Posing as journalists

Yesterday Troy and I went around Port-Au-Prince taking pictures. To look more official, I found a vest at the store room here. We started off in beautiful PAP traffic. We went to the end of the road on Delmas pretty much... don't know exactly how to describe it. There were these shacks there that looked like a great place to take pictures:

After about 2 minutes of standing there some Haitian guy started yelling at us.  The only way I can tell people are mad about me taking pictures here is the tone of the voice and the fact that the word photo is somewhere in there.  I don't even think I took a picture of that guy, so he really had no reason to get angry. 

Then we went to this super crowded market where apparently people buy things for other markets.  Two white guys with cameras... we didn't stick out at all!  Anyways... my favorite thing was the huge piles of salt, but I don't have a picture of that.

I'm pretty sure it was because of my journalist vest we got to go behind these gates and take pictures of the boats...

Then we kind of went all around that area taking pictures... here are some of my faves:

The above image kind of captures Haiti at Christmas in my mind.  The guy standing up hanging on to the truck just added to the picture for me.  This is the National Palace or Haitian White House.

For the image below - I didn't know what the graffiti said until it was explained to me: There is no election without Fanmi Lavalas.  The English even had to be explained to me, and then I saw an article in the Washington Post today that explains it: Click here for that article

Then we decided to go to the village Troy used to live in.  Before we did he asked if I wanted to go to Cite Soleil.  So we pretty much made a left hand turn and were there.  I think I was kind of in awe, looking all around me so I didn't get a huge amount of images - plus we were driving a little fast.

After about an hour drive and almost hitting a cow, we made it to the village

We sat down in this old lady's house, bought some sodas and Troy carried on a full on conversation with the people in Creole, while I tried to listen and understand and take pictures.

Then we went to a nearby school... I couldn't stay in there very long because when I came in most of the kids stood up.  Then all eyes were on me so I felt like no one could be productive while I was there...

This girl the people seriously call her Crazy Crazy... because she has some type of mental handicap.  She had one of the biggest and most radiant smiles of the people there...

And then it was time to go home...

There are more pictures up on my flickr starting with http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/4172493469/in/set-72157622920290252/

A few of our awesome Creole teachers

A few of our awesome Creole teachers
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Yesterday some of the neighbors invited Alicia and I over to learn some Creole... we just went inside their gate and we had flash cards and they taught us the words. Except no one knew the word for farmer so everytime that flash card came up they said mange pomme because the guy had an apple in his hand... time to go take pictures of PAP

Dishes
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

i had a great time at the feeding program today. the little kids were really hyper, which is good to see. Sometimes they come in and kind of don't react a lot because (i assume) they are hungry... but today I was chasing them around and they were screaming and laughing like kids should.

after that I found Alicia hanging on the street with some neighborhood kids learning some creole from flash cards. She says the kids were way more excited about teaching her Creole than about learning English...

Rest In Peace Baby Chick Alfalfa

Rest In Peace Baby Chick Alfalfa
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Baby Alfalfa was not doing that well the past few days. Baby chicks are not very nice to the weak chicks. Alfalfa couldn't walk, so Alicia attempted to rescue it by removing Alfalfa from the abuse that it was receiving. Last night was his last. Rest in peace Baby Alfalfa.

Christmas Decorations at the guest house in Haiti

Christmas Decorations at the guest house in Haiti
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

today

sunday-1259
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

today we went to church. it was definitely a good word. then we got to go celebrate Israel's birthday and have some REALLY good ice cream. I realized today I think the thing that bothers me the most about being in Haiti is that my feet seem to itch a lot and I haven't had Japanese chicken and rice in awhile... oh and peanut toffee buzz clif bars I miss you. Please come visit me. Other than that so far it's been pretty stellar.

One of the kids today thought my job in America was making the street lights go green and red. Yellow, I don't know I guess I don't control that. But I can work from Haiti... I hope I haven't caused you any traffic jams lately.

Quisqueya Christmas Bazaar

Quisqueya Christmas Bazaar
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Today was a pretty uneventful day in Haiti. We sat around and waited for the tram to leave to the Quisqueya Christmas Bazaar. OK there's really no tram, but I think someone good make money off shuttling people like me with no car around.

