Tag: recovery

  • Mini-Vacation

    Fried eggI’m fried.

    The past 4 months were exhilarating and exhausting at the same time. Here’s a summary of the stuff I’ve been up to.

    • We changed churches
    • I helped launched 2 businesses, mountains of paperwork and 27 trips to the bank, and hundreds of hours of “other crap.”
    • I wrapped up 3+ years of time with Youth Specialties, working like crazy to “finish strong.” (See the bullet point above, that’s a phrase I now don’t want to hear until 2025.)
    • McLane Creative launched 2-3 major sites for clients.
    • The Youth Cartel launched 3-4 major sites for clients.
    • I wrote several very important articles including the feature for the Nov/Dec edition of Immerse Journal.
    • I built new sites for McLane Creative, The Youth Cartel, my blog & Marko’s blog.
    • Started a whole slew of initiatives for The Youth Cartel
    • Put together tons and tons of proposals for The Youth Cartel & McLane Creative
    • Done initial work on the first major projects for these two businesses.
    • Found a new office.
    • Bought lots of really expensive software & hardware.
    • Gosh, I need a nap before I finish this list. There’s way more.

    The last 4 months have felt like a years worth of work– most of which I was consumed by having a full-time job at YS and  trying to do the rest at night.

    Normally we vacation for at least a week in the summer. But the summer of 2011 that didn’t happen.

    So we’re kicking off fall 2011 with a little mini-vacation, camping in the forests above Palm Springs.

    Our family has a rule that it’s not vacation if daddy brings a computer. So all of our electronics are staying home. Macbooks, iPads, Nintendo DSs… and I’m even turning off the email function on my phone. We’re disconnecting for a few days and heading for the hills to recupperate. And if this isn’t enough? We’ll do it again.

    My brain is on empty. My soul is weary. And I’m the kind of tired a good nights sleep won’t fix. We need to get away… and read, rest, play… do nothing.

    So that’s the deal.

    Friday morning we’re packing up a big ole` pick-em-up truck (thanks Brian!). All of us. Mom, dad, Megan, Paul, Jackson, and Stoney. And we’re going to enjoy some pure California fun.

  • Sarah Palin in Haiti and Me

    The other day I got connected to Emily Troutman, a reporter working for AOL News in Port-a-Prince, Haiti. She was looking for Americans who had travelled to Haiti since the earthquake and I fit that description. After a quick exchange of emails, she told me she was just looking for a couple of quotes about an article covering Sarah Palin’s visit last week. I was happy to comply.

    I thought it would be interesting to share the final essay she published and also share my full responses to her questions.

    First, her essay:

    “Haiti has been a country that has suffered in the past and is going to continue to suffer until some fundamental changes are being made here,” said Palin, who was accompanying the Rev. Franklin Graham, director of Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical charitable organization operating in Haiti.

    If Sarah Palin wants change for Haiti, though, I hope she will first be changed by Haiti.

    Tuesday night, a roving gang, setting fire to a car, aimed rocks at my head when I attempted to take a photo. I just threw my hands in the air, in surrender. By today, I was catching photos of Palin’s cheerful, determined grin. And again, I was tempted to throw my hands in the air. The country was catapulted further into crisis this past week, after many felt the presidential election, mired in fraud, failed to reflect the democratic vote of the people. For three days, Port-au-Prince was shuttered and innocent bystanders sprinted through the streets to find safety.

    Read the rest

    My name never really appears in the article. Which is fine… I knew that going in. If you read the whole essay though, you’ll see some themes that I brought up appearing scattered throughout. I thought it was pretty cool.

    Here are my answers to her questions:

    Happy to help. And I didn’t know Sarah was coming to PaP. Very cool of her. I hope her heart is changed the same way mine was.

    Feel free to use my name or not. It’d be cool if you could send me back a link if you publish something. (Even if you don’t use my stuff.)

    Adam McLane
    San Diego, CA

    Why did you come to Haiti?
    I came immediately following the January earthquake to minister to survivors in tent cities and evaluate what further opportunities there could be for American college students and young adults to serve those displaced.

    Did you choose Haiti over another impoverished place? If so, why? Or was it always just Haiti that you wanted to visit? Why?
    No, I responded to a specific invitation from an NGO to come to Haiti after the earthquake. Such a trip had never been on my mind before the invitation.

    How did you feel when you were here?
    I had a lot of fear in coming to Haiti. My whole adult life I’d only heard terrible things. I’d heard it was a place of violence. I’d heard horror stories of those who practiced the Voodoo religion. What shocked me was that my experience was the exact opposite. From my arrival (driving in from the Dominican Republic) until the time I left, I had never been to a place more friendly, and more hospitable. We were greeted everywhere with warm, generous smiles. Surely, when we encountered tent cities who had nothing to eat or drink there was desperation. But we never felt in danger, never saw expressions of anger, and were warmly received. (Whether we came just to help people process what they were going through, praying with them, participating in worship services, or coming to deliver aid, we were treated the same.) As I left in February I cried because my time had ended too quickly. I vowed that I’d be back to serve again. (And fulfilled that vow in July)

    I expected Haiti to be a nation heavy with mourning and instead found it a place of hope!

    Did anything surprise you?
    Lots of things! I didn’t expect to enjoy the food so much. From fresh fruit bought on the street to amazing meals of rice, beans, and goat.

    On my return trip in July, what surprised me was how little progress had been made. The tent cities were filled with the same people and the rubble was in the same place. Likewise, the people in the tent cities were frustrated by the big NGOs promises to help. They knew billions of dollars had been given in aid but only a few things had happened. (I wasn’t there with Oxfam, but in several of the camps we worked in we were impressed by the sanitation/water systems installed by Oxfam.)

