tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-154814412024-03-23T21:46:09.788+03:00Evans in Africa<a href="http://www.farfetching.com">Current Website</a> | <a href="http://evansinafrica.blogspot.com/2005/07/photo-montage.html">Photo Montage</a> | <a href="http://evansinafrica.blogspot.com/2006/05/of-faith-and-choices.html">Final Newsletter</a> | <a href="http://www.farfetching.com/me.html">Contact Me</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.comBlogger219125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-90919099199471796032010-08-26T02:27:00.002+03:002010-08-26T02:27:12.162+03:00Pictures!<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/evmcgowan/KenyaSummer2010?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/_YYSq1g1WQ0M/TGq_ytuqzME/AAAAAAAADvM/kOVNRMPw7Lo/s160-c/KenyaSummer2010.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/evmcgowan/KenyaSummer2010?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Kenya - Summer 2010</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-16283650179679136552010-08-26T02:26:00.001+03:002010-08-26T02:26:34.403+03:00Videos from Kenya<object height="385" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/p/3BC420F761750C69?hl=en_US&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/p/3BC420F761750C69?hl=en_US&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="480" height="385" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true"></embed></object>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-33337540592041434732010-08-25T02:27:00.000+03:002010-08-26T02:27:59.099+03:00Pictures of Sammy's Church in Salama, Kenya<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(http://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/evmcgowan/Salama?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/_YYSq1g1WQ0M/TGoo6x-DGhE/AAAAAAAADvo/ID6T_Eo4sZQ/s160-c/Salama.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/evmcgowan/Salama?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Salama</a></td></tr></table>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-79634032156245506752010-08-17T19:24:00.000+03:002010-08-17T19:24:46.397+03:00Slowing Down<div style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT0HkTkCZEKwPjXx6P_61sCD-qKRCQ8H4OYYCk5VOzlYp-lLfHxHi98CMf1_F3gTUeJmdig5o1dF0eYCvl8Ox2e31XBG2jeBv18yzTg1FfOWe0UojQNDJEHutB1nPruGoNfoWxA/s1600/IMG_0539.JPG"><img border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirT0HkTkCZEKwPjXx6P_61sCD-qKRCQ8H4OYYCk5VOzlYp-lLfHxHi98CMf1_F3gTUeJmdig5o1dF0eYCvl8Ox2e31XBG2jeBv18yzTg1FfOWe0UojQNDJEHutB1nPruGoNfoWxA/s320/IMG_0539.JPG" /></a> </div><br />Pole Pole - That's Swahili for "Slow Down." (Interesting side note: "pole" - pronounced "poh-lay" - all by itself means "sorry.") It's a great phrase to know when your driver is going to fast for your comfort or someone (usually a Mzungu - foreigner/white person) is trying to push things to move too fast.<br /><br />Our American culture tends to go much faster than the African cultures I've experienced. Whereas we try to "take time" to do something, they "hold time" in order to get things done. I can definitely feel my pace of life having slowed down as a result of my time in Africa... and also the fact that there is so much to do in so little time, with getting ready for my exegesis ord exam at the end of the month, getting our community house together and gearing up to speed at the church.<br /><br />It's times like these where I hear a voice whisper in my ear, "pole pole." The challenge is trust that the voice is right, and that what will be done, will be done.<div style='clear:both; text-align:CENTER'><a href='http://picasa.google.com/blogger/' target='ext'><img src='http://photos1.blogger.com/pbp.gif' alt='Posted by Picasa' style='border: 0px none ; padding: 0px; background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 50%; -moz-background-clip: initial; -moz-background-origin: initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: initial;' align='middle' border='0' /></a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-6760466602696021002010-08-11T21:28:00.000+03:002010-08-11T21:28:27.143+03:00Constitution: The AftermathI'm pleased to report that there has been virtually no violence and complete transparency in voting in the aftermath of the referendum on the proposed new Constitution in Kenya! After thousands died in the violence following the Dec 2007 presidential elections due to massive fraud, this is great news.<br />
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The Yes vote garnered over 2/3rds of the vote, and all sides are calling for peaceful understanding and reconciliation. The No vote would love to make some amendments to the constitution before it goes into full effect in 2012, but I doubt with only 30% of the voters they will be able to get much changed. <br />
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I read the constitution and it is full of progressive measures that ensure human rights, encourage sustainable development, and helps diversify and spread out a suitable balance of power between the branches of government. They've reserved 47 seats for female representation in the national assembly, as well as two spots (male & female) for the youth (18-35 yrs) and another two to represent those with disabilities.<br />