We mostly just hung out and ate. The ice cream here is weird compared to what I am used to. It was like 2.50 for a cone and apparently there is some different sugar I am not used to so then I spent like 50 cents on a Pepsi which left another bad taste in my mouth so I had to get a 7-up or sprite (because here I guess there isn't a difference when you ask for a sprite you are brought 7-up). Finally after the 7-up I had eliminated the weird taste I paid 2.50 for.

Also, Alicia claims to have purchased all of our Christmas gifts there which I will be very surprised if that is true... We did not win a motorcycle or airline tickets unfortunately.

We are back at the guest house. We celebrated Israel's birthday tonight. I am always very happy to let someone else be in charge of cake. Everyone goes crazy over cake and ice cream. It's always I NEED ANOTHER PIECE OR SCOOP. and then OH SO AND SO DIDNT GET A PIECE OR SCOOP. Well maybe if everyone else hadn't eaten all the original pieces, so and so would have got a piece haha.

backwards day

shoes
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Today was the second backward experience in Haiti at the airport. Monday we said goodbye to the team and Susette and today a few of the older guys went to America to study English. The fact that three of them got visas to go was totally a God deal. Pictures of that and more are available on flickr... also check the full blog post for some videos from today.

The team has left

Hi Everyone!

The team has left and has returned home... that happened on Monday.  I decided at last minute to stay for the month instead of leaving and coming back.  That was quite a strange experience saying goodbye to the team...  Dave Beck and I posted a bunch of updates on our team blog at http://khchaititeams.blogspot.com/ and I have pictures from that trip on my flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157622569340017/

And so we're here for the next month... Updates will be coming semi-frequently at http://lucastheexperience.blogspot.com and there will be plenty of pictures on flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/

Lucas

priyee

priyee
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

I love the feeding program here. It's one of the reasons I wake up early to finish work. Yesterday some of the older guys from the orphanage got visas to go to the US for a few months - thank God! - so the kids at the program prayed for them... they also said thanks to all the people that came to help out. I couldn't help but reflect on how much I stick out here... Alicia and I used to go to a homeless feeding in America and would repeatedly get mistaken for homeless people. I don't know why that struck me as so funny yesterday but it did. Last night we also went out to celebrate the visas and Whitney's birthday... you can see pictures from that by clicking on the pictures in this post - hopefully you can find the rest from there.

Update

We have arrived in Haiti and are blogging/posting pics:)  For updates check out

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157622569340017/

and

http://khchaititeams.blogspot.com/

Lucas

hi

i am in haiti

i scheduled this to post at like 1:30am sometime in september.

i love technology.

happy thanksgiving

shameless plugs

places i found my pics

http://www.tonic.com/article/child-slavery-haiti-jean-robert-cadet/
http://schmap.com/losangeles/all_sights/
http://www.driftingfocus.com/blogs/?p=5371
http://www.velkaepocha.sk/2009092911086/KNIHY-Projekt-Mam-talent-hlada-nove-talenty-na-literarnej-scene.html
http://www.slideshare.net/c4rl/recipes-badcamp
http://www.sprengben.de/wordpress/?m=20091110
http://ellidavis.com/about/contact-elli-davis

http://www.squidoo.com/findinginspiration
http://notexactlyroughingit.wordpress.com/2009/07/20/my-latest-lists/
http://www.ernohannink.nl/lange-artikelen-voor-meer-klanten/ (haha) different language
http://www.thecalmspace.com/2009/06/donations-succession-wills-and-kindness/
http://www.ehow.com/how_5051352_write-small-business-grant-proposal.html
http://www.lyved.com/success/a-simple-exercise-that-tells-you-all-you-need-to-know/
http://studyusa.learnhub.com/

Here are some other websites w/my photos:
http://www.synaptica.es/noticia/el-embarazo-asunto-de-alto-riesgo-para-las-mujeres-haitiana
www.childhope.org
http://anti-poverty-activism.suite101.com/article.cfm/paul_farmers_hospital_in_haiti_zanmi_lasante

whew

Pei Wei
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

This weekend was crammed full of work, driving, more work and visiting with friends. Looking forward to being in Haiti in like 4 days.

