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Sunday, August 30, 2009

Sierra Bible Church

I had slept really well in my hosts' bed, but had to get up at 7:30 am. We had a really nice breakfast at 8 am, and left for church at 8:30 am.

On the way to church I was amazed by how beautiful the area and the houses were. They were all made of wood! Even the church looked like a big wooden house!

I set up my stuff on their information desk, and a very nice lady stood behind the desk there after the service. I had the opportunity to speak with people there, and many took the materials.

Before the service I handed my video to the tech guy, and talked to a few people, including another one of the guys who had visited us in Mali, and who had had us on his heart the whole time. The picture to the right shows my hosts.

The service started at 9:30 am with a time of worship. I noticed that raising hands was not something this church seemed to be customed to. However, I was there to worship God, and God once spoke to me in the past about this, and so I worship Him with all my heart, wherever I am, including raising my hands or kneeling on the floor. I had a good time with him.

After a baby dedication, it was my turn. The video ran silently in the background, while I shared my story. It took about 10 minutes. Then the pastor preached for half an hour, followed by communion, and the service was over.

After the service I talked to different people, and then we left to go out to eat, a whole bunch of people including the pastor. It was an Asian restaurant, but I ended up ordering the perfect food - it was really good, and seemed not at all Asian. I had a good time talking with everyone there.

From there my hosts took me to Lake Tahoe - the famous lake of the region - so I could see it. It was extremely blue - I was amazed. And people were surfing with parasails - they were really fast; it was very windy today. Then we looked at what the little fair there had to offer - nice stuff.

We had to return home and get changed quickly, as we were going to join the church hike at 5 pm. We made it there in time. There was a whole bunch of women, primarily, as the leader of the women's ministry had organized it. We started off on our walk, and I was talking with a few ladies. The "light 20 minute walk" turned into a longer not so light walk.

We paused and decided to turn around and take an easier path, as this had not turned out the way it was planned. I was glad. We stopped near a picnic table where we had some snacks. It was extremely windy, but the view was beautiful. This is lake Donner in the background.

I had a really good conversation on our walk back from there with a lady who wants to go to the mission field with her husband, and is praying about where to go. She's a teacher of special needs kids, and I'd love to have her help with Hama. We'll see what God has in mind!

I returned home in the car with another family who was coming over for fellowship. We had a good time talking in the car. Back home, my host family was slowly preparing dinner. I took the opportunity to talk with George a little more. At 9 pm we had dinner together. I greatly enjoyed the time of fellowship with everyone. At 10:30 pm the guests left, and I went to do some packing and writing and internet stuff. This is going to be another short night, as we leave for the airport early in the morning. I'm looking forward to more rest in Kansas City this week!

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Saturday, August 29, 2009

Traveling Day

Our last night in that fateful hotel... at least they gave us a 50% price reduction. I got up early, still being really tired, and did my packing. Then we went to have breakfast, and packed the car. There was still a morning session for the theophostic seminar, and it started at 9 am. I greatly enjoyed it, and was somewhat sad that it was over. The 2.5 days had passed far too quickly!

I spoke to a few more people today, and gave out a few more folders and DVDs. And Ed gave the TPM posters to every church/ministry represented - that was exciting, though they are in English, and I now have a cardboard tube to travel with.

The last thing Ed did was a live TPM session; I had to leave half-way through it, at 1 pm. I had taken my luggage into the church, and so we loaded the little rental car back up. Then we started on our 40 minute trip to the international airport.

We had plenty of time, and so the traffic jam caused by construction work didn't make much of a difference. The check-in at the airport went without any problems, and then we sat down at the only restaurant there. It was our last few minutes together, and time to say good-bye, after 12 days of traveling together. Anita is such a gift from God to me and to this ministry! Please keep her in your prayers these next few days. She's staying with her cousin there in Houston now, and they're helping her take care of all the police stuff so she can get her truck back quickly, and have everything resolved.

I said good-bye, and she left, while I went through security and to my gate.

I got on my plane to Salt Lake City - a 2 hour 40 minutes flight, and no TV screens at all. I was so tired that I took a nap right away. During the second half of the trip I did some reading.

I turned my watch back one hour when I arrived in SLT, and had two and a half hours to wait for my connecting flight. I was very happy when I discovered they had free internet at that airport. That way time passed very fast.

The second flight was much shorter, just over an hour, and yet, it was a bigger plane, and one with screens. Time flew by - pun intended ;-) - as I watched with fascination the program that was on. I've had quite a few opportunities to watch TV on this trip - more than ever before - and I'm just really fascinated by the reality stuff on there because it's such a different world, one I cannot relate to at all. As I watch, I try to understand....

We reached Reno, and the plane went down to land. Just before it hit the ground, the pilot suddenly accelerated and pulled the plane back up. What was going on??? I had never experienced that before! One time a take-off was aborted (in Africa!), but this? Then the pilot told us that something had been on the runway. My hosts suggested it could have been a deer. Wow. The pilot flew a circle and landed upon second try.

I was very tired; it was nearly midnight on my body clock, and I hadn't had much sleep the last few days. I was waiting for my luggage, when my host and her daughter showed up; my bag came just a few minutes later, and we carried everything to the car the husband was pulling up in.

I had actually met George before, last year in Mali when I had first met a group of people from the church here. George told me they had never forgotten me, though I had not heard from them for over a year. And now I'm here, ready to see what God has in store!

We drove half an hour in the car, from Reno to Truckee, across the border in California. I enjoyed talking to my new friends. Arriving at their house, they took me to their own bedroom. I was blown away, and humbled, that they would give up their bedroom for me. I didn't really want to accept such a sacrifice!

Since they knew I was tired, we didn't spend any more time talking. I just unpacked the most important stuff, and finished writing today's blog. This night is going to be longer!

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Friday, August 28, 2009

Anita's Truck Stolen

What a night and day! I had only slept for about 3 hours when I was rudely awoken by Anita's phone ringing at 4:30 am, and then Anita's reaction of shock and unbelief to what she was hearing. Her truck had been stolen from the parking lot of the hotel! WHAT?!?!?

This is what happened - some time between our return at around 8 pm and the arrival of the security guard at 11 pm Anita's special Harley Davidson truck (see picture from last week) was stolen. At 4 am the police found it on the side of the freeway, and contacted Anita's husband in Florida. Poor Kevin had no idea what happened to Anita and I and frantically called his wife. Anita finally heard her phone vibrating and woke up and received the shocking news.

I could hardly believe what I was hearing either. Anita left to meet with the police, while I started praying and dozed off one more time. I got up at 7:30 am, and went down for breakfast. I was glad to find Anita down there, and got an update.

It was a total miracle that NOTHING in the truck had been stolen - all the valuable Harley Davidson emblems and other stuff that the police specifically mentioned having found. However, the steering column was broken, and the tailgate stolen. We have no clue why they abandoned the truck there. AND, we were told that is a miracle in itself, as they usually put cars on fire when they abandon them like that.

I got a shuttle to the seminar, while Anita went off to take care of stuff. She got a rental car, and has been in contact with different people and agencies like insurance and the police all day. In the afternoon she went to the place where they towed her truck - only to find out that the towing company has supposedly stolen much of what was in the truck, confirmed by the police. That includes what I had in the truck - my leather jacket, mount for my GPS and charger for the GPS. The truck now also had some scratches. Anita is shocked by what she found. The police had warned her to get her truck out of there as quickly as possible, but the insurance doesn't want her to move her truck until they have looked at it.

I couldn't believe that I had once again been robbed - first my house, now the car. Already I'm "afraid" of returning to Mali and finding out all that has been stolen from my house...

Now, Anita still doesn't know very much - she's got to wait for a few things and people, and needs to stay these next few days. Hopefully the car can be repaired, and the insurance pays for most of it. Please pray for her and the situation.

Theophostic Seminar

In spite of all the shock and short night, I was looking forward to the seminar. After worship, Ed started it off with showing a video clip from his time in Ghana. Then he asked what countries people were from. When he was done with that, he started telling people about me and what I do, which amazed me. I had totally not expected that. It was very kind of him to do that.

During the break, people stood in line to talk to me! I was amazed. I ran out of my materials - not having been prepared for that - and had to ask Anita to bring more. One couple gave us a generous donation, other people were interested in visiting, and one lady is a grant writer by profession and said she could help us. I was blown away by the response.

Anita picked me up for lunch, and we went to a restaurant. She was doing pretty well in light of the situation. My lunch break lasted 90 minutes.

I greatly enjoyed the afternoon session of the seminar, and was amazed that I was able to keep my eyes open. We ended at 5:30 pm, and Anita and I returned to the hotel. We still had stuff to eat from lunch and Walmart.

Well, that was our eventful day. Tomorrow the seminar goes till 1:30 pm, and then I have to go to the airport and go a different direction from Anita's. Hopefully we'll get some more sleep tonight.

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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Theophostic Seminar

We had to get up at 7:30 am and have breakfast at 8 am. At 8:30 am we left the hotel to drive to the church where the TPM seminar was being held.

I was amazed at how many people were already there. The room was packed, and they were adding more chairs. I felt like being the last person to arrive! People were registering, and having coffee and pastries. Anita was not attending the seminar, but she had work to do for her online Bible courses, and so she sat down in the lobby to do that.

I saw Ed Smith - the founder of TPM and the one doing the seminar - and went over to greet him. I hadn't seen him in 3 years, since first meeting him in Ghana. I found out that he had gone back to Ghana in April, for a whole month. Both Paul and I were disappointed that we had not known about that this time around. I passed on Paul's greetings to Ed, who sent his greetings back. We only had a minute to talk, since others wanted to talk to him also.

The seminar started at 9 am and lasted till 5 pm. The subject is DEALING WITH DIFFICULT CASES. I was a little disappointed that most seemed to be a revision, and not really anything new. But it was definitely good to be reminded of all this.

We stopped for lunch at 12:30 pm. Anita and I decided to go to Texas Roadhouse for lunch (my favorite restaurant) but it was closed. We found another steakhouse - but I ordered ground beef instead of a steak by accident. I was disappointed, though it was good.

At 2 pm we continued with the seminar, for another 3 hours. At 5 pm I went to find Anita. Imagine this, her cousin is actually one of the pastors in the church where the seminar is taking place!!! What are the odds for that! So Anita had spent the afternoon with her, and when I found her, she introduced me to her as well. She and her family had been missionaries in Guatemala for 24 years. I enjoyed talking with her. Her daughter also came by and said immediately that she wants to come to Mali.

At around 6 pm we left to return to the hotel. But first we stopped at Walmart to buy some groceries; it's definitely cheaper to eat that way. We also stopped at a Hispanic bakery out of curiosity. It was definitely an interesting experience! They had pinatas hanging from the ceiling everywhere, and all kinds of pastries around. Anita chose a few and bought them.

