Back in the UK

OK, 'back in the UK' is a bit stale. We've been back since the 11th of October! But back we are, and delighted to say so. After some time of rest and recovery from furlough (it took me almost a month before I really wanted to talk to people -- I was 'peopled out' from all our speaking engagements), some painting and decorating of the upstairs bedrooms, reconnecting with many people, it was suddenly Christmas and the kids had arrived.

Andrew and Jess were here for 2 weeks and 3 weeks, respectively, and we had a great time. Their departure was sad, but signaled time to dig into some new projects. Our time prior to Christmas was essential for regaining a sense of the big picture of our work and ministry here, but now we're settling into new responsibilities and routines. In the days ahead I will tell you more.

Counting Down

Our return date to England draws ever closer. We've been settled into the Stafford, Virginia area for just over a week. Tim has a trip next week to Colorado for a church planters leaders retreat. Tam has a trip to Indianapolis the first week in October. And then just a few days later we're back in England!

What are we missing about England these days? Tam mentions our cats, our bed, and our furniture. Tim starts salivating, when asked, over thoughts of a Lamb Tikka Massala on the evening of our return. But both of us agree that some sense of routine and a return to our friends, where we can live out our call to help people walk in God’s ways, keeps us counting the days.

Where have we been recently? We did enjoy a brief trip to NYC at the end of July. Yes, food was involved, as you can see from the photo of Tim and Ruth enjoying some Malaysian fare. In the middle of August, we were back in Newport News, Virginia for a conference, and saw our friend Teressa -- she's an amazing woman who along with her husband Donnie supports our ministry in England by selling her paintings. At the end of August, after leaving Peggy's 126 acre farm in Salem, Virginia we headed for Pennsylvania and New Hampshire. Our weekend in the Howard area was fantastic, and then we spent a couple of days in Kingston, NH with friends Doug and Sandi from our Oregon days some 22 years ago. Yes, Sandi, your cinnamon rolls are still the best in the world!

Road Weary

After 52 weeks stateside, we're now getting a bit road weary. The first week in July was our hardest week of travel, with a trip to Kansas and Nebraska from Virginia. We can now say we have logged about 31,245 miles by car (that's 600 miles per week), while having entered and exited 29 states. Fifty-four beds will have comforted our increasingly weary bodies, but only 1 pillow (we take our pillow with us where ever we travel!).

The good news is that our return to the UK is booked! We'll be counting down the 13 weeks remaining until our return to our own bed, our own stuff, our church family and many friends who we long to see and with whom we long to share how God has provided beyond what we could ask or imagine. But not yet.... We have a few more miles to go and more friends to see and more ministry assignments to complete.

One of our recent highlights was a 16 mile bicycle ride down the Virginia Creeper Trail with our long-time friends Ann and Paul. That's the longest we've biked in years, but fortunately it was all down hill. We rented bicycles from a company that took us to the top of Whitetop Mountain, and coasted most of the time. We even had a stop for lunch half-way down!

We're now in Salem, staying with our dear friend Peggy on her 126 acre farm. Yes, it is an absolutely delightful area. Like Abingdon, it's on the edge of the Appalachian Trail. The gentle mountains and ridges are full of wildlife. On the drive into Peggy's land, we saw a young two or three month old fawn. Within an hour of arrival, we watched wild turkeys cross a field. On the way out the next morning, we saw another yearling deer and rabbits. Tim is thrilled because there is grass to mow, and wood to cut with the chainsaw and split for the winter.

I can still remember Bob Hope specials where he would sing "Thanks for the memories..." On occasion, I’ll start to sing that tune or Barbara Streisand’s "Memories, like the corners of my mind, misty water-colored memories of the way we were." Inevitably, I’ll forget the words apart from the first two or three, and Tammy will beg me to give it up. Then she’ll go on to sing the correct lyrics in a much better manner than I can. Admittedly, Tam's voice is more pleasant than mine, but my version of the lyrics are funny...at least to me.

Anyway, I’ve felt for a long time that family holidays are important because they build important memories together and contribute to family bonding — even if the holiday doesn’t turn out as planned. A decade ago we had a great holiday to Scotland and the Isle of Skye; when we tried to repeat it the following year our car broke down in a campsite we had already visited, and it rained continuously on our too-small tent making it miserable for all of us.

