A new word, a new adventure....
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Wednesday, 02 September 09 - 04:40 PM (GMT) By Chad Holtz in Missions |
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I learned a new word today: Herpetologist - so, any time I feel the urge to complain about my job, I'll just thank the good Lord that I'm not a Herpetologist. In case you are wondering, if I understand correctly, it's a specialty within zoology that deals with snakes and reptiles and other various creepy crawlies......ahhhhh....my skin crawls just thinking about it!!! I might be the worlds biggest Anti-Herpetologist. Ok, you animal lovers - I know all about the supposed benefits of snakes, but if I never see one ever again, I'll be just fine. However, the more adventurous my mission trips get, the more likely I am to run into them....ugh.
Big news! My family (me, wifey, 2 kids) have signed up for a new adventure! Oldest is a senior in high school and just got his acceptance letter to ISU (yeah!). So, I want to do some new adventure as a family before he leaves for college. I was talking to them about a mission trip to New Mexico in June right after graduation. Even offering to extend the trip and do the Grand Canyon, etc, etc. Wasn't feeling the excitement. Now, I have the privilege of being on the Mission Board at our Church, so I'm pretty familiar with all the missions coming up. On Sunday, a family that has decided to pack it all up and change their life forever by becoming the directors of a special needs orphanage in the mountains of Jamaica was introduced to the congregation. Now, I'd met them a few times through the mission board but didn't think too much of it. As I heard the pastor talking about the special needs of the kids in this orphanage, my brain started working (usually a scary moment for my wife).
Random thoughts in my head - my wife works with special needs kids at the school every day. She even had a special needs child in our home when she ran a daycare. Hmmm...check that off - good fit. Oldest is going to ISU for Physical Therapy, Sports Medicine, etc - just so happens that is what Joel did for a living before accepting this call. Hmmm...check that off - good fit. Youngest is very used to playing with special needs kids and could keep them entertained and laughing for hours. Hmmmm....check that off - good fit. Me - I'm nothing special at all, but we found out they have a carpetball table in need of repair and may like a second one built - which I've done before - and many many special projects, repairs, etc around the orphanage, which I've been getting better at with all my mission trips and Habitat for Humanity work. Hmmmmm.....good fit. Everyone in the family has some value to add. Coincidence? Are you kidding me - no way.
So, we signed up. We'll spend a week living onsite at the orphanage and helping in any way we can. Anyone that knows her want to make any bets on how hard it will be to get my wife to leave when it's time to come home??
What an adventure. I'm so excited to do another mission trip - but this time with our kids too. Wow. Humbling. Can't wait.
You can find more info at these two sites: http://www.robinsnestchildrenshome.org/ http://www.jamaicanadifference.blogspot.com/
I owe Mark royalties...
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Friday, 31 July 09 - 02:44 PM (GMT) By Chad Holtz in Missions |
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Yep, I'm going to do it again. Mark is doing such a great job recounting the South Africa stories that I'm not going to try to top it and refer you to his blog....again....I think I owe him some royalty checks (vision of Jerry Seinfeld signing hundreds of checks for 80cents each from Japanese royalties - ha!)
Here's the latest - more of some of the "fun" stories and non-"work" side of the trip, but still an important part. http://lostiniowa-markymark.blogspot.com/2009/07/misc-africa.html
Point of order, however, I would like to correct a severe mis-statement in Mark's latest recap - it is not true whatsoever that "it happened a lot" that I wasn't looking at the road, therefore causing us to bottom out frequently!! Although I don't dispute the bottoming out part - we were in and old van (called the "Kombi") that had about 6 inches (maybe) of clearance, driving on a mountain "road" with 8 inch boulders everyone and a center crown in the road that was about 10 inches higher than the tire grooves. And, oh yeah, just for fun - we had anywhere from 8-11 people in said Kombi.
A little background - the first time we ever made the trek up the mountain, I think it was about midnight local time, after flying 20+ hrs and driving another 4 to get there. The next morning Brad (our Missions director) says "You think you can drive that Kombi?" Keep in mind, this is South Africa - the steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car and you have to shift (all manual transmissions) with your left hand and the Kombi had a questionable clutch. So, I said, "SURE!" Dr. Blessman than says "You think you can find your way back up the mountain to camp?" Keep in mind, we had made the drive exactly 1 time, in the middle of the night, in a severely jet-lagged state of mind. So, I said, "SURE!" (hey, I'm always up for a little adventure). They then proceed to hand me the keys and say "Congratulations, you're the Kombi driver for the week"....ha! But it was a heckuva lot of fun, I have to admit. Mark's right, some of the best laughter of the whole trip happened on those Kombi rides up/down the mountain to "Amani Camp".
