The Fader Five

This is what we do

2012-01-22T13:33:00.000+03:00

This is what our mornings look like 5 days a week - lots of Arabic grammer, vocab, and conversation.

Eli does a great job making class fun and interesting. We press on, working harder than ever since we only have 3 more months of special Arabic study.

Arabian Nights

2012-01-20T12:13:00.000+03:00

We had so much fun at a wedding last night! We got all dressed up and spent most of the time on the dance floor learning how to dance Sudanese style.

Eli sat a table with a bunch of businessmen from Tunisia and Libya.

The wedding didn't begin until 8 pm so as you can see in this picture, the boys were getting pretty tired by the end of the evening (we left at 11:30). We're thankful today is our day off so we can recuperate from all the partying last night. :)

God answers

2012-01-20T12:02:00.000+03:00

If you read my previous blog post, you know that I, Bethany, was struggling with uncertainties in our future and feeling overwhelmed not knowing how to plan and prepare for what is coming. More and more over the past couple of days God is encouraging my heart to take one day at a time and not worry about our future. He called our family of five here and he's not going to just drop us off somewhere and not care for us. So I have been trying to focus on the day I'm living and make the most of each day.
The wonderful thing is that only a few hours after I wrote the blog, a couple who lives and works in Melut where we hope to move to, called us on skype to talk through some details. They also assured us that whenever we come, there are multiple housing options for us. That was such an answer to prayer. There are still many things up in the air, but God knew we needed a bit of encouragement and He gave it to us when we needed it. I'm so thankful. Thank you to those who are praying and to those who have emailed me to encourage me.

Wrestling

2012-01-17T14:09:00.002+03:00

Bethany here. I know that most of the time we write about places we've visited or events in our family but every now and then I find it beneficial not only for myself but for you, our readers, to get a window into what is going on in our hearts. I don't have to tell you that living overseas in a very different culture and studying one of the most difficult languages in the world is challenging. But lately a new struggle has been going on in my mind and heart - a wrestling match if you will.
    I am the type of person who thrives when my life is organized and planned out, when I know what to expect, when I can make plans and prepare myself and my family for change, etc. Unfortunately I have none of that in Sudan. No matter how hard I try to organize and plan, life is always changing, plans change, weather changes, etc. Lately it's been harder for me than usual, especially since we are anticipating a move back to South Sudan in less than 3 months. Knowing our time in Khartoum is nearing a close, I've already felt myself withdrawing (though very unintentionally.) The difficult part for me is that I don't know what will come next for our family of five. All I know is that we will have a conference in Kenya in April and most likely pack up our Khartoum home and take our things to Nairobi. After that, we don't know for sure. It might work out as we hope and we can move to Melut in Upper Nile to teach at Gideon Theological College. We might end up at a different base. We might end up staying and teaching here in Khartoum. The hard thing is that we can not make any solid decisions at this point and it is almost driving me crazy.
     The other realization that has been hitting me hard is that wherever we move next in South Sudan will require us living in some sort of temporary housing for at least 5 months (a hut or tent) until our own house can be built. Unfortunately June is when the rainy season begins and that will make it extremely hard maybe even impossible to begin building during that season. So how does one homeschool and try to "settle" and make a "home" when you're living temporarily for a period like 6 months? How does a young American mother do this in a rural area of Sudan?
    These questions are daunting. I have to admit that as I've pondered these things, it's become quite overwhelming at times. But the Lord keeps drawing me back to His lap, reminding me that He called us here, called us to this unpredicatable, unplannable life. God knows me inside and out. He knows this is an inner struggle for me. Yet He will not give me more than I can handle and I believe He will settle our family exactly where He wants us.
    Will these next few months be challenging? Yes. Will this be a difficult year? Yes. What should I do about that? Get depressed? Quit? Complain? NO!!!!! Lord, I commit to follow you wherever you take us and however you want to make it happen. Please just give us the grace and strength and JOY we need to take each day at a time.

The Palace Museum

2012-01-04T12:39:00.000+03:00

Today Eli and I went to visit the Palace Museum here in Khartoum with our friends Brett and Cathy.
The museum is in an old Anglican church built by the British exactly 100 years ago.

The President's Palace is directly behind the museum. We accidentally pulled into the driveway when we were looking for parking and were reprimanded 2 separate times!

Encarved in the door of the church it says, "There is but one God."

Eli, Brett, and Cathy stand in front of the beautiful stained glass windows and the weapons case.

A beautiful elaborate coffee tray presented as a gift to the President when he visited Port Sudan.

The first piano brought to Sudan by General Gordon

The first organ brought to Sudan after Sudan finally got electricity

Our Christmas

2011-12-26T11:03:00.000+03:00

We began our morning with the final reading of our advent: the story of Jesus' birth and then the boys got to open their stockings.

It was such an added joy to have gifts sent from family and friends in the States to open as well.
Somehow it made it feel like our family was sharing Christmas from afar.

We had cinnamon rolls for breakfast

My friend and I got henna done for the Christmas season. The dyed fingertips are a sign of a married woman.

The BIG gifts this year were new bikes! The boys have been asking for bikes since we got here and this year their grandparents and great-grandma gave this wonderful gift!

Joshua's first bike

Trying it out - a little hard at first because of the sand

Of course friends wanted to help and share in the excitement

What I haven't included here is that we had a very special service at our pastor's home. They have a lovely garden area and set up sound equipment so we could have a lovely Christmas service in their garden. Our church family consists of people from many nations and backgrounds so it was truly worshipful to join and sing and remind one another of God's indescribable gifts for us. After our advent candle lighting, carols, and a short message we fellowshipped and then enjoyed a fabulous potluck with dishes from many cultures. I took stuffed chicken with American style sage dressing.
Another highlight of our Christmas happened in the evening. Around 5 pm we packed up loads of plates of Christmas cookies and wrapped 2012 calendars that have Bible verses in Arabic in them and went to visit our friends and neighbors to wish them a Merry Christmas and share a bit of our Christmas tradition with them. It was lovely to spread some Christmas cheer and the boys did great after 3 solid hours of being in peoples' homes.
We will forever treasure this Khartoum Christmas knowing we may never have one like it again since we will most likely be in South Sudan next Christmas and the Christmases thereafter. Our hearts are brimming over...

Arabic Christmas Pageant

2011-12-22T09:37:00.000+03:00

Last night our Arabic Language School gave a presentation of the Christmas story, all in Arabic, to our teachers, staff, and our families. Each class prepared a part of the story to present in Arabic. Eli and my class did a small skit explaining the significance of each of the wise men's gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In the picture above Eli gave the introduction for our skit.

This is part of the audience - other students, teachers, family, etc.

It worked out perfectly that one of our school mates recently had a baby in November so his wife posed as Mary and their new son had his first acting debut as Baby Jesus! Our classmate, Beth, presented gold to baby Jesus, symbolizing the truth that he was King of all Kings.

I presented burning incense as a symbol that Jesus would be the last and greatest High Priest

Eli brought the myrrh. He went to the market here in Khartoum and found all the different minerals and perfumes they combine to prepare a dead body for burial. He brought them on a tray to give to Jesus to symbolize that Jesus would die for the sins of the whole world.

After our dramas and speeches, we presented special gifts to each of the teachers to thank them for their patience with us over the months.

We also gave a gift of thanks to our director and his wife. They are the couple who run the school.
It was a very fun program followed by food from all of our unique countries: Switzerland, Germany, Brazil, the US, Uganda, etc.

International Carols

2011-12-20T16:49:00.000+03:00

On Sunday evening we had a wonderful service, enjoying music from many nationalities represented in our church family.

Eritrea

Ethiopia

Holland

New Zealand

South Korea

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Switzerland and Germany

Christmases over the years

2011-12-16T22:36:00.000+03:00

I thought it would be fun to look back at the past Christmases to remember where we were and to see how our family changed every year.

Christmas with Isaac in 2005, Evan "in the oven"

Christmas 2006 in Naperville, IL

Yabus Christmas 2008

A special Christmas in Uganda - 2009

Christmas in Washington State - 2010

2011: A Khartoum Christmas

The Christmas Bazaar

2011-12-16T20:11:00.000+03:00

Today we went to a fun Christmas Bazaar. There were vendors selling all kinds of wonderful things: jewelry, books, clothes, pictures, food, etc. There were also some fun carnival games for the children and Isaac and Evan chose to get their faces painted as Spiderman and Batman.

Isaac went fishing

On the way home (with our teammates) Eli surprised us all by stopping for ice cream. Great end to the day!

Christmas decorating

2011-12-09T14:26:00.000+03:00

After breakfast this morning we pulled out our new artificial Christmas tree and dusted it off. Then while Eli figured out the lights, the boys and I made some of our own ornaments this year. Here Isaac is painting a butterfly.

Then we pulled out all the ornaments we brought from the States

The boys had fun placing the ornaments on the trees.

Here are a few ornaments Evan made all on his own

We also have a mini tree that we set up with some beads and lights.

Ta-da! Finished product. Merry Christmas!

Happy Boys

2011-12-04T18:00:00.000+03:00

As I mentioned before, the boys are really happy to be back too. They had a great first day back at school after being out for a month! When they went out to play with their friends this afternoon they were thrilled to discover that a truck had dumped large loads of rocks and sand right in the area behind our building.

Getting right back into the swing of things

2011-12-04T14:10:00.000+03:00

We got back to Khartoum on Thursday night. It was perfect timing because in Sudan the weekend is Friday and Saturday so we got 2 full days to unpack and get settled before school started up today for us and for the boys. We spent most of Friday walking around the neighborhood visiting all our friends and letting them know we were back in town. Yesterday our landlady, Layla, who lives in the apartment below us, came up to my kitchen to show me how to cook several mutton dishes. It was great Arabic practice and good bonding for us. It meant so much to us that she'd saved a portion of sheep for us in her freezer while we were away (they celebrated Eid - a special festival - while we were away and the custom is to slaughter a sheep.)

This morning the boys were so excited to go to school that we were all ready early. When we went outside to wait for their minibus, the bus flashed its lights in excitement and of course they've had lots of hugs and kisses to welcome them back. Eli and I also started back at Arabic school this morning. We thought we'd forgotten quite a bit but it's amazing how quickly it all comes back! So thankful for that.

Trip to Melut

2011-11-29T22:43:00.000+03:00

Over the past week I (Eli) have been in Melut, South Sudan to investigate a possible ministry location for our family after language study. Gideon Theological College was started here by the Sudan Interior Church and the Sudan Church of Christ over 30 years ago. The war caused it to shift locations but now it is back in Melut and it has a wide and deep needs. Here are a few pictures:

Chris Crowder, director of SIM Sudan in the library. 3 full shelves of English volumes and 1 shelf of Arabic. There are many books waiting to be shelved too.

The Tukul (hut) where we stayed for the week. It was very windy and freezing cold in the morning but warmed up in the afternoon. The water was wonderful for swimming although I did keep close to the shore. The beauty of the sunsets was astonishing.

There is only one classroom right now. GTC has 18 students. They are all in their 3rd year of pursuing their Bachelor of Arts, a four year program.

The sunrise on the morning we left. You can see a fisherman already out in his wooden canoe.

Chris Crowder, Hellene Samia (head teacher of our SIC Secondary School), Hiakie Hegui (SIC Secondary School), and Dr. Donker (present Academic Dean of GTC) at the entrance to the college.

Any verse come to mind when you see a weapon turned into a tool? There is a vise welded to the top of this exploded bomb. Check out Isaiah 2:4. This is our prayer for this place.

