What a week!

My last cuddles with Baby Isaac

 We had quite the week here in Melut starting with last Sunday, the day after our big graduation. Sunday morning was an extra long, but special church service as multiple congregations from different tribes worshipped together (they had traveled to Melut for Graduation.) Then that afternoon was the 40-day memorial service for our dear friend Elizabeth who went to be with the Lord in October. We were really feeling our loss on graduation day, a day that she had been looking forward to for so long.

Monday morning students started leaving. The men from northern Sudan left early that morning and several families packed all of their belongings, pets, and all their family members into the back of a huge truck for what was probably a 5 hour drive.

Lifting Evan up for a final farewell

Isaac and Evan's best friend German was one of the passengers on that truck so it was a tearful goodbye.

Waving goodbye with prayers on our lips for their safety

 

As the truck pulled out of GTC's gate, I was working hard at containing my tears but when I saw my oldest son sobbing I realized we both needed a good cry. I put my arm around him and we silently walked home, feeling the same emotions and sadness and letting the tears fall.

 

That same afternoon a decision was made to medically evacuate one of our teammate families to Kenya due to a very sick 2-year old. God was so good to provide a plane that flew their whole family out of South Sudan less than 24 hours after making the decision. But this was a hard day as we prayerfully sent them off, knowing this was not what any of us planned for or expected. And worrying for their sweet little boy.

 

Thursday - more goodbyes.

This time we said goodbye to the Heska family who joined our team here for one year and Claire who is heading back to the States for her home assignment. Thursday was the 3rd day that week Eli spent waiting at the airport, making sure people got on their flights. This week just happened to be the week that the airline that flies out of Paloich, an hour from us, suddenly stopped flying so the airport was full of passengers needing to get to their destination. God worked wonders to get all of our GTC people on those flights!

 

On Friday Eli and I both breathed a sigh of relief and took a slow day - we needed it!

Saturday was full of projects around campus, cleaning up after the students who left and working on things at home, packing up and securing everything since we'll be away for almost two months!

 

One of my favorite things about this week that I have thanked the Lord for many times are the new friends that God is already bringing for our boys. Isaac, Evan and Josh had to say many goodbyes this week but two boys in particular above, Deng and Go, have started coming over every day and they all seem to getting along splendidly.

We are now trying to organize a flight to travel to Uganda to spend Christmas with my (Bethany's) family. With the airline down, it's proving to be a challenge, but hey, it's a new week, we never know what's going to happen!

