The Assemblies of God News Service found out about “If Thy Tongue Can Speak,” from my blog which was picked up by the Chi Alpha blog feed (a little internet connectivity) and decided to do an article of their own.  I thought I would save your finger from another click and give you the article right here:

Chi Alpha student writes, produces play with a cause
April 28, 2008

According to the International Rescue Committee (http://www.theirc.org), since 1998, more than five million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo have died from war-related causes. Hundreds of thousands of women and young girls have been violently assaulted, leaving them with lifelong physical and emotional scars.

The nation is in the throes of a humanitarian crisis, yet few in the United States are aware of the situation.

When Leah Bomberger, a sophomore at American University in Washington, D.C., learned of the tragedies the Congolese people have suffered, she felt she had no choice but to act on their behalf. Behind Bomberger’s conviction to fight for justice is her desire to be an imitator of Christ.

“Jesus did not only work for social justice, but He spent most of His time on earth with the poor and brokenhearted,” she says. “We are called to get our hands dirty - to live passionately for others and love with abandon.”

While talking with a friend about the Democratic Republic of Congo, the idea arose for Bomberger to write and produce a play that would increase awareness of the atrocities occurring in the nation.

“I have always viewed theatre as one of the most powerful methods of communication, especially about abstract and distant issues,” Bomberger explains.

Bomberger is a member of American University’s Chi Alpha (XA) ministry, which U.S. AG missionary Mike Godzwa directs. During the group’s fall retreat, she spent a great deal of time praying about the possibility of doing the play. By the end of the retreat, she knew God was directing her to do so.

So, in mid-October, Bomberger got to work, devoting months to researching, writing and producing the play, “If Thy Tongue Can Speak.” She based her work off the testimonies of Congolese women who were interviewed by the organization Human Rights Watch. Theirs are stories of unimaginable horrors that reflect the common experiences of hundreds of thousands of women across their country.

Fellow XA students, Alexis Nadin and Kelsey Scherer, joined Bomberger’s efforts as co-producers and around 10 XA students dedicated their time to helping with the play in various capacities. The campus group also provided some of the financial support needed during the process of producing the play.

Godzwa helped Bomberger connect with Africa Harvest Ministries (AG), which is currently trying to establish 24 medical clinics in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bomberger and those involved in the play decided to donate the entire proceeds from the show to the ministry. The play raised over $2,000 for medical supplies. In a country where medical services are almost nonexistent, the students’ efforts will literally help save lives.

“The timing of Africa Harvest’s medical clinic program and the play was miraculous,” Godzwa shares.

On April 11, 2008, months of work culminated when “If Thy Tongue Can Speak” debuted at American University. In the days since the show, Bomberger says many people have approached her and said they were previously unaware of the situation in the Congo and were shocked to learn what is happening there.

Bomberger wants “If Thy Tongue Can Speak” to continue being a voice for the Congolese people. She hopes other XA groups will produce the play on college campuses across the country.

“The best part was the countless conversations each XA member had planning, preparing and performing the play,” says Godzwa. “The gospel was preached in word and action, and with Leah preparing to get the word out to campus groups across the country, I believe we’re just beginning to see what God can do!”

Through the process of learning about the Democratic Republic of Congo and writing the play, Bomberger says her faith has grown exponentially. She hopes to one day move to the nation and work with women who have been victims of gender-based violence.

As Bomberger looks to the future, she is remaining dependent on the Lord. “This dream of living in the DRC and the reality of it keep me continually broken at the foot of the Cross because my faith is the only reason that I have been able to do this project, and it will be the only way I will be able to go to the DRC.”

Author(s):      Kara Chase

It’s so cool to have a little part in God’s grand redemption plan!

Recognize the song? Yes, it’s Blessed Be Your Name. This time Levi’s taking the lead. Sorry for the poor quality video. My camera was on loan and I took it on my phone.

I’ll admit it.  I’m a bit cynical when it comes to customer service situations.  I’ve had my fair share of negative run ins with poor quality assistance.  I’m not proud of how much I’ve complained, but today I had a experience that put a smile on my face.

I needed to replace a video adapter for my MacBook.  I was a little frustrated by the need to purchase it separately in the first place so when we started to experience problems a few months ago, I wasn’t happy.  I thought for sure I would need to spend another $20 for a replacement so I walked in to the Apple Store in Bethesda feeling conflicted about my loyalty to Apple.  The blue-shirted employee asked how long ago I had purchased the adapter and when “2 years ago,” escaped my lips I thought for sure my wallet would be 2 tens lighter.  Instead, he told me he needed to check on the warranty.  Really?  For a 2 year old cable.  Not a chance I’m getting a free one.  I was wrong.  When he came back he had a new adapter in hand and apologized that I could have the packaging because he had to have it to prove he was replacing a defective part.  I may not have the wrapper, but I walked away with a free cable and a smile.

Thanks Apple.  You’re making the world a less cynical place.

In my nine years at American University, I have never witnessed what I saw on Friday night. It was the culmination of almost a full school year of prayer, vision-casting, team-building, and execution all done extremely well and all done by students.

At our fall retreat in October, Leah, a sophomore transfer into AU shared her God-given desire to write a play. It was to be a performance sharing the tragedy of the war and continued violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.  “If Thy Tongue Can Speak” was born and Chi Alpha students responded.  Kelsey, a freshman signed on to direct.  Alexis, a sophomore jumped in to help co-produce and as the project came together more Chi Alphans became actors, choreographers, promoters, stage hands, and the list goes on.