We still talk about it, just as we talk about visiting Longleat House and Safari Park during our first summer in England 13 years ago. When we repeated that visit a dozen years later, just before leaving the UK for our current stateside assignment, we remembered the first visit while making new memories to remember....such as Andrew screaming "Giraffes" and finally getting his skateboard, albeit in miniature. I’m chuckling and thankful even now for such memories and the family bonding we experienced.

And so it was in Orlando last month when we met the kids there for a family holiday together. Whether it was the four of us crammed together (joined by Phill from England for one night) in a small hotel room with copious complaints of my snoring (replaced by Phill’s sonorous sounds for one night), or taking a group photograph around a bowl of fruit for our friend Vicki in Arizona, we built memories. And we bonded. And we were family. Together. And that too is a gift from God.
Photographs bring pleasant memories too. I mentioned in an earlier blog seeing our friend Julie in Dallas, for the first time in 24 years, who was in our youth group in our home church in Eugene. She managed to dig up a photograph from some aged archive and shared it with us. I couldn’t dig all the names up from my memory banks, but some of the youth sure imprinted their mark on me. And maybe we did for them too.

Such is our hope, and our thanks, for the memories.

A Day Off

How unusual these days, a day off! I managed to convince Tammy that since we were in an area of ports and navy bases, that a trip to the middle of Norfolk and the USS Wisconsin battleship. It was awesome to go on board. You get on free of charge, and there are volunteers all over the deck to tell you about the ship if you're willing to ask a question. You get on by entering through the Nauticus (http://www.nauticus.org/), a building which houses a museum and cafe and so.

The USS Wisconsin was worth seeing, as was the museum. You can find out more at these two sites:

• http://www.usswisconsin.org/
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Wisconsin_(BB-64)

But if you decide to eat in the cafe there, expect chaos because ordering and paying are separate, and you might have to float a loan to pay for the meal because it was overpriced.

Awesome piece of military equipment, still in the reserve fleet, so no going inside.

Safe & Sound

"Safe & Sound" aptly describes our arrival into Newport News last week. We arrived on 22 March with no problems en route from Mesa, Arizona. It was a long way, but ever so enjoyable because of the several dozen old friends we saw along the way.

There were so many highlights! Julie, from our youth group in Oregon, who we hadn't seen for 24 years. Dan, who graduated from NCC in Eugene with me in 1986, our first visit together in 20 years. Then there was Julie, whose family are friends of ours from University Street Christian Church days in Oregon, 22 years plus since our last seeing one another. And there was Mark, a classmate from high school we stopped and had coffee with in Birmingham, Alabama.

Too many stories to tell, so I'll tell you about one of our favourite food experiences. At least, one of Tim's favourites!

Prior to giving us a tour of New Orleans, the devastation, and the wonderful work being done by Journey Christian Church (http://www.journeyneworleans.com/) and Building Better Communities to help rebuild New Orleans (it will take a long time, 175,000 homes were destroyed, 300,000 people displaced or made homeless), Nathan Hawkins took us to a local seafood restaurant. There, Nathan and Tim devoured a pound of cajun crawfish and a pound of boiled shrimp together. Tam declined and ate another Louisiana delicacy of red beans and rice. For more on the unique history of cajun living and cajun cooking, see http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~jmeaux/cajun.html, from which I borrowed this photo.

Newport News is the locus of military bases, NASA, beaches, and the early history of the New World. In fact, April marks the 400th anniversary of the landing of those first 3 ships, and the founding of Jamestown. For lots more info, check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Peninsula.

Anyway, we're here for another few weeks. Northside Christian Church has generously provided accommodation for us that has a lounge, bedroom with a king-sized bed that's so big ("How big is it?") I have to use the cell-phone to ring Tammy to see if she's gone to bed at the same time I have. It's so big ("How big is it?"), that I have to use a GPS system to locate her for our last cuddle of the day. The accommodation also includes entry into the gym next door, so we're back to swimming (Tammy) and aerobic work and weights (Tim).

Maybe I can work off a few of those 15 pounds I've gained since we've been stateside. Where are those cajun crawfish, maybe I'll lift a few of those....

