Absentee Bloglord. Part 1: Changing Seasons

Visiting Lui's yet dry resevoir before the rains

So there are absentee landlords ... and there are absentee bloglords. Yep, that's me. I haven't been in the blog world for a while. But I hope to be back for a bit. With some stories from my travels in the real world. Do forgive my long absence. Sometimes there's a lot happening. And not much time to write about it. But here are a few glimpses from the last few months, and a handful of thoughts to go with them.

Learning to thatch a roof with grass

My home-stay at Margaret's house wrapped up around a month and a half after it began - a fine collection of experiences. Being at her place afforded me the opportunity of being part of all the daily community and church events on that end of town (the opposite end from where we live). It's great to be neighbors with people that I only otherwise see once a week. We participated in church work days (like raising the Mother's Union office (pictured here), we gorged on mangos that ripened on the trees while I was there, we swept together, cooked together, ate together, laughed together, sang together, read together, dedicated newborn babies together, collected firewood together, and ended each day as a family, singing a song, listening to a devotion, and praying our day closed.

Some of my favorite boys: Sabiri, Peter, & Awani

Some days I dearly miss our long sprawling evenings, sidled up to one another all in a row on two big mats under the stars, once it got way too hot to sleep indoors. Now the spell of dry season has been broken. The rains have come, and so far so good for this year - we are GRATEFUL for that! The dry heat has been replaced by the humid heat (gross). But the never-ending heat of dry season has also been replaced by the intermittent heat of rainy season - cool nights, and cool rain and cloud days are glorious, and it's positively delicious to have the hoodie and blanket out again.

Photo courtesy of Liana - our delicious India mango!

And so, the page closes on one season, and turns to a fresh chapter and a fresh season - one of being back on the compound with most of the TEAM, one of rains and digging in GARDENS and planting, one of TEACHING agriculture and getting our EXPERIMENTAL FARM running at the Bible College, and one of watching all manner of life grow anew - check out blog posts 2, 3, and 4 for more glimpses into these facets of life and work in S. Sudan.  

Thank you so much for your prayers during this season.  I asked you to pray for:

1. getting to know people well and loving them.

2. great gains learning language and culture.

3. help with the sweltering heat.

4. fun.

My home-stay was all of these and so very much more!

Much love to all!

Larissa