A quadruple baby shower!

  On Tuesday Claire and I hosted a quadruple baby shower for 4 student wives who are all expecting babies in the near future. It was a surprise. We didn't tell any of the women what we were doing. They thought they were coming to their regular Tuesday health class with Claire. And it was quite a surprise. The classroom was decorated with tinsel, we'd made tea and cakes and cookies, and even had a giveaway of clothes and toys.

Claire called up each pregnant mama one at a time.

Claire passed out prenatal vitamins

 Julia, the lady on the far right, hadn't told anyone she was pregnant yet so this was a fun way to announce it. (We asked for her permission before hand.)

 Then we gave a small gift to each mother which included a baby blanket, baby outfit, and some nice soap for the mother.

 
When the college had been in the north, student wives were taught to knit and made these lovely doilies. We found them in storage and handed them out to everyone who came.

Before we had our big give away of clothes and toys and other fun items, Claire did a raffle for a nice large suitcase. The bunny in the hat was holding all the numbers. :) After the winner claimed the suitcase, Claire read out trivia questions about different mothers and babies in the Bible. Each woman who answered a question correctly got to pick a prize from the gift table. It was such fun!

God is moving among our student wives

When we moved to Melut in June to teach at Gideon Theological College, it didn't take long before God gave me a heavy burden and a deep love for the women on this campus - the wives of the students and faculty at the college. I realized that these 4 years of college life are expected to equip and prepare both the men and their wives for future ministry in South Sudan. I began preparing fervently for each family. During our first Bible study with the ladies after I arrived, I discovered that many of the women are not even able to read yet so studying their Bibles is not an option for them. I asked God for wisdom in how to first address these issues but also knew that this was a work only our God can do. He has to put the desire and hunger in their hearts to learn about Him. They won't want to join their husbands in ministry unless God puts a calling on their hearts and pulls their hearts closer to Him.

 There are many opportunities to "hang out" with these amazing women. As I've drunk many a cup of tea and coffee with them, I've heard stories that broke my heart and stories that boulstered my faith. It amazes me what these ladies have been through already in their 30 years or so of life!

            Yesterday's Bible study was a huge encouragement to me. In these 2 months that I've been here, my teammate Claire and I have been challenging each woman to take turns leading our weekly Bible study through the book of John. At first they were aghast and said they were not able. After a bit of encouragement Mary, one of our Dinka student's wives, agreed to lead yesterday. I had been praying for her through the week and wondering how it would turn out. It was amazing! After going through the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 and sharing from her heart, we all affirmed and thanked her for leading. She said she'd been really nervous but was glad she did it. She realized it's not as hard as she thought it was! Claire brought up a point at the end: Just as the little boy brought his small lunch of bread and fish, offered it to Jesus, and God worked miracles with it, we can offer the little we have and as weak as we are, God can use us for big things. I could see it registering on each of the ladies' faces and then another lady agreed to lead this coming week! Praise the Lord!
      Another beautiful answer to prayer was when we shared prayer requests and Mary, the very woman who led us this week, asked us to pray that she would start reading her Bible every day. After having to prepare for this week, she's "tasted" and seen how sweet God's Word is for our daily lives. And glory to God that she now has a greater hunger to learn from Him and His Truth.
     I came home glowing and in awe of our God. What a blessing to see God working so powerfully in their lives! Please continue to pray for each of our student wives: Mary, Julia, Miriam, Martha, Lydia, Tabitha, Rhoda, Rebecca, Monica, and Elizabeth.

Full but wonderful life!

Many of you might not know but last week I, Bethany, had to quickly fly to Kenya to get a root canal because I just couldn't wait any longer. Eli did a wonderful job here in Melut with all three boys on top of his other responsibilities. God very much had His hand on my travels and brought me safely home by boat on Sunday evening. The next morning our new semester began at Gideon Theological College and I taught the first class at 8:30 - Teaching Literacy in the Community.
    
No, the picture above is not me. :) Mr. Philip Eisa, our principal taught Research Methods on Tuesday.

Welcome to the Principal's Office: Mr. Philip Eisa

Academic Dean: Eli Fader

Secretary: Joyce

Librarian, school nurse, health & Bible teacher: Claire Meckler

The students seem refreshed from their break and motivated for the new semester.