The needs of GTC are immense. There is great need to build more teacher housing, student housing and classrooms. There is great need for teachers. There is great need for partners to give scholarships and financially back the school. Do you see a way for you to meet any of these needs?

More news from Sudan

2011-11-27T14:39:00.000+03:00

November 27, 2011:Refugee Numbers Increasing in Doro; Inadequate Food/Water/Medical Care

Based upon an assessment from Samaritan's Purse, here's what we now know about the current situation in Doro:

The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) has registered 8,700 refugees in the Doro area, but the numbers are expected to increase, as entire villages of people are migrating down across the border, heading for Maaban County. Very shortly, it is expected the numbers will surpass 10,000.

· Inadequate food supply: the UNHCR has already distributed and ran out of their food stocks; the World Food Programme has yet to appear on the scene. Food available in the markets is insufficient to feed the swarms of refugees now camped out in the area. Refugees who have been walking for weeks/months are severly malnourished.

· Water & Sanitation: the average wait at one of the 3 boreholes within walking distance of the camp is 4-5 hours. Lack of proper latrines, basic hygiene supplies, and clean water is likely to lead to a disease outbreak.

· Health: Hospital patient numbers continue to rise as refugee population swells. There is limited nursing/hospital staffing. Dr. Atar, with support from Samaritan's Purse, is setting up a clinic with surgical capacity in Bunj. Medecins Sans Frontiers ("Doctors Without Borders") is moving in to set up a temporary medical facility which will most likely focus on critical care.

· Security: There have been very large troop buildups to secure the border of Upper Nile. There is minimal troop presence in Doro, mainly those in transport to the border regions. Aside from hearing Antenovs circling occasionally, there are no security indicators to point towards a northern attack on Upper Nile. There have recently been nightly bombings in Yabus (Blue Nile State), however there have not been any additional across-border bombings in Upper Nile as of late.

SIM Sudan is sending in an assessment team next week, flying into Doro on Tuesday, November 29th, which will hopefully lead to a strategic plan for how we can play a role in the relief work among refugees in the area, while partnering with the local church. A few of their objectives will be: (1) Explore how our facilities can be used as a blessing in the crisis (2) Evaluate nutritional needs and leprosy care (3) Encourage our staff (4) Evaluate the current medical ministry (5) Assess security that would directly affect SIM missionaries (6) Make further instruction to employees

Critical questions: "How is God moving in this situation? How do we fit into His plan? How can we partner with the Sudanese church to provide relief to these refugees? Where will the funding come from?"

All of these questions can be overwhelming. SIM Sudan may not be poised as a relief organization, but Jesus responded with compassion when He saw the crowds. (Matt. 9:36, Matt. 14:14, Matt. 15:32) How might we follow His example?

Recent News from our area of Sudan

2011-11-22T10:15:00.000+03:00

November 22, 2011

Situation in Doro, eastern Upper Nile State, South Sudan - Plans for a Permanent UN Camp

Through various sources, we’ve been able to gather some information on the situation in Doro. What we do know: Tens of thousands of refugees are streaming in from Blue Nile region, and have camped out at Doro, as they are not allowed in the neighboring trading center of Bunj. The sea of people stretches for many kilometers.

We have heard that conditions are very bad. Young and old are suffering, as they have walked many kilometers without adequate food or water. (Some have been walking for up to a month, coming from Blue Nile Region.) Last night, temperatures dropped to 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 Celsius), leaving blankets and clothing wet from heavy dew, presenting a risk of hypothermia. The UN has now assumed responsibility for refugees in this area (they are “wards” of the UN), and our understanding is that the UN plans to set up a permanent camp in Doro.

In regards to security, there have been no bombings within Upper Nile region since the last incident in New Guffa. Many bombings have been reported inside Blue Nile State (ie. Chali, Yabus airstrip, Bellatuma), and theoretically, bombing in Doro is still a possibility. However, two SPLA (army of South Sudan) divisions have formed a defensive curtain along the border between South Sudan and Sudan. Many have cited the possibility of cross-border militia attacks.

As of now, the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) has a presence in Doro, along with a handful of other volunteers from various NGOs. The Doro Primary Health Care Unit is currently being operated by our Community Health Workers, trained by Barb Hartwig and Vicki Beattie in the CHW program. Dr. Atar, a Sudanese doctor from Kurmuk, has set up his operations in Bunj clinic, with support from Samaritan’s Purse (SP). SP is sending an assessment team of 3-4 people into Doro this week to determine the current situation, and to do a basic security, health and WASH (Water and Sanitation) assessment. SIM is open to sending in a similar team for assessment purposes, to determine what the current patient load is at the clinic, and to collect accurate data on the situation in Doro.

Now that Doro village is host to tens of thousands of refugees, we believe that the human landscape of Doro area has been completely altered. Our brothers and sisters from the SIC church of Blue Nile have scattered to Ethiopia and to Bunj. God’s people, who became a church through SIM’s efforts, are now in trouble again.

We covet your prayers as we wrestle with these questions, desiring to be sensitive to God’s leading.

· Pray that SIM’s Safe Drinking Water program, based in Doro can respond through our borehole drilling partners

· Pray for protection for the young and the old

· Pray for permanent camp facilities to develop quickly

· Entreat the Lord for workers to help reopen the SIM Doro PHCC

· Pray that the bombing and militia attacks in Blue Nile would cease

Reports from our SIM bases in Sudan

2011-11-11T16:54:00.001+03:00

Thursday, Nov. 10: Our 6 team members from Doro have arrived safely to Nairobi, and are now settling into their respective homes and guesthouses. The nightly sounds of bombardment from 30 to 40km away have been taking an emotional toll on them. Pray that this would now be an opportunity for rest and refreshment.

The Blue Nile conflict at this point is threatening the security of the Doro base. However, all other bases (Melut, Malakal, and Thiangrial) are secure and unaffected. Although we are looking for other flights of opportunity, the remaining 5 team members will exit Doro on Monday 14 November by MAF charter. They are tired but doing well.

Update on Doro team (11 Nov 12:21pm South Sudan time)

MAF has redirected a flight to pick up our last 5 team members in Doro at 1:30pm this afternoon. They will be flown to Juba, sleep there overnight at the MAF compound, before heading to Nairobi on an MAF flight Saturday.

The situation is still deteriorating in the area, and there have been a total of three bombings across the border into Southern Sudan. The Doro team will remain in Nairobi until there is a semblance of security and stability in the the region. Streams of refugees have been pouring into the Doro area from Blue Nile State. Refugees are camping out around the clinic, for access to the borehole and medical attention. Please pray for our Sudanese staff who are continuing to keep the clinic running at a PHCU level (Primary Health Care Unit).

Pray for Bob Ihrig, Karissa Cail, Christiane Fox, Sheila West, and Neil ingall, as they are in transition. We thank God for giving them a measure of courage to persevere through difficult circumstances and close down the base in a thorough and efficient manner. Pray that a hedge of protection would guard the Doro base throughout this turbulent period.

Prayer Points:

· Please pray for the clinic as it reverts back to PHCU (Primary Health Care Unit) staffed by Sudanese community health workers.

· Pray for group debrief sessions in the coming weeks.

· Pray that the Lord would hold back conflict and restrain war-like political threats.

Grieving

2011-11-10T11:40:00.001+03:00

Where to start?

We spent the years 2007-2010 in a beautiful, very rural area of South Sudan called Yabus. We joined an international team and settled into our new home with a 2 year old and a 1 year old. Our first year was full of learning the culture, learning Arabic, learning how to cook on charcoal, washing clothes by hand, learning how to kill snakes, scorpions and other freaky insects and bats, and building relationships with the beautiful Sudanese people we’d loved even before we arrived.

Originally we were only supposed to spend 6 months in Yabus for culture and language study but we fell in love with the people and area and saw endless opportunities we could plug into ministry, so we stayed. We raised our family of boys there those 3 years. Bush life was all they knew. Our youngest son, Joshua came to Yabus at only 2 months of age.

In April 2010 we packed up our Yabus home and stored it in a metal container to leave for a 9 month home assignment, expecting to come right back. Instead we decided to first spend a year in North Sudan to study Arabic further before returning. During the past few months as we’ve lived in Khartoum, the situation in Blue Nile State and Yabus has gone from bad to worse. After the separation of North and South Sudan in July 2011, Blue Nile State is now considered North Sudan. So really it was a matter of time before the North came to “claim” their land. But the way they have claimed it has killed, injured, and terrorized many many people. Thousands of people have fled to refugee camps in Ethiopia and other states further south in Sudan. There has been bombing in the towns north of Yabus and in Yabus as well. Our team had to evacuate in June and then again in August, this time for good. This week we heard from our compound manager that army troops came to the compound and took our truck and quad bike and have probably taken other things from our compound.

This is a great loss. Everything we poured our lives into those 3 years is gone. I’m not worried about the stuff. But everyone we ever greeted and loved on has had to run for their lives. They’ve left homes, gardens, goats, everything they own to flee to a place where they probably won’t have those things. How do they feel? What are they thinking? I don’t know how to process all of this. I feel like a huge chunk of my heart has been cut out and something is dying inside of me. Is this how it’s going to continue to be? After language school when we move to a new place, might we have to hold lightly and recognize that we might have to leave again? This is way harder than saying goodbye. When and how will I ever see all those friends, those brothers and sisters again?

When we first came to Sudan in 2007, a very experienced missionary who’d lived in multiple countries in East Africa, including Sudan during the war, told us, “Be careful not to pour too much effort into buildings and stuff that can fall apart or be destroyed. Pour into people. If a building is toppled, a person still survives and what you’ve poured into them still survives wherever they go.” Now I see what he means. Eli sweat and spent many months building the secondary school, buildings on our compound, a water system from the river, and the Unity Bridge. What will that all come to? I don’t know. But we also poured even more into those dear people from 5 different tribes. We lived with them. We ate with them. We did life on life. And I pray that as I grieve this loss that I will remember that God goes with His children, most especially in their suffering and sorrow, and I pray that whatever Hope He planted in their hearts, will burn now more than ever, and grow their faith to get them through this season. And I pray that God will teach us more about Himself and how He wants to use us in this torn up nation.

Our Yabus Compound

The boys spent many hot afternoons down at the river with their friends

Joshua was right at home in Yabus - happy and content

Unity Bridge - an effort made by 5 tribes and Eli that took a year and a half to complete but changed life for the whole community every rainy season thereafter.

my sweet lady friends - the wives of our BELC students (adults going through primary school)

Heading to Kenya

2011-10-26T09:23:00.000+03:00

On November 2, in the middle of the night, we'll get on a plane to fly to Kenya for a 2 week break. We weren't planning on leaving but since we have a week off of school anyway in early November for a local holiday and we've been feeling in need of a vacation lately, we decided to do it. We're all looking forward to no school for 2 weeks (the boys are more excited than we are!), 20 degrees cooler, green grass, and seeing our friends and other teammates in Kenya. Our aim is to return refreshed and invigorated to finish the next 6 months of language study even stronger!

Lessons Learned

2011-10-12T15:30:00.000+03:00

Yesterday I ate some pie. Unfortunately, it was humble pie. Now we all know that this kind of pie is homemade and the bigger the mistake, the bigger the humble pie you need to eat.

I could write out the story (which is rather unexciting) and I could give my justifications for being right (which are many in my mind) but it all comes down to realizing that I was acting appropriately in my own culture but extremely inappropriate in the Sudanese context. In fact, while I was aiming to be fair, honest, and firm, it was coming across as rude, spiteful, unfair, selfish, miserly, insolent, disrespectful, and downright mean. Did I mention that I ate a lot of pie?

