Thank You

Having been off the World Race for a week now, ive only begun to process the inestimable value of the experience God has afforded me this year. I sense that as time passes, the monumental worth of every country I visited, every person I met, and every encounter I had with our God in ministry and life this year will expand in my field of retrospective vision. But as I begin to look back, with that unsettling mixture of nostalgia and gratitude, I find myself filled with even more gratefulness to all of you than I could have felt while still on the field; thanks both for making it possible, and for enhancing the experience and work of the kingdom 100-fold through your prayers, thoughts, comments on my blog, and e-mails.

            As the weight of your love and support continues to settle in my mind, I struggle to determine how I could ever adequately express and offer my thanks. This year carries more stories of God's glory than any other 2 combined in my life, and you are all fastened to them by your gifts of accompaniment in prayer and sponsorship. Therefore, it is my humble hope that all of the stories Ive shared through these blogs, and the myriad that I haven't been able to write down, encase the merit for God's kingdom that your support has provided. Just like we say we can do nothing without God, I couldn't have done any of the amazing ministries I was privileged to do on the World Race without God's provision through YOUR faithfulness. So with all that I am, I THANK YOU for being the supportive "family in God" that I needed to sustain me in every moment of life and service this year.

            Never in my life have I felt so blessed, and so uplifted, all throughout this year and especially now as I look back on it with a smile on my face. In the past 11 months, God has dropped countless bundles of hope, folded in with the tools necessary to see and make a change, on the lives of people in desperate and trying circumstances, and each of your tags of love was stringed to those bundles because you fueled my "plane" every day. So its my hope and prayer that you all believe in the profit for God's kingdom that your investments, both spiritual and monetary, made in the bettering of people's lives around the world.

            So what else can I say but thank you again... I could never say it enough. Thanks for following me on this blog all year, and I hope the lessons I learned served you all in some positive way as well. I don't think, though, that this is the last blog, as there are some new things God is brewing on the horizon, so please don't forget about these if I write more! You all have special place in my heart, and I will forever remember the love you have shown me, and God, this year.

Until next time,

Tommy Shireman

World Race P-Squad Alumni 

Without fail this year around the world, God has taught me that, for those who lives by faith, nothing is impossible. I know Ive talked about this in several blogs this year, but God has brought this yearlong teaching to a powerful climax this final month in Malaysia. As God has made this teaching a reality in my life this year, most notably in providing every last cent of my support money when I needed over $4000 in less than one month, I've recognized that we aren't confined to applying this perspective only to finances or other black and white needs we have. God wants us to take on this worldview, God's view, as our way of life He/She. 

This month, God has put the finishing touches' on His/Her crafting of my belief in the impossible, as far as what I could learn this year on the World Race. Coming on the Race, I never imagined I would find a ministry that would be like an internship for me to practice exactly what I hope to do as a career, let alone in the last month of the trip. Yet this month, I was given the option to do college ministry at a local campus everyday, meeting students and making friendships with them, promoting the restaurant where we were serving our host/contact for the month. Even still, I didn't think it would be possible to invest in numerous relationships and stumble upon worthwhile conversations everyday. I prayed for one person to be able to invest in, and hoped for a few impactful discussions throughout the month. But, within the first week, I had made at least 5 friends that I maintained almost a daily friendship with all month, and by the end, it had grown to 10, including people outside the college. Also, God unveiled the occasions for meaningful discussions with students and friends multiple times a day, adding up to more than any other 2 months combined this whole year. Going with students to class, club meetings, prayer meetings, fellowship gatherings, cafes, dinner at their house, and having them out for college nights at our restaurant Kennedys, we had the chance to interact with them on so many levels of their lives. It was my dream ministry, a surreal firsthand preview of what it could be like for me in college ministry in the US. It was a ministry more fulfilling and worthwhile than I ever thought possible to find on the World Race... I guess its yet another example of why we need to always believe in the impossible while we walk this life of faith.

Zooming out just a bit on what this month looked like for me, I want to share how this college ministry was actually just one piece under the umbrella ministry/lifestyle of my final month on the World Race. If you know me well at all, you know that relationships are the crux of my character, the reason why I believe college ministry is my calling. Building relationships for the sake of helping people discover the joy of living a kingdom-focused life of faith is the major purpose for why I came on the Race. How fitting it was then, that not only did I get to relate deeply with college students forming their lives, but I was able to witness God's love and receive it abundantly in relationships with a family and also a friend who treated me like a son and a brother. Sparing names and details for privacy, let it suffice to say that God couldn't have packed more purpose into the connections God wove between this family and me, and separately, with this friend who worked at the restaurant, Kennedys.

In both situations, aspects of our past and personality aligned in a way that allowed us to learn from and challenge one another in our relationships with our families. Although no one can ever fully understand the layers and intricacies of a family dynamic, sometimes an outside perspective can help people see things that they need to deal with but were too blinded by past pain, trauma, or the emotional walls they erected around themselves to see. In addition, sometimes witnessing the way someone loves and sacrifices for his/her family is what we need to realize the investment and commitment God desires for us to find for our own families. With the family this month, as they befriended me and welcomed me into their lives, I truly believe God used me as this 3^rd party perspective to call attention to some of the obstacles in their relationships that God wants to help them navigate on the road to a more loving and unified family. The only reason God was able to usurp my voice in speaking His/Her love to them, however, is because God had to take me through some of the same processes of forgiveness with my family. In addition, I discovered through fighting for their family in prayer and conversations that God was teaching me ways He/She wants me to fight for a greater love in my family when I return home, as the work God is doing in both of our families isn't finished. Parallel to what God was doing through and revealing to me in those relationships, God showed me in my friend at the restaurant the best human example of how He/She goes to every possible end to take care of us, God's family. As I learned from this friend the inestimable power of giving every possible ounce of love we have to our family, even when all odds are against us, God used me to emancipate him from some burdens he had taken on in his all-out but blind love for his family. For him, it was a redemption we both agreed is now altering the course of his life forever towards serving God's kingdom. For me, Ive seen the love I want to give to my family to continue the work God has been doing in all of us over the years.

