Feliz Navidad and God Jul! A Venezuelan and Swedish Christmas
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
My Christmas Eve and Christmas day turned out to be more fun and family than I could have imagined! The Venezuelan family who lives beneath me invited me over for their Christmas Eve celebration, complete with traditional hallacas and pan de jamon. (The same stuff my family ate every Christmas Eve when we were in Venezuela!) I was warmly greeted by the Quevedo family and their three Mexican friends who joined us for dinner. We had a great time eating and joking around about how weak Venezuelans' tongues were with spicy things compared to Mexicans' (all in Spanish, of course.) It's amazing how quickly my Spanish comes back when I'm immersed in it again! After dinner they opened gifts and we sang a lot of songs together, including a very energetic version of Feliz Navidad!
Christmas Day I was invited to join the Olson family who lives across the alley from me. This is the family of a good friend of mine from Wheaton. They have welcomed me in and become like a home away from home. We stuffed ourselves with traditional Swedish food and generally took a relaxed and lazy approach to the whole day. Christmas night I finished off with another grand meal with another great Wheaton friend in Cottage Grove, a suburb about 30 minutes from Phillips neighborhood.
All in all, though I sorely felt the lack of the other Washam 7 back in Rimrock, WA, God provided families here to make me feel at home.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:08 AM 3 comments
Labels: Christmas, Minneapolis
I'll Be Home For Christmas, If Only In My Dreams
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Sad news - because of the work situation and the money situation, I won't be able to travel home to Washington for Christmas. This will be my first Christmas away from home and family.
I will be working at Target on Christmas Eve until 6:30pm or so, then I might catch up with a church I've been visiting (Solomon's Porch) as they go Christmas caroling around Hennepin County Medical Center, the big hospital in downtown Minneapolis. Last year when the group went caroling, some crying nurses ran up and told them to come quickly to one particular room. Inside this room, a man had been comatose and unresponsive for two weeks. When the church group had walked by singing carols, he had awaken from his coma, walked from his bed, and was standing at the door of his room, bawling.
The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. Isaiah 9:2
Christmas day I'll be chilling with the family that lives across the alley from me, Sam Olson and his family. They have a tradition on Christmas day of rounding up as many "homeless" friends (some literally without a house, others simply without a home, like me) to go out to a state park for a bonfire and winter picnic.
I am/will be thinking a lot about my home in Rimrock, WA - the remaining Washam 7 will be gathered around a 12 foot tree in the living room for the first Christmas up at Camp Ghormley. The house will be snowed in with feet and feet of snow all around, surrounded by the Wenatchee National Forest, in the Cascade Mountains....
But enough for feeling blue - even if I am the lost ornament from the tree (see picture above for resemblance??). This will be a Christmas like no other, I already know that. My hope is that in this season of the unfamiliar, I will be able to see and hear a new rendition of the story of the incarnation. With a fresh telling ringing in my ears, I hope to take steps to love my small part of the world that God loves so much.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 4:31 PM 0 comments
Labels: Christmas
Christmas Reflection no.1
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Christmas, more than anything else, reminds me every year that this thing I'm in - this movement of people after Jesus, this insitution called Christianity - is for the whole world. I can spend an entire year drawing lines, defining boundaries, treating "non-believers" different from "believers", and shoring up the flying buttresses of Christianity. But the minute December rolls around and I start reading again what the Prophets had to say about the Messiah, and what He actually said, I've got to throw away my boxes and categories and open my arms just a little wider than the year before. God did it so many times that by the time John wrote his gospel, He had His arms around the whole world in love. This is not an argument for universalism, as I hope you can see - this is simply a call to the Church and myself to BE the good news we talk so much about - to obey Christ and fulfull God's promise that His people would be a blessing to all peoples, not just those on "our side."
Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:22 PM 1 comments
Labels: Christmas, General Reflections, Scripture Reflections
Can God Use A Playstation 3?
Sunday, December 10, 2006
It started out like any other Thursday evening - and then I saw her. (No, she wasn't a PlayStation 3. Shame, shame, shame. You'll have to read to the end to figure out who she was.)
First, a little background before I finish the story. Last Thursday, all the feelings of the past three weeks came to a head - feelings of disappointment ("Why am I in Minneapolis again, God?"), ineffectiveness ("Why don't I have any Native friends yet?"), and just general confusion ("How am I supposed to start a house church when I'm still working on the basics of what following Jesus requires of me?"). I finally reached a point of clarity (a.k.a. God graciously gave me a glance in a mirror) enough to realize that my thought patterns weren't only lacking trust - they were plain self-defeating! I was able to thank God for helping me to see and say heck with circumstances - God brought me here for a reason and I better start thinking and acting like I believe it (which I do). Now back to the story.
....Later that day....
It started out like any other Thursday. I was walking down the alley back to the house to change before going to work at Target. Then I saw her: a short, fast-walking bundle of winter coverings headed straight towards me in the alley. I gave a big smile and said hello. The woman stopped and gave me a hearty handshake and we started into a remarkably friendly conversation. This energetic, African American mother was going around the neighborhood trying to raise money for her niece's medical bills. She had partnered with a local church to help finance the medical bills. I at first assumed it was some sort of a scam until 10 minutes into the conversation after she had asked me about my love life and I was asking her to come inside the house and warm up. To make a long story short, I made a friend and told her that I didn't have any money, but that as soon as I did, I would get a hold of her. I really had no idea where the money might come from, I just knew I didn't have any at the time.
Fast forward three hours - I'm at work on the sales floor in Target, instead of in electronics like usual. I happen to walk past the electronics department, when what to my wondering eyes should appear, but a brand new unopened pricelessly rare PlayStation 3 being RETURNED (unheard of) to Target and locked up in the glass cabinet. I went on my break as quick as quick, pulled out the PS3, and bought it before you could say Saint Nick. The first thought that entered my mind was "God, why did you have me walk by electronics right then? A minute later, and it would have been gone." My second thought was "Gee, I could sell that for some profit on eBay!" My third thought was, "I think God just gave me an opportunity to follow through and help out Rosalyn!" So there it is - I'm selling the PS3 on eBay. Some happy person will get a PS3, and Rosalyn's niece will get all the profit - some money from God, because I think it was a set-up.
You can be praying for me:
That God would open doors for me into relationships in the Native Community;
That a more strategic, more flexible job than Target might develop in the next month before my seasonal contract ends;
That I would have direction regarding an opportunity to take a leadership role with Solomon's Porch, a church I've been attending that wants to help with a free dinner site in my neighborhood near the Native Housing area.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:26 PM 0 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
Team Photo
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Here is a picture of the Minneapolis InnerCHANGE team at our retreat.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:27 PM 1 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
A New Short
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
A great new short film about who InnerCHANGE is:
Watch Here.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:47 PM 0 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
Retreat!!!!!!!!!!! (In the contemplative, not combative sense)
The Minneapolis InnerCHANGE community is getting away this weekend. We will be going to a cabin out in the woods by a lake (which could really be anywhere in Minnesota). We'll be MIA for three days to play, worship, relax, discuss, plan, and for the two new apprentices (myself included), to share our "timelines," a creative visual representation of our life story up to this point, with the rest of the team.
