I never leave Africa unchanged. This trip was unique: the fire seemed hotter, the mountain steeper, and the rain constantly ill timed. Maybe it felt this way because I was alone or I felt alone whether I was really alone or not. But when there's no way out but up certain things happen.
Consider this: Right out of the gate Moses led his people into a dead end. Literally, they were about to be killed. Imagine the amount of responsibility he must have felt. Imagine how defeated he must have been. And the people complained because they couldn't see what was really happening.
God breathed on the water and showed His strength. And by going through it they were saved.
When it seems like we are trapped in our own mistakes and inabilities...we are.
The way out is not retreating; the way out is not creating a new way; the way is through His strength...
Just when you thought you were a failure He provides dry solid ground, just to show you that He who can part water cares about you.
Can't wait to get home and tell you guys all about it.
GOD is Greater
billy
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Being Bombed
All over Sudan and South Sudan bombs are now falling, people are dying, hope is failing, and there is no future. Some days I run for cover, other days I stand and fight. Some days I just pray and hope. Let me be clear, the bombs I am fleeing and fighting are not those that are falling up north (google "Sudan news"). The bombs falling here in Wadupe will not kill my physical body. Eph 6:12. But the bombs of despair, confusion, division, and darkness are falling on us; they are devastating and they are killing this nation.
Gaga, a young boy I am discipling and teaching to manage the base, walked with me to the main road to catch a ride to Yei. "You cannot walk this road at night," he said. "Wizards move here. The man who used to live here," he points to his left, "took his family away because they were disturbed by demons and bad dreams."....BOOM..victory for fear.
"Let the foreigners come and develop us,"...BOOM..victory for the sloth.
"We are poor and unable to develop ourselves," BOOM...victory for the liar.
"#(*#@#, where is the engineer!! I work and work to get the materials out here and the community doesn't want to come and work, then they come and the engineer doesn't show up! and who keeps standing on the toilet!"...BOOM...victory for anger.
After just under two months of being here: 2 violent suicides, 1 death from the war, 1 death from disease...BOOM..victory for the worst of them all.
We are doomed...I want to give up...honestly, I don't see how this is possible...
...but in the chaos there is a whisper of Truth and it says to us:
You can't kill the One greater than death. His Love cannot lose. Darkness will not overtake the Light. But the Truth will set us free. Bomb and bomb all you want, victory is already ours and we are just waiting for our Father the Champion. And you know He's coming. We may scatter for a moment like ants in the bush. We may fail and hide and some may be lost for a while. But we will reform the line, we will take up the cause again and again, and we will build this Kingdom until these silly bombs are nothing to us and we are one. Hold on to the Truth. Hold on to the Way. Hold on to Righteousness. Hold on to the Living God....He is and was and will be...
BOOM
Gaga, a young boy I am discipling and teaching to manage the base, walked with me to the main road to catch a ride to Yei. "You cannot walk this road at night," he said. "Wizards move here. The man who used to live here," he points to his left, "took his family away because they were disturbed by demons and bad dreams."....BOOM..victory for fear.
"Let the foreigners come and develop us,"...BOOM..victory for the sloth.
"We are poor and unable to develop ourselves," BOOM...victory for the liar.
"#(*#@#, where is the engineer!! I work and work to get the materials out here and the community doesn't want to come and work, then they come and the engineer doesn't show up! and who keeps standing on the toilet!"...BOOM...victory for anger.
After just under two months of being here: 2 violent suicides, 1 death from the war, 1 death from disease...BOOM..victory for the worst of them all.
We are doomed...I want to give up...honestly, I don't see how this is possible...
...but in the chaos there is a whisper of Truth and it says to us:
You can't kill the One greater than death. His Love cannot lose. Darkness will not overtake the Light. But the Truth will set us free. Bomb and bomb all you want, victory is already ours and we are just waiting for our Father the Champion. And you know He's coming. We may scatter for a moment like ants in the bush. We may fail and hide and some may be lost for a while. But we will reform the line, we will take up the cause again and again, and we will build this Kingdom until these silly bombs are nothing to us and we are one. Hold on to the Truth. Hold on to the Way. Hold on to Righteousness. Hold on to the Living God....He is and was and will be...
BOOM
Friday, May 4, 2012
Go engineer Go!!!
