Harvest Training

i'm officially a farmer. ok, not quite, but i did have my first harvesting experience. some of the members of our church came together on friday to harvest "sim-sim," sesame seed. i did my best to prepare for such an experience, making sure i had all the essentials for the labor-intense day ahead of us. hat...check. water bottle...check. sunscreen...check, check. knife...check. a clue about what i'm doing...not so much. in the words of my sudanese friends "mushkila mafi," no problem. luckily we were partnered with a few sudanese women who were more than happy to give us a crash course in harvesting sim-sim, including techniques for bunching and wrapping. i set out to a good patch of sim-sim, fairly confident that this would be an easily acquired skill. within the first 10 minutes, i had managed to rub a blister on my hand and poke my toe with the knife, not to mention my body was now saturated in sweat. but they made it look so easy! they cut and gathered at triple the rate i was going. one of ladies, joscelina, continued to encourage our work and explained, "you are in training. a preschooler does not know all their ABCs in one day. it takes time." i smiled at the truth in her analogy. even as christians, we are still training to be harvesters. though i often feel ill-equipped to share my faith and make many mistakes along the way, God is greater. we cannot do it on our own. how important it is that we partner with our brothers and sisters in Christ as we do His work. God has blessed us here with such a rich community of friends in mundri that partner with us in the harvest. john 4:35 says, "open your eyes and look at the fields! they are ripe for harvest!" i have enjoyed being the student today. there is still so much i have to learn, and i am thankful for the ways God reminds me of that.

Visiting Schools

kim, bethany, and i went to visit all the local schools around mundri today. we sat and talked with some of the teachers, listened to their stories, and prayed with them. kim also gave them some teaching materials. we saw several teachers that attended the teacher training. it is good to now have a visual of where they teach and what their classroom situations are like. while visiting one of the schools, it began to rain heavily. the preschool classes, which meet under a tree, were then canceled and the students sent home for the day. some of the classes continued, but i began to realize how difficult it must be to talk over the pounding of the rain on the tin roof. the head teacher explained that they will often stop their teaching and begin singing songs if the rain is too loud. this does not surprise me, as it seems the moru people can manage to make the best out of most situations and find any time is a good time to break into song.
i was especially encouraged by talking with one of the head teachers, who also attended our training. he was telling us that several years ago he wished to go away to university. his family tried their best to get the money for him to go but they came up short, and he was not able to go. there is now a program offered here for university classes. he was recently accepted and will now have the opportunity to further his education through weekend classes. bethany reminded us of the verse in proverbs 16:9 that says, "in his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." this i know to be true in my own life, and i am thankful for the reminder that His ways are not our own.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

my friend, cecilia, is 21 years old. she is a wonderful cook and has a great sense of humor. though her english is not great, my moru is far worse. she tries to teach me new words and mostly laughs as i attempt to repeat them. our conversations are limited but i am thankful for a sudanese friend.
i have enjoyed getting to know more people as my time here comes to a close. it is encouraging to see people i know around town, and it especially lifts my spirits when they remember my name. i have been told i have a difficult name to pronounce. the other night, i met cecilia's mother and friends, and they gave me a moru nickname, citi, which literally means to sit. they said they gave me this name because i have come from america to sit with them for some time. i smiled at the feeling that i have now been inducted into the moru club. now, when i see cecilia, she yells "citi!" and introduces me to her friends as "citi."