You can be praying that we come together in stronger unity, that we are refreshed, and that we will have clear vision and insight into where God is taking us this next year. You can also pray specifically that as I share my timeline, the team and I would be able to discern what paths God has been leading me down and where He might be taking me in the future.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:08 PM 2 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
"Walk in my shoes for a mile or two and you'll see...."
Saturday, November 18, 2006
A few weeks ago, out of the blue, I saw a poster up on the street for the Dakota Commemorative March. It said that many Dakota American Indians would be re-walking the 150 mile stretch where their relatives were force-marched by the US military in 1862 - many of them to their deaths. I felt this would be a great opportunity to literally "walk in their shoes" and spend prolonged time in their company to hear their stories. I didn't know if any other white people would be there, but I decided to go anyway.
Late on the evening of November 9th, a friend dropped me off in the small farming town of Mankota in southwestern Minnesota. I cautiously entered the church where the walkers were supposed to be staying. All I saw in the darkened church basement were masses of dark forms strewn all over the floor and couches, and the faint sound of snoring. I quietly laid out my sleeping bag and tried to sleep, unsure of what to expect the next morning!
At 5:00am the lights were flipped on and a booming voice shouted cheerfully for everyone to wake up. The whole floor of the basement started moving. People of every age and size started to rise and prepare to walk for another 20 miles before dinner - from young children to elderly men and women. I tried to follow the crowd and get a feel for what I was supposed to do. At some point someone yelled and everyone ran to the windows - 5 inches of fresh snow lay on the ground and it was still falling fast. "Looks like we'll have to walk in the snow - anyone need an extra pair of socks?" someone said. A makeshift medical station was set up where people's bruised and blistered feet were treated with ointment and moleskine to help the pain. (At the point where I joined them, they had already been walking almost 20 miles a day for three days.) After a quick prayer and song in Dakota and a light breakfast of dried meat, dried fruit, and hard boiled eggs, we began to walk.
The procession was always led by a medicine woman out in front carrying the traditional medicine bag. A few paces behind her were the relatives of the Dakotas that marched in 1862 carrying large decorated staffs to represent their different bands. Behind them came all the rest of the walkers including myself, followed by a long trail of support cars crawling along at walking speed. The lead car had a loudspeaker that played traditional Dakota drum and chant music. The caboose for this crazy, yet somber parade was a heated trailer with restrooms. At each mile post marker on the highway we would stop and pound in a wooden stake with two of the family names of the origional walkers on it. Then we each took turns sprinkling tobacco on it as a way of remembering and honoring their legacy.
By 11:00am, my feet hurt, my calves hurt, my butt hurt, and my back hurt. Then I looked at the 50 year old man marching beside me with a smile on his face and kept going. A man called Bear kept reminding everyone, saying "many of our ancestors didn't have shoes when they marched, and they didn't even get to sleep! Remeber that when your feet start to hurt." Wise words.
A young single mother let me push her daughter's stroller the last 4 miles of the day when the side of the road became muddy and almost impossible to push the stroller through. As I labored to keep up with the rest of the group with my new burden, I was struck by the irony and the beauty of what was happening – it was as if this woman had given me the opportunity to share in her trouble, and in a way, to share in the trouble of her people. I pushed that stroller with all the might and care that I could, as if baby Jesus himself were riding in it.
The local charter school floor was to be our home for the night, and the staff was very welcoming. I ended up having to leave that night to come back to Minneapolis for orientation at my new job, but I later found out that the marchers had been badly harrassed at the school that night by some townspeople, and some of the leaders had to be taken to the police station for protective measures. That made me very, very sad.
All in all, I feel I am a very lucky man to have joined these people in their march of rememberance. I was blessed by their willingness to let me share in their suffering, and to consider me one of their own as we marched. I have experienced in a very small way what it means to be a native in this modern world, and it breaks my heart.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:48 PM 4 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
A Job, Yes, But Is It On The Mark?
Thursday, November 16, 2006
That's right, I got a job at Target! You can find me working part-time in the electronics section, making the most of the Media Studies concentration from my Communication major.
Many people outside of the neighborhood refer to my store as "Tar-ghetto" because it is an older looking store and is located in an area of town on the edge of Phillips Neighborhood with a high percentage of minorities and historically higher crime rates than most other stores. On the other hand, most people who work there and shop there call it "home."
Thank you to all of you who prayed that I would find a job. After I applied at the in-store kiosk, they literally wouldn't let me leave the store without doing two interviews right on the spot, after which they offered me the position! This job is only seasonal, so I don't know if this is where I will be for the long haul this year. Please pray that God would give me wisdom in deciding whether or not to stay here after the holidays, and whether or not I should attempt coming home for Christmas if it means quitting the job. The team I work with at the store is fantastic - pray that God would open up doors of opportunity for the presence of Christ in my life to affect others as I work.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:34 PM 1 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
Hail, Alma Mater, let me tell you what the Lord has done
Friday, November 03, 2006
Alma Mater - Nourishing Mother. It was hard for me to understand the meaning of this cryptic Latin phrase until I actually had one, and then the description of "nourishing mother" only scratches the surface on how formative those four years really are.
I have been given a special gift - an invitation by my own Alma Mater, Wheaton College, to come and visit with students and share about InnerCHANGE the order. I'll be on campus Saturday through Wednesday participating at World Christian Fellowship on Sunday night, and meeting one-on-one with students throughout the week. I am excited to hear the stories of what God is doing in students right now, and to be able to encourage them and pray for them.
Please pray that God would be speaking to students and using me to confirm where God has been leading them. I need wisdom and discernment as I talk and pray with people. Also, ask with me that God would raise up workers for his harvest fields, as Jesus described it; even that people would be inspired by this one visit to pursue InnerCHANGE or a similar vocation. I know God does this, because He did it for me a year and a half ago! InnerCHANGE shared at World Christian Fellowship on campus and it changed the course of my life.
It can happen.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:48 PM 4 comments
Labels: Wheaton
Loaves and Fishes
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. The he gave them to his disciples to set before the people. He also divided the two fish among them all. They all ate and were satisfied. Mark 6:41, 42
Last Thursday I went on an ambling walk around the neighborhood without any particular goal. I passed by Holy Rosary Catholic church, which I had done many times before; however, this time I saw a side door open leading down to the basement. I approched the entrance and tried the door - it was unlocked. As I peeked my head inside, I found myself staring into the large basement kitchen of the church - red tile floors and lots of stainless steel countertops. A kind looking older gentleman asked me, "are you here for loaves and fishes?" I had no reason not to be, so I said "yeah, sure." He proceded to hand me an apron and point me to a stack of frozen turkey breasts that needed to be unwrapped and put on baking sheets.
