Tuna & Cheeks VI - Kolkata & Agra

So, here we are, coming back from Nepal to India. 10 minutes of relatively random footage, most of it quite interesting. I think a few of these minutes give a sense of the depth and ancient nature of Hindu religion. The statue type figurine you'll see is Shiva, the god worshiped most during Diwali - their biggest annual festival (like our Christmas). He is the destroyer. Think an angry Hebrew God without Christ, grace or love.

Going to try this from Facebook.



If that's not working, the youtube version should work well.

Video - Trekking, Day VII

Here's our journey back to Kathmandu.

Video - Trekking, Day VI

Greetings friends. We're home! We've been home for a little over a week now. My folks picked us up at the airport, bought us some Starbucks and listened to tales of our journey for 24 hours until they departed the following day. What a blessing! Thanks Mom and Dad. On top of that, Amber's parents are coming this weekend to hang out and we're really looking forward to that too. We are feeling the parental love. Thanks guys.

Two hardest things about coming back:
1) Climate - it was well below zero within the first 72 hours that we were back in VT. That's a change of 100 degrees.
2) Rural USA - after being in primarily urban centers of 10 million+ population, we came back to a town of 600, pop.

I suppose any extreme change is generally hard.

So now, without further adieu, I'll post days 6 and 7 of the trek. That will wrap up that stint of our trip. Over the next two weeks I'll be putting together (hopefully) the rest of our footage and posting portions.

Tuna

Going Home

It's that time. All good things end and that's when other good things start. So, Cheeks and I are ready to start another good thing - regular life, together.

Our time in Indonesia with Troy was very inspiring. We learned much, grew much and saw a model of a man following Jesus. As we think about what God is doing in our lives and around us, we get excited. And, so it's time to reengage with that. This step back has been an incredible thing, for us to gain perspective, to be re-energized, and to grow together. We are so thankful for this opportunity and while we're ready to turn toward home, we're sad. How do you just stop traveling and having very little responsibility after doing it for two months? I guess it's not hard, just buy a plane ticket to the nearest airport to your house.

Well, we slept 2 hours last night - we thought it'd be fun to sleep in the airport. The Hong Kong airport is wonderful, lovely and huge. So, we decided to stay here for a night. We ended up staying in Kowloon until midnight and then made our way to the airport. By the time we got there at 1am, not much was open including the check-in counters. We had already checked in at the in-town check-in but we still had one back to check. Bummer. So, we stayed on the lame side of immigration and security, watched a movie, had some snacks and slept on the bench for 2 hours. Though not super comfortable, it was really fun. Comfort is over-rated.

OK friends, we're really looking forward to seeing you soon.

We pray for a safe journey.

Much Love,

Tuna (and Cheeks)

Abort Video - head to HK

Hey all, bad news. Something is wrong with my video camera. It's having trouble playing back. So, I've finally finished all the trekking videos (all though I haven't posted two) and began working on some current stuff. But, in the middle of it my camera refused to play back. So, I can't get the footage off the camera to edit it to share it with you - crap!

Good news is two-fold (in the Kingdom, the good news always outweighs the bad):
1) I'm going to post a bunch of videos after arrival home in less than a week (that's right, we're headed back to VT 1 December).

2) We've got more pictures uploaded... check it out

Sitting with a Lion at Taman Safari

From Surabaya

"Mr. Crab" eating crabs at a famous crab house (my host mom called me Mr. Crab since that day)

From Surabaya

Looking at Bromo (a volcano outside of Surabaya, Indonesia)

From Surabaya

Riding on a traditional Indonesian Becak (pronounced Pechak)

From Central Java - Semarung, Yogyakarta

Tomorrow, we head to Hong Kong. Already we're looking at less than 6 hours of sleep and we haven't even begun packing yet. Yikes! Plan is to stay at Bethany Ministries Guest House. http://www.bethanyministries.com/

OK, talk to you soon.

