FAREWELL TO DUBAI

On Sunday morning in Dubai we went looking for a Methodist Church and thought we had found one.  Their theme was “Open doors.  Open minds.”  I knew something was amiss without “Open hearts.”  It was Jumeirah Mosque!  They open this Mosque to non Muslims, but then claimed all Mosques are open to anyone who follows the rules and customs.  I thought that perhaps this one was built just for tourist education, but it is a very active Mosque and has this special educational mission three days per week.  The presentation was good and again, our experience of the Moslem people has been wonderful. 

We had purchased Big Bus tickets so we saw much of Dubai, including the Palm, a wonderful extension into the ocean that is largely residential and everyone lives on a canal with a beach.  I put $ 20 down on a place.  We saw the beautiful Atlantis on the Palm Hotel and it is one beautiful building.  We then hit the Dubai Mall.  Mall of the Emirates had 450 shops, but this one had 1200.  1100 of them were restaurants and all closed until 7 p.m. for Ramadan.  We went hungry until dinner.  We could not go up to the 127^th floor viewing deck of Burj Khalifa until evening, so missed being on top of the tallest building in the world.  Note the striking divers into the waterfall. I wanted to join them. We saved the rest of the bus tour until Monday, but that was not to be.  Marilyn became very ill in the night and we went to the American Hospital not far away only to discover she has stones floating about various parts of her body and will probably need surgery upon our return.  We feared missing our flight and financing surgery here with questionable insurance.  She has prescriptions so we plan to get on the flight and see a doctor upon our arrival in Omaha.   We are lounging around the room today, catching up on sleep, packing and using room service awaiting our departure on Emirate Airlines Tuesday morning. Those who have been following our journey have to know what an unbelievable trip it has been and we are grateful for the way it fell together so beautifully.  The stones were polite to await the end of our journey.  Thanks to all who have shown interest in the wandering Scahills.

Joe

SATURDAY IN DUBAI

Friday is the Sabbath and Saturday the other day of Islamic week-ends.  Union Station for the Metro is right behind our hotel, so we took it to Mall of the Emirates.  What a beautiful train (both subway and above ground)!  I had already been warned that my #1 dream for Dubai was crushed:  the ski slope was closed during Ramadan.  So, we settled for pictures of the winter wonderland in the Mall, with 120 degrees outside. 

From the Mall we took a cab to our next destination.  We had 1 p.m. reservations for window seats on the 27^th floor of the Burj al Arab hotel for High Tea.  We have now moved into a higher echelon on the social scale, so you, our family and friends, will just have to put up with it!   We had all of the tea, juice and coffee we wanted, plus five courses of sandwiches, cakes, desserts and several things I would not know how to name!  They even acknowledged our 32^nd anniversary (Aug. 31) with a special cake and a rose for Marilyn. That’s it Marilyn: anniversary celebration accomplished!  The view was great and the setting exquisite.  The concession to Ramadan was no alcohol and no piano player.  Shucks, I wanted to hear the pianist!  We then took a cab back to the Mall and boarded the Metro again for the return trip to our hotel.  Being a week-end day, it was quite busy and we had to stand both coming and going.  We are settling in for the evening, feeling no need to find more food today.  Oh yes, I am getting in a swim each day at the hotel pool.  One does not feel the heat in the water which is somehow kept at a perfect temperature. 

Our worry about having a good time during Ramadan has completely disappeared.  We hope to learn even more about Islam but our experience of the people has been grand. We have bus tour tickets for Sunday and Monday and will have opportunity to report on more of audacious, lavish Dubai! 

Joe

SAND DUNE SAFARI

What do two Christians do on the Islamic Sabbath during Ramadan in Dubai??  Go to the desert, of course.  They had the Safari on this Sabbath day but eliminated the belly dancer and alcohol. Shucks, I was looking forward to the belly dancer.  We had a lazy day and a nice lunch before departure to the desert. 

First we had a daredevil ride through the sandunes in our four-wheel dunebuggy with a wild driver and about 30 other buggies.  Great fun!

Then we visited the camels, and yes, Marilyn loves even ugly, nasty animals! 

