We found it, Now let's Move!

There were no commercial flights arriving or departing from our country, but occasionally a charter flight would come available. When one did, Doug booked Karis, Keira, and me on it. We were going to leave June 21, 2020, so we could get Karis back in time to quarantine for two weeks before she went to ballet camp. And since the chartered flights were more expensive, only half of us flew, while Doug waited to see if the airport would open up and he could get something cheaper for the rest of them.

Two days before we left, on June 19, 2020, we found a rental that fit what we needed!

 

Perfect timing, too, because on June 20, 2020, Doug had already hired movers to come and get our belongings to take to storage.

We still went with this plan because we knew the new rental would need to be cleaned before we moved into it, and since we were going to be in America for about 6 months, we didn't want to clean it and have it sit and collect dust while we were gone.

You've heard the term, "It takes a village?"

Well, we took the village and we used them.

A friend who had been stuck in our country for quite a few months because of Covid offered to be at our house while the movers wrapped and packed everything into the truck.

Then I was on the other end of the truck, at the storage house. 

I showed the men the three rooms we were allowed to move into, and I made sure they stacked things well.

So instead of a stacking job looking like this, I would kindly ask someone to make it look like

this.  And so on.

Then, another friend was with me to translate. The movers spoke a language that I do not know.

In the meantime, our first friend stayed at the original house for most of the day while the truck went back and forth.

During all of this, Doug was at the police station in our new neighborhood, registering us to live there. There was a lot of waiting around and moving to different buildings for different pieces of paper. It was almost 4 hours before he ever made it to the storage house.

And our children had taken our need-to-live items (including all of the suitcases that would be going to America) and moved us into a guest house for the time being.

Then, at the end of the day, I took the girls back to the house we were leaving and let them take pictures in their old bedroom they had shared.

Ahhh...now to get all the luggage weight right so we some of us can get on the plane tomorrow.

A Village Visit

Shortly after Ramadan, an American friend of mine asked if I would like to go out to the village to see my old neighbor and her family.  Kylie and I jumped at the chance, and we all made plans to block out an evening.

When we got there, we sat and visited with all the kids for awhile because the mom, older daughter, and daughter-in-law were in the kitchen.

We drank Pepsi and ate sunflower seeds, which is pretty typical for many house visits.

In the background below, you can see one of the twins who got married last fall.  I wrote about her three weddings here, here, and here.

I was under the impression that since she and her husband now lived about 40 minutes away from her mother that they would never see her, but I was mistaken.  Apparently, the couple makes the journey several days a week, if not every day to see her mother, and here they sit on their phones...

After Pepsi, we were served hot tea and then some more hot tea.

The sunflower seeds always leave everything looking so nice :)

The vacuum cleaner came out shortly, and when the carpet had been cleaned, we started setting up for dinner.

And it kept coming.

White rice, red rice, cucumbers, tomatoes, beans, chicken, and onions

We finally got a chance to visit with all of the ladies after dinner was cleaned up.   Between my friend and me tag teaming in language, we understood almost everything they said, and we were able to communicate fairly well.

I knew they had been driving back to our neighborhood every day to let their girls finish up the year at the schools where they attended, but I rarely saw them.

The father had sold his fruit stand, and he was now a taxi driver.  He drove them all to town every morning, about a 25 minute drive, and after dropping the girls at school, he dropped his wife at his daughter-in-law's, where the wife would help watch her grandson all day, while her husband drove around the city.

It was so good to see them, but it also made me miss having really good neighbors.  There are sweet people on my street, but I don't feel like I can just drop in on any of them at any time like I could with this family.

Interestingly enough, as soon as this family left, another family on the street started bringing us food often, so I wonder if it was an understood rule that we were already taken care of when the other family lived across the street from us.  I don't know how those things work.

This new family that brings us food usually send their daughter, who is a little older than Keira.  She is so sweet and greets us every time she sees us outside.  I don't know the mother well, but the father is very fond of Doug.  They have exchanged numbers, and they also talk often outside when they see each other.

God is always providing for us.

A Pain in the Foot

When I told you about student camp, I mentioned going door-to-door sharing Bible stories. One of the houses we came to had Neria.


She sat all day long, doing nothing, while flies just hovered around her foot, which was bandaged in a piece of material.


We didn't see her foot that day, but her family was so open to the message of God's word, that we promised we would return.


I didn't see the wound, but heard the story.


When she was in exile in Congo during the war, she developed a "spot" on her foot. About 10 years ago, the "spot" opened and started to grow. 5 years ago, she saw a doctor who told her she should have an amputation to save her leg. She hasn't seen a doctor in 5 years, but her daughter (on the right in the picture below) cleans it faithfully every day. (I was incorrect in my first post where I assumed the wound was dirty).


With this knowledge, I pretty much knew that I wasn't going to be checking on her foot. I didn't know what it looked like, but I have learned since becoming a parent, that I am NOT "nurse" material.


When my kids throw up, and I see it or smell it, then I start gagging. And apparently, I'm not so good with blood either. Lucky for Doug, huh?


Anyway, I went along with Doug and Florence armed with prayer, all the medical supplies needed, and a camera (hoping to get a glance so we could show an expert).









































































Thank you, Doug, for being the hands and feet of Jesus to Neria. It was such a blessing to watch you serve and love her.



