Hunger Games - the wait is almost over

Last year I was introduced the book by my niece. By the time I finished the first chapter I was hooked. Of course I'm referring to Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games trilogy. And now, it's coming to the big screen next week. March 23. I can't wait - a point you probably knew already based on the countdown clock on this page.

For those of you living under a rock, here's one of several trailers for the movie:



Reviews are coming in, and they are almost unanimously praising the movie. They seem to feel it captures the raw emotion that the story is meant to evoke. That makes me happy, because there's nothing worse than movies that mess up a good book. I'm very confident that won't happen here.

So I can't wait for a week from tonight. I'm traveling for work this week so I'll miss opening night - indeed, I'll miss the midnight movie experience that I always enjoy so much. But a week from tonight, I'll get together with good friends who are also fans, and we'll take it in as a group.

If you see it, I'd love to hear your thoughts afterward. Rest assured, you'll hear mine.

Kony 2012 and causes in general

I would try to write a profound blog post on this subject, because I think it's that important. Fortunately, my friend Frank has written exactly what I would want to say. But better. Please read!

Link: Thoughts on Kony 2012 and Supporting Causes in General - Frank Pass

Park-and-Ride

Last night, returning home from Chicago, I followed my usual routine. I always use the park-and-ride at the Atlanta airport (bus pictured at left). It's convenient, cheap, and I always know where to go for the bus that returns me to my car. (There was one time when my ticket was wrong and we spent over an hour looking for my car - but that's another story.)

As always, I got on the bus along with about eight others, and the bus headed to our lot to drop us off one at a time.

As it turns out, I was at the end of the parking lot where I was going to be the last one dropped off. One of the first guys to be dropped off was a young dude in a suit, and he got out and went straight to his Audi. This group of strangers were actually laughing together about the way we would find our cars - making the lights blink with the key fob.

Well, when the group was down to three, a young woman near the front of the bus noticed one of these on the seat beside her:

Yeah, that's right. Somebody had left their iPhone on the bus.

We quickly figured out who had been sitting there; it was the guy with the Audi. The driver asked the rest of us if we minded whether she tried to find him before dropping us off. Of course not! So she whipped that bus around and headed back toward the exit. We weren't exactly burning rubber, but we were moving pretty good for a shuttle bus.

Well, just when we thought we were too late, we saw an Audi moving toward the exit booth. Is it him? We all thought so. So the driver got us as close as she could quickly, and as she came to stop, the exit gate opened for the car. She began blowing the horn loudly and repeatedly.

A blur - She opened the bus door. I grabbed the phone and jumped out. I ran toward his car as fast as I could. And yes, I caught him and knocked on his window before he left. Needless to say, he had this look on his face like, "what the heck is wrong with you??"

It was funny. I handed him his phone and he just had this stunned look on his face. I was probably 10 feet away when I heard him call out "thank you" from a distance. I'm sure it took him that long to process what had just happened.

It was a very cool thing to be a part of. It made the night of everyone on that bus that we had helped the dude. For just a few minutes, the driver, the young woman, and one other man felt like friends instead of strangers.

And that was awesome.

Ethiopia, Part 3

So...what are you doing this summer?

You can probably guess the big item on my summer agenda. Two years ago, I was preparing for my first trip to Africa. I was apprehensive, nervous, and had no idea what it would look like. But hey, Lord, if I've got to do this, let's go ahead and get it done.


The trip came about for one reason: the and inspiration of a 17 year old - my niece Brooke.

Brooke and me in Uganda

Instead of just a vacation, Brooke wanted to do something after her graduation that would make a difference. So we found this trip with Visiting Orphans and went for it. Did she make a difference? Oh yeah.

I could spend pages talking about how she made a difference. But if I do, you'll stop reading before I get to my point. And I do not want that to happen.

So here it is: Yes, she made an immediate difference by loving on kids in Ethiopia and Uganda. But she also changed my life! Because of her, return trips to Ethiopia and the children I met there are something I cannot imagine not doing. So here I go again.

But this time, I am going to be a team leader. I am putting together a team to go back to Addis Ababa and spend time with the children of a community which lives off the city's trash dump. It is a place that God has put on my heart, and I can't wait to return.

So I'm putting it out there. If any of you, my friends, are looking for a chance to be used by God in ways you cannot even imagine, I would love for you to join my team. If you do, you will be changed. For good. And I've got to say, it would be cool for me to work side-by-side with friends.

It is relatively short trip, from June 30-July 8. There's lots of time to plan. Here is a link to the details on signing up:

Visiting Orphans: Ethiopia with Donnie, Summer 2012

If you want to know more about it, email me at donmanis@yahoo.com, and/or read some of the links below to previous blog posts.

Hope some of you will pray about going. Either way, please pray for me and for the children we will be visiting. Thanks!

Helpful links:

A community in East Africa (Facebook note from a friend)

Seeing God working

Why Africa? (Project 61 blog)

Does visiting make a difference? (Includes a must-see video)