WhyTheWoods

OK...GO GO GO!

2011-01-05T11:36:00.005-05:00

Go into the wilderness and learn who you are. Go into the darkness and learn to love the light. Go amongst people and learn how to help. The main thing about foreign and/or local missions is to LEARN first, second, and third. Why The Woods went into Wadupe with a plan based on what we had previously learned about the village. But if learning never stops, then vision always grows, and plans are constantly improved. As we get deeper and deeper into the community (Wadupe) through personal interaction we learn more about the people and what they really need. In my last blog I talked about how the community didn't understand the project (primary school construction) and that they had largely rejected the task ahead. Surprised by this, Derrick and I hit our knees asking for direction and wisdom. What we learned is that we had overlooked the basic need of every human, thus we had overlooked the primary need for this project. We had assumed they already knew that all life, hope, and strength is from GOD and not from this world. But, Wadupe is human. They want money. They fear failure. They want to live well. Sounds a lot like me. But what I learned about myself on this trip...I need GOD first; so does Wadupe. "Seek and you will find."

Over time the volunteers dwindled down to five men. Refusing to give up, I focused my attention on these faithful five and we refocused our plan. We put the school construction on hold and focused on developing the Wadupe Development Committee. First we learned how to start and run a CBO (Community Based Organization). I worked with Rufus Anyibu, teaching him how to be a chairman for this community organization. I taught him how to plan and run a board meeting; how to make connections in town that may help develop and implement future projects; and how to mobilize the community. I worked with Michael Wake, Joseph Sebit, John Longutu, and Marchello Lugala, teaching them the duties of secretary, treasurer, vice chairman, and community relations. We all went through the book of Nehemiah and Matthew 4,5,6,7 to learn what GOD's word says about character, conduct, and work ethic. We were always reminded that faith in GOD is the life force of this project.

Second, we began assessing the needs of Wadupe in the realms of Spirit, Mind, and Body(physical). Through teachings about the basic, secondary, and advanced needs of humans, and some basic teachings about sustainability, the WDC began to think more realistically and showed maturity. For example: They started the lessons by asking me to buy them a tractor (the solution to all their problems, they thought). At the end of the trip they were asking for agricultural training instead. I was able to explain that for a community to get the point that it can operate and sustain something like a tractor there has to be a large foundation of knowledge and development. In other words,I told them, you don't need me to give you a tractor, you need to learn to survive on your own, to be educated on your own, and to develop yourselves economically to the point of obtaining and sustaining your own tractor. That is the story of every successful nation. How long was America a nation before it's people developed into tractor drivers, and how many foreigners came and built our nation for us? Answer: We built America ourselves, and it took a long time, but that is why we stand tall and strong. Every structure begins with a foundation. A tree begins with roots. Without roots it dries up and topples over. So many African aid projects have done just that. I want to develop the root system in this community. That may mean, as I learned on this trip, I have to work with five people and not the mass community. It may mean the school building will take years rather than weeks. I can see now why Jesus worked with 12. The masses just won't get it...yet. Just like the 12 changed the world, I believe over time these five will change their community.

The WDC was given a budget of 3000$ for 2011. With that they have selected and developed 7 community projects. They have also taken over the mobilization and construction of the primary school. Why The Woods is providing the construction materials and the Sudanese engineer for oversight. The WDC is mobilizing the community to either come and build or to pay for builders through taxation. Either way the school will be built by each member of that community, not by a white guy from the sky. In the end Why The Woods is developing five men. That may seem disappointing to donors. But in the end, five men can change eternity. A brick building will never do that.

My next trip to Wadupe will be to assess the WDC, their progress, and the school. Pray that they will have strength and wisdom to stay the course. Pray that they will see the Light of Jesus and run towards it heart, soul, and mind. Pray that GOD will bless their faithfulness and diligence. Pray especially for the upcoming referendum that could bring more war and killing.

Thanks for Reading. Much Love

Ready! Set! Whoa...

2010-10-27T05:41:00.004-04:00

We have dug the footing and laid the iron bars. We are ready to pour the cement and start raising the walls. Funds, drawings, materials, and everything we need is ready. Except one thing. One thing that money won’t buy and I can’t force. Faith. This one key element has brought the construction to a grinding halt. I told the community from day one the school wouldn’t be built by a construction crew from outside, or anyone paid by Why The Woods because that would undermine the whole project and in effect create the very problem I am combating: dependency. I told them they would be the ones to build their own school. I have recently learned that what they thought I meant by “build your own school” was that they would just do what the other NGO’s require of the Africans: collect natural materials and help mix the cement “so they feel like they have ownership.” They were quite shocked when they finished gathering all the sand and stones and I explained that now they were actually going to build the school. The whole school. They say it can’t be them because they are simple, uneducated farmers and this project needs skilled, paid workers. To which I remind them that A)they don’t know what this type of construction needs because they’ve never built like this, B)the Israelites that built the wall around Jerusalem were also simple farmers, not professional builders, C)GOD is Greater than our inabilities.

As I have said many times, the project is the people. If it were about the school building it would obviously make sense to bring in a crew or a few builders to do the hard stuff. But my whole point with this project is to push the Wadupe mindset past the idea that they can’t do great things for themselves; to breed Hope when they see what they can do through the strength of GOD; and to create a community of dreamers, thinkers, and doers, rather than a village of beggars. We have tried to preach this idea to them. I have given so many of what I call “Obama speeches”(encouraging, fluffy, optimistic, etc) I can’t count them anymore. We have learned that no matter how many speeches we give, how many times we explain it to them, or how many comparisons we make with the Bible, they just don’t believe they can do it. For a while we were stumped. Frustrated. What do we do now? We never thought they wouldn’t want to build the school. I imagined a crowd of eager volunteers every day. I thought the hard part in all this would be getting the funds. But, to keep in line with the Why The Woods imagery, a tree starts with a seed, not logs and limbs and leaves. This seed, this faith in GOD, we thought was already here, we now realize dried up a long time ago. There is a spiritual darkness in this place, apathy towards GOD, and a strong faith in money and appearance. They are afraid of failure. They are paralyzed. They only see the wind and the waves (Matt 14). So although the surface needs are met by providing materials and instruction, there is a deeper spiritual need we must address. We cannot ignore it for the sake of producing a building. They will remain empty if we do.

Last Friday a group of 13 people from YWAM (Youth With A Mission) came to stay with us in Wadupe. For the next five weeks Why The Woods is playing host and informant as this group focuses on bringing the Spirit of GOD back to Wadupe.
Derrick and I are praying and fasting for this village. We are helping YWAM conduct outreach activities and seminars for the community. We pray they will believe again in the one true GOD. We pray they will see that through Him they “can do all things.” We pray that they will believe in this project and see how it will change their future for the better. In just a few days of YWAM being there we have already seen a renewed interest in building the school. There are a few who believe it can be done. So they are coming. I say let the few who believe in His strength build the school. Let those who don’t be ashamed when they see what GOD did here. We hope to restart the construction later this week or early next week. Please pray for those that believe and work, that they will be an example to those who don’t.

Wadupe Update

2010-10-06T04:27:00.002-04:00

I finally got to a place with internet today. I have been in the village mostly working on the foundation for the school and haven't had a chance to travel to Yei. My dad spent two weeks out here with us and truly enjoyed the trip. The whole village called him Dad and they loved meeting him. Derrick and I are doing well and have made some good progress with the project. I will blog again very soon with the details of our progress and struggles. Much Love

GOD is Greater

Veneer

2010-09-09T18:34:00.003-04:00

Once a week I join the citizens of Wadupe and walk almost three miles up to the main road. The walk leaves my feet dirty and my shirt sweaty. An hour later we stop where the Wadupe road meets the big dusty vein of commerce. To my right, Uganda is a day’s walk. Down that road terrified families once fled this place. To the left, a Toyota Land Cruiser could get me to Yei Town in 30 minutes. However, I rarely score a ride in a Land Cruiser. Market days are the best days to hitch a ride to Yei because there is generally more traffic. By the time I get there the market is already busy with gossip and trade. I get some peanuts and bananas and wait to catch an empty seat in a passing matatu or taxi. My favorite is when I get to ride to town on top of a truck loaded with people and sacks of beans or charcoal. I crawl up and squeeze in between the bewildered Africans. Some have heard about the white man who lives in Wadupe, the others are confused and entertained at the sight. I find a rope or something to grip for the next 15 miles(about 1 hour) and hold on. In the sun we sway and bounce down the red road cut through the deep green grass sprinkled with mango, papaya, and banana trees. I see brown skinned people along the way greeting neighbors, carrying goods to market, or fetching water. About 5 miles down the road I pass one of the saddest things I have ever seen in Sudan. In fact it has been a huge influence on Why The Woods.
As we crawl through a small village I fight negative thoughts when I see their primary health center. It sticks out of the landscape with cement walls and a shiny metal roof—a high commodity in this area, and quite a logistical accomplishment for whoever built it. No doubt Sudan is in much need of health care on any level. But, I am sad because this beautiful building sits empty—doors locked—teasing our eyes with the idea of progress; teasing us with the image of life saving healthcare when nothing but quiet darkness fills the cement rooms. I don’t know the story, I don’t know the reason, and I don’t wish to blame anyone but ignorance or circumstance. In fact I only want to use this image, not this particular building or organization, as an example of what must change.
The long gone organization that built this building in delusional hopes of helping these people is remembered only by the sign that marks their work. The building is so prominent and so commanding in this village of mud and grass. Yet, its strong shell is merely a quiet whisper of change—a gloom more than a hope. It’s a sad reminder that they [the Sudanese] weren’t heard, they weren’t helped, and nothing about their lives is different now. It’s sad to think of the resources that were used to merely change the landscape—the surface of this village. I fear in this instance we have misconstrued the meaning of “community,” “happiness,” and “need.”
I ask myself as I ride through, “What is my project…what is my purpose?” Can we place our veneer over this world and walk away? We have rushed to the aid of a country torn apart by war and tried desperately to rebuild. What we don’t realize is that what was destroyed in the war were people, not buildings. People are what we need to rebuild. The Why The Woods approach to rebuilding people is to inspire Love, Hope, and Knowledge. It seems easier to just look around and say, duh, they need a health center, let’s be proactive and build one. But that CAN’T be the first step. We must slow down and acknowledge the people first. Let us ask them, let us know them, let us understand them, and then let us empower them. Let them develop their own appearance. In the case of Wadupe, they have decided to rebuild their school. They may need material help, and that we can do well. But what good is another empty building built by another foreign group. Love has connected me with that village; a seed of Hope has been planted in their hearts and minds; new Knowledge is expanding their capacity; now, we are physically assisting them as they build. I refuse to merely change the surface and ignore the truth…the People are my project…His Love is my purpose.

