Clinton White - Ministry Happens on the World Race 2007

World's Quickest ...or Shortest Update

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I am in Eastern Europe...woohoo! Call it a "Personal Vision Trip". I Just finished a week of ministry in Greece and I'm on my way to Kosovo later this week...to be followed by trips to Ukraine, Romania, Moldova and hopefully Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia on the way back. I am blogging at www.ministryhappens.blogspot.com and I'd love for you to follow along.

In addition to just checking things out on my own, I'm also "unofficially" keeping an eye out for ministry partners for future World Racers.

Merry Christmas from Mississippi

Sat, 22 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Having a Merry, Muddy, Mississippi Christmas!

To all the January 07 Racers- I hope you have an amazing Christmas at home with your family and friends. I wanted to attach a wreath to my front bumper and wear a Santa hat but didn't feel like making that extra trip to Walmart.

To the June & September Racers- I laughed and cried watching your video. I miss you all. No matter what else is true about this Christmas it will undoubtedly be one of your most memorable ever so savor it fully. And June Racers...I'm trying hard to get to see ya'll again : )

Introducing . . .my new blogsite

Wed, 19 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT

That's right folks...don't know what the statute of limitations is for using the ole World Race Blog for us former racers so I launched a blogspot tonight.

You can get there at http://ministryhappens.blogspot.com

I don't know if it will ever be as good as The World Race website but it is what it is.

I do have one more World Race Blog to publish though...this coming weekend! Be on the lookout for my Christmas Card to everyone!

Blessings

Touchdown, but Heartbroken.

Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Finally found internet access in NYC.

After safely arriving in LA I was flagged for a complete search by Customs that took more than an hour. I had no idea and the Officer that went with me to gather my luggage did not indicate that it would take more than a few minutes. I fully expected to be able to walk past Customs and be with everyone for the final goodbyes. Needless to say I was heartbroken and disappointed and melancholy the rest of the night as I flew to Charlotte and then to NYC. I would have cried all the way except for the fact that I was just too dumbfounded...I just kept shaking my head all the way. I can't believe I missed it. After spending this entire year with the Team to not be able to give those last hugs and goodbyes is unfathomable. (Bri...I sat next to you all night long on the way home and intentionally put-off saying goodbye because I knew I'd do so at the airport...little did I know!)

Apparently the "Flag" was semi-random. I don't know what that means. I have a form I can send to the "govt." to get some disclosure on why I was flagged but it seems like a mid-age guy like myself returning home from SE Asia with a lot (relatively speaking) of electronics (Computer, lots of SD Cards, camera and 2 hard drives) fits a profile of sorts. I also learned it's not kosher to bring back clearly fake rolex's and you have to be careful about bringing "rocks, etc" back too. They let me through though and I saw no one except Stephanie before having to catch my connecting flight.

I made it NYC without further incident and my lovely niece was waiting for me at the airport. So far we have seen the WTC site, rode the Staten Island Ferry, been to the top of the Empire State Building, and I ate a hotdog. After our internet time we are headed into ChinaTown and Little Italy and tonight we are seeing Pygmalion (My Fair Lady) and doing the Macy's Parade tomorrow.

We fly home Friday morning and will land in Jackson at 5:30 PM.

To The Team: I'm so glad we exchanged letters before we left Hong Kong. Thank you so much for them- they are my goodbye. I loved The World Race this year mostly because of YOU. The ministry was awesome. At times the whole thing was frustrating. We certainly had fun and adventure. We learned that living in community might be the hardest thing to do in the world but I bet all of us will suffer from the lack of it in these next few weeks. You are my friends and my kids. I love you and admire you. Thank you for giving a year of your life and letting me be a part of it.

The Great Wall of China

Sun, 18 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

One of our last official activities as World Racers before Final Debrief was to tour The Great Wall of China near the capital of Beijing. Getting there from our last ministry location involved a 2 hour bus ride and a 32 hour-double overnight-train ride! Our hostel in Beijing (site of the 2008 Summer Olympics) was only about 5 blocks from famous Tiananmen Square.

Here I am at Tiananmen Square before touring The Forbidden City our second day in Beijing. I should also mention that Jake and Spano and I enjoyed some incredible Tex-Mex the day before and TGI Friday's that night.

There is a large portion of The Great Wall near Beijing that has been restored and it is packed shoulder to shoulder with tourist. There's a cable-car to the top and a Starbucks at the bottom. We didn't go there! We went to the "secret-hidden wall" where we climbed up the mountain and then we were the ONLY ones hiking on the "as-is, original condition Great Wall of China!" for 2 miles or more. At the end of the hike we came back down the mountain to a small village where an awesome 6 course lunch was prepared for us. The Great Wall exceeded all of our expectations! It is a phenomenal testament to man's ingenuity and drive.

Looking Westward

Looking Eastward

Looking Upward!

Jimmy and Me and Chad (Check out the mountains in the background!)

Me and Tana

It looks like a toy village from up on The Wall

Candice and Briellyn

While we were in Beijing we discovered a tailor right around the corner from our hostel that specialized in Silk and Cashmere. Alyssa had this dress made and I had this Sport Coat made! Don't I look spiffy with my camp trousers, Jeep cap and tailor-made Cashmere Sport Coat.

Biking & Hiking in China after my Birthday

Sat, 17 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A little video from the day after my birthday

Here's Ya Sign

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs. Some of these are self-explanatory; some are not! Enjoy.

