More than anything

It's been about three weeks now that I have been back in the U.S. from my trip to Africa. But three weeks spent in the U.S. on my comfortable home turf is not the same as two weeks spent in Africa. Our Midtown team spent the majority of time in community with people from Gulu, Uganda, Nairobi, Kenya, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Prior to our trip, our team thought that the Village of Hope was our sole project, but upon arriving we discovered that was only one of various ministries. In Uganda, we met with the Women of Hope who are suffering from HIV/AIDS; we heard the stories of the Butterfly Club, courageous women who were forced to be wives and soldiers; we played and cared for children at the Home of Love, an orphanage in Gulu; we taught at a deaf school, bridging language barriers. In the largest slum of Kenya, called Kibera, we fed 427 very grateful children a rice lunch; we met a nurse at Mercy Clinic who serves 25-30 children every single day without charge; and we even made friends with giraffes. In Ethiopia, we held infants in orphanages who had been abandoned by their parents; and we threw a birthday party for over 100 children, hopefully conveying the message that they are worthy of celebration. We established new relationships for future groups from Midtown to journey to Africa as well.

More than anything I said or did on this journey, the real impact is in what the individuals of Africa gave to me. Despite only knowing war, despite sickness and death, despite fear and loneliness, the women, men, and children I met had hope. They did not despair. They were the most joyous, open, friendly people I have ever spent time with. Their uninhibited expression of affection was striking in a group of people who based on their traumatic histories could be fearful, distrustful, and closed off. However, they danced and praised God with such energy and force; He is their Deliverer, their Healer, their Lover -- and, I believe, the reason they have the amazing capacity to still love. As much as the people I met are in need of many basic things such as safe water, food, clothes, medical care, and education, they certainly have their priorities straight when it comes to what is most live-giving. People. True genuine, get-into-the-details-of-your-life-because-I-do-care relationships are what's important.

~ Katie

pictures!

see some of our pictures here

My Experience In Africa :: Jack

Many people have asked, "How was your trip?" One can only expect such an obvious question after being gone for two weeks.  That neat little trap has been laid before me at least 25-30 times since my return, just waiting for me to step in it with one of many overused phrases never designed to suspend the weight of such a fruitful experience. "Awesome, exciting, incredible!" The worthless, non-penetrating bullets rained from my lips. And with the exception of a few, these hollow remarks seem to satisfy their appetites for short and sweet.  What an unfortunate event it would be for these drive-by enthusiasts if they had so carelessly offered such an open-ended question to one of my new African friends living in the timeless nation we call Africa.  It would only take 30 seconds before these daredevil questioneers would realize their fatal mistake.  Because Africans don't use hollow, one-word catch phrases that leave the receiver as numb and clueless as he was before the question was asked.  That African would stop all that he was doing, turn off all other distractions in life, look you in the eyes and offer up a smile so genuine that most onlookers would have to turn away because of its soul piercing strength.  Woe to the releaser of open ended questions who's main battle is against the clock!  An African's response to a question like this would most definitely run the battery on a stopwatch dead.

So you really want to know about Africa?  No problem, just check all your preconceptions about life at the door cus you ain't in Kansas no more!  You value timeliness and sticking to schedules? Well, forget it because most Africans don't even own a watch and I'm not sure the ones that do know how to read them.  You value cleanliness? Sorry, Africa is fresh out of soap at the moment - please check back later. You value safety, security, structure, predictability, instant gratification and comfort?  That kind of currency along with a quarter will buy you nothing in Africa. 

Turned off, yet? Well don't be because I carried pocketfuls of the same worthless crap with me to Africa.  Though completely a foreign experience to me at the beginning, by the end of the trip I was willing to give up my house, my car and maybe even my left arm to gain the richness of life these people experience. I learned to value relationship. Not the high fives in the hall relationships but the in your house to pray for your husband who is dying of AIDS only after just meeting you relationships. Not handshakes with your brother but full embraces with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Not the five minutes of time my schedule can afford you but to give you all the time you need to talk without even giving a thought to my schedule. I say all of this so you can get a feeling for how Africans value their relationship with God, their families, and their friends. Period. They don't value time. They don't value money in the sense that it can buy happiness that might be able to temporarily block our emotional weakness. They live life and live it to the full. They trust God for anything and everything because they do not have the distractions of life lying to us that we don't need God's help.

