chasing the morning... - Jennifer Crane

Breathing Fresh Air (Video)

Sun, 31 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The World Race has been the hardest, best, most challenging, and most amazing year of my life. I started in Mexico with 31 other strangers, who month after month, became my family away from home. Their presence and inspiration spurred me on to become who God was calling me.

My small family, the G:racers, have been the best companions I could have asked for. God taught us to live together, and we have grown together and our bonds have strengthened. I have four new sisters that I couldn't imagine my life without. I look forward to see how God uses these friendships in our lives, as we move across the country from each other. You are beautiful women of God, and I am honored to have spent this year with you. I praise Him for the work He has done, and is continuing to do.

I return to Austin on July 4, after a month of traveling Europe (I am writing this on a boat from Greece to Italy...). Once home, I will be spending time with my family and returning to work at Dell Children's Medical Center on the Hematology/Oncology unit for the time being. Or at least until God tells me to move on. I have some projects and plans that I am going to start working on, and I will tell you more as they solidify.

I know lots of you have enjoyed my photography this year. I will continue posting photos online at http://jennifercranephotography.blogspot.com/ and will be updating www.jennifercranephotography.com periodically.

Thank you for all your prayers and support this year. I am eager to spend time with you upon my return and share with you the year I have had. Stay in touch! Thanks again!

I will bring you home

Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I sat at a scenic overlook, on Highway 360 looking out over the Texas Hill Country, pleading for God to give me an answer. Asking desperately for His plan for my life.

I had just learned I had been accepted to the World Race. And I thought I knew my answer.

Until God started speaking.

"Read Jeremiah 1," He said. "I knew you before I formed you in your mother's womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations...Don't say I'm too young' for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don't be afraid of people, for I will be with you and will protect you...Look, I have put my words in your mouth! Today I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms."

"Really, God?" I said. "You want me to go to the nations?! Now?!?"

After much debate, I acquiesced to His demand, still not thrilled with this thing God was calling me to.
But He promised to do big things.
He promised to show up.
To change me.

To change my perspective.

And He did. The God I have met this year doesn't fit in the box I have had Him in my whole life. He goes beyond all my preconceptions. Destroys my idealistic understanding.

Because He DOES move and speak. He IS ALL the things He says He is, even when it doesn't seem logical or normal.

He DOES do big things, and I have seen them. And He's not done doing them. He has not finished leading me out of the wilderness. There is always further to go. I can't wait to see where He takes me.

But just like Jeremiah preaches, sometimes God calls us to go home.

"I will come and do for you all the good things I have promised, and I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good, and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you. I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land." Jeremiah 29:10-14

I have seen God do the good things He has promised. I have seen Him be faithful. I have found Him in Cambodia and Swaziland. He ended my captivity in Guatemala and Vietnam. He restored my fortunes in Malawi and Ukraine.

And now He is bringing me home again, to Austin. To my own land.

I am so eager to see all that God continues to do, as my spot on the globe changes, but I remain in Him.

Today I sit on a Greek beach thanking God that He is so big that He has brought me out of the desert to bring me into His promise land. That even though I fought him two years ago on the side of a highway in Austin, He is good and let me find the freedom in Him I so desperately .

coming home to ukraine, and leaving family

Tue, 26 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Coming back to Ukraine after 5 years was like coming home. Remembering and speaking Russian, eating borscht and Ukrainian ice cream, and the wonderful spirit of Ukrainian hospitality.... I think I am part Ukrainian.

My time in Ukraine was different from former visits, although no less wonderful. Our group of 5 was blessed to spend time with two amazing American missionary families.

We spent a week with Vicki and Richard Nelson, who have moved to Ukraine from Washington State to start a dental ministry, Smile Alliance. Richard does consultations and treatments for clinics out of a dental van and Vicki spends time loving children and their families.

After a week of staying with our new Ukrainian parents,

We moved to Pine Branch Camp with Jenny and Andrew Kelly and their 9 month old daughter Abbie.

