Australia is quite possibly my favorite country to visit for a Holiday. Here are some photos from our three trips Down Under.
Photos of Africa
Downtown Nairobi. I absolutely love Nairobi. I spent a week here getting to know it.
The flat dry land outside of Nairobi.
Visiting a dynamic church outside of Nairobi. Best worship band ever---it was like Kool & the Gang. Best bass line in a church service---ever!
It's hot under the tin roof, but the music makes you forget all that.
The hills outside of Kisumu.
The road to the Kima International School of Theology.
It's a beautiful campus.
I love contextualized Gospel art like this.
I got to teach these students for a class session. That was very enjoyable. I hope to get that chance again.
On the road toward Uganda with my good buddy John Walters.
A CHOG in rural Uganda.
Uganda.
Crossing the Nile in Southern Uganda.
Beats the roads we had in Costa Rica through much of the 70's and 80's. Perhaps 90's :)
Entering into Kampala, Uganda.
Speaking to some Ugandan students about my adoption story.
Some children in one of the schools the Stevenson's built.
Lake Victoria at my back.
What a cutie!
The road to Emusire where my father was the Principal of a Secondary School which is still running today and doing very well.
Arriving at the school where Mom and Dad worked.
Retracing my Father's steps. That's what sons do.
My dad is listed as the 2nd Principal
A photo of my Father remains on the wall. He was the Principal that transitioned the school to local African leadership.
This is the home where my dad Harry, my mother Jene, and my sister Marcel lived.
My friend Logan looking like a real photographer.
Lake Victoria.
The Church of God in Lusaka, Zambia.
A CHOG in Lusaka.
Taking the bus from Lusaka to Livingstone was fun.
Rural Zambia.
Victoria Falls near the border with Zimbabwe.
Check out how small that canoe is. Victoria Falls is enormous.
Me canoeing....not really.
An elephant staring our jeep down.
The missionary Stan Hoffman.
Johannesburg, South Africa.
Jo'berg, South Africa from the air.
Photos from China
Some kids in Guangx Province.
Guangxi.
A typical street in China. Chinese cities tend to look alike. All built in the last 30 years at the speed of sound.
Shaouguan, Guangdong Province.
On the Li River in Guangxi.
Rural Guangxi.
Jade Dragon Mountain in the background. Lijiang, Yunnan Province.
The more developed side of Lijiang, China. It was a dream of mine to go to Lijiang.
Some ethnic minority children in Yunnan.
Marco being passed around a Chinese train. It was always a big deal to see the cute foreign baby.
Marco enduring the cold in Kunming, Yunnan.
Street children in Kunming.
Yunnan has the highest percentage of ethnic minorities. It was my favorite Province.
The Chinese flag flying over Tianannmen Square.
The Forbidden City, Beijing.
First trip to the Great Wall of China. An unusually uncrowded winter day. I went alone. I had the whole wall to myself and tried to take a picture of me with nothing but the people-less wall behind me, but I messed up the picture trying to get the tripod set up and took it too late. A few minutes later a large Korean tour group showed up and messed up the shot.
"It is a wall, and it is great." - Patrick Nachtigall
My favorite Chinese mountain, Jade Dragon in Yunnan Province.
Carrying Marco through old town Lijiang.
Walking with my "adopted son" A-Yat to visit a Leper Colony in rural Guangxi. It was a long hike and very isolated.
Jiman, A-yat, Grace, and Thomas join me in visiting the Lepers. Those were great trips.
We passed by beautiful scenery on the walk.
It is still a very poor province, Guangxi.
About midway through the long walk.
Jiman, A-yat and me in Guangxi.
Perched on the very edge of a cliff 2000 feet high, this pagoda offers amazing views of Kunming, Yunnan.
The Stone Forest in Yunnan Province was one of my favorite places in China, because it seemed genuinely clean and green. Very relaxing.
It is a maze of stone rocks that is fun to get lost in.
Such a beautiful place.
It's always fun when Uncle Alan the China expert comes to visit--especially for Marco.
Despite the crowds, once in the Forest, you can have moments when you are all alone.
Looks like the set of Star Wars or something.
Too bad someone doesn't really know how to operate his camera.
"Neon, futuristic Shanghai" doesn't impress me nearly as much as Tokyo.
Marco on the fastest train in the world which goes from Shanghai's Pudong airport to downtown in about 9 minutes at more than 300 mph. Nice photography skills Patrick.
Downtown Shanghai.
Floating down a canal in Zhenjiang.
She's singing to us as we go down the canal.
The rare family photo because we all loathe having our picture taken.
More Zhenjiang.
Giving a lecture to students at a Chinese University on "the Role Religion Plays in American Civil Society." That was a dream come true.