Everyone talks about fixing Africa. I think Africa might just be able to fix us. Africa does not need more money. We need less of it. Africa doesn't need more food. We need to be truly grateful for what we have taken for granted for so long. Africa doesn't need better roads, cars, and cities. We need to value time and productivity less and start spending time with our families and friends to experience life on a much deeper level. I am reminded of the rich man who asked jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. "You lack one thing: go sell all that you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me. Disheartened by the saying, he went away sorrowful because he had great possessions" (Mark 10:21-22). Now I know Jesus' point was not solely about money, but it was definitely a big part of it.  I can safely say after spending time in Africa that materialism is a burden well worth putting down. Even the poorest families in our nation have abundantly more than those living in Africa.  But that abundance only manifests itself in problems.  "Let the poor say 'I am rich because of what the Lord has done for us!'" Africa just might be the richest of all nations. 

God bless, 

Jack Barrett

Quotes from the trip

"Hey man, you gonna wash your underwear tonight?"

"There might be cows in the road, so don't worry if I don't land the first time."

"Daddy likey"

"I think to myself, I am a man about quality."

"When I worked in the inner city, I put a little more pimp in my step."

"A little leg goes a long way."

"Make it snappy"

"I don't know what your towel sit-e-ation is, but you don't want to get caught naked, wet, and wanting."

"I'll have chicken soup, hold the hair."

"I put ketchup on my ketchup."

"I've never been to southern lasagna."

"It was like flipping a coin. Cindi got heads, I got tails. No pun intended."

"The road from here is fair."

"You can walk up there and take a dump... picture."

"If it's just the two of us, we stretch, say thank you, then leave." 

"It was shiny." "Oh, it's just part of the taxi."

"That stuff is important to you people."

"Shelly, I got a gift for you to add a little some-thin' some-thin'. "

AFRICA BY THE NUMBERS.

11 TEAM MEMBERS
7 AIRPORTS
14 DAYS
4 HOTELS
17, 822 MILES

never have i ever...

never have i ever, before i went to Africa...
(a majority consensus from the team)

- been inside a hut
- slept under a mosquito net
- eaten rice & beans w/ my hands
- carried a baby on my back
- seen the Nile river
- been in the southern hemisphere
- sat on the same plane for 18 hours
- had a ride on the back of a cow truck
- spoke with an African accent
- gone 2 weeks without AC
- worn the same outfit 3 days in a row
- played netball
- seen a couch on a motorcycle
- eaten chapati
- drank wine that tastes like dirt (ethiopia!)
- fit 14 people + 20 bags in a taxi
- fed a giraffe

home sweet home

after about 29 hours of travel...we are back on US soil. lots of pics and updates to follow in the coming days...after we've recovered from jet-lag :)

hakuna matata...

...don't worry - we're not REALLY saying that here in kenya :)
we arrived last night and spent our day seeing different projects in kibera (the largest slum, right outside nairobi) including the mercy children's clinic and calvary christian school (the "blue school" to you people that know about ellie's run) and we also went to a giraffe park and fed giraffes out of our hands! tomorrow is seeing more projects, and also a game park. then...it's off to ethiopia!!
and blogspot apparently doesn't work well in ethiopia, so this may be our last post...but when we return we'll be sure to post pics and follow-up stories.

thanks again for your prayers -- we have all been battling some sickness, so keep praying for our health!

TEAM AFRICA.

iri maber!

iri maber = GOOD AFTERNOON in luo, the language of the achioli.
our friends on staff here are teaching us some of the langauge!
we continue to be blown away with the people we meet here - with their hospitality, their spirits, their joy.

we DID finally get water in our hotel, so we've been able to shower - yay!! the power has still been out for most of the city -- we are actually on the internet using a generator.

we are all being stretched and growing so much - sharing our stories and scripture lessons in front of big groups, singing/teaching our praise songs to them (and learning their songs - aka lots of jumping and clapping!), serving, making crafts, playing sports (ask the girls about "net ball" when we get home), praying over the people we meet, hearing their stories...we are definitely making deep connections with the achioli people here in gulu. they have stolen our hearts :)

our trip is at the halfway point - hard to believe...

LUBANGA MARI!! (God loves you)
Team Africa.

we're here!!

