My feet are up and so am I . . . at about 30,000 feet over southern Italy. In spite of the British Airways flight crew strike we are still flying . . . I was just served a ginger ale by a captain! It seems all hands on deck works here as well.
In about 27 hours I will be in Juba Sudan, a broken town of only 25,000 just a few years ago, this is now the seat of power in Southern Sudan and houses as many as a million returning Sudanese. Many are hoping to find some way to survive and others are here because power + peace = FORTUNES!
I am reminded of the many years of investment that WIB has in this place. Years of planning and training and purchasing equipment so that simple bore holes can be drilled and fresh water flow to all.
We are deeply invested in the people and future of this nation; we have been, we are and we will continue to be.
The six year Comprehensive Peace Treaty is now coming to an end and the future is far from certain. As most of you know, we had the opportunity 5 years ago with our long term partner ALARM, to assist in bringing together clergy from North and South Sudan for a time or repentance and reconciliation. We followed that up a year later with a time of dreaming and planning on how to quickly rebuild a nation. The consensus here was above all else . . . CLEAN WATER!
Since then, more than 115 bore holes have been drilled and a quarter of a million broken, beaten people have access to clean water. Please stop a minute and think about that statistic. Amazing . . .
God is good! All the Time!
Our task these next days is a continuation of those first two meetings with clergy but at a greater level of urgency! In just a few weeks Sudan will hold it’s presidential elections with it’s first ever challenger from the South. Touchy times . . . you can only imagine. In less than a year, a referendum will be taken and the South is looking like it wants to separate from the North and form its own entity. Touchy times . . . you can only imagine!
Oh, and did I mention there is quite a bit of new found crude oil right smack dab in the middle of it all?
So what role does WIB play in all of this? That’s exactly why we are here. Our goal is to help these faithful, fearless servants of God make unified plans on how they will guide their country over these next weeks and months.
Meanwhile, a rig is headed to Darfur to drill 50 wells over the next 12 months. Funds continue to come into WIB from all over and we are grateful. Please stay in the game with the Sudanese . . . whether continued peace or conflict, they need water because water is basic.
Lets give it to them!
Steve R.
