Good Neighbor Initiative (pics)

Thought you would all enjoy some more pics of the Good Neighbor Initiative... (notice Isaac lending his hand to painting as well!) 

Just something to catch you up a bit...

Hey everyone, sorry it has been a little while since I updated the blog but we were out for the holidays and then once we returned it was full speed for a while to get caught up. Now it is leveling off a bit. So God continues to build relationships into our lives and we are surprised by the ways He uses us to influence others and instigate steps of transformation in peoples lives. I have had a few such incidences this past week. 

  

Our Good Neighbor Initiative has finished our first service project and we were able to bring a broad consortium of people together to do it. As we worked to paint the interior of our neighbors house and fix her bathroom toilet and sink we had several people from the neighborhood join our other volunteers to accomplish it which was very encouraging for us. Our neighbor is definitely excited about her new look inside and to have the use of her bathroom once again. 

Our Voice Groups have taken the slow route in starting back up but we were able to meet with a key young leader in the community and he was encouraged and encouraging (not to mention stinkin' funny). 

BEATS (Bringing Eternal Arts to the Streets) is about to have its second open mic/art expression night on the 15th Feb. We are excited for this one as it will have the theme of MLK's "I Have A Dream" and will be focused on expressing their dreams through the arts it is also a part of celebrating Black History month (Feb). We are trying to find a great venue for this event so keep that in mind if you want to pray for us in it. 

The kids are growing a the twins are walking. We just have to figure out how to get them out of destruction mode! I think we pressed the wrong button or something cause they make our house look like there was a tornado every day. They are fun but a lot of work too. :) I have attached our new team pic as well in case you wanted to see it. Don't worry I will put more pics on soon...(everyone keeps asking). 

Well, I know that wasn't a very polished entry but I am not in a polished mood. Ciao 

Yearning...far away

We have a good friend visiting Uganda right now and he is going to see our old home and the friends we have there. He is traveling there with some packages for our friends, letters with words written to express our heart to those we once were able to speak, and pictures to replace our very presence there. These thoughts stir echoes of a different time and a longing to return. Langston Hughes expressed it well in a poem not spoken from the same source that our longing derives its soul, yet somehow rings true even to my comparatively small experience there. So I wanted to share it with you...

Afro-American Fragment

So long,

So far away

Is Africa.

Not even memories alive

Save those that history books create,

Save those that songs 

Beat back into the blood-

Beat out of blood with words sad-sung

In strange un-Negro tongue-

So long, 

So far away

Is Africa.

Subdued and time-lost 

Are the drums -- and yet 

Through some vast mist of race 

There comes this song

I do not understand, 

This song of atavistic land,

Of bitter yearnings lost

Without a place-

So long,

So far away

Is Africa's

Dark face.