Racing against the rainy season, the engineer is now casting the ring beam (beam of cement on top of the walls). A few more courses of bricks after that and then the roof. Let's get these kids out of the rain!! We gained a few more skilled volunteers for the mason work and the community should be coming in large numbers this week and next to speed up the job. Meanwhile, the WDC and I are planning projects for 2012. They are going to do some worm medicine distribution soon, thanks to some funding from Abby Moore( abbyelisemoore.blogspot.com )and other donors. After that the WDC is hosting a leadership seminar...
I was sitting in a coffee shop in Yei sipping on some ethiopian goodness. Juma came in with a pastor friend of his named Henry. Henry calls me "pineapple man" because of our lush pineapple garden in Wadupe. Henry and I start talking about Wadupe and some of the problems there. We talked about the lack of good leadership and good national examples for the people to follow. We talked about how the people of South Sudan have lived so long under the care of foreign aid and government handouts that they have no concept or desire for self development. Granted, when bombs are falling and you are forced to flee, handouts are necessary to survive. Praise the Lord for the massive list of organizations that provide relief for refugees. Unfortunately bombs fell for over twenty years, leaving a whole generation of adults and young people weakened. They remained motionless in refugee camps and foreign lands for so long they lost the muscle necessary for self development. I have used the illustration with the WDC, "if you are carried like a baby forever you will never learn to walk."
It was refreshing to hear Henry, a Sudani, talk about the need for his people to learn the ways of development. These ways include sacrifice, taxation, and donations for the sake of community and state. Just getting the chiefs to understand that nothing is free and you have to work to succeed has been a mountain. One chief's comment to me: "let the Ugandans, the Kenyans, and the white people come and develop us."....and that was a chief!!! So...Leadership seminar coming to a mango tree near you, led by Henry the pastor, hosted by Pineapple Man and the WDC.
You can't blame the chief for saying that or thinking that...yet. We have to change that mentality. A capable person who sits and complains, who doesn't feed himself, who welcomes foreigners to come and "develop" his own land is simply unwise or unschooled. I shudder when I think of these people welcoming outsiders into their farm land and their precious resources. I think a world history lesson is in order.
pray for us...pray for Sudan...pray for leadership.
GOD is Greater
billy
I was sitting in a coffee shop in Yei sipping on some ethiopian goodness. Juma came in with a pastor friend of his named Henry. Henry calls me "pineapple man" because of our lush pineapple garden in Wadupe. Henry and I start talking about Wadupe and some of the problems there. We talked about the lack of good leadership and good national examples for the people to follow. We talked about how the people of South Sudan have lived so long under the care of foreign aid and government handouts that they have no concept or desire for self development. Granted, when bombs are falling and you are forced to flee, handouts are necessary to survive. Praise the Lord for the massive list of organizations that provide relief for refugees. Unfortunately bombs fell for over twenty years, leaving a whole generation of adults and young people weakened. They remained motionless in refugee camps and foreign lands for so long they lost the muscle necessary for self development. I have used the illustration with the WDC, "if you are carried like a baby forever you will never learn to walk."
It was refreshing to hear Henry, a Sudani, talk about the need for his people to learn the ways of development. These ways include sacrifice, taxation, and donations for the sake of community and state. Just getting the chiefs to understand that nothing is free and you have to work to succeed has been a mountain. One chief's comment to me: "let the Ugandans, the Kenyans, and the white people come and develop us."....and that was a chief!!! So...Leadership seminar coming to a mango tree near you, led by Henry the pastor, hosted by Pineapple Man and the WDC.
You can't blame the chief for saying that or thinking that...yet. We have to change that mentality. A capable person who sits and complains, who doesn't feed himself, who welcomes foreigners to come and "develop" his own land is simply unwise or unschooled. I shudder when I think of these people welcoming outsiders into their farm land and their precious resources. I think a world history lesson is in order.
pray for us...pray for Sudan...pray for leadership.
GOD is Greater
billy
Friday, April 27, 2012
Sit down and think a minute
The last load of building supplies bounced down the road for Wadupe yesterday!! We sent out the roofing, wood, and some extra cement. The engineer is already rolling with it. He is now getting forms built to pour the cement beam around the top of the wall. By his estimations the roof should be finished in two or three weeks. Then its just doors, windows, desks and students. It has been a long frustrating journey; thanks for being patient. How simple it would have been to lead it all myself, bring in a crew, modern machinery, and hand them a school in a few months. But the time has been worth it. The frustrations and the ups and downs, all worth it. Because it's not, and never has been, about a school.
