Underlining

So I'm below the equator right now. Neat eh? I'll be here in Kenya until Saturday morning when I take the 5 hour flight to Nigeria. I'm staying at the Methodist Guest House (oddly, their Bibles are Gideon) in Nairobi. This doesn't really feel like Africa though. I'm sitting on a third floor balcony in low 20 degree temperatures, overlooking two large pools. You'd think I was at a resort with the cleaning ladies, meal rooms and the TV in my room.

*Sidenote - couches belong on balconies. I'm pretty sure that's what they were made for, we've just forgotten.*

The trip here was long, but I managed to doze for most of the second flight (save for my neighbour's bladder acting up every hour). I also dozed off in the Amsterdam airport, which has super cozy seats. This is where I found out I cannot trust iPod alarms. Getting my Kenyan visa was a LOT easier than my Nigerian one. All it took was $50 US and a hour wait. To those that don't know, my Nigerian visa took $120 US, an online application, several letters, passport photos, a police check, several letters, documents, phonecalls, and finally a last-minute drive to Ottawa.

I was picked up at the airport by someone holding a sign with my name on it. So that life-goal is now crossed off my list. I mentioned to my taxi driver how I regretted being in Kenya but not being able to see the wild animals. She told me there is a park 30 minutes from where I'd be staying, so I'm debating checking that out later today. It'd be pretty sweet. My workshops/training begin tomorrow, so until then I'm just going to be hanging out, relaxing and getting caught up on jetlag (8 hour difference here).

Ahhh!!

I'm leaving ridiculously soon!

Well, maybe. If I get my visa in the next few days (which I'm praying I do) I will be heading out on Sunday for Nairobi. Nairobi for a a few days, then Nigeria!!

Sunday is only a few days away...

yikes!

Friends of Africa fundraiser

Hey everyone! Been quite a while since I've posted, but here I go!!

I've got a fundraiser in the works! It's posted on Facebook, for those of you with that technology. For those of you without it, I recommend you get it. If you're someone who refuses to 'conform' to this 'impersonal method of communication', or just doesn't understand the internets enough to create a face for your book, I'll fill you in on some of the details! I've just copied most of this straight off of Facebook, to satisfy my laziness...

Where: Collin's Brewhouse, 33 King W. in Dundas.
When: February 13, 8pm.

Come on down to Dundas to get Trevor out of Canada!!

This is going to be an epic night you don't want to miss.

Have a blast and support an incredible organization! I volunteered at a HIV/AIDS organization in Nigeria last year. They've asked me to come back for almost 2 years. Surprisingly, AIDS work isn't a high-paying industry, so I need to raise all my own expenses to live in Africa for 2 years! Help me out and have a great time doing it!

Live music performed by the awesome guys of Miasmata

Hundreds of dollars of silent auction/draw and prizes!

• $120 at Swiss Chalet!
• $110 for a facial and makeup at Caryl Baker Visage!
• $30 for the Firkin Pub!
• $25 at East Side Mario's!
• $25 at Philthy McNasty's!
• Dozens of books from Coles!
• Video games!
• My entire CD collection!
• Hand-made African items!

Also:

• Pool tournament and prize.
• 50/50 Draw.
• Photography for sale.
• and more!!

Join in on a great night of friends, food, fun and fundraising! All this, for only a $10 cover!!


So yeah, that's my fundraiser, it's going to be pretty sweet. Marley, a friend of mine, is helping out a ton. There is NO way I'd be able to have done half of this organizing with out her. You rock Mar!

So, come on out and have fun!

As for news, I've just heard that the training I'll be taking in Nigeria is going to be from March 4-6. So I probably need to be there before that... Now all I'm waiting for is the rest of the funds to come in!

That's all for now! Next post hopefully won't take so long.

A tad behind on my reading...

So, after buying another pile of books, I thought I'd put together all the books I have that I've yet had time to read or have yet to finish. This is the result:

1. The Prayer of Jabez, Bruce Wilkinson
2. Great Expectations, Charles Dickens (reading)
3. Wild at Heart, John Eldridge
4. Captivating, John and Stacy Eldridge (It came WITH Wild at Heart, okay??)
5. Yours, Jack, CS Lewis
6. The Similrillion, JRR Tolkien
7. Misquoting Truth, Timothy Paul Jones
8. Life Changes (Romans)
9. Announcing the Kingdom, Arthur F Glassen
10. Wuthering Hights, Emily Bronte
11. The Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum
12. A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens
13. The Digital Photography Manual
14. The Divine Conspiracy, Dallas Willard
15. U2 by U2
16. The Sacred Echo, Margaret Feinberg
17. The Pelican Brief, John Grisham
18. A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23, W Phillip Keller (reading)
19. The Vampire Lestat, Anne Rice
20. Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela (reading)
21. How to get ready for short-term missions, Anne-Geri Fann
22. Through Painted Deserts, Donald Miller
23. Trek!, Claes Grundsten
24. One, Vaden Earl
25. Dune, Frank Herbert
26. The Betrayal of Africa, Gerald Caplan
27. The Pillars of the Earth, Ken Follet
28. Operation World
29. The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas
30. Harpercollins Bible Commentary
31. The Shack, William P Young (reading)
32. A Long Way Gone, Ishmael Beah
33. In Quest of Jesus, W Barnes Tatum
34. God in the Alley, Greg Paul
35. Bono, Michka Assayas
36. The Reentry Team, Neal Pirolo
37. Stuff White People Like, Christian Lander
38. The Messenger, the Message, the Community, Roland Muller
39. The Kingdom of God in the Teaching of Jesus, Mark Saucy
40. The Heavenly Man, Brother Yun
41. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Robert M Pirsig (not in the picture and I've technically read it before)

That's a total of 41 books, 4 that I'm reading now, the rest... hopefully sometime.

yikes...

My place in this world - Michael W. Smith

The wind is moving
But I am standing still
A life of pages
Waiting to be filled

A heart that's hopeful
A head that's full of dreams
But this becoming
Is harder than it seems

Feels like I'm
Looking for a reason
Roamin' through the night to find
My place in this world
My place in this world
Not a lot to lean on
I need your light to help me find
My place in this world
My place in this world

If there are millions
Down on their knees
Among the many
Can you still hear me

Hear me asking
Where do I belong?
Is there a vision
That I can call my own?

Show me, I'm
Looking for a reason
Roamin' through the night to find
My place in this world
My place in this world
Not a lot to lean on
I need your light to help me find
My place in this world
My place in this world

Lookin' for a reason
Roamin' through the night to find
My place in this world
My place in this world
Not a lot to lean on
I need your light to help me find
My place in this world
My place in this world

Lookin' for a reason
Roamin' through the night to find
My place in this world
My place in this world

I'm pretty sure this is irony...

My Grandpa can't find his GPS.

Irony, yes?

more than touché

Saw a comic strip with this as the dialogue at the CRWRF delegates meeting on Saturday:

"Sometimes I'd like to ask God why He allows poverty, famine, and injustice in the world when He could do something about it."

"Why don't you?"

"I'm afraid He might ask me the same thing."