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

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

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)

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

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