Another Departure, More Goodbyes

With less than 36 hours before departing Mesa for 6 months of highly nomadic life, I find myself reflecting on departures and goodbyes. Yesterday, Tam and I met with Neil, a friend and leader in the church here. We debriefed the previous 6 months of life and ministry we've experienced.

It seems the nature of what we do involves loads of 'so good to see you again' and 'farewell.' It's bittersweet. We celebrate the embrace of friends old and new, then grieve the loss which distance brings to these relationships. It's one thing that makes me believe in heaven---the eternity of Kingdom living and the everlasting family meal we who are children of the King will enjoy. How could the relationships which have been forged not enrich us into eternity?

Anyway, we embark on the next stage of our stateside journey before we can return to England. This Sunday our Olds Silhouette van will be loaded up with all that can carry, and we'll make our way initially to Atlanta, Georgia for speaking appointments. En route we will see a couple of friends we've not seen in over 20 years! Again, we'll say 'great to see you' and then 'may God bless you and protect you until we meet again.' In Houston, we hope to see a cousin I've only ever met once. In Birmingham, and then in Atlanta, we'll see two families who lived in England and were part of the life of Dickens Heath Village Church. In northern Georgia, we're preparing to see a friend who was in our youth group in Oregon, and whom we've also not seen in at least 21 years. Along the way, we'll be in several churches, renewing old friendships and making new ones.

Does this make me sad? Yes. No. Not a chance. I think you know what I mean. My life continues to be enriched by the influence and treasure these people are to me, and even more surprising to me, the influence and treasure I am to them. Chances are, if you're reading this, you're one of them. Thanks for letting me love you, and thanks even more for loving me.

Until the next time I see you, an old Celtic blessing for you:

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Odds & Ends

January was a delightful if bittersweet month. The month ended with a visit from Tim's parents (see previous post). But the week before that included a last family meal of the four of us (Tim, Tam, Andrew and Jess) and we had a great time together. I guess I must have been having too much fun, because I got caught in a photo by Tam. This is what will happen to you if you stick black olives up your nose--yes, you will end up looking like Tim!!

The day I took Jess to uni, we dropped Tam off at the airport and she flew to Indianapolis. She was part of an assessment centre which helps to evaluate singles and couples who are looking to live and work in cross-cultural settings. She came home exhausted and took a day to recover.

As for me, I went up into the mountains with a group of about 15 for a weekend training retreat for living and working in a cross-cultural setting. I may have missed riding a four wheel ATV in MN and AZ at Christmas, but I made up for it by driving a four wheel drive vehicle in a couple feet of snow up into the mountains at Show Low, AZ, and then on the return through Payson, AZ down to Mesa. I drove a loaner Yukon that was sweet to drive. I would love to go again!

Family Visits

We've just said goodbye to Tim's mum and dad who visited from MN. Their trip was a gift from their children (Mike, Diane, Tim and Pat) for their 50th anniversary. It was like a mini-family reunion while they were here. We took a trip to Quartzsite, which during the summer has less than 5000 residents, but swells to upwards of 250,000 people in the winter months. We met Tam's dad Marvin and wife Carolyn as well as Tam's aunt Joyce (Marvin's older sister) and uncle Rollin. It was fun getting Joyce and Rollin and Joyce and Rollie together again, the first time since our wedding 23 years ago. It reminded us of the story of another aunt (Ruby, Marvin's oldest sister) of Tammy's who took photos of the four at the wedding day, but went home only to learn she had been taking photos all day without film in her camera!

We also managed to visit with with two of Tim's aunts and an uncle in Mesa. Shirlee (one of Dad's older sisters) and Mert winter in the area, while Marilynn (Dad's youngest sister) happened to be visiting the last couple of weeks. Unknown to us, Marilynn was also booked on the same return flight to MN, so we took them all to the airport.

I don't think they were too happy to leave AZ and the 70 degree F temperatures for the frosty environs of 9 below F temps of MN!

It was a wonderful visit for 5 days with mum and dad, and we're so glad they were here.

For more on some interesting facts and photos of Quartzsite, click on this link: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0101/feature6/

A Trip Across the Border

It was a 3 hour trip each way, but we visited Nogales, Mexico with Jesus. Well, not Jesus actually, but Jesús Celaya. Jesús is associate director of Hispanic Ministries here at the church in Mesa, and was actually born and raised (until he was 11) on the Mexican side of the border before moving to the American side.