The other day I stepped into my latrine and saw two muddy footprints on the seat. I sighed deeply and wiped them off and closed the door behind me. For the next few minutes I sat there fuming about ignorance. "Is it too hard to figure out? It looks like a seat...with a hole in it. You sit down on it, duh. Don't squat on it with your dirty feet, and then leave it dirty for the next guy." It had been week like that. One cultural thing after another that got under my skin. This was the straw that made the camel think deeply. So I did just that. The staff probably wondered why I was in the latrine so long. But the Lord was dealing with me...weird timing, but whatever.
I recalled all the things that had bothered me that week, a tactic the evil one uses to keep you angry, and then it hit me...
"The project is the people."
That man was probably thinking the whole time that I was the stupid one for raising the latrine hole up so high, and here I was getting angry because the local didn't use the foreign toilet correctly. Billy, I thought, it's not about having a clean seat, or a community that understands how to use a western style toilet. It's about laughing over our differences and celebrating our commonalities. It's about showing each other a better way to live. I could have just giggled and wiped it off. I could track him down and teach him how to use it. Or I could just use the local style latrine next to it. No need to get angry over silly things that don't matter. He got my seat dirty; I raised his hole up too high and put a plastic ring around it. But there is something greater that the local squatter and I are about. There is something much more important here than how to use a latrine. I know this is crazy...but seriously, how often do we murder people in our minds because of something that doesn't matter. The thought hit me hard, then the beans hit me, and after the whole ordeal I just felt better about life.
So as we chip away at this school, as the community struggles to understand what I mean by "develop yourself," and I struggle to understand what they mean by "I couldn't come work because I had friends over," and as we all struggle to figure out the latrine situation, we have to remember it's us and how we love each other that really matters. Love is not self seeking. Love the Lord, Love your neighbor, and laugh about everything else.
GOD is Greater
billy
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Small Update
Hey Everyone!
Billy had a quick trip into Yei this week and was not able to write a blog. He called and said he is doing good, all the supplies are bought and work has started to finish the roof! Everyone is very excited and can't wait for it to be finished. Billy said that the meetings with the WDC are going really well, and that the base is looking really beautiful. They have planted all kinds of plants and trees and the summer rains have started, making everything green and fresh. I wish I could be there!
I don't know the next time he will be in town, but hopefully he will have time to give a longer update!
lots of love
allie
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Where's The Lamb?
Happy belated Passover and Easter. I hope yours was a good as mine. After a week of working with the WDC and getting the community going again on the school, it was nice to have a day of rest and rat...???
Sunday I preached at the small church I am attending in Wadupe. After the service the men sat around and talked as the women bustled around getting lunch prepared. First, hot tea...so good. Then came the big plate. As the lady ducked under the grass roof and through the small door into the mud hut I prayed, "Lord, thank you for dying and coming back to life. You are all powerfull and full of love. Please don't let that plate have dried fish in it." And don't you know He is so great. That plate indeed had no dried fish(dried fish is the one thing I absolutely hate about Sudan. It's fish that has sat out in the sun to dry. It's rotten and horrible and you have to eat all the little bones. Mothers should make their kids eat it when they say bad things). I looked at the mangled hunk of brown meat in front of me and thought, "maybe it's passover lamb."
"It's bush rat" said Rufus.
Ohhh...good, 'cause I...love me some bush rat.
I had just about stomached it down. My hands were shaking. I wondered if this is what Paul meant by suffering for Christ. But I could see the light. A few more bites and the deed was done. Plop. Plop. Two dried, stinky, rotten fish dropped right on top of my last bite of rat...sigh...(quietly mixing food around so it looks like I ate it)...deep breath..no way around it. Bones and all. I imagined Allie sitting on the dirt floor with a big plate of rat and rotten fish in front of her."I should probably start on a plan 'B'", I thought...(for the food, not the girl).
All joking aside, I love Wadupe; I love the sweet people who give me extra helpings of rotten fish because they love me; I love the children who stand around my windows and whisper like they are at the "white man" exhibit at the zoo; I love the relaxed way of fellowhip they are teaching me; and most of all I love the smiles on the faces when they see a little clearer that a better Wadupe is possible.