Couldn't Resist

Saw this one a lot; apparently there aren't too many tall attorneys in the rest of the world.

Love this one from a Mexican swimming hole.

Same swimming hole further upstream near the dangerous waterfall!

From the window of a train in Chinajust as we were going along a river canyon.

You don't want to see a sign advertising Severe Hemorrhagic Dengue Fever, not in Cambodianot anywhere!

If there were burn marks around those holes in the sign I would have been really worried!

Yes sir, they use real, live grass in China National Parks.

Saw this sign on two trees in the National ParkI still don't get it.

What made this one funny was the historical marker next to it espousing the medicinal benefits of this particular natural spring and encouraging visitors to drink freely from it.

I don't care how germ-free the air is; if you breathe deeply 15 times you might pass out!

Just in case there's any confusion.

Spano couldn't resist.

Is this No Honking or No Tuba's?

Best Street Name Ever?

Seeing this sticker on a car will make you take notice!

Unless it's on this car!

BK in Guatemala- So Good It Needs an Armed Guard

Sign outside a Swaziland Restaurant.

Nuff Said

Couldn't learn the story behind this name but it sure caught our attention in China.

Probably my favorite sign of the bunchfrom the Bayou View Baptist Church Going Away Party last year.

It's a Jeep Thing; You Wouldn't Understand (Well, SMJC would!)

Fri, 16 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

There have been times during this whirlwind race around the world that I (along with every other racer) have latched onto anything remotely familiar and "homey". Seeing a Jeep (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) was one of those things and since a camera was rarely far away, here they are for your viewing pleasure:

This little Willy's just about got away from me in Antigua, Guatemala.

Here's a CJ-7 in Antigua

Another Willy's in AntiguaHow bout those sweet wheels!!

Honestly, I thought it was a CJ-7, then I got distracted by the driver, then I realized it was a Korando (built by Ssangyong in Korea I think).

Kids were playing with this Jeep inspired erector toy on sand dunes in Peru.

It's a Jeep and it was way cool- spotted at the border crossing between South Africa and Swaziland.

CJ-7? CJ-8? At the Airport Parking Garage in Bangkok, Thailand.

Another Willy's- this one in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

No Clue- parked outside a Govt. Office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

This is a Chinese manufactured SUV. I saw a dozen varieties included a topless model with a sexy "S" curve like a CJ5. I also saw a fully outfitted military model, but one is wise to be discreet in taking pics of military hardware in China- I thought it prudent to leave my camera in my pocket!

I saw a number of Cherokee's in China.

OK, it's obviously not a jeep. I don't know whether to call it a truck or a tractor but there were a lot of them in China and I'd love to drive one down a street!

After 40,000+ miles of travel by boats, planes, trains, busses, cars, mopeds, ATV's, tuk-tuks, kombis, subways, cable cars, elephants, horses, camels and my own two legs . . . this is what awaits my return in another week or so (and yes, I still have the '81 CJ5 and I might even miss it more than I do the Wrangler!)

A Walk in the Park

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

During part of our time in China we worked with college students as part of a cultural exchange program. We attended classes in the mornings, just like real students, only without homework and tests!! We took classes like "Paper Cutting", "Calligraphy", "Folk Music", "Tea Making", etc. Yeah, it was a tough schedule!

Our part of the "exchange" was to man English Corners every afternoon. English Corner is just a big two hour time to mingle with Foreign Language (English) students so they can practice conversational English with native speakers (us).

It just so happened that the University we were attending is close to one of China's many National Forest Parks. For those of you that know me well, you know there's no other geographical place I'd rather be than in the mountains, preferably with trees and rocks and clear mountain streams. Our Chinese student friends graciously agreed to be our guides to a Park about an hour away from where we were living.

I have listened often to Ben Stuart's podcasts this year. Ben is the weekly worship speaker at Breakaway- a college student ministry at Texas A & M. Earlier this year, in relation to Genesis and the creation narrative he stated that if we want to know about an Artist, then we look at the Art. Wow! Our God is a Great Artist. He is Majestic and Awesome. Just look and see.

me and my friend "cindy".

Some Thoughts About Food

Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Here are some random thoughts about food for when I return to the US of A. If your name isn't in parenthesis, then feel free to sign-up or suggest something.

I will spend a few days in NYC with my niece before going home. We'll eat a lot of fast food, possibly a huge street vendor hot dog, a NY Style Pizza and something fancy, somewhere fancy (Brit,pack a dress!)

Friday, Nov. 23- Return home just in time for Thanksgiving leftovers. At some point during that weekend I want Roast Beef and all the fixins (Momma), I want Chili (just buy the stuff and I'll make it), I want Sausage Balls and Chocolate Fudge (Momma again).

Saturday, Nov. 24- Fried Eggs over hard with crispy bacon (or sausage from that place in Amory), biscuits and gravy (Mae and Momma).

A few days later- maybe Monday, the 26^th- Supposedly there's a new sandwich deli in Clinton (Marissa, Emily or Amy). McAllister's will suffice. In fact, it's a must at some point.

Anything Stik wants to cook or go eat- just ready to see him again.

Thursday or Friday- Copeland's with my USM girls and guysor maybe just Starbucksor maybe Chic Fil A. It's really the kids I want to see.

