Seeing everything come to life this spring makes me hopeful that I will not have to endure cold weather again, at least for a while. It's already less than two and a half months before I am scheduled to depart and I am getting excited. More financial support has come in I am and currently at about 87% of my monthly support target. It truly has been a process of learning to trust God to provide. One thing that has amazed me is how so many have expressed their support, surrounding me with prayer and encouragement as I share about what I believe the Lord is calling me to. It is humbling for me to recognize that all of this is not because of what I have done or am capable of doing in my strength, but rather because of what the Lord is doing as we together step out in faith.

At the end of April, I went down to visit my brother and his wife in southern Mississippi. We had a great time together. I also had the opportunity to share for a brief time at the church they attend about my plans to serve with AIM in South Sudan. It was a good experience. It amazes me when people I've just met for the first time commit to pray for me or offer support.

My days are becoming less structured now as more tasks, events, and gatherings come along the way during these last couple months I spend in the U.S. I am actually enjoying this season of variety.

Prayer requests

-Please continue to pray for me as I work through the necessary details for going out into the mission field. Also, I am still in need of more pledged monthly support within the next few weeks before I have clearance for departure and my plane ticket can be purchased. As I let the need be known, I pray that the Lord would guide those He is calling to be regular financial supporters.

-Pray that the Lord would pave the way for the Gospel to go forth and penetrate the Boya community where I am looking to eventually get established after my return to Torit in South Sudan.

-Please continue to pray for peace during this time of transition in Sudan. South Sudan is to gain independence on July 9th this year and many of the key issues between the North and the South have not yet been resolved.

It All Belongs to Jesus

Though it has been over a year, I still have new memories and thoughts that come to my mind as I reflect upon my previous time in Sudan. Recently I had been thinking about my attitude. In any ministry, frustrations will come through interruptions. Even when I would determine in my mind to have a good attitude, it seems that the Lord would in one way or another allow my patience to be tested in an unexpected situation. There would be times where I would have a quiet evening or an afternoon to myself at the missionaries' house. I would sit down to have lunch or dinner and immediately a visitor would show up. Knowing that the most appropriate response would be to welcome them in, I would allow them in with a smile on the outside, but angry on the inside not wanting to be disturbed. At other times while I would be out at the market, a stranger or someone I hardly knew would greet me saying they would like to talk to me about something. I would try to patiently listen while they would spend the next few minutes talking about their hope to start a business or open an orphanage thinking that maybe I would like to be part of it. On the inside I would be thinking, "this person only wants to selfishly use me for his benefit." Very quickly I would find myself judging the motives and attitudes of others because I was upset that "my time" was being wasted.

Not long after such an interaction would I be reminded of my selfish attitude the Lord was calling me to repent of. Instead of making up my mind to not get upset the next time, I believe the real issue that I am learning to deal with is the need to recognize that my time and plans are not nearly as important as I make them out to be. After all, like everything else my time and plans actually belong to the Lord. He will see that my true needs are met in one way or another as I trust Him.

Appreciating Differences

I remember a time in Torit that I had gone over to visit my Kenyan friend Barnabas in his mud hut that he was renting on the compound of a Sudanese family. Some of those who lived on the compound were heavy drinkers and the environment was not a pleasant one. This was to be one of my last visits to see Barnabas since my time in Sudan was coming to a close. Occasionally we would talk about the difficulties of living in Sudan and I would sometimes mention the differences that frustrated me, but this time I distinctly remember our conversation taking a different direction. We began sharing what we loved about Sudan and its people. I was there as a missionary and Barnabas was there for business and both of us grew to love the people and the place that the Lord had led us to.

One thing that continually impresses me about the Sudanese culture is the way the people care for one another's needs. It is a common practice for Sudanese to welcome a relative, a friend, and sometimes even an acquaintance to stay with them if they are in need of a place to stay. When I asked my language helper Taban if I could stay on his compound with him and his family in Torit, he agreed without hesitation and without demanding anything in return. For the appropriate ways that I did offer help to the family in return for hosting me, they openly expressed appreciation. In Sudan, unexpected visits are almost always welcome. Even when I would stop by a family's compound to ask a quick question, I would be welcomed to sit and eat with the family. In Sudan, like in much of the developing world, relating well to one another is often more important than accomplishing a particular task on a scheduled time. People just enjoy being together.

I find that there are some aspects of Sudanese culture I prefer over American culture. On the other hand there are many things that I prefer to do the American way. Though I sometimes tend to judge cultural difference as one either being superior or inferior to the other, I pray that I would learn to see that most are simply nothing more than what they are: differences.

Barnabas and his wife Immaculate

Taban with his wife, daughter, and mother