[sorry it has taken us a few days to get internet access...]

after 2 1/2 long days of travel (including a 12 person plane from entebbe to gulu -- quote from our pilot: "there are cows on the runway sometimes, so i may have to circle around again..") we made it to GULU!

it has been amazing so far. the people are so gracious and their hearts are so full of love and joy. we are walking alongside the missionaries and staff here doing all different kinds of ministry. i think our favorite so far is some time spent at the home of love orphanage last night...we all wanted to take those kids home with us! we've also been doing home visitations and helping in specific ministries to women/men/kids with HIV, child soldiers, child mothers, etc. their stories are hard but their hope is unreal.

our water and power at our hotel go in and out, so most of us our very unshowered and thankful for deoderant :) and we're learning to love rice and beans and bananas!!

thank you for your prayers and continued support. we hope to update once more from here...then sunday, it's off to kenya!!

Packing Light

from Ben Ellis:
Okay, sooner or later I'll add some clothes to the mix, but I've been spending hours organizing my video iPod for the trip. I've already had to explain to several 20-something team members the historical and cultural significance of Elvis Costello (what do they teach in schools these days?!!), and I've downloaded two classic Gregory Peck films--To Kill a Mockingbird and Roman Holiday. I'm sure I'm dating myself even more. So, speaking of culture, here is the official Africa Team Theme Song mix playlist, for those of you following along:

A-Team Theme (from the old TV show, you know, with Mr. T)
Africa, Toto submitted by Jack Barrett
Jabulani Africa, African Children's Choir by Melissa Baird
Where The Streets Have No Name, U2 by Nicole Kendig and Chad Humbert
Give Me Your Eyes, Brandon Heath by Marisa Van Houten
Only Hope, Switchfoot by Cindi Barrett
Life Is Short, Butterfly Boucher by Krista Kendig
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love & Understanding, Elvis Costello by Ben Ellis
There's Hope, India.Arie by Katie Gallerani
Holy Roar, Christy Nockels by Cindi Barnes
Brothers & Sisters, Dave Barnes by Marisa Van Houten
Man In the Mirror, Michael Jackson by Katie Gallerani
Peace of Mind, Boston by Andrew Trammell
Grace, U2 By Sam Darsinos

Dreams into Reality

I just took my first malaria medication.  This is really happening!! We leave tomorrow, and I cannot wait.  Thank you once again (and many many more times) for your support - financially to make this journey possible as well as emotionally.  Your prayers are in route with us. 

itinerary...

for those who want to follow our every move:
Sat, 7/19: Leave Nashville 7:42am, Arrive Washington DC 10:28am
Leave Washington DC 6:30pm (please note our 8 hour layover - yikes!)
Sun, 7/20: Arrive Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 7pm (via Rome, Italy -- just for a fuel stop = 17 hour flight!!!)
Mon, 7/21: Leave Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 11:30am, Arrive Kampala, Uganda 1:30pm
(we then take a small plane up to Gulu)

:: spend the week in Gulu, Uganda ::

Sun, 7/27: Leave Kampala, Uganda 8:10pm, Arrive Nairobi, Kenya 9:25pm
Tues, 7/29: Leave Nairobi, Kenya 6:15pm, Arrive Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 8:15pm
Thurs, 7/31: Leave Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 10:15pm (via Rome, Italy)
Fri, 8/1: Arrive Washington DC 7:55am
Leave Washington DC 4:47pm, Arrive Nashville 5:42pm

ONE WEEK! (the lack of) Agenda

This time a week from today exactly we will be departing for Africa!  We all have a very busy week ahead of us - running around Nashville buying packing supplies, gathering materials and clothes for the women, men, and children there, planning activities for the children, buying and deflating soccer balls, not to mention the regular life stuff such as jobs and seeing people before we leave.  In a society that values "busyness" - where, in a sense, saying "I am soo busy. I have so much to do" often gets touted around as if a badge of importance, this week I really want to not fall into the trap of the details and the rush to get things done.  My friend Brooke, who just came back from traveling in Ethiopia, said that in Africa, it was highlighted for her America's need and value of efficiency. This is in contrast to a life's pace that honors spending time with people, listening to stories at night, and gathering as a community.  The frenetic pace often set by an agenda gets discarded.  My hope is that I can incorporate this perspective and use this week to listen to what God is saying in preparing me for this journey.  Pray for our team to find moments to be still this week.

~Katie

NFG comes through with fundraising!!!

My West End Neighborhood Fellowship Group raised almost $800 to help the cost of my trip and gave it to me last night at our last meeting before I leave for the great continent of Africa! I'm so thankful to be a part of such a loving community and i hope and pray that God will open doors for many of them to also have the opportunity to serve on a trip with Midtown one day!!
Much thanks to everyone who contributed and we covet your prayers as we travel!