The first weekend of December- return to Bayou View- Catfish at Shaw's or Catfish Charlie's (Jenna, et.al.), Steak and 3-Cheese Shrimp Dip at O'Charley's (Victoria), Anything smoked by Michael Gilreath, Shrimp Po Boy at Lil' Ray's.

Not long after that in Alabama- Moe's in Opelika/Auburn (Haley, et.al.), PF Chang's at The Summit (the rest of The Trammel's), Anything (Shannon and Patrick).

Thursday, Dec. 13- Basketball Game at MSU and Little Dooey's or Obey's (Jency, Tyler and my MSU Kids).

Dec. 15-MSU vs. South Alabama Basketball Game & Brick Pit in Mobile (Mary).

After the 15^th- Back in Gulfport when school is outSunrise Sampler Breakfast at Cracker Barrel and a late night run to Waffle House!

End of December- Tailgating Food at whatever BOWL Game Mississippi State Plays in!!!

So Different in So Many Ways

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

It is difficult to itemize all of my preconceptions regarding China and Communism. I won't even try. Suffice to say that what I have seen is vastly different from what I thought I would see.

I remember visiting Ukraine and seeing run-down Soviet era apartment complexes and other signs of crumbling infrastructure. I wondered if I would see much of the same in China. I did. And I did not. We were told during our China Briefing that everything we've heard about China was true and conversely, nothing we've heard about China is true. That paradox works because in a country where the population exceeds 1.3 Billion souls, everything you've heard IS true . . . somewhere.

On a whole I'd have to say that no place in the world matches the United States' overall level of development in terms of infrastructure and social systems. But in places, like China, there are pockets of development that far exceed anything I've ever seen back home.

I didn't expect a communist government to be concerned with culture and heritage. Yet in all of the cities I have visited there is seems to be great effort and resources expended to provide the populace with some of the most beautiful parks I have ever seen. Trees. Flowers. Gardens. Fountains. Immaculate landscaping. Statutes and Monuments. Reminders everywhere not so much of the more recent communist past but of the ancient heritage that Chinese people share.

Every morning in every park scores of elderly people gather to exercise. Some of them simply walk. Some of them do Tai Chi or Kung Fu.not the full-on fighting that we in the West associate with martial arts, but the slow, methodic discipline that more resembles a dance. And they dance too! Old couples, women with women and even men with men practice ball-room dancing on the wide sidewalks of the parks. No wonder Chinese people enjoy such long life spans.

The Paradox again. It is a place that is both full of life and a place that is devoid of life. Every city I visited teems with people. Walking thru one National Park was like walking in an American Mall the day after Thanksgiving! I see in the faces of these countless people a certain resignation. This is the only life they've ever known and so they live it. They enjoy their culture and their heritage, they enjoy their life-spans and a health-care system that probably isn't as bad as we make it out to be. Yet most of them have never heard of Jesus. They don't know the price He paid for them. It's not really LIFE they enjoy. It's a faade. A veneer.

From everything I've ever read or heard, I know the Church here is thriving like no other in the history of Christianity even though it is hidden from us. It is alive. It is growing exponentially. At some point I believe the number of Christians in China will reach a critical mass that will result in a majority of the populace choosing to follow Christ. That shift will result in wholesale policy changes for this great nation. Policy follows prophecy (preaching and speaking life). Nations have long feared the numerical strength of the Chinese. I say, the gates of hell should quiver before the numerical strength of Chinese Christians committed to completing the Great Commission. I have heard that Chinese Christians don't want us to pray against the persecution they experience. Persecution is the crucible in which their faith is refined. But I do pray for the day when this great nation becomes the greatest missionary incubator the world has ever known.

My World Race Birthday

Mon, 12 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Birthdays have evolved into all day, full-on celebrations on The World Race. I remember all the way back in January when we celebrated Candice and Chad and Josh and Jenny's Birthdays. I thought we had gone all out by finding a bakery in Palenque, Mexico and ordering enough cake for everyone.

I turned 43 on Nov. 1^st and my SALT friends treated me right! They woke me up with the Birthday song, gave me letters from most of Squad A and told me to pack my bags for a trip. A few hours later we were on a 5-hour cruise down river in a private speed-boat headed for a beautiful location further into the mountains. We passed slow boats full of tourist and local fisherman that use trained Cormorants to catch their fish for them. (Back in my Catfish Farming days we had US Fish & Wildlife Permits to kill Cormorants because they were eating too many Catfish!)

The SALT Girls (Morgan, Emilie, Candice and my former LO buddy, Annie)

Me with the SALT Guys Andrew and Spano

That evening we spent the night in a stunning little town that just blew me away with how touristy and developed it was. There were Westerners/Europeans everywhere and the menus in the local restaurants reflected it! We shopped till be dropped.

The next day we rented bikes to venture off the beaten path. We climbed and hiked and generally had one of the best 2 days of the whole year.

Angor Wat- Mighty Ruins

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This might possibly my worst "written" blog. The reason is because we went to the amazing Angkor Wat ancient temple ruins here in Cambodia at sunrise this morning . . .which most of you know is kind of early for me!

The other reason is because there are a number of temple ruins over a large area and they all have different names. I didn't have a guidebook with me so I can't recall the names . . .all I can say is that they were all very cool! Parts of the Tomb Raider movies were filmed here.

They all date back about 1000 years. There's a lot of uncertainty about their origins. They are probably Hindu originally but later commandeered by Buddhism. The rocks came from a quarry 30-40 miles away and I think all the structures combined were built over a 200-300 year period. Quite the public works program!