Haiti!

Hi Everyone!

Alicia and I are leading another team to Haiti next Friday.  We are very excited to be going back and taking so many new people with us.  Our team is 13 people and we will be there from November 20-30 - except for Alicia she will be staying until after Christmas... and I am going back mid-December.

We would love for you to keep up to date on our trip and pray for us.  Here is our blog: http://khchaititeams.blogspot.com you can subscribe via RSS or email there...

And our pictures are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157622569340017/ (there is also a link on the blog)

Thanks!
Lucas

Let's Go!

Let's Go!
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Glasses at ShareFest Fundraiser

Glasses at ShareFest Fundraiser
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Raffle Coupon

Raffle Coupon
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

From the ShareFest Fundraiser

Haiti Team Meeting

Haiti Team Meeting
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Only 2 more weeks until we leave for Haiti

Haiti Family

Haiti Family
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Haiti

Haiti
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Here's a Haiti pic from the archives when we went into the mountains to look at some property.

i just realized

there's always a lot going on in the world.

i think it's funny that I can turn on CNN and they are always talking about something.  I mean, how weird would it be if they were all "Nothing to report, tune in later"

that's it.

tune in later

People watch the rainbow over Niagara Falls

People watch the rainbow over Niagara Falls
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

one of my fave shots from canada

Rainbow at Niagara Falls

Rainbow at Niagara Falls
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Awakenings Concert

Awakenings Concert
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

i take your picture

i take your picture
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

i needed a picture for my photography website, i am trying to get something better than just a blog up and running. so I took this

www.itakeyourpicture.net

uv filter weirdness

uv filter weirdness
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Home

We are back home safe and sound.  It was a great trip and anyone who hadn't been to Haiti fell in love with it and the children and those of us who had been fell in love all over again.

My photos are up at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157617245817110/

thank you for your support and prayers!

--
Lucas Simmons
619-277-5288

Re: home

it sure is weird being home and back to "regular" life after a week of irregular awesomness in Haiti.

photos from me are online at http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157617245817110/
--
Lucas Simmons

coming back

yesterday was amazing, we got to go see the property the Manasseros are praying about.  There is this older lady with an amazing faith in Jesus there and it was really cool to spend our last day to see the vision for the ministry.  We are in the airport in Florida right now, all missing Haiti and thinking back over the last week. 

 

this has to be the hardest part of the trip for a lot of us.  Our hearts have been so changed, and we are going back to our lives with this hole in our heart.  I am excited for what's next.  Whatever that is, whatever God has.

 

thanks for all your prayers and I will have more pictures online soon.

 

 

--
Lucas Simmons

bon fet!

yesterday was alicia's birthday!

 

what a great way to spend it, in haiti!

 

check out our blog for more thoughts and photos

 

http://khchaititeams.blogspot.com

 

we are coming in on spirit airlines flight 0339 at 10:45pm

--
Lucas Simmons

bon fet!

yesterday was alicia's birthday (and also little clifford's) and so on wednesday I told alicia I was going out to help Bill with some stuff and went to epidor (which is kind of like haitian mcdonalds) and bought a BUNCH of food to feed all the kids and we threw a big surprise party for alicia.  boy was she surprised haha.  One person on the team described it as the craziest and funnest birthday party they had ever been to.  It was pretty loud.

 

 

today we are going to the Baptist mission and then going to see the property the Manasseros have been praying about.  it's really exciting to be able to see the next part of the vision for this ministry. 

 

God is amazing.  We brought in our suitcases a bunch of the Manasseros old pictures.  In there was a photo of me from 12 years ago before I was saved.  I used to go to their church from time to time.  I think of knowing Jesus, saying I would never move back to the South Bay from San Diego.  Then moving back, reconnecting with them, thinking they were crazy for moving to Haiti.  Meeting my wife.  Going to Mexico a lot.  Getting laid off from my job and being super excited about missions.  Being invited on a team to go to Haiti.  Falling in love with it.  Talking about it everyday to Alicia and to other people.  Bringing people here to see what God is doing in Haiti.  Wanting to move here.  Having people think I am crazy haha. 