There we helped to build cabins for the camp that will house orphans and other Ukrainian children for camps every summer

We were also blessed to spend time helping take care of Abbie, and becoming Aunties. We were even there for her first moments of crawling forward! (She had crawling backwards down pretty well but waited for us to get there to go forward.)

Our month in Ukraine was a blessing. We met wonderful families who poured into us, encouraged us, and showed us what it means to be a missionary.

Our month in Ukraine ended with four days with our whole squad. We enjoyed each other's company, worshipped together, and ministered to each other. It was a good time together, full of fun, laughter and bittersweet moments

But as we each go on from here, we know we carry not only our experiences but the love and fellowship of community.

Blessings (Support Update)

Thu, 7 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I have been so blessed this year to have a group of supporters like you, who have blessed me and given me such encouragement. It is because of you that I am FULLY FUNDED! I am so thankful for each of you, and the prayer and support you have provided has been priceless, and I could not have done it without you. It is you who moved an orphanage in Mozambique, gave clothes to Guatemalan women, gave shoes to Swazi children and loved on Cambodian HIV orphans. This has been your race as much as it has been mine. Thank you again and God bless you.

My friend Sara needs a bit more funding to finish the Race, and I ask that you consider transferring your monthly or one-time donations to her. She is a beautiful woman of God, and I don't know what I would have done without her this year. She has been a blessing in my life, please be a blessing in hers.

Hi! I'm Sara, a Chicago native who has fallen more in love with Jesus and the nations over the course of the past 11 months. Since leaving on the World Race in July 2008, I have been preaching, teaching, praying and serving around the globe. The amount of financial and prayer support I have received up until this point has been incredible. However, with just two weeks left on my adventure, I am still $2800 short of my total financial goal. This is where, I hope, you come in.

Would you prayerfully consider joining my financial support team and helping complete my journey?

Please visit my blog http://saraellis.theworldrace.org/ to read more about my World Race experience or please click here to join my support team. If you have any questions, feel free to get in touch with me. Thank you for your prayers and I look forward to having you as a member of my support team.

Springtime in Romania (Video)

Sat, 2 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

castles, eggs, cobblestone and gypsies

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This month I have been with my team in Targu Mures, Romania. We are living at a YWAM base and are doing a lot of prayer ministry, street evangelism, and a coffee house on Fridays. We have also been able to go to a gypsy village, and spend time praying for people, and hanging out with children. The Roma people are wonderfully hospitable, and lots of fun to be around. Here and here are some blogs from squad-mates living in a gypsy village just north of Targu Mures.

Here's a glimpse of a gypsy village...

The gypsy kids that stole our hearts....

We took a day trip to another town, Sibiu and Hunedora to visit a castle. Sibiu was a beautiful European city, full of old buildings and great resturants.

Our lunch, salami, cheese and bread!

The castle in Hunedora.

Romanian Easter eggs. The tradition is to hit each other's eggs and see whose lasts withouth breaking. I lost.... but they were fun to dye! We used grass, leaves and panty hose.

On the Eve of Easter, people gather around the orthodox church in the city center with candles and circle the church three times while the church bells ring.

nine months

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Nine months ago I asked God for some big things this year. I asked Him to change me. To change my perspective. I wanted more.

Our God is so faithful.

He wants to bless us. He wants to make us more like Him, He is just waiting to hear us ask.

Nine months ago I asked for boldness. In Malawi I shared my testimony in front of 120 strangers in the city center.

I asked to see healings. On a Thai beach, I saw my friend delivered from depression. I saw my friend's knee heal in London. I experienced my headache being healed by a pastor in Malwai.

I wanted to hear from God. I came to the Race, never having known that God talks to us. But He does speak. I hear Him everyday. It has become second nature. Something I rely on.

I asked for visions and dreams. This one is still hard for me to get used to, and difficult to understand. But God has given me pictures and words to tell people, for encouragement and understanding. They don't always make sense, but He is faithful and has opened my mind's eye to things beyond my understanding.

I wanted more joy. I stood with my squad in a living room in London, while the Holy Spirit overcame us with a supernatural Joy, manifested as uncontrollable laughter. It is still one of my favorite moments of the race.