Tuna

People of Faith

Brandon and I had the opportunity to share about camp multiple times since our time in Indonesia. We showed pictures a couple of times at Pelangi, the Christian school Troy teaches at, we described our work to some of his classes at Petra and also to various people we’ve met along the way. Each time we shared that many of the campers practice minimal religion we were met with blank stares. One of the clear differences between Asia and America seems to be the consistent faith in a higher power. Christianity is by far the minority, yet the majority of people seem to believe in some major religion. Some higher being. Be it Hindu, Islam, Buddhist or Christian, the people here believe. Most of the people we’ve explained camp to don’t seem to understand the idea of no religion. What do they base their life on? What principles guides their daily decisions? I’m not sure if one avenue is better than another, Hinduism and the practice of belief in many gods and myths or belief in nothing, only one’s self. I’m struck even more that the answer to that question is not to consume my thoughts, instead, to learn how to love like Jesus, in the spirit of the differences, no matter what continent we find ourselves on, loving like Jesus, this is what I want to focus on.

Mennonites in Indonesia

After randomly meeting Christians throughout India, being connected with Mennonites in Indonesia has been very refreshing and surprising at the similarities. The first Friday in Jakarta we visited two of the GKMI (a Mennonite conference in Indonesia similar to Franconia conference in PA) churches. Both places greeted us as though we had been long time members. The faith connection with other Christians we’ve met throughout this trip has been intense. I’m reminded that indeed the family of God spreads beyond cultural bounds and oceans. What a blessing. As I’ve recognized my intense desire for comfort during much of our travels and pondered why the need for comfort trumps so much of my other desires, I realized true comfort comes in being surrounded by people who feel like family! What a blessing.

From Indonesia - Jakarta

We met the pastor, Pak Abdi, and some of the staff of a large Mennonite church in Jakarta. After sadly refusing various offers to spend nights at people’s houses or have more “program” from the pastor, we left feeling very welcomed by the Mennonites of Indonesia. It’s hard to know if the warm welcome was due to their excitement of the work Troy is committed to in Indonesia, the connections Dad Bergey made about 6 years ago (they remember his visit as if it was yesterday!), but I can’t help to believe anyone would also be greeted with open arms!

On Sunday, we worshiped with the Mennonite church Troy attended while he lived in Jakarta. The language felt like the only difference in the style of worship. Hymns, scripture reading, message. A young man even came to translate for us mid way through the service. Beautiful to experience people of all cultures worshipping God. Interesting, also, to attend a larger Mennonite church in Indonesia than we attend in Vermont. Somewhere along the way I assumed Christianity would be sparse in Indonesia, and although they are in the Minority, they seem more prevalent than where we are in Vermont.

After visiting Sea World Indonesia and attending an Indonesian wedding on Sunday night, we made our way to Central Java via train.

From Indonesia - Jakarta

In Semarang we were again warmly greeted by Pak Paul. He works at the GKMI conference center in Semarang and was happy to show us around, help us buy our next train ticket, and take us to a beautiful restaurant with his wife, despite our train showing up an hour late! He also set us up with a woman from his church to show us around Jogijakarta… a long day, but a wonderful day. I am learning a lot about welcoming and hosting people. Bu Linda took the day off from teaching and brought her husband and Buddhist brother in law to show us the Buddha central site of Burabudor and onto Jogijakarta, a place of cultural and political significance in Java. And despite all of the significance, I think I will remember most my first taste of “cow skin” Yum…a Jogjakarta special!

Bottom Line: I feel like we have much to learn from the Mennonites of Indonesia. I think if we have a chance to visit Philadelphia Praise Center, the Indonesian Mennonite church in Philly, we will. And yet, once again I’m struck with many Christian Indonesian’s intense desire to be like America. Most of the Mennonites we met are sending their children to university in the states, despite being separated from their children for years! They are happy to talk English and ask about sites in the US. And the church we worshipped in felt very similar to our own. As I think of the challenges in the church in America I wonder if that also exists in the Church in Indonesia. Each continent has work to do, but I’ve been encouraged knowing others are striving for the kingdom.

