Checking In/Checking Out Version 1.0

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:|

:daisy:


Hey all - will be in/out tonight :wave:

:howdy:

[Hal-9000]

Hey all - will be in/out tonight :wave:

strap-on malfunction?

[RBP]

Hiya MrsM :hug:

[RBP]

I think Hal is horny again :roll:

[MrsM]

Hi Lance :curtsey:

No Hal :lol:

[MrsM]

Hiya MrsM :hug:

Hi RBP :hug: how's the headache?

[Hal-9000]

I think Hal is horny again :roll:

In your dreams....

*tickles tattoo taint with a feather*

[RBP]

Hi RBP :hug: how's the headache?

Decent... one of those days with a dull ache all day and can't wake up. :-k

[Hal-9000]

Decent... one of those days with a dull ache all day and can't wake up. :-k

the odd day I give in and I take one Aleve...they seem to take a few types of aches away

it's the only over the counter crap I take..

[RBP]

In your dreams....

*tickles tattoo taint with a feather*

:face:

[Hal-9000]

So tell me RBP...if a really hot TS, I mean smokin hot with boobs and all....plows you from behind with her 7 inch dick.....is it really gay?

*she'll be wearing make up and nice perfume too*

[RBP]

So tell me RBP...if a really hot TS, I mean smokin hot with boobs and all....plows you from behind with her 7 inch dick.....is it really gay?

*she'll be wearing make up and nice perfume too*

You're trying to trap me... get it "trap?" :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:yawn:

[MrsM]

You're trying to trap me... get it "trap?" :lol:

http://i40.tinypic.com/2rooo77.jpg

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/uyNTB.jpg

[RBP]

http://i40.tinypic.com/2rooo77.jpg

:lol:

[RBP]

http://i.imgur.com/uyNTB.jpg

:rimshot:

[KevinD]

Morning gang! (or evening depending on where you are)

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Kev :hi:

[MrsM]

Hi Kev :wave: how's things?

[KevinD]

Good, weather is nice, for rainy season..no problems from earthquake (in Philippines) here. Just waiting on parts to arrive..should be a couple more days. then can fix problem, give the locals some training, and write detailed reports up

[Hal-9000]

Good, weather is nice, for rainy season..no problems from earthquake (in Philippines) here. Just waiting on parts to arrive..should be a couple more days. then can fix problem, give the locals some training, and write detailed reports up

admit it, you are an international spy

[Hal-9000]

must toodle...


loo!

[Southern Belle]

'sup?

[KevinD]

admit it, you are an international spy

Well, I could, but then.....

You know the rest, lol

[KevinD]

Hey Belle, How you ? Saw some of your post on FB..Rough day, huh?

[Southern Belle]

Meh, yeah. It's Monday too.
How are you? Maybe the question is: Where are you! :lol:

[KevinD]

Off the coast of Malaysia. Doing pretty good. Just waiting on some parts to button everything up here, hopefully by the weekend.

[Southern Belle]

It's nice to get to see so many different places traveling for work, but it sucks being away from home so much too.
I hope I can hang on to this job I have, it's only 37 miles from home.
Take care when you're away Kev. So many countries and people hate Americans these days.
So much hate in this world...

[Southern Belle]

Off to bed when I finish this beer. Hope tomorrow is better than today!

[KevinD]

It's nice to get to see so many different places traveling for work, but it sucks being away from home so much too.
I hope I can hang on to this job I have, it's only 37 miles from home.
Take care when you're away Kev. So many countries and people hate Americans these days.
So much hate in this world...

That's why I always say I'm from Texas....TBH even folks who hate the US seem to still like Texas for some reason. I dunno. Been that way (at least for me) since I was in the service)

Hope ya have a better day tomorrow SB.

[Jezter]

I like Texas! :D

[Leefro]

That is VERY apt

[KevinD]

I like Texas! :D

I just bet you do you bad, bad boi...lol

[Jezter]

That is VERY apt


I just bet you do you bad, bad boi...lol

http://i.imgur.com/nyWEz.jpg

[Leefro]

Bet you this Finish bloke is going to knock me out

[Jezter]

Bet you this Finish bloke is going to knock me out

Playing poker?

[Leefro]

Aye 5 before the money the one on my left is from Finland

http://i39.tinypic.com/24l6is8.jpg

[KevinD]

Judging by a different thread, yeah, he is.

[Jezter]

Pretty short stack there, sir... But I hope you will get ze monees!

Adios amigos, I hafta go edumacate miself. Good thing today is Networks and Cryptography day. :cheerlead:

[Leefro]

Ta ra

Playing tighter than a gnats chuff so I will make it

I Hope

[Teh One Who Knocks]

So tired :sleepy:

[Pony]

Running late this morning?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

No, why? :-k

[Pony]

Seems you're usually here earlier. I did skip the snooze button this morning though...

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Had a customer in my office first thing :wha:

[Pony]

Always nice when they're waiting when you pull in. :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Yeah, and then hang out for 20 minutes on top of it :|


:x

[Pony]

As much as I don't feel like it, I'm off to work...

*sigh*

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Later Pony :bye:

[MrsM]

Morning all :wave:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Morning MrsM :wavey:

How goes it so far?

[MrsM]

Will be a busy morning... and perhaps the whole day. We'll see at this mornings meeting.

You?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The same, I have a buttload of work to get to, some new and some I've been putting off. I really need to get it started. :sad2:

[Jezter]

Evening tater tots!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Jez :hi:

[Hal-9000]

Jez :hi:

Jiz :hi:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

It's gonna be one of those days at work again :|

[Teh One Who Knocks]

And it's still snowing :|

[Muddy]

You need to finish that foxhole beside the sidewalk...

