"game on"

so i suppose its accurate to say i blog when i'm not in america. many apologies to the few but faithful readers i have who were left hanging after i returned from kenya. i always seemed to be sucked into the hustle and bustle of our culture and fail to share all the many amazing things God is doing HERE. with that said, since i've been home, the past 6 months have been filled with frothing at the coffee house, working at the schools on snow days or holidays (like after school all day) or subbing for my old PE coach (LOVE it...my four square game has really picked up), and preparing for sudan. oh...and some painting. our family moved like 10 minutes away:)

7 of us, all either ASU grads or students, have been preparing for a 2 month stay in the village of wadupe in south sudan through the newly born non-profit WhytheWoods. billy, the founder, arrived on thursday to uganda, and the remaining 6 of us will fly to join him on may 12...just 2 days away. we will be flying into uganda and staying with another non-profit, Wine to Water, who is also based in boone. doc hendley, the founder, has been an amazing resource for WhytheWoods, and his team will be training us on his bases in Uganda on methods of clean water. when billy asked the village of wadupe what thier biggest needs were, one of thier responses was clean water. so, after a week in uganda, we will drive up to wadupe.

right now, people (many children) are traveling almost 3 miles in order to get water---not clean water--just water.

we are going learn all we can on bio-san filters, rainwater containment systems and water hygeine, so that we can educate and equip this village on how to access clean water. in addition, we are going to contract out the digging of 2 wells.

this, however, is means to and end. our end: to remind the people of wadupe that God loves them dearly, and that He thinks they are precious and valuable. to remind them of thier inheritance; that they are sons and daughters of a KING, and have access to power through the Holy Spirit. we are going to meet them wherever they are at, and nudge them closer to the Savior.

wadupe is about 17 miles outside of the nearest town---and wadupe doesn't have electricity--so i will do my very very best to update my blog! not sure about pictures, but i PROMISE i will post them when i get back. for those of you who would like to receive any email updates we send out, please let me know so i can add you to our contacts. we have set up a team email account so whoever goes to town can email everyone and also bring back messages from friends and family.

after years of praying, many books on sudan, and tears spilled for people i've only meet on a page, in my mind, or from someone else's story, i'm days away from one of my heart's deepest desires. God is good. SO good. When we delight in Him, He grants the desires of our hearts. (Psalm 37:4). pray for our safety, our health, our obedience, discernment, and for the precious people of uganda and sudan. what a priviledge to serve the Most High, the Creator, the Healer and Protector, the Provider and Redeemer, our Savior, our King, and our Lord. may we decrease, that He may increase.

"we put the walls up, but Jesus keeps 'em standin'
He doesn't need us, but He lets us put our hand in
So we can see
His love is bigger,
than you and me"
--Caedmon's Call, "Two Weeks in Africa"