The connecting thread through all of this is that for each of us, there was a time when we would have said that the breakthroughs God surprised us with this month were impossible to accomplish. It was the faith that God had been pushing me to hold on to more vigorously this year that enabled me to believe despite the odds. Because of the impossible things God has done every month this year on the World Race, its becoming more natural to cast the lines of my hope, love, and passion into bottomless waters of uncertainty. Although years of hardened pain and unhealed wounds may stand in our way, and miles of separation and isolation may overpower our hearts' grasp on hope, God's goodness has no threshold when it is unlocked by our faith. For so long this family has been troubled by un-forgiveness and hidden bitterness, just like in so many of our own relationships with our families. And similarly, for years my friend has been locked away from his beloved family, for which he's sacrificed everything, behind the ever thickening door of past missteps in his self-imposed efforts to "fix" everything for them on his own. Nevertheless, God has now pierced through their clouds of darkness now with promises of His/Her faithfulness to bring redemption, leaving it in their hands to follow faithfully to the clearing horizon ahead.

Like I said earlier, in this process God has also helped me spot the brighter future ahead for my family and me, and I know this year God has given me enough ammo for my faith to push on towards that. So I offer this truth to you as well, for whatever impossibility may be fooling your faith right now. The mountain before you CAN be moved by faith of a mustard seed. Whatever agony or frustration someone has caused you, it doesn't have to control you now. Whatever secret has kept your family from being real with each other, it doesn't have to have a clamp on you any longer. Whatever mistake you've made that has crushed your confidence or hope for a 2^nd chance, God wants to show you that He/She makes all things new. Nothing is impossible for he/she who believes. Take a risk of faith, gamble on God... God's just waiting to fill your life with the riches of His/Her Kingdom.  

Throughout the history of the Christian Church, priests, missionaries, and pastors have devised a myriad of methods to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ, all tailored around a theological opinion of how God wants us to carry on the Messiah's mission. Whether its fire and brimstone preaching, salvation and love messages, massive charismatic crusades, or letting one's actions speak louder than words, sharing the good news can come to the unreached in many forms today. I bring up this topic because I believe our contacts last month in Thailand, Arun and Pang, do it in the most effective way for the societies of today's world. As Arun puts it, their mission in their small cassava farming village of western Thailand is to spread the Gospel through relationships with their neighbors. A simple concept, right? Sometimes we miss the timeless value of simple schemes in the complexity of our modern minds.

Although we didn't get to accompany Arun and Pang on much relational ministry, hearing about their focused passion and providing them with more time to pursue it because we did most of their cassava farming, some of their goat farming, and helped their neighbors with their cassava fields, was more than enough. While I was impassioned for humbleness in hard work and faith in God to provide bountiful harvests through it, I knew that this simple service was paving the way for this couple to walk obediently on the path upon which God has placed them. Here's a brief depiction of what that path looks like for them.

After coming in to this community focusing on ministry full-time, Arun quickly saw that if he wanted to be embraced as an equal by his neighbors, he needed to become a farmer just like them. Some of the people thought he was a drug dealer because they didn't understand how he had no "work" yet had a house and truck. Support raising is an alien concept to them. So, not only did he become a farmer like them, but he learned and implemented techniques that enable his fields to yield almost double the tapioca (cassava) crop of his friends, which he now teaches them as part of his community development efforts. As he works alongside them in love, even bringing in foreigners like us to help as well, the relationships that are being built communicate more about the character and heart of God than any crusade or church service he could put on for them. When he and Pang meet with them in their houses now, the ears of their friends are open in a way only made possible through their honest and selfless endeavor to achieve solidarity with their community. In the 8 years they have been there, they have built strong-enough relationships with a handful of families there to share the Gospel definitively with them. Most of them have responded with joy and are excited to have a relationship with the One, true God who inspires them to see and feel His/Her divine comfort and purpose in the struggles of their agricultural lives. I smile softly as I write this, because I'm convinced that God is greatly pleased with the work Arun and Pang are doing. Just like Jesus exemplified with his concentration on the 12 disciples, I believe God is first concerned with the quality over the quantity of His/Her people.

To go along with this theme, here's just a little look into Thai life and culture, and into the fun God gave us as 20 guys living it up without women for a month. This month was the Thai New Year, also known commonly as Water Festival (in English). As the kids are out of school for the summer, and its dang hot in this tropical place, it's a perfect time for them to take a week off work and everything else to have a nationwide water fight! Most of the houses along the street through our area had big barrels of water out, with hoses to refill, and plenty of people to fire away with buckets and anything that could throw water at passing cars and motorcycles. But if like to be mobile, like us, its much better to load barrels onto the backs of your 3 trucks and ride around doing water drive-bys at everyone and everything you see. It was a blast, especially hitting the poor motorcycle riders that had no protection or way to get us back, haha. You also can get colored rice flour and mix it in with your water to paint people up as they go by too, making it a little more interesting. If youre still wondering how this relates to relationship ministry, we rode around with a number of Arun and Pang's friends and some kids from the community, making us a 4 or 5 car convoy of death-by-water. I think everyone was "baptized by water," at least 100 times, and because we stood alongside them in water-battle, I can pray they will someday experience the baptism of the Spirit through their now-strengthened relationships with Arun and Pang. 

