White Nile Rafting Pictures

One of the most frightening events of my life...rafting on the nile. Never felt that close to questioning if I'd ever get a "next" breath. What a beautiful place.

Baseball Game Daejeon

What began as an International student outing (with their friendship partners) turned into a church event. Baseball... I can take it or leave it. However, with a fun group of people I enjoy going to a game. We almost didn't get into the stadium. As it turns out buses need to call in advance for parking. With a little convincing and pretending(I'd call it lying) we got in. I realized that while Koreans understand baseball, students from China have no clue. They had fun anyways. This was my first professional sporting event in Korea.

Black Hole: What does this mean?

“What does this mean?” is the question all were asking who was present on that Pentecost Sunday recorded in Acts 2. “Each one heard them speaking in the native language of each.” As the Spirit came the people were united; they were connected to each other. They “heard” each other. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to speak the language of all the nations represented in that one room. How fabulous and miraculous! I can imagine what it would be like to “hear” all those who were distinctly other.

The Amahoro Africa Gathering was a little Pentecost. We were all together in one place. There were Ugandan’s, Kenyan’s, Tanzanian’s, Rwandan’s, Burundian’s, Congolese, Mozambigue-ian’s, South African’s, Liberian’s, Sudanese, Australian’s, a Swede, an American living in Switzerland, and the United States delegation. There were no miracles in the usual sense, no sounds of a “violent wind”—unless you count the beat of the African drum, and no appearances of “divided tongues” in the form of fire. There was an unusual Presence of God’s Spirit, which connected us and created a way of being that is entirely different from all our typical realities.

I’ve never been with a group of westerners so committed to practicing the discipline of listening. Our African sisters and brothers took the lead, told their stories and shared their life with us. On the 4-day field trip we were invited into those intimate and even painful spaces where our new friends live. It was a little Pentecost because we “heard” each other and were truly present with the other. In our hearing the Holy Spirit challenged and transformed.

Humbling!

That is the only word that describes what I feel now that I'm back to the land of high-rises and Buddha's birthday. I’m living in an experiential black hole. I was gone for a meager 2 weeks. But it feels like I was gone for a year. I haven’t even wanted to talk about what has just happened. Words? They just aren’t there. That is until I get to the keypad. Even still words are empty. There is something happening in me; it is there in the deeps of this black hole within. The images, the lives of others that deeply touched me western and African, those people who are pouring themselves out for others, the depth of pain of many for many reasons, the intensity of daily struggle, the irony of immense beauty and earthen fertility married with extreme corruption and poverty; it is all doing something which is yet nameless. Is this going to be an experience that ends on the plane to home? Like those who were together that first Pentecost, I too am asking, “What does this mean?” And I’m sure I’m not the only one. There are 200 people out there asking the same question.

What does it mean to live out a transformational gospel rather than an evacuation gospel?
What does it mean to be a vessel of reconciliation and to create viable communities of reconciliation?
What does it mean to live out a contextual theology and create space for others who are ‘other’ to do the same?
What does it mean to be a person who doesn’t just “do” ministry but a person who follows Jesus into organic friendships both for her sake and for the world’s sake?
What does it mean to “do” mission without being a neo-colonialist?
What does it mean or look like for a denomination to create space within their theology and structures to allow for a truly global church?

Those people in that room in Jerusalem many years ago found out what “it all meant” and with the empowering Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ the Church emerged. They were the first missional Christians, the first to live out the Kingdom on earth just as it is in heaven. I have great expectations for the emergings of the black hole within the Amahoro Africa people.

Happy Birthday Buddha

Happy Birthday Buddha!!? No work today. I’m extremely pleased, as the radically fast transition from Uganda/Rwanda leaves my world spinning and confused. This national holiday reminds me where I live. Korea may have a great Christian representation but it still has other religious values that run deep into the whole makeup of the society. I wonder how Buddhism influences Christianity here? I guess if Jesus gets a national holiday on Christmas then Buddha gets one here too. I went hiking today past a Buddhist temple. There were families hanging out and doing crafts. There was music playing and balloons. Even the main street today had decorations like the picture above to celebrate Buddha.

Not dancing...less than Christian: Contextual Theology

I fully intended to write more while I was gone. The conference hotel had exhorbitant prices for internet and it was extremely slow. Not worth my time or money!