Back home, it was time for dinner and computer (work). I have a list of things to get done, and am progressing only slowly. Tonight it's far too late as I'm going to bed now, at 1 am.

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Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Johnson Space Center

Today completed our NASA tour - after Kennedy Space Center, and Stennis Space Center. I had slept really wonderfully in the bed in this hotel, but still, I was tired when I got up. We went to have breakfast, and it was decent, though we missed a few items.

We returned to our room, and some issues we had to deal with kept us from leaving. FINALLY, we were able to leave for the Space Center. It was only 25 minutes away. I was surprised at how few people there were; but of course it was the middle of the week, and school has started for the most part in the US.

We first went on a tour into the secure area. It lasted over 2 hours, and was pretty cool. We saw the original control room many missions were steered from, including when men landed on Mars. Today they have a new control room. The picture shows the three men that went to the moon; but only two went down to the surface.

We also went to a huge building where they had exact replicas of the real modules of the International Space Station (ISS) as well as the spaceshuttle. They use them like simulators, practicing for the real thing in space. It was pretty cool, and huge. They have these banners with the names of the spaceshuttles hanging down...

Our final stop was the rocket park. They had old rockets like the Mercury set up, as well as some rocket engines that were impressive. Inside the building, they had an original Saturn V rocket. It was huge.

Back at the main building, there was lots to do still. But first we had lunch. Then we went to see a movie in the shuttle lunch, and heard a presenter talk about current missions and future missions. It was very interesting. This picture shows the ISS in its current state, 83% finished; they're planning to complete it next year. The other picture shows the crew of Discovery that is waiting right now to take off from Cape Canaveral and fly to the ISS. Their lunch on Tuesday was canceled because of bad weather, and on Wed because of a fuel leak. It's planned for Friday now.

Then we went into an IMAX-type theater and watched a 50 minute film on the ISS. We also saw a live presentation on life on the ISS as they had a replica right there.

They had some "simulators", and I tried my luck at landing the shuttle. I crashed it twice.

Our final stop was the museum-type part, preceded by a film. We had audio-guides that explained what we saw. I was very disappointed when security came to tell us they were closing. I had not finished the tour! And there were other stuff we hadn't done yet!

I was sad, but glad about all I had seen today. It was a great finish to our NASA tour.

We returned home, to our computers. At 9 pm we walked over to the only "restaurant", a Mexian fast food place, where I courageously tried something - it's not my type of food, and that wasn't changed. We took the food home with us.

As always, time is going by fast... tomorrow the Theophostic seminar starts, and it starts early, so I need to go to bed earlier tonight.

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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

From Alabama To Texas

We got up at a decent time and went to have breakfast. It was pretty good. Then we packed up and took care of some business/ministry stuff that took some time. At 10 am or so we finally left to continue on our way. According to my GPS, we had six and a half hours of driving ahead of us.

We were in Alabama, and the next state we crossed into was Mississippi. We stopped at the welcome center right after crossing over. It was also the location of Stennis Space Center. Looks like this trip is our NASA exploration trip!

I was excited, and then disappointed that they are closed Mondays and Tuesdays. I would have loved to visit it! All I got to see was this lunar lander the astronauts used to practice in before landing on the moon.

We continued on our way. The next state was Louisiana. I was looking forward to seeing New Orleans, and was curious to see the damage from hurricane Katrina. We saw quite a few damaged buildings, and lots of damaged trees. It was amazing.

We went to the tourist part of New Orleans, the old part, and parked our car on a secure parking lot. Then we walked to a little cafe/restaurant that Anita already knew. We were going to have some real local food. We split - red beans with rice and chicken, and Muffaletta which is white bread filled with several different sausages and melted cheese and other stuff. It was all pretty interesting - not bad.

We then walked up and down the streets a little; I loved how pretty everything was. Like this little restaurant of 3 tables on the balcony on the second floor. And the many horse carriages. There was also a statue of Joan of Ark, since she is from Orléans, and New Orleans was named after that French town.

Then Anita took me the PRALINES shop; it was amazing how many different types of pralines they had. The famous one was the one with pecans, butter and sugar; I got to taste it - interesting.

Then we went to the famous CAFE DU MONDE where they sell French beignets that people seem to be crazy for. I didn't know what was so special about them. Look at how much sugar they put on them! They are loaded!

We'd had a great time in New Orleans, but it was time to go on our way again and drive to Houston. It was after 2 pm, and we had about another 5 hours of driving ahead of us. Time seemed to go by really slowly today, much more so than yesterday. We stopped a few times, and at 8 pm we finally pulled up at our hotel. We were both pretty tired.

It's a nice hotel; we checked in and found our hotel on the fourth floor. Then we left again to have dinner. The only place closeby was Denny's - I haven't been there in many years! I really liked the menu, and greatly enjoyed my salad.

We returned to the hotel and each got to work. Hopefully it won't be so late again before I go to bed!

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Monday, August 24, 2009

From Florida To Alabama

Having gone to bed really late, I got up at 9 am; Anita was only just getting up herself. We finished packing and loaded up the car, and left for our errands.

Our first stop was the post office. Then we went to send a fax and make copies, and go to the bank. Since we weren't that far from the beach, we took a little detour to see it. It was beautiful!

Then we stopped at the driver's license office, since my US license expired a few months ago. However, looking at the list of documents they wanted I could tell I couldn't get one.

Then we went to Anita's tech guy so she could pick up her computer. By that time it was 11 am, and we were getting hungry. We continued on a little more and stopped at an Applebee's - for lunch.

Of course I had my traditional steak - it was so good. We enjoyed our meals...

...but I was affected by a phone call with Paul just before lunch. He had sent me a message to call him; something that always makes me nervous. What's the bad news now?

He told me that one of the stolen computers had been found; one of the kids (we don't know who) sold it to someone who sold it to a merchant who contacted Paul since our login was still on there. I thought it was good news, but obviously it's not as clear cut as it is for our Western minds.

Paul said the guy wants something for it, and that he has to tread cautiously to solve this situation. In my Western mindset, it's easy - give back the stolen merchandise, and you are the one having done something illegal by buying a stolen item. Paul didn't understand my reasoning, while I couldn't understand his, so the conversation didn't really end that well. I did end it with telling him I trust him to deal with it correctly. However, I hope he's not going to give the guy any way, though that is what he probably wants.

The conversation had quite a negative effect on me, as I'm so tired of crises and dealing with things like that. I'm also scared to return and see all that has been stolen. All kinds of thoughts went through my mind for quite some time, and it took me hours to get over all that.

After lunch, we finally went on our way towards Houston. It was already 1 pm. I was pretty tired, and ended up taking a nap in the car, but not for too long. We were riding along I-10 going West, and stayed in Florida forever. Finally we crossed the border into Alabama. We stopped at the border, but the visitors' center was already closed. So we continued on.

We arrived in Mobile, and Anita needed gas. We stopped at several gas stations but they did not have Diesel. So we asked, and finally found one.

Anita was tired, and since it's only another six and a half hours to Houston from here, we decided to find a hotel for the night. Anita had a membership with one hotel group that had a hotel here, and so she called for rates. It seemed like a good deal, and we got our reservation. We picked up some food at McDonald's on the way.

The hotel was much nicer than the one in Orlando. We checked in and took our stuff to our room. I saw that they had a fitness room, and was all excited, determined to go there - it's been a week since my last workout! I had a little to eat, and then went there. I got on the treadmill, and then used the few machines they had. I was there for an hour, and really enjoyed it.

I was confused about the time it was, and finally figured out that we had crossed the line into the next time zone. That's why it was actually 7 pm when we arrived, and not 8 pm.

Back in the room, it was time for some business. However, the hotel had problems with their wireless network, and so I had to be patient until that was fixed. As so often, Anita fell asleep while I was still working. But now it's time for me as well to go sleep.

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Sunday, August 23, 2009

Oasis Church

I was glad the service wasn't until 10:45 am. Anita's husband Kevin prepared a wonderful breakfast that we ate together. It was good to have some time to meet him.

Time was already quite advanced, and so it wasn't until 11:15 am that we arrived at Oasis Christian Center. However, the service hadn't started yet. Anita talked to her pastor to ask whether I could put my materials on the back table, and he agreed. I found out later that he's heard about me from Anita over this past year, and that he had looked at my website.

Worship started and lasted for over an hour. There was a lot of prophetic worship. I was really tired, and so I sat down after a while and enjoyed resting in the Spirit. After worship, the pastor came up; he asked me whether I would share with everyone, and of course I agreed. After some other stuff, it was my turn to come up. His introduction was very touching, as he talked about the price full-time missionaries pay.

I shared my story and what God is doing in Mali today. Everyone listened carefully. When I was done, the pastor asked me whether I'd pray for people, and then he called those forward who have a calling to missions, whether full-time or temporary. Many came forward - though it's a small church - and I prayed for one after another, praying primarily for them to get God's heart for the lost, but also prophesying over some. Many were deeply touched; some fell over, some cried as their hearts were broken. It was an awesome time.

Then the pastor said that people should come up and pray for me. I stood in the middle, while people formed a line in front of me. One after another came to pray or prophesy, and people started putting money into my hands. It was very touching. In the end, the pastor himself prayed for me.

It had all taken a lot of time, and the end of the service had come. The pastor prayed a long blessing plus prophetic words over everyone, and it was 2:30 pm before the service was over.

I talked to a few people, and showed them Mali on their big world map. Several signed up to get the email updates.

We then talked about where to go for lunch; my favorite restaurant Applebee's was the choice, but then we found out that a group was going to Sonny's and so we joined them.

Anita's best friends ended up not going in the end, and the rest of the group stayed among themselves. But it sure was a cultural experience for me to eat at that southern restaurant - all the meat was smoked; it sure tasted different!

We had all gone together in one car - in this oldtimer cadillac that is in very good shape. The picture also shows Anita and her husband.

From the restaurant we returned home. We were pretty tired. A nap would have been really nice, but it was already 5 pm. I got on the computer, since I had to do some work for the ministry as well as for my new nutritional business in Austria that is launched very soon. I ended up talking with my friend who helps me with that for over 2 hours - that was definitely not planned.

So I ended up staying up very long once again - until 2 am - taking care of things. I got a lot accomplished.

My friend Anita had to go out help her son whose car broke down, and so she was gone for quite some time - poor girl. She really didn't get any rest.

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Saturday, August 22, 2009

Disneyworld

It was hard to get up, but we had to pack, have breakfast, and get going. Everything took a bit longer than expected. We checked out, and I left my luggage at the hotel.

Then we left to go to nearby Disneyworld. I was looking forward to meeting Missy who I had connected with online but never met in person. She's a travel agent, and had free tickets. Yeah! We met up at the entrance to Epcot - one of the parks at Disneyworld - close to 10 am. We parked and walked to the entrance; this big sphere is the symbol of Epcot. It contains a great ride through time.

