Men's Fashion

There shouldnt be any. Fashion is a world that should be left entirely to women because they are pretty and therefore they are allowed to wear pretty things. Men should not wear pretty things because most men are not pretty. The exception would be the men from the Twilight movies that Hannah loves so much. Those are pretty men.

The average man should only be thinking about a few things when purchasing clothes.

First, is it comfortable? Why would a man buy clothes that are not comfortable? I have a lot of friends that are musicians, skaters and artists and they wear jeans that I often mistake for spandex. Im not ruling out the possibility that they are comfortable but you wont see skinny jeans on this fat boy. The only man that's allowed to wear jeans that tight is the Marlboro Man and sadly Wayne McLaren died in 1992.

Secondly, is it durable? For two years I only wore one pair of jeans. I only paid $16 for them brand new and I would have to say that is pretty good return on investment. If you've ever been at a store and thought about buying something specifically for one event you have failed to take durability into consideration.

Thirdly, does this go with my "uniform"? I am of the persuasion that men should have uniforms. You may have noticed this by the fact that I am always wearing the same thing. In case you're wondering what a uniform might consist of, here's mine:

Wrangler relaxed fit jeans
Chaps button up shirts
Columbia shorts
Pocket t-shirts
Vests (of every kind)
Leather shoes (boat, sandals, boots)

There are not going to be very many times you are going to catch me breaking uniform. In fact, if I thought I could really get away with it I would have seasonal uniforms and I would wear the exact same thing every day of the season. I do this in spurts of up to a week before Hannah gives me a subtle look like "you're kind of nasty...are you ever going to wash that?". The key principle of the uniform is this - you shouldnt have to think longer than 5 seconds about what you're going to wear.

Finally, dont be scared to become a chronic under-dresser. This does not apply to business settings of course but in social settings set your standard and maintain it. If you become known as the guy who wears jeans and a t-shirt to everything then no one is surprised when you show up in jeans and a t-shirt to everything. Case in point, we had 60 people at the house on New Years Eve and I had on shorts, a hooded sweatshirt and a blaze orange hunting parka.

Comfortable, durable, consistent and casual. That is men's fashion.

Disturbing

Little miss Elliott Ables was at the house last night and was wandering around so I decided to pick her up and take a stroll. Generally, my beard and sunglasses keep her entertained for at least a little while but I thought of something even more interesting to do with our time. In my mind I thought "she would like to see collection of once alive animals in my office". So off we went.

Once we got there I found myself saying the word "bird" over and over. She slapped the turkey wings a couple times, tried to stare down the pheasant and was somewhat confused by the fish. After I had said "bird" about 70 times and had her saying it along with me I suddenly became very aware that I have dead birds in my office. I actually really hate most birds so this was a disturbing realization.

Perhaps even more disturbing is the fact that I thought a tiny little girl with a pink monogrammed backpack would like to see it all. Animals are generally more enjoyable when they are alive like at a zoo. That's fun and it makes sense. Dead turkeys that look like they're flying in a holding pattern around your office is just strange.

Im sorry Elliott. You can start praying now for my kids.

Just No.

There is no excuse for using the bathroom on a one hour plane ride. Im sorry but theres just not. First of all, shame on you for not going in the airport while you sat there and stared at the gate agent wondering when he/she was going to announce your flight. You clearly had ample time to do so and you chose not to. This is your fault so dont punish everyone else. Secondly, show a little bit of self control for crying out loud. I mean seriously, its like the plane hits 10000 feet and your bladder hits its breaking point? The fasten seatbelt sign goes off and its always a race to the lavatory. Gross. That thing smells bad regardless of what goes on in there and the people in the back of the plane just get suffocated with it.

After we had flown around the world we had our last flight of the day which is a one hour flight from DC to CHS. Our group had just gotten off of a 17 hr flight and we dominated the majority of the flight. But I swear that every person that was not in our group made a dash to the toilet after ten minutes. This was one of those way too small planes so the whole flight was like a nice cruise in a porta-john.

It bothered me. Drake noticed it. He said that I would write something about it. Here it is.