Bush rat and fish are a small price to pay to be here letting people know there is hope. Much Love
billy
(mom: sweet tea, fried chicken, apple pie etc...june 7th, you know the drill)
Sunday I preached at the small church I am attending in Wadupe. After the service the men sat around and talked as the women bustled around getting lunch prepared. First, hot tea...so good. Then came the big plate. As the lady ducked under the grass roof and through the small door into the mud hut I prayed, "Lord, thank you for dying and coming back to life. You are all powerfull and full of love. Please don't let that plate have dried fish in it." And don't you know He is so great. That plate indeed had no dried fish(dried fish is the one thing I absolutely hate about Sudan. It's fish that has sat out in the sun to dry. It's rotten and horrible and you have to eat all the little bones. Mothers should make their kids eat it when they say bad things). I looked at the mangled hunk of brown meat in front of me and thought, "maybe it's passover lamb."
"It's bush rat" said Rufus.
Ohhh...good, 'cause I...love me some bush rat.
I had just about stomached it down. My hands were shaking. I wondered if this is what Paul meant by suffering for Christ. But I could see the light. A few more bites and the deed was done. Plop. Plop. Two dried, stinky, rotten fish dropped right on top of my last bite of rat...sigh...(quietly mixing food around so it looks like I ate it)...deep breath..no way around it. Bones and all. I imagined Allie sitting on the dirt floor with a big plate of rat and rotten fish in front of her."I should probably start on a plan 'B'", I thought...(for the food, not the girl).
All joking aside, I love Wadupe; I love the sweet people who give me extra helpings of rotten fish because they love me; I love the children who stand around my windows and whisper like they are at the "white man" exhibit at the zoo; I love the relaxed way of fellowhip they are teaching me; and most of all I love the smiles on the faces when they see a little clearer that a better Wadupe is possible.
Bush rat and fish are a small price to pay to be here letting people know there is hope. Much Love
billy
(mom: sweet tea, fried chicken, apple pie etc...june 7th, you know the drill)
Thursday, April 5, 2012
the work is beginning!
Hey everyone! It is allie again.
Billy called this morning (woke me up actually) to say hello and ask me to write another blog for him. He had a whole beautiful one written and the internet connection went out RIGHT before he went to save and post it. Bummer! He is in Yei right now buying supplies needed to finish the school, and plans to return to Wadupe tomorrow morning. The village is holding a meeting to organize the final stages of finishing the school's walls and roof! How exciting!! Billy is confident that the building will be completely finished in the next two months.
It was so sweet to hear his voice. He is doing well, and again, appreciates all the prayers.
until next time!
allie
Billy called this morning (woke me up actually) to say hello and ask me to write another blog for him. He had a whole beautiful one written and the internet connection went out RIGHT before he went to save and post it. Bummer! He is in Yei right now buying supplies needed to finish the school, and plans to return to Wadupe tomorrow morning. The village is holding a meeting to organize the final stages of finishing the school's walls and roof! How exciting!! Billy is confident that the building will be completely finished in the next two months.
It was so sweet to hear his voice. He is doing well, and again, appreciates all the prayers.
until next time!
allie
Sunday, April 1, 2012
Wadupe
Hey Everyone, this is Allie (Billy's lucky future wife) ;)
Billy's internet access is pretty limited, so when necessary he asked me post small updates on how everything is going.
So! Update #1 from me:
He has arrived safe and sound in the village. The Wadupe Development Committee was so excited to have him back, and the conversations and ideas have already started flowing. Billy said it is so good to be back in South Sudan. He is loving the food, the smells, the sights. And as much as we all miss him over here, I know he is exactly where he should be. So, thanks for all your prayers. They are greatly appreciated.
Hopefully Billy will be able to post again in the next week or so.
with love,
allie
Billy's internet access is pretty limited, so when necessary he asked me post small updates on how everything is going.
So! Update #1 from me:
He has arrived safe and sound in the village. The Wadupe Development Committee was so excited to have him back, and the conversations and ideas have already started flowing. Billy said it is so good to be back in South Sudan. He is loving the food, the smells, the sights. And as much as we all miss him over here, I know he is exactly where he should be. So, thanks for all your prayers. They are greatly appreciated.