I'm getting ready to fly out tomorrow. For the last two weeks I've been around people who are talking about colonialism and contextual theology. Tonight and tomorrow Benny Hinn is doing a healing service at the Mandela stadium just outside of Kampala. Ludicrious! He is the perfect example of how the western church fails Africa! He will take money from people who are living in poverty and offer false hope for healing--if you sow a seed and give me money, then God will heal your or make you rich. Ugh! The roads will close early tomorrow morning so I had to move into Kampala from the conference hotel. If I hadn't moved I'd have trouble getting to the airport. Someone like Benny Hinn closes the roads in Uganda! Craziness!


Contextual Theology takes on new viability for me as I’ve listened to, ate with and lived the daily rhythm with people from all over eastern Africa. I’m not sure how to do contextual theology or how it can truly take on different shapes in different contexts. Yet for the gospel to transform lives rather than only "save souls" it needs to become contextual. It needs to become contextual inorder to allow people to be fully Christian and fully human. Africa isn't the only place that needs to benefit from contextual theology; North American contexts, and my Korean context need it too!

I sat face to face with people who are trying to figure out what it means to be Christian and “Nigerian” or “Congolese” or “Kenyan”. They are trying to figure out their Christian identity in a way that doesn’t just blindly accept the forms which are distinctly western. (or Korean)

As I talked with a group of Africans on Monday my heart sank. I’m aware now from their eyes, from their stories, that a gospel packaged in a foreign (mostly western) culture steals a part of their humanity. It dehumanizes them and quenches a creative, imaginative and intuitive spirit. The problem with the western packaged gospel was and is that when the African became a Christian, their new faith took the African out of the Christian. It took a part of who they are from them. Now they are trying to regain who they are while remaining Christian.

Africans sing and dance; it is a part of their communal soul. I watched the joy on the faces of the group light up we were called out by country to dance in the middle of the conference worship space. Even I, the Nazarene, danced! Our African friends worshiped fully in dance. Their bodies moved with the rhythm and their hearts beat to the spirit of worship. When I was in Rwanda I attended an Anglican church. When the Anglican liturgy arrived it came with its staunchness; I saw it quenched the African spirit. Even after the service the priest told us that when he is in the robe he feels stifled. I think about our own Nazarene confessions in light of dancing. Why would we stifle the beautiful human expression which flows out of these people? This is only one example of culture expression which has been labeled less than Christian. In truth, for the African, it may be less than Christian not to dance during communal worship.

The speaker, Dr. Kenzo, reminded us that when we take the African out of the Christian that it does injustice to the incarnation. When we take the African out of the Christian we have at least a weak theology of the incarnation. We also must have a weak theology of the atonement and resurrection. (and that is just for starters) Christ lived, died and rose again to reclaim and redeem all parts of human life, even the cultural parts. We often say that Christ transforms culture. Yet how often has our western packaged gospel gone to the nations to transform them in the name of Christ into western Christians? I’m sure that is not what Christ intended to transform! Christ transforms culture but not from one people’s culture to another people’s culture.

Frankly, although I’m saddened by the effects of colonialism on African Christianity I see the difficulties. I realized that because I am western and from the United States that I work out of a colonializing context by nature. I’m formed to do so. I need to be de-formed! I do not even see that what I do could dis-empower or dehumanize those I intend to minister to. We are called to listen more! Learn more! Create space for the other more!

Also, when we talk about contextual theology I have to ask, “what are those parts of our theology that are essential and what are non-essentials?” Is there anything that must transcend culture? Can anything within a theology be without cultural packaging?

Sunday May 6 Uganda: Living

I’m getting acquainted very quickly to the time change here in Kampala . Both mornings I’ve made the decision to be on the go by 7am. This is so unlike me but here there is so much to do and so many people to be with.

It was suggested that I attend a church of mostly university students today. This week the Kampala International University has finals. Some students do university on the weekends so that they might work during the week—hence even today, Sunday, they have final tests. Because of the test schedule church started at 7:30am. They are committed to church!

I went to grab some toast for breakfast and met an American pastor who would be preaching at the University church. His name is Terry Chapman. He has been a pleasure to be around today. He is graduating with his PHD from a school in San Francisco and his dissertation was written on something like “the hermeneutic of Sabbath in a post-modern time”. I’m sure I didn’t get that exactly right but close. He is interested in Spiritual Formation or “Christian Formation”. I was sitting there listening him talk and just thinking “wow, God already I’m meeting people who are far beyond me on the journey…but we are on the same journey”. He thinks God is preparing him for something that will stretch him, pull him deeper, even cause some pruning pain. I get the sense that there are many people out there thinking the like him. It is the thought that I’m about ready to emerge into something new and it may not be easy but ‘let’s go’. We know that God has more for his church, and we are anticipating his call to something more, something deeper, something wider, yet we are just waiting to see this call with “flesh on it”. If this is what “emergent” is about—emerging into something deeper and wider as a follower of Christ—then I’m especially delighted to be apart of the conversation. Hopefully it will be more than just a conversation.