Stay Tuned – pics (click on one of the photos above) and video to come…

Cheeks

Brief schedule update - Bali

So tomorrow, we're headed to Bali. I'm excited. Everyone we've met in Indonesia has asked us whether we've been to Bali yet (it's the prime vacation spot, apparently). So, we're going for three days and taking a break from shadowing Troy. That said, we've had quite a lot of fun following Troy around, helping him teach etc. Really enjoying it. And what a great model of a man following Jesus.

Sorry we haven't written much. Cheeks is going to post soon and I have lots of thoughts, just not lots of time to write them here. Soon.

Much love.

Tuna & Cheeks V - Trekking, Day V

Hello all. Here's the 5th day. I think this is a short video. However the sixth day is long.

Tuna & Cheeks V - Trekking, Day IV

Day 4 of 6 of the Trek. Today we hike to the top of a large or small mountain depending on whether you measure against the American Rockies or Himalaya, respectively. It was a long day!

Tuna & Cheeks V - Trekking, Day III

Day 3 of 6 in our trek. This is the day we head to Kajin Gompa, a high mountain town.



Click on the title in your email to go to the blog and watch.

Tuna

Tuna & Cheeks V -Trekking, Day II

Video, part 2 of 6 - Trekking in the Langtang Valley.

Tuna and Cheeks V - Trekking, day I

Hello again friends. It's been a while since we've posted a video. While in Jakarta, Indonesia, we didn't have connection where we were staying (not to mention I've been getting slower with the editing process).

Here begins a 6-part series of trekking in the Himalaya.



Tuna

p.s. By email, click on the title or go to the blog.

INDONESIA

Less Trash, Returned Smiles, Cow Less Streets, Familiar Faces, Church Connections, American Food, Malls, Hotter Weather, New Language...some of the more noticeable differences between India and Indonesia...

We arrived in Indonesia Wednesday 5 November. We were greeted by a friend of a friend at the airport and it was such a blessing to not have to seek out a seemingly trustworthy taxi driver or wonder if the hotel we were heading to would feel "safe" As we drove through the capitol and the biggest city of the country, Jakarta, already Indonesia felt warmer - weather wise and people wise! It started at the airport, when we paid our $25 and got the visa with no questions and the immigration man smiled after he stamped my passport - the first time a smile had been returned for a while. Few tuk tuk's (auto rickshaws) many American restaurants, bigger cars, decent highway, many American Restaurants (everything from McDonalds, Dunkin Donuts, Pizza Hut, KFC and A&W) and MALLS...

This growing city feels much like America. I find myself wondering if this is for the best. Fast food really isn't healthy and Indonesian food tastes amazing. Malls seem to focus on style, success, and every material object imaginable. We spend our first day in Indonesia perusing two really huge malls and catching the new James Bond 007 movie (English, with Indonesian stubtitles) After India this feels more luxurious than Vermont! Maybe God is here in similar fashion as the US? How will we find the differences here?

Enter Troy. Troy arrived in Indonesia on Thursday night. What a glorious time to reconnect with an amazing brother, mentor, and friend. He tried to show us 14 months of his life in Jakarta in about 10 hours - he was very successful - we met some church friends, drove to a village orphanage and were blessed to worship with 10 adolescent boys (keep your eye out for video coming soon) learned more Indoneisan Food, went to Prump Pung to see Troy love and be loved by poorer children in a less wealthy area of Jakarta and lead Baby Shark (BBC is going international!). We ended the day with Saate (tasty meat on a stick) Iced Shang Hi (really colorful sweet drink/dessert) and a time of fellowship, conversation, pondering, laughing and relaxing with my older single brother and husband, a first for me. For a brief moment, I forget about all the crazyness that makes up this world and enjoy the present. It's good to be with family. It's good to explore what God is doing here. And even better to pursue our unique purpose in this wild kingdom...


More to Come Including:

Mennonites in Indonesia
Indonesian Wedding
Indonesians in America

Absurd World

What a rediculous place this is - Earth. I can see why so many religions focus on getting outa here. Let me paint what I'm seeing in my minds eye as I write:

India. A country of 1.2 +/- people. Dirty, tons of corruption, extreme disequity and corruption. Picture all the bad stuff you've ever read or heard about the states, multiply by 10 and then display it all, on every street, in most establishments, all day long.

