student of life..

I always find my best time of pondering and thinking and revelation come while traveling, while moving, while the world goes on around me and I, simply sitting in my seat, watch it, meditate on it.
In Brazil it was the subways and busses and van rides. In Africa its in the back of a beat up blue pickup up truck traveling down dirt roads feeling the grated bed on your tush and the growl of the 5-speed trying to make it up the hill. Tall grasses to your left and right... women balancing bundles on their heads with infants tied to their backs.

How did I get here?? Is this real? is this adventure, this school, this 1 year journey real? I get blasted with that daily, I get blasted daily with the realization of what we are doing. Of how privileged I am to be used in such a way. To be chosen by God for this year of growth and love and learning and sacrificing. Not only is it blessing me but what is the bigger picture? What does he have in the future for this? Thats what excites me :) This experience and mission isn't only about me and who I'm serving now. It also about the conversation I may have over coffee someday with someone that shifts their worldview.. or the stories I'll tell my kids 10 years down the road that will broaden their view of this beautiful world God's created...or the person that reads our book and is made aware of an injustice throughout the nations that they have blinded themselves to. THIS is about THAT. the bigger picture. God you have specifically choose me to walk out this journey and I can't wait to see what that is :) Who you'll have me speak to and impact down the road, the many people this year journey will impact long after the year is over. All the things he is growing and stirring and speaking into each of our lives. Last night while riding home in the back of the truck (in the rain) me and Dawn just rested and marveled in this realization. Its beautiful. The bigger picture is going to be wonderful :)

I love learning. If college was free I would take any class I could :) Being on the move and in so many different countries with many different people you learn vast amounts of random things. Currently our Photogenx staff Steve and Diane are here in South Africa with us leading this portion of our track. They have traveled to countless nations together with stories from all over such as getting black-hairy tongue in Afghanistan.. getting bit by scorpions.. giving friends IV because Afghan hospitals don't do after-care after surgeries haha :) And this couple is still in their 20's. It's been great having them here with us.. usually after dinner we just sit and talk. Steve is a genius when it comes to politics and worldview and literature and ANYTHING really. I left the table the other night feeling like I had learned so many new things. They told us all about Cape Town South Africa where they have spent a lot of time and how beautiful it is and different villages and town and restaurants and art festivals. Makes me want to honeymoon there haha.  They told us all about Dubai and the gaudy city of gold that it is. "Basically all the rich people got together and decided to make themselves a city" -Steve. At this one hotel Diane's brother was touring with a trip he saw a man who looked like a janitor but found out the guys only job was to replace little slabs of gold on the banisters all day long. Its city of EXCESS. One of the hotels in the city rotates 360 in a 24 hr period so guests have a different view throughout the day. The contrast in todays world blows my mind. A city of such excess contrasted with such poverty.

Steve taught us to say some things in Farsi, and i've been picking up a few Siswati words since being in Africa.. like Sawubona means hello and Kunjani is how are you. There are so many languages I'd love to learn. After hearing Steve speak in Farsi (spelling???) the language they speak in Afghanistan, I'm really tempted to borrow his rosetta stone and teach myself :) I've also always wanted to learn to speak Swahili too haha. Theres so much I want to know, to learn, to see...

I am a student of life..
and the world is my classroom.

The Sanctuary

One of the homes I have been helping to finish up is for a family of orphaned boys. There are about 4 or 5 brothers.. its hard to tell because they will say everyone is their "brother" and we also believe they have a little sister who lives with their grandma. These children are all orphaned. The oldest boy being 21 and the youngest being 14. Each house Ten Thousand Homes builds first starts with a relationship with a family and then a donation of 5,000 dollars and then they can buy the supplies and start building a home. This particular home happened a little backwards. Ten Thousand Homes didn't have a connection or relationship with the family at all. They heard about them through a connection with someone else then Photogenx International actually helped in the funding and once the money was wired in TTH was able to start building.