It was great to finally meet Missy. She turned out to be an expert on Disneyworld, which was great. We had a lot of fun together; I'm glad we connected.

We did a bunch of rides at Epcot, like the training flight to Mars (picture) which was really cool. I also liked the Star Wars ride, and Soarin'.

Epcot also contains representations of different countries, mainly in terms of food, and we had planned in advance to go to the British restaurant for lunch. I was looking forward to some Shepherd's Pie and Trifle. It was so good!

Then we continued on to Hollywood Studios, another one of the parks of Disneyworld; it seemed to have a lot of great rides. The most popular one had a line that was far too long (70 min wait time), so we didn't get to do it. But we had a tour explaining some of the special effects they do; this picture shows the staging of an air attack with volunteers. It was great to see the end result after they had put it together.

We did NARNIA PRINCE CASPIAN, the Muppets 3D, 3D movie HONEY, I SHRUNK THE AUDIENCE, and a ride through movie history.

This picture shows the Disney plane they used in the early years of Disneyworld to go back and forth between CA and FL.

We had to say good-bye to Missy who needed to pick up a friend at the airport. I hope to see her again.

Anita and I continued on by ourselves; we both felt our feet, but Anita was quite in pain. We decided to just quickly go to the Magic Kingdom - the heart of Disneyworld that is pretty much identical to Disneyland in Los Angeles. The picture shows us in front of the Cinderella Castle (just ignore the crane!).

We only did one ride, and then started the long trek back to our car. The sun was going down; we were pretty tired. I had actually been tired all day, but now it was really good to sit in the monorail trail. We had to switch trains one time. And then we took a vehicle that took people to the different parking lots. It was after 8:30 pm before we left the park.

We returned to our hotel to pick up my luggage - and get coffee for Anita to drive the 3 hours north to her house. We left the hotel at 9:15 pm.

I was ready to sleep! But first we stopped at McDonald's to pick up some food. We ate in the car, and it didn't take long before I dozed off. I'd wake up from time to time to ask Anita whether she was okay; I was concerned for her since she was also tired. We stopped at a rest stop, and she got some chocolate and coffee - good choice!

It was half past midnight when we arrived at her house in Yulee! I was very tired; I'd actually had a tiredness headache since the afternoon. I think we both crashed right away. I didn't even download my emails! It was about 1 am when I went to bed.

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Friday, August 21, 2009

Universal Studios

We were up and ready early to go to Universal Studios. But first we had breakfast, and then we had to go to the nearest triple A office to buy cheaper tickets for Universal Studios. Thank God for GPS!

It took us half an hour to get there. From there we went straight to Universal. It was 10 am, an hour after opening, and there were masses of cars. We parked in the garage, and walked to the entrance.

After the first entrance, there were two streets - one going to the Islands of Adventure, and the other to Universal Studios. They both have great stuff, but we only got a pass for Universal Studios, thinking that would keep us busy enough.

We got to their entrance, which is where this picture was taken. There were a lot of people.

After going through and going to the first ride, it became obvious that a fast pass would be a big advantage. Who wants to stand in line for an hour? So I went to purchase us those passes for an additional fee. It was so much more fun that way, not having to stand in line as long! I didn't envy the people without it.

Well, we did a lot of fun stuff until 4:30 pm - the new Simpson ride was awesome, then 3D Terminator, 4D Shrek, Jimmy Neutron, Twister, Disaster Studios, Jaws (picture), Men in Black,... and whatever else I forgot. There were about three we refused to do. Some of the rides were virtual roller coaster type rides - just like the real deal! Amazing!

Towards the end it started raining hard. Thankfully Anita had some plastic ponchos with her for that case, and that helped to move on, rain or not. We had a great time!

Thanks to our fast passes we had completed all the rides we were willing to do by 4:30 pm and could go home. It had been an awesome day! I wished my kids could have been with me!

On the way home, Anita needed something from a pharmacy store. I stayed in the car, as I was tired. Amazingly I actually fell asleep and was woken up by her opening the door. I was obviously tired!

We returned home, and I was too tired to even think about leaving again (for dinner). So we ordered pizza - which was really nice. I spent the evening watching a service online, and doing some work for my new Mannatech business, and other ministry stuff. Time always goes by fast.

In the morning we're checking out of the hotel; we'll be spending the day in Disneyworld, and in the evening we're driving the 3 hours back to Jacksonville/Yulee.

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Thursday, August 20, 2009

Cape Canaveral Space Center

Anita is a morning person, while I'm an evening person. So she was fast asleep by the time I went to bed, and I woke up in the morning when she got up really early. I was really tired and forced myself out of bed.

At 8:15 am we went to have breakfast. Then we went to a gift shop to look for fanny packs; I also needed a cord for my water bottle. I found both. The fanny pack really helped as we walked around all day; it was good to be hands-free.

We got into the car and had one hour to drive to Cape Canaveral. In the end, we went to the wrong place, but finally found the visitors' center of Kennedy Space Center. It was already going on 11:30 am. We parked the car and went to the entrace. We were scheduled to have a lunch with an astronaut at 12:15 pm.

We went into the exhibit hall right there, which was interesting. Then we went in for the luncheon. They had a buffet with good food, and about 10 people at each round table. While we were eating they showed a little movie. Then the astronaut came up; it was John McBride who's only been in space one time. Everything he said was very interesting. Then there was a Q & A time; they picked primarily kids, and my question didn't get picked. I still don't know the answer to it.

From there we went to where the busses leave from to go on our very special CLOSE UP tour. It lasted for over 3 hours. We had a great tour guide, and we sat up front so that I was able to ask some questions.

All we saw was very impressive - the launch pads; one had the next shuttle on it already that launches next Tuesday (below).

The assembly building that is extremely high (below) and a replica of a shuttle.

I got to be on a lunar mobile on the moon ;-) and in an original control room where they simulated a rocket launch.

This impressive vehicle transports the shuttle from the assembly building to the launch pad at 1 mile an hour.

When we returned to the starting point of our tour - we had to skip over the International Space Station unfortunately, for time reasons - we quickly went to the rocket launch simulation to get in before the center closed at 5:30 pm. It was great!

We actually walked out of the Space Center after 6 pm. The Astronaut's Hall of Fame was down the road and open longer, so we stopped there next. It wasn't that impressive.

We had one hour to ride back home; we were both tired. We stopped to pick up some food and returned to the hotel to eat it. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing, and researching for our activities tomorrow. We decided to go to one of the parks at Universal Studios and researched where to get the cheapest tickets. I had a great day, and I'm excited about tomorrow! Is that what a vacation feels like? ;-)

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Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Long Ride To Florida

After five and a half hours of sleep it was already time to get up; it was tough. I finished packing, and had some breakfast. It was my last moments with Judd & Marsha which was sad. I really wanted more time with them; where has the week gone?

We loaded up Anita's truck, and said our good-byes with sadness. We were running a little late by the time we left their house.

Our first stop was Atlanta Bread Company in town, to have breakfast with Judy and another lady who wanted to see me before leaving. We got a drink and spent an hour with them talking.

At 10:30 am we finally got into the truck to leave town. We had 4 hours ahead of us to drive to Yulee, Florida. There was mainly trees and fields along the highway, so not a very interesting ride, but we had a great time talking.

Our first stop was in Brunswick, Georgia, where Anita's Mom lives. It was great to meet her. She has all those cats, which was great, but they were very shy.

Then we moved on and stopped at a welcome center right after crossing into Florida. We got all kinds of brochures for the different attractions, and a little cup of grapefruit juice - they were out of orange juice.

Our next stop was the post office in Yulee, where Anita opened our ministry PO Box a few weeks ago. It was exciting to see it for myself for the first time. It's a little post office, with lots of mailboxes. I was curious to see whether there was any mail in there; all there was was a key. Our ministry envelopes had arrived, but were too big for the little box.

We continued on to Anita's house, but only stayed there a few minutes. Then we stopped at Anita's church; her friend lives there, and she had something to give to her.

Finally we were on our way to Orlando; another 3+ hours. We took a little detour because of traffic, and decided to stop for dinner. We ended up at Cheesecake Factory - a great place! We had some great food, though the service was really slow. It was already 6 pm before we continued on our way.

Around 8:30 pm we arrived at our hotel in Orlando. We checked in, and hauled our luggage to our room. Anita was a little disappointed with what she found.

And then it was time for business, emails, work, whatever - and that always takes so much more time than you think; and I'm not even done! We have a long day ahead, and so we'd better go to bed before midnight.

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Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Sisters In Christ, Errands & Fellowship

Our first stop of the day - and most important - was the bank. It was high time to open a ministry bank account as I'd been collecting checks on the way, without being able to cash them yet. Now we had the president, treasurer and secretary in one place and could finally take care of that. Everything we had to do we got done; except that I didn't have my passport with me, and so we had to stop by again later.

It all took some time, and so we went straight to the SISTERS IN CHRIST luncheon. It is organized by Ellen, a friend's friend who really likes me. Ellen is in this picture. She's actually moving to another city, so this was my last time to see her.

It was an amazing house, and since we came a little late, there were already lots of ladies there. They were just starting to eat. So we joined right in.

After over an hour of eating, they finally started the program. They had a catholic nun from Tanzania who shared first. Then I had the opportunity to share. I gave out a few of my folders and DVDs. A few ladies said they'd be praying for me.

At 2 pm we had to leave since we had to get quite a few things done. We returned home to get my passport and make some photocopies, and returned to the bank to finish our business there. Then we went to the post office to close the PO Box, and have the mail forwarded, as we've already opened the new one in Florida.

Our next stop was the movie theater. We made it there just in time; we were meeting Christy there for the 4 pm movie. She was late, and in the meantime we found out that ICE AGE wasn't in 3D there. So we had to pick another movie. Together with Christy we decided to go watch G-FORCE in 3D; we didn't realize it would be so much more expensive. It was okay.

We talked a little bit with Christy after the movie - it was already time to say good-bye. My week in Augusta had gone by so fast. Next time I'll see her she'll have her second baby boy.

We returned home, where there was more work to be done. First we had dinner with Marsha, and then I went out on the lake with her on the boat, while Anita did some work. It was my last chance to be out there. The sun was going down, and it was beautiful to be in the middle of the lake at dusk. It was so quiet, so peaceful. I had quite a few challenges today, so I really needed those precious moments. I also enjoyed having some more time with Marsha.

Back at the house, it was time to get to work - some serious work to still get done. Judd came home at 10:30 pm, and I had far too little time to fellowship with him. I got very productive, and ended up going to bed at 2:15 am - oh my.

