Kingdom work....

I received a call yesterday asking me to put together a team of guys to come and do the project in Leeds, England for WEC International. They now have a deadline to complete the work which is the end of March. I am looking at February, if any of you men are interested in going with me just click here and let me know. There will be plumbing, electrical, carpentry, masonry, plastering, painting, cabinet and countertop work to be done.

Gary

As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with his death - we give over our lives to death. Thus it begins; the cross is not the terrible end to an otherwise God-fearing and happy life, but it meets us at the beginning of our communion with Christ. When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow Him, or it may be a death like Luther's, who had to leave the monastery and go out into the world.... Jesus' summons to the rich young man was calling him to die, because only the man who is dead to his own will can follow Christ. In fact, every command of Jesus is a call to die, with all our affections and lusts.... Every day [the Christian] encounters new temptations, and every day he must  suffer anew for Jesus Christ's sake. The wounds and scars he receives in the fray are living tokens of this participation in the cross of his Lord.                  Dietrich Bonhoeffer                                                                                                            

Are we all to 'GO'?

Almost immediately upon arriving in Japan I was handed a book to read titled 'Radical' by David Platt, which I highly recommend that everyone read. I have been wanting to talk about this book here on the blog, as well as, I have wanted to expand on the topic I was talking about at the end of my last post 'Japan', but have not been able to get my words together to do so. My Pastor brought a sermon before the church on this topic this past Sunday in which he handled this subject far better than I could have ever done, so I have embedded it below. Please take the time to listen and ponder on what God is saying to His church through His Word.

Gary

Japan

Well, where do I start? I guess I will start by telling you about the dedications of the houses after we finished the work. For 2 weeks we had a team of 5 with 1 translator who also worked with us. On the 3rd week we were joined by a 6th team member who stayed with us for the remainder of the time. We were able to finish 4 houses and had dedications for 3 (they could not get the dedication set up for the 1st house that we completed before we had to leave). The last 2 dedications took place Saturday which was an incredible way to finish our time in Japan. These last 2 homeowners were next door to each other, so the dedications were done together. The Pastor in the area that Samaritan's Purse has helped to get established and finish a place to meet, does all of the dedication ceremonies for them. The ceremonies starts with the singing of Hymns and spiritual songs and then proceeds into a sermon in which the Pastor explains the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You can see a change in the expressions of the homeowners during this time when Pastor Suzuki gets to the part of their sin. He does not tip toe around any part of the Gospel, he hits it head on. I was very pleased when I heard how Pastor Suzuki handles this during the ceremony. In the first one that we were a part of the ceremony was not translated for us. We felt this was good because it was for the benefit of the homeowner and translating can take away from the moment. We did not want anything to hinder the Gospel message from reaching these people. Pastor Suzuki told them that their gods have done nothing for them but that our God, The living God, Creator of Heaven and earth, has sent us, the workers, they are called by our God to come here to rebuild your houses for you. This is how much God loves you.

I have not heard of any homeowners who have openly confessed Jesus as Savior but the seed has been planted. There is interest (some seems to be very close) as some are now attending the Church services. Please pray with me that the seeds planted will lead to a bountiful harvest by the work of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.

The "Honor/Shame" is ingrained so deep in Japanese culture that there are 30,000 suicides that happen each year just because of shame that has come to them or their families for whatever reason. This number is expected to go up because of this disaster. In fact, I heard about a recent suicide that took place because a man had lost everything. He was living in temporary housing with no job and  no way of supporting himself through the winter, so he thought it was better to end his life. 

It has taken a while for Samaritan's Purse to break into the community. In this "Honor/Shame" Culture it is unheard of to be given something for free. So when Samaritan's Purse told the homeowners that they would pay to rebuild their homes, the homeowners didn't believe it. Even so, there have been some who have said yes to this offer and have found the offer to be true. These who took that leap are now telling their neighbors that the offer is true. The camp that I was at is up to 47 houses completed as of the time that I left. Their hope is to complete over 100 houses at that camp. They have 2 other camps that are working on houses in other communities, as well.

