Smallness

I usually don’t like being made to feel small, particularly if someone puts me down or I compare myself with one of great achievements. But I love taking the “rhino” to the top of our mountain, looking out over the vast landscape and considering the small space that I occupy. It can be satisfying to be diminished; decrease is a prerequisite to increase. This is the assigned moment for God to move into the center, while I slip off to the sidelines. (John 3:30) But it isn’t just about recognizing how small I am, but about understanding how huge He is. We live in the tension of it all: He’s big, we’re small; He’s strong, we’re weak. The whole thing is incredible. There is an amazing relationship between God’s complete capability and our corresponding weakness.

Looking out over the Karoo I am reminded of Pascal’s writing “swallowed up in the infinite immensity of spaces of which I know nothing and which know nothing of me…I take fright and am amazed to see myself here rather than there; there is no reason for me to be here rather than there, now rather than then. Who put me here?” Then my mind goes again to Psalm 139 “He shaped me first inside than out, He formed me in my mothers womb…I am an open book to God even from a distance, He knows what I am thinking…if I climb to the sky He is there, if I go underground He is there…He is amazing”. Why seek out this feeling of smallness - why leave the comforts of home and go to a homestead in the bush of Africa? There seems to be a link between God and nature. When Job questioned God, God answered Him by asking him to contemplate the deserts, mountains, rivers and ice caps, oceans and skies. How does God teach me to depend on Him? By removing all the other things that I would normally depend on I must only depend on Him. I’m feeling both apprehension and anticipation about the next 10 days in the Karengetti!

A home away from home

It feels like home here... I love the scent and sounds of the Karroo. It is spring here, temperatures in the 70s, with occasional showers. The air is so fresh. The veld is green from the spring rains, with splashes of yellow, purple and red from the many flowers blooming. As I sit in my garden writing to you today the view is indescribable. I call this vast land my own personal Serengeti... or jokingly the Karengeti. :)

Barrett and Tony have taken a break from their ministry trip in Durban, to come help us do some renovations at our farm house. It is a very old homestead, hundreds of year’s old, with large, airy rooms but extremely antiquated. We’ve painted the walls, replaced broken windows, put in new flooring, patched the roof, mostly cosmetic stuff, I didn’t want to change the structure. We have an indigenous family living on the farm that takes care of the upkeep and animals. They do a terrific job. We’ve taken Tony and Barret on several game drives on the farm, I believe their most memorable will be the ride on the "Rhino" to the top of the mountain. We’ve seen wildebeest, sprinkbok, zebra, hartebeest, kudo, impala and a huge leopard turtle. Tony and Barrett are working hard and playing hard as well.

Here are some pictures! Enjoy!

This picture doesn't need an explanation :)

Laying tile

Pictures from the Farm

The "Karengeti"

Our African Homestead

Our caretaker's family

The Garden

Theo and her pet raven

Rnaudo and his pet chicken

The Journey has finally begun

REFLECTIONS OF THE JOURNEY
It’s hard to say exactly how this day arrived. It was gradual yet abrupt. We had talked about going to our farm in South Africa to spend time in meditation, getting away from our daily routine to hear God for this season of our lives. It took on a different look when we were invited to, China, South Korea to visit several ministries there. Then we made the decision to visit my niece in Myanmar - why not stop in Tokyo and Hawaii on the way home? Next we were given the opportunity to speak with the President of Uganda! Taking a trip around the world was on my list of “things to do before I die,” along with a hot air balloon ride (check) and hiking Mount Kilimanjaro (unchecked), and other feats. How did this day September the 23rd get here? Air Carriers have great deals on round the world trips, Vish patiently made adjustments to our itinerary as our schedules changed, visa applications, what to pack while traveling to several climates, hotel reservations, emails to my niece and interrupted sleep as my mind raced.

One of the most exhilarating moments in my life is experiencing the ascension of a plane. One second you are looking out the window while sitting stationary on the concrete runway with a very limited view of your surroundings, suddenly you hear the roar of the engines (and a slight rattle of the glasses in the galley) and you are soaring with an uninhibited and unlimited view of the horizon. This is a symbol of the transformation I want in my life in this season. Like the caterpillar that turns into a butterfly, I want to rise above the obstacles and hindrances that are holding me back and move into the future God has for me.

I am aware of the fact that the reality of travel is not always what I anticipate. As I am sitting in seat 7 D, Airbus A340-600 with 333 other passengers, I am wondering what is between the lines of my itinerary – Washington Dulles to Johannesburg – J-burg to PE – PE to Uganda to Singapore to Thailand to Myanmar to Korea to China back to South Korea, Tokyo and Hawaii. I have experienced South Africa – but the remainder of the trip is unchartered waters. While researching on Google I have gathered information and seen images, but how will my expectations differ from reality? What is God up to? My emotions swing from sadness (when my thoughts go back to my family and friends and the realization that I won’t see them for 7 weeks) to excitement when I think of what is ahead.

LIVING LUXERY IN THE AIR
Seat 7D, if you haven’t figured out, is business class. Gene and I were booked in economy this leg of the journey and were bumped to business. As Graham Cooke would say, “God is the kindest person I ever knew!” To my left, Gene is sitting in lounge position, reading glasses resting on the end of his nose, sound asleep, tooth pick in his mouth. I wonder how you can experience the life of royalty–while seated in a plane at 35,000 ft. in the air. Like a smiling waiter handing you a warm moist cloth before being served Thai seared shrimp as an appetizer, pan fried halibut moistened with caper butter presented with tomato braised rice; and get this, Haagen Dazs” Dulce De Leche ice cream served with a cigar wafer! Life is good even if you are up in the air :)

SOUTH AFRICA AT LAST
We arrived in Port Elizabeth SA about 5:30 Sunday afternoon. At the airport we met up with Tony Sherman and Barrett Sites who had been ministering with Vish in Durban. They had some great times of ministry. Saturday night the meeting went until1:30 in the morning so they are tired. Barrett and Tony will spend several days with us on the farm to help with renovations before returning to Durban to minister again. The first two weeks of our trip will be spent here on the farm so events may not be so exciting, but I will continue to post. Maybe I will take some pictures, though I am uncertain whether I will have internet connection there.

Here is our updated itinerary:

Port Elizabeth, South Africa September 23 - October 11
Entebbe, Uganda October 11 - October 15
Johannesburg, South Africa October 15 - October 18
Myanmar (Burma) October 19 - October 26
Bangkok, Thailand October 26 - October 27
Seoul, South Korea October 27 - October 30
Beijing, China November 1 - November 3
Seoul, South Korea November 3 - November 4
Tokyo, Japan November 4 - November 6
Honolulu, Hawaii November 7 - November 9
Back home November 10th!

Our Journey begins September 23rd 2006... come to this site to find out more about our exciting journey! We will try to post pictures and tell everyone more about our daily adventures.



Gene & Karen