It was fascinating talking to Jesús about Hispanic culture and his groundlaying work for a new Hispanic church plant in Mesa--He's only been in this position at the church for three months. While we were in Nogales he pointed out the area where he lived (high up on a hill) and the Catholic church where he served as an altar boy.

I asked Jesús why it was so common for families to name their children after Jesus. He explained that families thought having a child in the family named Jesus offered some sort of spiritual protection. Often, it's the firstborn, but Jesús laughed and said he had no idea why it took his parents until the 9th child to do so!

We ate taquitos (little tacos; any word ending with 'ito' mean 'little' -- something Jesús taught us on the day) once we got there in a little hole-in-the-wall place. We wondered the shops and EVERY shopkeeper asked us to come in and take a look at their goods. And if we passed them and came by half-an-hour later they asked again! Some would say, "Come and buy some of our Mexican junk, please. It is a very good price."

Lunch was at the El Hacienda, similarly good and cheap. And it was on Jesús!

Would I go again? Well, I thought this might be a research trip to go again when my parents visit in a couple of weeks, but I don't think they would enjoy it--too much walking and too touristy--just knick knacks and such. Great to visit for a day, but even better to chat with Jesús, Nancy, Melissa on the journey there and back.

Wonderful Family Times

We had a wonderful time in MN for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. First time everyone together in one place, ever! It was great being able to honor mum and dad. Thanks to Ray and Barb for giving us a place to lay our heads at night. Came home with a cooler full of venison--even if it was delayed by 36 hours before getting to our house in Mesa.

Alas, no snow, therefore no snomobiling. Similarly, in our visit to Lake Havasu City to see Marvin and Carolyn, no working ATV, so no four wheeling in the desert mountains this time around. Maybe next time.

Pictured, from left: Front row: Kathy, Diane (Marla sitting), Dad, Mom, Rollie (sitting), Tammy and Mia; Back Row: Jennifer, John, Mike, David, Harley, Andrew, Jessica, Tim, Alex, Pat, Carly.

Christmas Plans

Just 24 hours away from departing to MN for Christmas. I'm hoping for a blizzard, about two days worth, on Christmas Eve Day and Christmas Day. We return on the 26th, so no snow then! And no snow beforehand to prevent travelling to MN from AZ, or to prevent others travelling for my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. We'll see my 2 brothers and sister and their spouses, and all the nieces and nephews. That will be cool. Our first Christmas in MN since 1983, the year we were married.

After we return from MN, we'll head to Lake Havasu City to see Tam's Dad and wife for a few days.

I'm hoping that within the time frame of a few days, I'll have gone snowmobiling on the frozen plains of MN and ATV riding in the desert of AZ!

What does it take?

Recently we've been reading a book together by E. Stanley Jones called Christ of the Indian Road. Jones wrote it 1925, when India was barely two decades away from exerting its independance from the British Empire. It is a provoking book, choc-a-bloc with amazing insights, deep thought, and profound thinking about what it means to walk a spiritual journey as an apprentice to Jesus in another culture.

ESJ wants people to know that Jesus can be, and must be, seen as 'one of us' who is 'more than us.' So, when he speaks of the Christ of the Indian Road he is speaking of a Jesus who is Indian--not an anglo, blue-eyed and fair-haired, but One who identifies Himself with people of a culture.

At one point, he relates this story:

"A friend of mine was talking to a Brahman gentleman when the Brahman turned to him and said, 'I don't like the Christ of your creeds and the Christ of your churches.' My friend quietly replied, 'Then how would you like the Christ of the Indian Road?" The Brahman thought a moment, mentally picturing the Christ of the Indian Road---he saw him dressed in Sadhus' garments, seated by the wayside with the crowds about him, healing blind men who felt their way to him, putting his hands upon the heads of poor unclean lepers who fell at his feet, announcing the good tidings of the Kingdom to stricken folks, staggering up a lone hill with a broken heart and dying upon a wayside cross for men, but rising triumphantly and walking on that road again. He suddenly turned to the friend and earnestly said, 'I could love and follow the Christ of the Indian Road.'"

