Walk with us

Down a well-worn footpath and around the outskirts of a village carved into the hills of South Sudan. Homes and homesteads dot the landscape. Terraced grass roofs blend into the rugged, natural beauty around them. Pathways worn hard and smooth by a million steps – by barefoot children at play or mothers collecting firewood – appear to meander without purpose, but lead to places. Places unimportant and unknown to most of the outside world, but to you, some of the most important places in the world. A right and then another right, left at the field with the black cow, up the hill and there: a round, mud hut. A woman surprised and delighted by your visit beckons you closer. Come. Sit with me, have some tea, talk to me. Pray for me.

Walk with us. Down a bustling main street in a sun-bleached city in North Africa. A sea of flat rooftops fades into the distance through the morning haze, punctuated by minarets and cell towers. Shopkeepers busy themselves for the day. A familiar face flashes a smile and a nod your way. You wait for a passing motorbike and cross the street, shuffle up the curbside, return a smile, and shake hands. “Salaam Alaikum.” Peace to you. How is business? How is your family? It is the most inconsequential of conversations. Pleasantries and small talk. But it is a meeting of great consequence. For this morning ritual between you and this neighborhood merchant reinforces a budding friendship that may one day become an open door.