A Legend In My Own Mind

Kodi

2011-11-21T13:18:00.001-06:00

Saturday morning I was awoken at 6am with a call from the vet. As I was half asleep and prepared to hear how my dog, Kodi was doing, she stunned me by saying, "I'm sorry Mr McGugan, Kodi passed away last night." As I lay in bed on the phone, Mrs. McGoo, who was getting ready for school, walked in and sat on the bed next to me. She could tell in my voice and the conversation that the news wasn't good. I got off the phone and immediately started tearing up. We embraced and I got up and put on some clothes to go to the vet to see him and speak to the vet.

I had taken Kodi to the vet Thursday, November 10 because I came home from Tulsa and he was limping pretty bad. They took an X-ray and discovered he had arthritis in his front right leg and it was extremely swollen. They gave us some medicine to administer and told us to let them know how he was doing at the beginning of the following week. The next day, Friday, he stopped eating and acted like he was zoned out. So we stopped giving him the meds and on Sunday, he began to eat and act right again. I called the vet on Monday to give her an update and she told me to try one and not the other to see if it was the meds that caused it. So we did and he went back to not eating and acting strange. The rest of the week was a tough one for him as he didn't eat anything and just didn't quite act like the Kodi I came to know and love. You could tell something was wrong. So I took him back to the vet on Friday and they told me he was really dehydrated. They gave him an IV of fluids and said to stop giving him the meds all together. When we walked outside to get in to the car, Kodi stumbled quite a bit and had a hard time getting in the car. When he was in, he looked glazed over and started breathing heavily. I immediately knew something was up and took him back inside to get a double check. The vet ran some blood tests on him and discovered he had pancreatic issues. She suggested that they keep him over night and give him an IV of meds and try and heal his pancreas. She said it was treatable, but they would know more from him in the next couple of days.

So I sat with Kodi for 45 mins while they did some other things and got a chance to love on him for a while. It was very evident he wasn't feeling well and I wanted to make sure he knew I was there. After I got the call the next morning that he had passed, I went up to the vet to talk to her. She told me that he slept through the night and, because he was still very warm, had just recently passed away. He looked very peaceful as if he fell into a deep sleep and never woke up. Later I found out from the autopsy that Kodi had the beginning stages of Liver cancer. It had dehydrated him, raised the levels of nitrogen in his blood (which led to being spaced out), and was affecting his pancreas. They told me this type of cancer was called the "Great Pretender" due to the fact that there are no external signs of it. The only way they can find it is by an biopsy and even then there are no guarantees he can survive it. So Kodi passed away at a good time. It was sooner than I was ready for and would have liked, but he wasn't in pain and had lived a full life. He was simply not feeling well and fell into a forever sleep.

I got Kodi when he was two weeks old from the animal shelter in late July 1999. He has been by my side ever since. I never thought I would feel as bad as I do, but the honest truth is, I'm crushed. See, Kodi was a dog I didn't have to do much for. He was well trained, wasn't all in your business, and loved people. The only thing I had to do for Kodi was open the door for bathroom breaks and fill up his bowl for food. I didn't need to calm him down when people came in, he'd just sniff them and get to know them better by sitting next to them. I didn't need to worry about my food around him because he wouldn't touch it.

Kodi loved crawling up in my lap when I sat in my chair. He would sit there for hours if you let him, so long as you were petting him. I didn't need a leash to walk him, he'd stay right by my side. He would sit in the kitchen if you were in there making food. He would sit in the bathroom if you were in the shower. He would sit outside the bathroom if you were in there cleaning up. He slept at the foot of the bed and stayed by the bed if you were sick.

I've had a couple of times in my life where I felt pretty alone in life. Before I met my incredible wife and before I came back to a relationship with the Lord, I lived by myself. I had a few years where I was a pretty lonely person and Kodi was who I came home to and played with. Through it all he was a constant in my house. Always there to greet me with a wagging tail no matter what kind of a day I had. I'd put my worries away for the night and have my best friend to spend some time with.

See a theme? No matter what it was in life, Kodi was always by my side.

Although I simply wasn't ready for this day to be here, it makes me feel good that knowing the last few hours of his life were upon him, we were able to sit next to one another for a while. I pet him and and loved on him, which in turn made him feel well enough to turn and give me a kiss. In that room, I was able to do something for Kodi that he did for years, for me.

Sit by his side.

By my side - Helping me capture a lizard

By my side - Making sure I didn't fall in

By her side - Giving "kisses" to Mamma

By my side - Content with a hug

By my side - Not liking the kiss

By my side - Dad, your hat looks dumb. Do I really have to take this picture?

Some people would say they've lost family pets. I'm here to tell you, we lost a family member.

I miss you buddy.

Thankful for Wildcats, the Letter K, & Redemption

2011-11-16T13:42:00.002-06:00

In this season of giving thanks, I thought I'd post something I'm thankful for: my hometown, childhood, and current favorite team - The University of Kentucky Wildcats

Sure, I could have grown up in another city where they say that basketball is king, but God knew exactly where he wanted to place me. He knew where greatness exists and what kind of environment I needed to grow up in. In this day and age of what have you done for me lately, we tend to forget that you have to look at the full body of work for a program and when you do that, Kentucky basketball simply cannot be matched. That being said, I do remember what we've done lately. 75-65 Win last night.

I am also thankful for the letter K. The letter K was certainly the main emphasis throughout the night before, during, and after the game last night. Before it was Kool-ade, which is what I was drinking (and some may argue been drinking for a long time) before the game. During it was Kentucky. After it was a butt Kickin'. Aside from my name, there really wasn't any other K of consequence last night.

I am also thankful for my influence over friends and family. Had it not been for me, some of my closest family members, who were unfortunately not placed in great locations, would have grown up thinking that other programs where the greatest all time. Statistics aside (who uses those as a means of proof anyway), I couldn't let them go through life without knowing TRUTH.

Friends. I am proud to tell you today, we have seen the results of that very truth. Aside from the fact that statistics prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that UK is the greatest program of all time, we now have other visual proof that even the most stubborn of folks want to hold out on that belief.

Exhibit A: (click link)
Notice the declaration for their new found love of the team. Notice the asterisk leaving him an out (which is common for anyone with lack of faith aka:haters). Notice the dates have passed on the pending investigation and nothing found.

Exhibit B: (click link)
See all statements from Exhibit A.

Subject has clearly gone from, what his grandson would call, Delusional, to a fan of the University of Kentucky. "The Guy" even went so far as going to bed early last night because he knew the game was in hand and a comeback by the other team was a wasted effort.

Sweet dreams UK fans. Sweet, Redemptive Dreams

Idol Worship?

2011-10-22T13:39:00.005-05:00

I have been around the game of soccer for a long time. I started playing when I was 5 years old and up until I joined the staff at the University of Memphis Men's Soccer team, I never took a season off. Additionally, my childhood was comprised of other sports such as football, basketball, and baseball. Needless to say, I spent a TON of time in my childhood playing sports.


Aspiring Wildcat to be

That being said, there were two days in particular which I hardly ever played or practiced. Sunday mornings and Wednesday nights were always days/times reserved for church. Heck, even the youth leagues knew not to schedule games or practices during those times because people wouldn't show up. When I got into coaching, much of this was still the same. Sure there were times when I was playing or coaching that we would have a tournament or two that we had to be at and Sunday's might have a morning game with an afternoon one. But this was not and every weekend situation.

I say all this because I have noticed a trend in youth sports nowadays. There is never an off day or a day reserved for families to attend church. Heck, now a lot of churches don't even schedule Wednesday night services because parents will be with their kids at games or practices.

My question is, when did this happen?

Coaching

A friend of mine, who I admire and respect greatly asked me a while back to pray for him and his family. Ok...nothing new there. But what he asked me to pray about was the kicker. He said, "Kelly,our son is playing youth soccer and is really good. We're about to get to that point where people are going to start wanting him to play competitive ball and I'm a bit worried. You and I both know how much fun it is and how much we enjoyed it and quite frankly, I enjoy watching him play. Please pray that we do not make an idol out of our son playing athletics." He went on to add that he wanted to instil in this son that being at church and worshiping our Lord and Savior means more than playing in a youth sporting event.

Those words really struck me then and continue to resonate in me now. It got me talking with Mrs. McGoo about how we'll be as parents. If you didn't know, she was quite an athlete as well and we very much want our children growing up in team sports. The values that are taught and ingrained into kids during their developmental years is invaluable. While we don't have kids, we know plenty of folks who do and I've noticed a trend that comes with having them. Kids first, spouse second, the Lord gets what's left.

If that's not idol worship, I don't know what is?!?! I had the opportunity to tell that to someone recently...that he's put his child first, wife second, and Lord third. I cannot say it was the easiest thing to say, but it was completely spirit led. I'm proud to say he took those words to heart and reflected on it and has made some alterations to how he went about his "worship."

So my hope is Mrs. McGoo and I continue to put the Lord first in our marriage as well as when kids come along.

Last Semester

2011-09-15T15:44:00.000-05:00

One last semester down before I graduate in December. All I have left is 14 hours to complete. 12 of those must be an internship (which I am still looking for) and 2 is racquetball.

I've also gotten back to getting active. I started playing kickball again and workout after my racquetball sessions three times a week. Next week I start a 6 week boot camp that I bought on Groupon for $10 (regularly $210). The only problem is my body isn't holding up. Two games into kickball and I pulled my quad and my right toe is bothering me a lot because I have a bone spur on it. Additionally, I have a torn rotator cuff in my right arm, which doesn't lead to much fun after 3x's a week of racquetball and once a week of kickball.

This just in...I'm falling apart. Maybe I should start a painting class or something...

London - Day 16 & 17

2011-07-25T11:06:00.000-05:00

The past two days have been a bit uneventful. Everyone has left that I was in the program with and I am back at my cousin's flat just hanging out and enjoying some down time. Yesterday we went on a walk around the area and made our way to a really old cemetery. The headstones were really interesting to look at as a lot of them were from the 1800's.

Chapel roof was destroyed by fire in 1970's

Path leading into the cemetery

Someone enjoying a seat

Cool headstone


Look closely and you can see St. Paul's Cathedral. Bench was behind me where you could sit and see it

Can you see how many letters and hearts there are on the crust

Ally, my cousin Andrew's wife, saw that I posted a picture on facebook a while back that I enjoyed the Steak and Ale pie I had at a pub. So Ally took it upon herself to make me a pie last night.

It was delish.

This morning I woke up and took a walk around town. Unlike the university I was staying at, where they live isn't the most easy place to get to downtown and back.

So I basically spend my time walking about the area close to their flat. It isn't all that bad though. Less traffic and congestion, which is a good thing for someone who doesn't like large crowds.

Today I walked to a place called "Lordship Lane" which seems a bit of a weird name for a place. However, it seemed fitting once I got there. It is all about consumerism and shopping. Really expensive clothes and other items a person might desire. So yeah, very fitting it is called "Lordship Lane."

Tomorrow I head back to the states. I am flying from London - Heathrow to Detroit and have a 6 hour layover there. Hoping to catch up with my buddy Jeff and grab a bite with him. Then I'll head back to Nashville where I am staying with another buddy until Wednesday when Mrs. McGoo can pick me up.

Pray for safe travels as the Mrs. and I are both traveling.

Oh, I got a little bored the other day and decided to make Mrs. McGoo a comic strip. She got a kick out of it. Let's see what you think?

London - Day 13, 14, & 15

2011-07-24T06:09:00.001-05:00

Apologies for the lack of updates the last few days. Again, was a busy few days here in London. Let's get right to it shall we?

Olympic Torch

Thursday - Day 13

Today, we had a little role reversal with our lectures and visit. We went on our visit first, then had our lecture. This was all due to our host visit, The British Olympic Association (BOA), being extremely busy getting ready for the London 2012 Olympic Games.

We had to be at the BOA for a 9am meeting and they are located across the city. So we had to allow about 2 hrs for travel,which made for a early rise to get going. Once we got there, we walked in and saw a interesting slide show and videos of the promotions they'll be doing once the games get closer. One of the cooler things they had were torches from previous games on display. I tried to take as many as I could, but there were so many, I couldn't get them all in the amount of time we were waiting around. I kept looking for the Atlanta one, but couldn't find it.

After the visit, we headed back for a long, 3 hour lecture from one of the professors. I really enjoyed the lecture, but got very irritated because we did not get any sort of break and I'm of the mindset that after an hour, one needs some kind of break to give your mind a rest for a few minutes.

View of Craven Cottage

After the lecture, I went back to the room to get cleaned up and try to catch Mrs. McGoo online. No such luck as she was away from the desk, thus went another day were I wasn't able to chat with her. (side note, it has been very difficult to catch each other online while I've been here - so there have been multiple days where we weren't able to talk)

The night was the best part as we were able to watch a Europa Qualifying match with Fulham vs the Crusaders (small Northern Island team) at Craven Cottage. What is really interesting about London is the amount of Premier League teams they have. Just in London alone there are Fulham, Chelsea, Arsenal, & Tottenham (not accounting for West Ham who have been in the Premier League for years but saw them relegated last season). Also there are a bevy of other clubs in London such as Millwall and other lower division teams. To put it like this, imagine New York City having four or five teams in the NFL. You would think that those teams would have a hard time generating revenue and fans.

One thing about London is that it is very tribal with fans of their teams. The fans are generally surrounding the areas where the stadium is located. So I wouldn't dare walk around Tottenham with an Arsenal jersey on and vice versa. So I looked up some of the colours of the Crusaders to make sure no one from our trip wore them to the game. Red is their dominate colour and Fulham are White and Navy/Black. Check. Don't wear Red. I told everyone, so everyone went with neutral and I went with good old fashion blue U of M soccer gear. When we get there, the Crusaders are wearing blue kits. Ugh. I immediately start getting looks as I am sitting in a Fulham supporters area. I don't generally like zipping my jackets up all the way but in this instance, I took my zipper on my black jacket as far up as it went.

Great match, great time.

Friday - Day 14

After finishing up all of our visits, today was the last day for our program. We had been told earlier in the week that we had a presentation we were in charge to deliver to the class about our organization our groups were in charge of hosting (Mine was Tottenham). Here was what we were given.

"Identify the key strategic issue that your organization currently faces. You are required to identify some recommendations to the CEO of the organization, including specific steps that will be needed to achieve the ultimate goal (e.g., a marketing plan, television strategy, change in brand identity….)
You will need to identify the key contextual issues that effect (and are effected by) the organization. Think about the global-local/something-nothing dimensions discussed by Dr. Andrews, and the various political, economic, technological and cultural inter-connectivities that have been discussed throughout the program that should be subsumed within such informed decision-making."

We were told we had 7 mins to present and would have 3 mins of questions from the audience. We were given this slide at the beginning of our program, but told it would be emailed out to us - so naturally, I didn't copy it down. We got it on Tuesday and haven't had a day to work on it. The one day we had was Thursday after our lecture, but it ran long, so we didn't have much time at all - and I was brain dead from the 3 hour lecture. We woke up and met at 8am to work on this presentation to be delivered by 10am (talk about last minute).

I unfortunately had two people that know nothing about Tottenham and what they are trying to do, so I devised a marketing strategy to build a stadium and all that goes with it - naming rights, luxury suits, community center and shopping areas where the old stadium would be. Tottenham has just signed a multi-year deal with Under Armour, who are looking to globalize their brand and I took the approach that both Tottenham and UA both have the same agenda - they currently want to be the best and have a dominant company(s) in front of them (Nike, adidas, Manchester United, Arsenal).

We devised a 5 year plan for building the arena and developing the local area, which is currently pretty run down around the current stadium. We would partner with Under Armour and called the promotion "Protect this House." (Not bad if I do say so myself). So we presented this and faced off with some heavy questions, which I handled and fended off easily - I'm good at debating, just as Mrs. McGoo.

Once all the presentations were finished, we were asked to vote on the top four groups and were not allowed to vote for ourselves. The top four moved on to a second round and were given a question and had 10 mins to go outside and develop the strategy to address the issue/question. You were given 3 mins to present your idea and then faced 2 mins of questioning.

At Fulham

We made it to the top four and thus devised our plan. The question was basically saying it was 2050 and the government had taken over all sporting events and programs. They were forcing your organization to come up with programs that were to ENHANCE, EDUCATE, and ENTERTAIN the local community. I came back and delivered this speech.

"Because we built a community center 35 years ago, we are going to put in a vocational program for adults that could use specific skills to better the surrounding areas and their families. We also will have a satellite campus for universities where adults and youth and go to for day or night classes. We will offer youth academy's for kids to develop their sporting skills and child care for those adults who wish to utilize the vocational program and/or college courses."

Our questions were targeted at facilities being old and funding - to which my reply was since this was something the government was requiring, so we'd get money from them for the necessary upgrades and funding. "Anything further?"

After everyone went, they told us that the first round winner was a landslide winner and everyone else from 2nd -8th were close. They announced our group as winners of both the first and second round. My reward? A size medium adidas shirt with the London Olympics logo on it. Who says I don't come back with gifts for my wife?!?!

Five Living Legends

I then headed to my happy place - Emirates Stadium - Home of The Arsenal Gunners. It was a thing of beauty.

We then headed out for a dinner celebration put on by the professors where they rented out an upstairs room at a restaurant and we enjoyed a good night of laughs.

Saturday - Day 15

Not much to say for this day other than most everyone was leaving and I slept in. Went and grabbed a bite to eat with by buddies Tony and Keith, who were staying an extra day. We went to Piccadilly Circus to exchange a few things and then headed back to pack up.

They came with me to my cousin's house and we went out to see a movie, grab a bite to eat, and show them a great view of the city from an "underground" rooftop party.

My New Buddy Bob - GREAT Guy

Old Torch

U of M Colours for the bad guys

My Happy Place

Emirates Stadium

The upstairs room they rented out

Arsenal's Newest Signing

All in all a great time. Only four more days until I see my beautiful bride aka my Furbaby-Mamma.

London Day 13

2011-07-21T10:43:00.000-05:00

My Two Hotties - Kelsey and Mrs. McGoo

First things first, I need to say Happy Belated Birthday to my favorite Non-Married Sister - Freckles (And let's hope it stays that way for a while) - Aka Kelsey. She turned 21 yesterday and while I did send her a text to wish her happy birthday, I forgot to put it in my blog.

That being said, I'll say it in a way she'll understand.

Happy Birfday Kelwsey. You're smart, beautiful, and doggonit, you're speshal.

Really short blog today, as we have a large assignment due on Friday and we haven't been given much time to get the task finished.

The official trophies - they never leave Wimbledon

We made our way to Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis Club (That's a mouth full) today. We first got a tour of the museum then headed up for a lecture on how the museum markets itself as a different entity than the tournament. Once that lecture was over, the marketing manager for Wimbledon gave us a presentation of how they market the tournament.

One thing that is very evident with a lot of places we go to here in London - marketing "Englishness" or "Britishness" is of a high priority for these companies. The markets they are targeting - South East Asia and India - are very much interested in the "Britishness" of it all. Funny thing is that is completely opposite of how the London Olympic Committee marketed themselves to the IOC.

Anyway, we took a tour of the facilities after the lectures. Very interesting to find out that the grass they use for their tournament is killed off after the tournament is over. So the pictures you'll see are of the courts after they have killed the grass. When they re-seed the grass, they keep it cut to 8mm long. They cut it twice a day, which is fascinating. I told the tour guide that I knew of a guy in Kansas City that loves to cut grass and would be perfect for a job if they were ever looking for help.

Centre Court

Today (Thursday) is our last tour - London Olympic Committee. We are also heading to watch Fulham football match. Probably will be the highlight of my time here in London, so I'm really looking forward to that.

The Longest Match was played last year at Wimbledon

The court the longest match was played on

The Longest Match Documented

Front of Wimbledon

John McEnroe Display

Court One

Cheers

London - Day 11 & 12

2011-07-20T03:43:00.000-05:00

Wow. What a busy few days it has been since I last blogged. I caught some heat from Mrs. McGoo about my lack of blogging over the weekend and promised to do better and yet I skip a day. I think she understands now as I was able to discuss with her what a normal day here looks like. Here's a taste of how a normal day goes here.

Wake up around 7am and get cleaned up and read a bit of "Radical" which is the book I'm currently reading. Head to breakfast at 8 and then to lecture at 8:30. We'll have lecture, with a small 10 min break, until 11:30. Then get back and get dressed for our program visit and head to the buses/trains/tubes to grab lunch and travel in order to make it to our destination by 1:45 (It can take anywhere from 30 mins to 2 hours to get to a location). Our visit starts at 2pm and we'll likely get out between 5 and 5:30. Once we are through, we'll try and see some sights around the area and then come back to get cleaned up for dinner. Head to dinner around 7:30 or 8 and depending on where we go, will normally get back around 10:45 or 11. Once I'm here, I try and catch up with Mrs. McGoo online, but as she can attest, hasn't been all that easy to do. Either way, I'm now pushing midnight to try and get the blogging in or some general homework done (We specific people that present material for the lecture the next day - mine is this morning).

So as you see, we don't get a ton of down time while we're here. I wouldn't change it for the world, but at least you can see how it can be hard for me to sit down and blog here and there.

Sky Sports News

Monday - Day 11

Today we started off with a lecture from our very own Dr. Amis (Our Memphis professor) about sport sponsorship and how necessary it is in the global market. Sport is the one thing in the world that breaks cultural barriers and religions.

After our lecture, we cleaned up and jumped on a train to head to Sky. Sky is owned by Rupert Murdock, who owns News Corp, which owns tons of media entities such as Fox, The Wall St Journal, The New York Post, The Sun, as well as Sky. The closest thing I can associate to Sky is Fox. They have news, entertainment, sports, and other channels that are all driven by consumer interest. Sky Sports however is the ESPN of the UK. They show 150 sports and obviously football (soccer) is the most popular.

Panoramic of Sky Sports News Center

We got to hear all about their processes and how they are being innovative (sounded a bit like ESPN) with their 3D channel, Sky-Go mobile app) and their 4 channels plus Sky Sports 24 hr news channel. Sound familiar? Then we took a tour of the facilities and saw where they host their shows, news room, and control centers. I got a cook panoramic of the news room that I kinda liked.

They were the first ones of all our tours to actually present us with gifts. We all got bags with tons of goodies in them - usb drives, pens, t-shirts, towels, and other stuff. Not bad Sky Sports News, not bad at all.

Tuesday - Day 12

White Heart Lane

Gives you an idea how BIG that trophy is

Every day, we have a group that is selected to play "host" to our guest lecturers and visits. Today, was my group's responsibility and our visit was at Tottenham Hotspurs Football Club. Right up my ally right? Yep, however, they are the bitter rival to the team I support, Arsenal. However, I didn't let that ruin my day, but it did amount to some good fun.

