Thank You

“You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 118:28-29

In the last week I have been around a lot of young children including my precious and beautiful niece. I have been reminded that at a young age children are taught to say please and thank you upon receiving anything. Being the week of Thanksgiving I thought more about this idea of being taught to say thank you after being given something more than I might normally. Even now my heart still associates thanksgiving with gifts. When I use these words 'thank you', it is typically after I have received something. This something isn't necessarily a gift but even things like time, help, or other expressions of kindness. This practice also carries over to my relationship with my heavenly Father. When I see my Father blessing me and giving me the desires of my heart, it is easy to say thank you. But when God’s goodness is not evident to my eyes, the thankfulness does not come as naturally. However, I am learning that faith and thanksgiving go hand in hand. I may not see all the wonderful things my Father is doing, but I have faith that He is always at work pouring out is grace, love, and mercy into my life and the lives of others. I have faith that God is faithful all the time and his promises are sure, therefore I can have a heart that remains thankful. And even when my eyes of faith become a bit hazy and I don’t see what the Lord is doing or understand it, I can remember that God is God, my God, and his love does endure forever, that in itself is enough to be thankful.

Hello Snow!

I knew I was in for a climate change arriving back in the U.S. in November, but I thought I would have a few weeks before the freezing temps would hit. Instead as I got off the plane last week I was welcomed by 37 degree wind. And then just days later a fun blanket of early winter snow. It is hard to imagine that just a couple of weeks ago I was sleeping under just a thin sheet and now at every house I visit I look for the seat that has a near by blanket to wrap in. I am thankful for gloves, sweaters, warm boots, and very thankful that my mom does not mind blasting the heat. Some are saying we are in for a harsh winter, but for Seattle that could mean just a few inches of snow on the ground :o). I don't mind having an excuse to stay in the warm house drinking hot tea and just enjoying its simplicity.

Goodbye Mundri

Goodbyes are never easy, but I am learning that hard goodbyes are good goodbyes. As I sat with my friends in Mundri not knowing when I may see them again and feeling the sadness weigh in, it was a reminder that God allowed me to invest in this place, to love many, and to be loved by many. The goodbye was hard because Mundri became my home and my teammates and Sudanese friends became my family. The goodbye was hard because the Lord used Mundri to change and transform me, to teach me about dependence and community, to show me that I am not any less needy than my African brothers and sisters. The goodbye was hard because the future is unpredictable both for me and those I love in s. Sudan. And the goodbye was hard because I loved living in a place that was simple yet challenging. I loved riding my bike up and down the dirt road everyday wondering if a big truck was going to pass and leave me coated in dust. I loved greeting everyone as they passed. I loved going to the market a few days a week to by fresh veg. I loved entering a classroom as the students sang their greeting song. I loved sitting with friends as they served a cup of tea. I loved waking up to the sounds of chirping birds and falling asleep to the pitter patter of rain on the tin roof. I loved laughing with teammates and Sudanese friends as we exchanged African English phrases. I loved planning and carrying out teacher trainings with my teammate Bethany. I loved sitting with my small group girls as I read them books and they got new glimpses into the world and saw new pictures of their Creator. I loved cooking for my teammates every Monday night. And I love the many many things I have learned through my time in Mundri. So even though the sadness of the goodbye is still heavy, I am thankful for the hard goodbye because it means that Mundri was not just this place I lived in once upon a time, but was and will always be a home to me.

Me and my small group girls after our last meeting together

I felt very loved by my teammates as they threw me a wedding recpetion themed goodbye party

On my last Sunday at church I introduced my mother and grandmother as well as said my goodbye

This is Pastor Paul and his family which includes my good friend Nagenti and Regina one of the girls in my small group

This is my Moru family the Morris family. I spent my hours at their home playing games, eating good food, having sleep overs, learning language, and having lots of laughs.

Hellos and Goodbyes

Hellos and goodbyes are a constant in life for all, but I do have to say for a missionary there are many seasons where they seem never ending. Last Friday Nov. 5th I took a road trip with some of my teammates to Juba where we picked up my mother and grandmother. None of us had been to Juba by road and the stories we heard from others of police checks and few helpful people were not encouraging. However, God opened the way and the trip could not have gone better. I was excited to walk into the Juba airport and watch my mom and grandma come through customs with no problems or hassles. It is funny to think that their introduction to Sudan was Juba, a developing city in s. Sudan, full of people, traffic, NGOs, and expensive lodging that is not what you pay for. But although the amount of money that pours into this place is astounding, we were thankful for a great Mexican meal on the Nile, ice cream, a chance to walk into a small supermarket, and wonderfully smooth paved roads.