Squish squish went the mud between my toes. As we trudged through the thick, mud trenches of cassava fields, I reflected on the parallels between our humble farming and the similar "dirty work" of Jesus in ancient Galilee. Carrying a basket full of cassava sticks to be planted, I fought to stay on my feet as they got stuck or hit the side of the cassava mounds. Trying to place the sticks about 20 inches apart, it seemed like I was hastily wiping the sweat off my face every few feet, trying unsuccessfully to keep up pace with the local Thai farmer who was gliding without difficulty through the thick mud. There was hardly a moment when I wasn't grateful for this grunt work though, always keeping in mind that our efforts were cutting off at least 4 days of work that families who owned the land would otherwise have to do. When you know that you being covered in dirt and sweat equates to more time for poor farmers to enjoy their lives, it's easy to smear the mud on your face and keep a huge smile. More often than we may realize, building God's kingdom requires us to get our hands dirty.  

It has always fascinated me to hear the different ways that people picture Jesus. From the man on the Cross, the Good Shepherd, or a teacher, to the healer, miracle worker, or Risen Christ, there's a plethora of ways that we can identify with Jesus. Do we ever think of Him as someone who "gets His hands dirty," though? Most of the pictures we see of Jesus are of Him with flowing dark hair and a white robe. How would it change our efforts to exemplify Him if we focused more on His consistent willingness throughout the Gospels to get messy for the sake of the Kingdom?

 Out of His passion to help individuals be healed both physically and spiritually, and to empower the community of God to break free from physical and spiritual chains of oppression, Jesus crossed, and embraced others that crossed, numerous boundaries of His religio-cultural world. Whether it was touching lepers, using spit and mud to heal the blind, and blessing the faith of a hemorrhaging woman who touched him for healing, or hanging out with the poor, prostitutes, and tax collectors (the "sinners" of His day) and standing against the injustices of the temple and ruling elite, both in word and deed, Jesus wasn't afraid to "get His hands dirty" for His Father's kingdom. Neither physical unpleasantness nor cultural/societal marginalization and persecution, even to the point of being arrested, beaten, and killed, could slow down the train of Jesus' passion to bring about the reign of God in our world. Can we say the same for our generation?

Although it's galaxies away from being on the level of Jesus' experiences of dirty Kingdom jobs, I still felt vibrant solidarity with Jesus as we plodded through the mud of the cassava fields... I believed He was walking with us, both in Spirit and in the bodies of the Thai farmers that were in the thick of it with us, just like He is every other day of their lives. In Jesus' examples, it was never just the actual event where He got "dirty" that marked the power of the love He offered. The hope in the future accumulation of positive transformation to come after those moments held the real limitless potential for His love's impact on people's lives. For example, of course the man healed of leprosy would have been ecstatic in the event of his cleansing, but the fuller blessing was to come later when he would be restored to his community and family from which his leprosy had most likely forced him to be shunned. Similarly, it hasn't been in the hours of getting grimy for God that I expect to see the fruit we hope for the people of Kanchanaburi. I believe our work is an extension of our contacts' love and friendship to these people and will heighten their awareness of something "different" about these Thai Christians in their community. There is no doubt that, besides thinking we're just straight up crazy, these locals have some curiosity about why we are here, why we joyfully join them in their muddy work. We get dirty now so God can make His/Her kingdom come through our contacts' relationships later. I didn't realize, however, it would get even "messier" until we spent a few days shoveling, bagging, and spreading goat poop as fertilizer! Looking back on Jesus being anointed with perfume by the sinful woman (Luke 7:37), I guess in an opposite sense, messy kingdom work can have a pungent smell to it as well!

So I leave you to ponder if God is asking you to do something messy to make His/Her Kingdom a reality in your community. Like I said, it doesn't need to be something physically dirty. Maybe God is asking you to be willing to let your reputation or status get a little messy. Jesus crossed into culturally forbidden territory to offer God's universal love and grace to many whom His society thought weren't worthy of it, or had just plain forgotten. Who are the "sinners," prostitutes, tax collectors, and forgotten of our day? Is it the person at your work, school, or team that others see as weird? What about homosexuals, Muslims, prisoners and ex-cons, homeless people, or drug addicts? Although we might not have a recognized class of "untouchables" in our society like India does, it exists, and many people in the categories I've mentioned and others know it and live under its umbrella of shame everyday. If you want to encounter more of Jesus in your life, I promise you will find Him among such people. Jesus' Kingdom construction plan during His life was as socially and culturally "messy" as it gets. Maybe our blueprints, as well as the Church's, need to be messed up a bit. So take off your gloves; it's time to get our hands dirty. 

What's up everyone!? We've finally come out of hiding in the shadows of Communist China, safe and strengthened by the challenges of embodying the Kingdom of God in an environment that seems wholly bent on trying to stifle it. Sorry that I wasn't able to write a blog all month, as it is AIM's policy that we don't use internet while in China to protect the ministry contacts with whom we work. Just a word on that so you understand the situation of China: Although it isn't quite uniform throughout the whole country, overall, China's Communist government does not allow people to openly "spread" a religion, but that particularly applies to Christianity as far I can tell. The system is really complex, and I don't have a good grip of it, but basically you are allowed to be a Christian, but any "group" that wants to assemble for worship or other gatherings needs to register every such event with the government and it needs to be regulated by them. As Communist regime, the government is excessively controlling of the population and keeps a magnifying glass on everything that goes on, tapping cell phones, video surveillance widespread, blocking many internet sites like facebook, youtube, and even reading people's personal e-mails, and sending police to question people (especially Americans) when suspicion arises. The good news is, from what we understand, any temporary visitors "caught" doing something they don't like will simply be made to leave the country with no legal punishment or fines. It's those who take up some kind of residence in China that are liable to serious punishment if caught.

