extremeboh's Xanga

Monday, June 18, 2007

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 12:44:21 GMT

On the edges of Lima Peru exists a small community that has sprung up atop an old garbage dump, aside a small river. Communities like this can be found around the world as people try and forge a living for themselves and their families.

The word community is important here. One definition of community is: a group of people with a common background or with shared interests in society. Common background? Check… everyone there came to find a new life. Shared interests? Check… they all want to believe that they matter.

Last November a friend of mine, Doug Reed, led a team to Peru to minister to local Pastor’s. In addition, they brought with them a group to build a church in this little nameless community. Digging a foundation for the new church looked like a far easier job than it turned out to be… at two feet they hit compacted trash… and at four feet they hit bedrock.

But the church still went up! Because of the delays, they were unable to construct the roof, but that didn’t stop the Pastor from Praising God and ministering in the Church that God built!

Doug Reed took us back to this continuing project last week to minister to the community of strong and faithful families.

We arrived to find that nearly the entire village had come to Christ (over 90%!) and many people were building more permanent homes in place of the ramshackle shacks that they had first settled in! Pastor welcomed us graciously and the team was amazing ministering to all… even playing a pick up soccer game afterwards.

But great things had happened behind the scenes as well: The Government had recognized the community and was setting up to install running water for everyone. The Mayor had asked the Pastor to be a community coordinator (not sure exactly what that entails) and to bring everyone together.

All because of the Church that had been built! It solidified the community and gave it focus. It provided a gathering place for families and taught love for your neighbor. It demonstrated that everyone was important and would be welcomed in the house of God. It gave people purpose… and they became the Church.

When we arrived the roof was still not built… nor was a floor laid throughout the church building. But the Church was there… built on the solid foundation of Christ Jesus… growing in health, size and structure… and sheltering all who would come.

Now isn’t that how the Church should be?

Still Climbing,

Jason

Sunday, April 01, 2007

Sun, 01 Apr 2007 03:33:24 GMT

After two weeks of traveling though India (and 11 cities visited) I’ve had the privilege to meet some amazing people who demonstrate God’s Love to others as easily as you and I demonstrate our ability to dial a phone!

But so I am not being completely selfish, I want to introduce you to one of my new friends today.

Oh, yeah… because there is widespread persecution in India, I won’t be sharing a lot of details. Just enough so that you’ll recognize this brother and sister when we reach eternity together!

E. C. and his wife have been reaching out as Pastor’s and evangelists for many years now. They have a wonderful ministry that has grown in the past year to include a school especially for extremely poor and needy children. One of these girls that has come to the school is seven year old Alka.

Alka is from a tribal group known as the Oraon. In the jungles of India, tribal groups are still very poor and are often ostracized from the rest of society. But not by the family of God! E. C. and his wife have been helping Alka (who now calls them Mommy and Daddy) and her family, and are providing her with an education that she may never have had!

By opening up their home and their hearts, they have given her a hope and a future!

And I’m learning to Love out loud!

On a completely different note, it gets HOT here in India! We are only feeling the beginning of the heat, so today I was asking a friend how they handle it in May when it becomes much worse?

His reply? The locals carry whole white onions under their armpits to, and I quote, “absorb the heat.” Should I try this? “It’s OK,” replied Mr. Mario, “but you may have cooked onions by the end of the day!” Ha!

Wait a minute though… freedom from the heat and a tasty snack? I might have to try this, there could be something there!

Hmmm… I’m sure to hear Autumn’s opinion about this one.

Still Climbing!

Jason

Friday, March 30, 2007

Fri, 30 Mar 2007 09:29:11 GMT

What an amazing trip! We’ve been to Mumbai (twice), Hyderabad (twice), Bangalore, Kolkata, and Ranchi… with a flight to Patna in about two hours!

Not much time to share, but here is a Pic on the streets of Calcuta… a kiss because I treated everyone here to a bottle of milk! An easy and better way to support those in need.

I’ll share more as soon as I get more than a 15 minute connection to the internet!

Thanks for praying!

