U-Cut Trees

I love Christmas. I also love going out to get a Christmas tree - and last Sunday afternoon was the appointed time! Dusty, Peyton and I braved the rain to head out to a U-Cut Christmas tree farm.

We arrived at a small "mom-and-pop" tree farm - and just in time, the rain abated! We were handed a saw and a plastic bag (for kneeling on) and told, "Any tree just $20." Really? That's even cheaper than last year!

It didn't take us long to realize that their trees were probably so cheap because most of them were overgrown. After some scrounging, we found a nice 6 foot tree for Gail's family. It took a while longer to find one for Dusty's family. We were looking for a taller tree - of which there were plenty. We finally found the one we wanted - knew it was a "little" tall but figured we could remedy that at home. The owner was nearby with his chainsaw - so we decided to ask for his assistance cutting it down. Boy were we glad we did because the base was approximately 7 inches in diameter! Peyton and I carried the smaller tree back to the truck while Dusty waited for some assistance getting her tree back to the truck. The owner and his brother-in-law went to help and it took the 2 burly men to get the tree back to the truck. I'm not sure we could have carried it on our own because it was REALLY heavy. We paid for the two trees and were on our way home.

On the way home, we kept laughing at how big Dusty's tree was! We knew Richard was going to think we were crazy. When we got back to the house, Richard asked who the gigantic tree was for - and proceeded to shake his head when we informed him that it was their tree! Dusty informed him that next year he'd just have to brave the rain and go with us. But we knew he could make it just right - with a little help from his saw.

So after a little work, the 14 foot Douglas fir became just tall enough to fit inside the house. Now Dusty waiting for it to dry out and then will vacuum it before bringing it indoors (See December, 2007 blog, "New Uses for Vacuums.")

It was a great afternoon - just $20 for a 14 foot tree!

Let the smell of Christmas invade our homes!!!

The 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Today is the 75th anniversary of the the ratification of the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. For those of you who did not pay attention in history class, the 21st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution repealed the 18th Amendment which had mandated nationwide prohibition of alcohol.

I give you the background on this because of the picture above. I saw this picture attached to an article about the repeal of prohibition and laughed out loud!

Did they really think this type of advertising would work?!

Sushi & Caitlin

Tonight is sushi night. I love sushi night! It's one of the simple things I enjoy - being able to pick something off the "train," waiting to see if they'll make my favorite... It makes a girl happy.

Recently though, sushi makes me think of sweet little Caitlin van der Kamp. Caitlin is the 4 year old daughter of my friends, Kerry and Lori. She has recently been diagnosed with leukemia. Caitlin is responding well to treatment so far and has officially been dianosed as a 'Rapid Early Responder'!

Caitlin loves sushi. After she began her treatments for leukemia, the doctor told her no raw fish. That could be problematic of course, but her family went to the rescue and helped her create her very own 'fishless' sushi! What fun for them!

Please keep Caitlin in your prayers. Here is a link to the Caring Bridge website where you can read updates on her treatment and the spectacular progress in her battle against cancer.

Caitlin's Journey

Heroes

It's not very often that I know someone who actually had an article written about them because of their heroic actions - so I've decided to post here a story about Chris Howard. He would never ask for recognition - he was just doing what he could to help another person. I think it's fabulous that he could be an example for others. Read on:

From the April, 2008 issue of Reader's Digest:


As he approached the St. Helens, Oregon, city limits, Chris Howard took his foot off the gas, signaled for a turn and eased into the right lane. He had just gotten off his shift as a foreman for a local industrial contractor, and his mind wandered a bit while he drove. But then he saw something that made him snap to attention. A hundred yards ahead, a loaded lumber truck was coming his way, on the wrong side of the four-lane highway. The truck was on the shoulder and going only about 10 mph, but it was weaving badly, forcing panicked drivers to slam on their brakes.Howard stopped, and when the truck rumbled past him, he saw that the driver, who was frantically glancing over his shoulder as he swerved toward the lanes of traffic, was young. "This guy," Howard muttered to himself, "should have his license pulled."

As the 50-ton truck kept going, he got a better look. The driver was a little kid.