I wanted to be broken. My heart is repeatedly torn apart for the children, whose eyes hold an emptiness, caused by death, destruction and pain. I have cried for the women who live a life soaked in hopelessness and despair. I have wept with my team members as they share and are vulnerable. I have rejoiced with my squad as we make it to the other side of uncomfortable.

We have traveled across oceans, lived with complete strangers, seen those strangers turn into family, seen God heal people, seen new sisters and brothers added to the kingdom, learned how to live in community, walked in the footsteps of the parentless and homeless, died with the dying, and loved the unlovable.

I have seen my teammates grow together and change together. We have learned to lean on each other, but still depend on God the most.

The transformations that have happened this year are not over. God is forever changing us. Bringing us closer to Himself, making us more like Him.

I am so thankful for all He has done, and all He is doing. And I can't wait to see where He takes us next....

So You Think You Can Dance Like a Malawian? (Video)

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

What did we do in Malawi? Dance. The Joy of the Malawian people is contagious and is manifested in their desire to move for the Lord. It was a beautiful time of worship and lots of fun.

Here's a glimpse....

at the end of us

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

After 58 hours in a van, 3 stolen packs and 1 stolen guitar, countless traffic tickets, 3 border crossings, and an attempted assassination on the Zimbabwean Prime Minister, we arrived in Lilongwe, Malawi. (read more about that journey here, and here )

We were greeted by Pastor Harvey, the Central Malawi Coordinator for HIM (Harvesters International Ministries). Our team was to travel around Central Malawi and plant churches over the next 10 days.

We drove around Central Malawi in the "Love Bug" (praying the door didn't fall off again) to the villages where pastors were awaiting our arrival to start planting new churches.

Each day we would put on at least one "program" during which there was LOTS of songs and dancing. Someone from our team shared a testimony and another person would preach each time, sharing about Jesus' love.

We then split into small groups by ages and spent time praying with people, answering questions, and encouraging new believers. We were also able to spend time with the children singing, acting out Bible stories, and playing games.

Every day in Malawi I woke up and was ready to leave. Every day I was finished trying so hard, because Malawi was hard.

We were stuck in the mud for 5 hours in the middle of the night, in the rain. We moved a lot, spent a lot of time in the van and met countless obstacles.

But every day, through God's strength, we all got out of our tents, drank our instant coffee and experienced what happens when we reach the end of ourselves. That where we end, Jesus is only beginning. That in our inadequacies we find His strength and in our moments of weakenss He still uses us to call people to Him. He still works in us and through us.

We all returned from Malawi tired. Drained. But confident that the work we started is going to be completed, that we lived and worked in the faithfulness of Christ, and that we impacted the Kingdom through the strength of God.

in the heart of africa (photos)

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I'll Be There for You (Video)

Thu, 2 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Faces of Africa (video)

Wed, 4 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Praise the Lord!
I will thank the Lord with all my heart as I meet with his godly people.
How amazing are the deeds of the Lord!
All who delight in him should ponder them.
Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty.
His righteousness never fails.
He causes us to remember his wonderful works.
How gracious and merciful is our Lord!
Psalm 111:1-4

Finding Beauty in Swaziland (video)

Tue, 3 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We are currently in Nelspruit, South Africa for some refreshment and rest. We (potentially) leave Wednesday morning for Malawi.

Our month in Nsoko was spent among the orphans, women and go-gos, learning to live with them and love them where they are. There are dozens of stories about these beautiful people who have captured my heart. Here are blogs of my friends who have already begun to tell these stories:

Who Will Speak for Him

by Lisa Smith

You have to Die With Her

and Small Pieces in a Big Puzzle

by Lindsay Stahl
Swaziland: Holding a Dying Nation

by Jessica Edquist

Fruitful February with some of the "F-Squad" members

by Pastor Gift

Raise Up!

Fri, 20 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Twenty-four orphans were found in the bush of Mozambique following the devastation of Cyclone Flavio in 2006 by a man named Eric. He took responsibility for them. He would now care for them and protect them. However, Eric did not have the means to provide much else.