After our morning lecture on Sport Tourism, we headed out to Tottenham, which is located on the other side of the city. Our appt was scheduled for 2pm, with us making sure we were there at 1:45. We left at noon to make sure we had enough time. Not a chance. We after multiple train stops (literally stopping in the middle of the black tunnels) we made it to White Heart Lane (where their field is) at 2:10. So we got a late start to our visit.

We toured their facilities and I was very impressed with their history and stadium, just not their locker rooms. They were a dump. The U of M soccer teams have nicer locker rooms and that is no joke. Walking around the stadium was really cool though, as you get the feel of being right on the pitch. Oh, and the pitch was in fantastic shape. They wouldn't let us walk on it because they are four weeks away from their first match.

We then headed up to lecture where the lady speaking asked us in the room if any of us were football fans and a few of us raised our hands. She pointed to me and said, "so, who is your favorite team." "I'd rather not say at this point in time nor in this particular area of town." "Ahhh, you must be an Arsenal fan." Cue the laughter in the room by everyone. She then proceeded to show a highlight video of the previous season and how they fared. Half of the highlight video was of Tottenham coming from 2 nil down to beat Arsenal 3-2 in one of the final games of the year. She looked right at me and said, "You see this game?" To which I nodded and everyone laughed. Fun times...

Visitors Locker Room

Overall a good visit. Tottenham are currently looking to build a larger stadium and upgrade their facilities. The problem they face is the area they are located in is a rougher part of town. Basically, not the London we have been touring around and seeing. It was like the rough parts of a city vs the suburbs and Tottenham was in the rough parts.

Today we head to Wimbledon. But first, I have to present to the class how the visit went and talk about how Tottenham can extend its brand globally. Should be fun. Wish me luck (actually, I'll have already presented by the time you read this).

London - Day 8, 9, & 10

2011-07-18T13:02:00.001-05:00

I realized keeping up with a blog is a lot of work. Especially when I have the large readership and the tons of comments I continue to get (note the sarcasm), so I decided to take a hiatus from writing the blog for the weekend. (Actually I realized I wasn't getting much sleep and it was starting to affect how I was feeling during the day and compound that with no one is really commenting, I felt like a few days wouldn't be missed.

So now you are left with what I will call the USA Today of a blog - A weekend's worth of coverage, leveraged into one blog. Here goes....

Old Church and Graveyard in a park near Octagon

Friday - Day 8

We made our way over to Octagon, which, along with IMG, is the biggest Sports, Marketing, and Entertainment Agency in the world. If you don't believe me, take a gander over to the site and check it out. The athletes and entertainers they represent is enormous. We got to listen to their pitch about how they do business and what their corporate goals are locally, regionally, and worldwide.

Honestly, I came away feeling a bit cheated by what I saw. It all felt very homogeneous to what IMG is about as well as other sports agencies. I really wanted to know what set them apart from the others and all I got was the line, "we believe we are the biggest and best because we do it this way...."

What was interesting about their presentation to us was they kept asking us how their presentation was. The lady, who had a thick Aussie accent, stated at least three times that she hoped their presentation was the best of what we had seen. Of course we said yes and while there were a few people that came away amazed at the dog and pony show they gave, the large majority of us came away thinking it could have been much better. The biggest thing I think I missed hearing was where they were wanting to go globally with the Olympics coming up in London. Not a word about it.

View of Putney River

Buckingham Palace - Changing of the Guard

Saturday - Day 9

Today was our first "free day" of the time we have been here. A group of the folks I've been running with decided they wanted to use the day to catch all the major sights of London. Therefore, we got up and headed out around 10am to head in to the city.

Westminster Abby

Big Ben

First up was Buckingham Palace and watching the Changing of the Guard. I've been around long enough to know that when you are in peak tourist season, going to a popular event, and add on a additive to that event, that it will be a mass of people (If the Peabody Ducks draw a stupidly large crowd, then this is going to be insane). I tried to explain this to the folks I was with and quickly remembered that I've also been around long enough to know that when women set their mind to something, they're doing it. So I trekked with the gang over to try and get a glimpse of the spectacle. Oh, did I mention there was a 70% chance of rain? Yeah, well, we got their and it began to pour. I'd say cats and dogs, but this was more like lions and wolves...it was miserable. I did however act as a fullback blocking for nine running backs and make my way through the masses to catch the changing of the guard.

Second up was trekking through the monsoon and going to Westminster Abby and see the church that the royal couple got married in as well as stop to get some cover under a building. One person checked on how long we'd have to stand in line for a tour of the building but it was an hour or more so we decided to venture elsewhere.

We then made our way over to look for the Imperial Museum and find out how much of the English influence has actually had on the rest of the world. We walked around in circles for about an hour and realized it was across the Thames River, so we trekked over the bridge next to Big Ben and Parliament (Que Chevy Chase). Walking by Big Ben is something to admire. It is massive. I can't think of anything more noticeable in London than Big Ben.

View of St. Paul's Cathedral and other buildings - Looks like one is melting

We then grabbed a bite to eat and decided that some folks had different agendas with where they wanted to go. So the guys split with the girls and we headed over to St. Paul's Cathedral. Up to this point, Big Ben was the coolest thing I'd seen up close. Then I went to St. Paul's Cathedral. Something about being on the grounds of St. Paul's was spiritual. You could just feel the hands and prayers of the people that had come in and out of that place over the years. We walked all around that place and then walked inside right before a mass/service. I really wanted to stay and listen but we had to get to another location. In a word, Beautiful.

We then headed to a place called Monument, which is dedicated for the Great Fire of London in 1666 that destroyed most of the city. It was built as a way of showing the city was rebuilt and has been a popular tourist attraction ever since.

After that, we headed back to the dorms and got cleaned up. At this point my feet were killing me and I wasn't really interested in going back out. However, I needed to take an item back that I had purchased, so I came back to the craziest part of London called Piccadilly Circus, which I call the Times Square of London. It's just a mass of tourists, consumerism, and advertising. We then grabbed dinner at a really good restaurant and headed back to get some shut eye.

Sunday - Day 10

Today was the day I'd been looking forward to for quite some time. One of the things I really enjoy is going to sporting events that have a huge significance in their respective field. Today was the final day of the British Open at Royal St. George's in Sandwich, England. Sandwich is located on the eastern coast of England. We took a 2-hour train ride there and jumped off ready to catch the event.

Side note: I was a little worried about whether I would be allowed in the event since I purchased tickets that were marked for 16-21 year-old. Back a few months ago when I knew I was going to England, I went to purchase the tickets but all that was left were this type of ticket. Regular tickets were 55 pounds and these were 25 pounds. So while it was a gamble, I at least knew I wouldn't spend as much in the long run if I wasn't allowed in. I came with my student ID in tote and was determined to talk my way in (I had a handful of strategic ways to make it work, but you'll have to ask me in person for those). Much to my surprise, they didn't even budge or look at the ticket when it was scanned.

So we had a thirty minute walk from the train station to the golf course and when we got in, it was something to be seen. From talking to a local golfer there, the course is ever changing because of the conditions of the weather. It was extremely windy and raining, so the course erodes quite often and thus maintenance is always at a premium. I've had the pleasure of being on a lot of golf courses in Memphis and around other parts of the south and I've never seen a hillier course than this one. It was a workout just walking from one section hole to another.

We decided we would walk the whole course and check it out, then go and sit on 18 and watch the finish. The most impressing hole was the 4th. It was a 495 par 4 with two bunkers that is inset in the ground facing you. Put it nicely, if you hit it in the bunker, you would almost surely have to hit your ball to the side or backward. Pictures don't do it justice, it is a huge bunker.

After making our way around the course and seeing the large following that Rory and Sergio had, we decided it best to head to the 18th and sit in the grandstands to watch the final hole for all the golfers. This was the point that Phil Mickelson began to make his charge to the top and ended up tying Clarke for the lead. Then the rains came. What was a light drizzle before turned into a downpour. Fortunately for me I have rain gear supplied by the U of M Soccer team that is rain PROOF, unlike the many around us that wear flimsy rain resistant jackets and pants. Not a bit of me was soaked other than my shoes. Only problem is that everyone turned up their umbrellas and you couldn't see anything. So we would wait out the rain and it would get sunny again and everyone would clap when it happened. Then 30 mins would go by and it would pour again. This happened about five times and every time, the leader board would change - all with Phil dropping in the standings.

We stayed to watch Phil make it in and decided with the winner already decided, we'd head back. The largest ovations in this order were: Tom Watson, Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson, & Sergio Garcia.

All in all it was a great event and I am so very blessed to have seen it. As someone told me, it was a Bucket-List type of event. I'd say, I agree. Check.

Only downside is they do not allow cameras for the event, so we didn't get any pics of the golf course. Stinks, I know.

Panoramic of Buckingham Palace

Action shot of the Changing of the Guard

Jumping Pic

Beautiful Cloud Covering at St. Paul's

Charting Cross Train Station

Beautiful Cloud Covering at St. Paul's

So that does it for now. Sky Sports is up next.

London - Day 7

2011-07-15T09:48:00.001-05:00

Lord's Cricket Media Center

After a pretty awesome day yesterday, I didn't have much expectations as far as how good of a day it would be by going to a place where Cricket is played. However, I actually really enjoyed it.

We started the morning with a lecture of how Cricket was started and how baseball draws its roots from Cricket. We then learned about how it is played and how colonialism in the West Indies, Africa, and India helped grow Cricket to what it is today.


Players Clubhouse and Members area

After the lecture we ventured out to Lord's Cricket Grounds, which is essentially the Augusta of Cricket. It is a members only club steeped in tradition. We took a tour of the facilities and learned that Lord's was actually the place where tennis was invented as well. Then people from Wimbledon sort of took the idea and ran with it. They have, what is called, Proper Tennis courts at Lord's now, which is a mixture of tennis, squash, and racquetball. Hard to describe over the computer, but it looked a little more fun than tennis, but I can see why it never caught on.

View of the whole grounds

After we toured the grounds we received a lecture from the Marketing Director, who just so happens to be a graduate of this program I am doing and my major from Memphis. It was fun to chat with her after everything was said and done and pick her brain on what she went and did.

Regents Park

We headed over to Regents Park, which is a famously huge park in a well-ta-do part of London and where they house the London Zoo. While we did not make it to the Zoo, we walked around for a few hours capturing tons of photos of some of the sights. They had some of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. I even convinced my fellow friends to take a jumping picture. They did pretty well I must say, even one is a trampoline gymnast for Canada and hoping to qualify for the London Olympics in 2012.

Beautiful gardens

The park provided much needed down time and rejuvenation, so we headed to the pub in the area and grabbed some food and headed home. When we got to the bus station, hardly anyone was there, but we did have an interesting thing happen. As we were standing around waiting, a man walked through our group and sat down. I noticed it because it was rather rude how he did it and when he sat down, I noticed he had blood all over him and a towel on his face. He dropped his towel on the bench and I realized what had happened. His nose looked mangled and he had a gash across the brow of his nose. I immediately felt compassion for the guy and looked at him and said, "hey buddy, are you ok?" He looked up at me as if he had never had someone engage him before and said that he was, he just got his "arse" kicked. It because aware to me that he had been drinking and didn't have his wits about him, but I still pressed him. I asked if he knew where he was and if he needed help? He said to not call the police or hospital and kept saying it. As I looked away, he reached in his bag and presented me with a large melon (I know, completely random). He said thank you and here, this is for you. I told him I did not want his melons, but only wanted to make sure he was ok. Again, he kept repeating himself and requesting we do not call the police or hospital. It was clear to me he had some bookies take a go at him and rough him up a bit.

Jumping picture

I couldn't shake the issue and when the bus came, we left him there to fen for himself. It was haunting me in the bus right home and an English woman spoke to me while we were driving. She told me to not read in to it very much because it was a common occurrence there and I just needed to look the other way. Then I asked her politely, "I understand what you are saying, but at what point did he stop becoming human?" She didn't give me a reply. She sat and wondered and eventually said it was just one of those things that you see a lot. Again, I told her that I agreed that it would get old eventually seeing the same thing happen, but I still believed he was worth saving and everyone should make sure someone is well enough to take care of themselves.

Interestingly enough, one of the girls said to me after we got off the bus that she really appreciated how I cared for the man and that I showed a lot of compassion. Made me feel good, but still was eat up with thoughts of how easily we tend to look past people in situations where they just need a little help or just some acknowledgment.

For my UT friends

Sherlock Holmes door

Today, we head to Octagon, which, I believe is a Sports Agency. Don't know much more than that, so I'll let you know how it goes.

London - Day 6

2011-07-14T06:00:00.002-05:00

Today was far and away the best day I've had since I've been in London. I'll try and contain my joy into a single post...

The morning started off with a lecture from Dr. Ben Carrington who is a professor at the University of Texas who deals with sociology in media, culture, and sport. He spoke on all of those and how they are interwoven in British-ness. He explained differences in the North and South of England and how ideologies are formed from an idea of nationalism in England. He showed us videos of pop-culture and how England (imo) much like America, is becoming a melting pot of different cultures. This has been initially been received with a bit of backlash because of the "idea" of what GREAT Britain is (Notice the GREAT). One of the videos was particular funny in that comedian Al Murray, plays on America and how great Britain is. Yet in it, he plays on a caricature of who we expect the typical English person is. Take a look at the video. I must warn you, it's English, so it is NSFW.

I was able to speak with Dr. Carrington for a bit after and pick his brain on specifics he discussed in sport - specifically dealing with racism in the game in Europe. It was refreshing to hear his thoughts.

Premier League Offices

After that, we hooped on the tube and headed to the English Premier League (EPL) headquarters. The building itself isn't something you'd think you'd see for a huge league, but inside it is very nice. They had already won me over in my mind and heart, but when I walked in to the room we were being lectured it, it smelled like choc chip cookies. Much to my surprise, they had made (warm too) fresh cookies for us and were delicious. Needless to say, I ate more than Mrs. McGoo would have allowed me to eat (But she's not around). For those that do not know, I am a huge Arsenal supporter and was really looking forward to hearing about how the EPL is run. We were met by Nick Noble, the Press & Communications Manager who took us through the full gauntlet of how the EPL is run.

It is really different than the NFL in that is does not seek to make profit for itself, but primarily for the clubs. I see similarities of it being like the NCAA in that it is comprised by the 20 clubs to help them run better. Their commercial interests lie within centralizing revenue streams from broadcast rights, title sponsorship and commercial licensing. All of these profits are shared evenly among all 20 clubs. They allow the clubs to take care of their own ticket sales, sponsors,and merchandise. In those ways, you see the differences between the Man U and Arsenal's of the league and the Bolton and Fulham's.


Premier League Logo

I enjoyed the Q&A session with him as I was able to ask some questions that got some positive feedback from my professors and even Mr. Noble was encouraging to me at the end of the session. He sought me out and applauded my interest and questions posed to him. He was extremely nice. The best part was being able to have a long conversation with him about my passions with football in Africa and talked to him in brief about the sports program God has allowed me to start. In doing so, Mr. Noble gave me his card and told him to get in touch with him and he'd see if he could link me up with the individuals that started their "Creating Chances" program. This completely took me off guard and I was blown away by the chance to share my vision and potentially work with the EPL!!!! This is like the NFL of Europe. In a word...HUGE.

Collage of past champions on the wall

After that, I was on cloud nine and decided the best way to handle that was to take in the US Women's World Cup match and headed to a sports bar called the Sports Cafe'. We went there for our scramble the other day, but this time it was packed with Americans, so it was really cool to be in another country and have all the bar cheering when we scored each time and won. Afterward, I headed back to the university for a quick chat with Mrs. McGoo and am now heading to bed.


Don't know what this is called, but looked cool

Piccadilly Circle (Times Square of London)

Going to Lord's Cricket Grounds tomorrow. While I do not know much about Cricket, I do know this place is the Augusta or Wimbledon of Cricket. If you take a look at the site, it's pretty immaculate. So while I don't like Cricket, I can certainly respect going to the best venue for it. (Kind of like Daytona)

London - Day 5

2011-07-13T06:00:00.003-05:00

The gang waiting to get in to Coke

First of all, I apologize for the lack of pics today. We had lectures this morning and went over our scramble and how that translates to globalization. Then we went and met with the sponsorship director for the 2012 London Olympic games at Coke.

I thought his presentation was pretty interesting to say the least. He talked about how they are targeting 16-24 year olds with their Olympic campaign in London and how they go about integrating their brand into culture. Also, there is going to be a strong push by them for their brands - Powerade and Vitamin Water (I didn't know that was Coke).

Look from our dinner table

Everything was going great with our question and answer session until I asked the rep about ambush marketing and he replied, "that's a bad question." Ugh...

He did say it in jest, I think. But he did answer it very well and talked about the investment they make in things and a certain expectation they have with the Olympics and local government to police those things.

After that, we came back to the dorm, rested for a bit and then went out for a bite to eat. Pretty simple day really. Not much sight seeing. Tomorrow we are heading to the Premier League offices and get to see where the biggest sports league in the world (Yes, bigger than NFL) does business. I'm pretty excited about this one.

My dinner party

The Boathouse for dinner

Maybe my favorite pic of the day

London - Day 4

2011-07-12T01:55:00.004-05:00

Harrod's. Massive

Day 4 in London was my first official classroom day. We started with a morning lecture on globalization and how it has turned in to glocalization. We sat and listened to how the world has become more integrated and how technology and information continue to push us to continue to evolve in an ever changing world. Seeing all this at work, it really puts in to light how the rich get richer and how the gap between us and the poor continues to widen.

Speaking of poor, I don't know how anyone affords anything in this city. It is REALLY EXPENSIVE. I went and bought some soup today just so I wouldn't have to eat out everyday because the prices are really high.

Glass fusbol table


Niketown shoe display

After our morning lecture, we broke in to groups of six or so and headed out into London for a Scramble/Scavenger hunt. We we asked to go to different places and see how each place represents different things. Our first trip was to Harrod's in London, which would be considered by some similar to Macy's. It is crazy because you have this massive, historic looking building and everything inside is divided by room. One room might be a purse and bag room, next will be Egyptian Cotton room, next will be a room for booking travel on a yacht, next will be a Lee jeans room, while the next is a fine china room, and so on. It is just interesting to see how they have integrated something as simple as Lee jeans in one room and the next is a recreation room where a pool table is 20,000 gbp. The building is massive and looks very historic, yet around it looks modern.

Niketown

We then went to Niketown London. Apparently, this place is so big, it has it's on town name. It was basically the online Nike, made in to a Nike store. It was really large as well, with 5 stories of product. One whole floor had football (soccer) and an endless supply of Arsenal gear (my favorite club). The top floor was all girls workout clothes and I must say, some of the stuff was more about sex than working out. Even the pictures were objectifying women. Some of it you would never see in the states because it showed a little too much.

We then headed to a place called Lillywhite's, which prides itself on being the largest sports store in the world. I have to admit, it was like the Foot Locker on steroids. It was quite large, but after a few rooms, unimpressive to me.

One of the cooler displays I saw

Street and buildings we went saw along the way

Then we headed to a place called the Sports Cafe. The whole idea of this place was built around integrating US sport culture with European. There you would see signs that would tell you that you could watch "US ESPN" while having a Bud Light. They had waitresses that were dressed in cheerleader outfits and looked really out of place. Our waitress was from Australia and she had never seen a cheerleader before she moved to London only three months earlier.

We then made our way to two more places that were just complete tourist destinations. Large markets/squares where the typical people could go and buy everything you could buy in a mall in America. GAP and so on...boring.

The Times Square of London

Historic next to Modern

Just looked cool from a walk

Our boy and his liquid confidence

One of the guys that was in my group turned 21 today, so we headed to a pub after we got back and took him out for some drinks. Needless to say, he was feeling pretty good after a night out with some of his close buddies and decided to sing karaoke. His song of choice? "Sweet Home Alabama.

London - Day 3

2011-07-10T17:27:00.002-05:00

A view down the street we walked along

Today was a bit of a boring day. I’m still getting adjusted to the change in time, so I actually didn’t fall asleep until 2am here. I did make myself wake up earlier than I have been in hopes of making myself a little more tired in the evening. My cousin’s wife, Ally, played wedding planner for some folks yesterday and was completely exhausted from the whole event, so they both slept in a bit. I didn’t want to wake them, so while I woke up around 9:30, I stayed in my room for a few hours piddling on my ipad and playing some games. I came out and sat with them for a late breakfast and listened to Ally talk about the wedding and then started to figure out a game plan for getting from their house to Roehampton University.

All Bar One - Where we ate

If you were to look at a map of London, Roehampton is on the Southwest part of London and where Andrew and Ally live is in East Dulwich, which is Southeast London. It doesn’t sound much like a trek to get to Roehampton, but it really takes a long time to get through the city. I really like the public transportation here (buses, tubes, trains, and cabs) but they make so many stops, it can take one a really long time to get anywhere. Andrew says I’m bad luck because every time we have been on a bus we seem to get delayed for some reason.

Needless to say, I left around 2:30 from their house and got to Roehampton around 4:00.

The river we walked by

After I arrived here, I checked in to my room. It is pretty basic with a bed, desk area and has its own bathroom. It has a solitary confinement feel to it though. Everything is concrete except the desk and bed. I have a wonderful view of everyone coming down the stairs, so I have to be a bit careful in the morning and evening. Oh, and another thing…if anyone has ever seen “28 Days Later” they’ll know what I’m talking about. There is absolutely NO ONE here. It is completely empty and everything looks like it was just abandoned. I walked into the cafeteria and it looks like people just stopped drinking and eating and vanished. There are wrappers and glasses everywhere. Really kind of creepy if you asked me. Has a feel of a Zombie movie. Unfortunately, because of international travel rules, I wasn’t allowed to bring the necessary things one might need to survive a Zombie attack.

I feel pretty confident I could hold off a good number of them if they are slow walkers, but if they are the fast ones, like in 28 Days Later, then I’m a goner. All that being said, here’s to learning…


Panoramic view of the bridges and river. Also a guy playing the guitar

We met up for an informal meeting with the whole staff and students and went over the expectations for the upcoming weeks. After that, we headed out as a large group to grab a bite to eat and headed in to Richmond (some nice part of London) and got to know one another. FYI, half of our program is made up of University of Maryland students and the other half are Memphis. So we have a lot of kids from New Jersey and the other half is southern which should make for some interesting dialog and convos. There are two people that latched on to the Maryland program from University of Michigan and two from the University of Toronto.

After dinner we walked down by a really nice stream and bridge (I have no idea what it was called) and then headed back.

Some of the houses that overlooked the river

Heading to bed now, so hopefully tomorrow brings more to my day than this one.