"Why Don't They Just Farm?"

2010-08-28T16:13:00.004-04:00

“So, why don't they just farm?"
I get asked this question a lot concerning the people of Wadupe and Africa in general. It’s a very logical question and I certainly don’t blame anyone for asking it. It seems the solution to Wadupe’s poverty is simple—good soil, hard work, and a market economy. If we could only teach them that they would be better off, right? We Americans are very industrious people. We see a problem, we form a solution, and we get to work; as a result we succeed in this world. We know that farming was and still is a huge part of America’s success, so it’s logical to ask "why don't they just farm?" It makes perfect sense…
* * *
The soil in Wadupe is as black as the volcanic rock it covers. One could almost plant thoughts and dreams and see green shoots the next day. A few days ago(July) I plunged my hoe into the soft ground. I was barefoot and naive. I had never hoed a garden before but I figured it couldn't be too hard to scratch out a few lines and plant some Pineapples. After churning the ground like a crazed human plow a few gracious friends stopped me from killing myself. They quietly asked if they could try and took the hoe from my hands. I couldn’t imagine what they could do to improve on my fine rows of pineapple suckers, but I have learned this routine all too well—try hard, realize I failed miserably, and then watch how the locals do it. I rested the pinching muscles in my back and rubbed the new blisters on my hands while they dug. Apparently farming is different in Sudan.
Wadupe used to be covered with huge farms. Fields of coffee plants stretched for acres through the Mugwo Mountain valley. Then, years ago…bombs dropped on their families and soldiers crept through the grass. Bullets pulverized their infrastructure; fire consumed whole properties. Their world ended and the Wadupe people scattered to neighboring countries with literally nothing but their native language. Injustice, by the name of Government, let evil men destroy the green growth of Wadupe. Hate had killed their progress. Sudan’s 21 years of war (almost my entire life) left this community with nothing but scars—scars like plowed marks across their black land; scars on their skin, scars on their hearts and minds, scars that might answer many of our questions if we are willing to listen.
After the war people returned to their homelands the same way they went out—with nothing but a common language. Under the mountain they found a new Wadupe. Crops were stolen, fields were burned, and the people who had not fled were dead or dying. The soldiers of both armies had plundered the whole area for food and slaves. The black soil in Wadupe was indifferent through it all; it nourished crops and weeds alike. It fed enemy and ally. It was destroyed by fighting and destroyed by peace. For years after the fighting the land sat untouched and uncultivated. When the former refugees returned to their farmland they found the African bush had taken over what the war had left behind.
* * *
In a sense we are right, they should “just farm.” But as the once successful farmer stands and looks at the rubble of his life, he wonders if dying or killing would have been a better way. However right we may or may not be about what they should or could do we formed our solution standing on American soil; we must understand that our solutions don’t always work for other worlds. If we don’t fully know their problems we can’t fully know the solution. In my opinion we have no right to tell a Wadupe farmer that the solution to his problems is farming. We have never farmed there. We don’t know his challenges. We don’t know his history. We don’t even know his name. Americans have such a great approach to problem solving; it is one that I am trying to implement in Wadupe using the story of Nehemiah—Pray, Prioritize, Plan, Work. I don’t think we should change our industrious mindset. It is a powerful tool that could really help this world. However, we must change our perspective. We fail when we say, Pray this way, Plan this way, Work this way. We must remember that “they” live in a different world than we. It is difficult for anyone to farm when your own government drops bombs on you.
In Wadupe I wanted a plot of pineapples, but first I had to learn how to make things grow there. I thought little black rows, a foot deep and a foot wide would look beautiful next to my house. And they probably would have—until the first big rain. In fact, my American garden was of no use in Wadupe. I learned from my friends that only rows a yard wide, piled two-feet high, would withstand the rainy season. In Wadupe I have to daily check my pride and remind myself that I am like a baby in that culture--barely able to speak or feed myself, and certainly not able to make a proper Wadupe garden. When we come at the world from the top down, bringing our answers and solutions to those “below” us, we risk oppressing the people we are trying to help. Only through a humble approach can we deeply impact another culture. The Why The Woods approach to the world is to be like water—slowly seeping into the lives of the poor and hopeless in order to nourish and empower. I was elated when I found this quote by Lao-Tzu: "The best [man] is like water. Water is good; it benefits all things...It dwells in [lowly] places that all disdain." Like our GOD who came and walked amongst us, we must first become like babes. We must listen and learn; We must seep low and deep; We must empower and nurture.

Life In Wadupe

2010-07-09T00:43:00.004-04:00

I wake up at around 6 AM to birds and soft rain drops. I walk outside and stand beneath a young acacia tree in my front yard. I circled it with big stones last summer, and planted small purple flowers in the circle this summer. The stones make a nice morning seat. The sun rises over the Wadupe mountain, through the mango and acacia trees, and into the few clouds left over from last night. I breath in and soak up the life that radiates from the new grass, the new trees, the new flowers, the breeze. Everything is waking. Everything is gentle. GOD is painting this morning; He wants us to be quiet for a little while.

When the sun gets just over the trees, and begins to turn up its volume, I wake up Allie and Abby for morning tea. My pet monkey rides on my shoulder, or in my arms depending on his mood, as we walk down the path to the churchyard where the cooks have prepared hot water. Juma John, my newly hired base manager greets us with his wide Sudanese smile. He is a blessing from GOD. Juma updates us on the World Cup results, I struggle like a young parent to keep baby Monkey's curious hands off the table, Allie and Abby savor every sip of their african tea.

The girls work on various projects such as tidying the house, slashing the grass(cutting the grass with short metal sickles), painting our porch poles to discourage termites, or playing with the children who wander down our path. Allie and Abby spend the day with them teaching them English words and learning Kakwa in exchange. We even taught a few girls how to make bracelets out of colored thread which we bought back from them to help with their school fees.

There is one nine year old girl that we especially enjoy named Ena Estella. Ena has sass, or as we like to call it, "ENAtude." She looks at us white people like we are crazy with her hands on her hips, her lips poked out and one eyebrow cocked. She refuses to be intimidated by some crazy white people in her village. She dances like she owns the place and no boy is brave enough to push her around. We can't get enough of her smile and her laugh. (See the link to "Allie's Blog" for a picture of ENA). But we noticed in the past few days that Ena hasn't been her normal spicy self. She has coughing spells that come from deep in her chest and a fever that comes and goes. So when we hitched our weekly ride to Yei on top of a passing dump truck, loaded with sacks of beans and people, Ena was with us. She had walked the three miles to the main road, fever and all, with a proud strut, not at all afraid that the white people were taking her to town for the night. When we got to Yei, we took her to the compound where we stay. She flicked the lights "on" and laughed, "off," and laughed again. She put her hands in and out of the freezer then pressed them to her face. She first thought the shower was a latrine, but when Abby turned on the overhead water to wash away Ena's mistake, her clothes went flying and we could hear her laughing as she splashed the water all over her. The actual latrine was weird for her at first. She fell completely into the porcelain toilet. She laughed like we were the dumb ones for having such a weird thing, but again Abby helped her figure it out. The clinic gave us several types of medicine to help with her fever, the cough, and a de-worming pill. Yesterday she taught us a card game and fussed at us when we made mistakes. It's hard not knowing each other's language yet, but Ena doesn't need words.

A few weeks ago we established the Wadupe Development Committee. I am leading them in a Bible study twice a week that focuses on the book of Nehemiah. Through this study the committee is learning how to assess a need, develop a plan, count the costs, and write a proposal. I am showing the community that even a slave to the enemy king can do an impossible project if GOD is behind it. We are also learning the value of praying and planning before acting or asking. We have had great turnouts (20-70 people depending on the weather) and the people are asking really thoughtful questions. My hope is that one day the community will have the knowledge and the confidence to do their own development projects.

During the week the community gathers to collect stones and river sand that will be used when we pour the foundation for the school. In two days they collected enough stones to build a small castle. Just when we were about to begin collecting river sand, we had a full day of floodwater rains and the wooden bridge that connects Wadupe to the main road was washed away. Only two timbers remain for us to walk across. Until that gets fixed no vehicles can pass.

Please pray that the bridge will be repaired soon and that we will get the foundation ready before I return to the States for the month of August.

On Graduating...By Request of Caesar

2010-06-07T06:05:00.010-04:00

Three years ago I told my mom college could wait and I left for Africa. It was the best decision I ever made. I told her a degree is just following a system of rules and check boxes. The University says I must pass biology. Check. The University says I must pass math class. Check. The University says I must take a "humanities" class. Check. Do I learn anything? It doesn't matter. I do what "They" say, then I get a degree to show the world. Pat me on the back and give me a job, I must be smarter and more equipped than most.
I wasn't buying that.
"Where's the truth in it?" I said. "So what if I have a degree, does that make me a better man?"

"It's just something to you have to do if you want to get anywhere in America," mom said.
That argument didn't do much for a guy who writes emails from a hut in Africa.

"I don't care what America thinks of me. I only care what God thinks of me. And I don't see where He requires a degree."

"Billy, please."
I can push my mom to the edge sometimes, but dang if she doesn't hang on and eventually win me over. Like a good son stumbling into church on Mother's Day, I came back from Africa and followed the religion of University. I read the text books, I followed the major rules, I went to class about as often as I went to church, and it seemed to be enough.

