Rhoda

This is Rhoda. She is beautiful and kind -- and a great artist! Rhoda is from the Mundari Tribe and she's about 15 yrs old, the same age as my niece Ashley.

Denise and I met Rhoda at Confident Children out of Conflict (CCC), an organization run by a wonderful Ugandan woman named Cathy. Cathy started CCC to serve vulnerable children around Juba -- many of the girls who visit CCC live on the streets or in the slums on the outskirts of the city. They come to CCC because it's a safe place where they can get a meal and be together as children -- we played Uno, jumped rope, and colored. It was a great visit!

Cathy started CCC by having the girls over for tea. Then her ministry kept growing. She talked about the importance of doing something -- even if it's just a small gesture like having someone over for tea -- to make a difference.

In the afternoon, I went to a farewell pool party for my friend Caitlin. Caitlin works at the US Embassy and has been in Juba for about nine months. She's headed back to Washington, DC. Caitlin is generous and fun, and she will be missed by the people of South Sudan!