But....where are all the jokey-jokemakers when this happened????
That's right - that's me and Brad changing a flat tire on the Kombi, late at night, while everyone else waited inside.
And not only was I the Kombi driver, pit crew/tire changer, I was so much more, even cooking up some eggs for everyone for breakfast:
So, there you go - Mark's recount is awesome, and hilarious, with just a few additions and clarifications by me. But I must say, Mark was a good window wiper and rightfully earned his title of "Johnny Goggles" for game spotting.
Why bother? And, I'm a zero? Change your life.
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Thursday, 23 July 09 - 05:11 PM (GMT) By Chad Holtz in Missions |
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I hate to keep doing this, but Mark is doing such a fantastic job on his blog of recapping our trip, experiences and pictures, I just feel the need to keep directing people there vs trying to re-do it here. Click here. Sorry Mark.... 
While we were in South Africa, Coke Zero seemed to be in more abundance than Coca-Cola Light (the name for Diet Coke in many other countries). Most you know that I am somewhat addicted to Diet Coke and have talked many times about "giving it up" - I spend a lot of time, effort (and money!) trying to be healthy, but that's one vice I can't seem to shake. So, I'm giving up the charade that I might actually stop drinking it - ha! So, I drank a lot of Coke Zero in Africa. After extensive, in-depth research (read as - hold the two cans side by side to compare ingredients, and then spend 5 mins on Google) - I've deteremine that ingredients, calories, sugar are nearly identical and just mixed in different proportions to give it a different taste. So, I'm a little bit hooked on Coke Zero right now. I don't think it's sustainable, and I'll likely revert to my old friend Diet Coke, but it's a nice change of pace.
Finally, you know I'm a big fan of Biggest Loser, and, if given the chance would love to help people change their lives that like. If you are in Des Moines, Iowa, or within driving distance, check this out: http://www.whotv.com/community/who-story-2009-biggest-loser-comingtodesmoines,0,5241131.story
I'm back!
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Monday, 20 July 09 - 09:04 PM (GMT) By Chad Holtz in Missions |
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Nearly 3 weeks since my last post....sorry about that! But - in my defense...I was out of the country on a mission trip!
I just returned from South Africa - what an amazing trip. I'm still getting back in the loop and re-engaging in "daily life" but will plan to update photos, etc here in the near future.
In the meantime, I'll do what I hope doesn't tick Mark off - he did a great job of blogging and updating while we were in South Africa - feel free to check out his blog for some more pictures and stories.
I do, however, plan to update here too. I kept a journal while we were there, but I haven't decided yet if I will publish the whole thing.....maybe pieces and parts will make it on the blog. And pictures soon too...
Stayed tuned!
Referral? Recommendation? Suggestion?
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Thursday, 07 May 09 - 03:41 PM (GMT) By Chad Holtz in Missions |
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When one "blogger" suggests to their readers another blog to other follow, what would you call that? A referral? A recommendation? I'm sure the blogger community has a name for it, but anyway...I'll just say - here's a blog you should read:
http://michelezeller.blogspot.com/
Michelle is from the same Church that my wife and I attend. We've only met her once or twice, but clearly a very faithful woman. She just went on a mission trip to South Africa - very nearly the same trip I'll be going on this summer - except, Michelle decided to stay there for an extended period of time vs. just the 10-12 days of the "standard" trip. She is writing a blog about her time/experiences there. It gives great insight into the country, the culture, the reasons for being there as missionaries, the struggles and joys of the people, and - if you're interested, will give you a glimpse into some of the stuff Mark and I will be doing when we are they later this summer.
Good news, bad news...
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Wednesday, 22 April 09 - 02:33 PM (GMT) By Chad Holtz in Missions |
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Mark sent this to me this morning. Centro Santa Catalina is one of the missions we support in Juarez, Mexico. On the one hand, it is so cool to hear that Bill Murray's sister is doing a benefit for Centro Santa Catalina. On the other hand, heartbreaking to hear that they were robbed. Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to the people of Juarez.
http://www.elpasotimes.com/juarez/ci_12159254
Plagiarism #2
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Wednesday, 25 February 09 - 04:06 PM (GMT) By Chad Holtz in Missions |
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I think everyone that has gone on a missions trip could sit and tell stories for hours and reminisce about their experiences. I love to read/hear their stories and I've been known to drone on a little too long myself to unsuspecting people who have asked about my trips.
