The Elephant Man...and Woman

Hi from Thailand,


Dave and I finished our ‘Peer-to-Peer Debriefing’ training and took a few extra days to relax and explore this wonderful country. My favorite way of doing this was from the back of an elephant. We wandered through thick forestation, down streams and along riverbanks for nearly two hours atop an amazingly agile mastodon. I used to think horses were big. For a fleeting moment, I remembered an old movie where ‘mad elephants’ went on the rampage destroying palatial homes and tossing people into the air. It seemed like a somewhat horrifying but oddly humorous way to close out my life. The obit might read, “Sara B. fell from an elephant today. After years of living out of a trunk, she died near one.” Of course, that didn’t happen but buying the tourist trap picture of the two of us perched on Jumbo’s back did. As I look at it now, I’m reminded of the guide we have in Jesus. The power that carries us moment by moment through our days and the confidence we can have in his sure footedness along unfamiliar paths. Maybe that picture was a steal after all.


Riding in a Tuk-Tuk to the market
We leave for Yemen in a week. We will be in several locations in that country followed by a month’s stay in Ethiopia. Part of our ministry will be to re-teach what we have just learned about debriefing peers. It will comprise a two to three day workshop. The possibility of becoming discombobulated with so much new information to present is probably more than a possibility. So, prayer request number one is that: The Holy Spirit, who is never ruffled, will coordinate our thoughts (and papers) and convey all that needs to be shared in an orderly, fun, usable and enlightened way in both Yemen and Ethiopia. Request number two: There are many in Yemen who have experienced the recent loss of dear co-worker. Ask that, through us, He will comfort those who mourn. There are others, in both countries, which are new and confronted with all the large and small issues of adjusting to a new home. Ask that they will experience his grace and courage. And there are those who have served long and difficult years, who are in much need of a fresh touch. Although you do not know these workers, I can see each face and the immediacy of their needs. Please know that when you pray, these faces, unseen from your vantage point, reap blessings in a very real way. He is the master and time travel has never been a problem in prayer. A final request (since that last one comprised several) is for our continual surrender to him. May he always be our first love and that our cups would be filled to overflowing so that others can drink of him from our lives.

Thanks for your availability to Him in defense of those who serve in NAME.

Sara for Dave too

Night Market in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Left Behind

You’re looking at Mt. Herman from the spot where Paul heard the risen Christ speak on the road to Damascus as well as a picture of Ananias’ house on Straight Street. I’m afraid these pictures and the following update are a bit like finding last week’s newspaper on your front lawn. But, tardy though it may be, here is an account of recent and not so recent events over the past two weeks starting with notes I made during our time in Jordan.

Amman is covered in a foot of snow. You may never hear such wintry words from me again. Many twists and turns have delayed our correspondence. Upon arrival, our computer went about regurgitating 980 past emails in triplicate. Although, we didn’t consider it a rough flight perhaps Hewlett Packard did. It was several days before we could stem the flow. It was then difficult to jump aboard our secure network and thus we were handicapped in both the means and the time to write. Most of the past few days we’ve spent in meetings, which have been good but lengthy. When we finally ventured forth from the land of agendas, we headed toward Syria. I’m not sure I can fully describe (not that I would want to) the hoops we’ve tumbled through, the walls we’ve besieged, the rivers we’ve traversed and the patience we’ve extended to the bureaucratic world of red tape. While in the States, Dave made two trips to Washington D.C. to acquire a much needed second passport. So now, with a new passport and Syrian visas in hand, we were confidently breezing our way through passport control when our light-hearted chatter was interrupted with the abrupt news that I would be staying behind. Apparently, my much-scrutinized passport revealed I’d left Jordan and returned to Jordan with no indication of where I’d been in the intervening time. They didn’t need to wonder…it was obvious…the west bank. Well, a life of crossing borders does hit a few roadblocks.

Dave and the friend we were traveling with had clean passports so off they went to Damascus. (As I recall, this road is noted for surprising folks with a change of plan.) I pulled a few good books from my backpack, reminded Dave to let someone know I was here, and took a cold seat on a metal chair to wait for a ride back to Amman. Nearly five hours later the ride came in the form of a taxi already occupied by a Syrian woman with enough baggage to accommodate a small band of Bedouins. I was content to hop aboard, as the weather had turned gray with winds and rain nearly slicing through what remaining fortitude I had left. Our entire luggage, meaning mostly hers, every bit of it, was unloaded and inspected in the freezing rain. I was then taken inside a building to briefly speak to an officer concerning my predicament and discovered I was still on the Syrian side of things in regards to the border. All this time I thought I’d been in Jordan. I love breaking news. I gave him my best-dumbfounded, confused American tourist blank stare, which took very little acting and soon I was back in the taxi and on my way.