Clinging to the steering wheel with his nine-year-old hands, Matty Lovo tried to remember what his dad did when he drove. Moments earlier, his father, Matt, had collapsed just after talking to his wife on his cell phone. As he slid onto the floor, the truck veered off the road and clipped a telephone pole. With no one at the wheel, the truck, still in gear, slowly rocked its way along the highway.

Instinctively, Matty unbuckled his seat belt, scrambled over his father's motionless body and plopped into the driver's seat. He had to kneel on the seat to see out the windshield. It took all his strength to turn the steering wheel. Somehow Matty managed to grab the CB radio and call for help. An anonymous voice told him to find the ignition key and turn it off. He did. The truck slowed down, but it didn't stop.

Thinking the boy was on a joyride, Howard jumped from his car and ran after the semi. He figured he'd have to get behind the wheel to stop the runaway rig. To do that, he'd have to jump into it while it was moving.

Howard knew that if he stumbled, he could fall under the big rolling wheels. Without breaking stride, he leaped onto the driver's-side running board. With one hand, he caught hold of the grab bar, and with the other, he yanked open the door handle and peered into the cab.

Howard had been inside a semi just once: When he worked at a tire shop, he backed a rig into a bay. He knew the wrong move could make the truck jackknife.

He grabbed the wheel from Matty. As the truck continued to bump along the highway, Howard flattened himself against the cab, the door banging against him. He searched the dashboard for a power switch but found nothing. He looked for the ignition key but couldn't see it.

Out of desperation, Howard stepped into the cab as far as he could and stomped on the brake pedal with his right foot. His body shook as the truck jerked to a stop.

He turned to Matty and said, "What were you doing?"

"My dad!" Matty cried. "I don't know what happened." Until then, Howard hadn't noticed the man slumped on the floor. He was breathing and his eyes were open, but they had a glazed look. Howard tried to rouse him.

"What's his name?" he asked.

"Matt," said the boy.

"Matt!" Howard yelled. "Can you hear me?"

Howard unwrapped the seat belt from around the elder Lovo's body. He tried to lift him but couldn't. As if things weren't crazy enough, the Lovos' dogs, a pair of dachshunds that had taken cover in the footwell during the wild ride, started barking and nipping at Howard's hands. He ignored them, telling Matty everything would be just fine.

"Call 911!" he shouted to the gathering crowd.

It turned out that a bad reaction to an antibiotic had caused the trucker to faint. When later tests showed no other problems, he was back on the road. Howard gave a statement to police, got back in his car and drove home. Only then did he have a chance to consider what he'd done. "My heart was racing -- it was such an intense experience," he says. "But at the time, I was going on adrenaline. There was no time to be scared."

A weekend without phones...

So this weekend is Camp Yamhill's Youth Leadership Seminar. It is a fabulous weekend spent with teenagers from around the Northwest who come to learn about how to learn about leadership skills and how to implement them into their lives. It's a great weekend - matter of fact, its one of my favorites.

But - what am I looking forward to most of all? I won't make you guess. It's the fact that there will be no cell phones. You heard me. NO CELL PHONES. For three whole days, a group of teenagers must lay down their phones. And not just because they want to - but because there isn't any cell service out at camp! So - they'll have to use their voices, make eye contact and read non-verbal clues. I'll even be happy to hear their sarcasm in person rather than via text.

Wow - they'll have to actually speak to one another! Just what will come of this?

Election Day 2008

I hate election day. It makes me nervous. I can't stand to watch the results as they "trickle" in. I don't want to hear the exit polls. I want it all to be over. I just want to see the end of all the political mud-slinging.

But as much as I hate it all - I must say that I hope you all have voted. If only someone would actually enforce the rule that if you don't vote, you don't get to criticize the government...

My friend forwarded this along - and I think these reminders are more important than the vote itself.

Top 10 Predictions No Matter Who Wins the Election

1. The Bible will still have all the answers.
2. Prayer will still work.
3. The Holy Spirit will still move.
4. God will still inhabit the praises of His people.
5. There will still be God-anointed preaching.
6. There will still be singing of praise to God.
7. God will still pour out blessings upon His people.
8. There will still be room at the Cross.
9. Jesus will still love you.
10. Jesus will still save the lost when they come to Him.

ISN'T IT GREAT TO KNOW WHO IS REALLY IN CHARGE?

