My "Going to Africa" FAQ

Here is a simple FAQ page to get the basics out of the way.  I think I have been asked these questions by pretty much everyone I have spoken to about my trip.  I hope you will find it useful...  Please feel free to ask more questions in the comments.  This should be good for everyone to see so I can get them all answered for everyone.

Where are you going?

• Kitwe, Zambia

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What are you going to do there?

• We are going to install an Internet Cafe in a training center that is connected to a school in Kitwe. That means everything from wiring, and hardware to all the software and setup. There are lots of challenges presenting themselves.  So its going to take a lot of work to say the least.

When are you leaving?

• We are leaving on Mar 22, 2012.  We will be back On April 6th, 2012

Are you going alone?

• I am going with a close friend and someone a respect tremendously.  However I don't know if he wants his name posted here so for now I won't name him.  

How are you going to do it?

• There are going to be a lot more elaborate posts on this particular question and as this is currently a work in progress, this might change between now and when we go...  I do want to keep it simple and easy to maintain.  Right now I am planning on using a router based management solution.  Probably something along the lines of dd-wrt and Coova either open source or a commercially supported version.  And use a live CD/USB key Kiosk OS like  Jacob Steelsmith's Ubuntu Kiosk for the end user stations.

Why are you going?

• The simple answer is I heard the need for this Internet Cafe by the people who were dreaming of putting it together and I felt like I could help make it a reality.  I do believe being connected with everyone today, both near and far, will help us all in ways we can barely begin to understand tomorrow.
  
  I know God calls all of us to go out and talk about His word:
  He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. -Mark 16:15
  
  And he also tells us to act on our faith:
  What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? -James 2:14
  
  And he also tells us to work like everything we do is for Him:
  Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, -Colossians 3:23
  
  So to answer the question as to why am I going...  God's given me the skill to do this work; I believe the Internet is one of the greatest means of communication we have today; The Internet cafe and the people running it and the people it will serve will help tell more people about God and Jesus; and this is a small way I can act on my faith in God and work for Him as well as help so many people that this place will serve.