Cold Shoulder

dear blog,

sorry for the cold shoulder lately. it is not my intention. i'm shamefully aware of how long its been since i've posted anything. somehow time has flown by since the holidays and suddenly its mid-january. maybe its the post-christmas slump (there is such a thing, right?). truthfully i've been in denial that real life must begin again. no more singing christmas carols while biking to church or baking cookies just because. gone are the days of late afternoon hammock naps. i've come to face the hard facts. the christmas decorations are packed away, the chocolate supply is depleting, and suddenly i'm aware of how HOT it is here.

so, to make up for lost time, here's a snapshot of events to catch you up...

we celebrated the new year with a campfire. dinner and dessert cooked over the fire. and a dance party to follow. (thank you, heidi, for the glow sticks! they had great influence on our dance moves.)

we kicked off 2012 with a team road trip to juba.

first stop, the pool! so fun. and refreshing. felt like a kid again.

then we had dinner on the nile.

and we ate ice cream! in the air-conditioning!

 
we stocked up at the grocery store. nutella, pringles, cheese. and lots and lots of veggies!

we failed at our search for propane tanks in juba, so the last several weeks we've been cooking with charcoal. talk about labor intensive. it requires lots of attention and has to be done outside. hot. everyone knows my sister, melinda, is the cook in the family. but there's rumor that i may be giving her a run for her money. my latest creations have been pumpkin soup, pita bread, and pizza...all with charcoal. i'm kind of impressed with myself.

i even made grandma's green bean casserole. (thanks, grams, for sending the key ingredients. it was a big hit)

more details on life to come. hopefully soon. 

Christmas Cookies and Caroling

you won't see signs of santa here. no halls decked with holy. no christmas lights. no christmas tree farms. we are far from a white christmas here in sudan. but there is one (rather essential) christmas tradition that i can certainly relate to... christmas cookies!

that's right. even in sudan, many households were baking the day away. this is no slice-n-bake, my friends. only serious cookie-making here. trying to expand my moru culture, i jumped in to "help" in the process. it was, however, short-lived. as the boiling water was poured in, my kneading turned in to poking and wincing. what can i say, i'm a wimp. i happily watched from my seat, deciding i would wait and build up my pain tolerance another day.

this is the finished product! paired with some lemonade. delicious!

back to christmas traditions...

what is christmas without caroling? we decided to bring some of our own christmas traditions to mundri, and so we set out on christmas eve to do just that. candles in hand and guitar at the ready, we went trekking through the bush to visit our neighbors. 

of course, we had to first explain what we were doing and that we actually wanted them to sit while we sang to them. they probably thought it a bit strange, but seemed to enjoy it all the same.

wishing you a merry christmas from mundri!

Returning

refugees have recently returned to mundri. many are coming from IDP camps in sudan, or even from uganda and kenya. this is a difficult journey for families. they struggle with hunger, illness, and often come with little to nothing to claim as their own. last week our team was able to help in distributing care packages for returnee students at various schools in the area.

pray for the many families that have returned to the south, that they will find comfort and hope in Christ, their Savior and Provider. 

English Class

bethany and i have been teaching an english class at our church every friday.

our students range from teenage boys to elderly women. some days we have 25, other days 2 may show up for class. one morning while biking to class, we passed the majority of our church members walking down the road in the opposite direction. we stopped to find out they were all heading to a funeral. so many things are unpredictable. even this past friday, one girl had a seizure in the middle of class.

despite the inconsistency, surprises, and our lack of experience, we manage to have a good time. everyone is eager to learn and participates with a great sense of humor. the older women are especially amused with each other when practicing phrases like, "I want milk." this week we taught the song "if you're happy and you know it." we often catch them practicing their english and they are enthusiastic to show it off. as we were greeting in church today, one of the ladies said, "melissa, i am happy and i know it." brought a smile to my face.

i am thankful for the opportunity to grow relationships, see familiar faces in my church community, and laugh with friends.

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas

happy december! the christmas spirit has officially arrived in south sudan. we put up our christmas tree, strung popcorn, and cut out paper snowflakes to decorate the team house.

warm wishes from mundri!

Be Our Guest

our sudanese friends are often showing us hospitality, inviting us to their homes, gifting their harvest, and giving out of the fullness of their heart. with thanksgiving approaching, we wanted to give them a chance to be our guest, to say thanks, and to share our traditions with them just as they have for us.

we started early with preparations... caleb had the unpleasant task of killing the chicken. but don't let his face fool you into thinking he felt any sympathy for our soon to be dinner.

he was rather proud.

everyone cooked their favorite thanksgiving dishes: green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, pumpkin pie, and even apple pie! the morning was busy with plucking feathers, peeling potatoes, cleaning counters, and decorating table tops. oh, and we officially kicked off the season with some christmas music, giving us an extra pep in our step. i even wore my happy holidays shirt for added spirit. this is my rolled out of bed look. ok, maybe its my everyday look.

once our guests arrived, we played UNO, jumped rope, and some took a turn on the swing.

the boys played a serious game of basketball.

we ate, and ate some more. we taught our moru friends the song, "i've got so much to be thankful for." then we all made thanksgiving hands and shared with everyone what we were thankful for.

all around...a great thanksgiving with friends! oh yeah, our group photo. i think the bunny ears are a nice touch.

Okari

sitting in church this morning, i was reminded of how much i love this community. though i understand only a word or two from the sermon, i try my best to follow along with my bible. i mumble through the hymns, sometimes picking up on the last word of each line. for a moment, i am tempted to feel out of place, but quickly become aware of my unpretentious surroundings. the mud walls and thatch roof echo songs of praise and the people of okari smile and greet me as if i was their long-time friend returning home. 

  

 

my favorite part is the end of the service. we follow one another outside and form a sort of greeting circle, shaking hands, saying hello. then we all huddle to sing as the drums beat in the background. 

thankful today for worship and fellowship with believers, no matter the language.