We have been and still are anticipating many things in the next 2 weeks.
We had been anticipating the return of the Deputy Chairman of the IO forces on Monday. No one was sure what the reception would be like for him and as it turned out it was both good and bad.
We are anticipating the return of the Vice President on the 18th - or at least that is what the media is telling us. No one is sure if he will come back to Juba or not and if he does come what that might mean for the country. Overall people are hopeful that his return will be a good thing and that this country may finally be able to take a real step forward. We shall see.
We are anticipating returning to the States for 3 months. a time to reconnect with grandchildren and meet new grandchildren in person rather than just on Skype. A time to eat foods we have been craving, having long talks with people we have missed and of course a chance to shop for things to bring back.
We are anticipating meeting many new friends that we have gotten to know through email. A chance to put faces to names and tell about South Sudan in a more in depth way.
An update on Pochalla. We have not sent the builder back to Pochalla and now that the rains have started we may opt to try and find someone in Pochalla that can finish the work. We have been told that some materials were stolen (and the thieves caught so maybe the stuff will be returned) and that people are trying to rebuild their burned homes. The people of Pochalla want to move forward but need much prayer to overcome the anger that burns just under the surface.
This last Sunday we visited the Pochalla people who were brought to Juba for medical care. One was a little boy of about 6 who had been shot just over the hip bone on the side and the bullet was in his bladder. To see this young child with bandages all over his abdomen just broke my heart. His mother was killed in the same fighting. So much senseless killing and hurting. I also found it interesting that this little boy was being entertained by playing games on a phone:)
There is also the anticipation of having 7 new students going to Yei Teacher Training College in May! This is really wonderful as we were late getting the applications out and then Yei had to agree to a late start for these students. I admit to being grateful that these students are all from the Juba area so I won't have to try and arrange flights for them!:)
There is one thing I am anticipating that is not so much fun - jet lag. I already have trouble sleeping so who knows what that will do to me. I will be using jet lag as an excuse for anything silly I MIGHT do and I will use it the whole 3 months!! Stop rolling your eyes, family!
Thursday, April 14, 2016
Friday, April 1, 2016
2 steps forward.........
Pochalla. What can I say? Lynn arrived back from Pochalla on the Tuesday the 15 and on Monday the 21st fighting broke out in Pochalla. The contractor and mason were there as well as many other people that we know. We had communication for about 2 days and then the one place that has internet the folks were evacuated. We have been told that in the first 2 days 7 people were killed and since then we have heard that more have been killed. Some people have fled to Ethiopia and others to the bush. Homes have been burned and the rains have started which means people are sleeping out in the open in the rain.
Today we received a letter saying that things are now calm and the people are pleading for aide groups to come back in to help them. We are not sure if the situation is actually safe for our people to go back in. It hurts to know that so many people are hurting and there is not much we can do.
We have been getting caught up on all kinds of paper work this past week. Lynn has things he needs to get done before leaving here so he has been at home on the computer - not the most exciting thing to talk about but it is a big part of his job.
For me, the Treasurer is gone again for about 2 weeks so I don't have a lot to do. I am taking this time to redo my program for keeping the project accounts and playing with the excel program and realizing that I have only scratched the surface on what it can do. Maybe I can find some time in the States to take a class on excel, or find some high school person who would be willing to work with me:) Or maybe I will just go with what I know!
This is a short post but I wanted to let you all know about Pochalla.
Today we received a letter saying that things are now calm and the people are pleading for aide groups to come back in to help them. We are not sure if the situation is actually safe for our people to go back in. It hurts to know that so many people are hurting and there is not much we can do.
We have been getting caught up on all kinds of paper work this past week. Lynn has things he needs to get done before leaving here so he has been at home on the computer - not the most exciting thing to talk about but it is a big part of his job.
For me, the Treasurer is gone again for about 2 weeks so I don't have a lot to do. I am taking this time to redo my program for keeping the project accounts and playing with the excel program and realizing that I have only scratched the surface on what it can do. Maybe I can find some time in the States to take a class on excel, or find some high school person who would be willing to work with me:) Or maybe I will just go with what I know!
