In 2001, prior to the September 11th attacks, my partner and I started taking young men from Africa, Southern Sudan, into our home.  Since that time, we have had as many as four young men with us at one time.  Overall, as I count, we have had six different young African men in our homes, and two young African women in our home.   Only our youngest, David is still with us right now.  He is at Univ of Portland studying to become a CPA and is home with us on spring break right now.  Number one son Deng Kuol stopped by yesterday, dropped off his laptop for Mom and Dad to fix and I think we have that done this afternoon.  Number two son Deng Machuei, his wife and niece are living in Tacoma.  About a month to go before we Machuei's wife Riak should give birth to our first African grandson.  Pretty exciting and very beneficial to Marylea and I and our biological family to have expanded our family to include these human beings.  If we count dollars, the currency of civilized man, we have given more to these children than they have given to us, but in a human sense, we have been transformed from "mud people" to human beings to the Bor tribe of Southern Sudan and my african children tell me that the extended families in Africa consider us family and we are welcome in Panyagor or several close by villages.  We will be considered family there even if our skin color might normally suggest otherwise.  We might go for a visit eventually.  I am not sure. 

When the boys came to live with us we had lots of talks about our cultures, our families, our dreams.  The boys told us that it was a wonderful thing to come to the US because the US has the biggest guns.  The guys were minimally aware of the Quaker church in Africa and were surprised that we were not proud of the big guns of the US.  

We talked a lot about that and some of the extended guys, not the ones who lived with us, thought our peaceful position with regard to the arabs in Khartoum who had slaughtered their families was more than naive.  

They thought our willingness to eschew violence toward Osama bin Laden (who had been in Sudan during their lifetimes) after the September 11th attack in this country was pretty hard to fathom.  

I told the boys that if they were interested in the armament of the US and it's application in Sudan that our support might have to be withdrawn.  If they were interested in education, maybe learning how to use mine-detecting equipment and returning with that technology to Southern Sudan, we would be able to completely supportive.  They were very interested in learning to use mine detectors, but their lives have taken different paths and so far none has trained with the equipment, but the discussion did give them a sense that they could be of service to their families and villages in Sudan without resorting to the use of weapons against the arab people of northern Sudan.  I have thought that if I was to go to Africa to visit my extended family, I would probably see if there was an opportunity to train with removing mines and go to do that work.   It seems unlikely, our lives have a life of their own, if you know what I mean. 

I see in the press today that a group of Sudanese ethnic african women is working to remove mines in Southern Sudan.

Click on the graphic if you want to read the story.

The villages of the ethnic africans have been heavily mined.  I am told that the areas around churches, schools and wells are favorite areas to mine.  One of the women sweeping for mines and removing them is reported to be about 7 months pregnant.  

I haven't done the research to find out if the mines in Southern Sudan were made in the US.  When a person steps on a mine, the source of the explosive is not the first concern, but I hope that someday, the US will reduce the export of armaments to folks around the world.  Watch the movie Lord of War for context if you like.