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Monday, August 17, 2009

Errands

My first stop of the day was Sanctuary Church where I had shared last Wednesday night. It was a wonderful evening; they had taken an offering, and I had to pick up the check. I was also hoping to have lunch with the pastor and his wife but that didn't work out.

Instead I enjoyed an hour in the office with the pastor, talking about different things. He also asked me more details about what it would take for a team to come to Mali. The church would like to start supporting us on a monthly basis, which is great news. At the end, he prayed for me/us, and I prayed for their building project. The church is only 3 years old, but they're building a big, wonderful church building. He walked me through it. Next time I'll be in town, they'll already be in there.

I was pretty tired when I left there, but decided to go to the gym anyway, because it was my only chance to fit it into my schedule. I was a little under time pressure, though, and went as fast as I could doing my stuff. Then I went home. I really needed a nap, and was shocked when I slept for two hours. When I got up, there wasn't that much time left before having to leave for the TV station.

My friend Anita - who's also the secretary of the ministry - was on her way up from Jacksonville; she had been delayed and had to go straight to the TV station.

On Christian TV

The station was nearly an hour away, and I needed to pick up Marsha on the way. We had to be there by 7 pm, even though the program started at 8  pm. I was looking forward to it, and enjoyed the time in the car with Marsha.

We got there early, and I took my video presentation to the tech guy. He was a very funny guy; he was asking lots of questions. We went through the video, and I pointed out the different parts, so they'd know what to play when. Then I met the lady I had communicated with by email. Then Anita arrived, and it was a joyful reunion with my good friend.

It was time to get situated on the couch and clip on the mic. The host Dorothy took her seat, and then it already started. I was on for the first 45 minutes; my time of speaking was about 33 minutes - that's how long the video is that you can watch online.

They showed parts of my video twice - though not the parts we had discussed. It was also interesting how the subjects we talked about were pretty unexpected - we talked about child sacrifices in Mali, the outpouring in Mali, and the need for workers. Dorothy was so touched by the children's fate, she asked the next guest - an intercessor - to come up and pray for the kids. She also kept telling people to come to Mali and help us, and to call in if they wanted to help financially. I was moved by the way Dorothy was moved.

I was given one note during the program from a lady who wanted me to call her because she wanted to give $500 to the ministry. Praise God!

I felt like the program went very well. In some ways it feels natural to just share my heart like this.

We left there and stopped at a cheesecake place on the way home; the good stuff you get in the US! We returned home, where we had a good time of fellowship, but we also had work to do. Anita brought up ministry business from Florida, and so we had to get to work since we had to get it done before Tuesday morning. It was late before I got to go to bed.

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Sunday, August 16, 2009

Preaching On Forgiveness

It was an early morning, as I wanted to spend time with God before going to church. I got up, got myself a cup of tea, and went to be with Jesus for a while. Then I quickly had breakfast, and it was time to go. The three of us were all going together.

We arrived at church 15 minutes before the beginning of the service; the tech guy wasn't there yet. It was good to see the pastor and his wife and kids again. In fact, their middle daughter came up to me and just hugged me, not letting go. She was so happy to see me again! This picture of her and me was taken later in the day.

At 10 am they started their time of worship. There were a few breaks with a little 5-minute children's teaching, and some other exhortive words, and testimonies, and the offering. Then the pastor came up (picture) and introduced me. We started with the video presentation first. At first it wouldn't work, and I was thinking, not again, but thankfully it did end up working.

Then I came up; at first I added a few words to the video, thanking this church for their part in building in Mali. It's my third time preaching in this church in Augusta, GA. My newest board member Judd is a part of this church, and is actually the one who first got me into this church.

Then I prayed and started preaching - on forgiveness. I shared many stories from my life, and many scriptures on this new covenant commandment of forgiving others. It went pretty well, and people loved it. I had great feedback later! I simply shared my heart, and did not notice at all how time was flying by. Thankfully people in this church are used to long sermons, and the freedom to leave any time they need to. I'm waiting for the CDs to see how long I talked; it seems like it was way longer than an hour, which is really hard to imagine.

I finished my sermon with the second half of the vision of the encounter with the Father, and then prayed over everyone. Then I invited people who wanted prayer ministry to come forward. Many people had already left as it was late, but I did pray for quite a few people who were really touched by the Lord. I heard that one of those guys had never before gone forward to prayer.

I also heard of other people that were very touched during the sermon already. And some who want to give copies of the sermon to other people. I was thinking of putting the sermon on the audio page to download, but am hesitating a little. Since the topic was forgiveness, and I shared very transparently.... let me know if you'd like a copy.

I had a great time there, and realized again that this is one of my greatest joys and passions - to minister in Western churches; to see God's kingdom come down in Western churches; to break open the heavens and restore things the way God wants them. Someone recently asked me what I like doing most - that is what is high up on my list. I used to say, if I wasn't in Mali, I'd be an itinerant. I'm blessed to be able to do both.

After church we went out to eat, which was really nice. Then we returned home where I got a few more things done while everyone rested.

Fellowship With Pastor's Family

At 5 pm the pastor and his family came over so we could spend some time together. This picture shows their 5-year-old girl. I enjoyed having fun with their girls.

We then had dinner together - great turkey. Judd is a great cook.

The weather hadn't been very good in the afternoon, and it was raining hard while we had dinner. Still, Marsha and the girls left for a boat ride, while I was talking to the pastor's wife. Then I decided to see whether I could still join them, and walked down to the beach.

The boat was there, with the girls in the water. They were having lots of fun. They steered the boat to the dock so I could go on as well, and the girls got back into the boat. It was time for a ride!

It was pretty overcast, and this huge, beautiful rainbow was in the sky. It didn't even fit on the picture!

We kept riding for a while, and passed under this bridge, with two other boats there, but we were going straight in the direction of the bad weather, and so we turned around.

We kept going for a while, but then it started raining really hard. I held the little girl while Marsha took us home as quickly as she could. The rain was pounding hard now.

We tied up the boat; everyone was wearing (rain) coats by now. And I took this neat picture where you can see all the raindrops - and one of the girls back in the water! Marsha actually thought it was lightning when my camera's flash went off, and screamed to the girl to get out of the water. It was funny.

We ran up the hill to the house and into the dry. I went to get out of my wet clothes and get dry ones on, and so did the girls. Little time later they all had to leave. I really like this family!

After they were gone, my hosts Marsha & Judd and I enjoyed some time of fellowship. Judd loves talking, and it's always a joy to spend time together. After they explained everything to me about the four personality types, we went through the French songs we sing in Mali, since Judd wants to learn them. That's the way he learns a language, and he wants to learn them in preparation of going on a visit to Mali.

Today Judd told me that he wants to be on the board of H2TNI; he used to say that's nothing for him, but it seems like God spoke to him, and he wants to be part of what God is doing in Mali. Praise God! Just this past week 3 people had turned me down when I asked them to join the board! We worked on those songs until 11 pm. Then I left to go write this blog and go to bed - it won't be until 1 am before that happens.

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Saturday, August 15, 2009

Friday

There's not that much to report about yesterday. I had lunch with a new couple together with my friends. And in the evening we were invited to my friends' house. In the afternoon I got much work done.

Baby Shower

Today I went to my first baby shower, and it was special because it was my friend's Christy's shower. She's having her second boy soon. It was quite an interesting experience. We played several games, all having to do with babies. This picture shows the game where the first one finishing the apple juice in the baby bottle won.

We spent most of the two hours playing those games, and then they had food and cake. Everything was decorated really nice. It was a nice gathering.

From there I went to the gym, where I only had an hour as the Y already closes at 4 pm on a Saturday. It was better than nothing!

Back home, it was time to prepare for my sermon tomorrow. I had known for quite some time what God wanted me to preach on, but had not taken the time to jot down any notes yet. So while I kept burning Paul's preaching CDs, I took some notes and praying and getting ready for tomorrow. I wanted to go to bed a little earlier since I have to get up early tomorrow, but it was about 11 pm and it took me a long time to fall asleep.

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Thursday, August 13, 2009

Busy But Not Busy

After a somewhat restless night, my alarm clock rudely awakened me at 9:15 am. I had to leave the house at 9:45 am to go to an Aglow meeting that Judy invited me to.

Thanks to my GPS I found the place, and was surprised at how many people there were. The house was very crowded with women, and there was lots of food everywhere. Judy introduced me to everyone, and a few people talked to me, and I gave some folders away. It was also good to see my friend Christy and her son. The time of fellowship went on forever, and it was noon before the invited speaker started to speak. I was so very tired, and could not keep my eyes open while she talked. After 90 minutes she was still talking, but some people had to leave. It was getting late, and I needed to get a nap in, so I decided to leave myself.

I returned home where I went straight to get a nap in. I slept for over one hour, and it was much needed.

Then it was time for the gym. It's been three days since my last time in the gym, and I was craving the exercise. So my host Marsha and I left home together, since she is a member of the Y and I was her guest. I got signed up for one week - for free! That was great news. Marsha returned home, while I stayed and worked out for two hours. I loved my hour on the treadmill, and the hour with the weights.

I returned back home at 6:45 pm, ready for dinner. I also talked to my friend Christy to figure out where and when to meet. We ended up meeting at Office Depot, and then we went to COLDSTONE together for some ice-cream. I was a "good girl" and had some strawberry milkshake. Marsha, Christy and I had a good time fellowshipping, though we were getting really cold in there. We were glad to walk back out into the humid Georgia summer and warm up again.

We arrived back home close to 10 pm, and went straight to work. I had bought 50 CDs and cases to burn more of Paul's CDs; the few I had left were all gone after the meeting last night. So it's very time-consuming to burn all those, and I stayed up way too late, though I had wanted to get a good night's rest in.

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Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Sharing At Church

Being on Californian time, I woke up at a decent time for there, but not for here. It was 10:30 am when I got up. I had some breakfast, and my hosts/friends had to leave the house. So I had a few quiet hours which I really enjoyed. I ended up getting a lot of work done - there's so much to do, things for the ministry in the US, things for Austria, things for Mali,... a never-ending list. I also spoke to Paul today, which was great. Things are going well there; though our suspicions concerning our driver gets more and more confirmed. Send us a new driver, Lord! And my Austrian bank account is empty, and it's the only one Paul has access to. We need at least one car operational. So I need to get some money to Paul from over here somehow. It was really good talking to Paul. I shared a little bit about here. He said they are eager for my return.

I have noticed that our relationship is better than every before - that's really good. It's thanks to our 3-week trip together.

My friend Marsha came home at 4 pm, and we spent some time together, before I went to get ready for the evening meeting. We left together at 6:15 pm for the 20 minute drive to Sanctuary Church.

This was my third time sharing there, and I was looking forward to it. I really love the pastor, who has such an amazing heart.

I set up my folders and DVDs in the back, and went to give my DVD to the tech guys. They had a hard time getting it to work on their system. I left them in high hopes it would work.

