitting here tonight and thinking back on our day, it was evident that the Lord was speaking through him this morning. He reminded us of the Serenity Prayer and just encouraged us to reflect on this during our time here in Africa. We definitely saw some tough things today in the village that none of us have ever seen before and it will take a good while to process these things. Tonight after dinner, we came together as a group and sang songs, gave our highs and lows of the day, prayed, and listened to Alexis (Arusha Young Life Staff) share some encouraging words. I can’t explain how incredible it was to be singing and looking around the room at how the Lord has brought us all together. It was indescribable to be worshipping sitting next to Lebon, one of the Arusha Young Life leaders who is a member of the Mossai tribe, singing "How Great is Our God"and to think how different he and I are from one another and yet we both have the priveledge to worship the same God. Thanks y'all.

How great is our God
Sing with me how great is our God,
and all will see
how great, how great is our God…

by ASHTON THURMOND

DAY #1

2007-07-17T02:33:00.000-05:00

Jambo Rafikis! Translation: Hello friends. After 17 hours on a plane, a hour stop over in Rome, some interesting experiences with Ambien on the plane, and a hour bus ride from the airport to the hostel, we have finally arrived. We were met at the airport by Alexis and Gina- two Young Life staff members here in Africa. We had two buses and all of our luggage had to go on the roof so that was an experience getting the bags up there. We made our way to the hostel and unloaded our things. Our hostel has far surpassed any expectations that I had for African hostel standards! I guess I just remember some of those hostels in Europe. We had a snack in the dining room (crackers, peanuts, and popcorn, juice and water- so far so good) and then we got back on the buses and went took a little drive to one of the villages in town. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. This particular village is very poverty stricken – the poorest neighborhood in Tanzania. As we made our way down the bumpy dirt streets in these buses, probably a hundred little kids came running after the bus screaming Muzungus! They were screaming with joy and followed us all the way until the bus stopped. I have been on mission trips before and have seen the beautiful smiles of little children on these trips, but something about this was different. I was amazed at how they so freely jumped in our arms-complete strangers- just wanting to be loved. I was overcome with emotion, realizing that almost half of these children were orphans. I had one little guy that would not let go of my hand the whole time we were there in the village. It was pretty funny. He loved having his picture taken and then getting to see it on the digital camera. He would laugh and laugh upon seeing his picture! We came back to the hostel and had dinner and then by 8:30 most of our crew has hit the sack. Thank you for your prayers and for sharing this special time with us. Quesho! (Translation: Tomorrow!) - by ASHTON THURMOND

We're praying for all of you!

2007-07-16T19:42:00.000-05:00

OK.....this is the first time I have ever "blogged"! It is Monday evening in Atlanta and there are so many who have thought about each of you and prayed for each of you many times since you left on Saturday. We pray that God will equip you, sustain you, lead you, energize you, comfort you, use you, mold you, protect you, transform you and assure you of HIS PRESENCE each step of this journey!! HE is the great I AM and is SO ABLE to provide your every need while you serve those in Africa! We pray that HE will bless the lives of those you serve and that HE will be glorified by all that you do! God bless each of you!!!! lots of love.....David and Beth

Safe Arrival

2007-07-16T17:47:00.000-05:00

Cathy McLain has heard from her daughters today, Catherine and Abby. YEA!!! They assured her that all had arrived safely in Africa with ALL of the bags!! another YEA!!! It was a long flight with a stop in Rome for refueling. They also said the hostel they are staying in is nice with 2 to a room. Cathy wanted me to share this good news for all of us home folks.
Let's keep them in our prayers :)
Would love to hear and share more good words as we get them!
belle

"Never trust anyone over 50"

2007-07-16T17:19:00.000-05:00

As a paraphrase of a famous rock singer from the 1960's, your technology- challenged and anxious parents are now discovering the joy of navigating the wonderful world of Blogs. While some of us are having more success than others at figuring this crazy software out, one thing is certain. As you get used to your new digs and new friends in the big T., we all love you, and are looking forward to hearing about your adventures in and around Deo's hometown at the base of Kili. Blessings from all of us!

