Anyone interested??....

I'm putting some feelers out to see if anyone is interested in a road trip next summer. From Monterrey California too Anchorage Alaska. On like the 2nd week of July. If you're smart and know me, you already know what i'm thinking. :)

But you all can let me know... i should have room for like at least 4 people. So... it might be fun to take a group. And goof off... eat lots of caffeine and sugar. And listen to loud music. You know... the typical road trip stuff.

Anyone is invited. All are welcome. Let me know. I'll be planning the whole thing out well in advance.

Peace

96degrees in the shade today

Well i don't have much to say right now. A lot of work was done here last week. Andrew and i finally had a slightly peacefull week with no guests.

I want to say that i'm super stoked that my friends called me this morning. It ment a lot. You all know who you are...

My gut is bugging me right now. And that has me grumpy so i will say no more. :)

Here are a few pics of me on my quest for the perfect cup of joe. I'm roasting coffee. Sudanese style.

God be the Solution

Hey all, 

Well i wanted to just say that i'm was moved by reading my buddy Dustins blog http://www.shaggyworshiper.com/?p=295 about poverty. As this is obviously a subject that i deal with on a daily basis. And i just wanted to continue the topic just a tad by adding my theme song that i've chosen for my time here in Sudan. 

I'll let the song speak for itself. Many of you know it very well. And some of you may have never heard it before. But the words ring true none the less. 

"Solution"

It is not a human right

To stare and  not fight
While broken nations dream
Open up our eyes, so blind
That we might find
The Mercy for the need

Singing, Hey now
Fill our hearts with your compassion
Hey now
As we hold to our confession
Yeah

It is not too far a cry
To much to try
To help the least of these
Politics will not decide
If we should rise
And be your hands and feet

Singing, Hey now
Fill our hearts with your compassion
Hey Now
As we hold to our confession

Woah-oh-oh,
God be the solution
Woah-oh-oh
We will be Your hands and be Your feet.
Yeah, yeah

Higher than a circumstance
Your promise stands
Your love for all to see
Higher than uh protest line and dollar signs
Your love is all we need

Only You can mend the broken heart
And cause the blind to see
Erase complete the sinners past
And set the captives free
Only You can take the widows cry
And cause her heart to sing
Be a Father to the fatherless
Our Savior and our King
We will be Your hands, we will be Your feet
We will run this race
On the darkest place, we will be Your light
We will be Your light

We will be Your hands , we will be Your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place, we will be your light
We will be your light 
We'll sing

Woah-oh-oh,
God be the solution
Woah-oh-oh
We will be Your hands and be Your feet.

Woah-oh-oh,
God be the solution
Woah-oh-oh
We will be Your hands and be Your feet.
Yeah, yeah

We will run we will run
We will run with the solution [2x] 

We will be Your hands we will be Your feet
We will run this race for the least of these
In the darkest place we will be Your light
We will be Your light
We sing

There is a solution to all this mess. His name is Jesus. 

When you see a homeless kid. Picking thru rotten onion to eat like this. you start to understand why this Jesus is needed so badly. But when you equate success with excess. Like the "american dream." Well... then Jesus turns into... religion.

I don't know if anyone is following me on this. 

The world is tired of hearing about people just highlighting the darkness.

They wanna see the light...

Jesus.

And how can they? 

By people being his hands and feet. By caring for the least of these. By getting out. By moving beyond thoughts of helping. By moving into action. By being the light. In the darkness. 

Ok. So i'm sure i'll say this again a hundred more times. And yes i'm stealing some of this from Joel Houston. But he's a man after my own heart. And i'm sure Gods too. And us Joels if no one else are going to stand and say enough is enough... Plus at least one Dustin Peterson. :)

P.S.

Don't be cheap. Buy the song. It rocks! 

Photos are up

Hey all I've posted pics to a photobucket acount. It was much easier that way. Loading pics has been a problem on this internet. Hope you all enjoy. The link is on the side bar. So look right ---->

Answer to pastor neils questions from facebook. :)

Hey, so pastor neil asked me some questions on facebook. and i figured i'd answer them on here. For all to read.

1) Whats the most fun?

Hard to say. Probably riding in the back of the truck standing up (with the breeze across my face) from samaritans purse (that we borrow.) Thats a blast. Also... talking to old sudanese pastors and men. Who all have been thru the war. And listening to their struggles. But seeing how much they love God inspite of it all. Its trully amazing!

2) Whats the most challenging?

Well... the HEAT. I live in a pool of my own sweat many a day. 95deg is a cool afternoon latley. The other day i checked the thermometer and it said 116deg. And it wasen't even the heat of the day yet. So that is real hard to get used to. Then the stomach issues. And being lonely. Since most of the time its just me and andrew here. And he's a pretty intraverted fellow. I miss laughing and being stupid with nick and jesse. And goofing off on the guitar with dustin (aka watching him play) :)

well yeah... i could go on. But i will later. Hope that answers your questions Neil.

Blessings

Moving to Doro

Well i found out the other day that i wont be staying in Malakal for a long time. The SIM sudan leadership has asked me to move to Doro, which is still in upper nile state. SIM has a health clinic and BELC (basic education learning center) AKA highschool there.

I'll be the fix it man there. Right now they only have female staff, consisting of nurses and teachers. They would like me to go to be a male presence there. As well as cheaf snake killer. Also i hear that Doro is a possible place to do a water project. So i may work on that some. I'll be headed there in mid to late november.

I've recently had a interesting revelation of just how remote a place south sudan really is. This place has been very serperated from the rest of the world for a very long time. I have been hanging out with a pastor from the mabbann area in upper nile state. He is staying with us here in malakal with he passes thru. And we were talking about my home in alaska. He did not understand how we are able to keep the snow out of our houses in the winter. Cuse you see... they dont use windows here in the houses... If the people have houses at all. And then he asked if we have snow so much then how do the cows eat? and where do they live? "do they come into the house with you" he says. You see, he thought that everywhere in the world people are nilotic and have cows. Cows are a huge part of the culture here. I had to explain to him all about how we survive off the global economy. And get our food from other places.

I enjoyed sitting down with him for a while tonight and showed him pictures of wild animals from AK. He was blown away. :) But very excited. I find it amazing that he is in his sixtees and still hasen't quite grasped that there is more to the world than hot sudani style living. But he is a very faithful, joyful, and holy man. I have much to learn from him. It's amazing how diverse Gods people are.

My health is much better. But when i have to go numba two. Its ON! haha. like... no waiting. So i still have some adjusting to local foods.

Now that the vsat is up and runnig i'll have more internet time to write people and things. So you all should email me. and i'll write you back.

Sallaam (peace)

Joel

V-sat is up!!

Hey all, the v-sat internet is working here in malakal. I'm stoked! This means that i now have decent internet.