Once Jaco and Maria discovered Eric and these children, they knew God was calling them to help. With little more than their own personal support, the Rudolph's set about the task of living out God's call.

Currently the children sleep in large revival style tents on grass mats with blankets. At this time, a building is being constructed to offer more suitable living conditions. In order to prepare the children for this transition, several of our team mates feel called to return to Mozambique for the month of March. This preparation will consist of, among other things, the Raise UP! Project.

Raise UP!

And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in.

-Isaiah 58:12

Raise UP! is a respect and incentive program coupled with discipleship. The goal is to establish routine in order to teach respect for themselves, others, their belongings, and environment. The goal is that through these children, we may set the foundations of this generation firmly in the Lord and His Truth, so that they can raise their children to repair and restore the breaches of their nation.

The respect incentive portion of the program will focus on scheduled rewards for adhering to established guidelines. Each child will be given a box, which they can personalize. The first week will focus on each child receiving all the incentive items which include: toothbrush, soap, washcloth, small toys, etc.

After the initial one-month course, additional materials will be sent via e-mail, complete with scheduled rewards to be given by orphanage staff.

Teaching the children to care for their boxes and contents will help them to form good habits of taking ownership and responsibility. With guidance, these habits will overflow into all areas of their lives.

Our vision is to invest in this generation. We are asking for your help to Raise UP! a foundation for these children. Below is a list of supplies and costs needed to obtain them.

Supplies:

Box $10 per child

Incentive Items $20 per child

Teaching Materials $200

Rewards $200

Miscellaneous $100

Total $1,220

Click here to give to this Project. Please write "World Race Ministry - Mozambique" in the space provided in order to make sure your gift is designated to this ministry.

capturing my heart

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Swaziland is a country full of hopelessness, despair, and need. People here have nothing and seem to have no way to change their situation. They are plagued by HIV, there are not enough jobs, kids can't go to school because they can't afford it, and people die every day because they don't have clean water. On top of all that, it seems as though the rest of the world doesn't care. It seems as though these people are all alone. Silently fighting a battle that will cost them their lives.

But this week, I've seen hope. I've seen children sharing the special treat they somehow got, into 7 pieces so that all the kids around them get some.

I've seen food be delivered to hungry families and medication given to a little girl with a respiratory infection.

I've seen the smiles on the faces of the children when we show up to play.

We have been working hard to find the hope here. It is not always obvious, but it is there, if you look for it. God is working and moving. I don't understand His ways here, and sometimes get lost in the frustration and depression, but I always remember He is working.

We are living in a game park, sleeping in our tents and spending most of our time going hut-to-hut meeting people and helping build a database of the area and just playing with kids. A teacher on the team is doing some teaching seminars, and I am getting to act as a nurse and do some first aid, and health education days. We are working with Care Points around the Nsoko area that give children who wouldn't other wise have food, a hot meal every day.

Swaziland has captured my heart. This beautiful land, full of beautiful people who are in need of love.

Swazi by photos

Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Seth was a hit with the kids...

Shoe Distribution...

photos from the bush

Sat, 7 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Our time spent in Mozambique in January was precious and full of joy. It was also one of the most difficult months so far on the race. When you combine the extreme poverty of the children with whom we worked with the simple and difficult way we lived, blessings and frustrations were all present. But even with all these things, Mozambique left its mark on all our lives.

It was our first month living in our tents. Here they are at the first orphanage location (we helped move them to a new location after a few days there.)

This is the inside of the boy's tents. The orphans are living here after the flood in 2006 took their parents. A building is being constructed as we speak in Mozambique.

Moving day...

I even got to be a nurse for a day!

Praying for each other on our last day.

life in the bush

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Tucked away in the bush of Mozambique live 25 children, left orphaned by the cyclone of 2006. They were left with nothing.

No parents.

No clothes.

No food.

No water.

Their basic needs for survival have remained unmet due to a lack of resources and knowledge.