Andrew

Ethiopian Food. Get ready!

So last Saturday I went to the Abay restaurant near the Nashville zoo for some fine Ethiopian cuisine. The place wasn't two big and there were some British people sitting at the table next to me as I waited on my friends to arrive. The menu was in aramaic and in ethiopian with pronounciations on it. My friend Jenn did the ordering cause I had no clue what to order even with the pictures. So we ordered some meats and vegetables. It reminded me of Indian food a little bit because of the spices but no where near as spicy. The owner of the place brought out a circular tray with this pancake bread covering on it that was a little spongy too. The food dishes were poured on top of this and instead of utensils you would tear off a piece of this bread and scope your food into it. In the middle was a leg of chicken and a bowled egg. I forget the name of it. Also we had yellow peas, red potatoes, beef tips, and some kind of green beans. Most of the food was in a liquid sauce which all of it was really good but different because you are eating with hands. Jenn also brought some yogurt which tasted a little like sour cream to eat with the meat. Very interesting and not too sweet. Afterwards I was full and didn't get extremely ill. There is one dish we shouldn't order because its raw meat so I will have to ask Jenn again what that was. Just wanted to fill you guys in for what we'll be eating on part of our trip.

Chad

Make that Change...

so says Michael.  As Cindi pointed out in her blog, Ben, our fearless leader, had the creative idea of putting together a trip soundtrack.  We each picked a theme song, and we are excited about the highly anticipated release of the first (and only) Midtown Africa playlist.  To be a hit from Music City to Gulu, Uganda.  Michael, sadly, didn't make my cut, but I felt guilty not giving him some attention (as if he needs more) so enjoy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zpTQCQEFhg

~ Katie

packing 101.

so we're 12 days out, and we have begun the battle of figuring out what to pack -- and how to fit everything you need in as little space as possible! a lot of us are trying to do all carry-on (flying in africa = lost luggage) which is a lot more difficult these days with those great new TSA liquid rules.


a couple things we will be sure to not leave home without... :)

meet Grace.

so i thought i'd give you a personal story, to give you an idea of the beautiful women we will be spending our time with in Gulu. this is from a fellow Midtowner who works with African Leadership, Matt Wertz:

"One of the women that the Village of Hope is serving is named Grace. I got to sit down with her as she told me her story. How she was abducted at 14, given to a 50 year old Commander in the LRA, gave birth to two children and then, at age 28 escaped, losing both of her children, one in crossfire and one to disease. She spoke in a daze, far removed from the room we were sitting in, as she recalled the fear and pain she experienced in her 14 years of captivity. She lost her childhood, as well as her opportunity to love and to be loved. The Village of Hope’s goal is to give those things back to her."

see the rest of his thoughts on the Mocha Club blog
to see pictures from a previous trip to the Village of Hope go to the Mocha Club flickr page

:: marisa ::

Background (to be foreground in 17 days)

This July our church, Midtown Fellowship, is sending a team of 11 people to Gulu, Uganda to work with the people in this war-torn region.  Each of us have different talents and professions, and in our two week stay we will have an opportunity to work hands-on with local refugees to find ways to collaborate and form relationships that will serve the desperate needs of women and children in Gulu. 

Our trip is sponsored by African leadership, a Nashville nonprofit whose mission is to meet the physical needs of the people of Africa, to alleviate starvation, disease, and suffering.  In Gulu over the past 20 years, militants from the Lords' Resistance Army (LRA) have stolen thousands of children from their villages, killed their families, and used them as sex slaves.

"The Village of Hope" is one of the largest refuge camps where 500 of these "child mothers" have come to live for the first time in a safe community.  We will be actively working within this community to connect with these women and their children.  Our work will be planning programs for the children as well as encouraging and working with the young women who have had children as a result of rape (some as young as 12 years old). 

We leave for the Village of Hope, so appropriately named, July 19th.  Anticipation for this departure date has been building and preparations are in full swing, with many of us getting our yellow fever shots today!  In many ways, the journey has already begun.  The fundraising endeavor especially has highlighted for me that this trip does not consist of just two weeks away, nor is it solely our team making the journey.  Everyone who has contributed through encouragement, donations, and prayer is part of the adventure.  Already, many many thanks.

~ Katie & the whole Africa Team 

$2,500 Lunch

We had a great turnout at the benefit lunch after church.  Woo hoo.  Yippee to everyone who came and thanks.