Chance meeting at ACK remembered

In Nairobi, during our stay at ACK we joined a brother in Christ for our dinner
meal.
He has described our chance meeting, and the blessing that came of it extremely
well, well worth the read.

http://hinesfamily.blogspot.com/2005/01/meeting-of-wizards.html

do i have an accent???
Do i?

Kitwe conference

Kitwe has been fantastic. The people are wonderful. Our conference has
attendance over their expectations, and our presentations have been going so
well, it really is a testament to a higher purpose. Just glad to be a part!
The entire group is counting the days now until we arrive at home, we love you
all so much.

Talk soon,

jace, Mark, Harold, Brian

Onward to Kitwe

Just when we thought it could'nt get any more crampt while we travel.
We have returned from Livingstone into Lusaka, in a bus. Now, the six of us are
heading north to Kitwe in a pathfinder like vehicle, only mini. Brian is curled
up in the luggage and we set out right after i finish this update (and get to
the bank for another million Kwacha).
It is still good to see how this trip is progressing!
talk soon,

Zambia - Victoria Falls

Hey again,
it has been a little while since we posted last... internet access is around,
but we've been so busy in our work that we have not caught it *with* time until
now. We arrived in Zambia a few days ago, and after a nites sleep we set out
from Lusaka for Livingstone. We are all incredibly impressed with how lush the
greenery is... we are right in the middle of rainy season, and i have not seen
rain like this since Thailand. Wow!
in a quiet moment last nite the team visited a crocodile park... It was an eye
opener to say the least. i'm happy to say that the guide would not allow us to
enter the cages, tho the guide himself jumped down with the crocs... Dundee he
was not!!! It is all ok tho, he's safe, and he swears the crocs know him, and
would never harm him, because they know that no one else would feed them like
he does.
We didn't find croc on the menu last nite, so we may have to wait for the
Carnivore restuarant in Nairobi... God willing.
There was a walk thru, which is a local phrase for parade here in Livingstone
for our conference... down main street during the day. Good times. The mayor
of Livingstone visited us yesterday in a formal ceremony... he really blessed
us. He is an inspiration in his ability to speak and address a crowd like he
did. Very regal (almost pompus). Livingstone is having its 100 year
Centennary. Just like Alberta.
We intend to visit Victoria Falls tomorrow after church. It was pointed out to
us that, one hundred years ago, Dr. Livingstone did NOT discover Victoria Falls
as history books describe, there were indiginous people here for generations
before. the good Dr. was merely the first white explorer to describe Victoria
Falls to the world. Cultural semantics...
everyone in the group sends their love, and precious thanks for your interest,
support and prayers while we are working here. We are seeing great things
happen, and can not wait to return and describe them in the fullest.

footnote: i may have been the only one in our group expecting to lose a little
weight on this trip to Africa. Not going to happen, we are all eating and
eating and, enjoying the food. Food and humor have been staples on this trip.
Again, the stories will flow (un-interupted) when we return!

talk soon, & God bless.

21-Jan-05

More meetings - update - 18 Jan

It is tuesday afternoon, and we continue being impressed with how this trip
unfolds. Mark is out back of the Life Ministries (Campus Crusade for Christ)
building with Samuel, discussing their building project. Harold and Brian are
preparing to meet with an Olympic medal holder in Nairobi (how we meet these
people is divine)... and me, i am in the National Directors office, sitting in
front of a computer (of course) updating their programs and software... doing
what i can.

It is warm here, but not too warm... We hear that it has been cold at home...
and that makes us laugh; laugh and shiver!

We shared bible study this morning with a Sudanese man who is in Nairobi to
study for life in the Ministry... he looks forward to returning to the Sudan
soon, equipped.

The people here have been wonderful, welcoming and very accepting of our
presence. Monte Solberg's office gave us Canadian pins and flags, which have
been a huge hit. The pins are a great conversation starter, and a personal way
for us to tangibly gift those people that we see during our day.

This office is on the fourth floor, with no elevator (and i swear, extra
stairs).

Back from Massaai Mara - 17-Jan

We have internet access again, it has been a while.
We are all very glad to hear from everyone, your comments and prayers are a
real
boost.
Our final 5 bags of luggage has just arrived... Sunday nite... a little later
than British Airways told us... just sayin.
We have returned from our overnite safari... sleeping in tents, it was tough.
We
will bring pictures to show.
our Meetings start today, we are just making some phone calls home, talk
soon!!!

take care,

Mon, 17 Jan 2005

safe in london

we are in the london airport... safe and mildly sleep deprived.
the internet access is wonky here... no easy to use.
we've been incredibly blessed already... stories will follow with better access
to the internet.

talk soon,

jace, harold, brian, mark

contact from abroad

Good evening,

Great things await us in Africa,
while we are away tho, we would like you to know that, as a team, we will be checking all email sent to this new address: africa@jaceanderson.com
we will also, based on internet connectivity, be emailing messages back to our lovely wives while we are gone. Please feel free to send any notes of encouragement to us thru this email address: africa@jaceanderson.com

As time allows, we will be posting text messages on my message board (blog) for all to read. Unfortunately, it does not appear that we will be able to post pictures to this site remotely, so you will all have to wait for our slide-shows when we get home.

talk soon & God bless,

jace

Powell is in Nairobi, discussing tsunami

Lately, two main topics of interest that i have blogged are: (everyone together now...) the Tsunami, and Nairobi. So imagine my suprise when i noticed both topics part of one news item.

