Re-entry!

Thanks to Phil Plait & Soichi Noguchi
When things re-enter the earth's atmosphere things happen.  If you are a meteor, you hit the atmosphere and condense the gas so that you glow in a fiery yellow flame and fall to the earth in a ball of fire.  If you are a satelittle, you also get singed and fall to the earth at maximum speed.  But if you are the space shuttle, then you brace for the re-entry, endure the fire by making S-turns through the atmosphere, glide to the earth wherever you designated.

Sometimes I wonder if missions trips are little like re-entry from space. Most people don't go outside their comfort zone, let alone a new world.  Then you can return either as a meteor, satellite, or space shuttle.  

I would love missions trips to be like space shuttle re-entry.  You know what to expect. You are equipped to handle the heat.  You glide to a safe landing.  Yet I know that others have experienced crash-and-burn re-entries. 

I intend to formulate a way to go through re-entry where you are refined.  You've gone to serve.  You sacrificed.  You experienced new things.  These new things have reshaped you. Warped you.  Catalyzed new contortions. Burned you up.  Drained you.  Marred you.  You are never the same. But in the end, the trip has refined you like a fiery kiln. 

One passage of Scripture that informs a "space-shuttle" type of re-entry is Acts 14:26-28. Four things emerge from this text. Your team:

1. Finishes their work
2. Returns to their sending church
3. Shares what God had done in them and through them
4. "Rubs-off" on everyone

Thanks to Neal Pirolo for writing The Reentry Team (San Diego, CA: Emmaus Publications Intl, 2000). He directed me attention to this passage of Scripture (ch.2 pp.22ff).   His application of this passage focuses on long-term missionaries, but I believe the principles apply to short-term missions as well. 

I need your help as short-term mission teams re-enter life back home--in Wooster or wherever.  Please send me links, files, or lists of titles for things to help with re-entry. I will share a few thoughts in a later post.  But what things do you need to know about re-entry.  I wonder what your thoughts are. Please post comments on my blog. 

Your prayers are answered in a positive outcome

Tim Harley shared how an ICDI well drill team was being held at gunpoint in a CAR village.  You prayed and here is the answer:

Good morning from sunny Bangui!!  I thought I would sent a quick note concerning the well team that was being held at gun point.  They were released by the villagers who said that they were sorry and they had gone about getting help the wrong way.  Isn't that amazing how God works!!  Pray for that village that they may soon receive a well through proper channels.
Have a great day!!

Tim

Coming Home from Central Africa

Well, we made it!

We are now back in the capital city of Bangui.  Tomorrow night (Thursday, March 25) we leave at 11pm (6pm OH/PA time).  This will probably be my last message from the CAR.  Thanks to all who have faithfully prayed for us.  It has been an adventure the last two weeks but God has been so gracious to all of us for sustaining us as well as challenging us. 

We all have seen and experienced more than we will be able to describe, so be patient with us when we come home.  There is a process we go through, we are ready to come home but we have been deeply impacted by what we have experienced here and it takes time to adjust back to American life.  This is called reverse culture shock. 

All we have seen for the last two weeks is extreme poverty.  We have seen people who survive day to day, there savings account only includes goats.  Having enough food to eat is a daily struggle that sometimes doesn't work out and one goes hungry.  Most live without what we would consider necessities: electricity, tv, internet, video games, toilets, running water in your house, cups, and etc. 

When we come home sometimes it is a shock to see how much we waste as Americans or what Americans complain about.  Our perspective has been changed. 

But we also bring lots of stories of hope that only comes from God working through people who love Him to help those who are the forgotten.  We have seen the hope that comes through drilling a water well, planting fruit trees, digging lattrines, radio programs, rescuing orphans, and just showing that you value everyone.  A simple wave driving past a village brings smiles and shouts of thank you, thank you.  Simple acts of kindness goes a long way.

Our two weeks is coming to an end but ICDI's work continues so please join us in supporting ICDI with your prayers, finances, skills, and other resources.  We have had a small glimpse into the challenges of this ministry. 

In fact, even today we found out that the drill team that is drilling in the northern part of the CAR was being held in a village at gunpoint.  They were told "you can leave as soon as you drill us a well".  Unfortunatey that village is not scheduled to get a well because of limited funding. 

How would you handle today's dilemna?  There have been other major dilemas happening while we have been here, this is not easy work.  Please pray especially for Jim Hocking as he feels the weight of these situations. 

I am glad we serve a big and awesome God whose wisdom is unmatched and who we can "cast all of cares on Him because He cares for us."  No problem  is too big for God to handle.  This however doesn't only apply to those working in Africa, this is the same God that can work in your life in the midst of your daily struggles.  Trust Him, read His word and pray to Him!!