They live in large, colorful tents far removed from any form of "civilization" as we know it. They sleep on large bamboo mats, next to the hen's roost. Breakfast, lunch and dinner all consist of the same rice and soya mash. High in protein, but low in vitamins and flavor. Their bodies are riddled with cuts, bruises, and large gashes that are unprotected from the elements, filled with dirt and frequently severly infected. They have no supervision except a "mom" who occasionally cooks dinner and helps haul water. Water that is 3 km away. Water that must be hauled 3 miles several times a day in old gas barrels by children barely over 10 years old.

These children live in a state of need we have yet to see on the World Race. Many times we have been faced with hopelessness and poverty. But these children literally have nothing. They play with sticks and rocks. Their games involve deflated soccer balls and shovels that have been left lying around. Their clothes are gathered in an old rice sack and are covered by a permanent film of red dirt.

Jaco Rudolph and his family's hearts have been burdened by these children and their needs. They are giving part of themselves to see that these children are fed, clothed and healthy. The needs of these chi ldren rank as high as their own.

Their family has grown from 4 to 30.

Both the orphans and the Rudolph family has touched our hearts after our time in Mozambique. We lived with the Rudolphs, served along side the Rudolphs, dreamed of ways to improve the quality of life for the children in the orphanage, dug holes, moved poles, played games and bandaged wounds. There is a permanent imprint on the hearts of the team that spent time in Vilincolous.

There will be a time in the future, where I will ask you to aid these beautiful souls. To give time or money to better the lives of these beautiful children of God and the people sent to serve them.

But today, I ask you only to pray for them.

To pray that a well is built on site of the new orphanage building.

That the money is raised to erect the building to house the children and get them out of tents.

That Jaco and Maria Rudolph will have the strength, support and encouragement to continue following God's commands.

To pray that these children would know God intimately. Hear from Him and know their worth in Him.

Pray for the health of the children. Specifically for Cedalia who had an infected toe while we were there. And Silvino who has an eye infection. We were able to treat them both with medication, but Pray for continued healing and health.

Support Brian and Stacy!

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Support Brian and Stacy here:

www.adventures.org/give

Select: "The World Race"

Type: " For Brian and Stacy Alonzo"

More on Asphyxia, or why the plastic bag is really a good thing

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We've all been walking around with a plastic bag on our faces for years. I knew mine was there. I think I've always known that God uses people and circumstances to show me how to change. To show me how to become more like him.

But its not about me doing the changing.

Its not about how hard I can work, and how close I can come to attaining that perfection.

Its about letting God kill all of you, so that he can give life to the dead parts.

"So that He can breathe beautiful, radical, effervescent life into my dead lungs."

Erin Reichman, www.madepeculiar.blogspot.com

So that you no longer exist, and he is all people see.

"Love through me, Love of God,
Make me like Thy clean air
Through which unhindered, colours pass
As though it were not there."

Amy Carmichael

I think I've always gone about change backwards. That I am the one who needs to do the changing. That it is through my strength that I will become who God wants me to become.

When it is true that I can do nothing. I am incapable of change on my own.

Refining is a process. And usually it feels like the end of the world. A painful, suffocating process.

But on the other side, there is freedom. There is joy and liberation. There is no condemnation. There is life. Light.

two seconds...

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

At church the other day, I got it.

For about two seconds, God's plan made total sense.

Usually I get lost behind the fact that life is difficult and I can't see past the great injustices. The hurt on people's faces. The pain people walk around laying heavy on their hearts. And how God could put his children through these atrocities.

But then, as the hurting, bruised, and unloved of this world flashed up on the screen. Their faces lit up the stage.

And I saw it.

I saw His pursuit.

I saw his desire to draw them to himself.

I saw past their tears and knew he was chasing them.

That He came for them.

And His plan didn't seem crazy. It made perfect sense...

But only for two seconds....

where the pavement shines as silver......

Sun, 4 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Our time in London is quickly coming to a close. But oh, the times we've had.....

Jen and Steph at Big Ben

Jen, Sara and Steph out and about in London.

Jen and Sara at the Abbey Road wall.

This is how awesome Amy and Jen's Mexican food was at the Texas Embassy.

Out for New Year's Eve watching the Fireworks!