[RBP]

good morning

[Teh One Who Knocks]

You need to finish that foxhole beside the sidewalk...

I don't mind snow, but FFS it would be nice if it was spread out evenly over the course of the winter. We got 2 storms of 8"+ in late September and early Octover and then basically nothing since. Now in the last couple of days we got 16" of snow and now at least another 6" today and it's still snowing :rant:


good morning

:howdy:

[RBP]

I don't mind snow, but FFS it would be nice if it was spread out evenly over the course of the winter. We got 2 storms of 8"+ in late September and early Octover and then basically nothing since. Now in the last couple of days we got 16" of snow and now at least another 6" today and it's still snowing :rant:


Don't send that shit here. :x

[Teh One Who Knocks]

You're getting it :hand:

[RBP]

:sad2: bastard.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:dance:

[Goofy]

No snow here :banana:

[Muddy]

I don't mind snow, but FFS it would be nice if it was spread out evenly over the course of the winter. We got 2 storms of 8"+ in late September and early Octover and then basically nothing since. Now in the last couple of days we got 16" of snow and now at least another 6" today and it's still snowing :rant:



:howdy:

It's 57 and Sunny here.. It's like the land winter forgot..

[Teh One Who Knocks]

No snow here :banana:

:slap:


It's 57 and Sunny here.. It's like the land winter forgot..

:slap:

[Hal-9000]

sunny here too with no snow



:wavey:

[Muddy]

:slap:



:slap:


It's true.. It's like nothing i've ever experienced around here.. The trees are blooming and I have daffodils flowering at my mailbox..

[Hal-9000]

It's true.. It's like nothing i've ever experienced around here.. The trees are blooming and I have daffodils flowering at my mailbox..

aren't your typical winters like 70F with occasional hard rain? :lol:

[Goofy]

We've had a pretty good winter tbh, pretty much no snowfall at all....... a bit cold atm but nothing like the crap we had last year :)

[Hal-9000]

Our winter has been like Lance's last report/complaint


not much constant bad weather but when it snows, it's been 3 hours = can't drive and -38C :lol:






almost like getting raped by a hummingbird hey Goof?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

The only good thing about the snow today is that it's the light and flooofy snow. The crap from the other day was that wet and heavy snow.

[Goofy]

Our winter has been like Lance's last report/complaint


not much constant bad weather but when it snows, it's been 3 hours = can't drive and -38C :lol:






almost like getting raped by a hummingbird hey Goof?

I read a few pages back btw....... decided not to ban you....... for now :P

[Hal-9000]

The only good thing about the snow today is that it's the light and flooofy snow. The crap from the other day was that wet and heavy snow.

flooofy?


really??







http://i40.tinypic.com/13z6g03.jpg

[Hal-9000]

I read a few pages back btw....... decided not to ban you....... for now :P

so quick with teh in out :sad2:

[Muddy]

aren't your typical winters like 70F with occasional hard rain? :lol:

Not hardly.. Here are the averages (not for this year)

Month Low High
Jan 27.6°F 45.3°F
Feb 29.7°F 49.3°F

[Goofy]

so quick with teh in out :sad2:

*hums*

[Hal-9000]

Not hardly.. Here are the averages (not for this year)

Month Low High
Jan 27.6°F 45.3°F
Feb 29.7°F 49.3°F

whoa...you're hitting -2C with that 27F temp in Jan....that must be pretty cold for you down there?

[Hal-9000]

*hums*


:lol: no, but if you hum a few bars.........

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/za8Lh.png

[Muddy]

whoa...you're hitting -2C with that 27F temp in Jan....that must be pretty cold for you down there?

Not this year.. Its 57 right now..

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Looks like the snow has finally stopped

[RBP]

Looks like the snow has finally stopped

:| keep it please

[Teh One Who Knocks]

No [-(

[Hal-9000]

Not this year.. Its 57 right now..

not making a joke...when it gets up to -2C or 0 up here, we pretty much don't wear our jackets and get happy :lol:

this past couple of months have been hovering around that mark, as mentioned before....kinda surreal

[Muddy]

not making a joke...when it gets up to -2C or 0 up here, we pretty much don't wear our jackets and get happy :lol:

this past couple of months have been hovering around that mark, as mentioned before....kinda surreal

Yeah I hear you there Jexter.. :)

[Jezter]

Good thing y'all having a mild and warm winter... bastiges!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Good thing y'all having a mild and warm winter... bastiges!

We just got 2 feet of snow here in the last 4 days :slap:

[Goofy]

We just got 2 feet of snow here in the last 4 days :slap:

http://i.imgur.com/3RkSZ.jpg

:-k

[Jezter]

We just got 2 feet of snow here in the last 4 days :slap:

Snow is easy to deal with. :hand:

[Muddy]

My balls are sweaty...

[Teh One Who Knocks]

http://i.imgur.com/3RkSZ.jpg

:-k

:facepalm:

http://tehbasement.com/showthread.php?27226-Looks-like-they-got-two-feet-of-snow-in-New-York-City-from-the-last-storm

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Snow is easy to deal with. :hand:

Only people that don't have to drive say things like that :hand:

[Jezter]

My balls are sweaty...

Lovely. Salt licks for the wife.

[Jezter]

Only people that don't have to drive say things like that :hand:

I was driving just this weekend.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I was driving just this weekend.

