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
Friday, March 23, 2012
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
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