Hopefully Billy will be able to post again in the next week or so.
with love,
allie
Friday, March 23, 2012
Here and There
Hello all...
i arrived in kampala a few days ago. i finally got my visa for sudan yesterday and im taking the bus up to arua this morning. Then i'll be in sudan the next day. i am battling one of the worst cases of jetlag i have ever had, probably due to the fact that i dont have anyone here to keep me awake during the day. so pray that i'll get my days and nights straight.
funny story:
it has been nice getting back to africa after being gone a year. everyday i remember something i love about it. one of my favorite things about africa is the language barrier. only because it makes for hilarious conversations sometimes. yesterday at dinner my waitress wanted to ask me if i wanted a bowl of soup. however, she pronounced it a bowel of soup. i chuckled to myself and replied, no thank you, no soupy bowels for me. of course i have to keep in mind this lady is speaking a second, maybe a third or fourth, language.
everything is going well. the bus ride today will be long, but tomorrow i'll be in sudan. thank you all for your prayers. much Love
billy
i arrived in kampala a few days ago. i finally got my visa for sudan yesterday and im taking the bus up to arua this morning. Then i'll be in sudan the next day. i am battling one of the worst cases of jetlag i have ever had, probably due to the fact that i dont have anyone here to keep me awake during the day. so pray that i'll get my days and nights straight.
funny story:
it has been nice getting back to africa after being gone a year. everyday i remember something i love about it. one of my favorite things about africa is the language barrier. only because it makes for hilarious conversations sometimes. yesterday at dinner my waitress wanted to ask me if i wanted a bowl of soup. however, she pronounced it a bowel of soup. i chuckled to myself and replied, no thank you, no soupy bowels for me. of course i have to keep in mind this lady is speaking a second, maybe a third or fourth, language.
everything is going well. the bus ride today will be long, but tomorrow i'll be in sudan. thank you all for your prayers. much Love
billy
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Spring
Where I am going there will be no blossoming cherry trees and no flowers to mark the changing season; no gentle April showers and no extremely white people soaking up the sun again. Where I am going there will be red dirt, strange but familiar smells, and a heat that forces everyone to the shade of the giant mango trees. There will be thick greenery and heavy rains; and there will be at least one extremely white guy living in a village of very black Sudanese. My legs are jumpy and my hands are restless. Finally.
It has been over a year since I was last with my friends in Wadupe. I miss them dearly. I can't wait for a hug from Rufus and Marchello and Juma's big white smile; and the many many handshakes that are to come in the next week. I can't wait to hear the kids whispering as they stare through the window in my tukul, then scream and run away when I poke my head out. I am leaving this evening. Pray for me if you remember.
Rufus and the gang (Wadupe Development Committee) have been working hard in my absence. With the budget I left them in December of 2010 they have finished the school latrines, sent three young men to the city for more education, conducted a teacher training seminar, raised the walls of the new school building, and built a chicken house. These men have caught the vision and are working together to develop Wadupe.
This trip the Development Committee will update me on their progress, share their ideas for the future, and together we will organize the community projects they chose for this year. We will put the roof on the school and put chickens in the chicken house. We will work on our farm and the library, and try to develop ways to improve our work. We will always study the Word, encourage the Christians to follow the Way, and we will pray and fight against the dark spiritual oppression that weighs on Wadupe.
These people are growing. Hope is growing. And this growth is what happens when love meets potential; when hope meets the faithful; and when the church supports one another. Thank you for the prayers, the donations, and the encouragement. Be excited! a new season is near.
GOD is Greater
It has been over a year since I was last with my friends in Wadupe. I miss them dearly. I can't wait for a hug from Rufus and Marchello and Juma's big white smile; and the many many handshakes that are to come in the next week. I can't wait to hear the kids whispering as they stare through the window in my tukul, then scream and run away when I poke my head out. I am leaving this evening. Pray for me if you remember.
Rufus and the gang (Wadupe Development Committee) have been working hard in my absence. With the budget I left them in December of 2010 they have finished the school latrines, sent three young men to the city for more education, conducted a teacher training seminar, raised the walls of the new school building, and built a chicken house. These men have caught the vision and are working together to develop Wadupe.
This trip the Development Committee will update me on their progress, share their ideas for the future, and together we will organize the community projects they chose for this year. We will put the roof on the school and put chickens in the chicken house. We will work on our farm and the library, and try to develop ways to improve our work. We will always study the Word, encourage the Christians to follow the Way, and we will pray and fight against the dark spiritual oppression that weighs on Wadupe.
