Happy Labor Day!! September is finally here, which marks our last month working in Oxford. But currently we're in Spain for a short vacation and belated honeymoon trip!! We've just arrived, but before unplugging from social media I wanted to share a few updates from the past few weeks. Work Updates: -We've been working hard on translating and cataloging Dr. Wendy James' work and we're getting closer to setting up a digital archive. The work is extremely interesting and engaging, but we find ourselves exhausted each night after full days of translating for Liasor and editing and cataloging for me. But with a month left, we're trying to work even harder to get as much done as possible before we leave. I've been learning so much from this work, and this project has given me the chance the dive deeper into books and resources on Sudan and South Sudan along with information and archives on the Uduk people. It's been a rich learning experience that has also brought up tough questions surrounding global power dynamics and the authority and authorship of history. But more on that some other time. -We've also been working hard casting vision for Uduk Hope, making plans on building a stronger organizational team, and designing an exciting venture for Uduk Hope that we'll hopefully get to implement in 2018, Lord willing. Please be praying for direction and for the blessing of project grants. -Finally, we've been thinking a lot about jobs for when we get back to Rochester! Life Updates: We've gotten a lot closer to our church community here and the pastor asked us to speak to the congregation about Uduk Hope on Sunday September 17th, so please be praying about that. We're looking forward to sharing. We've also gotten very close to a Ghanaian couple at church and we've spent time at their house enjoying great conversations. I know we'll stay in contact long after our time here. They gave us a tour of the town of Iffley where they live on the outskirts of Oxford. It was such a beautiful town! We also got to visit Cotswold Wildlife Park with Wendy and it was fun seeing the gardens and the animals. Then my dear college friend, Bettina and her husband Will came to visit us in Oxford, which was one of the highlights of August for me. We had a wonderful, relaxing day catching up and visiting good places for food and drink. Here are some photos featuring Liasor's awesome iPhone photography skills: Hard Decisions For Our Upcoming Trip To Ethiopia: We've been excited about traveling to Ethiopia in October, but recently we've received news that there is unrest in the refugee camps we're hoping to visit. We're trying to decide whether we should still go, whether it would be best to return to the States, or if I should return to the States while Liasor continues on to Ethiopia for a short while to visit the people including family and make much needed connections with organizations on the ground. Please be praying about our decision and that the unrest in the camps would calm down. I would love to visit Ethiopia; it's been a lifelong dream to go and now it's also important for Uduk Hope. But although we feel safe traveling to the cities of Addis and Assosa, the fact that the refugee camps (Tongo, Sherkole, Tsore) are unstable makes us really wrestle with our next steps. Honeymoon Trip: As I mentioned we are currently in Spain to spend 10 days for our vacation and belated honeymoon. We're starting out in the city of Granada where we first met in 2012. This is our first time back in Granada together since the days that we fell for each other. I can't wait to step into nostalgia together and make new memories in a city that means so much to both of us. I haven't stopped smiling since we stepped off the plane! From Granada, I'll be taking a day trip to Córdoba, the city where I taught for a year between college and grad school. It'll be great reconnecting with friends, students, and fellow teachers. I can't wait! That trip will have a great amount of nostalgia for me as well. We'll end our trip in the beach city of Alicante. I've never been to Alicante, but Liasor has once before and he's excited to show it to me. Here are some quick shots of our hotel. I love Andalusian architecture! That's all the updates for now! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers!
Until next time, Christine
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