On May 9th, 2010 I sat in the back of the Appalachian State Convocation Center waiting for my name to be called. It was the second Sunday in May. There were moms, dads, families, and friends all cheering us on. An uncontrollable energy exploded from beneath our bachelor's caps. I watched the celebration with a peaceful smile. Not because I now had a respectable degree. I still think a certificate of any kind is secondary to what is most important in life. I smiled not because my mom was proud of me on this Mother's Day. I knew she would've been regardless. I smiled because in those last few days of class I found truth in the college experience.
College was easy or hard. College was beneficial or a waste of time. College was valuable knowledge or useless information. College was dead religion or alive and renewing. College was all shallow and no truth or the deepest I have ever ventured. College existed as good and bad and then allowed me to choose how to experience each moment. Maybe that's what the almighty "They" had in mind when they told me to take those "irrelevant" classes. Maybe they knew it's more about how I approach a thing rather than the thing itself. Is college necessary? Some would say no; some would say yes. I say necessity is none of my concern. I found it good when I searched for good. I was blessed to have it in my life. College exists, just as church, just as sports, just as life, just as death. I can only choose the degree of it's impact. One thing is for sure, being in college was a great excuse for me to spend an entire day in a coffee shop thinking about all of this.

I am again in Africa writing emails from a hut. I look at the Dinka man here in Sudan with tribal scars on his forehead and I wonder, in the grand scheme of things was that necessary? Did that make him a real man? In the grand scheme of things was the D- I made in Biology really necessary for my life. I imagine the Dinka man and I would still be alive and well had we not gone through our ceremonial rituals. But for some reason, painful as they were, we did. He has scars on his skin; I have a degree on my wall. And here we are together in Sudan, alive and well. Our moms are proud of us. The world thinks we are men. We are glad we pushed through. But we both know it is not the marks we bear that make us men. It was our response to the moment when the man slid his blade into our scalps.

Thank you mom, family, Mrs Sherrill, Jay Sutton, Jane Graham, Dawn Ward, Coach Moore, and all of you who kept me searching for meaning.
And to Dr. McCaesar, consider it rendered with untold appreciation.

GOD is Greater

billy riddle jr

journal entries: my first trip (2007)

2010-01-22T13:30:00.002-05:00

--May 5th--

“Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder consider all the worlds they hands have made. I see the stars; I hear the rolling thunder, thy power throughout the universe displayed… How great thou art.” Who knew there was such beauty in a place the media portrays as impoverished. Poor? Sure, by materialistic standards, but so rich in culture and natural beauty. The flight into Sudan was dreamlike. From the air I could see nothing but massive grasslands spotted with grass hut villages. We landed the small plane on the dirt runway and after a short check-in the SP guys and I headed to Yei (Yay). The dirt roads are very rough and damaged from the rains. Along the roadsides there are little grass huts, some with, some without mud walls. People are everywhere. The women carry water, food, or firewood on their heads; men are walking or riding motor bikes; and the children are running around. One thing they all have in common--the will to survive. There is so much movement as everyone tries to sell something or do anything they can just to make a living.

The compound is nice. It's a lot nicer than I expected anyway. I have a tin roof over my head, concrete floors and a bed to sleep in. Most of the workers here on the compound are Kenyan, Ugandan, and Sudanese. They are all solid guys, very welcoming, and very funny. I am glad to get to share a bunkhouse with several of them. They have invited me to church tomorrow.

journal entries: my first trip (2007)

2009-12-12T09:31:00.001-05:00

--May 4^th--

I woke up on my last day in Nairobi in slow serenity. Exotic birds were chirping; I got a cup of African coffee and stood on the back porch to soak up the morning. Some of the other SP workers and I had a Bible study about 8:00 and after that I retreated to my room to do some reading. Before long, jetlag set in and I knocked out. Just after I fell asleep, a loud knock woke me up and I was surprised to see that it was 1:00 in the afternoon. Mark, the guy who was showing me around and explaining my job to me, took me to a coffee shop for lunch. We talked about what to expect in Sudan and sipped our Kenyan tea. Afterwards we decided to stop by an outdoor market to get some cheap sunglasses and a quick Kenyan experience that I will never forget.

I have been on Canal Street in New York City a few times and experienced the street vendors bombarding me with counterfeit goods and trying to squeeze every tourist dollar I had to offer, but these guys in Nairobi put those guys in NYC to shame. When we got to the market we told a few people we just wanted sunglasses and within ten seconds a few men were there with racks full. People were crowded around us trying to shake our hands and direct us to their shops. They were so eager to sell or trade anything. It’s a good thing Mark was there to lead or those people would have gotten everything but my underwear. I tried to be polite and shake everyone’s hand and look at their stuff. But, I learned from Mark, they don’t really want to be your friend as much as they just want you to buy their stuff, so you just have to say NO. We stood and bartered for a while. It was fun at first but after about ten minutes I just wanted to go to Wal-mart where prices were set, and honest. Mark did most of the bartering and I only spoke a few times. That was dumb. I should have kept my mouth shut. If they sense any weakness, any amount of sympathy for them, or any amount of desire for the product, they’ve got you. You have to act like you don’t need it and start at a ridiculously low price. Mark told me I went up too fast on my price and showed how much I wanted them. I couldn’t help it they were nice, fake sunglasses. I’ll be ready for them next time, but I pity the next loving American who walks blindly into that ruthless world.

Later, we met some girls that Mark knows and when I told them of my trip they said, “Wow! Two months. You sure are jumping into the action for your first time in Africa.” That has been a typical response. Everyone looks at Mark and smiles like there’s some inside joke about Sudan. “You’re definitely in for an adventure,” they say. I hope they are right. I have learned that things can get messy very quickly in Sudan. It is important that I am patient with people, especially ones with guns. Needless to say, I’m doing a lot of praying tonight. I leave tomorrow at 8:00 in the morning. I am not afraid. After learning more about the Church Reconstruction Project, I am excited to have a major role. I am ready for the challenge of my job and the country of Sudan. But every now and then I get this feeling in my stomach; it’s the same feeling I get when I'm jumping off a waterfall in Boone; when I’ve leaned a little too far over the edge and there is no going back; the thought comes to my mind, “What are you doing, Billy?” And then I close my eyes, hold my breath, and jump.

journal entries: my first trip (2007)

2009-11-18T15:35:00.004-05:00

--May 2^nd 2007--

I am here, not yet in Sudan, but here, walking through the straight hallways of Concourse-A of the Charlotte airport. I left goodbye tears on my family’s shoulders, went through the security checkpoint, and gave one final wave before turning towards Gate-6. I can’t help but smile as joy grows in my soul, replacing my teary eyes with fiery eyes. With each stride my grin widens and I think to myself, “This is it. Here I go!!!”

--May 3^rd2007--

Long waits in the airports and even longer flights have worn me out. It’s 10:15 in the night here in my little guest room at the Samaritan’s Purse compound in Nairobi; I’m so tired I can hardly see straight to write.

Flying into Nairobi wasn’t exactly the African experience I was expecting. I don’t know really what I was expecting. I guess I thought that maybe there would be baboons in the trees, or men with spears walking around the airport. But, I soon realized I didn't need bug spray or even hiking boots. It was much like the airport I left in the states. I looked around and saw some other white people, who must have had the same expectancies of arriving in Africa, dressed head-to-toe in safari gear and equipped with every accessory needed for jungle survival. They lacked only a machete, which I can imagine they had packed in their underneath luggage, just in case. Nairobi was like any Big City U.S.A, but with a wild, lawless undertone. Though there were sky scrapers, highways and billboards, there appeared to be no traffic laws regarding speed, staying in your lane, or staying on the road for that matter. Note to self: when walking down the sidewalk in Nairobi, watch for oncoming taxis. Pedestrians don’t have the right of way so they seemed to be running for their lives rather than crossing the road. I remember riding in the taxi thinking, “I know I’m in Africa, the people speak in a funny Swahili accent, and I’m driving really fast on the wrong side of the road, but I feel like I’m driving through downtown Winston-Salem. Where are the monkeys!?! Where is the real Africa!?!” Then we passed a group of policemen strapped with AK-47s and straps of bullets...not quite Winston-Salem.

I am going to spend two months in Sudan serving as a right-hand man to an engineer named Peter. Peter is Kenyan, which is exciting for me because I want to practice my Swahili. So far all I know is “hakuna matata,” which means, “there are no problems,” and “asante sana squashed banana,” which means, “thank you very much squashed banana.” I learned those from the Lion King. But honestly, Swahili or no Swahili I am just excited to be working in Sudan. Everyone I have met so far, when told I am going to spend two months in Sudan, just chuckles and says, “Well you sure are in for an adventure.” I just smile and hope that they are right.

Adventure is here. It is in the African’s tongue that rolls the native language fast and rhythmic; it is in the coffee-table artifacts lying around my room that hold the history of Africa; it is in the pictures on the walls of the Masai warriors and Turkana chiefs. And if you look past the skyscrapers, out over the horizon, follow the sound of the tribal drums, and find a land that no man owns, you can see the beautiful wild revealing its dangerous romances; it is too much for any young man to resist. I can’t wait for the toughness of it all. Two more days and I’ll be there--witnessing the sweet love of Christ contrasted by the ruggedness of His creation.

MORE TO COME!!

journal entries: my first trip (2007)

2009-11-05T14:08:00.002-05:00

i am going to periodically post journal entries from my first trip to sudan (2007). i hope you enjoy these stories.

INTRODUCTION

When I was a kid, though most would say I still am, a missionary came to my church to show some slides. Honestly, I was bored out of my mind. I sat and thought, “How do these people live, especially their kids, with no T.V.s and no Nintendos. These kids must hate their lives. They don't even have football at their foreign schools!!" Then I fell asleep on the pew...sorry mom. I had heard my preacher say once that when he was a kid he said that he would never be a preacher. I made sure that night God didn’t hear me say that I would never be a missionary, because I didn’t want Him asking me to be one. But deep down inside I said it, and i meant it..."never." That night I felt a gut fear come over me that God was smiling at my stubborn promise. What if I was asked to do the one job I never wanted to do? Naturally I pushed that fear out of mind and ran off in other directions hoping it would just go away. But as time went on I couldn’t ignore the calling—the burning passion I had for people of other colors, cultures, and languages. Now, looking back, I see that the directions I chose to run were God’s way of preparing me for the one job I now pursue with all my heart. Although I think we are all missionaries in our different fields, God has sent me to the uttermost. Now, I have slides and stories of my own, and I hope some kid will sit there saying, “There is no way I could do that,” because that’s just the humble, fearful heart God will mold.

