Good Morning! It is a beautiful day in Rwanda. It is bit overcast, yet the temperature is perfect. The Rwandese thinks its cold, but it could not be nicer to me. More changes in plans. I praise the LORD for his many blessings to me. I miss home today—especially Sharon and the children. They are all well and I thank the LORD for this. Your prayers are needed today.

March 24, 2008

Mark and I are in Africa now. We arrived last Thursday night. The airport staff was friendlier than the last time I was here. Immigration only took about 15 minutes. All of our luggage we checked made it here and there is no more x-ray machines at the airport to examine items that are brought in to the country. While both Delta Airlines and Brussels Airlines indicated that we would need a visa upon arriving in Kigali, this was not the case. When I mentioned this to the Archbishop, he assured me that Americans do not have to have visas when visiting Rwanda. I met Mark in the airport in Brussels. I was considerably later meeting him as I had to send half of my carry on items to a new friend in England. Hopefully, Sharon will be able to retrieve the items from the Clarkes in Deal in a week or two. I was very glad to see Mark. He already looked like a very cool world traveler and I looked cooler I know just walking to the plane with him. The staff at Brussels airlines requested a copy of the receipts Mark got when he paid for the extra luggage he brought for us. Fortunately it was not mandatory and we go to board after all. It was touch and go for a moment. The flight was about 7 hours and 45 minutes; however it really did seem much longer. Unlike the Brussels employees on the ground, our flight crew was quite charming. We were taken well care of. Interestingly, although the ground crew insisted that the plane would be full, it only had about 45% of its maximum capacity. Mark slept a good bit on the plane. I had a great view of the French and Swiss Alps as well as the expanse of the Sahara Desert.

Mark asked me several times if there would be someone to pick us up at the Kigali airport. I assured him that someone would. Well, I was wrong and we spent a good bit of time trying to call and connect with our contact. Thankfully, we reached Sam Mugisha. In the end, we took two taxis from the airport over to the Cathedral. We are staying in Faith House at the Cathedral compound. It is the first house on the right upon entering the compound which has the offices and the church. I believe that Sam and Jackie Migusha formerly lived here. We have one housemate, a lady priest from New Covenant Anglican Church in Orlando, Florida. Conlee and Signa, along with the prayer team were there recently for a Journey. Her name is Ruan (Ru-ann) and she is a delight. She is older than me, originally from the Caribbean, and is a therapist as well. We have had some very nice chats. Our housekeeper is Yvonne. She is a lovely young Rwandan lady who is taking good care of us. I was unable to get a couple of pair of pants hemmed before I left the US. Yvonne contacted a tailor and he was at the guesthouse within a couple of hours. He spoke not a word of English, yet he returned with three pair of khakis hemmed quite professionally. It cost about $6 total to have all three pair hemmed.

Our first day here was Good Friday. We awoke to a young adult choir practicing near our house. The voices were quite melodic and enchanting. Later, we would hear the Prince of Peace choir perform at both the Good Friday service and Easter Sunday. We were blessed to have both Fr. Adriaan (a Dutch man) and Fr. Sam lead us at the Good Friday service and then on Easter Sunday. Both have a heart for God and for His people. We worshipped with Swiss, Dutch, English, Americans, and Africans at both of the services.

I am a bit foggy here, but I think it was Saturday that Sam took us to town to obtain a Rwandan cell phone, get some money exchanged, and pick up a few items at the grocery. My good friend, Sam Rutare and his brother Moses met up with us over the weekend. We enjoyed a great dinner at The New Cactus Restaurant on Saturday evening. For Easter lunch, Sam and Moses joined me for a fabulous brunch at the Serena Hotel (formerly the Intercontinental). By the way, both restaurants are within walking distance. I proved it a couple of times now.

Easter Sunday at the Serena Hotel included live music by an artist known all over the African continent. His name is Nimles. He was quite good; although I am not sure he should keep singing Kenny Rogers’ tunes. I took a photograph of Sam and Moses with Nimles. Sam told me that that day was the best day in his life.