Through the course of the next two hours I met the people of two methodist churches that prepare a meal a month at this location of Loaves and Fishes that serves a free dinner to an average of 350 families and homeless people four nights a week. After meal preparations were done, I left for about an hour and then came back when the meal was served to stand in line with everyone else. The food was terrific and healthy, and I realized that almost half of the people were Native, mostly children from Little Earth, the Native American housing project across the street from the church.
I've been back twice already to eat - I need the food and it is a great place to meet people. Yesterday I met Iner (pronounced as in "niner"), an older Native man from the neighborhood. After becoming sober himself ten years ago, he now works at Anishinabe Wakiagun, which provides housing for 40 late stage chronic inebriates. He told me to ask anyone along Franklin Street for Iner and they could tell me. "Look for the guy with the black hat and jacket on the silver bike. That'll be me." He also told me if there's anything I need, to let him know. Please pray that I could meet up with him again.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:49 PM 0 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
How To Bankrupt A Missionary, Or, How To Build The Kingdom of God
Sunday, October 29, 2006
As I was contemplating what I should share tonight on my blog, I had the shocking realization that I had unwittingly asked all of my prayer and financial supporters for my life in Minneapolis with InnerCHANGE to refer to this same blog for updates - the same blog that I post sometimes personal, sometimes edgy, sometimes controversial ideas, even if I don't own them 100% yet.
If I were "smart" I would have started a new blog entitled Benjamin in Minneapolis or something like that where I could post polished, successful, moderate stories and pictures. But that is not my life, and that is not the life of the church among the poor.
For that reason, I chose to use the blog format and include all of you. What you see is what you get, becuase that is the only way to enter a foreign culture group - with humble genuinness. My hope is that this sometimes daily, sometimes uncomfortable, sometimes vulnerable blog sharing will in some way be a prophetic statement about what I want my life of mission here in Phillips to look like, and what I hope the people of Jesus all over the world will become. This kingdom venture we have embarked on is a journey into community and humility by transparency. The same respect I would give to my neighbors here I want to offer you, as my friends and partners along the way.
So here's to news straight from the horse's mouth - the good, the bad, and the ugly of life ministry among the marginalized.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:55 PM 1 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
Case In Point - More Shootings
If you just read the above post about honesty, you will appreciate this. After several drive-by shootings over the last few weeks in our neighborhood, another shooting hit closer to home.
A Native American couple has been attending the current house church with some of the InnerCHANGE team. Jim and Raquel (my teammates) had been making great strides in their friendship with this couple, and the wife had started attending a women's Bible study.
We just found out today that the woman's cousin, Wayne, was killed early this morning about a mile away from me by the police - shot 15 times! Wayne is the third person in four months to have been killed by the Minneapolis Police Departement - all have been minorities, suffering "multiple" injuries. Not only is this a terrible blow to the family and an attempt by the evil one to discredit the gospel that has been preached to them, but it is also a sign of the injustice that has been sustained in Minneapolis against minorities by those in power. To read the Star Tribune article written from the perspective of "the powers that be," click here.
Please pray for this couple that Peace would be with them, and that their new faith would remain strong through this trial. Also, pray for justice, righteousness, and equality to flow like a might river through Minneapolis. And as Jesus commanded, please pray for the six police officers who fired on Wayne: Derek Chauvin, Dante Dean, Brian Grahme, Shawn Kelly, Oscar Macias and Terry Nutter, all on paid administrative leave after the incident.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:21 PM 0 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
Walking On Water, or Barefoot Waterskiing
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Doing church-planting in a new culture is a bit like barefoot waterskiing - it requires faith. There are many other similarities:
Seeing someone else do it, you say "I could never do that;" you get bruised and beat-up the first couple times you try; most people never try; it takes a good instructor; without help you would drown; you often almost drown even with help; but when you get up...ooooooohhhhhhh man!!!!!
This picture from waterski camp this summer is a sort of inspiration for me - if I can stand on water, God can totally plant a house church in Phillips with Native Americans.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:13 AM 2 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
A House!
Monday, October 23, 2006
I'm now on week three since arriving in Minneapolis, and after waiting, looking, praying, and networking, I found the perfect house with a room for rent! 2634 14th Avenue S. Minneapolis, MN will be my address for the next year starting November 1st. Thank you to those who have been praying for this specific request; this came at just the right time. This is probably the only open room in this whole part of the neighborhood that I could afford - and it is only blocks away from my other team-mates!
I will be living in a three bedroom flat on the second floor of the house with two other Christian guys. I found the house through Urban Homeworks, a group that works to offer affordable, dignified housing for low-income families. I've been told that the family that lives on the ground floor beneath us is Venezuelan - a Christian pastor who fled the country with his family. Funny thing, because I lived in Venezuela for two years.... Please pray that my first interactions with them upon moving in next week will be positive and that they will be open to friendship.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:20 PM 4 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
Welcome Yakima Alliance Church People!
Sunday, October 15, 2006
I am so grateful to Pastor Jim for making the phone interview and slide show happen this morning in church! Thank you for taking the time to check out this blog. A couple quick pointers:
- To get a better general idea of what I will be doing, scroll down two posts to see my first newsletter (It is also posted up on the missions board in the church).
- To learn more about InnerCHANGE, please visit their sweet new site, linked on the sidebar. -->
- To avoid having to keep checking back all the time to see if there are new posts, sign up for blogarithm to send you a quick e-mail whenever I update the blog with a new story. Just enter your e-mail in the box to the right. -->
- If you would like to support me financially, there is a link to an easy, secure, donation page on the sidebar too. -->
- To find out about my crazy times in San Francisco last summer with InnerCHANGE, scroll to the bottom of this blog and read your way up!
- I will be posting weekly prayer requests as well as more stories and photos. Thanks again for surfing by, and please come again!
Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:46 PM 0 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
A Tale of Two White Men and Two Cups of Joe
Thursday, October 12, 2006
Once upon a time, two white men came from opposite sides of a city and found themselves huddling in the doorway of a darkened building, trying to escape the icy blast. Neither one had ever met the other; neither one had made arrangements to meet the other. Both had picked up the Native American paper the previous day and had read this advertisement:
"Language Table and Traditional Teachings: Tobasonikwut Kinew, an elder from the Onigaming First Nation, will be presenting Ojibwe teachings and philosophy every Thursday at 7pm. Nawayee Center School, Minneapolis. Everyone is welcome."
Both expected to be the only non-native person there. However, upon arrival and after two hard rings at the doorbell, the two realized they were the only two people there at all. After a minute of awkward introductions and the shuffling of hands in pockets to stay warm, the one with the longer beard suggested a local coffee shop.
