After checking in to the Raddison hotel in Lisbon, Portugal, earlier this afternoon, I had a strange sense of deja vu: complete exhaustion. Yes, I remember when I last felt that way... when I traveled 10 hours from Detroit to Amman this past fall. Day and night blend together and all sense of time is gone. All you know is that you're really really tired. At the hotel, Tom and I took a short nap and when we woke up, we felt even more tired. But also hungry. So we went out to find food.
Our Lisbon hotel is only a few minutes from the airport and within walking distance of the Lisbon stadium, which also includes a food court, a theater, and ... a grocery store. Catch a game, buy some milk, all in one stop. We ate at Ranch Burger, and I made the mistake of ordering the "Classico" burger and a small drink. I learned the lesson of the amateur traveller: U.S. food portions are much, much larger than the rest of the world. So instead of getting a Whopper, I got like a mini Whopper Jr. and a kiddie cup drink. But it was food.
During our five-hour layover in Amsterdam, I was supposed to meet up with my cousin, Laura, who was passing through the airport as well on her way back to Seattle. But after scouring the entire airport -- and despite the fact she was apparantly wearing golden ribbons and braided hair -- I couldn't find her. I got to know the airport pretty well though.
Well, I'm exhausted. Thanks for all your guys' optimism about my malaria prospects. Tomorrow morning Tom and I will travel to Bissau. It will be my first day ever stepping foot in Africa.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
From snowstorms to sandstorms
It snowed 2 to 3 inches here in Seattle yesterday. Tomorrow's high in Guinea-Bissau: 94 degrees. After living in California for two years, snow feels like the Ice Age. The mid-90s sound great. Can't wait to get to Africa.
Tomorrow I'll be traveling from Sea-Tac Airport to Amsterdam, then Lisbon, where missionary Tom Crompton and I will stay overnight at a Portuguese hotel. Tom and his family lived in Ghana for 16 years, but this will be his first time in Guinea-Bissau (GB). This will be my first time in Africa. On Thursday morning, we will fly from Lisbon to Bissau, the capital of GB. From there, we will take a two-hour trip to the city of Canchungo. It is in this city of 7,000 that the missionary house and the school built by FLAME Ministry (www.flameministry.org) is located. And it is there that I will spend most of the next three weeks of my life. And it is there that I will make my last stand against Malaria, if I ever contract the disease. I have to take a pill every day that fights bacteria growth. The pills are also used for fighting acne. God-willing, my acne pills will do the trick and I will be malaria-free.
Tom first asked me to join him on his journey to Africa two months ago. At first, I thought it was too short notice. Ever since returning from Iraq, Jordan and Switzerland in September, I've been eager to travel the world -- but I wondered if it would be over-ambitious to presume I could get three weeks off work, get my immunizations in order, and do everything I needed to do to go half way around the world. It was an answer to prayer -- to visit other parts of the world -- but one that seemed to come too soon. After thinking about it for a while and much prayer, though, I realized that there will never be a perfect time in my life to visit Africa, a place that I've been interested in visiting for the last few years. Besides, it's a good time in my life for such an adventure.
After making the decision to go, I hustled to get plane tickets, get immunizations, send all my info to Tom so we could get visas (which thankfully came through a few days ago), and buy lots of mosquito repellent. By God's grace, I was able to finagle enough time off work for the trip on short notice. So now I'm at my folks' place in Seattle, popping down acne pills and dreaming about clear skies and really really warm weather.
I will hopefully be able to keep this blog up to date, though I may not be able to add new posts too often since the city of Canchungo isn't WiFi friendly. I'll visit Bissau a few times during my time in GB and will have access to Internet cafes, thankfully.
I appreciate all your prayers and words of support. Feel free to leave a comment on this blog or send me a note at chriscollins101@gmail.com. Hopefully, I will return Feb. 16 nicely tanned, fluent in Portuguese (the official language of GB), a more worldly and wiser man, and acne/malaria-free.
Tomorrow I'll be traveling from Sea-Tac Airport to Amsterdam, then Lisbon, where missionary Tom Crompton and I will stay overnight at a Portuguese hotel. Tom and his family lived in Ghana for 16 years, but this will be his first time in Guinea-Bissau (GB). This will be my first time in Africa. On Thursday morning, we will fly from Lisbon to Bissau, the capital of GB. From there, we will take a two-hour trip to the city of Canchungo. It is in this city of 7,000 that the missionary house and the school built by FLAME Ministry (www.flameministry.org) is located. And it is there that I will spend most of the next three weeks of my life. And it is there that I will make my last stand against Malaria, if I ever contract the disease. I have to take a pill every day that fights bacteria growth. The pills are also used for fighting acne. God-willing, my acne pills will do the trick and I will be malaria-free.
