The Family I sponsor in Uganda

This is the family ( Grandmother & Grandson- two of the family members at least) That I sponsor in Uganda. They sent me a letter greeting me thanking me for the help that I have given them over the year. They advised me of how there life has been improved though the assistance of GFR. Also they were touched by the fact that I came and visited them in person.

The Lady of My Dreams-She is so Beautiful!

I am planning on going back to Uganda to marry Ruth and bring her back to the US to live with me. I have to finance this first. As everyone knows, we have been experiencing an economic meltdown in the US of unprecedented stature (since the 1930's) due to our insistence on adhering to very bad economic policy over the last couple of decades. But especially bad economic policy over the last eight years (Supply side economics, off shoring of high paying jobs...Generally a blind spot philosophy that many have- A disconnect that workers are also consumers, in a consumer driven economy) Basically we are adopting the Wal-Mart philosophy and we are becoming the "Wal-Mart nation". (So that's the shining city on the hill that "the Gipper" once spoke of! Thanks Gip!)

That understood,(I'm sorry, but if you fail to understand that I have a "sandwich" waiting for you!) I myself have been victim of the forces of greed forces that even to this day are still threatening our standard of living!

However, I have a sizable amount of money coming my way due to an illegal act by one of my former employers. I have had the bad luck of being entangled with some very bad employers over time.

I Am A US Army Veteran Demanding My New High Paying Job!

It had occurred to me yesterday, that once Barack Obama gets in to power in January, and as long as the opposition does not block him, we are going to soon see a plethora of high paying jobs return to the United States. (As they should) I'm going to get one of them.

But if that does not happen, I will vote with my feet and go get my high paying job in France where it is right now! I'm getting too old for this "supply side" nonsense!

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Il s'était produit à moi qu'une fois que Barack Obama entre pour actionner en janvier, que nous allons voir bientôt une pléthore de retour de paiement élevé de métier vers les Etats-Unis (comme ils devraient) Je vais obtenir l'un d'entre eux.

Mais si cela ne se produit pas je vais voter avec mes pieds qu'un aller obtiennent mon métier de paiement élevé en France où il est en ce moment. Je deviens trop vieux pour ceci !

Brave New World

Welcome to the brave new world. You asked for it! So now this is it! You thought you were having a career? No way man... 12 years later, boom! Meet your new employer! She's got the shelves fully stocked and waiting for you with merchandise direct from sweatshops in China! And here's the bonus (for them) They are only game left in town (after the meltdown)

Unterschweine!

Revelation 18:11-17

"The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more- cargoes of gold, silver, precious stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of citron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze, iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. They will say, 'The fruit you longed for is gone from you. All your riches and splendor have vanished, never to be recovered. The merchants who sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terrified at her torment. They will weep and mourn and cry out: "Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!'

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Apocalypse 18:11-19

Et les marchands de la terre pleurent et sont dans le deuil à cause d'elle, parce que personne n'achète plus leur cargaison,cargaison d'or, d'argent, de pierres précieuses, de perles, de fin lin, de pourpre, de soie, d'écarlate, de toute espèce de bois de senteur, de toute espèce d'objets d'ivoire, de toute espèce d'objets en bois très précieux, en airain, en fer et en marbre,
de cinnamome, d'aromates, de parfums, de myrrhe, d'encens, de vin, d'huile, de fine farine, de blé, de boeufs, de brebis, de chevaux, de chars, de corps et d'âmes d'hommes.
Les fruits que désirait ton âme sont allés loin de toi ; et toutes les choses délicates et magnifiques sont perdues pour toi, et tu ne les retrouveras plus. Les marchands de ces choses, qui se sont enrichis par elle, se tiendront éloignés, dans la crainte de son tourment ; ils pleureront et seront dans le deuil, et diront : Malheur ! malheur ! La grande ville, qui était vêtue de fin lin, de pourpre et d'écarlate, et parée d'or, de pierres précieuses et de perles ! En une seule heure tant de richesses ont été détruites !Et tous les pilotes, tous ceux qui naviguent vers ce lieu, les marins, et tous ceux qui exploitent la mer, se tenaient éloignés et ils s'écriaient, en voyant la fumée de son embrasement : Quelle ville était semblable à la grande ville? Ils jetaient de la poussière sur leurs têtes, ils pleuraient et ils étaient dans le deuil, ils criaient et disaient : Malheur ! malheur ! La grande ville, où se sont enrichis par son opulence tous ceux qui ont des navires sur la mer, en une seule heure elle a été détruite !

