Spring

Where I am going there will be no blossoming cherry trees and no flowers to mark the changing season; no gentle April showers and no extremely white people soaking up the sun again. Where I am going there will be red dirt, strange but familiar smells, and a heat that forces everyone to the shade of the giant mango trees. There will be thick greenery and heavy rains; and there will be at least one extremely white guy living in a village of very black Sudanese. My legs are jumpy and my hands are restless. Finally.

It has been over a year since I was last with my friends in Wadupe. I miss them dearly. I can't wait for a hug from Rufus and Marchello and Juma's big white smile; and the many many handshakes that are to come in the next week. I can't wait to hear the kids whispering as they stare through the window in my tukul, then scream and run away when I poke my head out. I am leaving this evening. Pray for me if you remember.

Rufus and the gang (Wadupe Development Committee) have been working hard in my absence. With the budget I left them in December of 2010 they have finished the school latrines, sent three young men to the city for more education, conducted a teacher training seminar, raised the walls of the new school building, and built a chicken house. These men have caught the vision and are working together to develop Wadupe.

This trip the Development Committee will update me on their progress, share their ideas for the future, and together we will organize the community projects they chose for this year. We will put the roof on the school and put chickens in the chicken house. We will work on our farm and the library, and try to develop ways to improve our work. We will always study the Word, encourage the Christians to follow the Way, and we will pray and fight against the dark spiritual oppression that weighs on Wadupe.

These people are growing. Hope is growing. And this growth is what happens when love meets potential; when hope meets the faithful; and when the church supports one another. Thank you for the prayers, the donations, and the encouragement. Be excited! a new season is near.

GOD is Greater