Within minutes, both were seated at a small table in the middle of an empty cafe called the Wolves Den; one with black, the other with a cream-colored decaf. It didn't take them long to discover some extraordinary similarities - both had gone to college, both were interested in electrical engineering, both played drums, both had published a zine, and both had started a sort of vision-quest that very night to explore Native American Culture in order to better themselves and the world.
After a lift home, both wondered at the strange meeting and the seemingly uncanny circumstances. Both wondered what the next chapter in their story would be like.
Don't you?
Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:58 PM 2 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
First Newsletter From Minneapolis
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
Greetings from the Phillips Neighborhood of Minneapolis!
I hope you are enjoying
the crispness in the air and the changing of the leaves as fall quickly comes upon us, only to leave in a few short weeks! Now that I am finished with the cycle of school years (I graduated from Wheaton College last May), it is up to the changing of the winds and the trees to make me feel like the earth is still rotating and life is still moving. So why am I experiencing fall in Minneapolis, MN and not in Yakima, WA?
Here is the short answer: many of you will remember that I spent three months last summer in San Francisco interning with InnerCHANGE, a Christian order among the poor. That incredible experience opened my eyes to God’s special concern for the poor and the joy of working among people on the margins. In the middle of September, a last-minute opportunity came up for me to join InnerCHANGE for a year-long apprenticeship with them in inner-city Minneapolis. I felt that it would be a great fit for me and a place where I could recieve spiritual formation while actively living the gospel among a people who are in desperate need of good news.
What will I be doing?
In a phrase: house-church planting. I will be working alongside long-time church planters to establish appropriate expressions of the church among the urban Ojibwe Native American community. The Ojibwe make up almost all of the Native population in Phillips neighborhood and have historically had an antagonistic attitude toward Christians (sadly, for good reasons). My primary goal throughout this year is to be a friend and a learner - to learn about Ojibwe culture, spirituality, and to hear their stories. As our stories and lives become intertwined, my hope is that the power and presence of Jesus in my life will be apparent. I hope to find “persons of peace” among them whom God has already been at work in to be open to the gospel. From this group of people, by God’s grace, we hope to start a gathering of believers to bring the kingdom of heaven to fruition.
To become a genuine friend and learner requires that I first become a neighbor, so I intend to rent an apartment in an area of Phillips where I can have day-to-day interactions with the Ojibwe, as well as the numerous Mexican and Somali immigrants in the area. Secondly, I hope to find a part-time job nearby that will give me more chances to connect with people and possibly give me another way to enter the community.
Why are the urban 
poor such a big deal for InnerCHANGE? We don’t have a choice whether or not to love our neighbor; Jesus made that clear. But we do have the choice every day whom to make our neighbor, and there’s the rub. If Jesus had asked the Levite and the Priest who walked by the wounded man on the road to Jericho if they had loved their neighbor, at the end of the day I think they would have said yes. They simply did not see him; or if they did, their daily routes made sure he would not be in neighborly proximity to bother with - the “other side of the road” excuse. That is the point upon which the whole parable turns - the Samaritan made the choice to make his neighbor that person who was in the most need, when that person was actually the farthest in natural proximity from him! This is the choice Jesus commends. As religious people, we can attempt to follow the whole law by loving those in social proximity to us, but that is not enough, - and that is not what Jesus is teaching in the parable. He told it to answer the question “who is my neighbor?” And after telling the parable, he gave another command: “Go and do likewise.” This move to the Phillips Neighborhood with InnerCHANGE is my best attempt at obeying it.
Walk with Me! 
The kindgom of heaven grows by faith, and faith is acted out in prayer. Pray for me at any time, but if you would like to commit to pray regularly for me, I will be posting stories, photos, updates, and prayer requests weekly on my blog (the link is listed on letterhead). This purposeful lifestyle to plant a house church only allows me to work part time, and that cannot cover my living expenses. If you would like to help support my work financially, please visit my personal CRM donor site to support online, or e-mail me and I will post mail you the necessaries. If you would like more information about me, InnerCHANGE, or a free new DVD that highlights InnerCHANGE’s unique life among the poor, please contact me and I’ll get it to you soon.
Peace,
Benjamin
He has shown all you people what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:34 AM 2 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
ATTACK OF THE AGENCIES!!!! or, I Still Need A Kitchen Table
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
I've been in Minneapolis 4 days now, and I feel like I've already met 3000 people in the semi-underground Christian ministry/aid/relief/outreach/community develpoment network. There are more non-profit, federal beaurea, government funding, community center and religous "service" agencies in this neighborhood than I can remember. I am very grateful to them for the incredible resources they offer this neighborhood, but I am also thankful that an order like InnerCHANGE is also here - to walk street-level among these people as they navigate their way through agencies and programs and life.
Right now I'm still hovering it seems - being hosted by a local Christian couple until I am able to land. I have been blessed by being warmly welcomed into the family of faith here by people who hardly know me, but are opening up their lives to me. This is what I am experiencing, and this is what I want to offer to my neighbors here - not a tract, nor a finger to the nearest agency, but a life poured out and an open invitation to them to enter into it. This is where charity moves from the soup kitchen to the kitchen table at home.
And I am in need of a kitchen table and a home.
Please pray that I would find an apartment or a room in a house to live in - preferably cheap acomodations with a room/house-mate to keep me company, and in a location where God would allow many fruitful interactions with Ojibwe Native American neighbors. (This is the tribe we hope to start a gathering of believers in, aka "churchplant") Secondly, I am in search of a part-time job that will help my validity in the neighborhood, give me more contacts, and allow me to eat.
Lord, I believe; now help my unbelief.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:05 AM 2 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
Retracing My Steps/Tire Tracks
Friday, October 06, 2006
As many of you know, I road tripped back to Yakima, WA from Chicago last May after graduation. (You can read about this previous trip by visiting the "May 2006 Archives" link on the right side of this page.) That was an incredible adventure where I met many new friends that I guessed I would probably never see again.
But, as things go, I found myself retracing the same exact road only four months later, with all my worldy possessions still packed in the back of my Jeep. My last trip was one of sorrow as I left my Wheaton experience behind and went home to the familiar hometown. This time, I am filled with excitement and expectation as I head off for a brand new start, in a city and among a people I know little to nothing about - the Phillips of Minneapolis.
I stayed with the exact same people as last time, revisiting the Lockie's in Bozeman, MT and meeting up again with my friend Lili (who showed me the town last time I was there); and seeing Charlie again in Rapid City, SD (Where, again, he took my jeep into his shop and fixed whatever he could find wrong with it, this time re-welding my driver side door back on!).
Late last night I made it into Minneapolis and was directed to the hospitality of Dan and Lucy Olsen's place where I slept well. More to come soon!
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:42 PM 4 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
I'm Off To Minnesota!?!?
Monday, September 25, 2006
Many of you will remember that I interned with InnerCHANGE, a Christian order among the poor, last summer in San Francisco. That incredible experience was the original reason I started this blog, and if you scroll far down the page you can read about that time in my life. This year I will be an apprentice with their team in the Phillips Neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN!