It has been great to get to know John, Kevin, and Sonny from Hanover, PA.  Thanks to all of there friends and family for reading this blog and praying for all of us.

1Peter 4:7-10 says,"The end of all things is near.  Therefore be clear minded and self controlled so that you can pray.  Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling.  Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various form."

Serving Jesus Christ

Tim Harley

Well drilled answers prayers for Wiang Pa Pao

God answers prayer!  

"Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion, to You our vows will be fulfilled. 

O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come (Psalm 65:1-2)."

Pastor Ivanildo has shared a great thing for our rescue home in Thailand.  Wiang Pa Pao (WPP) needed a source of water. Water is scarce. Lack of water affects several projects in WPP.  Not only the rescue homes but the Widows’ Silk Project is directly affected. 

Praise God for the generosity of God's people.  Through the generous giving of a church in Virginia, a well was dug and now water is running… abundantly. We praise God for His provision from His people even when we don't know the church who drilled the well. What an awesome God we serve!

Last Night in Berberati

From Tuesday, March 23
Today we finished up our projects.  We were thankful to God for helping John, Kevin, and Sonny get the Beatle drilling rig to run.  They spent all day yesterday and most of today trying to get the engine started.  During lunch we prayed about this and sure enough after lunch it started to run. 

We also had the opportunity to help unload a shipping container full of supplies from the US.  I got to help load this container back in Indiana so it was fun for me to see everything on this end. 

We enjoyed a special meal tonight.  We invited Elise and her children for dinner.  Elise did such a great job cooking for us and taking care of our laundry.  She always has a smile on her face and sings while she works. 

We wanted to meet her children and express our thanks.  Elise has 7 children Lydia, Saida, Frank, Prince, Heritier, Kareen, and Serge.  Elise is a single mom which is extra difficult here, she is looked down upon and struggles to care for her children. 

Her children ranged from 21 to 4 years old.  We enjoyed playing with them and getting to know them.  We gave the kids some gifts and Sonny roasted some marshmellows with them.  Hopefully we brightened their night.

I am also including pictures of our watch dogs, these dogs are very good watch dogs but they are very friendly, some times too friendly.  There names are Cajun, Kossi, and Melody.

Please pray again for us as we will be traveling back to Bangui starting at 5am on Wed Mar 24 (that's 11pm Tue Mar 23 for us in Wooster). This trip took 13 hours last time.  Pray for safety, unhindered travel, and no major mechanical breakdowns.

Tim

The Least of These

From Monday, March 22

Today we continued our work around the garage.  I think we are all getting a small taste of how hard it is to keep all this equipment running with the limited supply of parts and other resources we are so used to having  in America.  To be honest, I think it was kind of a frustrating day in regards to repairs.  It seemed we struggled all day long and it did not seem that we had much to show for it.

I believe this is a good reminder from God that His plans are on a different time schedule than ours sometimes.  I have been reminding our team that accomplishig projects is only part of our purpose.

I believe our main purpose is to build relationships with our African friends who are working along side of us.  Relationships are what last.  I believe it is a great encouragement for the ICDI staff that we are here to assist them on these projects.

This afternoon we had the opportunity to visit one of the orphan care groups here in Berberati.  There are about 100 orphans here; they are divided into three groups that meet twice a week for Bible study, recreation, food, and a health check.  This program is organized by the ICDI African staff and I was very impressed with their committment to these kids.  When we arrived, the group was reviewing the Bible stories they had been learning about.

Kevin and Sonny brought some toys to hand out to kids.  It was wonderful to see how well behaved the kids were, they calmly walked up front to receive their gifts.  It was fun to see them not able to restrain their smiles of excitement, they oould hardly wait for the go ahead to open their gifts.  Almost all of these children have lost both their mom and dad so to see them smile brightened all of our days. 

I am thankful to ICDI for their care of so many hurting kids.  These children not only receive food for their bodies, but they receive spiritual food that feeds them for eternity.  ICDI works with an organization called Vision Trust for all of the sponsorships of all the orphans.  If you are interested in sponsoring a child or in other ways to help the work of ICDI please visit their website www.icdinternational.org.

Thanks to God for rescuing us all

Tim

From Sun Mar 21:

On Sunday, we went to church with one of Jim Hocking's employees.  The people were very excited to see us and the pastor made us feel welcome.  They even had a man try and translate for us which was very nice.  They asked for one of us to sing a song and Kevin came to the rescue with his singing of "Awesome God".  Then John was asked to pray for the church service and he did well in spite of being

Albere is the name of Jim's employee.  Please pray for him because he is recovering from Tuberculosis and also has AIDS.