Just In Case You Wanted to Visit

It was Monday, 6:31 AM, Yohanna Musa, recent graduate of Gideon Theological College knocks on the door and with as much patience as he can muster says, "Is Eli ready?"  I groggily peak out onto the porch and tell Yohanna that I meant 6:30 Sudanese time, not foreigner time (Sudanese time means 30 minutes after any mentioned time).  However, today, Yohanna was getting a ride back to see his family after two years of studying at the college so perhaps his impatience is forgivable. 
I was given the task to drive Yohanna and the Northern Sudanese students along with Bishop Raymond, the graduation speaker, to the airport and bus station which was forty five minutes away.  This is not a simple task in rainy season (ask Nate Kidder) but it has not rained in a month so the roads are dry and recently a grader has smoothed them so we were off and flying down the road at 7 AM. 
I should have known.  This was not going to go well.  I fly right past Bishop Raymond as he patiently waited outside our neighbor's guesthouse.  Yohanna politely informed me that I just covered our graduation speaker in dust and would now need to reverse and pick him up.  This humble pie is going to be eaten one piece at a time. 
The rest of the day seemed to go well.  I dropped Bishop Raymond at the airport, dropped the northern students at the bush station, purchased 11 tickets for people going away for Christmas (including our family) and was on the way home when Bishop Raymond called and informed me that he was not on the flight.  Hmmmm.  I made some calls.  "There are two flights today, he is on the second flight," came the reply. 
I travel back to Melut and get a call at 3PM.  No 2nd flight is coming: "Technical Difficulties".  Bishop Raymond needs to come back to Melut to spend the night.  He is catching a ride with some other people, so don't worry, you don't have to pick him up.  Not so bad.
The next 9 hours are a blur as our teammate's child takes a turn for the worse and needs immediate medical attention and evacuation in the morning.  That is for a different blog post (Praise God, as I am typing this the child is safely in Nairobi in a great hospital and his family is with him). 
Tuesday begins at 6 AM to deliver the family to the airport and Bishop Raymond has found a separate ride there, no worries.  The plane comes for the family, (Thank you Samaritan's Purse) and as I am coming out of the airport, there is Bishop Raymond!
"Bishop!  So glad to see you, how was the night?" I asked.
"The night was fine but they have cancelled my flight today," the bishop responds.  "The 'Technical difficulties' are now being labeled 'Administrative Difficulties'".  Now what I am about to tell you comes seventh hand but it turns out that the oil company decided not to renew the contract with the airline that flies their employees from Juba to our airport near Melut.  Did they have another airline in mind?  No.  Did they inform anybody about this?  No.  Did they continue to take bookings on these flights even though they did not have any airline to fly?  Yes. 
I looked around.  100 or so upset people surrounded the airport manager demanding to know what was going on.  All he could offer that was when a new contract was signed, those who missed yesterday's flight would get priority and then today's passengers would be next.
"When will they sign a new contract?" an astute passenger petitioned.
Silence from the airport manager.  Hmm.  Not a good reply. 
Oh, No! I remember the purchased tickets for our flights out to spend Christmas with Bethany's parents.  That's right, five tickets with a non-contracted airline.  Oh and yes, I purchased 2 tickets for our staff and 4 more tickets for the Boland family.  I thought it was a little too easy to buy all those tickets yesterday! 
In Kenya, the proper response about now was to look around for an old tire and some gasoline.  However, such mob justice has not found its way to our area and the people wandered back to their seats and waited.  Bishop Raymond and I sat for an hour, went and had breakfast for an hour and then came back to see if there were any developments.  None.  We had an inside man and he came out to tell us that we were better off just going home and checking in tomorrow.  We got the phone number of the airport manager and were just about to leave when Bishop Raymond prayed that God would sort this out some how.  I wondered what God could do at this late stage: Oh Me of little faith.
We turned to get in the vehicle when I noticed the fire engine.  The fire engine always starts up and goes out to the runway when there is a flight coming in.  "Bishop, let's wait a few minutes and see what happens," I say.
A couple minutes later, a massive Russian-made Antinov lands and it is followed by a second.  These are cargo planes but were commonly used to carry passengers during the war. 
We rush back into the airport and people are lining up, obviously thinking the same thing.  The airport manager comes out and solemnly tells everyone that these planes cannot carry any passengers and that we should all go home.  No one moves.  People are desperate. 
A man named Dick Otto once told me that I have two passports in Africa.  One was my paper passport and the other was my skin color.  For good or worse, he is right.  I was going to try and use the second one now.  Russian Antinovs are usually flown by retired Russian or Ukrainian pilots who are crazy enough to fly these planes that are banned in European and American airspace because these planes have not been properly maintained.  I had to choose my target carefully.  I found a crew member that was wearing a cross (remember, I am trying to get a flight for a bishop) and asked, "Captain?" pointing to him.
"No. Captain does paperverk," He responds and points up at the tower.
"I have a friend. He is a bishop in the church.  Can he fly with you?" I ask.
"You Military?"  He asks.
"No.  I am a teacher.  I will stay here.  The bishop will fly to Juba," I respond.
"You have I.D.?" 
I show him my GTC identification card and then he says, "I talk to captain". 

My heart is pounding.  This might work!  I run back inside to tell Bishop Raymond the good news.  However, we have to be careful how many other people find out about this.  We go and wait outside under a tree near the Antinov and a couple other curious passengers follow us out (Bishop Raymond brought his bag).  Nuts!  Airport security spots us and comes over to find out what we are doing.  I try to explain to them that the Bishop might be able to get a seat on the flight...They cut me off.  There is no way.  The airport will not allow people to fly with them.  Go back inside and sit down with everyone else.  Dejected we turn and walk back inside.  Bishop Raymond seems surprisingly buoyant.  Oh Me of little faith. 

