My first impression of India came at the airport. I remember sitting in the Bombay Airport (now known as Mumbai) waiting for our next flight. Across from us there was a counter that offered water to those passing by. From my perspective the attendant had two glasses. Someone would come along and grab one of the glasses, drink the water, and put the cup back down. The attendant would take the empty glass, dip it below the counter, and then…
Missions
Around the World on a Mission: Egypt
My first impression of Egypt was smelling the sweet fragrance of flowers, jasmine I think. It was a soothing odor as we disembarked the plane. My second impression was of guns, big machine guns carried by men in military fatigues as we entered the terminal. I had never been in a situation where there were so many military men around guarding a location. It made me nervous. I felt like I was entering a war zone. Egypt was our first…
Around the World on a Mission: The Beginning
I was 20 years old when I traveled for the first time on an airplane. That was 49 years ago. However, it wasn’t just any airplane ride. It was the beginning of a mission, a mission that would impact my life for years to come. For the next month I would travel around the world and see some of the most famous locations in the world as well as see what poverty really looks like. It would be my first…
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Zambia: Travel with a Purpose Part 2
While most teachers take their students on field trips from time to time, imagine taking 16 high school students half way around the world to the third world country of Zambia. This was no ordinary field trip. It was a week long trip to help students experience a third world culture and learn how they could respond. In last week’s post I shared that one of our main tasks in Zambia was doing children’s programs. However, there were other types…
Zambia: Travel with a Purpose
It was just a year ago that I traveled to Zambia but not for a vacation. The reason for this trip was different. Along with three other adults, I was accompanying a group of 16 high school students from my school on a trip designed to introduce them to ministry outside the US. In many ways it was a short trip but with a very loooong flight time. We left Seattle Saturday afternoon and flew overnight to London. We then…
Malawi: Life in a Large School Compound
I had only intended have three posts regarding Malawi. However, as I was looking over my photos again, I realized I had a number of photos I still wanted to share. So this post focuses on my immediate living circumstances in Malawi. The compound where I lived is probably about the size of a city block. There is a gate at the top off of a very bad dirt road. Fortunately it’s a short distance to the main road from…
A Sunday in Malawi
Since I went to Malawi to teach, getting out to see the sights was not a top priority. However, my one Sunday between teaching did make for an interesting day. It began with participating in a worship service from which I learned a lot about Malawian church culture. The day ended with a quick trip to the best known tourist area of Malawi, Lake Malawi. It was definitely a good day. The church I attended was on the campus where…
Discovering Malawi, a Red Bricks World
I didn’t go to Malawi as a tourist to travel through the various parts of the country. I went to teach. Most days I never even left the compound where I stayed. However, I did get out a few times, and from that I want to share some impressions of this lesser known country. When I mention going to Malawi, often the first question people ask is, “Where is that?” Malawi is in the southeastern portion of Africa. It is…
Malawi Travel; Whose Plan?
One of the first blog posts I wrote was entitled “Why Travel?” My purpose was to suggest that there are more reasons to travel than just the traditional idea of business or pleasure. However, after a recent trip to Malawi, I think I have found a variation of one of my reasons. See what you think. To understand my thinking you must understand that I am a teacher. I believe teaching is my calling and gifting. While I made my…