Happy 2009! See you

Merry Christmas

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Merry Christmas to All from foggy London-town!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday!

I love and miss you

tons!

Asphxya

Mon, 22 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I am painfully impatient.
No one moves fast enough for me.
Deep down inside, I'm freaking out that you aren't doing things the way I would.
I am a planner. Don't step on my plans.
I feel like I may spontaneously combust when I'm not in control
of my environment.

If I can control the way you do things...
If I can plan my days enough to know what to expect...
If I can get you to commit to my plan...
Then, I'll be safe. Safe and sound in the predictable little world I've created.

Trusting God is so not safe and sound.

God has begun to dissolve my plans. Honestly, It feels a little bit like a plastic bag over my face. Why would God suffocate me, you ask.

So that He can breathe beautiful, radical, effervescent life into my dead lungs.

(posted by future world racer Erin Reichman at www.madepeculiar.blogspot.com... check it out. its fantastic)

God gives christmas presents too!

Sat, 6 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Our Christmas present, is London!

Through a series of events involving Bangkok rioters, closed airports and African contacts, we found ourselves jumping in joy Wednesday afternoon, when we were told we were leaving Bangkok for London at 7pm that evening. After a whirlwind of shopping for cold weather clothes and packing we were on our way.

Thirty-some-odd hours later, we finally landed in London. It is fantastic! The cold weather, the people, the English language, the endless possibilities of entertainment, and.... the DR. PEPPER!!!

(I think I actually squeeled when I saw it....)

We are blessed and thankful to be here, excited to get into our ministry for the month. We're not sure what it is going to be yet, or where. But God is doing big things! And we can't wait to be a part of it!

today i give thanks for...

Thu, 27 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

coffee. baked potatoes. christmas music. snapple and cheeze-its from the fancy thai grocery store. jane austen. jack shepherd. skype. guide books. hot showers. new earrings. facebook. NPR podcasts. george. slurpees. my journal. imovie. photoshop. jennifercranephotography.com. g:racers. popcorn. letting God heal you. new music. bleeker. my camera. chacos. thai shopping malls. my family. sushi. chris martin. Austin. sno-beach. garlic cheese bread. air conditioning. seeing big things happen. sharpies. my new watercolors. rings. elephants. sara ellis. eating pizza after a month of white rice. excel spreadsheets. legal pads. emmanuel, God with us. rosie thomas. fair trade. the reichmans. dr. pepper. matt carter. rain. monkeys. michael hosea. brie. africa. planning our european adventure. lists. laughter. nursing. chicago. everything fitting in my pack. my ipod speaker. copeland. the feeling i get when i know i take an awesome photo. sticky notes. grandma's potato salad. caramel macchiatos. brownies. french fries. hair cuts. kingdom.

My family, together for Thanksgiving.

hello, goodbye

Tue, 25 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Due to the riots and bombings at the Thailand International Airport, our flight to Africa is indefinitely delayed. We are all safe, and no where close to the airport, but we are facing some passport and immigration issues if we don't leave the country on our planned date. Please be in prayer for safety and grace from the Thai government.

We were able to celebrate Thanksgiving as a squad here in Bangkok, with chicken, dressing, apple pie and some games. A great memory and time with each other.

I hope you and your family have a happy Thanksgiving, and a blessed start to the holiday season.

Support Update:

I am SO close to being fully funded! I just need a little more to completely cover flights, training camp, shots and my flight back to Austin. If you are looking for someone to support, a cause to give to this Christmas, or want to continue to support my crazy trip around the world, just click the "support me" link on the left of this blog.I am so blessed to have supporters like you, and would not be able to do this if not for your unending support. Thank you!!

the latest from myanmar

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The team we sent to help minister in the aftermath of a cyclone that devastated Myanmar just filed the following report:

Imagine 75% of your county wiped out. We heard stories of mothers losing the majority of their families and individuals clinging to coconut trees for hours to survive. As their families were stripped from their lives, also was the feeling and vision of hope.