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On August 20th Kenya will host a signing ceremony where government leaders will pledge to uphold the new constitution. I am hopeful and cautiously confident that Kenya's worst days are behind them, and the best days lie ahead. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-8434396996754930252010-08-06T13:02:00.000+03:002010-08-06T13:02:31.759+03:00Kenya thus farI've thoroughly enjoyed my time in Kenya... visiting all kinds of friends all over Nairobi, and then going to Kitale in Western Kenya to help a group build an orphanage with Transformation International. So much to tell and so little time. I look forward to updating once I return on Aug 9th to the States. For now, there are lots of projects to consider and pray about, as well as my host family to see tonight. Kenya is such a wonderful place full of wonderful people - I am blessed to be here and to be with them once more.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-58432712900347964372010-08-02T21:57:00.000+03:002010-08-11T21:20:06.375+03:00ConstitutionKenya retains the constitution left to it by the British. On August 4th they vote for the 2nd time on a new constitution. Funny enough, i was here for the first vote in 2005. <br />
Polls have the Yes vote, whose color is green, ahead with 65% of the vote, over the No vote, whose color is red. The current president Kibaki is for the new constitution, but the former president Moi is campaigning against the new constitution... not something we would see in America. KTN, a local Kenyan TV station, stated: "Where we stand is a battle between presidents that may be unconstitutional but is about the constitution."<br />
As my former boss Dan told me, "It all depends on the people behind the paper." Otherwise it's just words and more words. Even today a Pentacostal pastor was convicted of bribing a local official with $25,000 to erase the margin of victory of her opponent!<br />
Kenyan politics: always entertaining. <br />
Sent from my iPhoneAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-24544785804842985192010-07-30T15:17:00.000+03:002010-07-30T15:17:21.829+03:00Karibu Kenya!Nimefika Kenya! (I've arrived in Kenya). It feels good and a bit surreal to be back. The roads are much better. The traffic is worse. The hawkers (street sellers) are still out and about, though this time they're selling even crazier stuff (like blow-up pool tools of Tellatubbies!)... I'm connecting with friends and trying to see and visit as many people as possible. Sammy Mutua is graciously hosting me. I'm here until Aug 8th, and am flying out to Kitale in Western Kenya mid-week next week to help with the building of an orphanage. Right now I'm back in my old office at CWS; I'll keep you updated as best I can, though I'm not sure when and how I'll have internet!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-3399331976664390442010-07-30T14:54:00.002+03:002010-08-11T21:19:45.686+03:00Nyumbani<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZcIWoyoxhBLYZPqKpA6Hj03_jRoUFNhdd8T-7VxxgncrOIrFuoP-xcwL2k84AK4bY75vvOGM6ZygkNdhlj4VO14vWkT7JbUVa9KmiaMWT0E2_ay_mmHAsQWutvel4xAc5NqZew/s1600/photo-780934.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499666459098585698" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTZcIWoyoxhBLYZPqKpA6Hj03_jRoUFNhdd8T-7VxxgncrOIrFuoP-xcwL2k84AK4bY75vvOGM6ZygkNdhlj4VO14vWkT7JbUVa9KmiaMWT0E2_ay_mmHAsQWutvel4xAc5NqZew/s320/photo-780934.JPG" /></a></div>Nyumbani, or "at home," at Sam's place relaxing and enjoying my first Tusker (Kenya's beer). :-)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-61698371880761507232010-07-30T14:26:00.001+03:002010-08-11T21:17:47.767+03:00Driving in KenyaI'm driving through Nairobi with my friend Sammy. Traffic is as bad as ever but the roads are paved quite nicely. Still, Sam says, "If you miss a bump, you're not in Kenya." I noticed we were running on empty so i asked Sam if we need gas. He said no, Kenyans keep the tank close to empty so in case the car is stolen the thieves can't go far.<br />
Sam then related a story of a guy who was carjacked and put in the boot (trunk). He then kicked out his tail lights, not so the police would stop the car, but so he could stick his arm out and get people's attention. He had to go through several roadside checkpoints before the police flattened the tires. The car rolled several times but the man was OK.<br />
"This is why you should fix up your boot," Sam says, laughing, "in case you find yourself there with no water, food or blanket!". This is the Kenyan way: take something serious and joke about it, because what else can you do?<br />