I know this is a bit like starting out by saying, “Oh, You won’t believe what happened today!” or “I heard the funniest joke today!” but then not telling you but ask me in a few years and perhaps I’ll be ready to tell you then.

However, important reflections include:

I, as the foreigner, should be ready and willing to accept the customs and common practices of the host culture even though they are, in some cases, illegal in my home country. For instance, every day we load our children into a 14 passenger school van that only has three seat belts for the 192 children stuffed into it.
The only way for many people to survive in times of trouble is by coming together and sharing the cost. Imagine you have no insurance for your house, car, property, or business. Instead, your family, friends and neighbors are your insurance; that is how we operate here. As relatively wealthy foreigners, we will be asked to help out. A lot.
Who is talking matters a lot more than what is being said. That means when older people are talking, it is time to be quiet. It also means having advocates in the community can get you out of some pretty sticky messes. They know how to smooth things over while you (by ‘you’, I mean ‘I’) would probably just create a bigger mess.

Hopefully no more pie for a while. -Eli

A trip to the Pyramids and Nile River

2011-10-08T13:16:00.000+03:00

Yesterday we spent a fun day outside of the city. We drove about 3 1/2 hours north of Khartoum to a place called Meroe where there are about 100 ancient pyramids. Egypt is known for their famous pyramids but Sudan apparently has even more than Egypt does! The main difference is that the Sudanses pyramids are smaller, but very similarly built.

There were lots of fun places to explore and large sand dunes that the boys ran up and down.

We are definitely in the desert!

There were a bunch of men with their camels who offered us rides. Josh and I were happy just to pet one but Isaac, Evan, and Eli rode them.

After the pyramids, on our way home, we stopped at a lovely place on the Nile River for a picnic lunch and a fun boat ride.

It was so refreshing to get out of the city for the day and see some new scenery. And it's so interesting to learn more about this marvelous country!

Lessons in Language Learning

2011-10-03T11:26:00.000+03:00

With 4 months of intensive Arabic language study under my belt, I've had a chance to recognize some very valuable lessons I've learned along the way. Allow me to share them:

· Be careful! It’s really easy to start comparing yourselves to others who are catching on faster or moving faster. Don’t compare yourself!!!! Remember that people progress at different rates.

· Do the best you can with the time and energy you have and be content with that.

· When you hit a plateau or feel like you’re not really making any progress, remember that your brain is quickly filling with TONS of new information. It needs to make new channels to put all the new information and make sense of it all, so sometimes it gets “backed” up but it will be able to use the new information eventually.

· Learn to laugh at yourself and not get too bugged with your mistakes.

· Take every opportunity you can to practice. Try not to speak English as often as you can (with nationals.)

· Get plenty of sleep.

· Learn to NOT take comments people make personally. I am pretty sensitive and I’ve been offended or had my feelings hurt way too many times. I’m trying to practice letting those comments roll off my shoulders and many times I have to pray about it and ask God to change my attitude so it won’t get me down.

It's not easy learning a new language but boy is it worth it! I've learned so much more than a language.

Reflections

2011-09-21T10:23:00.001+03:00

I am a huge fan of reflection. I think our faith and trust in God grows as we look back on our lives and remember how God has been faithful and reflect on what He’s been doing in our lives. Today has been reflection day—looking back at the last 4 months we’ve been in Khartoum, North Sudan.

Looking back through my journal I realized that before we arrived in Khartoum, I had a lot of fear and uncertainty about what life would be like here: how would we manage living in such intense heat, how would the kids handle another change, and would we really be able to make progress in our Arabic study?

It’s been a challenging 4 months but as I reflect I am dazzled by God’s goodness and provision for our family. The boys have adjusted beautifully, love their Arabic school, are progressing in their Arabic, and have many friends at school and in the neighborhood. God gives us grace everyday to endure the heat and we’re thankful for coolers and fans in the house. As far as our Arabic study, instead of one school we attend 2 different programs and we believe we’ve come a long way. We are complimented in the market and everywhere we go because we can communicate in their language.

I think the most unexpected blessing from God’s hand has been the amazing friends we’ve made here. I imagined we’d be so busy with language school we wouldn’t have a chance to be very involved in our community but God has given us that joy. After 4 months of pouring into our friendships, we feel we have a good base now to share more deeply of our Savior and our walk with Him.

Other things we’re thankful for are:

· our SIM team, though small we’re tight.

· Our comfortable home.

· Full monthly support from those back home.

· A great international church that we attend here.

· Expatriate friends to share, pray, and encourage each other.

Wedding Season

2011-09-16T11:55:00.000+03:00

We've been to 2 weddings in 5 days. I know that's typical in the States especially in the summer months but it's mid September. We recently learned that there is a small window of time between 2 of their special holidays: Eid al-Fitr and Eid a-Dahiya when it is good luck to get married. So this is the wedding season. On our way to our 2nd wedding last night we passed at least 5 other weddings just on one street!
Unfortunately our camera isn't working well at night so these aren't the best pictures but hopefully you can still get a taste of the celebrations. In the first picture above, note that the bride doesn't look all that thrilled.

This wedding was a Nubian wedding. The Nubians live in the far north of Sudan and are a very unique tribe. As the bride and groom made their grand entrance to the party, a special band and group of 3 lady dancers led the way before them.

Here comes the bride! A pattern we're noticing is that the bride looks to be at least 15 years younger than the groom.

This is the band that played a little parade in front of the bride and groom.

After some nice food and drinks, everyone got out on the dance floor, This was our boys' first Sudanese wedding experience. Evan danced for about 1 minute but Josh enjoyed the dancing and stayed close to Eli in the men's line. The men stand in a long line holding hands with their fingers intertwined, rocking their upper bodies to the beat of the drum and music. The women do the same thing facing the men. It was very cool. The other American woman you see here is Heather our teammate dressed in traditional dress.

The guys were really getting into it here. The guy next to Eli is Sam, our dear friend who is related to the bride and groom.

The wedding was a splash of vibrant colors. Since we live in the dry dusty desert, I felt like it was a feast for my eyes to see all the sparkles and bright colors. Women came decked out in beautiful traditional toobs, jewelry, henna on their hands and feet, and high heels. This is the back of one of the dancing lines.
We had a wonderful time. There is a law in the city that parties have to die down by 11 pm (especially turning off the loud music the bands play). We were amazed how well the boys did staying out until about 11:30 pm when we finally tucked them into bed. This morning I find myself hoping we'll get another wedding invitation soon. :)

Getting ready for a wedding - Sudanese style

2011-09-11T17:07:00.000+03:00

Our neighbor's daughter got married yesterday and we got to finally experience their wedding customs. The first thing I Bethany got to do was go to a "kofeer" for the first time - a ladies salon. I went with my neighbor friend Maisoon and since it takes some time to draw on and then dry, I got to chat with the other ladies getting henna done as well.

Apparently when you have henna done, it's imperative you wear heels to show it off!

An hour before the wedding I went over to Maisoon's house because she wanted to get me ready. She first took a straight edge razor to my face and removed all my peach fuzz! Then she caked my face with powder, loads of eyeshadow, rouge and lipstick. The finishing touch was putting the traditional tobe (Rhymes with robe) on - what a true married Sudanese woman wears!

Since the wedding didn't start until 9 pm, our teammates stayed home with our boys and Eli and I anticipated a fun date. We arrived to find that men and women sit separately so it wasn't exactly the date we expected but it sure was fun. Eli had quite different experiences, including a special ceremony earlier on the wedding day to witness the signing of the marriage certificates/agreements (only men and by special invitation). He offered to write about his side of the story...more to come.

The grand finale to our week off

2011-09-04T16:19:00.000+03:00

Last week we had a week off of school - both for us and the kids. Since it was a week long holiday we enjoyed visiting our neighbors and meeting new families in our community that we hadn't met before. We finished off the week with a night at a beautiful hotel here in town. Our teammates heard of a special deal they were giving for the holiday weekend so we decided to go together and enjoy some pampering before we all jumped back into intensive Arabic study again. :)

The next morning we enjoyed a beautiful buffet breakfast including omelets, waffles, bacon and sausages (not pork) and even chocolate donuts!

Isaac shows off his chocolate donut

We spent most of the 2 days down at the pool swimming and relaxing.

Pray for our Yabus family

2011-09-03T21:35:00.000+03:00

This weekend we heard very sad news that there has been fighting (bombing and shooting from the air) in our area Yabus (where we spent 3 years) and the cities nearby to the north. Our colleague wrote a beautiful blog about God's provision for our teammates in evacuating them and protecting them from all harm. Please read her account at: www.africanurse.blogspot.com
And please please pray for the violence and fighting to stop quickly. We will keep you updated....

A Week Off

2011-08-30T16:08:00.000+03:00

The month of Ramadan fasting is officially over which means we are now in the week of "Eid" celebrations. It's very much like Christmas here. Everyone was out and about this morning in new shiny clothes and neighbors visited from home to home, wishing each other a happy New Year. This has been a new experience for us but we dressed in our nice clothes and did the same, going house to house, stopping in for brief visits in each home and eating an insane amount of cookies and candies! Due to the holiday all of us have a break from school so we get a whole week off.
Yesterday we spent the day with some friends at the German Club in town at the pool. It was so refreshing as you can see.

We will keep you posted how we spend the rest of our week.

A fun time at the park

2011-08-22T19:49:00.000+03:00

We still get amazed by what we find here in Sudan! Being in the capital city this year, we are constantly surprised by what's available here. A few days ago we went to this lovely park to have a picnic supper at the close of the day's fast - around 7:15. We went with a bunch of friends to celebrate a friend's birthday. We went early so the boys could play.

It was a hot muggy afternoon so we were a mess of dirt caked on with sweat by the end of all the fun but we had such a good time. The boys even got to ride on a ferris wheel!

Here I caught Eli with that look of, "Where am I again?"

Special times with friends

2011-08-19T12:09:00.000+03:00

With our lives being very full with language study and our busy boys, it is always a joy to spend time with friends. Last night we went out for ice cream to a local joint called 41. We took our friends from our neighborhood and had a fun time. After everyone had their own ice cream cone we stayed long enough for all the kids to run off their sugar high.

This was little Mustafa's first ice cream cone and boy did he make a mess! But isn't he a cute mess?!

Special month

2011-08-13T20:38:00.000+03:00

August is the month of Ramadan this year as many of you know. So the majority of our city are fasting all month long (they eat at sunset and seem to eat throughout the night.) We have been learning so much during this month about culture and our friends' religion.

A few nights ago we were invited to our friend Sam's house to break the fast with his family. We had a lovely time along with our teammates Jeff and Heather. The food was delicious, great conversation, and Eli taught them all the game: Concentration at the end. We finished the evening with some good laughs!

Last night Bethany got to go out with a few lady friends to celebrate Heather's birthday. We tried a new Indian restaurant and had a great time.

Something I've been marveling at lately is how so many quality people end up in Khartoum!

A peak into the lives of our 3 MK's

2011-08-08T21:18:00.000+03:00

You might wonder what life is like for Isaac (7), Evan (5), and Joshua (3) here in Sudan. I will try and paint you a picture with these photos taken this week. In the above picture we all worked together to make a chocolate cake.

We received our first care package in Khartoum and it took less than 3 weeks to get here! The boys were so excited to pull out all the fun treats (even new underwear which Isaac liked so much he wanted to wear them on his head!)

Evan invented his own new game using discarded soda bottle lids. He had a little checker board going.

Isaac - being the usual boss - giving instructions on how to play the "game" using a mixture of English and Arabic.