Happy Halloween!

So I'm not a big Halloween fan. I do however enjoy seeing my little nieces in their costumes and seeing how excited they are to get a boat-load of candy from the neighbors! It's also entertaining that I can show up at their house at Valentine's day and there is always Halloween candy still sitting around...

Anyway - this year my friend Stacey has convinced me that we need to go to a costume party - and after much debate, I have agreed. I will let you know now that I intend to go as Stawberry Shortcake. What you also need to know is that you will NEVER see pictures! There's no way I'm putting that kind of blackmail ability out there for all to see!

In the spirit of Halloween another of my friends sent this picture. I post this picture here to remind you to all be careful this Halloween!

Wedding anyone?

Just a few photos to share with you from my nephew's wedding. Enjoy!

The beautiful flower girls and jr. bridesmaid.

And of course, the beautiful bride.

The groom with the smiling Dani Lynn.

Flowers for the best man!

Mail from afar...

I love mail. On some days, there's even something more than bills and junk - that happened a couple of days ago.

I got a letter. Not just any letter. A letter from Uganda (via Texas and the Cashes!). And it was a real letter - handwritten and everything!

Reading the words carefully written by my friend Jasper lifted my heart and brought tears to my eyes. What a blessing she is!

It's at these times that I wonder if I am really living where God means me to be - or if I am called to live somewhere else.

My heart misses Africa.

The Unexpected

I work in NE Portland - inner NE, near the Lloyd District. It's an entertaining area of town - to say the least. After working here for 3 years - there are certain things that you expect when you see certain vehicles, etc. Today - well, what I saw was unexpected.

Next door to our office is a 7-11 whose customers don't always lean to the 'normal.' As I was walking by, there was a big, black, Cadillac Escalade truck beginning to pull out of its parking space in front of the 7-11.

I must admit, that what I saw was not what I expected to see. Instead - driving the Escalade with it's windows down was an elderly white man - not the driver I would have expected to see. And - he had the windows down and was singing at the top of his lungs to none other than Waylon Jennings.

It was fabulous! Not only because was the driver and his choice of music were unexpected in this area of NE Portland, but because I too sing in my car.

Just not generally to Waylon Jennings.

Apple Pie and Voltron

Have you ever tried to explain to a teenager the whole idea that Jesus is the Son of God, yet Jesus 'is God'? You start off by using the verses where Jesus says: "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30) and "The Word was God" (John 1:1) just hoping they get it the first try? It's not an easy discussion, for adults, much less teenagers!

The subject came up in a bible study with Claire and Lindley this week. So - my weak attempt to explain the whole idea was, of course, to reach for the "Apple Pie" explanation. Just how is this discussion related to dessert, you ask? Let me explain:

God is all the ingredients/individual pieces that it takes to make the apple pie.

Jesus is the apple pie itself - the actual physical representation of all of those ingredients.

The Holy Spirit is the smell of the apple pie. You smell it and you know it is apple pie - even without seeing the pie itself.

So it works like this: God is everything - Jesus became the physical representation of God on earth ("He made himself flesh" Philippians 2). The Holy Spirit is the essence of God/Jesus left behind to guide us.

It's not a perfect explanation - but it seemed to work.

The response from Claire: "So - Jesus is God in baked form."

Claire makes me smile. I don't think God has a problem with her sense of humor because it emphasizes her understanding - and its better than her not getting it at all.

For entertainment value, I found this description on-line today from an anonymous writer's response to a question about the Trinity. Some of you will appreciate this more than others:

"I see the Trinity as Voltron. There are a bunch of smaller robots, but they all combine into one huge robot. The small robots are Voltron when combined, yet he can detach an arm and send it somewhere. It's an "arm of Voltron", but it's part of the whole"

OK - so kind of like apple pie, right?

The Bible is Zelda?

There are certain teenagers with whom I love to talk about "God things." Claire Buehler is one of those teens. Tonight during a bible study we were talking about how the bible is always relevant and how you can read a passage one day and it will mean one thing - and a year from now you may have a complete different understanding of the same passage. I explained to Claire and Lindley (my niece) that it was why my dad could re-read the bible year after year and never grow tired of it.