Overwhelmed

i am overwhelmed. as each week passes i think i will become less overwhelmed, or maybe my time here would be less of a shock, that i would be less surprised by God. but this is not the case. i continue to be overwhelmed, and perhaps even more as the days progress, at God's goodness. He is so good. i am amazed at God's graciousness in allowing me to be here, allowing me to witness and experience His love for the people of Mundri. God has given me a heart that loves these people, that desires a relationship with them. i think back to just a few months ago when i knew nothing of these people, and now here i am, blessed by each moment i spend with them. i am continually reminded of His faithfulness. i pray that i continue to be overwhelmed by God, that it does not become a thing of the past, that i do not forget how He has prepared and planned every detail of my life, way before i arrived here and even now as i sit here. i am grateful for even just the glimpse of God's plan for me. how good it is to walk in His will!
God continues to reveal himself to me even in the everyday things, not just when i am alone in quiet time. i experience His presence in His creation, in the people that i meet, in my interaction with my team, in a teacher training, in a small group of teenage girls being told they are special, under a mango tree where children listen to the story of creation, even among the wailing at a funeral, God is there.
thank you all for your continued prayers. i have just 10 days left here, and i am beginning to process my time here as well as prepare for my return. God has so richly blessed my relationships here, and it will be difficult to say goodbye. my time in Mundri has seemed to fly by, but strangely enough, i also feel like i've been here forever. i am feeling more and more comfortable here and will miss the routine of life here. i am also very excited to return home, see family and friends and share about my wonderful experiences. please pray that i am able to soak up my time here, that God would continue to teach me and lead me, that i would allow myself time to reflect on my time here, and that God would prepare my heart to leave. i am so grateful for all of your encouraging words and prayers!

Familiar Faces

the brook hills team arrived saturday. it was good to see some familiar faces, especially my friend Space. i am so thankful for the time we had to sit and share what God is doing in our lives. He has got something great in store for both of us, and it is exciting to watch it unfold.
sunday, the brook hills team split up and the guys preached at different churches. the sermon at o'kari was about God's love in us and the power God has over fear. it was encouraging for me and i hope it was for the church as well. the children's choir prepared a special song for the visitors. they processed down the aisle singing and swaying side to side in unison. they wore robes that were a perfect shade of blue. there is hardly anything more precious than the sound of children singing, and the african children do it so well. afer every service, everyone follows the church leaders outside. a line begins to form and one by one, we shake each person's hand, until finally you have reached every person. i love this! even the youngest children scurry to get a spot in line to prepare for their handshake. the older women greet us with a warm "mi kado?" and the smiles just continue down the line. to follow, everyone gathers in a large cluster under the tree, singing along with the drums. of course, there is dancing, some getting more into it than others. this particular day, there was a girl about 6 years old that caught our attention. she danced as if she was born with rhythm. i was tempted to ask her for some personal lessons. but for now, my mediocre dance moves will just have to do.

School's Out

friday was our last day of school. i have had so much fun with the children. i have enjoyed our extra-cirricular activities together, but mostly i am thankful for the relationship i have developed with each of them. they will be boarding a plane for america tomorrow. it will be sad to say goodbye to them but i have high hopes to see them when i return home. pictured is Acacia, Liana, and Gaby, one of our art activities, and the pyot that acted as our school room.

Teacher Training

what a busy week. but a great one. i was able to take a break from teaching and join kim and bethany as they led a teacher training all week! this was phase 3 of their training which they began in march. teachers from all over mundri, represented various primary schools, were selected to attend. kim and bethany did a wonderful job presenting all the material for the week. it was obvious how much time and preparation went into this training. it was rich with lessons on development and practical teaching methods. the best part about it was the focus on the gospel. each morning, a devotion was given, and throughout the day the foundation of their teaching was based on our relationship with Christ. every lesson was woven with the gospel. they stressed the importance of abiding in Christ, and then we, as teachers, will be able to see fruit in our classroom.
i was able to present a lesson one day and show some examples of how to "hook" your students before presenting your lesson. of course, i had fun with it. there was even a preschool teacher who attended the training. it was very enlightening to talk with her and some of the other teachers. the preschoolers actually meet under a tree and may have up to 50 students at one time. God bless her and the patience she must possess to handle this. there is such a need for qualified teachers, for classrooms, and for teaching materials.
for me, the combination of being able to teach teachers practical ways to engage and challenge their students as well as teaching them biblical foundations for support was more than enough to get me excited. the teacher training was just another opportunity God used to show me how He is at work here.