 

New pictures at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157617245817110/

 

I have over 2000 photos, I will have more to put up when I get home.

 

Quotes taken out of context:

You should never tell a girl she looks funny, sideways - Amy

He is a beautiful man - Dave Beck

I don't feel bad - Kim

--
Lucas Simmons

God's timing is perfect

On Tuesday we went to Double Harvest which does a lot of planting in Haiti and also sells plants.  It was a bit of a drive, but it was cool to see some more of Haiti.  The weird thing was they didn't have soil, which I said already.  On our way back Susette took a wrong turn and we turned around to go the right way.  On one road I hear someone in the truck with us go "uh oh" and I see a tap tap on its side sliding toward us.  Luckily for us the tap tap stopped about 10-15 feet before us.  A crowd of Haitian people soon gathered around to help people out of the truck, and we were on our way (none of us were hurt).  Please be praying for the people that were hurt and just shaken up by this accident.  Not one of us was hurt, thank God.

¹³Now listen, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money." ¹⁴Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. ¹⁵Instead, you ought to say, "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." - James 4:13-17

 

We had a nursing clinic yesterday too, I couldn't really tell you how many people were there but it seemed like a lot.  It was great to have the nurses all working together and have Brooke here who was able to stay a little bit longer than she planned.  It was also good timing because around 5:30 or so my heart started beating really fast and it was weird because I wasn't doing anything super physical, felt pretty calm and I had been drinking plenty of water.  It stopped after awhile, and the nurses gave me some pills and I slept from like 6:30pm until 7 this morning and feel much better.  We have been able to spend some quality time with the kids, teaching Bible stories and playing with them.  I am pretty sure everyone has either fallen in love with Haiti or fallen in love all over again.

 

Alicia and I taught some of the older kids the do not worry part of Luke 12 yesterday.  I really didn't know what I was going to say, but God totally used the near car accident and that verse from James 4 to give me words to speak.  We asked them if they had questions and it was really cute because like 2 of the questions were when we were coming back so we showed them james 4.  No pictures today because I am at the boys house using the internet since ours is not working.  Please be praying for our final days in Haiti.  Tomorrow we are going to the Baptist mission here and going to see the property the Manasseros are praying about.  Then I think we are all getting together at night.  I can't believe this week is almost over.

--
Lucas Simmons

internet

we are without internet.  it rained really hard last night and the modem we were using seems to not be functioning.

 

we went to double harvest yesterday to get some gardening supplies.  it was really funny because we got all these plants and then they didn't have soil. 

 

i have to run out, but I wanted to send a quick update while I had internet.

--
Lucas Simmons

yesterday was our first full day trying to accomplish some projects. we have narrowed it down to a few things which include: volleyball, garden, nursing clinic, computers and setting up tetherball. during the afternoon we also have skit stuff going on as well.

Yesterday we walked the kids to and from school. When we got to the school to pick the kids up, some kids we had never seen before started screaming and running towards some of us and hugging us and jumping on us. Renald, one of the guys who works here, told us later these kids don't get much love or affection at home. When they see us, they know that we will play with them, hug them, and laugh with them.

It's funny to me that half the time I am in America planning to come to Haiti I want to figure out all the projects we should do. There is nothing wrong with projects, but I have heard more people than just Renald say that giving these kids the attention and love is so huge to them.



during the afternoon yesterday we split up into two teams: some helped with the feeding program while others shared Bible stories with the kids. At the feeding (muTch) program Josh and Becca and Melissa did a skit on the lost sheep. It was really neat to see the kids at the orphanage here sharing the Gospel during the feeding program. And although I couldn't understand what they were saying, it seemed like the kids that were being fed were really interested in what was being said.




more photos at
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157617245817110/


more quotes taken out of context
i am, half the time, embarassed
that would be the pee bowl option (instead of pi bon which is like the best)
i could stick an IV in that
i've never been to the table this sweaty
--
Lucas Simmons

sunday

today we went to church at port-au-prince fellowship.  I had goodies for john and beth mchoul, a two day old whopper for john and some candy for beth.  I think it's funny how excited john gets about whoppas, especially two day old ones but if i ever moved down here i would definitely have those things that got me excited.  worship was amazing... and i am really enjoying hearing how God is changing people's hearts through what they see in Haiti.  It's also great to see all these people who in some cases haven't spent more than a few hours together come together as a team.  I hear the laughter of our team right now in fact, I must be missing out on something hilarious.