Then we went on a camel ride!  Great fun!

Sand boarding is my latest sport.  I got to the bottom before falling!

Next was the henna design.  Marilyn has a hand design and I now have a spider on my arm!

Then we had a delicious barbeque at the camp in the desert while watching he sun go down.  Beautiful!  We sat on ground-level cushions and low tables.  Nice effect, until you had to get up that is!  Our speedy driver got us back to the hotel in good time and it was a great second day in the desert of the United Arab Emirate.

Tomorrow is another day in Dubai.  Stay tuned.

Joe

 

ON TO DUBAI

We did not exactly choose to spend 5 days in Dubai.  Our friends who invited us to Oman were on holiday in the good old USA and we had lunch with them before our departure.  Changing international flights is both expensive and cumbersome, so since we were passing through Dubai, we decided to just stay here for 5 nights.  We were a bit nervous since our stay is during Ramadan, but convinced that we could and would make the most of it!  We got a late check-out from the hotel and then used the computer room for a couple of hours before taking the shuttle to the airport for our 7 p.m. overnight flight  arriving at 5 a.m.  We hired a car, considered more secure than a taxi and arrived at the Radisson Blu,Dubai Deira Creek.  The rate was so reasonable that we were sure it would be an older hotel, but behold, it is a first class place with 6 restaurants and shops with lovely jewelry starting at $ 2,000.  Marilyn did not get any!  Every room has a balcony facing the Dubai Creek, quite a water passageway opening into the Arabian Gulf.  After some needed sleep we reviewed our information about Dubai and made a list of things to do, with skiing indoors at Mall of the Emirates a high priority.  We found a reservation woman who helped us set up our whole 5 days, so we are off and running.  Our first night was on the Al Mansour Dhow with a sumptuous traditional Iftar buffet while cruising on the Dubai Creek for two hours. Delightful!  Pretty good start for two kids from Nebraska!  Tomorrow is another special event, but you will have to have patience to learn all about it!

Joe

A NEBRASKA CONNECTION

Many of you reading this know Doug and Anne Kallesen of Columbus, Nebraska, both active in United Methodist concerns for some years.  Their daughter Kristin has lived in South Africa for 15 years and owns her own landscaping company.  Through Doug we contacted her and arranged for dinner together on our last night in South Africa.  What a delightful evening! Always great to connect with Nebraskans. We speak the same language!
Joe

Johannesburg Tour

It is interesting that after 3 stops in Joburg that it was a part of the Zimbabwe extension so we finally got to tour the city. We went through downtown and again our guide was sure that we saw the good, the bad and the ugly. South Africa has received about 3 million Zimbabwean refugees, with a good share of them in Johannesburg, putting a strain on jobs and the economy.

We went to the Apartheid Museum. This became an emotional experience for me. For shock effect, your ticket said whether you were white or non-white, determining which door you could use. 20 years ago my new friend Larry Johnson (retired pastor from North Carolina) and I could not have entered through the same door, nor could the women pictured. We were a group of 10, 5 white and 5 black. How I wish more of life was like that. Apartheid was instituted in 1948 because segregation had failed. It was far more brutal to "put them in their place". The prime minister declared that apartheid was to produce good neighbors. Right. The battle for freedom was a long and costly one. I knew of Mandela's imprisonment, but I learned of his colleagues who suffered the same fate. I also learned that Mandela had advocated violence as a young man, part of the reason for his imprisonment. He is now the George Washington of South Africa, beloved by most, even in the white community. We then went to Soweto, a suburb where blacks were assigned living space, and toured Mandela's home there.

Following our very good day tour, we took all of our new friends to the airport to head home while we headed back to our new second home, The Airport Grand Hotel. Read the next blog for the wonderful evening we experienced on our last night in South Africa.

Joe

VICTORIA FALLS, Part 2: THE REAL FALLS!

It has been a dream of mine for years to see Victoria Falls.  It was even grander than I imagined.  We viewed it from several vantage points as it is very wide and you walk about two miles in the process of seeing it in all its grandeur.  We saw some faint rainbows, but this was the best one, and I need this for my Rainbow blog!

