new beginnings

It has been awhile since I last wrote - my excuse? Waiting until after Christmas and New Years and then waiting for our next change.

We start the new year with a new job. We are now the Regional Liaisons for Sudan, Ethiopia and South Sudan!. We will continue to live here in Juba and travel to the other countries as needed and will continue to be involved with the Education Project.

Ok, I admit that as soon as we started getting all the emails and info on this new job (after accepting the position) I wondered if we had made a mistake:) Not really, but you know how it is when you start a new job and things seem overwhelming? Well that is a little bit how we feel but I think it is mostly because we have not had our orientation yet. We will be in the States for 10 days of RL orientation in March. I wish we would have time to travel and see so many people but it will be a quick trip. At least with this new position we have the perk of 2 trips to the States each year - you  know, so we can stock up on food......oh, and see family too! Really those trips are to talk with different Mission Networks so they are work trips.

So, how was our Christmas and New Years? Very quiet! So thankful for no renewed fighting in Juba but heartbroken over the fighting in Yei and other parts of South Sudan. Most of the NGO's and church people all leave over the holidays and many are just now getting back. The restaurants were empty and getting a bus or rickshaw was easy. But! Juba is really boring with many people gone and there is really nothing to do here except go out to eat. Ah, well, at least we do not have to deal with snow and ice!!!

I truly believe God led us to this new position and I think we will like it once we get some things figured out. I told Lynn last night that I really do have peace with living here and while I miss family I know I this is where I am to be and I am happy with that.

As we celebrated Christmas with a local congregation I was again struck with the joy they express in their faith. Most would not have had any kind of presents or anything special other than a LONG church service and, for some, time with family. Some how the parents were able to buy new clothes or shoes for their children and, believe me, those kids were proud!!

We are going to Ethiopia on the 23rd of January to meet the folks there that we will be working with. We will be in Addis most of the time but will also go to Gambella to see the Wellers and meet folks there. The Gambella part will be a bit of a trip down memory lane for me as that is where dad went all the time. So, I think you can expect to see another blog after we get back from that trip.

getting older

Ok, I know that I am getting older - the grey hair, aching joints and forgetfulness won't let me forget it! Yesterday I was reminded again that I am not 25, 35 or even 45.

We went to church with a couple from MCC that are here for 2 weeks and they brought us back to our apartment in their Landrover. Some of you know what those are like to get in and out of. These are the older ones that have the bench seats in the back and no step to help you get in the back. Well, I got in(kind of crawled) ok but getting out proved to be entertaining for everyone on the street! The guard was helping me out by offering me his hand to balance with as I jumped out. As my left foot hit the ground my knee did not like that and the leg collapsed under me causing me to swing around in a circle still holding onto the guards hand and almost puling him down with me as I ended up sitting on the street! The poor guard felt so bad but everyone else on the street got a good laugh out of it and Lynn said I did not stick my landing so points were deducted from my score. Maybe I need to start carrying a step stool with me:)

On top of that our elevator is not working in the building so we are having to walk up the steps to the 4th floor and man did my knee not like that!! Even with all of that we still really like our new place:)

We moved!

I know it has been a long time since I last wrote:( I was waiting until we made the move so I would have plenty to talk about and pictures to share.

When we returned our old apartment building was on limited power which means limited electricity and internet. The hours kept changing and there did not seem much hope in it getting better so Lynn and I started looking around for a new place. It is not like you can call a realtor or look places up on the internet - you walk around and just stop at places and ask. We saw anything from a a place that all the materials were brought in from Lebanon and was really nice and the same price as our old place BUT it was a place I would have been embarrassed to have my South Sudanese friends come to.Then there was the place that was much cheaper but was even smaller than where we were and had no kitchen to speak of. Lynn was in old Juba town at a hardware store that he shopped at in 1980 and he asked the guy working there about apartments and he told us about this place! When we first looked at it we figured there is no way we can afford it but the guys quickly came down in price so we showed it to our co-worker (she moved with us) and asked the church folks about the location and ended up moving here! Our old place was 400 sq. ft and our new place is 500 sq. ft. ! Over all we gained 100 sq. ft., a dining table and a desk so we are very happy.

The new location is in more of a commercial area and also right across from the police station( not necessarily a good thing) and in a more Muslim area. Shopping for food will not be as convenient as at the other place but we will get used to the new way of living.

This place was furnished with stuff from Khartoum so while not our style, it is still comfortable:) I love the fact that every place has king size beds:)

So, other than that, how are we doing? Pretty good really. Things are ok during the day but at night everyone is in by dark - even our church friends say that they like to be home by 8pm. We are getting to know a few other ex-pats and South Sudanese which is really nice.