Samaritan's Purse is only allowed to be in the country for 1 year. This is up on March 10, 2012. They should complete the 300 total houses that they have set as their goal by this deadline. This is just a drop in the bucket, though, compared to the amount of rebuilding that needs to be done. It will take years for Japan to rebuild. One of the issues that they have is that the land has drop 120 centimeters (almost 4ft) because of the earthquake. Because of this, they have no idea what effect the tide will have on these areas at different times of the year. This is putting a hold on some of the rebuilding of the infrastructure that was totally destroyed.

This trip has really shown me that it truly takes the whole Body of Christ, the Church, to make disciples. We have been a part of taking the gospel to these people by working with our hands. This disaster has opened doors for the Gospel to go forth in a way that it hasn't before. The barriers of the Japanese people are coming down. God is changing the hearts of these people. I am so glad that I went. This is what God tells us to do. We, the Church, are commanded to "GO" and make disciples. We are all supposed to be working to spread God's fame to all the nations. This is to be our focus. Jesus says that the fields are white for harvest but the workers are few. This is true, I have seen it. I have seen missionaries struggling to do all that is on their plate and not doing the very thing they have been sent to the field to do because they have to pull back and do the support work that someone else in the Body is supposed to be doing for them. But these support people are sitting at home waiting for a special calling or concerned about putting food on the table for their family. God has said "GO"! The question is are you going to be obedient? Jesus says, "if you love me you will obey me." We don't have to have all the answers. God has all of the answers, we just need to trust Him with those and do as He commands us to do.

Gary

Made it

It was a long day of travel but I made it home. I slept well last night and now waiting for my french toast for breakfast. I can't believe that I have been around the world. It is so amazing to think that just yesterday I was about 6000 miles from home. Its certainly good to be home!

Gary

On my way home...

It has been a great trip! I am now in Tokyo after my first leg of the journey. We will fly out tomorrow at 2:45 PM Japan time and arriving in Saint Louis at 4:05 PM CST. I wish it was that quick to fly back but we have about 20 hours of traveling to do tomorrow.

This is one of the bullet trains we rode to Tokyo in. This one was speeding by us at break neck speed. They travel at about 180 MPH or so. They are very smooth and comfortable to ride in. I took a nap on the way.

We saw some beautiful country side with mountains as we sped along.

As well as city landscape. 

I promise I will be posting more on this trip. I have to get to the other side of this journey. I have so much to tell all of you. I can't keep it all in. I have to get Michelle to help me write it all. So keep watching for more.

Gary

Worth the trip...

I went to my first church service in Japan this afternoon which was also their first Sunday meeting in their building. This is significant because it is the first church planted in the area.

The first Steppin'-Out team worked on the building they are now holding services in. Our team was able to go to their first meeting. I feel privileged to be apart of the work going on here. Pastor Suzuki has been a tremendous instrument in this rebuilding process. His house was the first one to be rebuilt by Samaritan's Purse in the area. He has been a part of every house dedication that Samaritan's Purse has done with the homeowners, building rapport with them.

Pastor Suzuki started his sermon by telling us about a person in the community that had lost everything in the Tsunami and has recently committed suicide because they had no way of providing for themselves with the winter coming on. So this person thought that they would be better off no longer on this earth. Then he turned to 1 Peter 5:7; cast all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you.

There were probably 5-6 homeowners present at this service. This is significant because up until recently they worshiped other gods. We are bringing the light of Jesus Christ to Japan by rebuilding these precious people's houses. In an honor/shame culture (which is what Japan has), to open your hands and be given anything  goes against everything they believe in.  It brings shame to their family and their name. Now the barriers are being broken down by Samaritan's Purse by  GIVING them a house completely rebuilt.

I met a team of Brother's and Sister's from Malaysia and Singapore that are with Samaritan's Purse. They are staying at the church while helping with the rebuilding process. 

I have had a good time here in Japan. I am glad I came. This is our last week. We are finishing our 3rd house (which I will tell you about later) and plan to finish a 4th house as well this week ( I will tell you about this one later too). 

Please pray that God will keep us strong so that we can finish strong by bringing glory to His name.

We will travel to Tokyo next Sunday and fly out next Monday and arrive in Saint Louis on Monday as well but it will be Tuesday in Japan. The only way 1 day can be more than 24 hours.

