My Boys

what a blessing to be home for a month! 
this is camden, my newest nephew. 

born april 10th, weighing 6 lbs. 9 oz.

i spent my days cuddling and rocking him, kissing feet, squeezing cheeks, giving baths, taking an obsessive amount of pictures, and doing all the things an auntie is supposed to do.

a few days later was dominick's first birthday. man, has he grown!

walking everywhere, into everything, and needing help from no one, he is all boy. he prefers to be outdoors, is fascinated by squirrels, and can play with a pool noodle for hours.

such a sweet time with both of my boys.

although my weeks at home seemed to fly by, it was time well spent with family. grateful to see everyone and play auntie for a while. 

Sleepover

when i asked mary if i could stay with her for a few days, i felt like a kid again. i was a little nervous, but mostly excited about the possibility of a sleepover. i didn’t know what she would think. would she want me to come? would it be an inconvenience? 

after an awkward pause, her smile puts me at ease, and she finally says, “it’s good!” (sigh of relief) 

so i spent 4 nights with mary, practicing language, learning moru culture, and spending time with a friend. 

i learned (ok, mostly watched) how to cook traditional food. 

i brushed my teeth with a stick. swept the compound with a bundle of sticks. chased chickens. carried water on my head (i've seen children carry bigger containers on their head, but i've got to start somewhere, right?)

i learned some home remedies, like curing a nose bleed by wetting your head. rubbing mud on my bee sting. 


i ate mangoes in between every meal. passed the time lounging in the shade on a straw mat. had my hair braided.

had my hair braided again.

mary lives next to the borehole, which means everyone passes through her compound to get water at some point. there was plenty of time for visiting.

a few days, we gathered with other church members to help in making bricks for the pastor’s house. while everyone had different duties, like shoveling dirt, mixing mud, forming the blocks, my job was to turn the dried bricks and stack the finished ones. everyone cheered as though i had single-handedly constructed the house, though i’m aware it was a ‘special’ job to match my skill level. my dad would be proud.

after a few hours of labor, the women gathered at the church kitchen, talking, laughing, and practicing their english phrases. it was a rich time to live, work, eat, and pray among the women God has put in my life. 

after english class on friday, mary and i walked to ‘prayers’ at our friend, vida’s, house. they were celebrating the birthdays of all of the children on her compound. there was a short sermon, prayers over the children, and of course, eating. just as we were leaving, the children began to play some drums, and i watched the two oldest grandmother and grandfather dancing to the beat. precious. i hope i still have some moves at that age :)

as you may imagine, the language barriers were numerous and often comical. one morning, i walked out of the bathing area and mary asked in english ‘were there many beans in the bath?’ ‘beans???’ i asked. ‘yes, beans.’ still confused, i asked ‘you want to cook beans?’ ‘no, honey beans. kumuepe (she finally says in moru)’ ‘oh BEES!!!!’ hahahaha! 

each night, mary and i walked to the neighbors to sleep (because she lives too close to the road and doesn’t like to sleep alone). we laid on a mat outside, watching the stars, fighting sleep, and talking late into the evening. we ended each night with prayers and singing :)

at the end of my stay, mary called me into her house. she gathered some mangoes, a bowl of honey, and some ground nuts for me to take. i sat on her bed, trying to wrap up our time in words and sincere thanks. she finally settled next to me, listening, and then she began to cry. as i put my arm around her, a whirlwind of emotions took over. i asked her why she was crying. through her tears, she said, ‘i am alone. i have no family here. you stay with me as my sister. you cook with me and talk to me, and i am not alone. i want you to stay for a long time.’ 

she opened her heart to me in that moment, and i let the feeling of it settle deep into my bones. ‘me too’ was all i could manage to say. i thought back to a conversation i had with larissa just the previous week. i was telling her i wasn’t sure i’d ever have a truly deep connection with anyone in the community. i was sure of friendships, but with the language barrier and so many cultural differences, was it possible to understand one another in that way?

but there i was. sitting with mary. and i suddenly realized i felt a genuine heart-to-heart connection with her. she was speaking of things i too struggled with, being away from family, feeling alone. i prayed with her, thanking God for our friendship, asking that we would both feel his love and comfort in the midst our loneliness.

there were many times we were not able to understand each other. her daily routines and life experiences are very different than what i know. i seem to be at a constant state of mistakes, confusion, and learning. and though i can’t make sense of it all, God has given me a treasure in a friend. he continues to surprise me.

Little by Little

“fere fere,” or little by little, is a phrase often used to describe my language learning. much like building relationships. it’s small, but it’s there and takes time. in fact, they go hand in hand. any opportunity to visit with a friend is an opportunity for language, and in the process of learning language, i’m gaining a friend. 

just this week, i was visiting ava, a young lady that attends our english class. as i walked my bike past the borehole pump and to her house, her children started screaming in moru, "ndi nwa (that's me) is here. ndi nwa is here!" they were jumping all around and chanting with excitement. i felt like a mistaken celebrity.

ava, busying herself with sweeping and making a fire for tea, urged me to sit down under the mango tree. her three children quickly gathered around me. unis, the oldest, sat on the mat below me, contented to play with the small beads at the bottom of my skirt. martin, the only boy, ran around us steering the metal rim of a wheel with a stick. and the ever vivacious, foto, sat in my lap and simply giggled.  

