MMM

Hey Everybody,

This past week has been hectic here in SA. The Management of both touring teams along with office staff have a big week of meeting called MMM (Middle Management Meetings). We take a detailed look at everything that envolves training and touring and we discuss how to make C-Kruis better. Well these meetings start at about 0830 and run to around 2200 at night. Alot of really good stuff has been discussed and there have been some changes that I really think will improve C-Kruis as a ministry. I will admit that I am looking forward to tomorrow being a day off. Hope you are all well. Cheers.

Chris

A Chili What?

Well.....Today I was at the mall with my beautiful wife, we went to see a movie, and I was a little hungry for lunch. I went to this hot dog place and ordered a chili dog, which I have not had since we have been here in SA. When they gave me the chili dog I saw there was no chili on the dog. The line was long now so I decided to eat the plain dog. Well as I bit into the hot dog I realized that when they say "chili dog" they don't mean a hot dog with chili on it, they mean a hot dog with chili peppers cooked into the meat. How strange is that? Peppers cooked into the meat? Crazy. Well I ate the devilishly spicy hot dog and can't wait for the indegestion to kick in shortly. Oh....yep......there it is....feel the burn.....feel it.......thats what I'm talking about....is that the best you got.......bring it sister...... Oh well, another time of me not knowing what is going on in this wacky place. Have a great day.

Chris

A Chili What?

Well.....Today I was at the mall with my beautiful wife, we went to see a movie, and I was a little hungry for lunch. I went to this hot dog place and ordered a chili dog, which I have not had since we have been here in SA. When they gave me the chili dog I saw there was no chili on the dog. The line was long now so I decided to eat the plain dog. Well as I bit into the hot dog I realized that when they say "chili dog" they don't mean a hot dog with chili on it, they mean a hot dog with chili peppers cooked into the meat. How strange is that? Peppers cooked into the meat? Crazy. Well I ate the devilishly spicy hot dog and can't wait for the indegestion to kick in shortly. Oh....yep......there it is....feel the burn.....feel it.......thats what I'm talking about....is that the best you got.......bring it sister...... Oh well, another time of me not knowing what is going on in this wacky place. Have a great day.

Chris

Our Anniversary

Today is our 4 year anniversary!!! I can't believe we have been married for 4 years now. I know it's not that long in the grand scheme of life, but it's still long. I am head-over-heels in love with my beautiful wife and look forward to this next year. We were talking about how in only 4 years of marriage we have gotten to do some really cool things and see some really cool places, we moved to the other side of the world and have a house and a dog. I am pleased with life right now and look forward to each day. I think that is a huge blessing and I know that Rachel plays a huge part in me feeling that way, I am a lucky man. Hope you have a great day. Cheers.

Chris

Sleep Tight.

When Rachel and I got to SA we spent all our money on getting our house and car and all the little things that come with moving around the world. One of the things that we couldn't purchase was a bed. So we borrowed a bed from a friend of ours, who had one in the garage, and that is what we have been using since. On our second week of tour in Jo'burg we stayed with a family whos son runs a foam factory and they make beds. So Rachel and I got a killer deal on a new bed. WOOHOO! Now we have our own queen size bed and are sleeping very nicely. Hope you are sleeping nicely in your part of the world. Cheers.

Chris

What the....?

Rach finally got to go to a chiropractor the other day for the first time since we have been here in SA. For you who don't know, Rachel's spine looks like a treble clef. On the way back from the doctor we saw a mall that we have never been to, so we stopped to walk around and check it out. As we were approaching the mall from the north parking lot I saw a green “way” (pardon) on a sign sticking out from behind a pillar. The font looked like something I had seen before and as was got closer we saw there there is a flippin' Subway restraunt in this mall. What???Subway??? Yep.....Subway. So Rach and I had a nice early lunch, Rach- Club, Me-Meatball. We washed the meal down with a couple of chocolate chip cookies (another rarity here). I am just so excited to know that within 20 minutes of our home there is a little piece of America just waiting to serve me a footlong sandwich. Plus in this mall there is an olympic size ice hockey rink, for some strange unknown reason. Enjoy your day and I will enjoy mine. Cheers.

Chris

Home again.

Rach and I are home from our 1st African tour cycle. We spent 5 weeks on the road and it is nice to have a break. We are going to be on holiday for a couple of weeks and then we start 4 weeks of work here in Pretoria. We don't hit the road again for several weeks. We will be in the Free State for the next cycle which is really cold in the winter, so that is going to be tough. We were in really warm areas the past few weeks so it has been nice. Here in Pretoria it gets pretty cold at night, but the days are not bad at all. We will see how that keeps up for the remainder of winter. Its great to be home. Cheers.

Chris

Great Week.

Hey Guys,

We finished up our week here in Phalaborwa last night with a really good Rock Show. There were about 300 people and the crowd had so much energy that it made the show great. Today is our day off and we are supposed to do nothing, so that is what Rachel and I are going to do. We are going to sit around the house and watch movies and do nothing. We drive to Ellisras tomorrow. Its about 5 hours away and it is right nean the Botswana border. Talk to you soon.