This is a short post but I wanted to let you all know about Pochalla.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Lynn is back guests are gone
Lynn left for Pochalla on March first and the plan was for him to come back on the 15th. I admit, I did not have much hope of this happening since our experiences with flying on the UN flights have not gone well. Lynn's plane was to get into Juba at 12:30 and I had laid down for a nap to get rid of a horrible headache at 12. At 12:02 my phone rings and I see that it is the Sat. phone so I know that it is Lynn and he is not on the plane! I really do not like seeing that Lynn is calling on the Sat phone cause it always means bad news. He was wondering if the flight had been cancelled and could I check it out and he would call back. Well, I tried making phone calls but of course the network was not working and I could not get through to anyone!! I went to a co- worker who I know uses 2 different networks and asked her to call for me which she did and then we had to wait for that person to call another person to call another person to get the answer. We wait and wait and I get no call back from Lynn so I am pretty sure the plane showed up and he is on the flight as I am waiting for a call. I finally get a text from Lynn saying they were circling the Juba airport! So, he is back as well as the other two guys who flew out the next day for the States and Kenya! We are back to normal ( yes we are normal!) but still busy.
I told you that the lorry was leaving the same day as Lynn and it did. It got there on the 10th! After flat tires, being robbed, bad directions and more repairs they pulled in very tired and dirty. Nothing was taken from the supplies but our two men, that were traveling with the lorry, got their cell phones and money taken.
While Lynn was gone I seemed to keep pretty busy for about 10 days of that time. Banking is an all day affair here and I was at the bank at least 3 days. Then there is paying bills - you go to the office of the place and of course there is no one there so you ask around and are told he will be there in 5 minutes. Well, I know what 5 minutes means - anywhere from 5 minutes to hours! I wait though cause if I leave and come back another day it could be the same thing. He did come in about 15 minutes so I was happy. Remember, our temperatures have been running 108 -115 and I am sitting in a cement block building with no air conditioning ( trying to get some sympathy here:) ) so is it any wonder that I get BAD headaches?
Ok, so now you know we are still alive and kicking.
Lynn did have a productive time in Pochalla and the foundation has been dug so things are moving along there. The hope is that the building will be done before we leave for the States. I learned about more places in Juba and had good conversations with the taxi drivers. I also learned that many of the shopkeepers like it when Lynn comes in because he talks to them and so when I show up the first thing I am asked is " where is the man?" Guess who gets to do all the shopping when he comes back!:) I do like it that they know we are together and they want to know where he is if I am alone.
Getting excited to see all of you!
I told you that the lorry was leaving the same day as Lynn and it did. It got there on the 10th! After flat tires, being robbed, bad directions and more repairs they pulled in very tired and dirty. Nothing was taken from the supplies but our two men, that were traveling with the lorry, got their cell phones and money taken.
While Lynn was gone I seemed to keep pretty busy for about 10 days of that time. Banking is an all day affair here and I was at the bank at least 3 days. Then there is paying bills - you go to the office of the place and of course there is no one there so you ask around and are told he will be there in 5 minutes. Well, I know what 5 minutes means - anywhere from 5 minutes to hours! I wait though cause if I leave and come back another day it could be the same thing. He did come in about 15 minutes so I was happy. Remember, our temperatures have been running 108 -115 and I am sitting in a cement block building with no air conditioning ( trying to get some sympathy here:) ) so is it any wonder that I get BAD headaches?
Ok, so now you know we are still alive and kicking.
Lynn did have a productive time in Pochalla and the foundation has been dug so things are moving along there. The hope is that the building will be done before we leave for the States. I learned about more places in Juba and had good conversations with the taxi drivers. I also learned that many of the shopkeepers like it when Lynn comes in because he talks to them and so when I show up the first thing I am asked is " where is the man?" Guess who gets to do all the shopping when he comes back!:) I do like it that they know we are together and they want to know where he is if I am alone.
