Mom, my feet are dirty again!

I have officially signed in as a visitor to Wadupe in the presence of the Paramount Chief.

We left for Wadupe Saturday morning in Billy's red chariot (a three wheeled cart with an engine) loaded down with mattresses, bags, people and a monkey. The fifteen mile trek to Wadupe took about an hour and a half as we bounced down the road and avoided huge pot holes. Some parts of the road were so bad we had to get out and walk behind Billy as he maneuvered through brush and mud. We arrived - sweaty, sunburned, and covered in monkey pee - but it was all worth it. The school kids from Wadupe Primary were waiting for us at the top of the hill and we were escorted the rest of the way with singing and drums. I almost cried. They wrote the lyrics to the song especially for us - one part of the song saying "our visitors from Denmark". I am not sure who missed the memo on that one, but we accepted it with Love all the same. (We were all trying very hard not to laugh every time they welcomed us from our home in Denmark).

Wadupe is beautiful! The land is beautiful, the mountains are beautiful, the people are beautiful. They are so sweet, so welcoming, so excited to have us staying with them. Kids hang around our house everyday and teach us Kakwa and help us with yard work. There are Acacia trees and mango trees all over...I sit and draw them in the afternoons. Every morning we drink Africana Tea with milk - pulling out the occasional ant that finds his way into the cup of sugar at night. We eat beans and rice twice a day and I dream about Italian food at night. We shower with a basin of hot water, splashing ourselves in a vain attempt to wash off that days dirt. Mom, my feet are stained again - I don't have you here to bleach them for me.

The very first Wadupe Community Bible Study happened on Sunday! Billy taught from Nehemiah about having a vision for what you want to see changed and first praying and planning on how you will accomplish it. The people who attended asked good questions after and I think everyone really enjoyed it. Seeing God in Wadupe has made the world seem big again. It has made Him big again. Perspective can change everything.

Now we are back in Yei for a few days to get supplies. I am happy to be able to eat meat and potatoes.

Sudan Sudan

Sudan is so great. I love the houses they live in. I am not sure I would love to live in them, but they give sudan a cool feel. There are grass roofs speckled everywhere over the hills. When you get closer to the "neighborhoods" as I call them, there are a number of tukals fenced in by a well kept bush.The dirt is packed so hard around the houses it looks like concrete and they have little perfect patches of grass with purple flowers growing all around. Everything is very clean cut. Not what I expected. Some of the houses are painted with white and black flowers.

Ah! And Sudan is so beautiful! I am used to perfectly paved roads and skillfully designed shopping centers. I like the openness of Africa, the green everywhere. The 'in th middle of nowhere' feel. There are beautiful places in the States that I love too - but they are just harder to find. In Africa you have to go a long way to get to somewhere, but in the US you have to go a long way to get to nowhere.

Giving out the cards yesterday was so much fun!! To Grandma Paulson - both of yours were given yesterday - and they were loved!! The kids would smile shyly at me when I told them the card was from my grandmother. They all spent the afternoon coloring in the front of the card. There is no doubt in my mind these kids know they are totally loved! I especially loved giving them to the older kids. They really appreciated your prayers and have promised to pray for American brothers and sisters as well. Now comes the task of organizing and editing 300 some pictures and writing about all these awesome children.

Yahweh is opening my heart to these people! The kids especially, as kids do, stole my heart. They are so funny. Spending the mornings with them is my favorite part of the day. They each have their own personality that makes us laugh! Zion hates to keep his pants on and will take them off whenever he can sneak it. Jembe will cry if we show attention to any other kid. Iko loves to be held and is the resident drama queen. Viki is totally independent - you have to win her over. Ima loves to laugh, but cries whenever he gets the least bit frustrated.

We head to Wadupe tomorrow morning! So this will be my last blog for a few days. Pray for us!!! It will be a whole new world to me - and I can't wait.

Yay! Yei

Hello All!

I am back to the land where holding hands is okay with anyone at anytime. Back to where two lane roads are really three and where you spend as much time in the right lane as left, no matter what direction traffic is going. Back to children yelling "muzungu!!!"

I am safely in Yei, Sudan!! After an ALS flight from Wilson airport to Loki, we flew AIM Air Cessna to Yei. Jim Streit was our pilot and he let me sit up front with him! It was so fun. He even plugged my ipod into our headsets and we were serenaded by Shawn McDonald and Josh Garrels all the way into Sudan. We landed on a strip of dirt and Billy met us at the um...airport...which consisted of one small building with a table in it. We very officially signed into Sudan.

We are staying at the SP base and it is so nice. They have really fast internet. That is what I love about Africa - you can be in the middle of no where and order cappuccinos and have wireless internet.

Yesterday we went to Iris - a children's village - to meet the kids and talk about how we were going to organize The Send Me Hope Project. Today we are giving out the first 40 cards or so!! The directors are so excited about it and I know the kids are too! I can't wait to tell you all how it goes today. Be praying for them!

We head to Wadupe on Saturday.

Blessings,

Allie

Africa!!!

I am here! Safe, sound, jet lagged and smiling.

First, I will say how much I love Boeing 777s. They are air planes with two aisles and nine foot ceilings! They give you socks, a toothbrush and very stlyish headphones. They are amazing. I also rediscovered my love for airline food. No really, I loved it. AND they had on demand movies!! Last time I remember flying I watch The Little Mermaid over, and over, and over....and over.

We (my dad, Abby and Connie Elder) arrived at Jomo Kenyatta airport last night around 9pm Kenya time. ALL eight pieces of luggage made it!! I walked with our driver to the vans and Abby and Connie strolled behind. I turned to see that they were still behind us and remembered that I had completely forgotten to tell them about the airport "porters". They had been swarmed by men grabbing their bags left and right to carry them to the van. O brother. Nothing I could do about it now. They caught up with me and Faraji (our driver) and told me that they wanted 20usd each. I laughed and said no!! I gave one of them the only 50 shillings I had ( about 75 cents ). We all jumped in the van and drove away. Welcome to Kenya.

It is good to be here! Everything seems smaller than I remember it - but I guess that is the way the world works as one grows bigger. I am with my Dad right now at the AIM International guesthouse. All the workers here remember me as the one who ate all the icecream. It is an odd feeling to come back to something. Nothing has changed, but everything has changed. I feel like I never left, and that I have been gone forever.

Keep us in your prayers!!! We fly to Sudan Monday morning!

much Love,
allie

Stockton to Sudan!

I have returned from the land of California!!

I have gained an insight to cherries that I never thought possible, an abundance of new friendships, six (yes six) fillings and unfortunately, a hairnet tan line. I am lacking nothing but the second toenail on my left foot.

Now, here I go! I am taking a deep breath and diving into phase two of my summer. Africa!! The promise my mom engraved on the wood plaque above my bedroom door is finally coming true. “Ma Yi Bu Ye” – I will return! After seven years of waiting I am finally going back to the place I called home for so many years.

Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive of The Send Me Hope Project!! It will be amazing to see my silly doodling in the hands of children who needed your words of encouragement.

Keep us in your prayers as we venture to find Love, find HIM, and find Life in Sudan!

Mmm. I am excited.

allie