What Will Benjamin Be Doing?
In a phrase: house-church planting. I will be mentored and trained by long-term church planters as I work alongside them to establish appropriate expressions of the church among the urban poor. That includes finding a place to live and (hopefully!) a part-time job in the community.
Who Is InnerCHANGE?
Good question. They are not a missions board, denomination, church, or corporation. They are an order, a community built on shared commitments and lifestyles, such as the Benedictines and Franciscans of old. In their own words: "We are communities of missionaries living in poor, marginalized neighborhoods around the world; places most people want to avoid or ignore. We seek to live out the good news of Jesus among the poor, both with words and deeds."
It's a beautiful thing - please check out their great new website!
Why Minneapolis?
I have always been curious/interested/passionate about church planting - and Minneapolis is the only US based InnerCHANGE team doing it. Besides that, God seems to have orchestrated things so that I am going to be a very good fit and complement to the team already in that city.
"The Minneapolis team was established in 1995 in collaboration with mission-minded Bethlehem Baptist Church. We are incarnationally anchored in the "Zone," an area in the Phillips Neighborhood, which is the largest, most diverse, and most impoverished neighborhood in Minneapolis. Our friends and neighbors include Native Americans (Phillips has the highest concentration of Native Americans in an urban neighborhood in the US.), Hispanics, African Americans and Africans among many other people groups."
-From the InnerCHANGE Minneapolis Team Website
Why?
This will no doubt come as a shock to many of you who expected me to be returning indefinitely to Yakima, WA after my month of travel. Believe me, I was expecting the same and it threw me for a loop too! My intent from the very beginning of my travels was that if I came upon any opportunity, I would pursue it and pray for God to guide me in it. 5 days before I was scheduled to be back in Yakima, I ran across the InnerCHANGE website and saw that their apprenticeship orientation was starting in just over a week - I had a chance! I realized that the application deadline was technically May 1st, but I called anyway. To make a long story short, because the InnerCHANGE people knew me so well from last summer, they gave it a shot and found a great fit for me on the Minneapolis team. After speaking with the team leader on location in Minneapolis, I decided it was a good choice and went for it.
What Can I Do?
Pray and ask God what He is requiring of you. (Consult Micah chapter 6) Look around: who around you is invisible to everyone else? What "least of these" has fallen through the cracks? Ask God what you can learn from that person, and how you can begin a relationship with him or her.
Please pray for me! I will be continually updating this blog with stories, prayer requests, and pictures. You can also subscribe to this blog and receive an e-mail notification every time I update this. Enter you e-mail in the Blogarithm box under my picture at the top right of this page.
Live by faith; listen and obey.
What Next?
All the details are still being worked out, but I will be flying to San Francisco on Wednesday for orientation with new apprentices from all over the country. October 2 I will land back in Seattle to drive my Jeep loaded with precious few possessions 1578 miles to Minneapolis.
Woohoo!!!! God is good.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 4:49 PM 1 comments
Labels: Minneapolis
What Am I Supposed to Do?
Monday, September 18, 2006
Have you ever felt absolutley lost in the world, as if you could disappear and no one would notice? That's close to what I am feeling.
Right now I am living with my brother Nathanael in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. I am sleeping on a couch, living off peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and Ramen noodles. Every day I go somewhere new where I don't know anyone and all my surroundings are unfamiliar. I just spent almost a month traveling across America and the Atlantic, returning after two weeks in Ireland. When I arrived back in the states, it was like I had never left.
I fly back to Washington this Friday where I will begin the search for employment and meaning in life (Only half tongue-in-cheek). I've got many more questions about life now than when I left, but I guess that's what life is about. Please pray that an opportunity would rise to meet me as I step onto various paths and try assorted doors.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 4:40 PM 1 comments
Labels: General Reflections
For 9/11 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us; And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 6:30 PM 0 comments
Labels: General Reflections, Scripture Reflections
Are Monks Christians?
When I say "monk," I think most people would imagine one of the two images above. If you call yourself a Christian, then you might even add on the third guy in the long robe.
Many Christians (especially evangelicals) I talk to today consider monasticism a waste; even an unbiblical practice. I find this unfortunate, considering the incredible weight of evidence for its practice in the New and Old Testament and the history of the Christian church. The pattern is set by Moses, the people of Israel, Elijah, John the Baptist, Jesus of Nazareth, Paul of Tarsus, and many others in Scripture, not to mention the Desert Fathers and the thousands of men and women who followed in their footsteps even to this day.
The question of the "wastefulness" or "practicality" of the monastic or ascetic life is an important one that I would love to discuss in another post soon, but for now, the issue of Scripture - is it biblical? Sound arguments can be made (and have been made by myself on occasion) for finding fault in current or ancient forms and practices, but I maintain that the practice in principle is good, sound, and alligned with Scripture.
To start, an interesting theme throughout the Scriptures is the period of 40 days or years. This period of time occurs frequently throughout the text and refers to a long period of time in a wilderness or isolated area, usual with special significance in the plan of God. It is also often accompanied by some form of denial, whether that be fasting, a strict diet, or other physical constraints. Below is a preliminary (incomplete) outline I've done of these events in scripture. Notice the common themes of wilderness, solitude, fasting, interaction with angels, and closeness to the presence of God. After this list I have included some comments/questions on its relation to monasticism through the ages and new monasticism.
GEN 7:12 Rain falls for 40 days and 40 nights as Noah and his family escape into the ark.
EX 3:2; ACTS 7:30 Moses flees Egypt into the wilderness of Midian. He lives there for 40 years before the Lord appears to him on the back side of the wilderness at Mount Horeb in a burning bush.
EX 16:35 The Israelites eat manna in the wilderness for 40 years as they wander in the desert according to the command of God led by the cloud and pillar of fire.
EX 24:18 The glory of the Lord rests on Mount Sinai and God calls Moses to come up the mountain alone. The glory of the Lord appears as a consuming fire, and Moses enters the cloud for 40 days and 40 nights.
EX 34:28 After renewing His commitment to Israel after their disobedience of worshipping the golden calf, the Lord calls Moses again up the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights where He reveals his glory to Moses and gives him the ten commandments on the stone tablets. During this time Moses neither eats nor drinks. When Moses comes down the mountain, the skin on his face shines because of his conversation with God (34:29) and he must put a veil over it to speak with the people.
NUM 32:13 The Lord sends the Israelites back into the wilderness for 40 years of wandering and relying on God for manna that He might humble them and test them and find out what was in their heart (DT 8:2). Their feet did not swell, and their sandals and clothing did not wear out all those 40 years (DT 8:4, 29:5).