London - Day 2

2011-07-09T17:33:00.013-05:00

Today my cousin Andrew and I headed out for a bit. I asked him to give me a mini tour of some of the more fascinating parts of the city. So we hopped on a bus, went to the second level, and rode it to downtown. Along the way, I was able to see a lot of the city that most, when they come to London, don't see. The architecture of the buildings in the city are really incredible. In some areas you can see older buildings next to more modern ones. I wondered why this was so, but found out that it was most likely due to WWII and certain areas that were bombed by the Germans when they stuck London.

That isn't the only reason you'll see modern buildings, as London is really putting a lot of emphasis on the Olympic Games that are coming here next summer.

This picture gives a good representation of what you might see. An older church and a brand new building going up in the back skyline. They are calling this new building "The Shard" because it is designed to look like a shard of glass. Right now they are still building it and you might can see how they are putting the glass in. It will be one of the taller buildings in the city when it is finished.

After taking in a nice bus ride downtown, we stopped at the River Thames to walk along side and take in the sights.

We walked on the London Bridge and I was able to get a good glimpse of the Tower Bridge (the famous one) but walked in the opposite direction.

One thing I can say about it all is there are a TON of tourists that walk along the river. I purposely try and avoid those kinds of crowds and tourist traps, but didn't today. I got a few pics of Big Ben and the Parliament buildings (I don't know why, but I always think of European Vacation when I say that).

Also was able to get this shot of the millennium bridge that feeds right into St. Paul's Cathedral

Here is Southwark Cathedral

After taking in some sights and sounds for the afternoon, we made our way back to the flat to freshen up a bit and then headed out for the evening. We went to an underground, rooftop bar. (Yes, I realize that doesn't make sense, but work with me here...if you need to know what that means, look it up) It was the best part of the day because we got a great view of the city from afar. Hopefully, this picture does it justice.

Not as good of a shot as I would have liked, but with a camera phone, one can't complain too much. Few more photos to follow and one that I just can't seem to get away from...

London - Day 1

2011-07-08T11:29:00.007-05:00

I made it to London after a full day of travel from Nashville - Atlanta - and London. Was a little worried at first considering my flight out of Nashville was delayed, but Delta quickly stepped up and moved me to a different flight and got me to Atlanta after a few hours wait.

I was telling Mrs. McGoo on the way to drop me off that I feel a bit coarse with 'goodbyes' considering I had to say it twice a year when I was a kid. Visiting my father when I lived in Kentucky and my mom when I lived in Tennessee led to many tearful farewells, so they don't seem to be as hard for me as they use to be.

However, seeing a wife who was trying her best to hold back tears when I left was pretty darn hard. Fortunately, I was able to put on some sunglasses and sit and wait on a plane. Mrs. McGoo, on the other hand, had to try and drive across traffic in Nashville to reach her brother in law and sister's house.

Maybe they're Florida fans

Once I made it to London, I quickly had to get some money exchanged, then find the 'tube' (subway) and make my way across underground London to find my cousin Andrew, who I am staying with the first couple of days and a few on the back end of the trip. Once I got to Andrew, we made our way back to their 'flat' (apartment) and then went to a 'pub' bar for some much needed food.

View from my room

We then went to watch a 5 a side tourney that some of his co-workers are playing in and caught a bus back to the flat to meet up with his wife, Ally. We had some dinner and I headed to bed. I tried to stay awake for Mrs. McGoo to skype with, but quickly fell asleep and woke up around midnight and got online to quickly say goodnight. (Note: it doesn't get dark here til 10 or so and gets light around 4am)

I woke up around 4am, closed my blinds and went back to sleep. I didn't wake up til noon and moped around for another hour and caught Mrs. McGoo on skype before she was leaving for work. Then headed out to look around the city for a bit and grab a bite to eat. My first official meal - Fish sandwich and fries.

Still a little jet lagged here, but looking forward to getting out tomorrow and spend a full day around London before I have to head over to the University that I am staying at.

Fish Sandwich and a Brew

Questions Abound

2011-06-21T10:53:00.008-05:00

Coming back home from a vacation is always tough because you want to stay where you are at. Coming back home from family visits during the holidays is tough because you can't quite seem to have enough of the food you grew up eating. As much as we love HOME, getting there when you have been in a place that steals or has some of your heart can be difficult.

Much is the same for me when I leave Ethiopia. It quite simply is never easy. The toughest part is leaving the relationships and kids you have come to care so dear for. And it isn't like leaving a place that is a days drive or so away. That being said, life doesn't stop here in the states when I am gone. So while I am suppose to be reading 200+ pages worth of journals before I head off to England in July, I am struggling to do so.

I continue to be conflicted with the direction God has the McGoo family headed. One on hand, I love my life here in the US. I have a lot of family, friends, furbabies, a great gig with the soccer program, and an incredible church home. I really don't want to go anywhere. However, the more I am around safety, security, suburbs, and a world that is built on keeping up with the Jones's, the more I'm drawn to get away from it.

It is so easy to log on to Facebook and see a comfortable life in store for me and my network. The problem is that I don't know that I want that. And I know that God doesn't want that for me. Yeah, I want to provide for my family, but what is providing? Buying a large house with a picket fence? Getting the biggest car I can get because I think I deserve it (I've driven a 96 Saturn since I bought it brand new)? It's just not me. And I don't think that is what God has for me. I'm not saying it is all wrong, but I am constantly reminded of the things that do not matter the more I get out of my comfortable surroundings.

I'm basically a man torn between a life of comfort with a society that tells me I deserve all I should have and a life of servant-hood with a God that tells me less is more.

I have a confession to make. I went on this last trip to Ethiopia thinking it might be my last for a long time. I thought I could get this sports ministry program up and running and they wouldn't need me anymore. Exact opposite. I left with more questions than resolved answers. I left knowing that I was needed there more than I could have imagined. I left after having conversations with missionaries, government officials, and university presidents and ultimately God telling me they needed more of me. That after a years worth of work, I hadn't even touched the surface of what needed to be accomplished.

One can certainly be discouraged by it all you know? However, God let me see what was possible. God showed me how when listening to him, he'd provide the way. I had a government official tell Nega (The director of Onesimus Children's Development Association) that if I had come all the way from America to tell people about Christ, he thought it would be good if he listened and learned more.

My Ethiopian Princess - Ruth

And just like that, God said, "See Kelly. I'm here and I am with you."

I spoke with a missionary who said it took years of prayer for him and his family to decide to GO. The two hours worth of conversation with him was the best part of my trip. It affirmed in me that I didn't have to make a rash decision about things and that "providing" for my family didn't have to entail the American way of providing with big cars, big boats, private schooling, and the latest trends. I bought my first apple product before I went. Now I'm sick to my stomach because of it. I could have made better use of that money.

All of this just affirms that I have a lot of prayer and decisions to make over the course of the next two years (While Mrs. McGoo is in nursing school), but I know one thing is for sure. I'll be back in Ethiopia sooner than I thought.

African Adventures & Wayne Rooney

2011-06-09T09:08:00.006-05:00

Today I head out to Ethiopia for the third time in a year. You can read more about what my experiences will be like while I'm there on The Forsaken Children blog.

I just found out a few days ago that I'll be speaking to about 300 or so people at the local university in Addis Ababa. I'm told I can share my faith and incorporate it into sports. Yeah...that's all I have to go on.

I do have one thing going for me. Most everyone there thinks I am Wayne Rooney. If you don't know who Wayne Rooney is, look him up. Pretty famous footballer for Manchester United. So while I have many nicknames here in the states, Rooney is what I get called in Ethiopia and because of that, they'll listen to me. Hey, God uses people...

Do you see a resemblance? I don't.

Anniversary Weekend

2011-04-30T16:18:00.010-05:00

Last Wednesday Mrs. McGoo and I headed out for a late anniversary trip to St. Louis and Kansas City. Our actual anniversary is actually March 17, but with Mrs. McGoo and I both being in school, this past week presented the best time to get away for some fun times.

We made our way up to St. Louis, only stopping to get some throw'd rolls at Lambert's in Sikeston, MO. I decided to check out priceline.com following a recommendation by a buddy of mine. It turned out we got a pretty good deal as we secured a $300 room at the Hyatt in downtown St. Louis for only $65 a night. Then we were upgraded to a corner suite when I told the lady we were there for our anniversary. Take a look at our room and view. Not too shabby.

Once there we made our way to the Budweiser Brewery tour and then went to a Cards baseball game. Again, secured a great deal on tickets - 2 $93 seats for $32 total. We ended up right by the first baseline and I got to watch Albert Pujols knock one out of the part while my bride was trying to take pictures. This, unfortunately is not the picture she took. This was taken from the panoramic feature on my phone. Not too shabby either...

After we enjoyed a good time in St. Louis, we headed over to Kansas City where most of my MILC's family lives. On our way over, we had some awful weather getting out of St. Louis. It wasn't until the next morning did I realize that we missed the tornado that hit the St. Louis airport by a few minutes or so. All that time I was blaming the bad tired on our car for the reason it felt like we were all over the road.

Once we got in, we stayed with UILF and AILT for the visit. We got a good steady dose of Mrs. McGoo's cousin's kids. It's neat to see how fast they grow when you only see them once or twice a year. Clayton, the middle child, and I seem to hit it off every time I come in. Last year he had me watching the Backyardigans and this year he almost had me playing Thomas the Train with him. It would be encouraging to see that he can now call me Kelly and not Telly, but instead, he has learned the phrase, Smelly Kelly. Who could have taught him that, I don't know....

Saturday night we had the whole family over for dinner and uFrank had been smoking some brisket for 24 hours or so on his new electric smoker. Unfortunately for him, the meat came out a little dry. This unfortunate happening just allowed us to lather the meat up more so with BBQ sauce than normal. I could tell he was a little bummed, but pushed through it. I think somewhere his son-in-law Dan put a curse on the meat since he referred to the electric grill as "cheating."

The next morning we made our way to church for Easter service and then came back to the house for some grub before we hit the road. We were all set to be treated to a wonderful meal by aTerri when uFrank's string of bad luck on the grill continued. This time on a propane tank. I know...difficult right. Some where on one of the many shows he "Likes to watch" he saw that you can put greasy bacon on the grill and cook them. So he decided to give it a whirl. I don't know if 5 minutes went by before all the girls in the house start screaming. I am playing with uFrank's iPad at the time and asked what was going on. They're all now laughing and saying that uFrank has caught the grill on fire.

Knowing this is too good of a moment for me to pass up, I quickly grabbed my phone and went to take pictures of this kodak moment. Much to my delight, the flames were blazing about the time I got over there. Here, in all his glory is what happens when a bad grilling weekend comes to an end.

After uFrank's Bacon Explosion (kind of funny since he once sent me a recipe called that) we headed back to M-town to try and get in at a reasonable time. It's always a tough place to leave. They treat me like one of their own and really do a great job of taking care of us while we're there.

I know we're missed because we always get the same sad face when we leave.

Jesus and the Martyrs

2011-04-26T11:05:00.004-05:00

Like most people, I struggle with my thoughts and my faith as I continue to try and pursue holiness. Yet, I continually fail when I let my selfish desires and worldly thoughts get the best of me. In doing so, I am constantly reminded that as strong as I am in who I am, I am nothing without the help I get from God and the sacrifice he made for me.

All that said, I still wrestle with my faith and death and what comes next. My simple mind cannot fathom, on occasion, what eternity is. With Easter just recently in my mind, the conversation has come up a lot about Jesus's death.

During that 11th hour, Jesus asks his Father to remove the weight from his shoulders and in that small moment, you see the humanity in Jesus. What exactly was the (Cup) weight he was referring to? I often wonder how the Son of God would struggle in the 11th hour with his impending death. After all, if he is the Son of God, shouldn't he know better?

I read this article last week and continue to come back to it for the answers I seek. It's a pretty telling description of the 'Cup' that Jesus refers to and in doing so, explains why he was different from famous martyrs in comparing their deaths to his.

"There are a couple things to say in response to this question. First, it’s reassuring that the Gospel writers tell us about Jesus’ agonized struggle before his death, because it demonstrates that they are honest writers. Who would ever make this stuff up?! There’s no reason to, and every reason not to. It’s a bit uncomfortable to have your God and Savior agonizing, praying not to go to the cross, sweating, and afraid. The fact that Luke reports Jesus’ emotional struggle in the passage above helps confirm that it really happened, that Luke is telling us the story straight.

Second, Jesus’ agony makes sense when we realize that the death he died is radically different from the death of Socrates, the seven Jewish brothers, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It’s not all that different on the physical level. While Jesus’ death by beating and crucifixion was a terrible physical ordeal, the physical agony of the seven Jewish brothers (for example) was perhaps equally great. What sets Jesus’ death apart from the death of any other person in the history of the world is the spiritual component of his suffering. We have an indication of that terrible spiritual reality in Luke 22:42: “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me.” To what “cup” is Jesus referring?"

It's a pretty long article, so I'm not going to steal a hit away from the author, so take a look at the rest of the article on the link provided above.

It reminds me that I don't deserve anything. There are times when I'd like a new car or new house or new clothes, because I think I've earned it and deserve it. Reading this helps keep me grounded in knowing that my life and debt has been paid for and I am nothing without Christ's redeeming love.

Fairweather Fans

2011-04-13T11:13:00.004-05:00

One of the things I love about being a fan of sports is that it gives people a chance to grow friendships. I absolutely detest meeting someone for the first time and being asked what I do. It is like they are sizing me up for how much I make or what kind of car I will drive. Annoying to say the least.

However, I do like finding out who a person likes, or being asked what team I follow. It gives someone good insight into who they are, maybe where they are from, and what they like when you find out what team or sport they like. This can lead to good topical discussion and you don't feel like you're being sized up for how big your wallet is.

In finding out who a person likes, it also opens them up for some good ribbing at their teams expense. That's the beauty of sports is that you cannot always have a good year in everything. Or can you?

Back in the early 90's, I once had a friend that never seemed to have a down year in sports. His favorite team had a remarkable run of success. Who was his favorite team you ask? Well, good question...depended on the sport. Duke basketball, Florida St. football, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bulls, and Atlanta Braves. Now, keep in mind this was in the 90's when all these teams were remarkably good and winning a ton.

Now, I don't know where you come from, but my criteria for liking a team is as follows: You went to school there, you played there, you grew up there, your parents were fans, or MAYBE they were good when you were a kid. Oh, and the caveat for colleges is you MUST like all sports, not just one.

For instance, if you are an Auburn fan, you can relish in the fact that your football team is really good, but fan-hood rules require you to suffer through basketball in order to level you out. Again, I am a UK and Memphis fan (Spent half my life in Lex and the other half in Memphis). Basketball fun is leveled out by football frustrations. The Yin and the Yang.

I say all this to say 'fan-code' is being broken by a lot of people I'm around. I see a lot of people say they are UT football fans and Memphis basketball fans. Huh? That same guy that is rooting for Memphis basketball switches his allegiance to UT football in the fall. Sorry, I don't get it. Number one, they are rivals and number two, you should be a fan of the university not the team. I understand it isn't popular to be a fan of Memphis football or UT basketball (especially now), but that's the rules.

Now that we've had the convo about 'fan-code' and what is expected, the world should be a better place. And I'll make fun of your team when you're down....say for instance when you keep losing to mid-majors in the tourney.

13 Years Too Long

2011-03-28T12:52:00.003-05:00

This weekend ended on a high note for me. My University of Kentucky Wildcats are going back to the Final Four for the first time in 13 years. Growing up in Lexington, we're use to success in basketball. However, after Tubby took over for Pitino and won a championship in 1998, we haven't seen the last weekend in college basketball in over 13 years.

During that time, 'Cryin' Roy discovered two championships, Rat K won two championships, "Chowda" Jim won two championships, Billy 'The Kid" won two championships, and even Bill Self has won one. While I loved Tubby, he never had the desire to play the recruiting game and began to bring in talent that Auburn wouldn't want. Then, when he moved on, we took over a complete mistake in Billy Gillispie. Billy Clyde was in over his head in Lexington and just like some say in New York, got swallowed up by the pressure.

Now, we finally got the guy that LOVES the pressure and thrives on it.

What makes this run to the Final Four so remarkable is that last year's 'Draft Cats" had more talent and next's years incredible recruiting class is what everyone was looking forward to. This year was the year that we had low expectations and would be happy to make it to the second weekend of the tourney.

Now we're back where we belong. So it's going to be a fun week. I'll get to listen to a ton of fans complain about Cal and how he's a cheater and can't coach and how UK can't win with one-and-done's and how UCONN is better and how everyone wants VCU, Butler, or UCONN to win.

That's fine. The one thing I've learned about sports is that hate breeds stupidity. This team is legit and that's all that matters to me. I love watching them play.

One other thing that would be nice if UK wins the Championship. I'd win my brackets and come home with a lot of cash. That would be especially nice considering I've got a certain KU fan that has beaten me two years in a row.

GO CATS

4 Years of Bliss

2011-03-17T09:11:00.004-05:00

Today marks 4 years that my wife, Mrs. McGoo, has had the fortunate blessing of being my wife. I completely take care of her by cooking, cleaning, keeping the house in order, and making tons of money to provide for her. Those are just a few intangibles that Mr. McGoo brings to the table.

My SILR tells me every year on my birthday (we share a bday), "Congrats, for sharing a birthday with me." So I'll say, "Congrats Mrs. McGoo for being married to me for 4 years!"

(Any if you believe any of what I just wrote, you probably think that today is Halloween because everyone is dressed in green.)

The fact is, I'm incredibly blessed and lucky to call Mrs. McGoo my wife.

Here's a really cool quote from Mark Driscoll:

"In the opening pages of Genesis, we see that our Trinitarian God made everything “good.” The only thing that is not called “good” is that our first father, Adam, was alone. He had creation below him, and God above him, but no one alongside of him to walk as an equal. In this way, Adam was not able to show forth the Trinitarian community of God; Adam was alone on the earth and not in community. For this reason, among others, God said it was “not good” for the man to be alone. So, God made a woman, our first mother, Eve, to be Adam’s helper and bride. God then essentially walked her down the aisle and officiated the first wedding between the first man and first woman. Thus, God set the precedent that, though different, men and women are equal as his image-bearers, that marriage is a gift for one man and one woman to enjoy, and as a result called all of this “very good.” "

If I can borrow from our Lord, our marriage has been VERY GOOD. And it is ONLY because we have continued to put our Lord and savior, Christ, in the center of it.

I love you Mrs. McGoo!

Giving Up of Something You Love

2011-03-08T10:58:00.006-06:00

As a kid, Lent was always a confusing time for me. Growing up Methodist, we never really celebrated Lent in our household. I don't know why really, I guess I always thought of Lent as a Catholic ritual. I remember seeing so many people, that I would never really associate with being a Christian, recognize Lent. It's not that I was trying to judge anyone, but with a lot of them, Lent just seemed to be something they did because that was what they were supposed to do, not because they were doing it for their beliefs.

Anyway, I say all this because Lent is tomorrow and I wanted everyone to know that I have already started. I have been eating Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwiches for almost two weeks straight. It has been a difficult process knowing that I am giving it up today (I'm planning on eating catfish for lunch and chicken for dinner), but it has to come to an end at some point.

During this time of PB&J, I have come close on a couple of occasions to missing out on the delicious treat. For instance, last Sunday, I made my way over to the in-laws house to watch my beloved Wildcats take down Captain Sweaty and his band of criminals, otherwise known as UT. In doing so, I had to eat my PB&J. The only problem is, all the Grinch had in the pantry was creamy peanut butter. Growing up on crunchy all my life, that is like asking a man to switch from a Samsung flat screen to a black and white tube TV. Needless to say, I made the difficult decision to spread the creamy all over the beautiful white bread and mix it with the jelly. I was able to push through the overload of peanut butter bread caked to the roof of my mouth by downing a couple of cokes, which helped peal it off my pallet. So thankful for the stock of cokes and Cheeto puffs that my favorite mother in law supplied.

So you see, it has been a wonderfully, difficult time making this streak work. But in the end, and it always has to end, the decision to give it up PB&J is being made on my own terms...not because of ones neglect of crunchy peanut butter in their pantry.

Tristan Campbell McGugan

2011-03-07T11:11:00.003-06:00

So proud to announce that my nephew, Tristan, joined the world yesterday. What a blessing from God he is. Dad and mom are doing well and resting while they can.

This just means Mrs. McGoo and I get to spoil our niece for a week or so while everyone else makes their visits.

Catchphrase

2011-02-25T09:03:00.000-06:00

I know, I know...two posts in a week. Guess since my birthday sharin' sister-in-law Robin is posting a blog, I might as well keep up some with mine. Don't want her to think that just because she gets to share in a day of awesomeness, that is my birthday, that she can completely steal everything from me.

Anywho...

Since my life has always been ruled by women...first my mom, then my friends, now my wife (and the plethora of women there are in her family)....I thought I'd talk about words and phrases.

See, one thing I've learned over the years is that nothing gets a women madder than when you say something you've been told not to say.

For instance, my mom hated the specific words/phrases "S*^K" and "Shut Up." I have some friends that cannot stand the word "biscuit" and another word that I won't post (it isn't bad, but draws the allusion of bad).

Now, this isn't to say that someone like my mom didn't like the really bad words or phrases, but those two I listed were completely, wash your mouth out with soap type bad. (Trust me - I can take the Pepsi challenge with flavors of soap)

Needless to say, you'd think all those years of being careful with my words around the ladies would have prepared me for marriage. Not so.

When Mrs. McGoo and I went through pre-marriage counseling, she told me there was one word that she asked that I never say. The word? "Nag"

She hated that word. I still don't really remember why though. It was probably because she told me that while we were watching a basketball game and it just never registered. Anyway, that's besides the point. Off-limits to use the word "Nag"...ok, GOT IT. But what if I said, you're being Naggy? Nah..not a good idea.

So that was the ONE word that she'd ask me not to say. Problem is, the longer our marriage has gone, the more words/phrases she's found to eliminate from my lingual repertoire. Now, I've have a laundry list of things I can't say.

"Mother-hen" - Not Allowed
"It's not THAT bad" - Banned
"I'm just sayin" - Grounded
"Hall Pass" - Brain Melted with Heat Vision
"Get it yourself" - Outlawed
"Heck yeah it makes you look fat" - Separated

Ok. So the last two we're ones that have ever been said, but I just threw them in to make it look better.

I'd write up there the context of how they are used and why they are bad, but I'm already at risk for just posting this. So you'll just have to trust me. If she so wishes to come on and post a comment and explain, I'll let her do so.

So if you're keeping count, we're basically on a loss of a word/phrase a year. No wonder so many men are so quiet at the end of their lives. Their words have been taken from them.

So for all you men out there....What are some key words or phrases you are banished from saying? Any advice?

It's not that bad is it?

