It's All O.K.

    I have been a Youth Pastor since 2005 and it has been the best position I have ever held in my life.  However, over the past several months I have been going through the process of resigning my position.  I will still be involved in the Youth Group and even more with the Young Adult group at my church.  My final Sunday as a Pastor will be in the next couple weeks but the Youth Group has been aware this day was coming for a couple months now and they have been going through this process with me.
     I have had many conversations about my leaving with the teens and have received many nice comments and I have appreciated them all.  But this morning a conversation I had really made it all very real.
     A young girl asked, as we were about to begin Sunday School, when I was leaving.  I told her that I was going to be the Youth Pastor a few more weeks but I wasn't leaving.  So she asked when I was moving.  I told her that I wasn't moving.  A little confused, she qualified her question and asked if I was still going to be attending our church.  I responded that yes, I was still going to be a part of the church.  To this she settled into her seat and said, "Oh, that's ok then." And with that it was done.
     To realize that your presence attributes to the "o.k.ness" of a young person's life is a truly life changing thing. It is a humbling thing. It is something that until that moment I hadn't really understood.  Well, I am not sure I still fully understand it but it will be something I will never forget for as long as I live.  Deserved or not, in someone's life it's all o.k. because I am around.  Wow. What else is there to say? It's all o.k. And I am forever thankful for that.

My Top Ten List For 2010

      This year I decided to make my own Top Ten List.  I see them all the time and some of them are good but some are a waste of time.  Mainly because they are just a copy of most of the other lists.  So I wanted to make something different.  These are ten of my favorite things for this year.  I hope you give some of them a try and maybe, just maybe they will become one of your favorite things for 2011. (These are in no particular order)


Tapatio 

www.tapatiohotsauce.com

      I have always enjoyed spicy or hot foods but I am also one for bold flavors so most of the time, hot sauces have left me wanting. And not just wanting of a cold glass of water. Rather, I was left wanting flavor. I found the source of this problem was in the main ingrediant for most hot sauces...vinegar. Vinegar is powerful and runs rough shot over the other flavors trying desparately not to completely become buried in it's wake. And this is where Tapatio shines. It is void of vinegar and therefore lets the flavors burst through with their own pleasure-giving heat. In small quantities it is not super hot but it seems to increase exponentially in intensity with each additional drop. And it tastes and smells great. 

     How do I use Tapatio? I have put it into chili to give it a little kick without the vinegar side affects or mostly on top of tacos, burritos, enchiladas or tostadas. And it is the perfect compliment to Tamales. Tapatio is a great sauce, so much so that it garnered its own music video by an LA rapper named Red Cloud. Check it out and then go to the market and buy some!

Nutella 

www.nutellausa.com

      Take the spreadable nature of peanut butter, the wonderful sweetness of cocoa and just a little (actually theres a lot, they put 55 hazelnuts in each jar!) nutty goodness of hazelnuts and you have Nutella (pronounce 'NEW-tell-ah'). I first had it in Florida as a part of a Strawberry Bannana Crepe and I fell in love immediately. It is a little creamier than most peanut butters but it still us the perfect substitute for peanut butter if you are a person with peanut allergies. If you are not, like me, then it is simply perfect. 

     How do I use Nutella? I spread it on breads or bagels or even any sweet crackers. and of course it is amazing on crepes and pancakes. If you like chocolate, and who doesn't, you will like Nutella. Its as simple as that!
 
King Of Shaves Azor 

www.shave.com

      If you have followed me on Twitter or Facebook for any length of time I am sure you have seen me mention King of Shaves a time or two. I apparently have a lot of explaining to do. King Of Shaves is a British wet shave company who fairly recently introduced a razor to go along with its fantastic and unique shaving "software". (In the shaving world "software" refers to the products such as gels, creams and oils) This year I was fortunate to connect with Diane Wood, a rep for KoS out of NYC through Twitter. Consequently I was priviledged to attain the Azor razor and coupled with KoS' excellent gels, oils and hybrids I experienced the best shave of my life. All my top end razors (and I had them ALL) went to the back of the drawer and the Azor became my new best freind. Why? For a number of reasons. The Azor is light. Its not as light as a disposable but it is much lighter than the battery powered competition. In fact, it may be lighter than the battery itself. At first this was odd because for me weight denoted quality but after a few uses I realized that was a myth. The light weight of the Azor brings an ease of use that I didnt know I was missing. They do have an semi-alloy version now that provides slightly more weight but doesn't hinder the benefits of it being a lighter razor.               
      Another highly touted feature is what KoS coins as "Bendology Technology". To this I scoffed. Every razor I had in the drawer had a flexible head. And the Azor's seemed so stiff as to cause flaying of skin as opposed to comfort. But once again I was ill-informed. What I mistook for stiffness was actually the perfect tension that the others completely lacked which allowed the Azor to lay properly flat against my skin with the appropriate pressure to give me the closest and most even shave ever without a hint of razor burn. Wow, who knew "Bendology" was so important?!? The Azor also has a unique design which allows me to see what I am shaving so I shave where I want to shave and don't shave where I don't want to shave.  And lastly, the cost is much less than it's competitors while the blades last longer. This is cool. 

