Church Leadership Training (details)

On 02 November, we started a two week training course with Ganza church leaders. Some came from as far away as 6 hours (by foot). And each of them faithfully attended each afternoon for the duration of the seminar. We had 25 people in total and taught on the following topics:

1. Sin and Forgiveness
2. Our Relationship with Jesus
3. The Word of God
4. Standing Firm until the End
5. Church Work and Giving
6. Spiritual Warfare & Prayer
7. Church Fellowship
8. Evangelism and Follow-up
9. Strong Christian Families

I was glad to have taught on #2, 3, and 4. During the preparation for each topic, I was challenged to be very focused... very intentional with each word. We were working through English, translated to Uduk, then translated to Ganza. So our thoughts had to be accurate and concise. Because this is an oral culture, we used many stories to illustrate Biblical concepts.

This past Friday, we had a small celebration to commemorate the end of the training. We had prepared very simple certificates for each attendee and handed them out in front of the rest of the community. All in all, it was a great 2 weeks!

Church Leadership Training

During the last few weeks, we've been involved in Church leadership training. Here's a photo from one of our afternoon sessions. See above for more details.

Cricket vs. Crayola

If I asked you, "Which is bigger, a crayon or a cricket?" nearly all of you would answer quickly, "Of course, it would be a crayon. Crickets are penny-sized."

NOT IN SUDAN! Have a look at this guy! He was crawling around in the house last night. I managed to squash him with my golf club, leaving him in tact enough for this photo. Anyway, hope you enjoy our experiences with local wildlife. It certainly keeps us on our toes.

Voice from God on the Mountain

This week we have had daily seminars for Biblical training. The people with whom we are working are very new believers. So our first three topics have been: Relationship with Jesus, Basics of Prayer, The Word of God. I've taught on #1 and #3.

"One day, a man had a son who was very sick. His son became so sick that he eventually died. In his grief, the father climbed to the top of a nearby mountain. While there, Adam (the first man) appeared to him and gave him a message from God. His message to the people was that they should come to him. They should assemble at his house (pictured above) and become his followers." - this is a real story

Did he really hear the voice of God? How can we know? Whose teaching should we follow and who will lead us astray? Among other things, both seminars that I've taught have helped answer these questions. Please continue to pray for these believers.

Tragic Death

This past week we had a teammate die of cerebral malaria. He was rushed to the clinic, but died at 9am on Monday morning. The disease comes through mosquito bites and attacks the kidneys while causing rupturing of the blood vessels in the brain. It causes disorientation and blackouts. As a team here, we've arranged for his widow to return with the remains to their home country. And we had a memorial service, in which 424 members of the community attended, earlier this week.

Please pray that we will have words of hope and encouragement during this difficult time.

Along Came a Spider

So we had this "little guy" living in the rafters of the house. Some of the Sudanese guys who saw it said, "This will grow big enough to kill birds." Needless to say, I took care of him immediately thereafter. We'll leave the radioactive spider bites to comic book heroes. And next time you take a $1 bill out of your wallet, please pray for us in Sudan.

Baking: Sudan Style

Putting the muffins into the charcoal oven.

Baking: Sudan Style

Mixing the ingredients.

Language Learning

Our language teachers are giving us commands so that we learn proximity. "Put the frog on top of the kettle." We've learned animals, household items, action-based commands, and greetings. We're working through the parts of the body and family members now. "Where is your brother's nose?"

Our speaking is very limited, but our recognition of words is coming along very well. It's like how a baby learns English. He won't speak until after a long time of only listening.

Theological Education

This morning we had the joy of sending one of our friends back to GTC (Gideon Theological College) for his second term. He's pictured above from a couple years ago. After returning from the first term of his undergraduate program, he expressed interest in continuing on for a Master's Degree. For now, please pray that he'll study hard and not be too lonely. For the next 3 1/2 months, he'll be apart from his wife and 7 children. It's one of the difficulties of getting education here. Please pray that the political future would allow for ongoing programs such as these.

Bug Bite or Bar Fight?

So in our part of the country, we've got bees that sting and horse flies that bite. We've got mosquitoes bringing malaria and black flies that carry river blindness. And to top it all off, we've got an insect that emits a toxin that causes blistering on the skin. Looks pretty good on the face, eh? It's like a chemical burn and takes about a week to clear up.

The answer is: no, I didn't get into a fight. I just had an encounter with this little bug.

Playroom or Classroom?