Joshua found his own toy to play with - he pranced around the medan/yard on a dry branch.

Isn't this priceless? Don't you wish you could listen in on their conversation? What language are they speaking and what are they talking about? And what's so funny?!

How many kids can get on a bike? As you can see, our boys are happy and thriving and watching them bloom here in Khartoum makes it all the easier for Eli and I to blossom as well.

My Best Friend's Wedding

2011-08-06T20:41:00.000+03:00

My life-long friend Jessica Carr was getting married on July 26 and I wanted to be in her wedding so bad. What could I do from way over here in Sudan?! Between my amazing husband and God's perfect timing, I got my visa and plane ticket the day before I flew out to South Carolina for 10 days of wedding fun and seeing friends. It was just the refreshment and encouragement I needed after our first 2 intense months of language study.

I arrived 4 days before the wedding, just in time for the fun stuff, including a delightful ladies tea party/bridal shower.

I brought henna from Sudan (a dye for skin and hair) and when we went to the salon to get our nails done the day before the wedding, God worked it out so that we got in touch with a beautiful Egyptian gal who does henna art in Columbia. We called her up and she came down to the salon to paint henna on all the bridesmaids and on the bride. The bride had special decorations on both hands and both feet.

The wedding day was beautiful. Though Columbia, SC in July is very hot and humid, God gave us a cooler, cloudy day and we enjoyed a sweet riverside ceremony. Here is the beautiful beaming bride and her 3 bridesmaids.

The cherry on the top of this whole trip was my sister! Audrey flew from CA to sing a duet with me in the wedding and play the guitar for the wedding. Both of us really needed some sister time so it was a beautiful blessing.

Of course we had to celebrate with a dinner at the Olive Garden - a favorite place.
I arrived home earlier this week, excited to be reunited with Eli and the boys and ready to get back into language learning and the rest of life in Sudan. Eli did a marvelous job with the boys and I can see that they all have a tighter bond now. Thank you Lord for this unexpected gift from you!

Photo Journal of Bethany's day today

2011-07-13T21:14:00.000+03:00

I carried my camera with me today so I could take you on a photo tour of one of my typical days. This is me in our van on the way to Arabic class at 8:30 in the morning.

This is my wonderful Arabic teacher, Ms. Thanee. I feel like we've already become good friends.

A picture of the city from our school window.

This was the traffic on the way home. Can you believe this is Sudan?

I was trying to show you the dust today. It began slowly in the morning but by afternoon the wind had really picked up and there was dust everywhere. My eyes are burning from all the dust in the air.

This is the dusty sky in our neighborhood when we went out later in the afternoon.

The boys are getting good at helping out around the house. Today Isaac helped me sweep up the dirt in the house. This was the pile of dust he swept from ONE ROOM in our house!

Sam joined us for lunch and then he and Eli spent the afternoon together. First they went to the huge outdoor market to look for some tools and then Eli accompanied Sam to his English class.

Around 4 pm we walked to the corner dukan (shop) to buy cold sodas on this hot day (dusty wind and no electricity which meant no fans or AC.)

We buy a lot of our food staples from this shop. I send Isaac and Evan every morning for fresh local bread which is a lot like pita bread. It's just right around the corner from our house.

A nice afternoon swim to cool down some more.

And lastly, Eli took the boys to get their haircut at the local barber in our neighborhood. They came home very bald but happy.

A visit to the local hospital

2011-07-09T21:56:00.000+03:00

Mohammed is one of the boys' friends from school and he's also a neighbor. He had surgery this week so we went to visit him. Isaac and Evan picked out a few books and toys to take to keep him occupied. When we first arrived Mohammed was a little subdued but he cheered up real fast.

Another Ladies Night Out

2011-06-30T23:27:00.000+03:00

Duaa and I got dressed up in our toobs. These are the traditional covering that all married women wear when they leave their house. Mine was a gift from Rehem, one of my new friends. We're off to visit Rehem in her home.

More of the same wonderful family who live across the street.

Duaa is on my left and Rhunda and her two children are on my right. They are two of the four sisters who live across the street and I help tutor them in English every Saturday. They've become my closest friends in Khartoum. Today we visited their cousin's house for a lovely ladies tea party with other cousins and aunts. It was quite the occasion as you will see.

I made myself useful and helped serve tea

We had tons of treats - 3 different cakes and small doughnuts dripping in honey. And the tea had lots of sugar and milk.

Some of the aunties who came. Notice they are all wearing toobs and it was probably 100 degrees in that little room.

143 words in 1 week!

2011-06-23T16:48:00.000+03:00

Yes, I'm serious! We learned 143 words in our first 4 days of Arabic class. About 50% of them we knew already but our friend Scott is new to Sudan and is keeping up wonderfully. At this rate, we're excited about the progress we'll make in 1 month!

As you can see in the picture we have fun! We're using the Thomson method which is more hands on and interactive. When we learn new words, the teacher tells us the word and points to the object. We are only listening for the first 30 hours of class so we're not allowed to speak unless we have a question. After she tells us the word several times, she then says the word and asks us to point to the object or picture. Today we combined all the objects from all 4 days.

After we go over new words, our teacher records all the new words and we listen to the recordings later at home. Eli and I have carved an hour out of every afternoon to sit down and review everything from that day. So far so good although I cannot tell you how tired we've been this week!

Little Women

2011-06-22T07:03:00.000+03:00

We have a lovely family who live across the street with 4 daughters that I lovingly call my "little women". We get together every Saturday in their home for English conversation which means for 2 hours we only speak in English and I help correct and teach new words. There is something really special about these girls! Last night we were invited to go have special Eritrean coffee at one of their friend's house. Afrah, is the beautiful lady on the far left in the above picture. She and her family (8 other siblings) are from Eritrea.

Heather and I went with Rasha and Dalia, 2 of the girls from next door, and Afrah had invited several other close friends. We spent a few hours together mixing Arabic and English in conversation, laughing, and learning a lot about each other's cultures!

Heather with some of the girls.

This was the table of treats: popcorn, candies (which you can't see in the picture) cake, dunking cookies like biscotti, and their traditional Eritrean bread (looks like pizza on the right)

This is Dalia, the youngest sister who lives across the street.

This is Rasha with her petite coffee cup. This is how we drank our coffee - black, strong, sweet, and from a tiny cup. It was so much fun. It seems like every time I get together with these new friends, I make new friends and my circle of friends grows. As you can imagine my heart is heavy for them to meet their true Father.

First day of Arabic class

2011-06-21T07:13:00.000+03:00

Yesterday was a very exciting day for Eli and I because after 4 weeks in Khartoum, we finally got to start our Arabic class. It was a great first day of school. In the picture from left to right: Scott Whittaker, new from North Carolina, Eli and I, then Teacher Ms. Sanah, Dr. Sameeh, the director of the program, and Teacher Joseph.
This program uses the Thomson method which means we use a lot of hands on and action. So yesterday as we were learning names of people in the family and animals, we used plastic toys and pointing to each one when we heard the Arabic word. We also learned actions (verbs) and had to act them out as the teacher commanded. For example, "Sit down, walk, jump", etc. We will be taking 2 hours of class a day, 5 days a week, and studying for an hour or so at home, not to mention the constant practice we get when we're out and about.
Tonight I have been invited to my new friend, Afrah's house. She is from Eritrea and has invited my lady friends from next door and I for a coffee ceremony. A new blog post coming soon...

Language Learning Update

2011-06-17T14:56:00.000+03:00

We have now been in Khartoum for almost 4 weeks. We feel like we are settled in our new home, making new friends with our neighbors, the children have adjusted to their new Arabic school, and we're learning our way around the city. I would even venture to say that we're getting used to the heat! This is good timing because on Monday, June 20th, we'll officially begin Arabic classes. We are beginning with a program called LIFE that uses the Thompson method for language learning which as far as I know, is more interactive, conversational, and uses a lot of hands on activity with props and actions. Our schedule for the next 6 weeks will be to have class 5 days a week, 2 hours a day. Study outside of class is also necessary and we're striving to put in 2 additional hours of personal study and review at home plus of course practicing our new language skills with our friends and neighbors.
As I've learned since arriving, we have no lack of opportunity for language practice. We live in a wonderful neighborhood where everyone is very friendly and have opened their homes and extended friendship to us. We are so thankful for this.
So as next week begins, please remember to pray for our family. Pray for Isaac, Evan, and Joshua as they learn new Arabic words every day. It's not easy for them to be immersed in Arabic for 4 hours every morning but they're handling it well and enjoying it. Also please pray for Eli and I to find a good balance between class time, study time, and caring for our family. This is not an easy season of life but more and more God confirms to us that this is exactly where He wants us for this year.

Nothing seemed to go right

2011-06-12T16:21:00.000+03:00

I don't know where to begin to describe the past 2 days! First of all, nothing seemed to go right or at least not as I had hoped, yesterday. From spilling things, misunderstanding my neighbor, getting lost, getting locked out, missing the vegetable man, and the electricity going out several times - all of that paled compared to the giant sand storm (habuub) that swept in for 12 hours.
In the morning there was a nice wind so I opened up all the windows.Within 30 minutes I realized the wind was laden with dust and there was a "fog" of dust in the neighborhood. I decided to close up all the windows and boy did it heat up fast! The sandy winds blew all day meaning my clean but wet clothes stayed in the washing machine (another thing that went wrong.) By 8:30 pm the boys were in bed and the dust had died down so I hung my laundry and opened all the windows again to get some air. After cleaning up a bit, Eli and I headed to bed. Little did we know that an even stronger habuub had blown in and blanketed our house in dust!!! Eli sat up in bed when he heard the howling of the wind outside. When we opened our bedroom door to look down the hall, the air was thick with silt and dirt! We hurried to close all the windows and I grabbed the now muddy clothes off the clothesline. I decided to start sweeping up the mess so the house would be clean when the kids got up in the morning and what do you know, just as I started, the electricity went off. Not wanting to sweep in the dark, I gave up, took another shower, and tried to fall asleep in the heat (no fans or AC since the power was out.) An hour later Isaac and Joshua woke up, whining about the heat. I put them in the cold shower to cool down and right as they got out, the power came back on. I was so relieved. We all went to sleep with the cool air and fans blowing on us. Thank you Jesus!
I set my alarm to get up early before the rest of the family this morning and spent an hour sweeping up piles of powdery dirt, then got the boys ready for school. It's now almost 3 pm and I've been cleaning all day. I've dusted everything, re-washed 2 loads of laundry, re-washed all the dishes that had been drying in the dish drainer, swept the entire house 5 times and mopped twice. The dust is insane! And I thought I would go insane until the thought entered my mind to view this as a crazy new adventure, rather than a frustrating annoyance. It sure wasn't easy to keep a positive attitude when mid-way through a load of laundry and right when I wanted to shower, we ran out of water! Ahhh, the joys of life in the desert. :) Not only do I hope to continue viewing new "trials" as adventures, I will be praying for extra patience as that is my most needed virtue at the moment.

a few new things

2011-06-10T17:35:00.001+03:00

We are still trying to adapt to our new home and get settled before language school starts up hopefully next week. One thing Eli did was buy a jalabia - the local dress for men. Today he tried it on for us.

We also finally got the boys' classroom set up. All we had to do was buy a few plastic tables and chairs and clear a spot in our extra bedroom (which we were using for storage.) Since the boys have been in Arabic school in the mornings, our English curriculum at home has been kind of hit or miss. So hopefully now that we've got a real classroom set up, we can get into more of a routine.