 

today we also got to surprise alicia for her birthday with lunch at a place here in Haiti.  It's really strange how you can go to one part of Haiti and see poverty and absolute squalor and in another such wealth.  But then I think it's really not very different from how we live in America.  You have Palos Verdes not too far from Compton and bad parts of LA.  There is just a more stark contrast here.

 

then we got to play with the kids for a few hours.  volleyball and soccer, mostly.  I think everyone on the team is noticing how much joy the people of Haiti have even in the midst of all the poverty.  It's definitely an interesting reminder as one person put it when you think about how many people in America are so depressed with so much wealth. 

 

tomorrow the work starts.  Please be praying for us and for God to guide us as a team.

 

I am adding a new segment to my blog, quotes from our team taken out of context:

I'll take trash pits during Jesus' time for one hundred dollars

Stop it or I will bury you alive in a box

 

New pictures are up from today:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157617245817110/
--
Lucas Simmons

haiti!

Yes! We are here, in Port-Au-Prince.  We almost missed our flight to Haiti because Spirit lost one of our bags.  Then the Haiti airport was chaos as usual.  Today we got to hang out with and meet the kids, and went to the ravine and helped with a feeding.  The worship was awesome.  We are all pretty beat and are finishing up our sharing times and getting ready to go to sleep.  Excited for church in the morning!

 

I have uploaded some pics to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience!

--
Lucas Simmons

we have arrived

more to come later

 

includig pics, hopefully

we are on our way

we are headed off to Haiti once again.

 

please check out our blog at http://khchaititeams.blogspot.com for updates/pictures

 

we will be sending out periodic updates, if not daily as well...

 

please be praying for our team

 

thanks!
--
Lucas Simmons

orange you glad i didn't say banana

orange you glad i didn't say banana
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

oday we drove down to the OC to have breakfast along with some freshly squeezed orange juice from Alicia's parents. The last time I had this was in Istanbul where there was a guy in a big orange: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/3295460969/in/set-72157614164950204/

190th St

190th St
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

my wife and i went out to a play. this is as we were driving home...

spoon tied to a fence

spoon tied to a fence
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

i really don't know why this happened. or why I took a picture of it. why would someone tie a plastic spoon to a fence that is like 8 feet in the air? I really don't know. happy friday. maybe it is just lodge in there, i am going to go see if it is there still...

adore - (ah-door-ey) - how to say worship in haitian creole

adore - (ah-door-ey) - how to say worship in haitian creole
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

This was our last meeting before we leave for Haiti next week. We had a great time of worship and then mostly sharing testimonies.

things one might bring to haiti

things one might bring to haiti
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

we are getting ready to bring a team of 9 people to haiti and their are always a lot of questions centered around what to bring... especially since pretty much everyone needs to pack in their carryons. so they asked me to take a picture of some important items

from left to right:
permethrin to spray your clothes, it repels insects
campsuds, for pretty much cleaning anything
no-rinse body soap
no-rinse shampoo
a little bottle of all if you don't have camp suds
tissue
after bite, because there are a lot of mosquitoes
some wet tissue type things
more permethrin

hanging down above it all is a ultra thin towel

not pictured: sunscreen, safari shirt from REI

pen and paper

pen and paper
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

being a computer guy, it's not everyday you use pen and paper for your work. Today I just needed to get some ideas out though and sometimes typing isn't enough...

dancing machine

dancing machine
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

in case you didn't know my wife is a hip hop dance instructor. she teaches homeschoolers on wednesdays and adults on monday nights. She always uses clean music, which is a challenge in the world of hip-hop. Her classes are really cheap, and she is always looking for new students.

something i take for granted: running water

something i take for granted: running water
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience
I wasn't really thinking about the drought, but I guess we are having one. What would happen if the water ran out? Crazy to think about, I guess that's why California tells us we have droughts to prevent that from happening. Still, I can't imagine going without it and people all over the world go to great lengths to get it.

things are pretty nuts

i really shouldn't be up blogging at 1 in the morning, but here I am.