The ride back to Amman allowed me just enough time to calculate all the items I would need that were now kindly making their way to Damascus with Dave. He had my make-up. I had his iron. He had the toothbrushes. I had the paste. He had the electric teakettle. I had the tea. He had the blow dryer. I had the hair. Well, as a result of my natural beauty, good friends and Jesus, things never are as bad as they seem. I found my way to a very comfortable guesthouse where I’ve spent the past five days in virtual anonymity. I, with the rest of Amman, have been completely snowed in but this little resident has happily found herself as cozy as a cub in a cave. ‘Good friends’ checked in on me frequently and usually found me in my bright pink bathrobe. (The one that makes me look like a sumo wrestler.) They came with offers of food and since I had very little, I agreed to trek to their home. I considered wearing my bright pink robe because of its obvious warmth and secondary function as a beacon, making it easier to spot me in the snow if I failed to arrive. But, I’m happy to report no such misadventures accompanied me or Dave as he safely returned from Syria after a God appointed trip. We are now home in the Gulf for a few days before flying to Thailand on Sunday. As my computer indicates, I’ve just begun my second page of monologue so I better get to some prayer requests. I can’t think of a time when they have been more needed. We’re unable to be as specific as we would like but if you will pray, God knows the details and will answer.
Pray for God’s grace, goodness and power to sustain those who currently find themselves in harms way.
Pray for a bold witness with authority and great courage from those who stand before Caesar and men of much less worldly importance.
Pray for those in our company who are the decision makers.
Pray for the couple who now shares a role like ours who are walking with many from Chad who are in deep need of a healing touch from Jesus.
Pray for us as we travel to Thailand to receive training in Peer-to-Peer debriefing. If ever a region of the world was in need of debriefing their challenges, traumas and losses…we are surely one.
Pray for stamina, wisdom and emotional resiliency for Dave and I as we and others absorb many second-hand jolts walking and living so closely with those who are getting hit and hit hard.
Pray for an eternal perspective at all times at all costs.

A thousands thanks, Sara for Dave too…near the trenches

Trimming trees - not waistlines!!

I feel as though we left 2007 like a lion and I am more then willing to see 2008 come in like a lamb. There was a flight to the States two weeks before our daughter's wedding where we all became wedding planners on steroids. There was the Thanksgiving meal with a house full of family and friends (it couldn't have been more fun). There was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner (prime rib, swordfish steak, glorified chicken) the day after the Thanksgiving feast (we'd already tossed our belts) followed by the wedding with a lovely reception at a beautiful country club where more amazing food was shared with over a hundred friends and family. Natasha and her groom, Scott, are living somewhere between heaven and earth, so in love! What a treat to bask in their glow.

We managed to leave the land of plenty a few days later for Richmond, Va. where we spent two weeks working along side our new personnel and attending a member care conference. We then barely beat a snow storm back to Ohio to spend a few more days with the newly weds and our son, Jonathan. (More holiday feasting, shopping and credit card fun. Forget pulling out a wallet, I should have carried that card between my teeth.) We caught an early Christmas Eve flight to the Gulf arriving on Christmas morning. Since then, I have been resting, scheduling our next six months and bemoaning my waste line. We head back to the States for our Stateside assignment (furlough) in late June and between then and now we should be traveling about half the time. At present, the word 'suitcase' and 'root canal' produce about the same reaction in me. I am weary of viewing my cloths in a horizontal pile...hanging them vertically is still my personal preference.

Well, there is so much more I could share but continuing jet lag and wedding jag has me in it's grip. But if you ever want to hear a litany of funny, unexpected, goofy happenings on a wedding day, we can supply you with some entertainment. Fortunately, our family has a sense of humor and thoroughly enjoyed and treasured each moment no matter what was missing, stuck, broken, unyielding, forgotten, falling, crying, ripped, tripped, unlit, too late, too early and bleeding. Perfection will exist at the wedding and banqueting table of Jesus and not until then. But love, commitment and the celebration of friends and family is a wonderful foretaste of this future heavenly reality. God has such good ideas.

