The Henn Family Statement
Henn Family Statement:
The Henn family is grateful for the concern expressed for their two sons, Nathan and Kyle. We are devastated by the loss of Nate in the terrorist attack in Uganda, and the pain is immense. We are blessed that by the grace of God we did not lose our second son, Kyle, when the plane bringing him to be with our family crashed Monday. Our prayers and wishes go out to the men that died and were injured in providing help to our family.
Nathan’s death shocked and hit us hard. A parent is not designed to lose a child. It is important to us that we make clear Nathan’s purpose in being in Uganda at that time. We could not be more proud of our son and brother, and of the man that he was and the life that he lived. He died doing the ministry that brought him the most joy, following Christ to reach and help the children of Northern Uganda.
STRONG ONE
Terrorist attacks exploded in the capital of Uganda last Sunday.
Suicide bombs tore through crowds that had gathered in celebration to watch the final match of the World Cup.
Tons of reports and news outlets have been telling the story, but the terrorists have not only killed 76 people, they’ve shaken an unstable nation and took the life of our own Nate Henn.
Nate “Oteka” Henn, was a volunteer with Invisible Children in San Diego for over a year and a half. He dedicated his life to following Jesus and was a man after God’s own heart.
He was a servant and a peacemaker who never wanted to be in the spot light.
His Ugandan Legacy Tour teammate, Innocent, gave him the name “Oteka”, which means “Strong One”. The two grew close on IC’s Legacy Tour in the US and Nate had recently traveled to Uganda to visit Innocent and experience “Africa” for the first time.
One of Nate’s dreams was to visit Uganda and travel to Gulu to see the programs he’d so selflessly supported through fundraising, awareness and advocacy.
We’re beyond thankful that Nate was with his friends Innocent, Tony and Lindsey when he moved on to be with his maker.
IC has put together a Memorial Fund for Nate Henn, www.natehenn.com, and an incredibly well made video to give you a glimpse of who Nate was and what he stood for.
How Missionaries Lost Their Chariots of Fire
WALL STREET JOURNAL
The 1910 World Missionary Conference was a watershed moment for Protestantism. Meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, the assembled 1,200 Protestants believed that Christianity was on the cusp of spreading to every corner of the world, and that Christ would come again once every ear had heard the good news of salvation. Their master plan for missions would hasten his return.
But Edinburgh 2010, the centenary conference that concluded last month, drew only about a quarter of the crowd and received attention only from a few Christian publications. The modern master plan was less ambitious as well: a call to global missions and "to witness and evangelism in such a way that we are a living demonstration of the love, righteousness and justice that God intends for the whole world."
This dramatic change was summed up at a small gathering of academics and missions professionals at Fuller Theological Seminary in late May. "At (1910) Edinburgh, people thought they were going to take over the world," said C. Douglas McConnell, dean of Fuller's School of Intercultural Studies in his opening remarks. "And now many of our students wonder if they should even try."
Indeed, colonialism is dead (thankfully). But the term "missions" itself now carries with it a negative connotation, even in politically and theologically conservative circles. Christians today typically travel abroad to serve others, but not necessarily to spread the gospel.
Continued here.
By BRAD A. GREENBERG
Hi, I’m a Mac…and I’ve Got a Dirty Secret
Hello, I'm a Mac, and I'm a PC -- Here's How I Help Fuel the World's Deadliest Conflict
Uganda, China and on to the US
Exhaustion is breathing down my neck and I’m relieved to know that I’ll soon be on vacation in just a few days.
Spending time with friends and family after month’s even years of being apart is somewhat therapeutic (for some); like a back massage after doing manual labors for days on end. I can’t wait to spend some quality time with loved ones all over southern California.
---
LEGACY TOUR – SUCCESS!
All of our Ugandan students and staff just arrived back in Uganda after 3 months of touring in the US. The Legacy Tour was by far Invisible Children’s most successful tour since it’s inception. And to top that off we’ve just started the application process for new students and staff to participate in our Fall 2010 Tour.
The genuineness of meeting individuals from northern Uganda has created a wake all across America and I believe the lives of so many have been touch and hopefully changed forever.
There are certain things we don’t know or realize until it’s revealed to us. We’re completely ignorant of so many things, for example, America is ranked #25 in the world for education, but we rank #1 in confidence. We’re confident, but ignorant, such a curious combination that has got my clock ticking.
The good news is that exposure to unseen or an unknown situation in the world increases our ability to change it in the name of Jesus.
---
I’ll be arriving in San Diego on the 15th of May, spending a few days in the Invisible Children office before traveling up to the LA area for my sister Dawn’s birthday on the 21st and sister Justine’s master’s graduation on the 22nd. I won’t be traveling back to Uganda until June 5th and would love to see any and everybody that I can.
I am exhausted, but strong at heart and I know that we must be put through the fire to be refined, shaped and molded to become more and more Christ like.
"Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary." - Galatians 6:9
Nothing but love [God]
Chillin’ in China
For the past ten days, I was in China (my parents live in Beijing) being an uncle, brother and son and I loved every minute of it.
Thanks to my employers I was able take a little vacation time and thanks to my parents I got to fly to China to be with my mom, dad, brother, sister-n-law, nephews and niece.
The pictures below are a peak at all the fun we had.
We all went to Shanghaiguan to see the "Old Dragon's Head" (where the Great Wall started).
We Live Our Lives
“How we live our days is… how we live our lives.” – Annie Dillard
Do you remember the superhero called “The Flash”? He’s the guy that runs so fast you can hardly see him as he passes by. When he runs, it’s almost as if he doesn’t exist.
Well, that’s pretty much how the past few months of my life have been…a flash.
Part of me feels like the past months haven’t even happened. I’m struggling to remember anything, but let me attempt to share some of the moments that haven’t completely flashed away.
Since the motorcycle trip across East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DR Congo and Uganda) I’ve been working non-stop. About two months ago, Invisible Children sent eight of our staff and eight of our students in the Scholarship Program to the US. All of the students that went have been featured in our different media (i.e. Rough Cut, The Rescue, Bracelet Videos, etc.) and are now in their early twenties. I still remember when I first met Jacob from IC’s first documentary. He was a quiet, shy and friendly little kid, but now he’s a young man full of confidence and a big smile on his face.
Soul Safari Moments
Jumping into the deep "Africa" pool during low tide. The deep pool is literally the shape of Africa. Thus the name "Africa" pool.
Break Down
It happened.
The inevitable.
One of our bikes broke down and it happened to be mine.
My lady Violet died two days ago and I had to turn back with Blake (Violet in a rented truck) to Kampala to try and fix her. The damage is beyond fixable at this point (it would take a month to fix her up), so I'm currently looking at another bike to rent/buy for the trip. It's looking promising, but in Uganda you never know how long things will take
The morning I left Gulu for the trip. All packed up and ready to go.
Really hoping to be on the road again within the next day or so. Check out some photos below of our trip so far.