I am pretty much done with my current job, I guess I can just come out and say that. I don't really know what is going on fully nor do I care to elaborate more other than to say things aren't working out for me on a full-time basis anymore. I still care deeply for all the people there, but things have got to the point where it is beyond acceptable for me.

So now I am working 10 hours a week, on a website called edivvy.com. It's a group gifting site and I am pretty excited about working on it and the people seem really cool.

I also have 4 or 5 other possibilites that could turn into something I do full time.

When I got laid off in 2006 I remember being so scared about how I was going to make money and live. God provided. You can read my blog from when I got laid off if you want: http://lucastheexperience.blogspot.com/2006/12/i-got-laid-off.html Looking back I am glad I got laid off. I ended up going to Mexico, Mississippi and then Haiti. It was definitely a time where God worked in my life and He definitely has in the past year and a half in this job. I'm not really sure what I am looking for, but I am sure God will let me know when I find it. I am just excited to see what He has in store, looking at what happened the last time. I went to Haiti for 4 days and have not been the same since. My whole world was turned upside down. Now Alicia and I lead teams there, in fact we are leading a team shortly. Who knows what is next? Only God does.

I think this is an exciting time and am doing my best not to worry about how things are going to work out.

Christmas in Haiti Book

Here it is!

 

http://www.mypublisher.com/bookshelf/bookviewer.py?d=tq%3Ey-cppl%60je%3E3679279

Lucas

Address

Hello!

 

We would like to get your updated contact information if you have moved lately or if we don't have it... so we can mail you a letter... If you haven't got a letter from us in the past 6 months it means we don't have your contact info!  You can either just email it to me or go to http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p8fnnp0avRjUEX-x6ykpAeA and submit it there. 

 

On a somewhat related note, Alicia and I just got back from a 12 day adventure in Turkey.  If you'd like to see pictures go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience/sets/72157614164950204/

 

Thanks!
--
Lucas Simmons

ha

our last day in turkey was interesting to say the least.  in every place you go you will find one or two strange people who can really ruin your day.  we found one such guy who introduced himself as reliable charlie to us and was trying to sell us some turkish tea.  we really wanted to see if he was giving us a good price so we were trying to shop around a bit more but he followed us everytime we tried to get away.  then he got not nice and we walked off and he did not follow.  we bought a lot of cool souvenirs and every once else we dealt with was great.  weird how the one guy can make you eager to leave a place like that even though there are probably a hundred other nice guys for that one guy.  hrmph

 

well also I must say our hotel in istanbul was amazing.  it is called the stone hotel. it wasn't really the rooms but the service and the friendliness of the staff that won me over.  i highly highly recommend it.  selim, i think he is like the manager, is absolutely hilarious!  we stayed there three nights total... the last night we found out they had a cafe and they opened it up and we were the only ones in there.  they jokingly called it the dungeon, but it was really pretty nice and they even gave us some free delicious candy from America too!  when we were leaving selim said "i am quitting, coming to america with you" or something like that haha.

--

Lucas

cappadocia in the snow

today was awesome.  we were going to take a bus to explore underground cities but the sun came out and we decided to stay where we were.  the snow seriously did not stop at all yesterday which made for a beautiful day today!  we explored a little more the direction we went yesterday but today we went in a new direction and saw many caves and old paintings in there.  we also found a cave with multıple levels toward the end of our hike which was quite tricky to get to the other levels but ended up being really cool.  i had to stop alicia from going up to the fourth level.  then on our way down the hill we were walking back and alicia hears a guy yell CUT!  and all of the sudden we realize we are on a movie set and they are waving us to go a different directıon so we finally get down the mountain and start talking to them and we found out we were interrupting the filming of a swedish space movie haha.  tonight we head back to istanbul on a twelve hour bus.  and then on thursday home.  that is when i will be able to upload pictures...

cappadoccıa

today we are in our last new city of our adventure called goreme which is in cappadocia we already got up early and went exploring... but there is a lot more to see and do.  we are staying in a cave hotel which is awesome and we are the only people at the hotel because no one comes here during the winter time really.  this is the smallest town we have been in so far so it is the easiest to navigate.  anyways off to explore!

