We're Al and Edie, who are serving with ReachGlobal. We're engaged in Biblical and theological training for pastors around the world.
Saturday, April 7, 2012
Thai Elephants & The Czech Republic
Before we left Thailand we spent a half day at an elephant camp where we had the opportunity to get up close and personal with dozens of elephants. We watched them bathing and saw some really young calves. The elephant keepers did a little demonstration of what the elephants can be trained to do. Elephants kicked a large soccer ball, painted pictures with brushes held by their trunks and moved large logs. Edie was even kissed by one. It was a fun day.
We have been in the Czech Republic for a week now and have had a great time here. Initially, we spent a couple of days in a pastor's guest house getting accustomed to the time zone, and it was much appreciated. Just being in a small town like this is a walk through history. It has been interesting to come to Prague again. The weather has been much colder than it was in Thailand. We went from the 90’s there to snowing the second day we were here. We have been learning how to navigate the subways and trams and made our solo trips today without any problems. During our time off we have seen some of the sights in downtown Prague and around the area.
I also made a trip a couple of hours north to meet with some pastors who want to train in Sudan and the countryside was beautiful, although I was not able to get any pictures (I am sending some pictures of the area around Prague in other emails). The meeting was quite confusing as I tried to keep up with the conversation with part time translation. The men were really struggling with how to form a missions effort to send on pastor to Sudan for ministry. We all felt that their plans had many significant flaws and tried to gently encourage a new direction. Hopefully we were of some help to them.
I have been able to connect with several missionaries and Czech nationals concerning training here in the future. It looks like something may get started after the first of the year. Training in the Word is needed here as most pastors do not preach the Word well even though most have gone to seminary or bible school. We will see what the Lord provides as time goes by.
From Edie: I too have really been enjoying my time here. The friendships are growing and I have a great respect for what the women are doing here to share the gospel and their very lives with the Czech children and families in their neighborhoods. I had a really good time visiting the English classes. Judy and I were asked to play a 20 questions game with the students answering with something unique we have done, something unusual we did as a family, and an interesting place we have visited. There were three 1 hour sessions, each with varying degrees of difficulty. The 20 questions game was with the advanced group. Other groups just asked us simple questions. Another activity we did was to join Renee and her preschool Roma kids for a time of songs, activities, bible stories and a snack. She was doing the resurrection eggs with the kids this time and they seemed to really enjoy it. During the time we met with the team, the ladies asked that I share my faith story. I didn’t have much time to prepare but felt the Lord gave me a way of honoring Him, while at the same time talking about the life He has given me. It was a personal blessing for me to recall all His “mysterious” ways and to look back upon the seemingly obscure things he has done in and through me. Our God is so amazing!
Tomorrow Alan leaves for Uganda and I will leave for home on Monday. I am looking forward to celebrating Resurrection Sunday in the Czech Republic with our brothers and sisters here. It will be memorable as we all consider what His death, resurrection and life in us means.
In Christ,
Al & Edie
We have been in the Czech Republic for a week now and have had a great time here. Initially, we spent a couple of days in a pastor's guest house getting accustomed to the time zone, and it was much appreciated. Just being in a small town like this is a walk through history. It has been interesting to come to Prague again. The weather has been much colder than it was in Thailand. We went from the 90’s there to snowing the second day we were here. We have been learning how to navigate the subways and trams and made our solo trips today without any problems. During our time off we have seen some of the sights in downtown Prague and around the area.
I also made a trip a couple of hours north to meet with some pastors who want to train in Sudan and the countryside was beautiful, although I was not able to get any pictures (I am sending some pictures of the area around Prague in other emails). The meeting was quite confusing as I tried to keep up with the conversation with part time translation. The men were really struggling with how to form a missions effort to send on pastor to Sudan for ministry. We all felt that their plans had many significant flaws and tried to gently encourage a new direction. Hopefully we were of some help to them.
I have been able to connect with several missionaries and Czech nationals concerning training here in the future. It looks like something may get started after the first of the year. Training in the Word is needed here as most pastors do not preach the Word well even though most have gone to seminary or bible school. We will see what the Lord provides as time goes by.
From Edie: I too have really been enjoying my time here. The friendships are growing and I have a great respect for what the women are doing here to share the gospel and their very lives with the Czech children and families in their neighborhoods. I had a really good time visiting the English classes. Judy and I were asked to play a 20 questions game with the students answering with something unique we have done, something unusual we did as a family, and an interesting place we have visited. There were three 1 hour sessions, each with varying degrees of difficulty. The 20 questions game was with the advanced group. Other groups just asked us simple questions. Another activity we did was to join Renee and her preschool Roma kids for a time of songs, activities, bible stories and a snack. She was doing the resurrection eggs with the kids this time and they seemed to really enjoy it. During the time we met with the team, the ladies asked that I share my faith story. I didn’t have much time to prepare but felt the Lord gave me a way of honoring Him, while at the same time talking about the life He has given me. It was a personal blessing for me to recall all His “mysterious” ways and to look back upon the seemingly obscure things he has done in and through me. Our God is so amazing!