Bosnia. A poor place wrought with civil war and so much conflict. Now, they've got pirates. Imagine that, pirates!
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/31/world/africa/31pirates.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/02/world/africa/02pirates.html

Pakistan. Top Government official encourages Pakistani citizens to kill Taliban.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/02/world/asia/02pstan.html?pagewanted=1&th&emc=th

I could go on and on with stories like this, it seems. Then, we have somewhat encouraging news:

Russia and the USA plan to diminish some nuclear arms
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5D7123BF933A05751C1A964958260

One thing that continues to strike me across the face. Self. It's all about self. Why do the pirates do what they do in Somalia? For money. Why do police personnel in Pakistan switch to the Taliban... they get paid more and hey, if you can't beat em, join em. Why does Bush push for reduction in nuclear arms before leaving office? I'm guessing because he wants to achieve one last thing (a good thing I might add. Others might say to achieve one thing - omit the word "last.") And India... sheesh. I have no way to know all the details and haven't been here all that long but everyone has got a pimp. From the rickshaw driver to the hotel manager, most people are working for someone else who allows them just enough cash to eat and live. So, they take advantage of the foreigners who can pay lots more than the rediculous price they ask. Point is, so many places... everywhere actually. We're about self. We're about getting ahead. And, when resources are scarce, we put self above other more noticably.

I'm not exactly sure where to go from here. It remains clear to me that what I'm observing is true and it also seems clear that there are many more layers I don't understand. Regardless of how many layers there are, the apparent issue that we most often serve self instead of other seems to me to cause great distress on the human race. I'm reminded again of this belief I hold - the things God asks of us aren't only best for God, they are best for us.

And so the model of Mother Theresa stands out. We finished recently with a day + at Kalighat. Kalighat was Mother Theresa's first mission (of which now there are more than 130 world wide). It's a home for the destitute and dying. This woman loved God so much, and followed Christ into loving God. She devoted her life to God and was led to love the many, many extremely injured and struggling people of India.

Lord, lead us. Teach us to love you and heal the world.

Vote for Hope

OK, I've been trying hard to post a video file and can't. It's not working and until I recreate the file and post, it's going to take forever.

(in case the video worked, try clicking here - http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=895845007&k=XZEZPZU3355MZDA1XCXTY)

So, here's what I was trying to say on the video. Vote for hope. We have spoken with about 9 (maybe it was 8, maybe it was 10) people from all different places (Europe, Asia and Australia) about the upcoming US election. A few things seem extremely clear to me now after those conversations:

1) US policy has a significant impact on the rest of the world (this I knew and was reminded of).
2) The point above is so true, that many follow our presidential election more than their own (in most cases, prime minister).
3) Out of the 9 (8 or 10) we talked to, all wanted Barak Obama as president.

One guy followed me on the sidewalk and tapped my arm. He asked me who I was voting for. I told him, Barak Obama. He said, good. He wanted to know what everyone else will do. I told him that America is a diverse place and that I couldn't know the answer.

I hope you choose hope. Whomever you vote for, consider the impact that our leadership has on the human race.

Tuna

The Roller Coaster Continues...

India is similar to a roller coaster. One minute I feel confident that God is here, I feel comfortable and am able to appreciate a different culture and all that comes with that. The next minute I’m wondering how this society exists, why did we come here and wondering how fast we can leave! For the most part I find myself somewhere in between these two extremes.

