The Douglas event will include a number of the musicians who played/sang on the CD. So far confirmed: Joey Penner, Julia Kasdorf, Jon Guenter, John Paul Peters.
The Calgary Release is the following weekend. See the concerts listing on the left!
Thursday, April 22, 2010
The first CD release is coming!! May 8, Winnipeg
So yes, we will formally release the CD on May 8, at Douglas Mennonite Church in Winnipeg. There will also be three other concerts outside Winnipeg that weekend... see the poster below and our concerts/performances page on the left.
The Douglas event will include a number of the musicians who played/sang on the CD. So far confirmed: Joey Penner, Julia Kasdorf, Jon Guenter, John Paul Peters.
The Calgary Release is the following weekend. See the concerts listing on the left!
The Douglas event will include a number of the musicians who played/sang on the CD. So far confirmed: Joey Penner, Julia Kasdorf, Jon Guenter, John Paul Peters.
The Calgary Release is the following weekend. See the concerts listing on the left!
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
We are missing Najile! I received a text message a few days ago from Joseph's brother, Sam, who told us that he had been in a very bad car accident, but thankfully was unhurt. He is a truck driver, and as he was driving down a very steep and rocky road, the brakes failed and the truck went out of control, hit the ditch and rolled a few times. He and his passenger both walked away unhurt. People could not believe that they survived because of the condition of the truck. We are so grateful that they are ok. Sadly, though, this leaves Sam without work. Anne and I visited with Sam on the phone today, and a comment that he made really sticks with me, "If I can make enough money for the children to eat that is good. If they go to bed having eaten, then it is less stressful." Honestly, even having lived within his family compound for 3 weeks, I don't think we understood how very difficult and close to the edge life is for Sam and his family, and for so many other people in Najile.
Please pray for Sam and his family, and for so many other people who daily face the reality of poverty and hunger. Their faith and hope is inspiring and humbling.
Please pray for Sam and his family, and for so many other people who daily face the reality of poverty and hunger. Their faith and hope is inspiring and humbling.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
some good news!
Ok, so here's the thing...Darryl has been encouraging, cajoling, nagging, bugging, insisting that I get back on this blog and say something. So, here I am after a few months of silence. It isn't that I didn't want to post anything, it's just been that life is busy...weak, I know. But there is some very exciting news to share, and that is that the cd/dvd and beautiful artwork by Hellmut and Leona, is at the manufacturer in Toronto! We are so glad that it is done, gone, and we hope that it makes it back in time for the releases! 18 tracks, lots of great singers, musicians. Can't wait to see it all put together in one package.
We have been keeping in touch with Joseph and his family in Najile, and they are all doing well. It has been raining every day, and the grass and trees are lush. Joseph sent a note a few days ago saying that the goats and cows are all fat, and the vegetables in the gardens are growing. Such good news. Our group has done 15 public presentations about our time in Kenya, highlighting the work of MCC partners with AIDS, food and water security, and peace. It's all so compelling. I'm glad we have had lots of opportunities to talk to people about it. Remembering the folks in Najile and their work really does inspire us all to keep doing what we do on this end to raise awareness and money to support what they do.
We have been keeping in touch with Joseph and his family in Najile, and they are all doing well. It has been raining every day, and the grass and trees are lush. Joseph sent a note a few days ago saying that the goats and cows are all fat, and the vegetables in the gardens are growing. Such good news. Our group has done 15 public presentations about our time in Kenya, highlighting the work of MCC partners with AIDS, food and water security, and peace. It's all so compelling. I'm glad we have had lots of opportunities to talk to people about it. Remembering the folks in Najile and their work really does inspire us all to keep doing what we do on this end to raise awareness and money to support what they do.
Monday, April 12, 2010
TYP artwork
The artwork for the project is fantastic. All four CDs have had the packaging designed by Hellmut and Leona Regehr who own/operate Spindrift Design. Here's a small shot of the cover... and there's lots more beautiful stuff in the booklet and packaging.
The picture was taken by Byron Thiessen. These are a few of Joseph's siblings.
The picture was taken by Byron Thiessen. These are a few of Joseph's siblings.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Take Your Place, Twice
We will have two songs entitled Take Your Place on the new CD by that same name. Yes it seems a bit much, but let me explain.