since ava’s english is limited and my moru is still in the beginners phase, our conversation wasn’t exactly easy flowing. we both seemed to know that speaking slowly, repeating, and gesturing were the keys to our communication. we would often come to a point where we would not understand the other, and resolve to laughing. after a while, my language skills tend to run dry, and i begin to dig deep for phrases or vocabulary to try out... i ask her when the mangos would be ready to eat and comment on the hot sun. i ask the children what they are doing, they laugh. and when all else fails, i begin pointing and practicing my favorite moru phrase, “what is this?”

my sentences often come out as a muddled up mess of nouns, verbs and pronouns, incorrectly ordered and omitting words i don’t know. one of three responses usually follow. a blank stare, a laugh followed by an encouraging lie “good moru!”, or a rephrasing of what i meant to say in the right order. 

it’s days like this that i look forward to. laughing and learning together. everyone is genuinely encouraging and excited for the small moru i am learning. just as much as i am reaching out for friendship here, i feel it reciprocated. and that’s enough to give me patience in the process and hope for what God is doing through me here, little by little. 

Something to Talk About

monday, i headed to mary's house expecting to have a simple moru lesson. what i got was so much more.

greeting me with her larger than life smile, she hugged and welcomed me as a friend. we sat side by side under the shade of the mango tree, and she began by teaching me some basic vocabulary for fruits, vegetables, and some animals. i learned important phrases like "give me a mango" and "i want 5 goats." no doubt that will come in handy someday.

mary lives next to the borehole, a gathering place for women collecting water. so several times during our lesson, someone we knew would walk over and greet us or mary would shout for them to come over. they were all ladies from our english class, and all showed enthusiasm for my learning moru. an hour passed, and my language teachers were now 6 in number, each wanting to teach me something new.

then i pulled out a small photo album with a few pictures of my family. now that gave us something to talk about! the pictures proved to be a big hit and fueled our conversation for another hour. they loved seeing my family, and especially loved seeing my lezo (twin). they have nicknamed me "Ndi nwa" which is a name they give to the firstborn twin. i learned how to say "this is the baby of my sister" and "my twin sister is pregnant."

they passed around my pictures a few more times, with big smiles, gesturing and commenting on how beautiful my mother was. we laughed and talked some more, and they shared about their own family.

what a sweet moment. i felt God's care washing over me, like a refreshing rain on a hot sudan day. he knew just what i needed. i often feel the distance of home, and the ones i love seem a world away. and yet, as i sat there sharing this huge piece of me with these women, i tasted the comfort of home.

mary and i ended our time singing moru hymns together. the words to "blessed assurance" echoed in my head as i biked home.

i am thankful for deeper connections, and a very tangible reminder that God knows my every desire and meets my every need. for now, at least, home doesn't seem so far away.

Right as Rain

after months of dry, sunny, blistering hot days, it rains in mundri. oh the bliss! we all ran outside at once, jumping and hollering as though gold was falling from the sky. we caught raindrops on our tongue and splashed in miniature puddles. somehow we squeezed 5 bodies in the hammock, and just laid there motionless in pure contentment. 

and then it hit me...RAIN is to AFRICA as SNOW is to FLORIDA

rare. incredible. simply satisfying. 

Ring of Fire

we spent our valentine's afternoon fighting off a fire at our compound. after a week in uganda, caleb and i had just landed back in mundri a few hours before. as we unpacked and settled in, we could hear fire crackling nearby. its not unusual to see fires around here, especially in the dry season, but this seemed close. we walked outside to see a wall of fire at our neighbors compound, dangerously close to their two tukuls. in our attempts to help, we filled buckets with water and headed toward the blaze. thankfully, the huts were not burned. but, the fire was still not under control and was quickly spreading toward our houses.

with the help of some neighbors, we managed to stop the fire from spreading to other compounds. but it was a stubborn fire and continued on toward the river, burning up everything in its path. what was once our beautiful prayer walk trail is now gloomy, desolate, and covered in ash.

firefighting is exhausting. and hot. i have the utmost respect for those who brave the flames as a career. after the drama came to an end, we all slouched on our couch for a breather, surveying the burn marks on our flip flops and comparing our blackened feet. smoke seemed to linger in the air for hours, leaving us all with a mild case of smoker's cough.

though not exactly a near death experience, it was slightly thrilling to fight my first fire and live to tell about it. never a dull moment around here.

Teacher Training

bethany and i completed our first teacher training last week. 20 teachers were selected to attend the 3 day training, all representing various christian primary schools surrounding mundri.

this was our first overnight training, in a new facility, with new teachers. the week had it's glitches for sure. each day brought a new challenge, whether an issue with accommodation or meals. even the night before, due to some miscommunication, we were not sure we would have any participants show up for the training. but God was gracious and seemed to be giving bethany and i many opportunities to trust that he is in control.

our main topic was "God as our Father." we discussed who we are as children of God and how that can influence our students. we covered topics like discipline, learning styles, engaging students. the teachers acted out dramas and lead each other blindfolded through an obstacle course of "change."

i am thankful for the interactions with the teachers and their willingness to participate and dialogue with us. these are hard-working teaches with few resources and little pay, many of them teaching 3 or 4 grade levels and several different subjects. the education system has a long way to go in terms of growth. but we are hopeful for good things and praying God would equip these teachers to be the change they want to see.

i look forward to ongoing trainings with this group of teachers. i hope they were challenged in their role as teachers and encouraged in their faith. please be praying with us for the teachers of south sudan.