Once we arrived back in Mundri, it was time for the goodbyes to begin. Hello mom and grandma, goodbye Mundri. As hard as it was to say hello and goodbye in the same week, I am thankful that my mom and grandma were there to move around with me as I sat with friends, shared words of appreciation, prayed with them, and said goodbye. Through that time my mom and grandma were able to see how the Lord has truly blessed me through my relationships in Mundri.

Harvesting

I think most would agree that Autumn is a beautiful season full of color, change, and smells and tastes to delight in. Even though we live in the blistering hot south Sudan, we too are enjoying our fair share of Autumn beauty and reaping the benefits of the harvest. As most of you head to the pumpkin patch to pick out your bright orange pumpkins, we head to the market where we too find dozens of yellowish/green locally grown pumpkins. However, we have yet to carve jack-o-lanterns, but we have been making delicious goodies such as pumpkin bread, scones, cookies, pumpkin soup, and other pumkin delights. My teammate Scott has been pretty committed to making Sunday dinners all things garden. He and Larissa both have their own gardens on our compound and because of this we have enjoyed fresh salads and other fresh veg for the last few weeks. This last Saturday I went with my friend Mary to her garden and helped harvest sesame seeds. This involved bending over in the blazing sun, and cuting branches of sesame seed until I had a big enough bunch that could be tied together and hung to dry. I would say I successfully cut about 20 bunches. Aside from the heat, it was a great day and I'm thankful for a small taste of harvesting season here in s. Sudan. Here in Sudan the leaves may not change into beautiful Autumn shades, we may not have crisp cool air, or be able to drive to Starbucks to enjoy their pumpkin spice latte, but we are thankful for this harvest season, for the abundance found in the market, for the gardens that have been blessed immensely by this years rains, and for the reminder that we are a part of an even greater harvest.

You Are Special

“Jesus came to announce to us that an identity based on success, popularity, and power is false identity- an illusion! Loudly and clearly he says: ‘You are not what the world makes you; but you are children of God.’ Henri Nouwen- Here and Now

In the last few weeks I have become very familiar with the book You Are Special by Max Lucado because I have read it both with the teachers at our training and with my small group. For those of you who are not familiar with this book, it is about a village of wooden people who were all made by the same woodcarver, Eli. Everyday these wooden people move about giving each other stars (good) and dots (bad) according to their talents, beauty, and gifts or the lack there of. The main character, Punchinello, was covered in dots because he could not do any of the things that earned stars. Because of the bad marks he had been given he began to believe that he was not a good wooden person. However, one day he met a wooden person who had no marks and she told him to go and see the woodcarver. Punchinello finds out that Eli thinks he is very special and that he should not care what the other wooden people think. The moral of this story is that we too are special and we should always be looking to our heavenly Father to tell us who we are.

No matter what town, village, or country we live in we are all human. Just like the wooden people in this book we move about giving one another stickers with our words and actions. We try to tell others who they are and we also begin to believe ourselves that we are who the world tells us we are. We fall into traps and then stoop to finding our identity in success, popularity, and power. But just as the quote above says, Christ came to announce that we are children of God and that our identity should be found in Him alone. God tells us He loves us no matter what and that we are all very special. It doesn’t matter if we are extremely successful or beautiful by the world’s standards or possess lots of wonderful things. God’s love for us never changes. I enjoyed seeing my friends here relate to this book just as much as I do and now we even go around telling one another that we are special because God made us and we are His.
Here I am reading the book to my small group.

The girls made a mirror decoration that will remind them they are special every time they look in the mirror.

Here is one of the girls telling the story to her siblings using the book to show pictures.

Making Pancakes

In the last couple of weeks the girls in my small group have been enjoying the book Mama Panya's Pancakes about a Kenyan women who plans on making pancakes for her and her son, but then her son invites all of his friends. Yesterday I brought all the necessary ingredients which can actually be found locally, and together with the girls we made pumpkin pancakes. I introduced them to the flipper and it was pretty hilarious to watch them try to flip the pancakes. They had a great time laughing at each other and themselves during the process. And then of course the great thing about cooking lessons is that you get to eat the final product. Others on the compound also lucked out because they were in the right place at the right time. Maybe now pancakes will begin to show up in Mundri town.

Way To Go Teachers!