Goodbye Old Friend

2011-02-24T11:19:00.003-06:00

Last week I said goodbye to a friend that I have known for a very long time. I've never been great at keeping "long-term" friendships, so maybe it's a good thing that we said goodbye.

I see people all the time that keep up with their friends from high school and college. Truth is, I really only keep up with one friend from high school (he's still one of my best friends) and including my friend from high school, only have one real close friend from college (yes, one of my best friends still as well).

Most of the friendships that I have now were all made in the last ten years of my life. I think that's most likely the norm as friendships and family continue to evolve and we slide into phases in our lives that revolve around a spouse and/or children.

All that being said, I had to let go of a dear friend last week. We had known each other for quite some time. From the moment we met, we just seem to click. We shared a lot of the same common interests and even before I met my wife, my friend was always there to turn to for good times and bad. It's like he just knew what I liked to see and hear. Granted, we've had some ups and downs through the years, as there were times when something went wrong and he would just completely shut down on me.

I know I pushed his buttons too hard some times, but hey, that's what friends do right? (You should hear what I call my best friend from high school) So look, I'm not here saying I'm a saint; I've have, in the past, yelled at my friend quite a few times...I know, I know, I'm not the yelling type.

However, all it took was a few deep and serious phone calls and when the storms cleared, things would seem to pick back up right where we left off. All in all, it was really a friendship that seemed to get better day in and day out.

As with all friendships, ours changed a bit when I got married. Sure, Mrs. McGoo loved hanging out with just the three of us, but honestly, she only did it for me. Truth is, I think she always felt that my friend would have a piece of my heart that she could never have. Mrs. McGoo would probably admit that she wouldn't sing to me in a the way my friend could.

She stood by idly for a long time watching, but eventually, she and I had a talk about it all. I fought her wishes for a long time, years practically, but eventually, it was either my friend or a healthy marriage. Being that she's the bread winner, controls the keys to the bedroom, and cooks the meals, I reluctantly gave in.

I had a few months to prep for the split, but nothing really prepares you for what goes on in your heart when the day arrives that you've got to say goodbye and just unplug.

I don't wish this type of separation on anyone. I only hope that my friend finds someone that will give him the attention that he needs. He needs to be filled up with so much stuff that you'll never want to leave. But that's who my friend was. He'd store everything up inside and only let me in.

Goodbye HD-DVR. See you on the flip side

Appreciate the Small Things in Life

2011-02-16T22:53:00.004-06:00

Funny thing happened to me the other day (Monday). I was walking into the computer lab with a few classmates to work on a project. One of the guys that I was with is one of my favorite guys to be around. His name is Brock and as he puts it, he "had a rough start medical wise but I made it through strong. I am a short guy but fun lovin."

He pretty much hit everything in his profile. He's short and is short because of a medical condition (I think possibly spinal bifida). Because of that, he has a slight struggle walking. His voice is a bit higher and he looks a little young. However, he's one of the nicest guys I've ever met.

So, back to the story...

We walk into the computer lab and as we were sitting down, an employee said something to me from across the room. I didn't hear what he said, so he walked up to me and in a not-so-quiet way says, "Sir, we have a new policy in the computer lab that parents cannot bring kids into the lab."

Wait....what?!?!

About that time, he points to Brock and says, "He's your kid right?" Before I even had a chance to respond, Brock, in his kid-like voice says, "I ain't a kid, I'm a junior in college!!!"

The guy looks at me and says, "Oh, sorry sir, I just thought..." My reply - "You thought wrong."

Brock, visibly upset, as one can imagine sits down at the computer and starts to work. I tried to think about how he felt at the time, so I tried to make light of the situations in the only way I know how. I made fun of myself. I said, "Brock, I don't know who should be more insulted, me or you? I mean, he may have said you look young, but he just called me out for looking like your Dad. So don't feel too bad Brock. The ladies always love the younger looking guys."

That got a smile out of him and said "yeah, you do look pretty old...with that gray and all in your beard." I could tell he came around from being upset to having fun again. After he said it, I gave him a smile and he said, "Good to see you can appreciate the small things in life."

Good words buddy. Now about that Dad stuff...

Happy Valentines Day Mrs. McGoo

2011-02-14T10:23:00.004-06:00

I'm not much for specific days to celebrate one thing or another because my thoughts are that we should celebrate every day like it's the last.

However, because of the day, I decided to take time and look back and reflect on and appreciate the special someone in my life.

If anyone knows me, they know I'm a constant work in progress (I know, understatement of the year) and it has taken a special person to put up with me this long - and we're just getting started. I'm so thankful for the wife that God has given me. Years back, I thought one or two girls were "the one" but the good Lord said, "Nope, Kelly, you don't have a clue how good you'll have it. So you're going to have to deal with the fact that I'm not giving you what YOU think YOU want. I'm going to allow you to hurt a little bit NOW for the sake of you knowing what TRUE love is later."

And you know what, he was right. I hurt some way back when. But just like in every other area of life that God has guided me through, he showed me a path to something even more incredible than I even could imagine. You know the phrase, "God knows us better than we know ourselves?" Yep, it's true. He brought me someone I couldn't even imagine existed.

God brought me someone to love me for all the good things and all of the (many...ok, TONS) of bad things about me.

So today, I give THANKS to my Lord for blessing me with my beautiful bride, wife, best friend, and cutie pie...Mrs. McGoo.

Just like the Lord, Mrs. McGoo takes care of me and is in it with me til the end. She pays attention to detail, doesn't forget about the small things, enjoys having fun, is incredibly beautiful, and most of all, is a God-fearing woman.

I think we call that a Proverbs 31 kinda gal.

Happy Valentines Day Mrs. McGoo. I sure do think you're purdy

Kansas Going Old School

2011-02-09T17:10:00.004-06:00

This was taken from a blog I read. Pretty funny and creative way, if you asked me, to keep your athletes in check.

"In a story that couldn’t be funnier if we made it up, Kansas seems to have employed a senior citizen watch brigade to improve its system of checking on athletes’ attendance to their daily classes. The force is in charge of signing in players when they come to class and making sure they stay for the whole period, although I’m sure most of the athletes would agree it’s pretty easy to sneak out during one of the handful of bathroom breaks the spies take during a given class. The school is using the old folks because the traditional class checkers, who were almost always students, were too easily struck by the celebrity of their assignments and could be ‘convinced’ to let players slide on their attendance. Senior citizens are apparently above being wooed by the high-profile athletes they track, although anonymous reports indicate that several of them are open to offers of ‘mashing up my peas’ and ‘turning the volume up on the TV,’ so it remains to be seen if the new system will really be any better.

There are drawbacks, however, like when the senior citizens end up in the wrong place on the wrong day or, you know, can’t actually see the players:

"Some checkers say their vision isn’t quite what it used to be, either: Except for the offensive linemen, it can be tough to pick the athletes on their lists out of a crowd.

On a recent morning between classes, the checkers gathered at a campus dining area called the Underground to familiarize themselves with the images of the athletes in their blue binders that had to be checked in the next period. A debate ensued over the distinguishing characteristics of “a medium-sized white kid” on the football team, though the checkers did manage to agree that “he was a nice-looking boy.”

…

Being an elderly class checker does have some downsides. Senior moments can be inconvenient: Jerry Robinson, a 67-year-old retired child psychologist, says he has waited for hours outside eerily quiet classrooms only to realize later he was in the wrong building or had confused the days of the week."

The newer, older accountability measures even go so far as to monitor the athletes during their classes, making sure they don’t spend class time texting or doing whatever else the kids are doing by observing them through the classroom windows, which I’m sure isn’t weird at all. Evening classes seem to be the only hope for those trying to avoid the everpresent eyes of the watchdogs, although tuning a nearby TV to ‘Bonanza’ will usually distract them long enough to make an exit. There isn’t really a point in telling you all this, but these old people jokes pretty much write themselves and laughing at Kansas is always a good time. That’s it though. As you were."

I could see some poor ole SAP doing this. Seems to fit right up his ally

Happy Anniversary

2011-02-04T10:40:00.004-06:00

Being that I'm back in college now, I'm privy to most of the ins and outs of college students and what they deal with day in and day out. Heck, I can sit back in class and watch everything they don't do (take notes and listen) and witness everything they do-do (chat on facebook, look at people's profiles and pictures {aka - creepin}).

That makes today a special day. It is a "birth" day of sorts. Not really anyone important, but more of a "thing." Today is the 7th anniversary or birth of Facebook.

Seven years ago a little dork of a fella launched a site on the web that would not only change his life, but college students, and people all over the world. What began as a way for dudes to creep on girls, chat with friends during class, and poke a random person has evolved into something so much bigger. Now you can still creep on girls, chat with friends during class, no one uses the poke button anymore, and everyone can see or read about the dumb mistakes you made two nights ago. Facebook has turned the weeks after spring break and Halloween into a college dude's creeping session and a college girl's worst nightmare.

I can't tell you how many times I've seen girls talk about how stupid they were on a specific day or night and how they regret taking 'that picture'. Most importantly it has promised anyone who entered college after 2006 will marry a person here or there that will worry their spouse will come across a photo that they wished they didn't see.

With all that being said, Happy Anniversary/Birthday Facebook. You turned a goober into a gazillionare and you're the best thing that ever happened to high school and college students. You just happen to be the worst thing for them at reunions and when they're trying to get a job.

I Don't Care

2011-02-03T09:42:00.002-06:00

I don't care. Really, I don't. I am one of those folks that don't care that general education classes are suppose to help round me out and shape me into the person I want to be. Quite frankly, I'm past all that.

Oh, you're wanting to know why I'm annoyed or complaining? Well, that has to do with the fact that I have to take a Literature class and a Landforms class for my major. You remember my degree right? Sports and Leisure Management. So it's natural for someone that wants to go into a field like that to need a background in rock formations and understanding the form of a poem?

They have to be the two most BORING classes that I've ever taken. Sure, you must be laughing at me. I'm laughing at myself honestly. I'm laughing at myself because I'm actually trying to make sense of it all. I'm laughing at how I actually read that stuff and try and understand it.

If the professor would allow me to give the class my REAL thoughts on the Literature I read, maybe it would be more interesting. If the professor would let me build one of those baking soda volcanoes for lab class, maybe it would be more interesting. But until then, how does anyone sit through these classes and actually enjoy them?

No, I'm not interested in knowing why a rock is curved and I'm certainly not interested in reading about a lady who lived in the 1800's would sleep with her dead husband for 20 years (really...that's what I've read) and how that makes me feel. It's stinking gross man, and I don't need a Literature class to culture me in disgusting.

Call me a complainer. Call me moody. Call me old. Call me whatever you want. When it comes to this class...see the first sentence of this blog.

I don't care

Sleeping Alone

2011-01-28T16:10:00.002-06:00

I had a first last night. It was the first night I've slept in the guest bed. Yep, been married almost 4 years and never, ever, have I been kicked out of bed. Now, you're wondering, why right? Turns out, it wasn't because I was bad. Actually, I slept in the guest bed because I couldn't stop coughing. I've been reasonably sick with a upper respiratory infection and I've been coughing as many times as my sister-in-law Kelsey has freckles.

Now I certainly don't plan to make it a common thing, but there was something I enjoyed out of having the whole bed to myself. It happens to be a pretty comfortable bed and being able to stretch my legs out, hog all the pillows, and not have cold feet put on my inner thigh, all give one reason to enjoy it.

Mrs. McGoo is, however, not the type of lady that will kick me out of bed though and we aren't the type of couple that would send the other to the couch because of an argument. This must mean I've got a pretty awesome wife and marriage eh?

It also means I've got to get creative when I wanna have a bed to myself. Coughing works.

Back in the U.S.

2011-01-08T14:05:00.002-06:00

After almost a day and a half of total travel, I've made it back to Memphis. My trip schedule looked like this...

- Arrive at airport in Addis around midnight Wed for a 2am (4pm cdt - Tues) flight to Istanbul, Turkey.
- Flight was delayed an hour and we ended up leaving around 3:30am.
- Arrived in Istanbul around 7:30am
- 4 hour layover in Istanbul until an 11:30 flight to Chicago
- 12.5 flight to Chicago
- Arrived in Chicago at 3:40 pm cdt.
- 5.5 hour layover in Chicago until 9:15pm flight to Memphis
- Delayed for 45 mins on runway for de-icing of the plane.
- Arrived in Memphis around 11:40

All in all almost 36 hours travel from Addis to Memphis. Not entirely fun, but it certainly could have been worse and I was blessed to have good seating, good health, and safe travels.

In the next few days, I'll spend some time reflecting and debriefing with some close friends about my time in Ethiopia and hopefully will get my bearings straight. Right now, I feel a bit off. Not really sick or tired, but my bearings are a little off. Hopefully after a few days of rest, I'll feel better.

Thank you for all the prayers and support Mrs. McGoo and I received while we were away. It was one of the toughest times I've ever had to endure and really felt blessed to have so much encouragement throughout the process.

New Years Party Ethiopian Style

2011-01-01T12:41:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year to my friends and family back in America! Yesterday, I took a day away from the Drop in Center to rest and get my barring’s straight. I was able to get a good bit of reading done and also worked a little bit from the guesthouse on the sports ministry. I also got invited to go to a SIM New Years party that ended at “Missionary Midnight” (9pm) over at a school for missionary kids. It was pretty cool, as they had some good food and some games for all the kids. I told Mrs. McGoo that all my single friends need to become missionaries and move to Ethiopia. Apparently being a teacher at a school for missionary kids requires you to be single and attractive. I counted at least a dozen twenty something single ladies that, at home in Memphis, my friends would have been fighting over.

Anyway, I stayed away from playing any games as I didn’t really know anyone there and it seemed like everyone was kind of cliquish. But I reluctantly joined in when one team needed another player for dodge-ball. Well, as luck would turn out, I won. Not only did I win, I crushed some girl in the face with a ball and put her out of the game. It was kind of like that scene in “Meet the Parents” when Gaylord Focker is reluctant to play water volleyball, but after some coaxing, he plays and slams that ball in the girls nose, drawing the ire of everyone. Yeah, that’s how I felt. I just don’t do 50%. If you want me to play, I’m going to play and I’m going to try to win. Mrs. McGoo can tell you, I’m a sore loser and thus, I want to win badly.

The theme of the New Years party was “Redneck New Years.” The hosts of the event were missionaries from Alabama and Kentucky, so naturally, I fit right in. When I came to get my reward for winning, they presented me with a snickers bar and asked me to give a speech. Keeping in mind that the theme was redneck new years and the majority of people there were from other countries, I gathered myself, held the snickers up like a sword, and in the most redneck (normal) voice said, "I cept this ward on behalf my baby mamma who ain't hur. She left me while back to head back yonder and tend to the kitchen. While she's here in baby Jesus Holy Spirit, she ain't here no mo, so I'm eatin' it all by meself.”

Crickets.

I did get a good laugh from the two hosts, but other than that, people looked at me like I’d lost my mind. So I took my snickers and sat down. Like McNulty says, “Can’t all be winners Kelly.” Unfortunately, I thought it was pretty good, but to the Aussies, South Africans, and other folks from around the world, they didn’t. In their eyes, I’d crippled a girl’s face and now made a joke about my baby mamma and the baby Jesus. Needless to say, I kept to myself the rest of the night. Anywho, I had fun.

When I got home, I stayed up and talked to Mrs. McGoo for a bit and then headed to bed. I was awoken around midnight by loud gun fire. No, not really, but that’s what the fireworks behind our guesthouse sounded like. I tried seeing them, but couldn’t, so I was subjected to 30 mins of loud and I do mean loud fireworks. Then I went back to sleep…for an hour. About 1am I was woken up by 6 kids in a room next to me jumping off their bed, talking loud, singing, and every other noise you could imagine. This went on for about 45 mins or so. I kept thinking, if their parents (who were out for New Years) knew about this, they’d be pissed. Not so. Around 2:30, the parents came back to the guesthouse and in the process, slammed every door possible, slammed every dresser drawer possible, and didn’t bother to whisper a bit. This went on for another 20 mins or so. It was all I could do to not lose my witness to these folks. I’ve not been that pissed in a long time. So sleep didn’t go very well last night. (Side note – I’m going to blog about my guesthouse experiences soon)

This morning I woke up and went to watch some of the tournament we’re putting on for the kids, and then headed to eat lunch at a really good burger place I found…and had pancakes…Mmmmm. Then we went and watched an Ethiopian premier league match at their stadium here. Pretty cool I must say. We sat in the home side supporter’s area and they sang and chanted the whole time. Until they lost, which, people then came unglued with the home team coach. It was a sight to see. Needless to say, a good finish to a long day. Now it’s bed time…thankfully the family has left and I can, hopefully, get a good night’s sleep.

Freedom being a Constraint

2010-12-31T06:20:00.000-06:00

As I said in my last blog, I'm reading a book by one of my favorite pastors Tim Keller called, "The Reason for God." I have had the book for a while, but with school being in the way and the amount of reading it requires; it is been put on the back burner for a while. Now that I have had plenty of downtime, I've been able to get in to it quite a bit. The book deals with questions and doubts that skeptics, and sometimes even believers, deal with in the church. What I really like about the book is that it provides a platform to stand your ground as a Christian when you or your beliefs are challenged.

One of the areas of topic Keller deals with in his book is the area of Christianity supposedly limiting personal growth and potential because it constrains our freedom to choose our own beliefs. Keller argues this by saying, "Freedom cannot be defined in strictly negative terms, as the absence of confinement and constraint. In fact, in many cases, confinement and constraint is actually a means to liberation." Keller gives an example - "If you have musical aptitude, you may give yourself to practice, practice, and practice the piano for years. This is a restriction, a limit on your freedom. There are many other things you won't be able to do with the time you invest in practicing. If you have the talent, however, the discipline and limitation will unleash your ability that would otherwise go untapped. What have you done? You've deliberately lost your freedom to engage in some things in order to release yourself to a richer kind of freedom to accomplish other things."

Keller does say that there are certain restrictions and disciplines are not all liberating. He gives an example of a small 125lb male trying out for the NFL as a lineman and how all the discipline and effort won’t help him because he is fighting against a reality that isn’t possible. However, what he’s getting at is that constraints and disciplines only liberate us when they “fit with the reality of our nature and capacities.” Again, another example is a fish out of water – the fish will die if we do not honor the reality of its nature and it is only free if it is restricted and limited to water where it can breathe.

It made me start to wonder how many people work really hard to find something that makes a lot of money, while sacrificing family and love, rather than find something that fits their talents and interests. Such careers can be suffocating that in the long run stifle and dehumanize us. Where’s the freedom in that?

I love this quote from Keller…

“In many areas of life, freedom is not so much the absence of restrictions as finding the right ones, the liberating restrictions. Those that fit with the reality of our nature and the world produce greater power and scope for our abilities and a deeper joy and fulfillment. Experimentation, risk, and making mistakes bring growth only if, over time, they show us our limits as well as our abilities. If we only grow intellectually, vocationally, and physically through judicious constraints – why would it not also be true for spiritual and moral growth? Instead of insisting on freedom to create spiritual reality, shouldn’t we be seeking to discover it and disciplining ourselves to live according to it?”

Just some food for thought

Keller also ties the freedom of Love with being restrictive and constraining. I’ll delve in to that one on the next blog.

Alone in Africa

2010-12-28T09:26:00.001-06:00

Coming to Africa has been a whirlwind of emotions for me. I was so happy to finally be finished with school and focus on a greater objective. I was probably more excited about flying to Africa than I've ever been for flying anywhere. For those that don't know, I'm not crazy about flying and breathing recycled air. However, I anxiously awaited seeing the staff of Onesimus and the kids that are a part of it for the first time in around six months. It is hard to believe that a kid can have that much of an impact on me after being with them for only a week in June, however, there is something different about these kids. They love spending time with you and are not distracted by the things of the western world (iPods, facebook, cell phones, etc..). So time is all they have; and they love giving it to you.

We were able to spoil Nega and his wife a little and focus on a few aspects of the ministry. One, we loved on the kids, which was the most important for me. Two, we were able to work with the kids with some sports clinics and give them a little exercise in the process. Three, we took in a few football matches and got to see their competitive spirit come out. Four, we got to see go see a few beneficiaries of the Income Generation Activity and how Onesimus, with the Lord's hand, has helped sustain the families and provide food and shelter for them (Mrs. McGoo can explain more about this project in another blog). So overall, it has been a busy, fruitful, and worthwhile trip so far to see all that the Lord is doing in and out of this wonderful organization and city.

However, I must admit, these past few days have been difficult for me. I put Mrs. McGoo back on a plane to the US on Christmas night and immediately felt alone and attacked. Around that time at night is about the time in the US where people made their way to facebook and began bragging and celebrating all the wonderful gifts they received Christmas morning. It was tough to see and read. While I love that so many people were made happy on this day, Satan began attacking me in a way that I wasn't prepared for. Here I sat in a room with a bed, window, and desk, while my wife went back to the US and all I read where people shouting for joy for the material gifts they received and how they were with their families. Satan hit me like a Mack truck. He kept telling me that I was all alone, no one cared, and there was not anything I could do about it. So I spent most of the night and day worrying about where my wife was (internet is very spotty here so flight tracking is impossible), if she was safe in Istanbul, if the weather allowed her to arrive safely in Chicago and so on. Literally these thoughts have eaten me up inside for the past two days. I kept thinking, why am I here in the mission field feeling so alone and suffering when no one back home cares?

This morning I spent some time in conversation with God. I finished the book "Crazy Love" and began reading Tim Keller's wonderful book "The Reason for God." In the second chapter, he tackles the question, 'How Could a Good God Allow Suffering.' Keller says, "In Jesus Christ, God experienced the greatest depths of pain. Therefore, though Christianity does not provide the reason for each experience of pain, it provides deep resources for actually facing suffering with hope and courage rather than bitterness and despair." I began to think, ok, so how does this apply to me? I've been praying for you Lord to show me I'm not alone in this - that what I'm doing here is worthwhile and for the betterment of Christianity. Later in the chapter Keller writes, "On the cross Jesus's cry of dereliction - MY GOD, MY GOD, why have you forsaken me? - is a deeply relational statement. Jesus did not die renouncing God. Even in the inferno of abandonment he did not surrender his faith in God by expressed his anguished prayer in a cry of affirmation, 'MY GOD, MY GOD.'"

I sat on those words for a good bit of time this morning. Even while Satan was attacking and in my loneliness, I was still crying out for the Lord for something. While I'm certainly not putting my small insignificant bit of boredom up with my Saviors sacrifice, it did resonate something in me. I haven't lost my faith, far from it, but I felt in some small way, I wanted to know or have some assurance that what I have doing mattered - that God understood my suffering - because Satan was telling me otherwise. Keller goes on by saying, "Christianity alone among the world religions claims that God became uniquely and fully human in Jesus Christ and therefore knows firsthand despair, rejection, loneliness, poverty, bereavement, torture, and imprisonment...in his death, God suffers in love, identifying with the abandoned and godforsaken."