The failure we who do love and follow Christ experience in seeing other people come to do so too often comes because we restrict Jesus to a replica of us rather than seeking to be an authentic replica of him. Jones, who knew Mahatma Gandhi personally, once asked him, 'I am very anxious to see Christianity naturalized in India, so that it shall be no longer a foreign thing identified with a foreign people and a foreign government, but a part of the national life of India and contributing its power to Indials uplift and redemption. What would you suggest that we do to make that possible?'

Gandhi replied with four suggestions:

1. All Christians must begin to live more like Jesus Christ.
2. Practice your religion without adulterating or toning it down.
3. Put emphasis on love, for love is the center and soul of Christianity.
4. Study the non-Christian religions and culture more sympathetically in order to find the good that is in them, so that you might have a more sympathetic approach to the people.

As Jones so vividly states at the beginning of the first chapter, 'Christian service cannot rise above the Christian servant.' Those of us who wish others to love and follow Christ must love and follow Him, ourselves, as One who is worthy to be loved and followed and are accordingly transformed in so doing.

Cars and Drivers

The last 2 weeks have been full of adventure and change. Life will never be same. We can't go back. We are destined for it to be different forever.

What am I talking about? The kids are now licensed drivers. First, Andrew passed his test. Two days later. The next day, he drove solo, to work, for the first time. The day after that, Jessica passed her test. She also took her first solo drive the morning after. The day after that, she bought a car, following in her brother's footsteps who had bought his car a month earlier.

Now both kids have cars, licenses, a little money, and independance of a sort they've never had before. Life will never be the same. We can't go back. We are destined for life to be forever different.

A week before Jess passed her test, we had a trip out to Hope International University. Tam and I represented CMF for a missions fair. Along with Jess, we also toured HIU and Cal-State Fullerton. It's looking increasingly likely that Jess will will start university there in January.

On the trip back, I had Jess drive the last 100 miles back on the interstate (her first time) and through Phoenix during rush hour (also her first time). She did a wonderful job. In fact, without having to worry about driving standard transmission cars, both kids picked up on the driving very quickly.

Was I nervous teaching them how to drive? Yes!! I tried not to hold the arm rest without leaving finger marks in it. I certainly left an impression in the floor boards where my foot tried to brake.

But now it's different. Now, it's watching the kids go out the door, with their own cars and independance, and a different kind of nervousness accompanied by pride. Life will never be the same. We can't go back. We are destined for life to be forever different.

Tammy’s Tuppence

We’ve got geckos! Technically, we don’t really ‘have’ geckos, but a wonderful pair – whom I’ve named Fred and Irma - regularly show up on our back porch and I’ve kind of adopted them. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure whether this pair is monogamous or, for that matter, can actually be described as a couple—for all I know they could be patio crawling mates which would more willingly answer to the names Fred and Ernest.

But I digress. At the moment, this pair is quite a novelty for us and we’re quite enjoying keeping an eye on them. Certainly not a substitute for the Siamese members of our family, they are but one of the many blessings of life in Arizona and a unique reminder of the boundless imagination of our Creator God. For even though we greatly miss our home in England, we are in awe of the majesty and variety of the desert. And to think we get to live here – geckos and all!

For the uninitiated, ‘Geckos are small to moderately large lizards belonging to the family Gekkonidae and found in warm climates throughout the world. Geckos are unique among lizards in their vocalizations, making chirping sounds in social interactions with other geckos. Geckos are unusual in other respects as well. Many species have specialized toe pads that enable them to climb smooth vertical surfaces and even cross indoor ceilings with ease....’ en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gecko.

Thinking about 'Becoming'

"Becoming what?" you might ask. A fireman when I grow up? A waste processor fertilizing fields? No, I don’t mean that.

Let me get at what I mean in a roundabout way. Listening to a message from DHVC that I downloaded off the internet the other day, I heard Aaron use the phrase ‘conduct unbecoming an officer.’ It got me thinking about this word ‘becoming.’ How did it begin to get used in reference to behaviour?

I recall the old English use of ‘comely,’ as in 1 Samuel 16.18 referring to David as ‘wholesome, and pleasing in appearance.’ I don’t know that there’s any link in this to ‘becoming’ (see the definition at http://www.thefreedictionary.com/comely), but I kind of like the idea if it does. In this sense, ‘becoming’ conduct isn’t perfect conduct, but consistent conduct, conduct that is attractive, wholesome, healthy, and maturing.