Mark missed the brunch as he has still been getting over jet lag. He seemed to have turned a corner when we were invited to a fairly large Bible Study at another mazunga’s home in the area. Mark rather reluctantly went along and lo and behold, there were at least four lovely women about his age there. He perked right up and now he is planning an excursion with them to see the gorillas in the north this weekend.

Today has been nonstop meeting with the pastors here and attempting to explain my program. Although they have internet at the Archbishop’s office, it is fairly unreliable. It is on again and off again and very slow, especially when there are a number of users on it. Not surprisingly, the plans I made for my research have all been changed. While it is not a bad thing at all, it does take a bit of adjustment. The Archbishop seems to have taken a special interest in my work and I have had several occasions to meet with him. He plans to attend some of my work and so I am very much hoping that it goes well. Following a series of meetings today, I will be meeting with young adults, street kids, and both men and women as well as pastors for my research.

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

The search for my other piece of luggage continues. I flew from London Heathrow this morning and I am now in Brussels waiting to do an early check in for our flight to Kigali tomorrow morning. Early check in is 8:00 PM tonight. After that I will take a taxi to the Hotel Neufchatel Brussels. I plan to sleep as much as possible upon arriving there. In some ways I am looking forward to the flight to Kigali as this will also give me some time to rest. I spoke with my cohort, Mark, this morning. He departed for Brussels today and will join me first thing in the morning. Please pray for Mark’s safety in travel as well as all of our supplies that he is bringing to arrive in one piece.

I have turned over the search for my luggage to our travel insurance company. I am worn out from working on getting it back. I have called the airlines I am sure more than 40 times. The Brits tell me that British Airways loses checked baggage about 50% of the time. A man named Steve drove me the two hours to the airport in London this morning. We had a great chat and I am sure that he needed a sedative after my ramblings during the drive. To keep with the “spirit” of my trip thus far, I ended up leaving not only my cell phone in Steve’s car, but also my camera. Fortunately, once again God was looking out for me and Steve returned to the airport with my items in his hand. He found me in this endless sea of travelers and handed off the items. The chronic fatigue seems to me messing with my memory and my ability to focus at times. Please pray for clear thinking, good organizational skills and that my body, mind, and soul will be strengthened.

It’s 10:00 PM and I arrived at the Hotel Neufchatel Brussels about 30 minutes ago. I have been at the airport all day. Today has been the worst day I have had in a very long time. The staff at Brussels Airlines have been extremely difficult and rude. They insisted that since I was “checking in” in Brussels that I would not be able to check two bags weighing 50 lbs or less as we are able to do with Delta Airlines in the United States. If I had checked my bags all the way through to Kigali from the US, then the Belgians would have been obligated to allow the bags through. Additionally, they insisted that I would only be allowed one carry-on bag, although if I initiated the trip to Rwanda without any overnight stopover in Europe, I would be able to bring two carry-on bags. Currently, they want 140 Euros or about $238 (I think) to check my luggage to Kigali. I finally had a meltdown in the airport; however the Belgians were completely indifferent. On top of this, I learned today from Walden University that I have missed some significant steps in the dissertation process and there is a question as to whether the research that I conduct in Rwanda will be able to be used for my dissertation. After the meltdown, I thought I was going to have a complete breakdown. I momentarily lost my passport and almost all of my currency and credit cards. It would seem I am the first student that my dissertation chair has worked with to complete a dissertation and he was unaware of the additional steps. However, I spoke with a man named Dr. Ford in Minneapolis today. Please pray for favor as I am at his mercy at this point.

Well, my dear family and friends, I am not in control of any of this. I have done my best to handle all of these issues in a timely and professional manner. Unfortunately, as of tonight, none of them are resolved. I do know, however, that I am going to Rwanda in the morning with or without all of my luggage and with or without the “blessing” of the Walden International Review Board. If you are moved to pray for any of this, I would be most grateful.

