Sunrise

6:30. barely awake, song books in hand, we shuffle down a narrow path leading to the river. the water is low, so we settle ourselves in the middle of some dry, exposed rocks. and together, as the sun rises, we celebrate Easter morning, singing hymns and reading the story of resurrection.  

after sharing a breakfast of hot cross buns and boiled Easter eggs, we all scatter to our different churches. bethany, jennifer, and i arrive at okari to find everyone singing, shaking gourds, and beating drums in procession around the church. we join in, and i greet my friend mary, "Yesu efoto!" Jesus has risen! we read a passage from colossians 3, reminding us that "since you have been raised with Christ, set your heart on things above, not on earthly things." a good truth to hear today.

Happy Easter from Mundri!

Say a Little Prayer

it's time for teacher training again...

and i would so appreciate your prayers. on monday, teachers from local primary schools will come for a week long, gospel-centered training. our hope is that they will be encouraged, refreshed, and equipped as christian teachers.

pray for bethany, jennifer, and me as we plan and prepare. pray for our lessons to be understood and helpful for them. pray for good interactions and deepening relationships. pray that the holy spirit would be empowering our teachers to be a light in the classroom and in their community.

we're enthusiastic to see our teachers again and hopeful to see God at work.

thanks for the prayers.

Days Like This

we had our first “kid’s club” here on friday. and oh what a day.

they showed up that morning, a group of seven children from our neighborhood, surprisingly prompt. eventually, another troop appeared, ages ranging from 5 to 13, giving us a total of 12 kiddos for the day. 

bathed and in their best clothes. a little shy at first, they sat, listened, responded to questions, were respectful and so attentive.

with our decided theme as “God’s presence,” we started off with some questions.

who is God? can you talk to him? what does he do? they answered with he is a spirit, he only talks to people in church or important people, and (this is my favorite) he walks around in the forest doing his work. :) 

we talked about God is the one who sees, and they worked on memorizing psalm 11:4. we read a children's book, sang, played, and ended with a good healthy snack.

i really enjoyed the time with them. and i’m so thankful for such an opportunity. to be able to teach, discuss, and help them memorize scripture, encourage them in skills like listening and taking turns, read a book to them for maybe the first time, fill their little bellies with good food, and have fun and laugh with them. it's days like this i want to savor, to store away my blessings and remember them when i’m feeling discouraged or wondering why God has me here.

for the rest of the month, we will talk about "God who knows our heart" and "God who loves his children." i'm expecting God to do big things, maybe things we will never know. but i’m praying that these children will begin to store up treasures of truth that will be with them for a lifetime.

i would love for you to be in prayer for kid’s club each friday. that the Holy Spirit would give the children understanding, and for our time together to be fruitful beyond what we could imagine. pray for me, larissa, jennifer, and andrew, as we plan lessons and engage with the kids each week. it's also a big language challenge for me. i can easily be frustrated with all the things i can't say or can't explain. but what a great reason to persevere in language learning.

Christmas Time Is Here

i love the christmas season in mundri.

decorations are up, stockings are hung.

everyone is baking delicious goodies.

mary and friends teach us to make sesame seed balls.

a crowd of people from my church gather to watch ‘the nativity story’.

larissa reads the christmas story (in moru).

we visit workers, neighbors, and friends.

i love christmas here. i enjoy making treats, visiting friends, and singing christmas carols. but it’s also a great opportunity to give, to love on our moru friends and share the good news of Christ’s coming. pray that i would be faithful to do just that.

Can I Get A Witness

it’s witness week here in mundri. various churches, including okari, are reaching out to their community, sharing their faith. this past thursday, i had the privilege of joining a group from my church. vida (a sweet old women with a zeal for life and the Lord, always patient to listen, trying to understand my broken moru sentences), goodwin (an endearing elderly man, doesn’t waste words, but his quiet smirk speaks volumes), ngulu (my friend, teaching me embroidery, always laughing, cheerful confidence), and tensa (though she seems reserved at times, her preaching packs a punch).

we crossed the road, navigating single-file along narrow trails and through overgrown bush. from house to house, we sang (well i mostly hummed) while ngulu beat steadily on her drum, adding a little pep to our step. at each home, we gathered under a large mango or lulu tree in the middle of their compound. vida, ngulu, and tensa took turns to preach a mini-sermon. we sang a couple of songs and prayed for sicknesses or specific requests from the family. then over tea and some food, we visited with the family.

