19 Jul
Kim and I did get in touch. Apparently I had misunderstood their newsletter. They will be in the States this September/October.
Once we have communicated in person (the old fashioned way) I will have a better idea of my departure time for Sudan.
I am pressing toward it being less than a year away!
17 Jul
I just has a wonderful evening in Lexington at a prayer meeting called, “The Fountain”. If you live in the area you really should go! It is a prayer gathering of friends from all different denominations.
They took the time out to pray for me which I really appreciate! I was also able to connect with two ladies who are mother’s of my childhood friends. To see them and hear about these friends was a *sweet kiss* from the Lord.
I am building my prayer team. My mentor, Cindy, will be in charge of sending out my prayer requests while I am gone. If you want in on the loop let me know!
12 Jul
Tall, slender, graceful figures glided past me in multi-colored garb. It was an event on “Sudanese Time” (meaning not keeping track of time!) to honor the short life of Manute Bol who used his NBA career to help his homeland.
Manute lost 250 from his family to the civil war in Sudan and when his basketball talent (due in part to his height of 7’7) led him to the U.S. he didn’t forget.
He went back to help the now famous “Lost Boys” and to start a school building project. Several of the Lost Boys, who are now mostly in their 30′s, made it to the memorial to pay tribute. The school building project will continue under the NGO Sudan Sunrise.
Now that I have “discovered” the Sudanese in the Kansas City area (there are some 3,000 of them) I hope to get to connect with them more before I leave through their churches and community groups.
8 Jul
I am in need of 7-10 basketballs. My Sudanese friends are having a memorial service for NBA player Manute Bol on Sunday and would like them for the service. I will pick them up.
Many of you may have heard about Manute’s death on the news. He went back to Sudan to help build a school and became ill there. They flew him back to the U.S. but he had an allergic reaction to medication before he arrived.
HIs funeral was held in Washington D.C. then his body was shipped back to Sudan for burial.
His family is located in Olathe, Kansas and the organization he worked through is called Sudan Sunrise located in Lenexa, Kansas.
14 Jun
I managed to drive home from conference #1 up north yesterday and headed down to Oklahoma today.
Now it’s 8am-9pm solid conference and Wednesday begins my time in the “Refugee Camp”
I am already meeting many amazing people who have lived and worked all over the world including places like Syria, Afghanistan, Kosivo and Jordan just to name a few.
12 Jun
you may have heard of pan-fried but I’ve been “eating up” eight solid hours of conference a day so I’m about ‘con-fried’. Actually I absolutely love this sort of thing. The paradigm shifts have been incredible. They have perhaps been some of the greatest in my life. Next, will come the seeking God as to what He would have me do in regard to these shifts. Sorry for sounding vague but actually these issues are of a religiously sensitive nature so I don’t intend to detail them on a public blog.
The connections are continuing as well. I’ve been desiring to move to Sudan for 25 years yet I didn’t start meeting Africans/NGO’s until I made the decision last year to go. This week I met an evangelist who has spoken to thousands in Southern Sudan!
10 Jun
Come on God, couldn’t I be in the Fashion section of the paper or Politics. Maybe Religion?
But today I connected with His point. He is raising me up to bring His fresh bread to the nations. It will smell and taste like the sweet African bread that they know and love but it will come from heaven.
Check out the article in the Kansas City Star on Wednesday July 28th.
5 Jun
After several attempts my mandazi bread recipe is a sweet success. These West African deep-fried treats, sometimes shaped like donut holes, are a cross between donut and sweet bread. Key to yum? Coconut milk, cardamom spice, double rising and of course frying!
I will say that they are inconvenient for photographing. Little boogers! They kept rolling off of the plate to the floor when the photographer for the Kansas City Star was trying to take their picture.
1 Jun
I have a new page on Facebook entitled, “Crystal’s Life in Africa” just click the “like” button to follow me.
1 Jun
I would like to send out an online e-newsletter soon in replacement of my snail mail updates. If I do not have your email address and you would like to be included in my fundraising updates please contact me at hey2hope@gmail.com