Tomorrow Alan leaves for Uganda and I will leave for home on Monday. I am looking forward to celebrating Resurrection Sunday in the Czech Republic with our brothers and sisters here. It will be memorable as we all consider what His death, resurrection and life in us means.
In Christ,
Al & Edie
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Asian Adventures
We had a wonderful time meeting with the Lahu leaders. We had good discussions and were able to address many of their questions about starting a training program here for pastors among the Lahu churches. They had a lot of questions because they are not used to being asked to receive teaching and then to pass it on to others. They feel inferior to the American pastors and teachers who usually come. We want to assure them that with the Lord’s help they can do a great job. Our hope is to lay a foundation that will in the future spread to Lahu churches throughout SE Asia. Our current plan is to have an initial pastors conference in September and then start out training a few months later.
It is quite hot here, averaging in the mid 90’s during the day and a little cooler in the evening. Our room gets down to about 87 at night so sleeping is a challenge. The first night I did not sleep well and really struggled with the various meetings we had the next day. We travelled several hours and met with pastors in some rural churches and finally in a large city. Somehow the Lord sustained me as I was hardly coherent for much of the time. We did stay in a hotel, for about $13 last night and it had air conditioning, or at least it began with it, and the room stayed around 75 so we slept well. Tonight the room is at 89 at 8:30 pm so we have a ways to go.
One evening we had dinner at a small roadside restaurant with outdoor seating under a thatched roof. We enjoyed unique and wonderful Thai food. As we were finishing a cat jumped up a pole and reached up into the thatching to grab a rat. All this happened over my head and I was rooting for the cat to keep a hold on the rat. He did and all ended well. We were glad it happened after we finished rather than at the beginning of the meal. God is good to us, and to the cat; I cannot speak for the rat.
Al
It is quite hot here, averaging in the mid 90’s during the day and a little cooler in the evening. Our room gets down to about 87 at night so sleeping is a challenge. The first night I did not sleep well and really struggled with the various meetings we had the next day. We travelled several hours and met with pastors in some rural churches and finally in a large city. Somehow the Lord sustained me as I was hardly coherent for much of the time. We did stay in a hotel, for about $13 last night and it had air conditioning, or at least it began with it, and the room stayed around 75 so we slept well. Tonight the room is at 89 at 8:30 pm so we have a ways to go.
One evening we had dinner at a small roadside restaurant with outdoor seating under a thatched roof. We enjoyed unique and wonderful Thai food. As we were finishing a cat jumped up a pole and reached up into the thatching to grab a rat. All this happened over my head and I was rooting for the cat to keep a hold on the rat. He did and all ended well. We were glad it happened after we finished rather than at the beginning of the meal. God is good to us, and to the cat; I cannot speak for the rat.
Al
Friday, March 23, 2012
From Hong Kong to Chiang Mai
Our conference here in Hong Kong finishes tomorrow and we fly off to Chiang Mai, Thailand. It has been a great conference with about 20 national leaders from around the world attending. It has been fun to interact with them especially on training issues. I have been talking today with a leader from India about including training from a brother in Kenya into our training schedule. An Oriental Indian leader from NW India will also be attending one of our future training sessions. We are talking with the Kenyan about training in Haiti. That is just a sampling of the day’s discussions. Who knows what God will do with all this cooperation around the world.
We have been going out into Hong Kong in the evenings for our supper. We often ride the subway around town to various restaurants. Tonight we went to the American Chinese restaurant and it was the best I had ever eaten. Then we went to the laser show on Hong Kong bay. This is an incredible city. It also has a dark side as we walked by numerous prostitutes on the way from the subway to the restaurant. So sad.
Please pray for our time in Thailand as we build a relationship of trust with the Lahu leaders. We want to be culturally sensitive and genuine in our care for them. We will report on how it goes.
Al
We have been going out into Hong Kong in the evenings for our supper. We often ride the subway around town to various restaurants. Tonight we went to the American Chinese restaurant and it was the best I had ever eaten. Then we went to the laser show on Hong Kong bay. This is an incredible city. It also has a dark side as we walked by numerous prostitutes on the way from the subway to the restaurant. So sad.