Photos of South America (Chile, Peru, Bolivia)
Nice homes in Santiago, Chile.
Downtown Santiago.
Barranco in Lima, Peru. I loved this place.
A house in the lovely Miraflores district.
The Presidential Palace in Lima, I think.
Walking around downtown.
One of the CHOG's in Northern Lima. What great people. I was ready to just move there on the spot.
Some of the awesome kids of the Lima youth group.
The beautiful Miraflores district. My Peruvian friend Stefan said it was awesome and he was right.
So interesting to see such dryness in a Latin American metropolis.
A nice street in Lima.
Lima from the air.
La Paz, Bolivia at 13,000 feet above sea level.
Another view. I spent a week here.
It's a city of hills.
A little town on the flat Altiplano at 14,000 feet.
The Bolivian CHOG has their annual junta in this barren, mountainous landscape at 14,000 feet. The annual Junta draws up to as many as 8,000 people camping out under the stars in what I call "CHOG Woodstock."
Look at all the people. It's a truly amazing experience. Too bad I was in crippling, mind-numbing, pain.
Two indigenous Bolivian women. They are not Latin people. They are Quechua or some other indigenous people group.
Is that Joan Baez on stage? Probably not.
Crowds gather to watch the baptism.
A different view of La Paz.
In the very isolated town of Iquique, Northern Chile by the Atacama Desert which is the driest place in the world. In some places, they have never had rain.
Walking along the shore in Iquique thousands of miles away from home.
Is this the wine country of Northern California? No, it's the wine country of Southern Chile.
Heading to the Oregon Coast? No, heading to the cool, gray Chilean Coast. What great diversity Chile has in its different regions.
The coastal city of Valparaiso felt like coastal Oregon. The weather too.
One of the most inspiring figures I met on my two year journey writing my third book "Mosaic" was Pastor Martinez in Valparaiso. This is his church in a tough part of town.
Isla de Maipo in Chile's Central Valley was a gorgeous little town that reminded me of Australia's wine country. Similar latitude and vegetation. Very delightful.
Photos of Hong Kong
Hong Kong where we lived for nearly 10 years.
Our old neighborhood of Shatin. Marco was born here in 2003.
Our first home was only on the 20th floor.
The three of us in front of the church at Hin Keng.
Our home at Royal Ascot, Fo Tan was on the 39th floor.
Going to Ocean Park with the church kids: Grace, Ling, Louh Ge, Jamie, Marco, Charles B, Barry, Lobby and Little Karen.
Marco's best friend Hin Fung, was born one month before him. Courtesy of John Johnson.
They love each other. (JJ).
Always together. (JJ)
A visit from my lifelong friends Kelley and Scott Stine. (JJ)
The famous star ferry. The best 40 cent ride in the world. (JJ)
Grace is like a daughter to us. She took care of Marco a lot. Her name fits her. (JJ)
One of my favorite pictures. Proud to be with my son (JJ).
A visit from good friend John Johnson.
The only decent photos on the website were taken by John. If it's a nice, clear photo in this section, it was John's.
The HKCOG kids over at our house making edible dirt cake with Jamie.
Marco in his Chinese New Year outfit.
The coolest girls: A-Sum, Little Karen and Camilla and me in Macao.
Me in HK.
HK at Dusk. One of my favorite places in the world.
Marco and Auntie Flora. She was our Cantonese tutor and our dear family friend.
So comfortable with world travel.
Marco and Hin Fung.
Marco and Hin Fung.
The little Santas handing out gifts at church.
At Brazilian soccer camp.
Marco with his Care Group friends, Austin, Eliss, and Taylor.
Pensive in the hills of Shatin.
Marco completed a 3 hour hike up into the hills of Shatin with the church people. His big sister LoLo held his hand for part of the walk.
Big Karen and Mui-Mui.
Marco grew up on the 39th floor.
Not afraid of heights on our balcony.
Marco the builder.
Pictures of Germany
The famous cathedral in Cologne.
Walking around Dusseldorf.
Visiting the CHOG in Braunschwheig.
Wolfsberg.
The Reichstag in Berlin.
The Berlin Wall.
Fritzlar, home of the Bible School.
Floating down a river near Essen.
The Essen conference center where I spoke at in 2007.
Munich.
Munich 2009.
Just outside of Pforzheim in Southern Germany.
At the Berlin Wall in 2007. My first trip to Berlin was in 1992. What a huge difference!
One of those blurry photos we are so famous for in this family. Marco and I checking out Berlin together in 2009. It's art okay?
Marco at Legoland in 2009 when we were checking out Berlin as a place to live.
Berlin, Germany. The tower from where we broadcast Gateway Berlin Radio.
