Post Trip Blues, Whites & Greens

I think it is normal for travelers to come back and have a hard time adjusting. If it weren't for Katie, I wouldn't be here in the USA at all... at least that's how I've felt for 3 days until today. I've had the traveling blues a lot since getting back.

The white that has surrounded me since I have come back has been overwhelming. As white as the greens that surrounded me just a week ago when I was in Zimababwe. Green all around that gave life to the people of Victoria Falls, Hwange and western Zambia. A stark contrast from the brown, rain deprived fields around Bulawayo. Pray for rain.

But today, even though I am still a bit blue from jet lag and lacking sleep, I was struck by how amazing this journey continues to be for me.

All around me is a sea of white that will provide much needed water for our fields in the coming spring and summer months. How lucky we are to be living around so much water.

And how fortunate I am to be able to tell the stories of people that I have met. And through those stories, I hope to share the blues that come with rain and pour blessings upon my friends and FVI's partners in Africa.

Now, the task is to raise some green for those that need it. Friends, FVI has been challenged to help thousands of orphans in Africa. Will our response be brown and dead or green and alive?

I ramble. Sleep awaits. Thanks for reading.

Update on Faith, Rain, and Linda

Faith: The student nurse that fell is doing better. I talked to the hospital staff on Sunday before boarding the plane to South Africa. She was up and praising God at church. Amazing! Our team thanks all that prayed for her recovery. Continue praying for wisdom for those caring for her, for strength for her to carry on despite the pain, and continued healing.

Rain: Continue praying for rain. Harvest is due to start March 1st and they need a LOT of rain. Only a few sprinkles while we were there.. a day of heavy rain, but not enough. Continue to pray for rain. Pray for rain!

Linda: Linda, one of the 2 nurses from NRCC, was taken to the hospital in DC upon arriving at the airport. Passport Control alerted authorities that she was having a hard time breathing. By God's grace, she was treated, released and sent home at around 2pm the same day. She is now home safely resting. Continue praying for her as she recovers from sickness and the grueling 2 weeks of travel in hot conditions.

Thanks for praying! Pray on. God hears our prayers and knows us each by name.

-Ryan

Waffles, technology, and really fast internet

Friends, we are back from Africa. After an uneventful 19 hr flight from Johannesburg, South Africa to Washington DC (with a quick stopover in Senegal), we are home. I arrived back in my house around noon on Monday.

On the way home, I stopped at Waffle House for some breakfast with my fiancee, Katie. Talk about a great way to transition back into the states. We were warmly welcomed with a host of "Good mornings" and were provided a menu that had more in stock than I had seen in a month. Everything on the menu, they had. An amazing thought.

It was funny to be back in the states, surrounded by such technology as cash registers that work, radios that had more than govt propoganda, ipods, laptops racing in coffee shops, and these amazingly effective traffic signals that actually have working green, yellow, and red lights attached to them.

Most amazing is how consumed I've already become with the internet. The superfast connection is addicting for so many, including me. As soon as people heard I was back, I was bombarded with emails, picture requests, phone calls over the internet, etc. And I was back at it. After surviving on 3 real encounters with the internet while in Africa, I came to not depend on it. Now I'm back at it. :)

Anyway... these are just some random thoughts. I'll post some real reflections on the trip later. For now, off to dinner with my beautiful fiancee and have a few errands to run (like paying bills that I forgot about).

Love to you all... will post real reflections tomorrow.

-Ryan

Pray for Linda, who is very sick again. Pray for rain and continue praying for Faith, the student nurse that fell last week.

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Safely at vic falls. Team is seeing the falls, while I run errands. Canoe trip down Zambezi at 3pm. Pray for rain.

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Hwange Day 2. We R up early. Park opens @6. After a month of pain 4 me & 2 weeks 4 NRCC, it is good 2 c more of Gods creation.

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Pray 4 Faith, student nurse. Fell ~8ft on falls hike Wed @ brie (bbq) staff threw 2 thk us. 2.5" gash on head. She'll be ok.

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Pray for rain. Don't stop praying for rain. Love you all. All are healthy and sleeping, prepping for 530am start tomorrow.

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We have seen a lot of snakes in last 2 days. We are fine!!! 2 cobras, 2 puffatters, & a 6ft cobra as thick as Mr T's fist.

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We are now safely in Hwange National Park, beginning our adventure home. 2 nights in Hwange & a day in Vic Falls, 17 hr plane.