The church service was beautiful. I only wish we could have spent more time with the students. I love their music. It is “call and response” oriented. A choir got up and sang several songs. They sang a song about being “God’s vessel”. Then Pastor Chapman got up and preached from John 15. He talked about the three fundamental desires of all humanity. It doesn’t matter what cultural, economic, social, gender, or religious background we come from we do all desire at least three things; to make a difference, to be connected to the transcendent and to have a sense of belonging. He highlighted especially that third one in terms of being connected to the “vine”.

After the preaching we talked for a little with students. This University Church reminds me of our church in Korea. It is made up of people from many nations— Burundi, Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, and more. They don’t yet have many non-students. Yet they are working towards this. They too have the issues of transition. Students come, they are discipled and ready for leadership and then they go back to their home countries. I’ve been spending some time with the University Church’s pastor. He has this vision to impact Africa by discipling their future leaders. I see the vision. As I talk with ministers in Africa they are saying something like, “It is not that we don’t have money or other resources, we do. The problem is that we don’t have good leaders who know how to live out the Christian Ethic.”


I talked briefly with some of the ladies. I so love University students. Some of them asked me if I knew about the Campus Crusade Conference in Seoul this August. Ha. No, I had no idea! They said they know there will be an international conference with that organization in Seoul this summer. It is ironic that I’d find out about something like a conference in Seoul from a Congolese student in Uganda.


When I returned to the Guesthouse Pastor Chapman, and Pastor Musa(from the Congo ) a Student from the Congo and a student from Burundi and I sat around a table and just shared a snack and an awesome conversation. I’m learning so much. What is so interesting is that they types of things that are of great concern to them are the same things that are of great concern to me and others like me. It makes me realize that our God really does have a “mission” for his people. When God’s character and his purpose are lived out in his people across the world, we share like convictions, don’t we.

Pastor Musa is actually not pastoring these days. He is leading a ministry in the Congo dealing with leadership development and reconciliation. The Congo has conflict and war within the last 10 years. Both he and the student from the Congo talked about Christianity in Africa as being "miles wide but an inch thick
". Pastor Musa spoke to the dire need of discipleship. He suggested that pastors have put the emphasis on their work in the wrong place. Preaching is the pedastal of pastoral ministry and in Pastor Musa's estimation we've missed something. Our work is to invest in discipleship even it is only a few. (He is a baptist pastor) He cautioned that the church has focused too much on what it does while forgetting to be who it is in Christ. We’ve focused our energies on “outreach” while forgetting “in reach”.

As we were talking a though occurred to me which feels profound for my own life. Often we talk about “having a call to ministry” or when asked “what do you do?” we say,” I do ministry”. Yet what if instead of focusing on what we “do” in ministry we focused more on how we “live”. We are called to “live” over and above our “doing of ministry”. Of course, I’m not just talking about any type of “living”. I’m talking about living out the character and purpose of God. In being called to “life” we are invited to participate deeply in the life and purpose of God. I’m wondering, “How does God’s life intersect and fill into the whole of who we are?”

Often we are so focused on doing the purpose of God that we forget to foster a life lived out of his character. Right? We are not just called to “do ministry”. We are called to “life”. The problem is that the way we define “life” is not a God formed and God lived life. More and more I believe that “life” outside of God is not “life” and all. It is something less than life or life as God intends for all humanity. In this way our ministry and our life are not two different areas of who we are and what we do. They ARE who we are and what we do. This way of thinking, as I listened and talked to my Congolese friends causes me to take interest in more things than just typical church stuff. It causes me to look at how I “am” with my world around me; even those parts of human life I often do not “care” about because it is so “other” than “church”. This could be things such as economics, politics, health, conflict, etc. Especially as I’m in this African context I feel that church and all of life are profoundly connected. People are starving. People are dying of AIDS. People are steeling millions of dollars and running off with it to another country. People are killing other people groups. People…. God’s mission is for people. Admittedly, I’ve been the first person to have “a disconnect” between Church and state politics. I don’t like state politics! It is easier to just not have a voice. There are other “disconnects” that I’m aware of like: “church and environment”, “church and economics”, “church and sexuality”, “church and culture”—just for starters. Yet, is this really “living” when the way of following Jesus enters into absolutely every part of who we are—individually and collectively? What a challenge.