ankara

yesterday we arrived in ankara.  what an adventure to find an apartment on a bunch of streets with numbers that don't make any sense.  we must have asked 10 people and had our first person flat out ignore us and walk by as we asked for directions.  first we looked at google maps to see where our friends lived and then compared that to the map we had in our turkey book and took a bus to the general area and walked from there.  it felt really good when we finally found the house.  we got to do laundry too which was cool.  and we saw a castle and the attaturk mausoleum which is really huge.  really huge.  really really huge.  i must admit after all this walking my feet and myself are very tired.  we are heading out for another ankara adventure today i don't know where... tomorrow afternoon we will head to cappodoccia!  we are also meeting some friends of friends this afternoon so i guess we'd better get going

bergama

we went to bergama today.  that is what used to be known as pergamum back in the Biblical times.  we didnt really know where we were going and didnt have much luck finding a map.  so we started walking in the general direction of where we thought things were.  alicia saw a john deere tractor and wanted to take a picture.  the owner of the store motioned that she should take a picture on it.  then we started communicating with him and he told us to go across the street where a dolmuş which is something in between a bus and a taxi would pıck us up.  we went to the red basilica which was pretty deserted but still a cool site.  then we met a carpet maker who started talking to us on our way to our next site he said this other place, the acropolis was way better and it was a few kilometers away but gave us a short cut because we did not want to pay for a taxi.  it was a few kilometers away but all uphıll! so on our walk up two turkish guys in leather jackets pull up and ask if we are going to acropolis which we were so we hopped in their car.  i guess this means we hitchhiked haha.  they were very friendly, as are most people here.  acropolıs was so amazing... you could see the whole cıty and the ruıns look SO cool and it was very crowded.  winter is definitely the time to be in turkey haha.  so then we headed back (photos of acropolis to come when we return) and on the way a guy yells at us merhaba! hello! and we stood and talked to him for a bit and found out his name was İsa which is what Jesus name is in Arabic.  so that was pretty cool.  now we are at the bus station awaiting our 11 o clock bus

--

Lucas

ephesus

i have to say here the overnıght buses in turkey are the way to go.  if there was an overnıght bus to america from turkey i would take it haha.  they come through like 3 times to give you snacks and drinks and its about the same cost as a hotel and it is comfortable, for a bus.  we got to izmir yesterday morning at lıke 5am or so and really didnt know what to do with ourselves.  i am reluctant to take taxis just because of the cost associated with them and the bus or metro is just sooo cool.  so we got to the otogar which is what the bus station is called.  we didnt even know what bus station we were at.  i tried to ask some guys for a map but that didnt work out so alicia asked this lady who spoke very little english to help us out.  she took us to where the buses where and a security guard got us on the bus to basmane, which is where our hotel is.  we chilled at a pastry place and played cards and then searched for our hotel for about an hour... a lot of the streets here are lıke numbers and then they say Sokak.  i still havent fıgured out how it works.  yesterday we just spent exploring izmir and went to this cafe that we took an elevator up four storıes to get to and had a cheeseburger and pizza.  big anniversary date huh?  we were supposed to go to the fancy place across the way but it was closed so we went there.  our server told us we should wonder in turkey and we had no clue what he was saying. i think he just meant explore turkey but i dont know.  today we had an adventure going to the otogar and finding the bus to ephesus... we finally got there after waiting on the wrong side of the street and then the guy said it was goıng to be 70 lira to go to efes.  no way.  then another turkish guy asked where we were going and he found out it was 7 lira... that is like 60 dollars vs 5 dollars haha.  then we met people on the little bus and they told us how to walk to ephesus whıch was a long walk but better than paying the 15 dollar cab fair for about a mile and a half walk lol.  ephesus was really cool and we read ephesians in the coliseum.  on our way back some kids were cutting some plants and gave us whatever it was and it tasted like celery haha.  they were funny and tried to speak turkish to us but we are so bad with it.  i asked them where i could put the chemicals for the toilet because ı wanted to ask them something funny.  i wish i had pictures to put up but that will have to wait a little bit or until we get home..