Ruth's Blog!

Check out my fiancée Ruth's new blog at : http://nakimuliruth.blogspot.com/
(She's just getting started! There will be more to come)

Get Up! Stand Up! Don't Give Up the Fight!

Isaiah 54:17 (New King James)

No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.

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Esaï 54:17 (Louis Segund)

Toute arme forgée contre toi sera sans effet ; Et toute langue qui s'élèvera en justice contre toi, Tu la condamneras. Tel est l'héritage des serviteurs de l'Éternel, Tel est le salut qui leur viendra de Moi, Dit l'Éternel.

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Psalm 23:4 (King James)

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me

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Psaume 23:4 (Louis Segund)

Quand je marche dans la vallée de l'ombre de la mort, Je ne crains aucun mal, car tu es avec moi : Ta houlette et ton bâton me rassurent

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Ezekiel 25:17. "The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he who, in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of the darkness. For he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And you will know I am the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon you."

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Ezékiel 25:17 " Le chemin de l'homme juste est assailli de tous les côtés par les injustices de l'égoïste et la tyrannie des hommes mauvais. Béni est il qui, au nom de la charité et de la bonne volonté, shepherds le faible par la vallée de l'obscurité. Pour il est vraiment garde de son frère et le trouveur des enfants perdus. Et Je frapperai vers le bas sur le toi avec la grande vengeance et colère furieuse ceux qui essayent d'empoisonner et détruire Mes frères. Et vous saurez que Je suis Le Seigneur quand J'étends Ma vengeance sur vous."

Another Picture of Ruth

Here is my favorite picture of Ruth.

Hey! I'm just Sayin'!

This is Mount Kilimanjaro from an aerial photo in 1993

This is how she looked in the same month in 2000.

Where went the snow?...I'm just sayin'!

Speaking of Africa

Africa From Space (cool!)

Make My Day!

I'm having more fun these days. I can hardly believe it! I haven't broken any bones yet. I'm in stellar physical shape. And here is the bonus!













I have been able to watch all of the episodes of "Bonanza" and "Hogan's Heroes" on TV that I want!



















My favorite TV characters have become Hoss on Bonanza, and Sargent Schultz on Hogan's Heroes.

Speaking of Hogan's Heroes, I served in the US Army in the 1980's with Bob Crane's(Colonel Hogan's) nephew in real life. Jon "J.C." Crane from San Diego, California. A shout out to you bro' wherever you may be these days! (He married a commissioned officer while we were enlisted men-way to go!) We made a pact that we were going to become "social revolutionaries" when we got out of the service. I hope I held up my end of the bargain! (Does missionary to Africa count for that?)

I'm still planning on returning to Uganda this fall to bring back the lady of my dreams. (Nakimuli Ruth) She has been my pillar of strength from afar through all of my moments of doubt and fear. I would have fallen apart long ago without her!

A lot of friends have given me hope. It's in God's hands...

Fired! Now I can pursue my career as a rodeo clown!

Goodbye French Team! You were good to me although working for that company on the whole was the worst experience I ever had in my professional life. Anyway thanks again to Serge Merlin, Florence, Mademoiselle Savoie & Samson. I enjoyed working with you. I will miss you! Adieu! Bonne chance! Que Dieu vous bénise!

Dan the Man in Africa! Être heureux, c'est savoir se contenter de peu!

Is that George of the Jungle? Or maybe Tarzan? Nah! Just the big Goombah "sweaty Dan" in...Africa! How does a chubby ol' guy from Illinois find God's purpose for his life and everlasting love in this world?

Did I Tell You That I Love Ruth?

This is my lady and me! She makes me very happy!

Hannington Translates for me

I wanted to eat my hen for dinner. They told me later that in Uganda unlike the US, hens are not for eatin' they're for layin' eggs! I love eggs! So I will take mine either over easy or hard boiled!

(That's me with the big belly! I ate a lot of eggs for breakfast!)

Hannington

This is Hammington and me in front of the church that we helped build in Namyoya. He has become a very good and trusted friend!

My Ruth

This is a recent picture of Ruth. She was a bridesmaid at her friend's wedding in Kampala. She is so beautiful!

Farewell for now!

Ruth and her entire family came out to say goodbye as we left Uganda. It was heart rending

to leave her. But I will be back soon!