Enjoy the pics and excuse the lack of real historical commentary.

The main temple complex Angkor Wat just after sunrise

A shot down a hallway framing one of the temple spires

Pretty steep climb to the top at some of the ruins

My favorite temple site was overgrown in the jungle

One site featured over 200 of these "faces"       (just one of mine though!)

My tour buddies Annie & Tim emerging from a doorway in the jungle

Another travel buddy, Tana, at Angkor Wat

At the exit of each temple site these little "vendors" were selling their wares and they were pretty irresistable.

I met these two and their little friend inside another temple site

Me and Annie in the Tuk Tuk ride back to town after a long morning of sight seeing.

Trafficked!

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

It's not what you think. This is about catching a taxi (moped) across town to the Mall and back...sped up 4x for your viewing pleasure. Buckle Up!

Ministry in Phnom Penh

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Cambodia is wrapped up. Squads A & B have moved on but Squads C & D are right on our heals and will not only carry on ministry we started, but they'll blaze their own trails and do even more than we did.

I spent most of my time with Revolution and 61 working at New Life Fellowship Church. The church is amazing with so many ministries. They have over 1000 students come through their doors everyday to take free English classes. Many of those classes include exposure to the Gospel and all of them include exposure to Christians that love them like crazy.

There's an active Youth Ministry with a rockin' service every Saturday evening. NOTE: 70% of the population of Cambodia is under 30!

They have a marvelous Children's Ministry. They have an active ministry that reaches out and provides sponsors to children in the Provinces and to street children in Phnom Penh. It's almost endless. What an incredible example of what the body united can accomplish for the Kingdom

Here's some pictures.

This is the Thursday evening Joy Club meeting for street kids. About 200-300 kids show up and stick around for about 3 hours of fun, games, food and Bible study.


Not really a part of New Life Church but another ministry we worked with on Tuesday nights was this incredible orphan home run by an amazing American couple and their 3 awesome teenage kids.


We worked a little bit at a Preschool and Christian School. Here's Jimmy reading to the upcoming 4th graders.


I think this was a Joy Club


MK's (missionary kid) and volunteer laughing it up. This is actually the adopted child of the American Missionary couple.


Street kids at Joy Club. Does it get any more adorable?


Ginger makes a friend at Joy Club


More Joy Club

Let's Go YOU Tubing!

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I've recently added some YouTube Video's on my YouTube page. Go to www.youtube.com/cwhitedog to check out some video's that aren't posted here on The World Race site.

Signing Off, or at least Slowing Down for a while

Sun, 7 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I'm about to go incognito. In just a few days I will go with my "tour" group to Hong Kong and then a few days later into interior China. While there I anticipate having the opportunity to meet a number of college students during a Cultural Exchange Program. I may also have an opportunity to work with a Relief Team (at this very moment there's a severe hurricane bearing down on the Eastern Coast).

There are always some communication concerns going into a place like China and all the more since they are preparing to host the 2008 Summer Olympics. All that to say that my communication with those of you that are following me will be severely limited over the next few weeks. We anticipate having somewhat better accessibility to the internet while in Hong Kong at the beginning and ending of our trek but not so much in the middle.

Be thinking about us (and talk to our Dad about us) as we have these amazing opportunities ahead of us. We are hoping to go to the Capital near the end of our tour and see firsthand some of the Olympic preparations as well as such famous sites such as The Great Wall, Tiananmen Square and The Forbidden City.

I will miss writing more regularly but will look forward all the more to catching up on things in person in about 43 days!

Support Status

Mon, 1 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT

First of all, I want to THANK again all of you that have supported me financially this year. I was fully prepared to write a check and pay for this incredible experience. To date, I am at or near 100% support as I have been most of the year... thanks to the generosity of family and friends- some of you I just barely or don't know at all. What a blessing to have you be a part of this with me. I fully realize that often times, because of a variety of life situations, that all of us can't GO to a foreign mission field. Some of us can GO; some can GIVE; and all can PRAY. Thank you for Giving and Praying for me.

Most of us "racers" are struggling with the tension between counting down the days until we get home and living fully in the moment in which we find ourselves. It is so easy to spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about what foods we want to eat when we get home (NO rice), which friends we want to see that first week (Stik and everyone at BVBC), football bowl games, Thanksgiving with family etc. and at the same time desiring to finish strong the "race" for which we have been called.

As I near the end of this next-to-the-last leg our my journey, I want to make you aware of an area of my financial support that you may feel led to contribute to. As I already mentioned, I am at or near 100% fully supported. I have however incurred some personal expenses this year which are reimbursable to me if I go over my current level of support.

For instance: I had to purchase International Travel Insurance for the year at a cost of about $800.00. I have stayed in a hotel at least once a month at my own expense (call it the "mental health" category of expenditures) which is reimbursable...probably $500.00. My expenses for getting from our ending point in Los Angeles back to Mississippi is a reimbursable expense (about $300.00). All in all, I guess I might be eligible for about $1500.00 of reimbursable personal expenses when I get home. Your donations to AIM for me in this regard are still tax-deductible. What I can't account for will go to AIM and will used responsibly for Kingdom work.