Getting excited to see all of you!
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
Hot, Tired and Busy
Well, we really are not bored anymore!
Hot - well, I count 110 and higher as HOT! The nights don't cool down much, maybe to 80, so I am really happy that we have air-conditioning in our apartment. It is really dry and windy now too so keeping hydrated is a real problem and headaches are a daily thing. Can you tell I am tired?:) I am thankful for the wind as it helps to cool me off when I am out around the city but it also stirs up the dust and aggravates the allergies. It also requires a shower overnight or you leave dusty body prints on the sheets!
Tired - Well, yes we are tired. The heat tires you out more than you realize. Plus, we have had 4 people coming through Juba that we have been doing logistics for and while we do like having visitors it is tiring. It is a good tired though, a sense of having done something and maybe actually successed at doing things in a timely fashion. I have been to the police registration place so many times they recognize me now:) They are very friendly and helpful to me so the process, while long(up to 2 hours) does go smoothly and I leave with a smile on my face.
Lynn is tired for another reason though. He has been getting supplies bought for the school building in Pochalla and arranging for the trucking of these supplies. The lorry(truck) was supposed to go las week but we are praying it is going today. Lynn left today for Pochalla by air. The plan had been for the lorry to go last weekend and arrive about the same time as Lynn but now Lynn will have 3-4 days to wait for the lorry. Not all bad because he can arrange things for when the lorry gets there. He will be gone for about 2 weeks. He will also have some company in Pochalla this time as there is a co-worker from the States and one from Tanzania that will be going to Pochalla on Friday to work on a water project.
So, I think the busy part has been explained too:) Between taking care of visitors I have had numerous trips to the bank trying to arrange accounts to benefit the church here and the visitors that come needing money from the account for their projects.
Things are on edge here in South Sudan. The devaluation of the currency has become a real life threatening issue for many people. Prices have quadrupled in the last few months and it looks like that trend will continue. Many people are starving and crime is on the rise. There has been renewed fighting in several areas of South Sudan which means even more displaced people.
It all makes me feel a little guilty for being able to leave for 3 months and go to the States to see my family and so many of those supporting us.
Hot - well, I count 110 and higher as HOT! The nights don't cool down much, maybe to 80, so I am really happy that we have air-conditioning in our apartment. It is really dry and windy now too so keeping hydrated is a real problem and headaches are a daily thing. Can you tell I am tired?:) I am thankful for the wind as it helps to cool me off when I am out around the city but it also stirs up the dust and aggravates the allergies. It also requires a shower overnight or you leave dusty body prints on the sheets!
Tired - Well, yes we are tired. The heat tires you out more than you realize. Plus, we have had 4 people coming through Juba that we have been doing logistics for and while we do like having visitors it is tiring. It is a good tired though, a sense of having done something and maybe actually successed at doing things in a timely fashion. I have been to the police registration place so many times they recognize me now:) They are very friendly and helpful to me so the process, while long(up to 2 hours) does go smoothly and I leave with a smile on my face.
Lynn is tired for another reason though. He has been getting supplies bought for the school building in Pochalla and arranging for the trucking of these supplies. The lorry(truck) was supposed to go las week but we are praying it is going today. Lynn left today for Pochalla by air. The plan had been for the lorry to go last weekend and arrive about the same time as Lynn but now Lynn will have 3-4 days to wait for the lorry. Not all bad because he can arrange things for when the lorry gets there. He will be gone for about 2 weeks. He will also have some company in Pochalla this time as there is a co-worker from the States and one from Tanzania that will be going to Pochalla on Friday to work on a water project.
So, I think the busy part has been explained too:) Between taking care of visitors I have had numerous trips to the bank trying to arrange accounts to benefit the church here and the visitors that come needing money from the account for their projects.
Things are on edge here in South Sudan. The devaluation of the currency has become a real life threatening issue for many people. Prices have quadrupled in the last few months and it looks like that trend will continue. Many people are starving and crime is on the rise. There has been renewed fighting in several areas of South Sudan which means even more displaced people.