There are many reasons to fear Sudan, but I have learned that fear is sometimes necessary to truly rely on God. Moses was afraid; Nehemiah was afraid; Ananias was afraid; fear is just a part of accepting and doing this work. But that majestic moment when God reveals a glimpse of His glory through a child smiling, a man helping his brother, a moment of true Jesus-love, all fear is hushed by God’s promise of joy and life abundant.

My first encounter with the wonderful Sudanese was filled with many moments of fear and joy. These are the recorded stories of two months spent in Southern Sudan. Though it was a short time spent, I believe it was just the beginning of something my mind cannot yet grasp.

MORE COMING SOON

Up and Rolling

2009-09-24T13:41:00.003-04:00

praise GOD. our trip was tremendous. the people of wadupe are drinking clean water and are ready to start working on their school. we have a new website....whythewoods.com....and are continuously updating it with pictures and information. right now i am working hard to raise enough money to return to sudan in may to begin the teacher training program and the school reconstruction program. check out the website to learn more!!!!!!! much Love

GOD is Greater

billy

laughing at us

2009-06-07T04:27:00.002-04:00

to all who are praying...thank you so much. our group is doing great out here in wadupe. we are all healthy and strong. everyday is filled with a mixture of the unbearable bush life and the sweet chunks of love that make it all worth it. laughter is the greatest expression. it has become a common theme out here. we laugh at them, they laugh at us, and we all laugh at thomas (our video guy, and the team cut-up). we taught pastor rufus how to say, "what's up" and give a nice chest bump. we also put him in a hammock for the first time...he looked like a little kid grinning and wide eyed. and the kids are loving the frisbee we brought. but, life out here is not all play. we are working hard everyday to build our house, which should be finished by midweek, and we are about to start the hygiene classes and well drilling. whoohoo.

if you throw inexperienced americans into the african bush life is bound to stretch it's boundries and take new shape. when we outreach our own capabilities through the power of the HOLY SPIRIT we find that the process often hurts. stretching always hurts. but, the process is the reward when in the end we find we are stronger and better people.

the other day the team was building our shower. i was away doing some work in yei. it was a simple structure, just a small concrete slab, and a winding halway of teak poles and black plastic sheets to keep out curious eyes. but the process stretched us for sure. the africans are often puzzled by us americans. they couldn't figure why we would want a hallway, and a room for showering. "it is too big," they complained. but i had left specific instructions and wanted the shower to be completed that day, so the team followed the drawing. while they were building, several of the village men watched and laughed at the guys working. not a funny kind of laugh, but a, "you stupid americans, this will never work," kind of laugh. they even tried taking the tools and doing the way they thought it should be. this has happened on several occasions. like, hoeing the ground, slashing the grass, chopping wood, squaring a building, they seem to know how to do it better. it is frustrating...we came to help them, and now they are laughing at us and not letting us do anything...we are capable, we are smart, and having a village laughing at you while you try your best is certainly a blow to your pride. when i returned and heard about the incident, i got so frustrated. why don't they just let us build stuff how we want it. we came here with great drawings and plans but they keep undermining us. after a long walk, i realized that we were begining to lose our sense of purpose. our purpose every day is not to construct a base or drill a well. those jobs are the medium we use to connect with the people. our purpose is them. those men who are laughing at us, those men who hurt our pride when they take the shovel from our hands to show us how to do it better. JESUS says to love even your enemy. i would hardly consider anyone from this village an enemy, even when they are frustrating and annoying. so we must remember our purpose. it is not the job we are doing that matters, but the people...GOD's children. let our jobs connect us with them, but never let our jobs divide us, or become our chief purpose. i told the team, "maybe that is why we are here. to be laughed at. to give them a sense of pride, to lose our sense of pride. to let them be better than us. for once in their life, they get to be better than an 'american.'" and so they laugh...it is a beautiful sound.

thank you all for your support. the well drilling rigs are coming tomorrow, and two wells will be dug in wadupe within the next two weeks. praise GOD, wadupe will never be the same. much Love

GOD is Greater

billy

chuck norris is running across the border

2009-05-11T18:41:00.005-04:00

i walked into sudan yesterday...literally.

a lot has happened this past year. we are now an official non profit, praise GOD. i finished my football career, and got myself a little closer to graduation. and in a few days six more group members will join me in africa, to drill a well, and love on some people in wadupe.

it has been an exciting journey for me thus far. i traveled from tuesday till sunday, when i finally crossed the sudan border...on foot. it was a glorious entrance. i was filthy from six days of dirty buses and dirty hotels. my hair was starting to dread, my feet were covered in red dust, and my clothes...well i was wearing the same thing when i left tuesday. after checking in on the uganda side, i grabbed my bag and started the short walk into sudan. my ride was waiting on the other side. i smiled so big as i read the big, welcome to southern sudan, sign. i felt free, relaxed, and excited; like i was home. then i saw lightning. and the bottom fell out. i had two choices. i could run for the car, which was about 300 yds away or run for cover, like all the other people were doing. i decided to run for the car because i didn't want it to leave me stranded. i ran down the road, with no jacket, trying to keep my pants pulled up (my belt was in my other bag), and my laptop dry. everyone was laughing at me as i struggled on the muddy road. i heard them saying, mzungu, kowaja, yesu, chuck norris. which means whiteman(swahili), whiteman(juba arabic), and Jesus...apparently i look like Him and chuck norris to these kids. either way, seeing billy/chuck norris/Jesus running down the muddy road like an idiot was quite a show. i was dripping wet, drenched, and about 100 ft from the car when a soldier grabbed me. he told me to come out of the rain. i pointed to my car and said no, im just going there. but he was adamant about me following him. so i went into an office filled with bewildered soldiers wandering why i was running across the border in the rain. i told them i didn't want my car to leave me. they just laughed and asked to see my paperwork. thankfully the rain stopped and my ride waited. so now i am here in yei. i leave for wadupe tomorrow!! i hear they have built me a house. talk about good hosts. pray for our group as they join me this week. pray for the next two months that GOD will be glorified and the people of sudan will feel loved. much Love

GOD is Greater

challenge

2008-07-07T12:16:00.002-04:00

are we so proud of what we have been given that we cannot see our need for salvation--salvation from a world we think we have created?

have we earned the houses we live in, the cars we drive, the food we eat, and the clothes we wear because we worked 40hrs this week and purchased these things on our own?

then this week try to work without the hands GOD blessed us with, the feet HE gave us to walk on, the air HE created for us to breath, the brain he designed for us to make our decisions, and the grace HE pours on us each morning as we drive safely to our jobs. what is really ours?..GOD's Love, Grace, Salvation, and Strength. what is really HIS?... "The earth is the LORD's, and all it fullness, the world and those who dwell therein."-Psalms 24:1

who are we to hoard HIS blessings and HIS possessions?---share with the world around you.

if you are anything like me ridding yourself of clutter is sometimes a tough step. i like to have a pair of shoes for every occasion that might arise, and a jacket, shirt, and belt to match. but do i really need it? is looking together and "hip" what GOD is looking for in my life?

this week take a look in your closet and around your house, and ask, "what do i really need? what can i use to bless a brother or sister in need?" find a shelter, ministry, homeless person, family in need, etc., and share the passion of CHRIST. bless somebody.

i have been challenged by a brother to live more and more like JESUS. i hope you are challenged as well.

GOD is Greater

shoutout

2008-06-26T14:02:00.003-04:00

i just want to give a quick shout out to my friends, and true servants of Jesus Christ, Chris and Lindy Thompson. they have just moved to nairobi kenya to be missionaries in the slums of nairobi. check out their blog at www.onlyservants.blogspot.com. please give them your prayers and support as they reach out into the uttermost and do great things for the kingdom of GOD.

chris and lindy, never lose hope, never lose faith, and never quit. GOD's hand is on you and your work. much love.

GOD is Greater

justlisten

2008-06-24T12:28:00.004-04:00

recently i have become close friends with a homeless man here in boone. i dont know why i feel a strong connection with him, but i feel he truly is a brother in Christ who is filled with hurt and emptiness. over the past few weeks he has been coming by the son's light coffee house (check out the link to son's light ministries) just to talk with me. i first met him when he stopped me in a parking lot asking for money for food. i took him to chic-fil-a, gave him my cell number, and expected to never hear from him again. but i think GOD has different plans for this man and me. little by little we have gained each other's trust and have opened up to each other with personal stories, both sad and happy. he comes by almost everyday to just sit with me on the sidewalk and talk about life. last night i got a call around 11 to come to the coffee house. my friend was there and was in bad shape. when i walked up he embraced me and cried on my shoulder. i stood there in the parking lot holding a 41 yr old man, starved for love, starved for a shoulder to cry on. we sat down on the sidewalk and he poured out his heart. he was at the "jumping off point" and repeatedly he told me he was tired of life. i have offered him help with finding a place to stay and some new clothes, but last night he told me, "billy, the only thing i want from you is friendship. someone to listen to me. if i had all the money in the world it wouldnt heal this hurt inside of me. ive got a hurting soul. ive got an emptiness i cant fix and i dont know how. i know everybody tells me Jesus loves me, but why do they have everything they need and i live on the streets. they just dont understand. im tired of life. every morning i crack my eyes open i ask God why He woke me up again." i didnt know how to respond. I prayed, "GOD give me the words to say." but the only thing that came out was "love." i said, "i dont know how to fix your situation. i dont know how to help you get over addictions, and get you off the street. but the only thing that is going to fill that emptiness is love." but as darkness flees from the light the mention of love seemed to scare him. he stood up and frantically said to me, "ive got to do something, im tired of this. i better go. see you tomorrow." im afraid he doesnt know that GOD really loves him, and i really love him, and there are others who really love and care for him. i dont know if i will ever see him again. i prayed last night that GOD would comfort him through the night and show him a reason for living. it is hard not to fear the worst for him, but i have faith that GOD will keep him alive and bring him back to a place where he can find love. we have the ability to give him all the material things he needs to live a "normal" life, but he knows and i know that he will still be a broken soul. sometimes we need to give money, food, or clothes, but sometimes we need to just listen. either way it is all about love.

please pray for my friend. he has been a big help with teaching me how to minister to the homeless and i hope that one day he can help me teach others how to reach out to those on the streets. this is what the name whythewoods is all about. reaching out to those who sleep in the woods, under the bridges, behind the walmarts, and and in the alleys of our world. please keep praying.

