PLEASE NOTE: On the occasion of moving to Jubilee Partners as a volunteer in August 2014, I am taking up my blog again, after nearly two years of it lying fallow.

      All things new

      Paw paw is a fruit.

Baw Baw is a person.

Eritrea is a country.

Comer is a town.

Karen (Kah ren') is a group of people.

All this is new to me since coming to Jubilee Partners on August 16. These are facts I have learned, experiences that I am having. Paw paws grow here and are mango-like, though smaller and less juicy with multiple pits. Baw Baw is my student learning English as her third language, and we are fast friends, and she teaches me, too. Eritrea is in the Horn of Africa and our newest family is Kunama, a minority group marginalized there due, in part, to scarce resources. Comer, in outlying Athens, Georgia, is a mile away and seems a welcoming place with its village green, a couple gas stations, Food Lane grocery, Family Dollar, Chef Burger and Maggie's cafe. Karen people, as I get to know them, tell the story of fleeing persecution in Burma.

My mind expands with new information, for example that the U.S. accepts more refugees than all other countries combined, around 70,000 in 2013.  

My soul stretches with new relationships and heartfelt worship.

My body tries to keep up with it all, actually doing quite well, relishing even pulling invasive weeds in the heat and humidity and the heavy duty cleaning to get cabins ready for incoming families. Teaching Baw Baw is considered a work assignment but is pure joy. Preparing meals and washing dishes is fun, shoulder to shoulder with others.

Thank you, God, for this place and these people, who glorify you and witness to all things being made new through the power of your love. Amen!