10,000 Miles Over the Sea

Dennis in Not a Menace

2009-08-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

Greetings and salutations,
We have been on the road quite a bit lately. This past week we were up in Northern Uganda in a town called Gulu. Amazing. Bus rides are always an adventure here. We took one bus from Kigali, Rwanda to Kampala, Uganda which was about 11 hours and then another bus from Kampala to Gulu which was about 5 hours. There we were working with a man named Dennis who is working with boys who were previously in the LRA. Dennis has started a mentorship program with these boys via soccer helping them integrate back into their communities. He's a pretty wise man for only being 26 and has such a big heart for his community. I'm pretty sure he will be president of Uganda one day. It was a honor to work with him.
Dennis is amazing but so is the rest of Gulu. Our first night we were there we got to experience a thunder storm like none I have ever experienced before. Beautiful. The people there are some of the most welcoming and friendly people I have ever met.
This week is going to be a busy one. Tomorrow is KEZA's big fashion show. We had a reherlas today and it went pretty well. Should be a fun day. Then on Wed. I have a big shoot for KEZA's "I Am the African Woman" campaign. In between will be plenty of editing and meetings and coffee.

till we meet again,
sj

I Usually Use Things We Say A Lot Here

2009-07-22T03:50:00.000-07:00

Champ

2009-07-13T06:16:00.000-07:00

Let The Good Times Roll

2009-07-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

Hello,
So a lot has happened since the last time we spoke. We got to play soccer with some kids at a local orphanage, drink some pretty darn good coffee, hang out at the US embassy, watch a few rounds of moto polo, eat some bbq goat liver, hike around the base of a volcano, play some more soccer, and drink some more coffee.

Last weekend we were able to visit one of the local orphanages. There were only 12 or so kids there but they are all amazing. Ricky brought a soccer ball over and the kids were stoked. It was Barcelona vs. Brazil and I think that it goes without saying that Barcelona came out on top... but who really keeps score. Before we left the kids taught us a new song. They also had a puppy.

Saturday was the 4th and it was a pretty great day. We started off with a bbq at the embassy which was kind of a strange atmosphere but it was fun to be sure. After we had our full of hamburgers and hot dogs we went to a local soccer field that had been commandeered by some moto polo enthusiasts. It's exactly what it sounds like. Men, motorcycles and a little friendly competition. An experience that will not soon be forgotten. After sitting on the sidelines and swallowing my share of dirt we headed over to a house for another bbq and that is where the goat liver comes in. We had some good food and ate into the night at which point we pulled a projector out and watch The Sandlot on the side of the house. It was a good day.

The following day, Sunday, we took off for a little family vacation. We all got up early and hopped on bus to a little village called Sabyno at the base near the base of a volcano. Probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. We got there and took off on a hike. Passing through the village we drew a bit of a crowed. As a result, we had a group of about 10 kids that ended up guiding us on our hike. All pretty cool kids. After we got back to the village they invited us to play a little soccer with them and we were more than happy to accept the invitation. They were good. We need to practice.

Till we meet again,
sj

Made a New Friend

2009-07-02T11:54:00.000-07:00

So while we were out today one of our crew spotted this bird and told me I needed to photograph it so I went into creeper mode and followed after it. I chased after it and saw it go around a small building so I went around the other side in an attempt to cut it off. We both rounded our corners at the same time and for a second he/she froze. Then he/she started walking towards me and of coarse I was capturing this entire event. This bird was evidently not intimidated by me because he/she walked with no hesitation till it was about 10 feet away. I was actually getting intimidated at this point. Then the bird freezes and for a butterfly has now caught his/her attention. Then this bird decides that it is bored with me and the butterfly is much more interesting so he/she took off in hot pursuit of the aforementioned butterfly. Today was a good day.

till we meet again,
sj

African thunder storms = EPIC

2009-06-30T16:14:00.000-07:00

Sunsets and rice

2009-06-27T09:37:00.000-07:00

We have finished another week in Africa. It blows my mind how fast the time has gone, this past week went especially fast, and I have been 10,000 miles away from home for nearly a month now.
This past week was spent shooting with both KEZA and Remba. With KEZA we are trying to get some fresh images of the products as well as a few images of models showing off the latest up on the website and ill be sure to keep you posted as to when that happens. With Remba we have been going to a few salons shooting and getting images for the website and getting footage for the upcoming video that Ricky is putting together. We'll be sure to keep you all in the loop.
I got a bed today so Ricky and I are no longer sharing a bed. Also this evening there was a beautiful sunset, I like cloud, and dinner was especially good.
till we meet again,
sj

Meet the Family

2009-06-24T12:27:00.000-07:00

It has been brought to my attention that I am not the most consistent blogger. I apologize. Now, having internet in our house, I will do my best to throw some more updates and photos your way on a regular basis.
We have just finished day 27 in Africa and its only getting better. The other night night we got to go to a soccer game! Rwanda played an all star team from South Africa and of coarse Rwanda won. It was a cool experience for sure and hopefully we will be going to more. Also in attendance were a LOT of bugs that hung around the huge lights.
So I got lucky and I live with some pretty cool people. Let me introduce you…

Ricky (bottom right) says, "I burnt the rice."
Amanda (top right) says, "Were having breakfast burritos!"
Natalie (top left) says, "Just give me second..."
Rachel (middle right) says, "I'm not saying anything."
Erin (middle left) says, “Uughhh I hate this!”
Seth says, “Hello”
They are all pretty cool people to live with.