After seeing the Falls on Monday morning we did a shopping stop and then headed to the airport to return to Johannesburg and our home away from home:  The Airport Grand. 

Joe Scahill

VICTORIA FALLS, Part 1

We checked into the beautiful Elephant Hill Resort hotel on Saturday in time to rest a bit and meet the Sundowner Cruise on the Zambezi River.  We had a beautiful cruise with a gorgeous sunset and nice refreshments, but not many animals to see.  We then had dinner at the hotel and prepared for Sunday. 

Wow!  We made the one hour trip and crossed over into Botswana and had a lovely three-hour River Safari on the Chobe River with lunch at one of the lodges and then a game drive in the famous Chobe National Park.  We saw dozens of birds, elephants, hippos, giraffes, cape buffalos,  impalas, a few warthogs and several other species.  I love being on water, so this was a royal treat.  The afternoon drive was far different from  Kruger Park in So. Africa.  The rutted sand trails gave personality to our trip compared to the nice roads in Kruger and we saw the same array of animals in a slightly different setting that one can see from the water.  We returned to Zimbawe through the same set of immigration stuff we encountered in the morning and made our way back to the hotel.  We were surprised that dinner was not at the hotel, but at another resort with an African theme, food and music.  I ate ostrich, impala, Ghinea fowl, crocodile tail and warthog.  Just like McDonald’s at home!  Then they gave us all drums and some of us (guess who) got out on the floor and danced.  Pictures to follow!  Marilyn only took 900 pictures today, so processing will take a while!  I actually took a few.  Marilyn with elephant in background.  Below that see  the Lilac Breasted Roller, the national bird of Botswana.  Love this picture!

Tomorrow, finally:  the actual Victoria Falls.  We then have a bit of shopping time and head to the airport for Johannesburg, which we will tour on Tuesday, then say farewell to our group and await Wednesday’s departure for Dubai during Ramadan.  How that should be a story!

Joe

MARCHING TO VICTORIA FALLS

We experienced the first glitch in our itinerary on what has been smooth sailing and turned out rather well.  Zimbawe Airline pilots are on strike, so we could not fly from Harare to Victoria Falls.  A quick change of plans was made by our guide, Thomas and officials at Africa University.  Three of our group went to Harare as they are not continuing with us on this extension.  The rest of us crowded into two University vans and headed out across the width of Zimbawe toward the Falls via Masvingo and Bulawayo.  For history buffs, the change turned out well.  We got to see GREAT ZIMBABWE, the ancient ruins dating back to the 11^th century.  This archaeological find is compared to the Great Wall of China and the Pyramids.  The name Zimbawe means “houses of stone” or “esteemed houses.”  Thus, Rhodesia became Zimbawe after independence in 1980 and took the name from this site.  The unbelievable stone structures, especially the Great Enclosure (see above) are amazing to see as no mortar was used in its construction.  However the rest of the day was sitting and watching what is beautiful geography go by.  It will be a shorter trip from Bulawayo to Victoria tomorrow and we are most excited!!

Joe

WONDERFUL DAY IN MUTARE!

What a day!  Our bus took us up into the mountains where we could see Mozambique from Prince of Wales Drive.  He liked the view and so did we!  We toured the several economic neighborhoods and then headed back to Africa University via Christmas Pass where we stopped for pictures of Mutare below.  Once back at the University we met with the Vice Chancellor (President) and his Cabinet—the department heads of the educational system.  It was a most informative meeting as he shared the joys of their progress and challenges such as student and faculty housing, electricity and water concerns and, of course, adequate scholarship money to keep from having to send students desiring to learn back to their countries due to a lack of funds.  Africa University has students from 29 African nations and the University is now old enough to begin seeing the leadership graduates are demonstrating back in their home countries.

We then had a delightful lunch with the Vice Chancellor and the department heads, after which Marilyn and I split from the group and joined Ted and Shirley DeWolf at their lovely country home, built by Ted, near the University.   Shirley has been ill, but rose to the occasion and we had tea and crumpets and a tour of their home and land, including the new cottage into which they hope to move in a few weeks once Ted finishes up his carpenter work.  Their daughter and family also live in in the home.  Marilyn took great delight in photographing the grapefruit tree and many flowers, plants and trees, the names of which I did not even try to remember! (See foursome below) Ted then took us home so that we might prepare for the special dinner the Vice Chancellor is hosting at White Horse Restaurant.  It was a lovely evening.  Thank you God for these wonderful opportunities!  More to come!

