We just came back from a really special 3 days out of the city with our good friends Jeff, Heather, and little Jordy Ladine. We drove only an hour out of the city, to the edge of the Great Rift Valley and did what we call, "gourmet camping."
Eli and Evan followed us on the motorcycle
This was the view from our place
Totally relaxed
Lovin' on Little Jordy
The pool was cold but the boys enjoyed cooling off after a long hike
Our three boys
Enjoying the breathtaking view
Mother/Son hike just the two of us
Plenty of rock climbing too!
Jordy was so happy on the walks
Drinking coffee in the most beautiful spot on earth!
Afternoon game of scrabble
Grilling for dinner
Checkers by the fire in the morning
Potty with a view
I am not joking! This was the bathroom! You basically sit and look out at the view of the valley!
The shower's view
And this is how the shower is set up. You shower with one side of the shower completely in the open so you can enjoy the scenery while you shower! And yes we did it!
A cool cave we found on one of our many hikes
Eli and Jeff after a morning hike
We basically spent our days eating, relaxing, and hiking up and down the mountains. There was so much for the kids to explore and we even saw some wildlife. This was just what our boys needed after 2 months of living in the big city. They are definitely bush kids - they love open space and freedom - so they were very happy here.
The timing of this trip with our friends was perfect. Eli and I had just spent the previous days shopping for everything we needed for our new house in Doro, South Sudan where we move on August 4, and then packing it all and weighing it. We had reserved 300 kg thinking it would be more than enough but when it came time to weigh, it tallied up to 298,5 kg!!!! Super close, but still within our limits! So yeah, it had been a stressful week and getting away from it all with good friends was just what we needed - like a last hurrah before heading back to South Sudan for the rest of the year.
We all decided we'd like turns on the motorcycle so Eli took us on some fun trail rides.
This has always been one of our favorite places to be as a couple - on a motorcycle together!
Group photo with the valley in the background
L'ol Dacha was a beautiful place to stay and catch our breath before this next adventure ahead of us.
We are very thankful that we can get just about everything we need here in Kenya! Since our flight back into South Sudan is in 2 weeks, we need to have everything packed and at the office by the end of this week so it can go through processing. Today Eli and I set out to Nakumatt, Kenya's equivalent of a Walmart, with a long list and a cup of coffee in our hands. We were very thankful friends invited our kids to come over to play so we didn't have to drag them along with us!
This is our amazing Nakumatt
After spending 30 minutes in the pharmacy buying medicines for the next 6 months, we spent about 3 1/2 hours in Nakumatt. Since we lost our entire household in Melut, we had to buy things like fans, drawers for clothes, chairs, food items and other essentials like toothpaste and toilet paper.
The crazy thing was that by the time we came to check out and everything was rung up, our Visa card wouldn't go through! Granted we don't usually spend such large amounts of money in one go so our bank in the States must have blocked the transaction. :) Here we were after almost 4 hours of shopping, everything had been rung up, but we couldn't pay for it! After trying a few different ways, Eli went out of the store to an ATM machine and was able to withdraw the amount in cash! He came back to the cashier with very bulging pockets!
How are we going to get all this stuff into this little car?
Sure enough, when Eli went to pay for our parking, the ticket read: 3 hours, 57 minutes. That's how long we'd been shopping!
Yesterday was the 2 month "anniversary" since we were evacuated from our little town, Melut in South Sudan. I feel like it's been a good 2 months and God has taught, grown, and healed our whole family. The exciting thing is that we are now gearing up for what is next. In about 2 weeks, on August 4th, we will fly to Doro, South Sudan, and settle into a new team, new ministry and a new house and try to make it home. When Eli and I first started seriously discussing this possibility I was nervous and did not have any peace about it. With the news of fighting continuing in South Sudan, especially in the Upper Nile region where our mission works, I didn't want to invest in creating a new home if there was a chance we could lose it like we did our home in Melut! But God has been infusing peace and hope into me little by little so that I feel free to be all there and move forward wholeheartedly.
