New Zealand speaks for itself

India - what we've been doing

12:30am, our plane arrives and we take our first breath of Indian air. It isn't until 2am that we arrive at the place that we will be staying the next 3 nights. 7am, we arise - so as not to miss breakfast. Breakfast is some kind of spicy Indian chili curry poured over a kind of pancake - friends... we have arrived in India. The next few days are spent finding our feet and being briefed on the ministry we will be partnering with in the weeks to come.

On our third day in India, we board a plane for Pune, India. On arrival we are taken to the home of the family we will be staying with. Pastor Ilangovan, his wife Ruby and their 2 children, Joshua and Daniel. Present in the home also is Sanju, who has been with us ever since our arrival as a connector to all the ministry happenings in the near-by slums. Sanju himself lives in the slum area with his family... he is amazing.

Since our arrival in Pune, our role has mostly been shadowing Sanju while getting to witness the amazing work God is doing here. Our days have been consumed with walking through the slums - the heart and focus of the work here. While in the slums we've been visiting homes where families welcome us with huge hearts and a cup of tea or even a meal. There we spend time hearing about the family and then join together with them in prayer for their families. We've also had the chance to attend several prayer/fasting/worship gatherings. The worship is so full of life and deep from the heart. The prayer is real and powerful. We have visited homes that host children's ministries - kids singing songs with laughter and glee, storoes being told and biscuits handed out. On Sunday was church - 100 or so people longing to enter in with the Lord.

All along the way, we have been asked and invited to join in the ministry takingplace. At the prayer meetings, we are asked to shaer a word from Scripture after having all worshipped together. At the children's ministry we're asked to shaer a story and hand out food as we interact with the kids. On Sunday, I was even asked to give the sermon. In the homes we visit, we are asked to pray for the familes. It has been a joy to be alongside the people here and enter into what God is doing through His faithful ones. Thank you, Lord, for India.

Aside from being in the slums, I have thoroughly enjoyed learning the game of cricket. Several times now the guys have taken a few hours out of their day to play cricket. It is a wonderful game. Confusing at first, but easily understood after a while. It is a very fair game also, in that you don't switch from offense to defense until everyone has had a turn to bat.

The presence of God. More than life itself?

Rev. Dr. Louie Angone once told me if you want to see God's kingdom in all it's granduer go out and get your passport. I haven't reflected much on this exact thought since beginning this journey, however it was heavy on my heart this morning as I thought back over the past few days in India and how alive the Kingdom is here. Our time here thus far has been a mix of emotions. It's been hard and frustrating, while in the next moment amazing and life-giving. The hard and frustrating part is Tina and I are on culture overload. We have been in many extremes of cultures, all one right after the other. To add to this, our bodies and souls are beginning to feel the effects of having no place to call home. Yet, there is LIFE!

I've especially been encouraged and rejuvinated as we've been the shawdow of 19-year old Sanju since our arrival. Sanju lives in a slum in Pune, India. However, the past few days he has been staying in the same home we are (Pastor Ilangovan's house), while the mother of the house is away at a women's event. Sanju has been there mostly to help out with the kids but has also served as or connector for everything going on in the nearby slums.

A question I've begun asking myself recently is, "Do I want God's presence today more than life itself? Do I want his presence more than sleep, a morning cup of coffee, being on time to a meeting--more than life itself?" As I've observed Sanju and been a part of his routine for the past few days, the way he lives his life answers this question with a resounding YES! Every morning in the slums there is a prayer and worship gathering of men. Our first night in Pune, Sanju invited me to join him at this gathering the following morning. In order to arrive on time we had to leave the place we were staying at 4:45AM. Sanju, knowing in his heart he wouldn't make it through his day without the presence of God, wakes up at 3AM to sit with the Lord and read Scripture before beginning his day. When was the last time I did this? Probably never. Everywhere I look here in India I see people who live their lives this way... desperately longing for more of His presence. Those early morning prayer meetings with the men happen EVERY DAY, and is full of young men whose heart is exactly this. THey meet for at least 2 hours every morning to shout praises to their King. Many of them work, so the option is to get up early and invite the Lord's presence, or sleep and miss out. In this early morning meeting, these men aren't timid in their praise. There's no concern of waking up the entire neighborhood with loud joyous sounds - in fact it seemed at times that they were hoping the whole neighborhood would wake up to them declaring praises to Jesus. And then, after a long time of worship... they pray. And boy do they pray! These are not soft spoken prayers, but loud hungry prayers... wrestling with the Father and proclaiming His promises in their lives - prayers they believed! These men want the presence of God.

