Today was our second full day of seminars.  The way we have it structured is such that there are three groups of students who rotate through the seminars, staying with one of the three seminar teams for the entire day.  Our topics have been critical thinking, servant-leadership, and creative self expression.  The students in the program are very intelligent and hardworking, but these are topics that are not necessarily emphasized at their schools.  So far the have been going very well.  I think the students are just happy for the opportunity to learn, and they love spending time with us.  For many of the people from Forefront, I know that they have been motivated to do more to help these students.  It is amazing the bonds that have formed in just one week!

One exciting thing that has happened is introduction of a new student, Ojock (but he is also known as Samwell - which is probably just their pronunciation of Samuel).  He is the younger brother of one of the student from Pader.  His elder brother, Ronald, was a child soldier for almost 4 years, and now lives without his right arm becuase he was shot in battle.  Samwell has never left his village until this week - he has never rode in a car, never slept on a mattress, never saw his own picture, never watched television… but over the course of just 3 days he is really coming out of his shell and starting to feel comfortable at the house and with the other students.  He seems very bright, and I think he is going to be a great addition to the program.  Like his brother Ronald, Samwell will come back to his village as a hero because he has an education and a future (without sacraficing his loyalty to the village and to his people).

Yesterday afternoon we went to the national market, which is like China town of the developing world.  Try to envision a maze of little stands selling everything under the sun, with thousands of people trying to push there way through 3 foot wide mud paths… and since it had rained earlier in the day, we were sometimes slooshing through several inches of mud.  It was definitelty a cultural-emersion experience.

I am proud of the team.  The have really taken it seriously, and they are being transformed in the process.  I think the people on this trip will devote themselves in a new way to living lives of Christ-like self-sacrifice.