The Four Hardest Things About Intercontinental Travel

Travel Airplane Sunset Lake

Intercontinental travel is part of being a missionary kid. Sure, businessmen and rich people all travel abroad, but missionaries and missionary kids alike travel, it seems, as often as we breathe. When discussions about the military arise, I always joke, “I’ll join the army; I would get seasick with the navy and I’ve had enough planes for a lifetime, so that just leaves one option.” Jokes aside, this is true. I can’t even count the amount of times I have been on an airplane, let alone the thousands of hours driving to particular destinations.

Despite being a “veteran” within traveling, there are still several changes that affect me greatly when changing countries or even continents. Indeed, the latter proves to be far more difficult, as country changes usually stay within continents, reducing the cultural change therein. Driving from Uganda to Kenya will prove far easier then flying from Uganda to the United States. The differences between Uganda and Kenya, while existent, are minimal compared to the differences between Uganda and the USA. These changes are massive, and despite the experience I have in “continent hopping”, they still hit me like a punch in the gut. Some, such as jet lag, can be reduced with experience, but there are four others that seem particularly difficult to avoid.

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What Super Bowl LIV Taught Us About Passing the Football

Super Bowl Chiefs

Today, I woke up at 3:30 in the morning to watch the fifty-fourth Super Bowl. The winner would be the champion of the NFL’s 100th season, and the loser would go home reeling, probably wondering what on earth happened. The winner would win by an 11 point deficit, propelled by its quarterback and staunch defense. The loser would choke at the end, throwing interceptions and losing costly time.

In case you’re wondering, this is exactly what happened. Spoilers ahead.

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A Father to the Fatherless- How God Fills the Greatest Gaps in an Orphan Heart

Fatherless Prisoner Africa Boy Fatherhood

Recently, I began reading Randy Alcorn’s The Resolution for Men. The book is fantastically written and centers around a call for true, Biblical manhood. After giving a brief description of manhood, Alcorn lays out the true need for fathers, and the numbers he gives are more than astronomical- they are a punch in the gut.

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Destroying Terror: How to Confront and Defeat the Fear in Our Lives

Fear images how to beat fear Africa Boy

A few months ago, I published a post on spiritual warfare in Uganda. The post was fairly long (well over 1,000 words) but got to the point quickly- Hollywood has corrupted our definition of spirituality. Through different means, whether media or television, our opinions and beliefs on demonic warfare have been watered down. We do one of two things: either we laugh at demons and demonic warfare, or we fear them far more than is rational. This corruption can and will prove fatal to Western Christians who ignore the Bible’s teaching on the subject. When confronted for the first time with real, tangible spiritual warfare, a Christian’s first response is usually fear.

Fear is a natural response, something wired into us. No good warrior should enter a battle without feeling it to some degree. In the same sense, no good Christian should begin his journey without feeling fear. In some ways, fear can be healthy. Holy fear, for example, is something the Bible tells us is sacred, a natural response to a holy God. The fear of God and His power is something we all feel at some point or the other. The prophet Isaiah, when confronted by holy fear, wept at the feet of God, crying, “Woe is me, for I am a man of unclean lips.” This type of fear is natural and God-given.

Unhealthy fear, on the other hand, can be deadly to a Christian. This type of fear is one of Satan’s greatest tools, for it turns even the strongest men into blubbering maniacs, incapable of rational thought. I, personally, have seen the full effects of controlling terror, brought on simply by my own imagination.

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300 Followers Celebration!

Excited for 300 followers on Africa Boy

Well guys, we’ve hit the next minor milestone. Two days ago, Africa Boy reached 300 followers, 30% of the way to our next major milestone. I can’t even tell you guys how excited I am.

Africa Boy was created in early March. I reached 100 followers in mid-July, showing that it took over four months to compile my first 100 followers. Then, I reached 200 at the very beginning of December, which meant that it only took 3 and a half months to add another 100. Now, I hit 300 on the 5th of January, which meant it took just under two months to add another 100. The speed is picking up, and I can’t wait to see where it goes.

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Throwback Saturday: The Consequences of Hunger

Jackfruit
Originally Posted Here

One day, about a year ago, I found myself hungry with no snacks to eat. So, being a classic Missionary Kid, I went in search of food. But, to my dismay, the mango and banana trees were devoid of any fruit. So, hoping to find something worth eating, I went and found my friend, Mugabe Robert. He knew a lot of the trees in the area, so I asked him if there was any ripe fruit nearby. He took me to a local jackfruit tree (see the above picture) and told me there was a ripe one at the top. But, there was a catch. He said that he was afraid of the wasps in the tree and refused to climb until they were removed. I, thinking I was fearless, volunteered to go and pick the fruit.