COPS live in Kampala

So Michael and I are in downtown Kampala at rush hour on Friday afternoon trying to figure out exactly where Amanda, Kelly and Danielle are. The three of them had just taken a bus in from Masindi and we were playing a game of Marco Polo in a city of complete chaos. In Kampala there are basically no road signs and only about 5 or 6 major roads that change names constantly and have thousands of little side roads off of them with no demarcation. In order to get our bearings we pull off on the side of the road which just happens to be in front of the police station. This is what happens next:

Matt: You know we're in front of a police station right? (me being as cautious as always)
Michael: Its fine bro (Michael being as carefree as always)

Cop approaches car wearing fatigues with an AK47 and a baret

Cop: You can not park here. You are immediately arrested.
Michael: What?
Cop: You are going to be arrested. Give me your license.
Michael: I didnt know...we didnt know what we were doing.
Cop: Give me your license and pull up and to the left.
Matt: This should be interesting.
Michael: Alright man, let me get out of here and go BS with this guy for a few minutes.

Michael proceeds to get out of car with typical Michael style and start making some joke that the cop doesnt understand. Matt sits in car answering cell phone calls from Amanda wondering if Michael will get arrested and wondering if he will be forced to drive the roads in Kampala or come up with money to bail Michael out.

Cop: You give me 60000 UGS for this offense.
Michael: You give me a ticket and I'll be happy to pay the fine.
Cop: You dont want to do this. This is a very long process and its no good. You give me 60000.
Michael: Give me a ticket.
Cop: You give your friend (referring to himself) 10000.
Michael: Give me a ticket.
Cop: 10000 for your friend.
Michael: I need a ticket.
Cop: No ticket. I will pardon your for this serious offense.

The cop then proceeds to my door to give me a handshake and introduce himself and offer some advice about where the girls may be before wandering back to the station.

And people say there's corruption in Africa? Come on, its just a bunch of nice people trying to help soemone out.

Sharp Contrast

Uganda, like most Africa countries is an interesting place. It keeps you on your toes. Your senses are heightened by the sights, sounds and smells that you are continuously experiencing. A 5 minute car ride can provide more excitement than most people have ever had in their entire lives. You can come INCHES from hundreds of wrecks in a stretch of 2km. You can see 4 people on the back of moped. You can see 60 people in the back of an open truck. You will see child beggars carrying babies on their backs, people selling nearly anything you can imagine in your window at stops, traffic circles that boggle my mind and UN cars rushing by at what seems like 1000 mph.

Back to the title. Through a series of wild events we have made connections with some of the biggest players in this country. The kind of wealth that you would never know existed if someone didnt you to it. So, the other day Michael and I found ourselves meeting with arguably the most wealthy group in the country and one of the most well networked in all of Africa. We sat in a board room for an hour or so and talked with people who are pretty interested in what we're doing. This was probably the nicest office I have been in since I started coming to Uganda and we were talking with men who have serious business minds.

Three hours later we were on our way to Masindi and Michael and I look off to the side of the road at another serious business man. Only this business man isnt in quite as nice attire and instead of managing billions in oil he is managing a group of 15 cows. The peculiar thing was that he was working in only a pair of briefs...and I dont think it was casual day. This guys literally walks around smacking a cow in the ass with a switch all day in his tighty whities and he's clearly not embarrassed because he is walking one of the more major roads in UG.

It was funny because its just such drastic contrast. In three hours we went from the most prominent wealth in the country to a barely clothed man confined to a life of chasing cows. The truth is it wouldnt have taken three hours if we really wanted to see the contrast. It could have taken just minutes to be in the slums of a country where people have no hope of ever escaping the poverty that they were born into and will die in. These people literally have no way out. They live every day of their lives knowing that this is it for them. This is not like the US where more often times than not you have a way out if you work hard enough. Here, people work their entire lives - or they work to find work.

Seeing both the wealth and the poverty so clearly leaves me with little wonder why the violence explodes. I try to put myself in that same situation. If I knew I had no opportunity to grow, advance or succeed. If every meal, car ride, health concern, phone call was a cost you could not afford. If you watched the people around you dying, the population growing (2nd highest birth rate in the world) and becoming more crowded with more competition for scarce resources, poor sanitation and heat without access to clean water what would you do? THEN, if you watched the church, the government and the wealthy fall further into corruption that robs resources from the people that need it. If you watched the leadership manipulate the people to create greater wealth for themselves how would you feel? You would be filled with rage. You would be overcome with jealousy, envy, frustration and anger which with enough time becomes explosive. Most importantly, millions are living without hope of things every getting any better.