A rainy Sunday at Lakemont

2007-07-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

Belle and I are thinking about you guys heading over the Atlantic, a little tired and excitedly anticipating the next two weeks. You will be in our prayers on a constant basis. Give our love to Irene, Deo, Alexis and our other friends in T. You who are climbing Kili will be led by a wonderful young man , Gabrielle, who took us up two years ago. He has been up the mountain about 100 times,and has led many groups with folks aged from 14 to 75. So, no worries! Listen to what he asks. He knows his stuff! We pray for transformed lives , both there and within our group. Remember, Aslan is on the move.

Hotel Overnight in D.C.

2007-07-15T00:38:00.000-05:00

We're together in D.C. tonight... It all begins tomorrow at 9:45am, when our plane leaves for Arusha... Keep us in your prayers... & stay tuned for more trip updates

It's game time!

2007-07-14T08:44:00.000-05:00

So we leave in just a few hours. Like Christy said, I have no idea what I packed. All I do know is it was a sight trying to pick up my duffle bag while I was on the scale. I tipped over a few times. My bag started at 57 pounds but I think I got it down to 50. We'll see when we get to the airport! Those jars of peanut butter are heavy!There are so many thoughts running through my head right now. It's a weird feeling, knowing you're about to go to AFRICA- one that is hard to verbalize. I watched Africa slideshows last night from past trips and after repeatedly seeing the big innocent eyes of the orphans, that's all it took. I am now ready. The Lord reminded me this morning in Matthew 10:8 "Freely you have received, freely give." Thanks to all of you reading this who did just this and have agreed to partner with us on this exciting adventure to which God has called us. I will be honest and say that this week I have been a little intimidated leading up to this trip. Am I ready? But how soon God reminded me that He doesn't call the equipped, but He equips the called. Therefore, I firmly believe that He has called all 36 of us to this mission and He WILL equip us as He promises. Please pray that He equips us physically through safety and good health and that while being out of our comfort zone the Lord will speak to us in ways like none other before. Please pray thet He equips our eyes- that we would see the things we are about to see through His eyes. Please pray that He equips our heart- that He will prepare it for what we are about to experience.

We will finally get to Africa late Monday night/early Tuesday morning. We will be with the YL leaders over there, building relationships with them and assisting with their construction needs then later we will be working on the medical clinic. While over there, we will be doing a home stay with some of the leaders. We will pair up in groups of 2 or 3 and go and live with the leaders in their homes. It is one thing to see their homes and the difference between the homes in Africa and in the US, but living it alongside of them is going to be pretty powerful.

Stay tuned! Thanks for sharing in this time with us.

We are off

2007-07-14T08:12:00.000-05:00

I can't wait!!!!!!!

Are we there yet?

2007-07-13T22:33:00.000-05:00

Are we there yet? No Seriously are we there yet? I feel like i have waited my whole life for this trip. You know when you were little how the days leading up to Christmas seemed so long and then Christmas day seemed to only last a few minutes, and then when it's all said and done the anticipation of it all was actually better then the real deal? Luckily for us i know that the anticipation of this trip is going to pale in comparison to the actual experience. My heart is literally beating out of my chest just thinking about seeing those beautiful vibrant African children. I can not wait to hug the kids i have been dreaming about my whole life. I feel like across the pond is a piece of my heart that i'll finally be united with (if only for a short time).
I have no idea what i packed, but i pray that i have the Armor of God somewhere in that 49.9 lb duffel cause this trip is going to rock my world and i best be prepared.
Ephesians 6:10-20

2007-07-13T22:32:00.001-05:00

Packing

2007-07-11T14:16:00.000-05:00

Sucks! Still have about 10 things to buy before tomorrow night. Not sure how this is going to get done at this point. Oh yeah, and I am leaving my job for 2 weeks so have a bit to do before hand. Is everyone ready for this experience?! I'm getting really excited, this is going to be the trip of a lifetime for sure. Looking forward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

T Minus 39 Days!