God himself promises to keep me in perfect peace when I continually focus my mind on Him. God’s Grace and Peace to you during this Holy Week. Maundy Thursday is almost upon us here in Brussels. I am in a small room with a painting of the Madonna and Child on the wall. The room is much nicer than I had expected. There are three rooms on my floor—I am in Room 5. I have a great and free internet connection here; satellite TV with a number of English speaking channels. I head for the airport at 8:00 AM in the morning. The taxi cost 45 Euros to get here—$76.50 and, according to the Innkeeper here, the fee back to the airport in the morning will be $54.40.

I plan to send some of the items in my carry-on back to the US. I will contact Federal Express and see if they can help.

All for now…..

Good Morning to all,

It is another blustery day on the English Channel here in Deal (name of the city), Kent (name of the county), United Kingdom. Since Sharon last posted I have upgraded my accommodations from this very interesting bed and breakfast to the Royal Hotel. I am staying in Admiral Lord Nelson's room with a private balcony and an amazing view of the English Channel. The sea is about 20 feet from my room and the waves are continually breaking. It is incredible to be here. Winston Churchill’s room is down the hall, along with Lord Wellington and someone named Hamilton. For more on the hotel, check out their website at http://www.theroyalhotel.com/.

I have finally gotten back my cell phone or as they say here “my mobile” from Peter Holmes’ car. I left it in his car on Sunday morning and he left early from the service for London to take Archbishop Kolini to the airport. He then had business in another place, so he mailed my phone back to me. My other piece of checked luggage with all of my clothes for England is supposed to arrive today. And I now have a working power convertor to run all of my electrical devices.

I have had quite a full “programme” here meeting many of the members of Christ Church Deal. On this past Saturday (3/15), Christopher Holmes, Peter and Mary Holmes’ son fetched me from Heathrow Airport in London and drove me the two hours down to Deal in County Kent. Christopher is a 28 year old single man how has the very best qualities of my good friends, Danny and Joshua K. If you know these two friends of mine, needless to say, Christopher is amazing. He is an integral part of Christ Church Deal, a committed man of God and a brilliant philosopher and teacher. We got along quite well as he drove me about over the weekend to various appointments. I have extended to him an invitation to come to Mobile and teach us. He is a gifted teacher. I had to use all of my brain power to track with him, however. As we discussed, Christ Church and Christopher shared the story of his journey, he told me that his definition of a Christian is someone who has not only made a profession of faith, but who is also able to “give life” to others. The opening line of Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life is, “It’s not about you.” I pray that God will give us more of a capacity to contain this truth in our hearts.

On Saturday evening, as Sharon mentioned to you, I attended a solid concert by a rather large brass band in the town of Dover at a St Edmond Catholic School. Much to my pleasure, Archbishop Emmanuel Kolini was in attendance and received over $1200 for the orphans in Rwanda as the result of a charity concert earlier this year by this band. Susan Williams, Peter’s colleague, plays the clarinet in the band. It was quite a nice evening and I hardly noticed my sleep deprivation as the numbers that the band played were stellar.

The next morning Peter and Susan retrieved me from the Bed and Breakfast for a early morning meeting before the worship service on Palm Sunday at Christ Church Deal. To know the British is to know the meaning of the word intensity. And in my opinion, Peter and Susan are more intense than the norm. My time with them was rich. We discussed my research in Rwanda, some of programs of Christ Church Deal, and my desire to start a church in the next year at home in Mobile. Both Peter and Susan were very supportive of my vision to begin a church back home which would be a safe place for the hurting and broken. As God leads, you will hear more about St. Bartholomew’s Church in Mobile. Both Peter and Susan each shared with me an exhortation. Peter said, “Finish your PhD this year and do not allow yourself to become distracted with this effort.” Susan went on to say, “You may have to lock yourself away for six months to get it done. Tell your family and everyone else that you are not available for anything until it is done.”

