Message from Wendy in Kenya!

My sister left a week ago with a group from Sky Ranch for Kenya. She will be there for a full month! Those of you who know Wendy, also know that she can be quite the princess ;-) Yet, she has dreamed of going to Kenya and ministering to the kiddos over there for several years - and now she's finally doing it! Here is a note that she just sent via Facebook about her experience so far in Kenya:

Ok so it is completely ridiculous that i am in Kenya and on facebook but it was the quickest way to get in contact with all the people I love and who could copy and email this out to everyone else who is not on facebook. This country is BEAUTIFUL and I LOVE it!!!! We don't have campers just yet but we are visiting schools were our campers go. They rush to the cars and just want to touch us, like we are famous and it is one of the most humbling expericences I have ever encountered, because I am so unworthy of this attention. They all love to touch my hair as well and it is completely dirty due to not showering in 4 days. Yes that is right I didn't shower for 4 days but neither did anyone else because it is a cold bucket of water. Oh and yes i have gone to the bathroom in a hole in the ground and it really isn't all that bad, your legs get really strong as well. The food is actually wonderful. But by far my favorite part is the children and i can not wait until camp begins. I just want to take them all home. the first week of camp is orphans from the two orphanages in the area. Oh my goodness i am almost out of time on this computer and I have so much more to say. I am at a resort right now yeah i knwo it is a mission trip but we went on a safari and we saw lots of animails in their natural habitats and it was awesome. Sorry for the awful writing i am typing as fast as i can and the connectino is really slow. I didn't get everyone on this message due to it loading so slow so please pass this on to everyone and let them know i love them - BYE

Stupid freaking internet

If I had a poetic bent, I would write an ode to the crap-tastic internet that we have at the CHP offices. It would be called An Ode to Crap-tastic Internet, and it would rhyme and be pithy and witty with an excellent tempo....it would even be in iambic pentameter! Okay, maybe not iambic pentameter - I mean, I'm not Shakespeare....who am I kidding? I'm not even actually writing a poem, just dreaming about writing a poem and how great it would be at describing how stinking frustrating this internet connection (or lack there of) is. The upload speed is about .000000002 kilobytes per second (kb/s) - or at least that's what it seems like more often than not. And the download speed is marginally better. You might be thinking...for a media ministry isn't it imperative to have a decent internet connection? Yep, it pretty much is but there aren't a lot of choices for us regarding the monopolistic internet providers in Louisville. And have fun trying to create and send out a web-based e-newsletter when the internet connection is sketchier than a televangelist selling prayer scarves.

If I perchance come to mind throughout your day/week/month, send up a prayer for us here at CHP as we slowly make our way through the work day with our stupid piece of trash internet. (Sorry I am not more grateful in this post...I like to be thankful, but this internet is just too ridiculous for me).

Prince Caspian

Several weeks ago, I watched Prince Caspian with my friend Cassie, her husband Tyler, and Tyler's little bro Matthew. First of all, some of you may have noticed this particular film wasn't on my "must-see" list for the summer. This is partially due to the fact that I didn't grow up in a Christ-centered home, and thus never read the Chronicles of Narnia series (nor have I taken the time to read them yet as an adult). I think I had a teacher who read the first novel to our class somewhere along the way in elementary school and had also seen one of the earlier film versions of it. And while I enjoyed the most recent film incarnation of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, I wasn't eagerly anticipating the release of this second film in the series. Yet, as I go back and see that the last film was released in 2005 - I understand a bit more as to why it did not resonate within me as much as this film did. I was only just starting on this journey that has influenced how I relate to God as Father and as Lover. When I saw Prince Caspian, the character Aslan evoked a much different response in me than the tepid one I'd experienced when watching The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. My favorite part of this film happens towards the end (so if you haven't read the book or watched the film - SPOILER ALERT).



Lucy is racing through the forest to find Aslan (who C.S. Lewis has created as an incredible picture of God) because they have finally realized that they cannot defeat the Telmarines without him. As she gets closer to finding him, she is being chased by one of the Telmarines. She finally happens upon Aslan, and he looks as if he might pounce on her as he roars, to which her expression shows the slightest bit of fear mixed in with her unyielding trust. Of course, Aslan is ferocious because he is about to pounce on her attacker - but that wildness and intensity - those are some of the qualities that cause my heart to flutter with yearning for my fierce Lover. In the next moment, he playfully rolls around with Lucy in the grass. The dichotomy of His ferocity and tenderness continues to set me off balance and yet draws me that much closer to Him. That desire grew even more when Aslan and Lucy marched onto the bridge to face off against the Telmarines, and Aslan's guttural roar called up the river waters to dispose of those treacherous people. With that vision of the water towering overhead, raised out of its peaceful rest to come barreling down on those who threaten his beloved - I became overwhelmed with love for this God who is gentle and sweet yet untamed, jealous, and protective. I am in love with a God who woos me with His power and His sweet gifts of sunlight, perfect stormy naps, mild summer days, and evocative writers like C.S. Lewis.