"I'm what the world considers to be a phenomenally successful man. And I've failed much more than I've succeeded. And each time I fail, I get my people together, and I say, "Where are we going?" And it starts to get better." - Calvin Trager
Apologies to those of you who surfed over for more Sudan tales and pictures ... I've only got a few minutes to post and it would take a lot longer than that to upload all the photos I want to close out with. With any luck at all tomorrow...
So, to catch you up on all the stuff that's been going on that is not Africa-related!
BIG NEWS! -- We bought a new house! It's a great place that was owned by Anna Mason -- the widow of the Rev. John Mason, a priest of our diocese. It's on Pershing just west of Skinker (you can see our porchlight when you step out of Kayak's). Robin and the boys will be able to walk to Forsyth. I will be able to walk/bike to campus. We close on May 31.
Now all we have to do is sell our house ... which is what we've been working like crazy to do.
Isn't it adorable? Don't you want to buy it at or above asking price? The open house is TODAY (May 1). So, if you're interested in a great 3 bedroom, 2 bath, finished basement, great deck and backyard, 2 working fireplaces, etc., etc. right across from a beautiful park in U. City ... come on by 1075 Midland between 1 - 4 pm.
Seriously, the more we work on fixing the house up and cleaning it up (and trying to keep Hayden and Schroedter from messing it up faster than we can clean it), the more we ask ourselves "why are we moving?" It's a great place (but the other place? Location. Location. Location.)
The kids are doing OK with the move ... Hayden doesn't really understand that anything is going on. Schroedter is stressing ... this is going to be hard for him. He hasn't even seen the new place yet, so I imagine it will be easier for him once he does.
Other news. For the next three months, I will be the part-time network facilitator of Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation -- the amazing group of folks I've been working with who are working for a spiritual transformation in the Episcopal Church through a mission orientation structured by the Millennium Development Goals.
My Bishop is being very generous letting me take this on in addition to my other responsibilities (between this and moving, I think sleep will be a rarity the next few months). It's only possible because I'm on an academic calendar and, frankly, I'd be doing a lot of this work as a volunteer anyway this time of year.
It's a great honor to work with these amazing people doing this important work. I'm excited.
It's May, so we're heading toward graduation. And that means saying goodbye to some wonderful seniors -- Emily Bloemker, Gretchen Guschke, Banji Iyun, Katherine Karr, Tara Lohr, Ryan Wallace, and Rory Walsh. They are all so wonderful and we will miss them!
The good news is, we only really have to say goodbye to three of them. Gretchen is going home to Florida. Tara is doing Teach for America in New York City. Katherine is doing a Master's/PhD at University of Virginia in Charlottesville. Emily, Ryan and Rory will be living in a house together in STL ... and Banji's sticking around another year to get his Master's at Wash. U.
Schroedter is all geeked up about the new Star Wars movie (and after watching the trailer, I am, too!). I've got to try to get tickets the opening weekend or I truly believe he'll explode -- and maybe me, too!
I'm sure there's lots of other stuff going on ... but for now, I think the final coat of wax is dry on the kitchen floor upstairs so I can now toddle off to bed.
EGR resources and connects the church to embrace what one person, one congregation, one diocese and one church can do to make this mission of global reconciliation happen.
Want to find out more ... check our our website at www.e4gr.org.
"Christ's example is being
demeaned by the church if they ignore the new leprosy,
which is AIDS. The church is the sleeping giant here.
If it wakes up to what's really going on in the rest
of the world, it has a real role to play. If it doesn't,
it will be irrelevant."
- Bono
Episcopalians for 
