Little Princesses

I offer the following as proof that my little nieces, Lauren and Brooke, truly are princesses!!!




It's crazy how much these little kiddos grew over the time I was gone, but it's awesome to be back and a part of their lives again! And, I'd say they've taken to their fur-faced uncle pretty well...once they figured out who I was!!! Of course, in order to remind them of how cool of an uncle I am, I bought them these super-cool African dolls! Man, I'm an awesome uncle, if I do say so myself! :-)

While totally stoked about the doll (I'm sure), Brookie unfortunately had an ear-ache that day...

My Re-Entry Into American Food: 3 Weeks in Review

It's hard to believe that I've been home for more than three weeks now! Shortly before coming home, I made a list of foods that I was looking forward to eating upon my re-entry into American culture. It's time to take another look at that list in order to evaluate how I've done so far!

*Foods in gold lettering have already been eaten, while I still need to eat the foods in red lettering...SOON!

1. Giordano's Pizza in Chicago. This seriously needs to happen soon!
   
2. A burrito from Chipotle. Again, what am I waiting for?!
   
3. Fajitas from Mazatlan.
4. Chips and salsa.
   
5. Anything from Taco Bell. With all the other great options, this one has fallen back on my list significantly. I'll get there soon enough, though.
   
6. A big juicy steak from Outback Steakhouse. Unfortunately, this one costs $$.
   
7. My dad's spaghetti.
8. Chinese food from Empire Express. Soon!
   
9. Our family's "chicken in a pot" Sunday dinner.
   
10. Bruno's Pizza.
11. Miriam Wertz' homemade chili.
    
12. The Grand Empire Chinese Buffet.
    
13. My dad's grilled chicken.
    
14. Wendy's dollar menu.
15. A foot-long sub from Subway.
    
16. My homemade Chinese food. I've started cooking again, but this one hasn't hit the menu yet!
    
17. Dairy Queen ice cream. I totally underestimated what freezing temperatures would do to my desire for ice cream. I'll wait a few months...
    
18. Fruity Pebbles.
19. Jack's frozen pizza.
20. Thai food.
21. A big juicy hamburger.
22. Frosted Mini-Wheats.
23. Wings from BW3.
24. Papa John's Pizza. I've been getting my pizza fix...just different kinds.
    
25. My mom's hot deli sandwiches.
    

Ok, it's time to give myself a grade. In 3 weeks, I've eaten 13 of the 25 foods that I was craving. That's 52% of the food on this list, and an average of more than 4 of these new foods a week. Taking into account the fact that I have not gained any unwanted weight upon my re-entry, I'd give myself a B+ on my totally subjective and arbitrary rating scale. I simply have no excuse for not having eaten American-Chinese food or Chipotle yet, but I'm confident that I'll be checking more and more off this list in the weeks to come! Woo hoo!

"For You Are Good, My God"

As promised, here's a video of me jammin' down in South Africa with two good friends, Christian and Chevonne. This is actually a song that I wrote while down there. It's called "For You Are Good, My God," and as far as I know this was the first time that I ever performed a song that I wrote before a live audience. Hope you like it!



Disclaimer #1: The camera work on this video is pretty shaky. Sorry!
Disclaimer #2: Don't worry, I'm aware that my hair is ridiculous in this video!

We Be Jammin'

This past year I was blessed with some really great friends from all over Africa. One common interest that I shared with many of my African friends was a love for music. During the "training phase," my first four months in South Africa, I connected with several friends who were brilliant musicians. Nearly every night for four months we got together for "Jam Sessions" where we would sing worship songs together, write some of our own music, and laugh a lot. I've got several clips and recordings of these Jam Sessions, which unfortunately I couldn't share with you while I was in Africa, but thanks to AT&T and the high-speed internet in my home here in the States I should have some videos posted soon. But, for now, here are a few pics of my jammin' crew.

Blast From the Past

Yesterday, I was back on the campus of my alma mater, Bethel College, to hear my old friend and professor, Chad Meister, give an address in chapel. Being back on campus and sitting in chapel brought back many memories of the four years I spent learning and growing at Bethel. It also reminded me of lots of fun memories, like the airband competition that my roommates and I won our senior year. Check it out!