This is the porch of our new house. It serves as our daughter's playroom and also as our classroom. During the last 4 weeks, we've been learning the Ganza language. Three times a week, we meet as a team and learn new nouns & verbs, animals & objects, and are building relationships in order to eventually present the Gospel. Even the baby knows some of the commands... like the one for "go to sleep". She will tip her head over (but has trouble closing her eyes and actually resting)! Please pray that we'll catch on quickly and begin communicating.

Travel in South Sudan

It's rainy season now, so travel becomes very complicated. On the way back from church a few weeks ago, we had to use the winch to pull the truck from a muddy hole. The roads get so bad that even tractors get stuck. But a few months ago during dry season, we took a trip and only had one flat tire (pictured above). It took 6 hours to travel approximately 90 km. On most roads in North America, that trip would've taken a little more than one hour.

The House is Finished

In mid June, the house was finished. After moving in, we were out of the country for 3.5 weeks. So now we're completely moved in and really enjoying our new place! Thanks again to all who provided to make it possible.

A Baby Named Esayim (S.I.M)

A heavily pregnant lady walked slowly down the road that runs through our compound and out toward her village. She had been to the clinic that morning and been sent home with some materials to help with a safe delivery: a pair of gloves, 2 pieces of string to clamp the umbilical cord, and a clean razor blade to cut it. Can you imagine ladies?

We don’t know how long she had been in labor - maybe since that morning when she had gone to the clinic - but a few meters down the road outside our back gate, she realized the baby was coming, squatted down, and delivered him into the hands of her friend who was walking with her. These events caused great excitement on our compound of course! Within a few minutes all of the missionary women as well as our 3 compound cooks were surrounding the ladies sitting on the side of the road with the new baby. Karina and I also went out.

When we got close enough to see what was happening, I honestly couldn’t tell which of the ladies had just given birth! One was holding the baby, so I assumed she was the mother. She was wearing one of the surgical gloves. I found out a few minutes later that she was actually the “catcher” and the woman sitting beside her was the mother! Unbelievable! I looked at her closely—she was showing fewer signs of physical excursion than I do just sitting in a chair on a hot day in Sudan! She looked completely un-phased by the fact that she had just delivered a baby by the side of the road, as though she does this every day. I was amazed!

It soon became apparent that the lady’s friends were trying to figure out how to clamp the umbilical cord. They were all young mothers themselves and not the older ladies more experienced in attending births in the village. Lori, one of my teammates who speaks their language fluently, told me that they didn’t know how to do it and asked if I did. Oh dear! I’m not a midwife nor am I a labor and delivery nurse. The only experience I had was seeing my midwife clamp Karina’s cord and Nate cut it! All I knew was that it would have to be tied tightly in 2 places and then cut in between. I passed Karina to another lady and reached down to help. The ladies had very loosely tied the cord in 2 places and before I could make the adjustment, one of them picked up the old-fashioned razor blade and snipped it. Wooops! I quickly tied the string closest to the baby as tightly as I could and suggested that they trim the cord shorter now. No, they wanted to leave it long. OK—I just prayed that it would be alright.

They sat on the side of the road with the baby covered in cloths to keep him warm and waited for our compound truck to return and take them back to their village. I returned to the compound and found a sleeper that Karina had outgrown for the baby to wear. It’s pink and purple with ballerina slipper feet! Out here baby’s clothes are not gender specific so I’m sure they are delighted with it for this baby boy. Most babies don’t have any clothes at all.

Astonishingly, we later learned that the mother and her friends got tired of waiting for the truck and got up and walked the 45 minutes to their village. Lori walked with them and said that the mother was able to walk at a normal pace with the others! This was her 4th child. Can you believe it ladies?! Lori reported the next day that they planned to name the baby “Esayim" (S.I.M) in English because he had been born outside the mission compound!

The Construction Continues...

The Construction Continues

Building Our House

As you might have guessed, building a house in Sudan is quite different from N. America. One cannot simply drop by Home Depot to pick up materials. And once the materials are at the job site, there aren't backhoes and cement trucks to get the work done. It is all accomplished by hand.

In the above photo, some of the workers are shown constructing the walls. We had 16 people in the first few weeks (our Kenyan foreman and some Sudanese from the area). They dug one meter down for the foundation, which was then made with large stones and cement. After finishing, they framed a 12x8 meter area for the floor. With wheelbarrows and shovels, they mixed and carted and poured for 3 days. And that's where our photo picks up the action.

As the job continues, we'll have more updates and photos. For now, we are so blessed to have seen the generosity of God's people who provided the money for this house. Thanks very much!

Life in Sudan

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself.” (John 5: 24-26)

We want to wish you all a blessed Easter weekend as we reflect on the glory of Christ and all that He’s done for us in giving us life. Praise Him!