Jason

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Sun, 25 Mar 2007 05:50:58 GMT

Hey!

Me and two street girls in Mumbai

I’m in India now, running all over the country (ten cities in fourteen days!) training people in a new outreach partnership with My Hope India! Over the course of two weeks we are training about 1600 people who will turn around and train about 100 families each to host kids for a Hope Giver (aka GodMan) movie showing to be broadcast nationwide on Easter Sunday! Each home is asked to invite at least ten kids over to watch the movie, after which they will give each child their own copy of the Book of Hope during a gospel presentation.

Have you done the math yet? This means that 161,600 homes at least (the trainers own homes plus their 100 additional homes) will be hosting ten kids for a minimum of 1.6 million children hearing the gospel in a clear and relevant message!!! Immediately they are in the homes of people who will be following up the ministry of the movie and books.

But wait, there’s more... don’t forget that everyone in India (1.2 billion people!) with access to a TV on Easter Sunday could possibly see the film as well!

What a great way to celebrate Easter... by crowding Heaven with new brothers and sisters!

So please remember to pray for this amazing outreach on Sunday, April 8:

That people will be bold in inviting friends and neighbors to join them in watching the film.
That those invited would feel welcomed by the family of God.
That we overcome any difficulties in mobilizing the 2 million books (across the country!) that we will be providing our partners for this outreach.
That we as a team (including all of our partner families) have Wisdom in everything that we do... So that we don’t get in the way of God doing even greater things than we might be imagining!

Thanks for continuing to partner with me and BOH as we bring the Hope of God’s Love to this generation.

And let’s try and crowd Heaven a little more each day!

Still Climbing,

Jason

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 16:15:39 GMT

So here I find myself in the rain forests of La Mosquitia (the Mosquito Coast) in northeastern Honduras, traveling off road in the open back of a Ford Ranger pick-up truck with five other Honduran ministers, at night, in the pouring rain!

Pastors Silver, Luceano and Julio with Walter and William

We are partially protected from the rain underneath a shockingly orange tarp, above which only our heads can be seen like five bobbing buoys on a sea of rolling orange waves.

Why are our heads exposed and not tucked under the protection of our tarp you ask? Because we have been traveling for the past five days without showers or baths, on a steady diet of rice and beans… and the smell that had collected under our orange barrier was, well, let’s just say that it was alive, malevolent and quite possibly deadly to small animals!

But of course, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. This was, after all, a perfect place for Book of Hope’s Extreme Teams!

Our vision is simple: to affect destiny by providing God’s Eternal Word to every youth and child in the world… including those who live far out at the extreme ends of the earth. And the Rio Patuca in La Mosquitia goes right by the Extreme End and back again!

Honduras literally means "depths" in Spanish. Columbus once wrote "Gracias a Dios que hemos salido de esas honduras" (Thanks to God we have come out from those depths) while along the northeastern “Mosquito Coast” of Honduras.

So to what depths did we travel? Let me paint a picture:

Upon arrival in the capital city of Telgucigalpa, we hopped into Walter’s car (our BOH Director in Honduras) for the two hour trip to the town of Danli. Accompanying us were Walter’s father Pastor Julio and our translator William.

At Danli we met Pastors Silver and Luceano, who work in the rainforests of northeastern Honduras. They had been working on the Rio Coco, but were now ready and willing to take on the Rio Patuca with Extreme Teams. They will be in charge of discipleship and follow up after our outreach to the Tawahka and Miskito peoples. So we jumped in the back of Silver’s Ford pick-up for the three hour, fifteen minute trip to the village of Neuvo Palestina.

Only the first half hour of this trip was on paved road.

After arriving in Neuvo Palestina, we had a wonderful dinner of rice and beans with a Pastor and his family and spent the night in their church. Results? Our first confirmed ministry opportunity for the teams that will be arriving later this summer. The next morning we bumped along for an hour on the path to our canoe launch on the Rio Patuca.

