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.

Dependence on God drives us to prayer...Day 3

Today was day 3 of the teacher training. Our topic was dependence. Bethany shared a devotion from 1 John 4 to start us off that reminded us that we can only love others because God first loved us. Together we also brainstormed a list of ways we have to depend on the Lord. Some of the things shared were: in order to forgive others, to provide for us, to guide us, to change or transform us, ect. We talked about how through our dependence we are drawn in to relationship with our Father and therefore and led to pray. We asked the teachers to get in pairs and take some time to share their hearts and pray for one another.

We also talked about how we can work together and depend on one another. We played a game where people competed to see who could be the fastest to move heavy items from one side of the room to the other. At the end of the game we discussed how working together to move the items would be the fastest method. The knot game was the next introduction. A difficult acdtivity but when we all worked together and took our time we did untangle ourselves. Lots of fun, truth, and laughter today!