     How do I use the Azor? I have to shave daily and so I use the Azor daily in the shower to shave and to acheive baby smooth skin that isn't dried out and that never is in fear of razor burn. My "problem areas" are no longer a problem. And for the first time in my life I am actually excited to shave in the morning rather than the dread I felt before. Currently, only a few of the "software" items are available in the USA.  You can find them at Target and CVS.  In 2011, KoS plans to introduce it's entire line in the USA so watch for that!  But for now, you can purchase the Azor at their online shop.  
     The King of Shaves Azor is truly the King of Razors and there is one that is perfect for you...even if you are a woman. :)

Evernote 

www.evernote.com
  

     This app has been THE best app I have used on my Blackberry.  The basic concept is that as a person who is typically on the go and may at any moment throughout the "going" of any particular day need to make a note of an idea, phone number, future appointment, copy a web link and even log a picture, video or record a vocal melody, I need somewhere to put all that stuff in my phone. Now, I can hear you saying, "my smart phone can do all those things." And I wouldn't disagree. However, they would be spread out over many apps and locales inside your phone and they certainly wouldn't be waiting for you on your computer when you got back to the office or your home.  But when I do all of those things, not only will they be in one place on my phone but they will be waiting for me on my laptop and desktop.  I use Evernote.  From Evernote I can take notes, but I can do so much more than that.  I can take a photo and attach notes to it. I can make a voice note and upload any file.  I can also attach tags to all of these items so they are completely searchable in the future.  

     How do I use Evernote? Here is one tiny example: This Christmas I was determined to get the items my wife had put on her Christmas list.  That may sound like a simple task, but my wife's list is compiled by showing me the items as we happen through random stores on other errands. I'm a guy. No way I am remembering any of those items. But with Evernote I can. Each time she would point out something I would open up Evernote on my Blackberry and select "Snapshot" which then automatically opens my camera. I would snap the photo and it then opens up in Evernote.  I can then title it, make a note, and even tag it. Then I select to save the note and it is uploaded.  Immediately I can view it again on my phone or I can open it on my laptop.  I tagged them all and the day I went shopping, I merged all those tagged notes together and opened it on my Blackberry. Now I had a list of everything she ever pointed out to me over all those weeks. And not just a list but a photo of each item, where it could be found and other info.  And when I am on my computer using Evernote, I don't even have to save it.  It assumes that if I began a note or edited an older one that I would want it saved and it saves it automatically and uploads it without needing to be told.           Evernote can do so much more than that and I have only scratched the surface of its capabilities and there are still a few things that could be improved but even so, this is an app I could not live without. In fact, I typed this entire post with the links and photos in Evernote on my Blackberry! So get it!

Poynt 

www.poynt.com

     Poynt is an app for your smart phone that allows you to search for businesses, people, restaurants, gas stations, movies and even weather.  I realize that doesn't sound terribly exciting and it is pretty basic but Poynt does it as perfectly as any other app out there.  It can use your phone's built in GPS or use cell-site location (if you are on Verizon who stupidly blocks you from using your own GPS unless approved by them) to focus your searches automatically or it will allow you to type in a location different from where you currently are.  This speeds up the search process immensely.  And once you find what you are looking for the options you have are amazing.  

     You can browse their website if it is available, call it's phone number, save the location for later, map it using whatever gps app you want, add it to you address book or email it and even tweet it.  Poynt connects seamlessly to your phone, your mapping or gps apps, your browsers, etc. Again, I thought this app was just a simple thing that, you know, was nice to have but whatever. That is until I switched phones and didn't have it for about a week.  I didn't realize how often I turned to Poynt to point me in the right direction.  I found that I could NOT live without this app. Finding the same information using other means is such a chore. 

     How do I use Poynt?  Every time I need to call a business but don't have the number, I open up Poynt.  I click on Businesses, type in the name or type of business and a list pops up almost immediately.  It tells me the name of the business and how far it is from my current location.  And I can call that business right from the app with only two clicks.  And I won't even go into the Gas Stations with gas prices or the Movies with reviews and even a synopsis with the option to purchase a ticket. If you have a smart phone and ever leave your living room, you need Poynt.

Ubertwitter 

www.ubertwitter.com

     There are many Twitter apps for your smart phone and computer and I have tried most of them.  Ubertwitter conquers all.  It has a great yet simple interface and it does almost everything you want to do with Twitter.  It is easy to attach a photo or a video to your tweet and you can even access your camera from the app itself which is very nice.  You can find trending topics and even have multiple accounts accessible in a few clicks. Dealing with your followers is pretty limited but other than that you can rule the Twitter universe directly from your smart phone using Ubertwitter.  

     How do I use Ubertwitter?  If you asked people that I know, they may claim that I seem to always be on Facebook. But the truth is that I am rarely on Facebook.  But I am on Ubertwitter and I have Ubertwitter linked to my Facebook page so that whatever I tweet updates my Facebook status automatically including photos and videos.  What would I do without my Ubertwitter? Well, my Facebook page would be a very lonely place, I tell you that!  If you are on Twitter and use a smart phone, try out Ubertwitter, I think you'll fall in love.
 

Opera Unite 

http://unite.opera.com/overview/

     I have written about the Opera Browser before here and about Opera Unite here.  I have not written about Opera Mini though it is a mobile browser that I use everyday on my Blackberry.  But for this list I wanted to write specifically about Opera Unite again because it is a feature of the Opera Browser that no other browser can boast.  Most of the cool things you may like about another browser was probably stolen from the Opera browser.  The others have come up with scant little on their own.  But none of them have anything that compares with Opera Unite yet.  The very basic concept of Opera Unite is that it enables you to use your desktop or laptop as a server.  This means that you no longer have to rely on a website to host and share your photos, music, videos, or any other file. You don't need to upload anything to the Web because your friends can just come right to your computer and view the files and then download them, full sized, directly from your computer.  The possibilities are endless. 