The first Ukrainian/Russian man I met returns with another man who is the captain.  The captain asks, "Vare you go?" 
"I am not going.  The Bishop is going to Juba.  Can you take him?" I point to Bishop Raymond.
"Bishop is black," came the response. "Vee only take white people." 
Shocked, I turn to Bishop Raymond.  He is calmly taking in the fact that he cannot fly because he is a Southern Sudanese but I can fly because I have "the second passport".  The captain explains that the company has a policy that they cannot take on nationals as passengers for insurance reasons but somehow Europeans (I didn't argue when he called me a European) don't worry the insurance company. 
I explain to him that we work together and that there won't be any problems but he was quite insistent.  All he would do would be to call his office in Juba.  I sat down dejected a second time.  Bishop Raymond...well, we don't have to go over that again.  He was fine.  He then told me an incredible story about waiting in the Khartoum airport for an entire month trying to get a ride on one of these planes down to Juba during the war time.  Me and my FWPs. 
An hour later, the Antinov is all unloaded (they had a brand new Toyota Land Cruiser in there) and suddenly this man comes up to us.  He is wearing a yellow reflector vest like some of the airport security staff and he points to Bishop Raymond's large wooden cross on his chest, "Bishop?" 
Raymond nods.  "Come with me," yellow vest says. 
I decided not to follow because I drew the wrong attention from airport security before.  Raymond disappears out the doors and towards the plane.  A couple minutes later, I get a whispered phone call from Bishop Raymond, "I am inside."  He hung up.  What! I couldn't believe it!  Amazing.  What happens next, I will have to ask Jesus when I get to heaven because it doesn't make sense to me.  A couple minutes later the captain comes in to the airport and pulls me aside.
"So sorry friend.  Juba says we no take Bishop.  You ok but Bishop no."
Thoughts are racing through my head.  I decide to chance it.  "I think the bishop is in the plane.  A man came and took him."
"No," replied the captain, "I just come from plane. I know Bishop face.  He not inside." 
I think I was catching on to Bishop Raymond's faith because I didn't feel very dejected when the captain said all this.  Was Raymond inside or not?  I didn't have a clue but somehow this was going to work out.  I thanked the captain for trying and exited the airport.  I didn't want the captain or the airport security to be able to find me if they found out that Raymond was on board. 
I walked to the truck and sat inside, watching the plane taxi and then take off, watching it all from the rear view mirrors.  Ok, time to check.  I got back out of the truck and then strolled through the airport, looking to see if Bishop Raymond had been found and kicked off.  Nope.  Didn't see him.  I looked outside where some other passengers were attempting to get on the other Antinov.  He wasn't there.  I tried his cell phone.  Didn't go through.  Hmmm.
I drive back to Melut and as I am sitting on my porch, drinking a cold "yucky water" (that is what the kids call it when I put Oral Rehydration Salts into water) and then my phone rings.  Bishop Raymond was in Juba safely and on the ground...no problems!  They didn't ask for a single bit of money from him...well, they didn't see him at all! 

Anyone care for a visit?

Graduation Day - November 30, 2013

Staff and Students marched through town to announce their graduation

Words cannot even express how wonderful Graduation day was here at Gideon Theological College in Melut yesterday! Excitement was high - people danced, cheered, sang, prayed, and thanked God for carrying them through.

The student wives

The graduates sat at the very front

From left to right: our new Principal: Mr. Kur Deng Kur, Academic Dean: Jamie Boland, and Dean of Students: Eli Fader

 Eli had the privilege of opening the ceremony with a speech in honor and memory of our late Principal, Rev. Philip Eisa. Philip's name was mentioned by many throughout the day, recognizing that it was his passion and vision that helped this day, this dream, come to pass. How we wish you could have been with us Dear Friend.

Graduates were called to the front in groups with their wives for a special commissioning prayer

One of our students receiving his diploma

One of the wives with her certificate of attendance in the women's program

This couple, Yuna and Martha, have been some of our closest friends from the very beginning of our life in South Sudan! Here Martha is "decorating" her husband proudly with wreaths right after he received his diploma.

Some of them were so decorated you could hardly see their faces!

 The Graduation Ceremony started around 9:30 am and finished around 2:30 so it was five hours long on a very hot day. However, the heat and length of the program didn't dampen anyone's spirits! As the graduates came forward to receive their degrees, groups of people (usually family or church members of the graduate) would rush forward and perform a traditional dance with the graduate. It was incredible to see the depth of their joy as they celebrated each of the students' hard work!

After all the graduates had received their diplomas, the staff also presented an honorary Bachelors degree to Elizabeth William, our beloved student who went to be with the Lord on October 17th of this year. A family member came forward to accept the diploma on her behalf and her oldest daughter brought a beautiful heart-shaped wreath to commemorate all her mother's hard work. It was a quiet, solemn, and tearful few moments as we all paused to remember our sister who was missing from our midst.