My first tea party

2011-06-08T11:34:00.001+03:00

Yesterday (Tuesday) was the first time I actually got to host friends over. Our teammates come over often and other neighbors drop in but yesterday was my first chance to have a few ladies over for tea and cake. I was so excited that I decided I needed to run down to the large outdoor market to find a nice tea set so I had something pretty to serve tea with. While Eli stayed home with the boys during their nap, I took a ruckshaw (the 3 wheeled taxis) and took off on an adventure of my own. After looking at many dainty pink and blue tea sets, this heartier brown and orange set caught my attention. Thanks to the bright colors in our house (orange and yellow paint) I decided to keep the motif going and bought this orange and brown set. :)

Another reason I was so excited for Heather and Rasha to come to my house was because I wanted to take this opportunity to thank them both for everything they've done for me to help get me settled in in our new home. Heather, our teammate, spent weeks before we arrived helping with our visa process and looking for a nice home for our family. She arranged everything so that when we arrived we could move straight into our furnished 3 bedroom flat! What a blessing! She then spent the past 2 weeks taking me around to all the important places: supermarkets, butcher, bakery, veggie man, etc. She and her husband have been so generous with their time and we have been so grateful for their friendship and company here. Heather had introduced me to Rasha, her closest friend here. Immediately Rasha also took me under her wing and helped us find the great Arabic school where our boys now attend. So I wanted to somehow express to these beautiful women how thankful I am.

After tea, cake, and trying to follow difficult Arabic conversations I was happy but tired out. :)

Every day is an adventure

2011-06-04T21:31:00.000+03:00

Just had a super amazing day! Yesterday one of my neighbors told me to come over today so she could do henna on my hands. Henna is a dye they use on their skin to color their nails and paint beautiful designs on their hands, arms and feet. It's usually orange or black. Mine is so orange it's almost brown. Anyway, this neighbor family is so wonderful. The mom's name is Sadiya and she has 4 beautiful and I mean gorgeous daughters. The oldest is married and has two little ones and she comes and spends every Saturday with her mom and sisters. The youngest is about 16. They're always very kind and generous to me. I can't believe how accepting they are of me as a foreigner and with my broken Arabic!
Today we were talking about university and I was asking each of them what they had studied and then they asked me what I had studied. When I said English teaching, they jumped at me right away and asked if I'd help them with their English. I would love to start a little conversation class with them every saturday during the boys' rest time. They live right across the street so they're easy to get to.

Another interesting thing Sadiya tried on me was some sort of hair removal on my arms! Apparently all married women remove the hair on their arms and legs using a concoction of sugar, lemon and water cooked on the stove until it's a sticky consistency like tree sap. They then repeatedly stick it on a hairy spot and yank it off to remove the hair. They were laughing at me as I yelped the first time she yanked it off! So that visit today was a highlight.

Then this afternoon we were invited to go to someone's house who lives in Omdurman which is like the "twin" city across the Nile River. It was only a 30 min drive but full of culture and many sights to see along the way. We had a lovely visit and ate TONS of food. The boys did remarkably well trying the different meats and soups. I was so proud of them. After the meal the boys played with their cars outside and the women invited me into their bedroom and did a little perfume ceremony with me. I'd done something like it in Yabus, but this was even more involved. They basically rubbed and massaged oils and perfumes into my arms, neck, face and ears! After I was smelling very strongly, they then added real perfume from a bottle!!!! I wreaked! But in a good way I guess because the women seemed very pleased with their finished product.

We are learning so much and having incredible adventures every day. It seems like each day is so full of learning experiences but we're loving it! Tomorrow morning the boys go off to school for the new week and my teammate Heather and I are going to visit a friend of hers from South Sudan. Never a dull moment. :)

Letting go

2011-06-02T07:08:00.000+03:00

Please pray for me today as I let my 3 precious boys go to school on their own. I love the school and know they'll be taken good care of, it's still a step of faith for me. Please especially pray for little Josh. Though he's almost 3, he's still my baby. I know this is what's best for them and I know they will be in God's hands, I just need the peace while they're away. :) Thanks.

First day of "Rowda"

2011-06-01T14:19:00.000+03:00

Rowda is the Arabic word for Kindergarten. We found a good Arabic school where the boys can be immersed in Arabic language and socially interact with other children their age. So this week we enrolled them all in the same school just in time for the first day of school, June 1, which was today. School is 5 days a week from 9-12 am. They have different levels. The "Red" class is a playgroup for children ages 2-3 (Joshua's class), Yellow class is 3-4 year olds and the Green class are ages 4-5. Isaac is a little old but he needs to start with the basics like the other boys. They're going to learn the Arabic alphabet, numbers, colors, shapes, etc. Today I went along with the boys for the whole day to help them feel at ease. As you can see in the above picture of the boys as we headed out the door this morning, their uniform is jean shorts (which I bought at the market here) and the color shirt of their class.

The school van will pick them up at our street tomorrow but for the first day of school we went by ruckshaw. :)

Joshua did a great job in his class. We are using this first month as a trial period to see if he can handle going to "school" every day or not. All the teachers are wonderful and are determined that our boys will be speaking well in 3 months!

Isaac and Evan were being praised for their wonderful truck drawings.

In this culture they have a late breakfast around 10 am and lunch later around 3 pm so the kids pack a little "snack" for lunch time around 10.

The playground is great fun.

This is one of the classroom buildings. It's a beautiful school and very well taken care. It's only a 5 minute drive from our home. We are so thankful for this amazing opportunity for the boys to learn Arabic as well. We know it will really help them in the future to be able to communicate with their friends since they will spend most of their childhood in Sudan. When they came home today they were full of exciting stories to share with Eli. I'm glad they're excited about "Rowda" too!

Habuub!

2011-05-31T13:24:00.000+03:00

There are a few times in life where pictures are truly the only way to communicate. I could tell you that we had a dust storm (called a Habuub). I could tell you that it layers the entire city in fine dust. I could tell you that it takes your breath away to see this massive wall advancing quickly towards you and makes everyone in the house spring into action to close windows, doors, etc. But pictures...that is truly the only way to communicate this phenomenon. Enjoy.

The Habuub advancing on the city is an awe-inspiring sight.

Did I mention it the dust was thick?

Fit Fit Anyone?

2011-05-29T09:04:00.000+03:00

Yesterday was a stretching day. I went to a local market to buy several items including a transformer, extension cords, screws, mollies, caulk, and a couple tarps. It went well and I found an older man, Rashid, who helped me find several items. In typical Sudanese fashion, he was extremely hospitible and invited me to eat breakfast with him (it was 11 AM). I declined, he insisted, I declined again, he insisted...on and on went the game. Finally, he got me very interested in trying something called fit-fit. I had never heard of this before so he ordered some and while it was being prepared, I tried to inquire into what exactly fit-fit was made from. I couldn't tell whether the issue was my limited arabic or his dodging the question, but I never got a straight answer.
The fit-fit came and it was DELICIOUS. I could see onions, a bit of white sauce, and some chewy dark pieces of thinly sliced meat. They kindly left the ridiculously hot spices on the side instead of adding them to the fit-fit.
We would tear off a bit of Kisra (sorghum pancake) which was flooded in a soup and eat that. We would chase that down with a small hand full of fit-fit. It was an excellent meal. However, I noticed that after we had finished eating, either my Arabic got suddenly better or Rashid felt he could tell me what fit-fit was. With a laugh, a smile, and a wink to his friends, he shared that it was raw cow stomach. Now I understand!
Fit-fit and I spent the rest of the day together, happily watching the Manchester United-Barcelona game at 10pm (what a game!) but this morning was a different story. That might be my last fit fit for a few days.

Our new home

2011-05-27T19:22:00.000+03:00

I want to give you a brief tour of our new home. For those of you who know me, I usually enjoy blues and more neutral colors but our new apartment is painted orange through most of the apartment and our 2 bedrooms are mustard yellow! At first it made me cringe but I've now decided to embrace the bright happy colors and when I went shopping for towels the other day I purposefully chose bright yellow! The best part about our apartment was that it was furnished. Since we paid 6 months of rent up front the landlady also installed a water filter, a brand new washing machine, air conditioners in the bedrooms, and even a water heater in one of the bathrooms. So far we've enjoyed the cool showers but we're told we'll want warm showers when it cools down. :) The picture above and below are our bedroom.

This is my picture wall. I had one in Yabus and it was daily encouraging to pray for our friends and family back home and be reminded of all who love and support us.

This is the boys' room. Eli's going to buy or make bunk beds so they'll have more space to play in their room.

My beautiful orange kitchen. It originally only had a stove top as you can see on the counter but Eli bought us a small oven from a family leaving - just big enough for a 9x13 pan.

This is the living room. Isaac and Evan have their rest time here every afternoon.

I discovered a great way to keep Joshua happy for an hour at a time! Basin with bubbles and cold water and he's happy.

This was the amount of dirt I swept up after the giant dust storm we had on our first day here. But I sweep up just about this much every day.

Settling into our new home in Sudan

2011-05-26T09:46:00.000+03:00

Bethany and the boys in front of our new home.
Today is Day #3 in Khartoum. We live in a 3 bedroom apartment/flat on the 2nd floor of this building. It was already furnished and we even have a fridge/freezer, gas stove, and air conditioners in the bedromoms! We are very thankful. I have been unpacking like crazy and everything is out of trunks and already set up. Now it's starting to feel like home.

Views from our balcony

Eli and the boys playing soccer in our medan (backyard that we share with about 20 other families)

Lunch time - we love the fresh Sudanese bread

Here we go!

2011-05-23T08:06:00.000+03:00

Our flight today is at 5:20 pm. We are so excited and a little nervous too. Please pray for safe travels, smooth interactions at the airport with our visas and luggage, and good settling into our new home. More updates to come...

A Wonderful Weekend with Family

2011-05-22T19:21:00.000+03:00

We got to spend our last weekend in Kenya with family on both sides! We had our niece Anna stay with us for a whole week while her parents were in Burundi. Then Bethany's parents came from Uganda for a special rugby tournament for her brother Stan and they stayed with us for 4 days.

Jason and Heather returned from Burundi in time to see the end of the tournament and spend a night with us.

We had a special meal at Java House with Stan before he headed back to Rift Valley Academy for the last 5 weeks of his senior year.

Bethany and her bald bro.

A week with our niece Anna

2011-05-16T20:00:00.000+03:00

We have the joy of spending a week with our 6 year old niece, Anna. While her parents travel to Burundi to get a better idea of where they will be moving in about a year's time, Anna is staying with us. This is day 2 and we're all having a blast. This morning she joined us for school.

Then of course we had to go for a swim. So far it's becoming a daily thing

The kids did a great job reading and coloring quietly from 1-3 while we had our last Arabic lesson with our wonderful Sudanese friend, Butrus.

And finished off the day with a good Bible story on the couch.

God really blew us away this week!

2011-05-15T21:04:00.000+03:00

This was a big week for us! Not only did God grant us visas for N. Sudan but within the next 3 days we got plane tickets for May 23 and a 3 bedroom apartment secured to be our home for the next year. We are so excited and grateful for our wonderful friends/teammates Jeff and Heather Ladine, who have worked tirelessly the last few months to help us get to Khartoum. We will update you with news of life in Khartoum, the capital city of North Sudan, in only one week's time.

VISAS!

2011-05-10T20:45:00.000+03:00

Yes - you guessed it! Today we heard great news from our teammates in Khartoum that our visas have arrived! Thank you to everyone who has been praying and trusting with us that God would provide in His time. We are now buying plane tickets and wrapping up things in Kenya to head back to our beloved Sudan.