So its undeniably a dark and oppressive environment in China... but I can emphatically ensure you that hope is alive and growing, largely due to the faith and work of organizations like the one my team worked for, International China Concern (ICC). There's so much I'd love to share about my experiences this month, so to make it as concise and easily accessible as I can, I thought id go cultural on you all and whip up a little literary Chinese buffet for you to enjoy some of the "food" from this crazy month. I know some of my Hempfield boys from back home love a good Chinese buffet (but not as much as Tokyo Diner haha). I'll title everything as a real food that I ate this month and as the actual topic I'm talking about in parentheses, with the actual price on the side in Chinese currency (RMB or Quay, 1 USD = 6.6 RMB). Don't worry, none of this strange grub made me sick, so I'm sure you'll be all good, just dig in. Go ahead and peruse the menu and take as much as you'd like. Try a little bit of everything, when are you gonna be in China (again)?

Tommy's Chinese Buffet Menu

1.     Fried tofu with rice, cooked cabbage, green and red FIRE peppers...... 4 RMB

(Our ministry contact, International China Concern)

ICC was started as short-term missions organization aimed at helping orphans and disabled children of China. Over the last 15 years, they have now established 3 sites of full-time operation for the care of orphans, mostly ones with some kind of special need. We worked at their site in Hengyang, a medium sized city (3 million people approx.) in the Hunan province of China, kind of in the central west region of China.

            The reality, although there are signs that its slowly changing, is that China more or less tries to pretend that people with special needs don't exist. You would be hard-pressed to find anyone in China with special needs, with the very rare exception of someone with a physical disability from an accident (I saw one). The reason is, the government hides them in the corner of the room, figuratively speaking. The government has welfare centers, a misrepresentative name, where they send or allow people to send children or adults with special needs. The problem is, they provide nowhere near the adequate resources to care the lives of these people. In fact, it clearly seems to be their unspoken and secret wish to let many of them die so they don't have to take care of them. Despite the government's efforts to hide this atrocious reality, the founder of ICC discovered a small piece of it when he visited a welfare center with a connection he had during one of his first times in China. He found a room tucked away in the old, shoddy building where they were placed children that were weak and emaciated, and then shut the door... ignoring the cries of hunger and longing for their right to me loved and cared for as a child. The "caretakers" walked away to let these helpless children die.

            15 years later now, ICC is fully or mostly operating 3 of these centers, with the permission, and on a small scale even the gratitude of the government. And to top it off, they know that ICC is a Christian organization.  Whereas they weren't even allowed in to some of these centers from the beginning, it truly is a miracle of God to see the progress that has been made in ICC's fight for the lives of these precious people. In the center where we worked, the 110+ people are well fed, clothed, and cared for by the staff of ICC, all given a chance to experience a quality of life that would otherwise be impossible for them without the provision of the Lord through ICC. The remaining building at the center that is still technically a government run welfare center, not run by ICC, is a far cry from minimally adequate, however, a place overrun by sadness and plagued by starvation and compassion-fatigue. I did not work there, but a few of my teammates did, and their stories would no doubt bring tears to your eyes and incite a cry for justice in you, but they are not my stories. Nevertheless, the fact that they are even allowed to work up there now, alongside one of the long-term ICC volunteers, is a milestone of hope. ICC was not even allowed to see the kids there 1 year ago. And now ICC is running a snack program for the kids there that helps, a lifeline for so many of them who get something like ¼ or a 1/3 of the food they should be having at their age. Slowly but surely, the government is realizing the good that ICC is doing for the lives of these people. They are relinquishing their control and loosening their choking grip inch by inch as the Lord fights for His dominion of love over these forgotten people, something like the untouchables of their society.

            The work ICC is doing is nothing short of amazing. They are a voice calling out in the vast wilderness of China's oppression, and as it is the Lord speaking through them, this voice IS being heard. They are voice for the voiceless, shedding the tears for those who cant shed anymore, and this voice will not be stifled, these tears will not continue forever. ICC is making permanent advances for God's kingdom in this country and its being noticed by the public. While we were there, a few student groups came through to visit the residents of ICC as field trips or for volunteer hours required by their school, something I'm pretty sure never happened a decade or less ago. The Chinese are slowly realizing that people with special needs have value and deserve the same love and life that we all enjoy freely and often take for granted. Hope's momentum is gaining day by day and the day children with special needs won't be neglected or forgotten ever again is just around the corner. We just need to believe in the work the Lord has already done and trust that it will come to completion. Let us rejoice in the Lord's love that is here and won't stop fighting for those unable to fight for themselves until they have the life and dignity they deserve as His children.  

2.     Grilled ostrich meat on a stick, basted with a signature sauce..... 10 RMB

(Our daily work at ICC)

4 of my teammates and I had the privilege of working with the "middle and big boys" at ICC, boys ranging in age from about 10-22. I say privilege because there's no other ministry this year that has provided me with the amount of smiles and laughs that I found here. From 8:30-5 (with 2 hour lunch and rest break) M-F, we went about their days with them at the center, dancing, singing, playing, doing crafts, going for walks, and doing anything crazy or odd that made the boys happy. Our purpose this month was to help one of the ICC volunteers integrate a better schedule which involved activities that help the boys improve their physical and mental capabilities, and experience what brings them joy in life. We were able to model this for the caretakers that are there full-time so they could continue it after we left, with the long-term volunteer there to oversee it.

