TimRoss's blog

My friend Jeff sent me this quote from the populist pundit: "I'm begging you, your right to religion and freedom to exercise religion and read all of the passages of the Bible as you want to read them and as your church wants to preach them . . . are going to come under the ropes in the next year. If it lasts that long it will be the next year. I beg you, look for the words 'social justice' or 'economic justice' on your church Web site. If you find it, run as fast as you can. Social justice and economic justice, they are code words.

Our journey from Paris to Normandy began with a whimper. We allotted plenty of time to walk from our digs at the Garden Hotel to the Metro station at Grand St. Lazare (which was the subject of a series of Monet paintings.) At the station we validated our tickets, waited like patient tourists until the information on our train popped up on the overhead board, and climbed onto our train with twenty minutes to spare. I thought it odd that only a handful of passengers were boarding, but wrote it off to our thoughtful preparation.

I just uploaded some more pictures.  Check out the following link for sabbatical pictures from Namibia, Kenya, Scotland/Iona, and France/Taize. 

Go to: http://hopwoodcc.org/photos?page=1

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    Tonight is our last night on the Isle of Iona.  The wind and sea are calm this evening.  Lights are coming on in homes on the Isle of Mull, just across the water.  To the west is open water, all the way to North America.
    The island is rocky and rolling, full of green pastures and wild flowers.  Houses here are made of stone; sheep and wooly cattle far outnumber people.  The hundred or so residents are farmers and fishermen, artists and craftsmen.

Check out the latest pictures from the Rosses in Kenya!

http://hopwoodcc.org/node/6227

Check out a few Kenya pictures at: http://hopwoodcc.org/node/6227

Tuesday, June 23, 2009 Lodwar, Kenya, the Turkana desert

View pictures at: http://hopwoodcc.org/node/6227

Hi there everyone. We’re doing great. Just got back into Windhoek, to catch our flight to Jo-burg and on to Nairobi tomorrow. We’ll do some shopping today, have a nice dinner, spend the night in the Nott’s flat here (they’ve got a place here and a place in Omaruru), then head out early for the airport.

We’ve spent the last several days traversing the far north of the country, West to East. We crossed Etosha National Park, where there is a HUGE salty pan that is usually dry, but is now very wet after the best rains in 35 years. The park was fun.

Greetings from the world’s end. After driving all day through the desert, we arrived late last night at Wereldsend, “World’s End,” the home base and camp of Namibia’s IDRNC: “Integrated Development and Rural Nature Conservation.” Our hosts, the Notts are a part of this organization. Trevor builds rural campsites; Karen wears a dozen hats, but is immersed presently in helping the Himba people harvest myrrh from the desert commiphora plant, which will then be developed into skin-care products by a major cosmetic company in France.

With joy, anticipation, and a hint of nervousness, our family embarks on a three-month sabbatical.  Thank you all for helping make this journey of faith possible.  This sabbatical will provide opportunities for retreat, rest, renewal, pilgrimage, and will provide opportunity for ministry in other places.  With a kind grant from the Lilly Foundation, I journey with the hope of returning a stronger servant of Christ for the ministry at Hopwood.  For the first two months I will be out of touch and out of sight; but we trust in God who ever binds us together.  You will be in my prayers