Next Stop: Africa
July 16, 2003

Quite a bit has been written about the African continent lately. In fact, President Bush just completed a five-nation trip there. That there is trouble across that vast land is an understatement.

Back in early June I was asked to accept an assignment to our base in Djibouti, arguably the smallest country on the continent along with Rwanda and Swaziland. It is located at the Horn of Africa, a prominent geographical sight known for its horn-like appearance. It sits on the east coast of Africa just where the Red Sea connects with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. It’s neighbors are Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, and across the gulf, Yemen.

Here’s some trivia on Africa with which to impress your friends. Africa is the second largest continent; it includes 53 individual countries. The Nile River is the world’s longest, and the Sahara Desert is the world’s largest. The continent’s highest point is Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania at 19,341 feet. Its lowest point is Lac’Assal at 512 feet below sea level, located in Djibouti.

When we say: “New York, New York,” we are referring to the City of New York, located in the state of New York. The same is true for Djibouti, Djibouti — only in this case it is the capital city, and the country, called the Republic of Djibouti. There have been a number of articles written about the “counter-terrorism” base being established in Djibouti. This allows our coalition forces to both train in combating terrorism, and to keep an eye on any terrorist activity that may yet emerge from this part of the world. It’s all part of the on-going war on terrorism.

This tour should last from four to six months, allowing me to help establish a long-lasting ministry there, built upon the excellent work of the current chaplain in Djibouti, and my friend, Captain Ron Klose, U.S. Navy.

So, what’s it like in Djibouti? Hot, desert, with no arable land, meaning there is no land available for growing and producing crops. It’s as hot or hotter than Kuwait, so I’m told, which stands to reason, since Djibouti is much closer to the Equator. This is a real switch coming from the Central Valley of California where everything grows, all year round. It is slightly smaller than Massachusetts. Because Djibouti was previously a French colony (gaining independence in 1977), the official language is French, along with Arabic. I spent a year in France when I was twelve, attending a French school, so I’ve been brushing up with computer-generated French courses. The population is 94 percent Muslim, and 6 percent Christian. I’m 54 years old and have already exceeded the life expectancy of both men and women in Djibouti.

I read a quote the other day from William Penn, one of our founding fathers, and for whom the state of Pennsylvania was named. He said, “Men must choose to be governed by God, or condemn themselves to be governed by tyrants.” Having just returned from Iraq and Kuwait, I can’t help but see how utterly true these words are, and how they apply to the world scene.

What I find absolutely fascinating is that I was just in Africa last year. I had challenged my congregation to go on a mission’s trip somewhere far away. We wound up traveling to Ethiopia where we spent two weeks working in medical clinics, schools and churches, all belonging to my denomination, the Free Methodist Church.

This year the mission’s team chose to work in the African country of Malawi, which is slightly less than 2000 miles from Djibouti. They will be there in October. I’m hoping to be able to break away from my military duties and join them for some of that time. The goal of this mission’s trip is to build a new church for the Mzuzu people who live in the northern area of the country. Last fall my church in Ripon, California, raised the necessary amount of money needed to purchase the materials for the construction of a church building. Now we just need the manual labor!

I have often said to my congregation, that if you’re going to follow Jesus, strap yourself in, because you’re going for a ride! Probably while you read this, I’ll be strapped in a seat on a plane winging my way on yet another adventure. I can’t wait to see what the Lord has planned next!