For some reason, whenever we have a pretty big decision in front of us, I expect that God will make our future plans clear in some big, flashy way. But lately I've realized that it's more in the daily obedience and trust that He guides us. I was reminded of this fact this morning in my quiet time. I'm doing a Bible study on Gideon and these verses stuck out to me from Judges 6:11-12,
' Then the angel of the Lord came and sat beneath the great tree at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash of the clan of Abiezer. Gideon, son of Joash, was threshing wheat at the bottom of a winepress to hide the grain from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said, "Mighty hero, the Lord is with you!"'
When you look at those two verses you see that the angel didn't suddenly appear in great splendor or light. The Scriptures say the angel first came, sat down nearby and watched Gideon, and then appeared or came forward to Gideon. The author of my Bible study, Priscilla Shirer says, "Just as the angel came to Gideon, God often comes to us in our boring days - veiled in the most ordinary circumstances. If we only anticipate grandiose events to accompany the times when we encounter Him or hear His voice, we will miss out on many intimate moments in our relationship with God. The mundane, the routine, the commonplace - these are often the contexts in which He will reveal Himself to humanity."
This is exactly how God has been doing His work in our hearts these last few weeks. We have been faithful in seeking Him, marinating in His Word and Truth and committing our future to Him. Rather than a sudden BOOM! as we have been aware of the Lord's presence with us, He has made us aware of what He has next for us.
Yes, things might get tense in Doro and we might even have to leave at some point. But I'm at the point, thanks to the Lord, that I know He would give grace to help us through it so I'm OK with that possibility. That is something only the Lord can do in our hearts and I'm so so grateful for His quiet, gradual work in our lives. I am realizing now that even while I was struggling and felt stuck emotionally, God was doing His beautiful thing in us in His time.
Since we sent out our newsletter yesterday, sharing the news of this move for our family, many have asked how our boys feel about this decision. We've shared it with them and they are really excited too. Our oldest said, "As long as we're in South Sudan, I'm happy." We have shared that we don't know how long God will give us in Doro and that we will need to take life month by month, but we are planning on making it "home" for the unforseeable future.
When you think of our family, please pray for us as we purchase what we need to set up home and pack it all, and as we prepare our hearts and our family for this new move. One verse that keeps coming to mind is Hebrews 11:34 - that one little phrase that says - "their weakness was turned to strength." In this context it's talking about all the heroes of faith including people like Gideon, Samson, David, etc. God turned their weakness to strength and we're trusting God to do the same for us as we move forward.
About a month ago I realized that I needed an outlet, something I could do a few hours a week outside of the apartment building to stay healthy. In God's sweet way, He led me to New Life Home right in my neighborhood! Every Wednesday a babysitter comes to watch the boys from 1-5 pm and I head to the babies home to help wherever they need me. Every week has been different so far. I've been with the one year olds, the real little babies and the crawlers. They are such a joy!
We are actually not allowed to take pictures in the babies home so I haven't taken any but I found this photo online and it looks just like what I see at the babies home. There are 45 babies in this home from newborns to 2 years. Once they're 2 years old, they are moved to a home with older children. This orphanage receives babies left in hospitals or abandoned on the streets. Each and every one is so precious, all with their own beautiful names. I find myself thinking of them and praying for them throughout the week. It's been such a neat experience for me to go each week and hold, feed, tickle and play with these little ones.
I have to admit that since adoption has always been a huge desire of mine, it has been hard to leave the babies home each week and not bring one home with me! How I wish we could be a family to one of these sweet little ones. But adoption and our crazy adventure in South Sudan just don't seem to be matching up right now. The two can't happen simultaneously...at least they haven't been able to yet.
So as long as we're in Kenya I will keep going every Wednesday to this oasis in this huge city and cuddle all the babies I want and remind them that Jesus loves them and so do I.
This is such a fantastic song, I can hardly sing it without crying! I have copied it down and am learning how to play it on the guitar but here are the lyrics in case you couldn't see them properly in the video I've copied to this post.
