Today I got to spend the entire day with a Maasai Tribesman named Peter. He escorted me to my room the night before because Hippos are known to attack in the area. He wares the traditional garb and carries a spear.
Peter starting telling me about being one of the few followers of Christ in his famous tribe. His parents and family rejected him for several months. He had an assurance about his faith that was staggering and a humility that was Christ-like.
This trip has given me perspective. God is becoming larger as parts of me are becoming smaller. God is at work in this world....from the trendy people who hangout at Starbucks to the Maasai tribesman in Africa. I am ashamed for making God so small in my mind and I thank Him for the reminder this past week of how Big He truly is.
God is Good,
nate
ps...I had an eagle attack me and take my chicken leg out of my hand while standing by a river watching hippos.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Ethiopia 3
Dearest Foldiers,
I want to write you a short note telling you of what we have seen and experienced in Ethiopia. I wont be able to do justice in this short letter because the internet costs a fortune, but I do have lots of pictures and video footage of all the kids, sights and donkeys.
Tonight we ate dinner with three students who are now in college here in Ethiopia. Why is this such a big deal? These three students are Compassion Children just like Geomyra, Juan and Malini. They were tiny kids when someone in the states picked up their sponsor card and began to support them. 2 of them will be teachers and want to do so in a Compassion project and the other is finishing his degree to be a Water Engineer as well as a music minister in his church. This boy will save many lives as he seeks to figure out the water problems here in Africa.
I cried during the dinner because I was looking at 3 students who have received Christ as their Savior and have become servants to the poorest of the poor. They can't help but serve God for all He has done for them. In my 7 years at SACPC I have witnessed this same type of miracle.....and it brings me to tears every time.
This afternoon we went 100 Kilometers outside the city to visit a project and church in the middle of no where. I was the first white boy some of them have ever seen. We walked through many fields to a small grass hut to visit the family of a sponsored child. It had dirt on the floor and the area they cooked in was half kitchen and half stable for the 2 cows they had.....I loved that!! The family shared how God has changed their lives through Compassion. Their children have all been nurtured with incredible education, health training and spiritual nurture. I have some great pics!!
I got to jam on the cow drum thingy with the music class, got schooled in Ping Pong by a girl who had mad skills, stepped in two ant hills, got trampled by 70 Ethiopian children when I opened a bag of balloons and chased many goats and donkeys throughout the village. Oh yeah....I ate some serious cow stomach last night too..
My prayer is that every one of you takes the chance to see what God is doing on a Global level. I have sat with so many people who have AIDS and they continue to praise God for His goodness. I thank God for every student in the FOLD, my prayer is that all of us seek Jesus with everything we have and by the power of the Holy Spirit we will make a difference in our community and world, one soul at a time.
God is Good
nate
I want to write you a short note telling you of what we have seen and experienced in Ethiopia. I wont be able to do justice in this short letter because the internet costs a fortune, but I do have lots of pictures and video footage of all the kids, sights and donkeys.
Tonight we ate dinner with three students who are now in college here in Ethiopia. Why is this such a big deal? These three students are Compassion Children just like Geomyra, Juan and Malini. They were tiny kids when someone in the states picked up their sponsor card and began to support them. 2 of them will be teachers and want to do so in a Compassion project and the other is finishing his degree to be a Water Engineer as well as a music minister in his church. This boy will save many lives as he seeks to figure out the water problems here in Africa.
I cried during the dinner because I was looking at 3 students who have received Christ as their Savior and have become servants to the poorest of the poor. They can't help but serve God for all He has done for them. In my 7 years at SACPC I have witnessed this same type of miracle.....and it brings me to tears every time.
This afternoon we went 100 Kilometers outside the city to visit a project and church in the middle of no where. I was the first white boy some of them have ever seen. We walked through many fields to a small grass hut to visit the family of a sponsored child. It had dirt on the floor and the area they cooked in was half kitchen and half stable for the 2 cows they had.....I loved that!! The family shared how God has changed their lives through Compassion. Their children have all been nurtured with incredible education, health training and spiritual nurture. I have some great pics!!