On the last day of training we handed out certificates to all the participants to honor their completion of all 3 phases. Above you see them all standing proudly showing off their certificate. The week was very successful and went better than we ever could have expected. I am so thankful for each individual in the picture above and blown away by all of the growth I have seen since our 1st training in March. Now I look forward to visiting each participant at their school before I leave Mundri in January.

Dancing for Punishment

During Phase 1 of our training I wrote a blog post about the different jobs that are assigned for the week. For example: the time keeper, the energizer who leads songs when people get tired, the Spiritual minister who prayers or assigns someone to pray throughout the week, and the Lawer who is in charge of disciplining people whose cell phones go off during the training. At the begining of the week our Lawer was not feeling to well and didn't have much energy to do her job. But today she was feeling a lot better and became very serious about punishing those whose cell phones went off during the lessons. For anyone whose cell phone rang more than once during the day, they had to get up in front of the class and dance for punishment. I too got to join in the dancing fun because my phone rang 20 min. before our last lesson finished. I didn't quite have the same moves as my teacher friends, but it was still a funny sight to see.

Being Kids Again

This week at our teacher training I am reminded of my days in training courses for elementary education. I took a course on each subject area that I would be teaching in the school and for each class I was asked to create lesson after lesson. I learned about the different parts of a lesson and how if we as teachers do not plan well it can really impact how our students learn. This week we are sharing some of these lesson plan ideas with the participants at our training. And just as I had to present my lessons to my peers as if they were my students, this week the teachers in our training are also being given the chance to present their lesson and act as students. I laugh at how quickly we as grown-ups jump at the chance to become kids again. The teachers have had no problem acting as students as they pretend they don’t understand the teacher, point to the wrong pictures, ask silly questions, or blurt out obnoxious responses. I can’t help but smile as I see our participants grasp new ideas and have fun in the process.

In this picture Melissa (who has come for 10 weeks to help teach Michael and Karen's children) is teaching the participants a song before she begins a lesson on leaves and graphing. The participants had a great time learning the new song and participating in the lesson activities. Below you will see some volunteers holding leaves and joining in another song that ends with their leaves dropping to the ground. One of the best types of learning is modeling and then doing :o).

Abiding in Christ

"Remain in Me and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by iteself without staying on the vine, so you cannot without remaining in Me. I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who remains in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing."
John 15:4-5


Today was day one of the phase 3 teacher training seminar. This week our focus and theme is on the fruit of the Spirit and how we has teachers are called to live by the Spirit so that we can bear fruit and to encourage our students to live in a way that bears the fruit of the Spirit. Bethany started off our training by reminding the teachers that we cannot bear fruit if we do not first abide in Christ. As everyone stood under a Mango tree we discussed how a branch cannot bear fruit on its own and how it is the roots of the tree and the tree itself that provides life for the branches so that they can produce fruit. As we root ourselves in Christ we too can bear fruit.

This week for a visual aid we are creating pictures of fruit to remind us that we ourselves desire to bear fruit. Today the teachers worked diligently on drawing mangos and writing John 15:12 to remind us to love as Christ loves.

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

"Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! Will there be enough room?" Many of you may be familiar with this popular childrens' book commonly read in Kindergarten. Thanks to one of our summer visitors I was able to share this loved book with the students at Baya Primary. They may not have understood 50% of the words, but they sure did love the rhythm of the book and joining in on the chanting of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Children here rarely see picture books and so the colored pictures alone captivated their attention. To take the lesson a step further I had the students trace their hands on green construction paper and together we created our own coconut tree with our names in alphabetical order. The children had a great time tracing and cutting out their hands and were very proud of their final product.

Sudan Road Trip

As most of you may know we finally got our new team car a little over a month ago. It has been a huge blessing as we move around Mundri. But more recently we put it to some good use to go and pick up Bethany from Yei (a town near the Ugandan boarder). It turned out that MAF was not flying on the 16th and so her only option was to fly into Yei and have someone come and pick her up. Who better for the job than James and I. James as the driver of course and me as the VERY helpful and observant passenger :o). The road trip started out like any other...getting up at 4:30am, making sure we had sufficient snacks to get us through the journey, and double checking we had all necessary items for unexected car problems or hassels at police checks. The First couple of hours were pretty peaceful as we drove through the dark deserted town of Mundri only inhabited at that hour by packs of dogs scrounging for food, passing only 1 vehicle on the road, and taking our time driving around potholes. The longest road journey anyone has taken on our team has been a 4ish hour journey in the Bishops car where the biggest obstacle has been bumps and ruts in the road, so we had no idea what to expect. I am very glad that I didn't know what to expect because I may have not had the same amount of enthusiasm about the journey. Here is a snapshot of our journey.