That was when Claire popped up with "The bible is Zelda!" The excitement on her face was not mirrored in mine - because I was confused for just a second. Then she looked over at Lindley and repeated, "You know - the bible's like Zelda - no matter how many times you've played it there's always something more to do or to find."

It's not a conventional connection - but she gets it!

And - I can't wait until the next study!

It's the Little Things...

It doesn't take much to make me happy sometimes. As a matter of fact, all it took tonight was a little "birdy" who let me know that they have opened a new Sonic very near where I live! Some of you who peruse this may wonder - why is that such a big deal? Well - let me explain. With the opening of this store, there are exactly TWO Sonics in the entire state of Oregon. Therefore, the opening of the latest Sonic in Wilsonville, Oregon, is a joyous happening for all!

God bless Sonic - and God bless you!

This Our Song of Grateful Praise...

Just a couple of photos and lyrics from one song - because to describe what praise at FaithQuest means is beyond my capability.


For the beauty of the earth
For the beauty of the skies
For the love which even from our birth
Over and around us lies.



For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night
Every hill and valley, tree and flower
Sun and moon and stars of light.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Lord of all to Three we raise,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
This our song of grateful praise



For the Church which evermore
Lifts her holy hands above
For the offering up on every shore
Her pure sacrifice of love.


Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
Lord of all to Three we raise,
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
This our song of grateful praise.

It's That Time of Year!

So - for some it's just another holiday weekend. For some of us - it's one of our favorite times of the year! Its time for approximately 400 - 450 people to meander their way across the Northwestern U.S. to find all roads leading to Camp Yamhill and to what is known as FaithQuest! This will be my 11th year to attend FaithQuest (as a chaperon or part of the staff) - and I can truthfully say that my spiritual walk is stronger because of this program! May God bless the Vancouver and Metro Churches of Christ for their unending loyalty to the organization and planning of FaithQuest for the last 21 years...

For your enjoyment below is a list of things I have learned at FaithQuest. Some of you may not completely understand these things - but that's ok, you can just imagine!

Things I have learned at FaithQuest:

1. Any teenagers can survive a 3-day weekend using the "Schmidt Houses" (otherwise known as porta-potties).

2. Having to shower every-other day will not kill you.

3. That the best place to meet new friends is while standing in line for meals.

4. That after an hour or so, any log on which you are sitting should have padding.

5. That prayer in the "tabernacle" is a powerful thing.

6. Late night talks with friends and mentors can change how you view your world.

7. An understanding of the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1 - 11)

8. To pay attention during opening programs - because "baptisms" may not actually be "baptisms"

9. That it is difficult to sing praise to Jehovah God while sitting still.


There are many more - but that's enough. I can't wait to see my friends and my fellow Uganda-sojourners from this past January. I can't wait to sing! I can't wait to watch and see how God will change lives this weekend!

Packing Day

So - it's packing day at the office. We must somehow get everything - I mean EVERYTHING - in a box and ready for the movers before Friday at 8:00 a.m. I think we're going to be here for a while! Right now my office is filled (literally) with empty boxes that apparently the boss has decided to prepare for the "packing party." Fun - NOT!

Anyway - I should get at it or I'll be here all night!!!

Dani Lynn Shannon

How can anyone watch the birth of a baby and still wonder if God exists?

Today my sister Dusty gave birth to a beautiful little girl. Named Dani Lynn Shannon, she weighed in at 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 18 1/2 inches long. She had a bunch of dark hair and seemed to be a fairly quiet and content baby from the get-go!

Her "big" sisters (Taylor, Peyton, and Rian) are so exited!!!

Mission Trip musings....

Things I learned while on the Baker City Summer Mission Trip 2008:

Of a general nature:

1. That locker room showers without lights are horror-flick worthy.
2. That even city boys can make a wild sheep look "pretty."
3. That when it's 95 degrees outside you can never drink too much water.
4. That it is not easy to replace windows on a house built in the 1950's.
5. That a little rain will not deter Lizzy Bennett from kissing Mr. Darcy
6. That it is possible to dance while seated in a van.

Of a spiritual nature:

1. That the devil will try anything in order to discourage team members during the week prior to leaving on a mission trip.
2. That God's plan for the daily schedule is not always the same as our plan.
3. That out of a bad event can come incredible decisions.
4. The true meaning of "Here is water..."
5. That God can use a bunch of teenagers to make a gigantic impact in a small town.
6. That I am humbled by the team that my God allowed me to be a part of.