     How do I use Opera Unite?  I want to highlight two ways that I am using Opera Unite almost daily.  First is personal.  I have set up Opera Unite to stream my entire iTunes library to any computer in the world.  It is password protected so I am the only one who can log in and use it but this means that no matter where I am in the world and no matter what computer I am using, if I have internet access, I can listen to any song from my library instantly and in real time.  It has been fantastic for me.  The other way I use Opera Unite is for the Church where I work.  We did not have a website that could provide streaming of the sermons each week so I set up Opera Unite to be accessed through a link on our home page.  People could listen to a sermon in real time any time of the day or night just by clicking the link, and selecting which sermon to play.  And all our sound engineers had to do was save the recorded sermon into the proper folder.  Super easy and super fast. This just scratches the surface of what Opera Unite can do for you.  It is a wonderful thing and my hope is that it continues to be developed to be even more sleek and more powerful. I think connecting to the mobile web is key so we will see what 2011 holds for Opera Unite.  Try it out and if you need help, don't hesitate to ask. :)
 

Sunbutter 

www.sunbutter.com

     I like peanut butter as much as the next guy but sometimes you want something different.  Something that is a little more exciting. And that something is Sunbutter.  Ooooohhhh, Sunbutter is wonderful, in fact, I dare say that I enjoy it more than peanut butter now.  Which is great news for me and even better news for those who are allergic to peanuts.  This is the best alternative for the peanut allergy not just because its an adequate substitute but in my opinion, it is actually better.  

     How do I use Sunbutter? I use it just the same as I would use peanut butter.  On bread, or toast or a bagel, Sunbutter is something you need to try before you die.  You know that bucket list thing? Yeah, Sunbutter better be on it.         

     And that best part is that it is made right here in North Dakota. Granted, it's Fargo, but still it's North Dakota...kinda. ;-)

Here's a coupon for Sunbutter 

180s 

www.180s.com

     180s claim to fame is the main proprietor of ear warmers.  These are not to be mistaken with ear muffs that go over the top of one's head but rather ear warmers that wraps around the back of the head.  But that is not why they are on my list.       Last year while shopping at TJ Maxx, I came across a glove that was more unique than any glove I had ever seen.  The design was modern and unique.  

    It had two very interesting features that I had not seen before.  The first one that caught my eye was a small dot of additional fabric on the thumb and pointer finger of each glove.  I couldn't quite grasp what they were for.  The other feature was a little more obvious.  It was a valve in the backhand of the glove covered by a magnetic flap.  One would open this flap and place one's mouth over the valve and exhale.  The warm breath would fill the glove, making your hands wonderfully toasty instantly.  That was cool.  I hopped on my Opera Mini browser on my Blackberry and searched for the glove and discovered that the small dots of fabric were material that allowed the electricity of the human body to travel through it, thus allowing the wearer to use touch screens without removing his/her gloves.  Very cool.  I bought them.  They were too small for me so they became the property of my youngest son, who they were too big for and who didn't own any electronic device with a touch screen. But no matter, he would grow into them and who knew what he would own by that time.  They were too cool to pass up.  So this year, with a gift certificate I got for coaching soccer, I found myself a pair of these awesome gloves.  They have a fantastic design, match my coat perfectly even down to the fabric used and they work great with my Blackberry.  I even purchased a pair for my brother for Christmas.  

     I love companies like 180s.  They take the time to come up with fantastic innovations but they don't just throw it into a normal, run of the mill product, no, they design a product worthy of the innovations.  There are lots of imitators out there but none can compare with the class and quality of 180s.  

     How do I use my 180s?  I wear them of course but I USE them by being able to answer a quick text or read a new email as I am walking to or from the car or even out on the slopes, riding the ski lift to the top. So the next time you need a new glove, try them out.  You will be happy and you will be the envy of all your freinds who's hands are freezing while yours are nice and toasty and look great as well.

Kashi 

http://kashi.com/

     I realize there is  quite a bit of food in this list but I just can't help it.  It is one of my dilemmas.  I really like to eat but I despise cooking.  Hence, things like spreads and breakfast cereals are important to me. And in the breakfast cereal category, there is no equal to Kashi.  Kashi is a natural, whole foods type of company. But that is not why I eat their products.  Normally, when you hear the word "natural" or "organic" it may as well say "tastes like lark's vomit" on the label.      However, Kashi has somehow come up with a way to take natural and organic foods and make them taste outstanding. Every product I have eaten from Kashi, from it's breakfast cereals to it's bars has been a wonderful experience.  I have been eating Kashi for years and it really wasn't on the radar to be included here but I bought a new cereal from them just the other day that was so fantastic that I opened up Evernote and made some changes just to fit them in.  It's called Strawberry Fields which is annoying as I don't care for the Beatles at all but that's not why I liked the cereal.  I love fruit in cereals and usually the ones that work best are raisins and dates because of the process they go through to be able to sit in a cardboard box for weeks and still taste amazing.  But when it comes to other fruits such as are found in Strawberry Fields specifically Strawberries and Raspberries, it is tough to maintain the freshness and taste because usually they are dried.  But Kashi freeze dries these fruits and they come out looking and tasting like the real things.  Combine that with the sweetness of the rice and whole wheat flakes and this cereal is not just something to eat because that's what you have for breakfast, it is something to look forward to.  Something that you eat for lunch just because it's that good, like I did today!  

     How do I use Kashi? Well, I eat it.  I'm sure there are much more creative things to do with it but then, again, I don't cook.  Try some, you won't be disappointed.

     Thank you for reading my Top Ten List.  Feel free to share it with others and comment of course!