After lunch we enjoyed some time of relaxation.  The facility at Berberti is like an oasis, surrounded by natural beauty and spacious housing.  This a nice change of pace after ruffing it in Grimari and a long ride from Bangui. 

We have a nice porch to eat meals on as well as relax on nice chairs.  Elise is a wonderful cook as well.

Some of the guys worked at the garage a little while others took the chance to recharge their batteries. 

We then took a tour of ICDI's ag center.  The center is full of fruit trees and all kind of vegetable plants.  They grow these plants to build up a seed bank to be able to assist villages in growing there own nutritious foods to add to their mostly non nutrious diet.

It is hard to believe we are ready to head into the home stretch of our trip.  We will be here Monday and Tuesday. Then we will leave early Wed. morning to head back to Bangui.  Another 12-13 hour trip awaits us.  Thursday morning we check our luggage in at Air France and then we will hang out until the everning when our flight is scheduled to leave around 11pm.

Thanks for reading,

Tim

Using my giftedness can make a difference--even in Central Africa

From Sun Mar 21:
Hello to all!  I am writing this on Sunday afternoon, I could not connect to the internet last night.

Thanks to all who have been reading this blog, we really appreciate that you have been following our adventures in the Central African Republic.  One can feel pretty isolated out here at what seems like the end of the earth (or at least it seems we can see it from here!)  God has been so good to us in keeping us healthy.  Most of us have had a day or two of not feeling well but God has sustained us by His Grace.  I  know we have readers from Ohio and Pennsylvania and we thank you both for tuning in.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6 says,"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men."  This is a great passage because it is a reminder of how God has gifted each of us to accomplish His purposes.  It has been fun watching each one on the team use his skills for God's purposes.  When we were doing something that did not relate to our skills it gave us a chance to interact with those watching us.  Most of time this involved playing soccer or throwing a football or even just shaking hands with a smile.  Our prayer is that we have shared the love of Jesus with all we  have met.

Saturday was a great day for those on our team who love doing mechanical things.  At the ICDI garage many projects need attention.

Jim Fish started working on a Nissan to fix the many issues it had developed during our trip.  Jim did a great job and corrected many problems.  Some parts are not available because there are no auto part stores down the street.  Some parts Jim took off other used trucks. Creativity is very important in Central Africa.

Rick, Bruce, John, Kevin, and Sonny worked on an equipment trailer used to haul the Beetle drilling rig.  The trailer's ground clearance needs to be increased to accommodate the harsh road conditions.  The guys flipped the trailer over to take the axles off to make changes to the springs to allow the trailer to stand taller and even allow for bigger tires.  Remember I said creativity was important, these guys worked together to make it work.  The trailer should be finished by Monday.

Sonny also repaired the shop air compressor which had not worked for a couple of months.  I worked on organizing inventory in a shipping container.  We all worked hard and long to get as much done as we could.  I believe all of us using our skills for God is a form of worship just like singing in church.  We want God to receive all the glory for what we do.  I believe it is like the story of Jesus in the gospels when he took some bread and fish and fed over 5000 people.  If we give to Jesus what we have no matter how small we think it is Jesus can multiply the results.

In His Service

Tim

On the road again...on the muddy roads again

Berberati or bust!

Today we traveled from Bangui to Berberati which took  us 13 hrs.  We are all glad to be here but we are all wiped out from the trip.  The roads were very ruff which is normal but bouncing around for that many hours is a work out.  Before we left Bangui we finished up a couple projects at the orphan care center.  Bruce took the opportunity to set up a teeter toter for a couple of the orphan kids.  They giggled as they played.

We will remain here until Wed. morning so we hope to work here in the ICDI shop fixing trucks and what ever else Jim needs us to do.  I know we are all ready to get our hands dirty. 

Thanks again for your prayers!!