At 7 pm they started with a time of worship. I was in the first row. God's presence was so very sweet as I worshiped Him with all my heart. What a wonderful place to be! I soaked it all up and just wanted to stay in His arms. But there wasn't that much time for worship songs.

The pastor came up and introduced me, then had Peter - our architect - come up to introduce me. Then it was time for the video presentation, but it wasn't working. So I had to come up right away to share. I asked who had never heard me, and was shocked how many didn't know me. It took me off guard not to have the video that shows what I'm doing, and then all those people who had no clue about me... oh my.

So I started from the beginning, sharing quickly how I ended up there, and what I'm doing, but it was sure hard without the pictures. Then I gave them an overview of this last year since I was last here, including the Outpouring that started 12 days ago.

By then they had figured out how to make the video work, and though it was late, still showed it, while passing an offering basket. Then the pastor came up, and touched my heart when he said he felt they should support me on a monthly basis. Wow. What a blessing! He even said he'd like to send some people to Mali to help. Then he called the elders up so they could all pray for me. Thank You, Lord!

The meeting was over, and several people came up to me to talk to me. I was blessed by their kind words. And then this young man in the picture came up; he wrote us a letter in Mali a few months ago, which was really sweet, with drawings, and I had my kids draw some pictures and wrote him back. He was very timid, though, and unable to say a word. His Mom said they'd write again in the future.

I talked to a few more people, including 3 that want to come on a missions trip. All of Paul's CDs were gone, and a few had signed up to receive the email updates. It was around 9:15 pm when my friend and I left. It had been a wonderful evening.

Back home, it was high time to eat, since I'm supposed to eat every 4 hours. It was an opportunity to catch up with Judd who had been unable to come. We talked for quite some time, but I was really getting tired, and still wanted to write this blog, and I have to get up early in the morning.

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Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Traveling Day

Getting up, packing, making sandwiches for the whole day, checking emails, saying good-bye, and off we went to the airport at 9 am. My marvelous host Linda and her son dropped me off at LAX, and it was time for final good-byes. Time had gone by far too quickly.

I checked in, went through security, and decided to give the frequent flyer lounge a try. The lady at the reception told me I could only come in when flying internationally, but she let me in anyway. Nice!

They had free internet, but hardly any food options (not like in Europe) - but then I didn't need food anyway, just water.

My flight left at 12:15 pm and lasted less than 4 hours. In the US you can watch regular TV on long flights like that, and it always fascinates me what I see on reality TV. It's such a different world!

I arrived in Cincinnati where I had a one hour layover. Then I boarded for Columbia, SC, which is just over one hour away from Augusta, my final destination.

Our architect and board member Peter picked me up from the airport at 10 pm - I had traveled 3 hours into the future, from West Coast to East Coast. We had a good time talking in the car, all the way to Augusta.

At a parking lot, we met Judd, my host, since their house was still quite a distance. That way Peter got to go home, since it was already pretty late. I enjoyed talking to Judd in the car; I've known him and his wife for a few years, and they've become friends.

It was close to midnight by the time we arrived at their beautiful house close to the lake. Judd's wife was already asleep. After some effort we got the internet to work on my computer. It was 1:30 am before I went to bed - but of course that was 10:30 pm for my body, Californian time.

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Monday, August 10, 2009

Quieter Day With Little Work

I had another dream last night - I was in Mali, inside a house that I thought was the finished dining hall (though it looked nothing like it). It had carpet on the floor, and was very nice. We were several people in the room, some sitting or lying on the floor. The presence of God was there, and I was praying for our village pastor Enoch who was very much touched by the power of God.

I was tired when I got up this morning, and after having breakfast, we left the house to go to the gym. My host has a membership at the YMCA and is able to bring guests for free. I was so excited and happy to get to go to the gym. Thanks, Linda!

We got there at 9:15 am, and Linda went to the pool, while I went into the gym. I spent an hour on the treadmill, walking and running, and then an hour on the weight machines. According to my heart rate monitor, I burned 900 calories.

From there we returned home, showered and changed, and went to pick up their grand-daughter. Together we went to a local restaurant called DISH that they really love. We had some really good food, and a good time of fellowship.

Then we passed by the office of Linda's husband who's the CPA for our ministry. He's been an amazing blessing for us; we would still be a mess not knowing how to do things right if it wasn't for him.

We returned home, where the little girl wanted to see pictures and video clips from Mali, so we spent much time doing that, having fun together. She told me, "You're a really nice person." What a sweet compliment from a 6-year old!

I was extremely tired, and lay down for a nap after the little girl had left. I ended up sleeping like a stone for over an hour, until Linda's husband came home, and it was time for dinner. It was far too early to eat for me, after the big lunch.

After he had eaten, we got down to business, spending some time on setting up the accounting software online. I then did some work on their on my own, enjoying it. I love administrative stuff!

Then I took care of some emails, catching up on things, while time kept flying by. In the morning I'm leaving for the airport to fly to Augusta, GA, so I should not stay up too long.

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Sunday, August 9, 2009

Discouragement

Last night I had a prophetic dream; not a frequent thing for me. In the dream I asked what I should do between now and my return to Mali. I saw Paul stretch out his arms to the side as an answer, and heard God say, "surrender". That I'm to surrender everything to Him. So I did that consciously once I got up.

With all the noise around me, I woke up earlier than planned. Impossible to sleep in! So I used the extra time to get a little workout in; no running though.

I had breakfast, and at 10 am we left for church; the service started at 10:30 am. Pastor Ché Ahn was the speaker. The worship time was really wonderful. During the preaching on evangelism, I turned my computer on and took care of some other things.

After the service, we went to a wholefood store to have lunch. I had never been there before and was impressed at its size. I had to have this picture for my kids - showing how many different kinds of water they have for sale! I was also amazed to see all the healthy food I had read about in my health books but that I had never before seen in real life.

The buffets were impressive, and we got to choose whatever food we liked. I went for salad, and chicken, and some brown rice and mushrooms. I couldn't even finish my salad, but was glad to have it for dinner.

We also had a good time of fellowship - my host, and her daughter and son-in-law. They asked me lots of questions about Mali.

From there we returned home, and I was glad to get a nap in as I was tired. After I got up, I had a cup of tea (the first in weeks) and sat down at my computer. We were supposed to leave for church at 5 pm.

At 4:45 my host sat down at the table with us; I was just watching a little Christian video clip online, and he asked me about it, and so I told him what it was. Then he asked me whether I was ready to receive a word from the Lord. I thought he was joking, would say something about us leaving in a few minutes. I was wrong.

He said that times of refreshing are coming, and laborers are coming soon, and there would be an Aaron and Hur to hold up my arms. That's the essence; it's not recorded. Even while listening, I could not believe I was hearing the same thing again. Yesterday, the HIM leaders had prayed for me in the car on the way back to church, and he said that winds of refreshing are coming. He also told me he felt I should go to the villages, that that would be good for me. Just the thought of going to the villages makes me so tired, I can't even imagine doing it.

And then that young man outside the church yesterday, he also prayed for me at the end of our conversation, and had a picture of a foot and a shoe, and felt it meant travels for Paul and me.

Back to today - he said that I should cry out for workers, and God will send them. When I was done, I told him I've been doing just that for YEARS, and I'm still alone in Mali. I felt discouraged by the word, as I'm just TIRED of hearing the same word over and over for years - especially with the SOON word. Every time I'd get my hope up, and every time my hope would be shattered again. And 6 years later, I'm still alone in Mali. I just can't get my hopes up again. "Hope deferred makes the heart sick." How cruel is it to make someone believe something over and over and it never happens. I can't receive it any more. Even at the awesome prophetic ministry time 10 days ago, I had a hard time daring to believe the words.

So I was close to tears after having received that word. It was time to leave for church, and I was glad to sit in the back sit on my own. I was working hard on keeping my composure, but the tears found their way. Over the next two hours I had to work on keeping my composure, but wasn't always very successful. The tears kept coming during worship, and I went to the bathroom a few times. My face was red though I didn't let the tears flow freely.

I was so discouraged. It also always discourages me being in Pasadena regarding finances. They talk about offerings of tens of thousands of dollars, and buildings and land that cost millions, and huge donations, and I haven't even been able to get 10,000 dollars together in the last YEAR to finish that dining hall.

I feel like I'm just tired of ministry - maybe that's normal after 6 years of intense labor. I'm tired of doing everything by myself. We've just been surviving in Mali, doing the minimum while pausing a lot of different activities. And with this revival... revival is work, and I'm not up to it.

Well, here you have it. I've opened my heart and shared very transparently.

On the way to church, I told God that if he wanted me to really believe that the workers are coming soon, He'd have to make Cindy Jacobs tell me that. From a seasoned prophet like her, and in the current situation, I'd accept it. But of course, it didn't happen. I look like all the Americans sitting around me; no one can guess that I'm from Africa. Of course the Indian pastor got a word - it's obvious he's from India.

Gosh, I hope my openness is not going to be used against me here.

What did happen is that right after worship Cindy came up and said that there are people who are discouraged, etc. etc., and I felt like that word could have been directed to me.

It's always great listening to Cindy preach. But it also made me think of my spiritual Mom Jill Austin, which brought more tears to my eyes and discouragement. I remember one year ago, when Jill and I were at a restaurant in town, and Cindy and her family were there as well, and Jill and I went over to say hello. I miss Jill so much. I remember how she always sat in the first row, and I'd go to talk to her. I remembered how she always wanted to help me, encourage me, gave me prophetic words, and connect me to people. All this is gone. I'm now just a nobody sitting in the back, with no spiritual parents to cheer on their daughter.

So, it was interesting what Cindy had to say - though it was all about Hollywood of course. Besides the Indian pastor, she also prophesied over someone from Mongolia. They did some more stuff at the end, and then it was over. I stayed in my seat, waiting for my hosts so we could leave, and still had to work hard on not losing my composure. I was amazed at how discouraged I was. We left and rode home, and I never said a word, sitting alone in the back seat.

Back home, I got on the computer and started writing. I should go to bed a little earlier today. I'm glad I have a rather quiet day tomorrow, though I already know there won't be any sleeping in as their young granddaughter is coming at 7 am already.

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Saturday, August 8, 2009

Entertainment Industry Conference

It was hard getting up this morning, even though it was an hour later than I have been; but then I had also gone to bed way later than I have been.

We left at 9:30 to be at church for the 10 am meeting. This morning an artist - a child prodigy - was the speaker. Her name is Akiane, and she started having encounters with God at age 4, and started painting them. This picture here she painted at age 9, and she has done many more amazing paintings that now sell for up to 1 million dollars a piece. She just turned 15, and it was interesting to listen to her. This picture is called "Father, forgive them", and it's Jesus.

