making Bake-a, bake-a

One of Myles favorite activities. Baker-Baker (sounds like "I'm making the Bake-a Bake-a").

Upi giraffe?

Just a quick note to tell you what's up in the Carlson world. We have just said good-by to our friends Jon and Amy and Sage Rodquist-Kodet. Now our other good friends Brandon and Abby are with us! Game park time has left Myles looking for giraffe and elephant every time we get in the car!
"Upi giraffe?" is constantly heard.... Where is the giraffe in Zulu.

Why you wanna leave me!?!

We said good-by to Daniel on Tuesday. He has been with us for close to 2 years helping partner on the Medical campus at the University of KwaZulu Natal. Rather than write of all the individuals he has impacted, I thought I'd share some highlights through photos. thanks for being with us Daniel, enjoy re-uniting with Malinda (fiance!) and your family.

A day in the life of....

Well the school year is coming close to an end. Got back to Durban from that long weekend of Nav meetings and catching up with the guys (check out photo of me and Alex-UCT grad) and found I had a lot to work on! Working on ending the year well with the Navigators and our budget. Daniel (our intern and almost 2 year friend and workmate) is 4 weeks away from departure. Spent the morning talking through his last month and exit strategy. I took Myles to swimming lessons. Summer was supposed to arrive a couple months ago but somehow missed the memo. This evening was Lou Lou's jewelry exhibition. I'm feeling sick. Kristy feeling a bit stressed. Myles loving life. And we are surrounded by questions of Obama. A day in the life of the Carlson's.

"a little bit..."

It's one of Myles' favorite lines.... "a little bit....." fill in the blank with anything that you would like. Right now in the Carlson home:
Ben "a little bit feeling better (physical, emotional, ecumenical...)
Kristy "a little bit of needing to show a lot of grace"
Myles "a little bit of MORE SLEEP" but he would say "...treat."

Back from Jozi

It was a week in Johannesburg, and probably the best one(that is best week in Jozi) I've had yet. What did I do? Spent the first 3 days following up graduates from our ministry that I have discipled over the past 7 years. Refreshing, fun, and a wake-up call to the hardships and loneliness that meets some of these guys when separated from all of the friends, mentors and fellowship that they got used to at university in Durban with us. It's given me some insight into what to do to help prepare the current students we have the privilege to be discipling. After the time with Claude-Sandton, Tshepo-in Sun City, and S'pho -Dr. in Soweto(photo's in that order) I spent a morning judging coffee (ask me if you care:). Following this I was in workshops with fellow South African, Malawian, and Kenyan Navigators alongside a group of Navigators from Colorado Springs as we were trained, had great dialogue and dug into the Bible to learn how to best fund and develop partners from Africa for the advancement of the Gospel in Africa! Rewarding, fun and intense. Worth it? Completely. Glad to be back in Durban with Kristy and Myles? Absolutely!

Growing Kingdom

You may be familiar with my great friend Cyril, but the story I've got to share with you will give you new perspective on this yong doctor. But first let me give you a bit of backgrund.
I was just the best man in his wedding in June the week before our trip to the USA. Cyril and I got to know each other over 6 years ago. I was the coach of the University of KwaZulu Natal men's basketball team(yes, you can laugh right along with Kristy) and Cyril was the captain of the team. Over the course of the season Cyril and I spent more time together then just on the court, reading the Bible and having some deep conversations. At the end of the year he knew where he stood with Christ and wanted that to change so gave his life to Christ. Everything changed from that moment and Cyril become one of the key student leaders in the Durban Navs.
Fast-forward 6 years. Cyril gets married to Gloria (also a part of our ministry and also a Dr.) and is working hard at a local hospital. Our conversations have changed a bit since those days of him driving the lane as a point-guard, but the central component of Christ has remained the same. One of the things I love about Cyril is his desire to see the Kingdom of Jesus grow. He married a woman who has the same heart, and together they are planning on moving to rural South Africa to work as doctors and spread the Gospel to those in need where no-one else is going.
The excitement doesn't start when they go to the rural hospital though, this past weekend Cyril and Gloria were helping working with a youth camp and they helped lead 15 kids to a first time decision to follow Jesus.
Wow! I was blown away. But there's more.
After the camp owner heard Cyril speak, he asked if he would share with his staff the next morning. Cyril was the first Zulu man speaking to this hard group of Zulu men and women about Jesus. They had "heard it before" from their boss, but when Cyril shared his life's story and how Jesus changed his life this closed and uninterested group changed into an eager and hungry group with open hearts. What happened was that 17 of these men and women gave their lives to Christ!
This has been our hope.
This is our vision.
Generations passing on the Gospel and growing the Kingdom of Jesus.

