tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-240952162011-07-07T22:24:41.085-05:00allannoreply@blogger.comBlogger241100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-24865618250862691292009-09-08T12:48:00.006-05:002010-02-08T15:37:21.525-06:00

con.sol.i.da.tion; strengthening: consolidation of principles and beliefs. the union of two or more claims or actions.Sorry to get so technical but we are trying to "consolidate" our cyber lives. We are trying to make all AR blogs, ministry blog, personal blog and staff blogs fall under one site. And so this URL will no longer be our AR update/newsletetter/blog site. Instead you can visit us at

allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-51606315628256581112009-03-05T04:44:00.011-06:002009-03-05T07:12:41.721-06:00

by allan"We can do no great things, just small things with great love." - Mother Teresa The picture above was taken a few months ago when we first met Nicodemus. He is a 38 yr old man who has been severally handicapped his whole life. When he was born the doctors told his parents to give him up for institutional care. His parents told us they’ve always known that he is their special gift from God

allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-69076406777440104862009-02-12T04:25:00.010-06:002009-02-25T08:38:58.915-06:00

by allan “Some want to live within the sound of church and chapel bell-I want to run a rescue shop within a yard of hell.” – C.T. StuddI just finished reading “Living on the Devil’s Doorstep” and was greatly challenged by Floyd McClung’s story. He vividly retells what a life of obedience looked like for him and his family as they lived in, initiated and led a unique work in Kabul, Afghanistan and

allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-21941662731571787362009-01-08T08:23:00.012-06:002009-01-08T09:36:17.118-06:00

by allanSwaziland was incredible! The abandoned 10,000 person mine town of Bulembu is a picture of God’s redemption like few places I know. Let me attempt to explain, which might be hard as it took us days to digest what this place is. In a nut shell; Bulembu is an old mine town in the mountains of Swaziland. It was abandoned years ago and went up for auction. It was purchased by some Christian

allannoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-8678916091762383692008-11-22T14:50:00.015-06:002009-03-04T11:29:37.254-06:00

by allan "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." - Paul It’s a warm Saturday afternoon here in South Africa and I feel strangely content. Two of our team members (Will and Bex) have taken their business class out on a field trip to Operation Mobilization. Nate is at the church helping volunteers write and run the churches own

allannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-83849574032871502342008-10-24T04:50:00.010-05:002008-10-28T10:23:15.516-05:00

by allan"Michael, I realized that we don't have a lot of time on this earth. We weren't meant to spend it this way. Human beings weren't meant to sit in little cubicles, starring at computer screens all day, filling out useless forms and listening to eight different bosses drone on about mission statements." – Office Space (the movie)God has been challenging me with thoughts about eternity, His

allannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-66135305975226936182008-10-15T10:35:00.018-05:002008-10-17T07:08:57.050-05:00

by annieThe Powerhouse church was finishing off a week long "outreach crusade" on Saturday, after inviting a guest speaker from Zambia to come preach in a circus-sized tent (pictured above), and inviting everyone they could find in Mamelodi. Pastor Vincent had it in his heart that to finish off the week, we must have a party at which the honored guests would be the blind, crippled, & elderly. It

allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-39895906591227312272008-09-22T06:57:00.015-05:002008-09-22T10:51:52.483-05:00

by annie These amazing images are taken by one of our team members. Check out their blog www.mamelodistories.orgA problem arises when you choose to take action about something you believe to be important. Oftentimes, if the issue at hand is truly worth your time and effort, it is simultaneously an issue quite beyond your solving capabilities. There are people who thrive on this. The leader/

allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-45007159904222053352008-09-09T03:49:00.019-05:002008-09-22T09:04:49.690-05:00

by allan Click through the pics to see the day of loving our neighbors"Not by our mouth but by our actions… that is what the church of God is.”These were the words declared by the African pastor as he emphatically concluded a powerful message about loving the poor and going out and DOING SOMETHING! You could feel the Holy Spirit pull the people together in the service. Surely we will meet during

allannoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-72808587135432642862008-09-02T16:23:00.001-05:002008-09-02T16:28:57.027-05:00

I find myself repeatedly responding to the question “so what did you think?” with the slow pensive response; “It’s overwhelming.” I said it after the elders meeting regarding the needs of the community. I said it and felt it on the drive back from our day at the Apartheid Museum. I say it and mean it after every time we drive out of the township. It’s not that I’m feeling undone, but rather feel

allannoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-47720945150610612142008-08-15T18:56:00.002-05:002008-08-20T15:30:26.264-05:00

Above- In Mamelodi with Pastor VincentFinally we are able to update. With many miles under our wings we are safely in South Africa. To attempt to try and touch on everything would be ridiculous but here is a brainstorm of highlights in a nutshell; 1. Annie got pooped on by a bird, 2. Ants LOVE our kitchen,3. Language lesson; Umfundisi means pastor in Zulu. Maumfundisi means pastor’s wife in Zulu

allannoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-40616468012174565592008-03-12T21:33:00.022-05:002008-03-20T02:04:32.689-05:00

Winter Road Trip 2,200 miles… it was 2 weeks on the road that brought quite a range of experiences down in the South. From a low country boil in Georgia to grits and gravy in North Carolina we loved it all! We finally got to meet Will Brown (far right) for the first time, whom is going to SA with us this year. We got to see old friends, spend good time with our interns for next year and met

allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-43584580221259627972007-11-17T16:14:00.000-06:002007-11-17T18:47:03.698-06:00