Being wth Pastor Ilangovan has been equally rich. When some down time comes around, this time isn't wasted (in the sense that I often waste time with T.V. or other soul draining activities). Instead what I've witnessed is Pastor Ilangovan making the most of every opportunity to call a few people close by to come over for prayer. My heart again was gripped yesterday as two sales people came to the house selling mobile SIM cards. They left having been covered in prayer and given a Bible. One of the men even came back a few minutes after leaving to share more about his brokenness in greater detail and asked for more prayer. WIthout Ilangovan first having the presence of God, these kinds of things would never happen. But because he is living every day inviting God's presence, God is more than delighted to bring times like this about in Ilangovan's life.

Louie Angone is right... get your passport, and you will see God's Kingdom in new and fresh ways.

Israel, a parting word.

We are currently a week into our time in India. Before moving on to what we have been living and experiencing here I believe Israel deserves a few more words. After a few days of touring around Jerusalem we were able to connect with a group of college students from America. All the students were from the Christian college coalition (Westmont, Gordon, Seattle Pacific, Wheaton etc...). However there were none from Westmont. This group was spending a semester studying in Cairo Egypt and was at the time traveling around the Middle East for a few weeks as part of their program. Two days of our time in Israel were spent with this group. It is because of them we were able to go to Galilee, eat dinner in Nazareth and swim in the Dead Sea. Of notable mention is the man who was working for the program in some student life coordinator type roll. It was a small world connection. Steve Beyers (sorry Steve if I spelled that wrong) a graduate of Gordon College brother of Chris Beyers. The significance here is the summer I lived on the east coast and feel in love with my wife it was Chris's house I stayed, his room in fact, while he was away for the summer working at Noah's Ark in Colorado. Crazy. The two photos here are of Tina and me at the Dead Sea. I am floating, without any effort while Tina is rubbing on her skin the mud that supposedly does wonders.

Our final night in Israel was spent having dinner with Matt and Rebekah Pine. Rebekah is a graduate of Westmont, however while at Westmont the two have us had probably shared fewer than 10 words. Regardless, our time with them was a gift. Matt and Rebekah have recently been married and made the choice to set their first year of marriage apart--simply to be with each other and Lord. They are doing this while living in Jerusalem. They aren't doing ministry, they aren't working. Just them and the Lord. It was encouraging to see this as this is a huge piece of the trip Tina and I are currently on-- a time for Tina and me to cleave and grow in unity and in the Lord. Our dinner with the Pine's was spent with Spirit filled, buzzing conversation. I know Tina and I left feeling encouraged to press in even more to the time we have left on this journey before we come home.

The Holy Land

Where to begin...it's not that being here makes you more holy, or God love you more, or makes you a better follower of Jesus. However, both Tina and I agree there is something wonderful and beautiful in the air as we walk the streets and take in the environment. This is a holy place. Everything I've read in the Bible, New Testament and Old, has some connection to the places we have been visiting. The prophesies of Ezekiel that speak of the New Jerusalem, Jesus' life and ministry--his healings, the Israelites entering the land flowing with milk and honey, the establishment and growth of the early Church, David's kingdom...all of these point back to this place. It's hard to capture all the feelings and thoughts we've had, the emotions that have filled our hearts. I'll allow the pictures I've posted to tell the story.

...The first picture is the sun beginning to go down in the mid-afternoon over the Sea of Galilee. The photo was taken standing on the mountain where the Sermon on the Mount was most likely given. Go and read the sermon (Matthew 5-7) and look at this picture, imagining this was what Jesus was seeing in the background as his eyes scanned the crowd bellow. Hold onto that feeling inside you and you'll have an idea of what it felt like for us to be there.


The next photo is also the sea of Galilee. Our hearts were gripped as we looked out across this sea, the place where Jesus walked on water, the place where some innocent fishermen were first called to come and join in on the greatest adventure of their life--Jesus was in this place!!! Wow.