The Fam

Tonight, my sister, Sarah, and her hubby, Nick, are heading back down to Mexico where they serve as missionaries. Before they left, our family had a meaningful time of praying for one another and committing this next year to the Lord. Sadly, this may have been our last time to be together as an entire family for almost another full year.

Being away from my family this past year, I've certainly learned to value time with them a lot more, and God has really opened my eyes to how blessed I am to be a part of such an incredible family. Each member of my immediate family loves and serves the Lord, something that doesn't seem too common nowadays. I'm blessed with parents who have shown me what it means to love the Lord with all their hearts and fully trust Him, even in the midst of some very hard times, and I'm blessed with siblings who encourage and challenge me in my faith. It's tough to know that we won't all be together again soon, but I'm excited to see what God does in and through my family as we all collectively and individually strive to know Him better and to serve Him wholeheartedly literally all over the world this next year.

Our family picture this year. This was our annual family "game day," which was held on the day after Christmas this year. My brother-in-law, Michael, supplied the "Lancer Basketball" T-shirts, so we can now all support his LaVille Lancer high school basketball team, which he coaches. Notice the stark contrast between Michael (bald, clean-shaven guy on the far left) and me (hairy guy next to him)!

Fear

One year ago today, I stepped onto a plane headed for South Africa. It was that day that several years of talking about being a missionary turned into an exciting and scary reality. I'll never forget the wave of emotions that rushed over me as I took my last deep breath of American air and stepped onto that plane, knowing full well that for a whole year the life that I had known up until that moment would seemingly not exist. I was walking into the unknown.

The emotion I felt in that moment can only be described as the most acute and real sense of fear that I have ever experienced. My legs felt like jelly, and I remember being surprised at how hard it was to leave. "I'm actually doing this...this is crazy," I remember thinking. But, it was too late to turn back, and deep in my Spirit I knew that going was part of God's sovereign plan for my life. That was assurance enough for me to take that last step.

It didn't take me too long in South Africa to realize how unfounded my fears had been. Not that it was silly for me to experience fear--I think fear naturally wells up in the face of the unknown (although we shouldn't embrace it)--but I quickly saw that God knew what He was doing. Within weeks, I was already to the point where I could no longer have imagined my life without the relationships I had built in Africa. I was so filled with joy that God had called me out of the comfortable life that I had known, to a new place, filled with new experiences, new relationships, and a new vision for ministry. It was in that place that I found myself growing more than I ever could have imagined. However, over the course of the year, as I embraced more and more of Africa, I found myself again in a comfortable place. I had carved out a niche for myself in South Africa, with a ministry, a church family, and many close friends. Life was getting comfortable again.

Fast forward to December 22, 2009, and there I was again at an airport, this time ready to step onto a plane headed back to my old world, my old life. It was that day that, unexpectedly, those exact same fears that I had felt a year earlier once again welled up inside me. It didn't make sense to me. I was going home. Why was I afraid of that? Home was a place that I knew. It was a place that I loved, filled with family and friends that I loved. What was so scary about that? I think the answer lies in one word: change.

Humans are creatures of habit. Most of us carve out a specific way that we live our lives--a framework, if you will--and then we exist within that framework. It's our safety net, our comfort zone, to use the old cliché. Even those of us who might describe ourselves as "spontaneous" or "adventurous" still have a propensity to form patterns within which we live our lives. What I have found, though, is that real adventure, real passion, real life is often found when we allow Christ to take us to a new place. I mean, that's what he offers us, right? A new life, new creatures in a new kingdom, serving a King who loves to take old things and make them new.

I honestly cannot imagine not having spent the past year in Africa. I experienced change and significant growth that I believe has shaped me in ways that will affect the rest of my life. God undoubtedly knew what He was doing when He called me out of my comfortable life.

Now, I'm certainly not saying that everyone is called to overseas missions. At the same time, my challenge for each one of you is to open yourself up for something fresh and new from God this year. I'm convinced that wherever the Spirit dwells, growth and change are sure to follow. If you are a believer, the Spirit dwells inside of you, so ask yourself, "In what ways does God want to mold me and change me this year?" This is a scary question because more often than not God takes us through the fire in the process of refining us. Simply put, change hurts. But I'm here to tell you that it's more than worth it. Most people will never step out and embrace change in their lives because of fear. Fear cripples us. Fear tried to keep my feet planted on the tarmac, but faith allowed me to embrace God's calling in my life and step onto that plane. My prayer for you is that this is a year in which you face your fears and step out on faith, embracing God's calling in your own life.