Saturdays are now called Sanitation Saturday on our campus. Every Saturday morning students work around their homes to keep the compound clean - picking up garbage, weeding their gardens, slashing grass, etc. Sometimes they get together for a project. One week they all planted thorn and mahogany trees along our property to create a living fence. Today they worked to clear the rubble and weeds off of an old collapsed house so that the cement floor and partial walls can be used for a new tent where guests can stay when they come to visit campus.

Eli and the men worked on problem solving skills as they discussed how to erect the poles for the tent cover.

Isaac, Evan and Josh love doing their part. They are just like their Papa and LOVE working hard.

As you can see, our boys are still very content and fit right into life here. Now that we've been in Melut for 2 months it definitely feels like home. The boys have made special friends. Their friends are over every afternoon as soon as school is out and they play hard until it's time to come in for dinner.

This little girl cried the first time she saw me. Now she runs into my arms yelling, "Nyadeng! Nyadeng!" (my Dinka name) when she sees me!

In other news, we are all very thankful for good rains because the gardens all over campus are flourishing. Today Nyayup was showing me how tall her maize has grown - now it's taller than her!

We are also very very grateful to have Elizabeth as part of our family. She began working for us, helping out in the house, when we first arrived but now she comes 5 days a week to help wash clothes, clean house, and cook. While I was away in Kenya, she began cooking and when I got back I heard how good her food was. Since my mornings are full with class at the college plus homeschooling the boys, it is such a blessing that she cooks lunch and has it ready every day for us. This week she fried fresh fish and it was seriously the best fried fish we had ever tasted. She is such a gift!

Witnessing God's Healing

    We witnessed such a magnificent answer to our prayer in the last few days, that I just HAVE to share it with all of you! A few days ago I went to visit Elizabeth, one of our students who lives on campus. When I entered her yard I was surprised to see a large group of women gathered. Julia, a neighbor was busy making coffee and tea and there was a plastic tarp on the ground with a mattress and a woman lying on the mattress covered with a bedsheet.
    I greeted everyone and then found out that the woman lying down was Elizabeth's sister who was very very sick with cerebral malaria. I bent down to look into her face and her eyes were open and looking at me but not really seeing. The women explained to me that she'd felt sick earlier in the week and went to the hospital where they said it was malaria but only gave her IV fluids and sent her home. 2 days later the untreated malaria had worsened and gone to her brain (at least I think that's how it works.) So she was acting like a woman out of her mind. My teammate Claire also bent down to greet the woman and the woman looked at her and then jumped to her feet and bolted! She got up and ran like she had seen a ghost. But because she was so weak and sick she collapsed a few feet away and actually went unconscious for a few minutes. Several ladies picked her up and brought her back to her bed on the mat and Elizabeth stayed close to her. She told me that earlier in the day, the sick woman had jumped up and started running so fast Elizabeth couldn't catch her. She headed straight for the river and thankfully another student was digging in his garden, saw her and knew he needed to stop her so he caught her as she came his way.
     Both Claire and I were very disturbed and saddened to hear all the details of her sickness and what the family had been through the last few days. We knelt next to her mat and prayed for her healing, for her family, and for protection over all the people there. We weren't sure if it was truly sickness or something spiritual. But we knew we could pray in Jesus' name and ask for God to intervene.
   Intervene He did! The next day Claire and I went back to check on her and she was sitting up and looked so much better. Elizabeth told us she'd been eating, drinking, and had slept well the night before. We were thrilled to hear how quickly she was recovering and that she hadn't tried to run away again. As I was reflecting on this woman today I was in awe of God's mercy and how He shows His power in such a magnificent way for all to see. There was quite a group of women visiting the sick lady that day when we prayed over her and I hope that they are seeing our God work in a way they've never seen before. And most of all, I'm praying for this woman (forgive me, her name is difficult to remember so I've forgotten it already!). Elizabeth shared that her sister hasn't been living for the Lord so maybe this was a wake up call for her. Elizabeth has already been talking to her about it and I pray the Lord will gently draw her back into His loving arms.

Field Trip to the UN

  Today Isaac, Evan and Joshua got to go on a field trip in lieu of home school and go visit their "uncles" at the UN. Mr. Amit came and picked them up in his special jeep and they got to have rides on the tank and a snack in the commons.

The driver's seat wasn't as roomy as they thought it would be!

