Pies, Pies, and more Pies!

Yes, even pecan, apple, and pumpkin pies can be made and enjoyed here in Mundri, s. Sudan. We spent two days as a team preparing delicious delicacies (thanks to the Massos who brought lots of wonderful things from Uganda). This year we also had the pleasure of offering a little taste of home to 13 American visitors who chose this year to sacrifice time away from jobs, family, and friends during Thanksgiving week to come and love on the people of Mundri. It was a joy to share in this day together and to take time to reflect on the many ways our Father continues to pour his love and blessing into our lives.

Creative Strokes

Twice a week 4-5 of my P4 girls come to my home to engage in a short English lesson or some other fun activity. We have been reading through some stories together and most recently I read the book Hot Hippo. Not only does this book have a storyline that is easily relatable to children here because it’s written about an animal common to e. Africa, but the pictures are also full of vibrancy and color. We have enjoyed together the humor of this fable and this author’s creative take on why the hippo lives both on land and in water. Once the girls became familiar enough with the story I had them use water colors to create their own picture choosing whatever part of the story they wanted. In just the matter of an hour I watched these girls transform a blank white piece of paper with the stroke of a brush and use of creative minds into a beautiful work of art. I don’t think I could ever get tired of watching children create.

Chai- It's a Love/Hate Relationship

Now when I say Chai, I am not talking about a cup of tea. I am referring to the dog of Acacia Masso. As the Masso family is in Uganda the four of us remaining have been given the responsibility of taking care of this pestering/playful dog. Each night when I lay my head down on my pillow I wonder if I am going to get a full night’s sleep without Chai’s random barking. This being a dog who barks even when small centipedes cross her path. But then there are nights, like last week, when I am thankful to have this watch dog in our midst. We were awoken by Chai’s barking and as I was about to leave my Tukul to go check things out I heard some other strange animal noises. At that point I decided Chai could handle herself and her barking actually had a purpose. When the barking keeps out intruders of a larger size I am thankful to have her around as our protector. Chai, like other dogs also loves digging holes. She usually digs one hole and then moves onto another so that multiple holes are scattered around. This makes walking from my Tukul to the latrine a little complicated, especially in the dark with the obstacle of dodging the holes and fearing a twisted ankle. However, these days Chai seems to be focused on a single hole. Maybe she thinks she can dig herself to Acacia somehow. The hole is definitely turning into a cave she can actually burrow herself into. All in all Chai is a fun dog to have around and really is a part of our team.

She is pretty cute sometimes.

Discipline

Discipline is always a tricky subject to talk about let alone write about. Everyone has their own view and opinion. But I think we can all agree that discipline is a part of life, it can help a parent rear their child to become a mature, responsible adult, and even though we don’t like it, it also helps us in our walk as we try to make decisions that will bring glory to our heavenly Father.

In the U.S. if a student is tardy to school without a note they may have to owe a recess, sit in detention, or make up the time in some other form. Over the past two days I watched around 500 students get punished for being late to school. My heart strings get pulled when I watch discipline take place here in Mundri. I struggle with whether this is because there must be other methods or because my western mind quickly goes in the direction of judgment since discipline methods here are far different from what I am used to. But is what I am used to better? I guess the most important question is: Is the discipline being done out of love? A question that I would love to discuss more with teachers and other educators. I also just continue to pray for my heavenly Father to change my heart in places that need changing and to place opportunities before me to love and encourage the students and staff as best I can.

Welcome Roomie!

Welcome Bethany! Bethany was one of the friendly faces who welcomed me to Uganda in Aug. 05. We overlapped for two weeks as she handed off RMS (Rwenzori Mission School)responsibilites to Amy and me. Then she returned the next two summers to lead our summer internship program. During this time we developed a great friendship that continues to grow. And now we get to continue sharing in life together here in Mundri, s. Sudan. It will be nice to share the tukul; to have someone to grumble with when Chai (the Masso dog) barks randomly in the middle of the night, to laugh with when random critters crawl into shoes or other things, and to talk the night away together.

Big Week at School

This was a big week at the Parish Primary School. All week long a film crew was around taking pictures and film of the students and their soon to be finished school building. The crew was hired by OXFAM, an organization who dontated money to finance the construction of the new school. As you can imagine it was one distracting week as students were more facinated by the 'Obonje' moving around with high tech equiptment rather than a lesson from their teacher. And then to add to the mix, on Tuesday the commissioner and some of his sidekicks stopped by as part of their official tour of all the Mundri district primary schools. And of course the commissioner can not just stop by without a welcome banner, welcoming songs, and a few speeches. Even though not a lot of teaching was taking place during the week, it was fun to observe the students get excited over all the new things happening around them.

This is the current school building. There are only enough rooms for P4-P7 (4 grades), the rest of the students meet outside under trees.

The new spiffy school buildings. They are just weeks away from being finished, but the school year ends at the begining of Dec. so they probably won't shift till next year.

Desks! Currently the students sit either on chairs they bring from home or stones/bricks they find laying around the school grounds. They write in their school excersize books using their laps as a hard surface. These students are very excited about their new school furniture!

Sisters Reunited

It is common in the course of a conversation to find that a person has not seen siblings, parents, or other relatives for years. This due to multiple variables such as work or school, but the greatest one being war. During the war here in Sudan many families were forced to separate as they ran to the bush or sought refuge in nearby countries. Yesterday I got to witness sisters who have spent many years apart reunite. It was amazing to watch my friend and her sisters pick up from where they left off. One sister she hadn’t seen in over 22 years! The reason for the reunion was to celebrate the giving of the dowry for one of the sisters even though she has now been married for over 25 years. I guess now is better than never. Most of these sisters live within Sudan but even traveling within Sudan is difficult and expensive. I feel very honored to have been a part of the reunion and have the opportunity to meet the family of my dear friend.