Grasshopper messenger...

It happened on my way to work today. I was moving along with flow of traffic, just heading onto the Marquam bridge, when I saw it.

A little green grasshopper. Not just green - but lime green - almost fluorescent. I've never actually seen a grasshopper that color.

He was hanging onto my driver's side mirror. And when I say hanging on -- it was for dear life. His little front legs were spread wide and gripping the top edge of the mirror -- his wings blowing in the quick wind caused by the moving vehicle.

And he hung there. For a long time. I watched him for the next three miles or so. He stayed on the edge for a while, then moved to the top of the mirror. And all the while, I was just waiting for him to blow off - afraid to go faster - thinking that more speed would be his downfall.

But eventually, he moved to the back of the mirror facing the on-coming wind full force. I lost view of him just as I was getting off the freeway. I don't really know when he fell off, but he didn't make it all the way to the office with me. It made me sad. I wanted to see him succeed.

During the few miles of watching him battle to stay attached, I kept thinking: "That's the way I feel right now...that it's taking all of my strength to stay attached, to survive, to just get through the day...knowing that the next big breeze would knock me off. Like I'm hanging on for dear life."

And I thought of this bible verse:

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. [James 1:12]

I kind of think "hanging on for dear life" can be of the same mind as "persevering under trial."

So I guess that now is the time to hang on, to brave the wind, to persevere -- one day at a time.

For tomorrow will be another story.

Dharma & Greg

So, one of my guilty pleasures in the mornings as I get ready for work is to sit in the middle of my bed and watch t.v. as I put on my makeup. Generally I sit and flip between four different shows: Crossing Jordan, Angel, JAG, and Dharma & Greg. Eventually, I land on a episode of one show that will hold my attention long enough to make me almost late for work.

Anyway - as it turns out, this morning it was Dharma & Greg that caught my attention. In this episode, Greg stayed up all night reading a bunch of books by different "spiritual" leaders trying to "find himself". He looks at Dharma and tells her that he is going to read the bible next. Dharma replies something to this effect, "Let me save you some time: First half - don't mess with God; Second half - be nice to everybody."

It was at that point that my brain really started processing for the day. At first I wondered if you can really boil it down to two simple phrases like that - and if you could, those two phrases didn't seem anywhere close to accurate. I believe that the bible is written in simple enough language for us to understand, but, it would be very difficult to choose two specific phrases to "sum up" what the bible is about. And maybe those two phrases would change throughout my lifetime. My very first try was: First half - God loves his people. Second half - God loves his people. Then it switched to: First half: God loves his people. Second half: God saves his people.

Still not exactly right. I'm going to have to ponder this some more...

Holy Pogo Stick, Batman!

It was a view similar to this one that I was treated to on my way home last week. A quiet street, families arriving home, and a small child on a pogo stick. The memories that came flooding back made me smile.

I'm sure the pogo sticks of my childhood were much simpler than the one in this picture. I dare say though, that we probably had more fun on them "back in the day." I must admit that I was really surprised to see a kid outside on a pogo stick. It just doesn't seem like it is a very popular toy these days - which is a sad, sad statement.

I loved jumping on my pogo stick. What one would do to have back just a few minutes of that time!

Note: Did you know that there is a sport called "stunt pogo"? According to wikipedia, some form of stunt pogo has been around for 50 years!

If only we'd known.

A view of Uganda: New Year's Eve

We were blessed to celebrate the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008 in Uganda. Our team, as well as Jeff and Andrew, had made our way out to Camp Saaka to begin setting up for Faith Quest Uganda 2008. Joining us at Camp Saaka that night were the youth from the Ft. Portal area Churches of Christ. It was a great chance to get to spend some extra time with these youth from the immediate area before the rest of the youth groups from around the country arrived.

It was a busy day - and included a lot of packing, unpacking, and setting up of tents. As we had brought tents and sleeping bags with us in our luggage, we got a chance to get those out and set them up. It was entertaining watching the boys attempt to put up one of the tents - because of course, they didn't want to read the directions first!