2010 World Cup

Some of you might know that later this year South Africa will be hosting the FIFA World Cup. Granted, most of you Americans out there probably don't care much about it because they will be playing futbol and not football, but it's a huge deal for South Africa. It's the first time ever that the world cup will be hosted by a country in Africa, and I'm excited that South Africa will have a chance to showcase their beautiful country for the rest of the world to see.

Like I said, I know most Americans couldn't care less about soccer, but believe me, we are the tiny tiny minority in the world when it comes to that. Soccer is the world's sport, and they love it. While in SA this past year, I had the opportunity to go watch South Africa's national team, Bafana Bafana, play against Poland. Just to give you an idea of how much African's love soccer, enjoy this short video clip from the game.

Boris & Finnigan

Probably very few of you faithful readers have heard my sob story about wanting a dog growing up (and being ruthlessly denied by my parents!!!). I'll get over it...someday. Basically, the Cliffnotes version goes something like this.

When I was a little toddler, we had a dog named Duke. My mom didn't like him digging up her flowers or making a mess in our yard, so we got rid of him. From that point forward, for years I begged and pleaded for a dog. It didn't matter what holiday it was, I was asking for a dog.

Christmas - Don't you think Jesus would be happy if we celebrated his birth by caring for a little puppy, Mom and Dad?

Birthday - It's MY birthday; can't I get what I really want for once!?

Halloween - Forget the candy; give me a puppy!

Valentine's Day - Don't you love me? If you loved me, you'd get me a puppy!

Easter - Forget the Easter Bunny! How 'bout an Easter Puppy!?

Hannukah - Jesus was a Jew...I think he wants us to have EIGHT puppies!!!

Okay, so maybe it wasn't exactly like that, but you get the point. I spent years of my life wasting my breath, and my parents never caved. If you wonder why I am the way I am today, I blame it all on the emotional trauma I endured from years of puppy deprivation. (It's okay, Mom and Dad, I'll forgive you sooner or later!!!).

Fast forward now to my year in South Africa. I mentioned in the previous post about staying with Uncle Johan and Auntie Brenda. One of the HUGE perks of staying with them was that they had not one, but TWO dogs! They were quite the dynamic duo. Boris was this monstrous Rhodesian Ridgeback who was ready to rip off the head of anyone trying to break into the house, but really was just a sweet dog. Standing on his hind legs, he probably came up close to my chest, though. Just a monster.

His antithesis, then, was little Finnigan. "Finny," as I often called him, was a tiny little Jack Russell, the runt of his litter. He was this crazy little puppy that would get so excited when I came home that he often peed himself--literally! A quick story about Finnigan...

So this little puppy loved to jump up on me, and he was always trying to lick my face. I thought it was cute and everything, and most of the time I let him. Well, what he really liked to do was lick my beard (I know, I know...it's gross), and I could never figure out why. Finally, it was pointed out to me that given my Osama-esque (yes, that's a new adjective) beard, whenever I ate, food was often getting stuck in my beard. So Finnigan wasn't really so interested in my beard as he was the leftovers stuck in my beard! Ha!

Anyway, now that you're all grossed out and wondering if I've got a few screws loose, here are a few pictures of my South African pets:

Posing with Boris and Finnigan on my last day in South Africa. This picture really doesn't do justice to how huge Boris is...

With my little buddy, Finnigan!

Seriously, cutest dog E-VER. Now you know why I let him lick my face...

My South African Parents

Throughout this past year in Africa, I was blessed by so many generous people who just gave, gave, and then gave some more. I was seriously overwhelmed at times by the love I received from people, as well as their spirits of cheerful giving.

Two such people, whom I could never thank enough, are Johan and Brenda Swanepoel--whom I referred to as Uncle Johan and Auntie Brenda, and even sometimes jokingly as "Mom" and "Dad." They literally had an "open door policy" with me, letting me know that any time I needed a place to stay, their door was always open. So after the four months of training ended on the farm, I started taking them up on their offer.