The staff and community volunteers that are working on the house have been trying to build a relationship and establish home with these boys in the process of building. Its been difficult though, the boys tend to shy away and keep to themselves when the builders are over. Some background story to help understand... the one boy, the 17 year old, got very sick at one point in time and went to a Sago-ma or witch doctor to get healing. The witch doctor then told him in order to be healed he had to become a witch doctor. So this boy now believes he has the witch doctor spirit inside of him. From talking to him the volunteers say you can tell he doesn't really want the responsibility and pressure of being one but his grandmother pushes him to be one. The staff said that the one time they went over to work on the house the boy took a hour long bath. He recognizes the different spirits they have inside them and stays away from the Christians. Talking to Kasey, one of the staff here on base, she said its been interesting trying to get to know them and become close to the boys. The one boy said that he knows they don't believe the same thing but its ok because they are doing good and helping them. Kacey decided to name the house The Sanctuary and explained to the boy that this new house will be a place of safety and peace and home for them. The day after they named the house a horrible storm came with lots of lightening (in their religion lightning is from the witch doctors) as well as their house getting robbed in the middle of the night. It was a spiritual attack right after the naming of the house. After hearing all this background story I was really anxious to go over and work on the house and meet the boys and just help pray over the land as I worked.

 As we drove to the house on Tuesday we took a dirt road that twisted and turned and winded up through a grove of banana trees. There in front of us was a long brown rectangular mud house. Next to it stood the new cement one TTH had built. There was one other house on the property. The Sago-ma hut. Many properties around the villages here have them. They are for the witch doctors, for performing practices and praying to the ancestors. Most times the witch doctor houses are nicer than the families own house. They put SO much faith and belief into these false practices and evil spirits. Its sad and it broke me heart thinking of this poor young boy who basically gave his life over to a life of witch craft.

We picked up the paint and began chiseling away the cement around the window frames and then painted the windows white. Not to long afterwards the boys came home from school but like Kacey has said, they stayed their distance. Except for one, Ntando, the 14 year old. He came right over, curious who these new workers  were. I began asking him questions, asked how school was. I found out he was in the 6th grade and that he liked to sing. He hung around us most of the day. We joked with him, took pictures.. let him take pictures.. haha and tried to get him to sing us a song :) I fell in love with this teenager. He seemed so curious and in need of just attention or someone to hangout with. I though of his brother being involved in witch craft and prayed to God that that wouldn't happen to him. He had such personality :) And in only knowing him a day I felt very attached to him. He seemed to open up to me quickly. I said bye before we left telling him I'd see him tomorrow. We came back the next day to finish up painting and he was there. He hadn't gone to school because he was sick and was maybe going to go to the clinic. Lucky, one of the South Africans that heads up construction, told us Ntando hadn't eaten in a long time. I brought him over to our cooler and made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. He was so cute and didn't take much pb and j.. he barely spread it on his bread.. I think he felt bad taking our food. Later he said he felt better and didn't need to go to the clinic.

The next day we didn't work on construction at all but my heart felt really heavy for Ntando, I wondered what he was doing.. how he was feeling. I don't know why I feel such a strong connection to this teenage boy. I think I just want him to stay innocent. I can't image what it must be like to raise yourself, no parents, just living with your orphaned brothers. You take care of yourself, you decide when you go to school, you push yourself to do your homework. No one watches over you or tells you what to do. I want him to stay innocent. To not get caught up in the religious practices of the Afrikaans belief. I want him to have a good life. I want him to know Jesus.

Next week we are planning a "house warming" party to officially announce the finishing of the house and let them move in to their new home. We want to make popcorn and bring Fanta.. the boy's favorite ;) We also would like to bring some plywood and paint to work on an art project with them so they can create something to hang in their house. Something that says The Sanctuary with their handprints on it or something :) I'm excited and I think it will be really fun and special for them. We really want to bring HOME into this house. Thats the purpose and goal of Ten Thousand Homes, they really seek to bring, family, love, Jesus, and home into each and every house they build.