Pray about it. Don't feel obligated. These are expenses I am willing to absorb but I want to give you an opportunity to help if you so desire. Let me say also that if it comes down to paying for my "mental health days" or supporting another Racer that is less than 100% supported, then give it to them and may the Lord bless you for your obedience and generosity.

The Killing Fields- A Video Blog

Tue, 11 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A lot of the other racers have already posted amazing and touching blogs about our tour of The Killing Fields here in Cambodia. I'm old enough that I really did live through this stuff. I wasn't just born as it was coming to an end. At the same time, I wasn't sitting glued to my television when I was a young teenager watching this drama unfold. In fact, I was completely unaware of what was happening in this land so far away from the rural Mississippi Delta.

Here's the bullet list- the timeline- and some of my impressions via YouTube:

About 1970 as I was entering the first grade- the first year of Racial Integration in Mississippi, the Vietnam War was spilling over into officially neutral Cambodia.
The Communist Vietnamese Army was taking refuge in and using a shortcut through Cambodia (The Ho Chi Minh Trail).
The US began secretly bombing their enemy on the Trail, killing as many or more Cambodians as they did enemy combatants- an act that failed to endear Cambodians to the USA!
At the same time the US backed a coup in Cambodia- forcing the reigning King to go into hiding... and ultimately to cast his lot with the growing communist guerilla movement- the Khmer Rouge.
Civil War ensued from 1970-75 between the US backed government and the Khmer Rouge.
In 1975 the Khmer Rouge overran the Capitol City- Phnom Penh.
Almost immediately the Khmer rulers began a systematic extermination of all undesirable elements of society- anyone associated with a westerner, former govt. workers, academic elite (those with an education), Buddhist and Christians, doctors, leaders of all kinds.
For the next 5 years 2 million of the country's population of 7 million were executed.
Ironically, the slaughter was brought to an end when the Vietnamese invaded Phnom Penh in 1979.

a pictureless review and a challenge to GUYS

Sat, 1 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I have pictures...but not with me right now. More's the pity. I've been on Koh Samet Island for a few days of Debrief along with newly arrived Squad C fresh from Africa. Squads A & B will be leaving first thing Monday morning to go to Cambodia until the first week of October. We will probably debrief our Cambodia leg in Cambodia and then come back to Bangkok a few days before moving on China on October 12.

I'm sure the other racers have posted pictures already. Our little island paradise is just that. It's not the biggest tourist location by any means (although the crowds have picked up some during the weekend). It is a beautiful and restful place though. The emerald green water is warm and the waves are just right...slightly smaller than a decent Wave Pool. I went snorkeling earlier today with Becca and some of the guys. You can see pretty clearly about 8 feet deep I guess and there's a variety of colorful fishes and coral reef.

Some of the guys have rented ATV's and motorbikes to cruise around the island. We've enjoyed Fire Dancers on the beach every night. All three squads enjoyed a cruise around the island a few nights ago courtesy of our Debriefers from the States. It was a Dinner Cruise at that- the crew grilled shish-ka-bobs and potatos and corn on the cob for us and anchored in a quiet harbor to let us jump from the top of the boat for a swim. Food is cheap. There's a 7-11 close by to handle late night Coke Slushy and Oreo runs. We have beds!

It's been a great debrief. Thailand has been an intense month for some, especially our girls working in the sex-trade/prostitution industry. It's been a great month though. This is a place I could come back to for ministry.

We talked alot about finding our "dreams" at this debrief. It's inspiring to watch some of the other racers discover their dream- God's call on their life. Some of them know now what it is they will do when they get back home. I think my immediate plans are coming into focus. I'll write more about that later.

I also want to write about my last week of ministry in Thailand. After an awesome week+ with YETI in Burriram I returned to Bangkok where I plugged in to some of the ministry to the bargirls. I've been surrounded by beautiful nieces since I was a ten year old. I've been blessed in 15+ years of student ministry to have had the most amazing young girls in the world in my life. To come to Bangkok and witness firsthand the lives of these "kids" was almost overwhelming. Most of our WorldRace guys were kept away from the prostitutes and the red light districts. I connected with the leader/founder of one of the ministries specifically for the purpose of trying to look these girls in the eye the way I've looked at my nieces all these years. To tell them (even if I couldn't speak their language) that they are loved and safe with me. I only went out two nights. Men certainly have to be careful in a ministry like that. But with the proper safeguards in place... men are so needed here. These girls need a daddy. We need to both tell them about The Father...and be the father for them.

This is a good place to add: GUYS. Twenty-somethings. Wake your butts up. The World Race is dominated by young women (who are awesome)...but where are you? Why wouldn't you want to strap on a backpack and hike volcanos and ancient ruins with us? Why wouldn't you want to go deep sea fishing and snorkeling and mountain climbing? Why wouldn't you want to toss boulders off of a mountainside like a bowling ball just because you can and there's nothing below to hit? Why wouldn't you want to ride in the back of a Four Wheel Drive truck halfway across the most rugged land you'll ever see? And why wouldn't you want to take the Kingdom of God to those that most need it all over the world?

Feeling Old and Missing Someone

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

It all started with a simple question from our newest World Racer- Rusty Jackson. He had just finished running about 3 miles in the somewhat sweltering heat and humidity of Thailand. As is often the case among us "old guys" a workout like that will exacerbate all the old war wounds. Rusty was feeling his knees and in the course of conversation he asked, "Do you remember when you got old"? My first response was, "Yeah, when I started the World Race."