Gary

Our second house

Well, we are on to our second house. It is larger than the first. This house belongs to a single mother who lost her husband 4 or 5 years ago. We have not met her yet. Her Father has been there almost every day. He brings us soda and snacks for lunch and provides us water to wash our hands at lunch and the end of the work day. A very nice man. He brought his wife with him Saturday and was planning to tell us his story of what he went through during the Tsunami but our interpreter decided not to go to work with us. So now that is supposed to take place on Monday.

We were thinking that this house would take us the rest of our stay to complete but because we are no longer repairing the siding and the work on the inside is going so smoothly we are now looking at this Tuesday as completion day for what we are suppose to do.

We have dried in the house by wrapping the hole in the exterior walls with tarps

Rebuilt part of the floor









that was destroyed by a tree that came through the house.










Insulated the floors and walls.

Installed new subfloor







and now hanging drywall but don't have picture of that.

In every Japanese house you will find what my work team calls a cubby hole where they put their gods. This is a picture of the hole.

We also had a chance to see a ceremony take place across the street from the job this week in which they had to try to appeased the gods before they could build on the land. They had a truck sitting in the way but you can get the idea.

This picture is after they left still with all the decoration up and a pile of dirt on the ground.

 So far it has been a good trip. I have been here 2 weeks now and we have accomplished much work. They leaders are hunting for another house for us to do that we will be able to finish before we leave. Our crew has been working great together - like we have worked together for years. This is an answer to my prayer. Thank you Lord!

Gary

Our first house...

Picture taken by Billy Jackson

We have completed the work we are supposed to do on our first house. House construction in Japan is very different to what we are familiar with in the States. They build in a post and beam type of construction. The floor joists are 2"x2"s and the walls are 1"x3"s. I don't know how it holds anything up but it does. Actually, the weight of the house is supported on the post and beams but the floor joists are mind boggling.

It has been a good time working on the house. It is very satisfying to see a job completed. This is one of the very first houses that was mudded out back in August. The owners have been living there in the second floor only since then. They are very happy to see work being done. You have to understand that Samaritan's Purse approached these owners back in June and told them that they would rebuild their house for free. These folks have been asking themselves if this could really be true.  It has been a blessing to have been a part of that rebuilding effort. 

More important than the opportunity to rebuild is the opportunity we have had to share Christ with the homeowner.  Today, John our team leader, took the opportunity to do just that.  We pray that the Lord will take the seed planted and bring about a harvest in the home in which we worked.

Tomorrow we start on the next home - one in which the damage is major and where we will probably spend the rest of our time while in Japan.  Please continue to pray for safety and unity for our team, ability to work well and accomplish much on this new house and most importantly, for the salvation of the Japanese people.

Thanks

Gary

A Trip to the North

We took a trip today up north where another base camp is located which took us through some of the worst parts of the areas affected by the Tsunami. The destruction that has come to this part of the world is the worst I have seen. They have cleaned a lot of it up already but there is enough still there that we could tell some of the destruction. I will leave you with some pictures of what I saw.

Gary

In Japan

We got to Tokyo last night after a 13 hour flight up over Canada, Alaska, Russia and Siberia. That was a lot of snow. I don't have my camera out yet, so no pictures to show. I will see what I can do today.

We are 14 hours ahead of Central Standard time in the U.S. We have another 6 hour journey to make today to get to our base camp, so on I go. Breakfast first!

Gary

Plans Changed...

I received an email last week from some people we met at church. They have a ministry much like mine and they were recruiting for another project. After postponing the England project and filling out my paperwork to join the next team, I will be leaving October 24th for Japan returning November 21. Yes that's right, a month long trip. I will be going with Stepping-Out Missions who are working with Samaritan's Purse on this project.


Background Information

On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 9.0 earthquake occurred off the east coast of Japan. As a result of the earthquake a deadly tsunami was triggered that caused numerous fatalities, injuries, and extensive damage along a 310 mile stretch of coast line.