White River South Africa

Well I do believe I am getting worse and worse at this blogging thing. I've been in South Africa for two weeks now and don't have a single blog up about it :) Arriving in South Africa, we took a three hour van ride to Nelspruit where the Ten Thousand Homes (TTH) crew picked us up and took us the rest of the way to the base in White River. It was about 9pm when we arrived at the base, all tired from traveling. They kindly fed us some soup and showed us to our rooms. We are split up between these little cabins that house 6 people but we only have three in each. When the morning came I finally had a chance to look around and take Africa in :) :) My expectations I must admit were a little off. I think I had this standardized view of Africa being desert with huts and blazing hot sun and gorgeous sunsets which I was super stoked for. Thats more in west Africa.. where the desert actually is.. haa. South Africa is in fact much different :) The base reminded me a lot of Camp Hebron, living in cabins surrounded by a more wooded area with a long dirt lane to get to the base. There is this one rock that is back in a grove of trees that you can sit on and see over the communities below. I love to have quiet time there and sun tan or just sit and be still. The weather is also surprisingly cold. Its heading into their fall season and the past two weeks have been on the cooler rainier side. The base is run mostly by Americans, there are some South African volunteers, Stanley and Lennon, who are two of the coolest guys ever and have wicked awesome dance skills.. as do most of the teenage guys here haha.. they're just born with it I'm convinced. The staff of Ten Thousand Homes (TTH) is super nice and right from the start gave us orientation and introductions and a base tour and we even did a prayer walk around base for the ministry and we just felt  so welcomed and connected right in from the start. We are in charge of cooking all our own meals which has been fun :) :) No more rice and beans everyday!! If fact we wont even allow such a thing to get put on the menu :) haha Me and two others are on the food committee and we make a weekly menu and buy all the groceries and then we have a cooking schedule. It can get pretty hectic at times cooking for 12 people but its been lots of fun learning more in the kitchen. It makes me feel like I'm back at the cafe :) so its nice :)

South African culture is verrryy layed back and I think shocked us all coming from the craziness of the Sao Paulo city into the countryside of Africa. Time is slowed down here and they have funny says such as NOW means right now and NOW NOW meaning in a little bit and JUST NOW meaning maybe weeks from now haha so you have to be careful what you say ;) It's quite normal for some one to say they will meet you at 4 and not arrive till 6 or for something to start a half hour later than scheduled haha its an event oriented culture. The base itself is very still and quite.. it was hard to get used to but I'm enjoying the quite now :) I love being back in the country...driving in the back of a truck on a dirt road. Its bliss :)
Most everyone speaks English and others will speak either Afrikaan or Siswati. Our first Sunday being here we got to go to the local church in Mbonsweni, a community TTH has been investing in. I was so excited to see what an African church service was like. The minute their voices started singing songs of worship I had tears in my eyes. It was one of the most beautiful sounds I'd ever heard. There was no song leader or music book. Someone, anyone that wanted to really, would just start singing a song from their seat and everyone would join in. But people knew just when to join in, how to harmonize, when to sing quiet and loud. For some of the songs the youth boys would do this stomp and clapping thing. It was so natural the way it flowed from them... their voices so powerful and beautiful.

Our first full week here we helped with two feedings that TTH does every week. We'll be doing them every Wednesday and Thursday during our time here. The feedings are held in the Mbonsweni and Dwaleni communities. The community volunteers that help out at Mbonsweni are a group of kids our age that are really fun to hangout with, and teh volunteers that help with the feeding in Dwaleni are this group of sweet older ladies :) Its a fun contrast between the two feedings and neat to get to know the different generations. The older women.. or grandmas.. are called Gogos. We start cutting vegetables and prepping food around 10.. This past time they served cow intestine, "pop" ( a corn flour type thing), and veggies :) mmMMMmmmmmm haha. Around 2, after school lets out, the kids come. About 200 come to Mbonsweni and 300-400 come to the Dwaleni feeding. So many kids!! Are they are all so precious!! They say that most kids here are either a single or double parent orphans. It so sad to think of the types of homes these children are going back to. And to think this may be their only meal for the week. They don't put a limit the amount of kids that can come, anyone can come, but we do run out of food sometimes sadly :( Last week at the Dwaleni feeding someone had music playing and I had such a precious time dancing with the little kids. It so nice to be able to speak English with them to and have a conversation. I think that was another thing that really was weird seeing/hearing. English everywhere. I've only ever been in countries where no one can understand you and you can't understand them. Its nice having English around and it makes it really easy to adjust, it feel like home. The rest of our time the first week was pretty relaxed getting acquainted with the base and the town and where to buy groceries and do laundry and what not.

