Christmas decorating

 After breakfast this morning we pulled out our new artificial Christmas tree and dusted it off. Then while Eli figured out the lights, the boys and I made some of our own ornaments this year. Here Isaac is painting a butterfly.

 Then we pulled out all the ornaments we brought from the States

 The boys had fun placing the ornaments on the trees.

 Here are a few ornaments Evan made all on his own

 We also have a mini tree that we set up with some beads and lights.

Ta-da! Finished product. Merry Christmas!

Happy Boys

As I mentioned before, the boys are really happy to be back too. They had a great first day back at school after being out for a month! When they went out to play with their friends this afternoon they were thrilled to discover that a truck had dumped large loads of rocks and sand right in the area behind our building.

Getting right back into the swing of things

 We got back to Khartoum on Thursday night. It was perfect timing because in Sudan the weekend is Friday and Saturday so we got 2 full days to unpack and get settled before school started up today for us and for the boys. We spent most of Friday walking around the neighborhood visiting all our friends and letting them know we were back in town. Yesterday our landlady, Layla, who lives in the apartment below us, came up to my kitchen to show me how to cook several mutton dishes. It was great Arabic practice and good bonding for us. It meant so much to us that she'd saved a portion of sheep for us in her freezer while we were away (they celebrated Eid - a special festival -  while we were away and the custom is to slaughter a sheep.)

This morning the boys were so excited to go to school that we were all ready early. When we went outside to wait for their minibus, the bus flashed its lights in excitement and of course they've had lots of hugs and kisses to welcome them back. Eli and I also started back at Arabic school this morning. We thought we'd forgotten quite a bit but it's amazing how quickly it all comes back! So thankful for that.

Trip to Melut

Over the past week I (Eli) have been in Melut, South Sudan to investigate a possible ministry location for our family after language study.  Gideon Theological College was started here by the Sudan Interior Church and the Sudan Church of Christ over 30 years ago.  The war caused it to shift locations but now it is back in Melut and it has a wide and deep needs.  Here are a few pictures:

Chris Crowder, director of SIM Sudan in the library.  3 full shelves of English volumes and 1 shelf of Arabic.  There are many books waiting to be shelved too.

The Tukul (hut) where we stayed for the week.  It was very windy and freezing cold in the morning but warmed up in the afternoon.  The water was wonderful for swimming although I did keep close to the shore.  The beauty of the sunsets was astonishing.

There is only one classroom right now.  GTC has 18 students.  They are all in their 3rd year of pursuing their Bachelor of Arts, a four year program.

The sunrise on the morning we left.  You can see a fisherman already out in his wooden canoe.

Chris Crowder, Hellene Samia (head teacher of our SIC Secondary School), Hiakie Hegui (SIC Secondary School), and Dr. Donker (present Academic Dean of GTC) at the entrance to the college.

Any verse come to mind when you see a weapon turned into a tool?  There is a vise welded to the top of this exploded bomb.  Check out Isaiah 2:4.  This is our prayer for this place.

The needs of GTC are immense.  There is great need to build more teacher housing, student housing and classrooms.  There is great need for teachers.  There is great need for partners to give scholarships and financially back the school.  Do you see a way for you to meet any of these needs?

More news from Sudan

November 27, 2011:Refugee Numbers Increasing in Doro; Inadequate Food/Water/Medical Care

 Based upon an assessment from Samaritan's Purse, here's what we now know about the current situation in Doro:

The UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) has registered 8,700 refugees in the Doro area, but the numbers are expected to increase, as entire villages of people are migrating down across the border, heading for Maaban County. Very shortly, it is expected the numbers will surpass 10,000.

· Inadequate food supply: the UNHCR has already distributed and ran out of their food stocks; the World Food Programme has yet to appear on the scene. Food available in the markets is insufficient to feed the swarms of refugees now camped out in the area. Refugees who have been walking for weeks/months are severly malnourished.

