DRCongo Photos Here

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Where is the Journey Going?

Big question there.. Where is the Journey Going?

Wouldn't it be amazing if any of us could answer a question like that for ourselves? Oh, I'm headed to this and going to be just like this and have these things and do this with my life. Just after I write that, I begin thinking about how lame that would be. What would I/you do with ourselves if we knew everything before we got there.

I've felt a comfort and to be honest, a security in who I am lately. I am getting a sense of who God has created me to be and for what purpose. I don't think I am responding to anything that God isn't calling us all to be a part of, but I do feel that I am sensing the Spirit of God around me and guiding me towards it.

God is calling us to be better people by loving someone else more than ourselves. I get overwhelmed daily by the amount of people that suffer because I or we don't help them. Maybe we don't help because we don't have thousands of dollars in our pocket to donate or even know how best to help. But, I don't think that that is what it's about. It's for me to say I don't know how to fix that but I'll find someone that can and by doing so, commit to someone else.

I know my blogs probably sound a lot alike, but it's part of the journey right now. I can't get over it and I'm in journey for myself to get this concept.

I have to help first and foremost...

The Journey is good

Hello Again

Hello friends..

Sorry for such a delay. Life has been hectic with NLFW and getting prepared for Congo.

You can get up to speed at these links if you choose.

www.atthelink.com
www.allaboardthehtrain.com

It's been an overwhelming in I guess a good way couple of weeks with the new pressures that face me at NLFW and the work I'm attempting to get done. Never thought I would become a social worker but it's what's happening. I guess we all should be social workers because we're all dealing with people everyday and I believe the world would be a little bit better if we all make efforts of understanding the factors facing each others lives.

We've got to acknowledge that we can't, no matter how hard we try get away from "people." Unless you're willing to move to some remote place in the world and live off the land by yourself forever. How amazing that sounds and how meaningless and lonely you would be.

I don't know where the journey is going..

Africa Team

Here is the team from FMC that will be headed to DR Congo in July/August

Gwen
Andrew & Michelle
Clint & Emily
Tony & Megan
Cheryl
Lisa
Rena & Furquah

Super stoked!

Africa Finalized

Africa is finally finalized for Michelle and I.

We'll be departing on July 27th and returning on August 7th.

We're really excited for the opportunity and can't completely comprehend what the experience will be like, but that's a good thing.

Africa Update

Michelle and I were invited to be included in the next couple of trips to the Congo through our church's Project 58 campaign. Project 58 is the name given to our long term commitment to World Relief and to Congo. 58 is a reference to Isaiah 58..

We were asked to go in June and then lead another trip within a year. The hope is that our church can begin pouring in and support the efforts made by young adults and/or couples that would add stability to the project and provide leadership on future trips. We're all about this idea. The first trip is in June and the second would be in August and then again potentially in February.

Well, we committed to the trip in June with our friends Joe and Steph only. Then I was to co-lead with another staff person from our church in August for a group size of 10. Michelle just wouldn't be able to take that much time off with so little time in between. But I could do to the nature of my work.

This has been shaking down for a month or so now and the nature of short term trips are always changing. So, there has been some wrinkles.

The second trip has been coming together despite a later start than desired and the high cost of airfare. $3000 per ticket round trip, crazy!! Late last week we found out that all the exiting flights from Kigali Rwanda are sold out for over a week straight during our trip and when we were planning on leaving. So, the trip is getting moved into July a few weeks.

This puts a pinch on me and my job. 4 weeks in between trips was pushing it, but now only 2-3 weeks is making two trips impossible. Not sure what is all going to shake out, but got to make a decision soon..

Keep you posted.. journey has many bumps

Service Day Saturday

This Saturday we're partnering with Blackhawk Ministries to launch into the NE community of Fort Wayne to meet the needs of a handful of individuals requesting help.

I'm stoked about this because we really could see a lot of momentum in the NE quadrant due to a few churches really embracing serving their community.

What could this look like? Let's see, at least one initiative each month that could include 3 churches and their members reaching out to those in need. It could even look like a few churches each weekend organizing service projects.