After the morning session, I had a lunch appointment with the HIM director and his wife. We went to a nice restaurant, and enjoyed our time of fellowship. I greatly appreciate them, and was able to ask for advice from a seasoned man who has a lot of experience in Africa.

Time went by fast, and it was time to return to the conference. I sat down outside the building, next to a friend of mine, and talked to him for a while. Then I called Paul to hear how the service went (see below). I then spent the rest of the afternoon on my computer, taking care of things.

We had a 90 minute break before the evening meeting, and I decided to go to the grocery store nearby and get something to eat; some healthy and nutritious stuff. I returned to the bench outside the church I had already occupied yesterday, and got my book out while eating my berries.

Then somebody I knew walked by, and we started talking. He ended up telling me the story of how he met his wife and all, and it was pretty amazing. He was 40, and she was 42, when they got married, so I was really encouraged by all that, and thankful he had taken the time to share.

Then another friend walked by and I chatted some more. The time was gone very quickly, and it was time for the evening meeting.

It was quite an interesting meeting again. This time they had an actor they interviewed; his name is Zach and he's on a show on NBC called CHUCK. As with Akiane, he's a Christian, and he's also very funny. It was interesting and fun to listen to him speak. But it sure is a different world!

The meeting was over at 9 pm, and I sure was tired. I talked to the Indian pastor who's also staying with the same family, and we both wonder what we're doing here, and we agreed we wouldn't be back for an August conference, since they're going to keep doing these. Next year the HIM conference will be in June.

We drove back home, where my good friend "Brownie Charles" was already waiting for me - see picture. And as you can tell, he's right here with me helping - or hindering - me while I'm writing this blog.

News From Mali

I'm amazed at what's going on in Mali, and rejoice in what God is doing!

Here's some of the fruit of the "revival": The kids have stopped fighting and arguing, and have stopped using foul language when they talk - and that includes the street kids! They spend time with God together every day.

I told Paul I want Jérémie back with us, and he tried to find out where he is, and found him! Praise God! He was even outside of Bamako, but Paul brought him back home where he belongs. Moussa had scared all the kids so much that they ran away. Unfortunately he has broken his new glasses.

I had also talked to Paul about Moussa - the day guard who was the main culprit, letting the kids into my house and stealing the money. If you remember, he wrote a letter saying how sorry he is, and that he's going to repay the money, and that he'll keep following Jesus. I've been thinking a lot about him, and wondering how he's doing, and wishing he could be there for the revival and encounter God. Well, God heard my prayer.

A few days ago, Moussa decided to commit suicide. For some reason, he came to our compound instead, and was totally amazed when Paul told him we had forgiven him and still love him! Unfortunately he didn't come to the service today, but he'll be coming by regularly for now. Praise God! That means everyone involved is accounted for!

Now to today's service: Paul said the power of God was even stronger than last week. And again, everyone was on the ground in the presence of God having encounters. Hallelujah! I was glad that Fousseni was there today as well. As well as some new people.

Well, it sounds like much is happening, and lives are truly being transformed. I wonder what I'm going to find when I return in one month.

Somebody asked me the other day how I felt about God using Paul and not me to bring revival. That thought had not even occurred to me! I'm so excited that He's using Paul - a Malian to reach Mali. That's the way it should be! May he use all my children in power, and let me stand by and watch them and help them when they need it!

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Friday, August 7, 2009

Ending The Fitness Camp

I was glad that I checked my email in the morning, as it was still out in the open how I'd get to Pasadena, and at what time. It seemed like I had a ride, but it fell through later.

At 8 am I had an appointment with one of the staff for the final tests. First, it was time for pictures - from all angles - and having my measurements taken. I had lost an inch everywhere, which was a good result. However, on the pictures, I have to look really hard to see which ones are from before and which ones from after.

Then she weighed me, and I had lost 5 pounds.

Next was the body fat measurement in the "bathtub". They dunked me completely under water, and then you have to get rid of all the oxygen in your lungs to get an accurate reading. Not an easy thing, and I had to repeat it quite a few times before it was accurate. I had lost 3.5% of body weight. I had lost 8 pounds of fat, and gained 3 pounds of muscle. The staff member was amazed at the results.

The pictures are from their website; they are not showing me.

Then it was time for the VO2max - the fitness level test. They strap this tube to your nose and mouth so you breathe through it, and the machine measures your oxygen. On their website, it explains: "This tool measures the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and utilize oxygen during exercise which reflects their level of fitness." A week ago, I was on the upper end of very poor. Now I skipped the next category and am in the "fair" category. Yeah!

I was done around 9:45 am; it was time to return to my room and pack, and then get back for one more workout and lunch. I walked the distance 4 times in total today - 2 miles. I packed as much as possible, but didn't want to miss the 11-12 group workout. I made it their in time, and I enjoyed my last hour of agony ;-). Then it was time for lunch.

Probably the best food we've had - I actually ordered it twice for today for that reason. Chicken with rice and salad. I ate as quickly as possible as I'd be picked up at 1 pm. I then got a box for my other meal, grabbed my drink, and said good-bye to a few people. I also got a big binder with stuff, and all my test results. Then I walked as fast as I could back to the apartment complex. I had 25 minutes left to get ready.

I quickly showered, changed, finished packing, checked emails, got my meals, and moved everything outside into the corridor. It was after 1 pm. Just as I was walking towards the elevator with all my luggage, my ride called - perfect timing. The two ladies met me down in the lobby. I was surprised to see my friend Ann, the HIM director's wife, who had accompanied the other lady who had been so kind to come and pick me up.

Entertainment Industry Conference

It took us about an hour to cross LA and get to Pasadena. We had a great time just talking in the car.

When we got to the church, the first workshop had started. I left my luggage in her car, and was able to put my food for the day in a refrigerator. Then I found the person giving out the password for the internet, and I found a good spot to sit down and take care of internet stuff, as well as write this blog.

The conference this year is all about the entertainment industry, so I feel like a bird among all fish. But I'm primarily here to stay in touch, reconnect with the network I'm a part of.

When the afternoon sessions were over, I had to leave the building with everyone else. It was a nice, sunny day, and I sat down on a bench in front of the fountain with my salad for dinner - my last meal from the fitness camp (sigh). I enjoyed eating it and reading a good book at the same time.

At 7 pm the evening session started - my first session. Worship was great. Then they did an offering, and had a Christian stand-up comedian do her program. Then they showed the short movie MOST; I've already seen it a few times since we have it in Mali. It was Oscar-nominated in 2004, and is a powerful picture of what God the Father did in sacrificing His Son.

After the movie, the producer talked about it and her life. It was great!

The meeting was over before 10 pm. I was glad, since I've been going to bed around 10 pm. We had to move my luggage into my hosts' car, and so we had to find the lady who had given me the ride today. While I was waiting, one of the staff people approached me and asked me how I liked the conference. We talked for some time, and I told him how out of place I feel. In the end, he said to me that there is a reason I'm here; that there would be a divine appointment. May it be so!

We moved my luggage into my hosts' car, and off we went home. It was great to see my friends here again - a wonderful couple I greatly appreciate. I enjoyed talking to them on the way home.

At their house I found that a cat had replaced the dog, and I immediately fell in loe with the little black kitty. I sat down to play with her... while I should just get the blog done and go to bed. It's a long day tomorrow; and for once not with exercise, but with meetings all day.

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Thursday, August 6, 2009

The Hike

After 9 hours of sleep I got up at my typical 7 am. Breakfast was at the gym - banana egg-white pancakes with bacon and some fruit. My first workout was at 8:30 am - foam roller stretching for half an hour. Then I had a one-hour circuit workout with the same trainer - that's alternating between the treadmill and weight machines, for the most part.

It was 10 am, and time for THE HIKE. We got into the van and drove to the location of the Temescal Canyon where the Temescal Trail Hike starts. It was curious what it would be like. I remembered the horrible school hikes when I was a child - I just hated them. Always being the last up the hill.

We were told to take water with us. I drink a lot of water, and knew  I'd need a lot. So I put two bottles into my pants, and another one into my shirt on my chest. One of the girls took a picture of me that way, but I haven't gotten it yet.

It was time to start the 4 mile hike up the mountain, over along the ridge, and back down through the canyon. During the first mile, the altitude goes up by 1,000 feet. So you can imagine how steep it is up the mountian. Thankfully, in nature, the incline changes rather than be constant. So while there were very steep stretches, at other times it was less steep or even nearly flat. Still, it took one hour to get to the top.

There were about 4 people behind me, and the same number ahead of me. Our trainer went a few times back and forth between those up front and those in the back. He gave us some directions, as it wasn't always clear for a first-timer which path to take. I'm glad I got it right.

By the time I reached the top, I had finished two of my water bottles, and the four people behind me were at a considerable distance from me. The view was gorgeous - the sea, the beach, houses, and the sykcrapyers of downtown LA (not on picture).

I kept walking, on my own, with people coming up towards me or from behind me. Soon the trail went downhill, through the canyon. It went constantly downhill. I had been warned of the rattlesnakes, and told how to behave, but I didn't see any. There are also mountain lions.

Just before I reached the bottom I caught up with one of our guys, and walked the rest of the trail with him. That helped, as it was somewhat tricky at the bottom, to figure out the right way to go.

The others were already waiting at the van; unfortunately the key was with the trainer who was behind us. I was really thirsty as I had finished my water a long time ago. We waited for 20 minutes before the remaining people showed up, and we all went for the water.

I felt good - 4 miles, up the hill; nothing like what the school hikes had been like!

More Walking

It was after 1 pm when we returned to the gym. I could tell my body really needed fuel to keep going. However, my food was at home, as I had a long enough break to return home. So I did not lose a minute, but started the 15-min walk home. It seemed to take forever! At home, I had my food right away, and sat down, which felt so good. I was pretty tired.

The break went by really fast, and it was time to return to the gym - another 15 minute walk and half mile. On the schedule, i should have done one hour of cardio on my own from 2 to 3 pm, but I decided to do that in my break from 4 to 5 pm, so that I could go home for lunch. So I arrived at the gym at 3 pm to have a training together with one other girl with one of the trainers. It lasted one hour, and it was great to have 50% of the trainer's attention. He gave me some good exercises to do when I leave here. This guy is my favorite trainer.

Then I got on the treadmill for my one hour of cardio on my own. I was glad the treadmill had a TV screen, and so I got to watch an episode of a TV program. So I walked another 3 miles, running very little.

I was pretty drained by the time I was done. It was time for my 5 pm meal, and I sure needed it. I really liked it, but I was still wiped. I could feel new blisters form on my left foot, and both my feet hurt. How was I supposed to walk on the treadmill for another 2 hours, until 7 pm? I knew I couldn't. And I knew I still had another 15 minute walk ahead of me - probably all I could still manage.