Nyk

The Amazing World of Twitter

Twitter has begun to begin to become a serious part of a lot of people's lives, not only in the USA but all around the world. It is probably the first software/application to have caught on with adults before it did with the youth. I was tweeting before any of the twenty somethings or teens I know even knew the name. And they were amazingly slow to catch on. In fact, I don't think even now, any of the young people I know have become avid Twits. (That's my little word for all of us Twitter users) Which is strange because they were very quick to jump on Myspace and Facebook and Youtube despite those socmed sites being far more complicated than Twitter. Maybe Twitter seems so simple as to hide it's immense potential impact.
If most people under 30 haven't even started using Twitter on a regular basis then the potential is huge. And not just in growth but in the impact that Twitter interaction will have on every part of our lives.

Twitter is not just me answering the question, "What are you doing now?" It is so much more than that. And it is not just a duplication of my Facebook status. (Actually my Facebook status is a duplication of my Tweets) With Twitter's connectivity, it has become a way to share thoughts and links to any place on the web, a way to learn, to get news updates and follow nearly play by play action of live sports events and actually build relationships with people you would have never met, not even on Facebook.
The brilliance behind Twitter is the symbols used to connect people to topics and to others instantly, on the fly. And enable them to connect back to you in the same fashion. And I am not simply talking about random strangers, I am talking about people we have all dreamt about being able to ask a question or share a thought.
Actors, musicians, politicians, writers, sports broadcasters, CEOs, they are all here and willing to dialogue with the average joes like me.
Let me share with you two short stories that example this assertion. I try to follow the German Bundesliga and the EPL as much as possible through the TV and the web but because of the time difference between here and Europe I miss most of the action on TV, at least live. But through Twitter I am able to get live updates from all the matches right to my Blackberry. Getting that commentary live is exciting enough but one day I wanted to ask the FSC commentator a question so I Tweeted him. And much to my amazement he answered my question almost instantly while he was broadcasting live! When has something like that ever been a possibility before?
Another amazing thing happened to me via Twitter. I have a certain product that I use daily and love. I decided to get some of this product as part of our Christmas gifts for some of our relatives. The American spokesperson for this British company is a fairly out in front of the camera sort of person so I thought it would be cool if I could get a short note from this person to put in my gifts. So I Tweeted this person my request and got an immediate response that they could make this happen. I was excited to say the least. But what happened next is what Twitter is all about, I noticed within minutes of my request, a Tweet went out from this spokesperson suggesting that others should give their product for Christmas. Wow, that's flattering. And then a few minutes later the CEO of the company in the UK Tweets the same thing! Within ten minutes, an idea conceived in my head had traveled around the world to tens of thousands of fans of this brand.
THAT'S the power of Twitter. I read where the CEO of that company said that socmed sites like Twitter has allowed him to connect directly with his end users in a way never before possible. It won't just bring him sales, it will bring him loyalty. And that is more valuable than anything.
If you aren't a Twit yet, no matter your age, you are missing out on a whole new world and its a wonderful world. And as my son and I like to say, "That's so Tweetable!"

Nyk
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

It's Not Opera, Dad.

     This is the type of person I am; I spend a lot of time and daring searching out the best things in the world (though I am somewhat considerably limited by money in many areas!) and when I discover them, I am almost fanatical in my devotion to them. I choose some things for their uniqueness to me such as the Kansas City Wizards (or Sporting Kansas City, I mean) or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Hannover 96.  They certainly couldn't be considered the best in the world by any stretch of even a biased imagination.  But other things, like Mac computers, uhlsport soccer gear or King of Shaves shaving supplies are certainly in the upper echelon of their respective areas of expertise.  All of which brings me to Opera Browser.  The Opera Browser is one of those things that fit into the latter of the two categories. I have been using it since the mid-nineties, back when I actually had to pay for it.  In fact, because of a hard drive failure I purchased it twice!  And its revolutionary features have been ingrained in how I use the Internet. Just how much was revealed to me yesterday.

     I was working on my son's Macbook yesterday and needed to search for a solution to a problem on the Web so, forgetting that I had installed Opera on his Macbook, I clicked on Safari.  Now Safari is a fine browser, just like Firefox or Chrome but its no Opera.  As I began my search with Safari, I clicked in the address field and typed my search question. I hit enter, and much to my shock I was taken to an error page.  My son, seeing my utter confusion, informed me, "It's not Opera, Dad."  Then I remembered, not all browsers measure up to Opera.  Actually, none do.  See, with Opera, I no longer need a separate search field for searches.  I just type it into my address field and to Google I go. (or whatever search engine I prefer) This might not seem like a big deal and I guess on its own it isn't huge but when you spend significant time on the web that takes you around the world in seconds, every second counts and features like this one cuts those seconds and simplifies the whole process.

     This is where the Opera Browser excels.  It has been at the forefront of making this thing we call "surfing the web" a more simple place to live, work and play. If Safari, Firefox or Chrome has it, most likely, Opera was the one who developed it.  And Opera isn't slowing down.  The goal is for this single piece of software to become the only program you will need to have open for all your Internet needs.  It is not there yet, but on the rare occasion that I am forced to use a browser other than Opera I am reminded of how far Opera is on the journey to that goal. And when I am using those "other" browsers and my son sees the look of dismay wash across my face and reminds me, "it's not Opera, Dad" my only response is...no, no it's not.

The Twisted Nature of the Liberal Mind

As I drove through Bismarck on my errands Saturday, I was listening to NPR. (only God knows why) Actually, the reason I stopped on that station which I usually avoid like the plague (in reality I have never really avoided the plague as it were so maybe it should be "avoid like a pair of Nike shoes") was because the person being interviewed was talking about his travels around the world using the lowest forms of "conveyance" (his word) in the world. Having recently visited Guatemala and experiencing some similar travel situations, it peeked my interest. But as I listened, I began to realize that there was something more to his story than simply revealing these sad stories of destitution to the general public who may never experience them firsthand.

 My first inclination that something was amiss was when he was describing his trip over the Andes mountains in Peru. Without going into all the details, he described traveling in a packed bus(he was sitting in the stairwell with his legs hanging out of the bus)down steep mountain roads made of mud, with cliffs rising and falling mere inches from the bus at times. There were no bathroom facilities because a man was using the bathroom to store the crates of fruit he was selling to the passengers and the man next to him had a sick child who was vomiting on the bus and defecating out the windows during the terrifying ride down the mountain. All of that is horrible enough but what he said after that description was what made my ears perk up. He said (and I am paraphrasing here) that after he just accepted all of the dirt and filth and discomfort, it was one of the most invigorating and heartening trips he ever took. He went on to describe some of the positive things of the trip such as that the passengers were kind and people brought him food (the host had to point out that they were SELLING him the food, a fact that he deliberately left out and we will see why in a moment).

 After discussing this part of his trip a little more, he went on to describe returning to the United States and how he took a Greyhound bus from the West coast to his home in the East. I am guessing that this was his idea of the lowest form of "conveyance" in the U.S. He described this leg of his journey as the most depressing and discouraging part of his travels. Why? Because the people were not very open, and he had to buy food from a vending machine. It was clear now what his message was as he continued to describe the shortcomings of the United States. His message was that no matter how bad things may be in Third World countries, the United States is much worse.

 This reveals the corruption of the Liberal Mind. In order to twist reality to to fit the liberal way of thought he had to disregard all the negative aspects of the horrific conditions in which he was traveling, and there, in this world of his own creation, he could find utopia of liberal thought, people living in harmony. That is the ideal of the liberal mindset. It doesn't matter if those harmonious people are starving to death, or plummeting off mountain passes to their deaths as long as they were living in harmony. So, instead of being concerned about the suffering of the child who was vomiting on the bus, or the indignity of being forced to defecate out the window of a public bus, or the humiliation of needing to purchase food stored in the toilet of a bus, or living in constant fear of death every time they had to take to the road, the liberal mind is concerned about the impersonal nature of buying food from a vending machine or the unwillingness of strangers on a bus to speak openly to each other. You see, America's goal is not harmony, it is freedom and prosperity. That is anathema to the liberal mind.

 As I listened, this all played out in front of me. He would not have been so candid if he had not thought he was speaking to friends, which is why he was on NPR. He was honest about ignoring the negatives in order to bolster his position, yet he was caught in his dishonesty by an only slightly more honest host when talking about people bringing him food on the bus. He would have been just as well with giving us the impression that he was being fed free of charge out of the kindness of their hearts because it lent itself to his point. If a person is willing to lie to support his position, it makes me question the validity of that position. He complained about the vending machines as if it were the only food offered to the passengers of this bus on their 72 hour trip across the U.S. I simply don't believe that. And somehow he found vending machine sandwiches more repulsive than unrefrigerated fruit stored in a public toilet. He complained about the "standoffishness" of the passengers of the bus on Grey Hound when I can imagine he made no effort to strike up a conversation. If he had, he may have found things very different. And finally, while I am sure the Peruvian Andes are more breathtaking than the deserts of the Southwest U.S., he made no mention of the natural beauty of the country side he experienced in that last leg of his journey. I am sure there was beauty somewhere along the line. But that is the liberal mind. It is a twisted view that requires a twisted reality. Remember this as you vote tomorrow. Would you rather live in America, or take a Peruvian bus to work each day? Providing you have a job at all.

Guatemala Day Eleven - Thirteen

Day Eleven Wednesday morning we headed back the Scheel center (the short route) and met the Psychologist there who offered to take us to the poorest families on the mountain. He had three female long term volunteers that were to come with us to document life on the mountain and because they had not been able to go up the mountain yet. We parked at the Scheel Center at the base of the mountain called Vista Hermosa which means beautiful view. And the view was to be beautiful but nothing on the mountain was beautiful. It took us two hours to climb the mountain and visit 10 families. The climb was exhausting, slippery, dangerous and often disgusting. The path was very steep and very narrow in places. There were many places where only one person could pass and there would be a hundred foot drop off at the edge. The path was at times crossed or bordered by small streams of water and raw sewage and garbage. Some families had make shift outhouses but many didn’t. There was garbage everywhere and feces strewn throughout the pathway. The smells varied from feces, rotting garbage, death and smoke from burning wood and charcoal used for cooking. The families lived in small shacks, normally one room, made of sheet metal, bamboo and other vegetation. Some of the rooms had beds but others did not. One family we visited had one bed for four people. Most of the families consisted of at least 5 people. There are many tales to be told but two I want to highlight right now. One woman we visited was very glad we came and she was willing to answer a lot of questions. She was actually living in a one room house that was built by volunteers from the Scheel Center. She had an outdoor concrete washing basin, access to water, and a separate outhouse (which was simply a hole surrounded by a wood framed, sheet metal roofed structure whose walls were just tarps tied together). But what she told us was that she was so grateful for the food we brought because that day she had run out of food, so her and her 5 children would have not had anything to eat that day or maybe even for several days. When we left that home the reality of their situation set in for me and it was very difficult to deal with. Then there was a family we had stopped to see on the way up and we passed by them again only a few minutes later on our long trek back down the mountain and they came running out to greet us. They were all smiling brightly and I immediately spotted the reason why. Each of the children and the mother as well had a candy sucker in their mouth and they were so happy and excited. Those were the last thing we purchased the night before and it was kind of a spur of the moment thing. We had spent a lot of time developing healthy staples to provide them the most we could and at the last moment I the thought came to my mind that it might be nice to give them something that was sweet to break up the monotony of the beans, rice and tortillas they exist on daily. So we found the suckers. And at that moment on the mountain I felt like we gave them something a little more than just sustenance. Something that made them a little more human. We are not meant just to live. Humans were created to live life abundantly and it is the creative things, the beautiful things and the sweet things that make us so very different than the animals, the way God intended. And in an extremely small and brief way I think we brought a moment of that to the lives of these families. We all wish we could have done it to the full for every family on that mountain and we pray that God will bring that about someday, in this life. After arriving at the bottom of the mountain, we thanked those from the Scheel Center who helped us and headed back to the house. It seemed odd this time, as I sat parked in front of a beautiful and secure villa that was worth a lot of money here in Antigua and lifted my head to the mountain directly above me which had become a monument to human suffering and poverty. Often times I hear peple come back from missions trips to third world countries and they tell us that though these people had nothing they still had such a happiness about them. Maybe that is true. But the two places that I have been where severe poverty was the norm, there was little happiness. The people of Vista Hermosa were not happy. In fact, one of the women related how sad she was that she could not provide for her family. There is no happiness on that mountain, only misery accented by fleeting moments of relief brought about by small things like a piece of hard candy on a stick. We cleaned up, packed up and headed to eat and hit the market one more time before we left. After we finished at the market, we dropped off our friends from Guatemala City near the bus stop and made our way out of Antigua to our next adventure on our way to Panajachel. The first part of this 3 hour drive went pretty smoothly in terms of driving in Guatemala at least. I have become almost used to the style of driving here. Or lack thereof. We had some issues getting through Chimaltenango. The city was constructing a new road through the city center and so it was down to one lane. This meant that one direction of traffic had to wait for the other direction to go for a while until the police let us go. Thankfully we hit it at just the right time and didn’t have to wait too long. But as dusk set in, we began the ascent up the mountain and the higher we got, the thicker the clouds became. I would call this fog but it really isn’t fog, it was the actual clouds. That is how high we were. We were passing through the first level of clouds. The road was two lanes each direction but had a turn every 100 meters or so and the turns were often extremely sharp. The incline was trying for our over packed car and there were many places where there were fresh landslides that at time blocked both of our lanes so we had to pass on the oncoming lanes. These were all marked by arrows and cones so there was not danger for the most part but as the night grew darker and the clouds grew thicker, the ability to see was at times down to a few feet. I had drawn close to a car in front of me and decided to stay close to him in order to better make my way through the clouds since I couldn’t see anything really. We passed another landslide that sent us into the opposite lanes and we slowely made our way up the steep incline. Suddenly, the car in front of me pulled all the way to the left into the far lane of the oncoming traffic and there was nothing for me to do than to follow him because I couldn’t see what he was driving around or why he had made that move. So I did. But as we moved farther along, I came to the realization that what he had moved over for was the sign that told us that we needed to go back to our lanes. The clouds were so thick that I didn’t even see them. What this meant was that we were now traveling the wrong way on the highway and the cars coming down the mountain had no warning that there would be cars coming the opposite direction in their lanes. Panic set in but there was nothing that could be done as there was a large cement curb that prevented me from returning to our lanes. As we rounded a curve I realized what had happened. There were two semis who were directly ahead of us traveling the same direction as us. The first semi must have not seen the return in the clouds and continued when he should have crossed back over and the truck and cars that followed, not being able to see either just followed the one in front of them, resulting in two semis and about five cars driving the wrong way on a mountain pass, at night, in the clouds. I felt a little safer knowing that someone would have to plow through two semis and tow cars before they got to us but I wanted desperately to get back on the right side of the road. After several miles we came to a return and we were able to all cross safely to the proper lanes. What a relief. Little did I know this was just the beginning. As we reached the peak of the mountain I recalled that what goes up, must come down. And so we did. I had been on many steep roads on this trip but never had there been a warning sign. All of the sudden we were barraged with signs warning of extremely steep inclines and warnings to downshift. So we began the descent. It was so steep that at one point I had my brakes fully on and there was no way we were stopping. We wound around sharp curves and giant waterfalls, occasionally catching glimpses of the cities far below us and even lightning. The lightening was below us. It was a very strange feeling being on the ground yet looking at a thunderstorm from above. The steepest portion of the road down to the lake was only 6 miles but it took us a very long time. We traveled an average of about 5 miles an hour all the way. So after over 4 hours we finally pulled into Panajachel. It was packed with people and cars and street side food carts. I was a bit surprised because in both Guatemala City and even Antigua things closed very early and once it was dark the streets emptied rather quickly. Not so in Panajachel. I would describe the city as a more trashy Guatemala City by a lake. We had a hotel that we were planning to stay at which however we did not know where it was in the city. We passed by the city center that was absolutely packed with people, and cars and motorcycles. I felt that we might be in trouble when a guy came running up to our window and began shouting and pointing toward a hotel that was in front of us. After we had moved away from him I asked what he wanted and it turned out he was a guy from that hotel whose job it was to get people to stay there. The troubling part was that part of his effort to draw us in was highlighting the fact that this hotel (unlike others?) had hot running water. That was disconcerting. Asking directions from strangers is a normal way of getting around any city in Guatemala but the results can be iffy. And Panajachel was worse than normal. After being sent in every direction multiple time, we finally found the hotel. It looked nice enough from the outside. They came out and directed us to their “parking garage” which turned out to be more of cellar large enough to park cars. From there we went up to our rooms. They were concrete and tile just as everywhere else we had been. They looked nice enough though the entire room was lit by a single light bulb and the lights went from dim to bright and back to dim every few minutes. There was no air conditioning and no heat and it was vented to the hallway and to the alley out the back of the hotel. The hallway was really a covered but open balcony. So this hotel kept the theme of very open construction that you find throughout the cities we had been. One other interesting item was a sign above the toilet asking to please not throw toilet paper in the toilet. The alternative was not very pleasant. We had not eaten supper yet so after disqualifying the hotel restaurant we went out to the street to find a suitable restaurant. Most of what we found were food vendor carts. They had raw meats piled onto an upright skewer from which they would carve a piece when ordered, grill it and place it in a tortilla. We decided against any of those. We did find a restaurant that had a number of foreigners leaving it so we thought it may be safe but as we tried to enter, we were told they were just closing. After commenting on the beauty of the girls in our group, asking them how old they were and if they wanted to come back for a party later (men here are much more aggressive in showing attraction to women in public, this sort of thing was more the norm than an exception everywhere we went) they directed us to a good restaurant down the street. However after arriving and seeing 3 stray dogs lying about the floor of the dining area we decided to buy some chips and cookies from a small convenience shop we had passed and turn in for the night. Day Twelve The morning came quickly and we showered and packed, retrieved our car and headed down to the lake front to acquire a restaurant for breakfast. We found a paid parking spot and were immediately accosted by men and women shoving menus in our faces and assuring us that their restaurant was the best. We decided on one that one of the members of our group had eaten at the previous year. The view was breathtaking. A very large lake surrounded by green mountains, three of which were volcanoes. The sky was clear but the volcanoes create their own clouds so the tops of each were covered. There was much activity along the lake with tour boats and fishing boats. There was a small concrete soccer field right next to the lake where some guys were shooting a small, plastic soccer ball. On wrong kick and the ball would be in the lake. One wrong challenge and you could be flying off a 25 foot concrete wall. We sat down for a wonderful Guatemalan breakfast with fresh papaya juice, plantains, eggs, chorizo, tortillas, frijoles and a spicy sauce full of flavor. After breakfast we were asked if we wanted a boat tour. The full day tour was too much money for us and we did not have the time either. So we chose a short, one hour tour that would take us to a hot springs on the side of the lake and to one of the lake villages where we could buy crafts from the actual people who make them. We pulled into the dock made of two simple planks hovering just above the water. We balanced along the planks, to another set of planks that crossed in front of a flooded restaurant a tree stump, across a small sandy area and up a mud bank to a mud and concrete littered lot next to a muddy soccer field strewn with trash where kids from the local school were just finishing recess. We aimlessly wandered down a narrow ally way and finally emptied out onto a street with some shops. We were able to watch a lady actually making a scarf which would take forever. It increased my appreciation of the items they had. We passed five native ladies who were making hand-made tortillas and we asked if we could take a photo but they sternly said no. Then we asked if we could purchase some fresh tortillas, and again we were met with a glare and another stern no. So we put our collective tails between our legs and sulked away down the street. After the village experience we went back to Panajachel and spent a little time in the market there and then made our way out of town. I was very concerned that we would not make it out but there was not much traffic and I was able to accelerate enough on the lighter inclines to make it up the steeper one. We stopped to take pictures of an amazing waterfall and to take picture of the city and lake from high above. The rest of the trip back was uneventful aside from the construction mentioned before. This time it took a very long time to get through which was annoying. We arrived back in Guatemala City with time to spare for once and made our way to a restaurant where we would be dining with the Guatemalan relatives. It was a beautiful restaurant serving true Guatemalan cuisine to the sounds of a Marimba band hired specifically for our dinner. We enjoyed classic Guatemalan dishes and desserts. It was a wonderful night. We turned in early, ready for our second free day of the trip and our last full day in Guatemala. Day Thirteen We awoke on our last full day in Guatemala and headed out to the Nazarene School to take photos with the children. We arrived pretty quickly and it was amazing getting to spend time with the kids. They were so excited and it was difficult to leave them. We then went and got the food that I was the most excited to try. Shukos. It is a small hotdog or Chorizo on a grilled hoagie bun with cabbage, mayo, mustard, Guacamole and a variety of sauces and onions and cilantro. We went to a cross street that that had about 15 Shukos restaurants. There was only one lane to drive on the four streets that converged at this intersection. And there were guys running everywhere to the cars driving through asking them how many shukos they wanted. It was a rudimentary drive through system. There were small areas to sit inside each restaurant but most people simply drove through, ordered from the street and waited for the guys to bring the sandwiches back to them. We wanted to eat inside so we found a guy that said he would clear a table for us and we parked about a block away and walked back to his locale. It was a small concrete room, open to the street with a small cooking area in the corner and the remainder of the room filled with plastic tables and chairs. We ordered and I enjoyed the shukos. Most of the others did not. I think they were really more concerned with the sanitary situation so it colored their opinions. I would have liked more meat because it was a bit like eating a cabbage sandwich due to the very small size of Guatemalan hotdogs. When we paid, we were shocked to find that eat sandwich was only seventy cents. So with our drinks we each spent just little over one dollar. We then got the car we had borrowed, serviced and then stopped at a very large mall to meet some other friends. I met with some fans of my band from Guatemala City and it was absolutely wonderful to sit with them for about an hour and a half and just talk. They presented me with some great gifts from Guatemala and I signed some autographs and we took some pictures. After that our other friends arrived and we went to eat at a favorite restaurant called Friends which was like a Hard Rock Café but with a movie theme. It was pretty good and a great way to end our trip, saying thanks to the guys that really helped us out in the services. It was a sad departing. Tomorrow we leave Guatemala and fly back to Chicago where I will take a nap and then we will drive back to Bismarck. My last updates will be from home. Thanks for following our trip Pray for us.

Guatemala Day Nine - Ten

Day Nine Monday morning, we were able to check out the house more. It was a wonderful little two story villa at the base of a large mountain, within a secured complex. Now, when I say secured, we all think of having a gate around the area we are living but in Guatemala, secured means not only the gate but armed guards at the gates and strolling through the complex, 24/7. The villa had three bedrooms and a bath up stairs. All the bedrooms had large windows that fully opened to the outside. There are no screens here. One bedroom had a door that opened to a small balcony and also had a loft with a hammock. The main area between the bedrooms and the bathroom had a door that lead to a large rooftop sitting area that offered a good view of the surrounding area. There was a wonderful courtyard off of the dining room that was accessed through French doors. The courtyard was surrounded by 15 foot walls and was a combination of grass and tile with a large tree in the center, a small fountain on the left and several flowering plants along the wall, where humming birds would come to every morning. The first floor had a kitchen and dining area separated by a beautiful wood counter and a small living room just inside the front door. The living room had three wooden benches with pillows and a small TV. There was also a very small bathroom and shower down a few stairs off of the living room. The shower was so short that it would have sprayed my chest only if I had attempted to use it. The entire place had tile floors and concrete walls just as the majority of the building here. Directly above the house was a large mountain which was covered by small shacks piled on top of each other all the way up the steep sides. We decided immediately, we wanted to go there. The city of Antigua is an old city so there is much great architecture but since it was built using cobble stone streets and those were intended for horses or mules, it is a very tight squeeze to get around with all the cars, trucks and busses that are now used. It is situated at the foot of a Volcano named Agua which has already destroyed the city once but is now sitting dormant. The volcano towers above the city and is mostly covered with clouds, even when the rest of the sky is clear. We were there to volunteer for the God’s Child project which is a project of schools, clinics and shelters started by a man from Bismarck, North Dakota. The main offices are in Bismarck and that is where we got connected. We went to the Dreamer Center Monday morning. This is the main center for the God’s Child project. Despite my attempts to let them know we were coming, it still caught them by surprise. So after a tour and filling out some forms, we were sent home because the director of the location we would be working at was in Guatemala City for the day. So we went back home and got some much need sleep. We then went to a market that is housed in a section of ruins of a large cathedral that was destroyed when Agua buried the city in the 1700’s. The market was a unique and surreal place. It was very compact with little room for two people to pass at the same time. It was dark but very colorful with all the handmade Guatemalan purses, scarves, shirts, skirts and crafts. The people at each table immediately began trying to bargain with you but of course in Spanish. Some spoke a little English and they were very helpful. The concept here was to find what you wanted and then try to get them to the lowest price you could. That went very much against my German—American sensibilities and since things were very reasonable to begin with and since I knew many of these people had almost nothing, I didn’t bargain as you were expected to do. I brought a couple things down a little but for the most part I just paid them and went on my way. I found everything I wanted in a very short time so I was very excited. We stopped at an Italian restaurant and had pasta for supper and then headed back to the house. Day Ten Tuesday we headed out bright and early to the Scheel Center which is an elementary school and clinic for the poorest of the poor in Antigua. We had got directions from the Dreamer Center which was on te other side of town from where we were so we went there and flowed the directions that took us closer and closer to the mountain above our house. The Scheel center turned out to be at the base of that mountain and only about 3 blocks from our house. So the twenty minute drive to get there was completely unnecessary. The Scheel center is a four story building that houses a school, a clinic and soon a pharmacy. Its main benefactors come from the mountain directly above it though some come from Antigua below. They are chosen by their poverty level and only the poorest children are allowed entrance to the school. This school goes entire days and serves two meals a day while the public schools only go half days and only serve breakfast each day. The method of the Scheel center is not just to be a place for the children but for the entire family and if the families pay the 12 to 24 cent fee per month tuition, they get access to the clinic and medicines for free for their entire family and well as classes for the mothers and fathers on many different subjects from hygiene to cooking and nutrition to even make up application. In addition to schooling, the children all get trained in one of two vocations. These are cooking and carpentry. They all get certification in typing and Microsoft Office as well. We spent are time sweeping the tile floors which get dirty very quickly, preparing for lunch and cleaning up after lunch, clearing some drainage issues and installing sound panels in order to cut the immense reverb caused by having tile floors and cement walls and ceilings. The difference the panels make is really quite drastic. After we left the Scheel center for the day, we cleaned up and headed to pick up some friends from Guatemala City who had rode the bus out to Antigua to assist us in our project for Wednesday morning. We went to a grocery and used money that the Worship Team had earned while leading several retreats and services in the States and purchased enough food to feed 10 families for 3 days. Each bag contained Rice, Corn Flour, Sugar, Noodles, Salt, Black Beans, Coffee, Cooking Oil and Candy Suckers. We went back to the house and separated out the food into 10 bags and then went to bed, excited to head up the mountain in the morning to distribute the food. We did not know what to expect. Pray for us.