GOD is Greater

dailyprayer

2008-06-06T21:59:00.002-04:00

thank you guys so much for praying for me through this time of sickness. i am feeling much better now and the malaria is finally getting wiped out of my system. i should be 100% by next week.
friends, my plate is full. wtw is becoming a full time job and with football and school looming in the foreground i know that i will need the strength of GOD to get me through the next several months. as whythewoods continues to grow and develop, and my personal life becomes busier and busier, the last thing i want to do is forget where my strength comes from. only by giving do we receive. and it is by giving our soul, body, and mind to GOD that we receive His divine strength and ability to do His great work. i wrote this prayer a couple years ago, and i pray it from time to time when i am feeling spiritually or physically weak, because it reminds me to give everything that i am to GOD and He will lift me up; He will heal me.

a daily prayer

LORD GOD, in the first of morning, when my eyes open and see the sun of another day graciously given by You, i give my spirit to be filled with the joy of Your Love.

in the day, when the harvest is ready, i give my hands and my feet to Your service, to Your will, and to all who need to know the Love of JESUS.

when the day is done, and the darkness closes in, i give the battles that rage in my mind, i give the struggles of the day passed, and the fears of tomorrow. i give You the still moments of solitude when satan wants me.

LORD GOD i am Yours. today, in this moment, i give my life.

amen

prayerwarriorsunite

2008-05-26T14:34:00.002-04:00

hey guys. well the old devil is on the war path trying to disrupt the great things that are going on with whythewoods. i have continued to speak at churches and schools including local ellis middle school and new hope baptist in woodruff south carolina. but today i am being admitted into the baptist hospital for what we think is...you guessed it, malaria. i have been feeling the symptoms for about two weeks now, and after visting the doctor wednesday my symptoms have gotten increasingly worse. i pray that it is just malaria and nothing more serious. i appologize to those churches i will have to cancel on this upcoming weekend, but i hope you can understand. please pray for my health, because i know that as the work with whythewoods becomes greater so will the spiritual and physical battles. please don't worry for me....GOD is Greater.

whythewoods

2008-05-20T23:23:00.004-04:00

i can't tell you how excited i am about the recent progress for whythewoods. i have filed an application with the IRS for non-profit, tax-exempt status, and i have a big meeting with one of our representatives of north carolina, virginia foxx, tomorrow. my buddy thomas schambach scored a knock-out with the design of my future website, whythewoods.com, but don't bother trying to go there yet because we are still in construction mode. i am praying that it will be up and running within 2 months. i have had several great speaking opportunities including my home church victory baptist of cooleemee, my old middle school south davie, and several others. friends, things are happening fast. almost too fast; so i hired my sister katie to keep me organized. it is amazing to watch the hand of GOD move in all of this. i only wish there was a way to keep in contact with the people of wadupe so they could share in my excitement. i know they are greatful for your help and support. and one day they will share in this great project.

now that i am home i want to be clear on what it is i am actually doing with whythewoods. i have had a lot of questions about the relationship between wtw and samaritan's purse. i went to sudan as an employee of samaritan's purse for two months last summer and again from sept. '07 to april '08. but, now i have completely started a new organization, whythewoods, seperate from samaritan's purse. we will continue to be dear friends as we work side by side in the country of sudan.

so now the question is, "why did you leave s.p.?" and the reason is that GOD's guidance in this has been very clear. samaritan's purse is a great organization and is capable of impacting a huge area of sudan with the many projects it operates. my heart is in the village of wadupe and my style of ministry enables a long term relationship with that village. both types of ministry, short term and long term, meet a variety of needs for a country that is crying out for all the help it can get. i look forward to working alongside my brothers and sisters at samaritan's purse and i know that our passion for sudan will help make a tremendous difference in many people's lives. i am eternally greatful for samaritan's purse as they were the ones who introduced me to the country of sudan.

my website, whythewoods.com (again, don't try it yet) will explain in depth the plan of action, the specific needs, and the beliefs of whythewoods. if you would like a copy of my mission statement, my current projects, and plans of action just email me at billyriddlejr@gmail.com and i will be happy to send you a copy.

i love you guys much....as always thank you for the prayers and support.

i would love to come and speak at your church,school, or business sometime to spread my vision and passion for Whythewoods so please contact me and schedule a date.

lastadventure

2008-05-09T15:46:00.003-04:00

my last adventure in the sudan bush was one that left me ready to return to a world with cold drinks, toilets, and ice from the refrigerator door. getting malaria for the second, yes the second time wasnt the final adventure i was hoping for, but it did at least give me a great story.
for my final week and a half i went to stay in my sudan hometown, wadupe. my friends at samaritan's purse dropped me off 17 miles from the base with only the clothes on my back, a small bag with a jacket, my sunday pants, and bracelets that my little sister made for the kids. i hadnt seen my wadupe friends since february so we were all pretty excited about me staying with them. that evening i settled into a tukul they prepared for me and sat down to a hearty meal (by hearty i mean two plates piled high with rotten dried fish, kasava flour--tastes like dough with no flavor--and beans. honestly i would rather have two plates of goat guts than dried fish and kasava flour-by far my least favorite meal in sudan) around a campfire with all the pastor's family and neighbors. they had no idea the food made my stomach turn and offered it as a great gift to me. i was definitely honored...and so were the malaria parasites swimming around in my blood unknown to me. the next few days were great times watching the daily lives of the wadupe people, though my stomach got progressively worse. by friday i was feeling pretty bad with a terrible headache, dehydration, and a churning stomach. every meal was a tremendous obsticle as my appetite was waning. when sunday rolled around i finally told pastor rufus that i felt horrible and wouldnt be able to get out of bed. i was so dehydrated i could hardly think straight and i looked like a drunkard trying to stand up. i thought i was going to die in wadupe. i had no choice but try to return to the base. so they sat me on a motorbike, rode me three miles to the main road, and then flagged down a passing taxi/van that miraculously had one seat open. the 15 mile drive took over an hour due to the horrible road conditions. i sat crammed in the back of the van with about 20 other extremely hot, sweaty people and concentrated on not puking my guts out. thankfully the SP nurse was at the base, and took care of me for the remainder of the week. in short it was probably the worst i have ever felt in my life and i seriously thought i was being eaten alive by parasites in my stomach and brain. the most amazing part of the story is that two days after i had left wadupe, i was lying in my bead recovering and pastor rufus popped in. he had taken the three and half hour bike ride in the 103 degree heat to make sure i had made it ok and wasnt going to die. i asked him why he rode so far in the heat, and he replied, "billy you are family. when our family is sick we take care of them. i have to let the village know you are ok." i gave him a hug and promised i would see him again.

so now i am home trying to adjust to the very different american lifestyle. on the outside it has been a smooth transition, but it has and always will be an inner struggle for me.

i am wanting to get to as many churches, schools, youth groups, etc. to speak about my trip and my future plans. if you would like me to come and speak please contact me-- billyriddlejr@gmail.com -- cell-336.403.3188 home-336.284.2709 --until my website for whythewoods is complete i will continue to post...hopefully more often than i was able to in sudan. thanks for your prayers and support.

happyeastersudan

2008-03-19T09:31:00.003-04:00

with only a few weeks to go before leaving sudan i am sad that i found this beautiful village so late. i was moved from my old base mid february for security reasons and relocated in a village out in the bush near the border of the democratic republic of congo. unlike my last base, which was very dusty and dry, this town is very tropical and green. there are palm trees lining the roads, banana trees growing wild, and mango trees covering the entire town in shade. the Bible says that GOD will never allow us to be tempted with more than we could handle, and i am sure that if GOD had allowed me to be in this town my entire time in sudan i would not be coming home in april. speaking of home, i want to wish you all a happy easter and know that i am excited to get back and share this trip with you. my workers and i are celebrating easter by starting our workday tomorrow morning with singing and dancing. they have agreed to bring traditional instruments and lead us in traditional songs; i have agreed to let them spend the first hour of the workday laughing at a white boy dancing to african music. im sure it will be a great time. later in the day i am going to be partaking in scripture reading with over 40 of the local pastors and the bishop. i am starting the ceremony by reading the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet. oh the irony. if only you could see my feet. after the reading we are actually washing feet. it may the biggest honor of my life to wash the feet of a man who would not deny Christ in the face of death. i only have 1 more week to spend in this village and i am so glad that it is the week of easter. after i leave here i will be going into northern sudan for 2 weeks and seeing a school that WhyTheWoods is going to rebuild. imagine, the money that you gave will in just a short time be buying building materials for a new Christian school in the middle of northern sudan!!! northern sudan is not exactly welcoming to Christians by the way. that is why all the Christians are living up in the mountains where they are safer. i will have more information on this school and this project when i return. for my last week in africa i am going back to my sudan home town, wadupe. i will live with them for one week and get everything arranged for my return in 2009, GOD willing. i am excited about getting back to them and spending quality time with the community. i am sure i will post at least once more. check out this picture from a day that we went swimming in a nearby lake. we threw some kids in first to make sure there were no crocodiles or giant snakes. just kidding....we used chickens.

he caught these with a stick for a rod and termites for bait.

exodus

2008-02-14T01:29:00.003-05:00

the view from my back porch is breathtaking. i look west and see the sun setting in a redorangeyellowbluepurple sky behind a mountain scene framed by wild african trees; on the same day i look north, east, and south to see a huge group of women and children walking barefooted down the road from miles away carrying all their belongings on their heads and holding tight to their children with their hands fleeing the terrible fears poured on them from evil men. some of these women have lost their young girls and boys to these evil men-forever.