Summer and fall came and went and winter is now upon us. Oh how I dislike Chicago winters. Even the African sun in my bones fails to fight off the artic winds off Lake Michigan that come through the city.Firstly, as many of you know; Annie and I are leaving Chicago for South Africa next year! Yes it’s true. We are leading our first official pioneering teams of interns to Africa for a year! When

allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-32460074347167640812007-06-26T21:22:00.000-05:002007-07-02T11:12:02.380-05:00

Annie and I are back from Africa and are enjoying the early days of our married lives. Despite my beloved bike being stolen and Chicago temperatures’ feeling like the inside of a pizza oven… life is good. God has been incredibly good to us. We have a cozy apartment down in the city across from the Tastee Freezz, which helps on these sweltering summer days. We loved our wedding even tho we didn’t

allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-44820243597208831232007-03-29T01:05:00.000-05:002007-07-02T11:17:39.723-05:00

Ever wonder what a giraffe's tongue looks like? Well now you know. [this moment sponsored by Rach and Gabe Dagani]It is the end of March and Spring in the air... bringing love with it! Life with the Revolution has been busy with 3 folks on the ground in South Africa, our first official board meeting under our belt and our internship program taking off… life has been somewhat of a whirlwind.The

allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-18563500152973680102007-01-27T02:10:00.000-06:002007-07-02T11:19:55.844-05:00

Welcome 2007! Can I still say that at the end of January? This year is already off to a crazy start. So much LIFE stuff is happening. The reality of getting married has hit me. The fact that Evangeline, Gabe and Rach leave for South Africa on Feb 5th thrills us. The truth that we survived our first year as an organization and are prevailing and thriving as we begin 2007 is living testimony that

allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-1162979382552103232006-11-08T03:38:00.002-06:002008-05-16T00:47:17.868-05:00

Annie and I at Gabe and Rache's weddingBetween Annie and I, we had a gazillion weddings this summer/fall. We unfortunately only made it to 9 of them. They were all gorgeous and unique and very inspiring. The last one was my sister's wedding in England, where we were able to attend and have such a great time. Luckily we didn’t bump into David Beckham, who would have swept Annie off her feet and

allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-1158366052875917682006-09-15T19:11:00.002-05:002008-05-16T00:44:06.848-05:00

“Can an accident of longitude and latitude really decide whether you live or whether you die?” -Bono This quote has really been on my mind since last week when Pastor Nyathi told us that this little girl, whom we visited, died due to health complications. When we saw her in May she was struggling. This family was literally starving when the church found out about them. Soon after, her little

allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-1153378919093047632006-07-20T02:00:00.001-05:002008-05-16T00:27:55.632-05:00

More than a month has passed since we have been back... and that exhilarating, breathtaking moment of driving through a herd of elephants back in Africa seems millions of miles away now. Our external worlds as well as our internal worlds have been turned upside down. Jenn is fixin’ to relocate to Chicago from Texas to move in with Evangeline. Evangeline is adjusting to not having her nice cushy

allannoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-1149766813652007452006-06-08T06:27:00.001-05:002008-05-16T00:24:33.246-05:00

We are now all back in Chi-Town, overwhelmed and exhausted but thrilled at what the future holds. Well, I said I would be writing loads and posting pics often but I was just not able to, as every second was either spent meeting with people, being overwhelmed or driving and expressing high degrees of road rage. (tip to anyone traveling to South Africa, South Africans are very aggressive drivers...

allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-1147384918153443492006-05-11T17:00:00.001-05:002008-05-16T00:20:37.984-05:00

So I finally got to my Mama's house...via Madrid, Spain. My day in Madrid was phenomenal! I loved it and wish I could spend more time there. Everyone knows Spain is beautiful but who knew it would be so quaint. How have they managed NOT to franchise a good thing? I think the US could learn from this. It was a glorious day to be a tourist. I didn't quite get to see a bull fight but learned a

allannoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-1145650543393802782006-04-21T15:13:00.001-05:002008-05-16T00:19:00.493-05:00

April started off terribly; I completely forgot about April Fools day! One of my favorite and most anticipated days of the year, and I forgot! But other than that the month has been pretty great.May TripOn May 4th I leave for South Africa! I haven’t been home or seen my family there for two and half years! Yes, I’m excited. I will spend a week with them and then I will be joined by the rest of

allannoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-1143148513022792842006-03-23T14:25:00.001-06:002008-05-16T00:16:37.292-05:00

Princess Zulu from World Vision & I just kickin' it!Welcome to the most exciting newsletter/ blog/ update from me, allan and Africa Revolution. It's rumored this is going to be the most visited site after e-harmony.com !Intro The purpose of this blog is to keep y'all informed by posting short thrilling narratives of the journey and development of Africa Revolution. So why not a traditional prayer

allannoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24095216.post-1143145271723835612006-02-08T14:20:00.002-06:002008-05-16T00:10:41.378-05:00

Dear Friends,Yes, yes, this is a mass email. No, it’s not a nasty “the-devil-will-get-you-if-you-don’t-forward-this-on-to-5000-people-in-the-next-half-hour”. It’s just a quick “catch-up-on-Allan’s-life-and-find-out-what-he’s-up-to” update.The Journey So FarWell, as many of you know, I quit my job on the last day of 2005! This was a big change that may have seemed sudden to some, but was actually

allannoreply@blogger.com1