Waiting for Elephants

Waiting for elephants is only one of the things we do differently in India than we do in Alaska....we have missed them by about an hour twice now...so we are getting excited...our friends chased them off with firecrackers like we chase off bears in Alaska...a funny similarity.

Other things we do differently:
We take bucket baths...cold, unless we boil water for a special day.

We wash our laundry by hand and hang it on the line...of course there are no dishwashers either.

We are happy when we realize the scurrying on the wall is a lizard, and not a massive spider.
We carry toilet paper with us every where we go
We take our shoes off to enter homes
We hear a man blowing a whistle every night outside the house...all night off and on.
We eat with our hands.
We are the minority.
We dodge motorcycles, rickshaws and cows on the road.

We have been spending most of our time with Jacob and Blessi and their daughter Sarah. Keep us all in your prayers that we will be full of the joy, peace, freedom and wisdom of our loving Jesus. We are so blessed to be here, learning so much and leaning on the Father's heart together ...He is so good.
Love,
Joseph and Christy

University of India

Heylo!
We are learning a lot in India.
Jesus has been giving us sweet times together...for instance... yesterday we were out on a walk together in the countryside. The sun was warm, the flowers exotic, and the butterflies romantic... Only to be disturbed by the loudest and scariest roar we've ever heard...most likely a leopard..., coming from about 10 yards away in the bushes. Joseph was saying, "oookaaay.... turn around...faster! faster!" While Christy was having a relaxed stroll singing, "trust in the Lord with all of your heart, lean not on your own understanding.. In all of your ways acknowledge him and He will make your paths straight...." Good times.. So we escaped alive...only to be met by a large herd of stampeding oxen with huge horns, running and leaping right at us! Thank the good Lord there was the best looking ox cart we've ever seen. Just barely escaping sure impalement, we were able to jump aboard just in the nick of time, while the oxen swarmed around us like African killer bees.... So the romantic stroll finished with us arm in arm, heart rates pounding, and laughing our faces off at the sheer fun of it all. Arriving back at the childrens home, it was time for a game of volleyball and a relay race with the kids. They didn't like the idea of taking turns so they just ran all at the same time, having a ball. Bless their hearts. Just another day in India. Thanks for your prayers. :)

We love and cherish each and every one of you.
Many Blessings,
J and C

1 week in India

Hi and Happy Thanksgiving!

India is so unique. It is warm, but not too warm right now.

We saw Bill from Montana here for the first few days, which was great. Here's us with him.

We have enjoyed seeing friends and also some wonderful hiking. (photo of mountains and of our villageman guide...he knows how to talk to elephants and about the plants etc.)

The land where we will be has a children's home with 120 children and a pastors school...It is so beautiful. Mountains surrounding, streams and a small village of about 100 people. There are also wild elephants there, and a natural waterslide that we had lots of fun on. Hopefully we will be learning how to cook Indian food on fires out there.

Jacob and Blessi are our friends here, (photo:pBlessi with Christy) and they have the cutest daughter, Sarah. (photo with Joseph). We have been drinking lots of chai, catching up with people here and trying to learn names and some language. We have been praying for Abba's will to happen here...

Please pray with us..

Love,

Joseph and Christy

Kenya pictures

1 and 2...Visiting Kings Hill Christian School in Kabernet...we taught them how to say Thank you in 10 languages...they taught us alot!
3. The land
4. Village boy
5.Pastor Chepsat and Brother Mulwo at lake Begoria...these guys are awesome hosts!
6. Joseph's first time milking a cow, a dream come true..: ) with the help of our friend Chepchang...
7. Bro. Mulwo with son Victor and friend at Great Rift Valley
8. Christy cutting hay for the cows
19.Lake Begoria Geyser...a good place to rest
10.Lake Nakuru, thousands of Flamingos. The sound was incredible, like mighty winds
11-13 feather. Animals we got up close and personal with
Then here is our family in Nairobi, It was great to see them. JuliaAnne is Marty's cousin, and we got to see her daughter Katie win the basketball finals. The McCord family rocks!
.And last but not least, crossing the equator.
Blessings!

Indescribable India!

Great to be here and see our friends. Blessi met us at the airport with flowers. Her and Jr hosts in India! They have a darling daughter Sara. Our friend Bill is here from Montana for one more day which rocks!
We went to church today with him and had a good time people.

We are also glad that we brought toilet paper with us...haha.
27 hours of travel, but we feel good!