Powell is in Nairobi, discussing tsunami support

testing the email post feature on blogger

Just testing the email post feature with Blogger... that means, as long as i get this straight, i will be able to blog our trip to africa... and keep you all in the loop. As long as conectivity is good in Kenya and Zambia.  We'll see.

Make your own ring, to match your wallet

Now that you have the blue wallet... you might want to consider a matching blue ring, although, i kind of think that this ring would get more attention if it were red.

Lookin' good. Send pics.

Nairobi to Lusaka

We will be leaving for Nairobi in a couple of days, and upon arriving there, we will be preparing to include a jaunt into Lusaka as well...
this map of Zambia is glorious:



Click here for full size map.


Here is a link to the Canadian High Commission in Lusaka, for those of you who are interested... you know who you are!

Funky, now that is using your head

The more games we play

If, like my wife, you have reintroduced yourself to the Legend of Zelda on the original 8-bit Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), then this page is for you. It appears to be a complete game walkthru prepared by David Zabroski.

The harder i work

"I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live."

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
Irish playwright and critic

Moral: find more in your work: go beyond the paycheck.
Also notice, with a driven philosophy like that, Mr. Shaw lived to a ripe old age...

UCW just sounds tacky

Ultimate Christian Wrestling. They are serious.

Sounds tacky, probably is. We will NOT be doing this in Nairobi... tho, if asked, i guess i could give it a go. Ahh, to be so willing.

Kenyan animal sanctuary hijinxs

We really have no idea at all what we will be witness to. And that isn't all that bad. Just six more sleeps.

"NAIROBI (Reuters) - A 120-year-old giant tortoise living in a Kenyan sanctuary has become inseparable from a baby hippo rescued by game wardens, officials said on Thursday."

(link via Yahoo News)

How did i miss this quote

i blogged one of W. Bush's quotes in November when he visited Eastern Canada. How on earth did i miss this one:

"I want to thank the Canadian people who came out to wave — with all five fingers — for their hospitality." --President Bush

One of the 25 funniest quotes of the year, according to Kurtzman, providing political humor at About.com

Outdoor advertising mud flaps

Mud flaps, once the sacred medium of the niche trucker related industry... is now going mainstream. FlapMedia. Wyoming Tourism appears to be their first big client.

How about localizing this concept right here in Southern Alberta... focusing on short-haul trucks. Recruit trucks that spend the majority of their time in our region. This is so outside of mainstream that you would have better luck locally, focusing on local business... and leaving the major advertising accounts for your next stage of growth. Call me.

i am always interested in advertising sales, and this is outdoor to boot. To bad this didn't aid in refuse pick-up or maybe, help the environment! Now that would be a great concept. (Full Disclosure, there is such a company, and i get paid to be apart of their growing success, Pitch Outdoor Advertising Inc. Yes, that was a plug...)

Either way, mud flaps or garbage recepticles... if it's outdoor advertising... contact me.

This is actually good news

Because, sometimes, people just don't want help. At all. Or do they?

Maybe it IS all how you frame the context. That, or duck.

PM agrees more aid needed

Much more aid is needed for the South East Asia Tsunami effort. Our PM agree's.

This pleases me... but before i succumb to the anticipation of the gesture, i will wait for the Jan 11th 2005 Announcement stating the actual increase.

"It could increase a lot more. It's going to go up. It's clear the needs are there."
Paul Martin, National News

Oh yeah GOLD

i noticed today over lunch as i glanced at the front page of our local newspaper... we got gold last nite. great!

Chalk art

Downtown Medicine Hat used to host a sidewalk chalk competition during the summer (someone should do that again... get on that!), i believe one year it coincided with our ever growing Jazz Fest. i even recall the wonderful chalk work that good friends G.G. and his lovely wife M.L.G. spent all afternoon creating on the sidewalk directly in front of Garbo's Downtown. Theirs was a labour of love, and it showed... i'll have to see where i stored the old pictures of that local masterpiece...

this tho, this link is off the hook. This artist takes it far... real far! wow. Visit this site, whether you like art or not! click the link. thanks, enjoy... i know you will.

Words. Do you fully understand their power

In marketing and advertising, just as in personal communication, the words you chose, and they way you frame them is vitally important. We strive to know what to say, how to say it, and when. And then, what not to say. All part of delivering a clear concise message that will receive minimum negative spin, while achieving maximum desired response. PR. Perfection.


"Words. Do you fully understand their power? Can any of us really grasp the mighty force behind the things we say? Do we stop and think before we speak, considering the potency of the phrases we utter?"