They gave me a hen! Behind me in the matching blue dress
and head band is the honorable Idah Mehangye. She is very
beloved and respected by our entire group. She is responsible
for our very presence in Uganda. Her husband's name is Henry.
I serenaded her with my best rendition of the old Herman's Hermits
song "I'm Henry the eighth I am! Henry the eight I am I am..."
So many mornings my fellow missionaries wanted to slug me but I don't know why!
Idah was amused!

This is the family that I sponsor through our organization.
The grandma had polio and she can’t walk. The kids’ parents
died of AIDS.

They were glad to see us!

The kids will melt your heart!

Bonjour!

You can’t beat Africa for wildlife!

Keep your hands and arms inside the boat please!

Murchison’s Falls –This is where the famous quote was uttered “Dr. Livingston I presume” by Lord Stanley
I doubt either one was in the water! The Nile is some 60 meters across up river from here.
It compresses into a valley less than 6 meters wide and plunges 90 meters straight down…Yikes!
We saw a dead hippo floating in the water below. Evidently she got too close to the edge…

This is our whole group.
I’m in the upper right hand corner with the "Montreal" ball cap.
Yes, that’s the Nile behind us!

Yaa! It’s the big Goomba!...Buildin’ a church wit’ a little girl!...One brick at a time!

We played a game called “football” even though we didn’t have helmets.
(No one told me to bring my Chicago Bears helmet)
We were the red team. This kid was a really good player (for the blue team)

I Love Ruth

Today we went out to Namyoya to build the roof on a church. I got to see my very good friend Nakimuli Ruth. It was very nice to visit with her. I will see her again tomorrow.

We Made it to Africa!

We finally made it! And here was a bonus. My good friend Vianney from Rwanda was here! Mon frère african! It was really good to see him and we had a nice visit. We got to chat in French. He had to return to Rwanda later. But that was a big unexpected bonus!

Shea Stadium Fun

Take Me Out to the Ballgame!

We are going to the Met's vs Dodger's game at Shea Stadium. We got tickets on the cheap. I love to root for the visiting team. Go Dodgers! Tomorrow night we are scheduled to fly to London and then on to Entebbe. Keep your fingers crossed! There are a lot of stranded travellers here on their way to European destinations!

Stranded...Whoa!

Instead of on to Brussels we ended up stranded at JFK along with hundreds of others headed for Europe. Not because of weather either. Yes, weather was a factor in the delay. But there were other problems. (Crumbling and neglected infrastructure and corporate greed perhaps?)

We did see the biggest escalator I have ever seen. We also saw some shocking and abhorrent displays of human behavior. I am still snickering about that! The locals love to scold you. It's just what they do I guess. Hahaha!

The Adventure Begins

We made it to New York. The big apple! Now on to Brusells!

J'ai parlé français 8 fois aujourd'hui.

Prelude to this Year's Trip

This is going to be my third trip to Africa and promises to be the best!



Ben and Melody Pahlow are two of my closest and dearest friends. They have been by my side during some of the darkest moments of my life. Their kids, Amber, Nathan, Michael and young Hope are practically like family to me.



In 2005, I almost had the opportunty to join Ben, Melody, Jake and Angela Kirchner among others on a trip to Rwanda. In 2006 with the help of a lot of faith in God (and expungement of records) that dream was finally realized. As I am fluent in French, and French is an official language of Rwanda, I was able to lend this God given abillity to the cause of helping the poorest of the poor.



This year Andy Bauer, an alum of the 2006 trip joins me along with his father Terry as part of team 1.



In 2007 I made my first trip to Uganda with GFR. God touched me to select the family that I presently sponsor. I am looking forward to visiting them. I am also looking forward to spending time and speaking French with Bosco and visiting my good friend Nakimuli Ruth.



This year Lee Springer, an alum of the 2007 trip joins me as part of team 1. Silvia Alvarez, an alum of the 2007 trip is going with team 3. Renata Donis, another good friend is going to be in Uganda for all three teams.



I can't say enough about my b uddy Bill Borbas. Originally I was the team leader. Fortunately for the sake of team 1, Bill Borbas is going to be the co-leader. This to me is how foolishness has its own reward. (My reward) I might bungle things up and nobody would be laughing (Not even me)



Rounding out the rest of team 1, Brian Rathman (experienced in African travel), Jaclyn Pociask, Harrison Wegner, and Jamie Lynn Boban.



Another Bonus of this trip is Team 1 gets to go through Brussels, Belgium instead of London. The Belgians are great! They speak French, (some do) they put butter on their bread, and they have in their country a statue...