Now, as you’ve seen in the picture above, jackfruits are giant fruits that can withstand a twenty-foot fall. The only way to pick them is to saw off their stem and let them drop to the ground. So, armed with a machete, I climbed the tree. Then, seeing the wasp nest, I faltered.

The nest was HUGE. Easily larger than my closed fist, it teamed with wasps.

“Ah, Mugabe?” I shouted down. “If I suddenly jump down, prepare to run.”

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What Lecrae Taught Us About Sexual Abuse

In his popular song Good, Bad, Ugly, Lecrae did something unprecedented- he addressed the issue of physical abuse. He writes,

I remember back in the day

I was barely in the first grade

Got teeth mission’

Watchin’ Tom & Jerry

Tryna go outside so I can play

I was told to watch out for strangers

Keep my eyes peeled for danger

Folks workin’ late I had a baby sitter

I ain’t ’bout to sit here and name her

I was almost 8 when she came in late

Woke me up with a game to play

Did a few things that’s hard to say

And told me to keep that secret safe

Now how a young boy supposed to deal

I’m tryna act like it ain’t real

Had my innocence just stripped from me

And I still don’t know how to feel

And I wonder how to address it

Can’t tell my family too messy

So I just embrace it it’s hard to face it

I’m too ashamed to confess it

So I kept it in and ain’t speak

Didn’t think it hit me so deep

So into it I got promiscuous

And only God could help me get free

Good, Bad, Ugly by Lecrae

At a young age, Lecrae Devaughn Moore, popularly known as Lecrae, was sexually abused by a babysitter. Now, years later, he addresses this issue both in interviews, songs, and his popular book “Unashamed”. In it, he tells the story of his abuse, which later lead up to promiscuity at the age of fifteen.

This promiscuity continued into Lecrae’s college life, where he remained an unbeliever. Attempting to get a degree in the Arts, he later changed majors several times. Finally, after years of fighting God, he discovered Him.

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The Politics of YouTube

I spend three hours a week on YouTube. While not even close to the amount of time others may spend on the mega site, three hours is still a lot. In fact, three hours is enough to do a very long, very nice blog post or advertise this blog. These are three hours that are almost entirely pointless, so why do I waste my time there?

Firstly, let me tell you that, while varied, my watched videos all revolve around the same topics and YouTubers. There are three YouTubers that I follow faithfully: Dude Perfect, Mr. Beast, and Jxmmy. However, the overarching topic on the videos I watch centers around one thing- sports. All other videos are either basketball, football, or soccer videos.

So, why exactly do I spend my time watching Dude Perfect or basketball highlights? Two reasons: current events and political opinions. You would honestly be surprised at the amount of political speech one can find on a basketball channel. All it takes is a small mention of Lebron James’ comments on China and BAM! You have a political statement. While the creator of the video may not believe that statement himself, he certainly is telling about it.

YouTube contains more than just American or Chinese politics. In fact, YouTube contains its own politics. Think about it. When Liza Koshy and David Dobrik broke up, there was so much public outcry, I thought that David would commit suicide. While I didn’t watch this breakup live, I heard pieces of it from friends, several of which were extremely crushed.

“How is this politics?” You may be asking. Well, think about it like this- when a Kardashian situation is brought to a regular, dinner-table conversation, it is usually treated as politics. Your family and friends have differing opinions and viewpoints, and many engage in a large argument. While not specifically politics, these are certainly political opinions.

You see, YouTube is different from Wikipedia. It’s goal isn’t to “provide unbiased fact”. The individual opinions of an individual YouTuber are almost always found. Many YouTubers publicly state their political opinions, often leading their followers down the same path. All it takes is a few minutes of videoing and editing and suddenly millions of people know that Mike Tyson, Dennis Rodman, and Terrell Owens all support Donald Trump.

YouTube is a massive tool. With 350 billion video views per month, YouTube is arguably the most influential app on the Internet. When someone influential posts a highly-viewed video, it affects people. If PewDiePie were to tell his MASSIVE fanbase of well over 100 million followers to follow Donald Trump, they would listen.

In fact, this has happened before. While not necessarily political, the “Raid Area 51” movement was massive. When Matt Roberts, a moderately popular video game streamer, began the event on a Facebook post as a joke. After three days, the event only received forty signatures. Then, the impossible happened- it went viral. Suddenly, everybody was talking about it, and within a few weeks, Roberts had received two million RSVP’s and 1.5 million “maybe” signatures. While only a few people actually showed up, the event still showed that anything could go viral- even illegal ideas.