TRUST IN YOU By Lauren Daigle
Letting go of every single dream, I lay each one down at your feet. Every moment of my wandering,
Never changes what you see.
I've tried to win this war, I confess. My hands are weary, I need your rest.
Mighty Warrior, King of the fight, no matter what I face you're by my side.
When you don't move the mountains, I'm needing you to move.
When you don't part the waters, I wish I could walk through.
When you don't give the answers as I cry out to you.
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You.
Truth is you know what tomorrow brings. There's not a day ahead you have not seen.
So in all things be my life and breath. I want what you want Lord and nothing less.
You are my strength and comfort, you are my steady hand.
You are my firm foundation, the Rock on which I stand.
Your ways are always higher, your plans are always good.
There's not a place where I'll go you've not already stood.
I love to see things click for my kids! This devotional is just one of the zillion ways God went before us this year and prepared the way for what we'd experience as a family. We chose this devotional to do with the kids before bed because we loved the adult version. Later we found out that each of the 365 devotionals focus on comfort and perseverance. It seems like every night the words (and God's Word) are spoken just for us.
A few nights ago we were reading part of the story of Job and suddenly we witnessed a light bulb moment for our oldest. He excitedly exclaimed, "Mom! God is doing for us exactly what He did for Job! After his time of testing and suffering God blessed Job and gave him even more than he had in the beginning." Sure enough, we each started sharing different ways we've seen God provide over and above for us. Their examples were things like:
1. In Melut we just had a small bucket of legos; now we have a whole trunk! (Given and shared from others).
2. The boys had bikes in Melut but they were getting old, falling apart and the boys were growing out of them. They each have a new bike here in Kenya that we've bought from friends.
3. Our apartment is starting to feel crowded because we are accumulating household things from other missionary families - tools, dishes, linens, and school books. I have been so amazed how even people I barely know are bending over backwards to help us gather everything we need for this next school year.
There are many other examples in our home of how God is blessing us beyond what we could have thought possible. Though it's been more than a month now since we were evacuated and lost everything in our South Sudan home, friends and even people we've never met before, continue to share their own things with us. This has been such an encouragement to our faith but even more exciting for me, great moments of learning, growing, and faith-building for our boys. I'm so thankful they're at an age that they are seeing God work and I pray these lessons will stick with them and they will look back and remember them for the rest of their lives!
Last week we went to the Kenyan coast to meet up with Eli's younger brother and his family. After a full and chaotic 6 weeks in Melut, followed by a very sad evacuation and Eli's survey trip back into Melut, we needed some time away. We didn't even take our computer and we shut our phones off. It was just what we needed to spend time with family and relax and play on the beach.
The group
We returned to Nairobi on Sunday evening, refreshed and ready for this next month ahead. Due to needs in our admin/leadership for the SIM South Sudan team, we will continue helping out in the office here in Nairobi through July. During this time we are investigating our options for future ministry, praying, seeking advice, and slowly accumulating/replacing our household things that we lost from our home in Melut.
Many of you have asked what Eli found when he returned to Melut earlier this month. Basically the first thing Eli realized was that stuff was everywhere. Several groups of looters came through our campus and it appeared that they took trunks, boxes, drawers, shelves and just turned them upside down, took what they wanted, and left the rest spread everywhere.
Our kitchen
Our bedroom
Most of the papers were left behind. Here in our bedroom most of the papers were school papers of the boys' and Sunday school teaching materials. Such a sad waste! But Eli was able to salvage what he could, repack it, and lock it up in the school building. Hopefully it won't be looted again.
The Kids' Room
In addition to their toys, clothes and school books, we had several other families' belongings stored in the boy's room. This was all ransacked and left like this.
The college library
Thankfully the desks were all left in the classroom and the majority of the books were left on their shelves in the library. Again, Eli picked up and re-packed what he could.
Student housing - the roof was burned off
A bullet that went right through our front door!
Yes, these pictures are sad and even infuriating to see! But I look at this picture of the bullet hole in our door and I praise the Lord with all of my heart that He rescued our family from here before the rebels came.