Think what could happen if the majority of the churches in the NE quadrant decided to collaborate and meet major needs in their areas. Each church decides to get outside of their walls, meet the felt needs, and take their message of hope with them.

Join us this Saturday...

Blackhawk Ministries - NE Fort Wayne

andrew@nlfw.org if interested

Good Spot

I'm in a great spot as ED of the organization I work for. We are volunteer based organization that seeks out agencies dealing with social issues and needs and operate a website that volunteers can connect to those needs. I say that I'm in a great spot because I don't have to worry day to day about having the funding to continue operation due to a great board of directors.

On the other hand, I am constantly trying to fight and fix things that I see that are broken but in reality maybe aren't. We get lots of projects that our group of volunteers cannot do on a given weekend or due to financial resources not being available. But, we get a lot of projects that can be completed and do get completed. I find myself in the tension of wanting to push forward at my own pace and not the pace of God. In the balance of living in my own strength and not in the strength of the Spirit in which I desperately need to complete the type of work I am attempting.

The people in need need God's grace and mercy and for Him to provide. I need God to provide daily and the organization needs God's intervention to solve bigger issues. Faith can be such a fine line, especially when we have skills and resources. In matters of physicality, we can do so much without Christ at times...almost too much.

The Journey keeps getting longer...

Pictures of last Week...

Pictures from the past week taken by my phone. It was a great week long celebration

Happy 2-7 to me I guess

Today is the day I was born 27 years ago… and yes… you get to walk like an Egyptian on your birthday. Bringing you a little vintage Andrew here.

I’m usually not really all that big on birthdays, but Michelle makes celebrations awesome. What a great wife! We’ll have to keep you posted on the festivities and events of the day.

A trip to the doctor is in the plans.. excitement is brewing

House pt 2

So, the house thing didn't work out. There were just too many unknowns with the deal and the risks were high. Unfortunately, we'll wait.

HOUSE

Michelle and I have been looking for a house in a neighborhood that is meaningful to us for many reasons. Many of you that know us, know that our desire is to live somewhere we can embrace community and attempt to live out ideas of community development and allow God to transform us through that process.

We've looked at many houses over the past year in this neighborhood. The one you see above is the most recent house. We looked at this house towards the end of February. This house is what they call a "short sale" type house and is scheduled to go to sheriff's sale on Thursday. We've made a couple of offers only to be turned down by the bank... UNTIL Today.. The bank called the listing agent who called our agent and said that we could have the house for a price that's quite a bit less than the listing price but more than we offered the last time.

We believe it's still a pretty good deal, but we're not extremely sure. We've been praying for this neighborhood and for something to come along, but as you may know, when a decision like this comes along, you can't get enough assurance.

Please think and pray for us on this.. We'll keep you posted. Decision time is tonight!!

Let me tell you a story about my wife

She loves with an unselfish love. She loves children that sometimes have no one else to love them. The children have been ravaged by diseases outside of their control. The kids she loves didn't choose cancer. They didn't choose sickle cell anemia. They didn't choose cystic fibrosis. They didn't choose abusive or neglecting parents.

Sometimes these children have parents that are laying their entire lives and families on the line for their sick child. Going so far in debt that they couldn't even dream of escaping it. Their families are inevitably broken due to the stress a child with cancer places on them. These families are many times left to suffer on their own. No support groups, churches, close friends to journey with them. They are left questioning the God they know or the God that is supposed to save them from all bad things. Regardless of whether or not they know this God, they are left questioning why them, why their child?

More times than you would like to know, you have families that neglect their children through these diseases. They drop their child off at the hospital for a week and only come to visit when it's time to pick them up. They don't monitor their medicines or diets and wonder why their kid is attempting suicide. They wonder why their child is getting in trouble with the law and doesn't care about anything, even living and beating their disease.

My wife is passionate woman that cannot let children suffer alone. She will fight for their lives and fight alongside the parents ready to fight by equipping them with the tools and resources to succeed. She will love these children, she will hold these children, she will cry for these children, she will laugh with these children, she will make the little girls princesses, and she will make the little boys meet their heroes. She will live vibrantly with them and she will be hurt when they hurt.