It all makes me feel a little guilty for being able to leave for 3 months and go to the States to see my family and so many of those supporting us.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Making plans
We are making plans to be in the States! Looks like we will be there May through July - a great time for cook outs, picnics, chasing grandchildren around the yard and having time with friends and family.
Of course it is not all vacation time. Actually, very little vacation time but lots of time with new and old friends. We will be traveling around the eastern USA speaking at churches and making new friends and saying thank you to so many who have been supporting us without even meeting us. Ok, quick before some smarty pants says it - maybe they are supporting us because they haven't met us!!:)
We already have speaking engagements in Ohio and are looking forward to making more in other States.
So, until we get Stateside, what are we doing? A cousin of mine always wants to know what our daily lives are like and it is so NOT exciting. We have been spending a lot of time on the computers arranging things for people who are going to be visiting here during the month of February. This morning a spent the morning walking to 2 offices to arrange meeting for one man then met with another man about our visa application. Doesn't seem like much but I felt like I accomplished a lot for a morning!
Lynn is also trying to arrange some transport for building materials to Pochalla so that that project can be underway soon. Yes, this is the same place where Lynn was stuck for almost a week and where he will be going back to very soon.
A couple of weeks ago we were up until 11 or 12 for several nights doing email work. Sometimes I think people forget we are 8 hours ahead of them:) Now we are busy during the day and not quite so much at night which is WAY better. We spend an amazing amount of time figuring out money. The financial situation here in South Sudan is not good. While on paper we have money in the bank, we are not always able to get it out of the bank. This means the Treasurer of the church and I have to sit down and figure out how much is needed in the coming month, let the bank know and then pray they will be able to get us that amount through out the month. Makes for interesting planning.
It is now the season of getting our students back to school and that is a stressful time for me. These students live in, guess where, Pochalla! This means we have to fly them in on a UN plane and getting 4 students on the same flight can be a challenge and then the planes only go once a week. Of course we need them back by a certain time for school so it gets, interesting:)
So, you can see we are not bored or sitting around doing nothing. We both like being busy and that will make the time go fast until we can leave for the States. Hope the grandchildren are ready to be hugged A LOT!
Of course it is not all vacation time. Actually, very little vacation time but lots of time with new and old friends. We will be traveling around the eastern USA speaking at churches and making new friends and saying thank you to so many who have been supporting us without even meeting us. Ok, quick before some smarty pants says it - maybe they are supporting us because they haven't met us!!:)
We already have speaking engagements in Ohio and are looking forward to making more in other States.
So, until we get Stateside, what are we doing? A cousin of mine always wants to know what our daily lives are like and it is so NOT exciting. We have been spending a lot of time on the computers arranging things for people who are going to be visiting here during the month of February. This morning a spent the morning walking to 2 offices to arrange meeting for one man then met with another man about our visa application. Doesn't seem like much but I felt like I accomplished a lot for a morning!
Lynn is also trying to arrange some transport for building materials to Pochalla so that that project can be underway soon. Yes, this is the same place where Lynn was stuck for almost a week and where he will be going back to very soon.
A couple of weeks ago we were up until 11 or 12 for several nights doing email work. Sometimes I think people forget we are 8 hours ahead of them:) Now we are busy during the day and not quite so much at night which is WAY better. We spend an amazing amount of time figuring out money. The financial situation here in South Sudan is not good. While on paper we have money in the bank, we are not always able to get it out of the bank. This means the Treasurer of the church and I have to sit down and figure out how much is needed in the coming month, let the bank know and then pray they will be able to get us that amount through out the month. Makes for interesting planning.
It is now the season of getting our students back to school and that is a stressful time for me. These students live in, guess where, Pochalla! This means we have to fly them in on a UN plane and getting 4 students on the same flight can be a challenge and then the planes only go once a week. Of course we need them back by a certain time for school so it gets, interesting:)
So, you can see we are not bored or sitting around doing nothing. We both like being busy and that will make the time go fast until we can leave for the States. Hope the grandchildren are ready to be hugged A LOT!