“A total of 196,559 buildings were destroyed or damaged. Around 27,000 people were killed. More than 460,000 were made homeless and sought refuge in shelters. This included 150,000 in Miyagi Prefecture, 47,000 in Iwate Prefecture and 130,000 in Fukushima Prefecture. In the first three days after the disaster Japan’s Self Defense Forces (the Japanese military) rescued 66,000 people, many of them stranded on hilltops, rooftops and among debris. Because reaching them by land was so difficult many had to wait to be retrieved by helicopter, which could carry only a few people at a time. Thousands of others evacuated their homes due to the crisis at the Fukushima nuclear power plant.”(“Facts and Figures” article on Great Eastern Japan Earthquake.)

In addition over 14, 000 were listed as missing and are presumed dead. The debris created by the tsunami in the northeast region is equivalent to the refuse generated by the entire country in a quarter of a century. This disaster is the greatest challenge the country has had to face in the past 65 years.


Samaritan’s Purse’s Response in Japan

Immediate Response

• 93 tons of emergency supplies were airlifted from North America immediately after the earthquake/tsunami.

• A Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) was deployed to Sendai, the closest major city to the disaster zone.

• During the first five weeks emergency supplies were distributed to those in need through a large number of churches, Christian organizations, Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), and individuals. In addition to the imported supplies a large quantity of materials were purchased in-country for distribution.

• Mudout kits and 11 small trucks were given to local churches and pastors who were engaged in volunteer supported clean up operations.


Continued Response

• On June 20 the Rebuilding/Repair project was launched. This project will see the coordination of the International and National teams working to assist homeowners living in damaged residences. The goal is to complete as many as 300 homes prior to the winter season which begins in December. The focus of the operation is to conduct mudouts, rebuild and repair the main floor of homes inundated by the tsunami, provide beneficiary support as requested and to share the Gospel with all those encountered.

Prayer:

• Pray for the team of men that I will be working with that we will be united in one spirit and ready to work together to accomplish as much as we can.

• Pray for the Japanese people who we will be helping, that they will trust Jesus Christ as their savior.

• Pray for my wife and kids as I leave them for a month. It will be just as hard for me as it will be for them. I hate leaving them but the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is way too important for me not to go. I am honored that God would allow me to be a part of the work He is doing in this world.

Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows, and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."     John 4:34-38

I will keep you all posted as best I can on the progress of the work while I am there but internet access will be limited so I will post about the work when I get back home.

Gary

Next Project

Well, the next project will be taking me back to Leeds, England for a couple of weeks in November. The project is renovating an apartment on campus at WEC International's North facility. It consists of putting in a new bathroom, remodeling a kitchen, moving a doorway, electrical, plumbing and painting.

The purpose for this apartment is to better accommodate those coming in for training or staying long term. It will be a 1 bedroom self-contained apartment for a single person or a couple.

I spent a year at this facility as a Maintenance Supervisor. When I left, there were Managers who were looking after the property and a New Maintenance Supervisor who took over for me. Early this year the Maintenance Supervisor had to leave do to personal reasons and in July the Property Managers left for Regional Directors position in Africa. Two leaders from Ministries located at the premises have added the role of Property Management to their already full schedule. They normally have German volunteers who come for a year to help with the care of the facility, But because they have no Managers or Maintenance Supervisor they have decided to suspend the volunteers for this year which leaves them without anyone who can take care of maintenance and renovations that are badly needed. I heard about this situation in August and started praying about it. The more I prayed, the more my heart became burdened to help. I sent an email to the interim Management team on September 3 asking if they would be interested in my help. They replied recently asking if we could do this project for them.

We are working on other possible places for next year, as well. I just turned down a month long trip to Japan this last weekend with Joel Corley at Stepping Out Missions which would have meant leaving this Monday.

Gary

A New Ministry...

A new Ministry is born! After many years with this idea in my mind and much prayer, I believe the Lord has brought clarity to the direction of this ministry and what we will be doing next.

So, what is this ministry?
It is a Construction/Repair Ministry.

What is the name of the ministry?
To Be A Blessing

Why this name?
In the same way as God told Abram;  I will bless you ....... so that you will be a blessing to the nations (Gen.12:2-4), so also, we want to be a blessing to the Body of Christ, who are aggressively advancing the Kingdom of God. We seek to be a blessing of support to those who are gifted in preaching and teaching by using the talents God has given us in construction/repair so that those who don't have the Gospel may join us in the reward of Heaven.