The site of the canoe launch was situated between a military outpost and a tiny restaurant at the edge of the river. After loading up all of our gear, we headed down river for the next 6 hours and 15 minutes, covering 72.5 miles. Along the way we stopped at various villages on the river’s edge, and set up ministry opportunities in small indigenous schools (averaging about 20 students each) as well as one church called “Tigre”! This area is inhabited by a people group known as the Tawahka… a group that has been largely missed in the history of missions in this area.

The Tiger church was amazing! It is one of the few evangelical churches in a jungle dominated by Moravan churches, and many people travel four or more hours to attend services there! Morava (this is the local, possibly Miskito name for this group) is a syncretism (blend) of Catholicism and Spiritism not unlike the Voodoo or Santeria worship that is seen in West Africa, Haiti, Cuba and the US. All told, we passed three evangelical churches compared to about a dozen Moravan ones… we hope to change that ratio.

After camping at a home on the top of an 80 foot riverbank, we awoke at 4am for an early breakfast and start on the river. So we climbed aboard our canoe to head into Moskito country and travel even further away from civilization fueled, of course, by our steady diet of rice and beans. During our 10 hour 45 minute journey we did make a stop at the village of Tukrun. Tukrun has about 400 residents (130 of them are kids) and only one church of 35 members. You should have seen the Pastor when we showed up and wanted to work with him! He immediately invited us in for, you guessed it, RICE and BEANS! We worked out a plan for distribution and showing the GodMan to the entire village when we return with the team. Finally, after traveling a total of 161.8 miles down river in two days, we arrived at our destination: Wampusirpi.

Wampusirpi is where we met Pastor Samuel. Pastor is renting a space in a local family’s home as a missionary. His own family lives two days travel away (two of his kids are in school) and so he spends one month in La Mosquitia and then returns home for as little as a weekend and as long as a month. He has just managed to obtain a piece of land in the village on which to build a church.

Pastors Silver, Luceano and Samuel with Me and Walter

We prayed over the site and asked God to prepare the hearts of those who would hear the message of hope and love. Then some really cool things happened: we went to the house church that he has started and had a time of worship and prayer with all ten or so of his church family! Then we all feasted together on rice and beans…

In Wampusirpi we were able to plan for distribution and GodMan showings in and around the settlement. But smack in the middle of the village (in sight of Pastor Samuel’s land, in fact) was the Moravan church. Please pray for continued favor in this and every village.

At 5:30am the next morning we scrambled on board our canoe and forged our way back up stream! Now for those keeping score, it took us approximately 17 hours to reach Wampusirpi… but against the current, we spent 23 hours and 45 minutes battling our way back. Another night on the river, and a few more stops to prepare ministry and we finally got back… to face a four hour drive to Danli, in the back of Silver’s truck! So now you know why this story started as it did.

Did I mention that we ate some rice and beans?

On the Rio Patuca!

Still climbing!

- For more pictures of this trip, visit my flickr site:

www.flickr.com/photos/extremeboh

Thursday, February 08, 2007

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 19:12:50 GMT

I want you to do me a favor...

No not a huge "support the missionary" type of favor. (although... ) I'm asking you to look at this list and choose to do no less than two of the specified tasks:

1 - Pinch yourself to insure that you are not dreaming...

2 - Make sure none of your Christian friends are missing. Therefore the rapture hasn't happened and this isn't a pernicious lie of the enemy... (Of course if your friend is here, does that really prove anything?)

3 - Make sure that FBI agents Mulder or Scully aren't knocking on the door investigation a Jason Hall X-file...

4 - Call the Geek Squad at Best Buy to make sure your computer isn't randomly posting false claims...

5 - Look for hidden cameras in your vicinity taping the latest "Candid Camera" or "Punk'd" episode...

6 - Watch MSNBC, FoxNews, or CNN for 15 minutes to see if there are any late-breaking news stories of aliens impersonating stocky American men who grew up in Germany...

7 - Pray that God confirms your sanity with signs and wonders...

If all things are determined normal, then you have to conclude that I am telling the truth when I say: She said "Yes"!

I'M ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED!!!

Whoa... I think you just sucked all of the oxygen out of the room! (And did I detect the sound of gagging somewhere?)