Currently, life in the Delta is in survival mode. Every day they wait for rice bags to arrive, rebuild bamboo homes, and relocate orphans due to lack of space. The rice fields are still soaking in salt water and much of the cattle were lost during the storm. Food is scarce and children go to school under UNICEF tarps.

Getting there involved an arduous journey. The road to the delta was long, hot, bumpy and wearying. At one point the ancient van ground to a halt after a particularly jarring rut. "Ah, we get out and push," said our translator. So we got out and pushed the van. It started again, we hopped in, and went, chuckling, on our World Race way.

Fifteen hours over the bumpiest, most potholed roads - not a single minute went by without braking hard or bouncing over a huge hole brought us to the city of LaButta, the largest city in the Irrawaddy Delta. Cyclone Nargis hit the area in May 2008, devastating villages all around and killing about 130,000 people.

We weren't supposed to be there.

Only Burmese government officials and a few NGOs were allowed to go into the delta. Aid workers only. No tourists.

Until we arrived.

The road to LaButta is lined with the remnants of wooden houses (in the States they would have been called shacks) that had been blown away by Nargis.

Some were still being lived in, with tarps over their bamboo-woven roofs. Many were in shambles on the ground.

Team member Katie Rowland described the following stop along the way: "I hopped out of the van once to find somewhere off the road to relieve myself, and found myself literally on top of another destroyed house. Suddenly I noticed an older woman sitting in the rubble of the house. "Minglaba," I said, greeting her in Burmese. Bamboo rods and woven mats were scattered over the old site, and all that was still standing was a huge water jar, the kind you find outside most village houses in Southeast Asia. The woman kindly pointed me to the back of the once-house, where larger bushes would hide me from any passers-by."

Once we arrived, we linked up with a local church. Since Cyclone Nargis hit, the church has grown with 70 new people giving their lives to Christ. Formerly, most of the church members had been Buddhist. But they've found hope in Jesus that they never found in Buddha. As they meet in a wooden shack and pray on woven straw mats, they're defying their government, which endorses Buddhism.

In a wooden shack on woven mats the body of Christ rises to its knees and cries out in prayer. Fervency and desperation mark their cries as they clasp their hands in front of their chests, or hold them open to God, asking Him to bring His KINGDOM to their country. To Myanmar.

While there, here is what we heard:

...Thousands of orphans crying for their lost families

...Bells ringing as the Buddhist celebrate another traditional holiday

...Government officials telling locals to stay away from foreigners (esp. Americans)

...Cyclone Nargis survivors hunger pains

...A child's scream as another is taken to become a child soldier

...Fear of man in the sound of silence

...A mother's broken heart shatters as she sees no future for her family

...Ultimately, their hearts begging for hope.

Will you help us help the people of Myanmar rebuild their church? They say it will cost $8000. Please join us. The People of Myanmar need YOU! Please help us help those who were devastated by the cyclone last spring...

Send checks to:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
Write checks out to "Adventures in Missions" and in the 'for' line write "World Race Ministry - Myanmar".
If you prefer, you may click here to donate online through AIM's secure website. Please indicate "World Race Ministry - Myanmar" in the box.

how to build a church in thailand...

Sat, 22 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We've been lucky to be a part of the building of several churches this year. It seems to be a pattern we are seeing, this huge, passionate desire to build God's Kingdom, and they're going to need more room for that...

Build it so they will come...

I am pretty convinced that if it was this hard, and labor-intensive to build a church in America, there would be a serious lack of "mega-churches".

This is the Sankhalaburi Baptist Church. The members just finished building the new church building pictured here. I mean they actually built it. Days of labor, scaffolding built of bamboo, months of saving money and spending precious hours and not a single piece of electronic equipment.

They built it with their own hands.

It is theirs. This body, this family has created a home for itself.

Today we got a taste of the process, a little glimpse of how much work a project like this requires when we got to help finish the church's cement porch.

Step 1:

Make a large pile of dirt and sand. Then pour water and rocks into it. It kind of looks like you are making a giant batch of pasta dough. Mix it around with hoes and shovels until it reaches a lumpy, soupy consistency. Add more rocks, sand, dirt and water as needed. Then shovel the cement mixture into the awaiting plastic buckets.

