If you’re going to Rwanda, remember your foot cream.

Anyone read Romans 10:15 lately?

And the cirlce of life is complete…from self-absorbed poda-philes (another new word?) to missionaries in Africa…good stuff.

It’s amazing, isn’t it, that God is raising up people to go to places like Rwanda and Sudan? Who’d have thought just eight or ten years ago . . . .

I had heard about the missions into the DRC, but from what I understood, it wasn’t going well at all. Our church here supports a mission in Zambia. David French has worked there for years and is headed back soon (if not already). They’re really working to branch out further now. SW Zambia has a pretty high concentration of churches, but they’re having to fight a lot with the northern push of Islam. And, too, the c’s of C in particular are often thought of as a tribal religion because it spreads really well — in certain communities.

Anyway, I’m glad if things are going better than when last I heard. Julie Sampley is going to Africa for a few weeks this summer — a sort of “testing” to see if she can handle it. She never wanted to do mission work, but over the last few years… well, God tends to get pushy sometimes. I think she’ll do fine. It seems pretty obvious who’s pushing her that way anyway.

I’m glad to know that you’ll be going to Rwanda. You care deeply — it’s obvious in your writing. I think God will use you; I’ll be praying that he does.

It looks like over the next few years the next wave of African missionaries are going to start reaching the field. Instead of being mostly East-Central, I think the new ones are going to be Central-West….consisting of teams less than five years old in parts of SW Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and the Congo. Exciting times ahead….and perhaps we can continue the proud heritage of the Men’s Retreat (not to exclude the women, but tradition is tradition) and convince Mike to come every once in a while….

I’m at HUGSR now — y’know, out here with the faithful. Or at least in the shadow of Oster. Fortner teaches a few classes over here, too, but for now we’re sharing him with Searcy. I’m going for the MA in OT right now, considering the masters in counseling therapy, though, before I leave (which will be in about forever). Eventually, I’ll get my equally oddball doctorate … somewhere else.

I really hope the Rwandan experience will be a blessing to you guys. (I can say “blessing” because “blessings” aren’t always pleasant, so it works either way) as well as to them. It’s definitely an area with a need. Sometimes the obstacles obscure our view of the need. The D.R. Congo, too, has an enormous need — but no one can see the way in, yet. I’ve been praying about that one for a while, now.

Wow. Foot care to missions. See? It all makes sense in the end.

So, to sum up, we be doin’ right fine here in the Big Coun’ry (sometimes the T is omitted). Thanks for askin’

P.S.: Isn’t this referred to as “threadjacking”???

Yup, it’s me. (Okay, my English degree requires me to note that that should have been “I am she” or “It is I,” but they sound stodgy and I’m not.) I had to think, though, since I think it was freshman year that Hillary Keller (now Creech) ellipsed my name to the stunning initial it is today.

Anyhow, um, how’re you?

Blogophile hasn’t been coined to my knowledge yet “bloggaholic” was dropped yesterday in (shameless plug) my blog http://www.joelquile.blogspot.com just in case you were even wondering. By the way, is this even Mike’s blog anymore or have we commented a hostile takeover? Just wondering.

(By the way, Greg, I’m Karl Barth.)

To Q….are you Quiara Hazelwood from Harding U? I don’t know too many Quiara’s but you sound familiar…..in case you can’t tell, this is Greg Kendall-Ball, and I think we were in Fortner’s OT class together…let me know, a’ight?

Grant, whoever you are, you are insane. And I mean that with all sorts of Christian love piled on top.