Joe

HARARE -- MUTARE IN ZIMBAWE

From Durban we returned to the Airport Grand in Johannesburg, our home away from home.  We stay there once more before departing Africa.  On Tuesday morning we flew to Harare, Zimbawe and were treated to a bus tour of the city.  It is the Capitol of the nation, so we drove by the government buildings, and toured both lovely and poverty residential communities.  We got to take pictures of the city from a wonderful vantage point on one of the hills.  Most things were closed due to Heroes Day, celebrating Zimbawe independence.  We stayed at a very nice Holiday Inn and had a delightful dinner

 with our group.  Our guide is Thomas Harms and our host from Africa University is Victor.  Rocky was our capable bus drive on the 4 hour journey to Mutare Wednesday morning.  We arrived at Africa University and were greeted by the Vice Chancellor (President) of the University and he then hosted us at lunch and introduced several faculty and staff members.  We learned that freshmen were arriving on campus today, some 500 strong and that the student population is to be 1700, up from 1200.  There is not really enough housing for that many, so a new residence is desperately needed. 

The reunion with Shirley and Ted DeWolf was a bit marred by news that Shirley was home confined to bed.  Ted showed up to greet us and visit , so we hope to visit her at home tomorrow.  Ted gave us glowing news about Maria and Charles, now in Arizona.  I am always glad to hear such reports on couples  whom I have united in marriage. 

We then toured the lovely chapel donated by the largest Methodist Church  in the world, Kwang Lim in Seoul.  I had visited that church 15 years ago when I toured South Korean Methodism so was eager to see the chapel.  The pulpit and communion table were made by Zimbawa artists and they are beautiful.  Next stop was the Library (Marilyn insisted) and the archives of history surrounding Old Matare Mission and the development of the University in old farm buildings which we also saw.  The University buildings were up-to-date and modern with wonderful computer labs.  They are even getting in to online education so I may apply for a job!

The bus then took up to Old Matare Mission which my sister Anne had told me about.  It has long been associated with Methodism.  It contains a high school, orphanage and hospital, plus a beautiful church.  The cross at Old Matare is in direct line with the cross on the chapel and the one on the hill above the chapel.  Beautiful symmetry.  Fairview Orphanage is one supported by Christie Abdul’s family and Shirley DeWolf is on the Board there.  After group pictures at the University entrance we headed for our second Holiday Inn, an even nicer one, in new Matare, which appears to be quite a city.  We will explore it more later.  Stay tuned!

Joe

STREET RALLY

Many of our speakers emphasized that we must get out of our comfort zones to do ministry where we are needed.  The planners of the Conference planned a Street Rally to demonstrate to Durbin that we would not be confined to the Convention Center and so it was that thousands of us walked through the city streets ending up at the City Hall Plaza where we sang and prayed and heard the Word.  My favorite song was “Who can save our land and people?”  Guess the answer:  GOD. 

It has been good to share with Bishop Sherer-Simpson and her family throughout this Conference.

Joe

SUNDAY WORSHIP

We had opportunity to attend a local church this morning in Durban.  We chose Musgrave Methodist Church whose pastor Rev. Stuart Bosch, is a most intriguing worship leader and pastor.  He played guitar and led the singing, accompanied by a good praise team and preached a fine sermon.  The church is 118 years old and is of delightful architecture and is a racially mixed church in urban Durban.  There were a nice number of children and they were given instruments to assist in accompanying  one of the hymns.  The service was a blended one and we sang songs quite familiar to contemporary services in America and traditional hymns, including one from Charles Wesley.  A Bishop of Nigeria and his wife asked to share a song in the service.  They then served tea and goodies in the nicely landscaped garden area just outside the church.  A most delightful experience.  Of course, I had to jump in the pulpit! 

