Philippi and the first night at Gotse Deltchev

We arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria and were met by an incredibly competent, smart and dynamic guy named Grozdan. He is our in-country contact for gathering together the participants for the IMED business training. We stayed at a cute little bed and breakfast and enjoyed a delicious Bulgarian meal – freshest tomatoes in the world! And if any of you know Kerby, you know how much he loves them!

We went on a short trip to Greece and stayed a night in Kavala, on the Mediterranean Sea and saw many of the places that the apostle Paul traveled to. We toured Philippi (see video!), which is a stunning historic city and saw the river where Paul and company met Lydia from Acts 16.

This afternoon we made it to Gotse Deltchev in the Rhodope Mountains and are staying in an absolutely beautiful hotel, although it bears the weight – and sometimes gaudiness – of communist influences in its old architecture. It’s been fun to start to get to know some of the students, who are staying at the hotel with us. They seem to be in their twenties through forties, mostly, with the exception of a few older ladies. Through our translators, and whatever English the entrepreneurs know, we are able to chat with them and learn about what they are passionate about and what kind of dreams they have for business. After dinner tonight was a special moment, a couple of the guys took out a guitar and entertained us with phenomenal music, some popular songs and some that they had composed. Grozdan, mentioned above, is on the guitar and Viktor (a translator), who is extremely talented musically, put together a cheese grater and a piece of thin paper and created a wind instrument that was both impressive and funny.

Next stop: Bulgaria

Not yet packed, still wrapping up a million things before we leave, but we are PUMPED. We head off to a little town in the heart of the Rhodope Mountains. Populated in the majority by people of the Muslim faith and who are in the midst of starting to overcome the consequences of communist oppression for many decades, this region suffers economically, spiritually and in other ways.

Kerby has been in Bulgaria once in February for a short visit to see if it would be feasible to bring an IMED training to this region. His team concluded there were solid in-country contacts and enough people wanting to take active steps to improve their working and economic situation. That's where we come in.

We are heading to do the IMED business training - essentially, Phase 1 of 3, in which we will teach Business 101. Kerby will teach Finance and Cristina will try to lend some perspective regarding Marketing and conducting Market Research. The 20 Bulgarian students will then take what they've learned in Phase 1 and do all their business research so that they can write a real business plan, including financials and a marketing plan, during Phase 2. There, the team will assist them in organizing and packaging their business plan as a loan proposal. These are to be reviewed by IMED, and those that succeed will qualify for loans and Phase 3, which is like Business 201.

We'll see what it actually IS like, this whole experience. Kerby's been to Europe for a total of 2 days, and this is Cristina's first time in Europe, and most definitely, in a post-communist culture. Also, we have no idea how to approach the Bulgarian language... check out how you say "hello": "Здравейте Здравейте." Yep, we are probably going to stick to good ole English, relying heavily on our translators and smiling a lot while Kerby manages to get everyone to laugh through his nonverbals.

Anyway - thanks to everyone for your support, prayer and encouragement as we head off!

The day I almost lost my keys

Normally a happy person, this was a week in which, for no apparent resaon, I felt like crying (or did) almost every day. Frustrating situations at work beyond belief, topped off with several moments of condescending "understanding" by the very people who could have prevented those situations. This was the day I survived, having finished all my work for the week and eagerly hopped in my car in the balmy 44 degree March weather only to remember I had driven to work on an empty gas tank. I sighed, trying to not get too disappointed that by the time I filled up , I'd get stuck in worse traffic. My mind had envisioned a great run and I could not wait to get my shoes on.
As soon as I did, I grabbed my iPhone, put my key and FOB in a little pocket and off I was, the sun still shining on my face. I faced the mud puddles and sloshy snow with a smile, not caring, because for the first time in many gray months it was sloppy instead of icy. My shoes tapped on the wet pavement with a happy rhythm, quickly changing to a darker color and getting heavy with water. A couple minutes into my run a good friend who lives far away called. I slowed down to a brisk walk, accepting altogether that I wasn't going to get my run in after all and I had not dressed warmly enough for a walk. We chatted, laughed and updated each other on our lives' joys and learning lessons. Suddenly, my heart panicked as I looked in my little pocket - my key was gone! My husband had left for International Falls over 5 hours ago, which meant that he was out of cell phone range. My throat tightened as my brain raced with anxious thoughts about what my weekend alone would look like if I was locked out of the house, without car keys, wearing muddy clothes and shoes until my husband got home. I tried to continue listening and chatting with my friend as I quickly went to retrace my steps, wondering how in the world I would find a single key in the sea of water and mud that had rendered my shoes a different shade for the past 30 minutes. I prayed, asking God for a break from this stress and to please help me find my keys. I calmed down enough to figure out I should begin where my run started. I made it all the way almost to my front door, worrying more the closer I got without seeing it, when suddenly - there lay my key just about 10 yards from my door! I praised God, breathing a "thank you!" with the biggest sigh of relief and realized: I can have a rough week, but I'm glad God is with me throughout it all. All day, I had prayed that this would be be true for me: "The Lord will guide you always. He will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail." (Isaiah 58:11). And my Lord did guide me and did strengthen me.