lucas

istanbul

last night was really cool the mosques here look amazing at night.  ıt stopped raınıng so ıt was so clear and we had a great tıme eatıng out at thıs restaurant called doy doy where ı had some good turkısh pızza and alıcıa had lentıl soup and a salad.  they have thıs really cool lookıng bread that ı have pıctures of.  ıt looked lıke an ınflated balloon

 

then we went to thıs tea garden and had çaı and apple tea and trıed to play backgammon.  we found out we dıdnit know how to play and our server guy rıdıculed us and looked at us ın dıgust for the way we were playıng.  ı found ıt amusıng but am curıous as to the rıght way to play.  we hope to fınd a nıcer person to teach us today.

 

today we have already been to the blue mosque and are just checkıng out of our hotel to go to the grand bazaar rıght now.  the tonıght we head to ızmır on an overnıght bus where we wıll vısıt old bıblıcal towns around there.

 

anyways, that ıs all

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We are here!

we made It to Istanbul.  they have funny keyboardsç weırd çs are where ı thınk the perıod should be and the ıs dont have dots

 

ıt ıs very wındy and raıny but everyone ıs really nıce and our hotel ıs pretty cool and centrally located.  luckıly we have clothes that can handle the raın and cold - somewhat

 

tomorrow wıll be our sıghtseeıng day here and then at nıght we wıll head off to ızmır!

Lucas

we are headed to turkey

keep checking back here or to our flickr at www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience for updates

tomorrow new york
sunday istanbul!

doorstep

doorstep
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

smile

3187225302_5ca2af7326_o
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

:)

npr

i was listening to npr the other day and whoever was on was taking calls on whether or not we should legalization prostitution or marijuana in order to clear up the budget deficit by taxing these "industries". I thought it was interesting that he grouped the two into the same category, though I don't like either I would definitely say that prositution is the one I would want legalized the least. I think one smart idea would probably be to not spend so much, but apparently that is not an option.

His other arguments were:

1. Do you see these two things go away anytime soon?
2. He compared it to prohibition and said that during prohibition the government was "making criminals" out of ordinary citizens, and was comparing it to what the government is doing now with laws against prostitution/marijuana.

So I don't see murder going away anytime soon, maybe we should tax that because it's not going away and the government is just making criminals out of people by making laws against murder. haha.

ok. i just had to rant somewhere.

Next stop: Istanbul

Istanbul: Post apocalyptic
Originally uploaded by orgutcayli

We are going in February!

getting the band (Nancy Distributor) back together

getting the band (Nancy Distributor) back together
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

it was a good weekend, I had a Haiti meeting on Thursday. Then I went to San Diego and saw a bunch of people that it had been far too long since I had seen. I also had two plates of the best Carne asada fries ever at Cotixan which is always amazing. John and I got the band back together Saturday night and recorded a new song at http://www.myspace.com/nancydistributor (ok it is a cover, but it's funny). Then Sunday morning I went to Flood with kooker and his gf - Flood is where I started going before I got saved so I kind of just sat back and thought all that God has done in almost 6 years. I also realized I am turning 30 this year, which is kind of shocking. Oh well. We are still deciding whether or not to go to Turkey next month, but I am really hoping we do go. Life is so short and in the time I was driving all around this weekend I realized how life as we define it in America often conflicts with what God may have planned for our lives. But God can definitely and does work in and through even the silly things we do with our lives to bring us close and closer to Him. Sometimes I think man if I wouldn't have gone to college I wouldn't be in debt, but then I think of how I got saved in college and what a great experience it was and how I have made some really lasting friendships and I don't know that I would trade those experiences to be out of debt. God has me in the boring south bay for a reason, and I'm still working on exactly what that is. But right now here I am and I am just going to follow where He wants me to go and try to not let the business of my life get in the way of what is truly important.

a few new pics

DSC_8229
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

I was going through my Haiti pics from December and found a few new ones to add. Check them out at my flickr.

Vision Night

visionnight-8994
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

Check out my pics from vision night at my flickr http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucastheexperience

haiti november 08 slideshow

mel's drive-in

mel's drive-in
Originally uploaded by LucasTheExperience

good times

very interesting

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28393718/