When it was time for the performance a half-dozen student groups had become involved and it became more than just informative entertainment.  I helped Leah connect with Africa Harvest Ministries. Leah’s interest came at a pivot time.  AHM is trying to establish 24 medical clinics in the DRC.  Everyone involved in the play decided to donate the entire proceeds to help bring health care to a place where medical services are almost non-existent.

The campus paid attention.  The Eagle, AU’s student newspaper devoted an entire page to the play.  When the night of the premier came the room was full.  It was a powerful performance. The story was compelling and the acting was well done.  But even more important, it brought out the horrible truth of the situation in the DRC and moved people to action.  Dozens of letters were written to members of Congress, and almost $2,000 was raised to bring healing to a hurting country.

And that’s not all.  Leah hopes to use what she’s learned through this process to export her play and the fund-raising efforts to campuses all over the country.  A plan is being constructed and a campaign should be available in the fall.  Who knows, it might just change the world!

April, a fellow Chi Alpha staffer and witness to my bowling glory sent me this link from the Washington Post.  I had to share it.

Ready to Bowl for Day One?

Gloating over.  I’ll work on being a bit more humble now.

It’s hard to believe it’s over… Chi Alpha had more than 2 weeks packed full of Jesus serving goodness. I wrote earlier about Passion Week but the pinnacle came one week earlier. I was able to take another team to work with my brother Dave in the Yucatan.

There’s so much to say about what happened. We saw students taking amazing steps of faith. It was the first time for 3 of our students to preach (in very public places no less), the first time for some to do drama, speak Spanish, dig a foundation, even to go on a missions trip at all. We took faith-filled steps and God met us. The gospel was preached in our words and our actions.

One of the most rewarding parts of the trip was seeing the result of our work last year. At the end of that week, we met a man named Daniel. He was a member of the church in Muna and the tour guide for our visit to the Mayan ruins of Uxmal. During our time together, he mentioned to Dave how much he liked our presentation and that he would love to develop the church’s evangelistic outreach. That conversation opened the door for Dave to begin training church leaders in sharing their faith. Together, Dave and Daniel set up opportunities for us to work alongside trained church members sharing the gospel in 5 different communities. Amazing–and to think it all began on our day off from “missions work!” I thank God for the opportunity to see the impact of our trip first-hand and I can’t wait until next year.

I had one of those sports/ministry/parenting moments on Saturday that could be made into a TV movie. I had a killer week of ministry events and I was trying to get in some family time.  I had a bowling night planned with some students and I decided to take Sam along.  Just a fun father and son night with some small group bonding thrown in. Not bad.

To say Sam was excited was an understatement.  He was talking about it for days.  When Saturday came, he asked both Jen and myself if it was time to go practically every five minutes.  Finally, we arrived @ George Washington University’s Hippodrome (the bowling alley I wish AU had), I calmed Sam down enough to change his shoes and we were off and rolling.

The bowling experience started off normally.  I threw a gutter ball.  The next frame, I knocked down one pin.  I was pretty sure it would be tough break a hundred.  Next came a strike.  Later in the game I had 3 strikes in a row!  Outrageous!  When it was all said and done, my score totaled 176.  The students were impressed, my son was beaming (he actually came in second place), roll the credits!  It was a moment to store in my heart.

What does this mean for my bowling career?  I had thoughts about applying to the Professional Bowlers Tour, but I wouldn’t look good in those shirts.  Actually, I may hang it up.  It was too good a moment.  I don’t think I could come close to that again.

What do New Orleans and Washington, DC have in common?  Stumped?  Well they both have great Chi Alpha groups and this spring break we traded missions teams.  We just said good-bye to the New Orleans 8 today.

So many missionaries have told me how wonderful it is to have Chi Alpha teams in and after this team, I’d have to agree!  They came in on Tuesday and got right to work jumping into our small groups and a bunch of Passion week events.

Some of the highlights:

• An opportunity to share the Resurrection story @ the Gospel Choir class practice (no, not all of them are following Jesus).
• Chubby bunny with Peeps (I’ll have to get the photos).
• Sharing Jesus in conversation with dozens of students on campus.
• AU and NO Chi Alpha unite for a Maundy Thursday Night Worship
• The entire Godzwa apartment cleaned in one morning!

Thanks, Matt, Jen, Liz, Jontue, Brian, Cain, Nicole, and Ashley.  You’ve blessed us with your passion for Jesus, your creativity, your enthusiasm, and servant hearts.  You’re welcome in DC anytime!

It’s a new year, we have a new baby and a new look for our newsletter!  It should be in the mail to you in the next few days, but in case you want to sneak a peek, here it is!  Click on the picture to download it.

To open the PDF file you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader installed. To get Acrobat, go here: http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html

Today we say good-bye to our 1995 Toyota Corolla.  It’s the car that Jen and I bought just a few months before we got married.  I remember agonizing over the cost of the car.  “Could we afford it?”  We tried to sell it when we got into campus ministry, but there were no takers.  That was over 10 years ago!  All tolled we drove our Corolla for 12 years.  It’s practically a member of the family.

But as our real family grew the little green car became too small.  Finally a DC pothole did her in a few weeks ago.  With a bent rim, an expiring registration, and a list of other serious mechanical issues, we realized our time together had come to an end.  In a few hours, I’ll sign the title over to Teen Challenge, a Christ-centered drug rehabilitation program and they’ll use it to help fund their ministry.

So this is good-bye to our beloved Corolla.  You served us well.  We’ll miss your fun manual transmission and your ability to squeeze into tight parking spaces.  My your blessing of reliability and fuel efficiency follow us forever.