She has never been tested for diabetes, but it looks like she might have it. Some medical personnel in the States suggested she get the dead/black skin burned off, to give it a chance to heal.


We are returning this week to tell her more Bible stories and pray with her, and maybe she will agree to go to the doctor with us, if we promise her we won't let them take her leg.


I've been at the hospital a few times this week, and I know the medical care isn't great, but God can provide someone who knows exactly what to do. You can pray for that with us.

A New Kind of Camp

Today was the first day for the students to go out into the village and share. We went to three different villages in a total of 8 groups.

Talk about on-the-job training! Some of these kids had never said their testimony out-loud before camp, and here they were, standing in a yard in front of a mud hut, sharing with 20 or more people!

They also shared the story of Jesus and Nicodemus today. Sharing that story brought with it some cultural issues based on what the nationals “believe” the verse is saying rather than what it is actually saying. So some groups had quite a discussion on their hands.

A challenging aspect of the camp is that the kids speak other languages, in addition to English. We had to divide the kids into groups based on the languages they were able to speak (a definite first for me at a student camp). Two of the villages spoke Alur and one spoke Lugbara, so we needed able-speakers at specific places.

These amazing students, studied the story we gave them in English, and then they had to practice translating it into their heart language for the people.

Another fun piece of the puzzle is that we have 6 Sudanese students at the camp who speak Juba Arabic, but none of the local languages. We are using interpreters for them in the village, but we realized today that their English-reading skills are so poor that they aren’t even able to read/understand the story in English to really be able to repeat it well.

SO….tomorrow, my language teacher Florence, who speaks Juba Arabic, is coming to tell the story to them in their heart language, so they can better tell it in English.

Crazy stuff, huh?

God created all these languages, so we know He will speak to the heart of the people no matter what language is being spoken.

The students also prayed over the sick, hurting, and dying. The most extreme case of the day was one man who had HIV, Tuberculosis, AND stomach cancer!

Again, I will say, this has been a camp unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of.

Even though they were a bit nervous and a little timid, the students did amazing!!

Doug got it right when he told the students they were getting to experience first-hand what God created them for: to know Him and make Him known. No wonder they felt so fulfilled after our time in the village.

Cooking in the village

This sweet lady was grinding peanuts to make g-nut paste.

Yes, that is a huge rock she is sitting and grinding on.

I was then taken to a hut where this other lady was grinding. It was a great chance to practice some language.

She was sweet to give me a chance to grind - although I think the laughing I provided for her and the other ladies was proper payment for her kindness.

All in all, there had been three ladies grinding g-nuts, so when they all finished, we brought them together to a community fire, and put them in a pot to cook.

This is g-nut paste. It never goes bad (sort of like peanut butter) because of all the oil.

She scraped off the oil at one point, and we were so excited, thinking it would be a healthier meal.

With the oil set aside, she added some cooked beans to the g-nut sauce, to make something they call ococa (pronounced "oh-cho-cha").

The smoke really burns the eyes - you can see Kylie for proof.

Then, she added the oil BACK to the beans and g-nut paste. Oh, yummy!

She let all the kids take turns stirring.

You can see what a kick they get out of a "man" doing housework.

They thought it was hilarious that Caleb stirred the pot.

Ococa.

They gave us seats of honor in the community building, and fed us enya and ococa.

After a good Bible story time, a filling meal and amazing company, we had to leave.

Hope to see you again soon, Etori!

Village Life

My kids were only bothered for a little while by the language barrier. I came out and talked in the little Lugbara I know, and soon, everyone was playing "Mbata, mbata, au" (Duck, duck, chicken).

New games in the shade.

Caleb decided to come in for story time. I have NO idea why he didn't use the door, except that he's a boy.

See! There was a door.

The momma of this little boy told me her son was NINE! Caleb just turned five, for those of you who don't know.

What a difference proper food and nutrition makes!

Karis found "boy," and they were happy most of the day. (When I asked his name, he told me his name was "boy," but I'm not sure either of us understood properly).

Caleb got more than a little dirty.

Caleb also took my camera and took these pictures.

Karis and "boy" got some company.

Caleb has a stick, pretending it's a sword, but apparently, it doesn't hinder him from drawing a crowd.

This was a great day for me and the kids. We hope to have many more like these in the months to come.

A village named Etori

Part of my team has been doing some agriculture ministry/Bible stories in a village near Arua.

I was blessed to be invited a couple of weeks ago, and the kids and I had a wonderful time.

I always find it so peaceful to be out in the village, with no cars or town noise.

The people of the village gathered in a building to learn the story of the woman at the well.

They really worked through the scriptures as they tried to tell it and re-tell it.

They decided they could learn it better if they acted it out. Immediately, a gentleman stood up, picked up Kylie's and Karis' shoes (who were outside barefoot - as usual), and he stacked them like you see below and put a ring of dried grass twined together over the top of them.

This represented the town. The bowl was the well, which we later moved farther away.

While Jesus waited at the well, the disciples went to town to buy food.

Here comes the woman to the well to meet Jesus.

This little one kept crawling to the well, so we passed him around so the "actors" could focus.