From throwing hula hoops, passing a basketball, playing with a big parachute, and dancing, to coloring, playing with connectable building circles, lacing, and playdoh, we got in touch with our inner child and were blessed to witness these boys truly come alive as they discovered their interests and abilities. Every experience was like they were finding an unknown land with which they were fascinated. Like me when I first watched Star Wars and became a closet fanatic (don't judge, I didn't read the post-movie books, do space battle drawings, and write my own stories... or maybe I did...), I'm sure you all can remember a time you first did something you love and it was like uncovering a new side of yourself. This is exactly what we got to be a part of for some of these boys this month. My favorite story like this was teaching a boy named Gong Gong how to throw a hula-hoop with a little backspin on it so that it hits the ground and rolls back to you. After watching me do it with utter enthrallment a few times, he was determined to learn this sweet trick (I know you're really impressed that I can do it, right? Haha). Sure enough after a few tries he did it. When it came back to him, sort of, and fell down, he picked it up and looked at me with a smile stretching from China all the way back to Lancaster, PA, his little eyes squinting so much I couldn't even see them anymore. Now I know at least a piece of the joy I will feel when I get to watch my child experience succeeding in something he/she wants to do for the first time. I have no doubt it will be just as memorable as the elation I felt with my buddy Gong Gong.

3.     Grilled Snake, extra slimy.......  15 RMB                                    

(Some surprise ministry and friends)

Somehow we ran into a few other Americans in our grocery store who live and teach English in Hengyang at the local university. They work through an organization called ELIC that provides English teachers to Chinese universities who have a "secret" 2^nd agenda of encouraging willing and interested students to discover God. They treated us like family, taking us out to dinner a few times to some great places we never would have found in Hengyang, and taking us to explore a historical island on the local river. It was so nice to have some other Americans to talk about the crazy struggles of Christianity in China and encourage each other to see the hope of God here despite the darkness of the culture and lifestyle. On top of that, they invited us to spend an afternoon walking and taking with their students in a park, hoping to have a conversation about God sparked during the time where we could encourage and witness to them. It was such a refreshing gift to have even just one opportunity to share God's love with some Chinese people verbally, since we could only show it through non-verbal means with the boys at ICC (most of them couldn't talk, and obviously none knew English). I had one of the best spiritual conversations ive had with any local on the Race, talking about his passion of philosophy to find an entrance into talking about God. He had an intense hunger and curiosity to know whom this God is that we would come to China to share about and Who did such an amazing work of grace in my life through the death of my mother that I had shared with him. God planted a seed in his heart and mind that day, and He/She's already watering it through the relationship building now between him and our friend, his teacher that set this day up. I truly believe, from the many stories I heard from the World Racers this month, that this boy's strong curiosity and willingness to ask questions characterizes a significant % of the young generations today in China. Like we got to see and believe about the forgotten people with special needs in China through ICC, God's love is burning for ALL the people of China, and this fire is being kindled in the lives of the young people who will soon be leading their nation. Believe in the power of the Lord's movement, for it is spreading... it is bringing life to a place where death has had a stronghold for so long. Believe and add momentum to the movement.

4.      Sheep testicle with spices... not enough spices though, if you know what I mean haha ......... 30 RMB

(A lesson for a life of faith I re-learned)

Remember all those toys you got rid of as a kid because you were bored with them? How about all those things you replace today just because you're tired of them and want something new, maybe something better? There have been too many times in my life as an American suffering from insatiable desire for what's new and more that I failed to find the joy and fulfillment available in what God had already given to me. The ICC boys, just like the many Special Olympics athletes I've worked with before, humbled me to see that we don't have to look high and low for contentment in life. If you're willing to see it, it's waiting for you right where you are standing, in everything that's in your life.

What seemed unfortunate and sad to us about the lives of the boys was actually more than enough for them to jump up and down with excitement every day.  Everyday they basically do the same things at the same times, with no other options but the ones available within their walls. Yet they never seemed to be even a little bit dissatisfied or bored with this repetition day in and day out.

Due to the language barrier, it was around these simple daily activities that our relationships with the boys formed. Each boy had unique, strange quirks or interests that we picked up on and were able to uplift and cherish with them. Whether it was picking Tu Hung Jun up in weird upside down positions, singing Old McDonald and random Christmas songs with Quan Xing, shuffling our feet and rubbing our hands together with Yang Feng, or letting Tie Tie rub his cheek on our scruff/stubble on our faces because he likes textures (I know its weird, trust me, haha, but if it makes him happy, whatever), every time we did these simple interactions with them, it arose in them the same level of exuberance and joy every time. Over and over and over again we would do the same silly, weird, or goofy things with them and they would never get tired with it or ask us to do something different. They don't need the latest video game, tv, movie, or car to keep a smile on their faces. They don't need to travel around the world, find a different bar every night, get a better job every few years, or move to a new city to get a change of scenery like so many of us feel we need to do. Its not at all that these are bad things. They can be good things, gifts of God for His/Her beloved people. But its when we latch our ability to be thankful and fulfilled to our desires for these things that we walk away from the joyride God already has set up for us in what we have today. The endless mystery and intrigue of God's Spirit can be tasted and happily pursued even in the mundane, in that which we turned our noses up to a long time ago in our hunt for something more. Its no mistake that the Lord established the baptism through water, the most common and basic substance on earth as a physical means to experience the spiritual gift of God's grace that knows no competitor for providing value, meaning, and fulfillment to our lives.