In Kolkata, volunteering at the mother home was very encouraging, a beacon of light in a dark place. I was also inspired by the sheer number of other westerners coming to volunteer, esp Italian Catholics. Many were spending their holiday in Kolkata volunteering. Yet at the same time, I didn’t have a desire to stay. Maybe spending a day with the destitute and dying wasn’t enough of a honeymoon for me. Maybe I didn’t feel like I could really make an impact there. The day spend at Kalighat, mother Theresa’s first love, the home for the destitute and the dying, was a day for much thought and reflection. I didn't get to right away as we spent much of the evening dealing with the train schedule...
Varanasi also exemplified this roller coaster ride…we saw bodies burning on the ghats, had an interesting interaction with our rickshaw driver, observed many aspects of Hindu prayer and worship and I was told to go back to our country by a boat driver….the very next day we witnessed another beacon of hope at a Asha Bhavan, a widows home in Northern Varanasi with a wonderful couple from Ohio volunteering there. We bought brownies and cookies from their store, spent some time with Indian church planters and left wishing we could spend more time helping them.
We visit the Taj Tomorrow then take our final train to Delhi before flying to Indonesia. I have no doubt the rollercoaster will continue and I’m just thankful I really like roller coasters and 2 really great riding partners....

Video IV - To Nepal

We'll get to the good stuff in the next video - the trek. This one is about 5 minutes of the extremely long journey from Delhi, India to Kathmandu, Nepal. We took some short cuts and it still took about 20 hours (otherwise would have been more than 30, perhaps).

As always, if you get the email, go to the blog to view the video (click on the title of the post... should be in large blue. Or, visit www.tunacheeks.blogspot.com).



Tuna

Pictures of the Trek

Go to Trekking The Himalaya to see all the trek pics.

From Trekking in the Himilaya

World Religion

Yesterday I had some good thoughts about religion. I remembered that it isn’t religion that we should follow or serve, it’s Jesus. This is part of what allows Buddhist, Hindu and Christian alike to follow Jesus. I also came to a conclusion I’ve been waiting to make. It might have been a little premature but I’ve been waiting a long time to state something in my mind on this topic. I don’t believe Hinduism or Buddhism to be on-track. I can’t say about Islam or Judaism yet but I am clear right now about these two major eastern religions. They seem to be more focused on self than I expect Jesus desires. There are endless phallic symbols, sacrifices and lots of attempts to appease/please gods. Jesus was all about love of other and life. Buddhism and Hinduism are both in the end about escape (much like many western Christians are about getting to heaven which is also a focus on escape). Christ is about the here and now, particularly for the “least of these”, Buddha is about transcendence out of the here and now. So, there is my brief, relatively uneducated bias on eastern religion and it’s misalignment with Jesus. Again, let me say that I am very uneducated on what the faithful Buddhists and Hindus do and how that impacts their life. As for the doctrines, they aren't making sense to me.

A Beacon of Light

I was very nervous to come back to India after enjoying Nepal so much. The beauty, the friendliness, the comfort all seemed in stark contrast to our first experience in New Delhi, India. And Kolkata has more people in less space. In my mind I could not see how the return to India could be more comfortable than our first stay. But after spending close to 24 hours here in Kolkata, India is redeeming herself. Maybe I was more prepared for the trash, the smell, the heckling, the beggars and the homeless, maybe springing for the midrange hotel vs the budget added to my comfort level, maybe sharing a cab and dinner with 2 guys from Belgium who also did not enjoy their experience in Delhi (especially the "Delhi Belly") was helpful in the adjstment back to India, but I think the most helpful in the adjustment back to India was visiting the Sisters of Charity, founded by Mother Theresa. We passed quite a few Christian Churches. Bible verses were displayed outside the churches, "I am the way the truth and the life" and the life of giving and caring displayed inside the mission. God is here, hard to find, but here. Looking forward to spending a day at the mother house in a few days...

Emperialism

Nepal has never been colonized. And it’s obvious! As one of the poorest countries in the world, they’re doing great. Sure, everything is dirty and dusty and very few have enough to have adequate living space or extra food but, almost everyone has food and almost everyone has a living space. They don’t think of themselves as extremely poor, they are happy as a nation and relatively successful. Most people, including mountain villages, have running water (they channel it from running streams near their house and run it with black flexible piping to just near their doorstep). Some of the upper castes and nearly all hotels have hot water. They use solar power to heat the water and put the black tank on the top of the building so that they don’t need a pump to get the water to the shower. The food is outstanding, the people very friendly and kind and they don’t seem to hate tourists like some nations do. I have a sense that almost all of this ingenuity, sense of pride and openness has something to do with the fact that no other people group ever came in to tell them how to live and to give them a set of expectations that they couldn’t own. Wow, how wonderful when we let each other become us!