as most of you know, i have been right in the middle of a UN declared dangerous area for the last week and a half. the LRA circled around the town looting pillaging and raping villages all around me. this is the second time in less than a month that this evil group of pirates have raided towns near my base. i thank you all for praying for my safety. it truly blesses my heart. you guys are my backbone-my prayer warriors. thank you. again i say, pray not for me but the people here. i sat in a fenced in base with a huge organization to evacuate me if necessary, but these people have nothing but their own sons and guns to protect them.

neighboring countries have forced the LRA out, which has resulted in a mass exodus of LRA soldiers into southern sudan, which, in turn, has resulted in an exodus of people from small villages to larger towns with more soldiers, and which lastly has resutled in my own personal exodus from my sub base to the main base. i am completely safe. mostly i just sat in my base and read, or worked on base improvements. thankfully my boss thought it would be better for me to be around a lot of people, so here i am. thank you all for praying.

rebelsandasnake

2008-01-29T15:44:00.000-05:00

well im back to work in sudan after a great vacation in nairobi. it seems i got out just in time as violence erupted yesterday with lots of gunfire on a street that i had traveled several times. pray for my friends chris and lindy thompson as they remain in nairobi for a few more days.

right now sudan is much more peaceful than kenya, but keep me and all the SP workers in your prayers as the LRA (Lord's Resistance Army--ugandan rebel group known for robbing and pillaging) is supposedly on the move. a village about 10 miles from my base was attacked by this group of pirates on the 17th. they kidnapped a child and looted several stores. rumors are that they are going to be hiding out in southern sudan as neighboring countries are cracking down on their presence. fortunately my base is in a well known soldier town, so i feel very safe, because i know that the rebels will not want to mess with the soldiers. but keep us in your prayers as we travel around to our different sites out in the bush. with all that being said keep in mind that sudan is a huge country and this rebel group is small and dwindling, and that this particular band has moved on to the east. more importantly we serve a God is who is much bigger and stronger than a group of bandits. now, sorry it is a short and somber update, but i've got to go see the green mamba we just killed by the shower i just used tonight!! i love you all and thank you for the emails and prayers.

quickupdate

2008-01-21T03:27:00.000-05:00

hey guys, sorry my posts have lately been few and far between. internet access has been limited these days so i have to post when i can. right now i am in nairobi using my few vacation days before they go to waste. surprisingly nairobi is very calm and life as usual. the locals say that the news stations were blowing all the turmoil out of porportion and after seeing how normal it is here i would almost agree. then my taxi driver drove us through an intersection and nonchalantly said, "ten men were killed in a fight here last week." that was a little unnerving, but rest assure i am safe. like i said i have noticed no violence and there aren't even many police or soldiers around, so obviously things have calmed down.

ill be back in sudan next monday. things are rolling there. right now my base is supervising 13 churches and about to start construction on 7 others. so with only one pickup and one quad we are running till late hours every day.

my return date to the states has been pushed back to the middle of april. the 26th to be exact. that is by my choice. i want to do some traveling and have some real alone time to get my heart and mind ready to come back. pray for me as, though i will get to see my family, i will be torn as i leave a place i consider home, and a people that i truly love.

thank you guys so much for praying for me and my family as my mom recovers from surgery. for those of you who don't know, my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer a couple months ago, but God took care of her and allowed her to come through surgery just fine. i can't wait to get home and hug you mom, and let you know how proud i am that you have been so strong.

love you all

backinaction

2008-01-06T18:10:00.000-05:00

well the holidays are over and work is starting back up. i head back out to my base tomorrow, hopefully. with all the turmoil in nairobi gas prices have skyrocketed leaving us with the possibility of being immobile in a week or two. so we are definitely praying, obviously for our workers and others stuck in nairobi, but also for the sake of the project, that things will calm down in kenya. we have a few kenyan workers confined to their home towns because it is too dangerous to travel. two of which are our engineers, so not having them here will definitely cause some problems in the building process. please pray for their safety and for the situation in general. for those of you that haven't heard (i don't know how much it is being talked about in the states) the nairobi elections went bad when the losing candidate accused the president of stuffing the ballots. people are outraged at the president and unfortunately are taking their anger out on the president's supporters and anyone of certain ethnic backgrounds associated with the president. there has been a lot of killing and rioting in cities all over kenya. it is truly a sad situation. unfortunately this is all too common for africa. a greedy politician gets into office and gets as rich as possible until another equally crooked politician takes over the country and does the same. kenya had lived in peace for almost 15 years and now all the democracy, freedom, and peace they had acheived is being swept out from under them and replaced with fear and tragedy all because of one man's greed. the bad thing is, if democracy in kenya fails, the rest of africa has no example of a peaceful country to look to as a guide.

but on to some better news. guys i want you to scroll down and read "my prayer requests." you see the one that says building design. well back in december i took an SP engineer (who is one of the guys stuck in kenya) out to the school in wadupe. he had helped build the church out there so he knew the people well and was real excited when he heard of my visions for the community. after seeing the school we sat down and discussed some building options and traded ideas about what would be best. a few weeks later he emailed me professionally done drawings of possible building designs for a new school. he offered his services for free and told me he would help as much as possible. i am almost in disbelief of how much everything is falling into place for me. i prayed, and you prayed for me, for land to set up a base of operations and the chief of the area (mayor) offers me as much as i need and the church offers to build me a tukul (house) all for free. i have been praying that God would bring the right people my way and within the first week of being out here i was assigned to work with a sudanese man who has a college degree in teaching, wants to be a teacher in sudan but can't afford the low pay, and is excited about helping me either by teaching in the wadupe school or helping me find qualified teachers who will. we prayed for building designs and an engineer sends me professional drawings of some buildings i had described to him, again for free. my next step is sitting down with the engineer again and figuring costs and labor. the doors are being opened and the people are ready. i am anxious to get working on a website and get around to churches, schools and really whoever will listen to spread my vision and my passion for WTW. everyday i see the need more and more and just pray that my ideas and visions will one day help make a change in this country and others around the world. i can never say it enough but i truly thank you all for your faithful prayers and encouraging words. love you all....until next week or two...who knows?

mychristmasstars

2007-12-28T12:40:00.000-05:00

i would like to say that i spent this first christmas alone with my nose in the Bible finding strength and joy in the fact that God came to us as a baby to show us true life. i wish i could say that this Christmas i studied the word and grew closer to the Lord. i wanted to start this blog with something like, "i had no presents, no family, only God, and that made it the best Christmas ever." but i can't. actually this Christmas was a rollercoaster ride of emotions, due in part by the fact that in a time of loneliness i didn't rely on my Rock, my Savior, to fill the emptiness in my heart. the hot dusty days mocked what christmas feeling i did find in listening to "frosty the snowman," and the goat intestines and rice(those are the holiday goodies--yay for me) just didn't bring the smile to my face that a nice turkey would have. of course, i could have done what we are supposed to do at christmas time and spent the holiday praising our Savior. instead i found comfort in anything that felt like home...Christmas music, soda, red jello, and the emails and cards you sent me. but, believe it or not, my Christmas eve meal of rice and beans to the tune of "White Christmas" just didn't fill that hole in my heart. oddly enough i don't even think a hug from my mama could have completely filled it. i needed Jesus; but i was too lonely and depressed that i was in Sudan over Christmas to realize it. i put on my smile and preached the Christmas service at wadupe on Christmas day. i preached about "coming back" to Jesus if we have gone astray. i talked about how the wise men and kings humbled themselves and bowed to a baby in a manger. i said that as we start the new year we should start it on the path that God has made for us, by "coming back" to and following Jesus, and christians we should be like the star above the manger showing those who are "afar" the way to Jesus. but i preached all this with emptiness in my own heart. i wasn't buying what i was selling. i wasn't "coming back."

"i cried to the Lord with my voice. many cry to the Lord that they may win riches, that they may avoid losses; they cry that thier family may be established, they ask for temporal hapiness, for worldly dignities; and, lastly, they cry for bodily health, which is the patrimony of the poor. for these and suchlike things many cry to the Lord; hardly one cries for the Lord himself! how easy it is for a man to desire all manner of things from the Lord and yet not desire the Lord himself! as though the gift could be sweeter than the giver!"---St. Augustine; taken from "On Prayer and the Contemplative Life" by St. Thomas Aquinas.

sometimes we just need that star to show us the way back. i was able to hand this kid the only gift he got this christmas from you, the only family he had this christmas. this smile was the star i needed. he showed me the way back to the manger. through all the loneliness and homesickness i saw Jesus in his eyes. as St. Augustine says, we should desire the Lord Himself not just His blessings. as i handed out hundreds of cards at wadupe and at Harvesters orphanage the fact that i was away from all the pumpkin pies, snowy nights, cheesey christmas movies, and my family stung a little less. all those blessings i once knew i could now lay at the Lord's feet, for i had, as the shepherds, wisemen, and kings of long ago, seen the messiah.

i told the people at wadupe and the orphanage that there were hundreds of people at home that wanted the sudanese to know that they are loved and prayed for. one sweet kid at the orphanage, after receiving her card said to me, "thank you meesta beel (mr bill) and we pray for you too." i tell you this as a messenger from the sudanese to you. all of the smiles and thank yous that i was blessed by will be waiting for you in heaven. i deeply thank you for sending me over a thousand christmas cards to give to the wonderful sudanese. every single card was delivered to a very happy man, woman, or child.