Yes, it's true... in a classic sneak attack, I leveled the question, and was rewarded with a response in the affirmative! (You may have guessed, but the description will be followed with quite a few Exclamation Marks!!)

Well, while it started a while back, (2 years acquaintance, 10 months dating, and as of the day of posting 4 days of engagement) I did purchase the ring in early December, 2006 while still in South Africa. I should mention that I have worked hard for the past two months to assure her that I still needed to look for a ring for her... little did she know that I was referring to the actual wedding band, and not the engagement ring.

But on Friday the 2nd of February, I announced to Autumn Marie Blakley that early (5:30am) the following Sunday (Yes Super Bowl Sunday, February 4th) I would be picking her up for a trip up North, and that she needed to wear her Sunday best. On her own, she decided that I meant we were going to drive North in Florida and visit our friends John and Brandi, and go to church with them! Not exactly...

So I picked her up... made sure that she changed into closed toe shoes (although I'll be the first to admit, her first choice was a lot cuter... just not as appropriate to the plan) had a coat and photo ID. Yes, we were going North. Way North! But not driving, I was flying us first class (Thank you Northwest Airlines Platinum Elite Frequent Flyer program!) to NEWARK, NEW JERSEY!!

That was a little bit of a let-down there wasn't it?

And that's exactly what Autumn asked... "What on earth are we going to do in Newark, NEW JERSEY?!?"

Good question... a riddle that was solved as we hopped in a Taxi and I announced our destination. "Central Park West, the Tavern on the Green restaurant!"

Brunch was the plan... we had Lobster Bisque, Crab Cakes, Eggs Benedict and Home Fries. Delicious!

So we walked through Central Park (it was about 26 degrees Fahrenheit out before the wind chill cut it down even colder, explaining the need for the coat and shoes!) past the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre and the Castle all the way to The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

The Met is really great, and on Sundays they often have interactive opportunities with artists, historians or staff that give you a unique hands-on experience. On this Sunday, there was a Chinese scroll painting demonstration in the Chinese Art section of the museum. Evidently, this is a 1600 year old art form, and I must admit, I am super curious!

After a demonstration/explanation, we were going to receive our own scrolls and have the chance to paint them for ourselves. Actually, I was planning to have the guy show me how to paint "I love you!" in Chinese characters (anyone know how to do that by the way?) and give it to Autumn... but they closed down the exhibit... and therefore the demonstration. Oh well, the best laid plans of mice and men...

So we toured the Met until it was time to hurry off to our next adventure at the Broadhurst Theatre... Les Misarables!!!

This was Autumn's favorite musical, but she had never seen it on Broadway. So we watched it from the fourth row off the stage, in the third and fourth seats off of the aisle!

Wow!

The show was brilliant! And we happily enjoyed it, standing up to applaud the actors as they gathered for their bows, until I noticed that we had barely seven minutes left before we had to catch the car that I had arranged to pick us up at the theatre... that didn't leave much time for...

We left and caught the vehicle just as it was giving up and pulling away!

We arrived at the airport with enough time to grab a quick dinner, watch a quarter of the Super Bowl plus Prince's halftime show, board our plane in it's first class cabin, and fly back to Fort Lauderdale Florida.

So... now, for those of you keeping track, we are heading back home, and I HAVEN'T PROPOSED!!!

So I'm racking my brain, and suffering from a few, "You should have done it earlier at the restaurant you dummy!" and "What were you thinking?!?!" When Autumn turned to me and asked, "Ummm... so, we just flew to New York City and back... just because?"

"Sure" I quickly responded, while mentally berating myself.

"Oh... ," she said, "Well it's been great!"

So we collected my car out of long-term parking, and started back, quickly detouring to head to the coast.

We went out to the end of a pier and I presented her with the letters that I had been carrying around all day.

You see, in December of 2003 I was in the jungle in Ecuador to set up the first Book of Hope Extreme Team. God was doing neat things in my life and speaking to my heart, and I decided it was time to write to my future wife and share my heart with her.