This also shows the true power of viral content. If something politically humorous goes viral, it is almost guaranteed to impact millions. This is the only true danger of the Internet. It is so easy to get caught up in the fake world and lose touch of what’s most precious to us. While YouTube can be an absolutely fantastic platform (where else can you find videos of people jumping off cliffs and onto trampolines), we must be careful to filter what we see through the lense of Scripture. Instead of following every movement and joining every debate, let’s stay as salt and light and be above this world.

Alright, guys, that’s all for today. Thanks SO much for reading. Your support means a ton to me. If you haven’t already, be sure to click that Follow button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen (or the right if you’re on a computer), so as to not miss out on any new posts. Thanks so much, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

Latest Post: Are you Making the Most of Your Sabbath?

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Related Post: What Wikipedia Won’t Tell You About Joshua Harris

The Quirks of Living in Africa

Africa Sunset

Honestly, one of the most common questions Africa Boy gets is this: “What are some of the funniest things you’ve seen in Uganda?” Well, after living here for 15.5 years, I have a few that are almost sure to make you laugh.

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Power or God?

Soccer-Cover-PixTeller.png

“I left the joy of soccer for the far greater joy of the Kingdom.” –Keith McFarland, 2019

If you were on my blog four weeks ago, you saw this quote featured on the Quote of the Week section. You probably raised an eyebrow at the fact that I was quoting my dad, but otherwise, you left it alone. This quote isn’t as profound as some of the others that I’ve posted, so it probably didn’t draw as much attention as the others.

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The Consequences of Hunger

Jackfruit

One day, about eight months ago, I found myself hungry with no snacks to eat. So, being a classic Missionary Kid, I went in search of food. But, to my dismay, the mango and banana trees were devoid of any fruit. So, hoping to find something worth eating, I went and found my friend, Mugabe Robert. He knew a lot of the trees in the area, so I asked him if there was any ripe fruit nearby. He took me to a local jackfruit tree (see the above picture) and told me there was a ripe one at the top. But, there was a catch. He said that he was afraid of the wasps in the tree and refused to climb until they were removed. I, thinking I was fearless, volunteered to go and pick the fruit.

Now, as you’ve seen in the picture above, jackfruits are giant fruits that can withstand a twenty-foot fall. The only way to pick them is to saw off their stem and let them drop to the ground. So, armed with a machete, I climbed the tree. Then, seeing the wasp nest, I faltered.

The nest was HUGE. Easily larger than my closed fist, it teamed with wasps.

“Ah, Mugabe?” I shouted down. “If I suddenly jump down, prepare to run.”

Locating the jackfruit proved easy enough. Getting it down, however, looked impossible. It was located not five feet from the giant nest, so if I wanted the fruit, I would need to get within stinging range of the wasps.

Alright, I’ll just be quick and quiet. I thought to myself. Big mistake. Future Elisha was screaming “NO YOU IDIOT!”

Sadly, past Elisha couldn’t hear future Elisha. Past Elisha swung his machete, cutting through a quarter of the stem in a single hit. The movement was all the excuse the wasps needed, and within the span of two seconds, I had multiple stings on my back, neck, shoulders, and arms.

To my credit, I remained calm. I (thankfully) didn’t scream like a girl. Instead, I executed what was probably the fastest descent from a tree in history. I climbed halfway down, then hurled myself the rest of the way, while still being stung even in mid-air. 

I landed, tucked, rolled, and ran. I received one more sting, just to show me who was boss before I escaped. Mugabe was long gone, so I was now alone, facing a yard full of angry wasps, and still hungry. Oh, and I had fourteen stings spread across my upper body.

It wasn’t until much later that Mugabe and I worked up the courage to climb the tree and spray the wasps. Obviously, that should have been our first plan, but when you’re hungry, you aren’t thinking of the consequences to your actions. Namely, consequences of stings. But, let me tell you: that jackfruit was amazing. You know the saying “stolen fruit is the sweetest”? Well, in this case, it would be “fruit paid for with pain tastes sweetest”.

I hope you enjoyed this fun little story. If you did, make sure to smack that Follow button to avoid missing out on new posts. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day!

 

Here is the link to my last post.

My featured post can be found here.

A similar post can be found here.

 

But First, Coffee

Coffee

Most mornings, I wake up to a vibration on my wrist. My FitBit (a knockoff, mind you) has an alarm function that, instead of beeping, vibrates to wake you up. Sleeping in a room with two brothers, I find it helpful to have an alarm that will only wake me up. So, I often find myself waking up before anyone else, save for my parents.

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