Hear me though in saying I wholeheartedly believe that God always has more for us and wants to trust and follow Him/Her in seeking the best that God has for our lives... but that trust also entails believing that God still can flood our capacity for wonder and joy in whatever circumstances of life God has us in now, as we hope for more of what God has to come. I know that these boys at ICC, whether or not they know they could have more outside of that place, will always find satisfaction in what's before them. That's how I want to live my life. Today is always a new adventure of excitement; even if it looks exactly like the day before. God is right where you are looking, in the very thing you find yourself doing day in and day out. Don't miss out on the marvels God has for you today

5. "Street Bread:" Basically fried pizza dough with mystery sauce, a staple and favorite of our diet this month, served on the street........ 2 RMB

(Wild N' Out World Race Style part 3, short edition, I promise! I haven't done this or a few months, so ill give some highlights from Africa, Philippines, and China)

1.     Fitting 8 people in half of small pickup bed, laying all over each other, for a 6.5 hour ride to the deep bush of Malawi... top 3 best travel experiences of the year.

2.     Eating 33 of the best mangoes ever in 3 days in Homba Homba village Malawi... and having my lips on fire afterwards (did you know mango trees are related to poison ivy? Yea, me neither, hence the burn)

3.     Cooking sweet potatoes (with 1 kg of brown sugar and tons of cinnamon) over a Malawian open flame "oven" outside for an unforgettable Thanksgiving feast.

4.     Petting lion cubs and then literally being hunted by full-grown lions in our car at a Lion Park in Johannesburg SA.

5.     Celebrating Christmas morning by opening gifts with the 8 toddlers we lived with in Jo-burg.

6.     Boating, knee-boarding, wake-boarding, and having an amazing braii (barbecue) on the beautiful Vaal river in Jo-burg.

7.     Doing an 8-hour hike on the breathtaking Table Mountain in Cape town, SA, and really thinking that the distant, hazy white forms I was seeing on the horizon of the ocean was Antarctica... clouds can be deceiving when you're hungry and thirsty, right?

8.     Renting a surfboard and catching my first 10 waves ever at the famous Muizenberg beach in Cape town... it was totally tubular dude haha, I'm getting a surfboard for sure someday.

9.     Being taken on a boat cruise to Seal Island in Cape Town.

10.  Making friends with the hilarious Rastafarian fruit stand guys and being given bags and sometimes boxes of Cape Town's best fruit for free... no they didn't do it cuz they were high, they really liked us!

11.  White-water rafting, scuba diving at a gorgeous resort, cliff diving off a 50-foot waterfall, and taking 25 wild children to a 5-pool swimming resort in the Philippines. Anyone looking for a honeymoon or vacation spot, the Philippines is where its at.  

12.  Playing in a pick-up b-ball league 3 times a week, making sweet Jesus-USA jerseys with Bible book and verse for the name and number on back for $2 each, and doing a mock trophy award ceremony for our team when we won the last game. This was one of the most fun ministries of the Race.

13.  Finding a DVD with all the Rocky and Rambo movies on it in a little burned DVD store in the Philippines, having the old man running it play the opening scene of Rocky IV on his TV so we could make sure it worked, and having all of us guys jumping, yelling, and air-boxing as Eye of the Tiger blared through the sound system. Then I grabbed the old man and gave him a big hug while he was still in shock and confusion as to why we were so excited. He must never have seen Rocky "knock [Drago's] block off," as Mickey would have said... men, I hope yall appreciate the scene.

14.  Having women and men "hock lugee's" (spit phlegm) on the floor in grocery stores, restaurants, and really anywhere in China... ladies, don't get any ideas, trust me, its not attractive. You gotta have quick feet sometimes in China, they don't always have the best aim!

15.  Seeing babies and toddlers all over China wear the fashionable "crotch-cut" pants, designed for the convenience of going to the bathroom whenever and wherever they please. Its nice when you see parents put their bare-butted children on the tables that you eat on in restaurants too. With how cold it was, I don't know how these kids didn't have frost-bitten booties. Again, ladies, don't take any tips from the Chinese, diapers are worth the effort, keep the scissors away from your kids' pants!

16.  Riding bikes with 7 other Racers through Beijing, almost getting hit by cars, buses, and other mopeds, and almost running into the marching soldiers during their famous sunset march in Tiananmen Square before the police stopped us... I don't think old Mao would have been too happy if we hit his boys.

Well that's all she wrote for this insanely long blog. Hope you enjoyed the Chinese feast, although youre probably stuffed after all that "food." My bad.

 We are in Bangkok Thailand now with 2 months to go. We are split into guys and girls alone this month, so I'm pumped for a chance to just serve God with the bros... and not have any girl drama! Ladies, don't be offended, you know its true haha. Bob Marley's "No Woman, No Cry" is our theme song this month. After this, we finish out the journey in Malaysia and then head home at the end of May.

Thanks again to all of you for your uplifting support and prayers, its been a source of my inspiration every month. I probably won't have much internet this month, so I may not post another blog until May, but we will see. I hope to hear from many of you by email or facebook or just a comment on this blog, as its been so long that Ive seen all of you. May God be with you and bless you always. 

How do you offer hope to people who have no freedom? How do you help someone prepare for a life of faith in the world when they haven't even stepped foot out of their cell for 4 weeks and have no gauge for when and if they will be set free? As an American accustomed to a "relatively" fair and efficient justice system, the injustice lingering in the air of Malaybalay City Jail was almost thick enough to make [[[me choke.

For our first 10 days here in Malaybalay, we had the privilege of doing ministry with the prisoners of the local jail here almost every afternoon. Some guys connected with the ministry we are partnered with here, Kids International Ministries (KIM), started this prison outreach just under a year ago and have been the vessels of an immeasurable transformation that God is doing in these prisoners' lives. As we sat with them day after day, getting to know them and sharing God's love in any way we knew how, we were flabbergasted as we learned the horrifying stories of some of the inmates and the realities of their lives in this jail. With numbers as high as 225-235 people, we couldn't comprehend how this wasn't even a true jail as we would define it, "technically" speaking; all of these prisoners are awaiting their trial, going through an appeal, or are awaiting a sentencing. Most of them have been for 2-5 years, some as long as 8! So, for those who are innocent, which we have reason to believe a substantial portion of them are, they essentially have been and continue to be imprisoned unjustly, having their lives radically obstructed by the inefficiency and corruption of their government system. Seeing as we had no political power or authority to intercede for their freedom to the Pilipino legal system, what could we do that would be of any significant help to these (at least partially) oppressed people?