She read the letters... cried a little... and I dropped down on my knee and proposed.

Sigh...

And she said "yes"!

Thank you Lord!

Autumn in Central Park

Jason outside the Met

An Angolan welcome!

Mon, 11 Dec 2006 05:37:08 GMT

Here is a fun memory of being greeted outside of school in the The Middle Of Nowhere Angola! These kids don't know it yet, but they are about to recieve a gift that could change there lives forever!

You can see more videos of my three months in Africa in my video section of this xanga site.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Mon, 04 Dec 2006 04:25:28 GMT

Years ago I was given a gift of a strange new bit of technology. Something called a PDA… a personal assistant or something or other. (I know, everyone knows what these are today… but excuse me, I was a climber not a desk jockey.) I couldn’t figure it out on the first try and why read the manual, right? After all, I did have the gift giver right here in front of me.

“So… how exactly does this thing work?” I asked expectantly, looking to my friend to patiently explain the nuances of how to organize my schedule and check out the current time in Istanbul Turkey.

But instead he scrunched up his face, looked at me and with a confused expression said, “I don’t have a clue.”

Sometimes things that are new and shiny and expensive are the coolest gifts, but if they are incomprehensible to the user, then they tend to be useless paperweights. Something that you lose interest in after time and eventually donate to Goodwill for tax-deductible giving credit… at least that’s what I did.

I’ve noticed though that some of the most expensive things that I’ve seen are used objects, and not shiny new ones. Like Babe Ruth’s baseball bat. Tons better than a new Louisville Slugger, because it was used by the Great Bambino!

Or a Roman short sword carried by a nameless Legionnaire during Caesars campaigns in Gaul. No one will ever know the Legionnaire’s name, but his fallen sword is worth an honored place behind glass in a museum.

An antique piece of furniture is worth more because of its nicks and scratches. Because it has been used and has proven itself useful and lasting, it grows in value to be worth much more than the materials it is made of or the time taken to make it.

And in all of this, the value can be explained and quantified… because you know how useful it is.

We as the church have been given a gift. A gift of grace that is undeserved but incredibly valuable. We know how it works (well sort of, the whys are best left to theologians, but the how is easier… confess that Jesus is Lord, and believe that God raised him from the dead and you shall be saved.) and can pass on that gift to others. “How do I receive Jesus?” “Well let me tell you!”

We also have received freedom from the Law of sin and death.

Christ’s Grace doesn’t free us to sin without consequence, it free us to live in right standing with God. To live in kindness, peace and joy as fruit of the Spirit instead of reaping sorrow, pain and despair… and as His children, we can offer His freedom to a lost and dying world.

If you haven’t learned how to live in this freedom that God offers then what happens when the people you are witnessing to, discipling or fellowshipping with look expectantly at you and ask, “So… how exactly does this thing work?”

Your only answer is to scrunch up your face and with a confused expression say, “I don’t have a clue.”

But freedom can be explained even though it is not easily understood. It is letting go, releasing what has tied you down or held you back. Or it is allowing another to remove those barriers/bonds and to set you free. Remember, Christ has set us free. Freedom is possible because it has already happened... He made it happen on the cross.

Many times people object to receiving Christ by saying, “But then I have to stop fill in the blank. “ i.e. – Stop pleasing themselves.

And they are almost true!

You get to stop those things because you’re finally free to make a choice to the contrary. More choices don’t negate “fun”, they simply give you more options… very nice!

In Christ we are free so that sin no longer has control…

It is no longer our default setting… if Christ is in control. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom!

Learn to walk in it, live with it and revel in it! You have a choice… and the options are amazing!

And then share it with others…

MAKE SURE YOU READ PREVIOUS ENTRY FIRST!

Thu, 23 Nov 2006 12:28:30 GMT

November 20, 2006

What does a Land Rover, a Baptist Mission in Mozambique, Austria and a Doctorate in Physics have in common?

One thing: Günther Schwarzinger!

Austrian born, Baptist Missionary Dr. Günther Schwarzinger and his wife Doris have been in Macia Mozambique for the last four years building a Mission, life-skills classes, an orphanage and a Seminary!