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Greetings from Zim. What a week it has been. We have visited orphans, schools, villages, etc in a busy, internet free, week.

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Reality Check - Zimbabwe

Friends - Continue praying for rain. What a great year it has been for Forgotten Voices. Over 1,000 children have been sent to school. Over 700 homebased care workers trained, over 300 kits distributed. So far on this trip, FVI has launched partnerships to train 800 pastors through the Christian Leadership Resource Centre. We've launched a partnership to send 25 kids to school at a church called "The Rock" and have the potential to send an additional 1,000 kids after reviewing items when I get back to the states. Praise God for this good work. And pray for donors to rise up to pay for it all. :)

 

Today, I'm writing to you from the Mtshabezi AIDS Clinic about an hour south of Bulawayo. We've been here for 2.5 days and have 2 days remaining. This is my first real chance to write, as texting doesn't work out here and internet is at 12k, about the speed of dialup in 1995.

 

This has been a reality check for all of the team. Access to any kind of technology for medical needs and resources for daily living are substaintailly lacking in this part of Zimbabwe. With very few rains, the already traumatic situation is magnified.

 

There is much to pray about. Pray for rain, pray for health of the workers here, pray for a doctor, and pray for traveling mercies for patients coming/going.

 

Praise God for rain on 3 occassions, although each were very brief. Praise God for health of our team. Besides 2 bad bug bites for my dad, a lizard in the bed, and some minor sunburns, we've all been very healthy. Praise God for 4 nurses-in-training that are here on assignment and each have had the opportunity to go into the field with us to see patients. They are now all more likely to stay in Mtshabezi since they have been exposed to home based care.

 

Blessings, my friends. Pray on. Pray for RAIN! PRAY FOR RAIN! PRAY FOR RAIN!

 

I'll be out of touch until Wednesday, most likely. We will be out in the community visiting patients and schools. Love to you all.

 

-Ryan

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Note from Ryan Keith
Forgotten Voices International

Office: 717.506.0633
Cell: 717.649.0667
Email: RKeith@ForgottenVoices.org
Web: www.ForgottenVoices.org

FVI: EMPOWERING ORPHANS

Today we leave Bulawayo for the rural areas south. We will be working at the Mtshabezi AIDS Clinic. Pray 4 rain. Pray 4 rain.

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Today: animal orphanage, tea, hospital, looking at fencing for preschool, and doing seminar on HIV/AIDS at 11am EST. Pray4Rain

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Visited quite a few people w/ AIDS today. The team saw for the 1st time just how serious this great challenge is in Zim.

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IT RAINED! PRAISE GOD! For 30 min in town and just started in rural areas. First rain in over 3 weeks. Thanks to God, hope.

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Today, we tour TCZ, visit an animal orphanage, cemetary, 3 homes w/ dying Aids patients, & do teachers seminar. Pray 4 rain.

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Last night, my dad, Denis, presented a workshop on growing as a leader to 21 leaders from 3 churches in urban area. Awesome.

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Today, we will be visiting an urban hospital, running act. for orphans, & my dad is leading workshop on Growing as a Leader.

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Team from NRCC arrived safely. Went right away to meet Fibion & his leaders @ Free Methodist Church. We are w/ them all week.

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I just had the kind of mtg where I honestly see more problems than solutions. Pray for wisdom to do what is hard, yet best.

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Walked 5k yest in 100. heat w/o clean water. Lost in bush w/ some guy off 2 send tragic msg 2 a nurse he didn't know but I did

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Church in high density suburbs today. Maybe preaching. Won't know till I arrive. Pray for 4 americans on their way to join me.

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Quick update: started program to send 25 kids to school, started new pipeline for leadership training & saw cond of fields.

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Pray for rain.. Keep praying for rain. Looks like zimbabwe will have 1 of the worst droughts in awhile. Fields look like fall.

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Off to meet 25 orphans 25k east of Bulawayo. Pray as FVI launches new support w/ The Rock church, led by unpaid Pastor James

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2/2 h, led by the unpaid Pastor James.

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1/2 Off to meet 25 orphans in rural areas, about 25ks east of Bulawayo. Pray as FVI launches new support with "The Rock" churc

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PRAY FOR RAIN. Pray hard for rain. We need it badly here. Middle of harvest and there has been no rain. PRAY FOR RAIN. Thanks.

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