Part of the morning activities was to try and pull a large truck out of the mud using the tank. What excitement for the boys to take part in! By the time they got home, they'd had a taste of what a normal morning at the UN in Melut, South Sudan is like.

The Potter and the Clay

Here at Gideon Theological College, the student wives gather every weekday afternoon for a class. Some days it's English, other days it's health, and on Fridays we have Bible study. Since school is technically out of session this month, our teammate Claire has been doing some creative classes with the ladies. Last Tuesday she introduced them to puzzles. This week: playdough (or clay.) Claire tied the object lesson beautifully with the nugget of truth from God's Word about God being our Potter and we are the clay that He's fashioning into what He wants us to be.

  I think these ladies enjoy getting together for a brief hour away from their children and work at home to have fun and laugh and be encouraged from God's Word.

"Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand O house of Israel" Jeremiah 18:6

Creative Fun in the Mud

  When it rains here in Melut the mud turns into clay. So the day after a big rain you find children shaping all kinds of amazing things out of the mud. These boys had fashioned an entire house with rooms and furniture - even food on the plates on the tables!

 Another favorite game the day after a good rain are mud wars. The boys divide into 2 teams and gather large balls of mud/clay. Then they break off smaller pieces and throw them at each other. The mud usually leaves a mark and a bit of a sting - almost like paint ball! Isaac and Evan will play this game for hours!

 Isaac's got his big ball of mud, ready to use as ammo.

Afternoon Coffee with the ladies

 Several times a week the ladies on campus gather under a tree or at someone's house for afternoon coffee and tea. Conversation is always a fun mixture of Arabic and Dinka and topics range from parenting styles to fashion to prices in town, etc. My teammate Claire caught me in the middle of saying something funny I guess. Life in Sudan has been so serious for many of them so I find myself trying to get ladies to laugh whenever I can. :)

Starting a new home school year

Last week we started a new school year for the boys. Isaac is in 2nd grade, Evan in 1st grade and Joshua is in preschool. He listens in on all the books and then does a page or two in his special workbook as you see below.

  This is Josh's first time to join us since I was doing homeschool during his afternoon nap while we were in Khartoum. The highlights so far have been reading Charlotte's Web outloud together and memorizing Psalm 1:1-2.

I have to include one of Evan's amazing lego creations. He is always coming up with something new. Today (not pictured) he actually made a huge barge like we see float up and down the river every day.

South Sudan's 1st Birthday Celebration in Melut

     Yesterday, July 9th 2012 was the 1 year anniversary of the new Republic of South Sudan being its own nation! People celebrated all day and all night. This morning at 6 am, I heard the final announcer end the program! Though it was a hot day, we ventured to town to see the tribal dancing and learn how the Dinka celebrate.

 The South Sudan Flag

 This might be hard to tell but Bethany is dancing with an older woman and everyone watching is enjoying the entertainment!

 I couldn't believe this guy! He'd been drumming his drum so hard and for so long that his hand was bleeding. But that didn't stop him! Can you see the blood mark on his drum?

 We were definitely swarmed, especially our boys, as little white-skinned boys are a rare sight! Bus loads of people and youth came from nearby towns to celebrate.

 Many interesting costumes and dances

 This was a special dance done by the men and young boys with shields and spears.

I close with this picture of this precious little face of a young child who looks malnourished and barely clothed. Though there was a lot of singing, dancing, drumming, and ululating yesterday, several Sudanese friends (especially those from areas in South Sudan that still don't truly have peace) commented to me that they weren't really happy on this day because their people are still very much suffering and there is no end in sight of the war crimes being committed against innocent people. Not to mention the thousands and thousands of refugees who live in horrific conditions and are hanging onto life by a thread.
     Don't be discouraged by this last paragraph by rather, PRAY. Pray your heart out and don't stop praying until we see PEACE and JUSTICE come to the Republic of South Sudan. They've had a rough first year but we are hopeful. After all, NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH OUR GOD!

Q-Tip, our new addition

On Saturday we brought this cute kitten home. Alas, she's been a whole new kind of pet for us since she's very wild and isn't used to being around people much. We're having to hold the boys back now at the beginning but we're hoping after some good feeding and space, she'll warm up to us. The boys named her Q-Tip since she's white and has an orange tip on her tail. :) The name-choosing game was very entertaining. At least we'll now have something to scare off the scorpions, snakes and rats!