Pictures - Himilayan Trek

OK, so, we began our time in Nepal almost two weeks ago. Tomorrow we head for Kolkatta, India where we hope to connect with The Mother House and volunteer for a day or two. An employee of Word Made Flesh we met here in Kathmandu claims that day or two of volunteering will change our lives.

For now, you can see some of our trek. Video to come soon. We drove 12 hours by bus on the most rediculous roads you can imagine (the bus had 85 people in and on top of it) to get a whopping 60 miles into the hills. After spending the night at Syabrubesi we started hiking toward a hill village called Langtang. From there, we went on to Kygingompa and from there, up a 5000 meter peak called Chaccorie. We got sick from the altitude, came back down and made our way back to Syabrubesi to catch the rediculous bus back to Kathmandu.

From Trekking in the Himilaya

From Trekking in the Himilaya

More pictures to come as we find internet time.

Video 3 - Tuna and Cheeks in Delhi, India

OK, here we are with our third video post. Cruising around Delhi.

Back from the Hills!

We're BACK to civilization - sort of!

Trekking - my favorite part of the trip so far, challenging, relaxing, peaceful, awe inspiring and just really good to be away from everything in outstanding, unbelievable creations, the Himalayas are something else, a couple of times we just looked at each other and couldn't believe we were spending a week in the highest mountains of the world...there is much more to write, give me some more time to wrap my head around it - we will have so much to share when we get back. It's almost like there is too much to take in...

Oh and the day before we left, we met a christian missions group from Arizona who are serving in Nepal for two weeks, got invited into a Nepali Hindu's house for tea and dinner and met a Christian worker for "Word Made Flesh" working here in Kathmandu - God is working in all corners of the world and we are getting a taste of it...

Then, while trekking we teamed up with another newlywed couple from Germany...looking back it is a little sad that we didn't use more of our trekking time for just the two of us, but we did make two new friends in Germany and it was comforting for me to face the unknown with two other foreigners!! We also had some interesting conversations about faith, life in US vs Europe and lots and lots of laughs...We also made quite a few connections with local people along the way - it really was a wonderful time - thanks for all your prayers, we're flying to Calcutta tomorrow afternoon, I'm nervous. Kathmandu, Nepal is so fun and I'm nervous to go back to India...but I think I'm a bit more prepared this time....Keep the prayers coming, Asia is much, much more than I bargained for...but I like it:)

Video - Into India

Footage of our journey from NYC to Delhi.



If you're getting this by email and the video doesn't show... go to the blog - www.tunacheeks.blogspot.com to watch.

One week since we left the states and I find myself overwhelmed! So much to take in, so many emotions, so many fears, so many sights and smells. From driving by cows, trash and people on the streets our first night in Delhi, to connecting with the Stolzfus's, a wonderful Mennonite family from Lancaster, and getting their perspective of life in India, to worshiping in a Christian church in the language of Hindi, to an overnight train ride with 2 Indian men snoring above us, to cramming 15 people in a jeep for a 2 hour ride to the border to cross into Nepal...and I'm not left with a feeling of, after this we can handle anything, I'm left with the feeling, Oh dear, what adventure will come next!

I'm left assured that there will be continued adventures. I'm sure I will feel many more emotions in the days to come including stomach issues and fear but also a complete sense of wonder at this great big world God has created, a sense of wonder at how people live so much differently than me, with much less, yet they survive from day to day...And a continued desire for the comfort I am accustomed to. We leave for a 7 day trek tomorrow where comfort will be limited and people will be different. And I'm excited for this next adventure, scared and nervous, but confident God will continue to move....

I could write more and I will at some point, but for now I ask for continued prayers as we explore this side of the world.

