So I've spent the past couple months in Yirol, South Sudan. After coming back from Christmas vacation in Zanzibar, Tanzania, I flew in to Rumbek. Rumbek was once considered to be developed into the capital of South Sudan. After a day or two there, I made the 3 hour drive over to Yirol. In between the two areas there are vast amounts of water and wildlife. To see birds that are four feet in height, families of baboons, and an abundance of other animals was quite the "African" experience. Upon reaching Yirol, my first impression was that it was just another South Sudan village. Indeed it is, but it was so much more. On the compound there we live in mud tukuls very similar to that of the locals. There was no power, it was hot, humid and just boring for the first few days. So as I got my lists of villages together to research and hired a translator, it was just another day in paradise. But I soon came to love Yirol so much. Aside from the fact that I was very sick for a couple weeks and had no idea what the problem was. There are many security issues and tribal conflicts sometimes on a daily basis. I had more things to go wrong with my work in Yirol than anywhere else I've been. Although I still had an appreciation for the area and the people. The locals of the greater Yirol area are all Dinka. There are many sub clans of people within the Dinka however. Those sub clans tend to rival each other frequently. From cattle raids, to arguments, to all out fighting and killing, the sub clans don't get along all the time. But the people I encountered in Yirol had a tremendous impact on my life. Sadly a lot of people in conflict areas, or areas that are suffering, have figured out how to embellish their story to receive pity. For someone like me, who wears my heart on my sleeve, they can smell me coming. But the people in the bush areas of Yirol haven't had enough people from NGOs around to grasp this concept yet. So what I usually ended up with, was being face to face with someone who had never really been helped. I witnessed things in Yirol that I've read about here in Sudan, but never actually seen, at least not to the extent that I witnessed here. One day while traveling back from Bunagok, an area about two hours into the bush from Yirol, I saw children drinking from he dirtiest water I had witnessed yet. In Bunagok the boar holes dry up this time of the year. There won't be water available again until the rains come. When I saw the children gathering the water to drink, I stopped immediately. I wanted my translator to tell the children to boil the water before they drank it. The kids just started laughing, and continued drinking it. A similar case was in the town of Bunagok, I saw a kid with a plastic bottle filled with mud. My first guess was that my small friend was just playing with the bottle. Soon he removed the cap and began to drink the water off carefully keeping the dirt in the bottle. I told him to stop drinking that, it was going to make him sick. He just smiled and continued drinking. The people of these areas usually know the water isn't safe, but what would you do if you were that thirsty and had water in a bottle? Even if you knew it would harm you, you'd do the same. And so would I. Because of the water issues, food is also scarce in these areas. There is no cultivation this time of the year because the ground turns to a bone dry desert. WFP (World Food Program) has a strong presence in these areas and they are distributing maize flower and oil for cooking. So to meet some of the people that I've met, and have some of the conversations I've had, I have so many questions. The first obviously being "Why?" Why do these people have to suffer so much? Why do we have it so well? And why do we not take more time to seek out people who are suffering and lend a hand? Surely we could spare $20 to an organization that's helping, or better yet give of our self to help. I've developed this theory while traveling and living in Sudan. Generosity isn't so much a choice as it is a responsibility. Selfishness is a horrible disease that every person on the planet has, some worse than others. Some people use ideas such as these as the punchline to jokes to take the emphasis off the fact that they themselves do nothing to help anyone outside themselves. Now it's easy for us, especially me, to do things or give to those that are special to us. Someone whom I love or care about, it's easier to give. I try my best to show those that I care for how much I care. But I don't have that same drive for people I've never met, until I'm placed in their situationa and I can see the suffering. I've been told by some that you can't save the world and it's ridiculous to give up everything for an ineffective cause. But many years ago a group of people had similar beliefs. Even you don't possess faith in God, you have to admit that this is admirable.

³²All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. ³³With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. ³⁴There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales ³⁵and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
- Acts

If we, the progressive world, adopted this lifestyle, people would think we were crazy. I mean, everyone can rise above their situation and be self sustaining no matter what their circumstance, right? Absolutely not. Some people need help, and if all those who aren't trying to help are just criticizing, then they shouldn't help. Give freely, not because you feel convicted. But if you do feel convicted, good. We should.