What a blessing it was to celebrate and worship as a group. While we waited for the matoke (our dinner) to finish cooking, we were all entertained by Mark Long and his crew from Kampala with what we called "Brazilian fireworks." They were fabulous as you can see by these pictures:

The evening ended with a devotional around a campfire and lots of singing. The highlight was definitely the singing group from Rwebisengo. They are amazing! One of these days I may post the video I have of them - but that would require the ability to figure out how to make it shrink enough to post (currently it sits at about 500 MB).

I will say that as I lay in my sleeping bag, being lured to sleep by the youth as they continued to sing the New year in, that I believed it was one of the best ringing-in's of the New Year that I have ever experienced.

Spring Fever

So - I had to run home today to let the guy from NW Natural Gas into the house (that story is a whole other blog!). As I was returning to work, I looked at the thermometer on my rear-view mirror and it read 68 degrees! I had the windows open in my truck - and the music blaring. Who, I ask you, really wants to work on a beautiful day like today? Not I, not I.

When I arrived at the office, I checked weather.com - which said it's only 60 degrees outside - but at this point, I am going to defer to the thermostat in the truck! My Spring Fever is so bad that the other boss has given me permission to go out and work in the flower beds outside our office for the afternoon! I think I may just take her up on that!

Here's a kgw.com article on the warm weather today: Portland weather

Did she really just say that?

So - Stacey and I went the new movie "Fool's Gold" last weekend. One of the charcters in that movie is this really ditzy girl - whose character seemed over the top with ditziness. THEN - I was washing my hands in the restroom and heard the following:

"I thought Italian was just an accent. I didn't know it was a language."

I couldn't believe my ears!

Really? Are there people out there that are just that stupid?

Although I realize the answer to that question is YES.

A view of Uganda: Anaiah

For now, ignore the funny-looking guy on the right - I will blog about him later. Take this moment to appreciate the beauty that God has created in the beautiful child in his arms. Miss Anaiah Martin - what a beautiful, sweet spirit this baby girl has!

Many people might think that such a young child does not have much of a role on the mission field. I would greatly disagree with you. On a continuous basis, Anaiah provides the following:

For her dad (Andrew) - A way to show other men how they should love their children.

For her mom (Aimee Jo) - A way to be grounded, focused, and to grow in the special, God-given privilege of motherhood.

For the Cash Family - A way to be reminded of how special and beautiful life is with just one smile.

The Faith Quest Uganda 2008 team was so thankful to have little Anaiah to love on. She made us laugh, she reminded us of those we missed at home, and she provided us with a reason to be goofy.

I know it is difficult for her family back in the States to watch her grow from afar. And for those grandparents, aunts, uncles, counsins, friends, etc., who are so far away from her, I leave you with this: Thank you for letting her touch the family of God in Ft. Portal. She is a breath of fresh air to all who worship there. I know God is using her to help His kingdom grow.

Anaiah - we love and miss you. May you grow healthy and strong. May you be an ambassador for the Lord. May your heart always overflow with love for those around you.

A view of Uganda: Matoke

They look like bananas. But let me guarantee you this - they do not taste like the banana you are probably thinking of! These, my friends, are 'plantains' or as they are called in Uganda: Matoke.

Matoke is a staple of the Ugandan diet. Raw, it is white and firm - and fairly sticky to peel. Cooked, it is soft and yellow - and in my opinion kind of tastes like squash.

It takes a lot of matoke to feed a group of almost 200 people at Faith Quest Uganda. The number of peels on the ground is pretty amazing. The cooks would peel the matoke, then they would wrap the whole bunch up in the large leaves of the matoke trees. The whole large lot is then steamed in a pot over an outdoor fire.

The result? a soft, yellow mash of matoke. Generally, it's served with a sauce of some kind - maybe a ground nut sauce or sause with a vegetable base, and if you're "lucky", there just might be some kind of meat in the sauce (usually boiled beef).

I like it. Really, I do. I just can't eat a lot of it. I would sit and eat a bowl of matoke, rice or yams, and ground-nut sauce - and could hear my brain shouting at me as my blood sugar started to rise dramatically from the high starch/carbohydrate content.

But I like it. It's simple, filling, and for a Ugandan, something that grows in the back yard.