From this meeting, Peter and Mary took me on to the Palm Sunday Service. Christ Church Deal meets in a lovely old church which has been converted into a community center. The meeting begins with a fairly long “coffee and tea time.” Here they say, “Do you want a coffee or tea?” The entire meeting is quite casual. There are some announcements, a time to recognize birthdays, a short sermon, and a time for praise and worship. The worship team is in the back of the church and the focus of the church is on a large wooden cross in the front. The people are extraordinarily friendly and thoroughly committed to the journey of becoming more like Christ. There was time for praying for each other. On this Sunday, a family was prayed for that is going to an eastern European country as missionaries. At the end of the meeting, the parish was invited to go forward to pray in response to the message given by Peter. The sermon was on the text which discussed the death of Jesus and that he was placed in a new tomb. Peter discussed the universal truth of death and resurrection in the Christian walk with an emphasis on death—and how terrible painful death is.

Following the service, Mary Holmes drove me over to a lovely German couple’s home for lunch. Ralf, Sabine, Anne-Lena, and Laura shared with me a delicious lunch of meats, cheeses, and bread. The climax was an incredible crème brule over strawberries. This couple moved to Deal from Bavaria, Germany just to be a part of Christ Church Deal. My time with them was blessed and I strongly sensed the presence of the LORD in their home. It was over way too quick. My good friend, Christopher, then fetched me from Ralf and Sabine’s and helped me to move from the B and B to the Royal Hotel. The Royal is a very traditional English hotel. The staff is stellar and the food quite good. In an English hotel, breakfast is typically included in the price of the room. Each morning, I am greeted with a breakfast of eggs, bacon, fruit, fried bread, toast, baked beans, yogurt, tea, various juices, and “black pudding.” Black pudding is made from pig’s blood and other things. I have passed on this latter item.

Upon settling in to the Royal, I departed for a short ride down the same street to Simon and Jenelle’s. They live in an amazing cottage that was built a couple of hundred years ago at least. Simon is completing his doctorate in Clinical Psychology. He is an amazing young man who moved here from Bromley (south London) to be a part of Christ Church Deal. He has a powerful story of healing and redemption in his life. He is married to a beautiful American from Portland, Oregon. Jenelle is a young woman wise beyond years. I am trying to convince them to move to Mobile so that Simon can go into practice with me at Castlebrook. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

On Monday morning, (3/17), I walked down to the shops in the village. This part of Deal is a bit like downtown Fairhope, Alabama, except that any number of the houses was built in the 1600’s. It has a bit of the feel of EPCOT in Walt Disney World. I was able to buy some very necessary toiletries and some clothes as I waited on my luggage to arrive. Fortunately I will be able to turn in my receipts for these items to the airline and get reimbursed. I then visited with Mary Holmes. Interestingly, she told me that she never requests to get on a visitor’s programme. According to Mary, I am the first person she has asked to meet with. We had quite a good time. Mary is an American from the Midwest. She is able to bring a unique perspective to the happenings here. She is very astute and has a passion for Jesus and wholeness.

From my time with Mary, I went on to an afternoon meeting with Ruth, lovely pharmacist who is also completing a PhD. She is conducting research on the process of change occurring in the lives of the people of Christ Church Deal. She is a gifted, bright, and passionate wife and mother of two. Her husband is Robert and I enjoyed the opportunity of meeting with him late Tuesday night. Robert is the appointed leader of Christ Church Deal, somewhat like a Chairman of Deacons or a Senior Warden. Christ Church Deal’s leadership team is co-ed and includes Ruth and Robert and four others. Robert is an outstanding man with a heart for Jesus and hurting people. As an aside, Peter announced on Palm Sunday that he and Mary purchased a home on Tiki Island near Galveston, Texas. Mary will spend considerable time there, while Peter will split his time between Tiki Island, Deal and Texas. As you may imagine this announcement was difficult for the congregation here. It appears that a number here are being asked to step into new roles. It is clearly an Elijah-Elisha thing in my opinion.