A Mama's heart made glad

2011-05-02T17:45:00.000+03:00

I can't express how happy it makes me to hear my boys' voices playing happily outside. I am so grateful that our boys make new friends so easily. Now that we've been here for a full month, their friendships have deepened and no day is a boring day. Thank you Lord!

The Crocodile Farm

2011-04-30T19:30:00.000+03:00

Today we had a wonderful Saturday excursion to Mamba Village. We thought it was called Mamba village because they had mamba snakes. But when we arrived we learned that mamba in Kiswahili means "crocodile" so we got to see a TON of crocodiles. First we saw the full grown crocs, then the croc eggs, croc babies, and last we saw the pre-teen crocs. We had our own guide who was full of all kinds of fun info. This was a leopard tortoise that we got to touch and pet.

This is a Kenyan style carousel. The boys loved it.

There was a lot more to do at Mamba village than just see the crocodiles. We also got to see peacocks, rabbits of different kinds, geese, ostrich, and a friendly giraffe named Wanjir. The boys made quick friends with the gentleman who hands out carrots so you can feed Wanjir yourself and they each fed the giraffe about 5 times from their hand.

These are the baby crocodiles and they were all lying out in the warm sun. These ones were about 2-3 feet long.

These were the big guys. Our guide even hopped the fence and started prodding some of them to get reactions out of them! We couldn't believe how brave he is and it sure made us think twice about every swimming in the Nile River knowing that crocs live in it!!!

A bright patch in April

2011-04-29T21:49:00.001+03:00

As many of you know, we've been waiting in Kenya for the whole month of April for our visas to go back to Sudan - but this time to North Sudan. It's been a stretching time of "waiting". And as Eli and I have tried to make the most of our time here, one of the BIGGEST gifts God gave is our new friend Butrus. Butrus is from Darfur and had to flee Sudan a few years ago. He spent a lot of time in Khartoum, the capital city, so he's very familiar with the culture, ways of life, food, and of course language. He comes every day from 1-3 pm while our boys have their rest time to teach us Arabic. We decided to start at the very beginning with learning how to read and write in Arabic script. This is no easy task. Arabic has all kinds of crazy and very unfamiliar sounds! And as I'm learning to write in the Arabic script from the right side of the page to left, I feel like my 5 year old son Evan who is just learning how to write his ABC's too. Even as we're slowly learning how to sound out words in Arabic script, it reminds me of a child first learning how to read. You slowly make each sound out loud and after saying it a few times you realize what word it is! :)
Another reason we're enjoying Butrus so much is all the life stories he shares. We try to only speak Arabic when we're together and he's full of many adventures across Sudan, stories of his family and the beautiful land they lived in, but also some very heartwrenching accounts of war, killing and horrible suffering and torture.
Meeting with Butrus every day reminds us more and more of why we live and work in Sudan. God has put such a love and great compassion in our hearts for the people of Sudan. We have a love we can't explain. God knew we'd grow restless here in Kenya since our hearts are craving to be back in Sudan so he sent us this wonderful new friend to build a friendship with and still have a part of Sudan in our lives.
We are working hard trying to study whenever we have a free moment. We are so glad we have a chance to recall the Arabic we learned last term and buff it up before we head into North Sudan. We continue to wait on our visas but as Eli keeps reminding me, "It's not a matter of IF, it's a matter of WHEN."

Missing Friends

2011-04-26T23:42:00.000+03:00

Isaac in his favorite spot - up in a tree

Evan is close behind

When did Joshua become such a big boy? Is he really almost 3?

Our boys have done a tremendous job adjusting back to life in Africa. There are a lot of differences between life in South Carolina and life in Kenya but thankfully it's a good in-between adjustment before we go to Sudan. There is a lot about Kenya the boys enjoy: lots of trees for climbing, mangoes, and new friends.

But lately they've really started missing the friends they left behind in the States, especially Isaac. At almost 7, it's been the hardest for him. During the past 3 weeks since we arrived in Kenya we've tried to have several skype dates with Isaac and Evan's best friends, our neighbors from Columbia, SC. But each time we try, the internet has problems and we can't get a good connection. This afternoon we tried off and on for almost an hour. By the end, Isaac had melted into a pile of tears saying, "I just want to have 10 minutes to talk to Jesse!"

It broke my heart to see the pains of being an MK begin to affect my little guy. I know them all too well and today I thanked the Lord for my background as an MK because I could tell Isaac I knew exactly how he felt and tell him how God helped me when I missed my friends. We sat down together for a while and I hugged and comforted him as I sent up a prayer asking God to touch my boy's soft heart.

We're so thankful for the wonderful people God brings into our lives as we walk this "journey" He's laid out for us. Unfortunately we spend large portions of time far away from many of you but know that we hold you dear in our hearts and we love you from across the ocean.

Thankful for friends

2011-04-19T20:27:00.003+03:00

We are so thankful that April is the month of "no school" here in Kenya so there are other children to play with. Today I brought out some sidewalk chalk and bubbles and the kids had a wonderful time.

They made a beautiful mural in the parking lot and here they posed so proud of their artwork.

Settling in Nairobi until our visas come through

2011-04-17T08:16:00.002+03:00

We are now experiencing the very common "headache" that many missionaries have to deal with and that is: VISAS! We are trying every possible option we can to get visas for N. Sudan. Please keep praying for a miracle because we are very eager to begin language school as soon as possible. Once we are more fluent in Arabic, we will be ready to move on to God's next assignment for us somewhere in Sudan. So while we wait in Nairobi, God is challenging me to blossom where I'm planted. So that means no matter how long or short we will be in Kenya, I want to make the most of it. I am back to homeschooling the boys and Eli will begin helping out in our SIM Sudan office here in Nairobi. The greatest joy of being here is the chance to enjoy our sweet friends. In the above picture, I got to spend a lovely Girl's Night with two of my lovely teammates, Amy and Beverly, at a local coffee shop. It is such a joy to walk through life on the missionfield, on the frontlines, with these amazing women.

Thankfully Isaac, Evan, and Joshua have already become re-acquainted with their friends who live in the same compound as our SIM Sudan guesthouse. The boys have been playing a lot of soccer and recently, taught their friends how to play Uno.

A few pics from our conference

2011-04-17T08:04:00.005+03:00

A team came from Christ Community Church in TN to lead the worship and provide childcare while we enjoyed the sessions taught by Leigh Robinson, a pastor from South Africa.

From Monday through Friday last week, we relaxed at a beautiful placed called Brackenhurst, in the mountains amidst tea fields, an hour outside of Nairobi. Our entire SIM Sudan team came together to be spiritually renewed and refreshed before continuing our ministries in Sudan.

At the end of the week, the children sang a few songs for the rest of the group and were dressed up like little angels.

The best part for me was hearing testimonies of God's work at each of the bases and how God is using our missionaries in Sudan. There couldn't have been a more inspiring way to start our next term. It was also such a joy to reunite with many of our teammates, who are family, and hear how God's been working in their lives since we left last May.

We had a lovely time of sharing on the last day. This is our group of brothers and sisters sent from North East India. They sang a Hindi song for all of us.

SIM Sudan Spiritual Life Conference 2011

2011-04-10T21:57:00.002+03:00

Tomorrow, April 11th, we will get on a bus to head to our annual SIM Sudan conference in the lush tea fields of Limuru, about an hour outside of Nairobi city. We are looking forward to a week of fellowship with our teammates, new vision for these coming years of ministry in Sudan, reports from each base, and beautiful worship led by a team who came from TN to serve our team in this way. We will report back when we return.

A few highlights of our first week back in Kenya

2011-04-09T09:33:00.002+03:00

On Monday, just a few days after we arrived, Jason, Heather, and their sweet girls passed through Nairobi for a night so we met up at a restaurant and tried to catch up on as much news as we could in a short period of time. It's such a joy to have other family members on this continent!

On Tuesday our Yabus team arrived in Nairobi from Sudan for our conference next week. My Ethiopian sister, Kelemewa, taught me how to make Ethiopian food and we served a banquet for our friends when they arrived tired and hungry.

In order to make some structure in life for the boys, I unpacked our school books right away and we started back into school - Isaac back to 1st grade and Evan to Kindergarten.

All this week Eli attended an amazing conference. I will let him report to you.

We have arrived on the African continent!

2011-04-02T21:08:00.003+03:00

We are thrilled to announce our safe arrival to Kenya. Our 3 flights went smoothly and it seemed like before we knew it, we touched ground in Nairobi Kenya around 10 pm on the 31st of March. We are staying in our regular apartment that we usually stay in when we're here and thankfully it's bringing back a lot of memories for the boys. They indeed remember life here. The boys did fabulously on the journey and are adjusting to the time change beautifully. They've been sleeping through the night until late in the morning (9 am) which is really nice for us. We have had happy reunions with our team and friends here in Nairobi and we're looking forward to a Sunday service at Good Shepherd church, the church we usually attend when we're in Nairobi. As we drove through the streets of Nairobi the first night, I, Bethany was filled with such joy and contentment. It was like I knew we were back where we belong. Thank you so much to all of you who have prayed earnestly for our journey with our three boys. We could tell the difference your prayers made!

Our wonderful small group this year

2011-03-24T17:39:00.002+03:00

Abby, Mika, Sabine, and Bethany at our cookout on Wednesday night

We had a nice cookout last night. It was a great time to visit and have fun with all the young couples we've been meeting with weekly from our church (at least while we're in Columbia!) This was our last time with them so we had to say some goodbyes but they also prayed for us and "sent" us off. We know we'll still be a part of their group - even from afar.

God has given us such wonderful new friends this year!

Caleb and Paul had a nice talk. We're so happy to have Caleb here with us!

3 buddies

Evan's celebration #2

2011-03-21T20:38:00.002+03:00

For his special birthday meal what do you think Evan requested? Not tacos and not pizza like most kids! He wanted Ramen, so we had Ramen!

Ice cream cones with toppings were for dessert - another request of Evan's

His friends were so thoughtful and bought presents that would be perfect to keep him busy on the airplane ride back to Africa!

For Evan's birthday he really wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese with his best friends next door. Since they were out of town camping until Saturday, we planned a Saturday party. As you can guess, Chuck E Cheese was FULL that day but we all had such a great time - well I came home with a headache but all the kids were sure happy!!!

We also wanted to wait until Saturday because Evan wanted his very special Aunt Jess or "Chachi" as he calls her to be there!

Evan's 5th Birthday

2011-03-18T04:30:00.004+03:00

We started off Evan's birthday this morning with a dozen doughnuts from Dunkin' Donuts.

After breakfast Evan went on a treasure hunt to find his gifts.

These gifts came all the way from his Nana and Opa in Central Asia!

After a morning of packing and projects around the house, we headed to Dreher island on Lake Murray to join our friends for an afternoon of fishing and grilling on the campfire. It was just the right way to celebrate.

We caught a few great Kodak moments

7 trunks packed...

2011-03-16T05:19:00.002+03:00

Today I got 7 trunks packed and this is what the chaos looked like. The hard part is going through the house trying to figure out what needs to go to Sudan with us. The harder part is figuring out how to fit it in trunks that won't weigh over 50 pounds each. I keep a list of items that are in each trunk. I'm glad I wrote in pencil today because after weighing them and finding them heavy every time (thanks to 3 years worth of homeschooling books for the boys!!!), I had to keep taking things out, moving stuff around, and re-weighing and re-writing my packing list. It's not that bad, but boy is it exhausting.