Nepalese Pan and Nepali Friends

I love Nepalis. Nepalese Pan, though, is the foulest-tasting thing I have had in while!
Some of you know that my friends and I here in Minneapolis are sponsoring two refugee families from Buthan. Ten people, ranging from ages 1 to 70-something, were forced to flee 17 years ago from Buthan into Nepal, where they lived in a refugee camp. Finally, they had the opportunity to come into the United States in spring of 2009.
We welcomed them at the airport and have helped them get settled in.
A scarce few weeks have gone by, and they now have apartments with furniture (we have generous friends!). They have learned how to use their EBT cards and to grocery shop. They are actively learning English 4 times a week and every time we visit them, they know a few more words and phrases.
My friend Molly and I took the men to the grocery store, and on the ride back to their house, they thanked us with "pan," a Nepalese delicacy, composed of excessively strong spices, including fennel, which I particularly dislike. All these spices are slathered in a pickled honey and wrapped in a big leaf. Apparently, you are supposed to shove the whole thing in your mouth and chew on it for the next thirty minutes! Molly and I tentatively tasted a small bite and miserably drove for 10 minutes with the spices burning our tongues and gums, while our Nepali friends loudly chomped on their chew and laughed uncontrollably and hysterically at our reaction.
If you'd like to try it, Molly and I still have the majority of ours, available to share!

Are we listening to our leaders? (48days.com)

“Today we are faced with the pre-eminent fact that if civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships, the ability of peoples of all kinds to live together and to work together in the same world at peace.” Franklin D. Roosevelt, 1882 – 1945, President of the United States

“We cannot learn from one another until we stop shouting at one another – until we speak quietly enough so that our words can be heard as well as our voices.” Richard M. Nixon, 1913 – 1994, President of the United States

“The world will never have lasting peace so long as men reserve for war the finest human qualities. Peace, no less than war, requires idealism and self-sacrifice and a righteous and dynamic faith.” John Foster Dulles, 1888 – 1959, American Secretary of State

“Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures. And however undramatic the pursuit of peace, the pursuit must go on.” John F. Kennedy, 1917 – 1963, President of the United States

“The peace we seek, founded upon decent trust and co-operative effort among nations, can be fortified not by weapons of war but by wheat and by cotton, by milk and by wool, by meat and by timber and by rice. These are words that translate into every language.” Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1890 – 1969, President of the United States

My Mama in Congo, a post by Harper McConnell

I wish I had a picture of Harper and Mama Noella to do her honor for this fabulous story that captures so much of what it feels like to be with and learn from women of strength like Noella.

This woman is fearless and enters all areas of eastern DR Congo, creating change and issuing help and hope to those who are in unreachable places.

Read Harper's story, you'll enjoy it!

http://blog.sojo.net/2009/06/01/my-mama-in-congo/

I forgot what it feels like

To have soft toilet paper available every time I use the restroom,
To have clean hands all day long and not have the threat of ringworm,

To sit in a coffeeshop full of people typing on their laptops with one hand and their cell phones with the other,

To run around beautiful lakes with no one staring at me,

To be living in spring while wearing winter jackets in Minnesota,

To receive customer service... they actually WANT to help me have a good experience?

To pay $3.95 for a coffee drink, knowing how Mama Grace could use it for her 5 children,

To only see pictures of my friends in the Congo, and not see them face to face,

To only hear about the war and security situation and worry about those that are still there,

What homes look like with design and decor, instead of of old posters ranging from designer kitchen advertisements to calendars of Osama Bin Laden,

To not be sick all the time from fried food, fried with re-used oil,

To use my Spanish again, hoping I'll not get rusty on French and Swahili,

To have that ambiguous "unemployed" label along with a million others around me,

To not have a beautiful flower garden that scents every evening with a romantic aura,

To cook Mexican food in a matter of minutes, instead of a 2 hour project to make tortillas from scratch,

To have options... grocery stores with hundreds of items... You mean, instead of paying $9/bottle of shampoo, I get to choose between 8 that are $3.45, plus you throw in an extra bottle for free?

To go to the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis and watch "The Two Gentlement of Verona," and to listen to live music at Dixie's on Grand Ave in Saint Paul...

Shall I go on? However, it feels good; it feels right to be back in Minneapolis at this time. And the melting snow outside my window... it's just setting the scene for us to enjoy the springing of life here in the Twin Cities.