What happens at Core night?

Every week between 5-15 students gather at our house to eat, pray, fellowship, learn about being authentic followers of Jesus and... have fun!
Our current theme is focused on one of our core values: To know, love, and become like Jesus. We are searching the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to look at Jesus' life, character, way of life and relationships. This has been a powerful and potent look at our Jesus and in turn, our own lives.
This week we played a lil' Guesstures to get the night off to a good start. The video should give you a much better insight into the dynamics of our gatherings. Myles (shy as ever), takes center stage. Enjoy.

A month... already?

from Kristy...
I has officially been a month since we departed the US and landed ourselves back in Durban. To be honest, it feels like we've been back just a few days in so many ways. In other ways, it feels like a year. We can barely remember the smell of Dunn Brother's Coffee or the bird sounds that are so different from the sounds here. The month has gone by quickly because we feel like we have made such little progress in some of our biggest life and ministry goals here. We are back into the swing of things, and yet it feels like we have accomplished little.
Well, at least finally the house feels like home again and no longer looks SO BARE (a feeling, we think, that resulted from spending time in lots of very full American houses). The intense feelings of being torn from the ones you love best and who love you best have faded into a dull ache. We have, actually, fully re-established ourselves here. It has just taken time we did not expect it too.
I thought I would include a description of the bird sound so wake up to in the morning. We have a group of 7 Hadedas (pronounced Haw-de-daw) that nest in our neighbor's tree. I call them the little old grumpy men.

In Johannesburg, and on the beaches and savannas of southern Africa, it is the hadeda ibis, not the rooster, whose song, if it can be called that, announces morning. Har-har-har, he calls. Loud, raucous, guttural, the hadeda’s cacophonous call sounds like drunk men laughing. Har-har-ha-de-da.

Imagine a middle-aged man, grumpy and barrel-chested. He drinks too much, yells too often, laughs a lot but is quick to anger. Now. put feathers on him and stick him in a tree. Give him avian vision, a long curved bill, and a Red Sox fan’s hoarse yawp—and hello, hadeda

Anthony Schneider

We woke up without a president

Read the New York Times article for some good insight. Click HERE!

realistically I do see long term and short term problems and pain coming to South Africa because of the ANC forcing out President Thabo Mbeki.  He was Nelson Mandela's vice president for 5 years and has served for the past 9 as a president with great foreign relations skills and has helped a country that wants to better itself become a better place.  We're going to miss president Mbeki.

2 Year Birthday bash!

Myles turned two on 12 September.  Rather than give a play by play of the b-day week (oh-yes, we did a week since cards came early and late in the mail and the party in the park was a couple days after the day:)

The quick run-down:

1. 11th, Myles and Mom make cup-cakes.  Myles learns that cup-cakes are REALY good. 

2. 12th, Myles brings cup-cakes to play school and doesn't stop asking his teacher Thandeka for "more cup-cakes please" the rest of morning!

3. 13th, Myles gets some presents, feeling a bit sick but not too sick to help mom make juice and play with his buddy Conner. Notice who Myles supports whole-heartedly in the pictures (thanks Grand-ba ba and Grandma Sue!)

4. 14th, the big Birthday celebration at the Botanic Gardens.  Lots of friends, food and mom's great B-sting cake (could rival b-day cup-cakes for enjoyability)

5. 14th, by bedtime Myles is really sick but has enjoyed his best b-day week ever!

We're Back!!!

After a 34 hour journey with our energized Myles, we made it back to Durban!  Highlight of the trip... a less then full plane that gave the 3 of us a whole row or 4 seats for the "big" flight from Washington-Johannesburg!  Kinda a big deal since we only paid for 2 seats (last time we can or would want to do that!).

My hope is that in the next days you will see some pics from our USA visit and updates on how we are doing here (ie Kristy slept for the first time in over 7 days last night, and the Frog experience).

Stay tooned!

