Dear True Love by Sleeping at Last

Dear True Love
A writer without any words
I'm a story that nobody heard
When I'm without you
I am a voice
I am a voice without any sound
A treasure map that nobody found
When I'm without you
Dear True Love
I'm a lantern without any light
I'm a boxer much too afraid to fight
When I'm without you

So with this ring
May you always know one thing
The little that I have to give
I will give it all to you
You're my one true love

I am a memory
a memory bent out of shape
a child hurt already bruised with age
when I'm without you
So Dear True Love
I'm an artist without any paint
A deal that every one breaks
When I'm without you

So with this ring
May you always know one thing
The little that I have to give
I will give it all to you
You're my one true love

I am a whisper
I am a secret nobody keeps
A dreamer of someone else's dreams
When I'm without you
Dear True Love
I'm a farewell that came too soon
I'm a hand-me-down that dreams of being new
When I'm without you

| Sleeping At Last - Yearbook: February |
Official Website
Check out their February EP on The Drop

The Valley...

The valley is a dry, empty, nutrient less place.

My soul is thirsty,

My spirit hungry,

My body desires nourishment.

I let the sun bake down upon me

Not knowing what lies beyond the above ridges

There's redemption up there

Lasting comfort and love.

To make the hike is the mission.

A Marvelous Weekend

One of the very first people I met here on campus was a man by the name of Lucas Dibo, but everyone calls him Dibo. He’s finishing up his masters degree in the Religion Department here at ANU and is also a TA there. I will most likely be working a lot with him this year. Friday night he called and asked if I’d like to go over to his house the next day and then go to the organizing service of his mom’s church, called Soweto Church of the Nazarene in Soweto, Kenya, on Sunday. I said sure and was quite excited for the next day.

Saturday came along and Dibo came and met me at my flat here on campus. We then walked the one kilometer or so over to his house. Dibo is married to Jeanette, a current student at ANU from Oregon. They have a beautiful boy named Xola. Saturday it was great to just spend time making new friends and share fellowship over Monopoly Deal and tons of great food. We also spent some time walking around the area and visiting some local shops. I had more of my favorite Kenyan food with them on Saturday as well as some new foods such as Blue Band pasta. Those of you RVA friends will know what that is and may have some certain views on that once hearing Blue Band was in it:) It was a great day of getting to know the local culture more and meeting some awesome people of God. I’m excited to see where God leads that family.

This morning we woke up early and got ready for a busy morning/afternoon. We walked down to Magadi Rd a main road that takes people from Nairobi to Ongata Rongai (the town where the school is). At that intersection we got into a Matatu (A Kenyan mini-bus taxi that fits 14 passengers) and headed to one of the main if not the main train station in Nairobi where we would walk to our next Matatu ride. That walk took us right through a massive market. There were thousands of people there selling and buying a huge variety of things from fruit to shoes to furniture. Those of you who have been to Africa or a good global market before know what I am talking about. We reached our Matatu after Jeanette and Me were called various American names such as Michael and Steve for me and Mary for Jeannette. That Matatu would take us pretty close to the Soweto Slum where Dibo’s mom’s church was having their first organized service. We walked about a km into the slum again through very busy streets with various folks practicing their trade. The last time Dibo had been to the church it was in a different location in the slum and was about a year before. We had taken a wrong turn, but managed to find our way after Dibo called for help.

The church is not like anything you would ever find in America. I wish I had a picture from the outside, but it’s basically tree branches holding up a tin/metal roof with metal surrounding the building as walls. We had missed a good portion of the service since we were lost, but we made it in time for the official organizing of the church and in time to hear some great stories from people there. As well as sing some music as part of the worship time. At the bottom of this blog you'll find a video clip of the District Superintendent speaking.

It was such a great time with the people of the church there. I was reminded of the true global nature of Christianity today, not just with the people in Soweto, but as we were traveling throughout Nairobi via Matatu, I head the worship services of many different churches coming through the church windows and into the street. God truly is moving in and amongst his people in Kenya.

We had some great stew and chapatis for lunch with the church there in Soweto before following our same route back to Ongata Rongai. The Lovett’s, a missionary couple here, were kind enough to cut out the first leg in the Matatu by giving us a ride to the second stop. We had a refreshing glass of Fanta and a few more rounds of Monopoly Deal at the Dibo’s before Dibo pushed me (walked me back to) Campus at around 6:30.

I am so thankful for the neat opportunities which I had this weekend. It was great to take a deeper plunge into life here and to make new friends and visit a church on the other side of town.

Check out my photo page on here for more photos from the weekend.

Peace!

Roland