I wish I could have just left it at that.

Lying under the mosquito net in a Hill Tribe home later that night the question kept reverberating in my head. I do feel old.

OKI'm not fishing for a bunch of "you're not old" comments from anyone, especially from my comment obsessed family. I'm just trying to express myself in the vein of my literary hero, Scott Molgard!

But I do remember getting old.

It happened the week I lost Kim. Everything changed. It sounds like a clich, but part of me died with her. When times were good and we were having fun- I always felt alive. And young. Most people find it hard to believe, but there really were no bad times when we were together. At worst, there were "routine" times; but not bad.

I always felt alive being a Student Minister too. Thirteen years in one church and I was dang good at it! But even that ceased to bring life after Kim died. Almost immediately I started feeling too old and tired and out of touch.

I thought taking Life to the Nations would bring me back to life. It has at points. But mostly I feel like I'm 7+ months into this thing and I'm wondering where and when I'm going to find life. I know who I am in Christ. I'm "awake" to who I am in the Kingdom. I know better than live in the trap of finding my identity in what I do (a Student Minister or Missionary). .

I think I'm headed for a crisis of faith. When the Race started I didn't care about what happened afterwards, but now that the time is drawing nearwell, I can't help but think of it. I don't have enough money to be a bum forever. Part of me wants to go home and build a cool little house and pursue the "dream". Part of me wants to go to Ukraine or Croatia or even maybe back here and raise orphans and churches. Part of me is scared to death of that kind of commitment and the work it will take to learn a language. But here I amnot getting younger. I've been preaching for a while now three of the most important things are: Love Extravagantly, Live Regretlessly, and Long for Jesus. I really don't want to go through life having a bunch of regrets (leaving my songs unsung as Seth Barnes put it). I almost feel like I've passed the point of no return for some of those things though. If I were remarried and had a kid right now I'd be pushing 60 when he/she finished school! SoI want to fly airplanes (but I don't know when I would ever actually use that skill), I want to jump from a plane (that shouldn't be too difficult), I want to have a family, and I want to make a difference in kids' lives.

I've learned all of that and more this year (most of it I already knew)but I haven't figured out yet what to do about it. Or have I and I'm just scared to follow through?

Give me some grace if you feel like I'm whining. I started this blog while I was with LO/Nessa last week and I finished it today- August 19. Today would have been Kim's 36^th birthday.

Hanging out with YETI in Buriram

Sun, 19 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I've really enjoyed my week+ in Burriram with YETI at the Tree of Life Children's Shelter. I originally intended to stay just a day or two and move on the the "Manly Man" Ministry site with the guys on the other side of the country. But I liked it too much around here to leave so soon.

Here are some pics that can explain better than I can why I chose to stick around:

This is my friend Fawn (at least that's how I'd spell it phonetically)


Eric with the twins- Phil and Fern

Day-Off trip to ancient Hindu Temple Ruins (Ginger thinks it's in a Raiders movie)

Jon on some local transportation (I couldn't get on to him because I was on the other one!)

Friends from Australia via The Solomon Islands (Annalisa, Tom, Justin, Samantha & Kathy)

Finally getting some work out of me at the Children's Shelter

Tawny- her dad is our American missionary host.

Team YETI at the waterslide (it wasn't all fun and games; we took the children with us)

Briellyn with Eilien

Another outing with the kids

Peru Earthquake

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Here's an email I just received from our friend Jorge in Lima, Peru. Jorge was one of our "live-in" translators while we were in Lima. It's a largely unedited version of his letter to me. I post it here to remind you to be in prayer for the victims of the earthquake and to remind you that tragedies affect real people.

Hi everyone

Well I don't know where to startyesterday was the craziest day in my life.

I was working yesterday from 9am to 2 am in the morning and yesterday was my Mom's birthday...I went to a church with a group of Americans we preached the Gospel to 200 students ( non-Christians ) 50% accepted Christ , then I went to Larco Mar (a mall) and I did Paragliding. Yes I recorded it and took some pictures it was amazing!

..... Well so then I went to do some shopping with the Americans for souvenirs, a friend from my church and I did not lose the opportunity to share the Gospeland we reached 3 souls for God in our last 5 minutes of shopping.

Then we took 3 cabs.... 15 minutes later the car start shaking , the trees , the car stopped we got out of the car and the lights went out , we got scared , terrified I think is the perfect word , it was crazy, I've never seen Peruvian families so united as yesterday. They were on the streets crying and parents with their kids together as a family.

Wow we were planning dinner but everything was closed, there were no lights, people collapsed not enough transportation.

We got back to the hotel and we stayed there. I tried to call my family but I couldn't. Telecommunications collapsed. It took me like 2 hours later to get in contact with them and Sara (my chick hehehhehe).

It was a hard experience where you can learn a lot of things like preach every time, that families need unity, and more things.

But bad news is that some areas of Lima colonial got damage...

And some people lost everything and the worst thing is that Ica(Pisco and Chincha) a city 4 hours from Lima. The earthquake started there and they werereally damaged by the earthquake they lost everything and

It killed at least 337 people and left another 1,350 hurt.

pliz check it out this http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/08/16/peru.earthquake/index.html

Well they're still digging to rescue survivors. It is so sad and it really touches my heart and makes me cry cuz I was there twice as translator and I met Christians there I helped some Americans to spread the Gospel and we reached a lot of people that time....