Lynn is getting better in Arabic since doing our apartment hunting. Our new landlord speaks ok English but sometimes Lynn tries to clarify with Arabic. Our guards here speak very little English so even I will be pushed to learn more Arabic.

You know, on one hand it seems normal here and I want people to visit us and then I hear gunshots at night and am reminded that things are not so good. There are still a lot of security issues in the towns and cities surrounding Juba.

Oh, and nutella is still available but very expensive so I found another brand that is almost as good and about 1/4 the cost:) I know that is not a big deal to most of you but it is a HUGE deal for a chocaholic like me!

Ok now for some pictures.







 Unpacking and......finished!

That is a 21 1/2 inch step up into the shower!

 finally a desk to work at!!

We are back!!

Today makes one week that we have been back in Juba. So, where to begin with what has happened the last few weeks?

Our Regional Liaison came to Juba in September to talk to the local church about many things including when we could return.  We were given the go ahead to return about the middle of September, so, along with packing we began to say good-bye.

Our flight connections were going to be really good except in Ethiopia where we only had a 45 minute layover but we were assured it was plenty of time. Our flight actually got in about 30 minutes early so we were feeling good about things. We got our flight and went on to Nairobi Kenya but our luggage did not! We were assured it would come on the next flight – nope!  We actually ended up being at the Nairobi airport for 3 ½ hours after our flight arrived because our taxi driver who normally is dependable was having a problem with a policeman who wanted a bribe. It took about an hour after we had first seen our taxi driver until he came back with his car and told us what was going on. He then left to continue his bargaining efforts with the policeman. We thought maybe this poor taxi driver was being delayed by God so we could get our luggage which we thought might be on the next plane from Ethiopia. The 2^nd plane did arrive from Ethiopia before we left the airport but still no luggage !  We finally had to give up and go to our guesthouse in Nairobi which is something like 20 miles from the airport. The following day and 3 flights later  still  no luggage. We were flying out Friday for Juba and wondering if we were going to have our clothes etc. . Friday morning we called the airport and they had at least located our luggage at the Addis Ababa airport. They didn’t know if it would arrive that morning before our departure for Juba, but possibly. I (Lynn) told Sharon that maybe God simply didn’t want us to needlessly take our luggage to the guesthouse and we could take it from the arrivals gate directly over to our departure check-in. I (Lynn) was dropped off at the arrival gate and Sharon with our carry-ons was dropped off at the departure area. After getting the proper clearance documents I  went to the arrivals gate and sure enough our luggage was there. I put the 3 bags on a cart and proceeded to make my way back to the office where I had gotten the clearance permit to go into the arrivals area. I then made my way the ¼ mile or so to the departure gate pushing our luggage on the cart. It makes me tired just typing about it !  We were so relieved to see our luggage that it made up for Sharon having to buy a skirt to wear and washing clothes out by hand for a day!! J

We had a good flight to Juba and noticed that one of our church leaders from Juba was on the same plane! He offered us a ride to our apartment, which was really nice. A good welcome back.  We can’t say our return trip was uneventful. We did feel God’s hand guiding us with our lost luggage and then someone being on the plane to provide us a ride to our apartment. It also made us realize how unimportant our “things” are that we travel with, and that we certainly could survive without them.

So, how are things in Juba? Well, in some ways it feels just as we left it 5 months ago and in other ways you can feel the change.  Food is expensive and I really do not know how people afford to buy basics. Because we are paid in dollars it does not affect us as much, but still, when butter is $5.50 for a half pound you can believe we think twice about buying it. We feel safe enough walking around some during the day but I don’t think we will be walking around as freely as we used to. Also, anytime near dark we take a taxi and the taxi’s don’t like to be out after 9pm so we are pretty much home by 7 or 8 with a taxi.  We know you all are worried about us but, we are where we are supposed to be and for now things are ok here.

Many of our church people are out of the country right now for meetings but we expect to see some of them next week. Many people have left the country so it does make doing anything a little hard but we will do what we can.

People are just so very tired of the fighting and uncertainty! Please pray the leaders will put the well being of the people first before their own needs.

Return

I have not written in over a month again! Sorry about that all but as you know, there really wasn't much to say except, " no, we don't have a date of return yet". Now we have a date and for some reason it has been hard to want to sit down and write anything on here. We leave the US on Sept. 27 arrive in Kenya on the 28th, shop on the 29 and head to Juba on the 30th. Now it feels real.