Sent from my iPhoneAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-68813950715326492812010-07-30T14:05:00.002+03:002010-07-30T14:05:33.582+03:00Early Birthday<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-3xcoVzXnm8bD-D3p441QNl7SsjyGX7oGGwUZuMYC4UhiJ0vCzB7mo3xgpe8sivovoTQRbEmsHQ3xcyebBde6dwDxPw3Y4afqQzntHTnIGZho1vcnVraWCxHa-SZa73nLis8Ow/s1600/photo-779181.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499035947465709874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-3xcoVzXnm8bD-D3p441QNl7SsjyGX7oGGwUZuMYC4UhiJ0vCzB7mo3xgpe8sivovoTQRbEmsHQ3xcyebBde6dwDxPw3Y4afqQzntHTnIGZho1vcnVraWCxHa-SZa73nLis8Ow/s320/photo-779181.JPG" /></a></div>We celebrated my birthday early (actually Aug 6th) at a local Indian restaurant here in Kigali. They went all out: lights out, entire staff, mixed music, even got me up dancing! Video and more pics forthcoming. And yes, they let me keep the hat.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-53687323415610487882010-07-28T21:58:00.001+03:002010-08-11T21:18:27.760+03:00Primus v. Turbo King<div class="mobile-photo"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu37IB1PLpl0zQXshNkbYatJIjgb64tm5OKwvq_yhbGhE8oVBmRFJlLa9czSqag4ecqxa-bUn7LBkKNt0zZgH3epkfuVn0w2TMJDJW68DM2l11odMzhyE9wrWFGv7icNykwdRPnw/s1600/photo-712366.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499033943415443138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu37IB1PLpl0zQXshNkbYatJIjgb64tm5OKwvq_yhbGhE8oVBmRFJlLa9czSqag4ecqxa-bUn7LBkKNt0zZgH3epkfuVn0w2TMJDJW68DM2l11odMzhyE9wrWFGv7icNykwdRPnw/s320/photo-712366.JPG" /></a></div>The battle for primacy is ON! Rwanda v Congo beer, light v dark, pilsner v lager... Who will reign supreme?<br />
As long as I remain undecided, there's room for both!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-24792210421384972322010-07-27T21:18:00.000+03:002010-08-11T21:19:20.833+03:00By the Grace of GodDriving back to Kigali from Goma, I talked with our Rwandan driver, Deo. Apparently we were driving through his home region. I asked him if any of his family still lived in the area, since he now lives in Kigali. He said no, going on to say his father and all six of his siblings were murdered during the genocide. After a moment of silence, I asked him how he had survived. He replied, "By the grace of God."<br />
The people who came to kill his family also attacked him, taking a swipe at his head. "This one, he is dead," they said, leaving him to die with the rest of his family. I didn't get the details of how he survived since then, but for 4 years the government and militia fought each other back and forth through his home region. Deo didn't feel safe until 1998, four years after the genocide, when the gov't troops finally pushed the militias back into Congo.<br />
Deo now has a wife and three kids: two girls ages 6 and 3, and a 2 year old boy. He keeps his hair cut very short, as a large scar atop his head keeps hair from growing. He's a careful driver, vary gracious and a wonderful person. I feel blessed to have met him and heard a small portion of his story.<br />
I always thought the phrase "There but for the grace of God go I" still retained some sense of personal choice, some blessing bestowed on us that we were given by God. Deo's story reminds me that I could have been born anywhere, that his story could be my story, that all of those living can say, "By the grace of God, here I am."<br />
Sent from my iPhoneAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-79859026594586080152010-07-26T10:40:00.003+03:002010-07-30T14:07:05.783+03:00Praying<i>To read more about the Goma Experience, please visit the <a href="http://gomateam2010.blogspot.com/">Goma Team's Blog</a>.</i>'<br />
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This morning, like all Monday mornings, I joined the pastoral team to spread out and pray for various persons throughout the hospital. I think these have been my first pastoral visits in a hospital setting - ever. Quite a place to start!<br />
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I went around the orthopedics rooms with three other pastors, and when I spoke one of them translated. I've been able to speak a little Swahili, but even English words are hard to muster when facing so much suffering. Many persons were in casts and a few had lost limbs. Some were full of life, even when they couldn't move, and a few had that 1,000 yard stare. We spent the time praying for them, offering words of encouragement and greeting them with a handshake and blessing.<br />
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Experiences like these are most humbling. I feel like I can't DO anything. Yet it's precisely this realization that I can't do anything that is transformative, that reminds me of our dependence on the power and grace of God. We are all connected to each other and to God's Spirit, but sometimes during our independent streaks we forget this.<br />
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May you be reminded of your dependence on God and others today. May this realization not cause you worry or anxiety. And may your soul find a peace deeper than your understanding.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-76810324847500638922010-07-25T11:45:00.002+03:002010-07-30T14:07:32.578+03:00Preaching<i>To read more about the Goma Experience, please visit the <a href="http://gomateam2010.blogspot.com/">Goma Team's Blog</a>.</i>'<br />
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It's so amazing to be among a different place and a different people, and yet still there is so much in common!<br />
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I had the opportunity to preach and teach the other day at a training of community leaders who are a part of the Nehemiah Commmittees organized by HEAL Africa. These committees often function as the sole or one of few community governance organizations. They help resolve disputes in the community, organize microfinance opportunities, distribute school fees for needy children, and more. It was an honor to meet them and be with them for 2 days in Monrovia, about 1.5 hours from Goma around the lake and just over the border with South Kivu Province.<br />