She shows me more of what Christ's unconditional love looks like for us than anyone else I know. I want to be more like my wife.

First Race

I entered my first mountain bike race yesterday. It's been a long time since I raced anything. My family owned a Honda motorcycle dealership growing up, so I've been riding and racing on two wheels for a long time, but not since early college. I decided last summer that I needed to reconnect to the woods and mountain biking would be the connection.

So, yesterday was the day that I would try racing again. I knew going in that I was not going to be stiff competition for anyone and it was more about overcoming my anxiety to be competitive. The race format was a time trial which is a one lap race as fast as you can go of the given track. This race was held at Winona Lake in Warsaw which is home to a 10-mile loop. I think about 40 people showed to race yesterday. There are the really fast guys, the average guys, and then the beginners like me. There were even a handful of women that raced.

Finally the results... I finished, no wrecks, I had fun, I surprised myself, and Michelle and I met new people. I finished the 10-mile loop in 1:01 and the fastest time was 37 minutes. I have a long way to go to be super competitive.

I look forward to the next race...

Post High Group

Michelle and I had the opportunity to share our stories this past Saturday with a group of post high students looking for guidance and a place to have a conversation about how to be change to a world they are becoming angst about. We were able to share about how the last few years for us has been a whirlwind of life change and growing increasingly aware of the social issues of our city and our world. How I transitioned from a career of marketing to a career of helping people find solutions to their needs. And, how Michelle works with families that have so much going on in their lives with a sick children and a whole lot of other social issues.

We're not sure that we are all that compelling, but believe God is wrecking our lives on purpose so we become more about others and less about ourselves. It's good to see young adults come together and dialogue together about social change...and more importantly get together and talk about how they need to change the way they live their lives to be a part of the solution.

Personal transformation is at the core of it all. Living in the tension of our need to change and living in the tension of felt needs is crucial to our discipleship in Christ.

To a tension filled journey....

Time Warp

So, since I work out of my home, I spend a lot of time in coffee shops. If you are from Fort Wayne, then you know the coffee shop brand of stores called Aspen. Aspen had a lodge type feel to the stores. Light & dark woods, brown leather furniture, etc.. Typical coffee shop feel with a slight Lodge feel.

Well, Aspen recently sold to Espresso Gallery, another local coffee shop franchise. Obviously they needed to update the space to fit their brand of shop and the look they desired. The above picture shows the new look.

It looks like they time warped, but I'm not sure which direction they went. Into the future or back to the past... Good idea, maybe.. maybe just poor execution. I'm not sure and totally realize this is my own opinion and won't be held by all.

If your journey needs a coffee break, stop by and decide for yourself.

Bike Commuting...Kinda

So...I'll be honest and say that I drive a Land Rover. It's pretty amazing. Everything that I could want in a vehicle and it does more than any average human being needs a vehicle to do...BUT if you ever find yourself in the Sahara Dessert or in the traversing the back county in Colorado, you have the correct ride to do so.. Plus it's got a sweet name, Clifford.

If I'm even more honest, I'll admit it's not the most logical vehicle one should drive or spend their money on. It's extravagant and maybe not the wisest purchase I've ever made even though I love it, it's useful for us, and we don't have any interest in getting rid of it. We hope to drive the wheels off of it as most people try to say. If you have known me in the past, vehicles are a weakness.

Anyway.. even though the vehicle is a major contributor to global warming and my carbon footprint and even probably the cause for the gas prices due to the massive amounts of fuel "Clifford" needs, my wife Michelle and I are doing a little more everyday to reduce our effect on the environment. Recycling, renewable resources & daily goods, and the new option, commuting via bike...kinda. Making responsibly decisions to have a positive effect are hard and require constant questioning.

I recently took post close to downtown Ft Wayne on South Calhoun and have decided that in an effort to be more green and to be healthier, that driving to my work post and then commuting around town will be my first step towards these goals. I frequently have meetings or lunches downtown which is just a short ride. My hope is that I will gain the courage to ride the bus from my apartment with my bike to the office and then be totally dependent on the bike and bus. Baby steps.. Navigating the Citilink system seems crazy. The other major factor is the "sweat" factor. Come 80 degree temperatures, comes a new dilemma that follows large guys like me. I'm not too sure my meetings will appreciate a sweaty guy.