Greetings from Sudan:

--your greetings are received. i greet you. God bless you. Galatians 3:27-28--Marchello Lugala

--we receive your christmas greetings. let this spirit of communication continue. 1corinthians 13:4-7--Grace Ngusuman

--i receive your greetings. i thought we were alone, meanwhile we are with you in Christ. i don't have gifts but let God bless you.--Joseph Andrew

--i send my greetings to all of you in the church in america. we are praying for you so that we have a relationship in prayer. John 15:4--Joseph and Betty

--i am by name pastor Rufus Anyibu wishing you in America merry Christmas and happy new year. peace to the brethren, and love with faith in Lord Jesus Christ. grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, Amen--pastor Rufus Anyibu (my dear friend).

my friends, whatever your christmas star may be thank God for it, and follow it back to the manger, back to the beginning of it all, the birth of our Savior and Lord. it is possible to live even without the wonderful things of christmas time if we have love and grace from our father. in fact, it is life more abundant.

i personally thank all those who prayed for me and my family this christmas. and once again, thank you for all the wonderful cards. please, also remember all the missionaries who, like myself, spent this christmas with the people they serve. love you all and Merry Christmas.

quickupate

2007-12-02T16:32:00.000-05:00

i haven't posted any updates in a while i know, and this is not even going to be a real in depth post, but i wanted to say thank you for the tremendous response to the christmas card project. we have received over 600 and more are coming. i know the kids at the orphanage will love getting the cards and all of the churches will appreciate them very much. i do have some stories to tell, but not enough time tonight to tell them. i head out for R&R thursday so i will write them then and let you know how things are going. love you all and appreciate your faithfull prayers and giving.

be sure to check out the prayer quests i have posted. a tragedy has struck boone n.c. and a dear friend has been taken from us. drew newell and his family were hit by a drunk driver, killing drew and leaving the father in critical condition. drew lived in the same dorm as me my freshman year and was a dear friend to my roommates from boone. in the short time i knew him, drew welcomed me as a friend and greeted me as if he had known me forever. we will truly miss his spirit and his love of life. his friends have created a blog to keep people updated on drew's father's condition and to post prayer requests for the newell family. pray for the family and check out the blog at http://www.newellreport.blogspot.com/.

cryforthem

2007-11-21T10:49:00.000-05:00

if tonight is a quiet one, and you lay down to sleep with no fear in your heart, if tonight you only hear the crickets and bull frogs, and the soft chatter of the neighborhood kids, or a late passerby on his way home from work, if tonight you read this and can hear my cry, please i pray, please shed a tear. never a tear for me, for i am in the presence of the Lord, but cry for the sudanese, for they are like a cooing moses being placed in a basket and shoved into a raging nile.
my world was silenced today on my way to celebrate another meeting with several churches. the conversation of my passengers was lost as the rumble of truck after truck after truck, filled with soldiers and ak47s, passed by us on their way to the northern states. "they are moving soldiers to the northern border," said my sudanese counterpart. "the south is demanding immediate independence." with every truck that passed my throat closed into a knot and my eyes filled with a cry i am asking you to have for me, for at that time i had to hold back the tears and maintain a joyous demeanor to greet new churches and make new eternal friendships. because these villages are cut off from the majority of the outside world, many of them are ignorant to what is happening in their country. the refugees are returning from the first war to be resettled in a new peaceful home, the people are rejoicing as we come in to build them a "permanent" church, but the clouds are getting darker over sudan and the winds are changing. i can imagine the pain moses' mother felt as she looked into the eyes of her smiling child, who only knew the innocent peaceful moment he was in, and not the dangers he was floating towards. today as the trucks rolled by, all the wonderful people i have come to love smiled at me and shook my hand the african way, and sang their wonderful songs. i then imagined myself standing between the two charging armies with my hands stretched to heaven crying to God. why do guns and bullets silence the crying and not love.
do not be afraid for me. i promise i am not in any danger. but i am begging you, i am calling you to prayer and fasting for the country of sudan, the "gateway to africa." please pray for the arab and christian alike, for the northerner and the southerner, that they will find peace, and know the love of Jesus. don't send a christmas card to them saying you have prayed if you haven't, don't send me an email saying the sudanese are on your hearts if they are not, for this is a serious matter. so tonight shed a tear, thanking God for His mercy and for the wonderful sudanese.

Christmas Cards

2007-11-12T04:48:00.000-05:00

***Please send christmas cards to sudan as quickly as possible. it takes a while for them to be mailed all the way here. so to keep my family from being bombarded with hundreds of cards all at once, please send them in the next few weeks.

they will need to be mailed from the U.S by the first week in Dec. so try to get them to my family before then. again the address is

153 Gibson Way
Mocksville NC 27028

be sure to make note that it is for sudan***

awesome

2007-11-12T04:25:00.000-05:00

these kids were welcoming us to have an official meeting with a church in which a contract is signed between us and them. this took place a few weeks ago, actually when i had malaria, but i just now figured out how to post it. it may take a while to download, but i promise it is worth the wait. they are singing, "welcome to ****** we are happy today."

nakedlady'sgoat

2007-11-11T16:01:00.000-05:00

most of my job, as i may have mentioned before, is spent driving. the nearest church that i work with is two and a half hours from our base. the farthest is four hours. needless to say, driving four hours one way to meet with a church, who isn't prepared to meet or worried the least bit about time, makes for a long day.
the early morning trip to the gas station tuesday foreshadowed how long of a day it would be. in sudan, gas stations work like the rest of africa, survival of the fittest. the biggest, pushiest, and most demanding gets gas. these are times when you have to remind yourself to be a christian. i pulled my truck up to the pump at about nine o'clock. and as though they had planned it, about 40 motor bikes rushed to the pump at the same time to refuel. no line or organization, just chaos. around ten we had had enough so we inched our truck through the pack to get closer to the pump. there is no such thing as personal space here. if you stand in a line expect the person behind you to be jammed into your back. same with vehicles. if there is space enough to fit a sheet of paper, they will park a motorbike. finally after convincing the pump man to stop filling the motorbikes who just pulled up, and fill our truck that has been waiting for an hour, we filled up and hit the road. that put us about an hour late to our meeting with the church, which is not close to being a big deal in africa.
when we showed up to the church they weren't even there or ready to have a meeting, as if it had never been scheduled. so we sat with the pastor's wife while he rounded up the congregation. like i said, this church is four hours away from our base so after a two hour meeting and a four hour drive, we hobbled in well past eight.
wednesday outlasted tuesday by an hour putting us back after nine at night. two days in row we were out past eight. so thursday i used my administrative privileges and declared a compound workday. so we planned for the rest of the week, built a cage for my chameleon named paul, and i carved a sweet knife completely out of wood (pictures to come).
but friday, well friday was a first. i was trucking along a pretty smooth part of the road about 45 km per hour when a baby goat, which i have come to believe is the dumbest animal ever invented, decided to dive under my tire. he was safe and sound on the grass off the road, but i guess he figured he would like to wrestle with my tire. he twitched for a few minutes and then took his last gasp as we stood around and waited for the owner to come and beat me up. just kidding, but seriously it could happen out here. luckily the owner was in uganda this week. unluckily his sixty year old naked wife came to see what the problem was, which at this point ceased to be the dead goat. not that sixty year old ladies can't be beautiful, but at this time in my life i personally don't desire to see them naked. maybe that's just me. anyways, the extremely topless lady told us to go on to the church and she would figure out what to do. i had a few suggestions of what she might first want to do, but thought it inappropriate to speak up. after all i had just killed her husband's baby goat, and it was kind of hot out.
on our return my translator, the nearby pastor, me and the lady, who thankfully thought it to be more professional to put on a shirt, sat down to discuss the goat. after some bargaining we finally talked the lady down to seventy pounds, or just under thirty five dollars. pretty expensive for a baby goat i thought, but us NGO's (non governmental organization) have dollar signs on our chests. fully clothed chests i might add. like i said, friday was a first and hopefully a last.

justabitofwriting

2007-11-05T12:28:00.000-05:00

well this week was work as usual, four wheel it out into the bush, deliver some food, talk to some amazing people, and see beautiful kids. the snake we killed on our compound this week was a little one, and the chameleon we are keeping as a pet just sits around and eats crickets with his ginormous tongue. so nothing really to get excited about. so i figured i would just do a bit of writing. this actually is taken from a journal i like to doodle in every now and again. it doesnt really have a title but here goes....

i am but a vapor.

i am a moment of freedom choosing the way in which i rise. the world around me shapes this blip of time and space that i will call my life. but above all there is a calling, a truth, a purpose that will exalt me to unknown glories. there is one path to this truth and it is burning in my soul. as my body, soul, and mind are constantly at war, wrestling to become the single factor that guides my life, i am twisted, mangled, and split. i search for peace and a life unified with this calling. and when i am most broken and my world is a dark one, then i find light. i find a heavenly light that sings to me and leads me once again down the path of truth. i call this light grace. i look forward into the light and all i can do is love the Gracious.

merrychristmassudan

2007-10-28T16:39:00.001-04:00

so many people have been asking how they can get involved in helping with WhyTheWoods, which is amazing. so thanks to a dear friend serving in malaysia giving me this idea, i am suggesting christmas cards for sudan. last sunday when i preached i made mention that people were back at home praying for me and the people of sudan. they started clapping and shouting and cheering. it was a glorious sight. i was so thankful in that moment for all of you who are praying. so to further show the sudanese that americans love them, admire their strong faith, and are really praying, send them a christmas card telling them so. if you want, include a picture so they can see the face of someone across the world who is praying. it is such a cheap and easy way to show them that someone cares, and i can only imagine the joyous celebration this will bring. Thank you for helping. please send the cards to...

153 Gibson Way
Mocksville NC, 27028

...make sure it is clear that it is going to sudan or is for WTW. my family will collect them and mass mail them to me around christmas time, and i will deliver them over the christmas holiday. i do ask that you include 2 dollars for shipping costs.

by the way, the past few days i suffered from malaria or something like it. we don't really know if it was malaria because i never got my blood tested, but it acted just like malaria, and it makes for a much cooler story, so as far as i can see it was malaria. but i'm fine now. i got treatment pretty early so it was knocked out pretty quickly. but let me tell you, malaria is not as fun as it sounds. but like i said, im ok now. i met with the chief of wadupe today and played some volleyball at the compound. so it was a great day. i am speaking at a church opening tomorrow, so keep me in your prayers.

wouldi?