I got to jam on the cow drum thingy with the music class, got schooled in Ping Pong by a girl who had mad skills, stepped in two ant hills, got trampled by 70 Ethiopian children when I opened a bag of balloons and chased many goats and donkeys throughout the village. Oh yeah....I ate some serious cow stomach last night too..
My prayer is that every one of you takes the chance to see what God is doing on a Global level. I have sat with so many people who have AIDS and they continue to praise God for His goodness. I thank God for every student in the FOLD, my prayer is that all of us seek Jesus with everything we have and by the power of the Holy Spirit we will make a difference in our community and world, one soul at a time.
God is Good
nate
Friday, September 21, 2007
Letter from Ethiopia
Dearest Foldiers,
I want to write you a short note telling you of all the things we have seen and experienced in Ethiopia. I want be able to do justice in this short letter because the internet costs a fortune, but I do have lots of pictures and video footage of all the kids, sights and donkeys.
Tonight we ate dinner with three students who are now in college here in Ethiopia. Why is this such a big deal? These three students are Compassion Children just like Geomyra, Juan and Malini. The were tiny kids when someone in the states picked up their sponsor card and began to support them. 2 of them will be teachers and want to do so in a Compassion project and the other is finishing his degree to be a Water Engineer as well as a music minister in his church. This boy will save many lives as he seeks to figure out the water problems here in Africa.
I cried during the dinner because I was looking at 3 students who have received Christ as their Savior and have become servants to the poorest of the poor. They can't help but serve God for all He has done for them. In my 7 years at SACPC I have witnessed this same type of miracle.....and it brings me to tears every time.
This afternoon we went 100 Kilometers outside the city to visit a project and church in the middle of nowhere. I was the first white boy some of them have ever seen. We walked through many fields to a small grass hut to visit the family of a sponsored child. It had dirt on the floor and the area they cooked in was half kitchen and half stable for the 2 cows they had.....I loved that!! The family shared how God has changed their lives through Compassion. Their children have all been nurtured with incredible education, health training and spiritual nurture. I have some great pics!!
I got to jam on the cow drum thingy with the music class, got schooled in Ping Pong by a girl who had mad skills, stepped in two ant hills, got trampled by 70 Ethiopian children when I opened a bag of balloons and chased many goats and donkeys throughout the village. Oh yeah....I ate some serious cow stomach last night too..
My prayer is that every one of you takes the chance to see what God is doing on a Global level. I have sat with so many people who have AIDS and they continue to praise God for His goodness. I thank God for every student in the FOLD, my prayer is that all of us seek Jesus with everything we have and by the power of the Holy Spirit we will make a difference in our community and world, one soul at a time.
God is Good
nate
I want to write you a short note telling you of all the things we have seen and experienced in Ethiopia. I want be able to do justice in this short letter because the internet costs a fortune, but I do have lots of pictures and video footage of all the kids, sights and donkeys.
Tonight we ate dinner with three students who are now in college here in Ethiopia. Why is this such a big deal? These three students are Compassion Children just like Geomyra, Juan and Malini. The were tiny kids when someone in the states picked up their sponsor card and began to support them. 2 of them will be teachers and want to do so in a Compassion project and the other is finishing his degree to be a Water Engineer as well as a music minister in his church. This boy will save many lives as he seeks to figure out the water problems here in Africa.
I cried during the dinner because I was looking at 3 students who have received Christ as their Savior and have become servants to the poorest of the poor. They can't help but serve God for all He has done for them. In my 7 years at SACPC I have witnessed this same type of miracle.....and it brings me to tears every time.
This afternoon we went 100 Kilometers outside the city to visit a project and church in the middle of nowhere. I was the first white boy some of them have ever seen. We walked through many fields to a small grass hut to visit the family of a sponsored child. It had dirt on the floor and the area they cooked in was half kitchen and half stable for the 2 cows they had.....I loved that!! The family shared how God has changed their lives through Compassion. Their children have all been nurtured with incredible education, health training and spiritual nurture. I have some great pics!!