Who will we help?
Those who are spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ which includes: Missionaries, Mission Organizations, Churches, Pastors, Evangelists, Orphanages etc.

Where will we go?
All over the world!

How do you put in your requests? 
If you agree with our Statement of Faith, then follow this link or using the "Contact Us" tab above. Enter your information and we will get back with you.

So, How can you get involved?
Well, there are 3 ways you can get involved.

Go 

Do you have construction talents: carpentry, electrical, plumbing, roofing, painting etc.?
Would you be a good laborer?
How about a helper? Can you hold the other end of a piece of wood?

If you have some abilities and can agree to our Statement of Faith, then Contact Us to let us know that you are interested in helping and we will get back to you to let you know what projects we are working on. You just might be with us on our next project somewhere in the world!

Pray 
Join us in praying for the Gospel work. Subscribe to our email alerts and we will send the prayer request via email.

Give
Contact Us and we will provide you with a way to give to the work.


The Next Project?
I have been to Haiti twice this year as a start to this ministry; once in May, posts here and here, and then again in August.

So, Now what project is the next? Well, you will just have to wait until the next post.

Gary

Street Evangelizing

A couple of weekends ago the boys and I went with a few others into the City to do some street evangelizing/preaching on the corner of a busy street. It is quite interesting to see how the people responded. Some rejected the tracts completely, some took them and then threw them away but only a few wanted to actually talk about the Gospel. To see how many tracts got into the hands of people simply because a child gave it to them over an adult was astonishing. The boys loved it! They were even putting them on cars in parking lots at the stores we went to later.

When someone started preaching on the corner, the people would avoid us completely by crossing the street before they even got to us, some were agitated, looking for the light to change so that could walk across the road, and some would stop to talk. The amount of tracts that were handed out went down during the preaching. Daniel told me that some would ask, is this piece of paper talking about the same thing that guy is talking about? When Daniel would answer "Yes", the people would reject it and walk on.

They have no idea what they are rejecting. They walk on as if everything is just fine, all the while, their eternal security hangs in the balance. The wrath of God is upon them and they stand rejected by Him for their disobedience to His law. They reject the very One who can bring security - Jesus Christ. He can reunite them with their creator, God and give them life -eternal life with Him in Heaven.  He is the ONLY One who has the answer to our disobedience to God's law, which is Christ and His redemption.

Gary

Another trip to Haiti

Port au Prince

Haiti is a country that has been through a lot. 2 mass exodus' in the 1960's, in which the educated people - teachers, professors, etc., were invited to countries like S. Africa and Canada. It has been ravaged by crime, corruption and the latest, an earthquake, well over a year ago now.

Immigration

Trash dump just outside the guest house

There is a lot of work still needing to be done because of this earthquake. It is truly unbelievable the kind of conditions the Haitians live in.

More Trash

Largest Tent City

You and I would be appalled if we had to live anything remotely close to the way they live. In fact, we would not stand for it, we would be rioting and rushing Washington's front doors.

Mayor's home in Port au Prince - completed after earthquake

Water that cannot be drank because it carries deadly diseases, electric that is only on for a few hours a day, roads that completely destroy a car's suspension in a matter of a few months, trash everywhere, farm animals that run the streets freely, prices that make it virtually impossible to buy anything, government corruption that leaves the people paralyzed and so on and so on. This is not some remote location in the country; this is Port au Prince, the capital city in the country.

Cow grazing in dump just outside guest house

Daniel and I got back Monday August 29th from another trip to Haiti.

Daniel and Mr. Brown

We were able to get 2 cars running again for Dottie Diehl, a missionary. 

One for her personally and the other for the school. We were there only a week and it took the whole week to complete the task. Everytime we turned around we had more issues to deal with and more parts that were needed. Mr. Nickson had to do lot of running for parts and tools - some he never did find, so, we improvised to make things work.