:shakehead:

[Jezter]

Don't diss me bro! :(

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Annnnnnnd speaking of driving in the snow, time to get ready to go home and venture out into the nightmare. Yay :|


:bye:

[MrsM]

Drive safe Lance :bye:

[RBP]

Careful Lance! :shock:

[Goofy]

:facepalm:

http://tehbasement.com/showthread.php?27226-Looks-like-they-got-two-feet-of-snow-in-New-York-City-from-the-last-storm

:shock: Freaky coincidence!



Annnnnnnd speaking of driving in the snow, time to get ready to go home and venture out into the nightmare. Yay :|


:bye:

:waves:

[Hal-9000]

The Tacoma will carry him like a white magic carpet over the sands of Arabia :thumbsup:

[Goofy]

:shock:

http://i.imgur.com/VicZ9.jpg

Noooooooo! Not faulty floor mats!!!! :hills:

[Hal-9000]

They make the accelerator pedal stick! :shock:

[Muddy]

Toyota floor mats are like bolted down now... :lol:

[Hal-9000]

they should draw them on, just to be safe :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Roads weren't bad at all :)


And now the sun is out :cheerlead:

[KevinD]

<squints> GOOOOOOOOD Morning Vietnam!

[Hal-9000]

<squints back>

that's racist! I'm Filipino :x

[Muddy]

Dropping the Taco off tomorrow at the dealership for a little shudder I feel at takeoff..

[KevinD]

<squints back>

that's racist! I'm Filipino :x


You're a Flip?


That explains the fascination with ladi-bois then

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Dropping the Taco off tomorrow at the dealership for a little shudder I feel at takeoff..
That is the absolute gheyest nickname for the truck...

[Hal-9000]

That is the absolute gheyest nickname for the truck...

Lance's White Steed? :-s

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Lance's White Steed? :-s

:blah:

[Hal-9000]

:blah:

Today I met wisdom incarnate. He's the former Bishop of Rwanda, having recently retired. He spoke for an hour or so at the beginning of a day dedicated to explaining the vision and execution of World Relief Rwanda. This is a man who represents and leads the entire country through the Anglican church, a man who speaks to hundreds if not thousands at a time, a man who speaks to and councils presidents and ambassadors, here to talk to the twelve of us.

He didn't speak on behalf of World Relief, but he definitely agreed with their work and methodology.

The Rwandan government relies heavily on the Church to care for the most vulnerable. That is Jesus' mandate for the Church, and the Church therefore, presumably, is the body most fit for the task. Is it the government's duty as well? Yes, I think it is, but in the US, the Church often shrugs off its responsibility, its core purpose, because we can rationalize that our government has already taken care of it.

It's entirely foreign to me that government should rely on the church to do anything. It seems to me our government tries to do what would make our lives better, avoiding at all costs any relationship to the church; the church is a hinderance, not an asset. Recently I was considering whether it might not be a good idea to completely remove marriage, a religious notion, from our laws. Let the church handle religion. Hearing Bishop John's telling of how the Rwandan government and church work together, complement each other, may have turned me around on that. Of course, it's easier when 90% of the population claims to be Christian.

The Bishop talked a bit about the US, where he has lived in the past, and some of the Church's failures there. One of those failures, he said, is not being able to talk about Christianity in the schools. I assume he means students not being able to, but he didn't specify. I asked him how the church could not fail in that regard and he said it needs to change its attitude; it needs to be more humble. He said the Anglican church has figured out everything, and it leaves no room for the Spirit. He then asked if he had answered my question, which I felt he had not, so I asked how that would change the government's position on religion in the schools. Essentially he said the government doesn't value the church because we no longer have anything of value to offer. "The church doesn't do magic. If you put salt in a pan and heat the pan with the food and serve it immediately, the salt won't have added any flavor." He suggested that if we humble ourselves and serve rather than rant, in a generation or two, we may see change in how people view Christianity. It's certainly food for thought.

Another culture shock that I mentioned previously is Rwanda's view of Sex. "Professor" Maurice, my translator on Thursday for the pastoral retreat, talked a bit about the Mobilizing for Life program they have which teaches faithfulness and abstinence to combat AIDS. I asked a devil's advocate question, as I do so often, "When the US, historically, has taught abstinence only, it's failed miserably. It doesn't reduce the amount of sex, it reduces the amount of safe sex. (Thank you CJ Craig.) What do we expect to happen here?" In the last three or four years, the number of sexually active youth in areas where the benefits of abstinence has been taught has dropped from 33% to 12%. Maurice talked about a lot of testimonies. Pastor Phil said there are statistics to support this as well. He went on to talk about the many supporters of Rwanda, whether they be governments or organizations, that all have agendas for Rwanda and Africa. They all have their own ideals. Much of what comes in is helpful, from financial aid to education to entrepreneurial spirit. But with the good also comes the bad and the ugly, and just because the US can't keep its dick in its pants, doesn't mean the rest of the world can't. Since then (two hours ago) I've been thinking about what could cause this separation in values (and abstinence is a value in Rwanda). I know it's not belief in the Bible, as this education is still being taught to the country and roughly one in three pastors aren't even "born again." It's not ancestral roots (they're not being taught it by their parents) as polygamy is an issue here. I'm left thinking it's our media, our advertising, our obsession with sex in the first place. They have no sex appeal ads because they have no ads at all. I'm not blaming the media outright as the media wouldn't present what we don't want to see. There's a Jack Johnson song about this called "Cookie Jar".

These two pointed questions earned me the prestigious Hardest Questions award during graduation from World Relief University.

I overheard at the end of Bishop John's talk, on the way to tea that Rwanda is, too, materialistic. Americans put their faith and trust in the objects they own. Rwandans put their hope in the objects they think would make their lives complete. I guess Americans do that as well. It's an interesting thought, to be sure.