So I made my way home. I tried to calculate how much I had walked today - it's 9-10 miles. Wow.

I was so glad to be home! I actually took my shoes off as soon as I stepped out of the elevator on my floor. I filled the bathtub and added the Epsom salt; then I enjoyed soaking in the water with a good book.

Tonight is my last night here. And I still don't know how I'm going to get to Harvest Rock Church in Pasadena tomorrow. The church has been trying to find someone to give me a ride, but I haven't heard anything. Please pray for something to work out!

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Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Infamous Sand Dune

I had to be at the gym by 7:45 am for breakfast, with the first workout starting at 8 am. It was half an hour of stretching with a trainer I hadn't had yet. It was stretching with foam rolls - which I had never done before. Being sore, it was extremely painful to roll with your full body weight over that hard foam with your sore muscles; all the leg muscles and hip muscles.

I then had another half hour before the 9 am workout. I tried to take a nap during that time.

At 9 am it was time to leave for the sand dune. Today was a really hot day, with no clouds in the sky. I've really noticed it not being cold any more in the mornings.

Several people were skipping the sand dune - it has the worst reputation of all workouts here. So we ended up being only 4 people - and 3 of us were new and had never done it before! I was in anticipation of what it would be like. I love challenges, after all.

It took about 20 minutes to get there. It was nice being a smaller group and talking with each other, and the trainer.

We got to the sand dune park in Manhattan Beach around 9:30 am. The trainer dropped us off and looked for a parking spot. We had lots of water with us, and as hot as it was today, we sure needed it. Cap and sunscreen was also a must.

I was amazed and intrigued when I saw the sand dune for the first time. I've never seen anything like it! I found out later that it is actually quite well known. There were lots of people there, going up and down the hill. There was also a professional basketball team doing their training - I was told they were from the Clippers.

The trainer returned, and it was time to get started. It was 9:45 am as we started to climb up the 100 foot hill for the first time; it has an incline of about 10%, so it's pretty steep, and of course it's tough walking on sand, as it slides. The sand was also hot, which is why we were walking up wearing socks. Since we walked up and down until 11:30 am, by that time, the sand was really hot, even with the socks. I got quite a sun tan today.

After every time I had to empty my socks to get rid of all the sand. The more I walked up, the more invigorated I seemed to get. It was a mystery to me. I actually really enjoyed the exercise! My pulse would be pretty high - most of the time in the 160s. I would walk a few steps and then take a little break and let my pulse go down again a little bit. It worked pretty well that way.

One of the new girls broke into tears right into the beginning, because she felt like she couldn't do it. I tried to encourage her, and then the trainer joined her and walked up with her.

On the way there the trainer had asked us to set a goal of how many times we could walk up there. Never having seen it, I didn't know what was a realistic goal. I said 5 times - but I ended up doing it 8 times, more than any of the other people, even the one who's done this a few times already. When we returned to the gym, word actually spread and people were amazed I had done this so many times. It felt good. I sure had enjoyed it - much more than volleyball.

This picture was taken from the top of the hill - I found it online. All I carried up there myself was a bottle of water.

At 11:30 we left to return to the gym. I was thankful when the trainer dropped me off at the apartments, since I had 90 minutes until my next workout. I was really glad to go to my apartment, and wash off all the sand, and have lunch. Food really tastes amazing here, with the little we get, and as hard as we work.

Afternoon Workouts

My next workout was at 1:30 pm - 90 minutes gym boot camp with the camp's founder. It was my first workout with him. We were quite a big group, and it was probably my hardest workout to date. It was good, though.

My last session of the day was an hour of yoga. We walked back to the apartment complex for that. By this time, I was pretty tired. Half-way through the class I started feeling worse and worse. I knew I needed some food. I barely made it to the end. Thankfully, yoga is not as intense. When we were done, I just grabbed my stuff and walked to my room. I had nothing left in me.

It was time for my next meal, and I really enjoyed it. It was time for a restful evening!

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Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Workouts On End

After 8 hours of sleep I got up for another long day of workouts. During the night, I had woken up a few times because my left knee was in so much pain. I was concerned. Thankfully, it didn't bother me all day. Weird. We'll see what tonight will be like.

This morning we had breakfast at the gym - French toast with turkey bacon and strawberries. The food here has really been awesome! We have 4 about 300-calorie meals, and one protein shake of 170 calories.

After breakfast, it was time for the first workout - at 8 am. It was stretching for half an hour. Then I had my first spin class - for one hour. Spinning has become very fashionable. A spin bike is a certain kind of stationary bike, and in a class, there is an instructor, and everyone follows his instructions on their bikes. Going fast, going slow, arms up or down, we even had weights to exercise our arms while our legs were riding the bike.

Before the class started, the young lady instructor went to put on her music. It was extremely loud, to the point that it hurt my ears. A few people - including me - signed her to turn it down. She did, but then she didn't think it was loud enough, so she turned it back up. It was annoyed - I don't understand why it has to be so loud it hurts your ears and you can't hear the instructor.

So I didn't start the class in a good mood. During that class I realized how different I was from these people, as they sang along with the songs I didn't even know. I felt compassion for them, living their lives trying to get happy, and not knowing our wonderful heavenly Father. What a different world!

Now that I've been here since Friday, I really miss being around other Christians already. It makes a huge difference when you're the only Christian in your environment! It's really hard to put into words. Something's just missing. It's a good reminder for me what it's like being of the world, as I'm usually only around Christians.

In the end, I liked spin class, if you put aside the things above. Also, my bike's seat was tilted, and I always felt like sliding off.

Next on the program was swimming. We got into the van and went to the Santa Monica Swim Center where we had an hour and a half. Now that swim class was a big disappointment. All we did was swim as many laps as possible in the time we had. I'm not a fast swimmer, and so I only did 40 laps.

Our trainer was not allowed to do anything or say anything, as it was a public swimming pool. A place like this Fitness camp should really have their own swimming pool! I can swim laps on my own elsewhere as well. I would not do swimming here again.

We got changed, and I was told about this machine that dries your swim suit. What? You put your swim suit in, and it spins it, squeezing all the water out, so that you can take it back out nearly dry. Amazing!

Back at the gym, it was time for lunch - sandwich buffet. Choose the type of bread, meat, and cheese.

I then had 45 minutes left until my next workout at 1 pm - gym boot camp. What to do? A nap seemed the most logical. However, there was a lot of noise around me, so it wasn't very successful.

When I got back up on the treadmill, I felt every step; it was hard-going (keep that in mind for later). The trainer then made us go up to a 10% incline - tough walking up the hill. We then alternated between treadmill, crunches, squats, push-ups, and other nice stuff.

After that one-hour workout, I had an appointment with the nutritionist. I really like her (contrary to the psychologist). I really enjoyed our half-hour together today. We basically made a plan of what and how I could eat in Mali (and elsewhere). Great!

Coming out of her office, I had half an hour until my next workout. It was time for my protein shake.

At 3 pm It was time for a 30 minute abdominal workout. The trainer who is supposed to be assigned to me did it. I like him; he's the only trainer who truly encourages people, it seems. He's also more sensitive. The workout went well.

Then it was time for a 2-hour cardio boot camp; what I did not know was that it would be at the beach. The same trainer went with us.

We parked the van and walked to the ocean. It was SO BEAUTIFUL! I wished I'd had my camera with me! There were so many great pictures I could have taken, but I really did not want to carry my camera in my hand the whole time.

The workout consisted simply of walking/jogging along the beach to the rocks behind the pier and back; it was 2.5 miles - that is 4 kilometers. I jogged/walked that distance in an hour and a half! I was amazed at how much I was able to jog rather than walk. What an improvement even in this past week! I was proud of myself! I kept my heart rate between 140 and 160 the whole time. I ended up being the first back after the trainer and the very fit person running with him. What an accomplishment! I wouldn't have believed it possible!

I felt so great after than run. I'm starting to realize why people like running. Especially on the ocean. I kept looking over the water, with the sun glistening - it was so beautiful, I couldn't help but be praising God. For this part, I envy people living here. But on the whole, I wouldn't want to switch with their lives.

We returned to the gym in the van. This completed today's workout for me. I felt really good. I love this camp!

In the van I talked to a guy who's just arrived and who's staying for 12 weeks. We had a great conversation, and ended up walking home from the gym together. That long walk sure passed more quickly that way!

Back home I took a bath with Epsom Salt - it's supposed to help your sore muscles. The evening passed pretty quickly, as always, and I need to go to bed early to make it through another intense day of workouts. Tomorrow I have the "dunes" scheduled - people here talk about it as if it's the workout from hell. Maybe that's why I have only 7 hours of workout tomorrow; it was 7.5 hours today. The dunes alone take 3 hours.

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Monday, August 3, 2009

Whole Day Of Workouts

The alarm woke me after 8.5 hours of sleep. This morning we were eating breakfast at the gym - a yoghurt buffet. Unfortunately I had forgotten to pick up my schedule yesterday, and so I could only assume when my first workout would be.

I got to the gym at 7:50 - just in case I'd start at 8 am. It was perfect timing. I got my yoghurt with raspberries, granola and almonds. It was really good.

My first session was yoga at 8:15 am. The trainer told me that that would take place at the gym at the apartment complex. Oh great! Walk it all back again!

I got to the gym before 8:30 am - but there was no one else there. So i got on the treadmill while waiting. It annoyed me that no one was there or coming. At 8:45 am I finally got my phone out and called the gym. That's when I found out that there was another room, right opposite the gym, where the class was taking place. Oh great! Why hadn't anyone told me that?

I walked over there, where everyone was in the middle of the class. I was annoyed with the trainer who hadn't made herself clear enough. I joined right in for the remaining 40 minutes. I used to categorically reject yoga, but since trying it out on the Wii Fit and seeing that it's simply a certain workout, I've been willing to give it a chance. When they asked me whether I'd do yoga, I told them, as long as it's not spiritual. As for this morning, it was simply a workout for different muscle groups.

We were done at 9:30 am, and for the third time today I walked the distance between the apartments and the gym. I had a training session at 10 am. There was supposed to be another person with me, but that person didn't show up, and so I ended up having a personal training session.

It was sure tough! A trainer totally focused on you! We worked out my legs. I enjoyed it, though it was hard.

At 11 am I had a meeting with the resident psychologist. When I found that out, I sure wasn't happy. What a waste of time! I'd rather work out! How would I be able to make her understand my position as a Christian!

I was not disappointed. The lady obviously had no clue what it meant to know God and live for Him. Some of her statements really bothered me, but I still stood up for my faith and what I believe. I was really glad when this was over. I had been uncomfortable and felt like wasting my time. I sure hope they're not scheduling another one this week.

