Posted in Race blogging by Kevin Vander Wal on 5/13/2012
It is the start of mnoth 9 and that means that we have an excuse to be tired. Every day is not perfect and one could come up with many excuses not to be present. There are times when there is no place I would rather be than wandering around the North Cascades in the beauty of God's creation and the almost forgotten place of silence and solitude. However, what the Lord has taught me about His kingdom work, community, and unity of the body has transcended my own desires for personal space, time, and liberties at this time.
This past month I have lived in a perpetual state of feeling like I can't express my feelings adequately and continually feeling like I am running towards feelings and emotions I cannot catch (understand) but still run ferociously nonetheless. I rest assure that in God's time he will bring me to that point of understanding. God is working in my heart(I will boast in that) and just walking me through trusting in Him and seeing more of His world. Teaching me to lead with a new passion and to be a man after Nehemiah... a leader who prays and a leader who prays for big things. A leader who when tempted with distraction responds, " I am doing a great work and I cannot come down (Nehemiah 6:3)."
What do I pray for the last 3 months? That God would teach me more and more about what it means to abandon and trust him with everything. To give up the things I hold onto like my desire for adventure and independence which I hold so dear to myself. To quote Chris McCandless, "Happiness only real when shared." Where do our passions lie? Well, they lie where we invest our time. Is God given top priority in your life and how is that evident in your life?
So are some desires for the last three months? To grow in faith, courage, and boldness in spreading the good news. To not be tired of doing good, but to trust in the Spirit and his guiding. To love in ways that it is not easy to love in, love with affirmation and criticism because I desire my brothers and sisters to walk in the freedom of Christ daily. Jesus himself said in John 10:10 "I have come to give life and life abundant." The desire to seize that for myself and others is why the Lord brought me here.
This is my story... and it has only begun.
He who has begun a good work in you will carry it out until the day of completion. My prayer is that I and the world has only seen a glimpse of the glory of God to this point!
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Posted in Race blogging by Kevin Vander Wal on 4/21/2012
One of the most influential chapel services I ever attended was a service that I don't even remember who spoke. I do remember that he was from IDEA ministries and I remember his message. It was based on Matthew 11:28, "come to me all you who are weary and heavy burden." This speaker handed each of us a business card and offered each of us that we might go to Him if we were tired and heavy burdened(to this day that business card is still sits in my pile of cards). This message made a profound impact in my life because this demonstrated what I believed to be Christian hospitality in its purest form in the simple willingness to bring in a hurt or weary brother or sister!
The night before we were to leave Serbia for Bulgaria we enjoyed a traditional Serbian dinner with our contact Radovan and 15 members of the church. It was an interesting group of people as there were young men who spoke some English, older men who spoke none, and others with whom we used broken Spanish to conquer the language barrier. Either way, with the help of translators, we were able to have a sending off as we kicked off for Bulgaria. In his last words Radovan said to us, "You have a place in Serbia." I thought back again to that chapel service many years ago and then to the realization that this is the kingdom, laying everything down for a friend of simple an acquaintance. The words of Galatians 6:10 echo this, "So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Will I ever go back to Serbia?... my instinct says 'Yes' because I am a wandering man. Did this statement make a significant impact on me once again... YES!
Matthew 8:20 says, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head."
He relied on others for a place to lay his head. Let us not forget that as we open up our homes. And let us also not forget whatever we do for the least, we do for Christ!
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Posted in Race blogging by Kevin Vander Wal on 4/3/2012
Imagine upon arriving in Bucharest, Romania you fall asleep in the warming room(not a typo... it is freezing) of the train station. You wake up and rattle off a classic dumb and dumber movie line to a group of middle aged Romanians, "So where ya headed? Flying somewhere?" You then realize that they haven't seen Dumb and Dumber and you actually just look like an idiot. They repeatedly mock you by pretending they are flying airplanes or making airplane noises(yes they all were in there 50s or 60's).
When traveling from Romania to Serbia you slept in a mall from 8:30-10:00pm, a bar from 2:30-4:15am(it was actually called a café and I thought I was going to get something resembling a grand slam breakfast but in reality they only served beer), and a train from 5:30-8:00am... I guess it could've been worse.