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I shared with them some of my thoughts on Nehemiah; the efforts and sacrifices he went through to rebuild the wall of Jerusalem after the Babylon exile. He listened to the cry of his people, prayed to God, asked for resources, and then inspired the entire community to chip into the rebuilding process. I encouraged them to do the same, working together with other people in the community when the burden was too great for them alone.<br />
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The next day I preached on "Practicing Resurrection." The focus was on Acts 14, where the story begins with Paul telling a lame person to stand up in the name of Jesus, and at the end of the story Paul himself struggles to stand up after being stoned. I acted the story out, myself getting on the ground and causing much amazement from the crowd, who are very careful to keep their clothes clean (esp. in a professional setting). <br />
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Today, Sunday, I preached on Matthew 11:28-30, on the invitation of Jesus to all who have worked until exhaustion, to translate literally from the Greek. The message was similar: The world is an overwhelming place. Sometimes we pray for others, sometimes we ourselves need prayer. In all that we do, let us practice resurrection, relying on the Spirit of Christ to uplift of spirits, minds and bodies.<br />
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Sometimes I wonder if my own theological or worldview is coming across to strongly. I desire to be a vessel of God's Spirit, being filled with the grace and truth of the gospel. Yet sometimes I become self-conscious and wonder if it's my own good news that I'm sharing, and not God's. Once again I turn in prayer to God, that my words and actions be a reflection of God's love and not just my own thoughts and perceptions.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-89644527677148775382010-07-20T11:31:00.000+03:002010-07-20T11:31:25.538+03:00Arrived in Goma... A New Beginning<i>To read more about the Goma Experience, please visit the <a href="http://gomateam2010.blogspot.com/">Goma Team's Blog</a>.</i>'<br />
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We've made it! After 5 days of traveling, we're on the ground in Goma in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We're working at <a href="http://www.healafrica.org/">HEAL Africa </a>in various capacities: we've got a water engineer on the team, a lawyer for human rights, several pastors, an accountant, a language school director, a teacher and a public health and policy person who specializes in rural areas! Oh, and then there's me, who will be 'consulting' with the media department about writing stories on the various projects and persons assisted by HEAL Africa.<br />
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Being back in Africa is both wonderfully familiar and somehow new and exciting. Of course I've never been to Rwanda or the DRC, so there's newness there for sure. But then there's the familiar smells, the dust on the horrifically bumpy roads (although Rwanda's roads rival that of South Africa's and our own!), the African people carrying all sorts of odds and ends, and the beautiful children shouting "Mzungu!" as we drive by (takes a little getting used to, but really is a sign of endearment).<br />
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I've been feeling quite tired lately, due of course to the long travel time, but also in trying to catch as many words as possible in Kiswahili and French, and then trying to form my own sentences! There's also been a flood of memories from my past experience in Kenya as I interpret my surroundings, and at the same time I'm trying hard to let this experience stand on its own - not a difficult thing to do. For instance, in Kenya I was hosting teams from the US from time to time. I find myself falling back into this role with the Goma Team, when in fact I'm actually part of the team! So even as I'm in charge of the money, receipts and water, supporting the team in many ways, I'm also very much a part of it. I hope that I will continue to fully integrate into the team dynamic, and not build any invisible barriers to other team members or the group as a whole.<br />
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More updates to come! So far my schedule looks like I'll be around today and tomorrow working with the media department, then Thursday and Friday I will be in a rural place a few hours away for a pastoral training of local police (!), then back again on Saturday to go to a futbol/soccer game with some local street youth that are receiving training through CAMME, a partner of HEAL Africa.<br />