I got to jam on the cow drum thingy with the music class, got schooled in Ping Pong by a girl who had mad skills, stepped in two ant hills, got trampled by 70 Ethiopian children when I opened a bag of balloons and chased many goats and donkeys throughout the village. Oh yeah....I ate some serious cow stomach last night too..
My prayer is that every one of you takes the chance to see what God is doing on a Global level. I have sat with so many people who have AIDS and they continue to praise God for His goodness. I thank God for every student in the FOLD, my prayer is that all of us seek Jesus with everything we have and by the power of the Holy Spirit we will make a difference in our community and world, one soul at a time.
God is Good
nate
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Journal Entry #2- Ethiopia
Today we drove out in to the country side to visit a compassion project that specializes in taking care of pregnant women and mothers of newborns. This is really trick in an area devastated by HIV/AIDS. We met with many mothers and played with some of the babies at the sight. Compassion does an incredible job of teaching young mothers about pre-natal care. While these children are being taken care of, the extent of the care does not come close to what we expect in the US. This mothers have no medicines for their children. The only thing they can get is a pill to stop diarrhea so that the children do not die. Compassion does provide milk for the many mothers in the project who are HIV positive to keep them from breast feeding their children.
Each day we take a "home visit" where we go visit someone who has benefited from the project. Today we met with a lady who is 25, has 3 kids, her husband left her and she is HIV positive. 5 of us crowded in her small house the size of a bathroom. The house was made out of mud and sticks. She put green weeds all over the floor, roasted coffee beans, popped pop corn and made a native bread for us. Ethiopians get hospitality. These are the poorest people I have ever met, yet we are always greated with the "ceremonial coffee and snacks".
For those of you who are not familiar with Compassion International, I want to explain what I love about them the most. Their key focus is to build up the local church. They are the only child sponsor ministry that teams up with the local church to empower the pastors and leaders to change the community. Many times Christians have been guilty of having a mindset that we "bring Christ" to a country instead of acknowledging that God has been at work way before we were born. Compassion asks for 32 dollars a month to sponsor a child, after seeing what that money goes to, I can say that they are great stewards of our money. We have met many people on staff here in Africa who were compassion children themselves. Many of the younger children have said that they want to be teachers, nurses or doctors who will one day serve the poor in a compassion project.
I have fallen in love with these people. Most Ethiopians come across as being very shy......but it is really their humilty.
I thank the Lord, my wife and my church for allowing me to experience so much.
God is Good
nate
Each day we take a "home visit" where we go visit someone who has benefited from the project. Today we met with a lady who is 25, has 3 kids, her husband left her and she is HIV positive. 5 of us crowded in her small house the size of a bathroom. The house was made out of mud and sticks. She put green weeds all over the floor, roasted coffee beans, popped pop corn and made a native bread for us. Ethiopians get hospitality. These are the poorest people I have ever met, yet we are always greated with the "ceremonial coffee and snacks".
For those of you who are not familiar with Compassion International, I want to explain what I love about them the most. Their key focus is to build up the local church. They are the only child sponsor ministry that teams up with the local church to empower the pastors and leaders to change the community. Many times Christians have been guilty of having a mindset that we "bring Christ" to a country instead of acknowledging that God has been at work way before we were born. Compassion asks for 32 dollars a month to sponsor a child, after seeing what that money goes to, I can say that they are great stewards of our money. We have met many people on staff here in Africa who were compassion children themselves. Many of the younger children have said that they want to be teachers, nurses or doctors who will one day serve the poor in a compassion project.
I have fallen in love with these people. Most Ethiopians come across as being very shy......but it is really their humilty.
I thank the Lord, my wife and my church for allowing me to experience so much.
God is Good
nate
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Ethiopia - Journal Entry 1
It took me almost two days to get to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia through Amsterdam and the Sudan. This morning was our first day at a Compassion Project. We got off the bus and were greeted by hundreds of beautiful children who were singing praises and holding flowers. Within seconds we had kids hanging from our arms and kissing our hands. The children put on a biblical play for us, 3 kids recited an entire chapter of the Psalms and we had a traditional coffee ceremony. A lady roasted the beans right in front of us.