USA

OK, were in the States and overwhelmed with the amount of stuff here.  Besides that, I'm hitting a coffee shop every day or so.  Spending time with the family.  Looking forward to meeting my new nephew David (Joe n Jen's new born).   ok, Tony and Sarah (great friends from WSU) just showed up to the Dunn Bro's I'm at, so thats it for now!

Xenophobia in South Africa

If you have been following the international news at all the last couple of weeks you would have seen South Africa making headlines for all the wrong reasons.  What has happened is that in the informal settlements and townships anyone that is not a "South African" has been targeted as a threat.  This "targeting" has lead to violence, robbery, harassment, and death.  Thousands of foreigners who already were marginalized and the poorest of the poor have become victims all over again in the country were they were seeking refuge and a new life.

Why?  That really is the question on many peoples lips.  From dinner at friend's houses to impromptu campus debates, this is a big deal!  I don't presume to know more than others on this crises,  but I see close ties to un-employment, the governments non-action on the Zimbabwe crises (I could go on and on about this, but I think I might be the only one who realy cares what I have to say about it!), and in many casses, people from other countries who were willing to work hard at jobs that South Africans just haven't tried to get or don't want and then these people from other countries end up getting more "stuff" then their un-employed South African neighbors do.

But the scary thing has been the silence from the South African government.   People are suffering, so we are doing what we can.  The photo's are of Ian and I delivering a car full of aid to the refugee camp that was hastily erected behind the University that Kristy and I  work at.

We gave blankets, sanitary stuff, baby nappies and then listened and prayed.  Most of the people at the refugee camp where we visited were from Malawi.  It was hard to hear what happened to these men and women who came to South Africa from one of the poorest neighboring countries.  Any of these sad faces could have just as easily been a part of the leadership /Pastors training that I did in Malawi just weeks before.  What we heard were sad stoies of abuse, fear, and depressed people who didn't know what to do or how they would survive.  

Pray for South Africa, a country that for so many years was leaving it's people in neighboring countries in fear becasue of apartheid and now is violently kicking those countries people out of SA.

update by snail mail!

It's on the way!  Watch your mail-box for our newest Carlson Chronicle.  Never gotten one in the past?  then you had better hurry and e-mail us your address or you will loose out.

May=oops.

Mid May and this is the first blog.... bad news as this has probably put off most blog viewers! I think that this blog has been good for me (Ben) as it has shown me just how hard it is for me to sit at a computer and write/surf/communicate in general! Not a train smash for most people but not great for someone who's ministry relies on people an ocean away remembering to partner with us financially and prayerfully!

That said, I just found out that we have a significant deficit in our funding and that if we don't make up the shortfall by Aug we will be in a situation where we will have to put all other ministry aside to focus on building our team of financial partners. For a guy who loves to be on campus and not behind a computer or on the phone that sounds like agonizing and slow death! Ok, maybe being just a bit dramatic!
But that said I'd like to invite you to pray about partnering with Kristy and I at UKZN! How you might ask... glad you did! Click here and start with a one time gift!

If you would like to make a recurring donation to a staff person, please call (719) 594-2327 or (866) 568-7827 (toll-free).

Ok, I'll keep you posted. Thanks to all our partners-prayer and financial. We couldn't be here without you. Here is a slice of life in the week of the Carlsons.

Malawi

I will put up a few photo's now, just to give you a taste of what life is like in Malawi. with more stories and photo's of my trip in the coming days. The top photo is of my roommate while in Malawi. Mike. what an amazing man. This guy was used to advance the Kingdom in Malawi in such a significant way. It was unbelievable to end each day in Malawi listening to Mike share the most amazing stories of how God had moved that day as he counseled and prayed with couples, families and hurting individuals.
The second photo is me doing my best to wow the kids in Malawi with my amazing talent. (I had to prompt all the applause).

SALTphoto's

You asked for them!
Ok, maybe you didn't but I thought you would like them anyway. Two photo blogs I want to put up. this is all about the Easter Holiday SALT Nav conference in Jozi. Lots of peeps from all over southern Africa. It was a great time. and the drive down and back (7-8 hours each way) was a great way to connect and build deeper relationships with some of our key guys.
The highlight of the conference... when I sat down with 4 of the students from Durban and talked/challenged them to consider investing their lives for two years in Port Elizabeth with the Navs when they graduate. All 4 got excited, prayed, and are going to take a July survey trip of the campus there and to pray over the city as they decided if they will take the plunge! Pray with me as Sihle, Peleka, Nolwazi, and Gugu have been challenged with the command to "Go..."