Every day I stood before my friends in cell 5, I was frustrated by the steel bars that separated us and prevented me from fully "being" with them. I could shake their hands through the gaps and could obviously still see and communicate with them, but there was always something that "stood between" us and a completely free friendship. Nevertheless, it was those physical pieces of restriction that enabled me to see the possibility of spiritual liberation and freedom for these men. I soon realized that the way the bars prevented me from feeling like I could fully engage in a "real" friendship with these men (at least physically speaking) could be directly parallel to the mental obstacle those bars formed between them and their relationships with God. How could they truly experience a life with God while trapped in a steel cage? "Surely," I imagined them thinking, "we won't know who God really is and if we can live a life of faith until we are back in the real world, if we ever make it out of here..."

How wrong they would be if they were (or are) really thinking this! You might remember a blog I wrote in Moldova about a change in perspective as the remedy for a boy plagued with an unidentifiable illness. Well that lesson has followed me this whole Race, playing a part in my ministry and in what God teaches me more often than I can remember. Even last month in Capetown we heard a powerful sermon on how every trial is the key ingredient to a work of God in your life... its just all a matter of how you choose to look at your circumstances. In feeling the suffocating restrictiveness of those bars in the prison, I remembered that sermon; I remembered that we are never bound by our own circumstances because the hope we have in faith can never be limited. All things are possible for he/she who believes and does not doubt (cf. Matthew 21:21).  

While preaching to them one Sunday, I shared this matter of perspective with them. I said that naturally we see these bars as an inhibition to our freedom. Instead, I offered an alternative perspective that sees their cell as God's gift of a training ground for a communal life of faith. They live in a cell with about 35 people, and they are learning how to share things as a community since they don't have enough money to buy personal toiletries etc. They spend countless hours reading the Bible, praying, and learning worship songs. With almost no privacy available, they have endless opportunities to practice having healthy relationships with their cellmates and to love them as they love them selves, as we are all called to do. Rather than seeing their living restrictions as a block to their experience of a real life of faith, they can choose to see it as a perfect environment to learn how to really love others and embody the character of Jesus. Instead of being limited by the bars, they can choose to live beyond the bars, in a way of life that knows no boundaries. The kingdom is a realm open to all by the entry of faith, and available to us no matter what our earthly circumstances may be. I hope that this reality opened their eyes to the infinite hope they have in Christ, to the kingdom that lies not just beyond, but even within the bars of their cell. They are free in faith, no matter how long the flawed law of this country may prevent them from being "free" in physical form.

So don't let your own circumstances hold you back either. You are not bound by them! God has so much to offer you wherever you are. Just look inside and see the beautiful world that's waiting for you through the door of faith and its perspective on your life. If 35 men in one cell can live in absolute joy and hope (at least some of them), then so can you, no matter what bars stand before you. Live beyond the bars, there's too much to miss if you don't. 

Did you ever notice that sometimes in life, the only way to get UP to where you want to be is to first go DOWN? Or did you ever have to go backwards in order to get on the right path to move forward towards your desired destination? Although we often don't see it at the time, its usually not what you find when you have reached the top or your desired place in life that teaches you success, but its what's behind you, along the journey "down" before the one "up," that gives you the keys to the future for which you hope.

The more time I spend on the Race, the more I realize the value of this roundabout journey. It's these challenging, indirect routes that God tends to lead us on to prepare us for the calling He/She places on our lives. For me this year, I believe God is teaching me how to be a leader... by teaching me more about being a follower.

            Throughout my time at Villanova University, I was blessed with some opportunities in leadership for Campus Ministry activities. During these 4 defining years of my life, God led me to dive headfirst into the undiscovered pool of my passion for ministry. Not a day went by that I didn't anticipate a future of discipleship-based kingdom ministry with excitement. Never before had I encountered such pure joy as I did in using the gifts God has given me to help people find, develop, or deepen their lives of faith.

            As I was gearing up for the Race, I viewed this year of unlimited ministry opportunities as another major piece of my training for a career of serving God. Naturally, considering my experiences with leadership that led me to this journey, I half-hoped, half-expected that God would put me in a position of leadership. Why wouldn't having more practice as a leader be the best way for me to get ready to be a leader in ministry?

            Nevertheless, this year has opened no doors for me to take any (formal) leadership roles. At the beginning of the Race, when I realized I wasn't going to be a leader, I had to reposition myself in humility to combat the influx of pride in me that wanted to be a leader. I never felt like I "needed" to be a leader, because I have always strongly believed in empowering other people to lead so they are stretched by the challenges that come with that role, something I talked about in a blog from the DR. Even still, I've had to struggle at some points against the creeping thoughts of inadequacy as I've watched other people get opportunities to lead. To be honest, I really don't even desire to lead anymore this year, as I've fully accepted this "downward" path of training that I see the Lord taking me on, but its not easy for me to maintain the belief that God has called me to be a leader in the future. Thankfully, in the last 2 months, God has given me the best weapon to fight this doubt: Its the simple teaching that, in order to be a good leader, we must first learn to be a good follower.

How do you feel when a stranger shows up at your doorstep? Our culture implicitly trains us to put up our guard and maybe even to raise suspicions, doesn't it? Let's reverse the situation now... How do you feel when you show up in a foreign community or even a stranger's house? Don't we tend to worry about infringing on this community or family's lives, and if they will accept us or not? Being a stranger in a foreign land is our daily reality this year on the World Race, so these are questions I ask from something that is central to our experience.