The scetchy bridge. As we pulled up to this bridge I thought to myself, 'do we really have to cross over that?' James got out to check it out. It actually looks worse than it is, but I definitely was not looking forward to crossing it a second time on the way back.

The raging rivers. Michael said we might run into some river crossings, but of course we were hoping that wouldn't be the case. What's a Sudan road trip though without not just one but two river crossings? My appreciation for our car and it's capabilities increased as our journey continued.

A pleasant surprise along the way was this sign for Hot Springs. Who would have known just a few hours a way was a small tourist actraction. The attractive sign alone sparks curiosity. We didn't have time to stop on the way to Yei, but of course we had to check it out on the way home.

The sign is a little more exciting than the hot spring itself, but you will notice that they definitely did not falsely advertise. The hot spring looks exactly like the picture and the size doesn't lie either. Even though it looks like a small puddle it really is a hot spring. We touched the water just to make sure.

We got back in the car hoping that the nice serene picture of the hot spring would be a pleasant end to our journey, but that nice serene picture soon turned into a muddly disaster. Just as we made it back through the second of the two rivers we drove partly through a puddle that one would think would be nothing compared to a river...unfortunetly it was worse. Our right front tire got sucked down into the quicksand mud and the vehicle slowly started tiping on its side. As the shock began to calm a bit I notice water coming in my door. It was time to move out of the vehicle. One thing I love about Africa is that you can be on a road that seems deserted with no houses in site, but yet people still show up out of nowhere. With the help of 8 men, the patience of James, 4 wheel drive, hard pushing, and of course our awesome Father who is the great helper the car was rescued from this mud pit and safely back on the road. After a 13 hour journey with more adventure than we could have ever expected we were happy to pull into our compound and join the birthday festivities for my teammate John. James and I definitely grew a lot closer during this experience and it will be a road trip we will never forget.

Experiencing Bundibugyo with James

I had a wonderful time taking James around Kampala and then going the 7 to 8 hour ride to Bundi. We took public transportation whicho consisted of the Kalita bus, a matatu (15 passenger seat van that turns into at least a 20 passenger vehicle) and then a small car from Bundi town to Nyahuka. I am thankful for the blessing of being able to return to Bundibugyo. This visit was even more special as I showed James around this place that is very dear to my heart and introduced him to friends. People hooped and cheered when we told them we are to be married next year. James fit right in as you will see below.

Enjoying chicken on a stick from Mubende or otherwise known as the "in your face chicken place."

One of our visits in Bundi was to the pottery house. A home many of you may remember me sharing about. I spent many days and even some nights with the women and children who live at this home. James didn't waist anytime and jumped right in to play with the kids. Above you will notice him trying to teach the children how to juggle.

My dear friend Adija. She has such a kind heart. She prepared us a nice meal of rice and eggs. She welcomed James and now even refers to him as her grandson since I am like her granddaughter.

In the pictures below are 3 young teens who befriended me when I first arrived in Bundi. Of course at that time though they were young kids. They have grown so much and I am thankful to still be a part of their lives and now for James to know them as well.

On the way back from Bundi to Kampala we took the luxurious option of hiring our own driver. This allowed us to stop whenever we wanted and take pics of Uganda's beautiful scenery. My friend Amina traveled with us both ways. Here we all are standing in the Fort Portal tea fields. I could not have asked for a better trip to Bundi. It was great to see the team who welcomed us so graciously and to be reminded that God is still moving and working in a place that has seen so much change and transition.

Rebuilding the Walls

“Then I prayed to the God of heaven, and I answered the king, ‘If it pleases the king and if you servant has found favor in this sight, let him send me to the city of Judah where my fathers are buried so that I can rebuild it.’ Nehemiah 2:5

I am currently reading the book of Nehemiah; a book about the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. Three years ago this month a group of 7 of us set out to explore Mundri, s. Sudan as the starting place for WHM ministry in Sudan. And now we have had a team here for almost 2 years. South Sudan is a land that has faced a lot of destruction, but in the last few years many have been coming together and have begun the rebuilding process. As I have been reading Nehemiah, Sudan has been on my heart especially with the upcoming referendum. Sudan is a nation that has seen years of war, ruin, violence, and devastation. But in our time here we have seen glimpses of hope for a future free of war and destruction. We have seen new buildings go up, plans come together for the renovation of Bishop Ngalamu College, new solar pumps replace hand pumps, the expansion of the market, preparations being made for new roads, and even articles about s. Sudan’s proposal for animal shaped cities, seems laughable, I know, but it still shows the desire for change and transformation. I am thankful that many are moving forward in hopes of a peaceful future for Sudan, but as I read Nehemiah I am also driven to prayer. Please also join me in praying for Sudan and the upcoming Referendum. Just as Nehemiah faced opposition in the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls, Sudan too may face opposition as they try and seek a future that is best for the people. Please pray that God would be paving the way for the nation. Pray that He would be the foundation in the rebuilding process.