Thanks for following us this past year. What valued companions you are. May an abundance of blessings find you and your families in 2008 and may we all recognize with thankful hearts when they come.

Tending Sheep

Hi,
Well, this little star (me) hung in a vast universe just about lost her twinkle. We arrived in Egypt a day ahead of meetings and shared accommodations with our new member care couple now living in Jordan. They, by the way, are great. We then joined about thirty others on a bus ride to nowhere or so it seems when you head into the desert. A modest retreat soon appeared like a mirage and we were oh, so happy to experience cooler temperatures as air conditioning is not possible in the middle of nowhere. You get the condition of the air, absent any knobs for adjustments or slats for direction. Flies and mosquitoes did provide some circulation with spirited hand movements from us. The meeting were good, the food was bad (and I'm no finicky food critic), the fellowship was wonderful, the environment was loud. Construction was going on two doors down from our room and our building was directly over a patio where other retreat goers visited, sang and generally had a great time until the early hours.

The last morning of our stay, I stretched out on our bed, ready and dressed for the day, hoping to catch just a few more winks before meetings started. The next thing I knew, I found myself waking up at one in the afternoon. And this jolt was entirely due to a lunch bell being rung like a new pope had been elected. Arab culture is a noisy one. The whole time, I experienced such an intense longing for silence. Doesn't seem consistent with a 'retreat' center does it? I wanted to find a lonely cave, stuff my ears, cup my hands to my eyes and slowly take in one slice of empty landscape at a time for how ever long it took. Yes, my twinkle was dimming. My fire was going out. I was one dead star on its way across the galaxy.

We left 'nowhere' and took a van/taxi to Alexandria. That city has undergone vast improvements since our early days there. We stayed with a family overnight and met with several others the next day. It was dejavu to an overwhelmingly weird degree as we walked back into the same building in which we had lived so many years before to meet a new couple who had recently moved there. Although it was not the same apartment, the floor plan was identical and this had my mind running between rewind and fast forward all evening trying to stay up with conversations. The next night, we were on a train back to Cairo. After spending several days in Cairo, visiting with others, we took a flight back to the Gulf, opened the door to our apartment at three in morning and found one of our two air conditioning units was out...again. Five days and four requests later, we were operational. Well, the air conditioning unit was functioning. We took a bit longer.

Ramadan ended yesterday and the days of celebration that follow have commenced. Families fill the park below our apartment building enjoying a mini amusement park that has temporarily been set up for the occasion. Fireworks go off each evening providing spectacular entertainment from our balcony. We live in a noisy but interesting part of the world. Did I say that before? We take our brief interludes from travel in a large building in a large city where the honking and swish of traffic, our neighbor's crying babies and energetic toddles penetrate our simple walls. Construction is underway in small increments on the floor above us and as I wandered through our darkened living room one evening in route to the kitchen, two window washers were busily squeegeeing the constantly accumulating dust from our windows, hanging thirty two stories above the bustling pavement below. The city never sleeps.

As I finish this entry, I wonder what in the world of value I have communicated of any eternal significance. Perhaps, my most recent experiences are a microcosm of the daily culture fatigue all our transplanted friends experience. It is ongoing, comes in waves, is revisited, defeated and fought again, battle. And if I were to encapsulate all the conversations we had on this, our most recent trip to Egypt, this would be their conclusions as well. All of the mundane, repetitious duties of life are now played out with strange new demands, smells, money, language, food, traffic and rules that have no explanation. They look at their young wives or husbands, they hold their new babies, they seek for words to encourage their young children, they hunger for familiar friends and family and they find strangers and new acquaintances. They experience more mistakes than successes, they create worship where there is often no physical place of worship and they slowly, slowly make a life in order to bring life to a newly adopted land.

It's one tough, repeated, 'Yes, Lord'. So, pray for them and for us that we 'sent out ones' would sink our roots deep into these new, strange cultures and sink even deeper roots into Him. I realized on this trip how very, very good God has been to me. This came by way of my by own very, very bad attitudes when my comforts were downsized just a bit, for the sake of others. Enough said on that topic...Dave and I fly to Jordan for about ten days on the 18Th of this month. Full days ahead but good ones, pray that we will live them in the power of His Spirit. Every one of you (which my imagination tells me may be fewer since inaugurating this blog spot) are integral to His work in NAME. Thanks so much for your faithfulness in a humanly impossible cause, Sara -- for Dave too