Tim

Grimari in detail, a coup attempt in the capital city?, and averting a bribe

Thursday recap of trip to Grimari:
Hello again!!
     On Monday we heard that there was an attempted coup by the former President of the CAR who was himself ousted by a coup by the current President.  March 15 was the anniversary of that event so the attempted coup targeted that day.  From all indications there was not much action, just enough to say it happened but there was no interuption of the current government.  This is just a reminder of the instability of these African countries.  The only stability is trusting that God has a plan for this country no matter who is President. 
     Late Monday afternoon we arrived in Grimari which is a town which is 5 to 6 hours from Bangui.  We enjoyed paved roads for much of our trip which was a great blessing.  Grimari used to be thriving town because the cotton processing company brought many jobs to the community.  There are no other businesses in town except small restaurants and shops.  There is no electricity and no fuel stations.  We stayed at the Catholic mission which did have a generator but they shut it off around 7:30.  Our rooms included two beds with almost non existent mattresses.  We soon saw that we would be sharing the rooms with the spiders and other flying bugs.  There  were no toilets just an outhouse with a hole in the floor to aim for.  Showers consisted of bucket baths.  No a/c or cable tv or other amenities we usually expect but this gives us the true African experience.  Unfortunately Kevin got sick and did not make this journey with us.  This is Thursday as I am writing and Kevin is doing much better! 
     After we got settled in we went to a local restaurant for supper.  Remember there is no electricity so there were no lights, only lanterns and our flashlights.  Our food consisted of rice with chicken on top and gozo.  We had fun with the woman who operated the restaurant and shared some laughs in Sango and English.  We returned to our lodging and then we took time to star gaze.  Wow, this helped us forget about how uncomfortable we were and worship God.  With no artificial lights we were treated to a spectacular view of the stars.  The sky was clear and the stars were very bright.  I am sorry I can't capture it on a picture but I guess you will have to come and see it for yourselves. 

     Tuesday morning we headed out and toured ICDI's new property.  It still has several large buildings with equipment still in it.  We were all excited to hear Jim's dreams and plans for each building.  We were all excited for the potential of this property.  There are several houses that can be used for future teams as well as staff members to stay in.  There is a lot of work to do to bring things back to life because everything was looted and the only things left behind were things that could not  be   carried.  There is a lot of land to develop the ag work as well as two rivers that can be used for irrigation and to fill fish ponds.  There are people already asking for jobs to work for ICDI which shows they have ambition.  Final government paperwork needs to be done to make this a reality.  Please pray for this to happen.  Also pray for God to provide finances needed to renovate this facility as well as tractors and other farming equipment.  This is a huge project but the potential impact is even bigger. 

     After our tour the well drilling equipment arrived and we began to drill.  The whole town turned out to see this process.  John and Sonny had fun running the machine they built.  All the hours of hard work for them was now realized as this machine worked to provide life giving water for this village.  Due to some mechanical problems with a water pump used to get water out of the river, we did not get the well finished.  Rick, Bruce, Jim, and myself each took the opportunity of a big crowd to play with kids.  We passed out balls and played catch with kids.  Hundreds of kids gathered around, it was a blast throwing the ball with them.  Unfortunately the balls don't hold up to the harsh treatment but we enjoyed this time with the kids. 
     We enjoyed supper at our local restaurant and enjoyed antelope meat on our rice.  This was probably the most people this restaurant has seen in a long time.  We enjoyed our time with the owner again and I got my picture with her.  The drilling crew came and ate with us which was great to be with them.  They worked very hard all day and I am sure a good meal tasted good. 

     After another night is our "luxury" suites, we headed back out to the drill sight.  We drilled to almost 300' before hitting water.  What an exciting time to see this water coming out.  I am sure John and his whole family and church can be proud of what was accomplished.  This investment in this community will impact it for many years.
     We left to head back to Bangui, all of us were tired and looking forward to the guest house.  The living conditions tend to wear on you after a while.  We encountered some rain which was unusual for this time of the year.  This made the dirt roads muddy.  Then it got interesting.  We entered a village in which an offical closed the road and said we could not proceed, he said we would have to stay there until morning to let the rain soak in.  Well as you can imagine, this got our attention.  In the CAR they call these rain barriers which are like checkpoints or toll booths.  Sometimes the men who control these barriers are looking for bribes before reopening the road.  Jim Hocking got out to talk to him.  Jim asked for his name and the phone number of his boss so Jim could call and confirm the shut down.  The guy would not give Jim his name, so Jim began to call Bangui with his sat. phone.  The guy walked away probably figuing his job may be at stake.  After a while he came back and gave Jim a lecture but then openned the gate for us to leave.  What a relief, I know I was praying for God to intervene and He did.  Jim had called his bluff.  This episode delayed us about an hour which made our arrival time in Bangui late.  But we made it!!

Thanks for praying
Tim

Tomorrow morning we leave at 5am for Berberti which is usually a 12hr. drive.  My next communication will be from there.

The last three days in Grimari to bring water to a village

From Wed Mar 17~
It is late Wed. night and we have just returned from our trip up country.  I wanted everyone to know that we made it back ok.  I thought I would give you a brief summary and then hopefully tomorrow I will be more alert and will give more details of our last three days.

