Oh, the joys of rainy season! We had a soccer tournament last Saturday and the linguistics office got together a team of fearless women who (as you can see) met with a fairish bit of mud. I watched. Spectator is my favorite position in soccer . . . the ball and I never seem to be able to come to an understanding. The mud did look pretty fun, though!
Later that evening all the many talented people here got together and performed their unique talents for us all. Did you know you can play a saw with a violin bow? Well, this guy can. It was pretty cool: he changed the pitch by bending the saw and drew the bow across as if it were a violin!
That evening I was reminded how interconnected we all are. Even the little things we do affect so many people in so many ways. Honestly, I don't know how God keeps track of it all. I hope you can keep track of this story . . .
My friend Krista had hurt her ankle pretty badly and needed to get to Australia for more extensive medical care. Sara was going to go with her but there weren't any flights out of Ukarumpa for a couple weeks so they were trying to figure out how to get to one of the cities that has an airport. But I didn't know that. At the talent night I *happened* to sit in front of my friend Esther and during intermission she *happened* to mention that she and her husband were driving to one of the cities early the next morning. I then went over to talk to Sara only because something in the first half of the show reminded me of something funny one of our other friends had told us. Sara told me they were trying to get to a city, I told her Esther was going there, and less than 24 hours later Krista and Sara were safely in Australia.
Pretty cool, huh? But being interconnected works both ways. When I don't get along well with even one person, it's tempting to think that it only affects me and that person, when in reality it affects so many people around us, perhaps in ways we'll never realize. This week we're in the middle of "Conference", the time when all of Ukarumpa gets together to plan strategies, elect new leaders, and renew our vision. Imagine over 300 people in one room . . . no, wait, you don't have to imagine, you can see for yourself . . .
Now, as I was saying, look at this room full of over 300 people, representing at least 14 different nationalities and a broad spectrum of church backgrounds. Do you think they're always going to agree on how things should be done? Do I really need to answer that question? "Being of one mind" can be hard work. But I'm firmly convinced that because of (not in spite of) the challenges our diversity brings, God will be even more glorified as we work through our disagreements, set our differences aside, and work together for the goal that has brought each of us here: to see God glorified and adored when people are able to hear Him speaking in their own language. 
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