Till we meet again,
sj

More to come soon

2009-06-23T12:55:00.000-07:00

Rwanda is Beautiful

2009-06-16T11:16:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Uganda Hello Rwanda

2009-06-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

We are now in Rwanda! After a few hold ups with delayed luggage we were able to get one the 1am bus which put us in Kigali at around 10am. This will be home for a while. The country is beautiful and our house is quite nice. It is a fully furnished four-bedroom house no more than two blocks away from the US embassy. At the moment the house if full and everyone here is either working or interning for KEZA. We just had a meeting Jared Miller, one of the founders, and got a good idea of what needs to be done visually this summer. We walked out of that meeting pretty excited. Right now it looks like I will start shooting products early next week and then sometime in the near future we will be doing a shoot with women modeling the products. Stoked. Talking with Jared I also came to realize how powerful and different this organization is. The last few days in Uganda were fun visiting coffee houses, chasing monkeys and just hanging with the crew around town. I consider it a privilege to be working with such a solid bunch of people who are so passionate about what they are doing and what can be done. God is good and I am blessed to be able to do what I love to do with such a fine group of people for such a good cause. If you just can’t get enough info of what we are doing you can follow the blogs of the rest of the crew down here. Rachel- http://rachelinrwanda.blogspot.com/ Ricky- http://www.africa.rickynorris.com/ Natalie- http://nataliewarne.blogspot.com/ Amanda- http://amandainrwanda.blogspot.com/ We should be getting internet in our house sometime next week so I will be able to update more often than I have been. I know you are all wanting to see some photos so here are a few plus a stop motion tour of our new home. Till we meet again, sj

A Mysterious Place with a Personal God

2009-06-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

Greetings for Africa! We have made it and are now on day 3. As the days pass we are getting more and more comfortable with the area which is always a good thing. The rest of our team will be getting here on thurs and then we will take a bus down to Rwanda early fri morning where we will settle into our home for the summer. Your prayers for the rest of our team as they travel and for all of us as we head to Rwanda would be coveted. Today I think we will be heading into town and doing some more exploring. Perhaps try some new food and after that, who knows. We are glad to be here. A few photos from the plane and the sunrise this morning.

till we meet again,
sj

2009-05-30T10:21:00.000-07:00

That's right everyone we just got off our first flight and are now in Dubai! Story time. We got off out plane at 8pm on May 30 and looking at out tickets I realized that next flight was scheduled to take off at 8:25. We were in a rush. We hurried to one of those big boards that tells us the gate number and departure time for all the flights. We found Entebbe and it said gate 214 so we followed all the signs. Upon arriving at the gate we asked someone to make sure that we were in the right place. The man we asked said that flight was going to India.... With this good news and not feeling the least bit stressed with our now 15 min window we looked for someone who knew what they were doing. We soon found ourselves at and information desk where the girl working looked up our flight for us and these were her words,, "your flight doesn't leave till tomorrow." What is the moral of the story you ask, in addition to your time, always look at the date on your ticket...
Regardless, your prayers are truly appreciated. We have had no problems with luggage and travel has been smooth. One more flight and we are in Africa!!

till we meet again,
sj

Single Digits!

2009-05-21T03:19:00.000-07:00

Its official we are leaving in 9 days now! yes! I am now finished with school for the semester so I should have more energy to focus on preparing and tying up loose ends in these last few days before we depart. One HUGE blessing is that we were able to find a house! I will be living in a 4 bedroom house in Kigali with the team. We are amped. We are affirmed. We are blessed. Thank you all for your prayers thus far and thank you in advance for your continued prayers.

Till we meet again,

No Turing Back Now!

2009-05-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

So this week we bought our tickets!!! This process has been stressful at times but it has also been AMAZING to see the money come in to the point where this is possible and to all of you who have donated i say a most sincere thank you. That thank you also extends to those who have been praying for us as we prepare to take on this summer. We could never have done this without all your support.
Below you will find our itinerary!!

We start in LAX and 22hrs and 15min later (if all goes according to plan) we will land in Entebbe, Uganda thus beginning our adventure!
Financially we have come a long way but we still have a ways to go. At this point your prayers are coveted. Again, I cant thank all of you enough for what you have done for us!

till we meet again,
sj

53 Days and Counting!

2009-04-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

Thats right yall we are planning on flying out in only 53 days!! We are planning to fly out on the 27th of May and gee wiz we're excited(see the above image). As time goes on I am feeling more and more prepared and more and more that this is what I am supposed to be doing for at least the near future. I would be willing to suggest that this is one of if not the most purpose filled adventures I have ever found myself embarking on and for that I am grateful. Through this process I have gained some amazing friends, learned a great deal about another culture, and have learned a great deal about the practicallity of faith.

till we meet again,
sj

The Team

2009-02-26T21:49:00.000-08:00

This is the team! These are the people that I am going to be spending this summer and I thought that you may want to match a name with a face. I'm sure that you will be hearing much about them in the weeks to come. The count down has begun. We leave in 90 days!!!

till we meet again,
sj

What's in store

2009-02-15T16:42:00.000-08:00

One of my professors at Biola just took a trip to Uganda recently and posted a few images on his flickr account. In case you are curious, here is a little visual of where I will be this Summer. Also, here is the link to his site if you would like to see some more images. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kurtsimonson/

till we meet again
SJ

Hello Hello!

2009-01-31T21:25:00.000-08:00

Welcome everyone to my blog! Here you will be able to find updates on my trip this summer. Current fundraisers, news on where we will be traveling and who we are working with, prayer requests random photos and other miscellaneous info that I think you may be interested in.
Till we meet again
SJ