Lots of love,
Joseph and Christy

Last Day in Kenya

Hi!
We just tried four times to put photos of Kenya on here, but to no avail....sorry! (we will try again soon)
We are flying to India today, will be in Dubai in the middle of the night tonight.
We are really blessed to have been in Kenya...Our time in Kabernet was also very wonderful. Brother Mulwo and his family are such gracious hosts, and Pastor Chepsat welcomed us with open arms...We also met lots of people in the town and villages and church...Really lovely!
The children were so fun and the brothers and sisters in Christ, so welcoming. The landscape of the Great Rift Valley is breathtaking...
Tasting the delicious foods cooked on traditional fire and charcoal stoves was wonderful! We had our bucket showers, our fair share of animal watching, lots of playing with village children, some who had never seen muzungu (white folks) before...We also got to visit the Christian school that our friends started...and they taught us alot! We taught them how to say Thankyou in Tlingit and Haida, and we also taught the song, "The Blood of Jesus shall never lose its Power.." which we sang in Swahili and English!
Jesus is so good! We met with people from many tribes and had times of singing and prayer...we are so blessed!
We stayed last night with our family and will head out today. There is so much to tell...we will say more with photos.
Please pray for Kenya as it is election season and the politics are very heated!
May blessings to you all.
Love,
Joseph and Christy

Beautiful Kenya!

We are having a wonderful time with family and going on wondeful walks...dirt roads with raining purple petals from Jackaranda trees!
We are meeting some lovely people through Mike and Julia Anne.
Tomorrow we go to Katie's basketball game (Christy's 'cousin')...

God willing here are our plans for the next few days:

On Thursday we plan to explore more of downtown Nairobi and market.
We hope to take a matatu, crazy little van, into town. An experience.

Friday we will be going to a Wycliffe international day of prayer and meal, which will be really neat.

Saturday we are going to Nakuru by bus, where we will meet with a kind Kenyan who is going to show us around Nakuru national park. Then we plan to go to the village of Kabernet for 6 days, (where our friend's Dave, Steve and John were last year), and visit the friends there...
Please pray for us that God will give us wisdom, that we will be a blessing, that we will continue to learn learn learn, for our travels on the roads etc...and that we will have good health and joy.

Many Blessings,
Joseph and Christy

Happy in Africa

It is great to be here.
Staying with Christy's family is so neat and we are catching up alot. We have had good converstions and shared an Ethiopian meal last night.
The plants and flowers are glorious.
The birds are extraordinary.
We are very glad to be here!
More soon!
Joseph and Christy

Kenya, tomorrow!

We are on our way out of London tomorrow.
Please pray for us for good health...and strength and energy and lots of JOY!
Tonight we are going to see a play for free, Shadowlands, about C.S. Lewis and his wife.
God's blessings to you!
Lots of love and Thanks for being so lovely,
Joseph and Christy

Flip-flop Video

Here is Joseph playing the innovative flip-flop instrument at a Museum we went to in London....Then below is a new post for you! Have a good smile! Love, J & C

Turning the Page

Hi there!

We have been seeing a few old friends here in England, enjoying the end of the fall season. We have been spending good time with the family we are staying with and their lovely four kids...reading, playing Jenga, dancing and being silly.

We are getting ready to leave for Kenya on Friday, so there are logistics to be sorted. Thanks to my brother John, our plane tickets will get to us in time... Also, our visas are sorted! In Kenya, we will be staying with some of Christy's family there who are Bible translators. (Marty's cousin, Julia Anne). Then, there is the possibility of going to visit some Kenyan brothers and sisters in the village of Kabernet. Our friends Dave and Steve were there last year, so there is an open invite. We are planning to be in Kenya for 2 weeks and then fly to India for 2 months, where we will be staying with Jacob and Blessi, an awesome Indian couple. Please pray for us for wisdom, safe travels, and that we will be more and more filled with the love of Christ.

We have been in Europe for about 6 months, traveling from place to place, learning little bits of languages, seeing new beauties, tasting new flavors, meeting a diversity of people. We have slept on floors, air matresses, in a garage, tents, hostels, B and B's for our Anniversary, and at the homes of incredibly welcoming people, including strangers who have become friends.
We have run to catch many-a-train or bus, ridden in taxis, hitched rides with people who had all sorts of accents, ridden bikes, gliders, winds, and walked loads in the hot sun and pouring rain.

Jesus and the Martin Backpacker guitar have been our faithful companions on the journey. A few more days here of praying and getting ready for the next step.
Lots of love,
Joseph and Christy

Thanks be to God!

Hi!
We arrived safely in London last night and are SO glad to see the Coates family who we stayed with and became great friends with at the start of our trip. It is a nice foggy drizzly day in London...
We are in the process of trying to get visas to go to India, and today we stood outside with LOTS of people trying to get visas...there was "no way" for us to get our applications in, but somehow, after talking to 4 or 5 different employees, they let us in and we got the ball rolling! Thank you God! So please pray that we will get our visas!
Also, that we will get everything worked out with our continuing tickets for the trip!

Blessings,
Joseph and Christy

Fascinating Ireland!