These people are growing. Hope is growing. And this growth is what happens when love meets potential; when hope meets the faithful; and when the church supports one another. Thank you for the prayers, the donations, and the encouragement. Be excited! a new season is near.
GOD is Greater
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Changes Changes
Last September Derrick and I sat down to decide if we would continue on with Why The Woods or call it quits. We both felt that we had started a good work in Wadupe and that our method of development was innovative and unique. We felt like it would be a disservice to Wadupe and to you guys if we simply walked away from it. So we decided to continue on. We wanted to take our work to the next level. But, as we sat at a table looking over my scribbled notebook of ideas, which held valuable information about the future and past of Why The Woods, we realized my sticky-note organization skills just don't cut it anymore. We needed help.
Welcome Ashleigh Stroot. The day prior to my and Derrick's meeting a lady I have known for a few years randomly approached me at a coffee shop to ask about my work in Sudan. She had followed us for a while and wanted to know what we were up to. After talking a while she informed me that she is getting a master's degree in non-profit management and was looking for a small local non-profit to help. Bingo.
Now: our group has grown from three(Derrick, Katie, and Me) to four; we have revamped the mission statement, vision statement, and our entire organization. Katie has decided to turn over the treasurer role to our newest board member Kristin Trivette. A huge thanks to Katie for humbly serving us since the beginning...and keeping me out of trouble. Derrick, Ashleigh, Kristin, and I are working each week to revamp Why The Woods, better organize our efforts and help grow the organization. Basically we are putting all my sticky-notes, napkin pieces, and scrap papers of wild imagination into legible writing and storing it all neatly on Ashleigh's computer. It's a lot of fun.
Now for the biggest change....we are changing the name. So sad, but the time of Why The What? What the Woods? Wine to Woods? etc. has come to an end. We have a few options we are throwing around and hope to launch the new name/website before I leave the country on the 18th. Wish us luck.
Another big change...we are relocating from Mocksville to Boone. I am looking at office space soon and we are currently changing the address. Pray for us as we go through a lot of legalities and paperwork. Stay tuned for a Wadupe update and the upcoming newness. We are excited that this simmering vision will soon begin to grow.
GOD is Greater
billy
Welcome Ashleigh Stroot. The day prior to my and Derrick's meeting a lady I have known for a few years randomly approached me at a coffee shop to ask about my work in Sudan. She had followed us for a while and wanted to know what we were up to. After talking a while she informed me that she is getting a master's degree in non-profit management and was looking for a small local non-profit to help. Bingo.
Now: our group has grown from three(Derrick, Katie, and Me) to four; we have revamped the mission statement, vision statement, and our entire organization. Katie has decided to turn over the treasurer role to our newest board member Kristin Trivette. A huge thanks to Katie for humbly serving us since the beginning...and keeping me out of trouble. Derrick, Ashleigh, Kristin, and I are working each week to revamp Why The Woods, better organize our efforts and help grow the organization. Basically we are putting all my sticky-notes, napkin pieces, and scrap papers of wild imagination into legible writing and storing it all neatly on Ashleigh's computer. It's a lot of fun.
Now for the biggest change....we are changing the name. So sad, but the time of Why The What? What the Woods? Wine to Woods? etc. has come to an end. We have a few options we are throwing around and hope to launch the new name/website before I leave the country on the 18th. Wish us luck.
Another big change...we are relocating from Mocksville to Boone. I am looking at office space soon and we are currently changing the address. Pray for us as we go through a lot of legalities and paperwork. Stay tuned for a Wadupe update and the upcoming newness. We are excited that this simmering vision will soon begin to grow.
GOD is Greater
billy
Thursday, March 1, 2012
out of the woods
it's been a while...
no more hiding...
no more resting...
im ready to begin again.
