Day 3: Let's Roll Already

Lots of great practice time and lessons for the players and myself.

Prison game tomorrow and flying out Friday morning!

The players and coaching staff have been awesome, we shall see how it goes once we deal with some adversity.

Day 2 The Road to Eastern Africa

There is a women's team going with us, so 30 total.

Today, we had meetings and practiced for the first time...people are opening up because we all have one thing in common, our faith.

Last full day tomorrow before we head out.

I do like Xenia and wish I could get here to AIA more often.

Day 1...Sellersburg to Xenia

Today was the first day of an amazing trip that will grow me as a Christ follower and hopefully do some good in a small way for a small part of the world that isnt my home.

And today was one of the hardest days there is...saying gloodbye to my most favorite people on the planet.

It is hard to see your family cry as they leave.

There is a men's and women's team going to Kenya...it was good to meet everyone and to prepare for the upcoming weeks.

Let's See...

Using an old laptop and hopefully can blog from here over the next few weeks.

Pray for my family as separation is pretty bad.

Student Then Teacher

We Finished UP Another Camp Year

We recently finished up three weeks of basketball camp with our 2nd - 5th grades.

We had approximately 130 kids at different times.

Not Gonna Be Easy

I leave soon to head to Africa, Kenya and Ethiopia via Xenia, Ohio.

I will be in Ohio for a couple of days and then I won't see my family for almost three weeks.

I was talking today to our head coach to make sure my son keeps his mind off me as much as possible by letting him come to summer basketball practices and games and it really got to me.

As I type this, I can feel that uneasy feeling of "missing them" that I have had before.

I'm going to be able to send text messages at any time as well as pictures, but I will not like seeing them.

It hurts.

I'd almost rather have no contact with any of them while I'm gone...it'd be easier on me, but it won't for them.

As the excitement grows as I get closer to that time of leaving, I also get that reminder of the gnawing feeling of emptiness not having my favorite people within reach of a hug or kiss.

Ahhhh Teaching

The Social Studies Department at my school gives one social studies award to a senior each year.

That student had to take the most social studies classes of any other student and have the highest G.P.A.

Sometimes these awards are given to the same students over and over and they seem to lose their "flare".

But the other night, I was honored to give the award to our current recipient and her reaction made me remember why I teach...for the most part.

Kaylee W., thanks for your reaction and making me feel happy also.

The Homeless in D.C.

Often times there are situations or images that catch my eye and the contradictions stand out.

It could be nurses that smoke outside of a hospital, it could be something like teachers when I was a kid and I saw them (gasp) outside of the classroom, or it could be a baby crying in my high school.

The picture I have included is from the Internet and not one I took because I find it hard as a tourist to photograph someone living on the streets.

In D.C., security has kept the homeless away from many of the tourist spots because who really wants "these people" to ruin our vacation (sigh), but once you get outside of that area, you will find more than you fair share of people who for some reason or another live on the streets.

There are many moral questions that arise about helping such people and in that case I always think of Matthew 25, but this part specifically in 25:37-40:

Then these righteous ones will reply, "Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?"

And the King will say, "I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"

I realize that in ever increasing amount of times that I am "helping" someone who does not need the money. In D.C. I ran across a few homeless people who refused food, I saw one woman who had done her makeup, yet living on the street (I shouldn't judge here, but it was odd to see a homeless person with perfect makeup), and I saw people who wanted $1 or $2 just to get home, were given more than that and still kept asking for more money.

I realize that I will be taken advantage of, but I feel that I should help because of the above scripture, (I mean what if Jesus really is one of these and I look the other way?), and because I have been given so much and blessed beyond measure.

Should I not give something back?

Should I not attempt to help someone who has had much different life experiences both bad and good, and have at some point reached the realization that this is all that they can do?

When told by someone that they never give to those in "need" because they know so many are scamming us, my response is that whether I give or not is between me and God and what they do with the money and whether they really need it or not is between them and God.

It is not my job to judge them.

It is my pleasure to try and help them.

But back to the picture.

How odd is it that in a city of millionaire outsiders that there are so many struggling in some way?

How odd is it that in the city that is to solve the problems of our country, they can't solve the problems of their own city?

How odd is that a government that is trillions of dollars in debt, those government workers continue to live lavish lifestyles (relatively speaking) and people who just have nothing live day to day?

How odd is that in a city that represents American Idealism there is image after image of where we have failed?

And how dare I who lives in a place where there is no visible homeless on a day to day basis seem to have all the answers?

I don't, but I know as I have grown in my faith that I see how bad many people have it and I want to do a little bit to help.

It won't be enough, but it will be for that day...that moment.

And even in my hypocrisy where I waste too much and could help so much more, I won't look away from the problems of the world.

And even when I feel that I am drowning in quicksand in trying to help, I will not stop trying to make a difference.

I pray for our hearts to not only be broken, but to do something about that broken heart.