Keller's words were perfect for me this morning. Godly perfect. Who of all people would know abandonment more than Jesus? Finally, Keller went on to say, "We also need hope that our suffering is 'not in vain'...For one who suffers, the Christian faith provides as a resource not just in its teaching on the Cross but also the fact of the resurrection...we can know that God is truly Immanuel - God with us - even in our worst sufferings."

Have you ever heard someone say, "God spoke to me" and meant it?

This morning, God spoke to me.

Of Rock's and Men

2010-12-27T15:38:00.000-06:00

It is pretty common knowledge when you live in Memphis that violence is a part the life of the city. People carry all sorts of weapons on them; some legal, some not. While most Memphians arsenal include guns, knives, pipes, and bats, you'd never hear of violence committed by a rock.

Addis Ababa is completely opposite of Memphis. Here, people do not have the type of weapons you'd see in America. One, they can't afford it, and two it isn't part of their culture. I hear stories of people being robbed and the robbers return everything in their wallet except the cash. Crazy, I know. A criminal with a conscious.
The one form of violence you see here is fighting with rocks. There are a lot of rocky and dirt roads here and even the nicer roads have their fare share of rocks. Most of the parks that we play at are dirt and rocks. Heck, even the field that the boys are playing their games on are rocks. They slide and dive and tackle on these fields...it's impressive and scary all in one.

Last Wednesday we were at one of the fields we've been using for clinics and had a few run ins with people wanting to fight with rocks. The first instance we had some of the boys scrimmaging each other. There was another game going on with some older guys...most likely in their early twenties. Out of no where, one of our players comes running and hides behind me. I look at him as he is pointing and a younger guy comes running at me with a very large rock in his hand. My first instinct was to level the guy and protect our kid. About that time Nega stepped in front of me and started talking him down. Apparently the ball we were using went into their match and the boy went to retrieve it and did not apologize about it. So that deserved a man possibly ten years older than him to come running at him with a rock in his hand.

The second instance happened the same time the first was going on. Mrs. McGoo was working with a few smaller boys when some of the neighborhood kids came and wanted to join in. We're never really sure who starts it or what is said but before she knew it, kids the age of 6 are throwing rocks at each other. We didn't see what was happening and anyone that has heard Mrs. McGoo knows her screams sound more like a kid that is hoarse. She finally got our attention and Nega went over and calmed things down.
This past Sunday, I was watching a football match with two teams and after the match a fight broke out in the streets. No punches were thrown because no one was close enough to each other to do so. But large rocks bigger than my fist were thrown and it's a wonder that no one was seriously injured.

I'm amazed at how people have taken to defending themselves by throwing rocks at each other. Maybe Ethiopians just aren't good fighters...I dunno. I asked Nega about it and why is it so ingrained in their culture. I guess I can see why a kid living on the street would want to defend himself at any cost, but for adults to go after a kid with one is amazing to me. It can be difficult to discipline a kid that is doing so on the street because you do not know whether you can turn your back and expect a rock in the back of the head.

What I do know is I aim to change the culture in and around our kids. Tomorrow I am speaking with them about it since it is fresh in their mind from the fight they had on Sunday. Also, I've been asked to work with Onesimus ministry to develop policies for their organization in every area. One of the first things I plan on doing is working on policies for children and rocks.

Something has to be done about changing the culture. If not, we're just stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Differences: Walking and Driving in Africa

2010-12-21T06:06:00.000-06:00

Mrs. McGoo and I have blogged countless times about how there are many differences in Africa and America, but two things we haven't discussed is how we are viewed and how the driving is here.

Think of the busiest city you know, say New York, where people are constantly walking in and out of traffic (While I have never been to NYC, I have seen plenty on tv to know that tons of people walk to and from work amidst a ton of traffic). Now take the same amount of people and shrink the city and you have Addis. It's really crazy. However, unlike the melting pot that is NYC, Addis 99.999999% black; meaning, there aren't many white folk walking around here. So, when there are a few walking around, it is a spectacle.
If you are the kind of person that doesn't like people staring at you, the Addis is not the place for you; or at least you might want to work on getting over it. There is no where, and I repeat, NO WHERE I go, that everyone isn't staring at me. If someone were to stare at you in the states, you might think someone has it out for you or your fly is open or something. So naturally, when you see someone stare at you in the states, you're first inclination is to respond, 'What? Got a problem or something?' Here, you kind of have to get use to it, because it happens everywhere you go. Here's another problem...they think you are someone else. I'll let Mrs. McGoo elaborate on her blog what has been going on lately with me, but let's just say that I'm getting called names by people now.
I continue to ask Nega (the Onesimus Director) why everyone stares at me (outside of the obvious, I’m good looking). He tells me that because I am a foreigngie (their word for foreigner) and they wonder why I’m here – what have I come to do? Also, because I’m a bigger guy (and apparently look like someone famous), which is not very common here in Ethiopia. On the negative side of things, they also think we have money, which leads people to beg quite a bit. While it isn’t overwhelming, it is bothersome because inside of you, you want to help someone. The problem is, if you give to one person, it’s over. You’ll get mauled by beggars who all think you’ve got some more to give.

In addition to people staring at you a lot, that isn’t the only strange thing here; the way people drive is another. I've never seen driving like this. I always thought Memphis drivers were horrible, then I went to Dallas, then I went to New Orleans, and Mexico, and so on. None of those places hold a candle to the way driving is here. Again, people are walking everywhere and traffic is so busy here, it is controlled chaos in that, everyone seems to know what they are doing, but it is completely crazy driving. I believe that I have seen ONE traffic light that is working here, but the rest are not. If you come to an intersection, you have to be what I call, ‘cautiously aggressive.’ You cannot stop and let everyone go, otherwise, you’ll get dominated and never will move. However, you cannot completely drive either or you’ll wreck. Speaking of wrecks, I’ve never seen one here and you’d think there would be one every five seconds. Yet, everyone knows what to expect. I actually like it better than in the states some. No one gets their feelings hurt, no one drives angry, and road rage is not an issue. Likewise, no one follows the dotted lines; they just give you a guide for where you need to be. I see people swaying back and forth all the time – no one bats an eye. In the states, you’d be pulled over for reckless driving. Again, the way people drive is expected here and no one gets their panties in a wad if someone flashes their lights at them, honks their horn at them, or passes them. Flashing lights and honking the horn is just their way of letting you know they are there and they don’t want you to get hit.

All that being said, there are two types of driving here: City driving and country driving.

City driving is a lot of how I explained previously. You have to be cautiously aggressive with crossing intersections and on the major roads. If you give someone more than a few feet, they will take it. So it is always a game of inches…or should I say millimeters here internationally. You also have to be cautiously aggressive with pedestrians. There are more people walking, than there are driving and they want a piece of the road as well. Sidewalks here are pretty much useless since vendors are set up on them, people are sleeping on them, or the sidewalk is destroyed. It is not uncommon to drive millimeters next to another car on one side and millimeters next to people on the other. All the while, both are trying to get ahead, in front, or around you. All of it makes for a very interesting ride.

The other type of driving is Country driving. I experienced this first when we took Nega and his wife Emu to Lake Awassa this past weekend. We made our way out of the city and then began to drive on a long stretch of road. Lake Awassa is 270 km north of Addis Ababa and we remembered every bit of the journey. When I think of all the times I’ve left Memphis and headed north to Nashville or Lexington, on a clear day, the worst one may have to encounter are traffic jams and a truck that is slow here or there. The thing you don’t have to account for is driving while large groups of people are walking on the shoulder, a buggy with a horse or donkey is driving in front of you or on the shoulder, or animals are crossing or walking on the shoulder. It makes for a very stressful drive when having to account for all of the other distractions that may be thrown in you path to get to a destination. On top of that, about every 30 mins, you come to a small town or market where it looks like a parade has come and you are the featured guest. You drive through with people and their animals all staring at you and walking around your car.

Now, imagine all of this, and then imagine YOU actually get to drive in it. Yep, I did. I relieved Nega of driving duties about halfway so that he could rest a little and I could get a taste of what it was like to drive. At first, I felt pretty good – nothing much in my way. Then about 45 mins later, I have three goats standing in the middle of the street. Keeping in mind what I saw Nega do earlier (he went through a line of cows and bulls by honking and slowly moving through them, they managed to move), I honked at the goats and slowed down a little. Apparently goats are completely oblivious to loud noises or are just dumber than cows, because they didn’t move. So I started to drift over to the shoulder where I could go around them. Then they started to move…toward the shoulder and our car. I hit the brakes harder and got a few millimeters from the goats and they jumped out of the way and I carried on. Nega, acting like this was nothing new, was talking on his phone and didn’t bat an eye. Emu, sat in the back seat and didn’t say a word. Mrs. McGoo on the other hand, channeled her inner Cindy Wilson and gave me a tongue lashing (Lloyd knows what I’m talking about). I just brushed it off and kept going. I encountered a few more animals along the way, but handled them like a pro – all the while still freaking my lovely wife out.

In conclusion, it’s crazy over here. And I love it

The Government in Addis

2010-12-17T22:30:00.000-06:00

Wednesday was a rather long day, so I decided to make my last blog short and talk about my struggles with Christmas and where we are. However, we stayed pretty busy on Wednesday.

First, we made our way to the Drop In Center to have morning devotions. After that, I, along with Nega, Alex, and Heather headed over to one of the government buildings to talk with them about the sports program. The government is tiered in three here. We went to the second tier at first. I spoke to three individuals about my vision for the program....sort of. Unfortunately, when dealing with government's, it isn't a good idea to bring up religion in to the equation, especially in other countries. So we kept that out. But I did get to talk about how I saw the program bringing together the community, letting them be proud of the kids for a change, and providing opportunities to the kids. I'm learning that facial expressions are difficult at times when you don't understand the language. There were not many times when I spoke, did any of the three people I spoke with change facial expressions. So it wasn't until the main guy offered up his thoughts to Nega and Alex, did I know what I said made any sense. However, they were very thrilled to hear about my vision and in so many words, said they wanted to help in any way possible. He offered up tax breaks for land and supplies, which, coming from the government here, is very positive. Here, in the city, there isn't much land, so it is very precious and generous to offer it up.

We left second tier government and went to the third level. There, we were told the guy that we were speaking to was in a meeting and that we should go and wait outside the doors. Before I know it, we're being invited in to the meeting and it is one man sitting behind a desk speaking to about 50 teens and say 10 adults. They put chairs in front of the room and we sat there, while everyone was whispering and smiling. So we sat and listened and didn't understand a word about what was going on. Then, Nega left the room with another gentleman and walked back in 2 mins later. Nega walked up front and said something in the ear of the guy talking. They both looked at me and I knew something was up. They asked me to stand up and speak. So I stood up, introduced myself and then looked at Nega and said, "what is it exactly that you want me to say?" He told me to speak on character and sport. So I started mumbling some random stuff about what it meant to be of high character. Even Mrs. McGoo can attest, it wasn't my greatest hour. While I wasn't nervous, I wasn't prepared. Then, somehow, I pulled it together and started making sense. I talked to them about opportunities that are presented to us through sports, school, and other forms of networking and that it was important for them to maintain focus on their education and that whatever they did, do it to the best of their abilities. Talked a bit about how knowing multiple languages would set them apart from their peers and provide them with opportunities to excel. All in all I thought it ended pretty well. They clapped for me and I sat down. Then they asked Mrs. McGoo to speak. She was, on the other hand, very nervous. I kinda of got a laugh because she sat their in her chair when I was speaking giggling and smiling and found out later that she video'd it. So she then stood up and talked about providing opportunity for girls to play sports. When she finished, we walked out and they gave us another round of applause.

We then met with one of the guys that was in the meeting and his assistant (who spoke very good english). They rolled out the red carpet for us, giving us coke and some type of nuts. You may laugh, but this was a big deal to them in their culture. Again, I talked about my vision for sport and again, they offered up many resources. One thing to note...they don't offer up money because they do not have a lot. However, they do offer up other resources, which is very generous.

After meeting with the two government levels, we made our way back to the center. We took a little time for lunch, then prepared to have a meeting with the community leaders and coaches. This went for hours. Imagine sitting somewhere for that long and not understanding a word of what was going on. I started out by telling people about myself, my vision, and my involvement. Then I talked to them about coaching and being a good role model for the kids. We talked about winning, losing, and what was really important in coaching kids. Overall, I thought it was pretty productive. Then I fielded some questions from the leaders. They asked if I would come and work with the teams and also my thoughts on what I had seen from the previous weekend. So I told them the good and bad and everything in between. Then I sat and listen to a language I don't understand for about two hours. I could figure out some of what was going on here and there. Some were complaining about refs and what Nega's involvement would be. They addressed age issues with some of the kids and other stuff. Eventually, they left and we had a chance to stand up and breathe.

Overall, a very productive day. I'm learning that as a foreinge (sp? their word for foreigner) that everyone is waiting to see what I do and say. I'll write more about it later, but they are really interested in us. Everyone has really seen us as people who can come in and make a difference. It's encouraging to say the least, however, I can't wait for the day that I can truly say it isn't me, it's only God who provides these opportunities and only God who makes it all click.

Christmas Music

2010-12-15T21:56:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure if I made it publicly known before we left for Africa that I felt a little attacked. This time around Christmas is my favorite time of the year. I love decorating the house and the colder weather, but most importantly, I love Christmas music. For some reason, hearing that music really sets my heart in tune with the time of year and most importantly, the meaning behind it all. So as I was preparing for the trip, and taking studying for finals, I got a little bit of my listen on to some music, however, I started feeling a little down about my trip because I was going to be gone and not around family and friends for this special time. I watched as people posted on facebook about all the neat things they were planning to do, trips, shopping with family, spending time with family, decorating, and many other things that I began to realize I was going to miss out on. I shared my feelings a bit with my Sunday School class before we left how a part of me felt like I was missing out.

Tuesday evening I came back to the guesthouse late at night to find all the lights out in the place except for a few. The few lights were a small wreath and Christmas tree decorated with lights and ornaments. I cannot explain to you how much this meant to me. Even more so that the next morning after breakfast, I sat around the hearth where the ornaments were and closed my eyes to take some of it all in. Out of nowhere Christmas music started playing on a piano. David, a South African, who works for "Youth for Christ" decided to sit down and play real Christmas music, not the stuff about Santa, and it completely fell over me that again, God was in control. As I sat there and listened, there was such a peace that came over me. It was like God knew exactly the small little nudge I needed to realize, Christmas wasn't about being cozy and warm at night while watching "It's a Wonderful Life", which just happens to be my favorite Christmas movie ever. Christmas isn't about where you are either. So it was such a blessing to know that God and Christmas isn't only in America. It just took me to sit back and close my eyes to realize that.

A side note. Anyone know of any good places online where I can listen to some good Christmas music?

Fantasy Football, Jet Lag, and Africa

2010-12-14T12:15:00.000-06:00

Have I told you how much I love having the internet here? Yeah, I get to blog, but I also get to follow my guilty pleasure, Fantasy Football. See, I'm in the playoffs and I won my first round match-up in both of my leagues...not that I didn't expect to. My team is called the Living Legends and we dominate. Now back to being humble...

I am still struggling a bit with jet lag. Or at least that is what I'm calling it. Could be that we didn't get in Sunday morning until 4am, then hit the ground running on Sunday and then last night (Monday night) stayed up late to watch the Arsenal vs Man U match...which I was not happy about the outcome. If I were watching it in Memphis, it would have been at 2pm in the afternoon. However, here in Africa, it was 11pm at night. Kinda late to get in and get to bed. So that probably doesn't help with the lack of sleep.

Today we took an inventory of all the donations we brought in and we were amazed at it all once we counted it. I wish I could show you the look on Nega's face when we gave him the total. It really means a lot. So for those of you that contributed to the donations, we really and I do mean REALLY appreciate it.

We started our program in the afternoon for the younger girls and while it didn't go as we would have planned, overall, I felt like the girls had a good time...and that is what is important. I say it didn't go as planned and mean that once we got there, people from all over the community made it their business to start to come in and join in the fun. We even had a few teams that were going to scrimmage disrupt the matches.

One of the things I noticed, which I don't know if anyone else did, was boys started pouring around us like vulchers waiting to attack the girls. It really started bothering me. Anyone that is a man knows this...we see how other men look at women. So naturally, I started getting a little bothered by it. See, in America, the probability of something happening is small. Here, girls are sexual molested at very young ages...like younger than 10 years old. We got out of there without any incident, but it did open my eyes to just a small piece of what women here go through.

Tomorrow we'll have a busy day. I am going with Nega to the government to talk to them about our program and then am meeting with the local community leaders to discuss coaching, leadership, and the overall need for the program. Please pray that my words are fruitful and are received with openness. Also, we'll be continuing the program and starting to interview the girls.

By the way, my wife rocks. She's great with these kids.

To our friends and family, we really appreciate your support and prayers. We miss you all. Especially the Grinch.

First Day and Rocky Top

2010-12-13T16:23:00.000-06:00

On our first day here, we tried to take it easy, but sitting around the guesthouse can be boring. First of all, there is no one here during the day and there really isn't much to do. So we got up, ate breakfast, and headed over to the Drop in Center.

There we took part in a devotional which was very good. Here was what we discussed....

JAMES 2: 14-19
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”

Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

Can I just say...I loved it?!?! Here we are in Ethiopia and the guys we are working with are teaching about faith without deeds. Awesome. Keeps me in the mind frame that my faith and my life are not about living according to my own rules. I think one of my favorite lines is "SHOW ME YOUR FAITH WITHOUT DEEDS, AND I WILL SHOW YOU MY FAITH BY MY DEEDS."

So I'll ask you...where's your faith? Mine was certainly checked at the door today.

So that was the good part of the day...the great part was when the kids started pouring in. I got a chance to teach them how to shoot a basketball (they just recently had a goal installed) and the girls were much better than the boys. They kept wanting to kick it around.

We had a meeting with Nega to discuss the plan for the weeks that Mrs. McGoo is here. Tomorrow we start our program with the girls. Then Wednesday we are going to the government to meet with them to discuss the program and then in the afternoon I am talking to the community leaders/coaches. Please be praying that I have the right words to say to both.

On a side note, everything has been great here with the exception of one thing. When Nega's phone rang today, the ring tone is "Rocky Top"

I think I almost vomited. We're going to have to change that before too long. It's bad enough to listen in Memphis...but not thousands of miles away...not going to happen.

Until next time...

Plane Rides and Africa

2010-12-12T21:32:00.001-06:00

We're finally here in Ethiopia. This seemed to be a longer trip than it was the last time. Maybe it is because this time our flight schedule was longer. Last time, we went Memphis-Charlotte-D.C.-Rome-Addis. This time around it was Memphis-Chicago-Istanbul-Addis.

Our first flight to Chicago was a rather easy one. We were on a puddle jumper and made it in and went to get something to eat. Chicago Airport is interesting. They have a few terminals devoted to regular travels, then one all off by itself for internationals. And believe me, it was like an island all to itself. All the nice restaurants were in the other terminals and we were left with McDonalds. Maybe that is considered nice in other countries, but I wasn't too crazy about it. I had my mind set on one last really nice meal before we left. Didn't happen.

We did however run into some folks that were traveling to Addis by way of Nashville. We were told by our friends the Harder's that they were on this flight and they run a organization called Ordinary Hero (www.ordinaryhero.org)and we spent the rest of the trip getting to know them.

For those that know me pretty well, know I'm not a fun one to travel with. I've got this thing with tight spaces, recycled air, and smells. Doesn't work well with me. So we get on the plane and it is hot and no airflow. Then we have a kid behind us that is kicking out chairs. (Somewhere in K.C. there is an old man laughing right now) Mrs. McGoo would say that I started to panic, but I would say that I started getting irritated. Anyway, we got going and I took my valium as needed and settled down.

While on the plane, we encountered some really horrible service. They would serve food and tell you their options (chicken or fish) but then would say, sorry, we're out of the chicken. Well, dude, why did you offer it in the first place?!?!?

Has anyone ever seen the movie "Stand By Me"...well, you know in the movie when the main character is telling the story about a really big dude that goes to a pie eating contest, not to win, but to make everyone sick. Yeah, well, that was kinda like our flight. We must have descended too fast or something because one person in a row in front of us started getting sick. Then before you knew it, a barf-o-rama started. Everyone was throwing up or grabbing their barf bags. Crazy I tell you.

We got off in Istanbul and took in their mall of an airport. It was pretty nice I must say. Even had their own Starbucks...for those people that like Starbucks (sorry, can't waste my money on that stuff...and I don't like coffee). We then made our way to gate 310 as shown on the flight info screen. When we got their and went through security checks, we noticed the gate was changed to 207 with not much time before boarding the plane. So we hurried over to the new gate with its own security check. Finally, we got on the plane and had to get the flight attendant to come to our aid because a lady was sitting in our seats with her two little kids. She wasn't moving either. Eventually, after causing a huge jam getting in the place, we got everything straightened out and sat down. Because of some ice, we sat on the run way for another hour and a half before finally taking off.

Around 3:30am Ethiopian time (6:30pm CDT) we finally made it in and got our bags and headed to the SIM Guesthouse.

Today is Monday and it is 7am (10pm CDT) and I'm finally rested up. Took a while. I'm sure Mrs. McGoo posted some pics on her blog for all to see. I'm not the picture guy.

Until next time...

The Single Life

2010-11-19T11:37:00.002-06:00

I was single once. Almost four years ago, I jumped ship to the married world by saying "I do." So while it was one of the best days of my life, there were still those days where I would remember being single and wished I still was.

I firmly believe, God was listening.

This fall, I've gotten a taste of what it is like being single. Yeah, I'm still married, however, I've been living a somewhat "single" life. See, I'm pretty busy. As evident as my lack of blogging suggest, lack of commenting on other blogs suggest, and lack of staying up to date on all things sports suggest. I couldn't tell you the last time talked to my brother, the last time I had good conversation with my mom or dad, the last time I argued with UILF about who's a better basketball program, UK or ku (ok, that doesn't require that much time really...but let's humor the old guy). Or even the last time I sat down and watched a full football or basketball game. I always record my Wildcats, but somehow never end up watching the game because I always have something to do.

So when I do have down time, you'd think I'd spend it with my wife right? Nope. She's gone three nights out of the week with school. We've almost always had something going on each weekend...family coming in town....going out of town for family....soccer out of town....working out of town...studying for exams over the weekend.

So what I'm saying is that I feel like I'm single again. When I was single, I was always busy. Always had something to do. And always had to take care of just me. That's kind of how it seems.

I use to be single and wish I was married. Then I got married and missed being single. Now I can say without a shadow of a doubt that I'm married and miss being married.