People confuse you for a homeless man because you use your friend's coat as a blanket and another friend's scarf to cover you face as you fall asleep next to a giant monument of a mounted horseman in Budapest, Hungary.... You don't regret this act but you do regret not sleeping with your hand out so that somebody could give you money.
The best place to sleep is next to a heater in the girl's room because your room is 40 degrees and you have 3 Serbian roommates who speak no English who are crashing with you for the night... it is impossible to figure out why they didn't go home but the more the merrier I guess.
Today as I was finishing up this blog Matthew 11:28 kept coming to mind, "come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest." This from a man who isn't necessarily a champion of rest... rest is something that God gives us and is modeled in the Bible. So, Are you finding rest?
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Posted in Race blogging by Kevin Vander Wal on 2/22/2012
I am just throwing this out there... don't stereotype places. I envisioned Swaziland to be a God-forsaken land full of huts and pain and struggle because of the HIV/Aids epidemic. I envisioned a land with no KFCs or malls or western amenities. That is not the case. I imagined uncomfortable bus rides over pothole filled roads. Once again not the case... so a brief message to Kevin... don't think you know things about things you don't know anything about.
Realities of Swaziland
The Kingdom of Swaziland is the last true monarchy in the world. Future Monarchs grow up and are educated in either the States or the UK and then the future monarch is brought over to Swaziland when the current monarch gets sick. The King is high respected by the Swazi people even though it seems like he shouldn't be as the king is known to squander his own wealth while many citizens live in poverty. The king also currently has 13 wives and citizens say that there is still the potential that he takes more women to be his wife. Some startling statistics are the avergae life expecteny is about 35 years, unemployment is between 60-70%, and the population has gone from 1.2 million to 925,000 since 2005.
The Lessons Learned
I walked into land with a distorted view of what the land and people would be like. We as humans have a lot of expectations. In relationships we often step into a conversation wanting somebody to understand us while we fail to understand them first. God has made us uniquely beautiful and when we only try to see people through our own eyes we limit our ability to love.
"A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you(John 13:34)." Do perceptions of people or circumstance keep you from loving? What keeps you from radically loving others? Is it being stuck in comparison to others? Does regret or bitterness keep you from love?
Ask yourself these questions and don't be afraid to go to God for answers. For He is full or grace! AND LOVE!
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Posted in Race blogging by Kevin Vander Wal on 1/24/2012
For 4 months I have lived in close community with at least five other adults (sometimes more). This time has proven valuable in determining what Christian community looks like. I know that I have so much more to learn about trusting, showing grace, and seeing others for what they can be... not what they are currently. Good thing we have 7 more months! Philippians 2:3, "in humility consider others better than yourselves."
So in this community I find myself asking these questions of myself but are also applicable to all...Are you willing to give up your own personal agenda? Are you willing to view that person you rub shoulders with everyday as a person with feelings, not an object?
Community cares, community ask questions, community asks for forgiveness, community listens, community is compassionate, and community wants the best for others. All of these things are true of our heavenly father and reinforced by OT law and the teachings of Jesus and his apostles.
Written from a wandering soul, from a man who would much rather withdraw and not trust... community forces me to be vulnerable. To be alright with not having it all together. Obedience to God and respect for my neighbor allows me to love my neighbor even when I don't feel like loving my neighbor. It means sensing the spirit's nudge when you don't want to care for the sick, or visit those in prison, or clothe the naked, or feed the hungry. "Truly I say to you, as you did it for one of the least of my brothers, you did it for me (Matthew 25:40)." What are you doing for the least of these?
In 4 years of teaching and 4 months around the world I have learned that it doesn't matter where you are, but it does matter where your heart is! Serve joyfully, love freely, and enter his gates with thanksgiving in your heart.
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Posted in General Posts by Kevin Vander Wal on 1/13/2012
I know this sounds like heresy...I understand. After arriving at Kedesh orphanage we were greeted by a long haired, bearded man with no shoes whose name
was John (Think hippie stereotype). Kedesh consists of 27 boys who during the month of December were on summer break from school.