As I was thinking about this, I happened to read a chapter in Gordon MacDonald’s book A Resilient Life. He quotes Thomas Merton: "If you want to identify me, ask me now where I live, or what I like to eat, or how I comb my hair, but ask me what I think I am living for, in detail, and ask me what I think is keeping me from living fully the thing I want to live for. Between these two answers you can determine the identity of any person. The better answer he has, the more of a person he is. "

This speaks to having a vision of what life is all about, and how one addresses the obstacles that come along the way. And how one addresses those obstacles is all about becoming.

MacDonald then goes on later to write: ‘In the lives of the disciples, it is clear that there was an invitation to follow, which the disciples accepted. But one sees relatively little attention paid to the beginning and far more attention placed on what the disciples were becoming.’

‘Becoming’ behaviour, then, focuses on a dynamic process rather than a static and lifeless state of being. It doesn’t require a moment of perfection, but a journey of progress where there may well be one step back for every two. It is reflected in the question ‘Am I growing more loving toward God and toward people?’

Am I indeed becoming the kind of person whom God and people would enjoy being with forever?

Catching Up on the Aho USA Update

From the September Issue:

Welcome everybody to the long awaited 2nd issue of the Aho travel diary!

We have a new lesson we've learned we're calling the '3times rule.' In the past 7 weeks since our first travel update/blog (can't call it a blog, really, since the definition says it must be 'frequently updated'--we haven't done that!), we've learned that everything takes 3x as long as we planned or anticipated to do. E-mail, expenses, researching information, communicating, organising, buying supplies, settling into a temporary residence--it all takes 3 times what we anticipated.
So we're feeling a little more exhausted than we anticipated, and chaos has been our close companion for many weeks. But we've now been 'settled' in Mesa, AZ for a week....just in time to fly out to Virginia tomorrow for a 10 day trip.

Suggestions for the name of this rather boringly titled update came fast and furious--over 55 submissions!! The funniest, as a result of the 'letters from the loo' story I told, were 'BogBlog' (in the UK, 'bog' is another less proper word for the WC) and 'Down the Pan' (an Americanism, for the UK audience, referring to the toilet). We can't say we were really struck with any of the names suggested, so, while boring, 'Aho USA Update' remains descriptive enough to survive the renaming attempt.

In our experiences of the last 7 weeks, I've lost count of the times I've said to myself, 'what I've just observed or experienced would be good for reflection on the blog site,' only to be foiled by lack of internet access or other to-do list items of greater importance.

Still, we're fresh enough on the American scene to note several surface differences from the UK. Everything is BIGGER than we remembered. Streets are bigger. Food portions in restaurants are bigger. Cars are bigger and SUVs far outstrip any other model too. We're reminded that to get anywhere, personal vehicular transportation is required--everything is so far apart and spread out. Oh, and everything is air conditioned too--we nearly froze in Indiana when we first arrived there, then melted when we went outside. We've forgotten or lost touch with proper etiquette in social situations (that's hard to describe how we feel that, but Tim chewing on his toenails while accessing a wireless hotspot at Starbucks definitely generated a few stares).

For those counting (as of 4 September 2006), we put 1507 miles on the 1999 Yukon SUV, given us as a loaner, for the 2 weeks we drove it. The 2000 Oldsmobile Silhouette, which the Weston family (Josh and Jan @ http://www.westonpontiac.com/) so helpfully arranged for us to purchase, now has 3400 additional miles on it since we purchased it on the 9th of August.

The ride continues!

Sleep is Spiritual

OK, so I’m sleeping more, believing that’s the most spiritual thing I can be doing in the moment. What does that mean? It means I’m trying to be less addicted to adrenaline by giving my body and brain time to rest and recover from life. It means releasing control of the day to God and letting God create in me a hunger for him. It means being a wise steward of my physical being with which my spiritual being always is influenced.

Here’s the essence of what Arch taught. Basically, we sleep in 90 minute cycles. In the first several cycles during a night, the vast majority is for the physical recovery of the body during what’s called ‘non-REM’ sleep. Barely a few minutes of the 90 minute cycle is devoted to REM (rapid eye movement) or dream sleep, where the brain ‘defrags’ information from the day. It is a physical bio-chemical process that only occurs at the end of the 90 minute cycle. However, what’s significant, is that as the cycles proceed, the non-REM sleep decreases, while the REM sleep increases. The last 90 minute cycle of 9 hours of sleep can have anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes of REM sleep—and is the most significant healing/recovery time of the whole night!