The next two photos are of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. The first one with the sun going down in the west is a view of the Temple Mount stading on the Mount of Olives. The large platform with on which the golden domed building is standing is the Temple Mount. For the most part the Temple Mount is as it was in Jesus' day--it's massive (about 30+ some acres), very impressive. The biggest difference is in Jesus' day there would have been a Jewish temple in the middle rather than the golden Mosque that is there today. The Mosque was built there many hundreds of years ago (I think in the 7th century). Since then the Muslims have laid claims to the entire Temple Mount.
For the next picture of the Temple I ask you to go and read Ezekiel 43. The gate in this photo is the east gate of the Temple Mount, if it wasn't blocked you could enter through this gate to get to the Temple. As you can see though earth as well as a Muslim cemetery is partial blocking the east gate. Ezekiel tells us when the Lord comes to establish his throne forever he will enter through the gate facing east. The Muslims have put this cemetery here on purpose. Hebrews tells us that Jesus is in the order of the High Priest, Melchizedek. A High Priest would be forbidden to walk through a cemetery, as it would make him unclean. I'm pretty sure this won't stop the second coming of our Lord to establish his throne for eternity.

This next picture with the dove in the window is taken near the temple steps. Go and read Acts 2. It is argued that the temple steps upon which we were standing when this photo was shot was the location of the Pentecost. The reason being this is one of the few places where the masses could be addressed in Acts 2:14ff. Also, when 3,000 came to the Lord, the temple was the only place capable of baptizing that many people (due to the dozens and dozens of ritual purity pools already present). So, this dove was sitting on a window where 2000 years ago the Holy Spirit was poured out on the first believers. Pretty powerful.

Go Sponsor a Child!

JAMBO! We spent the past week on the East coast of Kenya. Our plans had to be delayed slightly, when the night before we were supposed to leave, we both woke up at the same time in the middle of the night to start puking! We got a bad case of food poisening, which resulted in me having to get a needle jabbed in my thigh (Cole's illness mysteriously disappeared when he thought about having to have a shot!) :0)

We travelled first to Watamu, where we spent a few nights at a Christian conservation community called A Rocha, which is right on the beach. It was a cool community where everyone (staff, volunteers and visitors) shares meals together and also contributes to washing dishes and cleaning up together. We met some fun people and also some HUGE spiders! The picture above is of a sunrise on the beach that we woke up to see. It was beautiful. We sat in the quiet of the morning, with only the crabs and the birds awake to keep us company, and read Psalm 19 as the sun came up.

While staying at A Rocha, we were able to visit a Christian-based organization that a friend from college, Andy Bauer, has been a part. Andy's sister began Kupenda (Swahili for "to love") for the Children to help meet the needs of disabled children in Kenya. Through this organization, many children have been given sponsors so that they can attend special schools that meet their needs. Kupenda pays for the school and boarding fees of these children, constructs special needs facilities, staffs qualified teachers and therapists, provides school supplies and medical equipment (wheelchairs, artificicial limbs, etc), funds corrective surgery, and educates communities (and parents) on the value of disabled children. . It was beautiful for us to see what one woman with a heart for disabled children has been able to accomplish. We went to visit the school where the majority of the sponsored children go and had the chance to meet some of these beautiful children. I think that the coolest thing was to see how much of a family they are. The deaf children were helping to push around the physically handicapped ones in their chairs, while the physically handicapped children have learned sign language so that they can communicate with their deaf classmates. What a beautiful picture of unity!

We were also able to talk with some teachers and the principal about the needs of this particular school. While Kupenda has accomplished much in order to give these children a hope and a future, there is still much to be done. Right now, there are limited classrooms, so that three grades have to meet in the same room to learn. The director of Kupenda in Kenya told me that while sponsors are always needed, even more important is money for building so that there will be enough classrooms and dorms to accomodate the children. Would you consider looking at the Kupenda website and seeing how you can get involved? Any little bit helps. We saw a partly constructed classroom that needs more money in order to be completed. And it only costs about $150 a year to sponsor one of these children to go to school for an entire year. I've attached the website as a link at the bottom of our home page... check it out!


After leaving Watamu, we travelled for a few days to Lamu, which is an island that is a very strict Muslim community. We happened to be there over the weekend of their cultural festival, so there was a lot going on... boat races, swimming races, donkey races, traditional dances, etc. You can walk between different parts of the island, but only during low tide, otherwise you have to catch a ride on a boat. We had fun walking around and exploring all the narrow (and confusing) alleyways of this unique community, and it really did feel like a different world. Being in such a strictly Muslim community was strange... we were awoken early each morning by the call to prayer, and everywhere we went we were surrounded by the women in their full coverings. It sparked some good conversations between us about how we are to be a light and a blessing in such communities. And what we can learn from seeing the devotion of a people.