There and Back

Hi,

I can't believe I've had such trouble getting to my own Blog account! Seriously, who would bother trying to read our updates if it takes this much effort. My own mother doesn't even read these things. I feel like I'm yelling down a well. So, in trying to make a determination regarding Blogging vs Email Updates...we're open to your input on our output. That said, let me engage in a quick rehearsal of our most recent travels. We flew to Florida for a gynormous summit that was all about connecting Stateside churches with our region. We squeezed two weeks of meetings and networking into one. God blessed with a powerful movement of His spirit in more ways than we will ever know this side of heaven. He connected us with one another and more importantly with Himself and that will change us and our region forever. He is such a mighty God. There are times when I begin to think that if I'm not making it happen it's not happening. What a goofball! I've got such a tiny window on such an awesome God.

Dave and I have spent the last couple of days in recovery mode. Flipping nine hours back and then nine hours forward in the last 10 days has not made a positive contribution to our bodies or minds. In fact, my right ankle and knee are presently wrapped up tight after I sprained them at the airport in Jacksonville. As our hostess pulled her SUV up to the exterior baggage claim area, I was in the process of cheerfully waving to her through her passenger side window when I effectively disappeared. Now you see me...now you don't. I fell off the curb. It was a memorable introduction as she dismounted her vehicle and hurried around the front to find me already seated but not in her car. Staying off of my feet has been the best medicine but our schedule has never been conducive to limited movement. We fly out tomorrow for Egypt. We're meeting up with our new member care couple for NAME and attending a consortium of MC providers and supporters from the ME outside Cairo. We'll attach a few extra days in the city to help our new MC team members get to know some of the folks there.

Prayer requests include safety and stamina and a good beginning for our new MC couple. Ask that the consortium would stimulate new ideas for ministering to those working in this part of the world. I also have a personal sense that God wants to speak to me there. I'm not sure what this means but ask for ears to hear. One thing I really want to do but simply haven't found the time to accomplish is to catalogue our worker's many, many stories. I listened to one recently from a doctor who treated a woman who had mistakenly used super glue instead of eye drops in both eyes. How do you fix that? Our doc was asking himself the same question only under lots more pressure. With a little cutting and plenty of hydrating, she is seeing through both eyes today. In many ways, I feel all our workers face the same crisis as this doctor. We are God's assistants in opening the eyes of this people. Eyes which have been sealed shut for so very long. Sadly, they don't even realize they need a doctor. Please pray that we would follow His lead in patience, wisdom, love and surrender.

Well, I've got to run (make that hobble) but I always find myself ending these updates with a sense of gratitude for the gathering of witnesses both heavenly and earthly, that help us run (limp) our race. Sara for Dave too

PS - As I write this email, I'm listening to two rambunctious toddlers living in the apartment to our right. They join a fussy baby who lives in the apartment to our left. We're not home much but this newly inaugurated day care atmosphere can be tiresome. I'm not sure which rough spots the Lord is presently sanding in my life but pray for a grateful, peaceful spirit to quickly emerge.

Onward and Upward

Hey friends,

We've been mixing it up on the trail for the past couple of weeks in Israel and Jordan. If we're able to download some pictures, you should be seeing us to your left or right or possibly above or below this entry. (Reminds me of the Brady Bunch intro) If it's a white out, I'll do my best to paint some pictures for you with words and photos will arrive later. Dave and I typically cross the Jordanian/Israeli border by car. This has always been a pleasant drive through small towns accompanied by lofty mountain views. Our drive to Israel was uneventful but the taxi ride from the border back to Amman had a whole different flavor. It was a hot, windows down, hair blown across my face, sticking to my seat ride. You might say it was hair raising even before it got hair raising because Dave's quick and observant interjection got our driver's attention an instant before he rear ended a car engaged in an unexpected turn. Not uncommon over here but this near collision really burnt some rubber. We readjusted ourselves and our backseat belongings and continued on our familiar way until we were the ones making an unexpected turn. We found ourselves traveling up a narrow mountain road that all but disappeared at times. We crept across tight bridges and over deep ravines as we witnessed most of what I call civilization, disappear further and further below us. Dave glanced at me at one point and whispered, "This is interesting." I was feeling the same way only more so.