What I've learned today is that life as it's meant to be is hard. In fact, it's impossible. The amount of forgiveness, the metaphorical seventy times seven, for every possible way someone can sin against us, whether that be accidental, misunderstanding, cruelty, thievery, rape, or murder of loved ones... how can you? With the 1994 genocide raw in everyone's minds here, it makes all of this that much more real. The amount of healing through forgiveness that's happened in the last 17 years is phenomenal. Selling your stuff to support those in need? I can easily give, and in fact enjoy giving, out of my abundance, but ask me to sell my tv, or laptop, or car to help someone? Not happening. LIfe, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness? God gives us life and the liberty to do with it and fail as we please in our own pursuit of happiness. LIfe is the one thing we, as Americans, feel we have as our own. How can we give that up completely? It's impossible. "With Christ all things are possible." It's hard to comprehend, much less believe, much less act on.

On lighter topics (and it is now this entry's tomorrow, about 18 hours since starting it), we left our hotel in Musanze yesterday morning. Before leaving, we walked up to the Catholic church about five minutes away and prayed for the region. Dyanah didn't walk with us. I thought she was being lazy since she got in a car that was to pick us up at the church. It turns out she was leaving, so I missed my chance to hug her goodbye. Nothing grieves me more than missed opportunities for relationship, romantic or not. To my future girlfriends, never tease me by offering a kiss and then denying it because of something, legitimate or not, I did. It tears me apart.

The ride to our new home, where the day-university class was held, was about 40 minutes long, bumpy and upward. (We're just about to leave this place, and I just carried my bags up the stairs to where the SUVs are. To give you an idea of the elevation, not only am I winded, which would be normal, but everyone else has mentioned being winded too.) We got some beautiful shots of waterfalls and people working their fields. The retreat center we went to has the most glorious view I've ever seen, tenfold and then some. It overlooks a large lake with several islands in the middle. There's no electricity to the islands, so there are no power lines crossing the water or anything else to mar the scene. Not that I've ever been a poetic writer, but I doubt anyone but a poet laureate could capture the view. Or a photo. With the world's best camera. Yeah, you really should just visit.

Glory be to God, we had a bathroom door in our room.

It has rained fairly frequently, so we haven't had much opportunity to see the whole thing unclouded, nor have I had any time to journal outside.

Because I don't believe I've yet stated it, and it really is one of the main points of this trip, I'm going to attempt to explain World Relief's purpose here in Rwanda. "To empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable." We've (the world) found that dumping money in Africa hasn't worked. In fact, it has worsened the situation by creating a dependency on those who've tried to help. The old give a man a fish, teach a man to fish. The only way Africa will ever succeed in betterment is if it does it itself, if it owns it itself. World Relief believes the best organization to serve the "most vulnerable," the poor, the widows and orphans, the down-and-out, is the Church, as it has been called by Jesus to do so. Further, with 90% claiming faith, it's the largest social network in Rwanda, already in place.

Jesus calls himself the groom and the Church his bride. World Relief sees itself as the maid of honor, the woman whose job it is to help the bride to have everything she needs, and then to step out of the way.

World Relief doesn't supply any financial incentives for pastors to join in their programs, except in the beginning for a free lunch and transportation. The pastors or other Rwandans own everything they do. World Relief just supplies training (trainers of trainers) and curriculum. If people think of a program as World Relief's, they'll become dependent on the organization.

This kind of thinking is difficult for task/results-oriented people and organizations. "89¢ a day will let this child go to school." That organization will, unfortunately, never go out of business, never succeed in its goal of saving Africa. Even organizations that agree with World Relief's way of doing things are often pressed by boards for results and will pay for food and transport for every meeting. Now pastors aren't going to the meeting for the benefits of the meeting, but for free food and the extra money left over after expensing transportation. Once again, they're taught that white people will give them money.

It calls into question, a bit, our (Bethany's) partnership with Living Water International. Wells are great, but it'd be better if the Africans paid for them. They also break fairly frequently, so that's another opportunity for African business. Elizabeth has mentioned this to LIving Water (whom primarily in the past has been sponsored by organizations and companies that want to boast they've put x wells in Uganda), and said Bethany is more interested in a relationship and partnership with the people our wells have gone to, and that we also want a maintenance plan in place for those wells. It sounded like, from talking to her, they were noncommittal. She said she'd call again when we get back.

Last night at our team time, Richard tried to make joke to tease me about Dyanah, but accidentally said [Caleb] instead of Jordan. After a team-wide fit of laughter directed at Richard instead of me, Elizabeth asked if there was romance there and I shrugged indicating a little. I guess she had no idea. She had even pointed out at breakfast one day that the only two other single people on the trip were women too old for me, and "I guess you'll just have to find an African."

This morning before our mostly-daily devotion, we did a quick highs-and-lows. At the end, I appended a sappy, half-joking low that I didn't get to hug Di goodbye. This unfortunately coincided with a side-effect of my Vyvanse, watery eyes. I don't know if anyone noticed or thought I was tearing up over it. Amongst the laughter at my bringing this up, I heard someone say I was doing it wrong, that I was supposed to be embarrassed so they could tease me. Ha.

We spent some time debriefing. I've said it before: I don't really come with expectations because I don't know wheat to expect, and I don't want to be disappointed. The disappointments I've had were minor, a missed hug, paying more than I'd meant to on a souvenir chess set, not having as much a-few-on-one time with the pastors on Saturday. I spent the last twenty minutes of that debriefing time writing this, which is really debriefing in itself.