Three-World Headquarters in Berlin. My office is on the 2nd floor.
Heading West out of Berlin. Nice and GREEN!!!!!
It's GREEEEEEN I tell ya!
Marco and I visiting the famous door where Protestant Reformer Martin Luther became famous after being the first personto hand out Halloween Candy to visiting children. It's a famous door!
Lovely downtown Wittenberg.
Wittenberg 2009.
I look like a loser, but Jamie and Marco look cool. Marco's preparing for his own album cover on this one.
Pictures of Paris
The lovely facade of the Gare du Nord train station. I always try to stay in Arrondissemont 10 near Gare du Nord.
These pictures were taken on a lovely day.
Standing in the middle of the Champs-Élysées.
Inside Galeries Lafayette.
A bit more posh than your average mall in the U.S.
L'Opera.
Pont Neuf. A romantic place to go with Jamie.
Notre Dame. Home of the fighting Irish. Just kidding m-kay?
Jamie's favorite Crepe stand. Yummy.
The Pantheon in Paris. Here lies the remains of many of France's greatest men including Victor Hugo, Louis Pasteur, and Pepe Le Pew.
Maybe the best feeling in the world. "Good morning, Paris!"
Les Halles on the way to the Paris CHOG.
L'hotel de Ville on the way to the Paris CHOG.
The Paris CHOG meets inside this historic church.
The Latin Quarter.
One of the few places in the world where I will make it a point to sit down and watch the sun set. Monmartre.
Quite possibly my favorite place in the world. Sacre Coeur overlooking Paris. If only I knew how to work my camera.
Pictures of Thailand
Marco's been traveling around the world since he was born. By the time he was 3 he was an expert traveler. He was named after Marco Polo--the great traveler who bridged the divide between East and West.
Marco was on his 2nd passport by the time he was 4.
One of the rare decent photos I've ever taken.
Phuket (Kamala) was our home away from home. This was our family vacation spot.
Marco and an Elephant.
Marco feeding a real elephant.
One of the greatest of all the animals. The Elephant, I mean.
I love to see the temples in Thailand.
A Theravada Buddhism photo.
The coastline of Phuket on the Andaman Sea.
Marco grew up riding in a lot of Tuk Tuks.
Marco kissed by a monkey in Chiang Mai--Northern Thailand. A lawsuit is pending.
Marco meets a Giraffe and his tongue.
Bangkok. Another one of my favorite cities.
Pictures of Lebanon
The view from Mediterranean Bible College.
The Mediterranean Bible College in Beirut.
Am I driving through Eastern Kentucky or West Virginia? No, it's Lebanon.
Downtown Beirut is more lovely than you can possibly imagine. It used to be called the Paris of the Mediterranean.
These ancient ruins are right in the middle of the city.
Heading into the mountains. It's only 90 minutes to the Northern, Southern, or Eastern borders from Beirut. It's a small country.
Is this Eastern Washington or Eastern Oregon? No, it's Lebanon.
Close to the Border with Syria
I love the mountains of Lebanon and the views they offer.
Along the coast.
The lovely shopping area in the ancient Phoenician city Byblos. My favorite place thus far.
Is this Santa Barbara, California? No, but it sure feels like it. Santa Barbara probably has more Lebanese people. :)
Beirut from a distance.
Too bad someone doesn't know how to work his camera. These pictures would be awesome.
Pictures of Russia
One of the greatest moments in all of my travels---entering Red Square for the first time. The photo doesn't do it justice. The sky was a deep purple as Kelley and Rhonda took us to the Square. It was an absolutely stunning sight. And of course it would have been hard to believe, for most of my life, that the day would come when we would be able to just walk right into Red Square, Moscow.
St. Basil's Cathedral at night. It looked a lot smaller than I was expecting. I thought there should be a golf hole behind it...looked like a minature golf set.
Marco and his buddy (and teammate) Dave Simpson. I'm sure he's a better photographer than I am.
The colors were so vibrant. That was a big surprise to me, considering our stereotype of Russia being bleak.
One side of Red Square.
Lenin's mausoleum.
The walls of the Kremlin.
GUM department store.
Inside the Kremlin walls.
Near the Museum of History I believe. Marco liked that place. He likes history like his Dad.
A photo in the museum commemorating WWII. Nobody lost more people than Russia in that war.
Even the ceiling makes a bad photographer look good.
Marco riding a pony in Siberia.
Marco in Chelyabinsk, Russia in the foothills of the Ural Mountains.
I've always had a love affair with cathedrals and churches.
In St. Petersburg, formerly known as Leningrad.
Me in front of St. Basil's Cathedral in the daytime. I scored a 3 under par.