There and back again...

Cheesy... but i feel a bit like a Hobbit adventurer. Needless to say, it was an experience going to the Ntchisi district in Malawi to conduct pastor/church/community leadership training on "the Kingdom of Jesus."
Myles is unpacking all the books on the book shelf, so this is all for the moment. Just wanted to say thanks for those who prayed for the trip! It was HUGE. Very emotional. Spiritual. and revealed to me a bit more of myself as I worked with Pastor Scott Countryman and the Berean team alongside World Relief Malawi.

Lots of peeps to talk about, blog about, pictures to show... but first let me go save my books!!

MALAWI

Malawi here I come!!!

I'm off in just a couple of minutes (literally... though I don't think you could take that figuratively).  So please be praying for my trip and especially for Kristy and Myles at home.  It's hard to leave them behind.

pics.... from SALT and Malawi on my return.

thanks for staying with us on life in the evergreen city!!!

SALT

I'm taking a group of 9 to the Southern African Leadership Training (SALT) weekend in Johannesburg. It happens once every 4 years, and this year its in Jozi. Zambia, Malawi, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and South Africa will be sending their Navigator leaders adn key students. So I"m hosting a "variety" evening and Thobe will be worship leading on the weekend.
Photo's and updates to come. I might even try to update at the conference since they have hot spots! We are entering a new age here in South Africa!

Another baby?!

Ok, that title is just to see if anyone is reading the blog this week! Our friend Thabisa (a girl that Kristy discipled for 3 years while she was at UKZN) just had a baby girl Zenele. Myles was fascinated and lil' Zen was oblivious! We are seeing God work not only in students hearts but also through whole family groups! Thabisa and her family are just one example of our natural and authentic family ties that are emerging. We are building and connecting with family's not only on a spiritual level but loving each other and growing deep relational ties.

And for those interested in what Myles is discovering... himself in a mirror. We put this mirror down on the floor and all-of-a-sudden Myles had a new friend!

How I love my boy?!

Myles decided that being asleep in the middle of the night is overrated.  So last night he got up at 12:30 and was up till 4:30.  Love him... yes.  Frustrated and overtired today... yes!!!  All day training along with a decipleship meeting and an evening recruiting at one of the residence halls is looking like a long day ahead!

Good espresso in Durban

Lou Lou was invited to display her jewelry at the Design Indaba in Cape Town this past weekend.  HUGE for any South African designer, something that will give her a great confidence boost and also the kind of exposure that can really help any new start-up business venture to succeed.  Kristy continues to help Lou Lou struggle through the beginning stages of life outside of school, starting a real business, and dealing with Lou Lou's "less than ideal" family:).  One perk is the best coffee in all of Durban (and I would say arguably Africa)  is available at their spot, making Bible study so much more rewarding when I find my way there! 

Best man

2007 was a great year for some of my "key guys."  Both S'pho and Cyril got engaged and S'pho is already married!  Beyond them finding wonderful women who are fellow followers of JC, they both also asked me to be their best man!  

Cyril and Gloria are medical Dr's and have both been a part of our ministry since the first year we came to Durban over 6 years ago.  I have been able to be a personal part of Cyrils redemptive story by coaching him in basketball, discipling him, and praying with him as he came into relationship with Jesus.  This photo I took of them on Wed to use on their wedding invites (you are some of the first to see it!).

Sick and Fired!

I've been sick for a week.  Sorry for the lack of posts.  The quick update on life in the evergreen city:

1. Thatch guys didn't show up all week so regretfully we fired Joshua and his never present guys!  Lost a bit of money, but not too bad considering the potential, and we did get those two days of labour  and materials out of them before we amiable, if not a bit frustrated, parted ways.

2. We are left with a huge pile of raked and discarded thatch and another pile of thatch to be put on the roof, both of which has put us in a big need to find a new thatch guy!  (pray we find a good, honest and quick one ASAP)

3.  I just started feeling better, Kristy just started feeling sick!

4. Our wall is falling apart because of a need to be patched and painted, so we've got painters scraping and patching away!

5. Ministry goes on even with me in bed!  Daniel is meeting guys.  Thobe meeting girls and our Core team meeting at our house to eat laugh, pray and do Bible study.