At first, I would usually just come stay with them on weekends. They lived in a town just south of Johannesburg called Vereeniging, about 45 minutes from the farm. My church was in Vereeniging, and the internet access there was about a million times better than on the farm, so it worked out pretty well. But, as the year went on and I began traveling more, I ended up staying with them as often as I could, in between trips. Finally, for the last month or two of my time in South Africa, I moved in with their family. They seriously treated me like a son, which really meant a lot to me being so far away from my friends and family back home. Looking back, I really do feel blessed by the time I was able to spend with them and their family, and I'm thankful to God for bringing them into my life!

My South African parents: Auntie Brenda and Uncle Johan.

A Few More Dreadful Pics

Not gonna lie, it's nice to have my guitar back!

Jammin' to a song I wrote in Africa.

And then some carols on Christmas morning!

Dread Me

On my last day in Africa, I did something that I had been wanting to do for a long time...I got dreads! Now, they're still a work in progress (it can take several months for dreads to actually lock in), but I'm digging them so far. The best part was after I put them in, when for the rest of the day anytime a black guy saw my dreads, he would give me a thumbs up or yell, "Hey, my Rasta brotha!" Even the lady at the check-in counter at the airport told me she loved them! Apparently getting dreads = immediate solidarity with black Africans!

The "before" shot.

The "during" pic.

All done!

From the back.

So what do you think? Do I pull it off, or is a buzzed head in order? Leave me a comment!

Christmas Brunch

Here's the whole clan finally together again for our annual Christmas brunch. This year seemed extra special...

Back Home Again

Well, I've been home for about 5 days now. It's been great just reconnecting with my family this week, and in some ways with them it feels like I was never gone. This coming week, then, I will slowly start the re-entry into my life here, as I'll begin reconnecting with lots of old friends. If that includes you, call me up, and lets hang out!

Getting lots of love from the Edison clan at the airport.

Meeting my new nephew, Wesley James, for the first time!!!

Finals Days in SA

Well, I'm finally getting a chance to breathe and just relax in my final week here in SA. After VAC Camp, I drove six hours down to Pietermaritzburg to spend a few days with some good friends, Josh and Jamie Quarandillo and family, as well as an old high school buddy, Andrew Myers, who is interning with the Qs for the next nine months or so. The past few days have been filled with lots of sleep, some reading and journaling, and endless hours of Nintendo Wii sports tournaments with the Q family...just what I needed. Tomorrow, then, I'll head back up north to Vereeniging to stay with my host family here in SA for my last few days, before flying back home on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning.

I've got lots more to share about VAC Camp this past week, as well as some of my other experiences and thoughts from this year, but for now I'm just going to try to enjoy my last few days with some people I love, in a country that I have grown to love. Looking forward to reconnecting with many of you soon!

God is Moving

The Spirit is moving here at VAC Camp in ways that I've never seen before. It's insane. We've seen many kids come to know Christ, and many more who have had major breakthroughs and experienced freedom from bondage, a freedom that only Christ can give. Much more to come later, but for now just keep praying. We have one more day left, and I'm excited to see what God has in store for us next!

VAC Camp: Day 1

VAC Camp started yesterday, and nearly 300 young people from the Joburg area showed up at Camp Eden. The theme for camp this week is "Power," and we are diving into a power-filled life in the Spirit that so many Christians seem to be missing these days.

In the opening session last night, I walked through the entire Old Testament with the youth, focusing on the POWER struggle between God and man. Beginning with the first temptation in the garden--"...you will be like God..." (Gen. 3:5)--and the cycle of sin and rebellion that has plagued humanity from that point forward. Still today, I think our greatest temptation is that we want to be God--or at least "god" of our own lives. So we search for this power within ourselves, only to be perpetually frustrated by our inability to live a power-filled life. Only be surrendering and plugging into the power of the Spirit can we truly live power-filled lives. In conclusion, I had everyone pray this simple prayer: "Holy Spirit, show up in my life this week." I'm convinced that God wants to break through in powerful ways in the lives of these young people this week, and I'm convinced He met with us last night!

Please continue praying:

• that God would transform the lives of these young people this week.
• that the Spirit would fill Mthawelanga and me as we continue to share God's Word over the next four days.
  

Re-Orientation and VAC Camp

There's a good chance you won't hear much from me for the next couple weeks. Tomorrow I head back to the J-Life headquarters at Camp Eden for a week-long "re-orientation" (that's what they call it around here--we would say "debrief") with the 2009 J-Life trainees. It should be a great time of reflecting on what God has done in our lives and ministries this year, as well as an awesome time to reconnect with many close friends with whom I went through four months of training at the beginning of the year.

