For Sale: A Nasty (as in nasty-good)Ride-- Honda XL 600 dual purpose street-legal.

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing High in the mountains of NE India live the Hmar people...who have been seperated from the world b/c of generations of conflict. I had the amazing opportunity to visit this area in 2008 during an assessment of the Mataum or Bamboo Death--which resulted after hundreds of thousands of rats decimated the rice crops of these high mountain villages. This people group is truely inspiring. This photo is of a hut where the people sleep during harvest season to guard their fields. Talk about a view!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

The Prayer of St. Francis of Assisi Lord, make me an instrument of your peace, Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy; O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love. For it is in giving that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Indeed I have an Office. To Dr. Reverend Ivy G of Qatar: While I do not have a home...I do have an office. The local Presbyterian Church in town has generously provided space in a building they own on Spring Street in the bustling down-town of Friday Harbor! Will provide photographic proof when I return from my current trip. cheers

I once was forced to wear ties to work...and have my hair well trimmed. I once had to take commuter trains to work for a minimum of 3 hours per day. These trains, the pride of Chicago circa 1940 have not changed much -- except that they don't work as well...and are less comfortable. To endure the hassle is one thing... but to endure the hassle and be treated like cattle is especially annoying. Today however, I was not 5 minutes into my commute when the panoramic views from the South Tip of San Juan Island and across the straights to the Olympic Peninsula got stuck in my eye. If that was not enough, along the bluff above the frothing wave-beaten rocks of South Beach 6 eagles were soaring perfectly still on the updrafts -- very distracting -- On the radio my chosen station 100.3 The Q from Victoria was playing a very extended version of a Doors song...nice... 10 minutes later I was pulling into my office parking spot thinking that this is indeed an amazing place to call home!

To the folk who have responded to my blog who are Hmar: I visited NE India at the invitation of a local organization to assess the impact of the 'mautam' on the food security situation of the community as well as assess the capacity of the local organization to further serve their community. The trip was conducted with the goal of identifying an organization that would be a good partner. The trip was an amazing success in this regard as our impression of our hosts was very strong. We enjoyed our time and were amazed by the resilience of the community as a whole and the many coping mechanisms being implemented to sustain life and livelihood through the disastrous impact of the 'mautam' which was caused by the bamboo tree bloom related rat infestation. Since returning home I have read reports that the rats have now crossed into Bangladesh and are having similar affects on communities there. I have been blessed by my time in Manipur (and area) and am thankful for the opportunity. Kindest Regards, mde

Life has been fast and furious these days, with trips stacked on top of each other. Because of the hectic pace these posts are going to be a bit mixed up as I try to share interesting events and stories. While the trip to SE Alaska was a "once in a life-time" vacation and included some of the most amazing images of Creation possible--there are still a number of interesting stories and accounts from the NE India trip that occurred ten days before... 12 hour voyage down the Barak River What was first described as an 8 hour trip down the Barak River in NE India turned into a 12 hour marathon. We did not arrive at our destination until well after midnight in the pitch dark moonless night. The first obstacle to our reaching our goal on time occurred when we ran aground and threw a propeller. I instantly recognized the sound of the prop-less shaft making the motor whine like super model Naomi Campbell at Heathrow Airport in London. We drifted down the river until we reached a small camp where the boat driver hopped off and ran off into the jungle to find materials to fix the problem. Eventually he returned with a 3' piece of bamboo that he created a bushing with that adequately solved our propulsion problem. The series of three photos at the bottom of this post is of the driver determining whether the shaft had been bent too much to be used. After making his calculations he expertly slammed the shaft down with the hopes of straightening it...evidently he knew what he was doing as we did not have this problem again for the next 10 hours. All in all this was an amazing day -- quite relaxing in comparison with the horribly rutted and bumpy 4x4ing that we had to do as we twisted and wound through the high mountain mud tracks known as roads which linked the mountain-top communities of the Hmar region. As we glided down the Barak river we learned that there were also Hmar villages that occupied the river-banks--these folks lived very differently from their mountain-top cousins. Similar to our reception as the first foreigners to visit in the mountainous region in generations, we stopped in one village to inspect a school construction project and were told that even during the British colonization of India--that no foreigner had ever visited. Since this was a very common theme on this trip I wondered how this could be true. There is no way for me to verify these claims--but I do know that the area has been cordoned off since the British era...and the Indian central government has simply extended the laws which isolate this region. One interesting story told to me during our many hours on the boat was that in the late 1980's or early 1990's a very tall German young man had driven his "box-van" through the area. Evidently his girlfriend lived and worked in Bangkok, Thailand and he decided to drive from Germany the whole way. He arrived in Hmar territory unannounced, sick and hungry. The Hmar, known for their open hospitality welcomed him and cared for him...as they did this they informed him that despite maps indicating roads that linked the region through Myanmar to Thailand...that actual roads did not exist. After a few days of eating and changing light-bulbs (b/c he was tall the villagers asked that he switch out the light-bulbs in the few locations they existed), this kind and tall German got back in his van and continued his trek. The Hmar never heard whether he ever reached his goal...but they loved to share the story.