Joni Eareckson Tada quote from Visionary Leadership, A.G.'s blog

60 dollar wallet, blue, origami style

Here, in Canada, this wallet would not only cost you $60 dollars... it would be blue in color. A long as you don't lose it, you'd never be without coffee money.

The money wallet by Jed Ela. Origami for the well to do set.

Where do we go from here? Zambia

"Where do we go from here?"

John A. Byrne, Editor in Chief of Fast Company asks the above question as part of his New Years prep.

Well, for us, we are preparing to travel to Zambia, visiting Lusaka, Kitwe and Livingstone. A fanastic collection of regional travel info, and a nice map are available at afroventures.com (no, not the hair style)

Give it here - referral from M.E.

i've mentioned several valid, powerful channels for your giving to support tsunami relief in South East Asia. Here is one more, a little less known, but a trusted referral.

"If you have money to send and you want to see it used by an organization that truly puts it where it'll do the most good, give it here"
Mark Evanier (M.E.), a better idea

Mark, for those of you who may not know, is a prolific writer in a multitude of arenas, and one for whom i hold the deepest respect! Besides, he's worked with Sergio Aragones on Groo the Wanderer (why haven't i blogged about Groo yet?), which means, among other things, that he has worked in the past - for free!

Marketing the Venti - case study

i got you with the "case study" comment didn't i? i won't be that verbose, what i will do tho, is show you this great localized viral marketing bit.

The marketing delivery "is a ``venti''-sized Starbucks cup magnetically connected to the roofs of about 100 cabs citywide. It is the first advertisement of its kind in the nation."

" ``Frankly, this one was so creative we decided to let them do it for a limited period of time,'' licensing director Mark Cohen said. ``We thought we'd loosen up and see what the response is.'' " Boston Herald

This concept "in Boston a few weeks ago... has pedestrians bugging taxi drivers... thinking the poor sole had left his coffee on the roof" ADrants

i like this, it creates conversation, and in our day of extreme marketing-message over-saturation this reaches people on a whole new level. Apply this here in Medicine Hat, would Tim Hortons be successful doing this? Maybe a smaller independant? What if this was affiliated with our local radio media? Then when the local media-news cruiser spots you, you get prizes etc, just like having a permanent decal attached to your car. Who do we talk to next? Lets get this rolling!

Mad cow case won't stall border reopening

Here i am, blogging on BSE again... do not fret tho, i hardly think this will demand all of my time, which may or may not please some of you.

"But USDA press secretary Alisa Harrison said the decision to close the U.S. border in 2003 was based on "out-of-date" regulations that "didn't reflect current scientific information."
USA Today

Bloemfontein, South Africa 1892

Born this day 1892. Worth noting.

Thanks for the heads up Pej.

BSE confirmed - response

An Alberta dairy cow does indeed have mad cow disease, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is reporting.

"We don't anticipate it would have any impact," U.S. Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Alisa Harrison said Thursday after news came out about the new suspected case.

/looking for a link to Klein suggesting we *shoot, shovel and shut up*...

Tsunami pictures from Thailand

"These were taken... visiting Thailand.
I think it shows the force of the water more than anything... and how truly unaware people were of the destructive power of waves of this size.

coreykoberg

Tsunami toll confirmed, so far

1. Indonesia: 80,246
2. Sri Lanka: 28,627
3. India (inc Andaman and Nicobar Is): 8,955
4. Thailand: 4,812
5. Somalia: 142
6. Burma: 53
7. Maldives: 73
8. Malaysia: 66
9. Tanzania: 10
10. Seychelles: 1
11. Bangladesh: 2
12. Kenya: 1

Image courtesy of BBC News

it's where we go

""It's where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us who we are."

Joyce Carol Oates (1938 - )
American author, winner of the F. Scott Fitzgerald Award for Lifetime Achievement in American Literature

i've not ever read any of Ms. Oates books, this quote of hers is all i have. Take a moment to ponder it with me. Where are you going? Literal or figurative, that part is up to you. And what will you do when you get there. An inability to answer this, in one fashion or another may be telling... i encourage you to take the time to answer it! Empowering.

Just finishing up some communication regarding Kenya, and, suddenly this quote might apply thus: I am going to the mission field in East Africa, upon arriving i will be attempting to bless and be a blessing (all the while drinking strictly bottled water), that tells me that i may well be in over my head... this is gonna be good.

Christo est el Senior!

Pre-shrunk t's

it's 2005 and, i haven't received any of those cool t's i mentioned the other day. but that's mainly because i didn't bother ordering them myself... still holding out someone will want to suprise and bless me (maybe the wife is reading this...)

Check out preshrunk. For those of you who know me, you will likely recall i've been toying with great t-shirt concepts (often retro) to have printed myself... i'll let you know that i have something in the works in tandem with D.S. and one of his sites... until i start to brag about that tho... maybe i should just stencil my own.

did i mention that it is 2005 yet?

2005

Back. Spent New Years with the family. Extended.