Our favorite day in Lamu, we took a dhow trip. This was a small sailboat that took us out for the day for some good old fashioned fishing. We had no poles... just fishing line wrapped around a small piece of wood, so when you caught a fish you just had to quickly pull in the line with your hands (and get some major line burns on your hands in the process!) Cole caught one fish, then got seasick. :0( I then caught three more, and our captains caught about 6. We then stopped at a neighboring island for a few hours, to swim and to bar-b-que our catch on the beach. It was delicious!

We are leaving Kenya in 4 days, and will be heading on to Israel! We'll post again when we can!

Orphans, Baboons, and Ants in my Pants!

The past 2 weeks in Kenya have really been a whirlwind... but incredible. It is hard not to fall in love with Africa! Last week we spent a night at a children's home that is located in the slum area outside of Nairobi. The home housed 17 school-aged children, whose parents have died of AIDS. Instead of trying to recount our experience there, I will just copy a piece of my journal from those days...

As I sit here outside, within the gates of the Kware Care Center, I find it hard to put into words the things that I have seen over the past few days. There are so many sounds! I hear birds singing, roosters crowing, goats bleating, a small child outside the wall that has been screaming nonstop for what seems like forever... it is a desperate cry. I hear the chicken in the coop crying (it really does sound like crying!) because his friend has been lying dead in the coop with him for days, and no one has gotten around to removing it yet. I can smell the occasional wafted over smell from the choo (the outhouse, which is just a hole in the ground to squat over). And next to me, journalling herself, is June... a 68 year old woman with a miraculous story. Just a few years ago, after the death of her husband, she was sitting in a nursing home in the UK with a bad hip and failing eyesight. Then God healed her and set her free in order to call her to minister in Kenya. She owns nothing, gets paid nothing, lives in this place in the middle of a slum village, caring for 17 children who are not her own, far from her own country... and yet SO grateful for what the Lord has done in her life. It is humbling really. Could I be so faithful if the Lord called me?

We went out into the village these past few days, walking around, seeing the area, visiting families of children who are involved in Kware's education sponsorship program to see how they are doing. It is hard to believe that people live the way they do. Small, one room shacks made out of scraps of tin and dirt floors, with families of 6 or more living inside. We visited a family where the mother was raising her own three children, plus a small grandchild, in a shack like this... no electricity, surrounded by garbage. The moter had a horrible cough, which June suspected was TB, but she had no desire or option to even get it checked out.

The children at the home are beautiful, smart, creative children. It is sad to think that they have been through more hardships and sorrow than I will probably ever experience in my whole life. And still, at the end of the day, they stand around the dinner table as one big family, clapping and singing praises to our great God, who has a home prepared for them and who has adopted them as His own.
(for more information about this ministry or how to get involved in what they do, I will post a link at the bottom of our blog site to their webpage)


After returning from the orphanage, we left to go to Kijabe for the weekend, which is in the Rift Valley. We stayed at Rift Valley Academy, which is a boarding school for missionary children, and got to see the very cool ministry that goes on there. The Kinzer family, who we now consider dear friends, were wonderful to take good care of us, show us around and allow us to be a part of a great family for a weekend. Cole even got to play pick up rugby with the guys on Sunday afternoon (and has been sore ever since!) We continue to have funny encounters with animals and insects on this trip. While going for a walk around the perimeter of campus one day, Cole and I got chased by a baboon! Luckily the Kinzers dog, Max, was with us and scared it off. Also, while picking berries, Caroline found a big pile of "pinching ants", that she showed me. As I was standing a few feet away looking at them, I suddenly felt a sharp pinch on the back of my thigh. I look down to find that there are black ants covering my shoes and the bottom of my pants and were crawling up inside my pants! It was all I could do from stripping them off in the front yard! I am sure I made a funny sight, running to the house, shrieking and stripping off my pants all at once! :0)

Finally, we caved in and went on a safari these past few days in the Masai Mara, which is apparently the best national park in Kenya (it is where the movie "Out of Africa" was filmed). It was amazing to see all of those animals in their natural environments... I don't think we will ever be able to go to a zoo again.

Overall, Kenya has been one of the best experiences of my life. I do have some sad news to report, though. My grandpa George passed away a few days ago. It is very sad for me to not be able to grieve with the rest of my family and to attend the services to receive closure. But it is a joy to know that he is no longer in pain and is with the Lord, and with my grandma. Please pray for Cole and I, that we would know how to grieve this loss in a healthy way. Asante Sana (thank you very much in Swahili) for your prayers and support.