2010...on my last trip to sudan my world was rocked. my pride was crushed and i was faced with the fact that i need to grow up. i wasn't the man i thought i was and that's a good thing. the fall of 2010 i lost the love of my life due to insensitivity and arrogance. i ran off to sudan like an adventurous hero. and there i was faced with the ugly side of my own mortality. what i mean by that, is that i realized i was wrong(in many areas of my life). i realized i was a child and needed to learn a few things about real life...
i truly apologize to anyone who emailed me and didn't get a response in the past year. im truly sorry to anyone i have offended with my going off the grid. im sorry to those i offended when i talked negatively about college or working a normal job. i apologize for leaving people wondering what's happening in wadupe and with "why the woods." i know people really care and they/you deserve to know because they/you invested in my life and this work. and to anyone who could see me then rebelling against school, church, and responsibility...2010 was a rough fall. thank you to those who helped me through it.
2011...i was quiet...i worked a retail job in boone...i lived, i paid bills, and i realized that im no exception to anything. it was, in a weird way, the best year of my life. i did nothing that would be considered special. i wasn't a football champion, i wasn't a public speaker or the leader of a cool non-profit, i was a salesman at a store in boone for 9 bucks an hour just to make ends meet. it was real. it was humbling. and im sorry for ever thinking it was a waste of time or an ignoble way of life. it may be the most honorable and best way of life: to work and eat and provide...and make a difference in the community around you.
2012...im engaged to be married to that girl i lost; not by my own power, or my charm...oh how i tried to win her back...but by the grace of Jesus. it took a long period of dying to my self, being quiet, and growth before the Lord brought us back together in a beautiful way. im still growing, im still learning, and i realize that process will continue for the rest of my life. im incapable of managing this thing i called "why the woods." but this thing is a good thing. and that's why derrick and i decided to keep at it.
in the midst of my quiet year the roots of wtw have grown deeper. we are building a team, building a stronger foundation for the organization, and making great changes, which i will explain soon. we are all very excited.
im on my way back to sudan, march 18th...ill be there until june 7th. please pray for me and my fiance, allie, who will remain in boone at asu's nursing school and finish planning our wedding(july 7th).
if this email is weird and you have no clue what im talking about..that's ok. i needed to say it...in any case, i'll blog again very soon and explain the new changes for why the woods.
it's good to be back.
GOD is Greater
no more hiding...
no more resting...
im ready to begin again.
2010...on my last trip to sudan my world was rocked. my pride was crushed and i was faced with the fact that i need to grow up. i wasn't the man i thought i was and that's a good thing. the fall of 2010 i lost the love of my life due to insensitivity and arrogance. i ran off to sudan like an adventurous hero. and there i was faced with the ugly side of my own mortality. what i mean by that, is that i realized i was wrong(in many areas of my life). i realized i was a child and needed to learn a few things about real life...
i truly apologize to anyone who emailed me and didn't get a response in the past year. im truly sorry to anyone i have offended with my going off the grid. im sorry to those i offended when i talked negatively about college or working a normal job. i apologize for leaving people wondering what's happening in wadupe and with "why the woods." i know people really care and they/you deserve to know because they/you invested in my life and this work. and to anyone who could see me then rebelling against school, church, and responsibility...2010 was a rough fall. thank you to those who helped me through it.
2011...i was quiet...i worked a retail job in boone...i lived, i paid bills, and i realized that im no exception to anything. it was, in a weird way, the best year of my life. i did nothing that would be considered special. i wasn't a football champion, i wasn't a public speaker or the leader of a cool non-profit, i was a salesman at a store in boone for 9 bucks an hour just to make ends meet. it was real. it was humbling. and im sorry for ever thinking it was a waste of time or an ignoble way of life. it may be the most honorable and best way of life: to work and eat and provide...and make a difference in the community around you.
2012...im engaged to be married to that girl i lost; not by my own power, or my charm...oh how i tried to win her back...but by the grace of Jesus. it took a long period of dying to my self, being quiet, and growth before the Lord brought us back together in a beautiful way. im still growing, im still learning, and i realize that process will continue for the rest of my life. im incapable of managing this thing i called "why the woods." but this thing is a good thing. and that's why derrick and i decided to keep at it.
in the midst of my quiet year the roots of wtw have grown deeper. we are building a team, building a stronger foundation for the organization, and making great changes, which i will explain soon. we are all very excited.
im on my way back to sudan, march 18th...ill be there until june 7th. please pray for me and my fiance, allie, who will remain in boone at asu's nursing school and finish planning our wedding(july 7th).
if this email is weird and you have no clue what im talking about..that's ok. i needed to say it...in any case, i'll blog again very soon and explain the new changes for why the woods.
it's good to be back.
GOD is Greater
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