This is when my lively imagination and the taxi both kicked into overdrive. For the next six hours (actually 45 minutes) I rehearsed everything I'd ever read or been taught regarding hostage situations. All of a sudden the back of our driver's head looked 'wanted'. Somewhere between thinking about the ridiculous shoes I was wearing (totally unacceptable for trekking blindfolded), what snacks were in my purse (two packs of gum, a bottle of water and wishful thinking) and what negotiations styles work best with limited Arabic, we pulled back onto a more familiar route and the crisis situation in my mind was resolved. When we arrived at the hotel in Amman, the driver hardily shook Dave's hand and said, "Good driver, yes?" I thought yes, bravo, we averted a deadly collision and you proved not to be a terrorist. I give you high marks for being a navigational enigma. I felt so silly but I guess even well worn travelers can give themselves goose bumps.

The remainder of our time in Jordan and the preceding time in Israel was filled with only the best kind of goose bumps....the God kind. The kibbutz where we stayed didn't have any cows to milk or eggs to gather...at least by us. It was a wonderful setting for renewal and refreshment. Out of our time there, I would ask you to remember a young family with small children who routinely hear mortar fire and explosions where they are located. It is a frequent and daily occurrence. Dave and I spent some blessed time with this mom and dad. They're living in one interesting neighborhood. Many of their national neighbors are surprised that they have stayed. Ask that they and their children would experience grace, peace and protection. Ask for wisdom as they make decisions regarding their family and work. Ask that their sleep would be restful.

Our stay was brief at this lovely site outside Jerusalem but so welcomed by all. We did manage to have a baby shower in a bunker/bomb shelter/panic room of sorts. It was the only location on site that would hold all the ladies. It was decorated and filled with fellowship, sweet things and laughter. Now, how many babies have a bunker theme at their shower? When we returned to Jordan we were able to spend time with several friends before heading back to the Gulf, (Our pilot informed us the early evening temperature was 111 degrees.) We were also able to welcome a new couple to Jordan who have come to join us in providing member care. Wow, are we glad to have them on board. Remember them as they transition into this new role. As I write, we're readying to fly out tomorrow for a conference in Florida. We're hoping to partner with a large host of others who also look beyond borders to join the father in what he is doing. Dave and I will be leading a workshop, so ask that it would convey the needs we see and how others can help. Only the father can stir and call hearts and we're trusting him to do that. Well, we're throwing some fresh cloths in our suitcases and we're off again. We'll fly back to the Gulf in about ten days for a quick three day turn around and then guess what? We're off again. I'm almost convinced that we don't need a home, we need a parking space. Love and thanks for your directed thoughts towards us and others, Sara for Dave too

The Alpha

Hello Out There,

I hear it's a worthy goal to try one new thing a day. So, this is mine. I'm blogging! I anticipate this being a 'no frills' blog. The obvious reason for this is, "Gee, I've never done this before." The less obvioius reason and perhaps the primary one is, I'm confronted with just too many choices in designing this site. At present, the world appears to be overflowing with options. You may select this, that, the other or son of the other. Variety is a good thing but sometimes it exhausts me. I was raised on white bread, black phones and coffee that was a combination of the two. So, clean and simple is my wish for this site albeit boring to some. We've named our site 'Trailmix' because we're such travelers and because we really do want you to have a taste of where we go and what we see. I anticipate photographs finding their way here. How, I don't know yet. We also like the name, 'Trailmix', because frankly, we often feel like nuts. We're constantly thrown in with a variety of fruits (spiritual and otherwise) and thoroughly enjoy being tossed about with God's tangy pineapples, rich raisens and sweet coconut curls. We're also hoping this site will give you a quick handful of thoughts to nibble on and prayers to carry into your day. At present, we are doing the needful aspects of our job: writing emails (one of which you are reading) making calls, reserving flights, packing suitcases, looking after visiting friends and generally doing the hum drum of daily life. Monday we fly to Jordan and then on to Israel. It seems as though we just made trips to these locations and that is because, we did. I believe those travels were the gist of our last newsletter. This time, we'll be joining others for a retreat outside Jerusalem. I understand we'll be staying on a kibbutz. My concept of a kibbutz involves my predawn milking of a cow. I hope I am wrong. I do believe it is a collective of sorts. As a former quasi-hippie of the 60's, I think I can enter into anything resembling a commune. I'm hoping that during our upcoming travels, we can keep you current through this blog. Perhaps, I'll try posting a photo of us boarding a plane, 'Dave and Sara in their natural habitat'. Well, I'm signing off for now which means Dave has the unenviable job of showing me on how to do just that. You will not be seeing my awkward exit but it is now in progress. Much love, from Sara and Dave too