Chris

On the Road.

Hello Folks,

We are in the midst of our 4th week of tour. We are in a town called Phalaborwa (pal-a-bore-va), located in the north eastern part of South Africa, right on the border on the Kruger National Park. We are enjoying ourselves and Rachel and I have a great host family this week. We are staying a little guest house in the back yard of some people from the church. Its great to have some privacy and to be able to get away and be alone. The other day we, the whole team, drove to a dam to see if we could spot any crocodiles or hippos. Well, as were were driving back we saw a ton of elephants on the side of the road. There were probably 15 of them and they were just walking by this little stream, it was crazy. One of them was really close to the road and we just sat there next to it in the car, just checking him out. It was so cool. It was just funny seeing them on the road, not in a park, walking on public property. The week is going well and the shows are being recieved really well. There are some really cool testimonies of how we are really hitting home with a lot of the students at the shows. This week wasn't booked until 2 weeks ago and I am glad that we are getting to minister here in Phalaborwa. Hope all is well with you. Cheers.

Chris

Just looking for some good Thai.

I would like to tell you about last night because I think that people back home don't think that we live a "normal" life because we are in SA. Well... we had the night off to do some packing and get ready for tour and Rachel and I were hungry, but neither of us wanted to cook and deal with the dishes. So there is this service called Mr Delivery that will pick up food and bring it to you for a small charge of Like R17 which is a little less than $3.00. Well, I called Mr D and they were backed up and the delivery time was like 2 hours. So, I called in the order to the restraunt and when I went to fetch the food I brought Guinness with me. So there I am on a nice cool South African autumn night driving to the Lotus Thai with Guinness. I picked up my food, ran in the grocery for some eggs and headed home. Pretty normal night huh? See that is just an example of how we live a normal life here. Just wanted to assure everyone that we are fine and life is good. Hope you all have great day. Oh yeah, the Thai was good, not great, if anyone knows of a good Thai place let me know. Cheers.

Chris

Tour Dates

Here are our tour dates:

April 30-May 6: Bronkhortspuit
May 7-12: Jo'burg
May 14-19: Mokopane
May 21-26: TBA
May 28-June 2: lephalale
July 23-28: TBA
July 30- August 4: New Castle
August 6-11: Harrismith
August 20-25 Bloemfontein
August 27- September 1: TBA
September 3-8: TBA
October 2-6: Klerksdorp
October 9-13: Brackenfell
October 16-20: Worcestor
October 22-27: Mosselbaai

Please pray we can book up the weeks that are not booked yet. Cheers.


Chris

Suprise Rock Show!!

We are at the end of training and we have not had a chance to do a dress rehearsal for our Rock Show on Friday nights. So we loaded up all the band stuff and sound stuff in one of the trucks we tour and drove around to where people were rehearsing and the sides of the big truck open up and we did a suprise Rock Show for our team. The idea was good, but right before we went our drummer had to go to a meeting and when we got there we realized almost everyone was gone working in other places. So we ended up playing with me on drums, no bass, and about 12 people watching. It was quit a schlep to load everything, but it was a ton of fun and I think the people on team enjoyed it. Tour starts Sunday. Cheers.

Chris

Come on..

Hey Guys,

I just heard some news that hurts me. I got an email from a guy I haven't spoken with in a long time. He was telling me that he was working at a church and that the church was having major issues and he got fired and then the pastor that fired him got fired weeks later. now this guy is working for the government just to pay bills and is wanting to do ministry again, however he is a little burned out right now and needs some time "away" from ministry. How many people have stories like this, being burned out with ministry or been burned by a church. Whats the deal? What needs to change? Why is so much hurt coming out of churches? I know that we are all sinners and we aren't going to be perfect, but do we really think that or are we just finding a "spiritual" excuse? I just know so many don't want anything to do with Jesus because of the way we treat people, not just people in general, but other christians, not to say the way the church treats "sinners" (e.g. gays, muslims, drunks). I just hate to think the thing that scares me the most is working at a church. I know not all churches are like this, but enough are for it to be a problem that needs looking at. I hope my friend finds a place soon where he can be himself and do what he feels God has called him to do. Cheers.

Chris

Which is Right?

I was looking at a South African christian magazine today called Truth. There were 2 pictures that I kept looking at that are on my mind. One was a picture of a Hillsong United worship service, with cool lighting, great sound and expensive insturments. The other was picture of a man with some sick poor children in Kenya, the kids were dirty, sickly and hardly dressed. The thing that got me was that in this magazine these 2 pictures were only pages from each other, but they are worlds apart in real life. I was thinking which of these pictures is "right"? Which of these 2 pictures is what God wants? Which of these 2 pictures most looks like Jesus? Are both of these pictures "right"? Are the people at Hillsong doing what God wants them to do and is the man in Kenya doing what God wants him to do? Just makes me think. Cheers.

