Florida

Greetings from sunny, hot, humid Florida! Of course, the hotel is so cold you practically need a jacket while wandering the halls, but immediately want your bathing suit when you step outside. Still, the heat is nice for a change.

I don't really have much to say so far, and I forgot the cable for the camera, so I can't download any photos yet. Anyway, it is my second day in Orlando at the Florida Mall Hotel for the Associated Church Press convention. This is my second convention (I went 2 years ago when it was in Toronto). The people are nice, the food is good and the experience is a worthy one.

As soon as I'm done blogging I'm going to workout. I can't decide if I want to use the pool or not though. The best part about this hotel is that it's attached to a huge mall!! It's great! I can go shopping whenever I want, even if I only have a few minutes! I already bought some shoes and there's another pair I'm eyeing. It's a good thing that Joseph is so good about pretty much letting me buy whatever I want! (Within reason of course).

I was taking some pictures outside the hotel today (there really isn't anywhere to walk to - the hotel is kind of on its own; it's not in a downtown area where there's a milion things to do outside your door - hence the mall). Anyway, I was taking pictures of the gardens and saw a bunch of tiny lizards scurrying around. They were so cute! I took a bunch of pictures of them among the flowers, so you'll have to stay tuned for those.

Our group just came from worship. The music was great and the speaker was a Baptist minister from here in Orlando. She was fantastic! Everyone was absolutely on the edge of their seats - she had our undivided attention. Her sermon was about a story in Numbers 27, where 5 sisters approached Moses about their inheritance in the Promised Land, as their father died and therefore they had no right to any of the land that was to be coming to him. These 5 brave women took their concern to Moses, and Moses dutifully asked God for an answer. God told Moses that the women were right, and would receive their father's inheritance as part of the tribe of Israel. What a great story! She then referred to chaper 8 in Luke, where more women are named as faithful servants of Jesus. She tied it all together by noting that all of us have a part to play in God's plan, and that the plan is only perfectly carried out when we all work together; bringing our strengths and gifts and unique personalities to the table (as the 5 named women all brought certain qualities that resulted in a successful resolution to their problem). When we all work together, she said, we can be a voice for the voiceless, we can recognize problems and speak up and affect change. (Remember, she's speaking to a bunch of journalists who often have the ability to do just that). She kept repeating that as God's children, we are called to be different and we are called to do differently, and when we all work together for the greater good, things happen. Anyway, I obviously didn't say it as well as she did, but trust me, it was a fantastic sermon - probably one of the best I've heard (which was greatly buoyed by her enthusiastic, energetic preaching style!).

Enough rambling though. I apologize for this somewhat boring blog entry! I figured I should write something though while I'm in Florida.

Until next time,
A.

Random photos

In an effort to share some photos from past trips, visits with friends and the like, I've decided to just post a a mish-mash of photos that really don't go together at all. Now that my husband's blog is such a big hit, I have to do something to keep people looking at mine! And since photos is really the only thing I've got, I thought I'd better throw a bunch up here.

Perhaps one day the photos on here will be even better, thanks to some private instruction I'm currently receiving from a photographer friend of my boss. This guy teaches digital photography at Ryerson University. I had my first lesson today. We went donwtown and just shot whatever. It was interesting - lots to learn though. I have my boss' fancy-schmancy camera for the weekend, so I'm going to play around with it and see what I can do. Maybe soon I won't just win awards for my writing, but for my photography too! (Read: shameless bragging).

Anyway, the only other newsy update I can think to tell everyone about -- although I think most of you already know this -- is that I'll be going to Florida at the end of the month for a conference and awards night, thenI'm back home for about a week and then off to Winnipeg, Kenora and Saskatoon for another conference and awards night, and then to research a story I'm going to be working on about native ministries and the church. I hope it goes well.

That's about it.
I hope you all have a safe and blessed Easter!
A.

P.S. I guess I should briefly describe the photos: at the top are my friend Sara's super-cute kids, Sierra and Ethan, and that's Sara next to them. Next row is my friend Kristy. These 4 were taken last summer when I was out in Alberta for work. The next one is Justine, at her wedding (obviously) last May. After that is me, Joe, Marge and Joe S. in Ottawa, skating on the Rideau Canal this winter. Next is Joseph at my cousin's wedding in 2004. And after that is the MacLachlan boys - Brother Greg, Dad Bob, Joe and Brother Andrew. This was taken at my parents' place 2 Christmases ago. I could post more, but I'm sick of blogging for the night, so you'll just have to wait for more!

More Ethiopia photos!

I just have to post more photos from Ethiopia - I have so many favourites! So here are some landscapes.
A.

Ethiopia

It's been about 2 1/2 years since I went to Ethiopia. I travelled there on my first international journalism assignment with the Presbyterian Record - the magazine I currently work for. It was a study tour for the other participants -- a time for church-goers to see the effects of a charity they support. In this case, it was the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB - www.foodgrainsbank.ca); an agency made up of 13 member churches (of which the Presbyterian Church is one), that provides food to countries in emergency situations as well as providing "food-for-work" programs, that enable long-term development of communities. It is a great organization, doing good work, which I saw with my own eyes in Ethiopia.

Even though I was only in this East African country for two weeks, it remains close to my heart. It is a fascinating, beautiful place made up of amazing people. Although poverty is rampant there, the country was not what I expected. There were rolling green hills, relatively modern hotels, colourful gardens, breath-taking landscapes and smiling people. It was a far cry from the sad scenes we saw on TV during the famine of 1984-85, when starving children with bloated bellies and flies on their faces left many thinking this is all Ethiopia had to offer. Ethiopia's story is indeed a sad one; constant drought makes famine an always-present reality, while land that has been worked so consistently for thousands of years, that it simply has nothing left to give. Trees are cut down, soil is eroded, farming practices are those of Biblical times and crop yield, therefore, is often low. Where CFGB and other aid agenices have been working, communities have updated farming practices, better tools and water conservation and storage capacity, insuring farmers can irrigate their crops even during the dry season. Despite the often sad reality, Ethiopia is still a beautiful place, filled with warm, friendly people.

Ethiopia is also a country that prides itself on its deep religious roots. It is said to be one of the first places to hear of Christianity (and quickly developed this faith as its national religion -- the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is still a strong force in the country) and legend says the Queen of Sheba (part of present-day Ethiopia) had some kind of interlude with King Solomon, and that the long-lost Arc of the Covenant resides there. Religious holidays are almost as common as weekends, which often interfere with work productivity.

Ethiopians are a proud people -- partly stemming from the fact that it is the only African country that was never colonized (save for a short-lived Italian occupation in 1936), and their pride -- along with amazing generosity -- can still be seen today.

I could write pages more, but figure I should stop and just post some pictures. One more thing: Ethiopia has the most delicious coffee you will ever taste (in fact, it is credited as coffee's birth place) and the coffee ceremony is an important part of Ethiopian culture.

Until next time!
A.