Crazy.

I hope this changes in my lifetime. I hope we see a new generation of leaders in Africa committed to God and their people. I hope that if the right leadership shows up the people will respond.

Gettin it done in Kampala

After a couple short flights and one that would test anyones patience we arrived in Kampala and were greeted by a few familiar faces. One of them was Michael which was a very welcome sight. Once we packed the vans down it was time for me to ride with Michael on the roads of Entebbe and Kampala to pick up Amanda and then send the team on to Masindi.

If you've ever ridden with Michael in the car its always a very interesting experience. On a number of occasions in the states I have watched him fade off into the zone and run red lights, run into ditches etc. So, I was definitely interested to see how it would be riding with him in what I would consider to be the most chaotic driving conditions anywhere on the planet. To make matters even more interesting, he and I are currently staying in a house atop a large hill overlooking Lake Victoria that requires some skilled driving up steep, muddy roads. To add an even more interesting twist it has been raining for hours each day and every ride up and down the hill is like a large sled on pure ice. Thankfully, he has learned the aggressive driving techniques that it takes to survive and we're getting around perfectly. We get plenty of looks cruising around as a couple white guys in a land cruiser like we own the place but its all good.

Today we had a couple meetings in town that both turned out to be positive. First we met with the engineer we have contracted for the clinic who is very knowledgeable and has great insight into building practices in the country. Then we met with a man named Fisher for lunch who works with an investment group in Kampala. That was an interesting meeting as he called the First Lady on the spot to ask her to attend our groundbreaking ceremony....which apparently we are going to start planning tomorrow with his help. To say the least he has the country's leadership at his fingertips and is very interested in what we are doing on a lot of different levels.

Tomorrow its a number of meetings and then on to Masindi where we'll spend a couple days trying to get things sorted out for the land lease and approval for the project through town council. It will be a long day and an adventurous drive to Masindi with Michael but Im sure it will be a blast.

In talking with Marianne today it sounds like clinic was a long first day. 400 people in line at Rev. Francis's church and some rough cases including one lady that needed emergency transportation as her condition was beyond critical. Im sure that the team needs encouragement tonight after a long first day but hopefully this will be a foundation from which they can grow throughout the week as they figure out how to work as a team to provide optimal care to all those they will come in contact with.

Good stuff happening as always. Challenging and unpredictable but good.

www.palmettomedical.org/blog

Africa I

My experience with Africa has been an interesting one as Im sure it has been for most everyone who has had the opportunity to spend time there. In my opinion there is nothing that you can do that will prepare you for what you will experience on that continent. Your first time stepping off the plane and being thrust into the landscape and culture is one of the most foreign feelings that I can imagine.

As I sat in the house last night I was reminded through a documentary on HBO of what a fragile place Africa is. I was reminded that though I have become somewhat comfortable in Uganda, the surrounding countries are still filled with murder, rape and corruption on every level. Africa can become overwhelming to the mind in seconds and can feel like 100 million pounds on your back. I really believe this is why so many people start with a great hope for things to change and end up tired, frustrated and out of compassion.

My relationship with Africa began in college. I'll never forget the morning before school that my dad called around 7:30 am. My dad is a lifelong businessman and I can definitely attribute some of my seriousness to him...but he can also be so serious that you feel like you're in a board meeting when he calls to check in. Anyway, he calls and says "Son, I wanted to let you know that your mom and I are thinking about adopting two boys from Africa. They were at our church last night with a group of other orphan boys and your mom and I think we might move forward with this." Me - "Sounds great, let me know what happens." In my head I thought this was another one of dad's big dramatic things that he announces with no emotion which makes it even more dramatic.

Next day. Another phone call from dad. "Son, your mom and I are moving forward with the paperwork to adopt these two boys." Me - "Really? Wow. Ummm...who are they again? Where are they from? Are they black? Ok. Let me know how it goes." What the day before had felt like a total joke now seemed to have the potential to change my family and the way things had been my entire life. I knew next to nothing about Africa. I had not even seen a picture of these kids. I had no warning. It just happened.