· Water & Sanitation: the average wait at one of the 3 boreholes within walking distance of the camp is 4-5 hours. Lack of proper latrines, basic hygiene supplies, and clean water is likely to lead to a disease outbreak.

· Health: Hospital patient numbers continue to rise as refugee population swells. There is limited nursing/hospital staffing. Dr. Atar, with support from Samaritan's Purse, is setting up a clinic with surgical capacity in Bunj. Medecins Sans Frontiers ("Doctors Without Borders") is moving in to set up a temporary medical facility which will most likely focus on critical care.

· Security: There have been very large troop buildups to secure the border of Upper Nile. There is minimal troop presence in Doro, mainly those in transport to the border regions. Aside from hearing Antenovs circling occasionally, there are no security indicators to point towards a northern attack on Upper Nile. There have recently been nightly bombings in Yabus (Blue Nile State), however there have not been any additional across-border bombings in Upper Nile as of late.

 SIM Sudan is sending in an assessment team next week, flying into Doro on Tuesday, November 29th, which will hopefully lead to a strategic plan for how we can play a role in the relief work among refugees in the area, while partnering with the local church. A few of their objectives will be: (1) Explore how our facilities can be used as a blessing in the crisis (2) Evaluate nutritional needs and leprosy care (3) Encourage our staff (4) Evaluate the current medical ministry (5) Assess security that would directly affect SIM missionaries (6) Make further instruction to employees

 Critical questions: "How is God moving in this situation? How do we fit into His plan? How can we partner with the Sudanese church to provide relief to these refugees? Where will the funding come from?"

 All of these questions can be overwhelming. SIM Sudan may not be poised as a relief organization, but Jesus responded with compassion when He saw the crowds. (Matt. 9:36, Matt. 14:14, Matt. 15:32) How might we follow His example?

Recent News from our area of Sudan

November 22, 2011

 Situation in Doro, eastern Upper Nile State, South Sudan - Plans for a Permanent UN Camp

 Through various sources, we’ve been able to gather some information on the situation in Doro. What we do know: Tens of thousands of refugees are streaming in from Blue Nile region, and have camped out at Doro, as they are not allowed in the neighboring trading center of Bunj. The sea of people stretches for many kilometers.

 We have heard that conditions are very bad. Young and old are suffering, as they have walked many kilometers without adequate food or water. (Some have been walking for up to a month, coming from Blue Nile Region.) Last night, temperatures dropped to 66 degrees Fahrenheit (19 Celsius), leaving blankets and clothing wet from heavy dew, presenting a risk of hypothermia. The UN has now assumed responsibility for refugees in this area (they are “wards” of the UN), and our understanding is that the UN plans to set up a permanent camp in Doro.

 In regards to security, there have been no bombings within Upper Nile region since the last incident in New Guffa. Many bombings have been reported inside Blue Nile State (ie. Chali, Yabus airstrip, Bellatuma), and theoretically, bombing in Doro is still a possibility. However, two SPLA (army of South Sudan) divisions have formed a defensive curtain along the border between South Sudan and Sudan. Many have cited the possibility of cross-border militia attacks.

 As of now, the UNHCR (UN High Commissioner for Refugees) has a presence in Doro, along with a handful of other volunteers from various NGOs. The Doro Primary Health Care Unit is currently being operated by our Community Health Workers, trained by Barb Hartwig and Vicki Beattie in the CHW program. Dr. Atar, a Sudanese doctor from Kurmuk, has set up his operations in Bunj clinic, with support from Samaritan’s Purse (SP). SP is sending an assessment team of 3-4 people into Doro this week to determine the current situation, and to do a basic security, health and WASH (Water and Sanitation) assessment. SIM is open to sending in a similar team for assessment purposes, to determine what the current patient load is at the clinic, and to collect accurate data on the situation in Doro.