New Delhi - shocking

Well, here we are in Delhi, India. Coming in from the plane was quite an adventure. Here's something I wrote in an email to my parents:

_____________

Hey guys, you're welcome. It's been fun and a bit shocking. Our first night was something that we won't forget. We'll tell you about it in person. Not particularly dangerous, just discomforting. Got in late, drove past a bunch of cows, walked past a bunch of homeless people, had a misunderstanding with our cab driver and then tried to sleep in a jail cell-type room at 5am. Again, I don't sense we were in any real danger, it's just that it was a great contrast from the nice 747 that we came from.
________________

It has been an adventure thus far. Tomorrow evening we'll head to Kathmandu, Nepal by land which I think will be a 30 hour trip if all goes well. After we get there, we'll start trekking and so will be out of contact for as much as a week.

Thoughts of late:
Ghandi - amazing. Born and raised high caste but rejected that and spent lots of time among the low caste poor. Exceptional. I continue to be reminded that it's through rejection of self-service that and love of others that we bring good.

From Ghandi

I've also been thinking about Hinduism. There are many gods. And there is great divinity among the people to their gods (far more discipline that western religious folks). Somehow I'm reminded of a human system though. I'm reminded of the stories of the old testament. And the way of Jesus brings freedom! That continues to strike me.

Another thought: travel (difference) is bringing out the things in me and Cheeks that we need to deal with. You know, those things in each of us that are underdeveloped or are unhelpful. Well, nothing like a lot of difference (which seems to act like a mirror) to surface those things.

Time for bed here, but another thought from Ghandi first:

From Ghandi

Sleeping but restless

Wow, here we are. Hong Kong International Airport. We’re hanging out and I’m waking up for the 9th time in 30 hours. I still haven’t slept much but I’ve been sleeping frequently. Hopefully this whack sleep schedule will turn out to be a good thing by the time we wake up in Delhi tomorrow late morning.

From Hong Kong Airport

I’ve had some interesting feelings and thoughts thus far. One thing I’ve been noticing is that I’m not all that excited to be uncomfortable. I remember my uncle Will questioning why we would want to go to India. Suddenly that is becoming more real… his concern of discomfort. I’m reminded of this issue of wealth and how Jesus talks about it. Brian McLaren follows up on that topic in his recent book Everything Must Change. His idea is that as folks accumulate wealth there becomes a need to protect that wealth. And it’s not just wealth but the lifestyle that we live. The hot shower every morning, the ability to purchase anything we want at any time from anywhere in the world and even the comfortable, warm bed we sleep in every night. Starting this journey off on our friend Renee’s floor seemed fitting. And the anxiety started to build – I’m going to be uncomfortable! I’m becoming OK with that but am surprised how strongly I don’t want to be uncomfortable.

And then I was talking to the guy beside me on the plane. We talked about the recent debate and his analysis of what is happening in America rung true to me. He talked about the various ways people are manipulated, particularly religious groups and politicians. He talked about really wanting Obama as president and being scared that it would not be so because of hidden racism. I admit I am fearful that something like what happened four years ago will come again. I remember hearing that the George W. Bush administration was going to serve another 4 years and feeling crushed. Crushed because of what our global neighbors would think. At that time, I didn’t see that administrations failing economic policy that has no doubt not helped our current crisis. Generally upset with legislation like No Child Left Behind and a war that seemed primarily about economic stimulus and oil, I just can’t bear to have more of the same. What impact will it have on our brothers and sisters around the world?

What struck me about my conversation with this guy on the plane was his analysis and wisdom. I found myself wondering what he was doing with his knowledge and wisdom. He reminded me of Solomon – in fact, my plane buddy said, in different words, there is nothing new under the sun. Clearly God’s spirit was alive in this man, but it wasn’t clear to me that he was moving along with the spirit.

Lord, help us move with your spirit. Forgive our doubts.


And if you're getting this by email and didn't see the video in the most recent past post, go to the blog itself to view it.

Travel to JFK

Well, the time has come. From packing up the office and house to a long car ride to NYC including a presidential debate (seriously, we have got to talk about how our candidates debate... it seems to be a game show of sorts in which the winner is the one who avoids the most questions), we're off. We're in transit.