I can remember one thing that went through my head was every racist comment or joke someone had made in the last ten years. I could pick out every friend who had a racist leaning and none of it was okay any more. I knew at that moment there were going to be a lot of things that would not be quite so easy any more.

I can remember the first time I met David and Seeboe. They were both tiny. They were so thin that they really looked to be 8 years old though they were 12 and 13. I couldnt understand much of what they were saying but they smiled a lot and gave Josh and I hugs. That first night together we went out to dinner and all they wanted to listen to on the radio was country music. We were still struggling through the whole communication thing but they clearly wanted us to stop on every country station...a far cry from what they're listening to these days.

Then came a bunch of firsts. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Fox News, Readers Digest, Oprah Magazine etc. It was interesting watching it all unfold and being somewhat close to it all but still somewhat at a distance since I was in Charleston.

One of the things that my dad started to do with the boys every night was pray with them and for them. As the boys started communicating better and opening up it became clear that they still had orphaned brothers and sisters in Liberia. I know that their hearts were filled with sadness for them and it showed in the way that they prayed and cried at the thought of it.

So, my dad being a group guy just decided to adopt the rest of them. He and I are alike in that regard. When it comes to big things sometimes you cant think about it too much and you just have to go for it. Otherwise, you are bound to talk yourself out of it. I mean who adopts six kids from West Africa? It didnt make sense but thats ok because once the committment is there you wont see any backing down.

Back to phone calls from Dad. The next call that I got was another doozie. "Son, I want you to go to Liberia with me to meet the kids and get their paperwork started." Me - "Mmm let me see what that looks like with classes". The truth is that I had absolutely no intention of going on that trip. It scared me to think about and I had no interest in traveling to Africa. Honestly, I dont really think my dad did either but he was so determined to expedite the process that this was the only way he could really think of.

Long story short I decided to go. Liberia was just weeks out of the ceasefire from a 20 year civil war and we knew it was going to be tough. What my dad would tell me half way through the trip is "Son, I didnt want to say anything leading up to the trip but I have been having nightmares for the past two months that the rebels would capture me, cut off my arms and legs and hold me hostage". Awesome. Thanks dad.

I thought I was prepared for the trip. I thought that my time in 3rd world countries in Central America and other places around the world would prepare me. I thought I had some idea about what I was getting into. I didnt.

Tempting

Reading in Hebrews this morning I ran across a verse that for the last several years has put things in perspective for me in regards to how Christ relates to our temptation, suffering and human experience. Hebrews 2:18 reads:

Because He Himself suffered when He was tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted.

Later in the book at chapter 4 verse 15, Paul (assuming he was the author) writes:

For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.

It is powerful to know that part of Christ's experience on earth was the same temptation that I face. Even more so to know that He suffered in the face of it but was never given to it. The temptation was real to him but it did not result in sin.

For guys I think we read this passage and all think the same thing when it comes to temptation...lust. Im sure this is half because its true but I also think we've been programmed to say that. Of course guys are going to be attracted to women and sometimes that attraction is going to go a step too far. But, I also think that there are temptations that are more subtle but that also divert our attention.

I find myself being tempted with all the opportunity that is out there in the world. My mind can often begin racing with business and ministry ideas around the globe. Opportunities arise and I can begin to entertain things without really checking to see if they align with what Christ is doing and where He is working. Im definitely not saying that a business or entrepreneurial mind is a bad thing but when new ideas distract from those places where God is already working then you may miss out on some amazing things.

Its very funny to me that Satan tries to tempt Christ with offering Him the world in Matthew 4. That in itself is a picture of how ridiculous and twisted Satan can be and the way that He manipulates truth. But, as I was thinking this morning I can definitely see how that temptation has played itself out in our world. Men and women who have given up everything in pursuit of money and a title. Again, being successful is not a bad thing but I just wonder how many people began to pursue the temptation of "you can have it all" and missed out on some amazing things that God was doing in their midst or would have loved to use their lives for.

Renew our minds and give us the strength to stay focused regardless of the temptation.