Lost in Djibouti....

Still sitting here playing games in the sand at Africom in Camp Lemonier. As John Paul Berry always quipped, "I'm still doing better than I deserve" Interesting to see this place as the central hub of nearly all african military personnel on the continent and a lot of refugees/immigrants just for work... met South Africans/Ethiopians/Sudanese/Kenyan/Zambians all just today

because i am exhausted and for the sake of simpleness, here is an outline of my epic day in djibouti:
0530- wakeup (impressive considering no alarm)
0545- sunrise picture-fest & great breakfast
0630- surprise meeting with good friend chaplain wiegelt, former awesome USNA chaplain
0700- waiting for a staff sergeant pickup for our port call (Check my initial thoughts HERE)
0745- still waiting with a fuming, sweaty LCDR, I leave to explore the base for details
0830- port call unrep ship plans are cancelled/mv-22 offsprey chopper flights planned for 1245
0845- watched Fast 5 in a warehouse
1045- reading Knowing God by JI Packer
1245- load up on the tarmac with Marines/pretend to be interested in Marine Corps small talk
1330- no room: our flight cancelled indefinately and return to "rooms"
1400- email & a swim workout (I found a pool!)
1530- baby orphanage trip into town with chaplain...stories to come/*highlight of the day*
1700- interesting dinner conversation with LCDR and a Jamaican and Ethiopian
1745- hanging out with djboutian workers/friends from yesterday
1830- go for a workout but play pickup beach volleyball for 3 hours instead. now a legend in djibouti
2200- fall asleep waiting for wifi to work/ give up and found a computer cafe station instead
still to do:
- shower (maybe)
- watch despicable me on laptop (maybe)
- sleep tight (definite)

to all those back home: hydrate! keep praying for endurance to take steps of faith amidst all the frustrating delays....

WITH JOY for the King and the Kingdom!

Update from Tuesday, 18SEP12

Holler from Africa- Camp Lemonier, Djibouti to be exact. From Bahrain the flight was about 3.5 hours, and we were in Africa by noon yesterday (Monday). The following four hours were spent at Camp acclimating to the dry 110 heat and waiting for our bags while the British Royal Marines were figuring out their flights to sea. For those curious, I am still rolling with the same boots, socks, jeans, and polo, and a shower wasn’t possible last night. Today we are waiting to head to town, load up on an big deck merchant oiler or replenishment ship, then sail around pirate waters :) . for a undetermined bit of time until we can find the Iwo Jima. Same old headline but it could be a while before another update, and I have no clue what communications look like out at sea. 

Flying into Africa brought back instant reminders of my time in Haiti, from the climate to the gravel roads to the impoverished shacks and tents the locals call home on the dry desert hills. In many ways, Djibouti is not the most picturesque of places in the world, yet it is amazing to think not only of the men and women stationed here for months, but also the people who live just outside the wire in complete and utter poverty. As much as I desired to hop outside the wire and see the population or climb the sand dunes, not only was it not allowed but our standby status most of the day effectively wasted most of our day. Besides, with a large contingent of military personnel and the local population living and working here on base, there remains a desperate need for the Gospel right here. Of just the few people I have met, morale seems tremendously low and the camp just seems gloomy and draining (especially when the Wifi was down all day), yet one of my greatest finds on the base was a small prayer tent just outside the galley. Blessings still abound here- I slept in a 15x7 metal shipping container pumping with A/C (better than two junior enlisted sailors who described their berthing as an orphanage), found a couple full meals in the mess hall, I have all the clean water I could drink, and my bunkmate was a brother in Christ from Georgia.

Other interesting notes:

- U.S. drones are bigger in person than I thought (and they don’t have kill meters on the side)

- This base is the largest employer of the local population in the country

- The Djibouti-an President lives in Ethiopia and his wife (the first lady?) lived about a block away in a similar metal container to mine

- Nobody seems to smile, and absolutely nobody wears flip flops

- Of course, the power adapters are the exact opposite of the one I bought in Bahrain. Figures :(

- The one turf field on base had night lights, but the games were organized not pick-up so I was left out (plus all my bags are still packed in a warehouse)

- If only I had packed my bats…yes they have about 5 sets of batting cages. Weird.

In closing, two reflections come to mind.

1) Amidst all the grumbling and complaining, the easy thing to do is grow cynical. Rather, I praise God today because the Holy Spirit has not only given me a sense of great joy throughout the day, but also of laughter in the midst of all the ridiculous changes. The thought of 1 Peter 1’s “joy unspeakable and full of glory” amidst the believer’s trials comes to mind, yet how little and insignificant are these present circumstances? In light of the hope offered in the Gospel, our present ‘crosses’ or ‘sufferings’ seem to pale, and as J.I. Packer aptly suggests, “these private mock heroics have no place at all in the minds of those who really know God.” Likewise, Paul states his contentment in Christ in one of my favorite passages, Philippians 3, for which this blog derives its name. Particularly, he declares “indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him.” (v8-9) What a great reminder that nothing this world has to offer is as worthy as knowing Jesus and making Him known!