    How did you feel when you went home?
    On both trips I was sad to leave Port-au-Prince. I feel strangely alive while I’m there. It’s hard to explain how amazing of a community it is, even amidst the great disaster. I had a hard time explaining to people what I’d experienced. Their minds were filled with the horror stories portrayed on the news while I wanted to share stories of the great hope for rebuilding the nation we felt as we met with people in tent cities, pastors, and various community leaders.

    Did you feel different? Culture-shocked? Grateful? Tired? How long did it take for that feeling to subside, or did it?
    Coming back, first there were the silly things. On both trips I was overcome with emotion in the airport upon coming back to the States. On my first trip, our team sat down for lunch and collectively felt guilty. We had each just spent $10 on lunch… enough money to feed a family for 10 days. On my second trip, it just didn’t make any sense to me that a short two-hour flight from Port-au-Prince took me a world away. It was trivial, but after going through customs and checking in to my homeward flight, I cried in the bathroom. It was just too clean and unused to make any sense. That was definitely reverse culture shock.

    Did it subside? Of course. But I’ve been changed forever.

    Will you come back? Why or why not?
    I will come back. Why? There is too much work to be done. And for anything I’ve given it’s been returned to me ten times in blessing.

    I originally had plans to return after Christmas but they’ve since fallen through. I’m currently looking for an opportunity to come back with an NGO to continue working in the tent cities. I would love to be a camp manager.

    Are you glad you went to Haiti?
    Absolutely. Haiti is a place that intrigues you with its paradox. It has a rich, proud history of being the first free black nation. It’s people speak a beautiful language and love to learn. But it’s also defined by a history of corruption and deep poverty. That paradox sets it apart and calls me back!

    Here’s the deal: Haiti still needs help. It still needs people like you. If God is calling you there and you aren’t quite sure why. Let me know.

  • 4 Prayers for Walt Mueller

    Walt Mueller

    I’ve got great respect for Walt Mueller. If you are in youth ministry, there is a good chance that you’ve bumped into Walt and his ministry, The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding, many times.

    Last fall, Walt and his wife Lisa, were great friends to the YS staff as we went through a rough period. Going through a convention season without Tic, the sudden dismissal of Marko, and the unknown of the companies [and our jobs] future… Walt and Lisa’s presence in the quiet areas of the convention meant a ton.

    Their comforting words of encouragement spoke volumes of care and cut through the awkwardness I was feeling.

    Last week, Walt was in a nasty bike accident. Here’s the story from the CPYU website:

    CPYU’s founder and President, Walt Mueller was in a serious bike accident on Friday, July 30th. Please pray for him and his family. He suffered 8 broken ribs, a punctured lung, as well as a fractured collarbone and many bumps, bruises and abrasions. His injuries are not considered life-threatening, but he remains in the hospital and he is experiencing substantial pain. Walt and his family would really appreciate all of your prayers.

    I’d like to offer 4 prayers for Walt to our Heavenly Father. Perhaps you would join me in these prayers?

    1. Healing of his body. Walt spent nearly a week in the hospital in considerable pain. Pray for his body to be completely healed of all the broken bones, tissue damage, as well as all the other injuries. Pray that his pain quickly becomes manageable and that he can physically get back to the things he loves soon.
    2. Healing of his mind. No doubt a trauma like this comes with many emotions to work through. During this time of recovery please pray that he’s able to process this experience, seeking Christ through it. (1 Corinthian 8:6 seems to capture this well)
    3. Pray for his family. No doubt, an accident like this causes stress on Lisa and the rest of the family. Please pray for them as they rearrange their lives to help Walt.
    4. Pray for CPYU. Having the boss away for a couple months is a big deal. Pray that the team would be able to continue strongly through this period. May this be a time when emerging leaders flourish.

  • Sunday Normalness

    torreypinesPretty much every Sunday is the same for our family. It’s our new normal and we love it. For the first time in my adult life I have weekends off… and I’m still enjoying the novelty of it. Here’s what a typical Sunday looks like.

    7:00- Everyone up. We don’t set alarms, but we all get woken up by hungry animals.The pace of our morning is extremely slow. With 3+ hours until church we hang in our PJs for as long as possible. The kids usually play quietly while mom and dad enjoy coffee and just enjoy the morning.

    8:30- Dad and Paul head over to Yum Yum Donuts about a mile away to hunt & gather some donuts. Typically, we get 6 donuts and a bag of donut holes.

    10:00- We leave for church. Old habits die hard… so we’re always there a little too early. (Californians are notoriously late for church; the cool kids come late.) This is the part that astonishes me… I just go to church. It took some intentional pulling back but I now do nothing on Sunday mornings but attend services.

    12:30- We leave church and head for home. Sometimes we go out sometimes we don’t. But there’s no hard and fast rule for going out like before. We’ve been to Chili’s exactly once since moving to California! (In Romeo we went almost every week.)

    2:00- We’re done with Sunday running around. No evening meetings. No youth group. Nada. We have the rest of the day to ourselves.

    When it’s warm outside we are in the habit of going to the beach after church. We run home, grab a quick lunch, and pack up the car with all of our stuff. But that hasn’t happened since October. We’re hoping for the beach routine to come back in April!

    It’s taken us a few months… but I finally feel like we’re hitting a healthy stride for Sunday’s. From the donut routine, to “just going to church,” to doing something simple and fun. Our family is actually starting to look forward to Sunday coming again!