 Now that Doro village is host to tens of thousands of refugees, we believe that the human landscape of Doro area has been completely altered. Our brothers and sisters from the SIC church of Blue Nile have scattered to Ethiopia and to Bunj. God’s people, who became a church through SIM’s efforts, are now in trouble again.

 We covet your prayers as we wrestle with these questions, desiring to be sensitive to God’s leading.

· Pray that SIM’s Safe Drinking Water program, based in Doro can respond through our borehole drilling partners

· Pray for protection for the young and the old

· Pray for permanent camp facilities to develop quickly

· Entreat the Lord for workers to help reopen the SIM Doro PHCC

· Pray that the bombing and militia attacks in Blue Nile would cease

Reports from our SIM bases in Sudan

Thursday, Nov. 10: Our 6 team members from Doro have arrived safely to Nairobi, and are now settling into their respective homes and guesthouses.  The nightly sounds of bombardment from 30 to 40km away have been taking an emotional toll on them. Pray that this would now be an opportunity for rest and refreshment.

 The Blue Nile conflict at this point is threatening the security of the Doro base. However, all other bases (Melut, Malakal, and Thiangrial) are secure and unaffected. Although we are looking for other flights of opportunity, the remaining 5 team members will exit Doro on Monday 14 November by MAF charter. They are tired but doing well.

Update on Doro team (11 Nov 12:21pm South Sudan time)

MAF has redirected a flight to pick up our last 5 team members in Doro at 1:30pm this afternoon. They will be flown to Juba, sleep there overnight at the MAF compound, before heading to Nairobi on an MAF flight Saturday.

 The situation is still deteriorating in the area, and there have been a total of three bombings across the border into Southern Sudan. The Doro team will remain in Nairobi until there is a semblance of security and stability in the the region. Streams of refugees have been pouring into the Doro area from Blue Nile State. Refugees are camping out around the clinic, for access to the borehole and medical attention. Please pray for our Sudanese staff who are continuing to keep the clinic running at a PHCU level (Primary Health Care Unit).

Pray for Bob Ihrig, Karissa Cail, Christiane Fox, Sheila West, and Neil ingall, as they are in transition. We thank God for giving them a measure of courage to persevere through difficult circumstances and close down the base in a thorough and efficient manner. Pray that a hedge of protection would guard the Doro base throughout this turbulent period.

Prayer Points:

· Please pray for the clinic as it reverts back to PHCU (Primary Health Care Unit) staffed by Sudanese community health workers.

· Pray for group debrief sessions in the coming weeks.

· Pray that the Lord would hold back conflict and restrain war-like political threats.

Grieving

                                                                 Where to start?

We spent the years 2007-2010 in a beautiful, very rural area of South Sudan called Yabus. We joined an international team and settled into our new home with a 2 year old and a 1 year old. Our first year was full of learning the culture, learning Arabic, learning how to cook on charcoal, washing clothes by hand, learning how to kill snakes, scorpions and other freaky insects and bats, and building relationships with the beautiful Sudanese people we’d loved even before we arrived.

            Originally we were only supposed to spend 6 months in Yabus for culture and language study but we fell in love with the people and area and saw endless opportunities we could plug into ministry, so we stayed. We raised our family of boys there those 3 years. Bush life was all they knew. Our youngest son, Joshua came to Yabus at only 2 months of age.

            In April 2010 we packed up our Yabus home and stored it in a metal container to leave for a 9 month home assignment, expecting to come right back. Instead we decided to first spend a year in North Sudan to study Arabic further before returning. During the past few months as we’ve lived in Khartoum, the situation in Blue Nile State and Yabus has gone from bad to worse. After the separation of North and South Sudan in July 2011, Blue Nile State is now considered North Sudan. So really it was a matter of time before the North came to “claim” their land. But the way they have claimed it has killed, injured, and terrorized many many people. Thousands of people have fled to refugee camps in Ethiopia and other states further south in Sudan. There has been bombing in the towns north of Yabus and in Yabus as well. Our team had to evacuate in June and then again in August, this time for good. This week we heard from our compound manager that army troops came to the compound and took our truck and quad bike and have probably taken other things from our compound.