But today he built a testimony!

After our Land Rover was baptized in a river a few days ago, we brought it to a mechanic to have the filters and oil changed, to empty any excess water in the lines and to be cleaned. After which, when given an “All’s clear!” from the mechanic, I ceremoniously turned the key and… !

Nothing.

Not a sound…

Not a grumble…

Not a whir…

Not a cough… nothing!

The reason? Our mechanic believed that when the cool waters of the river flooded over the hot engine, the arms that operated the pistons cracked or otherwise locked into place seizing the engine. There was nothing they could do for us 250km from the nearest city, so we towed the Defender back to our camp and prayed, worshipped and cried out to God for a solution.

Who knew that our solution would speak Portuguese, English and German!

As word went out through the family of believers here in Macia, one of our brothers in Christ Samuel (an assistant Pastor here in town) heard of our plight and called up Günther right away. With a PhD in Physics, Günther seemed the right man to examine our vehicle and officially pronounce it dead. A car coroner if you will.

After examining it for a while, removing this and peering into that, (I’m a whiz with engine parts as you can see… ) he calmly mentioned in the wise and patient voice that he has, “If we can turn the engine manually, then at least we know that it is not kaput!” (German for “really wrecked, broken and useless”… He and I had been speaking in German for a little while now except for anything identifying engine parts which I had him name in English. Not that I understood that any better… )

So we tried one, then another, and finally a third wrench to accomplish this to no avail. With options quickly running out, it was decided that we would put the vehicle into fifth gear and see if we could push it causing the wheels to rotate, which would in turn cause the engine to turn, shoving pistons to and fro and, well, I’m not really sure what else it might do.

Since a wall was about two meters immediately in front of us, we thought it best to push it backwards into the wide open field behind the Land Rover.

Grunting and heaving (whatever else can be said for Land Rover Defenders, they sure are heavy!) we finally managed to get it moving…

And the engine turned one full rotation!

Insert wild crowd noise, cheering and shouts of joy here! No it was not just in my head I am sure of it… we were just being very loud.

At this time we also noticed that water was being forced out of the engine block in spurts! Günther chuckled, “You must have had the Holy Spirit protection plan… had this engine tried to start with that water inside, ‘kaput’ would not be a strong enough word! He saved it!”

With new enthusiasm, we continued pushing the Defender until it threatened to run into a little thatched roofed hut that was used for a day care. (Note: At no time were any day care children or infants in danger during this exercise… they were all having lunch and cheering us on from a nearby dining facility!)

With no where else to go, it was decided that we should push it forward… brilliant!

Nope. The wheels forcibly stopped rotating within half a meter of where we began and refused to go anywhere further. More water needed to be forced from the engine before we could go that direction.

So in neutral we pushed it forward and then in fifth gear we pushed it back, expelling more water. Neutral… forward. Fifth… back. Another fountain. Forward. Back. A drizzle. F -> and <- B. Some drops. And so it was determined that another try at going forward in fifth gear was warranted.

And forward it went!

Insert uncontrollable applause, heartfelt shouts of God’s Goodness, and a few tears. (I welled up, but didn’t cry!)

“Alright then,” Günther pronounced. “Try and start it up!”

So I produced the key amidst much well-wishing and back slapping! Climbed in, inserted the key, turned it and… !

Nothing.

Not a sound…

Not a grumble…

Not a whir…

Not a cough… nothing!

Insert confused silence.

An immediate pow-wow went into session… which is odd because I thought pow-wows were created by Native Americans, but here I was in the middle of one in Mozambique… weird!

Conclusion: Maybe it would start if we pushed it.

Which left only the obvious problem of trying to push the Land Rover, through sand, with only four people… well, I never said we stopped praying!

That didn’t quite work out how we pictured it in our heads.

But we were able to hitch the Defender to the back of Günther’s truck and pull it!

And on the first try… Nothing.

Second try… still nothing.

Third… nada.

Fourth… nope.

Fifth… uh-uh.

Sixth… is that a little smoke?