We worked on a 1996 Chevy Blazer and a 1997 Isuzu Rodeo. When we started with the Rodeo it was not running at all. We thought the fuel pump was problem but I found that it was working so I replaced the fuel regulator with the new one I took down with me. First car running, Praise the Lord! After bolting the gas tank back in, though, the fuse for the fuel pump blew and the engine would not start, again. I disconnected the fuel pump and found that I had a short there. This means I had to drop the gas tank out of the car to check the pump. When I got the tank out I found that someone had spliced the wires inside the tank and didn't completely cover the wires, so it was shorting against the metal bracket holding the pump. I repaired that connection and several others that I found under the rear of the car. Once I completed that car, by about mid week, I turned to the Blazer. I needed to check the fuel pressure to the engine to make sure we had the proper fuel pressure. We went out looking for a gauge and had one man at an Auto Parts store promise us that he would have us one the next morning - he never did get it for us. I decided to replace the fuel regulator first, instead of the fuel pump because it had a 3/4 tank of gas in it, but this meant I had to remove the upper intake manifold from the engine, though. I was able to get the manifold off the engine and replaced the fuel regulator and then I had to wait for Mr. Nickson to find some gasket maker for me so that I could seal it down on the engine again.

The Market

Once I had the gasket maker I put the engine back together and then tried to start it. Suddenly the engine just stopped and would not crank anymore. I thought maybe the battery was low, again, since we had had battery problems all week, so I connected the charger to it. After a while I realized the charger wasn't working - found a broken wire. So I decided to jump the Blazer with the Isuzu. Still the engine wouldn't crank. By this time it was getting late, so we decided to quit for the night. As I was laying in bed, praying, I realized some gas had spilled out when I pulled the regulator off and I thought it might have gone down into the cylinders - Pistons cannot compress a liquid. The next morning, Saturday, I tried to start the engine again - same thing - it still won't crank. I decided to pull the spark plug out of the rear cylinders to let the gas out but I needed a longer extension for my socket wrench - Mr. Nickson went out looking for an extension. He returned with the extension and I got the plug out. As I turned the plug out the gas just started pouring out of the cylinder. I put the plug back in and tightened it up and tried to crank the engine, same thing happened again. I decided to pull the throttle body off the manifold and found that something was leaking, Ugh. This means I have to pull the manifold back off again, Oh GREAT!  Having used a gasket maker to seal it on to the engine it wasn't coming back off again very easy. I worked at it for quite a while and was able to get it off. I found that the regulator had slipped out of place when I re-installed the manifold and gas was pouring out everytime the fuel pump ran. As I pulled the manifold off the second time an O-ring broke on the injector unit. So Mr. Nickson went looking for a new O-ring. He came back a couple hours later with 5 different O-rings. One of them worked, Praise the Lord! I put it all back together, pulled the spark plugs to drain the cylinders again and a spark plug wire broke, Oh No! I can't believe this. Nickson went out, again, late in the afternoon on Saturday. (You have to know that everything closes early in Haiti) He came back with a new set of plug wires but they didn't work -they're for a Mitsubishi. (This is the way they repair things, just find a part that might work. They don't go by Make, Model and Engine.) I got anxious and decided to start the engine anyway. We had to jump start it again because Daniel left a light on inside the car. It took a little bit to prime the fuel system but then it started and is running good. Mr. Nickson never did find a spark plug wire. Dottie asked a guest coming in from the US to bring one in for her. 

There had been much prayer the whole week and our GREAT God and provider heard and answered our prayer. Thank you Lord!

On Sunday we did get to go to Hope, Faith and Love Infant rescue, run by Dorothy Pierce, to see the kids and to help out a little. They currently have 25 children - 10 of those are HIV positive. At this time their only washing machine is rusted out and they have no back up batteries for power. With city power only on for a few hours a day this makes it tough to live and care for these children properly. This is one of 4 orphanages that I know of within a 5 minute walk of the Dottie's Guest house where we stayed.

Please pray for a washing machine and batteries for their backup power system.



Gary

Repairing the vacuum cleaner

  

Bread shop on the side of the road.

A manhole cover in the street still missing 3 months later.

Men working on a car in the middle of a street.

US Embassy complete with a pool!

One of many tire repair shops on the corner of a road.

A lot of garbage on the side of the street!

Presidential palace destroyed in the earthquake.

Tent City across street from Presidential palace.