Our second week was church again Sunday, then in the afternoon we had a house party to celebrate the finishing of one of TTH houses they have been working on for these two twin teenager boys and their mom. So after church the congregation walked over to the house and we sang songs and prayed for it and one of the staff from base had baked brownies :) It was cool to see more of what TTH is doing on the ground to see the excitement this family had for their new home. Their previous house had been burnt in a house fire. After that was a youth service which was more like 10 of us.. a mixture of church youth and my teammates and me.. sitting in a circle discussing struggles and things we wanted to be free from and how to get free from those things. It was so neat because it felt so normal, it felt like small group at home.. sitting around discussing things and praying for each other. It was really cool Sunday to spend so much time in the community with the church members and youth. I got to talk to quite a few people and i already feel as though I know them so well :)

Monday we had some meetings as a team and discussed ministry. One of our main goals is to really serve the Ten Thousand Homes staff and the base by doing media work for them. We will be collecting footage to make a trailer for their ministry/website as well as individual movies for them with them being interview and sharing testimonies that they can show their supporters. We are also going to do a day in the life of a Ten Thousand Homes worker and follow some of them around doing documentary work. One of the couples, Zach and Anneka, she's South African and he is Texan, are the base leaders. She is an incredible artists and is currently working on a project sewing a bunch of sweet handmade bags. They have three young girls though and so its hard for her to get a lot of work done. You can tell she is a busy mom and has a hard time finding time for herself. We really want to bless them by giving them a date night every week and baby sitting the kids. I babysat for her last friday which was a lot of fun. It was cool to get to know her more, she is a neat woman and I love her accent ;) She is a white South African so she has a bit of the British accent.

Tuesday we worked on another house TTH is finishing up, I helped to paint windows and sand/chisel the widow sills. The story if the family that this house is for is very interesting and I will write a full blog on it next. Some others from our team went and helped out at a daycare a lady from the church runs. Wed and Thurs are the weekly feedings at Mbonsweni and Dwaleni and Friday is working around base and doing media work. As far as future ministry we are still planning on splitting into groups of two and living in a child-headed home for two-three nights. That wont be for another week or so yet. And we are planning a week long outreach to Swaziland.


This past Tuesday we had our first South African Braai (bbq) on base. Every first and third tuesday the base has a Bring and Braai where you bring your own meat and then a dish to share. It was a lot of fun to be together with all the base staff and fellowship and eat :) :) Other than that, the only other things going on are is easter is this weekend!!! So we are thinking up some fun team things to do that may include an easter egg hunt for the staff kids on base ;) and a sunrise worship set on the rock for us :D as well as possibly some hot-crossed buns mmhm

I hope this can give you an overall glimpse into my life in Africa so far. I will be here for 6 weeks and I already feel so at home. I love it so much and I can't wait to see all thats in store for our time :) Internet is very expensive, you can buy it from the base but I've already put to much money into it that I am now only going to use it once a week on the weekends when we go to a cafe that has cheaper WIFI. I'm sorry the updates wont be as often I'll try to make them long and detailed when I do :)