Hello out there! We are only in Ireland for a couple more days, so though you'd like to see some snapshots...Here is Christy trying to learn cooking from Faith...and the little one is lovely Ropa, wonderful people to be staying with! Joseph and I took a road trip to Ring of Kerry, Dingle Peninsula and Killarney... Then we went up to the cliffs of Moher in County Clare, and were there by ourselves for the sunrise...(cliff photo). The cool shaped stone building is Gallarus Oratory, a 1000 year old church built by monks on Dingle! The guy with the Kerry hat is a fine example of how excited everyone is about Rugby here. Then the photo of Joseph by the water is at the Place where Brendan set voyage to bring the gospel to the unknown land. The sepia photo of us is next to some

surviving bee-hive houses that look like homey places to live.

The boat is in Killarney Nat'l Park where we got close to a grazing deer.

The sunsets and sunrises are glorious when you can spot 'um.

Some tips for driving on the one lane Irish roads that are actually two-way...Keep a look out for tractors, farmers, walkers and painted sheep, honk around blind corners watch out for rabbits, and don't forget to pray.

Off to England next..willbe in touch.

we are well and in joy.

Sincerely, J and C

County Cork, IRELAND

Hi there!
Well, we wrote to a community we found online with the help of our friend Dave, and asked if they had somewhere we can stay on the floor for a couple weeks...they wrote back and said they were expecting us. Doug, one of the overseers picked us up at the bus and gave usa phone to use while we are here. We are staying with a wonderful lady from Zimbabwe, named faith and her 3 year old daughter, Ropa. We are having a good time getting to know them and others around here. I am trying to learn to cook some dishes from Zimbabwe, and we are spending lots of time with Ropa!
Doug brought us to see Blarney castle yesterday and it is scary trying to kiss that stone...you have to lean backwards from the top of the castle and whatnot..anyway we did that...so supposedly we have the gift of gab now, and a few new germs I'm sure.
It is well, we are here for another week and a half.
It is lovely!
Blessings,
Joseph and Christy

Dublin Photos

DubLiN

Hi there! Here is a little of the latest on our whereabouts and whatabouts...

We have really enjoyed the time in Dublin, and just returned from a service at Christ Church, the oldest in Dublin, and where Handel's Messiah was first performed. The choir and Organ were overwhelming and eerie, but beautiful.

We had the joy of listening to some wonderful traditional Irish music last night. We went to a pub where we saw a sign for music and it turned out to be a good choice...full of Irish characters instead of tourists, and almost everyone there knew the songs and heartfully sang along. We also met a poet named Patrick Finnigan, who we had a good time talking with. (photo below of his books, he read aloud from one of them and was very convincing).. Oh, and we went and sang on the street yeterday, what fun...

The other day we were blessed to go see the Book of Kells. It's a book written in the 8th century by a small group of monk scribes depicting the 4 gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The artistry and detail is truly incredible. No pictures were allowed to be taked so you might be lucky to find some images on the web if interested. Here is an 11th century poem in honor of St. Columba, who had a great deal to do with the inspiration of the Book of Kells :

My hand is weary with writing

My sharp quill is not steady

My slender beaked pen juts forth

A black draught of shining dark blue ink

A stream of the wisdom of blessed God

springs from my fair brown shapely hands

on the page it squirts its draught

of ink of the green-skinned holly

My little dripping pen travels

Across the plain of shining books

Without ceasing for the wealth of the great-

Whence my hand is weary of writing

While here, we visited a Famous Library Collection and were able to see some amazing writtings from 150-250 A.D. Writings of the Books of the Bible, written in Greek on Papyrus..some of the oldest found texts of the Scriptures! Wow!

We have been couchsurfing with a kind host from Ghana, Andrew. He made us a great breakfast this morning and has been a blessing! There is a photo of us with him below.
Other photos include, the city market, cafe photos of Joseph and I, and a funny pub name...
Tomorrow, we are taking a bus to Cork to stay for a while with a fellowship called Ballincollig/Celtic Prayer Center...Will be in touch.
Lots of love,
Have a jolly good day and enjoy yourself and others.
J and C

C.S. Lewis...photos to go with entry below

Here is the door on C.S. Lewis' Grandfathers house....hmmm...when Lewis was a wee boy, this is the doorknob he saw at eye level every time he went to Granddad's door. Then, a wardrobe mural, and a wardrobe statue....and this is what is carved into the ground next to the lifesize Wardrobe, written of Lewis. This is Rev. Jack our host looking at a window C.S. lwis gave the church.
love you!

C.S. Lewis, a Belfast Boy.

Hello!
We have been staying at a ywam house here, which is connected to an old stone church. We were invited to the Sunday evening service, so we went and they asked us to share a bit about Alaska and different places we've been. Then they gave us a bag of groceries...the next morning the pastor showed us the place where C.S. Lewis was born, the church where he was baptized and his Grandfather was a minister, the home of His grandfather, a mural of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, and a bronze statue of the wardrobe ... i just tried to put photos on here for you, but the library won't let me ...sorry! The welcoming hearts are so incredible!
We miss you. ..Joseph and Christy