Tom first asked me to join him on his journey to Africa two months ago. At first, I thought it was too short notice. Ever since returning from Iraq, Jordan and Switzerland in September, I've been eager to travel the world -- but I wondered if it would be over-ambitious to presume I could get three weeks off work, get my immunizations in order, and do everything I needed to do to go half way around the world. It was an answer to prayer -- to visit other parts of the world -- but one that seemed to come too soon. After thinking about it for a while and much prayer, though, I realized that there will never be a perfect time in my life to visit Africa, a place that I've been interested in visiting for the last few years. Besides, it's a good time in my life for such an adventure.
After making the decision to go, I hustled to get plane tickets, get immunizations, send all my info to Tom so we could get visas (which thankfully came through a few days ago), and buy lots of mosquito repellent. By God's grace, I was able to finagle enough time off work for the trip on short notice. So now I'm at my folks' place in Seattle, popping down acne pills and dreaming about clear skies and really really warm weather.
I will hopefully be able to keep this blog up to date, though I may not be able to add new posts too often since the city of Canchungo isn't WiFi friendly. I'll visit Bissau a few times during my time in GB and will have access to Internet cafes, thankfully.
I appreciate all your prayers and words of support. Feel free to leave a comment on this blog or send me a note at chriscollins101@gmail.com. Hopefully, I will return Feb. 16 nicely tanned, fluent in Portuguese (the official language of GB), a more worldly and wiser man, and acne/malaria-free.
Thursday, January 24, 2008
This from a recent UN press release:
...
"Last month Guinea-Bissau became the third country on the Commission's agenda - joining Burundi and Sierra Leone - after the Security Council backed a request from the Government of the country, which has increasingly been beset by problems caused by drug trafficking and organized crime.
The Council heard briefings from senior UN officials that the value of the drug trade in Guinea-Bissau is greater than the entire national income and that, using a combination of threats and bribes, traffickers are infiltrating State structures and operating with impunity.
Police and judicial authorities have become overwhelmed both by the scale of the problem and by the alliance between foreign criminal groups and powerful local figures.
Guinea-Bissau also struggles with problems regarding governmental capacity, security sector reform, economic recovery and the upcoming scheduled elections."
...
"Last month Guinea-Bissau became the third country on the Commission's agenda - joining Burundi and Sierra Leone - after the Security Council backed a request from the Government of the country, which has increasingly been beset by problems caused by drug trafficking and organized crime.
The Council heard briefings from senior UN officials that the value of the drug trade in Guinea-Bissau is greater than the entire national income and that, using a combination of threats and bribes, traffickers are infiltrating State structures and operating with impunity.
Police and judicial authorities have become overwhelmed both by the scale of the problem and by the alliance between foreign criminal groups and powerful local figures.
Guinea-Bissau also struggles with problems regarding governmental capacity, security sector reform, economic recovery and the upcoming scheduled elections."
Saturday, January 5, 2008
The trip
Here is my fundraising letter:
Dear friend,
I've been invited by a family friend to go on a trip to West Africa next month. We will travel to the little-known (and very little) country of Guinea-Bissau, which is nothing more than a dot on a map of Africa. Ginneau-Bissau is about the size of Maryland and, with 1 1/2 million people, is one of the 10 poorest countries in the world. It has been beleagured by military and political strife since gaining its independence more than three decades ago. It's main sources of income are: fishing, farming, and... cashews. In recent years, Ginneau-Bissau has shown signs of hope and progress. But the country and its people still need much assistance.
What we'll be doing: My friend Tom Cromptom and I plan to visit a Christian school recently established by a Seattle-based organization called FLAME (Freedom Life African Ministries Emmanuel). The non-profit hopes to attract the country's future leaders to its Jesus Industrial School where they will receive training in sewing, auto mechanics and computers -- skills critical for success in this part of the world. In the meantime, the students will be exposed to the gospel and the ministry of both native and foreign Christians. Eventually, the school will be run entirely by Guineans.
Our goals: Tom is both a member of The Navigators and is on the board of FLAME. During our two-week trip, we hope to introduce the West Africa Leader for The Navigators, Okorie Kalu, to members of FLAME so that they can work together toward their common goals. We also will familiarize ourselves with the Jesus Industrial School and its successes as well as its challenges. We hope to return with a better understanding of what FLAME and our Christian brothers and sisters are doing in one of the world's smallest and poorest countries and let others know how they can be praying for and helping Guineans. To learn more about FLAME, go to www.flameministry.org.
Why I'm going: Tom lived in Africa for 16 years, but this will be his first trip to Guinea-Bissau. This is my first visit to Africa. We will be leaving Seattle January 30 and returning February 16. After returning from a six-week reporting stint for McClatchy Newspapers in Iraq this past fall, I've been unable to shake the travel bug. The opportunity to visit Africa is an answered prayer and an adventure I'm looking forward to. To prepare for this trip, I've allowed myself to be injected with a cocktail of immunizations and drugs. I'm now immune to pretty much every disease on the planet -- menengitus, typhoid, polio, Hep A, Hep B, Yellow Fever, malaria, Mad Cow Disease, etc.
