Celebrating 9 Years of Adventures Serving Jesus in Sudan and South Sudan

The boys helped unload the plane

It is with great nostalgia that I share these photos from our first few weeks in Yabus, Sudan in June 2007. Eli and I were only 26 years old and had a one year old and a three year old. Though we grew up in Africa, this adventure was a whole new step of faith as we ventured to learn the culture and language of the people we'd been praying for and eager to meet for many years.

Our lovely Yabus home

 Our first few weeks were full of many firsts - snake sightings, scorpion killings, using solar power, planting a garden, multi-cultural team dynamics, cooking on charcoal, washing diapers by hand, getting random infections and diseases and trying to speak a language completely unfamiliar to us.

When the kids got fussy from the heat we sat them in basins of water

Bush transportation

Meals in our little house

I won't lie. It was hard. I remember a few times, having to hide in the kids' room, sobbing my eyes out and thinking, "I can't do this. I want to go home." But the Lord always reminded us of our calling and we knew Yabus is where we belonged as a family.

Little Boys Paradise

With the heat, culture stress, juggling little ones in the bush and the steep learning curve we experienced on a daily basis, we started taking hikes and "breaks" out in the countryside to get away and recharge. We also learned that regular R&R trips to Kenya were a must and helped keep us healthy.

Our Yabus Team: 2007

There is no way to sum up the experiences and the adventures we've had over these last 9 years as a family. Sudan has shaped us and taught us so much and God has used the highs and lows of everyday ministry in this country to refine us and stretch our faith. We are thankful for the privilege God has given us to remain, even through several civil wars, in a country and with a people that we love so very much. We pray God will bless us with many more years here.