Today I met with a young girl who will be sponsored by several girls in our youth ministry. I also met the compassion child who used to be sponsored by Marrietta and Ali Valinski, his name is Emanuel and he is beautiful.
The most heart wrenching part was when we left the project and one 6 year old girl was begging hysterically to go with us. She was completely out of control. We found out that both of her parents had abandoned her and her back was full of marks where she had been beaten. No wonder she wanted to come with us. My eyes filled with tears as I desperately wanted to adopt this young girl. I thank the Lord that this Compassion project was fighting hard to find good foster parents.
We have met incredible people and God continues to open our eyes to all kinds of issues.
Sometime I will tell you the effect the weakening of the American Dollar has had on Africa and Compassion.
God is Good
nate
Today I met with a young girl who will be sponsored by several girls in our youth ministry. I also met the compassion child who used to be sponsored by Marrietta and Ali Valinski, his name is Emanuel and he is beautiful.
The most heart wrenching part was when we left the project and one 6 year old girl was begging hysterically to go with us. She was completely out of control. We found out that both of her parents had abandoned her and her back was full of marks where she had been beaten. No wonder she wanted to come with us. My eyes filled with tears as I desperately wanted to adopt this young girl. I thank the Lord that this Compassion project was fighting hard to find good foster parents.
We have met incredible people and God continues to open our eyes to all kinds of issues.
Sometime I will tell you the effect the weakening of the American Dollar has had on Africa and Compassion.
God is Good
nate
Saturday, September 15, 2007
Off to Africa
I was shocked when I saw the website of the place we will be staying on the last days of our trip, it's called Karen Blixen Camp in Kenya. Kim saw the website and wishes she was going with us. We'll be travelling to several compassion projects throughout Ethiopia eachday. Hopefully I can shoot some decent video for you all to see.
Pray for the stratmans......especially Kim, she has a much harder task.
nate
Monday, August 20, 2007
More Summer Fun with Boosher (aka Ruth)
Keeping Cool in Nanny's Pool (hey, that rhymes)
Sunnin' on a big girl float
Ruth smiles so big after a nap that it goes straight across
Our little pretzel
Mommy walks away for 1 minute and Ruthie rolls off her playmat
Having a blast in the excersaucer
Sunnin' on a big girl float
Ruth smiles so big after a nap that it goes straight across
Our little pretzel
Mommy walks away for 1 minute and Ruthie rolls off her playmat
Having a blast in the excersaucer
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Photo Shoot
This is Ruthie's friend Jacob Langan...obviously she is not interested! (:
We don't quite know how to use Johnny yet...but we like to slobber and chew on him.
The princess is upside because she doesn't like the pattern on her bed...she thinks it clashes with the fabric on the Shams.
Here are some great pictures that our friend Pete took of Ruthie and Kim.
click here
We don't quite know how to use Johnny yet...but we like to slobber and chew on him.
The princess is upside because she doesn't like the pattern on her bed...she thinks it clashes with the fabric on the Shams.
Here are some great pictures that our friend Pete took of Ruthie and Kim.
click here
Friday, July 27, 2007
Ruthie's Holy Sprinklin'
Ruthie was baptized this past Sunday by my dad who flew out here from LA with my mom for the week. We have had a great summer and Ruthie and Kim ended up coming to Fun in the Son in Jekyll Island, Georgia at the last minute which turned out to be great. Ruthie is getting better at shoving her entire hand in her mouth and grabbing both her feet at the same time to stretch out her thigh muscles. Kim is a great mom and has read Brown Bear 32564 times to little Ruth.
I recently found out that I am going to Ethiopia with Compassion International on behalf of YCM in September for 10 days. This trip came as a surprise, but I feel blessed to be able to go after momma, the doc, and the boss gave it the thumbs up.