Monday, January 11, 2016
Nothing is as we plan
I better get another blog post written before people start wondering where we are:)
I think it is time to catch you all up on how things finally worked out for Lynn leaving Pochalla and the 4 students getting home to Pochalla. Lynn did get out of Pochalla on Monday the 14th - the day we were supposed to leave for Kenya. He sat at the airport pretty much all day waiting to see if any plane would come in that maybe he could get a ride on. A plane did come in and thanks to the help of Othow, our friend who lives in Pochalla, Lynn got a spot on the plane. You see, when planes come in like that it is pretty much every man for himself getting a spot on the plane so there is lots of pushing and shoving going on. I had not heard from Lynn and it was getting towards 5:30 pm and I was feeling like I did not want to look at my phone or turn the computer on and see a message from him. About that time Lynn walks in the door! I had been able to change our flights to Thursday the 17th with only a minor cost so we were set to go.
The students from Pochalla arrived in Pochalla on Christmas Eve! I have never been so thankful to hear about people getting on flights.
The week we left Juba the President had changed the bank rate to a free market rate which means that the bank rate was now able to try and keep up with the black market rate. The bank rate had been around 3 and the black market around 19 so you can see that this was a problem. Now the problem is that goods and fuel have tripled in price and some things are no longer available. It has been a challenge to get money ( US dollars) out of the bank even from our Dollar account so this has really put a road block up for getting things done.
We had planned to leave for Kenya on the 14th and those plans changed to the 17th.
We had planned for the students to be home on the 9th and that changed to the 23rd.
We had planned to start getting things ready to send to Pochalla for building but with the cost of things those plans are changing.
We had planned to get money from the bank but those plans have changed.
God does not change!
I was asked recently what we do on a regular day. I am not sure we have a regular day but the day I was asked that had been an interesting day. We met with the Moderator to get a check to see if we could get some dollars from the bank. We were at the bank for 1 1/2 hours spending most of the time talking with a manager of some sort. We talked about the war, his being in a displaced persons camp, people who come to help versus those who come to see what they can get and about Lynn and I meeting in Juba. It was a nice time of visiting and hearing someone else's ideas and then on top of that we were able to get some money!
So, here we are again, waiting for the office people to come back from the month long Christmas break. We need to be getting supplies bought for Pochalla and are looking forward to a visit from Michael Weller in February.
Oh, and Lynn's frozen shoulder is starting to thaw:)
I think it is time to catch you all up on how things finally worked out for Lynn leaving Pochalla and the 4 students getting home to Pochalla. Lynn did get out of Pochalla on Monday the 14th - the day we were supposed to leave for Kenya. He sat at the airport pretty much all day waiting to see if any plane would come in that maybe he could get a ride on. A plane did come in and thanks to the help of Othow, our friend who lives in Pochalla, Lynn got a spot on the plane. You see, when planes come in like that it is pretty much every man for himself getting a spot on the plane so there is lots of pushing and shoving going on. I had not heard from Lynn and it was getting towards 5:30 pm and I was feeling like I did not want to look at my phone or turn the computer on and see a message from him. About that time Lynn walks in the door! I had been able to change our flights to Thursday the 17th with only a minor cost so we were set to go.
The students from Pochalla arrived in Pochalla on Christmas Eve! I have never been so thankful to hear about people getting on flights.
The week we left Juba the President had changed the bank rate to a free market rate which means that the bank rate was now able to try and keep up with the black market rate. The bank rate had been around 3 and the black market around 19 so you can see that this was a problem. Now the problem is that goods and fuel have tripled in price and some things are no longer available. It has been a challenge to get money ( US dollars) out of the bank even from our Dollar account so this has really put a road block up for getting things done.
We had planned to leave for Kenya on the 14th and those plans changed to the 17th.
We had planned for the students to be home on the 9th and that changed to the 23rd.
We had planned to start getting things ready to send to Pochalla for building but with the cost of things those plans are changing.