Fresh Eyes

Transformation and growth happens slowly and over a long period of time. Here in Mundri it is easy for me to miss the amazing ways God is transforming this place and the lives that dwell here. Even in my own heart I can get side tracked and miss the evidence of God’s love and grace in my life. My eyes so easily focus in on the negative, the hopelessness, and the things that are disheartening. I can miss out on so much. This week a church team from Virginia has been experiencing life with us here. They have come with fresh eyes and have been sharing ways they have seen evidence of God’s kingdom coming here in Mundri. They have expressed ways they have encountered Jesus this week by moving out into the community, praying with people, being a part of our team, being brought into our relationships with our Sudanese friends, listening to stories, and through having fresh eyes that seek out the Spirit’s presence in this place. I have been living and serving in Mundri for 15 months now and sadly my eyes have become a bit rusty. But this week my heart has been encouraged by this visiting team and I feel refreshed by their perspectives and experiences here. I believe that even though I have been here for 15 months I can have fresh eyes renewed only by the Spirit and so I pray for this. I pray for fresh eyes to see how God is at work here in Mundri and in my own heart with each new day.

The House Party

This house party did not have kegs or include juvenile behavior, but we did have many attenders and lots of dancing. Yesterday many gathered to welcome the Arch Bishop of Sudan and to celebrate the completion of the Bishop's house. Our compound has never been so full of people and energy. Here is an overview of the day

The morning started off with stacks of chairs being brought by a large truck; the chairs then being strategically placed in shady areas. Furniture was moved from place to place for the honored guests and large sufrias (pots) were being filled with water in preparation for lots of cooking. Below is a picture of the bean cleaning process. No one wants to bite down on a hard rock thinking it's a bean :o).

In honor or the Arch Bishop and the importance of the completion of the Bishop's house, a bull was purchased and donated by a retired reverend and his family. This was a very generous act of kindness. Below some of my teammates are checking out the scene of the now slaughtered bull.

The childrens' choir led the procession as the Arch Bishop was welcomed by all the attenders. Below you will see Bishop Bismark (Mundri's Bishop) dressed in purple and the Arch Bishop at the tail end holding his tall wooden staff.

The Arch Bishop was led directly to the Bishop's new house where he performed a ribbon cutting ceremony and entered inside to pray a blessing over the house. He then continued on to our team house where he performed another ribbon cutting and prayed for our home. Below you will see many at our windows peeking in at the Arch Bishop as the prayer was said.

After moving from house to house people sat for the Sunday service and speeches of thanksgiving.

While the service was going on, others were preparing large amounts of food for the afternoon meal . Below is the largest vat of linya I have ever seen.

After many encouraging words of thanks were spoken people flocked together and the dancing began. The people of Mundri sure know how to party!

Teacher Training Wrap Up

It has been a week now since the last day of our training, but I just wanted to share a few more pictures from our last couple o On Thursday Bethany shared the story of the woman at the well. She shared how Jesus loved this woman even though jews thought samaritans to be unclean and even though this woman had made many unwise choices in her life. She encouraged the teachers to love their students no matter what kind of family or tribe they come from and no matter how many mistakes they may make. On Friday I shared a devotion on humility and how as teachers we are going to face oppostition daily. As these teachers move out into their schools and demonstrate love they may face people that ridicule them and tell them they are weak. This is because they are not using their position of power to demand respect. We talked about how love is costly. To love like Jesus may mean we risk our reputations and even relationships. I encouraged these teachers to demonstrate humility and find strength in Christ.

Throughout the week we had the teachers do a bucket project. Each day they decorated their plastic bucket with a verse from that day's teaching. At the end of the week we filled their bucket with different items for them to take back to their schools such as gluesticks, water colors, pencils, etc. These items were given both as a tool and as a reminder of what they learned during their week of training.

Below is a picture of our happy group. Please continue to pray for these teachers. Pray that they would demonstrate Christ's love in their classrooms. Pray they would be a beacon of light in their schools.