People have been asking if we are excited about returning and for me the answer is yes but it is still hard to leave family. Lynn does not get excited so he is just glad to have a date of return :) It does feel really good to know that we are headed back even though we know that the situation there is not the best and that our living situation will not be quite as nice as before. Are we scared? No more than before and then we were not really scared, it is more the apprehension of not knowing.

It has been such a great summer ( and extra 2 months!) of seeing so many people again and meeting others for the first time. You know, when you go to a different church every Sunday and have to meet new people all the time it is tiring but we found it also to be very good! We like meeting people so that helps but just to have the chance to talk about South Sudan with people who are interested and want to know how to pray or help has been really special to us. Every where we went people were so warm and welcoming (and there was ALWAYS way to much to eat) and friendly that it made it easy for us. Seeing the different church buildings is always so interesting and then some of the beautiful places!

Now, as the weather is turning cooler, we really feel it is time to head to warmer places. Most people just head to Florida but that is so boring! Instead we have to go half way around the world :)

You know how everyone says they are changed from a trip to Africa or Mongolia or some such place? I have been changed there but I have also experienced change in these 5 months in the States. How? I go back with a renewed hope in the Church as a whole - each congregation was so interested in what is happening around the world and wanting to be involved in helping both nationally and internationally! What a great support system for us! I also go back feeling a new sense of calling to South Sudan and I think a more open heart and mind to ways of being a part of life there.

We have the fun of meeting up with my (Sharon) cousin in Kenya and with a new friend of ours from South Sudan who is still waiting for the ok to return. It is so much fun to see how small the world really is and to make connections like this. It is like having family all around the world!

Please keep the emails coming - I really do enjoy writing back!

Waiting and Praying

Well, we are still here in the USA. As I said in the last post we are here until the end of August when we hope to be able to return. We are keeping in touch with our friends in South Sudan and with the students that we had to evacuate out of Yei. The students are in Juba right now but we hope to get them to Pochalla as it looks like the school will not open until October or later.

So, what are we doing?? I bet you think we are sitting around drinking coffee and tea and just being lazy, right? WRONG! We are in Springfield Mo taking a CHE (Community Health Evangelism) training course. We told our grandson that we were going back to school and he thought that was funny! It feels a little bit like school only we get a break and snacks every hour :). This training is in the hopes that we can start a CHE program in South Sudan at some point - maybe even right away in Juba but we will have to see what things are like when we get back. While here doing the CHE program we are getting emails from the students in South Sudan so we are constantly being pulled in different directions and needing to focus on our training. Not complaining just trying to give you an idea of how we are doing. I love the fact that we CAN have contact with people in South Sudan and know right away how they are doing.

We have enjoyed the extra time to see people we had not seen yet or just to visit a little longer with family and friends. It is hard being in limbo but I feel guilty even for saying that when our South Sudanese friends have been living in a kind of limbo for years. I am trying to learn from them about taking one day at time and focusing on what I can get done in that one day. It is also a time to be humbled by having to ask for the use of our daughters or cousins cars and to be thankful for such generous people to help us during this time.

It feels so odd to still feel a call to a country that we cannot even get into right now but we know that God is in this time of waiting and that it is a time for us to prepare for what He wants us to do.

more bumps

We are at New Wilmington Mission Conference in Western Pa. SOOOO many people to talk to, catch up with and get to know! People that know my oldest brother from Shutz in Egypt to people who saw me at 2 weeks old. Stories upon stories. I had forgotten what this place could feel like when you know lots of people.:)

Bumps in the road again. We are delaying our return to South Sudan until September or later, depending on the situation in South Sudan. With the recent events in Juba and so many people being evacuated and still so much uncertainty it is better to wait for things to settle down. This is disappointing to us as we feel ready to return and yet it is nice to know we will have a little more time with our families.

So  many thoughts are going through my mind these days. Wondering about our friends in South Sudan, wondering what we will be doing for the next month or so and then wondering what God's plan is in all of this. This delay is nice because we get to see our grandkids start the new school year, we get to touch base with some folks we have not seen yet and of course now there is more time for shopping. Unfortunately there is also more time to eat ice cream and gain weight!:)

I can't believe how fast the summer has gone! When we first arrived it felt like May was taking a long time(and I was happy about that!) and then all of a sudden we were celebrating the 4th of July and only had about 4 weeks left!

I know the last two posts have been on the short side but I am afraid that I find it hard to put into words all that I am feeling these days. There is joy at being with family, so much sorrow and worry for friends in South Sudan, confusion as to how there can be that much hate in one country, happiness at hearing from friends in south Sudan that they are safe, hope for the future of South Sudan but also despair for the future there.