It's all about the bridge

The first cable stretches across the Yabus River - April 24, 2009
Securing the cable

Lots of good teamwork

These two crazy guys test out the first two cables

Two cables across the river! Praise the Lord!

During this past month we've been absorbed with the bridge work. With only 9 days left before Phil and his family fly out of Yabus, the guys are pushing hard, spending most daylight hours at the river. Consequently, the bridge is coming along beautifully, thanks to a great team of workers and Thomas Simon, Stephen Adamu, and Phil Greene, three of our SIM teammates.

Over the weekend they secured two of the four cables. As of today, the third is in place. I can't express how exciting it is to hang out at the bridge site taking pictures and finally get a good idea of what this bridge will look like. Hopefully these pictures will give you an idea too.

KEEP PRAYING!

part of life

Bethany and I have a ritual. We figure out about how much time we will spend in Sudan for our next rotation (usually about 3 months) and then we go to the store in Nairobi. We buy things that we'll need during those three months and then we bring them home. A large fight then ensues. Since we are limited to 30 Kg per person, we have to weigh each item going with us. Are Q-tips or shampoo more important? Too much of one item and not enough of the other and you might have a problem. Is Bethany's umbrella or my soccer cleats more important? Well, you get the picture. It is usually a pretty good fight.

Now as hard as we try to pack well, sometimes we don't pack enough of an item. While sometimes we run out of something benign like chocolate drink mix, this time it is serious. I ran out of deodarant. We have 2 weeks until we leave Sudan and I am working long, hard, hot days on the bridge. Bethany has some extra deodarant but can I go down to the bridge smelling like flowers??? Certainly not. That is, until she forces me to sleep in another room.

Progress at Unity Bridge

Phil and Eli continue to work hard. The best news of the week was that they finally chipped and hammered and burned enough of the huge stubborn rock to put the deadman anchor in on one side. So the work is moving quickly now. Today they poured concrete into the second anchor. They're such a great team. Even though they work long hours in the hot scorching Sudan sun, they manage to stay positive and keep smiles on their faces. (Written by a very proud wife.)

Bridge work forges ahead

Eli and Phil have been working hard these past three weeks. We have had multiple draw backs and road blocks but we remind ourselves that this is God's bridge and its construction is on his timetable not ours. Please pray that a large crew of 25 will show up for work tomorrow and that PHil and Eli will take care of themselves as they work long hours in the 100 degree heat everyday.