1 KING 19:8 Elijah flees from Jezebel into the wilderness and prays in desperation for the Lord to take his life. The angel of the Lord appears to him and gives him a bread cake and jar of water that sustains him for 40 days and 40 nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
MATT 4:2; MK 1:13; LK 4:2 After Jesus’ baptism by John the Baptist, He goes into the wilderness for 40 days and fasts. During this time of temptation the angels minister to Him.
GAL 1:17 It appears that even Saul/Paul, after his conversion and baptism fled to Arabia for a time in the wilderness.
There is something here, ^ and I am going to attempt to found out what it is, and what it requires of me.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:07 PM 0 comments
Labels: General Reflections, Scripture Reflections
Cliffs of Moher
The Cliffs of Moher were once another desolate location on Irelands rocky west coast, but sadly, it has been taken over by tourism. To reach the point from where I took this photo, I had to pass through a sprawling parking lot full of tour coaches, a bustling tourist shop and cafe, a huge construction site where a new visitor's center was being built, and past a constant stream of thousands of tourists per day walking along a paved and walled path along the edge. It was grand to see, but the irony of the tourism boom took quite an edge off of the wonder these massive cliffs plunging into the ocean.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 1:20 PM 0 comments
Labels: Ireland
Skellig Michael
The Skellig Islands are a group of huge craggy rocks located 12km off the southwestern tip of Ireland; the edge of the known world in the 7th Century. The largest of the three islands is called Skellig Michael, which is the Irish name for The Rock of St. Michael, who the island was dedicated to. To the inhabitants of Ireland at the time, the horizon of the Atlantic Ocean was the edge of Christendom and the world, so this rocky peak would be the meeting place between heaven and earth. Michael is the Christian saint who carries the souls of the worthy to heaven, making this rock was the perfect location to be dedicated to him.
Around 600 BC, a group of early Christians, inspired by the Desert Fathers, were seeking a place of solitude to start a monastic lifestyle and came to Skellig Michael as literally the most desolate and isolated site in Europe. In a primitive boat they made their way to the cliffs, risking certain death from the pounding surf against the rocks, and climbed the 715ft. rock peak to start their life of prayer on a small level area at the top of the island. The 12-15 inhabitants would have combatted fierce Atlantic storms, severe isolation, and numerous Viking attacks over the 600 years the site was in use, surviving on rainwater cisterns, whatever fish or birds they could catch, and a small vegetable garden they kept on top of the cliffs.
I had the rare and spectacular opportunity to hitch a ride on a lobster boat out to the island and climb to the top where I spent two hours at the monastic settlement. I was amazed at how intact the area was, so much so that it seemed the monks had been living their primitive lifestyle there up until the day I arrived. The place was so untouched I half expected meal leftovers to be in the stone huts when I entered.
The furthest I have ever been from civilization was a three day silent retreat on a mountain in Big Sur, California; but nothing could prepare me for even two hours imagining the resolve, faith, desperation, pain, and God knows whatever else it took to drive these men to the edge of the world away from all comfort and security. There have been a few times in my life when in desperation I have been ready to leave the "world" behind and flee to the wilderness in solitide. Whereas my response was usually out of a lack of courage or vision, these men possessed these qualities in a spectacular measure that is seldom seen in these days.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 6:22 AM 0 comments
Labels: Ireland
More Pictures from Skellig Michael
This point stretches 300 feet up from the narrow passage the stone stairway follows.
Over 600 stairs lead precariously up from the origional boat landing site 715 feet up to the monastary. Each step was hand constructed by carrying slate stone found from around the rock faces and stacking them without mortar. The steps were so well constructed and so tightly fitted that every stair is still intact today.
A small cemetary fills some of the scarce flat area where the brothers were burried.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 6:06 AM 0 comments
Labels: Ireland
The Western Shore
The southern edge of the Kerry Peninsula.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 6:05 AM 0 comments
Labels: Ireland
Western Ireland Day 1 and 2
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Wednesday night we started the trip down to Kilkenny from Dublin where we stayed in a hostel and then toured Muckross House, a fantastic mansion sprawled on a picturesque lake in the mountains. Asal's favorite part was the 4 ton billiards table carved from a walnut tree.
We also visited an ancient fort built entirely out of free-stacked stones (no mortar at all). Pretty impressive to see it now, considering the place was "in ruins" long before anyone had every heard of North America.
That night we checked into a smart new hostel in Portmagee on the far southwestern shore, a small fishing villiage. Mike and I hung out for the evening in the "Moorings," one of three local pubs where evening socializing takes place. We shared a fun evening with Allison and Steve, a British couple from London who were on holiday. Good food, good drink, and good company.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 6:56 PM 0 comments
Labels: Ireland
Exploring the Wild West (of Ireland)
A quick post to update on where I've been, a more detailed story to come. I got back yesterday from a four day, whirlwind tour of the western parts of Ireland. The west is generally more "traditional" and "old-fashioned" than the hip eastern shore; also the home of Irelands hills, cliffs, and endless tour coaches full of rowdy German tourists. The following posts will detail specific stops along the way.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 6:41 PM 0 comments
Labels: Ireland
Ireland Day 1 and 2
Saturday, September 02, 2006
I finally made it to Ireland Friday morning and was gratefull to be met my Mike's parents, and aunt and uncle who proceeded to whisk me off directly to their favorite fish and chips place on the coast north of Dublin. After having my fill and more, we landed at 7 Corbawn Grove, Shankill, County Dublin, Ireland - their home. I slept like a baby.
The next day I was picked up my Mike's brother and sister in law, Matt and Hailey, and their two wonderful kids for my first Irish Fete. A fete is basically a giant yard sale that the entire town comes out to for the purpose of swapping junk around, plus all the small rides and food booths of a carnival, plus a gymnasium full of baked goods and happy ladies in the biggest bake sale I've ever seen (including the best banana-walnut bread I've ever purchased for 1 euro.), all sponsored by a local church, for the purpose of raising money for a school. It all sounds rather confusing, but when visited in person it is simply delightful. It was almost a dream come true for me - two of my favorite things in the world: cheap junk and baked goods!
There was one thing at the fete that really threw me off. They had a local band playing music for the fete which could be heard far beyond the limits of the church grounds. I got out of the car a couple blocks away and was startled and confused to hear not traditional Irish music beckoning me, but downright Dixieland Jazz blaring out from a quintet on the stage! And they were downright good, too! I guess it was a tribute to the globalism and multiculturalism that has overtaken much of this small nation by storm over the past decade. All in all, it was very disorienting on my first day of exploring Irish culture to have my foot tapping to a soaring trombone improvosation over a Duke Ellington-esque jam.
It was at this most unusual, and most enjoyable church/circus/garage sale that I made my first lasting friend in Ireland, and I'd like to introduce him to you, because he will probably be showing up in a lot of pictures after this. 
His name is Asal. (Donkey in Irish.) I found him while rummaging through the bottom of a bin in the 'Toys' tent at the fete. He's one of those genius German made wooden toys. As you press up on a spring-loaded disk on the bottom of the base, the strings running through his body can be controlled, almost like a puppet. Basically, this donkey can dance!