You listening God?

Happy Birthday Mr. McGoo Senior

2010-10-25T10:57:00.005-05:00

Seeing as how I've apparently forgotten what this blog is, I figure it's only fair for me to piggy back off of my last blog post, which I was wishing happy b-day to my wonderful wife. Today, just happens to be another special birthday (60).

The man that puts the gray in Mr. McGoo...

Today. Many, many, many, many, many years ago, my pops said hello to this world. Now, I can't specifically comment on how old the old-timer is (60), but I'll tell you this...

He was 25 when (60) I was born. So if you know how old I am, then you can figure out that he is pretty freaking OLD. He's now up in Rhode Island (60) and for his birthday present, I'm offering to shovel the (60) snow for the whole winter at his apartment. Only problem is, I'm a starving college student and don't have the funds to make it up to Rhode (60) Island and back.

So instead, you'll just have to take this loving, heart-felt (60) blog for the time being.

Happy Birthday Old (60) Man. I love you and miss you SO MUCH. I'm very proud of (60) you as well...moving away from everyone is not easy....

Especially when no one is there to change your diapers.

Happy Birthday Mrs. McGoo

2010-10-05T12:44:00.003-05:00

Happy Birthday to my WONDERFUL and INCREDIBLY INCREDIBLE WIFE.

I have enjoyed sharing my life with you and love you more and more each day. God has completely blessed me beyond belief with you and I cannot wait to see what the future holds being with you.

Melt. My. Heart.

As someone once said about this picture, I feel the same way.

Going Strong

2010-10-05T12:26:00.003-05:00

Hello Blog. I almost forgot about you. I'm sure everyone else has, so this is probably a me and you conversation. So I'll update you blog why I've been neglecting you.

School:
Going strong. Taking a lot of classes and most of them are project based. So very soon, I'll be in research mode.

Soccer:
Not going so well. We're currently on a five game losing streak with our most recent loss coming at the hands of the #5 ranked team in the country Tulsa. Tonight we take on Central Arkansas and need a big win before we set off on a three game road stretch taking us to Orlando, Miami, and Kentucky. I'm very excited to go off on the trips with them, as I do not normally travel with the team. That being said, it certainly takes me away from my life here in Memphis for two weeks.

Travels:
As I said earlier, I'm heading out for what almost amounts to two weeks worth of travels, but the McGoo household has been traveling like crazy already. Mrs. McGoo has been to Kansas City, Lexington, and San Diego in the last two weeks, while I've been to Lexington, Birmingham, and Knoxville recently. You might ask how is this possible with all the stuff going on here in Memphis. My answer would be, "I don't know, we've just fit it in somehow."

Ethiopia Bound McGoo's:
We are just about fully funded for our trip to Ethiopia this December. I am incredibly excited about going back. I feel like a part of me is still there. We just recently booked our flights and we both leave on Dec. 10th and fly to Chicago to Istanbul to Addis Ababa. Heather will come back to Memphis on Dec. 26 and I will stay there until Jan 5. One of my favorite times of the year is the time around Christmas, so it will be a change that Heather and I will be spending most of that time in Ethiopia. However, I know this is what God has planned for us and I couldn't be happier.

If there are people actually reading this blog, I really do appreciate all of you that have supported us in our initial trip and now in our current trip. I am fully confident that God chose each one of you to help us and I thank you for listening to his voice.

As you can see, life is pretty busy. Nothing that God has given us is something we cannot handle. It is exciting times in the McGoo household. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.

Twitter and Me

2010-09-15T17:33:00.002-05:00

As you may can see, my blog has taken on a new look. Yeah, I've joined the world of Twitter. Not because I want to, but because I have to. As part of my Sports Marketing class and my Sports Culture classes, I'm forced to join twitter and "follow" sports related entities.

This is my assignment for my Sports Marketing class:

"For starters you'll need a Twitter account and will need to follow and analyze at least 4 sport & leisure related entities. They must be a team or athlete. Also one must be a sport or leisure related product. One must be a sport or leisure media entity, and the fourth one can be anything you wish. I will prepare details on the analysis & deliverable requirements, but for now examine how they are using Twitter; perceived effectiveness; who they are targeting; how it might fit in their overall marketing strategy, etc."

In my Sports Culture class:

"Sign up for a Twitter account and link it to all of your other social networking sites. Take notes and record where people respond to your updates and keep statistical information of these. Will tell you more later."

So there you have it. I am a twittering fool now and I'm not exactly happy about it. I'll explain more when I get into my thoughts on my Sports/Culture class and Sports and Pop Culture in a Global setting class.

Until then, "follow me"

Hole in Our Gospel

2010-09-10T15:06:00.004-05:00

Started reading this book "The Hole in Our Gospel" and I must say, through the first chapters, it's pretty compelling and convicting all in one. I was actually suppose to read this BEFORE I went on my mission trip, but I'm actually just now reading it. And honestly, I'm glad I didn't read it then. It wouldn't have affected me the way it is now.

Basically the premise of the book is dealing with the idea that if you say you are a follower of Christ, you need to have more than just a "personal" and transforming relationship with God, but more of a "public" and transforming relationship with the world.

I love this quote...

"If your personal faith in Christ has no positive outward expression, then your faith - and mine - has a hole in it. As Johnny Cash sang, 'You're so heavenly minded, you're no earthly good.' The apostle James felt strongly about this type of person. 'Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do' (James 2:18). In other words, Make your faith public."

So true. And that is what has hit me harder lately is that I've sat back for many years and talked about how I'm a Christian, yet what did I ever do to truly profess that claim? I think I always struggled with, or just denied, what God wanted with me. I've lived out my faith privately...praying before dinner, going to church on Sundays, and writing encouraging emails to prayer requests. But what about being public with my faith? Living out God's love to others by my actions or words, just through my small circle of friends, but to my community and further out.

I'm hoping I can encompass that in my life and outside of that. From starting a bible study with my closest friends, to attending a men's bible study at 5am, to going to Ethiopia in December.

Here's hoping I can fill in that hole in the gospel

Life in the Fast Lane

2010-09-10T11:00:00.006-05:00

Pathetic. That is how I describe my blogging these days. I am sorry about that...all 12 of my followers. I've got a little time right now while I'm sitting in my hotel room in Birmingham to blog. Two things seem to be the dominant factor in my life right now, so here's what's up.

School:
Started classes two weeks ago and this semester is going to be crazy.

Here is my class load:
Leadership in Leisure Services
Sport Governance
Sports Marketing
Sports/Culture in a Global Perspective
Sports as Pop Culture
Field Experience

Grand total of 18 hours. Fun fun. Really, I do like the classes, however, this is the heaviest reading semester I've had and all of my classes are project based. So, to get this straight, lots of reading and lots of writing. Governance will be the one that drives me crazy. The professor is the hardest professor I've ever had, but he's one of my favorites. See, I tend to get a little apathetic nearing the end of the semester and start to slack off. Which is why sometimes I end up with a B instead of an A. Not with Dr. Martin (Governance and my Law professor from the Summer course). He makes you read a chapter for each class, take a quiz for each chapter before you come to class, online, and then submit a question that you would like to have on the exam from that chapter. Not only that, but I have a group project due around Thanksgiving that addresses six major issues in International Sport, interview someone involved in International Sport (Thankfully my partner is from Ireland) and develop a policy to help with one of the problems in that sport. It is basically going to be a pain. But I like the fact that it is so structured. He doesn't take crap from people and weeds out the people that don't take it seriously. One of my biggest complaint with school is that too many professors allow kids to walk in late, play on their phones, and generally be disruptive. Not Dr. Martin. If you come in late, you lose half a percentage point off your final grade and if your phone goes off in class, you lose five percent off your final grade. So, if your phone goes off in class, you've basically gone from a 100 to a 95 in one ring. I love it.

Soccer:
I'm sitting in a hotel room in Birmingham, AL with the soccer team. We play tonight at 5pm and tomorrow night at 5pm. I don't normally travel with the team too much, but this year I am. I don't have class on Mondays or Fridays, so I wouldn't be missing class anyway. The down side is that I am out of town a lot this semester. This weekend is Birmingham, next is Lexington for my sisters wedding, the next weekend is in Knoxville/Gatlinburg for a guys weekend, then one week at the house, then to Orlando and Miami for soccer, then back up to Lexington for a soccer match and seeing family. So the next month is going to be busy.

Those two seem to be the things that take up most of my time. Mrs. McGoo and I seem to cross paths right now with our schedules and we still try and make time for our friends. That's just the way the cookie crumbles right now.

Life in the fast lane

Late Birthday Gift and Public Speaking

2010-08-27T13:11:00.004-05:00

I celebrated my 35th birthday on Wednesday as I have celebrated every day for the past two weeks. I celebrated it with three-a-days with the soccer team. I was showered with a ton of encouraging words on facebook and over the phone. It is really nice to know that you have that many people that care.

Mrs. McGoo told me on Tuesday that she had a small gift for me, but that her big gift would be late. Now, I don't know why I heard what I heard, but something in her voice sounded weird. So my reaction to the word 'late' was something that even I didn't expect. I asked her, "late, as in 9 months late?" I could hear her smile over the phone when she responded "no Kelly, I'm not late and no, I'm not pregnant."

Thought that was worth sharing...

She also called me and told me that we have been asked by our church to go before the congregation on Sunday and speak about our trip to Ethiopia and what God was doing in our lives. I thought this was kind of neat and scary all in one. I don't think I've ever spoken to that large of a crowd before. While I know that the Lord will give us the words to say, my first thought was, "why in the world do they want to hear anything I've got to say?"

Thank goodness I got an 'A' in public speaking last fall.

Who Has the Time?

2010-08-24T14:19:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite movies of all time is the movie "A River Runs Through It." It is about two boys growing up in Montana in the early 1900's. Their father is a pastor of a church and a novice fly fisherman. So he instills in the boys very strong values about God and fish. The movie paints a vivid picture of a place where I always dreamed I'd end up. Beautiful sunsets, running waters, vast trees, dangerous wildlife, and a quaint little house to raise your kids in.

While it is somewhere that I would love to end up, that's not exactly where God has me right now. Right now, it is waking up a 5am on Tuesdays to attend a Men's Fraternity group at our church. Right now, it is pushing through three-a-days in the summer heat. It is also about having started a bible study with some of my best friends to discuss how we can be better men after the heart of God. Right now, it is praying with my wife before bedtime and striving to be a better leader to her in our marriage. Right now, it is about preparing my heart to head back to Ethiopia to serve the "least of these."

That's where God has me right now. If you would have asked me 6 months ago where I'd be and suggested these, I would say , I just don't have the time.

Ahhh yes, the old, 'I don't have the time excuse.' Ever heard it? My heart cringes when I hear it, because to be honest, everyone has the time. They just choose to spend it elsewhere on other things. I've told people before, "don't tell me you don't have the time, you just don't want to take the time or set aside other things in order to make something happen."

By reading this blog or Mrs. McGoo's blog, you can get a feeling that we are both busy and in some instances, trying to make sense of it all. While I'm still struggling to make it all work, I'm beginning to see God starting to push out all the things that don't matter and fill my time with fruitful things that do. It's hard at first, because your skin and the world offer tempting stuff...movies, cars, tvs, sports, girls, money, and even more friends. It can be a hard balance. My mom always use to make me turn off all music, tv, and phone calls in order to study for school. I kinda see the similarities here. In order to become a little closer in our walk, we've got to turn off the annoyances that simply offer distraction.

I love this quote from the movie...

"My father was very sure about certain matters pertaining to the universe. To him, all good things - trout as well as eternal salvation - came by grace; and grace comes by art; and art does not come easy. "

It is so true. Things don't come easy. If it is time you must give up in order to better your walk, I challenge you to do so. Our lives on this rock are short lived.

Do you have the time?

Three-A-Days

2010-08-22T11:38:00.002-05:00

In case you didn't know or I hadn't told you, I am in the middle of three-a-day training sessions with the Memphis Soccer Men's Soccer team. These three-a-days are kicking my butt. And I'm not even the one who is training. I'm usually up around 6:30 or 7:00 and am working with the team until around 8:30.

Mrs. McGoo can attest, I basically come home and fall asleep, then get back up and do it all over again the next day.

Today, we only had one session. Unfortunately, it kept me from making church. So, I am back home resting for a bit.

Not much of a point to this blog other than to complain that I'm tired. Blah

Walking Away from Christ

2010-08-20T09:19:00.004-05:00

Just found out my buddy from Kentucky has a blog up with an interesting poll. It deals with Christians who walk away from Christ.

My buddy David started a church just outside of Lexington (where I grew up) called Catalyst Christian Church and is exploding with the love of Christ.

It is neat to see a guy that I grew up with in church back in the late 80's and early 90's now actually a pastor and leading people to Christ. He was a pretty darn good soccer player too.

Check out his blog...

http://catalystchristian.blogspot.com/

Do You Get It?

2010-08-15T22:06:00.004-05:00

Finally! I'm finally finished with my Sport Law class that took up the last 4 weeks of my life. I can honestly say it was the most difficult class I've had to take since I've been back in school. It takes everything related to law and applies it to a sports setting. So, dealing with contracts, legislation, stadium financing, sexual harassment and everything else you can think of. I actually enjoyed it, but it was tough.

So that has kept me from blogging because most of my time has been devoted to reading and writing. All that said, I did finish with an A and a 4.0 in summer school. I hope my parents are reading this. Yes, I got a 4.0. If someone is around my mom and sees that she's not breathing after reading this, it's probably because she's had a heart attack at me saying that.

Since I've been "away" from blogging, a lot has been going on. God has been moving very much in the McGoo's lately. I recently was thinking about all the things in life that I love. When I say 'things' I mean 'stuff.' The stuff I love is UK sports, Memphis sports, watching good tv shows, listening to good music, having a nice stereo system for the house, and other senseless stuff. I talked a while back about how God was stirring me to get out of my comfortable life. Well, that's about to happen...

God really got a hold of my life while I was in Ethiopia working with the street children and has been stirring in me ever since. Since I've been back in the states, I've seen life in a different perspective. Yes, I do love some of the things I listed, however, I've since realized that I cannot take these things with me. They are all finite and lead me nowhere. Our pastor Ernie Frey is very passionate about sending people out to preach the Gospel. I can hear him now saying, "Do you get it? Do you get it? Do you get what Christ wants of you?"

I realized that when I'm long gone, do I want people saying at my funeral, "That Kelly was a great guy. He sure did love those Wildcats and was a heck of a fantasy football player. And boy, you should have seen that stereo he had." I realized that there are more important things that God wants with me than just sitting on idle while I live the comfortable Christian life. So I decided to, for the first time in my life, allow God to direct me.

With God's direction in mind, I have accepted an internship position with The Forsaken Children organization to come on board and design and implement a sports ministry program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This is something that I am extremely excited about. I pitched the idea to Joe Bridges, the director of the organization, and he really liked it. Basically I will spend the next few months in the fall putting together a strategy for a sports program that can minister to the children that live on the streets of Addis Ababa. I will then travel to Ethiopia in December for four weeks and spend a week initiating a sports camp for kids and then the rest of the time networking with local organizations and churches to see about developing recreational leagues. These are my ideas for the program and what it could do:

1. Potentially start sports leagues where street children can attend, be kids, and have fun
2. Through the league we can identify children that could potentially come into the Forsaken Children organization (Onesimus/Children's Home Ethiopia)
3. Share the Gospel to the children
4. Provide a place where families can be actively involved in their children's lives

That isn't in any order, but just a small sample of what my brain has been spitting out over the last month or so.

My hope is that through a lot of time, love, prayer, support, and lots of networking, that this is something that we can revisit with TFC in January and continue with them in a full-time capacity. I've had a few folks that I've told ask me how am I going to do all this. Yes, my life will be quite busy in the fall - 18 hours of school, full-time work with the Memphis Soccer team, developing this program, fundraisng for our trip, started a new bible study with some of my best friends, and still trying to be a Godly husband and spend time with my wife. Yeah, it will be pretty busy. But I'm confident that the Lord has not put all this on my plate thinking that I couldn't handle it. He isn't like that.

It is really exciting in knowing that the things God has planned for me are bigger than me. They are things that I cannot do on my own or lean on my own understanding. And for the first time in life, I'm OK with that. More like, I'm embracing that. Maybe one day, at my funeral, they won't be talking about the senseless stuff I couldn't take with me, but the lives that were saved. Not because of me, but because I allowed God to be more than someone I talk about on Sundays. Maybe one day, someone will look back and say about me, "He got it."

I aim to try

Who Wears the Pants

2010-08-10T15:46:00.003-05:00

Been a while since I last updated. Sorry. Been a little preoccupied with this Sport Law class I've been taking. It's required a TON of reading and writing case briefings. I've finished everything except for my final which is at the end of the week. So I've got a small bit of down time before the soccer team starts preseason training on Monday. We'll be having three-a-days in this heat. Should be fun.

Last night, Mrs. McGoo and I were sitting down and both studying a little when she told me a statistic she learned in her "Family Development" class (I hope that is what it is called). Widowers are four times more likely to remarry than widows. I asked why is that, to which she replied, "Because women take care of you and you wouldn't know what to do without us. So naturally, you'd remarry sooner than women." Dang...kinda harsh don't ya think?

This morning, I got a phone call from Mrs. McGoo asking me to remember to put the pork tenderloin in the crock-pot because she *forgot.

Last night Mrs. McGoo needed help moving documents somewhere so she could print them at school. Enter Mr. McGoo that gave her a jump drive and moved them over for you. This morning, she forgot the jump **drive.

These are just a few examples of the many that I could list that proves who takes care of who in this house.

So there you have it. Statistical research debunked. I think we all know who wears the pants.

* Crock-pot was an idea by said wife who was trying to make sure her husband was taken care of for dinner since she knows he'd most likely not eat due to not knowing what I make.

** Jump drive was forgotten because said wife was making breakfast for her husband who was watching T.V.

Mad Men

2010-07-23T10:29:00.003-05:00

Now that the World Cup is over, there is literally NOTHING on TV right now. Golf, racing cars, and baseball are the sports that are going on. It's like a trifecta of boring. I can get into an inning or two of watching baseball, but the rest, nadda. I'm always amused at people who say that soccer is boring, yet love to watch one of those three I just listed. Golf is great to watch when you want a nap. Racing is fun to watch when you want to have some redneck friends over for a bbq. Baseball is fun to watch when you're at the game...and even then I don't watch it.

All that being said, Mrs. McGoo and I have found a show that we absolutely love. "Mad Men." It comes on AMC on Sunday nights and this Sunday will begin the fourth season. "Mad Men" is widely thought of as the best show on television, with two consecutive Best Drama Emmys under its belt along with being the clear favorite for a third at the end of next month. I'd need to check with my crack research staff to see the last time, if ever, a show won three consecutive Best Drama awards, let along doing so in its first three years. (I'll let you know what I find out...and if I ever get a crack research staff) It also has my new celebrity crush in it as well. January Jones. Interestingly enough, I saw her on an award show the other night and told the wifey that I liked her better in the 60's.

There's only one problem to this blog post. We just finished Season 2. See, we borrowed Season 1 from UILF (Uncle In Law Frank) and have borrowed Season 2 and 3 from Mrs. McGoo's rents. So we've got a full season of watching yet to do. Good thing we have a semi clear weekend for the first time in a long time. So I'm sure we'll get a few episodes under our belt.

I say all this to let you know that you should start watching it. It's fascinatingly good. Especially good when all there is to watch is golf, racing, and baseball.

Busy Busy

2010-07-22T14:47:00.004-05:00

As Mrs. McGoo alluded to in her blog, things have picked up quite a bit for us. This hasn't been the typical summer for us. We've both been extremely busy and I realized the other day that I have hardly spent much quality time with my wife.

Whether it has been school, kickball, work, housework, or some other things, we both have had plenty to keep us busy.

Summer school has been very hectic for me recently. I took a financial management class in what is called a "pre-term" session at the beginning of the summer. It was basically a semesters worth of work, wrapped up in 2.5 weeks. Crazy times I tell ya. Now I'm taking Sport Law and it is kicking my butt. It is basically law, applied to sports. I feel like I'm in law school. It is pretty neat to cover contracts and stuff, but some of the other things are a little boring.

It hit me two nights ago that things are about to pick up for us. As if our lives aren't already busy, the fall will present a whole new scope of things for the McGoo's. I came home from watching a movie with a buddy the other night (Inception, which I highly recommend) and I tried going to sleep. I just couldn't. It started to hit me that this fall was going to be crazy and my mind started racing.

I began thinking of all the things that are going on this fall and began to question how was I going to be able to manage it all. Here's what it looks like:

Soccer, School (20 hours - junior and senior level classes), house projects, my sister getting married, helping my mom try to move from Kentucky to Arizona. These are all the definite things happening.

There is a potential for something else on the table that I cannot speak about right now, along with bible study on Wednesday nights and potentially another bible study in the works. Then just trying to be a husband and spend time with my wife, friends, and family that is important to me. And finally, which should be first...trying to improve my personal walk with Christ.

I haven't even mentioned Kickball and fantasy football that seem to take some time to do.

As I was saying, I couldn't sleep the other night. Therefore, I went out into our living room and grabbed my bible and started praying. Just praying for clarity in knowing the things that I needed to do and pushing out some of the things that I don't need to do. Prayed that God can give me wisdom in knowing that he won't put anything on my plate that I cannot handle. It is the clarity that I seek in knowing what is from Him and differentiating what is from me.

That being all said, we'll just take one day at a time.

"The future is no place to place your better days"

Now to get back to reading chapter 7 on "Sexual Harassment." Joy

Two Passions

2010-07-18T17:22:00.002-05:00

I grabbed this video off of Katie Dunlap's blog. It only took a few seconds of watching it to see that it had in it not only one of my passions (which is the greater one) but another one of my passions as well.

I won't say what they are. Instead, I'll let you guess...

Moses' Story from Global Support Mission on Vimeo.

In case some of you didn't know, Mrs. McGoo and I have been greatly affected by our trip to Africa. We constantly ask God that he continues to stir in our soul a way that we can continue to do missions, whether that is in Africa or here in Memphis.

I can tell you this...we're excited to see what God has in store for us in the future...

My Comfortable Life

2010-07-13T18:57:00.005-05:00

Years ago my grandfather use to own a chair. It was HIS chair. He watched TV in it, enjoyed company while sitting in it, rocked his children to sleep in it, and eventually rocked his grandchildren to sleep in it. One day however, my grandmother bought him a new chair for their house. One that matched a little bit more with the decor. She offered the chair to me and I quickly said yes. Reluctantly, my grandfather gave up his chair to his grandson and the chair moved from his house to mine. When I went to visit him in Kentucky he use to ask me if the chair was still as comfortable for me as it was for him. He told me a few times that he never had a chair that was its equal. When he comes in town, he loves to come by the house and sit in it. I still refer to it as my grandfather's chair.