Please pray for the G. people, who have yet to hear His word and see His glory and don’t have life. Pray that God will reveal Himself to many!

Please pray for us as a family as we fly to Y., South Sudan on Wednesday, April 7th. The last week has been a flurry of shopping and errands as we had to get our cargo ready to go a week early. Now we’re looking forward to a few more restful days before we leave. Please pray as we learn how to live life as a family in Sudan, that we’ll all adjust well. Pray for Nate as he takes on the responsibility of temporary base leader for a few months and for both of us as we learn how to care for Karina there. Please pray for Karina’s health and safety.

On April 24th, the 3 other members of the G. ministry team will return to Y. and we’ll all fly 20 minutes to a village called D. for a few days. This is a place where God is bringing many people from related tribes to Himself and we plan to have our team-building “retreat” there so we can talk to the missionaries and see what God is doing. Please pray that the Lord would unify us in Him and lead us forward according to His will.

We’ll be in touch from Sudan!

BELC Graduation a Success!

I talked to Nate on the satellite phone last night and he reported that the BELC (Basic Education Learning Center) celebration went really well. It was a sweltering day (42 degrees C) and the celebration lasted about 6 hours all together. There were speeches and messages of encouragement and the menu included 2 cows and 2 goats!

Nate's had a really good time reconnecting with former teammates and Sudanese friends and meeting new ones. One evening he was able to go to his good friend Yuna's house and sit around the fire, drinking cup after cup (they're tiny china cups!) of strong Sudanese coffee and chatting, just like they used to. He's enjoyed scouting out a good location for our house and he thinks he found the perfect spot!

Karina and I are doing well in Nairobi, although missing Nate and really looking forward to his return on Monday night! We're keeping busy meeting up with different teammates and having great visits.

It's looking like we will be able to go into Sudan as a family on April 7th and stay in another house for a couple months while our house is built. The next 2 weeks will be busy as we continue preparations for the move. Thanks to our wonderful logistics team, we've had help doing a lot of our purchasing already and sending stuff ahead of us to Sudan. Please pray for our transition and especially for Karina's adjustment to the environment, as we're going in during the hottest month of the year! We're thankful that there is a new borehole well near the compound, so it will be easier to get clean water, rather than getting it from the river.

BELC Graduation

The Basic Education Learning Center (BELC) started officially on May 5, 2007. For the previous 3 months we had been interviewing students, building a classroom (pictured above), and preparing our lesson materials. My Ethiopian colleague and I had found a translator to help us teach the 5 subjects... Math, English, Christian Education, Science, and Social Studies.

So when the first week of May arrived, we were ready! A community wide celebration had been arranged and our meal had been organized (a cow, locally made bread, rice, and juice powder were purchased in the market). It's funny to recall now, but at the time I didn't know the significance. Apparently the Sudanese rarely eat enough to feel "full". But with all the food we had, people were filled to the point of refusing more. They later said that we had prepared a very nice celebration - and they laughed at their inability to keep eating!

Tomorrow I will travel again to celebrate with the students. Only this time, it is for their graduation. They have achieved a grade 8 level education in 3 years of work. It will be a pleasure for me to see their progress and to be one of the speakers this Thursday, delivering a Biblical message of encouragement. And as the founding teacher of this BELC, it will be a very satisfying moment... one of the many thrills of having invested part of my life in Sudan.

Friendly Neighbor

The family has settled into life here in Africa nicely. On all accounts, it has been very good to return. As I was returning home from shopping one day, I was amused to see that a new neighbor had moved in... apparently the grass is to his liking!

We are praising the Lord that we've been in touch with an experienced builder. Please continue to pray for us, as we will decide about employing him for 8-10 weeks to build our home in Sudan. That he is a believer is a great encouragement... we hope this will work out well.

Lessons in Motherhood - by Amy

I’m enjoying being here in Africa with Nate and Karina. Things are sure different this time! My days are very busy, since most things take a bit longer to do. I’ve been boiling water and letting it cool for her baths since she’s at that stage where everything goes in her mouth and the water’s never guaranteed to be safe. We also wash her dishes separately in filtered or boiled water, just to be extra careful. I’m gradually getting used to caring for Karina here and we’re getting into a bit of a routine.

