Some Nights

last week, bethany and i stayed with our friends, ngulu and linda. we spent 5 nights with them and their extended family, sharing a small part of their life and learning more about moru culture.

it’s a large compound with lots of children, teenagers, women, grandmothers. never a dull moment and always a chance to practice language and learn new words. 

everyone rose early each day to start their morning routine. the school-aged children helped in sweeping before walking to school. the women fetched water and began cooking. bethany and i were usually the last to wake up at 6:45. we’d shuffle to the fire, just in time for the morning song and prayer. 

after prayers, vida, one of the grandmothers, would bring out her bowl of supplies and begin making a very strong pot of espresso-like coffee, spiced with ginger and a very generous portion of sugar. we laughed to watch her serve a glass to someone, then take one for herself, serve another, then refill for herself... drinking 4 or 5 in one sitting. bethany became vida’s barista student and helped in roasting the coffee beans one morning. 

i loved hanging out with these kiddos. too young to walk to school, they stuck together during the day, eating mangoes, running around, being mischievous, posing for pictures, and making anything into a toy. after one all-day rain, i walked outside to find them making these animals out of mud! such creativity :)

we’d spend the days sitting and chatting with the women, shelling groundnuts, watching them make baskets, finishing our own sewing projects, digging in the garden, singing songs, asking lots of questions, and learning lots of language. 

each night, we’d gather outside, the men and older boys at one fire, the women and children at another. we sat together, cracking open more groundnuts, teaching the children songs, talking and telling stories. i told the story of the three bears (though i changed the characters to hippos). the kids loved it and asked me to retell it the next night. it was my first story to tell all in moru!!! bethany also told the story of cinderella, and the older women especially liked it. anyone who was working hard, they would give the name of cinderella. 

we had such a great time with our moru family. they really love us well, and i’m thankful for some nights to deepen relationships with my friends and community.

Stormy Weather

i love stormy weather. the grey clouds creeping in, taking over. the sudden fall in temperature. rain spilling from the sky. gusts of wind shaking trees with a power that is mesmerizing.

the rainy season has made a less than subtle arrival in mundri. 

our first big storm caught us all by surprise, blowing sheets of rain sideways through our open air windows. we scrambled around the team house, pulling cushions off chairs, trying to save books and computers from ruin. finally, we all huddled under an umbrella and waited for an end to the fury.

afterward, we find this large tree had collapsed on the interns’ house!

the next storm came while jennifer and i were visiting our friend, mary. we watched the clouds roll in, debating whether we should jump on our bikes now and try to beat the rain. mary insisted we stay, so we sat, anxiously anticipating what was coming. 

not even ten minutes later, the storm we had feared was definitely coming at us, and it was a big one. the wind came in a sand storm, blowing dirt and debris wherever it pleased, turning over chairs and sending water jugs tumbling. we grabbed all that we needed to and ran inside. 

by the way, mary’s house was getting a new grass roof, so when we did take shelter, we all crammed into her other storage/guest hut. five of us in a room piled with boxes and food, clothing gathered on the bed, all of her belongings. unfortunately, the roof was rather leaky and water was pouring in under the door. many of mary’s things were wet, and i managed to get soaked. one of the only times i’ve actually had chills in south sudan!

after the wind and rains taper off, we come out and survey the damage. mary’s compound is one big puddle. chairs are broken and dishes washed in mud. as jennifer and i help tidy up, we begin to see children with handfuls and even buckets of mangoes. 

turns out the storm was not all too bad, as i imagine hundreds of mangoes were raining down on mundri that day. mary enjoys a couple herself, offers a dry shirt for me to change, and sends us home with a bag full of mangoes :)

Living Water

thank you so much for your prayers for teacher training!  

primary school teachers from all over mundri attended their 3rd and final phase of training with us.  i was so excited to see their faces again!  they were eager to learn, participate, and offer feedback, and our interactions just seemed more comfortable.  

we focused the week on a theme of water, a subject that seemed more than appropriate when considering our moru community.  we taught on Christ as our Living Water, that we are "like trees planted along a stream, bearing fruit..."  heidi gave a health lesson about the importance of water for our physical bodies.  john even shared an engineer's perspective with us and lectured on boreholes and how they work.  they soaked it up!  we read through a story of the water cycle that took us around the world.  and they marveled at pictures of snow capped mountains and frozen rivers in switzerland.  

the teachers worked together in groups, sharing ideas, creating lesson plans, and dramas (always my favorite).

i was thankful for the relationships we have established through these trainings and the tangible reminders of the work God is doing here.  jennifer, bethany, and i walked away feeling encouraged. and we're hopeful for how God will use these teachers in their community.

continue to pray for these teachers and the weighty task of being an educator in south sudan.  pray for perseverance and for the Spirit to be working through them, setting them apart for His glory.

  

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.