halfway through our trekking and visiting, i found myself checking out, mentally exhausted from processing the language. i tried not to be discouraged by my lack of ability to communicate. i tried not be distracted by the mysterious and itchy rash that was quickly covering most of my right arm. i tried not to worry if i would be able to eat yet another sweet potato, another scoop of beans, and down a 5th glass of tea. 

and then... i asked that the Lord would take my attention off of myself. it seemed like a good time to give thanks and pray for those that would hear his word.

it was great to experience this with my moru community, to meet more people outside of my church, and most of all to witness my moru friends putting their faith into action.

Long Time Gone

yesterday marked my ONE YEAR anniversary of arriving in mundri! i can’t believe i’m halfway through my term already. when i told my friend, mary, that it was a year ago i first came to mundri, she cheered and said i am now a one year old moru.  

in many ways it seems like so much time has passed and yet there are days when i still feel new, like a one year old baby, learning to walk and talk, still exploring and making sense of my surroundings. 

the massos made my day, surprising me with a song to say happy one year.  i’ve posted the words and a few pictures of my time in mundri thus far. 

to the tune of “party in the u.s.a.” by miley cyrus

“i hopped off the plane at the mundri airstrip with my trunk and my cardigan.”

“welcome to the land of south sudan, am i gonna fit in? 

jumped in the truck here i am for the first time.

look to the right and i see the herd of cattle.”

“this is  all so crazy, everyone seems so friendly.”

“my tummy’s turning and i’m feeling kind of homesick.

too much pressure and i’m nervous.

then bethany turned on the radio and a whitney song was on, and a whitney song was on, and a whitney song was on.”

“so i put my hand out to shake people’s hands and the butterflies fly away.

riding my bike like yeah. eating kudra like yeah.

i put my hand out to shake people’s hands and the butterflies fly away.

yeahhhh.  it’s a party in south sudan.”

“i get to okari, riding my bike, everyone’s looking at me now.

like, who’s that girl who’s keeping trill. she’s gotta be from outta town.”

“so hard with my twin not around me. definitely not a birmingham party.

cause all i see are flip flops. i guess i never got the memo.

my tummy’s turning and i’m feeling kind of home-sick.

too much pressure and i’m nervous.

and when the choir sings my favorite tune and a moru song goes on, and a moru song goes on, and a moru song goes on.”

“so i put my hands out to dance around the butterflies fly away.

bobbing my head like yeah, shuffling my feet like yeah.
i put my hands out to dance around i know i’m gonna be ok

yeahhhhh it’s a party in okari church, yeahhhhh  it’s a party in south sudan.”

as i reflect on the year, i’m grateful for God leading me to mundri and looking forward to all he has in store for the second half of the ride. i know it won’t be an easy one, but i’m trusting the Lord as i put one foot in front of the other and thankful for those who help and encourage me along the way.

Only Wanna Be With You

these days, i've been missing home. wanting to see familiar faces of friends, be with family, to squeeze on my nephews. i wish time would freeze and they wouldn't grow. i wish my africa world was somehow closer to all the ones i love. if only i could drag the entire north american continent across the atlantic to settle nice and close to africa, maybe it would solve all of my problems. or maybe this sense of longing will always remain, and the focus only changes.

even so, i am grateful that God continues to open my eyes to see his abundance of blessings in the here and now. i'm thankful for a brief, yet sweet, reunion with an old friend, who actually lives on the same continent!

i'm thankful for my growing relationships with young women at okari. i love our hair-braiding, tea-sipping, language learning chats. i love that they ask about dominick and camden (i think they're aware it's my favorite topic). our interactions are becoming more familiar despite my slow moru and their lack of english.

though it doesn't quite compare to holding my own nephews, snuggling with this little guy was just the bonus of an already great day.

and on the days when i only want to be with the ones so far away, i'm thankful to be surrounded and loved by my moru community, and mindful of the joy in being exactly where God wants me, near to Him.

"But for me it is good to be near to God.  I have made the Lord my refuge, that I may tell of all your works."     Psalm 73:28