In Southern Rwanda, I visited the villages of Kanyonyera and Rubugu where I saw water lines and water taps recently constructed by a local partner organization. The cement platforms and structures were well constructed, and the piping and hardware well chosen and installed. A seemingly ideal image of water provision in a rural region. 

In Kanyonyera, a woman by the name of Pellina told us of the value of this water tap. She said that they used to get water at the lake, which was dirty and was a long way to walk. This problem was compounded by children collecting water who could only stand on the edge of the lake, where the water was the dirtiest. To top it off, every year children would die from drowning in the lake. Pellina was happy about the clean, flowing water at the tap. 

On Saturday the final game of a 13 team, 52 game, soccer tournament was held in the midst of a grand ceremony. This tournament was a dream of our partner in Northern Uganda who saw young men being idle in their villages unsure of how to fill their time and lacking hope after 10 plus years in IDP camps (internally displaced people camps). Yes, stability is returning to the region, safety is the norm rather than the sacred, and villages are being rebuilt. But the rebuilding of a village is easier done on paper than in reality, and hope is a magical tool. And so our partner dreamt up and created a soccer tournament where they fund uniforms and soccer balls, and there were prizes of bulls and goats to eat, and a beautiful trophy for the winner to display. Participation required the building of latrines and hand washing locations, and soccer scores included community transformation in terms of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and half-times are filled with song and dance about WASH created and performed by the players. I could never come up with a plan so brilliant--not in my most wild imagination. 

Thank you. Apoyo matek. Thank you for coming to Uganda, and in particular, to Lira. Thank you for visiting. Thank you for breakfast. Thank you for lunch. Thank you for dinner. Thank you for water. I thank our God that we have been able to meet. Apoyo matek. Thank you for joining our celebration. Thank you for inviting us. Thank you for welcoming us. Thank you. 

 

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There is a wonderful magic about children. They have the ability to capture the heart and the soul with nothing more than a smile and a twinkle in the eye, and tonight Gladys captured my heart. 

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thougts from Dan Haseltine...

I received a wonderful email from a friend this week.  It was
timely. My life has gotten quite overwhelming: As Live Earth plays on t.v.
I’m wondering about environmental issues far more than ever before.  I’m
wrestling to know what it looks like to stay engaged with the political activities
going on in the U.S., and on top of this still keeping my hands dirty in the
relationships I am trying to grow in Africa.  And in certain moments, I have
wondered why I shouldn't simply, intentionally, forget a few of those things,
lighten the list... and choose not to care.

 

by Aaron Sands, Director of Development and Donor Relations (BWM)

It is humbling and encouraging to be on the Blood:Water Mission team, hearing stories every day of ways people have listened and responded in America, as well as the fantastic developments in communities throughout Africa. For all the details we read in your letters and discuss with you by phone, we know there is so much more that we never hear about (some of which words cannot express). These are stories of transformation, a favorite word of ours at BWM. While it is easy to throw the word around, it is a difficult task to actually facilitate and celebrate this thing called transformation.

by Jena Lee, Executive Director BWM

There's something romantic about Africa. Throughout history, its people, its tragedies, its beauty and its wonders have caused outsiders to romanticize the continent. When Western explorers documented their first steps and journeys onto the shores of the African continent in the late 1800s, Americans read with wonder and intrigue about an untouched place of people, animals and land that exceeded the imagination. Even today, National Geographic captures stories of people who are exotic and beautiful. Travelers, photographers and wanderers have dreamed of visiting places that are contrary to and seemingly far removed from a Western lifestyle.

by Gary Haugen, Founder International Justice Mission (IJM)

I grew up with a great love for reading history -- and I used to wonder, how would I have fared in the great moral struggles of the past. Would I have been on the right side? Would I have acted with courage? Would I have made my grandchildren proud? In many respects such speculation feels idle. Who knows what we would have done? Besides, it feels like history has perhaps passed us by. The great struggles of good and evil, right and wrong, seem to be of a bygone era. All the great and heroic battles have already been fought, and we are left with only petty battles in grey areas -- certainly nothing our grandchildren will want to ask us about.

by Steve Garber, Director, The Washington Institute

Why is it that some people see themselves as implicated in the way the world is, and isn't? In the way things are, and ought to be? There is nothing in the record deal signed by the Jars of Clay that requires them to care about the complexities of Africa, particularly about the structural problems that are horribly difficult and so very long-term. There are no cheap fixes. Only deep commitment, a sense of responsibility marked by love, will do.

From the feature interview of Relevant Magazine May/June 2006

RELEVANT Magazine: What kind of venues are you playing? 

Derek Webb: It’s a total mix nowadays. One day will be a college, a neutral venue. I’ve played a fair share of clubs. There are a few that we have great relationships with. Mostly it’s colleges and even some churches.
There’s a real bond with the church community, which is great. The problem is now that I’m still invited into the old places to play the new songs, and there have been some awkward moments. I wonder if I’m going to continue to be invited back or if my venues are going to change out of necessity.