Chris

Almost done

Hey Guys,

We have a few more days until we start tour. I am so excited about getting on the doing the work we have been training for. This past week has been the infamous Skyne (skane) Week, which is dress rehearsals. We spend one day polishing up stuff while the other team rehearses and then we go. We got home after 0300 on 3 days. It was so tiring. However, running the shows over and over made them great and we are ready for tour. I will post our tour schedule when I get a copy. Cheers.

Chris

Winter Clothes

Hey Friends,

I am in the hunt for winter clothes and I have an issue. I can't find any quality thrift stores in this beautiful land. For you who don't know, I am a big fan of second-hand clothing, I would guess that 75% of my shirts and tops were used when I purchased them. I hate the idea of spending lots of money on clothes, I personally think it is such a waste of funds. However, without good thrift stores I am forced to go get clothes at the mall. I went the other day and found one nice shirt for $10, so I am on my way to a nice warm winter. If you have never gone thrift store shopping I would highly recommend it. Just looking through all the racks for that one perfect shirt is great. I would stay away from the underpants though, thats a little gross. Have a great day.

Chris

Tattoos.

Hey everyone,

For you who didn't know. I love tattoos. I think tattooed skin is beautiful. Well, I was at the mall yesterday and when I was leaving I stopped by the tattoo shop to see if anything was going on. In the chair getting tattooed was a small young black woman probably around 30. She was working on a oriental style full sleeve on her left arm. The tattoo looked great and the woman was tough as nails because she looked so calm and relaxed. As I was standing there I realized that the arm being tattooed was badly scarred, I could tell from a section that was only outlined. It looked as if this woman had been badly burned at some time. I am glad that now this woman has something beautiful in the place of something that she probably thought was horrific looking. Just another reason I love tattoos. Cheers.

Chris

Broken Heart.

Hey Guys,

Yesterday Rachel and I were at this store called Jet looking for cheap winter clothes and I saw a banner that broke my heart. Like most shops, Jet has a program where you pay a small amount a month and you get discounts. The thing about Jet's club is the program doesn't help you purchase clothes or get discounts of vacations or anything like that, it gives you discounts on funerals. If you were to look at this from a distance it seems comical, however the truth of the matter is there are so many people dying in southern Africa from HIV/AIDs that these programs are all over the place. What we have here in Southern Africa is an epidemic where millions of people have AIDS. There is a bordering country called Swaziland and they say if nothing is done against the spread of AIDS that is something like 50 or 60 years only 10% of the country will survive. It is staggering. One of the problems is lack of knowledge. We have heard of HIV/AIDs for the past 20 years, however there are many people in this country that has never heard of it. There is a campaign now to spread information about HIV/AIDs, but it is not everywhere yet. Check out: http://www.worldvision.org/worldvision/appeals.nsf/stable/olr_home there is a lot of information about the HIV/AIDs crisis in southern Africa. Please also consider the problem in your own town. American's don't know so much about the problem, but there is a growing number of cases in the States. I am not just talking about NYC or San Fran, it is a growing problem all over. Just something to think about.

Chris

A good cup of coffee.

Hey folks,

There is something that some of you may not know about me. I have a crack-head like addiction to coffee. It's not really an addiction, however it is a pure, heart felt, love. I love coffee so much for the remainder of this blog I will type the word in all caps. That's love. Well the other day I finally found a place that serves a really good cup of COFFEE. I was so giddy. They serve the COFFEE in a paper cup with lid that makes me think that I am holding a cup of Starbucks, it's not Starbucks, but close enough for South Africa. So I am trying this COFFEE on the way to the movies and decide to put the cup in my man-purse and just stroll on into the theater. I am walking between the concession stand and ticket counter when I feel a warm sensation on my butt. I look to make sure it is not the hand of a stranger and notice that my cup of COFFEE has spilled in my man-purse. This is not good. So I continue walking like nothing is happening with this bag dripping COFFEE all over the place. There is a trail behind me of brown drops all over the floor. I hand my ticket to the short older black man that takes the ticket like nothing is wrong and walk straight to the bathroom to clean up this situation. I cleaned what I could and went and enjoyed my movie, reeking of COFFEE. Not the normal COFFEE breath reek that I carry on a daily basis, this was more of a submerged in COFFEE reek that was detectable from several feet away. After the movie I went back a purchased a second cup of COFFEE that enjoyed and yes I can say I have finally found a good cup of COFFEE.

Chris

Rach in the States

Rachel got to fly to America and suprise her 2 sisters this past week. Both of her sister just got engaged and her one sister, Kelly was flying to Atlanta to visit her other sister, Lynnae, to go wedding dress shopping. Rachel was very sad that she was going to miss this once in a lifetime event. So she talked to members of her family and mine and raised enough to fly in a suprise them. So last Sunday her sister gets up to answer the door and there is African Rachel standing there. It was a great suprise and they got to spend a great week together. I was sad to be on my own, but I was glad that she got that chance. Thats all.

Chris