We’ve actually had lots of fun with her lately! She loves going outside for walks or playing on a blanket on the grass, since the weather is so pleasant. She’s recently learned to roll over and is quickly becoming more mobile. She’s been enjoying baby cereal for a little while now and recently got started on peas, which she LOVED! That was a learning process for me too. There are very few baby foods available here so I’ll have to do all the vegetables myself. I boiled up some fresh peas and then ran them through my little manual baby food mill with a crank in small batches. Then I froze them in baby food ice cube trays that I brought. I was quite pleased with my efforts but the kitchen was a disaster and I had to leave it for a while to move onto the next thing. I returned to the kitchen about an hour later to find a colony of ants enjoying any leftovers that had fallen onto the counter! I’ll know what to do differently next time.

It’s been a joy to meet up with everyone again and introduce Karina to them. She’s hearing lots of different languages—Swahili from the Kenyans and Amharic from our Ethiopian teammates. She’s been a really good girl—letting people hold her and play with her.

Nate and I are enjoying being here together too, remembering all the good times we spent both in Sudan and Kenya while we were engaged and newly married. It’s wonderful to be starting ministry together here afresh, now that we’ve been married for over a year and a half and know each other so much better. The Lord has really blessed us!

The Joy of Family

In October 2006, this young man arrived in Kenya to begin as a missionary to Sudan. With life in transition, it was a difficult adjustment at times. There were many words of encouragement from wonderful teammates to help. And culturally, there were a few surprises. Being single in most rural African settings meant that my social status was affected. To the Sudanese, I was still a boy. I would try to explain that in my home country, it was age that determined such things. But it made little difference.

In returning to Africa a few weeks ago, there has been a subtle change. Many people have correctly identified it as being "settled", or as one friend put it, "Your mind is now calm... you are stable." Very true. And, just the other day, we were walking to a local shopping center. One of the matatu (taxi / mini bus) drivers called out, "Hey Baba... where to?" I did a double-take and then realized he was talking to me. It was a nice feeling.

Among the many joys of family is this sense of stability. Traveling now means that my family comes with me... different from before when I left parents, brothers, and sister behind. Let it be known that God has blessed me greatly with a wonderful wife and daughter! As we prepare to go to Sudan, please pray that we will find a supplier for the materials that we need for our home. Please pray that our little one would adjust to life there. And thank the Lord for your family (whether they're with you or not)... He has blessed so many of us.

The Great Mosquito Hunter

It's great being back in Africa. Of the things that we missed most, mosquitoes are certainly not one. Now that we have our daughter with us, it becomes even more important that our house be rid of these annoying pests. The first few nights we stayed here, we found that sleep was hard to come by. The time change was a significant factor, but the buzzing around our faces (funny how they leave your legs alone to go for the head) was equally frustrating.

Now, properly armed with mosquito nets, we have slept better. But the "enemy" still lurks as we get ready for bed. So each night, with military precision, I set about our small cabin in "seek-and-destroy" mode. It's all part of parenthood I suppose!

Our house is nice... with running water and indoor plumbing. It's about the size of a one-car garage, with two small bedrooms, a little kitchen, bathroom and dining area. Still trying to figure a way to get to Sudan and start the building of our house there. Please keep us in prayer!

A Blessed Heritage

Tomorrow morning I have the honor of preaching at the church that my great grandparents founded. It has long been a dream for me to have this opportunity. And now, as the church is supporting us in our mission to Sudan, I'll be able to preach about our motivation for serving. For the sake of privacy, I'll refer to it only as the "Memorial Church" and provide limited detail from the church directory.

"The Memorial Church began as a Sunday School on Easter Sunday, April 15, 1906 in the home of (my great-grandparents). There were no churches or Sunday schools in the southern part of town at that time. My relatives were deeply concerned for the children of the south side because many families never attended uptown churches.

Fourteen pupils attended the first class, which soon expanded as the interesting classes proved popular and successful. Classes were held in all rooms of the house, including the staircase. In warm weather, the piano was moved to the window for outdoor services. The students sat on planks placed over potato crates.

In the summer of 1907, a 24x36 foot chapel was built on the farm to accommodate the increasing class sizes. It was dedicated on September 29th of that year. The chapel was called "Memorial Chapel" in honor of (my great-great grandfather) and people from the community furnished it with oil lamps, window shades, an organ, and chairs. By 1915, there was need for an organized church. And on November 25 of that year, with 25 active members, it was made official.

The congregation purchased a lot (about 2 miles down the street) in 1919 and moved the chapel there from the farm. It took a week to move by the ingenious method of using teams of horses to pull the chapel, placing logs underneath, and rolling it down the street to its present location."

The details continue, but for the sake of a short article, I'll conclude by saying that the Lord has blessed my family with a godly heritage... something for which I am very thankful. This Sunday morning will be very special!