2007-10-27T12:50:00.000-04:00

"lay down!! i have burned your village, killed your people, and now i must cut off the head of the snake. you are the reason christianity is here!!"
"you can kill me. do what you want. but i'll never deny my God."
the arab soldier put the pastor face down on the ground and put the gun to his head.
"may i first say a prayer?"
"ha, do what you want. your blood is about to be splattered on this ground."
the pastor prayed to his Lord. his Saviour. he would never ever deny Him, and he was ready to see Him face to face.
when the pastor finished his prayer he looked up to find that the arabs had left. this pastor has preached in his village for forty years now. he sat across from me as we had tea and told me his story. i was honored to be in the presence of a real man of faith.

notitleworthy

2007-10-23T14:46:00.000-04:00

often i sit down to write about my day and leave with nothing on the paper. not because i have nothing to say, but simply because words are not powerful enough to relive moments that forever change eternity. how can i fully explain what a hug from pastor rufus means to me? how can i use the english language, words invented by men, to explain a friendship with the people of wadupe, given by God, that will last forever? i can only tell you what i saw and describe what i felt, but not until we see the face of Christ will we know what it all meant. we embraced on the steps of the new church, pastor rufus and i. then i was greeted by the congregation, first with looks of surprise which then turned into a rejoicing sort of "he really does love us" kind of look. many people come to sudan and other foreign lands and promise big things because they like to make the people happy, but few follow through with their plans. the sudanese know this, and to see that i actually came back to them triggered a time of praise and celebration. before the service pastor rufus and i were able to sit and discuss my vision for wadupe and whythewoods. his responses and the look on his face said, "finally someone really hears us." i explained to him the notion of "teaching a man to fish." he said, "that is what we have been crying. for so long we have been chained by war, and we have fallen way behind. we just need to know how to catch up." after our talk i spoke to the congregation. i shared with them matthew 9:37-38. i pointed out that Jesus tells us the harvest is there but no one to do the work, so the first thing he tells us to do is to pray (vs38), and this is the first step to changing sudan. i told them that many people at home are praying for me and the people of sudan; the men started clapping and the women started cheering for all of you who are remembering us in prayer. one day you will meet them in eternity and they will thank you personally. i then shared acts 1:8, and told them that this is a big leap of faith for me, but the Holy Spirit will give me power. and finally i shared colosians 2:6, and said that we must train our children in the ways of our Lord so they will be founded on the gospel and so they can pull sudan out of the trouble it is in. i spoke in both churches, explaining to them what i feel God is calling me to do. pastor rufus told me the community will give me a plot of land to live on and help me build a tukul. this, as you may remember, was one of my prayer requests before i left; that God would supply for me land to live on, and on which to set up a base of operations. and here is my answer, free land in wadupe. praise God for His many blessings.

pray for me next sunday as i meet with the chief of the area and the entire community to discuss the issue of the school size and building design, and to officially denote my plot of land. i have already talked with an engineer from samaritan's purse who has agreed to help me draw up the design and find the right people to help build it. like i said, how can mere words describe all of this. i thank you for praying on my behalf. God's hand of blessing is truly on this ministry.

flashlightneeded

2007-10-20T16:53:00.000-04:00

thank you so much for all the emails. i sat in tears today overwhelmed by so many friends offering up prayers on my behalf. i feel so unworthy of your praises and your prayers but i thank you for fueling the fire that is in me.

my new base...
one would think a ten meter walk to shut off a generator wouldn't be too dangerous. i didn't think so anyways. so about 11 o'clock a few nights ago i started out the door to turn off the power as i had many times before. "it's a short walk," i thought, "i'll just feel my way along the wall." about half way i stumped my toe on a rock and got mad so i went back in to get the, you guessed it, mini-maglight. i turned off the generator and had a good night's sleep. doesn't sound dangerous huh. well i didn't think so either, until the next day when our guards killed two cobras on our compound. i promise you i will never walk outside at night without a flashlight again. cobras and mambas are on the prowl and i don't want to find one with my bare feet. on the more positive side i saw a monkey that day too, that was cool.

so anyways i have basically been riding around on extremely muddy roads, which is a lot of fun in our landcruisers as long as you're the one driving and not riding in the back baking in the sun. just kidding, fortunately that is part of my job, but i have been doing a lot of work on top of that. we are officially starting 8 new churches this upcoming week. which means for every church i have to go make a speech about the church's responsibility of gathering the natural material, and explain to them what SP is going to supply them with--hammers, shovels, picks, wheelbarrows, etc. usually the pastor and local leaders give speeches and then we have a feast. the last church we started greeted our truck with dancing and singing. we died laughing and jumped in and danced with them. so everyday i have to give two speeches and have two feasts. these churches are over a two or three hours drive from our base so it makes for a long day, but seeing them excited and getting them so encouraged to work is more than worth it.

i am extremely excited about tomorrow. i finally get to make it out to see my good friends, the people of wadupe. one of our engineers told them i was coming back to sudan but he didn't know when i would be back, so they have no clue i'm here. it will be so nice to surprise them at their church service tomorrow. pray that all goes well and we have a great reunion.

movingout

2007-10-09T11:01:00.001-04:00

well i finally have my assignment and location. i am moving to the sub-base i was hoping (isn't God so good), which is close enough that i can come back to town on the weekends and use the internet. i can't wait to get out into the field and start working with these wonderful people again. my job has a little more responsibility with it this trip as i have graduated from an intern to the head of operations at my base. i know that title may sound big, but really it's just me and another guy mobilizing our area, and my job is to make sure we get enough churches ready for construction by the time the construction crew comes in. so im not really in charge of a lot, but responsible for a little more. if you guys email me, give me a week or so to reply because i don't have internet out there, so all my blog work and emailing will done on the weekends. so you can start looking for more posts on saturdays or sundays. a big thank you to everyone who wished my 22nd year a happy one. i spent sunday celebrating with the other guys at a new sudanese "restaurant" in town. this one was a little nicer than previous experiences. it at least had a concrete floor. we had chicken, roasted goat, chips(fries), salad, and of course rice and beans. one of the ladies had gone into town and gotten some cake mix, so we even had birthday cake. i guess it's pretty cool i can say that i celebrated my 22nd birthday on a different continent. well, anyways, pray for the churches i am going to meet these next few weeks and the upcoming months, and as always the children of sudan. if any of you are wondering, i am going out to wadupe this saturday or sunday. last sunday got rained out.

drivebyfaith...notbysight

2007-10-06T05:52:00.000-04:00

talk about jumping in and getting my feet dirty. this adventure is one worth writing home about. most of the new guys spent their second day in sudan getting over jet-lag or touring the town. but not me. about 6:30 thursday evening we get a call at our base about an emergency, i can't mention, so matt, my boss, grabs me and says, "we're going to [a location i cant mention on the internet]." this is a town about 2hrs northeast, and we have a sub-base there. so i grabbed enough supplies for a couple days and jumped in the Land Rover. our first heart pumping moment came about five miles outside of town. matt was trying to talk to the Lainya base on his satellite phone but it kept cutting in and out so we pulled over so he could get out and get better signal. by this time it was dark, so we couldn't see the two soldiers approaching our truck until they got right on us. matt stayed on the phone but got into the truck and shut the door, acting like he didn't hear the soldiers, who were saying something to us. normally soldiers are fine, but at night in sudan, why chance it. they couldv'e been drunk or something, and there was nothing stopping them from taking our phone or robbing us. we don't exactly have the safety net of a stable and fair judicial system out here. one of them started tapping on my window, so i nonchalantly locked my door and then matt quickly sped off, leaving them in the night. well, things were fine after that, bumpy, but fine. until about an hour into the trip when our headlights died on us. we stopped in the middle of the road, in complete darkness, in sudan...not exactly encouraged by the UN safety regulations. we both got out of the truck, neither of us knowing anything about cars, but hoping a jiggle to some wires would do the trick. as i stood out there in the dark i realized that i was exposed to every danger sudan has to offer and no way to escape it. i thought about the "lost boys." a group of thousands oflittle boys ages 5-12 who fled the war in 1987, walking thousands of miles on their own to ethiopia and kenya. these little boys had to fend off lions, hyenas, and alligators, not to mention the enemy soldiers. as i stood on the road that winds through the head-high grass, i thought about a lion or hyena jumping out at me. how did these little boys do it. i also thought about late night travelers who might see two stranded white men as an easy target. there was no way we could flee. we couldn't see a thing and the roads are way too treacherous to try and drive blindly. for some reason (God) matt had grabbed a mini-MagLight on his way out. we laughed at the thought of us driving through southern sudan at night with a AA flashlight as our guide. but... the two foot wide beam of light is all we had to see the people, ditches, potholes, and the road. i had to hang out the window and move the light back and forth so we could see the grass on both sides. needless to say, we SLAMMED into some major holes, which sent my head into to the windshield or the roof several times. just outside of Lainya there is a checkpoint. matt was sure we were going to jail for not having proper headlights, but again God gave us what we needed, and the soldiers didn't even question us, though they probably laughed at the stupid kowajas(white men). what should've been an hour and 45 min to two hours turned out to be over 3 hrs. we crawled into the base and had a great night's sleep. the next morning's drive back was obviously a little easier. we could at least see the huge potholes before we hit them. we did manage to get ourselves stuck in the mud, but a good push from about 15 sudanese men did the trick and was well worth the 20 pounds (ten dollars) we paid them. so yesterday we rolled into the compound, muddy and tired, but with a great story to tell. if MagLight needs a new commercial tell them to give me a call.

dirtyfeetagain

2007-10-03T05:34:00.000-04:00

flying in a second time was so incredible. i could pick out villages i had worked in and i could see the shiney tin roofs of new churches. i saw the wadupe mountains and just smiled at the thought of seeing those wonderful people again. as i got out of the truck at our compound i looked down and saw that my toes had a little dirt on them. "im back," i said. My clean american skin will soon give way to the red sudanese murrum. it wont be long before im covered in it.

inafrica

2007-10-01T15:44:00.001-04:00

i made it to nairobi just fine. i leave out wednesday morning. just in case you guys want to email me, my new email is billyriddlejr@Gmail.com so send me a message. i think to comment on my blog you have to have a blog of your own so if your like me and need help with that kind of stuff the easiest thing to do is email. talk to you guys later.

daybefore

2007-09-28T23:57:00.000-04:00

so its the day before i leave and i havent even started packing. but no worries. im just trying to get all my loose ends tied up, which is getting pretty hectic. well i just wanted to start my blog so you guys can keep up with my days here in sudan. but most of all i want to say thank you to my Savior and Lord for all the many blessings he has given me in the past three months. thank you all for faithfully praying and giving to the people of sudan. my initial goal for these few months before i return was to get to as many churches as possible and share my vision of building Christian schools. God blessed me with many opportunities to speak and great people who faithfully gave to WhyTheWoods. thank you all for your prayers and your support.