The GTC kids - children of staff and students - did a great job with their two songs that they've practiced for the last two weeks

The day ended with many, many pictures, hugs, and goodbyes. Students and their families will continue to slowly disperse and leave what has been their home in Melut for the last few years to their villages and towns.

Such a time of Thanksgiving!

First of all, we're thankful for sweet faces like these that we get to see every day!

Abdel Aziz and Eli

On Tuesday of this week we had a campus-wide celebration and feast to rejoice together over the great accomplishment of this group of students. The program started with Eli, Dean of Students, asking each student to stand as he publicly affirmed strengths and gifts he saw in each of them. 

Student John Chol

The husbands and wives competed together in most of the games

 After the serious part of the program, Eli organized a bunch of fun games that had everyone laughing so hard they could hardly compete!

This game was a favorite: wives feeding their husbands porridge while blindfolded.

The food was served after the program.

On Thursday afternoon my teammate Amie organized a special tea/coffee time with the student wives where we also affirmed each of them in the group, drank coffee, laughed, and painted their nails to look pretty for graduation.

Then at 6 pm we had a giant Thanksgiving meal as a team, potluck style. The menu was: a tiny chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, crescent rolls, jello salad, green bean casserole, festive pumpkin hummus, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pies for dessert.  We could hardly walk home after that!

Our week of Thanksgiving will continue as we celebrate GRADUATION tomorrow with these amazing students. It will be a bittersweet time as we applaud and celebrate their accomplishment but also have to see them all go.

On Saying Goodbye

Lots of processing going on in my heart these days. With graduation only a week away, the time has come to release these precious families to go back to their home towns and villages to continue in the ministry God has called each of them to. We have been here in Melut for 18 months and I never could have dreamed that we could love people so deeply in such a short period of time!

As a mother of a 5, 7 and 9 year old I have been praying about how to help my children through more goodbyes. I remember June 2012 when we first arrived in Melut and our boys were super shy with the 50 children who lived on campus. But it didn't take long before they joined the crew of boys who play from sunrise to sunset. Fishing, wrestling in the grass, swimming in the Nile, building things out of mud, planting their own vegetable gardens, building forts - you name it, they've done it!

We started talking with our boys about these upcoming goodbyes a few weeks ago. We told them about graduation and that it meant that their friends would be returning to their homes with their parents. I'm still not sure how to read boys' emotions. :) They seemed to just accept it and get back to playing. But I've noticed in the last week that my older two, but especially my oldest has been drawing back. He's been spending more time inside playing than being out with his friends. I have reminded him a few times that he should play with his friends as much as possible while they're here but he seemed to always come up with an excuse to stay inside (it was too hot, or his friends were teasing him, etc.)

Eli and I were talking about this the other night before bed and my husband had the great idea to plan a fun kids night on Friday night. I don't know where he gets this type of energy with how busy his weeks are but he moved forward and talked to all the parents on campus to get permission for the kids to watch a movie on the projector up in the school building and then for the boys to have a sleepover in the classroom! Mission accomplished. From our house I could hear laughing and squeals of fun for several hours. Finally around 10 pm the noise seemed to die down so I assumed Eli was getting them all in bed (I had a nice quiet night at home to myself.)

Then I heard a knock at the door. It was my oldest son saying he wanted to sleep at home. I asked him why. Then I asked if he was sure. I didn't want to push it too hard so I tucked him into bed. About 15 minutes later he came into my room and said he'd changed his mind and decided to go back up to join the sleepover. And then he burst into tears.

Mothers of MKs out there - I know you know that feeling of your mother's heart breaking. I gathered my big boy into my arms and rubbed his back and told him I understood how hard it was. Between sobs he asked, "Why do they have to go Mom? Why?" I encouraged him that God has always provided him with special friends everywhere we go. I reminded him of other difficult goodbyes he's had to say in the past. And I told him that I knew God would give him new friends. I held him until his crying subsided and then walked him to the door.

At 7 this morning I woke up to the sounds of all the boys laughing and goofing off around a campfire Eli built in the cool of the morning. They were back to having fun and I could hear my oldest son telling someone something in his beautifully pronounced Arabic. My heart swelled and in that moment I knew he was going to be alright.

The goodbyes will be hard during these next few weeks. Please pray for our family as we let go of these beautiful people who are so dear to us.