            This is a great loss. Everything we poured our lives into those 3 years is gone. I’m not worried about the stuff. But everyone we ever greeted and loved on has had to run for their lives. They’ve left homes, gardens, goats, everything they own to flee to a place where they probably won’t have those things. How do they feel? What are they thinking? I don’t know how to process all of this. I feel like a huge chunk of my heart has been cut out and something is dying inside of me. Is this how it’s going to continue to be? After language school when we move to a new place, might we have to hold lightly and recognize that we might have to leave again? This is way harder than saying goodbye. When and how will I ever see all those friends, those brothers and sisters again?

            When we first came to Sudan in 2007, a very experienced missionary who’d lived in multiple countries in East Africa, including Sudan during the war, told us, “Be careful not to pour too much effort into buildings and stuff that can fall apart or be destroyed. Pour into people. If a building is toppled, a person still survives and what you’ve poured into them still survives wherever they go.” Now I see what he means. Eli sweat and spent many months building the secondary school, buildings on our compound, a water system from the river, and the Unity Bridge. What will that all come to? I don’t know. But we also poured even more into those dear people from 5 different tribes. We lived with them. We ate with them. We did life on life. And I pray that as I grieve this loss that I will remember that God goes with His children, most especially in their suffering and sorrow, and I pray that whatever Hope He planted in their hearts, will burn now more than ever, and grow their faith to get them through this season. And I pray that God will teach us more about Himself and how He wants to use us in this torn up nation.

 Our Yabus Compound

The boys spent many hot afternoons down at the river with their friends

Joshua was right at home in Yabus -  happy and content

Unity Bridge - an effort made by 5 tribes and Eli that took a year and a half to complete but changed life for the whole community every rainy season thereafter.

my sweet lady friends - the wives of our BELC students (adults going through primary school)

Heading to Kenya

On November 2, in the middle of the night, we'll get on a plane to fly to Kenya for a 2 week break. We weren't planning on leaving but since we have a week off of school anyway in early November for a local holiday and we've been feeling in need of a vacation lately, we decided to do it. We're all looking forward to no school for 2 weeks (the boys are more excited than we are!), 20 degrees cooler, green grass, and seeing our friends and other teammates in Kenya. Our aim is to return refreshed and invigorated to finish the next 6 months of language study even stronger!

Lessons Learned

Yesterday I ate some pie.  Unfortunately, it was humble pie.  Now we all know that this kind of pie is homemade and the bigger the mistake, the bigger the humble pie you need to eat.

I could write out the story (which is rather unexciting) and I could give my justifications for being right (which are many in my mind) but it all comes down to realizing that I was acting appropriately in my own culture but extremely inappropriate in the Sudanese context.  In fact, while I was aiming to be fair, honest, and firm, it was coming across as rude, spiteful, unfair, selfish, miserly, insolent, disrespectful, and downright mean.  Did I mention that I ate a lot of pie? 

I know this is a bit like starting out by saying, “Oh, You won’t believe what happened today!” or “I heard the funniest joke today!” but then not telling you but ask me in a few years and perhaps I’ll be ready to tell you then.  

However, important reflections include:

1. I, as the foreigner, should be ready and willing to accept the customs and common practices of the host culture even though they are, in some cases, illegal in my home country.  For instance, every day we load our children into a 14 passenger school van that only has three seat belts for the 192 children stuffed into it.
2. The only way for many people to survive in times of trouble is by coming together and sharing the cost.  Imagine you have no insurance for your house, car, property, or business.  Instead, your family, friends and neighbors are your insurance; that is how we operate here.  As relatively wealthy foreigners, we will be asked to help out.  A lot.
3. Who is talking matters a lot more than what is being said.  That means when older people are talking, it is time to be quiet.  It also means having advocates in the community can get you out of some pretty sticky messes.  They know how to smooth things over while you (by ‘you’, I mean ‘I’) would probably just create a bigger mess.  