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Blessings!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-17913705085669272892010-07-15T20:07:00.000+03:002010-07-15T20:07:16.053+03:00DelayedWe arrived at SFO at 6:30am only to leave at 6:30pm due to a mechanical problem. They finally just got us a new plane! As one of my teammates remarked, this is good training for us to get on African time! We'll end up spending a night in Chicago, a night on the plane and a night in Brussels before finally arriving in Kigali 48 hrs later than planned. All's well that ends well... But it's not over yet!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-9368262083331354282010-07-13T02:46:00.000+03:002010-07-13T02:46:43.667+03:00Returning to Africa!I'm going back to Africa this month, and couldn't be more excited. I will be joining a missions team from my church, <a href="http://www.fpcberkeley.org/">First Pres Berkeley</a>, as they partner with <a href="http://www.healafrica.org/cms/">H.E.A.L. Africa</a>, a hospital that aids those who have suffered so much these past years during the conflict in the Congo. We will also be in Rwanda for a few days. <a href="http://www.gomateam2010.blogspot.com/">Visit our blog for more updates</a> about the group's experience.<br />
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I will also spend 12 extra days in Kenya, visiting friends, colleagues and my host family. I'm looking forward to this blessed time of reunion and reconnection. <br />
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Schedule:<br />
July 14th: Depart Bay area <br />
July 15th-17th: Kigali, Rwanda<br />
July 17th-28th: Goma, DRC<br />
July 28th-29th: Kigali, Rwanda<br />
July 29th-Aug 8th: Nairobi, Kenya (with a possible trip to Kitale 2nd-5th)<br />
Aug 8th-9th: Return to Bay AreaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-83114582072569270532010-07-13T02:06:00.003+03:002010-07-20T11:41:16.514+03:00Homestays in East AfricaMy good friend David Wakogy has begun coordinating homestays in East Africa - check his website out!<br />
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<a href="http://www.eastafricanhomestay.com/">http://www.eastafricanhomestay.com/</a><br />
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UPDATE: Links are now working!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-11003091825217074522008-10-16T02:17:00.004+03:002008-10-16T02:19:56.332+03:00Want to Volunteer in Kenya?Since my experience, I have had several friends contact me about my time in Kenya and who are interested in volunteering... So if you would like a "Kenyan" experience in whatever, be it non-profit, self-development, NGO or faith-based field, <a href="mailto:evmcgowan@gmail.com">email me</a> (evmcgowan@gmail.com) and let's talk about some options! I have many contacts I could share with you, depending on your interests... even if it's just for travel or safari!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-13540430380218899052007-08-23T00:55:00.000+03:002007-08-23T01:00:54.202+03:00New BlogPlease visit my <a href="http://evansinseminary.blogspot.com/">Seminary Blog</a> to find more current updates of my life: <a href="http://evansinseminary.blogspot.com">evansinseminary.blogspot.com</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-1160868181063096282006-10-15T02:08:00.000+03:002007-01-11T04:53:38.886+03:00My "Final" Newsletter<strong><i>I Am Not Harry Potter</i> – Adjusting to the Ordinary</strong><br /><br />Hello there! Ever since I returned to the States about one month ago, I’ve been busy putting my life together. It’s been a wild ride of late nights and even later mornings, surfing jobs online speckled with informational interviews, watching movies and perusing books – the majority geared towards those of us in our mid-20’s, and just wondering what on earth am I doing, or should be doing. <br /><br />It’s weird being back. I have a lot of pent-up frustration, and I don’t really know why. There’s certainly a lot of stress with moving and not having a job. It’s like I’m looking for some unique purpose for being here, and while that mindset may have worked as a missionary in Kenya, it only exacerbates the frustration of an unemployed college graduate. <br /><br />I don’t really know what I want to do, and that’s the most frustrating thing about it. I’m not content to just sit around and enjoy my free time. I want to do something meaningful and worthwhile… I also want to make money and support myself.<br /><br />In times of self-doubt, I watch movies and read books to identify with heroes. One such recently popular (an oxymoron?) hero is Harry Potter. His ‘exceptionalism’ sets him apart from his peers, yet also creates exceptions for him in the minds of others. Whatever Harry Potter does is OK precisely because he is Harry Potter. We see this time and time again, with characters such as James Bond 007, Jack Bauer (of TV series 24) and Sydney Bristow (of Alias). <br /><br />I think this idea of ‘exceptionalism’ is a lie, a fantasy we often live vicariously through our heroes but rarely in our own lives. ‘Exceptionalism’ makes for great stories, drama and conflict, all a far cry from our perennial puttering of today. And if I begin to take exception to living as others do, of trying to be different and set myself apart in my own culture, I foment the flames of frustration as my fantasy world collides with reality.<br /><br />Being in Africa was ‘enough,’ perhaps simply because there’s something special about being there to live for a year. Whenever I don’t know a song on the radio or who were the best sports teams last season, I can use the excuse, “Oh, well, I was in Africa.” People understand without really understanding. <br /><br />But being in Charlotte is like a weak excuse, or should I say the easy choice, as I decide what it is I really want to do. There’s nothing special about being here, about driving a car, going grocery shopping, being white and middle-class – most people around me are (or at least appear to be) the same. Do any of us really know what we really want to do?