Family Picnic

Always my monkey

 With graduation a week from today, you can imagine how busy life is. But I'm so thankful we could get away as a family for a few hours this morning to our favorite picnic spot. The boys explored and climbed trees then we ate lunch and played a game of Ticket to Ride. I think that will fuel us for the week ahead.

More Baking Fun

Nyaguay, Adau, Eliza and I

Every now and then I pause to think about the differences of my life here in South Sudan and what it would be like were I back in the States. With the holiday season upon us, I would definitely be in baking mode but probably baking batches of cookies with my boys or on my own. I've noticed more this year than I have in years past that during the holiday season here, I am doing my baking with friends.

Last weekend I baked two cakes for our dear friend Eliza's son's birthday. Some of the boys at that party went home and told their mom about the cake and said they wanted it at their birthday too (this boy's birthday was on Wed.) I told Eliza I would be happy to show her friends how to bake cake so they could do it on their own in the future and even offer to bake cakes for other friends and neighbors. So on Wednesday afternoon the three ladies came over and we mixed up two cakes together and baked them in my oven. The ladies mixed up the third cake all on their own and it turned out just like the others! They were so excited with this new skill that they invited the boys and I to come later for the festivities.

This birthday party was one of the most meaningful birthday parties I've ever been to. The birthday boy was turning 6 and when his mother gave a welcome speech to all the guests she shared that she'd lost children before so she decided a few years back to have a special time of prayer and thanks to the Lord every year on her childrens' birthdays. It was a sweet time of singing, encouraging and speaking blessings over the family and birthday boy and then praying together. After the "service" we enjoyed cake, zalabia (doughnuts) and tea. I am thankful for the opportunity this has given us to build new friendships with women off campus.

Birthday Bash

Sunday, the birthday boy

This is Sunday, Eliza's son. Eliza is the amazing woman who helps our family in our home every week. She has worked with us since the very day after we arrived in Melut and she has been such a blessing, I cannot fully express what she means to me! This week she told me that her son's birthday was coming up and that he was requesting that I bake chocolate cake for his party. Today I baked two cakes and the boys and I went to deliver them and join in the festivities.

Eliza with "her boys"

These boys are ready to party!

Eliza made zalabia which are a kind of fried doughnut

Of course we had to pose for a few shots :)

No matter how long I live here, I am always amazed at our friends' hospitality. They welcome us with open arms as one of them. We are so deeply grateful.

Holiday Baking Anyone?

Look at all that cookie dough!

The holiday we at Gideon Theological College are celebrating, or at least preparing to celebrate, is GRADUATION! The graduation for our students who have worked so hard these four years earning their college degree has finally arrived. November 30th is Graduation Day so preparations have already begun on campus: song rehearsals, meetings, food/feast prep, campus cleaning, etc. Today a group of women from our church came to help bake a very large batch of khabiiz (special Sudanese cookies).

They used a special attachment on a meat grinder to form the design on the cookies.

My teammate Amie was trying her hand at cranking the cookies out

Another teammate, Karen, examined the finished work as it headed to the ovens outside.

Outside three different charcoal ovens had their coals stoked and ready. Each batch of cookies only took several minutes since it was so hot!

Serving with a smile

 These types of projects are always so much fun because the ladies joke around, tell stories and drink coffee while they work so it's really just a fun party!

A Highlight of the year for Bethany

 

I shared a few words before and after the film

 Tuesday was a very special day for the women here at Gideon Theological College in Melut, me included! It was the last of our Tuesday afternoon classes taught by Claire Meckler. For several semesters Claire taught a community health class and this semester she did a course on Healing the Wounds of Trauma. To bring the class to a close, we showed the Magdalena film, which is a version of the Jesus film but geared towards the women. Claire encouraged each woman to invite two friends from off campus to come. We had a great turnout.

To surprise and thank Claire for all she's done, the women composed two special songs to sing for her as a farewell (Claire is heading on home assignment in a few weeks.) They also included Karen in the songs who is also leaving next month.

 

 

The women put their money together to buy a nice gift for Claire

and a farewell gift for Karen

 

Mary, one of the student wives, shared briefly from Matthew 13:23, the parable of the seed that falls on good soil. She likened the group of women to good soil that will yield a good harvest.

 

 

After the program the women served juice, tea, and doughnuts to their friends who had come.

Julia looks pretty content with her doughnuts. :)

We praise the Lord for all the progress and growth we've seen in these ladies' lives. And now we prepare to send them out with their husbands to go back to their home churches and villages to minister to women there with the new knowledge they've gained.