This beautiful friend of mine, Rachel (Atong) has been my closest friend from Melut since 2012. We have been through so many hard things together - grieving the loss of her baby born in 2013, followed by the loss of her mother only months later. We have shared our hearts like I never imagined I could with a friend from such a different culture as my own. Atong is a woman with a very strong faith and a beautiful heart. When the fighting returned to South Sudan at the end of 2013, after a very very difficult year for her family, Atong moved to Nairobi, Kenya with her 7 younger siblings. She put all her brothers and sisters into school and pressed on in a very new country.
Now almost two years later the Lord has blessed her with a beautiful daughter she named Elizabeth after Atong's mother. Her Dinka name is Achol, which means "replacement" because Atong lost 2 babies before little Elizabeth. Elizabeth is a miracle baby herself. She was born with spina bifida and had to have two major surgeries at a very young age. She is now a thriving, healthy 4-month old baby girl! God is amazing!
Baby Elizabeth
We all think Elizabeth looks like her aunt, Rejoice
Another of Atong's sisters, Akuot
We shared a beautiful day together, eating and drinking Sudanese coffee and catching up on the last year and a half since we've seen each other. I had a bunch of pictures and videos on my camera from our last weeks in Melut so I shared those with them. It was neat to see them recognize friends in the pictures and I think it was very meaningful for all of us to look through those memories together.
With my sweet Sudanese sisters, Apach on the far left and Atong
With little Elizabeth
I had some fun picking out little gifts for baby Elizabeth since this was my first time to meet her. Here she is sporting her new sweater that I bought for her.
Apach with their live doll
Auntie Claire snuggles Elizabeth
Eli figured Elizabeth needed some "Baba" time since her daddy lives far away in America.
I am so so thankful that the Lord gives us these special gifts of reconnecting with our beloved friends from South Sudan. It is these beautiful friendships that keeps us in this war torn country. Our hearts will forever be in South Sudan and will belong to these amazing people!
Eli arrived back in Nairobi safe and sound yesterday afternoon. The boys and I were waiting to hug and welcome him "home". We are so so happy and relieved to have him home. (My mouth is full of mouth sores which only happens when I'm under a lot of stress.) But now we can all relax, knowing he is safe and well.
We did have a very difficult time as a team last night after the kids were in bed. Claire came to our apartment and Eli shared all the news and showed 188 photos he'd taken from all over the campus. They are heart breaking photos and yet healing in a way too. I will share more in the coming days and weeks. We need time to debrief together and will be going to professionals today for that. Next week we are getting away as a family for the whole week. It was not easy to be separated this past 10 days.
Thank you so much for praying for Eli during his journey and for the kids and I while we held the fort down here in Kenya. We will continue to appreciate your prayers.
Saturday, June 6, was Eli's birthday. But the way he spent his 34th birthday turns my stomach. He finally found a ride from Paloich (where he flew into the previous Thursday) to Melut. The scene that welcomed him when he arrived is hard for me to picture but probably something Eli won't forget anytime soon. Our campus had been looted and Eli said it looked like the looters had pulled everything outside, dumped it upside down, took what they wanted, and left the rest strewn across the campus. After investigating the entire campus. Eli and the Principal of Gideon Theological College decided that they would return on Monday and pack up what was left and store it in the school library. There is always a sliver of hope that GTC will open again someday and we might as well salvage what we can.
The encouraging thing for Eli and Principal Kur is that the buildings are all in tact. They are just empty. It will take a lot of resources and PEACE in order to get the college back up and running and we are praying about what is next for the school.
Today Eli will fly from Paloich, where he's been staying with friends of a friend, to Juba, the capital city of South Sudan. And tomorrow he will fly the rest of the way to us here in Nairobi, Kenya. The boys and I will be waiting anxiously at the airport to hug that man again! It has been a difficult week, being separated, while he experiences such difficult sights and experiences. Please pray for Eli as he returns, that he will be able to process and deal with the grief and sorrow of what has happened to our town, our beloved friends, and our ministry - Gideon Theological College. It is a lot of loss!