2) Amidst a dreary desert camp setting like Djibouti, the words of Scripture seem even more vivid. Particularly, Isaiah 41 comes to mind. As God affirms his covenantal promises to his beloved people, he assures them “fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (v.10) Then comes an even more vibrant picture of his abounding grace, perfect for this context and continent, starting in verse 17: “When the poor and needy seek water and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them…I will make the wilderness a pool of water and the dry land springs of water…that they may see and know, may consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it.” What great hope that the Lord is coming soon to restore justice here on this earth! 

3) BONUS THOUGHT: This song has been on repeat both in my head, and now on my Ipod....Waka Waka anyone? (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ztr96RbMW8)
 

With JOY for the King and the Kingdom!

Airplane Update: Monday, 17SEP12

It amazes me to think just a month ago I was still a midshipman wandering around the Yard, preparing to graduate. Yep. Just one month ago today this little chap was still spray painting my white kicks in Bancroft and trying to find my choker whites. And now I’m on a loud, cramped military flight to a small  but intense little country in east Africa with some British EOD commandos and a couple Swedes. Accelerate your life eh? As for my aerial view flying over the Middle East, the entire place looks like an endless brown desert…because it really is an endless tan desert.

The three word summary of Bahrain might be hot, hilarious, and dusty. For starters, wearing the same bright orange polo and humping two 70lb bags around makes anyone stand out, especially in a world where everyone stops growing vertically (not necessarily horizontally) after they’re tall enough to ride the big kid roller coasters. Seriously, everyone around here is about 5 foot nothing. As for the heat, let’s just say that in about 15 minutes I could have owned a crispy sun tan worthy of a full summer in Florida.

I spent most of Sunday either catching up on sleep, reading, finding food, and trying to refresh the Wifi. I guess I am still a midshipman- nothing’s changed. Although I have several extra pairs of civilian clothes, my packing efficiency (and reluctance to re-pack) has resulted in traveling in the same clothes since Friday. (Only 26 more days to challenge my NOLS buddies’ records) Early in the day I tried to explore the city on foot, but the mosque wasn’t digging first time guests on Sundays, the Saudi I met was in business mode, and the kids I met were headed back to school. For the most part, I knew the major restriceted places to avoid, and I only saw briefly one little pocket of protesters headed in the opposite direction. In the Arabic world, the weekend is Friday and Saturday, and in Bahrain in particular many Saudi’s travel to the city for “entertainment” on the weekends under the belief that “Allah can’t see them.” Ultimately, I ended up on the base, tried an ethnic gyro-esque lunch, listened to a Philipino Journey cover band (weird),  traded in for some confusing currency I never needed (souvenirs!), and caught my ESPN fix with updates on the Gators (big win), Navy (no comment), Navy Sprint (congrats) and the MLB Playoff picture. Also tried my hand at an HGTV-esque webcam tour of the posh hotel suite they booked for us, but these videos are impossible to load right now. Short summary: sweet shower, two toilets and random other gizmos (?), cool lighting, and a glitzy pool rendered useless by the fine dusty heat. 

I tried to join the BACC Webcast but had difficulties, so I resorted to exploring Matthew 6 by myself. I have no doubt Pastor Pat and the team are continuing the challenge to walk by faith this fall, and my prayer is that I too would see even greater opportunities not only for steps of faith wherever I am, but also chances to “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.” (Mt 6:33) The best thing is that as the Author of Creation, the entire world falls under the domain of His Kingdom! In other good news, I’m pleased to report prayer still works over here, and I celebrated a little impromptu communion in the hotel room with a raspberry smoothie and a roll. That counts right? Prayers for my traveling companion on this journey- a salty, ‘Catholic’ 30 year veteran LDO engineering officer- are appreciated, as we figure out what adventures and countries are next in this Carmen Sandiego Adventure. (anyone else remember that song?)

For the King and the Kingdom!

Video Updates from Sunday, 16SEP12

So with a little more sleep and a full day of new cultural experiences, I soon grew board of Al Jeezera TV and trying to figure out criquet. This was my best attempt at a fun mix of MTV cribs and HGTV analysis from the posh Elite Crystal Hotel. Although life is certainly is not boring, the webcam keeps life entertaining amidst the dull moments....

And here's just a few photos to add as well

The Bahrain Suite!

The most high-tech bathroom ever witnessed

This was my first attempt, which was plagued with both technical difficulties and poor camera work. It's harder than you might think for this amateur...enjoy

Love you all.
For the King and the Kingdom!

Video Update from Saturday, 15SEP12

Hey from the PGulf...After a long 36 hours of travel, this was my best attempt to keep everyone up to date. Just try to forget some of the names/locations near the end :)

For the King and the Kingdom!