Joe

NIGHT AT THE BEACH

Saturday night was a party on the beach, sponsored by the City of Durban in appreciation for convention business in their beautiful city with its wonderful convention center.  It was rainy, but no problem:  they had a huge tent  with walkways right on the sand and great food and drink and a band our son Tim would have enjoyed even more than we!  We grabbed a stand up table and were joined by two couples from our safari experience, Brad and Kay Phillips of Virgina and Randy and Emily Innes of North Carolina.  Fun time on the beach!

Joe

SHAKALAND ZULU EXPERIENCE

Marilyn and I elected to travel about two hours north for a tour of Shakaland, a traditional Zulu “Umuzi” or homestead situated in the Nkwalina Valley.  We learned of Shaka, King of the Zulu’s, saw tribal dancing and learned of their family life.  In the picture you see me with four unmarried virgins.  For 11 cows each of could have had all four, but Marilyn was with me and I was also out of cows!  Also pictured with Zulu chief.

Friday night was a full concert and presentation about the growth of Africa University which was delightful!  We look forward to seeing many of the people we met when we visit the University next week and have as our hosts, Rev. Shirley and Ted DeWolf.  We look forward to seeing them again, having first met them in December of 2009 when I did Maria’s wedding in Omaha.

Saturday began with worship and an excellent Bible study and I also attended Bishop Schnase’s workshop of Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, a model emphasized by the Nebraska Conference and practiced at our Church, St. Andrew’s United Methodist in Omaha.

Marilyn did a tour of Durban and you can see her pictures on Facebook.

Joe

WORLD METHODIST CONFERENCE OPENING SESSION

I wish my dad, Rev. Thomas J. Scahill, Sr. could have been at this opening session.  He loved the world-wide reach of the Methodist Church and taught me to be very aware that we are part of an international movement.  He would have blubbered, as did I, when the member churches came into the auditorium with their banners, demonstrating how John Wesley has affected the world.  We sang Charles Wesley’s , A Thousand Tongues in 1000 tongues!  Then we prayed the Lord’s Prayer in our “heart” language.  What a great sound. 

Two choirs sang, both wonderful, but I was especially looking forward to the Africa (Methodist) University choir and they were lively and inspiring.  We hope they perform for our group when we are in Mutare, Zimbawe next week.  Marilyn loved it when it was announced that a young women from her home town of Corning, New York designed the beautiful logo for the conference.  The theme:  Jesus Christ: For the Healing of the Nations.  Dr. John Barrett, President of the Council and a British pastor, gave an outstanding sermon on the outreach of our denomination.  There was a new wrinkle with the presence of the General Secretary of the African Muslim League who asked to come and greet us acknowledging that we descend from the same roots of the Abrahamic faith.  Those who think all Muslims are terrorists need to hear this man speak.

We look forward to the rest of the Conference with anticipation!

Joe

Durban, South Africa

It is my honor to be a member of the World Methodist Council.  We are meeting for 3 days prior to the World Methodist Conference, a much larger gathering.  We welcomed three new member churches into the Methodist/Wesleyan family:  Methodist Church of Nepal, Methodist Church of Tanzania and the Methodist Church The Gambia.  The General Secretary of the Council is retiring and today we elected Bishop Ivan Abrahams, Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of South Africa as the new General Secretary.  He will move to Lake Junaluska, North Carolina to assume this post on January 1, 2012.  We are working on a new constitution and bylaws.  Now that is really interesting!

Tonight we had a lovely dinner with our Nebraska Bishop, Ann Shearer Simpson, her husband Wayne , his daughter and her grandson.  Fun to get better acquainted away from home!

The real excitement will be the opening worship on Thursday with banners of the churches and a choir from Africa Methodist University (where we will visit next week).  Marilyn and I are so grateful to be here and have opportunity to see old friends and make new ones. 

Some of you will remember Hung Yu Kim, who served with me in Aurora.  He is now pastor of the mother church of Korean Methodism in Inchon.  Seeing a Korean pastor, I wondered if Hung Yu might be at the Council meeting.  30 seconds later he came down the aisle and we had a wonderful reunion.  It is a small world after all!

More to come!

Joe