Hopefully no more pie for a while. -Eli

A trip to the Pyramids and Nile River

 Yesterday we spent a fun day outside of the city. We drove about 3 1/2 hours north of Khartoum to a place called Meroe where there are about 100 ancient pyramids. Egypt is known for their famous pyramids but Sudan apparently has even more than Egypt does! The main difference is that the Sudanses pyramids are smaller, but very similarly built.

 There were lots of fun places to explore and large sand dunes that the boys ran up and down.

 We are definitely in the desert!

 There were a bunch of men with their camels who offered us rides. Josh and I were happy just to pet one but Isaac, Evan, and Eli rode them.

 After the pyramids, on our way home, we stopped at a lovely place on the Nile River for a picnic lunch and a fun boat ride.

It was so refreshing to get out of the city for the day and see some new scenery. And it's so interesting to learn more about this marvelous country!

Lessons in Language Learning

With 4 months of intensive Arabic language study under my belt, I've had a chance to recognize some very valuable lessons I've learned along the way. Allow me to share them:

·         Be careful! It’s really easy to start comparing yourselves to others who are catching on faster or moving faster. Don’t compare yourself!!!! Remember that people progress at different rates.

·         Do the best you can with the time and energy you have and be content with that.

·         When you hit a plateau or feel like you’re not really making any progress, remember that your brain is quickly filling with TONS of new information. It needs to make new channels to put all the new information and make sense of it all, so sometimes it gets “backed” up but it will be able to use the new information eventually.

·         Learn to laugh at yourself and not get too bugged with your mistakes.

·         Take every opportunity you can to practice. Try not to speak English as often as you can (with nationals.)

·         Get plenty of sleep. 

·         Learn to NOT take comments people make personally. I am pretty sensitive and I’ve been offended or had my feelings hurt way too many times. I’m trying to practice letting those comments roll off my shoulders and many times I have to pray about it and ask God to change my attitude so it won’t get me down.

It's not easy learning a new language but boy is it worth it! I've learned so much more than a language.

Reflections

I am a huge fan of reflection. I think our faith and trust in God grows as we look back on our lives and remember how God has been faithful and reflect on what He’s been doing in our lives. Today has been reflection day—looking back at the last 4 months we’ve been in Khartoum, North Sudan.

Looking back through my journal I realized that before we arrived in Khartoum, I had a lot of fear and uncertainty about what life would be like  here: how would we manage living in such intense heat, how would the kids handle another change, and would we really be able to make progress in our Arabic study?

It’s been a challenging 4 months but as I reflect I am dazzled by God’s goodness and provision for our family. The boys have adjusted beautifully, love their Arabic school, are progressing in their Arabic, and have many friends at school and in the neighborhood. God gives us grace everyday to endure the heat and we’re thankful for coolers and fans in the house. As far as our Arabic study, instead of one school we attend 2 different programs and we believe we’ve come a long way. We are complimented in the market and everywhere we go because we can communicate in their language.

I think the most unexpected blessing from God’s hand has been the amazing friends we’ve made here. I imagined we’d be so busy with language school we wouldn’t have a chance to be very involved in our community but God has given us that joy. After 4 months of pouring into our friendships, we feel we have a good base now to share more deeply of our Savior and our walk with Him.

Other things we’re thankful for are:

· our SIM team, though small we’re tight.

· Our comfortable home.

· Full monthly support from those back home.

· A great international church that we attend here.

· Expatriate friends to share, pray, and encourage each other.

