
What Africa Taught me About Respect: Africa Series, Part 12
I wasn’t sure what I was looking at through my camera, but I knew Floyd would later explain it to me. Child showing "Baba Nyundo" respect In many villages, where the street ends, the paths begin. Floyd and I had just visited the home of Zulpha and her grandmother and...

Want One of My Handcrafted Pens? Help a Vulnerable Child in Africa and I’ll Send You One! (Limited Offer)
I'm frequently asked if people can buy the pens or bowls I make on my lathe but I'm not in the habit of selling those items. However, I am willing to part with them if you'll help me send vulnerable children in The Outreach Program's Children's Centers in Africa on to...

Sorry, Ma’am, But My Wife Says I Can’t Marry You: Africa Series, Part 11
I really wasn’t given much choice in the matter; the little old lady plainly told my wife, “You can go. He’s my husband now.” Great-grandma - Bebe I had sized the situation up and realized it was not a romantic offer; it wasn’t like the lady was making googly eyes at...

The Little Starfish Named Pendo: Africa Series, Part 10
Have you heard the starfish story? Even if you have, humor me because I’m going to introduce you to one of the sweetest starfish you’ll ever meet: 11-year-old Pendo - a delightful little girl in Singida, Tanzania. Here’s the...

Life Ain’t Fair, But Let’s Do What We Can to Make it Fair for Others: Africa Series, Part 9
Have you ever been to a lopsided basketball game when the refs were calling umpteen fouls on one team and none on the other? What do people yell at the refs? “Call it both ways, ref!” We want life to be fair, right? Did you know...

Traveling With My Heroes: Africa Series, Part 8
You know how dogs cock their heads first one way, then another, when they are confused? I’m told I have similar reactions to questions I don’t understand. Lately, people ask me when I’m going to retire and I first turn my head...

Finding New Things That Can Kill Me: Africa Series, Part 7
Christine: “Are we doing to do lots of hiking in Africa?” Me: “Um, nope. There are too many things that want to kill me that I can’t outrun; we are way down on the food chain.” In my childhood, the only three creatures I feared that wanted to do serious...

Traveling 3,000 Years in 30 Miles: Africa Series, Part 6
In a 30-minute drive in Africa, you can go a state-of-the-art shopping malls to a Maasi village that hasn’t changed much in 3,000 years. I often wonder who is better off; those who live with all the latest amenities or those who live with only the basics? ...

How My Childhood Nemesis Introduced Me to Int’l Missions: Africa Series, Part 4
Seriously, what kind of idiot literally pours a heaping tablespoon of salt into an open wound? Me. That idiot was me. I must confess I’m pretty stupid about who I trust sometimes. Take for example, Jeff Miller, my one-year-older-than-me nephew. If you’ve...

My Heart Headed to Africa (repost from 2013)
This post was originally posted on January 9, 2013. As I prepare for a return trip, I thought I'd repost this. January 2013: An adventure is something you sit at home in your recliner and wish you were having. However, when you’re having it, you wish you were...