This whole trip we've been examining poverty. This trip is based on a book called When Helping Hurts. At the beginning, it does a deep dive on the various forms of poverty. It's essentially when our relationships to God, self, community or environment are out of whack. This is to say that we ourselves are quite poor as well. We don't lack materials, but our relationships to ourselves and to our communities are really screwed up. To God, I'll leave on a per-person basis, and in Washington, we're at least trying to be environmental.

[minz]

I'm off to snuggle under the duvet to try to get warm, sweet dreams. :wave:

[Hal-9000]

*shoots a match*

Nite Minz :wavey:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Night night All Minzy Are the Borogoves :bye:

[KevinD]

That is the absolute gheyest nickname for the truck...


Have to forgotten about "Toy" Though, that at least was an accurate description back then, lol

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Have to forgotten about "Toy" Though, that at least was an accurate description back then, lol

Call it whatever you want, I bought a quality truck made by non-union Americans from a company that took ZERO of my tax dollars

[Muddy]

Lance's White Steed? :-s

Hhahha... Except Lances isnt white.. Mine is.. :mrgreen:

[Hal-9000]

:hand: belly button trucks

[Muddy]

Now you really lost me...

[Hal-9000]

everybody has one.....



remember Trans Ams with the cool decals? That's when I first heard it :lol:

[KevinD]

Call it whatever you want, I bought a quality truck made by non-union Americans from a company that took ZERO of my tax dollars

Not knocking Yota trucks. Far from it. The were and still are very dependable, tough trucks. They were just small, hence "Toy" was accurate in my mind.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Not knocking Yota trucks. Far from it. The were and still are very dependable, tough trucks. They were just small, hence "Toy" was accurate in my mind.

Ah, gotcha :)

[Muddy]

Not knocking Yota trucks. Far from it. The were and still are very dependable, tough trucks. They were just small, hence "Toy" was accurate in my mind.

I've seen my share of people changing the name on the tailgate.. Lol.. Not me, brother..

[RBP]

Today I met wisdom incarnate. He's the former Bishop of Rwanda, having recently retired. He spoke for an hour or so at the beginning of a day dedicated to explaining the vision and execution of World Relief Rwanda. This is a man who represents and leads the entire country through the Anglican church, a man who speaks to hundreds if not thousands at a time, a man who speaks to and councils presidents and ambassadors, here to talk to the twelve of us.

He didn't speak on behalf of World Relief, but he definitely agreed with their work and methodology.

The Rwandan government relies heavily on the Church to care for the most vulnerable. That is Jesus' mandate for the Church, and the Church therefore, presumably, is the body most fit for the task. Is it the government's duty as well? Yes, I think it is, but in the US, the Church often shrugs off its responsibility, its core purpose, because we can rationalize that our government has already taken care of it.

It's entirely foreign to me that government should rely on the church to do anything. It seems to me our government tries to do what would make our lives better, avoiding at all costs any relationship to the church; the church is a hinderance, not an asset. Recently I was considering whether it might not be a good idea to completely remove marriage, a religious notion, from our laws. Let the church handle religion. Hearing Bishop John's telling of how the Rwandan government and church work together, complement each other, may have turned me around on that. Of course, it's easier when 90% of the population claims to be Christian.

The Bishop talked a bit about the US, where he has lived in the past, and some of the Church's failures there. One of those failures, he said, is not being able to talk about Christianity in the schools. I assume he means students not being able to, but he didn't specify. I asked him how the church could not fail in that regard and he said it needs to change its attitude; it needs to be more humble. He said the Anglican church has figured out everything, and it leaves no room for the Spirit. He then asked if he had answered my question, which I felt he had not, so I asked how that would change the government's position on religion in the schools. Essentially he said the government doesn't value the church because we no longer have anything of value to offer. "The church doesn't do magic. If you put salt in a pan and heat the pan with the food and serve it immediately, the salt won't have added any flavor." He suggested that if we humble ourselves and serve rather than rant, in a generation or two, we may see change in how people view Christianity. It's certainly food for thought.

Another culture shock that I mentioned previously is Rwanda's view of Sex. "Professor" Maurice, my translator on Thursday for the pastoral retreat, talked a bit about the Mobilizing for Life program they have which teaches faithfulness and abstinence to combat AIDS. I asked a devil's advocate question, as I do so often, "When the US, historically, has taught abstinence only, it's failed miserably. It doesn't reduce the amount of sex, it reduces the amount of safe sex. (Thank you CJ Craig.) What do we expect to happen here?" In the last three or four years, the number of sexually active youth in areas where the benefits of abstinence has been taught has dropped from 33% to 12%. Maurice talked about a lot of testimonies. Pastor Phil said there are statistics to support this as well. He went on to talk about the many supporters of Rwanda, whether they be governments or organizations, that all have agendas for Rwanda and Africa. They all have their own ideals. Much of what comes in is helpful, from financial aid to education to entrepreneurial spirit. But with the good also comes the bad and the ugly, and just because the US can't keep its dick in its pants, doesn't mean the rest of the world can't. Since then (two hours ago) I've been thinking about what could cause this separation in values (and abstinence is a value in Rwanda). I know it's not belief in the Bible, as this education is still being taught to the country and roughly one in three pastors aren't even "born again." It's not ancestral roots (they're not being taught it by their parents) as polygamy is an issue here. I'm left thinking it's our media, our advertising, our obsession with sex in the first place. They have no sex appeal ads because they have no ads at all. I'm not blaming the media outright as the media wouldn't present what we don't want to see. There's a Jack Johnson song about this called "Cookie Jar".

These two pointed questions earned me the prestigious Hardest Questions award during graduation from World Relief University.