That's all for now, I've got to run to a 21st birthday party for a girl at "The Goat" pub in Goatstown. Check back later!
Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:58 PM 4 comments
Labels: Ireland
Journey Log 3 - East Coast Adventures
I arrived on the Empire Builder into Penn Station, New York, only 3 hours late! I hopped on a bus and was picked up in Jersey by 8pm by my good friend Charles Taylor who put me up most hospitably for the night. After my first night's sleep in a bed in over 5 nights, we awoke early and drove to the airport where I took off for Philadelphia. What I failed to realize before was that the numbers 11:30am and 8:30pm meant that I had almost a 9 hour layover in Philly! To make the most of the time I caught the train to downtown and had a grand old time seeing Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell (strangely, after watching American Treasure the night before) and visiting Christ Church, where our nation's first two presidents and many other officials went church every Sunday.
When I returned to the airport to get on my flight to Dublin, I heard an announcemenet over the intercom that they were overbooked and were asking for some volunteers to take a later flight to Dublin. At this I jumped up and ran to to counter, realizing that I had probably the most flexible schedule of anyone in that terminal, and also remembering that people had sometimes recieved good compensation for this act of charity. Good compensation, I found out, was to the tune of a free round-trip ticket to and from anywhere the airline flies, anytime in the next year! Woohoo!!! I still haven't decided where I'll go yet.
The delay and detour also got me a stopover in Glasgow, and a stamp in my passport from Scotland. Woohoo 2!!!
Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:48 PM 0 comments
Journey Log 2 - Wheaton
I had a fantastic time for 48 hours in Wheaton. I stayed with some of my old suite-mates and saw generally a whole lot of people, more than I could have hoped. By the end of the first day I wasn't tired of telling why I was there, but my body was exhausted from interacting with so many people in so short a time. Thanks to all of you who stopped to chat and apologies for those I didn't run into! The entirely new Fischer dorm looks great, Saint and Elliot are now a field of dirt, and Bon Appettit is still serving the best food ever. Ahhh...all is right in that part of the world.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:43 PM 0 comments
Labels: Wheaton
Journey Log 1 - Train
It was long.
65 hours long, but worth it. On Amtrak's Empire Builder train, I got to see the whole country almost from shore to shore; every inch minus the ones that passed while my eyes were closed. I slept very fitfully my first night, but awoke to a gloriously mellow sunrise in the Rocky Mountains over a fog-shrouded valley. As the sun rose higher, so did the mountains as we cruised effortlessly through Glacier National Park in Northern Montana. That morning I sat in the sightseer car observing crystal clear, aqua blue mountain streams flowing along next to the tracks, spotting a mountain goat here and there.
A nice looking gentleman sat beside me, and, temporarily forgetting not to judge a book by its cover, I thought to myself, "this guy HAS to be a British professor." After I greeted him and he responded "You can call me Richard" in a very stong British accent, I knew I was on to something. The conversation came round and I asked where he was headed. He responded, "Oh, I'm just about to start a three year professorship at Cambridge University." Am I good, or am I good. After I found out he was teaching Biochemistry, I swallowed hard and then proceeded to have a brilliant and eye-opening conversation about the human immune system and the latest research. Fascinating, really.
The next 24 hours were filled with the golden, yet bottomless wasteland of Northern Montana, North Dakota, and Western Minnesota. There isn't anything there. I'm serious.
After a long stop in St. Paul, I hit Wheaton, which will be covered in the next post.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:06 PM 0 comments
Me, Coming To A Town Near You!
Friday, August 18, 2006
Before the responsibilities of life come crashing in, (i.e., college loan payments) I have a couple more months of freedom. I've decided to take off on a four week, 5000 mile journey on road, rail, air and foot to see old friends and places, and to meet new ones. From August 25th to September 22 I will be MIA, available only by appointment, crazy random running into, and by cell phone. (e-mail me for the number)
I will be traveling solo in principle, but we all know how that goes. I go with open eyes to see what God is doing around the world, and to step into the good works God has prepared in advance for me to do, no matter how small. I take with me an open mind without ambition or design to learn what direction I will move in next after the trip. And I hope to see you.
If you are anywhere near any of the locations listed below at the times listed and would like to hang out, please e-mail me or just post a comment to this blog post and it will be immediatly e-mailed to me.
Itinerary
Friday, August 25, 9pm - Depart Amtrak Station, Pasco, WA
Sunday, August 27, 4pm - Arrive Union Station, Chicago, IL, depart for Wheaton, IL
Staying at Wheaton College
Tuesday, August 29, 8pm - Depart Wheaton, IL for Union Station Chicago
Wednesday, August 30, 3:30pm - Arrive Penn Station, New York, NY
Staying Overnight in an Airport in New York. (any suggestions?)
Thursday, August 31, 1:30pm - Depart LaGuardia Airport, NY
Friday, September 1, 9am - Arrive Dublin, Ireland
Staying with Mike Kingsley in Dublin
Friday, September 15, 11am - Depart Dublin, Ireland
Friday, September 15, 4pm - Arrive LaGuardia Airport, NY, depart for Bethlehem, PA
Staying with my brother Nathanael in Bethlehem
Friday, September 22, 11am - Depart Philadelphia Airport, PA, arrive Seattle, WA 4pm.
Who knows what's next?
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:55 AM 2 comments
Labels: Yakima Washington
They Finally Got Me On The Grid....
A good friend of mine, Jon Felton, (see Previous Post "My First Recording Contract") has as one of his life motto's to "stay off the grid" as much as possible; basically, to live as simply, organically, self-sufficiently, and as unreliant on the economy "system" as he can. It is a not-so-subtle, mindful attempt to avoid being influenced by the powers that be and staying under the radar of the world. Examples of this lifestyle are refraining from television or internet or credit/debit cards, not having a cell phone, being a vegetarian, driving a vegetable oil powered car, making your own music, buying only used clothes, etc, etc, etc. I was a most avid follower in at least two ways, television and cell phones, as any of you who know me at all can confirm.
I write this as a confession that I have joined the grid. I now own a personal cellular telephone. The government can now track me, my communication patterns are monitored by a multi-national corporation, and I can't hide from people as well any more. I know, I know; some of you are gasping in shock and horror, others are shaking their heads with a smirk, saying "I knew ol' fashioned Benjamin would come around!" With the amount of traveling and moving around I will be doing in the next years, and my need for a permanent number for, say, job interview call backs, I figured it was right. And now I can call all my college friends who are all over the country/world.
No, I still won't post my number publicly on the web, but you can e-mail me anytime and if I like you I will send you my cell number.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:38 AM 0 comments
Labels: Yakima Washington
Back to Planet Earth
So I haven't updated my blog in a long time. A very unblog-like long time. I could make excuses, like, "I've been retreating up in the mountains away from the information super highway," or, "what little internet they do have usually doesn't work," or, "I don't have a computer up here," but you probably don't care. So I'll post a couple times to try and catch you up with the big news.