Through this daily experience, I've been wonderfully reminded of some of my favorite teachings in the Bible. One of the primary functions of the church, and of believers individually, is to welcome foreigners into their community as if they were their own. The Torah (first 5 books of the Bible) speaks often about this foundational attitude and stance of God's people. Leviticus 19:33-34 depicts this teaching of the Lord succinctly;  "When an alien lives with you in your land, do not mistreat him.  34 The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God." This teaching is echoed by Jesus in perhaps His most famous lesson where He explains what the greatest commandments are, Matthew 22:36-40. To our indescribable joy, my team has been welcomed into a family and church in just this way here in Capetown.

We have been going to Amazing Grace Ministries Church this month, and I can honestly say ive never encountered a branch of the Body of Christ that has made me feel loved and appreciated as a stranger to the degree that these people have. We've been to 4 of their services now, and the Pastor has invited us to come up and share something every time, after telling the church about us and our contacts' ministry and how glad they are to have us with them at the beginning of each service. We've shared stories about the World Race, talked about our lives, and have both prayed for and been prayed over by the congregation. The smiles, laughs, and "Amen's" in response to us are as genuine as you could find. The Pastor talks about us in his sermons, using as missionary models of faith and just making jokes about us like we are long-time members of his family, and he invited us to meet with him in his office to get to know us better. Every service he reminds his people that investing in missionaries is a tremendously beneficial act for the kingdom. Many of them answered this call by getting to know us after the service, and even more did so in a way we wouldn't find out until later... Beyond all that, the sentiment and aura while we are in the church is undeniably that of being "home" and part of their church family.

To top it all off though, at our meeting with the pastor, he invited us to a day of touring the sites of Capetown with him! So, this Tuesday, he took all of us to Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope, the southern most point of Africa, a place that leaves you speechless. After that, he treated us to lunch at a waterfront fishery, which was delicious (and to all who know me well enough, yes I did eat fish and I actually enjoyed it!). The grand finale, however, was going on boat cruise to Seal Island, a wild set of rocks just a short trip from the famous Hout Bay and Chapman's peak. There were probably 2-3000 seals, many swimming and playing and waving at us as we came right up to their living grounds. It was a site I'll never forget, an opportunity for which I cant express enough thanks. And did I mention the weather couldn't have been perfect too? As if all that wasn't enough, we got some ice cream and "cool drink" (that's what they call soda) before we headed home. The depth of this kind act can only be fully understood when you realize the pastor paid for EVERYTHING with money that the church members had donated collectively for us to have this amazing outing. Not only did they give so generously, but they gave with loving, invested hearts, as they were sincerely overjoyed to hear about our experiences the next day in service. I've never seen a church treat strangers with such devoted love and generosity... and then after all that, one the members offered to give us a ride home and bought us some "cool drink" on the way.

I'm going to seriously miss this church and these people. They beat with the love of Christ and they live as the true, open-armed community of God. I hope to carry this way of life and community with me back to my life at home, and I pray that all of our churches will strive to embody this selfless attitude of acceptance and welcome, a gift that never fails to invoke the powerful work of the Spirit and divulge God's love to its recipients. Give to others, and God will give back through the many citizens of His/Her kingdom in this world. This needs to be a fundamental principle of our lives. Believe in it and you will never live the same. 

Blessed Beyond Belief

All praise and glory to God, for I am officially FULLY FUNDED for the rest of the World Race! In about 1 month, God made it possible to raise over $4500!!! I am astonished a million times over, with now words to express my gratefulness... I honestly had to totally put this funding drive in God's hands because I just couldn't believe fully on my own that this was even possible.... But all things are possible for he/she who has faith the size of a mustard seed. And with this support raising, my faith must have been just barely that size, because I sure had my doubts!

To the same extent I want to send out the same gratitude and appreciation to all of the many many people who made this possible for me. God chooses to bless us and work in our lives through His/Her faithful people, and because this is so, I never would have gotten fully funded without the incredibly selfless sacrifice and love that you all showed by investing in the kingdom through me on the World Race. A big piece of this thanks needs to go to my teammates and squad leader Joshua who went to great lengths to help me with this, asking everyone they know to help me. Its mainly their family and friends who have provided the remaining chunk of money for me to finish what God has started in my life, so thanks with all my heart to all of you, so many whom I don't even know! Your commitment to the kingdom is apparent and admirable, so may you be blessed a thousand times over for your generous giving. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!!!!! I have nothing but love and a joyful heart of thanks for everyone who is behind me, financially and spiritually, in this opportunity to serve the Lord.

And the blessings continue as we are in Capetown, South Africa this month and live with the a family that has truly made us feel a part of them, more so than anywhere ive been yet. They have us call them Ma and Pa, and we have family dinners every night and spend time sharing our stories and doing what families do. So they are successfully making us feel as close to "home" and "family" as we can get on the other side of the globe. We've been getting to see some of the gorgeous sights of this historic city, spending a day at Gordon's May, and hopefully we will be going to Cape Point next week. We have a wonderful ministry of serving and discipling the kids of our neighborhood, holding kids clubs, feedings, sports camps, movie nights, and bible teaching and discussion times for them during the week. TUhe relationships are already growing strong and starting to bear fruit, provingj God's hand of abundant blessing yet again over our team and the kingdom work God lays before us. More stories to come soon. Thank you all again for all you do to support me. You are all in my heart as I serve, your spirits present through your prayers, thoughts, and gifts that you give so graciously to me. Thank YOU!!

With love,

Tommy