Something that kind of surprised me today is that packing is emotional for me. It started sinking in today, that yes, we really are moving overseas again. Yes, we are going back to Sudan. Yes, we will be there for 3 whole years. Phew...and as I pack away the things that are staying behind in storage, I feel like I'm packing away precious memories. I'm closing a chapter of our lives. A chapter that's been so good, I almost don't want to see it end. And yet I'm eager to see what happens next...in the story unfolding in the next chapter.

This is a crazy ride but a ride I know we're meant to be on!

These are a few of my favorite things...

2011-03-11T22:42:00.004+03:00

With less than 3 weeks until we get on a plane and switch continents, we are taking time to enjoy some of our favorite things before we go and don't have them again for 3 years:

- bike rides through the neighborhood

- a fire in our fire place

- Starbucks coffee and vanilla Coffeemate creamer

- frozen pizza

- choc chip cookie dough ice cream

- dishwasher, washer and dryer

- our favorite Christian music radio station

- Walmart excursions

...the list goes on...

Just for fun today I made rice and beans for lunch - a staple for us when we're in Sudan. When the boys came in for lunch and asked what we were having, they were all very excited when I told them we were going to pretend we were back in Sudan. I guess they've missed it enough that they cheered for rice and beans. That is a good sign and we hope it continues!

Home assignment 2010

2011-02-27T04:16:00.001+03:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

A Change in my Spirit (written by Bethany)

2011-02-24T01:31:00.002+03:00

I need to testify about what God has been doing in my heart this past week. When we returned to South Carolina after 10 weeks of traveling and the task of packing up our house and planning for three more years in Sudan loomed large ahead of me, I felt completely overwhelmed and unable to handle the emotions and stress. But in God's amazing love, He showed me something life -changing in my devotions one morning. I was reading about the Hebrews' grumbling in the book of Numbers because they were tired of eating manna and wanted the tasty fish and vegetables they'd enjoyed in Egypt. They wanted good food more than what God was providing for them.
Something struck me. I realized that I have a god in my life too - something I want more than anything else! That god is stability and comfort. Through all the changes and transitions in the past decade of my life - transferring colleges, getting married, moving for seminary, heading overseas and going back and forth between Uganda, Sudan, and Kenya over a period of 3 years and then recently, the weeks of traveling across the United States, living out of our suitcase and staying in many different homes - I've developed a deep craving for stability.
Once I recognized this "god" in my life, I realized 2 things:
1. Life in Sudan is the opposite of comfort and stability.
2. If I want to experience the fullness of all God has for me, I must make a tough decision. Will I let go of comfort and stability in order to follow the Holy Spirit to spiritual abundance?
3. Rest assured, God's plan will be better suited to my desires than anything I can dream up for myself.
That morning, I prayed a simple prayer. I asked the Lord to forgive me for getting hung up on myself and my desire for something more than Him. I asked Him to help me let go and handle my life which is brimming with change lately with calm and peace.
Do you know what? God has answered beyond what I could have asked! The peace and security I've felt in the midst of long to-do lists, packing, and planning, has seemed almost too good to be true. This is a beautiful work of the Holy Spirit in my life and I'm so thankful that I wanted to share it with all of you who follow what's happening in our lives and pray for us on a regular basis.
Please do continue to pray for us during these next 5 weeks as we have much to do and have been battling with sickness going around in our family.

Facing Life

2011-02-07T23:51:00.002+03:00

I thought today would just be a normal day of packing and cleaning to get ready to drive home to Columbia, SC tomorrow. But instead I've found myself very contemplative. Yes, I'm doing laundry and packing, but I've also been deep in thought about our future. What lies ahead for our family?
We head back to Columbia for about 6 weeks - one week at our home church's missions conference, the next weekend at another missions conference, and then hopefully some rest and more packing - but this time for Sudan! That's right, our new tickets leave Charlotte, NC on March 30 giving our family one extra month in the States to recuperate from 78 straight days of travel and prepare for our next 3 years in Sudan.
As I, Bethany, begin to think of going back to Sudan, my mind is full of questions:
Will we be able to get visas to study Arabic in N. Sudan?
Will Sudan remain peaceful enough for us to return?
If we can't go north, will we move back to Yabus where we spent the last 3 years?
If we can't go to Yabus, where will we relocate our ministry and family?
How will Eli and I and our boys handle all of this change?
Will we be able to find renters for our new house in Columbia, SC?
*By the way, each question is a prayer request if you'd like to write them down... (hint, hint)

I came across a beautiful quote by Helen Keller the other day. As many of you know, her story is one of overcoming major challenges in life. She writes, "Face your deficiencies and acknowledge them; but do not let them master you. Let them teach you patience, sweetness, insight. When we do the best we can, we never know what miracle is wrought in our life or in the life of another."
When I look at the life God has called my family to, sometimes I get very overwhelmed, knowing full well my many weaknesses and deficiencies. But looking back over the past few years in Sudan, I know God has made me stronger for what I've been through. He doesn't want me to be able to handle life's circumstances on my own. He wants me to lean on Him, my Rock.
As each of you live the life God has called you to, even when it's harder than you think you can bear, remember: "we never know what miracle is wrought in our life or in the life of another."

Sudan News

2011-01-16T04:48:00.001+03:00

For trusted news straight from Sudan visit: www.sudantribune.com to keep up with the results of referendum voting. And please keep praying! It's been much more peaceful than expected.

First Term in Sudan

2011-01-14T22:20:00.001+03:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

A Month in the Midwest

2011-01-08T04:21:00.002+03:00

We have enjoyed a wonderful week in Muskegon, MI with Eli's side of the family. Family time, snow, and good food have been a recharge for us in the midst of all the travel we've been doing. On Sunday we'll begin our time in the Chicago area. God provided so faithfully for us yet again by opening up a 2 bedroom apartment in a Chicago suburb for us to live in as a base while we travel to other churches and visit supporters in the area.
If any of you live in the Chicago area and would like to meet up, please give us a call at (803)466-4302. We will be driving back to Columbia, SC on February 8th to pack and prepare to head back to Africa. Our flight out of North Carolina is on February 28th.
We would also like to beg each of you readers to pray for Sudan as a nation as they face their referendum on January 9th and pray that the aftermath will be peaceful. Thank you.

Next Leg of our Journey

2010-12-31T07:55:00.002+03:00

On New Year's Eve we fly to Chicago for the next month of visiting supporters and speaking at our churches in the midwest. Our trip will start off in Milwaukee this weekend to attend the wedding of 2 of our SIM Sudan teammates who are getting married. Then from Jan.3-8 we're gathering Eli's siblings in Muskegon MI to enjoy a few days together. From Muskegon, we'll drive to Naperville IL and hopefully set up "camp" there as it is a central location. Please pray for all our travel, for good health, and for our boys to endure all the change well. Thank you!

Christmas in Washington

2010-12-31T07:34:00.004+03:00

Christmas Eve lasagne dinner at our cabin in Auburn, WA

On Christmas morning Bethany's parents and brother, Stan, came over to open stockings and presents and have fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast.

Josh was very interested in the bubbles in his stocking.

Isaac got new socks

Josh is super excited Aunt Audrey bought him just the trucks he wanted!

After we opened all the presents, Isaac had fun burying himself in all the wrapping paper.

Visiting Gramie after 4 years

2010-12-17T06:14:00.003+03:00

Gramie turned 86!

Mom helped Gramie blow her candles out.

This afternoon was a precious memory I will always remember and hold dear. I hadn't seen Gramie in four years and while we were away my grandma was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. She has moved into a lovely home with several other elderly women and caretakers. It was so neat to hear how well they take care of her - they paint her fingernails, do her makeup and hair every day, and the home is beautiful.

I was prepared for the worst, that Gramie might not recognize me and even ignore me. Instead, when we arrived she recognized my mom and dad right away and you could see in her face that she knew who they were. And each time we told her we loved her, she replied with, "I love you too."

My dad's sister and brother and their spouses came too. We ate birthday cake, drank sparkling cider, and helped Gramie open a few simple gifts. I was immensely thankful that Gramie had such a good day that she could recognize us and enjoy the company. I'm realizing that things change while we're away and life speeds along, but it makes those moments when we're together, so happy and unforgettable.

This Year's Christmas

2010-12-17T06:02:00.002+03:00

We've been "on the road" for almost a month now. Our travels have reunited us with many special people and we have been so encouraged every time we get to share about what God is doing in Sudan. We are currently in Auburn, WA living in a lovely cabin on a lake. Bethany's parents, Skip and Ruth Sorensen, and her brother Stan, are only a 10 minute drive away and we get to spend Christmas with them this year.
Though we're not home, we've been doing little things to enjoy the good ol' American Christmas traditions. The boys did a great job decorating our tree and picking out their Christmas stockings - which we will take back to Sudan with us.
My joy this Christmas season is the fact that no matter where we are or how we will celebrate our Christmas, the REASON never changes and we're rejoicing in the same fact: that on Christmas day long, long ago God sent the Savior of the World, MY Savior, to earth. What love! And what hope we now have.

As many of you gather with family and friends this Christmas, our prayer is that Christ's love and hope will be central in your hearts and families. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Yellow Ferrari

2010-12-09T06:47:00.004+03:00

We have just come from enjoying the very meaningful wedding of Audrey (Bethany's sister) and David Milburn. We spent a week being blessed with food, drink and fellowship. I especially enjoyed the ceremony of the wedding which was rich with love and committment. But I digress.

We were in John Wayne Airport which serves the Laguna Beach area and heading up to Seattle, Washington. Laguna Beach is a beautiful and expensive place to live and so the airport serves many well-to-do individuals. The boys and I had come through security and then headed to the bathrooms for the last important pitstop before boarding the plane.

The loudspeaker came on and said, "Would the person who left their yellow ferrari at the security point please come immediately".

This message repeated itself a couple times and I thought, "Man, only in this airport would a person leave their yellow ferrari unattended". The boys and I finished in the bathroom and as we walked out, there was a security lady waiting there for me.

She said, "Sir, can you please come with me?"

"Uh, what is this about?" I asked

"Its about your car. Did you hear the announcements?" She replied.

"Uh, yea. But I don't have a yellow Ferrari." I said, thinking of the many other things I would spend money on besides that.

""Sir, please just come with me." The security lady was quite insistent.

I followed her to the security desk where she then leaned over the counter and picked up a small toy...yes, it was a yellow Ferrari. She laughed and handed it to me and explained that Evan had dropped it as we had come through the screening procedures and we had slipped into the men's bathroom before she could call us back to pick it up. She decided to use the PA system to lighten our day a little and get our Ferrari back to us. Thank you TSA.

David and Audrey's Wedding

2010-12-05T02:30:00.002+03:00

To see more pictures of the wedding and our time in Laguna Beach, CA check out our picture albums on Facebook on Bethany's page.

2010-12-05T02:21:00.002+03:00

Yesterday was my little sister's wedding. It was the day I've been praying for and dreaming about for years. I am so so thankful that Audrey and her new husband David get to experience the joy of being married. Everything about this week leading up to the wedding was perfect. We've enjoyed getting to know the Milburn family and helping Audrey get ready for her wedding. The wedding ceremony was beautiful and meaningful with no mistakes and the reception following was a fun joyful occasion.
Dad walked Audrey down the aisle.

Isaac, Evan and Joshua were the ringbearers. As you can see they were all very shy but they did a great job and looked so adorable in their outfits. They sure had the whole crowd charmed.

Eli and I both later commented that we felt like we had renewed our wedding vows as we witnessed David and Audrey say their vows to each other. 8 years of marriage and it just keeps getting better!