<br /><br />There’s a Buddhist saying, “Wherever you go there you are.” In other words, you determine your own happiness by meditating on your own state of mind, and praying through the thought-walls in order to feel the warm flowing softness of God’s love.<br /><br />One of my goals in Kenya was, and is now, to build my character. To me, building character means becoming a more patient, knowledgeable and poised person. Yet character is shaped by the community around us, as the sociologist James Hunter notes in A Death of Character. We form and learn character in the society we were brought up in.<br /><br />Emily recently came to Monroe, LA, with me to visit my grandparents and relatives. We had a fabulous time being hosted by the finest of Southern hospitality, and Em got a brief peek into my early upbringing. Just as Monroe and her people had an effect on my life, so do my surrounding circumstances build or break my character today.<br /><br />Character building is the active pursuit of reconciling our souls with our circumstance; what’s happening inside our self with what’s going on outside. We must remain true to ourselves as well as what is true in the reality around us. To pursue this integrity, we must walk not simply by sight and with a growing sense of faith.<br /><br />As long as we’re looking for exceptions, we will have trouble focusing on community. Let us look for commonality rather than ‘exceptionalism,’ seeking humility before pride.<br /><br />October has arrived and I have a job working part-time with EQV Development doing site acquisition and zoning for cell phone towers. I took the job due to its flexibility and because I’d like to work in urban planning, in both the physical and political design of our communities to promote what they should be: a community of interacting persons.<br /><br />I feel refocused in my graduate pursuit. I remain interested in development, from both the third and first world perspective. I would like to work with communities and churches here in conjunction and in context with communities in the developing world, working together in mutual partnership so that both sides benefit… and sacrifice to make this world a better place.<br /><br />There is a hero of mine who had nothing exceptional about him. He lived as others lived, eating and drinking with the poorest of the poor. When he did do something extraordinary, like restoring sight to the blind or raising the dead, he told others not to make mention of his deed. I want to be more like this hero, this person, this Jesus.<br /><br />So as I go about my day-to-day life, I trust God to give me the eyes to see and ears to hear the peaceful beauty of the ordinary.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-1160864977843236272006-10-08T01:13:00.000+03:002006-10-15T01:29:37.886+03:00Walking Together with Integrity<i>[This text has been taken from a sermon with the same title. I had been invited to preach at my grandmother's church, First Presbyterian, in Monroe, LA, and this is what I had to say. Scripture: Psalm 26, Hebrews 2:5-12]</i><br /><br />The last time I read these words in Psalm 26 was during a devotion in late February. I was staying in a classy hotel in Uganda, relaxing after a day in the field. After taking a quick swim in the pool and surfing channels via satellite, I suddenly stopped to remember the days events. I had led a group of American visitors to a traditional African village, complete with mud huts and bare-naked babies, showing them how their money as donors and fundraisers had gone to improve the lives of these communities. Yet sitting here in on my bed in the hotel room, I felt a world away.<br /><br />Where was I? Today I had been in a place where the closest water source was miles away. This evening I was in a place with so much water I could dance in gallons of it. I had been in a place where children’s infectious stomachs bulged and hunger dulled curious minds. Tonight I was surrounded by kids laughing and throwing French fries at one another. The women THERE stooped under the weight of wood and water. The women HERE had porters to carry their bags. Where <i>was</i> I?<br /><br />I knew that in this world there were dissimilarities. I knew that in this world people lived differently from one another, that there was disparity. I knew when I returned to the U.S. <strong>most</strong> people would have cars, be employed and send their kids to school. Not so for most here in Africa. Yet I wasn’t ready to see these two worlds within one country, let alone one day. Where was I?<br /><br />If I were going to walk with integrity with these people, both African and American, I needed to be truthful to <span style="font-weight:bold;">who</span> I was as well as <span style="font-weight:bold;">where </span>I was. So where was I?