Please pray for our time in Thailand as we build a relationship of trust with the Lahu leaders. We want to be culturally sensitive and genuine in our care for them. We will report on how it goes.
Al
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Pictures from Hong Kong
Photos: Fish market on Cheung Chau island, one of the ferries we traveled on, the landscape of the island, a market in Taipei.
Hong Kong
We’ve been on the road now for over a week and we are getting our first break to write. Our time in Taipei went very well. It was so good for us to see the Taguchi family. I mentored Jeff for a few years back in our time in Las Vegas. It was touching to see how much he attributed his work to that early relationship. It reminded me that even when you think your work is not that significant, it can be impacting to others with lasting results. Spending two days there also helped us adjust a bit to the time change before we started our training in Hong Kong.
It was a bit of a challenge to find our way from the airport to the island in the Hong Kong bay where our training took place. We rode a train, navigated through a major mall, and finally rode a ferry 45 minutes to the island. Then we wound through the village and up a steep hill to the retreat center dragging our three suitcases, briefcases and tired bodies along. We were thankful for the good night’s sleep and the beautiful surroundings.
The training went very well the first day. All but one of the ReachGlobal leaders who had registered showed up, and all embraced the training and were enthusiastic about how they might use it in various places in Asia and elsewhere. We think significant opportunities will come from all this, and we built some great relationships during the time as well. The second day was more challenging. One of the participants reached down to get something from his suitcase and his back immediately went into terrible spasms. I have never seen anyone in so much agony so quickly. He even started to go into shock. The camp nurse came and helped and then called an ambulance. The interesting thing is that there are no vehicles on the island except small ambulances and even they could not come all the way up to the camp. The attendants took him on a stretcher down to the ambulance and then they flew him by helicopter to the Hong Kong. He just was released today, 4 days later but must still lay flat for several more before he is flown home later this week. All of that basically ended the training but fortunately we had covered the majority on the first day.
We rode two ferries and a subway to get to our hotel in Hong Kong for the Lead Team meeting we are attending. Rolling the suitcases down the hill from the retreat center was almost as difficult as going up, really taxing our legs. I ended up having to carry a lot of luggage for us and another woman up a long flight of stairs out of the subway and have really been feeling it for the past several days. We have walked a lot around the city in the evenings going to dinner, etc. and both of us are quite sore. We need to get in better shape. Easier said...
Our meetings are going well and we are networking well on training issues. I am proud to say that our ReachGlobal staff is top notch with wonderful people serving the Lord wholeheartedly. We feel really blessed to be a part of this global missions effort. We have several more days of training and then set off for Chiang Mai, Thailand to establish the groundwork for training Lahu pastors there. We will blog as we are able. Thanks for standing with us as we travel and serve the Lord.
Al
It was a bit of a challenge to find our way from the airport to the island in the Hong Kong bay where our training took place. We rode a train, navigated through a major mall, and finally rode a ferry 45 minutes to the island. Then we wound through the village and up a steep hill to the retreat center dragging our three suitcases, briefcases and tired bodies along. We were thankful for the good night’s sleep and the beautiful surroundings.
The training went very well the first day. All but one of the ReachGlobal leaders who had registered showed up, and all embraced the training and were enthusiastic about how they might use it in various places in Asia and elsewhere. We think significant opportunities will come from all this, and we built some great relationships during the time as well. The second day was more challenging. One of the participants reached down to get something from his suitcase and his back immediately went into terrible spasms. I have never seen anyone in so much agony so quickly. He even started to go into shock. The camp nurse came and helped and then called an ambulance. The interesting thing is that there are no vehicles on the island except small ambulances and even they could not come all the way up to the camp. The attendants took him on a stretcher down to the ambulance and then they flew him by helicopter to the Hong Kong. He just was released today, 4 days later but must still lay flat for several more before he is flown home later this week. All of that basically ended the training but fortunately we had covered the majority on the first day.
We rode two ferries and a subway to get to our hotel in Hong Kong for the Lead Team meeting we are attending. Rolling the suitcases down the hill from the retreat center was almost as difficult as going up, really taxing our legs. I ended up having to carry a lot of luggage for us and another woman up a long flight of stairs out of the subway and have really been feeling it for the past several days. We have walked a lot around the city in the evenings going to dinner, etc. and both of us are quite sore. We need to get in better shape. Easier said...
Our meetings are going well and we are networking well on training issues. I am proud to say that our ReachGlobal staff is top notch with wonderful people serving the Lord wholeheartedly. We feel really blessed to be a part of this global missions effort. We have several more days of training and then set off for Chiang Mai, Thailand to establish the groundwork for training Lahu pastors there. We will blog as we are able. Thanks for standing with us as we travel and serve the Lord.
Al
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