I overheard at the end of Bishop John's talk, on the way to tea that Rwanda is, too, materialistic. Americans put their faith and trust in the objects they own. Rwandans put their hope in the objects they think would make their lives complete. I guess Americans do that as well. It's an interesting thought, to be sure.

What I've learned today is that life as it's meant to be is hard. In fact, it's impossible. The amount of forgiveness, the metaphorical seventy times seven, for every possible way someone can sin against us, whether that be accidental, misunderstanding, cruelty, thievery, rape, or murder of loved ones... how can you? With the 1994 genocide raw in everyone's minds here, it makes all of this that much more real. The amount of healing through forgiveness that's happened in the last 17 years is phenomenal. Selling your stuff to support those in need? I can easily give, and in fact enjoy giving, out of my abundance, but ask me to sell my tv, or laptop, or car to help someone? Not happening. LIfe, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness? God gives us life and the liberty to do with it and fail as we please in our own pursuit of happiness. LIfe is the one thing we, as Americans, feel we have as our own. How can we give that up completely? It's impossible. "With Christ all things are possible." It's hard to comprehend, much less believe, much less act on.

On lighter topics (and it is now this entry's tomorrow, about 18 hours since starting it), we left our hotel in Musanze yesterday morning. Before leaving, we walked up to the Catholic church about five minutes away and prayed for the region. Dyanah didn't walk with us. I thought she was being lazy since she got in a car that was to pick us up at the church. It turns out she was leaving, so I missed my chance to hug her goodbye. Nothing grieves me more than missed opportunities for relationship, romantic or not. To my future girlfriends, never tease me by offering a kiss and then denying it because of something, legitimate or not, I did. It tears me apart.

The ride to our new home, where the day-university class was held, was about 40 minutes long, bumpy and upward. (We're just about to leave this place, and I just carried my bags up the stairs to where the SUVs are. To give you an idea of the elevation, not only am I winded, which would be normal, but everyone else has mentioned being winded too.) We got some beautiful shots of waterfalls and people working their fields. The retreat center we went to has the most glorious view I've ever seen, tenfold and then some. It overlooks a large lake with several islands in the middle. There's no electricity to the islands, so there are no power lines crossing the water or anything else to mar the scene. Not that I've ever been a poetic writer, but I doubt anyone but a poet laureate could capture the view. Or a photo. With the world's best camera. Yeah, you really should just visit.

Glory be to God, we had a bathroom door in our room.

It has rained fairly frequently, so we haven't had much opportunity to see the whole thing unclouded, nor have I had any time to journal outside.

Because I don't believe I've yet stated it, and it really is one of the main points of this trip, I'm going to attempt to explain World Relief's purpose here in Rwanda. "To empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable." We've (the world) found that dumping money in Africa hasn't worked. In fact, it has worsened the situation by creating a dependency on those who've tried to help. The old give a man a fish, teach a man to fish. The only way Africa will ever succeed in betterment is if it does it itself, if it owns it itself. World Relief believes the best organization to serve the "most vulnerable," the poor, the widows and orphans, the down-and-out, is the Church, as it has been called by Jesus to do so. Further, with 90% claiming faith, it's the largest social network in Rwanda, already in place.

Jesus calls himself the groom and the Church his bride. World Relief sees itself as the maid of honor, the woman whose job it is to help the bride to have everything she needs, and then to step out of the way.

World Relief doesn't supply any financial incentives for pastors to join in their programs, except in the beginning for a free lunch and transportation. The pastors or other Rwandans own everything they do. World Relief just supplies training (trainers of trainers) and curriculum. If people think of a program as World Relief's, they'll become dependent on the organization.

This kind of thinking is difficult for task/results-oriented people and organizations. "89¢ a day will let this child go to school." That organization will, unfortunately, never go out of business, never succeed in its goal of saving Africa. Even organizations that agree with World Relief's way of doing things are often pressed by boards for results and will pay for food and transport for every meeting. Now pastors aren't going to the meeting for the benefits of the meeting, but for free food and the extra money left over after expensing transportation. Once again, they're taught that white people will give them money.

It calls into question, a bit, our (Bethany's) partnership with Living Water International. Wells are great, but it'd be better if the Africans paid for them. They also break fairly frequently, so that's another opportunity for African business. Elizabeth has mentioned this to LIving Water (whom primarily in the past has been sponsored by organizations and companies that want to boast they've put x wells in Uganda), and said Bethany is more interested in a relationship and partnership with the people our wells have gone to, and that we also want a maintenance plan in place for those wells. It sounded like, from talking to her, they were noncommittal. She said she'd call again when we get back.

Last night at our team time, Richard tried to make joke to tease me about Dyanah, but accidentally said [Caleb] instead of Jordan. After a team-wide fit of laughter directed at Richard instead of me, Elizabeth asked if there was romance there and I shrugged indicating a little. I guess she had no idea. She had even pointed out at breakfast one day that the only two other single people on the trip were women too old for me, and "I guess you'll just have to find an African."

This morning before our mostly-daily devotion, we did a quick highs-and-lows. At the end, I appended a sappy, half-joking low that I didn't get to hug Di goodbye. This unfortunately coincided with a side-effect of my Vyvanse, watery eyes. I don't know if anyone noticed or thought I was tearing up over it. Amongst the laughter at my bringing this up, I heard someone say I was doing it wrong, that I was supposed to be embarrassed so they could tease me. Ha.

We spent some time debriefing. I've said it before: I don't really come with expectations because I don't know wheat to expect, and I don't want to be disappointed. The disappointments I've had were minor, a missed hug, paying more than I'd meant to on a souvenir chess set, not having as much a-few-on-one time with the pastors on Saturday. I spent the last twenty minutes of that debriefing time writing this, which is really debriefing in itself.