So, at least for the last 3 weeks I’ve been getting to bed by 9.00 or 10.00pm, and instead of getting up at 3.30am (though I still wake up at that time!), I’m staying in bed until 5.30 or 6.00 and getting one or two extra sleep cycles in (depending on my bedtime).

For this time in my life, rather than ‘activity’, sleep is the most spiritual thing I can do. It reminds me of a statement I once heard, "There’s always enough time in a day to do what God asks us to do."

Greetings after a bit of an absence; life for the Ahos in America has been a bit fractured as we’ve settled into more of a routine for our time in Arizona. After a load of travel, we’re now looking forward to several months of being ‘home’ here in Mesa.

My last bit of travel (without Tam) was to Pasadena for my DMin class at Fuller Seminary. The course was taught by Dr Archibald Hart on a minister’s personal health. Actually, the material on depression, sexuality, assertiveness, confrontation, marriage and family, stress and adrenalin addiction, sleep, and burnout was not only outstanding, but applicable for anyone.

Our class was one of the smallest Arch has ever had—just seven of us, but very diverse! We had an Aussie, Korean, Chinese, Anglo military chaplain, and a ‘retired’ couple providing pastoral care in a local church but with decades of experience in juvenile detention facilities. Of course, there was me too, but, some would argue, I’m my own diverse universe anyway!

What’s one thing I’m practicing from the class? Sleep. No, I’m not joking. Arch is a guy who travels the world speaking and teaching, and yet gets 9 hours a sleep most every night. He writes books, lectures in a seminary to grad and post-grad students, and finds time to take a relaxing bath before he starts every day. And he’s smart—he was a civil engineer in South Africa in his 30s before launching into a ministry career as a psychologist and pharmacologist.

After his teaching on sleep and the whole 90 minute non-REM/REM cycle, I realised that the chaos and disruption of the past several months, where it’s been difficult to pray and study, in large part has been because of too little sleep and not enough rest. So, I’m spending more time sleeping. More on this later.

A New Adventure

Welcome everybody to the first of what will be many stories from the Aho travel diary! If you want to be added or removed from the list, just post a comment and it will be sent to me. At the moment they aren't viewable by anyone but me.

Stating it up front for the benefit of all who read this, whatever else this travel diary will be, it will NOT have the character of a church newsletter. While our (Tim and Tammy's) own love for God and the nature of our vocational responsibilities will spill over into our stories, I am not writing this to regale anyone with how wonderful it is to be a Christian leader or to convince someone to visit their local church. This is simply a kind of blog:

• Blog is short for weblog. A weblog is a journal (or newsletter) that is frequently updated and intended for general public consumption. Blogs generally represent the personality of the author or the Web site. (http://www.bytowninternet.com/glossary)

My aim for this journey together over the next 13 months is to be informative, funny, challenging, inspirational, and probably sarcastic from time to time. I hope to educate the geographically and culturally-challenged (starting with me!), while being witty and insightful (just like my hero of all things witty and sarcastically insightful, my son Andrew).

I might push the boundaries on occasion, deliberately or accidentally; in either case I hope you will extend grace to me and gently reply with your comments or correction. OK?

As for the name for the e-mail form of this: 'Aho USA Update Issue 01; 2006-07-12' sounds so institutional! We need a new name! Something better than 'Letters from the Loo' which I used for irregular (no pun intended) issues back in 1997 and 1998 during a similar 7-month stint in America. Rising early one morning as is my habit, I discovered that the only available room in the house for writing e-mails on my laptop was to sit on the toilet seat with the dirty linen basket as my desk! So, SEND ME YOUR SUGGESTIONS FOR A CLEVER AND CATCHY NAME for this e-mail blog!

The journey begins tomorrow: we depart BHX for EWR, make a connection to ATL before getting to IND late in the evening. According to our flight itinerary, we will be about 14 hours in the air tomorrow, traveling some....well, I tried to look to see how many miles, but it's not on the itinerary. Have to figure that later.

So here we go. Let's enjoy this ride together.