2007-06-05T13:16:00.000-05:00

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, whom shall I send? And who will go for us? And I said, here I am. Send me." ISAIAH 6:8

I never thought I would be answering the call of Isaiah 6:8 by going to Arusha, Tanzania this summer. Send me to Africa? I sure didn’t think so. It is amazing how God has changed my heart since the Beyond Atlanta initiative began in Northwest Atlanta Young Life last summer. The Lord continues to mold me as I am learning more each day about what it looks like when my desires and His desires start to align. I am going “Beyond Atlanta” in July and I am nervous as I will be out of my comfort zone like never before. I am a fairly picky eater. I have a thing about weird bathrooms. And, it is no news that I do not speak Swahili. Although I will admit I am not super excited about the food or the bathroom situation, I am eager about being stretched by having to communicate in alternate ways. It was St. Francis of Assisi who said, “Preach the Gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.” I am looking forward to this summer with much anticipation as I will have the opportunity to share the message and nature of Christ in a non-verbal manner with my new friends in Tanzania. Our mission will be to walk along side of the Tanzanian Young Life leaders, mutually encouraging each other to reach kids for Christ through the ministry of Young Life. We will also be helping to build a medical clinic as well as assiting in some construction needs with Young Life Tanzania.

This may sound strange, but the people in Africa do not need me. I have been told that they have joy in their hearts like I have never seen before. Their smiles are contagious. One might ask how could they have such joy in their hearts given their circumstances and lack of resources? I propose it is because they know a secret- a secret I want to go discover for myself and come back and share with others. They bring a new meaning to the word faith when they have nothing else to rely on except the Lord to provide for their basic needs each day. I want a faith like this. And so, the prayer is this: that I would not come back with the same heart. By this I mean I want my faith to explode. I am going to Africa so I can learn from the people there and hopefully step out of the way and let Christ’s love shine through me. I am excited about the opportunity to serve on this mission trip and participate in the work projects, and in the process, I hope I can be an encouragement to all the new faces I meet along the way.

Please pray for this team of volunteers, for safety and health, and that we would grow together as a group and individually in our relationship with Christ.

PREPARING OUR HEARTS

2007-06-01T23:04:00.000-05:00

We invite you to "post" anything here you'd like to share, aka. encouragement, thoughts, verses, prayers, etc... Our hope & prayer is that this "Blog" would serve to help record the story behind the awesome Journey the Lord has in store ahead of us, as we set out together this summer to serve Young Life's Mission in Arusha, Tanzania. While we're in Tanzania, we'll be posting "Trip Updates" on this page, to allow family & friends praying for us at home, to share this experience with us. Our Trip will leave out of Atlanta on July 14, & return on August 1. The bottom line is simple... this is God's movement, not ours... & He's going to use this Trip is going to change our lives forever.

KEEP PRAYING....

"If you CLING to your life, you will LOSE it, but if you GIVE it up for me, you will FIND it." MATTHEW 10:39

"But the one thing we can all agree, all faiths, all ideologies, is that GOD is with the Vulnerable and the Poor. GOD is in the Slums, in the cardboard boxes where the Poor play house... GOD is in the silence of a mother who has infected her child with a virus that will end both their lives... God is in the Cries heard under the rubble of War... GOD is in the Debris of wasted opportunity and lives, and GOD is With Us... If We Are With Them." - Bono

"People ask me, "Doesn't it Paralyze you to walk so closely & intimately with Suffering?" "No," I tell them. "If I've learned anything from my time in AFRICA, it's that though the suffering is overwhelming, so too is the HOPE." - Jena Lee

"He is no fool who GIVES up what he cannot keep, to GAIN what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliott