From day one it was clear to me that there was no lack of passion. A passion for us and more importantly passion for the Lord pours through conversations, meals, music, etc... Carlos, Juan Carlos, Victor, Oscar, Jackie and the rest of the gang from Primer Templo Cristiano Church have been awesome hosts to us over the past month and it will be difficult to say goodbye. This month we have been helping out with "campaigns" (basically an outdoor crusade style worship and preaching service). Our teams have put up posters, gone door to door inviting families, given testimonies, stacked chairs, and participated in skits for people and tried to have an impact on the people of the towns that we visited. We are being constantly thanked and praised for our 'sacrifice' all the while I feel like they are making more of a sacrifice than we are. I guess this is what it should look like in the church though, people doing what they can do to step out in action where they can help. They may not believe they are accomplishing greatness, but are confirmed by the reactions from others in their greatness.

A big part of me is ready to be home, but part of me doesn't want to leave this place. Tomorrow we will be heading towards our final destination; Puerto Barrios, Guatemala.   I still have about $200 that needs to be fundraised by May 12^th....even the smallest From day one it was clear to me that there was no lack of passion. A passion for us and more importantly passion for the Lord pours through conversations, meals, music, etc... Carlos, Juan Carlos, Victor, Oscar, Jackie and the rest of the gang from Primer Templo Cristiano Church have been awesome hosts to us over the past month and it will be difficult to say goodbye. This month we have been helping out with "campaigns" (basically an outdoor crusade style worship and preaching service). Our teams have put up posters, gone door to door inviting families, given testimonies, stacked chairs, and participated in skits for people and tried to have an impact on the people of the towns that we visited. We are being constantly thanked and praised for our 'sacrifice' all the while I feel like they are making more of a sacrifice than we are. I guess this is what it should look like in the church though, people doing what they can do to step out in action where they can help. They may not believe they are accomplishing greatness, but are confirmed by the reactions from others in their greatness.

A big part of me is ready to be home, but part of me doesn't want to leave this place. Tomorrow we will be heading towards our final destination; Puerto Barrios, Guatemala.   I still have about $200 that needs to be fundraised by May 12^th....even the smallest amount is greatly appreciated.

ALSO my sister Ann and brother-in-law Greg had their first baby, and thus my first niece!  Riley Gene Rich was born March 25^th healthy and happy 8lbs 9oz. 20 inches. Please pray for Riley and our family!

(The Pastor and his family)

Maybe it's just me, but I find it harder and harder to write blogs as I pass through more countries... further into our 11 month journey. There are so many experiences and thoughts that cross my mind daily that I can't begin to convey them in written or even spoken word. It doesn't help that I'm pretty sure my writing ability is deteriorating each mile we travel along this voyage. In two months and three days I will be back to the real world. Ha, by the "real world" I mean returning to the world that I've been born into and raised in (While I've seen much of the real world - in the greatest and truest sense of the word- I've still been in the bubble of being an American that knows at the end of the day I'll never have to deal with life in the Real World).

 (Looking through the new Bibles with the Nacho y su amigo)

I'm excited to be back, to see family and friends, and to find the next place God will have me while on this earth. I feel a sense of freedom like I would have never imagined. If the world was a mansion, I feel like all doors are open to me. I'm trying not to concentrate too much on the future, but instead focus on the present to take advantage of two months of direct ministry to the poor, the widowed, the orphaned, the sick, the hungry...Trying to live out what I read in the Bible with zeal while finding where I fit into life's equation. All this while living with anywhere from six to forty individuals that want to truly live out Luke 9:23, "deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me".

(Serving lunch)

I've still have really enjoyed living in Nicaragua. One of my favorite days was our visit to Pastor Manuel's barrio (basically a slum neighborhood). A little background...Pastor Manuel felt called to build a church and started praying 23 years ago that God would provide him the place and the funds necessary to see his vision to completion. In the meantime he labored with all types of odd jobs saving up money brick by brick to build the church. He has partnered with a family from North Carolina and will have the roof completed next month.

(The church in the barrio)

We had visited "his" barrio a few times a week; praying for people and letting them know about the church that will hopefully be a centerpiece of the neighborhood in the coming months. Then on Sunday we had a local woman prepare soup for all of the families and gathered together to share a message, hand out Bibles, sing songs, do children activities and play soccer. A couple days ago the Pastor had a group of nurses from Maryland check out the families in the area. It's been cool to be a part of something that will have the ability to impact so many families physically and spiritually.

(soccer after church- church in background)

We have finally arrived after a crazy travel schedule that took us from from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, Bangkok to Tokyo, Tokyo to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Miami, Miami to Managua (Nicaragua), and finally Managua to Jinotepe, Nicaragua. We are staying at a hotel that is run by Americans from Maryland called Casa Mateo. We will be working with a local senior center, children in the barrios, hospitals, and churches. After a nursing home visit and few mile run I am already in love with Nicaragua. My Spanish skills are slowly returning and I'm pumped about this month.

I still need just under $500 to be fully funded for the trip! A huge thank you, again, to everyone that has so graciously donated thus far. More to come from Nicaragua.

After Nicaragua, I will be working in El Salvador then Guatemala. I'm flying into the US on May 12^th!

After a great few weeks in our Cambodian village we headed north to Siem Reap, a spot made famous by Angkor Wat and the groups of other ancient temples that cover miles of the Cambodian landscape. In Siem Reap we got together as a squad with our leaders and coaches to debrief the past few months and discuss 'what's next' after the race. Feel free to send me an email if you have any sweet ideas!

Cambodia was a great time to interact with guys that have spent time on the street and know what it's like to have Christ completely transform their lives and their hearts.  Guys that have gone from begging, sniffing glue, using crystal meth, or constant binge drinking to singing, learning, dancing, and living to glorify God.

This month we are back in Chiang Mai, Thailand working with Lighthouse Ministries (http://www.ywamthai.org/lighthouse/). The primary focus of Lighthouse are the girls (or lady-boys) that are selling their bodies every night in the bars. Some are here by choice, some by force, but all have a hopeless outlook at life.

We got to work with the prevention side of sex trafficking with Remember Nhu back in December, but working on the intervention side will be a whole different story. We'll be hanging out in the bars, talking and building (or continuing) relationships to bring the light of Christ to these girls and the men that come to find love through them.  

(Written 1/1/11)

So it's a new year!  Last night we had a Christmas program and New Year's party with 100 or so Cambodians to welcome us into 2011. This month we are staying in village outside of Phnom Penh called Takeo at Teen Challenge (http://www.teenchallengecambodia.org/). We are working with 26 male students, age range 12-46, teaching English, computers, sports, and music. The most important part of our ministry will be showing the love of Christ to these guys and teaching them the word of God. The students here are from both wealthy and poor backgrounds but all have abused drugs/alcohol in the past (many of the poor sniffing glue, other guys using Crystal Meth). 

Teen Challenge is a well-established global organization, although the center in Cambodia is only two years old. During the past two years they have seen miraculous growth with both the local center and the lives of the guys that have attended. The students here are filled with joy and love to worship. It is through these transformed lives that the center has seen great development. This type of growth in a Buddhist country is amazing. 94% of Cambodians are Buddhist, 2% Christian, and about 4% Muslim. The people of Cambodia are not hostile (typically) to visiting Christians, but there is a history of violence and division for Cambodian Christians.

 Despite this, these guys enjoy heading down the road for church throughout the week, but especially on Sundays. We had a Christmas celebration on New Years Eve where the students played music, enacted skits, and danced for hours.

(Written 1/6/11)

I've been working with the younger group teaching Bible and English classes everyday. Many of the students never really went to school, since they were preoccupied with drugs and the street life. Their brains have been affected by the drugs and we're pretty sure that many of the younger ones are lying about their age (they look about 8 years old-not 16). Despite these setbacks, overall they stay pretty attentive and receptive to the teaching. We have been working on greetings, body parts, and animals. This week we went over, "How are you?" and "I am fine" over and over again. Some of the students are still struggling through English, but they'll do it with a big smile on their faces. The students stay in the program for one year, after being released back into the "real world" there is a discipleship program in place to try and make sure that they don't slip back into drugs and alcohol.

"I really enjoy reading your blogs" My mom innocently tells me during my call home during Thanksgiving. In no way was she alluding to the fact that I hadn't recently posted one (If you know my mom you'd agree), but it did trigger my mind the fact that I need to post a blog. So here is an overdue blog about what's going on with me right this second.

First of all I shaved my beard. I look like a normal human being again, although people may no longer immediately think I can navigate myself through the woods and live off of berries and wild game over long periods of time (mountain-man joke). I am feeling physically well and have by the grace of God stayed free of Malaria, Typhoid, Amoebas, parasites, and any other illness that has inflicted about half of our squad. I will officially be out of Africa as of December 3^rd, and moving to Bangkok, Thailand. Ministry in Thailand on the World Race is dubbed as "man-istry". This is aptly named, as all of the guys get together as a group, while the girls work with women stuck in the sex trafficking rings prevalent in Thailand.

Before landing in Nairobi, I wasn't sure that I would enjoy my stay here in Africa. I knew that I would be able to adapt, make the most out of the conditions, and power through ministry. I never thought I would honestly be telling people in Uganda and Tanzania that I hope to come back and visit within the next decade. In Tanzania we taught English and computer classes. We also helped at an orphanage and lead youth services at the church. Throughout the entire month our Tanzanian contacts praised us for our efforts and thanked us for the difference that we were making. I've been learning that you don't have to end world hunger, or convert an entire village to successfully serve God and follow his commands. We taught a 20 year old how to turn on a computer (you read that correctly). We answered simple questions about the Bible and the American church. We practiced creating and answering Who, What, Where, When and Why questions in English. At times I would think to myself, 'why am I here?' 'anyone can do this'. It was when these thoughts were at the forefront of my thinking that one of the pastors would come up, firmly grab my hand, and with almost tearful eyes express their gratitude for us being there. A few times Pastor Bone came to me with 'Mr. Chad, when I see you, I see apostle'. Part of me was thinking... 'dude, I didn't even do anything special', part of me grateful that God was reinforcing the fact that I am doing his will.  

In our last week in Tanzania we were fortunate to spend a day and a half on a 44 foot sailboat. We slept, ate, fished, kayaked, snorkeled, and swam in the beautiful Indian Ocean around Zanzibar and other smaller private islands. There were 9 of us (plus the skipper and helper Ian) on the boat, but many times I felt like I was all alone, floating on the clear blue ocean, staring into God's untouched, uncorrupted creation. I thought (as one is forced to in Africa) how fortunate I am, how great our God is, and how I need to ask Uncle John to find me a boat down in Ft. Lauderdale. In all seriousness I am blessed, in the spirit of Thanksgiving I have a lot to be grateful for. I hope to send all those who've supported me a postcard soon, but at times it's easier said than done. I'm also thankful for those who read my blog, especially my mom!

Getting Dirty in Tanzania

The conductor never informed us how dirty (in the most literal sense of dirt) a passenger on 'Kampala Coach' could get over a 31 hour bus ride. The first task in Tanzania was to hit the shower (you begin to truly appreciate showers in Africa) and this one had everything one could wish for, minus a shower curtain. As I stood there (streams of filthy water flowed into the corner of the shower), I couldn't help but think of what is in store for us here in Tanzania. This exchange from Uganda to Tanzania marks the 6^th country on our trip, almost half way until we return to American soil. Each new country we visit brings me a feeling of excitement, as we are always surprised as to what we are getting ourselves into.

 What we know so far about this month: Our contact is the bishop over 700 churches ("yes", was the response to my question "So he's a pretty big deal?"), we are about 20 miles outside the largest city in Tanzania, we have a laundry list of ministry options: speaking at schools, visiting hospitals, orphanages, community cleaning and teaching English. Tyler and I are sharing a room in a modest home, not too far from the host house for our five girls, where they are sharing a similar room at a house comparable to ours.

I hope that this month we can have a huge impact on the lives of those that we come in contact. I want to try and concentrate on God's will, be intentional about growing our little mobile community (my team), and focus my energy to bringing God's kingdom in Tanzania. In all of this I hope that I realize deep down that it is not me, but God working in and through me, his dirty servant. 

**So that was written shortly after we arrived in Tanzania on Nov. 4th. Since then we have been busy teaching computer classes, English classes, and leading church services. We are staying in a town that is loaded with palm trees and has a 100% sand ground cover. We are about 15 miles from the ocean, but live on the beach! Before you think we are living the life of luxury, please note we have no toilets and take bucket showers. Also its about a million degrees here. All that said, we are having a great time and enjoy the people of Tanzania very much. Looking forward to the next couple weeks here.**