Wedding Season

 We've been to 2 weddings in 5 days. I know that's typical in the States especially in the summer months but it's mid September. We recently learned that there is a small window of time between 2 of their special holidays: Eid al-Fitr and Eid a-Dahiya when it is good luck to get married. So this is the wedding season. On our way to our 2nd wedding last night we passed at least 5 other weddings just on one street!
Unfortunately our camera isn't working well at night so these aren't the best pictures but hopefully you can still get a taste of the celebrations. In the first picture above, note that the bride doesn't look all that thrilled.

 This wedding was a Nubian wedding. The Nubians live in the far north of Sudan and are a very unique tribe. As the bride and groom made their grand entrance to the party, a special band and group of 3 lady dancers led the way before them.

 Here comes the bride! A pattern we're noticing is that the bride looks to be at least 15 years younger than the groom.

 This is the band that played a little parade in front of the bride and groom.

 After some nice food and drinks, everyone got out on the dance floor, This was our boys' first Sudanese wedding experience. Evan danced for about 1 minute but Josh enjoyed the dancing and stayed close to Eli in the men's line. The men stand in a long line holding hands with their fingers intertwined, rocking their upper bodies to the beat of the drum and music. The women do the same thing facing the men. It was very cool. The other American woman you see here is Heather our teammate dressed in traditional dress.

 The guys were really getting into it here. The guy next to Eli is Sam, our dear friend who is related to the bride and groom.

The wedding was a splash of vibrant colors. Since we live in the dry dusty desert, I felt like it was a feast for my eyes to see all the sparkles and bright colors. Women came decked out in beautiful traditional toobs, jewelry, henna on their hands and feet, and high heels. This is the back of one of the dancing lines.
We had a wonderful time. There is a law in the city that parties have to die down by 11 pm (especially turning off the loud music the bands play). We were amazed how well the boys did staying out until about 11:30 pm when we finally tucked them into bed. This morning I find myself hoping we'll get another wedding invitation soon. :)

Getting ready for a wedding - Sudanese style

 Our neighbor's daughter got married yesterday and we got to finally experience their wedding customs. The first thing I Bethany got to do was go to a "kofeer" for the first time - a ladies salon. I went with my neighbor friend Maisoon and since it takes some time to draw on and then dry, I got to chat with the other ladies getting henna done as well.

 Apparently when you have henna done, it's imperative you wear heels to show it off!

 An hour before the wedding I went over to Maisoon's house because she wanted to get me ready. She first took a straight edge razor to my face and removed all my peach fuzz! Then she caked my face with powder, loads of eyeshadow, rouge and lipstick. The finishing touch was putting the traditional tobe (Rhymes with robe) on - what a true married Sudanese woman wears!

Since the wedding didn't start until 9 pm, our teammates stayed home with our boys and Eli and I anticipated a fun date. We arrived to find that men and women sit separately so it wasn't exactly the date we expected but it sure was fun. Eli had quite different experiences, including a special ceremony earlier on the wedding day to witness the signing of the marriage certificates/agreements (only men and by special invitation). He offered to write about his side of the story...more to come.

The grand finale to our week off

 Last week we had a week off of school - both for us and the kids. Since it was a week long holiday we enjoyed visiting our neighbors and meeting new families in our community that we hadn't met before. We finished off the week with a night at a beautiful hotel here in town. Our teammates heard of a special deal they were giving for the holiday weekend so we decided to go together and enjoy some pampering before we all jumped back into intensive Arabic study again. :)

 The next morning we enjoyed a beautiful buffet breakfast including omelets, waffles, bacon and sausages (not pork) and even chocolate donuts!

 Isaac shows off his chocolate donut

We spent most of the 2 days down at the pool swimming and relaxing.

Pray for our Yabus family

This weekend we heard very sad news that there has been fighting (bombing and shooting from the air) in our area Yabus (where we spent 3 years) and the cities nearby to the north. Our colleague wrote a beautiful blog about God's provision for our teammates in evacuating them and protecting them from all harm. Please read her account at: www.africanurse.blogspot.com
   And please please pray for the violence and fighting to stop quickly. We will keep you updated....