Sudanese friends are never far away!

Nate and I have had the opportunity to get to know a family here in Prince Albert from the same tribe in Sudan where I was serving. In fact, Martha, the wife and mother of 4 is from D. area, the very village where I was! It's a small world! My parents got to know them while we were in Sudan and then introduced us when we arrived. We've had some good visits with them, practicing our Arabic (Nate) and M. (me) language skills a bit and talking about familiar people and places in Sudan that we all know.

The other day I went to visit Martha and 2 other Sudanese ladies that I've met before were there visiting her too. They began making kisera, the Sudanese flatbread (thin like a crepe) that is eaten on special occasions, usually with a meat stew. They don't have sorghum flour available here, so instead they used a mixture of wheat and corn flours. Here are 2 pictures for you to compare, one of a Sudanese lady making kisera in Sudan and one of these ladies making kisera in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan! People definitely bring their culture with them when they come to North America and find ways to adapt it as well. Can you spot some of the differences and similarities between these 2 photos?

By the way, in both situations I was asked to try my hand at making kisera. In Sudan, I mildly burned my fingers, to the great delight of my friend's children! In Prince Albert, I managed to make a few lumpy pieces of something that probably can't be called kisera, but at least I didn't burn myself and a great time was had by all! Afterwards, I got to sample some of the kisera and stew made from okra and beef and it was delicious. If I wasn't sitting in a Prince Albert apartment looking out the window at the snow, I would have thought I was back in Sudan!

The Man, The Myth, The Legend

1. Meeting Wayne Gretzky... though he wasn't very talkative! (click to enlarge)







2. Outside the arena where the Edmonton Oilers play (NHL Hockey).

3. PLEASE read the post below for our REAL purpose in Edmonton!!

Our REAL Purpose in Edmonton!

What are Sudan missionaries doing in Canada? I'm glad you asked because we need your prayers. Today it's -9F outside and we're happy to be inside. But over the weekend we were out and about, taking a trip to Edmonton, Alberta for Missions Fest 2009. The roads were like the one pictured here... snow-covered and slick.

We heard that a missionary to Columbia would be the keynote speaker... a man named Bruce Olson. If you're unaware of his story, allow me to strongly recommend his book "Bruchko" from Amazon.com or your local Christian bookstore. It will change your life... really... it's that good. After one session, we were able to meet him briefly though we missed a perfect photo opportunity.

During our trip, we were able to connect with some dear friends in the area and plant a seed to connect with a church. And there's your answer... what are Sudan missionaries doing in Canada? Connecting with churches. Most of you know that we are raising support ($1927/month) before we can return to Sudan. Many of you don't know that we are praying about 4 churches with whom we have been in contact recently. Please pray that these 4 (2 in NE United States, 1 in Alberta, 1 in Saskatchewan) will feel the Lord's call to support us. We have been encouraged by the possibility of being supported by a Southern Baptist Church in the area and are praying about a second in SE United States.

Please pray for us. And if you're reading this thinking, "I'd like to help support this family" or "I could help them connect with my church"... please be in touch. The Lord will bless the gift and the giver. Thank you! And another "thank you" to all who have made this decision already.

Prayer Request

Hi Everyone,
We got an email from our director recently asking for prayer concerning Sudan's National Election in July.

"Please be aware that the July national election mandated by the CPA (Comprehensive Peace Agreement - see link below)...

http://www.issafrica.org/AF/profiles/Sudan/darfur/compax/index.htm

will certainly have an effect on our ministries. I believe that people must vote in their home areas. This fact I have gathered from GTC principal Phillip E. who is allowing his students to return home in July for the purpose of voting.

I advise all project managers and administrators to plan for students and/or workers to go to polling places as the time for the election approaches. Specifically Community Health Worker training, Basic Education Learning Centers, and Secondary School should plan the school year to allow for this disruption."

Pray that the election process would be peaceful and that ministries currently running would be allowed to continue. God bless!

Our Recent Prayer Letter

Dear Friends,
Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” In this letter we’d like to tell you a bit about the journey we’ve been on and how the Lord has been directing our steps for the future.

Past Journey
This is our first official prayer letter as a married couple! Before we got married, Nate spent a year and a half in Yabus, South Sudan serving in SIM’s adult primary education program as an English and math teacher. Amy spent almost a year in Doro, South Sudan helping to start SIM’s primary health care center as a children’s nurse. We met on the Yabus airstrip in October 2007 and were married on the coast of Kenya on July 5th, 2008.

Present Journey
After we got married, our mission leadership felt it would be best for us to spend a year at home building a strong marriage and sharing with people the vision the Lord is giving us for the future. This is exactly what we’re working on, as well as applying for Amy’s permanent residency in the US. Until now, we’ve spent most of our time in Canada due to immigration restrictions but we hope to move down into the US in March if possible.

We also have some very exciting news to share with you! We’re expecting a baby in early September! We’re thankful for this gift the Lord has entrusted us with and look forward to becoming a family of 3.

Future Journey
Because of the baby’s arrival in September, we are due to return to Sudan in January, 2010. We feel like the Lord is leading us to participate in a new ministry to either the Koma or Ganza, 2 tribes south of Yabus who are largely unreached by the Gospel.

We can’t do it alone! We trust the Lord to raise up many more prayer warriors to stand with us. Also, before we return to the field, we need to raise an additional $1927 US per month for our support account and $280 US per month for our ministry account. This increase is due to a shortfall in our support as singles and to increased costs for a small family. If you have any questions about this, we have a detailed outline of our support needs that we can share with you. We trust that God will be faithful to provide for us, as He has in the past. We will attach a gift form to any email, which will explain how to support our ministry, should the Lord lead you that way. Or give online at:

http://www.sim.org/index.php/content/donate

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support in our journey thus far! We intend to send out a prayer letter 4 times a year through CRISTA Missionary Letter Service (so open mail from them!!), and keep you updated for prayer requests by emailing our prayer team. Please send us your postal/email address if you’d like to receive things. God bless!

Canadian Conversion on "Super Sunday"

Many of you know that yesterday was a national "holiday" in the USA. In fact, there were a couple of reasons to call it "Super Sunday". For starters, the preaching went really well and the Lord blessed us all with His Word. Part of my calling as a missionary is to teach the Bible, and so any time I have that chance, it is a wonderful experience (whether in Africa or North America). I've had the chance to preach a few times using Arabic in Sudan and have really enjoyed it.

Of course, the Super Bowl was a great game as well. I knew at the end of the first half that the Cardinals would be haunted by that interception return touchdown. I just didn't know they had that much fight in them to come back the way they did.

Preaching wasn't the only ministry happening though! Ok, I tread close to the shoreline of heresy here. But I believe I witnessed a true conversion throughout the last few weeks. As the NFL playoffs went on, my Canadian wife slowly turned from "reading a book during the game" to "sweaty palms enthusiastic fan". She went from "those big guys just fall on each other" to "throw the ball deep to Fitzgerald!"

It was her first Super Bowl... her first Super Bowl party... her first "gut ache" from pulling for the underdog that almost won such a well-fought battle. Or was that the "nachos-brownies-cheese puffs-Dr. Pepper" combo?

At the end of the night, she was converted... fully... passionately... and irrevocably to NFL fanship. It was a Canadian Conversion of monumental proportions. Next we'll work on NASCAR!!