One short week of illness after trekking across the rugged mountains of NE India I had the amazing opportunity to glide through the waters of South East Alaska on the Friday Harbor based boat, "Pacific Catalyst 2". You can go to their website here: http://www.pacificcatalyst.com/index.htm I could not recommend more highly this trip and this boat. We were given every opportunity to experience the breathtaking vistas and natural beauty of this amazing and rugged region. While doing so, we were pampered and fed amazing food, shared great company and a lot of opportunities to learn from the on-board naturalist and guide (and San Juan Islander) Shannon Bailey. If ever there is a need for perspective and personal healing in a world of pain, anguish and disaster it is being in the very fingerprints of God's Creation. Listening to the wind, the eagle, the bear and the whale--all formed by the same hand. Hope you enjoy the pictures below. mde

High in the mountains of NE India live a minority ethnic group called the Hmar. These beautiful and resilient people have experienced trials common to indigenous peoples around the world-lack of respect, void of support, and a general ignorance as to their existence. I had the great privilege to spend some time in these rugged mountains this past week. I visited villages who told me that I was the first westerner that had visited them in nearly 100 years--the last being a missionary from Wales by the name of Roberts...who is lovingly remembered by all in this region because he developed a ministry model of indigenous missions. As a result, this tribe, once known and feared as head-hunters has since come into an amazing communal identity with Christianity and an obvious relationship with Jesus. Through generations of being a forgotten people they grew strong, not requiring the support of a central government In 2006 however, a horrible rat infestation decimated their mountain crops leaving them highly vulnerable. Rice farmers tell stories of them sleeping in their hilltop huts (such as the one pictured above), planning to begin harvest in the morning...and then through the night hundreds of thousands of rats emerging from the jungle like flooding river, eating everything, from seed to plant both in the ground and in storage. Over a period of 8 hours these villages lost the equivalent of 10 months of food. Since this time the indigenous church has joined together with the communities and they have purchased rice and dealt with the massive logistics of transporting it to these high mountain top villages--as a result of their tireless work not a single person has died from famine, though times have been tough. They are an inspiring people

Last night I was going over some older photos I'd taken in 2007. I was struck by series of pictures of children in an IDP camp in near Lira, Northern Uganda. I used one of them in a recent blog discussing IDP rights as compared to the rights of refugees. The Three Photos below are special to me. The expressions and eyes of these children strike me, and humble me. I hope and pray that these kids grow into healthy young people who contribute to the healing of their beautiful nation. I hope you enjoy these pictures as well. For REALLY amazing images from around the world please visit Matt Powel's site linked on the right side of this blog. mde

Snowmobile?? A San Juan County country road Looking Southwest over South Beach and toward Vancouver Island and the city of Victoria which is being covered in snow

As is normal in this great corner of the globe, winter weather is tough to forcast. This is a photo of South Beach, on San Juan Island on a snowy Sunday morning. Prior to heading to church we went for a little drive as a family and seemed to be beckoned by the amazing snow-covered mountains across the Straights of Juan de Fuca. By the time we got to the South end of the island the mountains were hiding and the snow squalls were gentle passing over the ocean. I simply LOVE being at the beach in storms and when there is snow that reaches water's edge! mde

Mother and daughter A typical dwelling in the rural areas around Shegoysh, Somali Region of Ethiopia Three Men sit in the shade at a village South of Kebridehar, Somali Region of Ethiopia

At camel watering locations in the Somali Region, there are tea-houses where the owners and herders are able to rest in the shade and drink camel milk and tea. These tea-houses are organized according to how many camels a person owns. The most prestigious tea-house is reserved for the person who owns more than 100 camels...and for people who do not own that many camels they are not allowed to smile, laugh or joke near the 100 camel tea house. One camel is worth about 150usd Someone with 100 camels can expect that in a year their total will increase by 30...which is a great compound profit over a couple of years. However, due to the conflict there is a poor market for camels and the prices have been suppressed...so people are suffering a bit...and due to the severe water-shortage...even camels are having a hard time.