Between my visits with Ruth and Robert, I stepped into a pocket of heaven as I visited with Richard and Ann. This couple live in a beautiful home which faces the sea. Both Ann and Ruth were in Rwanda this past year. Robert and Ann ooze the presence of Jesus. Over the last several years, they have opened their home to over 40 people (not at the same time thankfully) to live with them. These individuals were from all over the world from places such as New Zealand and Egypt. Ann served a beautiful meal which was brought to a conclusion with a dessert served at Eaton (the school attended by the Royals here in England). It was meringue, whipped cream and strawberries mixed together. It was surely “a food of the gods.” My visit with Richard and Ann was all too short. This lovely couple also moved here to be a part of Christ Church Deal. They used to live about one hour from Deal in a house built in 1699. They attended a church where Erasmus preached.

Upon returning to the Royal on Monday evening, I learned that my red duffel bag had made it to Deal. I was able to charge the digital camera, but then the power convertor stopped working. Tuesday morning was then a time to secure someone to repair the power convertor. A very nice and very single man came to my rescue. His name is Carl and he is member of the church here. I invited him to come over to Alabama and introduce him to some of our Southern ladies. He seemed quite interested in the offer. Carl, with the help of an electrician in the town of Sandwich, determined that the power adaptor was fine to use in England without the use of the power convertor. I am hoping that Mark will bring over a new power convertor when he crosses the pond tomorrow.
I also met with James, a local fisherman in the congregation, and Sara and her mother, Jenni. Sara wants to go to Rwanda for a season and work with the young girls there. On Tuesday evening, I shared a meal with Ray and Fiona. They have a beautiful 18 month old daughter named Lily as well as an 18 year old son named Daniel. Fiona is from extreme northeast Scotland and is one of the individuals featured in Peter’s book, Changed Lives.

After leaving Ray and Fiona’s home, I caught up with Simon and Jenelle again and invited them to join us in Alabama next year when Simon completes his PhD. My prayer is that he would come and join with me at Castlebrook and help with starting St. Bart’s in Mobile.

I will share more with you later about my new friend, James, as well as Sara and Jenni. Please pray that I recover the other piece of luggage. It was to have come today, but as of 11:30 PM, it has not arrived. I am to leave at 8:00 AM in the morning for London and then fly over to Brussels for the trip to Kigali on Friday.

Hi,
This is Sharon posting for Brannon since he has no internet connection at his hotel in Deal, 100 miles south of London. His flight was relatively quiet and smooth so he did get to rest on the plane, which was an answer to my prayers for him. He landed in Brussels at 2:00am Mobile time, 8:00am in Brussels and then flew to London 2 hours later. The airlines have lost his luggage so please join us in praying that it is recovered quickly.

He told me he ate dinner at a local pub nearby this evening and that it was so small everyone talked across the room to each other. There were only 5 people with him and 2 older ladies kissed him goodbye when they left so he is feeling very welcomed in this quaint city.

Brannon is meeting with Peter Holmes and Susan Williams this week along with other meetings they are setting up for him. Some of you may know that Peter Holmes co-authored Archbishop Kolini's book "Christ Walks Where Evil Reigned". Brannon actually got to see the Archbishop this evening in Dover where Susan was performing in a music concert at St. Edmond Catholic School. The Archbishop flies back to Rwanda tomorrow.

Brannon will be going to church with Peter and Susan tomorrow morning and then each day is lined up with meetings with various people. Stay tuned for more updates soon! God Bless!

Sharon and I are at my office packing a pleothora of items for my journey to Rwanda. I leave from Mobile in the morning at 6:30 AM. Please pray that I will have a safe journey and that the International Review Board approves my study prior to commencing it on March 26.