We had planned to get money from the bank but those plans have changed.
God does not change!
I was asked recently what we do on a regular day. I am not sure we have a regular day but the day I was asked that had been an interesting day. We met with the Moderator to get a check to see if we could get some dollars from the bank. We were at the bank for 1 1/2 hours spending most of the time talking with a manager of some sort. We talked about the war, his being in a displaced persons camp, people who come to help versus those who come to see what they can get and about Lynn and I meeting in Juba. It was a nice time of visiting and hearing someone else's ideas and then on top of that we were able to get some money!
So, here we are again, waiting for the office people to come back from the month long Christmas break. We need to be getting supplies bought for Pochalla and are looking forward to a visit from Michael Weller in February.
Oh, and Lynn's frozen shoulder is starting to thaw:)
Tuesday, December 22, 2015
Here we are in Kenya. Today is a beautiful day with sunshine and 80 degrees. One of the things I love about Nairobi is that just about anytime of the year it is nice enough to eat outside! Most restaurants have outdoor seating, actually more outdoor than indoor:)
As we are here, eating good food, shopping for things to take back and enjoying the cooler temperatures, I feel guilty. There are four young men who have not been home since January and they are sitting in Juba trying to find a way home. These men are in the Teacher Training Program through the Education Project that we work with. After classes ended the beginning of December we flew them to Juba so they could then get on flights to their home town of Pochalla. Yes, the same Pochalla that Lynn got stuck in:) We had 3 flights fall through and are now hoping for a flight tomorrow. Please pray that these men get on that flight! These men are polite, kind young men who keep telling us that God is with them and that He knows their need. Not sure I could be that positive if I was them! They have to leave their homes again the beginning of Feb. to be gone another year for school.
While here in Nairobi we always try to get medical stuff done. Lynn has just had it confirmed that he is getting older - he now has a frozen left shoulder! :) This will get better with exercises. Maybe Lynn is right, he can never retire because then his body will fall apart. Oh, man is he going to get me for writing this.:)
It is hard to believe that Christmas is just days away. We are going to keep the Kandel tradition of Ethiopian food for supper Christmas Eve, it just will not be with our children who will be doing the same thing about 8 hours after we eat ours. While at the mall the other day we had the opportunity to listen to a band playing Christmas music. It reminded me of the days when Dana was in band in high school - good memories! It also helped to focus me on the time of year we are in and to think about the meaning of this time of year. It really is the simple things that bring us the most joy.
Enjoy time with your families and thank our heavenly Father for the life He has given us.
As we are here, eating good food, shopping for things to take back and enjoying the cooler temperatures, I feel guilty. There are four young men who have not been home since January and they are sitting in Juba trying to find a way home. These men are in the Teacher Training Program through the Education Project that we work with. After classes ended the beginning of December we flew them to Juba so they could then get on flights to their home town of Pochalla. Yes, the same Pochalla that Lynn got stuck in:) We had 3 flights fall through and are now hoping for a flight tomorrow. Please pray that these men get on that flight! These men are polite, kind young men who keep telling us that God is with them and that He knows their need. Not sure I could be that positive if I was them! They have to leave their homes again the beginning of Feb. to be gone another year for school.
While here in Nairobi we always try to get medical stuff done. Lynn has just had it confirmed that he is getting older - he now has a frozen left shoulder! :) This will get better with exercises. Maybe Lynn is right, he can never retire because then his body will fall apart. Oh, man is he going to get me for writing this.:)
It is hard to believe that Christmas is just days away. We are going to keep the Kandel tradition of Ethiopian food for supper Christmas Eve, it just will not be with our children who will be doing the same thing about 8 hours after we eat ours. While at the mall the other day we had the opportunity to listen to a band playing Christmas music. It reminded me of the days when Dana was in band in high school - good memories! It also helped to focus me on the time of year we are in and to think about the meaning of this time of year. It really is the simple things that bring us the most joy.
Enjoy time with your families and thank our heavenly Father for the life He has given us.
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