08/27/2007 This Mutha is back! I know it's been a few weeks since I've actually been back - I apologize for not giving an update regarding the trip sooner. Culture shock is a tricky little thing to master, even more so when returning to the US. So without further ado, I give you some highlights from my trip (photographs can be viewed here!): Helped design and paint 3 children's homes along with lead designer Katie Fitzpatrick Cleared land and planted ECHO seeds with Jess and company (I'll post an article I wrote about this project just as soon as get a copy of it) Gave a sermon at church regarding wealth and contentment Traveled to a number of villages in Banta Mokelleh to teach VBS (bible stories for children and adults alike) Met a man named Munda who had two dogs, one named "Dog" and the other named "Tinky Town" Discussed the issue of contentment/material possessions with my good friend Emmanuel Jongo (and a few other teenagers) in great lengths on many occasions Helped Jess lead a Soap Making Demonstration for a handful of teenagers... in the middle of Africa! "Pig Whispered" a couple of scared piglets after my teammate Billy set up an interesting game of "Blind Fold Austin, Put Petroleum Jelly On His Hands, Put Him In A Room With 2 Baby Pigs, And See What Happens!" (This was one of my birthday presents) Stirred up most of the village of Ngolala to chant "Hugs Not Drugs!" at our going-away celebration 08/01/2007 A Video About COTN & Sierra Leone 06/19/2007 ECHO Farm This past Saturday Jess and I headed down to North Fort Myers to check out ECHO, a demonstration farm that empowers volunteers going overseas through sustainable agriculture and the like. We were given a variety of seeds for COTN farmers to experiment with while we are in Sierra Leone. Take for instance the Moringa Tree... 05/03/2007 Let's back THIS MUTHA up! Part I - The Incarnation of Petito's Tight Slice Sometime around my early Twenties I started having a mild fascination with Africa. Whenever someone might ask the dreaded what-do-you-want-to-do-with-your-life?, I would half jokingly reply, "work at an orphanage somewhere in Africa." Over the years I started getting more and more serious about this fantasy but I couldn't figure out exactly how to make it a reality. I thought of all the avenues I could pursue: become a Doctor (too much blood!), study Sustainable Agriculture (too much chemistry!), join the PeaceCorps (too many hippies!). I just couldn't fully settle on a career path that would take me to Africa. During this time I was working as the Store Graphic Artist at Whole Foods Market in Winter Park, FL. Over the span of about 4 years I gained the knowledge and skills to become a successful Graphic Designer and ultimately discovered, THIS IS WHAT I WANTED TO DO! Near the beginning of 2006 I officially resigned as the Graphic Artist at Whole Foods in order to fully pursue my own Graphic Design and Screen Printing company, Petito's Tight Slice (named after a fake pizza shop in downtown Orlando open only on Tues. and Thurs. from 2 pm until 6 pm). Even though I wasn't sure how Graphic Design could help Africa orphans, I decided that I was going to use my business to support Africa in whatever way I could. The perfect connection came when I heard about a 2 month volunteer trip to Sierra Leone (West Africa) through my church, Status (a branch of Discovery Church) partnering with a host organization, Children of the Nations. I immediately applied for the trip with 2 of my good friends, Jessica Gracewski and Jon Kraft, and we were accepted! This was the opportunity I had been waiting for. Not only was it convenient for me to take 2 months off for the summer (being your own boss has its perks) but I was able to raise nearly all of the $4500 for the trip through Petito's Tight Slice. So I shut down the shop for the summer and headed to Sierra Leone to find out what God had in store. Part II - Serving Up Slices in Sierra Leone 2006 Sierra Leone is situated in West Africa between Guinea and Liberia. According to the UN in 2006, Sierra Leone was ranked as the second LEAST livable country in the world. This is due mainly to a civil war that ravaged the country from about 1991 until 2002, which was recently brought into the mainstream by the film Blood Diamond (DiCaps!). According to Children of the Nations (COTN): Recovering from ten years of civil war, the children of Sierra Leone were the hardest hit by this internal conflict. Hundreds of thousands of people were slaughtered, leaving an estimated 10,000 children orphaned and unaccompanied in the late 1990s... COTN began serving the needs of this country in 1996 and now provides homes for orphaned children, schools, churches, medical clinics, feeding programs, and is developing farming techniques including animal husbandry and agricultural income-generating projects that will aid in the fight against malnutrition and poverty. Our Christ-centered, holistic approach led by our national staff is impacting thousands of lives each year. Each year, international interns, associates, and short-term teams travel to Sierra Leone to assist in the mission of providing quality and individualized care for our children and help propel our efforts forward. As one of these interns (along with a team of 8 other people), I lived in the village of Ngolala (located in the chiefdom of Banta Mokelleh), a remote landscape filled with orange clay and jungle more reminiscent of Vietnam than Africa. There we served alongside Sierra Leonian staff members helping with health education, adult literacy classes, sponsorship program (sponsoring children so they are able to attend school), teaching Day Camps/VBS, farming, discipleship, and more. One of the best aspects of the trip for me was playing soccer with the villagers on a regular basis, during which I was able to build great relationships with a lot of teenagers. I especially connected with an 18 year old dude named Emmanuel (E-Rock!) who became my close friend (and would even hold my hand from time to time, which is not uncommon for men to do in SL... GayNOTGay baby!). See photos of my trip to Sierra Leone. Part III - Return to Lion Mountain (Sierra Leone) Overall my first experience in Africa was incredible. So incredible in fact, that I decided to go back again this summer as a Team Leader (my Co-Leader, Jessica Jancey, is my Team Leader from last year as well as my girlfriend!) This summer we will be helping COTN with the recent transition of their orphans from Freetown (the Capital) to Banta Mokelleh. Read more about COTN and the new Children's Village. I plan on raising most of the money for my trip through Petito's Tight Slice but I would like to extend an invitation to anyone who wishes to partner with me this year. My financial needs are about $3600 which includes trip costs and my rent back home. You can help by giving money or by buying a T-shirt (designed and printed by Petito's Tight Slice). Even more, I need your thoughts and prayers for myself, the team, and the people of Sierra Leone. THIS MUTHA! thanks you for your interest.