Boo. Ya.

What a week! And really, what a month! It has been amazing to see how well things have fallen into place, its almost like Someone else is in control. That being the case, I have no problems bragging about what I have not done.

After over a year of nothing but fantastic ideas of what a Masters project may look like the last week produced an array of community meetings, a NGO willing to provide financial support, and one very educated and motivated development consultant helping with technical details, on our planned fish-farm/animal raising/garden project. (And for the English majors reading the last sentence I apologize). Granted nothing has happened on the ground yet except listing the villagers interested in each particular project. (The next step will be to select a Pres. Sec. and Tres. for each group, sorting out some financial stuff, and then finally the actual labor of getting the fields ready. And as far as my project is concerned, getting equipment for measuring temp. evap. precip. and soil moisture....maybe I should save my apology to the English majors till the end). But at this point all the lights have turned green.

The 15th was World Hygiene Day, and having a specific day helped me set a deadline and get a hand washing demonstration set up for the school. Three workers from the health center plus myself went to the school to talk about hygiene and give a demonstration on how and why to use soap. (It went ok overall). But before that we had talked with the school directer and will set up hand washing stations (plastic bin filled with water and a spicket at the bottom...I have the buckets and spickets...just need to find some super glue) next to the latrines and the teachers will set up 'hygiene teams' that will make sure the latrines will be kept clean. (The latrines were installed just before I arrived in village, but all last year kept locked because the teachers didn't want them to get dirty.) So hopefully the kids will now start using the latrines and get in the habit of hand washing. The next step here is to get a hand washing station in the village where people eat and prepare food. I hope to focus on this hand washing thing for a while, it is simple, relatively cheap (the school agrees to provide a stand for the bucket and locally made soap), and important.

Though these are small steps, the fact that they are steps in the right direction has provided me with motivation, purpose, and an overall lifted spirit. I am excited for what is ahead...and it has been a while since I could have honestly typed that.

But I think all the above stuff is so amazing because it is the result of something greater. It is the result of God pursuing and loving me after I gave Him permission, through my own pursuing and loving, to get closer. Or something like that...not super easy to put into words.

Ok all for now, but if history is any indication I will be sitting on facebook all evening waiting for people to pop up so I can chat with them =). It's an addiction that I indulge in once every few weeks.

with Love,
Jeremy

Technology these days...

Skype... for those of you technically savvy people, I now have a skype account!!!!! Not that I have internet often, but you never know.

my name is jeremy.m.jenson I'm not sure how it all works but I think you can request me to be one of your contacts. And I think its sort of like facebook in the more contacts I have the cooler I am. So please request me. =)

Love.

Funny that just now I begin to see that this is what Jesus is all about. Love. Love leading to Passion. Compassion. Pure Love. Love so big it removes fear, and leaves it no room. Defining Love. A Love resting outside of all things temporal and transient. Timeless Love. Unchanging Love.

"Living in the awareness of our belovedness is the axis around which the Christian live revolves. Being the Beloved is our identity, the core of our existence. It is not merely a lofty thought, an inspiring idea, or a name among many. It is the name by which God knows us and the way he relates to us." --- Brennan Manning

"Who am I? ... I am one loved by Christ." --- Thomas Merton

Sick of being sick

Once again I find myself more than a days journey from my village. A days journey from the village where hope rests. Hope for a masters project, hope for work, hope to make a difference. Over the past month I think I have spent close to 5 days in village and the rest in the south, this during a month that I had hopped would produce the first signs of a masters project. But health, rightfully so, comes before all of that, so I have little choice in the matter at this point.
On a brighter note I am starting to make plans for Aaron, who is coming to visit for Christmas this year. I looks as if Christmas will include a safari =). It is always nice to have something to look forward to and something to plan for.
Congrats to Mapleview church for their 50th anniversary, I wish I could be there for the celebration.
Unfortunately being away from post so long leaves little to write about here. After Tues. I hope to be traveling back to village. Harvest should be near and the famine close to an end, I hope to start finding fresh tomatoes in the market by the time I am back. Thats all for now
Jer