So, if you are interested in joining the bikes & buses challenge or want to keep me accountable, just let me know.

Here is to journeys via bikes & buses -

It's About Time

Sorry for the sideway picture, but couldn't figure out how to rotate it in this blogging system. Anyway, just a picture to highlight my new addiction to mountain biking. The trails were beginning to dry out early this week which lead to three good rides. Unfortunately, it's rained again and is in the forecast for the next few days which slows the progress.

I am realizing that mountain biking is difficult. It's like riding a bike through sand at times and like constant sprinting when you hit a hill. I'm glad I have a lot of experience riding trails from my dirt bike years growing up. I upgraded to clip in pedals in which your shoes actually click into your pedals and become attached for those unaware of serious biking. So far it's not as difficult or scary as I was anticipating, but I'm sure I'm in for an epic crash in which I can't get my feet unattached soon enough.

So, anyone that wants to begin riding, let me know. I'm hoping to ride 4-5 times a week or more. We'll see though.

Not Sure What To Think

Friday night I get a call from a like named individual that doubles as a great friend about some recent tickets to see Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds play acoustically at Assembly Hall on IU's campus on behalf of Barak Obama's campaign. It was a rally to get young college kids to at least register to vote as today is the last day to register in the state if Indiana.

I said it sounds amazing. Dave & Tim acoustic, and part of a political campaign at a major US college campus. I think I'd like to see something like that and just take in the event. Well, the tickets were free to most, but it took some cash to get ours, no biggy, kinda expected. It's a general admission show, which means getting in line way too many hours early just to get a couple of good seats. A free general admission show that includes Dave Matthews and a college campus recently rated to the top party college in the US just means another reason to camp out the night before in line and party nonstop until the show begins. You see a little bit of everything, including a table and chairs in the middle of the line hosting some cards.

Needless to say, most students were way past normal and in full "good times" mode. To say students were there because of their political interest in support of Obama would just not be true except for a small percentage, and those were the student volunteers. As my friend Andrew mentioned, the students of IU are NOT in support of Obama's environmental policy as they leave their trash strewn throughout the place.

In my most optimistic state I believe the youth of this country are the future and the change makers, but my hope took a major blow yesterday. To see the lawlessness and blatant lack of respect for each other and themselves was sad to see. So, the concert and event's purpose was amazing, but not sure if it was worth 4.5hrs of waiting including 5hrs of round trip travel. I'm glad it was the nicest day of the year!

What's Right?

Had a good morning in a place I need to spend more time. A place where Christ following individuals are trying to help people, but in a way that forces the recipient to be part of the solution. A place where the leadership holds people accountable to the assistance they are seeking. A place I think a lot of people providing assistance to people need to serve.

For example. If you are requesting financial assistance for an electric bill due to not having a job. Not only must you provide you bill, ID, financial records, you must answer a handful of other questions. They check to see if there are any warrants out for your arrest and also IndianaUnclaimed.com to see if you have any money out there waiting for you to claim. Say you owe $500. They review all the info they've collected and may decide they will provide $125 towards that bill, in which they will write directly to the service provider. Before you get that cash, depending on your situation, you must come up with the rest of the funds to completely pay the bill somehow, attend at least one church session at a church of your choice, complete two bible studies just to get the person in the word at their home, look for a job in at least 10 places, and do all this within 2-weeks. You have to do all this prior to them writing the check. So, it makes you really work for the assistance. I felt like everything they were asking of someone was within a healthy boundary.

As I interact with more people in need and wrestle with thoughts on community development and understand more of who Christ is calling us to be, I need more situations like this to operate in. I quickly realize that I need to be in situations where I interact with those in need more often to know what is the right or the wrong thing to do. I can't continue operating out of my safe, comfortable area and feel confident that I know what's best. What I think is best, is typically jaded and best for me, not them.

Think about that you as you journey this week.. Are you spending time in the margins.