The good news is, I am coming back to planet earth. Tomorrow is my last day of work at Camp Ghormley, and this weekend I will complete the move into my first real house. Actually, it's the basement of a guy I know from church, but after living in a run-down cabin for three months, a house in Yakima with all my stuff sounds like a palace. So if you want to find me, stop by 607 South 27th Avenue.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:30 AM 0 comments
Labels: Yakima Washington
Solo
Thursday, June 01, 2006
A camping trip in the Cascade Mountains has been long overdue (like, 4 years overdue). So I went on a solo trip last night back up near the top of the ridge above Rimrock Lake. I found a meadow that had been clear-cut some years ago that provided a perfect view above the trees of the whole valley, Rimrock Lake, Mount Rainer, and the Goat Rocks Wilderness. (If you click on the panoramic photo above, you can see my tent and campfire. It's 7 photos, 180 degrees.)
I had a peaceful night of silence and solitude, complimented by the unmatched pleasure of sitting by a crackling campfire. A dazzling sunset finished it off.
This all again reinforced my conviction that experiencing the majesty of nature as we can observe it always produces some form of worship; whether that be worship of a creator, of the creation itself or of our dominion over it - it will move us to worship. I was glad to end my day on the mountaint with a rousing solo rendition of the song Let Us Adore before crawling into my sleeping bag. I stood on a high ledge and sang at the top of my lungs, echoing across the vast empty valley stretching out before me. I had the strangest feeling that though no person heard me, all creation was singing along in harmony.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:37 AM 2 comments
Labels: Yakima Washington
My First Recording Contract
Friday, May 26, 2006
A bit of personal history with a surprising ending:
Last November a band drove from Frostburg, Maryland to Wheaton College to play a one-night concert. A friend of mine played in the band, and she told me to come. I did, and was surprised to hear the most unique, refreshing, fun, prophetic and musical group I had ever heard.
The band: Jon Felton and the Soulmobile, a unique indie acoustic fusion of folk, rock, bluegrass, gospel, and catchy storytelling. The band features Jon, who plays guitar, sings, and plays drums with his feet on pedals all at the same time, 
accompanied by the “Soulmobile,” five other friends who play ukulele, guitar, congas, harmonica, trumpet, piano, pedal-organ, trombone, screaming, trombone case, cello, and sundry catcalls and hand percussion. I was entranced not only with the music and the lyrics, but also with the band members whose genuineness and heart for ministry caught me by the heart. After hanging out with them after the concert I told myself, “I want to do whatever I can to help this band keep spreading their music and their good news.”
I asked them if there was anything I could do to help them. They mentioned half-jokingly that they needed to record all their new music into an album, but didn’t have anyone to do it for them. At that moment I felt a weird sense from God, my soul, or both saying – “GO for it! Why not?” I had spent the past six years immersed in music, and for the previous two years had been studying and practicing music recording and mixing. I sensed that God had brought us together that night for a very special reason, and I wasn’t going to let it go.
To make a long story short, we agreed that I would fly out to Frostburg, Maryland over my Christmas break and record their new music. When I arrived, we begged, bought and borrowed enough sound equipment to put together a ramshackle recording studio in Jon’s living room and dining room. My control room was an old alcove with a mattress leaned across the doorway for soundproofing.
Basically, we recorded 23 entire tracks in 7 days, and that included setting up the studio, and me learning new recording software - a miracle, really; and some of the most fun I've had in my entire life.
The new album we recorded is called All Creation Sings, and it will be available very soon. If you’d like to hear the demo, let me know and I can get you one with 13 tracks already on it. Otherwise, you can listen to a couple songs at their myspace site, the Soulmobile link highlighted above, or wait until the album is released in early June.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:52 AM 0 comments
Labels: Frostburg Maryland, Music
Something you might like....
You will notice a new box under my photo at the top to the right – Blogarithm. I borrowed the idea from my friend Mike’s blog. If you want to stay updated on my blog without having to check it all the time, simply put your e-mail address in the blank and it will simply notify you when there is a new post to save you any hassle!
Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:50 AM 0 comments
Road Trip
Friday, May 19, 2006
I had a dilemma: I had graduated from College in Wheaton, Illinois, and was supposed to be working at a camp this summer in Washington State (see a couple posts below for info on the camp). I needed to get from point A to point B with all my earthly possesions. A friend most graciously gave me his car, a 1989 bright red Jeep Cherokee named Mary. (Thanks Mike!)
Mary and I undertook the 2253 mile journey in 6 days from school to home stopping off in three cities, having a grand old time. (Click on the Jeep for a larger picture.) Besides Mary, it was a solo trip where I did a lot of thinking, and listened to The Adventures of Hucklyberry Finn and Robinson Crusoe unabridged on CD. The total drive time was about 40 hours.
My first stop was in Minneapolis, MN with the Paurus family, friends from Wheaton. I had the privaledge of meeting Yoshi, a Japanese friend of theirs who was also a guest in their home. Yoshi drank more tea than anyone I have ever met, and showed me some cool things with Japanese characters.
On the way to my next stop, I drove through the Badlands, which were absolutely amazing. Here are some pictures.
Next, I landed in Rapid City, South Dakota. I didn't know a soul in South Dakota, so the day before I left, I looked online at the Paurus's and tried to find a place. After looking up a couple of homeless shelters, I stumbled upon an Christian and Missionary Alliance Church's website. (I grew up in the CMA.) No one answered in the church office when I called, so I had to get sneaky. I found their listing of small groups and got someone's home phone number that way. I called the number and was surprised to speak with the pastor's wife on the phone, who had actually met my dad before at a CMA conference in Seattle! She hooked me up to stay with Craig, a middle aged mechanic who ran an off-road 4x4 custom repair shop. Me and Craig had a fantastic time together, and the next morning on my way out he told me to stop by his auto shop. He ended up repairing and replacing a number of things on my Jeep at no charge. Thanks Craig!
My last stop before home was in Bozeman, MT in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. I stayed with the parents of Tim Lockie, the man I worked with for InnerCHANGE in San Francisco last summer. (See a couple of posts down for info on my summer and a picture of Tim overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.) In Bozeman I enjoyed delicious barbeque, live Blugrass music, and made many new friends.
At 5:45pm on Wednesday, May 17th, I rolled across the Columbia Plateau of Eastern Washington, and as the Cascade Mountains appeared on the horizon and Mt. Ranier loomed nearer in the distance, I rolled into the Yakima Valley and pulled up in front of my house, just in time for dinner.
I praise God for the many prayers that kept me safe and helped Mary keep running, and for the generous hospitality I experienced that encouraged me the whole trip! home.
Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:37 AM 4 comments