Step 2:

Then take your bucket and carry it over to the guy waiting to pour the cement and smooth it out.

Step 3:

Pour your cement in the area the guy points you to.

Step 4:

Retrieve your bucket. (Don't forget your bucket!)

Step 5:

Repeat...

I love seeing the Body rise up like this. It is so encouraging to meet people who live for the church, who live for the Kingdom. When church life and the rest of your life are so intertwined you can't see between the two, or tell them apart. It is so beautiful to be a part of that, even for only a couple of hours.

May we all learn to live intertwined always...

This was our audience....they look great in our sunglasses...

We will return to this church tomorrow for Sunday service, and then leave for Thanksgiving in Bangkok! We leave for the third continent in the race on Wednesday, landing in South Africa on Thanksgiving Day.

Church as Family

Sun, 9 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

As we travel around the world, we been blessed to be welcomed into community by churches. And usually I am surprised by the stark contrast these bodies of believers have to the church I grew up with.

In Mexico, the church was small and loud. Everyone singing at the top of their lungs to music blasting from the speakers.The pastor's extended family lived behind the church, on church property. Many days were filled with women gathering on the porch, bringing various parts of tamales and working together, all day until the large undertaking of 200 tamales was completed. When there was a building to be cleaned out, everyone showed up with their broom (which doubled as a mop) and a hose, ready flood the building and scrub the floors clean.

In Guatemala, Iglesia Del Camino is a larger, bilingual church. Except for the translation into Spanish and people singing in two languages it felt more like "western church". But it had the constant flow of people coming in and out of Antigua to learn Spanish, or to be missionaries, or just come on vacation. For these people, it became a second home, with easy to build relationships, and many ways to be involved with people who speak their language. Its weekly activites were complete with Bible study for men and women and a pot luck dinner once a week!

In Cambodia, people came to New Life in Christ Church every day to learn English, and to bring their children to school. It is a constant presence in the lives of people in the community. The congregation grows from that base of students, who hear about Jesus in class, and want to know more. Several teachers at the school, and the pastor and his family, live on the church's campus and are actively involved in every aspect of the church.

Here in Thailand, I have become more acutely aware of this phenomenon. Church as Family. I'd seen it before on the World Race and knew it was a possibility, and that many lived this way. But since arriving in Sankhalaburi it has been an echoing theme in the church's influence on this small community of Burmese Refugees.

From the moment we arrived, Pastor Bode explained to us that "we live as family here" as we entered the two home, multi-family flat that would become our residence for the next two weeks. And he wasn't kidding.

At any time, there are half a dozen people in this home, whom I do not recognize or have never seen before. Usually they are watching TV or eating in the kitchen, conversing with the family. Not until today did we know for sure who exactly was related to the Pastor and who wasn't.

Church services are quite unlike anything that would happen in America. The sermon is being given while a pantless four-year-old boy runs around in front of the congregation. Babies are being passed back and forth between the women. Children are talking and playing down front on the floor.

It is a casual atmosphere that invokes a feeling of acceptance and ease. You know you have entered a place of familiarity and understanding.

Tonight we gathered together to share scripture, encouragement and how God is working in the lives of the church members. After, we shared in a snack of chips and fanta. It was a beautiful, intimate act of the church being what God created it to be.

Family.

In William Young's controversial book, The Shack "Jesus" says that church is "All about relationships and simply sharing life...being open and available to others around us" (pg 178).

Hebrews 10:23-24 referrs to the church as a place to "stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

On the world race, the preconceived idea of church gets tricky because there isn't a "church" in which to hear english sermons and participate in Sunday School. So church has to change. Church is living together. A good conversation over a good cup of coffee. Accepting hospitality from a Mexican family. Or a Thai family. Or looking someone in the eye and telling them "You are a Beloved Child of the Most High God."

God is using this year to smash all my ideas about what He looks like, who He is, and who He's created us to be. We can not be the church He is so madly in love with until we begin to catch a glimpse of how great that love is....

...and isn't it GREAT?!?