How you can help: I am sending this letter to you for a few reasons: 1) To let you know about this new adventure in my life, 2) To ask for your prayers, and 3) To ask you to consider becoming a financial partner in this trip.
Here are my anticipated expenses:
Airfare and hotel (for stay-overs in Portugal): $2,150
Immunizations, insurance, traveling expenses: $400
Own contribution: ($1,000)
Total needed: $1,550
If you and 30 other people donate $50 then the costs should be covered, though any contribution is appreciated. If you would like to partner with me in this trip, please fill out the enclosed response card and send it in the return envelope before January 24th. Please make all checks payable to The Navigators.
Asking for your prayers: Please pray that the travels will go smoothly and that both Tom and I will stay in good health during the trip. Also, please pray that God will provide translators and that we will not be hampered by language barriers. Finally, please pray for our hearts -- that they will be excited about this opportunity God has opened up for us and that we will be eager to be good guests and develop friendship with the Guineans we meet.
As always, please feel free to e-mail me any time at chriscollins101@gmail.com. I will keep a blog during my trip, but will not always have Internet access. Feel free to visit the blog at www.blogger.com/notasafari.
God bless,
Chris
Dear friend,
I've been invited by a family friend to go on a trip to West Africa next month. We will travel to the little-known (and very little) country of Guinea-Bissau, which is nothing more than a dot on a map of Africa. Ginneau-Bissau is about the size of Maryland and, with 1 1/2 million people, is one of the 10 poorest countries in the world. It has been beleagured by military and political strife since gaining its independence more than three decades ago. It's main sources of income are: fishing, farming, and... cashews. In recent years, Ginneau-Bissau has shown signs of hope and progress. But the country and its people still need much assistance.
What we'll be doing: My friend Tom Cromptom and I plan to visit a Christian school recently established by a Seattle-based organization called FLAME (Freedom Life African Ministries Emmanuel). The non-profit hopes to attract the country's future leaders to its Jesus Industrial School where they will receive training in sewing, auto mechanics and computers -- skills critical for success in this part of the world. In the meantime, the students will be exposed to the gospel and the ministry of both native and foreign Christians. Eventually, the school will be run entirely by Guineans.
Our goals: Tom is both a member of The Navigators and is on the board of FLAME. During our two-week trip, we hope to introduce the West Africa Leader for The Navigators, Okorie Kalu, to members of FLAME so that they can work together toward their common goals. We also will familiarize ourselves with the Jesus Industrial School and its successes as well as its challenges. We hope to return with a better understanding of what FLAME and our Christian brothers and sisters are doing in one of the world's smallest and poorest countries and let others know how they can be praying for and helping Guineans. To learn more about FLAME, go to www.flameministry.org.
Why I'm going: Tom lived in Africa for 16 years, but this will be his first trip to Guinea-Bissau. This is my first visit to Africa. We will be leaving Seattle January 30 and returning February 16. After returning from a six-week reporting stint for McClatchy Newspapers in Iraq this past fall, I've been unable to shake the travel bug. The opportunity to visit Africa is an answered prayer and an adventure I'm looking forward to. To prepare for this trip, I've allowed myself to be injected with a cocktail of immunizations and drugs. I'm now immune to pretty much every disease on the planet -- menengitus, typhoid, polio, Hep A, Hep B, Yellow Fever, malaria, Mad Cow Disease, etc.
How you can help: I am sending this letter to you for a few reasons: 1) To let you know about this new adventure in my life, 2) To ask for your prayers, and 3) To ask you to consider becoming a financial partner in this trip.
Here are my anticipated expenses:
Airfare and hotel (for stay-overs in Portugal): $2,150
Immunizations, insurance, traveling expenses: $400
Own contribution: ($1,000)
Total needed: $1,550
If you and 30 other people donate $50 then the costs should be covered, though any contribution is appreciated. If you would like to partner with me in this trip, please fill out the enclosed response card and send it in the return envelope before January 24th. Please make all checks payable to The Navigators.
Asking for your prayers: Please pray that the travels will go smoothly and that both Tom and I will stay in good health during the trip. Also, please pray that God will provide translators and that we will not be hampered by language barriers. Finally, please pray for our hearts -- that they will be excited about this opportunity God has opened up for us and that we will be eager to be good guests and develop friendship with the Guineans we meet.
As always, please feel free to e-mail me any time at chriscollins101@gmail.com. I will keep a blog during my trip, but will not always have Internet access. Feel free to visit the blog at www.blogger.com/notasafari.
God bless,
Chris
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