LICE. yup.. I said lice

so we had our very first lice epidemic. It was rather scary. My good friend Sarah discovered one night why she had been so itchy as our staff started to pull little bugs out of her hair. This was the first time I've ever seen lice haha and these were huge! and eggs everywhere!! It was gross.. we think they may have been in there for a few weeks haha.. sad thing is she has DREADS. :( and as beloved as those are, there was no way we could brush all the lice out. Therefor the dreadful decision came to cut each precious dread off :( Me, Sam, and Melissa stayed up till 3:30 am treating, cutting, brushing out, deep conditioning, killing bugs, smashing bugs, being grossed out, laughing, and comforting my dear friend Sarah. It was quite the evening of bugish bonding, and  I am thankful that none ventured into my hair. I'm sure this will be one of many similar such events as we continue life on the road ;)

From the lady herself..
Late in the evening of March 30, 2011:
“Hey guys, my head feels kind of itchy...”
Thus started the most ridiculous night ever. Attempting to pick millions of massive lice, along with their eggs, babies, and teenagers out of matted roots. And then facing the truth, saying a prayer, and the cutting started. Six hours, a tub of conditioner, some amazingly dedicated friends, and a whole lot of combing and we were able to save about an inch of hair. Oh the adventures of my life...

Spring Break. Curitiba Brazil

This past weekend I had the opportunity to travel and few hours away to the city of Curitiba. We had a break from April1-6th and my friend Erika from from my dts last year lives in Brazil, she was so kind and blessed me by buying me a flight to come visit her for 4 days. Lily from my team came with me as well. It was the best last weekend in Brazil I could have asked for. I felt clean for the first time in 3 months. We ate delicious food other than rice and beans, and I slept on a comfy bed, showered in a high-powered clean shower, and even dressed up a few days ;) It was soo relaxing and so much fun! I love those two girls dearly. We went to a HUGE street market [probably my favorite thing of the weekend], art museums, parks, gardens, cafes, restaurants, and Erika treated us to getting pedicures. I felt like I was in Heaven for a few days haha. Her parents were so kind and welcoming. I got to take some family pictures for them while I was there too :) I found I love Curitiba a whole lot better than Sao Paulo. Its cleaner, smaller, greener, and way more beautiful. I'm so thankful to have had the chance to go.

[goodbye brazil]

I've been doing a lot of pondering lately..that seems to happen when I travel on public transit. Bus's, subways, the world flying by outside my window partnered with a  soundtrack of music flowing through my ipod. The Civil Wars seems to be my go to artist lately. [you should check them out :) ] I love getting lost in my own thoughts, processing, observing, letting God speak, and being inspired.

As this quarter of track is coming to end I've been looking back and reflecting on a lot of things. Its been three whole months since we stepped foot into Brazil. The uneasy feelings and feelings of being not quite sure how I fit on this team, how we will all get along together are feelings of the past. We've grown, becoming more united. This time in Brazil has really been a season for our team to work things out. Looking back I can think of many things I wanted to do in Brazil, more ministry we could have done, we could have spoken about Photogenx more or made more connections with people, or photographed this or that, or learned the language more. You don't realize how fast time is flying until your left with only 10 days in a country you'll probably never get to go back. You ask yourself.. what have I done.. who have I helped..how has the Lord used me. The other day our team had debrief and it helped to really reflect and see what our best and worst moments were, or what impacted us about our time here. As I look back I realize the importance of really diving into a culture and place from the moment you get there. Being intentional with everything. I am blessed to go to numerous places over this next year and my goal is to really dive in and learn as much as I can from each unique nation. I don't want to leave wishing I would have done this or that...although naturally that will most likely happen ;) I want to be intentional with each and every day. Led by the holy spirit, passionate, intentional with my photography, and compassionate with every person I meet. Really being observant to what is going on around you, how people are feeling. Learning to be like Jesus in every moment and every circumstance.