Next Friday, then, begins "VAC Camp." J-Life is hosting about 250 young people from several churches around Johannesburg for a summer camp at Camp Eden, and I'll be one of the speakers at camp this year. I'll be splitting eight sessions with Mthawelanga Nkonzo, a super-gifted worship leader and youth pastor from Johannesburg. He will speak in the morning sessions, while I will speak each evening for four days. Our theme this year is "Power," and we'll be taking a look at what it means to live by the power of the Spirit. I've learned a ton over the past month or so as I've studied this topic, and I'm excited to share what God has laid on my heart for the youth. As VAC Camp approaches, please be praying with me that God would make clear the words He wants me to share to these young people, and that I would simply get out of the way!

Huntin' for a Job...

Well, I'll be home in less than three weeks now--that much I know. What I don't know is what exactly I'll be doing once I get home. I'm planning on hanging out in northern Indiana for a while to spend time with my family and friends. However, odds are I'll be back on the mission field sooner rather than later--hopefully within the next year. So I guess the big question is: what will I do for the next year?

Being a person whose life has revolved around youth ministry for the past several years, my heart is definitely in investing in the lives of young people. Unfortunately, a year (or less) isn't really an ideal amount of time to get plugged into full-time youth work. It's really not fair for any church, and it's especially not fair to the young people. This puts me into kind of a tough spot. I certainly don't want to "waste" a year of my life just hanging out and waiting for God to reveal His next big plans for my life. After such a stretching year this year, the last thing I want to do is spend a year getting comfortable and not really pouring myself into young people, which is clearly God's calling on my life. But I also realize that I can invest in people's lives no matter where I am and no matter what I "do" vocationally.

I've considered even just doing some substitute teaching. Sure, the pay's not great, but it's a chance to hang out with young people every day, and it's obviously an extremely flexible job--I can just work whenever I want to work. Other than that, I suppose I can get some other job in the "secular" world--maybe work as a waiter or something. I think it would actually be kind of cool to be out in the "real world" for a while and really get a chance to be salt and light.

Most of all, I'm just praying now (and you can be praying, too!) that God will open up the right doors for me and make things clear. And who knows...maybe He will use you to show me the right door? I know that most of my readers are friends or other people involved in ministry in some way--or both. If any of you have a great job idea, feel free to let me know! Like I said, I'm not sure a full-time youth ministry gig is the best option for me right now, but I'm not totally ruling that out, either. Besides that, as far as ministry goes, I think I can add value to a church in the areas of worship and/or missions. I have a passion for worship through music and have been leading in that capacity for several years now. And, obviously, missions is my life and passion as well. Other than that, as I said before, I'm more than open to any job ideas you might have in the secular realm as well.

Okay, my shameless plug for myself is finished. Leave me a comment here on the blog or shoot me an email at ackosmo22@aol.com if you have any thoughts/suggestions. But, most of all, just keep praying that God's hand would continue leading and guiding me in every step I take in life, and pray that I would be sensitive to His leading! Thanks so much to all of you who have been praying faithfully!

Did You Know That There Are Penguins in Africa?

While down in Cape Town in October, we stopped by Boulders Beach in Simon's Town, which is famous for, of all things, PENGUINS! Yep, believe it or not, there is a small population of penguins who find their natural habitat in the Western Cape of South Africa. The Western Cape is actually known for its less-than-tropical weather: high winds, cool temperature, and FREEZING water along the coast. The best part about this particular breed of penguins is that they're called "Jackass Penguins" because they sound like braying donkeys! Ha! Enjoy the pics....

Penguin Crossing: not something you see every day...especially in Africa!

I present to you: the Jackass Penguins!

I call this one "The Godfather" because he (she?) looks old and wise. It's also the ugliest penguin I have ever seen! I think there's a reason this guy didn't get called for the cast of Happy Feet!

Chillin' with the penguins.

One big happy penguin family.

I picture the penguin on the left with a New York accent saying, "Whaddya lookin' at, pal?"

Another sign you just don't see everyday!

How crazy is that?! Penguins in Africa?! Who would have thought???