Monday morning we left for Grimari.  Grimari is about a 5 to 6hr. drive from Bangui.  We arrived in Grimari and settled in at our lodging which was at the beautiful Catholic compound.  The compound consisted of gardens, chapel, school, and retreat center.  We stayed in some guest rooms which were pretty uncomfortable to say the least, more on that tomorrow.  After check in we had dinner at a local restaurant and then we went to bed.

The next morning we toured the future property of ICDI.  The property used to be owned and operated by a cotton processing company.  There are at least 100acres with large buildings and expansive fields.  We then met with the local governor and mayor of this area and talked to them about how ICDI coming to their town would have a huge impact.

The drill rig then arrived and we spent the next day and a half drilling a new well with the new Faithful and True drilling rig.  After we hit water on Wed. afternoon we headed back to Bangui and after a long drive here we are.

I am sorry this is so short but my brain is not very creative right now to tell good stories.  I promise to fill in some of the gaps tomorrow.

Thanks for your prayers, we really needed them.

Tim Harley

For a quick recap visit Wooster Grace News.

The village of Mbaiki

photo of pygmy ladies near Mbaiki--courtesy of GBIM
Please pray for the team as they travel on unimproved roads in the CAR.  They will be without internet access, so we will await their update in a few days. 

Recall that they ministered in Mbaiki.  Here are a few links to what Grace Brethren International Ministries has shared on their website about Mbaiki with the following interesting facts:

• No electricity in the town (thus the solar panel & batter back up needs)
• MBaiki Bible Institute (MBI) equips Bayaka Pygmys
• MBI trains students to reach out to Fulani people groups
• MBI teaches students that nutrition is critical, but the sources of protein may squirm in your mouth

Please pray for the water well in Mbaiki to work properly and for the villagers to take care of it as a gift from God for the benefit of their whole community.  May the Lord get the glory and praise.  

"No more black teeth from the water"

Post for Sun Mar 14:

Happy Sunday to all! I hope everyone had a great church service today. We attended the French speaking service which started at 8am. It was awesome to see everyone excited to worship the Lord so early in the morning. After church, we went to the Frech Cafe' for breakfast. We then returned to the guest house and prepared for our return trip to Mbiaki. 

Our time in Mbiaki was consumed with hard work getting the water system completed. It was another very hot day, our thermometer stops at 103 degrees, so it was well above that today. I spent some more time in my African sauna making some final connections.

We worked all afternoon trying to fit both the foot pump and the new well pump down the well. The well diameter was smaller than expected so we had to work on several alternative ideas to get it to work. We joked that we went from "plan A" and we lost track of which plan we were on when we got it to work, we think is was plan F or G. We were so excited to finally get things to fit on what we considered out last try.

We praise God for His help!! It was amazing to see the reaction of the people to the water coming out of the new pipe. Everyone was scared at first, then perplexed as to how this was happening. We took turns filling the water containers and then everyone started smiling. It seemed their faces said "we don't have to pump the water yet it still comes out". I am sure that they will not know the extent of our work until they cook with the water because the iron won't be there to stain their pots. Also, in the past, when they drank the water with bananas their teeth would turn black almost instantly, now the iron is gone. My prayer is that God will sustain this system for a long time. 

The other guys worked the crowd. Jim Fish taught the kids how to play tick tack toe by scratching it in the dirt. The kids were catching on very quickly and having a blast. Jim also passed out some stuffed animals and nearly got overwhelmed by a swarming mob of kids. The interaction seemed better because it was our second time there. John and Kevin of the Pa team had great fun with the kids, Kevin used his video camera and turned the viewer around so the kids could see themselves. The kids were amazed at seeing themselves and were giggling and laughing and having fun. I caught Bruce sitting under a tree relaxing and he was holding a baby and they both looked like they were ready for a nap. It is fun to see God working through us all. I am impressed with all these guys and their willingness to jump in and work hard but also minister to the people around them. That is the most important part, sharing God's love with people who live in desperation. We have the opportunity to be Jesus to these folks which is a humbling thought but huge opportunity. My prayer is that God uses the water equipment and drill rig and other projects to save peoples lives physically and spiritually.

I will not have access to the internet for a couple of days, so please pray for us even tho there are no new posts. We are travelling up country to see ICDI's future base camp for the drilling and ag projects. While we are there we will be drilling a new well with the new rig built and donated by John's family and company. I know John and Sonny are excited to see their baby in action. They can't wait to drill and hit water. We will be checking out the roads to the Congo because ICDI hopes to start drilling wells in the Congo. We will also be leaving our comfortable guest house with a/c and toilets to experience "real living" in the CAR. We hope to return Wed. night or Thursday morning.

Thanks for your prayers, we need them!!!

Tim Harley