Uninvited Reminder

Infant Mortality Rate

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18260082 Water and Sanitation

http://shaughnessyinsouthsudan.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/sud_water.gif?w=545

A Dream

It was a perfect sunny blue day in Florida. The country dirt road split through green pasture fields as dusty rocks spit off the tires of our truck as my friend and I drove to our favorite fishing dock. I was ready for a little "R and R" as I remember my boss screaming at me the other day for something that I couldn't prevent. As we pulled up to the dock there was the frequent visitor that my friend and I were accustomed to greeting. We could never recall her name but she always knew ours and was always interested in what we were up to today, yesterday, and most definitely tomorrow. Typically we answered in one word answers to get her off our back and she would eventually go back to painting her "masterpiece" by the dock as we continued to fish.

Today was different. As we grabbed our favorite fishing tackle to bring in the biggest fish we could never find, we noticed a young dark skinned boy throwing coins off the dock. "Great, not gonna get too lucky today" my friend murmured to me as I remember thinking the same thought in my head. Luckily, the old lady painting her "masterpiece" didn't seem to bother us as we passed by her on our way to fish off the dock. I kept my eyes focused on the dirt below as I considered myself fortunate not to have to greet the old curious woman. We had arrived a little late, maybe she was too tired to talk and needed time to put the finishing touches on her painting.

SPLASH! My eyes quickly diverted from the ground to the dock where I noticed the young kid now swimming in the water. "Welp, shall we call it quits?" my friend commented as we approached the end of the dock, curious as to why the boy would choose to jump in the water and yet disappointed at a ruined fishing spot. Once we reached the edge of the dock I noticed that the boy was nowhere to be seen. Right before the thought of a possible drowning boy reached my head, the boy popped up out of the water with a coin firmly grasped in his fist and raised above his head. "I found it!" he shouted while simultaneously grasping for air. "I reached the muddy bottom but I found my coin!" he exclaimed. "Wow, that's great kid," my friend replied, "would you mind diving over on the other side of the dock while my friend and I fish?" The boy's countenance didn't change as he hoisted himself upon the dock and continued to throw the coin to the far side of the dock most likely to retrieve it again.

The sun was starting to set and my friend and I had yet to get a bite or even see a hint of activity in the water. The kid from before was now on a floating dock nearby lying on his stomach and using his left hand to disturb the water. "Do you think he has a home?!" the old woman shouted from her chair as she packed up her painting supplies. "He was here when I arrived this afternoon and I didn't see anyone with him," she stated with much concern. We looked over to the floating dock and we heard a faint song being sung by the boy that echoed off the edge of the water to our listening ears.

"My mother, my mother where have you been?
The sun is setting and I have no place to go
My father, my father where have you gone?
The sun is retreating and I have no home"

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I had this dream last night and I couldn't help but be touched by this young boy's longing to see his mother and father. We have all been there and maybe still are today. But most importantly this dream reminded me of all the people that do not know their heavenly Father and who live each day for the excitement of throwing coins into the water, retrieving them and then repeating the process. The sun is going to set one day and all of life's excitements will be over. Do you know who is going to come for you? Do you know where your true home belongs? We were created to dwell with God forever! He has provided a way for us to do that, so put your trust is Jesus' power to pay for all the bad things that you have done and find your true identity in God!

Message me at grantcurtiss@gmail.com if you have any questions!

"Lost"

Currently finishing up a great book (if I can call it that) about one of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan, Valentino Achak Deng. The tag "Lost Boys" simply denotes the thousands of orphans who fled their huts all throughout Sudan during the civil wars to take refuge in neighboring countries. They fled to avoid being captured by the Arabic militia called the "Murahaleen" who would force the child to be a slave or a soldier. On their journey to the refugee camps, these kids were exposed to thirst, hunger, predators, disease, and most certainly death. Thus, these boys became dubbed as "lost", both in death and in life. 

On the bright side, things are looking up for Southern Sudan. My team leader and engineer, Michael Masso reported more Sudanese moving into the area and setting up shop. This is great news, however with the influx of people, the need for clean water increases with the demand. I can't wait to get to Mundri to help rebuild a nation and to help those who have wandered from Christ, be found in Him.

Right now I am at 30% of my goal in getting to Mundri, South Sudan this October to help out with the clean water projects for 6 months! If you would like to support me financially, you can click the link below and it will take you to my donation page.

Also, if you are looking for things to pray about, right now I am pursuing learning Juba-Arabic. This is the dialect of Arabic that is spoken in Mundri, along with English and the Moru language. I have a feeling that my Spanish speaking skills will not come in handy.

Donate: http://www.whm.org/give/missionary?ID=21711