People are the Project

Monday: When Monday laughs, she really laughs. She throws her head back, sticks out her tongue, closes her eyes and lets it ring. She has the straightest teeth, the cutest overbite and the kindest eyes. She has three younger siblings : Sunday (8), Boy (5), and Condition (2) and cares for them with all the love a ten year old girl can give. They have no parents and live in a compound with their cousins and widowed aunt. A compound of widows and orphans. I have never seen Monday when she is not smiling or giggling (even when carrying a huge and seriously heavy jerry can of water on her head). She is sunshine to us.

Boy: He is about three feet tall, his nose is always crusty with snot, and his face is always covered in a grin. We can hear his giggle long before we see him emerge from the tall grass. He loves all things that have a motor and spends a large portion of his day running in little circles making the sound of a motorcycle engine. He can lift your spirits just by the sight of him.

Condition: Condition is two, has a bloated belly from worms, and a terrible case of diharrea. He runs around Wadupe naked because Monday can not wash his clothes fast enough before another set is soiled. He has a serious little face, but when you get him to giggle (exposing 5 rotten teeth) he looks just like his older brother Boy.

Sunday, unfortunately lives with a different relative several miles away....

These kids are SO much fun to spend time with. They always bring smiles to us and remind us why we are here. They teach us lessons about life simply by being themselves.

Village Life

We are so dirty our band-aides don't stick. We eat beans and rice twice a day. I can look up at any moment and eight people will be staring at me; the language barrier is exhausting.....but as I brush various bugs off my mattress and get in bed, it is all absolutely worth it.

There is a calmness that covers Wadupe. The hours in the day pass easily and small things become huge blessings. A breeze that cools us, a well that waters us, food that fills us. Even the rain (which slows down building work and traps us inside all day) is beautiful. You can hear it coming way before you feel it. You can watch as it rushes toward you across the grass. Relationships are everything here. You can hardly go twenty feet without stopping to shake someone's hand and exchange Kakwa greetings.

Here was a great experience me and Abby had:

5 ears of corn - 3 pounds (1 dollar)

Bag of potatoes - 15 pounds (5 dollars)

Some beans - 6 pounds (2 dollars)

1 pineapple - 2 pounds (less than a dollar)

Trying to cook in Sudan over a mud brick oven made with bike sprockets: priceless.

It took three hours to cook one meal, all the while Sudanese women were laughing at the two white girls trying to figure out the Sudan kitchen. It was a good experience for sure.

We learned a new game the other day. It is called STOP (or in Sudanese accent - ESTOP!). It involves jumping, running and representing a country. I chose the honorable nation of Denmark. I learned I am not as good at running and jumping in a skirt.

And now we are in Yei once again. Back to the town of multicultural experiences. Like this one: We were sitting in Sudan in an Eritrean restaurant with Ugandan employees watching an American movie with Chinese subtitles about Italians. How is that for multi culture?

We brought a girl from Wadupe into town with us. She has been coughing for a couple months now and we took her to see a doctor and get some medicine. Her name is Ena, she is nine and she is amazing. It was fun to watch her be amazed at the microwave, the freezer, the shower and the light bulbs in the room. She teaches us dance moves and card games. Right now we are sitting together and she is playing with Abby's iPod. Here is a message from Ena to you all:

sddddddddddddffffffffffffffgggggghhhhhhhjjjjjkkkkklllllll;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;''''kjhdfgurhsjfdhurnnnnnnnmmmmmmmmmmmmm,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,..................////////////////////////////////////

She hasn't mastered the computer keyboard yet. But as we put it - she is non-stop ENAtainment! ;)

Two more weeks in the village!! It has gone so fast.

Keep praying for us. Pray that we will be renewed every morning by the beauty we find in Wadupe.

allie