I've talked a little about another trip I have coming up this year - I'll be heading to South Africa to build houses (Abods, to be more accurate) in a village north of Jahannesburg. I first saw this article on Mark's blog, who got it from Joe's blog, who I've discovered got it off the Blessman Ministries website - who we'll be partnering/traveling with for our adventure to Africa. We'll be building Abod houses for, from what we understand, mostly parentless families that have been impacted by AIDS. You'll recall that I was part of the team working on the World Vision Experience when it came to our Church last summer. What an eye opener that event was, but I'm sure nothing compared to what I'll witness/experience on the ground in South Africa.
Here's the link to the article, but I'll paste the full transcript below as well. It's sure to be an adventure:
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 NIV
If you come to South Africa and work with us, you will never forget the children you encounter. One of our past trip participants shared her experience with us:
I will never forget the children’s faces.
Faces like 16 year old Almon from the Mpumalanga providence. His shoulders were drooped with weariness when he sat down in front of me. His school uniform had holes worn through it and his frame was too thin. He had never known his father and his mother had died of AIDS the previous year. He was trying to hold the family together living in the family’s old shack. He had two younger brothers, ages 12 and 7, and a sister age 10. He was going to school during the day and working for an uncle in the evenings, cutting and delivering firewood, to try and make ends meet. His prayer requests were for food, a school uniform for his brother and that he could hold the family together.
Faces like thin beautiful Joyce, a 15 year old orphan. Her parents both died of AIDS and she lives with an aunt and uncle. Through her tears, as I asked her about her usual day, she said, “No one loves me and I don’t know why.” She told of her aunt and uncle putting the food on the table for supper each night for them and their 5 children. Everyone comes to the table except her. She is made to sit and watch from the living room. If there is food left over after all the family leaves the table, she can eat. Many nights there is nothing left. Her prayer request was for food and that someone would love her.
Faces like 11 year old Nelly from the Free State providence. Her father had died when she was very young. Her mother had died in 2004, probably of AIDS. She told me she lived with her grandmother. I asked her if she treated her well and she said, “Yes, my grandmother loves me very much.” Then she began to sob. Her grandmother was sick and she didn’t know where she and her sister would go if her grandmother died. Her grandmother has an open wound on her lower leg that is getting worse. It had started from a garden hoe accident. Grandma could no longer walk or fix meals. They could not afford to go to the doctor. We cried together as we prayed that her grandmother would be healed and recover.
Faces like 10 year old Thabiso. His mother had died the previous Saturday of AIDS. He didn’t have a father. The grief was very fresh but he tried to be manly and not cry. He lost that battle when he told of his mother’s pain getting worse, her going to the hospital and not coming home. He and his brothers were living with their grandmother. His prayer request was that he wouldn’t die of AIDS and that his grandmother would be able to feed him and his brothers.
Faces like beautiful 16 year old beautiful Sabelo who had been an orphan for 3 years. She lived with her grandmother and sisters. Her friend had been raped walking home from her house two months ago. She knew how AIDS was spread and she knew her parents had died of AIDS. She was a virgin and wanted to stay that way until her wedding night. She cried for her friend and wanted to know how her friend could get an AIDS test. Her plan for protecting herself was to never go outside alone after dark - not even in her own neighborhood of tin shacks. Her prayer request was for her friend not to get AIDS and that she could remain a virgin until her wedding night.
Faces like 11 year old Mocso whose shoulders were stooped and whose eyes were downcast. No amount of coaxing resulted in a smile. An orphan, he lived with his aunt and uncle. His skin was pasty. He was the size of a 7 or 8 year old. His clothes were dirty and had holes in them. He had no socks and his shoes were too small with one sole loose. His face was thin and pointed, just skin over bones. When I took his hands to pray his boney fingers told the story of too many days without eating. His prayer request was for food. I cried as he walked away.
I won’t stop praying for these precious children whom the world has forgotten.
Pardon the Plagiarism....