It was time for lunch, and to my dismay, there was a group meeting with the psychologist following lunch. We all had to write down in as much detail as possible what we'd want to do after losing the weight. Then she told us to visualize that, so we would actually achieve the goal. Oh brother. I was glad when it was over, and I hadn't had to say anything.

It was 1 pm. I had already worked out for 3 hours in the morning, and I still had 4 hours ahead of me. The first hour was a group workout with one of the trainers - treadmill, weights, etc.

Then I had beach volleyball on my schedule. I had told them "no teamsports", and she had said we wouldn't actually play a game. She was wrong.

We took the van to go to the beach. This picture shows some of the girls doing the camp.

We then walked the pathway to the open beach area. It was time for "warm-up" - very funny. More running and crunches.... running is sure hard on sand!

Then we started doing some volleyball drills. I hadn't played volleyball in 20 years! I had forgotten how painfull it is to have the ball hit your underarms!

We did more drills, and running. The last half hour we played three games. I have to say, I did not enjoy the two hours of volleyball. I had a reason to tell them "no team sports". And I even played pretty well. I'd just rather be in the gym.

We returned to the gym; I have to say I was pretty exhausted and a little light-headed. I knew I needed some food. My protein shake was on the schedule. The strawberry flavored one is pretty good. I grabbed it, and felt what a big difference it made.

And then one of the administrative people asked to talk to me. He told me that I was in the smallest apartment they had, and within that, in the smallest room possible. For that reason, they offered to upgrade me for free to having my own apartment. I couldn't believe it! I was amazed! You pay a lot for having an apartment to your own! There is even a middle category, where you share an apartment but have your own bedroom. I had the cheapest category - 4 people in an apartment. I was blown away, and praising God for that favor! He gave me the keys, so I could move.

But first I had another hour of cardio to do. The drink had helped me get more energy again. I got on the treadmill for my 60 minute workout. Thankfully there was a TV screen on it, and I got my headphones to listen and watch CSI. That sure made time go faster! I alternated between walking fast, walking uphill, and jogging.

At 5:30 pm I was done for the day. Finally! But I still had a long walk home ahead of me. It sure seemed to last forever.

When I got home at 6 pm, I felt I needed to eat, needed the energy; I was supposed to eat at 6 pm anyway. However, I wanted to get the move accomplished first, and so I quickly packed my stuff - after having taken off my running shoes; my feet thanked me for it.

Thankfully my new apartment wasn't too far away. I moved my stuff over there, and just dropped it inside the door. Then I got my 6 pm food out, microwaved it, and sat down in front of the TV. It's a beautiful apartment! I love it!

It felt so good to sit, I didn't think I could get up again. I sure haven't worked out 7 hours in one day before! Finally, I was able to make myself get up and do a few things.

I enjoyed the rest of the evening, watching TV and taking care of internet stuff, including writing blogs. Time passed far too quickly! It's already 10 pm, and I need to go to bed. Today I worked out 7 hours and burned 4000 calories. Tomorrow I have 8 hours of workout on my schedule. I'd better be rested! Grace, Lord!

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Sunday, August 2, 2009

Easiest Day At Fitness Camp

Because it's Sunday today, the only workout we had scheduled was from 10 am to 12 pm. Last night, they had not delivered our food for some reason, but thankfully my roommate had an extra protein shake that she gave me. So I went to the gym early, in case the food was there.

When I arrived there at 9:40 am, the door was still locked. Thankfully I didn't have to wait long. One of the employees arrived a few minutes later - with our food. They had not put the apartment change into the computer, and so the delivery person had not found us the night before. So I had my breakfast right there and then, before the 10 am workout.

This picture shows you the BEFORE and AFTER pictures of people who have done this camp; they are all over the wall. Most people stay for weeks or even months; I'm the exception, with spending one week there. I don't know how people afford those many weeks.

We had a group circuit at 10 am. We each got a list of what machines to use or what exercises to do, and how many times, with the treadmill between the muscle groups. It took me exactly two hours. In this picture, I actually have a weight in my hand, having to lower and lift it 50 times.

This picture shows you part of the gym.

After the workout I returned home, where I had lunch. The food here is really excellent!

I had wanted to go to Harvest Rock Church for the evening service, but I could not get a ride though I tried hard, contacting every local person I know. In the afternoon I ended up watching a movie, because my body was tired. And then I decided to go work out more at the gym here at the apartment complex. It's really quite an amazing place to live! Every resident has access to a swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym, sun terrace...

I went to the gym and got on the treadmill for one hour. Knowing I'd workout for many hours tomorrow, I did want to do more than just the 2 mandatory hours. I enjoyed it.

The rest of the evening passed quickly, with me doing some work online. I wanted to go to bed early, but it wasn't until 10:30 pm - which is early for me, I guess.

Back In Mali

I called Paul twice today. Once in the morning, to find out how the service went yesterday. Paul had invited everyone he knows - including other pastors - to come, and expected God to come down in power. That expectation was confirmed by a prophetic word I received Wed night, and that I passed on to him. That gave him even more confidence.

Even before the service, Paul has been talking to the kids, and God has been touching their heart with repentance. Paul called Jean to come and pick up the people living in our old neighborhood. Our village pastor Enoch also came. Then there were two pastors.

Paul preached for 45 minutes; he said it wasn't even particularly good. Then he asked the kids forward to pray for them - the street kids as well as our own kids. Each one of them fell to the ground, touched by the power of God!!! Paul said, even 4-year-old Sarata and handicapped Hama did! Praise God!

Then he called the adults forward, and he prayed for each one of them. Same thing - they all fell down; except Jean who was afraid. Even Fanta did. Unfortunately Elisabeth wasn't there.

Two people gave their lives to the Lord as a result.

The one pastor present was so blown away, saying his life was forever changed and that revival had come to Mali. He should have been in the US at this time, but it didn't work out. He said that it was God for him not to go, since Paul had gone and brought the revival back. The pastor went home and called some people. As a result, the president of the Full Gospel Business Fellowship invited Paul to come minister Sunday night.

And Paul went, taking the kids with him. He shared, and then prayed for people. Some people were healed, and many were on the ground, touched by the power of God. People were amazed - and even more amazed when they heard that Paul is only 21 years old. They asked Paul his life story, and he told them about me. He said that he's invited to come regularly.

It's all like a dream for me, wondering whether it could be real. I love it, that Paul is the carrier of this to his own people. Wonderful!

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Saturday, August 1, 2009

First Full Day At Fitness Camp

I had 8 hours of sleep which was good. My alarm went off at 8 am, and I had 40 minutes before I had to leave. I got my breakfast out of the fridge; it was really good.

At 8:40 I left with one of my roommates to walk to the gym; it's half a mile away, and the picture shows me at the entrance. "LIFE" stands for Live-In Fitness Enterprises.

At 9 am I had a meeting with the coach assigned to me, Marco. For 20 minutes we talked about my life and my goals. Marco is half Italian, half Mexican, and he was very nice. Everyone has been saying a lot of good things about him. The general manager assigned him to me saying she thinks he can get the most out of me in a week.

At 9:30 it was time for the first two-hour workout. Because it's the weekend, the program is much lighter; only 4 hours today, and 2 hours tomorrow, but on Monday it will be 8-10 hours! Today not everyone had even showed up for the workout. We all piled into the two vans, and were off to the beach for a "boot camp" workout.

Arriving at the beach, we carried all kind of equipment down a concrete pathway to an open space close to the ocean where we dropped it. Then we were told to jog/walk all the way to the rocks on the other side of the pier we could see in the distance, and back. Yesterday I had been a little concerned how well I'd do, but this morning I was excited.

I started walking and jogging, talking to another lady who got in at the same time as me, but who's staying for 12 weeks. She was more out of shape than me, and I soon was on my own, alternating between jogging and walking, always keeping an eye on my heart rate. The trainer - Marco - was ahead, and just before I reached the pier he told me to turn around at the pier. The two ladies behind me didn't even go to the pier.

It took me about 45 minutes to walk and jog that distance, but I really felt great. I'd jog whenever I could. I loved the sound of the ocean, and the ocean breeze on my face, it was beautiful! It wasn't really very hot at all.

Back where we had started, the two trainers were ready for some more workout. They set up some cones and told us how to run, and what to do with the medicine balls. We did different kinds of workouts, and also lots of crunches, squats and push-ups. I really felt great the whole time! It was exhilarating! I had partners that were more out of shape than me, which slowed me down, but I tried to encourage them as much as I could. The lady I mentioned earlier was somewhat frustrated at how hard it was.

At 12 pm we gathered our stuff and walked back to the vans. I felt like I could continue! That was encouraging.

Instead of driving back to the gym, they took us to the apartment building. They are remodeling the living room/kitchen area at the gym. And so we had lunch on the sun terrace of the apartment complex.

We had one hour to eat, and a sandwich bar was waiting for us. We could choose between different whole wheat bread types, three different kinds of meat, and different cheeses, and add salad etc. There was also green salad for us to take and different dressings. It was really good food! This company is doing a great job providing those healthy meals! If I lived here and had the money, I would get my food that way. It's an outside company that delivers to private homes what people choose online.

I was done in half an hour, and glad that I'd get an opportunity to take a shower before going back to the gym. Because of the sunscreen, sand was sticking to every exposed body part of mine. It was good to get rid of it.

At 1 pm we got back into the vans to return to the gym for another 2-hour workout. This time, a circuit training. We started off with 10 minutes of cardio (treadmill for me), and then we got onto the big mat with dumbbells, working out different muscle groups. After a long time, it was back on the treadmill for another mile of walking/jogging, and then another few minutes on the weight machine.

At 3 pm we were done. I felt so great still, like I could continue, and got a compliment from my trainer, who said I was really in good shape. I have to say, I'm happy with my achievements today. I do feel all my muscles now, so I'm curious what 8-10 hours of workout on Monday are going to be like.

Another thing that amazed me was to see people cheating so much. Some people are older, some younger. Some are here for many weeks, even months, and others for a short time. In fact, everyone is amazed that I'm only here for one week. I noticed some people who don't do the exercises or cheat when the trainer looks away. However, I want to push myself to the max during the short time I'm here; I feel like I could have been pushed a little more today. In any case, it's good to start slowly, as I don't want to injure myself either this week. Several people here are injured.

I got my protein shake, and walked back to the apartment building with a lady I had already talked to earlier. She was very interested in what I do in Mali, and is excited to get a DVD and folder. I had a good time talking with her.

Back in our room, I drank my shake and got onto the computer. I've been relaxing since, doing some translation work, taking a bath with Epsom salt (for sore muscles), and now I'm going to bed fairly early. I want to get as much sleep as I can while here!

Back In Mali

I haven't talked to Paul in two days, but had a text message from him tonight. It was today Paul did the first service since returning, and his message said, "Jesus came down with power and visitation." Can't wait to talk to him tomorrow morning and hear details.

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