The conference hasn’t even started. Yet the conversation has already begun.

Class Five...without a raft

I went rafting today on the White Nile River! The company forgot to pick me up but my hotel called and I was able to get a ride to join the other rafters.

We drove about 90 minutes to a company called Adrift in Jinja, Uganda. I met up with the rest of the group. There were three U.N. military personnel who work in the Congo in our group. Two of them are Egyptian and the third is Ukranian. Their work is very interesting. There were two people from Holland and 4 of us were from the USA. One of the Americans lives in Kigali and works as a techincal advisor for the Aids crisis there. So interesting! Our tour guide is from Finland. I love being around people from all over the world who are have such fascinationg jobs.

This day of rafting was outstanding. It was outstandingly beautiful and outstandingly frightening. When we first got onto the river our guide went over the safety measures. He descrived how to get low in the boat, how to hold on, and what to do if we fell into the water. "Feet up, float down river" I've done a little rafting and I've seen these precautionary teachings. But I've never been with a guide who actually had us practice falling overboard in the river! Not only did we practice falling out of the boat, but we practiced what we'd do if the boat flipped us. He had us do what we'd do if we needed to flip the boat back into position for reentering the boat. To top off this experience, he had us float through a class 1 rapid in the water.

I thought all of this was so odd. I had no idea that we'd actually use what we'd practiced! I've never fallen out of a raft in a river before. On the Nile, it is not the exception but the rule! He wasn't just preparing us for what might happen. He was preparing us for what would eventually and surely happen.

It did! Several times!

Our team made it through the first class 5 rapid really well. It was exhilarating. The next rapid was a class 3 or 4. We were doing great when all of the sudden our raft flipped us all out. I found myself underneath the raft and had to maneuver out from it. We all had to. We managed quite well. Luckily, there was a pool right after the rapid and the water was deep enough so it wasn't that dangerous.

The day was beautiful. We enjoyed each others company between rapids. We enjoyed looking at the birds--we saw some eagles. The water was cool and when the river was slow we were invited to get into the water.

We approached our second class 5 rapid of the day. Our guide prepared us for what to expect. As we went through we did great. The raft performed marvelously.

The third class 5 was a totally different story. Looking ahead to the coming rapid I had this feeling that we were not going to make it through. Sure enough, the raft flipped. We had been advised to not hang onto the raft if the raft flipped here. Again I found myself under the raft in rapidly and powerfully moving water. I felt others near me. I got myself out from underneath the raft but the water kept me under. I remember seeing only water in front of my eyes and feeling myself needing air. Thoughts like, "am I going to drown?" "when will I go to the top?" were racing in my mind. I wasn't panicing, however. I was quite calm. Just scared. It was only green water in front of me for seconds. Then I surfaced. I got a small breath before I was covered by the monstrous wave of water. Feet up! Feet in front. Next thing I knew I saw our rescue kayaker. I grabbed onto the hand hold in the front of his kayak with two hands and my two legs curled around each side of his kayak. It was like I was hugging his kayak with my feet. He later had me get on the back of his kayak and he paddled me over to the raft. We were all OK. Frightened but OK. One of the guys got beat up a bit by rocks. He wanted to quit then and there. But our guide convinced him that we only had a small rapid left before lunch. I felt a little shaken up. I was glad lunch was coming. I was thinking, "I just did a class 5 rapid without a raft...ON THE NILE!

The whole rest of the trip I felt so nervous about falling out again. The final rapid of the day was called, "the bad place". Hmm...not a good name. We had to take the raft out of the water because there was a class 6 rapid on top of a class 5 rapid. We were told that we could opt out of the final class 5 of the day. I was going to opt out. However, as we walked to the place where we'd reenter the river I missed my chance to get into the rescue raft. So, I had no choice--no I had to do it. It was a pretty incredible rapid. Especially looking at it with the class 6 above it. The first part went smoothly. Then there was a second drop. Our raft was tipping. Two of our team members fell over board. I was almost out of the boat but when those two members fell out the raft decided it didn't want to tip! I made it through! The two others made it find through the rapid without the raft. One got his own scare under the water but was fine.

We had a rain storm during the day. The river was beautiful underneath the falling rain. Then the sun came out again. It is pretty hard to believe that I went rafting on the Nile River today. Never in my life would I have dreamed about doing this! Never in my life would I have gone if I knew it was almost guaranteed we'd fall out of the raft! Ha. But we made it. I think it is because the Nile is so deep that people can expect to fall out and be OK. After each major rapid there was always a slow moving pool of water. All we had to do was to let the water move us into the pool, not panic and be sure to position our feet up and in front of us. So today I rafted the Nile, I swam the Nile and I did a class 5 rapid without a raft! What an experience. When I got back to the hotel tonight I thanked God to be back! Today has definitely been a once in a lifetime experience. I don't think I'd do this part of the Nile again!

Uganda

It has been a long few days. BUT I MADE IT! Praise God. What an great journey the flight was. Ok...the exhausting part isn't all that "great" but the people along the way were interesting to say the least. My flight from Seoul to Dubai had me sitting next to a man from Morroco. He smelled pretty bad but I got used to it. We chatted a little but there was something that I sensed was not right. When we arrived in Dubai and people were getting off the plane he was motioned to the back of the plane and then dissapeared. Hmm...I wondered where he went. Just odd. My imagination gets the best of me! I was thinking, "is he a criminal?". He had talked about being in Korea illegially. Hmmm.

Dubai's airport was fun because of the plethera of people groups represented. So many were from Europe, Australia, Aisa and the Gulf. I had no idea that Dubai was such a central hub for most of the world.

When I got on the plane in Dubai the girl next to me and I chatted and we realized we were going to different places--she to Adis Ababba and I to Entebbe. I had this scare. She said "You better check your ticket." I had this moment of pannic. "I'm on the wrong flight?" We just didn't realize there were two flights on the plane.

This girl I sat next to is Egyption. She grew up in Kuwait. I've never met an Egyption before let alone someone who has lived in Kuwait. My picture of Kuwait is completely tied to the United States political situation. Not such a good picture. So she put a face to not only Kuwait but to the Middle East in general. She was very candid about what she thought about the USA. She was surprisingly positive yet realistic. We talked about Islam and marriage. I didn't know that in the Islam way of life a man can marry up to four times. We talked about the head coverings the women wear. I didn't realize that their head coverings are an outward expression to an inward conviction about life and faith. From talking to her I understand that the women wear the coverings to save their beauty from their husbands and to not cause men to lust after them. It somehow made more sense to me when I was talking to her face to face. She has not choosen to wear the covering yet. She spoke as if she may someday. I could tell that she really values the way of Islam and wants to be a commited follower of God. She invited me to visit someday. I had to laugh at the thought. I laughed only because I know how people would respond back home to Julene traveling to Kuwait!

In talking to this Egyptian Kuwaiti resident I realized just how ignorant I am when it comes to the Middle East. I forget that there is more going on than the Iraq war. I often forget that there are people not unlike myself who are trying to live life well. She gifted me by putting a face on "the gulf". It doesn't just have to be a "war" or a "political conflict". There are real people behind everything we hear in the media!

I was picked up by some people hired by the conference. One other man was picked up with me. They did go to the airport at 8:30am just to find that I wasn't coming until 2:30pm. They were gracious when I apoligized. There were other pick ups today at least!

It feels good to be here. The sights and sounds are bringing me back to the summer I spent in Tanzania. It is odd. Images of those days, images I've not seen since those days, are popping up in my mind. I look forward to what is coming. Am I really in Uganda? So odd to be in Korea one day and Uganda the next. How is that even possible.

It is warm here! There is a nice breeze. There are a lot of foreigners at the guesthouse. Tonight there is some type of bbq dinner.

Tomorrow should be a raft trip.

Until then.

Dubai Airport

I'm in the Dubai Airport. It feels like a mall, not an airport! They have duty free that looks like a regular grocery story--a row of check out registers and all. Anyone would want to spend money here. More than half the people around are in the middle-eastern attire (I'm stereotyping). I feel like I'm in a different country! I've never been to the Middle East...not that an airport counts. We actually flew over Afghanistan! Oh my. Kind of cool.

My pick up at the Entebee airport is expecting me at 8:25am. But I just found out I'm not going to be there until 2: 45pm. Something will work out. I've e-mailed the right person of the change. The adventure begins.

The first leg of this journey was 9 hours. The second leg is 7 hours. That is a whole lot of flight time! I slept about 5 hours on the first leg!