First, the whole title came about in discussion with our good friend Joseph Kiranto while he was still here in Canada. We were discussing a potential theme for this next CD... We had the book of Ruth in one hand, and some other Scripture passages in another, and the hope that we might connect these to the needs around HIV/AIDS around the world. I'm not exactly sure who came up with the name "Take Your Place", but Joseph sure expanded on it. It reflects the need for everyone to take their place in the fight against HIV/AIDS... from those with the disease, to the people trying to educate in communities, to community leaders who need to encourage further steps, to donors and supporters across the world... The phrase also invites those who might not have a place in the community, because of the stigma of AIDS, or whatever, to be welcome.
Once we had this theme in place, I invited my good friend Phil Campbell-Enns who wrote "Mountain of God" on the last CD, to take a shot at writing a theme song. He dug into some of the other Scripture we had in hand from Romans, and came up with a very dense and remarkable song, entitled, surprise: "Take Your Place". It spends time with some of the darkness and despair of life (like, if you have AIDS), and reflects the light and hope we have in God... it packs quite the punch lyrically/theologically.
The story continues... so, I was playing a demo of this song to certain MCC Alberta staff persons who shall remain unnamed... and in the course of debriefing the "meatiness" of the lyrics, said staff threw out the joke, maybe you two should do more bluegrass. As you may know, blugrass tends to deal with matters of faith in a more simplistic, often cliched way. It was a good laugh.
Something about the comment stuck, so, some weeks later, as a bit of a joke, I threw together a few nice cliches, a few old-timey type musical ideas, and a VERY short time later, Take Your Place (At the Table) was almost done. Oddly, something about the song didn't end up being the satire it was intended. The verses pointed to a simplistic take on discipleship... sort of like the faith of a child... less smarty-pants thinking and more working.
So, not only did Kim like it, the group out in Najile chose it as one of the few songs they would try to learn, so, the recording includes a mass choir of Maasai people... half or more who didn't speak English. The Godly irony of the whole business is rather fantastic. What kind of God takes dumb jokes and makes something of them???
Watch the recording video in the Video archive to enjoy seeing the people learning the song. Then listen to the (almost) final versions of both songs on the Music page. They will be on the CD.
First, the whole title came about in discussion with our good friend Joseph Kiranto while he was still here in Canada. We were discussing a potential theme for this next CD... We had the book of Ruth in one hand, and some other Scripture passages in another, and the hope that we might connect these to the needs around HIV/AIDS around the world. I'm not exactly sure who came up with the name "Take Your Place", but Joseph sure expanded on it. It reflects the need for everyone to take their place in the fight against HIV/AIDS... from those with the disease, to the people trying to educate in communities, to community leaders who need to encourage further steps, to donors and supporters across the world... The phrase also invites those who might not have a place in the community, because of the stigma of AIDS, or whatever, to be welcome.
Once we had this theme in place, I invited my good friend Phil Campbell-Enns who wrote "Mountain of God" on the last CD, to take a shot at writing a theme song. He dug into some of the other Scripture we had in hand from Romans, and came up with a very dense and remarkable song, entitled, surprise: "Take Your Place". It spends time with some of the darkness and despair of life (like, if you have AIDS), and reflects the light and hope we have in God... it packs quite the punch lyrically/theologically.
The story continues... so, I was playing a demo of this song to certain MCC Alberta staff persons who shall remain unnamed... and in the course of debriefing the "meatiness" of the lyrics, said staff threw out the joke, maybe you two should do more bluegrass. As you may know, blugrass tends to deal with matters of faith in a more simplistic, often cliched way. It was a good laugh.
Something about the comment stuck, so, some weeks later, as a bit of a joke, I threw together a few nice cliches, a few old-timey type musical ideas, and a VERY short time later, Take Your Place (At the Table) was almost done. Oddly, something about the song didn't end up being the satire it was intended. The verses pointed to a simplistic take on discipleship... sort of like the faith of a child... less smarty-pants thinking and more working.
So, not only did Kim like it, the group out in Najile chose it as one of the few songs they would try to learn, so, the recording includes a mass choir of Maasai people... half or more who didn't speak English. The Godly irony of the whole business is rather fantastic. What kind of God takes dumb jokes and makes something of them???
Watch the recording video in the Video archive to enjoy seeing the people learning the song. Then listen to the (almost) final versions of both songs on the Music page. They will be on the CD.
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