Now that I own it, I agree with my grandfather. The chair is VERY comfortable and as ugly as it is, I love it. I love my comfortable chair. My dogs love sitting in my lap when I am in the chair. One day I will hopefully rock my children to sleep in that chair.

I say all this because I feel like I've sat in my grandfather's chair long enough. My life has been comfortable for a long time.

Monday night our Ethiopian team members (minus 2 people) got together for a final debriefing of sorts. To come together to hash out what we had seen and what we have felt now that we are 3 weeks removed from our trip. It was a night of good food, good memories, and good conversation. Most talked about how life hit them in the face when they got back home and how difficult it can be to apply what they had seen to their daily life.

I kept rather quiet most of the night until a question was posed to me. I was asked what God was showing me in the time that I have been back. My answer is a two part answer..

1. Since I've been back, I've seen things a little different than I use to. I see things on the news differently. My heart responds differently to someone talking about what God is doing in their life. I had a friend go to Haiti recently and hearing her share her story actually meant something to me. Before my trip, I would have just said the token line of "Wow, that's great that God used you there." Then I'd go back to my own comfortable life. Now, it means more to me. I find myself wanting to do more with what little I have. I keep hearing in my head, "How can I make a difference in people's lives?"

2. Because of what I have seen, I feel responsible for my actions. Not that I wasn't before, but now I "know" and as GI JOE always says, KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE. I personally feel convicted of how comfortable I have become in my live. While Mrs. McGoo and I don't exactly have the funds to make huge differences in charities, we do have the belief system in our Lord that we can make a difference in things through our prayer, actions, time, and resources.

What I'm saying is that I've lead a very comfortable life. And I have noticed how we all find our ways into a life of luxury and comfort. A lot of my guy friends (YES, I'm calling you out) I met at church. We all met each other and use to pray for one another and now our conversations generally revolve around fantasy football, fishing, money, kids, work, beer, sports, and other things. As close as we are and knowing where we met, I couldn't tell you the last time I had a meaningful conversation with some of them about what God is doing in their lives. It is like we have all become so comfortable in our lives that talking about God and what he is doing has become a non-existent thing.

This bothers me. Big time. These are guys that I've been in their weddings. They've been in mine. I've had meals with them. Fished with them. Laughed with them. Watched sports with them. Traveled with them. Yet no conversation comes up about our Creator, Maker, and Savior. It's concerning. I'm holding myself as responsible because I've found my way into a comfortable life.

Funny, that's what the enemy wants of us. Have the good ole family. Get married, have a few kids, and get comfortable with having fun with our spouse and kids. Make us believe that is what life is all about. The classic nuclear family.

I'll let some in on a little secret. Those of you that might read this...I'm praying for you. I'm praying that God stirs you up and rattles you like he has me. I'm praying that your life ISN'T comfortable. I prayed about it at church on Sunday in our class. I prayed about it Monday night at our debriefing and I am going to continue to pray about it. I don't believe that Christ wanted us to life a comfortable life.

So I'm here to say to some of you. I'm going to be asking you what Christ is doing in your life. I want you to ask me what he's doing in mine. I give you that accountability for me. I pray that you can find comfort in God's provision for you and know that it does not mean that you can always have a comfortable life.

I'm beginning to understand that comfort in Christ is all I really need. He'll provide the rest. So here's to being uncomfortable.

Except when I sit in my grandfather's chair.

Traveling and Gods Directions

2010-07-05T19:10:00.005-05:00

The past couple of days have been fun. On Saturday the wife and I headed out to the Blue Ridge Mountains to meet up with the Wilson clan for a family vacation. This would be the first that I and my brother-in-law Brent have attended since we both wed two of the three Wilson girls.

Anyone that has ever traveled with me knows that I love to travel. The one area that I could improve on is the preparation for the travel. For some reason, and I can't explain, I turn into a bear when we are getting ready. I get moody and short. My wife, who has experienced this more than anyone, understands this and, for the most part, lets me be. I'm not sure if I am worried about forgetting something or what, but I do know that I see travel as a time schedule and if we are not on it, I start getting stressed. I like to get on the road with no hassles and put 'life' behind us.

Once we got on the road, I calmed down and we had a rather pleasant drive. The area of Blue Ridge Mountains we are staying at are tucked away in an area that basically is the tip of Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Think the Ocoee River for some of you that have been near there. Where we are staying is actually in Georgia. As I was saying, the drive is beautiful. We took the route that takes us across the bottom of Tennessee, into Alabama, into Georgia, back into Tennessee, and then into Georgia again. The wife slept most of the way to the cabin, which should have taken us around five in a half hours. I say should because we ran into some trouble finding the cabin.

Once we made it to the point where our GPS no longer detects roads, we followed our printed out Google maps version. It said to take a right on Hardscrabble then a left on to Laurel Springs. CHECK. Once on Laurel Springs, go .3 miles and take a right onto Dana Rd (Which is where our cabin is). CHECK. Oh wait...there is no Dana Rd. So we drove up this street 3 times trying to find Dana Rd to no avail. My wife was manning the directions and I was following them to a T. Obviously she did something wrong! So she tried calling my father in law, but she couldn't get a signal. So we backtracked a bit and went back a few streets to make sure we didn't miss something. I pulled into a Dollar General about to walk in. I looked at the directions and pointed something to her that she missed. I had printed out text directions as well as mapped directions street by street. All you had to do is LOOK AT THE MAP and see what the next street was near DANA Rd. Pretty simple huh?

I'm being nice in this 'depiction' of our journey because it was anything BUT nice. I basically told her that she couldn't read directions and THIS is how you do it. So I went back where we were missing and was going to show her! The problem...still no Dana Rd. Fortunately we were able to get a signal (I did with my phone) and called my father in law to which he told me that you had to turn onto RHONDA RD (which we saw) and then turn onto Dana Rd. So we finally made it...only an hour later than we should have. And a good argument in between.

Moral of that story for me. Be cognitive of my words to my wife. I didn't want to talk for a bit after that and it occurred to me later Saturday night that it was exactly what Satan wanted me to do. Here we are trying to get away from 'life' and enjoy each others company and yet he used something as stupid as bad directions to cause an argument. It's amazing to sit back and realize how the enemy can interject himself into something so small and make it so big.

I thought about asking Heather for us to pray before we left on the trip. That God would watch over us in our travels and continue to bring fruit to our marriage and conversations. I thought about it and decided I didn't want to. Turns out I should be more sensitive to the spirit when my convictions are telling me something.

Turns out I neglected the most important directions before the trip ever started.

What Now?

2010-06-30T16:05:00.002-05:00

Now that we've gotten back from Ethiopia, I have been struggling a bit with the "What Now" mentality. What am I now to do with what I know and what I've seen? I guess I am a little worried that life is going to get in my way of what I need to be doing.

Like a lot of people, Mrs. McGoo and I lead a pretty busy life. Ask most that try and get together with us and they'll tell you, we're always on the go. So it can be easy for us to get distracted with "life" and everything in it. I have been praying that God continues to show me the things that he desires of my life and where he wants me. I feel like I am in a bit of a holding pattern right now to some degree. Still got a little bit of school left and then what...

I have been seeing things a little differently lately as well. While I've never been one to worry about the latest and greatest gadgets and stuff, I've found myself annoyed at things that normally wouldn't bother me. Example...I was annoyed after reading that people stood in lines for hours to get that stupid iPhone. Normally, I'd still think it was moronic to stand in line for a stupid phone or an iPad. Those that know me know my disdain for Apple Nerds. But now it is on a whole 'nother level. My mind immediately goes to this..."these folks can sit in a line for 5 hours to worship the Apple God's, yet can't spend one hour serving our ONE true God." I must admit, this is the enemy working in me to some degree. Who am I to judge?

While there is merit to question how some people can throw away perfectly good money that could go to some great cause, on a brand new phone (even when their other phone is perfectly fine). Yet I am reminded, they do not know. Maybe some do not want to know, but maybe they do not know what is out there.

As I wrote before, I felt very selfish when I was in Addis. Not because of what I had, because I am not condemning what I own or what someone else owns. I felt selfish because of what I have done with my time. I felt that a lot of my time had been wasted. So whether it is spending 5 hours in a line for a stupid phone, spending 6 hours on the couch watching sports, sleeping in until noon on weekends, or whatever, we've all been guilty of it. So for me, what can I do to change that behavior of wasting time?

That is the question I need answering. Only God has the answers for me. I guess I just need to ask.

Ethiopia Reflections

2010-06-27T20:45:00.014-05:00

Mrs. McGoo and I have been back from Ethiopia for a week now and one might think that we've had ample time to sit back and reflect on our visit. That being said, she and I sat down for the first time Saturday night for the first time to discuss. While I have been home sick (and watching the World Cup), Mrs. McGoo had to hit the ground running and didn't really stop at all this week to reflect on what going to Addis Ababa really meant and the impact it had on her. As we all know, life doesn't stop while we're gone, so it quickly met us as soon as we got back.

We were blessed with being able to discuss our trip with our Sunday School class Sunday morning and I know for me, it was a good way of getting off my shoulders some pent up frustration. Frustration because I hadn't really had a chance to tell people what went on over there as well as what God was doing in my life. Being sick all week forced me to sit at home and not get out much. So I was chomping at the bit to preach the news.

Our Sunday School has grown leaps and bounds in the last six months where I don't really know half the class now. Seems like we've added around 20-30 new people to our class. I was telling a friend Mrs. McGoo and I have been gone so much lately that the "new" people were coming up to us introducing themselves to us and welcoming us to the class. So it has been encouraging to see how God has started moving in our young marrieds class. However, I wasn't sure how my talk about our mission/journey to Africa would be met. Would they be like, "Who is this dude and where did he come from and why is he talking about Ethiopia?" Much to my delight, everyone at least laughed at my jokes and listened to my heart.

We presented to the class a little about the mission trip and the organization we worked with, then talked about what we did while on the trip with the kids and the staff members. Once we did that, we showed them the video that Joe Bridges put together. Let me say that I was fine until the video portion. He did such a good job on it and it brought everything back into perspective for me. Then I told the class a little about what Ethiopia represented to me. Here's my story...

About 3 years ago, I lost my job. Not knowing what to do, we fell to our knees and asked God to guide us in what direction we should go. Throughout it all, I felt his push for me to go back to school. It went against everything that "the world" tells us. 'THE MAN SHOULD TAKE CARE OF HIS FAMILY' is one of the things my pride kept telling me. Fortunately for me, I have an incredible support system in place with my wife. She encouraged me to follow the Lords desires for me and to not be afraid of what He had in store for me. I looked at it from the worldly perspective and my wife from God's point of view. So I decided to go trust the Lord and go back to school. When we decided this, we thought, "OK God, now how exactly are we going to pay for this? Not only do we not have money coming in from one half of the family, but now we've got to pay for it." We got on our knees, like we so often do, and told God that if it was his will, he would make it happen.

One day after church, I ran into the soccer coach at the University of Memphis. In talking with him, I told him of my desire to go back to school and we were following the Lord in it all and trusting that he would provide, since we did not have the means to pay for it. The coach looked at me and said, "Well, we're in the market for a new soccer manager, so if you are interested, we'd love to have you. It would pay for your school." I remember looking up at the sky after that conversation and saying to God, "You really do have your hand in all of this." Come to find out that not only did it pay for my entire schooling, but books as well.

Then came time to pick a major. I chose Sports and Leisure because I LOVE sports. I thought that I would work for a athletic dept or a pro sports team. God had other plans. Throughout my time working in this department, I've found that God is wanting me to go more towards the Leisure side of the major. Now I know what you are thinking...Leisure? You major in laying around? Not exactly. Leisure is the side that is more Non-Profit related and Youth Organizations. So think Make-A-Wish, Special Olympics, or YMCA. Or, Missions...

Anyone that knows Mrs. McGoo or has read her blogs, they'd know she was and has been on fire about going to Ethiopia for a mission trip. I, on the other hand, was a but apathetic about it all. I remember asking her why Ethiopia? Why did she have to pick the most expensive trip instead of going to say, Uruguay or somewhere else in South America. She looked at me and said, "Kelly, because this is where God has placed in my heart...I want you to come with me."

I've always had a longing to go to Africa and especially recently, but that is because the World Cup is going on. I told her that I was looking into going on a study abroad trip with school. As luck would turn out, I got accepted for two trips. One was called the Great Western Trip and the other was a trip to England to work for some professional sports teams. I chose the Great Western trip and put the other as my secondary choice. When it came time to find out about the trip, I got a phone call from the leader and he said that the trip had been canceled. Then about 30 mins later I got a phone call from the leader of the other trip telling me that my application was perfect, but since I didn't put them as my first choice, they selected someone else. So there I was, left without a trip. Enter Africa.

We started raising money for the trip and again, I asked Mrs. McGoo how would it be possible that we would be able to raise $6000 necessary for the trip. She looked at me and said, God will provide. We were quickly humbled by the generosity by so many. People that we weren't even that close to donated support. I remember rubbing my eyes one day realizing that we had met our goal faster than anyone else on our team.

I say all this to explain to you that I was not overly shaken by it all. Until I stepped foot on African soil. It immediately all made sense when I got there. God had been preparing me all along for this trip. I said before in another blog that my senses were attacked when we got their. It smelled, pollution was everywhere, the smog overtook your senses, and it was so dirty. Yet when I got to the drop in center, I saw the children. I saw the beauty that was in their eyes and the beauty of the culture. It all made sense to me. This is exactly how God sees us. Broken, nasty, messy, dirty, smelly, and yet in it all, he still loves us.

I realized then how selfish I had been. I've lived my life, believing in a God that has taken care of me, yet done nothing to take care of others. I felt so small. I've been given it all, yet have squandered so much of my life. I just couldn't stop thinking about all that I have taken for granted and how I have envy in my heart for things that I do not have...new car, new clothes, new this, new that...

Since I have been back, I have had a little more clarity with my life and where God wants me. I love helping people, love kids, love activities...my major is Sports and Leisure...so why not put all these things to work for God's purpose. Without getting into any details, because I don't want to get ahead of myself, but God has some stuff working. Hopefully I can expand on it more later, but rest assured, He's working.

I say all this back story to show how it wasn't me asking for something and God delivering in a week or a month. This has been God's plan now for going on 4 years. It is pretty neat to look back and see Him working in us and knowing where He has us is right where He wants us. I can honestly say that I have renewed faith in him saying, "Trust Me."

So for me, trusting the Lord means starting small and dreaming big. My goals are to begin to pray more for my wife and how I can continue to be a man that puts the Lord first in our marriage. Pray for my family. Pray for my friends and begin to expect greater things from them. Pray for my community and start serving more in it. Once I can get those tackled, the rest will follow suit.

Here is the video from our trip to Ethiopia. Got the embed code to work. I love the song Joe put with the video. It hits me right where I need to be.

Wednesday Pics from Addis Ababa

2010-06-25T10:13:00.028-05:00

Wednesday - the end of the school year celebration - we traveled over an hour outside the city with about 80 children to enjoy some larger areas of land to play in and experience the "end of school year" program that the staff and children had put together. Team Ethiopia put on ACTIVITIES & GAMES once the program was completed that afternoon and after lunch was served. Here is a glimpse of the day in pics:

Excitement about the day was even present in the kids from a bus window as we drove past!

A few pics of the local life on the way to the park

Housing

Teeth Kelly and the Nursinator

The kids choir

KC delivering a message on Zacchaeus

There were supposed to be bottles there...they moved them from me

The food for the day at the park. A TON of food

The Staff

Liz taking in some food and culture

Mrs. McGoo posing with the kids

Tom getting a photo opp

Jon and our resident kickball official

Getting some shade while the football match was going on

Leading the cheers for Team David

Jon scores. Brother Joe celebrates

Joe taking a break for celebrating

Team David relishing their win

Both teams take a photo. I think I got stuck in that position for an hour

I get the feeling he enjoyed that more than I did

Tuesday Pics in Addis Ababa

2010-06-24T16:23:00.019-05:00

Kara teaching about David and Goliath. KC Playing Goliath

A whole bunch of Davids

Nega watching over his kids

Getting some sun

Biruk and I leading in "Nega Says"

Nurse Boonie patching up Telihun

Bonnie, Ruth, and Liz trying to cheer up Hannah

Grabbing a bite at Paradise

LAST CALL. Dawit is serving. You got ID?

Mrs. McGoo with three of my favs at the Halfway House

KC and Teeth Kelly getting ready for patients

Desse and Mandela. Smile!

My favorite photo of my wife

My future's so bright...gotta wear shades

A Nation Celebrates

2010-06-24T16:21:00.003-05:00

Thought this video was pretty cool. World Cup fever has hit. Unless you're that guy that is asleep with the drool on his face while watching golf or nascar.

A Few Pics from Monday in Addis Ababa

2010-06-23T15:41:00.019-05:00

Here are just a few pics from our first day at the Drop In Center

One of THREE 'puna' (Coffee) ceremonies by Fitula the house mom

The Drop In Center kids singing us a welcome song

Mrs. McGoo teaching the kids 'Nega Says' (Simon Says)
(You can see the area and surface that these kids work with playing games everyday)

The Drop In Center kids showing off for the camera
(Asrat, Yared, Tamrot, Sintayehu, Addisu, and Tamrot)

Trying to help the little one spike it on the boys

Kalaab (GREAT KID) and Mrs. McGoo

Playing 'Nega Says'

Kelly and KC using Ruth in a demo

Little Nati getting those teeth cleaned

Liz offering up some comfort for little Nati

USA WINS GROUP C

2010-06-23T12:50:00.006-05:00

Lately, I've been bloggin' about our trip to Africa, but I have to take a one day break to post some pics of our incredible win today over Algeria.

Thank goodness for the World Cup right now because this is the worst time of the year for sports. Golf, Racing, and Baseball...it's what I like to call the black hole of sports. I will say this, they are good for when you come in from working out in the yard and you need a good nap. They'll certainly put you to sleep.

Anyway, Landon Donovan scored in injury time to give the Yanks the win and move them on to the knockout stage. From everyone I talk to, read on message boards, blogs, and facebook, they were screaming as loud as I was. My voice is completely gone and looks like it might take a day or so to recover. That was the most incredible game I've seen in some time. LOVE IT. The Beautiful game. I love the national pride. I also love that it is actually a WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP...unlike a lot of our other American sports that call themselves "world champs" yet they only play in leagues in the states.

The Beautiful Game.

The Dream Team

2010-06-22T12:08:00.017-05:00

Before we made the trek halfway across the globe to Africa, Mrs. McGoo and I signed up to be part of a team. Now, having the football background that we both do, we're no strangers to team play. That being said, neither one of us knew most any of the other members of the team we were joining. About half the team was comprised of another Sunday school, so they had the advantage of knowing one another beforehand. Anyone that has ever joined an "existing team" knows that it can be rather difficult.

I must admit, and Mrs. McGoo will attest, I was a little concerned after we had a few of our meetings. Number one, we were behind a bit in training because Joe, our trip leader, was still in Africa and had not yet moved back to the States. When we finally did meet, it was a little bit of a get to know you session for some of us and what I saw, I wasn't crazy about. What we had was, what I perceived to be, a clique of folks that knew each other and others that appeared to me to demand a lot of time and energy.

Once we finally got to get to know one another one the trip, my tune changed quite a bit. Here's our team and some of my thoughts:

The Scatterbrain:
Our fearless leader, Joe. Joe took on the unenviable task of trying to take this rag-tag group of folks and mesh them into a well oiled machine. All without the help of his better half. Poor Joe had to deal with travel, organization, introducing us to the culture and city, all the while trying to get some business done while there. And I haven't even mentioned having to miss his family while doing so. I found Joe to be a lot like me. We both operate better when we've got our brides by our side. I wasn't sure things were going to go off well when I first met him because we were a bit behind in training because of him being in Ethiopia, but it turned out just perfect. I hate that the Bridges are moving away in Aug, because Mrs. McGoo and I have talked about how much we would like to spend more time with them. For what it's worth, I am glad my first ever trip was led by this guy.

The Trekkie:
KC and I have a mutual friend, so I knew a little bit about him before we left for the trip. I was lucky enough to leave early for Addis and KC was one of the ones that was with us. It allowed us to get to know one another before the hustle and bustle of the trip and stop having all our conversations revolve around Steve Riser. I wasn't sure what to expect with KC at first because it seemed like in our early meetings that he had a sarcasm that was similar to mine, yet when I tried to playfully jab, it fell on deaf ears. So it wasn't really until I found his "cross to bear" (He's a Star Trek fan) that we started to connect. I somehow got blamed for my wife teaching the kids the Vulcan Death Grip....I swear it wasn't me. All that said, I bonded the most with KC during our trip. He reminds me a bit of myself in that he's very hard on himself and doesn't seem to like people to help him. ;) In the end, he reluctantly let up, but his heart for these kids was something to be seen. I always tell Mrs. McGoo that I'm not a very good "group prayer" and after this trip, I think I want to be like KC. He's good.

The Clumsy Jamaican:
I don't believe I've ever met someone that drops more things than Liz. I'm serious...she drops something all the time. Walking to the bus, she drops her glasses. Teaching a lesson to the kids, she drops her pencil. Putting her purse down for the evening, her phone drops out of it. She seriously needs a bungee cord for everything in her hands. I told Liz after the trip was over that I was worried initially about how I would get along with her. There were many things about us that are just different in the way we do things. However, the more the days went by, the more I saw her heart and how much love she has. I also witnessed a missionary (South African) that was horribly rude to Liz one night while watching football. Seeing how Liz "tamed" her tongue with that situation when she could have gone "Jamaican" on her, was very impressive to me. Taught me a lot about how to handle conflict. In the end, we had a lot more in common than I had anticipated.

The Unsuspecting Comedian:
Kara was the one familiar face that I knew of on the trip. She and her husband lead the Sunday school class that Mrs. McGoo and I attended a few times when we started going to Central. We decided to not stay with that class and join another one only because we felt like the idea of starting a new class instead of going into an existing one with established relationships would be better for both of us. Because of that, I was never really able to get to know Kara. I wasn't sure what to think of her at first because she seemed to be very quiet, so somehow I got the impression that she didn't care for me. Be that as it may, as the trip went on, I got to interact with her more and more. She's got this poker face sometimes and then out of no where she'd pop this joke that was incredibly funny. I felt like it took her a couple of days to adjust to the trip, but once she did, I got to know a lot more about her. Her heart for Christ is unmatched. That says a lot in my book.