And on the seventh try, the engine roared into life!

Cue the Heaven’s opening to admit an Angelic choir singing the Hallelujah chorus, the crushing of Satan’s head (The “Kids in the Hall” version of course… I crush your head!) and monkeys appearing out of nowhere, swinging from the trees and filling the air with monkey-cheers! (OK… maybe there were no monkeys. Monkeys just make me happy!)

And the Land Rover was working! (Basically, you do have to push-start it each time)

And God answered our prayers… in the form of a servant: Günther!

In the Bible we talk of “types” of Christ. Noah was a savior of mankind. Melchizedek was a Priest-King. Joseph and Moses were deliverers. All represent one or more of Christ’s attributes.

And today we have Günther… a humble servant and our deliverer.

Today, as we all as Christians should do everyday, he served selflessly, gave fully and glorifed God at every turn!

Thank you Günther!

And thank you Lord!

Jason

Monday, November 20, 2006

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 19:49:50 GMT

November 16, 2006

First of all… everyone is OK!

In fact, as we headed out this morning to cover the 150km trek into the boonies of southern Mozambique, our Land Rover was loaded down with about 3000 Books of Hope, but not Christine and Carol (both in Malawi) or Meghan and Elise (both needed to remain much closer to a toilet than the 150km would have allowed).

But if you’ve done your math, that does mean that Desirae and Carly joined me and our trove of books, along with Alfredo, Eduardo, Almicar and five other national volunteers, bringing our grand total of passengers up to a full to brimming eleven.

Now remember how this started: Everyone is OK.

Since it had down-poured just a few days before, it didn’t surprise us when, as we turned off of the paved road onto a dirt one, we quickly encountered puddles and then tributaries that flowed into small lakes… all locked inside the boundaries of our little dirt road.

Now why didn’t the water drain away? That would be due to the red clay that the road was constructed of…

Why red clay? Because it could hold back the river on the left side of the road!

Now, driving through knee-deep African mud is not for the faint of heart, and should never be attempted by anyone without as cool a vehicle as our Speed-the-Light Land Rover Defender! So of course we were ready for anything…

Ever have a bad day?

You don’t know where it came from or why it occurs, but it is childishly easy to identify once you are immersed in the middle of it. Do you know what I mean?

The only obvious way to safely negotiate the dual challenges of remaining mobile (not mired in mud) and on track (not turning around and finding another longer but dry route) was to wind left and right, following the tracks of vehicles previously able to accomplish both tasks.

Said vehicles were obviously not Defenders carrying eleven passengers and loaded down with 3000 books plus ministry gear… obviously!

This was most evident when, on a leftward bend, leaving us a full two feet from the edge, that entire side of the road (or river bank as some might call it) caved in and dropped us (sideways!) six feet into the river…

…and our Defender immediately filled with water (in just over three seconds, due to the opened windows)…

…and my seatbelt wouldn’t unbuckle because I was thrown against it…

…and as the water reached my face, my passenger climbed past me out the open driver’s window (it is an English car, the drivers seat is on the right). Which incited me to first to thank God that he got out, and second to pray that I could get free of my seatbelt in time to follow him…

…and then my more buoyant body allowed me to unfasten said belt and climb out myself…

…and stand on top of the vehicle to help everyone out of the windows and onto the shore…

…and then start diving for items lost in the car. (Like my cell phones, Ipods, Bibles, flashlights, vehicle documents, etc. Most were destroyed or unaccounted for.)

Everyone got out safely! And expressed thanks to God for his deliverance.

And then checked our cell phones (the few that worked… my stateside phone is forever lost in the bottom of that river!) to find that we had no reception that far out in the bush!

So, as I climbed back into the overturned vehicle to continue to probe its submerged depths for any items of value, some of our national friends started walking into town to try and find help. Why didn’t I go? Did I mention that the national language of Mozambique is Portuguese?

So, people were phoned, help was arranged in the form of some local farmers who brought out one, then two and finally three tractors to pull us out with, and a plan (which was quickly changed, and then changed again) was put into motion.