6. I've managed to connect well with a number of key returning students and they are all keen and eager to recruit 1st years as well as friends into Investigative Bible Studies.  Pray for some great connections.

7. Our house help lady was stealing from us and we had to let her go.  Hard and frustrating.

8.  It's valentines week and the Core guys are going to be making a special evening for the ladies in the community on thursday night!  look for the pics to come!

thanks for reading.

Two weeks of thatching and...

I've been kind in my blogging by saying it was only 5 days. In actuality the thatching began on Mon. 21st of January (that is two weeks and a day). On Friday I was a bit cross, OK really I was just trying to figure out how to motivate Joshua(our thatching contractor) to actually do some work and to get Kristy to stop smirking in the back ground with that "I told you I didn't have a good feeling about this guy" look on her face. I saw a challenge and decided that I was not going to be another victim! (Maybe just a bit dramatic, really I just phoned Joshua and told him to come with new guys or to bring back my deposit) On Sat morning Joshua showed up with a whole new crew of guys. They took one look at the work of the past two weeks and told me it all had to come down! Two weeks gone. Wasted.

I pulled Joshua aside and decided that a lil' chat was in order. After many apologies from my thatcher who told me that the guys working here the past two weeks had "just been playing," and a handshake to seal the deal, we agreed on a date he would have the whole thing finished: next wed the 13th of Feb. Doubtful though I am, the pictures can speak for themselves on how much work an inspired and trained crew can do. Double the work done in two days than the first crew did in two weeks!

Now if I can just get them to show back up!
It's been two days and no sign of thatchers:)

Thatching? Day 5.

If only I'd had the camera out @ 8am when the thatch guys came! Alas, I missed the opportunity because when I got back from campus at 4:00 everyone was gone and this is what met my eyes. It looks like two, or three more bundles made their way to the roof, but no more. Another curious phone call from me, another "I was about to phone you" from Joshua and we have quite the little drama in Durban! Stay tuned to this exciting day by day play by play to find out if we will be covered in thatch by March! Also student news and some profiles of peeps we are discipling will be coming here soon.

What?! No thatching!

Day 4 came and went and Joshua(sounds like ya-shua) and his guys failed to pitch again! A rather firm and inquisitive phone call made by myself (Ben) led to a promise that day 5 would come with results. "We'll see..." came the skeptic remarks and looks from Kristy and Lou Lou. (They must not have heard my "tough guy" voice I used during the call).

Invitation to join the "Core Team"

Well, this is it. The start of the new school year! Along with books and lectures by professors we have asked 10 students and 4 recent grads to be a part of our "Core Team." What is the "Core Team?" you might be asking! Really what it has become is an intimate group of individuals who have become family to us and each-other. We spend at least one night a week hanging out, reading the Bible, playing games and of course eating.
For 2008 we have asked this family to commit to doing a bit more. Here is what we laid out for those gathered on Sat as we digested a great braai and some homemade cookies by Kristy:
1. Meet every Thursday for a meal at the Carlson house(not too hard:)
2. At this meeting besides eating and catching up on a hectic week we will be doing Bible study together. To do this well we are asking everyone to do a minimum of 2 hours of prep work before we meet as a group.
3. Each individual will meet for one on one discipleship with one of the Staff or older Nav peeps (Ben, Kristy, Daniel, Thobe, or Lou Lou).
4. You will attend and help lead an Investigative Bible Discussion (IBD).
5. Be a part of and help lead our once a month large group gathering.

There was excitement in the air and lots of dialog as we sat in our partially thatched braai area. After figuring out how we would start on the Bible study and other details (the all important "who is bringing the food?" question was kindly brought up by Phil-answer: everyone takes turns) we broke into groups to pray for the year.

Possibility is the word for the year. It is on my heart on the minds of the students. It is something that I've been dreaming about and digesting with my morning coffee. If you'd like to hear more send an e-mail or comment on this blog.

Durban Work Ethic? Thatching(?) Day 3.

The weekend came and went, we had a great braai (look for details on next blog) with the "Core" team, and the thatch guys took a 2 day break. But like many projects that happen in Durban sometimes the workers show up and sometimes... We'll pray they return!!!

Day 2!

Day two of thatching started with rain and heat, but our thatch guys push on!  Our gentle giant dogs (Durbie and Ella) put the fear of God into our new working friends here so they are spending the day out of the way doing what they do best.