Now I feel like I have to do somethingand my prayers are not enough in this situation... I feel frustrated that I can't be there right now.

I want to go there as a volunteer with some of my guys from church to dig , talk to the people specially the Christians for that area , to tell them that they are not alone cuz they are our brothers and sisters in Christ we have to show them that God take care of them in this situations too.

The President of Peru is there and some of our ministries too but they need more people to help like doctors, food, people that can help there as volunteers.

Hey Guys now I need your prayers and more than that your faith and action. I hate this to tell u this but to get there takes 4 hours ... the bus tickets are gone and the prices get high cuz many people from Lima want to go there cuz they have families in Ica and Pisco ...

So I offer myself to go there to help as much as I caneven though there will be some aftershocks but I would like to go with some people from my youth group and try to give them medicine, blankets, food and more things so if you feel in your heart to support me, well get in contact with me, send me and email back..

So pliz prayers and I know that u will do more than that too

GOD BLESS U GUYS

And I will keep uupdate about this with pics and testimonies

In him

JORGE PRADO

www.myspace.com/jorgeprado
GOD BLESS U

The Compassion Story

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Sit down and relax. This could get lengthy.

I have sponsored a child through Compassion International on and off for almost 20 years. Kim and I started sponsoring a little boy from Ecuador a few years ago. In January of this year, right after The Race started, I received word from Compassion that he had dropped out of the program. Of course Compassion wanted me to continue being a sponsor- they offered to randomly select a child for me or I could "select" one from their website. I decided to select one from one of our "Race Route" countries so that I would have a chance to meet the child.

So- back in Guatemala I spent all evening perusing the Compassion Website- looking at pictures and reading biographies. I kept coming back to a little girl here in Thailand named Doughnipa. What kept drawing me back to her was that her birthday is May 31 (mine and Kim's wedding anniversary).

I met her today.


Here she is- all dressed up for a traditional Thai dance- a recital at her Catholic School that I was blessed to attend.

Doughnipa lives with her Mother and Father and younger sister. Her Dad works several kilometers away in the city as a Night Watchman. Her mom sews when the opportunity presents itself- sometimes working as far away as the factories in Bangkok (6 hours away). Her Grandparents live nearby. Both of her grandmothers have leprosy.   They live in the middle of a Leper Colony. Her grandmothers were very funny and candid- they asked me if I was afraid to be there. I wasn't.



Doughnipa's home (and those surrounding it in the "Colony") are the most humble homes I've seen in Thailand so far. I probably could have met all of her neighbors; they were all watching from nearby! I don't know how many white western guys have visited the colony before, but I was told I'm the 5th Compassion Sponsor to visit a child since the work began 8 years ago. The family blessed me with two "Wraps"- one is rather big- almost as big as a bed sheet, the other is smaller, like a sash. They can be worn as a belt, or used as a towel or a bedsheet. Doughnipa also made a "sock doll" for me. I wasn't totally unprepared for sharing gifts: I gave her the prettiest handmade Purse I could find in Swaziland, a small notebook I bought in Chiang Mai and all the pictures you see on this page and more- I had them developed today and gave her a photo album with the pictures.

Me and Doughnipa with her immediate family and some of the Compassion Staff.

Doughnipa attends a Private Catholic School with about 600 other children. She must be about 5th or 6th grade...she will enter Secondary School next year. She said her favorite subject is Computers. She wants someday to go to Japan and/or the US because of all the technology.

After attending her dance recital at the school (today was Mother's Day in Thailand) we went to her church where the Compassion Staff prepared and served a wonderful lunch for her family and me. I met her Pastor. He told me that I fit in with the Thai people very well because I am quiet and polite and not too tall (the opposite of what they expected!!!)

Compassion provides after school programs at the church- they tutor children, teach English and Computer, and of course provide Bible Studies. My support helps pay for her school tuition (including uniforms and books) as well as paying for her to be a part of the Compassion Programs.

I commend Compassion for an incredible job of setting up this visit. It has been months in the planning, although Doughnipa didn't know I was coming until just a few weeks ago. They didn't want to disappoint her if I didn't show up. Compassion provided a great translator and transportation for me and the family for the day. I think I met 6 staff members and they all seemed as excited to meet me as Doughnipa.

Doughnipa said she was excited to meet me- but she was also very shy. I think I was too. It was awkward but also pretty emotional most of the day. Typically, Compassion sponsorships terminate when the child is about 17- when they graduate from school. I hope she will stay with the program and I hope I can sponsor her for the duration. I would love to come back again. For sure, the letters that she and I will exchange in the future will mean a lot more to both of us (and her family too).

I have made friends in all the countries we've visited. But this is different. This is a child that is a part of my life.


One last shot: After lunch we went to a park in the city. They had never been there before.

Modes of Transportation

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Just for fun. . .
These trucks have a name- I just can't pronounce it. They are everywhere and pretty cheap.
There are also a lot of TukTuks (3 wheel motorcycle thingy)- even cheaper but I don't have any pictures.

Here's Rusty & Josh in the Pastor's truck in Chiang Dao- I spent a night with LO the first few days of their ministry in the northern hills of Thailand.

Here are the longboats that cruise the River and canals in Bangkok

From inside near the rear of one of the longboats

A small sampling of downtown Bangkok traffic

Fro

Scenes from the City

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

From high atop a Buddhist Temple, something in the distance...on top of a skyscraper...caught my eye . . .

