Whoever said, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder," didn't spend half their life flying back and forth to Africa. Nor did they shelter in place for a year.

I find food, air conditioning, family, and Netflix binges are rather good at creating space, real space, between myself and others. Perhaps you know what I mean.

It will be a year and a half since I was last on the ground with our friends in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since that time, South Sudan has barely established a power-sharing government; and floods, corruption, and plummeting oil prices mean 70% of the people struggle to find food to eat.

In DRC, the government has sent troops to wipe out rebel forces; Ebola has again killed hundreds, and volcanic rock from the eruption of Mount Nyiragongo has temporarily blocked the road to our work in Kibumba.

Those who suffer often do so at a rate our minds cannot absorb and at a pace that our lives cannot register.

That is why our work is energized by the heart and context of their reality, not ours. We are simply assisting from the abundance of our lives and our resources.

Over the last year, your generosity has commissioned seven teams of women-led repair businesses, purchased a new Land Cruiser to assist them, and helped us complete our 75th 10,000-liter rain catchment. Oh, and your faithfulness opened the door for more grassroots peace work in South Sudan and the building of 27 hand washing stations in DRC.

Soon I will be with our people in their homes, drinking tea and eating, while we cry and laugh. We will celebrate YOU, and we will dream. Together we will make their world a better place.