We were having a party for the staff here on the base as well as the DTS thats running and we prayed for them and had written them each notes and then a few of us and some of the dts started having a dance party in the yard :) Afterwards we were all sitting and talking and Miguel, one of the Dts guys, came over looking frustrated and worried.. he doesn't speak any english so I asked Danilo, another Dts student, who knows some English if everything was ok. Miguel told him how he had just been talking to his friend on the phone who is really struggling with depression and he lost service right as he was about to pray for her. I felt so bad and my heart went out to him, he's such a joyful guy and to see him upset was so sad, the hardest part was I dont speak the language to even say anything to him. I told Danilo then how I wish I could know each of their hearts, and what they are going through. Everyone has a personal story, everyone is working through stuff, and we can dance and hangout and play cards and laugh and attempt to talk but because we don't know the language we can REALLY get to know each of them. That was on my heart strongly throughout the rest of the night and I later noticed Danilo having what looked like a rough conversation on the phone. I asked him is everything was ok and he told me about how his mom has re-accuring headaches and they just admitted her to the hospital again. I prayed so hard for Miguel and Danilo that night.. it hurt my heart knowing these dear friends were going through things.. had been going through stuff and we didn't even know. The next day was even worse... I was helping to wash dished in the kitchen then I notice the Dts and base staff huddling together outside..you could tell something was different, something wasn't quite right, the worried looks on their faces, the pacing.. I went and found Sam and asked what had happened. He explained that Denilo had gotten a call this morning from his dad saying to come home.. he mom dad unexpectedly died in the hospital that morning. Hy heart broke. Tears began welling up. We had just talked the other night..I just heard about what he was going through and now he's getting the news that she is dead. I was so frustrated, so angry and so sad. All the dts guys were pacing the base, head in their hands, grieving for their friend. I don't even know his mom..I barely know him.. but we had become friends with all these guys and it hurt me to see them in pain and not be able to say much because of the language barrier. I gave hugs because thats all I could do. A week has now passed and Danilo is back on base finishing his Dts. He has peace he says..knowing that God has his plan. His smile and joy is still with him. Having this happen really made me again think about the importance of compassion, caring, really getting to know people as best you can, hear their hearts, and care to know about what they are going though.

I've grown to love Brazil so much, I think if I had stayed in Sao Paulo my thoughts would be slightly different haha, but having been able to see Rio area and Curitiba both of which are such beautiful areas, I truly do love this culture. It's become so familiar to me, so normal, so home. I know enough of the language to get by and have a small conversation, and I can understand some of what people are saying. I woke up with a smile on my face the other day as Portuguese flowed throughout the house, smiling to myself at how normal that is and enjoying trying to understand the small bits I can. Its a beautiful language and I will miss hearing it everyday. Other things I've learned from this lovely culture.

- They greet each other with a kiss
- Everyone is incredibly hospitable, friendly, and welcoming. People will just talk to you on the street or help you with your luggage. I was shown kindness by so many people here
- In Sao Paulo, PDA in public is a-ok and you cant get to far with out seeing lots of it haha
- These are beautiful people with a strong pride in their nation and a beautiful love for soccer :)
- Brazil is very diverse with many different looking people
- Their churches are always super welcoming and you can see in the way they worship their passion for the        Lord
- They are generous and giving

Goodbyes are never fun and over the course of this journey we are going to be saying many of those :/ although it stinks, I am so blessed for all the wonderful people I have had the opportunity to meet. To all those I have met in Brazil, you are loved and you will be missed :)

Continue to pray for Brazil..
- For those effected by the flood in Vieira
- For Danilo in the death of this mom
- For all the lost throughout the massive city of Sao Paulo

Meet. SAM

Samuel Bley De Castro Ribeiro Zubiasá
nickname: track baby ;)
ethnicity: BRAZILIAN! ..and bilingual

Sam is one of my dear friends here on track, he has been so helpful in translating for us in our time in Brazil. Sam is amazingly talented musician and plays both the guitar and ukulele :) His voice will sweep you off your feet.. PS, he's single ladies ;) 

he was born and raised in the Amazon Jungle, but lived the past year in Hawaii
he is a lover of powdered milk..gross.
he is a man with leadership spoken over him
and a lover of people

God will use you in great ways my friend!

[Sam is still in need of a large amount of money in order to continue on track :( visit his blog, and if you feel led, please donate!! we want him to continue with us.]  http://www.sambley.tumblr.com/