As I turned a beautiful shade of lobster red in the sun… I know it was lobster because, having not eaten all day, it made me quite hungry!

And I contemplated how at any other time, place or circumstance, the river that we were in would make for a great lazy day float on an inner-tube. Oh and with a glass of ice-cold… lemonade in hand!

As we watched the efforts continue, (my job was mostly calling out instructions vainly in English, and digging out the river back [or clay road] in order to make room for the Land Rover to escape the clutches of the river) I did talk to Fernando (our National Director who drove out in response to the earlier calls for help) about the circumstances of the day.

He said that while he was driving out to find us, the young lady that is helping us with our food preparation told him of a dream that she had just last night. In the dream she saw the enemy (my first guess was Satan, but I could have been easily convinced that it was this accursed sun beating down on us!! It’s OK… I got out of the sun.) trying to push us into a river to get us off course!

What!?

To echo the words of Fernando, and I quote: “Why didn’t you tell us this morning!”

But whether we chalk this up to Spiritual Warfare or to God trying to teach us something, I remain faithfully relying on God who gives and takes away.

But the story doesn’t end there…

Sometime during the activity surrounding the Defender, the remaining cell phones of our volunteers were stolen from where they were sitting in the sun trying to dry off.

So the guys went into town to follow the thieves and try and locate the phones. Surprisingly, the thief was hanging out in front of a home with some family and friends, as calm as could be.

The guys confronted the thief, who gave the phones back, and then they went on to say that God loved him and wanted to provide a better way of life for everyone!

“In fact our friend Jason was once a thief, and now look at how God is blessing him!” (With the obvious Land Rover-stranded-sideways-in-the-nearby-river-incident overlooked!)

The thief and all eight of his friends prayed that Jesus would be their Lord and Savior right on the spot!

Ever had a bad day?

This turned out to be one of the better bad days that I’ve ever had!

- The Defender has been freed and once we change the oil and filters, we hope to have it working properly. Though there is a good chance that the engine seized, the only things obviously wrong at this time is one window that was forced from its seal, and a waterlogged CD player. (Please pray!)

- We made some new friends and cemented relationships with our brothers and sisters here in Mozambique. (Pray that they are encouraged as we have persevered!)

- We saw God’s Love become real in the life of nine people! (Pray that they become grounded and discipled in their local church!)

- I learned that I can react in intense situations without panic, and everyone was safe! (Pray that as we are faithful in these little things, we will be faithful to much more that God has in store for us!)

- And as for the growing list of things lost/stolen/broken during this trip, I am reminded that we come naked into this world and naked we shall leave it! (But many of these things are ministry items that desperately need to be replaced… pray please!)

- And I lost two belt sizes over the course of the day! (Although I am sure that this is mostly due to the fact that I was diving for buried treasures for the better part of two hours and my belt, being leather, was saturated and stretched a bit. But one can hope!)

As we returned home to the camp that we were staying at, we found that Meghan and Elise had been praying intensely for us for the four hours that surrounded our incident. Fifteen minutes before the collapse, God impressed Meghan to read Psalm 91 for us, and that guided their prayer. Read it sometime… I especially like verses 14 – 16 which read:

The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.

I will protect those who trust in my name.

When they call on me, I will answer.

I will be with them in trouble.

I will rescue them and honor them.

I will satisfy them with long life

And give them my salvation.”

God started by rescuing us and protecting us from serious injury. But the day ended as He sent His salvation…

And everyone is OK… for eternity!

Thank God!

Jason

PS. This all occurred at 8:45am (local Mozambique time) on the 16^th of November, 2006. (That is 1:45am on the East Coast and 10:45pm on the 15^th on the West Coast.) Anyone inexplicably up and praying for us at that time? We would love to hear about it!

Here are two photos of the Land Rover taken from a cell phone three plus hours after the plunge. The Defender has been moved about ten feet forwards and four feet up out of the river. From the back, the water covered the spare tire, and from the front just the snorkel and a small corner of the front windshield. In fact you can see chains from the two tractors that have gotten it this far.