Some of our time packing and getting to NYC:

Why Asia?

I recently wrote to a friend in an email...

As for Asia – we’re going to spend a week trekking in the Himilayas, about two and a half weeks connecting with various Christians in India (northeast primarily) and three weeks with Mennonites in Indonesia. The time in Indonesia is primarily to catch up with Amber’s brother. If I were to sum up the trip I would state three purposes:
1) To kick this recent marriage to Amber off with a big celebration
2) To get a break from camp, hoping to come at a capital campaign renewed and with focus
3) To see how God is moving in the East

Asian Itinerary

08 Oct. NYC to Hong Kong
09 Oct. Hong Kong to New Delhi
Arrive in New Delhi 10 Oct., 2am

While in India we plan to:
- Travel to Nepal and trek in the Himalayas
- Spend time in Calcutta, home of Mother Theresa
- Visit Varanasi, home of all sorts of ancient religion including the burning Ghats
- Visit Agra, home of the Taj Mahal
- Begin to understand the immense diversity that exists in this subcontinent that hosts a sixth
of the worlds population
- Begin to experience what God is doing here and how we are connected to that.

05 Nov. New Delhi to Hong Kong
05 Nov. Hong Kong to Jakarta
Arrive in Indonesia 05 Nov. at 8pm

While in Indonesia we plan to:
- Travel across the island of Java to Surabaya, where Troy lives
- Spend a lot of time with Amber's brother, Troy (we miss him)
- Connect with Mennonites there
- Again, seek to experience and understand how God is moving and how we are involved
- Get some relaxation


27 Nov. Surabaya to Hong Kong
Arrive in China, 27 Nov. at 1:55pm

While in Hong Kong we plan to SHOP :)

01 Dec. Hong Kong to NYC
Arrive home in the USA 01 Dec. 12:10pm

Perhaps we'll spend the night in NYC before making the trek back to the Green Mountains

Wedding Photos - Round 1

Thanks to the artistic talents of Renee Glick and the professional photography resources of Conrad Erb we have a couple of pics available to view at the following links - the first link connects you to black and white photos and the 2nd link takes you to colorful shots of the day:

1. black and white
2. color
3. From uncle Harold

We also have a plethora of photos to sort through from our photographer Gerry Moore, the best of those will be posted soon. Stay Tuned.

Life after Summer...

Camp is over! It's bittersweet. A sweet staff, fun campers, people on and off the hill all summer long! It was a great summer - lots of kids being loved on by a talented, excited group of staff. Let us know if you're intersted in more specific stories. So we're sad to see it go, but glad to be able to breathe again...sort of. There is still plenty to do around camp to clean up from summer, host rentals and tie up loose ends before we leave in October. We also have a long to do list in our own lives as we haven't spent much time on that since summer started - including many wedding tasks - including sharing some of that day with any of you who are interested. Stay tuned for more pictures being posted. Video footage and ongoing updates as we prepare to head to the other side of the world in October...

Video: Bear

Check this out - a bear in our dumpster!

Wedding Shower Pictures

Check it out - pix from our recent wedding shower thrown by church.

No posts?!

Pretty Lame, huh? No posts. Here's the thing. Amber and I just love to live. We were both born with a ton of energy. So, here we are in the middle of a lot of stuff and finding blog posts relatively low on the list.

Here's the other thing. I'm running a non-profit that has doubled in revenue in the last two years. We're taking on a whole host of new stuff at camp and I just keep putting in big days to make it all work. Amber is working 50 - 60 hours/week and lives an hour from me. With all the commuting that she does and the time I spend in the car just going to see her, trying to make a significant impact within our work places and spending time together, there isn't much other time.

So, there you have it. That's why when you visit our wedding website there doesn't seem to be much change or when you click over to here, there isn't much info.

If you want to see an interesting site, go to the non-profit I mentioned - Bethany Birches Camp.

Hey, once we're living together and beyond this stage of in between, we'll keep you posted. Until then, know that we're doing well, loving life and following Jesus' lead. Keep us in your prayers.