I think we should eat matoke here in the U.S.A. Maybe for one meal at Faith Quest Oregon this year.

Unless, of course, we could serve millet instead!

Just kidding.

But I liked the millet too.

A view of Uganda: Spinner

Take a look at the picture closely. Yes, that is a motorcycle. Yes, it does carry two individuals and a load of lumber. All of these things are very obvious. What is also obvious is that this is not the way we as Americans would deliver a load of lumber. Additionally, I'm pretty sure one of our nice police officers would pull you over if he saw you transporting lumber this way. In fact, the Oregon Motorcycle Driver Manual states:

"Most motorcycles are not designed to carry much cargo. Small loads can be carried safely if positioned and fastened properly."

Maybe it's just that this isn't "most mostorcyles."

Anyway - the scene in the picture was not a one-time sight. It happened again and again. Sometimes heavier loads, sometimes multiple people, sometimes you just wondered how they stayed upright. What I know for sure is that during one road trip the male members of ourgroup decided upon a name for these types of cargo-carriers.

I believe the term they decided upon was "spinners."

You see, these motorcyle drivers and their loads would quickly zip in and out of traffic. This would, of course, leave one wondering just what would happen if they caught just the very edge of the load on the side of another vehicle. What exactly would happen to a motorcyle loaded like this during that type of collision?

The answer: It would be a "spinner."

My only explanation is that the guys decided that if you caught the edge just right, the motorcycle would be lifted up and then, in helicopter fashion, take off spinning through the air.

Thus, the "spinner."

We never did get to see a test of their theory (thankfully). What we did hear was a frequent call of "Spinner!" from the back of the vehicle.

May God protect all of the "Spinners."

A view of Uganda: Pineapple

So - over the last few mission trips I have taken, I have had the opportunity to 'educate' others on one specific fruit: the pineapple. Here's my recollection of the latest 'education' required:

We had arrived in Uganda on Friday, December 28, 2007. On Saturday, after some orientation, lunch, and a few errands around Kampala (the capital city), we headed out on the road to Ft. Portal - our base of operations for most of this trip. There were eight of us who loaded up into the Cash's Land Cruiser and in a slightly cramped, but wonderfully air-conditioned vehicle, we headed out. There was lots of discussion and laughter.

It was just an hour or so into the drive, when Jeff was suddenly pulling off to the side of the road. He had seen that the Hi-lux pickup was pulled over on the side of the road - with all of our luggage inside! We all got out to stretch our legs and were quickly apprised of the situation: the bearings in the front left wheel had shredded. Derrick and Patrick were already in the process of going back and forth to town to find replacement parts and a mechanic. We all settled in to wait - not wanting to leave them on the road without knowing if things would get fixed.

No one moaned, no one complained. We were in Africa! It started off our trip with that typical African experience of waiting, and waiting, and waiting. We began visiting and looking around the area. I immediately noticed the pineapple field and called Jenna over. Our conversation quickly turned to where pineapples grow (and people - it's not in a tree)! We got a good look at the field and the new pineapples. Derrick listened in amazement about how many Americans don't know how pineapples grow because this fruit just doesn't grow on the mainland U.S. of A.

There was much laughter during this exchange - not 'at' Jenna, but near her. And as we waited, soaking up the sun, walking along the road, visiting with Patrick, or in Greg's case - napping in the Land Cruiser, we enjoyed every moment of our 3-hour + detour.

We almost couldn't wait for our next 'African' experience to come along.


(Note: Just as part of a lesson in history, pineapple is not native to Uganda. If my memory serves me correctly, it was brought in during the British colonization of Uganda.)

Sleep

So I have been home one week today. I have worked 6 of the last 7 days, and after work all I have done is crash. I hope to find some time this weekend to finally begin writing down some of my thoughts on Uganda, but I make no promises. Sometimes what a girl needs is just - sleep.

Jet Lag

I have been home approximately 36 hours.

Here's what you need to know:

Right this moment in Ft. Portal, Uganda, it is:

12:58 p.m. (the middle of the day)

Approximately 80 degrees farenheit (29 degrees celcius)...or so.

But where I am, it is:

1:58 a.m. (very dark)

and 37 degrees farenheit (3 degrees celcius).



Can I just say that I'd rather be back in Uganda!!!