Summer break means the youngest boys had
to care for, water, and move the goats for 2 hours a day until they graduated
from goat duty by showing the discipline and initiative required to no longer have this responsibility. Each day every boy was responsible to water
their personal garden, participate in work projects around the orphanage, and
take care of their own hygiene which include daily showers (required fetching
water at the well) and wearing clean clothes to dinner. What amazed me about all of this is that John
had to do very little checking up on most of the boys which allowed them to flourish in this
freedom. Occasionally, he would have to
come down on a boy or a group of boys but this was done with such respect
because he didn't get frustrated with the action but rather saw what they could
become by eliminating this action. Kedesh
is full of success stories because the boys are free to run and to grow. I know I learned something this month about
freedom and allowing young people space to thrive while also giving them consistency
and promoting discipline. Kedesh means
sanctuary in Hebrew... this place is truly a place of sanctuary of the young men
there... a place of hope... and a better title for this blog would be "it's not that bad being an
orphan at Kedesh."
James 1:27 - Religion, that is pure and
undefiled before god, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their
affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
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Posted in Race blogging by Kevin Vander Wal on 12/31/2011
In communication people often ask what a typical day on the world race looks like. Some months it is pretty easy as we have a routine. Other months we never have any clue what is going to happen tomorrow or even in an hour. Currently team 2:20(Galatians) is at Kadesh Orphanage which is a home for 27 boys age 9 to 18 years old. Under the direction of John Wilkes the boys have fixed routine which means that we as world racers have a fixed routine and it looks something like this.
5:00AM – WAKEUP MUSIC – My head is about 10 feet from the speakers so it certainly wakes me up… Tuesday is country music and let me tell you how great it is to hear some Grethceh Wilson “Redneck Woman” in Mozambique… ok Tim Mcgraw ‘Seventeen’ is much better!
5:02 Running - consist of 1.2km course around the orphanage with a few obstacles. Some people run more just to make sure that we break a good 5am sweat.
5:30 Gardneing – Each kid is responsible for caring for a plot that grows things like Okra, beans, squash, peppers, basil, pineapples, pumpkins, and other Mozambican vegetables.
6:30 Chores… each boy is responsible to get their chores done
7:00 Volleyball… play until the milkman arrives
8:00ish Breakfast – Oatmeal, Sorghum, and coffee
9:00 Project time – Last week was a goat corral, organizing spaces, and waiting for rain so we can make more concrete.
13:00 Lunch – One of three options (Kale and bread, cabbage and bread, beans and bread)
1:00 – 7:00 Some boys continue projects or else it is just boys being boys… playing football, volleyball, napping, or chilling. Sometimes there are formal games other times not.
7:00 Dinner - See lunch… not sick of it as this point… plus you look forward to things like fish every other Sunday so much and not being overwhelmed with options… see Grocery Stores in States
7:30 Movie(T,W,TH,S,S) or Bible Study(M,F) Movies are usually in English which helps the boys work on their English listening despite the fact that Portuguese is the language of choice here.
9:00 Bedtime… till 5am
As I think today about this past year I am grateful for all that God has blessed me with. A family that is loving and supportive of me as well as friends and teachers from the present and past that daily demonstrate Christ's love to me. Lets make the most of each day, month, and year! Welcome to 2012!
Kevin
“Into the hands of every individual is given a marvelous power for good or evil – the silent, unconscious, unseen influence of his life. This is simply the constant radiation of what man really is, not what he pretends to be.”
- William George Jordan
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Posted in General Posts by Kevin Vander Wal on 12/6/2011
Just for fun I decided to start a log of the crazy and the delicious that I have ate on the race. These are the ones that I have brainstormed up to this point(12/6). I will have to update this with changes every few months.
Strange…
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Deep Fried Pumpkin – gooey in the middle, melts in your mouth
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Chicken Feet – Lots of work for very little meat... worth trying once
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Fried Silkworm – the cocoon has a weird texture
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4 birds on a skewer – I suppose I should know what kind of bird I was eating but I didn’t… the beak wasn’t great
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Belot – duck eggs that are incubated halfway and then boiled. Viewed as a great source of energy in the Philippines. I ate 3 and a half.
