Math problem....

How do you fit 7 pieces of luggage into a car to get them to the airport... if you know please help let me know! I have to figure out how to get that many pieces of luggage to the airport in about 3 weeks.

You don't have to leave the country for culture shock.

I spent a couple of weeks in Springfield and now I am in Louisiana. I have learned that you do not have to leave the country to get culture shock. Just being on the Bible belt is enough. It is funny that we forget sometimes. How even though we are all part of the same country we have such different expectations. Such as in the North if you say "sir" or "maam" it is disrespectful where in the South it is expected. Who would have thought that you could experience a different culture when going such a short distance. That said I am counting down and have about 4 and a half weeks along with a miracle from God before going back to Africa!

Adjusting to the USA

It is funny, I have been back in the states for almost a month. However even though I grew up here I find it very odd when very "American" things happen. I have to think twice when I walk up to a gentleman even one I might have known for a very long time. In Africa, I would shake their hand no matter how well I know them. Here in the states I might give them a hug. So in my mind I find myself arguing with myself "what am I supposed to do?" Other things such as the number of choices of things in stores seems outrageous! One thing that I still do not completely understand is the fact that meetings here can last only a half hour and everybody be happy with what has gone on. In Africa the meetings last for 2 hours for a short visit and you know you are ready to leave when people offer you tea. Another thing that I hope to adjust to, however I doubt I will is it is COLD everywhere I go. You would think that I have spent more of my life in Africa then in the US. It is funny how quickly you can fall in love with a place you have lived in for such a short amount of time. I am enjoying time with friends and family and getting some extra time to spend with God which is always so revitalizing. I am also learning how much I have changed as I interact with people I have known for most of my life. The most valuable thing that I believe I learned this year is that JESUS is my PRICELESS TREASURE and I am HIS!!!!

Elections and Voting *borrowed from a friend*

It's one of those days when there's just not a whole lot to report. I thought there would be. You see, it's election week here in Sudan. Something of a rarity...(like 24 years, I hear). In countries like this, one can never be too sure about how the political system will progress or er...escalate. Many of the Sudanese living in Khartoum left the city and went to smaller villages until the event was over. Some of them encouraged us to do the same. However, it's best for us to stay put. So we did. While the election itself has caused world-wide controversy, things locally seem to remain quiet. We continue in our work, remain prayerful and do what we can, while we are able in this dry, dusty place so desperately in need of a unified vote for Jesus.

Local voting station in Sudan (*Photo from Sudan Tribune)

Defining Hot???

I was laying the the living room at a friend's house the other day. When my friend asked if I was hot? Well my first thought was no, but then I thought about it and realized I was sweating. However I think here to be "hot" is when you have sweat dripping all down your leggs, and you jump in the shower with all your clothes on as soon as you get home. Just sweating no longer defines what it means to be hot. I have a feeling many sweatshirts will be needed when I get back to the states. For now I am happy that God has allowed me to not let the weather distract me too much :)

Transportation

We have many choices for transportation here. Busses, Amjads (like a van that works like a taxi), or rickshaws (small like a three wheeler, for shorter distances). Most of the time I take rick shaws to get around, they are great you can work on Arabic and very reasonably priced. Most people start to just get in and they know what the price should be so you pay it when you get to your destination. Today I had a slightly less awesome moment when a rick shaw driver decided to charge me over four times what the ride should have been and when I refused he threw them money at me. When I walked away he grabbed my arm and told me that I was not a good person. Luckily the neighbor was around and since he is a man he was able to help us and made the man finally go away. Just another day in this awesome country!

To the middle of nowhere and back...

Often times people say that they live in the "middle of nowhere" well I have news for you the middle of nowhere really does exist, but it is no where to be found in the US. This past week I had the amazing priveledge to travel through the desert to see many areas of this wonderful country I am living in. I saw about five different cities and many different tribes. I now have a stronger understanding of what this country is really made up of. However back to the middle of nowhere, so we would stop for lunch and gas in one town and then our leader would say "Ok about 240 clicks to the next stop. This did not just mean the next place, but it also meant there was NOTHING in the time between one stop and another. As far as you can see there was just desert, no people, no tents, nothing! Then after about an hour or so there might be a few tents and at one point we were driving down one road and we had some people we were giving a ride to in the back of our truck and another guy appeared out of the desert, no idea where he came from.

During our travels we got to go to the Red Sea and go scuba diving in one of the best places in the world! We also got to go snorkeling while staying on a boat for a couple of days! Then we traveled to a town that was deserted in the 80's yet still has a old hotel and about 4,000 people that live there, we went and found fuul (a type of bean food) where we had breakfast. Then we traveled on to a town up north where we got to go and enjoy some of the night life and a few surprises of people that are demon possessed. The next morning we woke up early and went to climb a mountain. Since the town is a very conservative town the bottom part of the mountain we had to wear our abayas (like a long dress) then later on we took them off and wrapped them around our waists. We made it to the top in a faster manner than I would have wanted, but we had time restraints. Some people said I was not choosing the best route since I walked up bascially a wall, but I got to the top and Chacos are amazing! Then we headed back down where we ran into some baboons that we had to scare away by throwing rocks at them. The best part was when I stepped off the mountain our leader had a coke for me nice and cold. :) Then as if that was not enough we went to the market to buy lots of amazing fruit that is grown in this farming town and headed out of town. Our leader noticed a tent out in the desert that had women and men in it so we pulled out into the desert to have tea with this nomadic tribe. The women were nervous at first, but they warmed up to us and were so generous! We had a difficult time communicating because they speak a different dialect of Arabic and our leader speaks the best Arabic, but he is a man and only women speak to women and men to men. It was an amazing experience being able to see a people group that is untouched by the outside world for the last 160 some years! Then if that was not enough we got to go to a couple more towns one for lunch and another we just drove past. By far my favorite was having tea in the village where the women squirted us with her perfume which I am sure was one of her most treasured possessions. She is very sick she said, so it would be great if you could all lift her up. Also it was great to watch the amazing kids that we had with us they are total rockstars! Plus encouraging conversations and chances to get to know people when you are driving 11 hours in a day and eating foods that might or might not make you sick made for an amazing adventure!