16 Days Left!
I spent most of today doing little errands around town. I made sure the first aid kit was up to date.
Yesterday 4 of the team members got together and watched a documentary on the Lost Boys of Sudan "A Great Wonder: Lost Children of Sudan". The film was shown at a local community college, and provided a clear picture of all the humor, loneliness, and difficulties of leaving the grasslands of East Africa and integrating into the chilly Northwest city of Seattle. There was a great discussion after the film, although I was lost in thought during most of the questions and answers. It was interesting that many of the Sudanese boys (and girls) that came to America initially thought their dreams were coming true, and after a year or so actually wanted to return to Sudan because of the stark deficiencies in the U.S. One really interesting comment from one of the young men was that he imagined the 9/11 attacks to be a continuation of the war in Sudan, and his security and worldview was upset once more.

There are a couple of events coming up here for Oregon or Washington locals:

* October 17th *
First, Monday night there will be a presentation at Jonathan and Taryn's house on Uganda and Sudan. Erik Wecks, Brian Stiger, myself, and Karin Rosain will be speaking about the region and the trips. I'll also give an overview of Lahash - everyone is welcome to come. The address is: 1535 SE 21st Ave, Portland, OR 97214. The meeting will be at 7:00 PM on Monday the 17th of October. After the talks, there will be a prayer time for the region.

* October 23rd *
Second, there will be a presentation in the Imago Dei Service on the 23rd of October - during each of the 3 services. During that time, the majority of the East Africa Trip team will be assisting in the children's ministry downstairs. We are hoping to partner the kids in Portland with the kids in Uganda and Sudan.

* October 31st *
The team leaves for Entebbe, Uganda - flying first through Dallas, then New York, then Dubai!