God is Good!
nate and kim
I recently found out that I am going to Ethiopia with Compassion International on behalf of YCM in September for 10 days. This trip came as a surprise, but I feel blessed to be able to go after momma, the doc, and the boss gave it the thumbs up.
God is Good!
nate and kim
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Blog Vacation
Sorry we have been slow on the blogging when Ruthie is growing like a weed! She ways 39 pounds at 4 months old and she drinks soy latte's instead of her momma's milk.
Hear is the deal e o...we lost the thingy that connects our pics to the 'puter...therefore we have pics but no thingy to post them.
So....here is a graphic for the theme I wrote for the Fun in the Son camps this summer. My parents are here from LA. We are doing well. I cut me beard.
Hear is the deal e o...we lost the thingy that connects our pics to the 'puter...therefore we have pics but no thingy to post them.
So....here is a graphic for the theme I wrote for the Fun in the Son camps this summer. My parents are here from LA. We are doing well. I cut me beard.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
the queen is plumpin' up
Miss Tater Tot got all gussied up in her "goin' to church meetin'dress" accompanied by her very first pink bible (given by our good friend Holly and it's not a big bible but Ruthie makes it look huge) She has decided she likes the book of Revelation due to her facination in "winged things" "candle stands" and "galloping horses". She told me she likes John's style of writing and really apocolyptic literature as a whole.
our afternoon siesta at the Stratas' beach condo. (rough life)
Ruthie already knows how to play Stairway to Heaven on Grandma's piano
the beach princess
The fam at Kim's cousin Jeremy's wedding
our afternoon siesta at the Stratas' beach condo. (rough life)
Ruthie already knows how to play Stairway to Heaven on Grandma's piano
the beach princess
The fam at Kim's cousin Jeremy's wedding
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Happy Mothers Day Grandmas and Aunts!
Ruthie loves the birdless birdhouse....it's so shabby shiek!
Ruthie went to see Sister Whit and the OBX crew.(that would be the Outer Banks for non-northcackalackians)
"did you just say that I have to get 3 shots this week? Oh MY!"
I'm not sure if daddy loves me or his Lantana more....he calls both of us his precious little girls.
Me, Mommy and the Shabby Shed
Dad tells me that Mr.Jade is my brother and that Mr Jade is very sensitive and only likes to be watered at his feet and not on his head.
This is me and Miss Jasmine....she smells real good!
Ruthie went to see Sister Whit and the OBX crew.(that would be the Outer Banks for non-northcackalackians)
"did you just say that I have to get 3 shots this week? Oh MY!"
I'm not sure if daddy loves me or his Lantana more....he calls both of us his precious little girls.
Me, Mommy and the Shabby Shed
Dad tells me that Mr.Jade is my brother and that Mr Jade is very sensitive and only likes to be watered at his feet and not on his head.
This is me and Miss Jasmine....she smells real good!
Monday, April 30, 2007
6 weeks and 3 days
RC has begun to smile at us with out the influnce of gas.
Ruthie took her first trip to Myrtle Beach and to the outets. We began our trip by napping for several hours in our hotel room.
Ruthie likes to sleep on the couch like her Grandma Guthrie.
We love this outfit.
Ruthie took her first trip to Myrtle Beach and to the outets. We began our trip by napping for several hours in our hotel room.
Ruthie likes to sleep on the couch like her Grandma Guthrie.
We love this outfit.
Friday, April 20, 2007
The Boogie Blaster
The young Ruthster doesn't seem to mind the Boogie Blaster as it probes deep inside her Nasal Cavity....come to think of it...I enjoy that too. Something in me wants to pop every little bump and blast every booger...I mean that is some serious fun. Ruth really likes the picture below the best...but it scares mommy.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Ruthie aka Tater-tot aka Love
We have already made up several pet names for Ruthie. Tater-tot and Love are just to name a few. Enjoy the new pics.
Our precious Ruthie
I love my grandparents all the way to the sky!
Future babysitters - Andy and Desha are naturals.
Our precious Ruthie
I love my grandparents all the way to the sky!
Future babysitters - Andy and Desha are naturals.
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