Pictures of our Trip in Kenya
Ok, let me tell you about the guy in the picture to the right. This picture was not taken with a zoom lens. He literally was that close. As we drove up to him he didn’t pay any attention to us and we were admiring how long his horn is. Then I realized that that horn was long enough to go through the door of the car we were in and at that point, he turned his head (that’s when I got the picture) and moved his back feet. That’s when my father-in-law (thinking the same thing about the horn as I was) said “Time to go!”
Kenya was a once-in-a-lifetime adventure that I’m so glad I got to do and take Alex with me. The people there are great and the scenery is spectacular. The pictures I’ve uploaded are my favorites from my personal collection. When I get a few moments to go through my brother-in-law’s and father-in-law’s pictures, I may upload some of those as well.
Check out the photos of Kenya in my two photo sets in the Photo Album!
Photos of late
I’ve been a little bad about not posting new photos lately. Honestly, I haven’t pulled my camera out much lately as most of the places I’ve traveled to either I’ve been to before or didn’t have opportunities to take pictures. Well, I did have a few times that I took pictures and so I finally got them uploaded today.
The first set was a family hike into the woods by where we live. Its a narrow trail that Krista found that’s a lot of fun to explore. Then there’s Alex’s first scooter ride with me. And finally, a couple of pictures of when we were with the LFC India Team on their layover in Munich for Oktoberfest. All of these and more can be found in the Photo Album.
St. Martin Lantern Parade
Every year, the kids in our village do a Lantern Parade. This parade is a re-enactment of the search for Saint Martin. The story (as I am trying to understand the German) goes that there was this soldier who was going through a town on a cold night in the 4th century. A beggar approaches him and asks for some money. The soldier, having no money, immediately cuts off half his cloak and gives it to the beggar to keep warm. Before the beggar can say “Thank you”, the soldier is gone. The soldier is rewarded by seeing Jesus Christ in the half cloak and realizing that he was now called to be in service to Jesus Christ. That soldier was Saint Martin. He spent the rest of his life in service to God and obviously was sainted by the Catholic church.
We start the whole event by meeting in the church and hearing about the story of Saint Martin. Then we split into groups Read more >>
Photo Album link
Alex’s New Glasses
Be sure to check out Alex’s pictures with his new glasses in the Photo Album. Also, be sure to check out other photos there too.
Finding things in the middle of no where
Now our time this summer back in the States was a whirlwind, then I came home to Germany only to immediately run off to Hungary, then worked with a team here in Germany and then ran off to Ukraine. Some would say I’ve been a bit on the go. I also haven’t been alone. As in me, by myself, alone. Now this may come as a shock to some people, but I’m a borderline introvert. This means that I need my alone time or I tend to go a little crazy. My wonderful wife recognized this this past week and then proceeded to book me a two-night stay at a little hotel in the Black Forest. It was a wonderful two days of solitude where I got to go do some hiking (catch my photos in the Photo Album), play around with Photoshop and spend some time in God’s Word.
One of the amazing things about hiking in Der Schwarzwald (the Black Forest) is that you never know what you are going to come across. As I was hiking, all of the sudden I see this small chapel near the trail (see the photo above). It’s a very small chapel and as I approached I saw a sign with a man’s picture on it. It was a picture of Willibald Strohmeyer. The title above his picture was “SS-Terror and Priest’s death in Muenstertal” (my translation).
As I continued reading, I came to find out that this man was a priest in the area during World War II. He led an order of nuns (yes, they had a priest leading them) that took care of the homeless and needy. When the Nazis came to power, he was too popular by the people to touch. But near the end of the war, when the French were invading this area of Germany, Willibald Strohmeyer encouraged the locals to not resist and to put out white flags in hopes of not provoking the French to destroy this region. On Sunday, April 22, 1945, a group of SS Troopers arrested him during a church service. He was driven into the hills, robbed and brutally murdered. His body wasn’t found until May 5th. The chapel that I had found was to make sure that he was remembered not only for his death but more for how he chose to live his life.
Ironically, the sermon he gave just three hours before his death was on John 16:16-26:
16″In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me.”
17Some of his disciples said to one another, “What does he mean by saying, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me,’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?” 18They kept asking, “What does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand what he is saying.”
19Jesus saw that they wanted to ask him about this, so he said to them, “Are you asking one another what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me’? 20I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. 21A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. 22So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. 23In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. 24Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.
25″Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father. 26In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.
- John 16:16-26 (NIV – emphasis mine)
It’s amazing what you can find when you are not on a tourist’s path but deep into life’s journeys.
A Day in Vienna
Last week on my way back from Hungary, a group of us got to spend a good portion of the day running around Vienna (Wien), Austria. It was a beautiful day and was just perfect for seeing the sites. I took a bunch of pictures so be sure to them out in the Photo Album.