<br /><br />To start from the beginning, I was in Nairobi, Kenya, near the Horn of Africa on the Eastern side of the continent, serving for one year as a PC(USA) Young Adult Volunteer. I came over to Kenya with six other volunteers, from a group of about 50 spread over ten countries. Hundreds of churches throughout the US, including First Presbyterian of Monroe, support and send out these volunteers each year. <br /><br />I worked in cooperation with Church World Service, a faith-based, non-profit American organization working in community development throughout the world. My job was to visit various community projects using funds to build a dam, drill a borehole, teach HIV/AIDS awareness, improve agricultural techniques, ETC. There I would interview family members before returning to the office to write a story incorporating their wtory with the larger community project. <br /><br />My life was full of COMBINING contrasts. In Sudan, I took notes on a computer while the participants of a peace seminar took notes with pens and paper… that we had provided. In Tanzania, I flew over islands of fisherman using wooden boats to eek out a living. In Kenya, I would lug a water bottle to a site only to meet a woman who had carried a 5 gallon jug 10 kilometers to cook for her family that day. In Uganda, I would take visitors into an African village only to relax in a hotel in the evening. At every turn and in every place, my integrity was put to the test.<br /><br />In the Psalm we read today, David exhorts God, shouting, “Prove me, O Lord, and try me; test my heart and my mind.” David is determined for God to test his heart and thus prove the integrity of his faith. And so am I determined to match what I saw with my mind with movement in my heart. Oswald Chambers wrote, “I must reduce myself until I am a mere conscious man.” Notice he did not say a <i>more</i> conscious but a <strong>mere</strong> conscious person.<br /><br />I wonder: Have we ever asked God to test our integrity? Do we match what’s on our hearts with what’s on our minds, and with what’s on our minds with what’s on our plates. In other words, having integrity means matching one’s faith with one’s actions.<br /><br />God so loved us that he gave the world over to our care. So testifies the Psalmist as quoted by Paul in Hebrews:<br /><br />“What are human beings that you are mindful of them,<br /> Or mortals, that you care for them?”<br /><br />Matthew Henry states that a Christian “walk in his [or her] integrity, yet trusting wholly in the grace of God.”<br /><br />In Hebrews verse ten, we see God’s love “bringing many children to glory” under one parent, <i>Abba</i>. And For this reason Jesus is not ashamed, yet in fact <i>delights</i>, in calling US his brother and sisters, saying, ‘I will proclaim your name in the midst of the congregation, I will praise you.’ “<br /><br />So who, and not what, are you praising today? Who are you proclaiming in front of everyone? Perhaps it’s your mother, father, son or daughter. Perhaps it’s someone living or someone no longer with us. Whoever this person is, however, is someone you know, with whom you have a relationship. Only by knowing someone can we truly walk with them in integrity.<br /><br />So how was I doing? I’d written some stories on the good work being done by our partners with Church World Service. With the help of some friends back home, I had sponsored a few Kenyans in getting further education. I even donated some books to a local vocational school for AIDS Children in Uganda.<br /><br />Yet now that I have returned from Africa, I don’t remember the places or things I did as much as I remember the people I met. I remember Oliver, a security guard at my apartment, who is also 24 years old. He had moved to the city after his parents died of AIDS, and now lives in the slums and commutes by walking 5 miles each day for a 12-hour shift to support his two younger brothers. I remember Sam, a colleague and close friend of mine who showed me how to turn the yearnings of my heart into thoughtful and worthwhile proposals to help the entire community. I remember Joyce, whose smile always brightened my day and whose warmth reminded me of god’s love here in Kenya even as I missed my family and friends back home.<br /><br /><br />And that’s the beauty of relationships: they don’t break down into an expense sheet or payroll. A name brings up memories of special moments, not simply a name to whom a check should be written. Relationships are more about what is unseen than what is seen. And after all, we live and walk by faith, not by sight.<br /><br />When I was younger I read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” The book is quite interesting in getting people to do what you want, but true friendships are always a blessing from God. We don’t have control over who specifically becomes our friend or our foe. However, we <i>can</i> choose with whom we spend our time.<br /><br />How are you spending your time? And with WHOM are you spending time? Is it in personal connections or with personal computers? Are most of your friends like-minded on “the issues” or well-minded of others’ concerns? Are we giving of our time as well as our talents?<br /><br />One thing I’ll never forget about Africa is the walking. Once we were in the community, we walked side-by-side with our partners and community members to see the good work they had strived to accomplish. I remember we were standing outside one household, listening to the project coordinator Grace, a Ugandan, explain how this family was benefiting from a goat-rearing program. Another woman hobbled over, an infection swelling her foot and causing her to stumble. Her husband had died of AIDS, but not before infecting her and leaving her two children. Now with this foot infection she was not able to go to the market to sell her vegetables, and she could not afford surgery. Her name was Mercy. Lord, have Mercy.