This whole trip we've been examining poverty. This trip is based on a book called When Helping Hurts. At the beginning, it does a deep dive on the various forms of poverty. It's essentially when our relationships to God, self, community or environment are out of whack. This is to say that we ourselves are quite poor as well. We don't lack materials, but our relationships to ourselves and to our communities are really screwed up. To God, I'll leave on a per-person basis, and in Washington, we're at least trying to be environmental.

:slap:

too many words.

[Muddy]

What in the fuck is all that?

[RBP]

who knows... it might as well be in Greek because it's not getting read :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

who knows... it might as well be in Greek because it's not getting read :lol:

There will be a quiz on it in 10 minutes :nono:

[RBP]

There will be a quiz on it in 10 minutes :nono:

Sorry *munch* I was eating a fantastic pizza!

[MrsM]

Hi all :wave: here for a bit

[RBP]

Hi MrsM :hug:

[MrsM]

Hey RBP :hug: how's things?

[RBP]

Good, got some things done today that I had been putting off :)

How was your day?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

MrsM :wavey:

[MrsM]

Good, got some things done today that I had been putting off :)

How was your day?

It was busy - but not too bad. I'm trying to get some last few items complete before bed


MrsM :wavey:

Hi Lance :wavey: all's good in Lance Land?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Not too bad, thanks :)

[RBP]

So... MrsM is still being productive - maybe I should too. :-k

[MrsM]

So... MrsM is still being productive - maybe I should too. :-k

Meh ... it's not as fun as it sounds :)

[RBP]

Better than me being reproductive

:shudder:

[MrsM]

:)

[Hal-9000]

:slap:

too many words.


What in the fuck is all that?

he said "blah blah blah"

I thought it was a request :shrug:

[RBP]

he said "blah blah blah"

I thought it was a request :shrug:

:slap: that had more words than a JoeyB post ffs :P

[Hal-9000]

Sometimes my mind wanders..:oops:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Sometimes? :-s

[Hal-9000]

Sometimes? :-s

:x Hey you.......






wanna go bike riding? :)

[Hal-9000]

I have to go.I bought some new windshield wiper blades today and they're not smushing the entire 22 inches and 17 inches that I paid for....grrrrrrrrr

[golfer]

hi all

[Pony]

hi all

:hi:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:yawn:


:humpday:

[Pony]

Another busy day ahead of me today, I was so wiped out when I got home yesterday. I think I passed out at about 8PM.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Well, it's good that you're busy at least :thumbsup:

[Pony]

yep!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I slept like crap last night, it's gonna be a long day here too :wha:

[Pony]

I'm just glad I worked a bit late last night and got the project truck finished. Full sized Silverado got slammed in the front, something smashed in the drivers door and rocker and the bed came forward and hit the cab. I've been picking at it for weeks. I hate working on trucks....

[Teh One Who Knocks]

How come? Because they are just bigger than cars?

[Pony]

Bigger, heavier. Full frame over body instead of unibody. And in this case there is no upper structure in the front, the fenders and wheelhouses are all one integrated unit that all the mechanical stuff attaches too. To replace the fenders you have to pretty much gut the engine bay leaving only the motor.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Ah, gotcha....just more of a pain in the ass to work on all the way around :lol:

[Pony]

Yep. Between the front and back I pretty much had the whole truck apart. All that was left was the cab and engine sitting on the frame.

[Teh One Who Knocks]

You had it naked! :shock:

[Pony]

Yea, wasn't much to look at though. :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:lol:


Man I don't wanna be here today :wha:

[Pony]

Time to head out, have a good one!

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Later Pony, you too! :bye:

[MrsM]

Morning :yawn:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Morning MrsM :wavey:

I feel your pain, I'm tired too

[MrsM]

Hi Lance - I thought I slept enough, but I feel tired. It's sunny out so it's helping

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Looks like it's gonna be sunny here too today :)

[RBP]

Lance :hi:

MrsM :hug:

Morning. I am tired as well :|

[Hal-9000]

hjur budjik :wavey:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

RBP :hi:

Hal :hi:

[MrsM]

Lance :hi:

MrsM :hug:

Morning. I am tired as well :|

Hi RBP :hug: everyone seems to be tired this morning :)


hjur budjik :wavey:

Hal :curtsey:

[Hal-9000]

Ldsssd ermghif to! :)

[RBP]

hjur budjik :wavey:

Oh yeah? fuck you too Hal :x

:P

Good morning. ;)

[RBP]

Ldsssd ermghif to! :)

No! Suck your own cock! :x

[Hal-9000]

Oh yeah? fuck you too Hal :x

:P

Good morning. ;)

:doh: I forgot the two little dot things over the ji....

[Hal-9000]

No! Suck your own cock! :x


:sad2: every encounter ends the same way..

[Jezter]

Eveningish!

[Hal-9000]

Morning bile!

[RBP]

:sad2: every encounter ends the same way..

:lol:


Eveningish!

:wavey:

[MrsM]

Eveningish!

Hey Jez :wavey:

[Hal-9000]

life would be so much more pleasant if we could just cut out the whole morning part and start at noon

[RBP]

life would be so much more pleasant if we could just cut out the whole morning part and start at noon

Agreed! But then wouldn't noon become morning? :-k

that made my head hurt.

[Hal-9000]

I love the first couple of lines in this song :lol:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0E0SSTtEAQ

[Hal-9000]

Agreed! But then wouldn't noon become morning? :-k

that made my head hurt.

stop clouding the issue with facts!