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Wednesday, 25 February 09 - 02:56 PM (GMT) By Chad Holtz in Missions |
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It seems like I've been doing a lot of linking to or copying from other people lately to help tell some stories. I don't think it's out of laziness but these people are doing such a good job telling the story, I want to share their thoughts too, so you get more than just my perspective. Thanks Mark, for letting me link to and steal stories from your blog. You're an incredible Christian and a great man - I'm proud to call you my friend and fellow missionary. Looking forward to South Africa! (more on that later)
A new guest appearance today - unbeknownst to her - is my wife. I doubt that she knows that I know that she wrote this (does that make sense?) I hope she doesn't mind that I shared, but if you know her, you know she is just filled with love, emotion, caring and a tender heart. She writes/talks from the heart and she, too, is a shining Christian example for everyone around her. This is her quick synopsis of our recent mission trip:
Well, we just got home a couple of days ago from El Paso. It was quite the eye opener for me. We have crossed the border in the past to Juarez, and that is where we put down our bags to work with local missions there, but this year we stayed state side. The violence in Juarez is pretty heavy right now A very very sad situation. If you know anything about Juarez, you will know about the missing girls. Girls disappear by the car loads and are usually found murdered. It's a horrible reputation to have in a city. BUT because of the violence between the drug lords, local officials and Mexican Army, the news about the girls has been pushed under the rug. Oh trust me....it is still happening, and even more so now. They are actually taking the girls from the area that our mission work normally takes place. My heart and prayers go out to those at the "dump".
Now to talk about El Paso. We worked with Pastor Rosemary at Cristo Rey. I can't describe what they do for the community and it's members....but they believe if the more you give to those around you the more you will receive. The average income in the area we stayed is $10,000. Can you believe it? They live in fear of being deported. They live in fear of being seperated from family. Some are undocumented, some are not. I believe there is a reason to have rules in place for all border crossings, however, I can understand why they would risk everything to come here. They don't care about how we (Americans) think of them, curse them, look down at them....because they do it for their children. I know we have to have rules, but I also understand why people break them. My heart goes out to them. The children that I had the privilege to work with in an after school program are beautiful boys and girls. Their laughters and big smiles just warmed my soul. They are just like any other child....they just want to get done with their homework so they can "goof off" OR play B I N G O! We had a blast playing bingo.
Cristo Rey purchased a worship site that they are trying to renovate. They have one phase done and hope to be able to raise the $40,000 they need for phase two, which is the area where the after school program will be held. Cristo Rey conducts border immersions. They have missionaries that come and need a place to stay during the immersions. So we built 3 high bunk beds...four of them. It is amazing how sturdy they were! We did it without a plan...just photo's of other bunks....and that's all it took. That crew worked hard!!!!!! We replaced old ceiling tiles, leveled them, painted, put up shelves, bought a hot water heater and had wonderful worship time with Pastor Rosemary. I can't do justice in my notes about my time there. But lets just say that God was with us every second of every day....you could feel Him and you could see Him around us. I hope that you take time to pray for Cristo Rey and it's members. Take a look at their website sometime. If you ever feel like helping those in dire need, that would be a great place to start! God Bless you!
What would you do?
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Friday, 20 February 09 - 03:11 PM (GMT) By Chad Holtz in Missions |
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I've used that title for posts previously, but it works, so I'm using it again.
Mark gave me permission to plagiarize (well, I guess technically I'm not plagiarizing because I'm just linking to him) this story vs. re-writing it. Mark did a fantastic job of recapping the events.
Take a minute to read the story - between readers on his blog and readers on my blog, we're hoping to garner some opinions. I'll have to admit, it was a struggle when we were talking to the guy. I think we all really wanted to help him, but none of us got a real good vibe that the whole truth was being shared.
What would you do?
http://lostiniowa-markymark.blogspot.com/2009/02/was-i-right-or-wrong.html
I'm baaaaack....too...
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Wednesday, 18 February 09 - 03:34 PM (GMT) By Chad Holtz in Missions |
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Lack of posts = gone on a mission trip. But, I'm back! When people ask me how the trip was, my response has been, "Tiring, exhausting, draining, rewarding, fun, revitalizing" All at the same time.
I'm sure I'll post more on it in the coming days, but as a starter, I can't say it any better than my friend, and fellow missionary, Mark, said it on his blog. Check it out here.
... More items are available in my News Archive