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Chicken Intestines on a skewer – legitimately delicious
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Fried baby crab – yes… you eat the shell and all
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Frog Legs – prepared by the amazing Roxanne and bought on the side of the road
Crazy Good
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Banana Q’s – Fried Bananas from the Philippines
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Sweet Chili Sauce – makes plain rice a blessing!
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Krumpynut – A Filipino chocolaty deliciousness that I wasn’t that into but others spread on toast 3 times daily
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Brie – a south African BBQ consisting of any type of meat but in particular the most amazing marinated lamb chops ever.
Worst Foods Ever
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Doran Popsicle – kids everywhere are devastated by this popsicle
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Pine Nut and Pine Whizz – yah… those are flavors of pop
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Posted in General Posts by Kevin Vander Wal on 12/6/2011
In November we spent 19 days in a rural Chinese town. To describe this town would be difficult besides the fact that EVERYTHING is under construction. Workers are building large 5 story buildings where 2 story buildings once stood and large murals were posted all around town showing what the town would look like when complete. The main street going through town was barely wide enough for traffic going both ways and then you add pedestrians. The sides of the street are layered with brick, sand, rocks, and cement bags. If out at night you appear to be in some post apocalyptic movie scene or some horror movie with Vampires who march up and down the streets as there is a perpetual haze from all the dust that is generated.
Every morning my teammate Charlene and I would go out and get food for team breakfast… this included buying fresh flavorless bread, bananas, and eggs to hard boil. One morning we happened to come across a group of 4 Chinese people who appeared to have just gotten off the bus. It was evident by their dress that they weren’t wearing the traditional head coverings for the area and they were lighter skinned than the Chinese of the area we were in. One of the women walked up to Charlene and said in English, “Why are you here?” Charlene responded, “We are here to tell others about God.” And then Ann as we came to know her responded with, “Then we are brothers and sisters.”
The next day we had the opportunity to meet with Ann and the other missionaries in a secret meeting in our hotel room. Mary would translate for us and we were able to learn a great deal about the national church in China, cultural norms in the area we were in, and the vision that God gave this group to preach the gospel. Essentially, in China there is national church that is allowable but they are not allowed to send out missionaries. So you can believe but one cannot embrace the great commission... in terms of preaching the gospel and making new disciples or Christ followers. The last thing we were able to do before they left was to all pray together as brothers and sisters and connect Ann with our conact.
Blessings
Kevin
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Posted in General Posts by Kevin Vander Wal on 11/18/2011
Nín hÇŽo(hello)
Following two flights and a 30 hour train ride we were ready to take a bus to our final destination. A contact got us set up with bus tickets and set us on our way. We knew that we would have to get off our bus and buy a new ticket to get to where we wanted to go. Upon arriving at the bus station we managed to buy bus tickets to what was our final destination even though we didn’t speak Chinese and they didn’t speak English.
So another bus ride ended at another bus station. We were here (so we thought) and we look at the river and I say… is it just me or did you think that the Yellow river would be a little bigger than this? Also, the description sounded like a small town and this seems like a metropolis. The bus driver pulls our backpacks from the roof. He then wrote something down in Chinese in our notebook and tried to give us 50(about 9 USD) yuan. This was very confusing so we declined the money and began to negotiate a ride to the hotel via taxi. The first taxi wanted 300 yuan… well that is ridiculous.. so we negotiate some more and get him down to 100 yuan, but think the hotel is probably around the corner so we leave the bus station via foot.
Upon leaving the bus station we find some taxis who point us towards the hotel but none want to negotiate to take us. Finally, we met a taxi with someone who spoke a little English and she explained that we were an hour from the hotel… ohh that is why the bus driver wanted to give us 50 yuan… he shortened his day by a couple of hours by dropping us one town short of the destination. We’ve been had and now we need to get to our final destination via taxi. The next negotiating sessions didn’t yield as much success but we were able to finagle a ride for 120 yuan which dropped us in front of our hotel.
At the end of the day we considered it a miracle that we ended up where we were supposed to go… I realized a little bit about dependence and it was incredibly freeing to realize that I could not depend on myself whatsoever because there is now way I would get to where I needed to be. This is also a reality in the faith as our own will has nothing on God’s will for how we live our lives.
Zàijiàn(Goodbye in Chinese)
Kevin
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