Mr. and Mrs. Milburn share their first dance.

Cutting the cake

Now the couple is off on their honeymoon. We're going to stick around Laguna Beach and enjoy the ocean for a few more days and go to Disneyland on Monday. Then on Tuesday we're off to Seattle for the rest of the month.

Thanksgiving feasts at the boys' school

2010-11-20T08:25:00.004+03:00

Today Joshua and I had a wonderful time at Ben Lippen school celebrating Thanksgiving in Isaac and Evan's classrooms. First we ate lunch with Evan and his classmates and their parents, then we moved to Isaac's class and had more to eat! In this picture, Evan and his class are singing a song called "I'm a Little Turkey".

At noon we moved to Isaac's class where we found all the kids dressed in their Native American attire. Isaac's name: Brave Blue Eyes

They recited a poem and sang a song for us.

Isaac made fun turkey cookies for Joshua and me.

Isaac's friends know he only has a few days left with them, so many of them wanted their picture taken with him.

This is Benjamin, one of Isaac's best friends in his class. The neat thing is that Isaac and Benjamin used to crawl around on the floor together. We went to seminary with Benjamin's parents and are good friends, so it's so special that our boys were classmates this year.

Isaac's first try at American Football

2010-11-12T04:25:00.003+03:00

Isaac joined the elementary football team this semester and is really improving. Today I stayed to watch the practice and I was so proud as I watched him give it his all, even in tackling.

He sure is growing up!

Our house - the kid magnet

2010-11-12T04:18:00.002+03:00

We moved into our new house about three weeks ago and one of the best parts so far is having other kids living nearby. Isaac, Evan, and Joshua are thrilled to have so many new friends in the neighborhood.

Making our own scarecrow

2010-10-15T06:00:00.003+03:00

The boys have admired other scarecrows around the neighborhood as people get into the fall season. So today we decided to try to make one of our own. It was a great project with lots of laughs as you will see in our finished product:

South Carolina State Fair

2010-10-15T05:42:00.004+03:00

Today we took the boys to their first fair. It was a blast! We left after almost 8 hours of non stop fun - rides, goodies to eat, a piggy race, dog show, animals and petting zoo, etc. Maybe it's good we only get to do this every four years.

Isaac's favorite was the smoked turkey leg.

This was taken from the top of the ferris wheel.

Petting the donkeys

Josh was a little nervous to get close to the cows. They were larger than he's used to seeing!

Even Eli and I got in on some of the rides!

Eli's Mission on a Motorcycle

2010-10-07T03:41:00.003+03:00

Yesterday, October 5th, Eli zipped up his full body all-weather suit and put on his helmet to begin his trek to Arkansas by motorcycle. "Why Arkansas?" you might ask. 3 reasons: to visit friends along the way, attend a wedding of another MK from Africa, and pick up his brother Caleb who just returned from 2 years in Uganda with the Peace Corps. Eli and Caleb will drive on one motorcycle all the way back to Columbia with all Caleb's stuff in a backpacker's pack and 2 saddle bags. :) This should be an exciting adventure.

Eli's been calling me several times a day to let me know he's safe and having a good drive. Last night he spent the night in Memphis and he should have arrived in Siloam Springs, Arkansas tonight.

He will be updating facebook along the way but I'll make sure he writes a report on our blog when he returns.

In other fun news, we close on our new house in only 9 days. We can't wait!

September in the Fader household

2010-09-28T02:53:00.004+03:00

Enjoying good ol' McDonalds every now and then

The month of September has been full of joys and special gifts from the Lord. Isaac and Evan continue to LOVE school at Ben Lippen. Isaac got to go on a rodeo field trip last week and started his first football practice. So there have been a lot of firsts for him. Evan continues to wow us with his mechanical mind. Today Eli bought a 300 piece puzzle for Evan to tackle. That should keep him busy for a while. Joshua, our two year old, is newly potty trained which is exciting for us since we haven't had a child out of diapers for very long.

Eli has been working hard on a class about Islamic Theology. The other big project that's taken a lot of his time lately is purchasing our first home. Yes, you read this right. We just bought a house here in Columbia, SC. Usually when people first hear this, their next question is: "Aren't you going back to Africa?" Yes, we are still on target to return to Sudan in March 2011. However, Eli and I have always hoped to have a home base for our family to return to everytime we come back from the mission field. The Lord really provided at this time in our lives and blessed us with an incredible home in a great location. We're so thrilled. Closing day is October 15th and we'll move in soon after that.

Thank you for staying connected with our family. We can't fully express how much we're enjoying this season of rest and refreshment in the United States. In the same breath, I will say that we're already getting very eager to return to where God has called us: SUDAN. Sometimes the five months we have left seems like too long, but we will make the most of where we are. God can use each of us anywhere, right?!

Camping!!!

2010-09-13T02:58:00.003+03:00

This weekend we went to Davidson River, NC with a large group from our home church here in Columbia. It was a blast except that it rained more than half the time we were there! Thankfully this tent kept us pretty dry (just got a few damp sleeping bags).

The boys helped Eli start the fire. Isaac especially loved helping finding kindling and fanning the flames.

Eli made some very tasty hotdogs and hamburgers!

Josh and Mommy roasted a marshmallow together.

Our friend Heike brought her 3 week old baby Samuel for his first camping trip!

Meal time with friends. Since we were with a group from church, people milled around visiting others in their campsites.

Since returning to the States Joshua has discovered that girls are so much fun to play with but especially the ones who dote over him. Joshua had plenty of "ladies in waiting" while we waded in the freezing river.

All the kids brought their bikes so there was constant traffic on the loop around the campsites. Josh wanted to join in so he pushed his stroller.

Isaac on his wheels, and let me mention that he kept riding his bike even through the rain.

Evan

Pray for Sudan

2010-08-31T21:31:00.002+03:00

Though we're here in the States for 6 months more, our hearts are still very much with our dear friends and colleagues in Sudan. Eli and I keep up with the news in Sudan and we're still in touch with our team and friends there. I'd like to share a website with you that gives great headlines of news in Sudan every day: www.sudantribune.com
As the referendum approaches (January 9, 2011) please pray for peace in Sudan and pray that God's name will be preached from one end of Sudan to the other.

What's up in the Fader household?

2010-08-31T21:15:00.003+03:00

Life has been a bit different the past few weeks. With Isaac and Evan in school from 8-3 every day, it's been a big change to have only one little guy at home. Josh plays happily by himself but also enjoys running errands with me and going over to visit friends in our free time. Isaac and Evan LOVE school and can hardly wait to tell me all about their day when I pick them up from school in the afternoons!
Eli plans to take two classes during the fall. One is a class on Islam Theology that he has started reading for. He's also been more faithful in playing rugby with the men's club downtown two nights a week.
With a busier schedule, our Saturdays have become a special time to relax as a family. Below are a few pictures from last Saturday.

Father and son On Saturday we drove to Lake Monticello, about a half hour away, to ride bikes, swim, and have a nice picnic. It was perfect weather and the boys were thrilled to discover that there was also a BIKE show going on that afternoon. Bikes meaning, motorbikes of all kinds, including bikes with four wheels and other fancy cars.

Eli and I are thrilled to have several wonderful babysitters. Taking the motorcycle on our dates makes it all so much more fun. This last weekend, we double dated and our friends rode their motorcycle too!

First Week of School

2010-08-19T17:02:00.004+03:00

Evan's all ready for preschool!

Isaac starts Kindergarten this week

Josh wanted his backpack on too but when we got to the school Josh made it clear that he was staying with me!

The boys did so well their first day of school. When I picked them up at 3, they were both full of stories. Neither of them had any trouble staying all day, or separating from me when I dropped them off. It made it a lot easier for me!

This is Isaac's kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Taylor. She is so much fun and we're thrilled Isaac gets to learn from her this fall!

Isaac proudly showed me where he signs in every morning. He has a little bird with his name on it and puts it in his nest to show he's there that day.

Benjamin is in Isaac's class which is so neat because they used to play together when they were babies and here they are in school together!

Here is Evan at his desk. When he first arrives in the morning, they have playdough to play with until all the kids get there and class is officially ready to start at 8:20 (I usually drop them off around 8.)

A little update

2010-08-15T18:19:00.002+03:00

Since we got back from our trip last week, we've spent our time getting the boys ready for school and squeezing in as much as we could before school started this week. So tomorrow Isaac and Evan go to their first day of school. I'm still not sure how I'm going to handle it. Will I be thrilled to come home to a quiet house or sad and teary because my babies are growing up? I'm still not sure...we'll have to wait and see.
Tomorrow the boys only go for one hour and Eli and I will accompany them. Their teachers ask a parent to come that first day. The boys will get their desks, bring their school supplies, and get a feel of the classroom before their first full day on Tuesday. So we have a sweet friend coming to stay home with Joshua and Eli will go with one boy and I'll go with the other. There will be plenty of pictures tomorrow - don't worry!
One funny side note: this morning we woke up to find that we had NO WATER in the house! For some reason everyone on our street has no water. We're not sure what to do. In Sudan we know where to go for water - the nearby well or river - no problem. But here, I have no clue. And we emptied our pool this weekend to clean it so we don't even have that to draw from! HELP!
OK, don't forget to check in tomorrow for school updates for Isaac and Evan!

We're home!

2010-08-04T17:13:00.004+03:00

After 12 days on the road, we are safely home in South Carolina. Thank you for all your prayers as God protected us on all 1,704 miles of driving through Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, North Carolina, and all the way home!
We had a very fun trip and the Lord so encouraged us as we reconnected with friends and supporters and got to see how He's been working in our friends' lives. We're praising the Lord for thriving churches in each of those states.
Read through the next few posts to see highlights of our trip...

A farm in Mocksville, NC

2010-08-04T17:08:00.002+03:00

Our last stop on our trip was to visit our new friends, the Whittaker family in NC. They live on a beautiful farm so we got the full tour of the animals, machinery, special barns, the lake, and even got to stop to feed some horses and help out with some barn chores!

Isaac loved shoveling the sawdust into the horses' stalls. What a hard worker!

Isaac wasn't afraid to feed Hershey a few treats from his hand.

Evan liked how soft Hershey's nose was!

Lots of tractors to climb on!

The Hot Air Balloon Festival in Ohio

2010-08-04T17:02:00.003+03:00

In Canton, Ohio, while we visited our friends, James and Tiffanie Ferguson, we got to go to a fun Hot Air Balloon Festival. We got to watch two groups of sky divers jump out of planes above us and land on targets on the field. Then more than 20 hot air balloons filled and took off right there as we watched! It was so exciting for all of us since we hadn't seen anything like this before! The kids were enamored. Notice a few special shapes? There was a balloon in the shape of a giant ladybug and one was a huge birthday cake.

The Train Museum, PA

2010-08-04T16:57:00.002+03:00

In Hollidaysburg, we also got to visit the train museum. It was an old train yard where they used to first build trains. The boys had a great time exploring old engines and train cars.

All Aboard!

The Candy Store in Hollidaysburg

2010-08-04T16:51:00.002+03:00

We had a wonderful visit in Hollidaysburg, PA. We stayed with Philip and Deb Miller, family friends, and enjoyed a fabulous dinner with special supporters from First Presbyterian Church. That evening Eli and I shared about our three years in Sudan and were so encouraged by everyone's interest and good questions.
The next day we went to visit McIntyre's Candy Store where Deb Miller works. She gave us a fabulous tour of the factory where the chocolates and candy are made. She even let the boys make their own chocolate covered pretzels to take with us!

The chocolate and candy machines are fascinating. The boys' engineering minds were working double time!