The Muscle-Bound Nurse:
Take Jillian Michaels and make her a nurse and you've got Bonnie. Or should I say, "Nurse Boonie" which is what most of the kids called her. The girl has some guns on her and she wasn't ashamed to show them off. Then again, I wouldn't either if I had those guns. I remember telling one of our team members in the airport, don't make fun of Bonnie, I think she can take us both. I had a good conversation with Bonnie at lunch one day that helped me get to know her more. However, it wasn't until our evening devotions that I realized how alike we are. Like me, she wore her emotions on her sleeve and it was easy to see who was bothered the most by leaving. I think her fears are a lot like mine...once we get back to America, what then? Aside from being the Nursinator, she has a laugh like Betty Rubble.

The Other Kelly:
I'm beginning to learn that the name Kelly comes with responsibilities. Annoy people, make people laugh, say what everyone else is thinking but won't say, and cry. These are pretty much my characteristics to a T and I kinda think that "Teeth Kelly" has some of these as well. At any moment she's got something witty to say or cracks a joke to lighten the mood. I didn't see "Teeth Kelly" too much during the day because she was busy working on the kids teeth and giving them hygiene lessons, but when I did, she never seemed too tired to lighten the mood. I was also amazed at her passion for the kids. While you'd never see it during the day, she would really allow herself to be vulnerable during our devotions and really talk about the things that were affecting her the most.

The Dancin' World Traveler:
Tom was the one guy I didn't get to know much of until the end of the trip. All I knew of him was that he was the guy that works for a company that takes him all over the world. He's very soft spoken and made it clear early on that he wanted to assist Kelly with the dental screenings. A couple of things you should know about Tom. One...he traveled with four women all the way across the globe...and NEVER complained. Two...he's a ham. He got up on stage one night and danced an Ethiopian dance with some performers and we were all like, "WOAH, where did that come from." As I wrote, I didn't get to know Tom as well on the trip, but it was on our ride back to the states that I got a chance to visit with him and learned a lot about his heart and his life. While he is 15 years my senior, I told Mrs. McGoo that I would love to be able to hang out with him some more. Maybe he'll make me feel younger than I do now.

So there you have it. The Dream Team of our trip. I can honestly say that in the beginning I was a bit worried about our trip. As I said before, I felt like people had their own agendas and it seemed like we had a hard time coming together to get things done. However, it has become very apparently to me that God blessed those children with the perfect mix of disciples to bring on the trip. We had a steady blend of Leaders, Administrators, Healthcare, Athletics, Teachers, and Counselors that followed God's plan accordingly. It was an incredible trip and a great group.

I heard this somewhere the other day and it resonated to me with this group....

"Some times you've got to dive deep into the barrel to find the juiciest apple."

God picked a good harvest with this group.

Top 10 Things I Miss About Ethiopia

2010-06-22T10:24:00.004-05:00

I saw this on The Bridges of Addis Ababa blog and thought I'd post my own.

#10- Weather. The weather was great. 70's and not humidity. Cool at night also. Then I came back to Memphis and it's 98 and 100% humidity.

#9- Food. Surprisingly I really enjoyed the food there. Nothing tasted bad to me and it all was gentle on my stomach. Additionally, I had the best spaghetti that I have ever had at the drop in center. It was incredible. Also I'll miss Fanta. For some reason, that is one of the main drinks they serve there and they taste wonderful

#8- The Driving. Organized Chaos is what I like to call it. It's amazing to me that Americans have defined driving lanes yet wreck all the time. In Addis, there aren't many lanes and the driving is basically get where you need to go by any means necessary, yet NO wrecks. Our bus driver was incredible too. The guy could park a bus in a compact car spot with room to spare.

#7- The Church. We went to a church called IEC on the Sunday we were there. It was very culturally diverse and the pastor delivered a great message. We have many churches here in Memphis that "try" and say they are diverse, but none actually attain it quite like this one did.

#6- The Streets. Walking the streets was an interesting event. At any point in time you'd see someone relieving themselves or your nose was hit with some interesting smells. However, the people were genuine that I came in contact with. We bought some food on the street (what the Spanish would call "Empanadas") that was a pastry with meat and lentils in it. The merchants were very kind and welcoming.

#5- The World Cup. Unless I am able to attend a World Cup in the future, I don't know that I'll ever enjoy one as much as this one. While I didn't get to watch a lot of the first round on a large HD TV, I did get to enjoy it with a LOT of internationals. I watched the US-England match with a room full of Brits and Yanks. The Australia-Germany match with Germans and Aussies. The South Africa -Uruguay match with? You guessed it, South Africans and Uruguayans. Additionally watched matches with Africans, Kiwis (New Zealand), met one Italian the last day there. This has been an exciting World Cup with all the upsets and especially the French bowing out early. It also allowed me to have a better understanding of how Americans are viewed by other countries. While they love the idea of America, there isn't much loved lost with their view of our arrogance and laziness. (Hard to argue with their points really...but that's for another blog)

#4- The Bridges. We've got one here in Memphis, but the other set are still in Addis. Jon, Jessica and Dawit, we'll miss you guys immensely.

#3- The Culture. Ethiopians are very affectionate. If you were to see two men walking hand in hand here in America, you'd immediately think they were gay. In Ethiopia, it is a sincere sign of friendship and trust. While I'll admit, I'm not someone that likes people in my personal space, but it didn't seem to bother me there. It is not uncommon for one to feed you there food and as I was told, if it is done twice, that person is showing you love.

#2- The Staff. I didn't get to know all of them very well, but the ones I did, Nega, Biruk, Alex, and Mandy were all awesome. It became very apparent to me that they were bothered by the fact that we were leaving. That spoke volumes to me. They also helped me appreciate hard work and long days. These guys worked in less than desirable conditions and dealt with street kids all day...all the while trying to teach them education, trust, and present the gospel. Nega especially was someone I bonded with. While we both have an affinity for Arsenal Football, Alex put it best when comparing Nega and I when he told me the kids see us as "Big Kids." Not much of a stretch there...

#1- The Kids. In less than a days time I had bonded with the kids pretty well. I had a couple of trump cards that some others didn't. A childlike spirit and football. It immediately broke several language barriers right off the bat and gave me "clout" with the children. Words like, Rooney, Ronaldo, Kaka, Arsenal, Manchester United, Yanks, and Africa were common phrases when bonding with the kids early on. Many of them called me "Rooney" because they said I looked like the balding, thick, and hairy Manchester United star. I'm down with that. ;)
They also gave me renewed strength near the end of the trip when I became sick. Friday hit me like a ton of bricks, but I remember thinking, "these kids sleep in garbage and on the street with all sorts of problems, I cannot let sickness rob me from the last day with these kids." So I pushed on. However, I'm back in the states now and they are back in Addis. Kids...I miss you

This is just part of my reflections of my journey. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some thoughts on other things as well. More to come...

Back Home (Physically)

2010-06-21T09:53:00.002-05:00

After almost 30 hours of travel, we have made it back home. We started in Addis (around 7pm Addis time), then to Rome, then to D.C., then to Charlotte, then finally Memphis. Mrs. McGoo's wonderful parents and sister picked us up from the airport around 6pm Memphis time and took us home. Once we got their we greeted our furbabies and got some dinner while watching the remaining portion of the US Open.

Apparently, once they left, I laid down on the couch and was snoring in 2 mins. I have no recollection how the wife got this big bear to bed, but I woke this morning in a soft bed.

There are three things that I have to get accomplished today:

1. Set up appointment with the doc. I'm pretty sick. Got sick on Friday and haven't had any meds to make myself feel any better (outside of Advil and cough drops). And NO it's not malaria. No mosquitoes in Addis because of the altitude and cool weather.

2. Call MLG&W to find out why our gas has been turned off. (***UPDATE**** Gas was turned off because they replaced our meter and no one was here to let them in to lit the pilot light back) We came home to no hot water.

3. Rest and watch the BEAUTIFUL GAME!

If I gather up some energy, I'll post some reflections of the trip later today. If not, then it will be later on.

Thanks again for all the prayers and support

God Bless

Back in the States....missing Ethiopia already

2010-06-20T16:02:00.002-05:00

Heard this song today in the bathroom of the airport in DC. Made me think of the wonderful place we just left.

"God of this City"

[Verse 1]
You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

[Verse 2]
You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

[Chorus]
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

[Verse 1]

[Verse 2]

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

[Chorus]
For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

There is no one like our god
There is no one like our God

[Chorus]
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

Will update the blog tomorrow when I've had a chance to rest. Right now we're in Charlotte waiting on our flight to Memphis. It's been a long 24 hours...

God Bless

Friday - June 18 (Our Last Day with the Children)

2010-06-18T14:36:00.003-05:00

Today has been an extremely long day physically, emotionally, and spiritually. It was the last day we had with the children at the Drop-In Center. Thus, I wanted to make it a special one.

We started with our normal routine of lessons and medical needs. Then we took the kids over to a park and played football and volleyball with them. All in all a fun day.
Leaving was very difficult. All of us got up and spoke to the kids and I spoke to them about being a mustard seed and how if they have that small of faith, there is nothing that is impossible. I let the kids know that I came here thinking that I would help them, but have learned that through God, they helped me. We said goodbye to the children, and got a ton of hugs, around 3:30 as we had to get home and get cleaned up to have dinner with Nega.

About midway through the day, I started feeling pretty crummy and it got worse throughout the day. By the end of the day, and now, I feel pretty miserable. We went to eat dinner at Nega's and watched the US come from behind and tie up the match 2-2. Then we headed out after a bit. Once we arrived back to the guesthouse, we had a debriefing with K.C. leading the group. It was a tough debriefing to say the least. Kara looked as if she was going to pass out in her chair, Liz looks to be coming down with what I've got, and of course, I'm not feeling well. But I made a decision to press on through it, as K.C. spent valuable time planning it and I wanted to get as much out of it as I could. God will let me know when enough is enough. We talked about the activities we most loved and what were the basic message we learned from them.

I need to get to a couple of prayer requests, but let me say this. Often times I've put God in a box and said to myself that he wasn't as big as he is. God is so much greater than I can imagine and he continues to amaze me with his grace, blessings, and mercy. I got a taste of what God sees in all of us this week. Addis Ababa is a dirty, smoggy, poor, and ugly place. Yet, in spite of it all, I can tell you that all I see in it is beauty. Everything about this place is beautiful. The culture, the love, the affection, and the children. This is how God sees us. We are a messed up wreck of ugliness. Yet in it all, God meets us right where we are and tells us we are beautiful, made in his image. It's breathtaking to see if you allow yourself to. Why? Because God loves ugly.

Prayer requests:

1. Pray for our team members. Kara, Liz, Tom, and I are all battling nagging issues. Sickness, exhaustion, or other issues.

2. Pray that this isn't some youth camp retreat and that we come home and get back to our normal lives and put this on a bucket list.

3. Pray that we are allowed safety back on our flight tomorrow evening. We leave here at 10pm Sat night and arrive back Sunday (Memphis time) at 6pm. Keep in mind we lose 8 hours. So it's going to be a long flight back.

4. Pray that these kids understand what true love is. It doesn't come from us or the staff or their parents, but only from Christ.

Will try and blog tomorrow if I get the chance, but if not, I'll see some of you when I get home and try and recap everything I can remember next week.

Thank you for all your prayers, support, and faith.

God Bless

Thursday - June 17 (Two Visits Today)

2010-06-17T23:02:00.003-05:00

Thursday had a lot of impact on me personally as I started realizing that my time here was drawing near.

We started the morning at the Drop-In Center and I got to help Liz teach a VBS lesson. I was the manager of a football (soccer) team and she was my star player. I instructed her when she came to me about some problems. Much like I did to Liz, we let the kids know that God would do this for them. I also showed them how to make paper airplanes for an arts and crafts exercise and then Liz tied it in to the lesson about prayer and let them know that their prayers would fly farther and higher to God than the airplanes. Then we went out and played volleyball with the kids. They love it. So I feel good about giving them that gift. If you saw what these kids play with, you'd understand how much they love having these new toys. They had ONE poorly damaged football and now they have a chest of footballs (maybe 13 or so).

We then went over to the halfway home and loved on the kids there for a bit. The best part of the day was teaching them how to play "rock, paper, scissors." They ate it up. The reality hit me when we were leaving the halfway home that we wouldn't be back. One by one the kids got up in front of us and told us how much they appreciated us being there and that they were going to miss us and pray for us. For us? Yep. So we started saying goodbyes and one of the boys that had taken a special liking to me gave me and hug....and kept hugging....and hugging...and didn't let go. He said, "You no go, you stay here with me." I guess I can't hide the fact that I began to cry like a baby. I told him that I had to and that I didn't want to go. He then said, "I love you, please come back so we can watch football together and kick." (I'm going to have to stop writing now about this because it is breaking me up as I write.)

K.C. gave a prayer at the end and the kids got down on their knees...ALL OF THEM. So I joined suit and laid my hands on them as we prayed over them. It was pretty incredible.

I've got to run to eat breakfast with the crew, but I just want to let you all know how special it is to be here. As God broke down barriers with Moses and his speaking, he has made it VERY easy to communicate with these children. I have no doubts that if we did not have translators, we'd still do just fine. God has made it that way.

This morning we are off to sing to them the song that we have learned from the kids. Pray for me to not screw it up as well.

Thank you for all the continued prayers and prayer requests. I'll touch on them later, but just pray that TODAY will be the best of them all. And that I don't cry the whole day. It is going to be a tough one for Mr. McGoo.

Couple of prayer requests:

1. For the kids. They need as many as they can get.

2. For the Staff here in Addis. They continue to amaze me with their strength and energy.

3. For rest for some of the group here. There are some that continue to not sleep well and they certainly need it.

4. Continue to pray for the spouses of the team members here: JP, Josh, Ben, and Karyn.

5. Continue to pray for Joe. He's exhausted and it's showing. This is certainly an undertaking and he's tackling it well.

6. Special praise for the Dunlaps. They received some great news in their adoption. Check out Katie's wonderful blog on their adoption and give them a blessing if you would. Even if you don't know them, we're all brothers and sisters in Christ and they're going to bless a little child very soon. (Brad and Katie, I wish I could grab the little with me right now...would make it so much easier, but God's timing is perfect. We love you guys)

7. Finally, selfishly, pray for the McGoo's. We're loving it here and it's going to be a struggle leaving.

God Bless

Wed - June 16 (Fun Filled Day in the Sun)

2010-06-16T15:01:00.005-05:00

I apologize in advance for not getting much in the way of blogging the last day. As I mentioned before, we didn't get back til late last night and we needed to allow some of the other folks to use the computer to catch up on some stuff back home with their families. I did get a cool account to skype along the way, so as I said, if you want to send us a message on it, our screen name is "khmcgoo"

Today was an "off" day from the drop in center. It was the end of the year celebration for the school kids we do some work with and we brought along the rest of the bunch we've been having fun with. So all in all, we had around 80 kids or so. We ventured out of the city about an hour away to a park. It was very nice weather for the most part, however it did get hotter as the day went on. Our first bit of business was to go to a pavilion and watch the kids perform some drama acts and sing some songs about Jesus. Fortunately for me, I sat by myself away from the group, because I got pretty choked up watching them sing. Something about watching these kids sing in English and Amharic about their love for the Lord was really moving to me. Oh, and another thing...they don't sing like our kids in Sunday School do, where a few sing and the others wonder around. ALL of these kids sing their hearts out. It is something of an honor for them to sing, not a punishment or embarrassment.

Additionally, one of the skits they put on I got nominated to perform with. They blindfolded us and lined up bottles of water (cones) in a line and told us to step over them. The winner would get a prize. So I started.....and got some really good encouragement from the whole pavilion full of kids. When they stopped me, they un-blindfolded me and showed me that there were no water bottles there and I had basically high stepped (sideways) almost into the crowd with no bottles there. Yep, your resident clown, Mr. McGoo.

After the fun, we went down to a lake and they brought us lunch. We all sat on the ground together and ate the lunch (injara, and two different kinds of meat). One of the cooler aspects of eating with the kids is that they actually feed you their own food. It is a sign of love, respect, and friendship to feed someone your food. The similarities to the washing of the feet is the first thing that comes to my mind. It shakes me up inside when you have kids that are homeless and short on food that want to share with you their meal.

After lunch we went and played some games...Frisbee, Badminton, Kick Ball, Football (Soccer), and let some kids color on rocks with chalk. Then we had a David vs Goliath match that pitted the Drop in Center kids against the staff and a couple of us. As the bible tells us, David won convincingly. Big special thanks to the University of Memphis Men's and Women's team for their donations to this incredible experience. Especially to the head coach Richie Grant. He's been a HUGE supporter of this mission since the first day he found out about it. He and I have much to talk about when we get back.

I cannot tell you guys enough how encouraging your comments and support have been. I absolutely LOVE reading them and it means the world to me that you take the time to follow my insignificant thoughts.

I'd like to ask for a couple of things for you to pray for:

1. Pray for the spouses of the members here. JP, Josh, Ben, and Karyn. I know they've been missing their wives and husbands and we had some difficulties with them trying to get in touch with us here at the guesthouse and finally got some stuff worked out (which was the biggest reason I put skype on this laptop). It is very hard being away from your best friend and just because I'm fortunate to have mine here doesn't make it any easier on me seeing them go through withdrawls by not seeing their own. So again, please pray for those four (and their children)

2. Pray for Joe. He's exhausted (even though he won't let on to it) but he's done a fabulous job and been a great leader. That being said, he's wearing a lot of hats and it simply wears him out.

3. Pray for KC. He's been struggling a little bit with what I think is his blood sugar. While I won't get into details for privacy reasons, you can put two and two together. I was extremely worried about him today in the heat and he probably got annoyed by my asking him every 30 mins or so how he was doing. I forced some gatorade down his throat and kept an eye on him every so often.

4. Pray for Kara. Another one that is physically exhausted. A lot of hers is more due to just not being able to sleep and some other medical reasons that she's been dealing with lately. I know JP is worried about her so JP, if you're reading, we're doing our best to try and get her some rest and keep her safe so she can get back to your loving arms.

5. Pray for the staff at this incredible drop in center and halfway house. We're exhausted and we've only been doing this for 3 days now. These guys doing it for 6 days a week and some of them are volunteers. Nega is one of the finest vessels of Christ I've ever seen. Simply remarkable.

6. Pray for Tom. Tom hasn't slept well and is dealing with some leg pain which is very uncomfortable.

7. Pray for Brad and Katie Dunlap. They are trying to adopt a child or two from Ethiopia. I now see why. God has a massive plan for this adoption and family. Heather and I are in complete support of this journey they are taking with God. There have been some tough days and some great days with this process. I ask that you pray for strength to see this to fruition. We love you guys!

8. Finally, in our morning devotion, Liz asked us to pick a child to pray for. I have bonded quite well with a select few of the drop in center kids. These kids where a soccer uniform all day while their normal/street clothes are washed for them while they are there. They are given their street clothes at the end of the day to keep them warm at night. These kids see themselves as a "team" because of their situation and jerseys. I've had a lot of fun with them and I think they see me as their "coach" since I am a footballer. So I told Liz that I wasn't choosing one kid, but all of these. So selfishly, I'm going to ask you all to pray for my group of kids. (Asrat, Yared, Nati, Addissu, Desse, Sentiyo, Tamrot, Tamrot, Telihun, and Nibrete (who calls him self "Champion). These kids are soooo special to my heart right now and it would mean a lot to me if you lifted them up for me.

I realize these are a lot of prayers, but if you would take a second and say a small pray for these things, I would greatly appreciate it.

Since I cannot upload pictures to Blogger right now, I'm going to put just a small few on our facebook page. So if you get a chance, check them out. There are a few that are especially for Katie Dunlap (one of Heather holding a sleeping child).
Time to hit the sack. God Bless.

Small Blog Today

2010-06-15T23:10:00.002-05:00

Sorry about the short blog. We didn't get in until late last night (Tuesday) and we had a few folks that needed to use the computer to talk to their families. So I thought I'd put my usage on the backburner for a day to allow them time to spend with their own.

I did however download "skype" and our screen name is khmcgoo. So if anyone is out there and wants to skype, message us and we'll try and set up a session. It's pretty neat. I watched Kara do it and then connection was pretty good.

I did however get some remarkable sleep last night. God definitely had his hand in all of that. :)

So, we're heading out to the park today with all the kids. The McGoo's will be putting on a little mini sports "camp" for the kids in the afternoon. It should be a lot of fun. We're expecting around 80 or so kids. All of which think they are the next Pele'.

Thanks again for keeping up with this and continuing to comment. I love it!

God Bless

Sleep? Not in the cards

2010-06-14T21:34:00.002-05:00

So I've been up since 4am. Can't sleep really. All this stuff that is happening around me is really affecting me more than I can comprehend. My mind can't rest right now. I keep thinking of ideas and projects I need to do. I think of ways I can work with these kids. Heather and I were talking about how we're probably making Joe's (Our fearless leader) head spin with ideas we have. So what to do with all my time. Time is short here, so maybe God is telling me that sleep is not as important right now. I don't know...just processing.

Saw a really cool thing today. One of the boys, "Nati" (I believe that is how you pronounce or say it) is one of the smallest in the center. But he's got to be one of the cutest. I watched him fall asleep on Liz today. Just laying right in her lap zonked out. I took a couple of pictures of him while he was sleeping so I'll have to post the picture of it when I get a chance (Can't right now, will explain in a bit). But I couldn't help but think, here's a boy that is possibly doesn't have his parents with him and all he would want in some settings is just to have someone there to hold him while he sleeps. It was a fragile moment and while I didn't admit it to the group, it really nearly brought me to tears. He seemed so at peace. The symbolism to how I want these boys to be with their true Father. Just craw up in his lap and let him hold them and keep them safe. My prayer is that I can show them that it is possible. I know I need it right now as well. Just craw up and let him explain to me that this is all for a reason and it all has a purpose. Not that I'm questioning his plan, but just the assurance from my creator that all is well.

Maybe I should put in a request to borrow my wife's blog name, Verbal Vomit, because I feel that is what this blog is turning in to right now. Just my thoughts vomited on paper...cause I don't know that it makes any sense other than to me right now.

Couple of things of note...

1. I appreciate all the kind and encouraging words some of you have offered. Keep them coming. I love to read your comments. I wish I could read more...hint hint. ;)

2. For some reason, Blogger doesn't allow me to view my own blog here. Thus, I cannot comment back...or at least haven't figured it out yet. As you can tell, it does allow me to post, but for some reason, the main place where I can view my posts are blocked. I do get your comments, as they are emailed to me, so I do read them.

3. Likewise, it also won't let me put photos on here. I don't know why other than there is a blocker on it that won't allow it. I may try and go through an internet unblocker to see if that works.

Again, thanks for the prayers, support, and comments. I only hope that some of what I say makes sense and you get a small dose of what we are seeing here.

God Bless