<br /><br />Where is the Mercy in your life? Where is the Grace?<br /><br />Not all of us can go to Africa, but there is a Grace and a Mercy here today. Next week I’ll be walking 5 kilometers in a Crop Walk, helping to raise funds for precisely those people I walked with less than a year ago. In our culture, we’ve lost the art of walking. If I took a quick poll, I would guess 9 out of 10 of you drove in a car to get here, myself included. Yet it’s those who are unable to drive, the elderly and the youth, the poor and the downtrodden, that we should be reaching out to so “they” becomes “we.” So let us get out of cars, out of our fast-paced lives and perhaps errant errands, and find someone to walk with. And may we do so with integrity, getting to know the other person just as God already knows both of us.<br /><br />Before Christ suffered for all of us, he had dinner with the least of us. He celebrated with the filthy, drank with the intolerable and healed the disease-ridden. And he called them by name: Lazarus, Matthew, Margaret, Zacchaeus, and many others.<br /><br />This morning, God is calling your name. Won’t you have a relationship with him? Won’t you have a relationship with his children?<br /><br /><br />PRAYER:<br /><br />Lord, help us to be grateful in the good times, and grace-FULL in the bad ones. We live by Your Mercy as well as Your Grace. May we share these gifts with others through the challenge of friendship, knowing we are able to love others because you first loved us.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-1159821004838374192006-10-02T23:20:00.000+03:002006-10-16T21:37:59.203+03:00A month in, a month outIt's been a month at home in Delware and now a month on my own in Charlotte, NC, since I returned from Kenya July 27th. I spent August getting my life together: purchasing a 2003 Toyota Matrix, securing a lease for a house in Charlotte and packing out, packing in for the move down South. Then in September I jumped into the hardly-wonderful world of job-hunting, with a little soul-searching mixed in. <br /><br />Now it's October, and tomorrow I begin a part-time job with <a href="http://www.eqvdevelopment.com/">EQV Development</a>, a company that builds cellphone towers. <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/10/15/news/city14.php">Here</a>'s a link to an article about a guy who does what I do, minus the high-wires. I'm hoping the job gives me a good taste of what working in city planning would involve, and if I want to combine my M.Div with some studies in urban development.<br /><br />It's been a tough month (Sept.), fluctuating from just getting a job to pay the bills (like waiting tables) to really searching for something that might interest me further down the road. Thankfully, I have very supportive friends and family, as well as the finances to spend a month looking around for something that interests me. At times I felt I was a stubborn college-educated American, refusing to work for less than $10/hr. At others I felt I wasn't fully following God's call to do more with my education from Davidon and experience in Africa.<br /><br />In the midst of these life struggles, I've enjoyed time with friends whom I haven't seen in over a year. I have especially enjoyed living closer to Emily, and our relationship deepens by the day.<br /><br />In the depths of woe God's graces abound. May it be also with you.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15481441.post-1154358266026455362006-07-30T17:52:00.000+03:002006-07-31T18:04:26.043+03:00Back Home SoakingI've arrived safe 'n' sound back home. It's good to be back. (So far) the transition has been as smooth as American roads, without the bumps, hic-ups or swerves I habitually endured in Kenya, and had come to expect on my return home. I'm sure more thoughts will come, from the profound down to the absurd, and yet I'm content to just go through the motions (for now).<br /><br />The only thing that's weirded me out is how late it gets here! At the equator, sunrise and sunset change very minimally throughout the year, making a watch quite unnecessary. With days so exorbitantly long, I'm finding rest all the more satisfying.<br /><br />I've been asked the usual questions, like, "How was it?" "Are you glad to be back?" "Where were you?" "What will you do now?" along with the one-word response to my answers, <i>"Wow." "Geez" "Incredible." "Huh."</i>. So far I and they both have had incredible patience with each other. I think as time passes the memories will soak deeper into my life-sponge, and it will only take a small poke for me to 'leak out' a few tears and words from experience passed yet still present.<br /><br />For now, I'm soaking in the little things: It's good to have dinner with my family. It's assuring to hold Emily in my arms. It's fun to laugh with an old friend, Andrew. It's wonderful to drive. It's delightful to eat cool food in the summer heat.<br /><br />Time will tell more of the mystery still hidden.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14575561492860261708noreply@blogger.com0