:x

[Jezter]

Lancie, Halsie, RBSie, MrsMsie :howdy:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Jez :wavey:

[golfer]

morning all im back :)

[MrsM]

Hi Golfer :curtsey:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Golfer :hi:

[Jezter]

Gawlfer :hi:

[Hal-9000]

I miss golfer 99 :sad2:


farewell old friend

[Pony]

I miss golfer 99 :sad2:


farewell old friend

:lol:

[minz]

My home internet is ready :cheerlead: I've coaxed Jay with a chicken dinner to get him round to my place to set up the broadband. :lol:

[Hal-9000]

You've co-axed Jay? :shock:


them cables hurt if you put them into the wrong slot :|

[minz]

You've co-axed Jay? :shock:


them cables hurt if you put them into the wrong slot :|

:|

[minz]

I can't set it up myself, I don't know how to do it. :sad2:

[Hal-9000]

http://i42.tinypic.com/2dmb77b.jpg

[minz]

I prefer to leave it to those who know...

[Jezter]

Or then you just play the damsel in distress to have a knight in shining armor (and penis) to come save you. :razz:

[minz]

Or then you just play the damsel in distress to have a knight in shining armor (and penis) to come save you. :razz:

That's the one :lol:

[minz]

I have to temp him with food first though. :lol:

[Jezter]

Food and/or pussy usually works for us boys pretty well, yes. :lol:

[minz]

Food and/or pussy usually works for us boys pretty well, yes. :lol:

Yeah, I know. :lol:

[MrsM]

Yeah, I know. :lol:

All women know that :)

[minz]

:lol: But the guys still fall for it every time.

[Hal-9000]

Food and/or pussy usually works for us boys pretty well, yes. :lol:

:hand: not for all of us males...

[MrsM]

:lol: But the guys still fall for it every time.

Yep :tup:

[Pony]

:lol: But the guys still fall for it every time.

Temptress!

:rolleyes:

[MrsM]

:hand: not for all of us males...

No you are right - the gay ones you usually need to take shopping :)

[Hal-9000]

:cheerlead:








HEY! :x

[Jezter]

No you are right - the gay ones you usually need to take shopping :)
Or day-spa.

[MrsM]

Or day-spa.

:lol:

[Hal-9000]

No you are right - the gay ones you usually need to take shopping :)

I bet that I've had less men that you have [-(

[minz]

No you are right - the gay ones you usually need to take shopping :)


Or day-spa.

:lol:

[Pony]

:lol: But the guys still fall for it every time.

Fool me once shame on you, fool me 37592 times shame on me!

:lol:

[minz]

Better get home and get the dinner on :) see you later. :wave:

[MrsM]

Bye Minz :bye:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

So busy today :wha:

[Joebob034]

Better get home and get the dinner on :) see you later. :wave:

dinner? so early? it's only 1:30

[Hal-9000]

So busy today :wha:


I woke up today and thought it was Friday for a few seconds.....


it's not :sad2:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

I woke up today and thought it was Friday for a few seconds.....


it's not :sad2:

I hate it when that happens...makes the week seem even longer than normal :wha:

[Hal-9000]

Last weekend I woke up and thought it was 1989 :oops:

[Goofy]

Last weekend I woke up and thought it was 1989 :oops:

That explains the hair-do............ Hi Hal :wavey:

[Hal-9000]

That explains the hair-do............ Hi Hal :wavey:


You hairless biscuit sucking bastid


hello, and how are we today? :)

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Goof :hi:


Man, this day is flying by :shock:

[Goofy]

You hairless biscuit sucking bastid


hello, and how are we today? :)

Not too bad, yourself mate? :)


Goof :hi:


Man, this day is flying by :shock:

:waves: Mine flew by too......... it went too quickly actually and i ended up working late to catch up on some jobs :lol: Still nice n busy :D

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Yeah, today is the busiest day I've had in a long time

[Goofy]

Yeah, today is the busiest day I've had in a long time

Well, thats a good thing........ although it never feels like it at the time :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Exactly :lol:

All I know is from the lack of sleep and being this damn busy, I'm beat down tired

[Goofy]

All I know is from the lack of sleep and being this damn busy, I'm beat down tired

Ditto! Went to bed early last night but couldn't sleep :wha:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Same here. I've been awake off and on since 12:30 :wha:

[RBP]

I slept from 12:30 to 9:00 and from 10:00 to 1:00 8-[

On that note... I am out for several hours. Have a good afternoon/evening everyone.

[Goofy]

I slept from 12:30 to 9:00 and from 10:00 to 1:00 8-[

On that note... I am out for several hours. Have a good afternoon/evening everyone.

:slap:

I assume you're off for another nap?

[Hal-9000]

I slept from 12:30 to 9:00 and from 10:00 to 1:00 8-[

On that note... I am out for several hours. Have a good afternoon/evening everyone.

you just got more sleep in 24 hours than I will all week :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

you just got more sleep in 24 hours than I will all week :lol:

We should tie him to a stake and burn him :-k

[Hal-9000]

We should tie him to a stake and burn him :-k

Yes we should.

Wait...me or RBP?

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Yes we should.

Wait...me or RBP?

RBP :slap:

[Hal-9000]

:cheers:

[minz]

I have broadband :cheerlead: :woot:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

Broad Band....internet for women :lmao:

[Hal-9000]

Broad Band....internet for women :lmao:

:shock:

BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHA! :rofl:

[minz]

Broad Band....internet for women :lmao:


:shock:

BWAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHHA! :rofl:

Whats this, team work. :lol:

[Hal-9000]

Lance knocked that one out of the park...I'm only a fan in the stands :lol:

[Teh One Who Knocks]

:dance: