June was a busy month for the Holcombs. We spent two weeks with the Lahash partnership in Tanzania, and then I (Erin) returned home while Dan went on to Kenya, Uganda and Sudan. Dan is returning to the U.S. on July 12th.
This was our first Lahash trip as a married couple, and it also happened to coincide with our first wedding anniversary. We celebrated by going out to a curry dinner at a local restaurant and having a delicious dessert of mixed fruit and vanilla ice cream. Yum!
Now that I am back in the U.S., I am trying to finish up a bunch of projects that I have put off for inexcusable amounts of time. Out of the fifty items on my list, I’ve probably only finished two of them. Most of them have to do with organizing various areas around the house.
I am extra motivated to get the house in order this week since Hattan’s mom and sister are coming to stay with us on Saturday. Wafa (his mom) and Hatoon (Hattan’s younger sister) will be with us through the end of August. With their room about to be occupied, I’ve discovered that we are facing a shortage of storage space in the house. Time to get rid of stuff. Anyone want to combine efforts on a garage sale?
While Dan is gone, I’ve been enjoying the company of my sister Bethany who is staying with me. Over the weekend we went to the Oregon coast with our parents and enjoyed a Roland Reunion with my paternal grandmother’s family. It was a beautiful weekend at the beach, and it was fun to go on a Willett family road trip again.
For those of you who want to know more about Dan’s travels with the Lahash staff, make sure you visit HopeIsAlive for the team blog. Please be praying for this last leg of their journey in Sudan.
Erin and I are getting busy with preparations for travel to Tanzania this summer. We'll be going with a group of wonderful friends from Vibrant Church in Portland (Trip website here). We'll have some updates here - as well as some group updates on the HopeIsAlive website. Here's our itinerary for those of you interested:
June 2 5:10 PM - leave from Portland - stop in Salt Lake City - Arrive at JFK (New York)
June 3 11: 20 AM - leave from JFK (New York) - stop in Dubai
June 4 3:20 PM - Arrive in Dar Es Salaam - See the beach - Spend the night at a hotel
June 5 Bus to Dodoma - supper at the Pastor's home - Sleep at the MAF guesthouse
June 6 Orientation - Break off into homestays
June 7 Home Visits (Interviews with AIDS clients)
June 8 Church Service - Adam preaches
June 9 Visit the Ntyuka Health Center
June 10 Home Visits (Interviews with AIDS clients)
June 11 Visit the Village of Hope/Home Visits
June 12 Msalato Bible Camping
June 13 Msalato Bible Camping
June 14 Children Ministry Day - Sleep at MAF Guesthouse
June 15 Church Service - Leave to Dar Es Salaam - Sleep in a hotel
June 16 5:20 PM - Lunch at a restaurant (Debrief) - Leave Dar Es Salaam - Arrive in Dubai
June 17 9 PM - Arrive in Portland (After a stop at JFK and Washington DC)
I'll be staying on and traveling to Kenya, Uganda, and Sudan after the Vibrant group and Erin head back to the U.S.
Here's a shot of Portland that I took the other night...
Erin and I parked our car and walked across the Hawthorn bridge the other day. We merged with 75,000 other people in what turned out to be the largest rally of the U.S. political season so far.
It's been fascinating to watch the elections this year - and the new directions the campaigns are going in. We have elderly John McCain who has been quite moderate in his past - facing a tough woman, and a Kenyan-American man.
I'm currently registered as an independent - and have a sickening taste in my mouth for politics after the past decade of politics.
As the nation has gone through the election year - I've been savoring the latest book from Shane Claiborne "Jesus For President". I whole-heartedly recommend this book - especially for those of us attempting to follow Christ and wondering how lobbyists, war, politics, religion, and our devotion to the Messiah all fit in the picture.
As far as the rally? It was fun being there - there is a lot of excitement over Obama right now - and the crowd was filled with a lot of hope. Obama did seem tired - he slurred words and made mistakes. And I got a little sunburn on my neck!
Yesterday, Dan came home with his hands behind his back. He had bought me a new digital camera. I've been hoping to get one before we leave for Africa in June.
It feels great to have a way to document the world around me in higher resolution than my cell phone camera provided. Today we took a walk in Portland's Hoyt Arboretum, and I was able to test it out a bit.
I've been enjoying some really amazing perspectives recently. First - this is especially interesting for those who follow Christ and are in the media - check out Shane Hipps.
Shane was in the advertising world (and worked on the Porsche global account). Then he became a pastor. His insights into the impact of the medium on the message, the isolation and individualism that literacy and electronics bring, and the message of the cell phone are all making me rethink a lot in life. He's also written a book called "The hidden power of Electronic Culture." I hope to read that soon.
Also, check out Ted.com. On this website you'll find an amazing trove of current insights on religion, development, media, technology, entertainment, culture, and globalization. Amazing stuff. While you are at it - click over to WeFeelFine.org - a website that monitors the collective feelings of our planet by mining through blog entries!
And finally, I've also been interested in the findings of Willow Creek on the effectiveness of their church. Head over to RevealNow.com and watch the lead pastors of the church talk about their failure in guiding members of their church - and lessons that they'd like to share with the general public.
Interested in a fascinating MP3 discussion? Click on over to "Speaking of Faith" and listen to a panel discussion by Chuck Colsen, Greg Boyd, and Shane Claiborne about the relationship between Christianity and politics as seen by 3 very different generations.
It's been a great past several weeks! Today we enjoyed a nice little picnic in the park in Portland with Douganya and Hattan. We're pretty addicted to Carcassonne now, and got a couple of games in on this fine Sunday.
In the evening Leisha and Annie came over to share in a meal and some Bocci ball. At that point our neighbor girls came over and we had Spanish, Arabic, and English all swimming around our home!
This was our first Lahash trip as a married couple, and it also happened to coincide with our first wedding anniversary. We celebrated by going out to a curry dinner at a local restaurant and having a delicious dessert of mixed fruit and vanilla ice cream. Yum!
While Dan is gone, I’ve been enjoying the company of my sister Bethany who is staying with me. Over the weekend we went to the Oregon coast with our parents and enjoyed a Roland Reunion with my paternal grandmother’s family. It was a beautiful weekend at the beach, and it was fun to go on a Willett family road trip again.