See it now?

Beautiful, yes.

Cryptic? Maybe. I think this "scene" depicted the end of time or something like that... notice the "holes" in the hands of the Buddha.

Not Cryptic. Not at all. We didn't do it, I promise- I just report the news; I don't make it. This was "grafitti" written on a protective covering at one of the temples that was undergoing repair.

Some statuary on one of the Temple Grounds. Not trying to be disrespectful . . .but does this look like a character from "Pirates of the Caribbean"? I'm just sayin' . . . .

Tana & Annie at the Reclining Buddha

Yes, I paid for this experience.

Bangkok has the biggest Mall I've ever been in- and here's a great Guitar store.

This is Gig- a college freshman and one of our translators while in Bangkok.

Scenes from the Country

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Inside the Chiang Dao Cave near Chiang Mai. Other LO's have posted more thorough descriptions of our cave time. I love caves!

This is the church in the little village where the LO's were their first few days of ministry. Somewhere north of Chiang Mai in a Hilltribe village.

This is LO's guide/contact Ray with some neighborhood Water Buffalo. Do you remember that thing Crocodile Dundee did to "subdue" the buffalo in the road... like a wiggling finger thingy? It doesn't work!

What could be cooler than a mist shrouded mountain. The cave was inside. Notice the Rice patties in the foreground.

Homes in the Hilltribe village- great location.

Africa was Then; SE Asia is Now

Thu, 2 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT

The last few days and nights on the African Continent were eventful. I spent a couple days traveling and living with the "61" Girls. We stayed at the lovely Meerhof Lodge (this time without the kidney stones!)

If you've kept up with the other blogs then you know that we dealt with a lot of "stuff" at debrief. Living in community does that to you! But it wasn't all hard work. It is always fun to reunite with Squad Bwe enjoyed the added treat of spending time with C Squad too. It doesn't take long under these conditions to forge friendships.

I spent our last full day driving teams back and forth to the Mall in a rented Toyota Corolla. I mean.from about 8:45 in the morning until after midnight. About 20 of us went to the African eating experience known as "Carnivore" (a restaurant). I ate Kudu sausage, chicken livers (not a big fan!), Giraffe, Zebra, Ostrich, Beef, Pork ribs, Chicken wings and legs, Crocodile, and I don't know what else. The waiters bring the food out skewered on iron swords and cut the meat at the table. It was pretty cool. I'm still picking my teeth.

Yesterday morning Squads A & B parted company with C Squad (bound for Mozambique, Botswana and Swaziland) and began our journey to South East Asia. We endured a 13 hour flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Hong Kong (which from the Airplane windows looks utterly astonishing- the biggest city I think I've ever seen and beautiful from the air- sitting amidst green mountains and an island littered blue-green South China Sea). We were an hour late arriving in Hong Kong but thanks to a technical glitch on our transfer flight to Bangkok, we made it just in time to be escorted through the terminal to our connecting flight. Finally we arrived in Bangkok around noon. I think I am 13 hours ahead of Central Standard time now. In just a few hours it will be today here and yesterday back home!

Our ministry host here is amazing. Jimmy and Joy have done an incredible amount of work preparing for us. We are safe and comfortable. We have a day off tomorrow to rest followed by a race/cultural experience on Saturday. We'll have church Sunday morning and most of the teams will begin overnight bus rides later that day to reach ministry points all over the country. I plan to go to Chiang Mai with two of our teams. I'll stay with them less than a week before taking a couple days off to meet my Compassion Child next Friday. I can't wait to tell some stories about that.

So frustrated

Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

I can feel "failure" closing in around me. Okmaybe that's a little overly dramatic, but I am frustrated nonetheless.

I'm leaving Swaziland first thing in the morning and I don't feel like I've accomplished much of anything with the purse project. I thought I had a breakthrough a few days ago. I met a guy that I think if I had met him a month ago I'd already be exporting purses back to the States by now.

I packaged 100 purses yesterday and spent most of the day trying to get them to the shipping company to be weighed and measured in order to finally get a real Export Shipping quote.

Well, that was yesterday. And here I sit waiting for a phone call or an email with that all-important information- perhaps the final piece of the puzzle that will let me know if this project (at least the part I've been working on), is feasible.

On top of that, in spite of the fact that our amazing Media Team has been here for over a month, I waited too late to use them fully in getting some specific footage to make a promotional piece for the purse project. Now I'm out of time for that too.

I hate the idea of leaving here with all these loose ends. Pray about all this for me. If I don't hear anything in the next 3 hours then I'm finished with it. Hopefully I will have left good information that Julie and her staff can use. Hopefully the shipping solution will work out at a price that is practical. Hopefully we will have enough other footage to piece something together. But right now it's looking like I won't be a part of making it work.

slow internet = few pictures

Sun, 22 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT

This is pretty typical landscape in Swaziland- it's beautiful...just begging for someone to take off cross-country ina Jeep!

These "Roundhouses" are not uncommon. What's really cool is that they often begin as a stick and rock structure and then plaster is added and the end product is a beautiful little home.

We were driving out to visit SALT near Big Bend, Swaziland when we saw advertisements for a local restaurant...this was the sign at the entrance. Hmm...don't think I want to eat any people today regardless of how good they are!

Sunset over Swaziland- The YETI guys lived at this Care Point on top of a hill and this is what they saw everyday!