I was so amazed at God's loving timing this weekend. While Eli was in South Sudan, my best friend from high school, Emily Greene, flew from her home in Uganda, to spend 3 nights. She was with me when I got the phone call from Eli with all the bad news from Melut. She has been a comfort, a shoulder to cry on, a friend to process with, and loving ear to listen. I truly don't know how I would have gotten through this weekend without her!
God is good - that truth never changes! Even in these difficult circumstances we are amazed at God's power and how He works. We fix our eyes on Him and don't lose hope.
I have been reading Deuteronomy 8 this morning. There is so much about the Israelites that reminds me of myself. Reading this chapter in The Message paraphrase gave fresh meaning. Allow me to share the tidbits I pulled out:
"Remember every road that God led you on, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that He would know what you're made of (prove your character). He put you through hard times. He made you go hungry, then He fed you with manna - so that you would learn you can't depend on yourself. He wants to provide for you."
I've always pondered all the tests God gave His people as they wandered. He wanted to see if they'd believe He would take care of them. All through the Old Testament, Abraham, Noah, Moses, Joshua, they were all pushed to have faith and step out into the great abyss trusting that God had led them that far and He would not leave them now. He would be faithful. He would fight the battle. He would provide. He would be victorious.
In Deut. 8, Moses challenged the people to REMEMBER. Remember every road, even the roads in the wilderness. God made them go hungry so that He could be the one to feed them. I have been thinking about this. Losing our home, belongings, dreams and hopes for our ministry and losing track of our friends, has definitely focused our eyes on the Lord more than ever. We choose not to look anywhere else, but to Him. In the void, we wait, we expect, and we hope. And so far God has provided in such miraculous and unbelievable ways that all we can do is recognize it is from HIM. I wonder if God gives generously, over and above what we expect, so that the glory cannot go to anyone but Him.
Verse 6 continues: so... "it's paramount you keep obeying - walk down the roads He shows you and reverently respect Him." In light of all this. In all the tests and struggles and in His provision, it is of utmost importance that we keep obeying and honor God above everything else. Keep moving forward.
A few verses later comes a promise, a comfort: "God is about to bring you into a good land." From here God will take us somewhere good. But in the goodness and satisfaction of it all, make sure you don't forget God. Make sure you don't become so full of yourself and your things that you forget God - the God who has brought you through so much.
This has caused me to reflect on our 40 days in Melut. I hope we hadn't become carried away with all the ministry opportunities and taken anything for granted. I know we recognized it as all coming from the Lord. We knew He had brought us to Melut for that time. We knew He was granting us strength and power to serve Him.
The warning Moses closes with in this chapter is that if we forget God, it will lead to our doom and destruction. This leads me to pray:
"Lord, help us keep obeying, following you where you lead. Help us to see you in every provision and step. Help us not to forget where all good things come from. You are King. You are the one and only God. We humbly surrender and bow."
Friends and college students praying and dedicating our house in Melut to God
In 2013 when we finished building our home on the Nile River on Gideon Theological College campus, the college community gathered together, ate a few goats and dedicated our house and 2 other homes to the Lord. We knew they were not ours - they were God's. And they still are. This is something I had to remind myself at the end of 2013 when war broke out all over Southern Sudan. And it's something I'm reminding myself of yet again. I can't understand why, even though I know everything in this world is temporary - why do I hold so tightly to some things in this world?
Hosting friends on our porch
Since this house was built in 2013, I believe God has indeed used it for His purposes. In 2014 while we were on home assignment in the States, our teammates lived in it and continued to use its walls for ministering to others. At least 12 different nationalities (probably many more!) have sat in our plastic chairs and enjoyed a cold drink.
So today, while I grieve a little more, (because I really loved that house), I am thankful for that special house on the Nile River and the months our family made memories within its walls. And I pray that somehow, despite the terrible injustice that came to Melut just 2 weeks ago, God will continue to use that house for His plans.
