Claire and Tohru - Main

Chali Nov 6-9, 2010

2010-11-10T12:09:00.004+03:00

This trip was primarily for the distribution of the Proclaimer radios which have the recording of the Uduk New Testament in dramatized form. The recordings took place a year ago when we went there with two recording technicians from "Faith Comes by Hearing." This is the result of a year's worth of work.

Claire had received the radios in Nairobi and we flew in with them into Sudan. From our landing point we would take a tractor out to Chali. A photo diary in the picture section describes how the trip went.

Yabus BELC Graduation

2010-03-29T16:47:00.004+03:00

Yabus was the site of much rejoicing of late. The fifth and final Basic Education Learning Center (BELC) that was started when we first re-entered Sudan in 2005 has graduated its students.
The community came out to celebrate the hard work and the achievement of the students.

In all 29 students completed the course which took them from primary 1 to 8. Among the people who came to encourage the students was one of the original teachers who went home to get married. Words of encouragement were also offered by one of the community leaders. I expounded on a passage from Nehemiah where the people of Israel were returning to a country they once knew that was now in ruin. The situation is much the same here in Sudan where many have fled into refugee camps and are now back in their country of origin.

As is custom in celebrations, there was of course much food: two whole cows and three goats along with copious amounts of kisra (soured sorghum cooked into thin crepe-like bread). It was a day to rejoice for those who had worked hard and earned their day!

Malakal and Rom

2010-03-29T16:44:00.002+03:00

Malakal is situated on the Nile river in Upper Nile State. Hard to believe that at one time Moses would have been on the same river! We have a number of missionaries there engaged in language learning and cultural acquisition. There have also been some tremendous ministries where people have been coming to faith. There is also an English language ministry there which has been reaching out to people.

The base has also been supporting other projects like the one in Atar and for a project undertaken by Sudan Interior Aid (SIA), the development arm of the Sudan Interior Church. SIA has opened a clinic in the village of Rom. Some people seeking medical attention there have come as far as a four hour walk away. My current trip was to follow up on Crisis Management issues leading up to the April elections. I was able to lead the team in a risk assessment and in practical activities like preparing “grab and run” bags for when there may be a need to flee in a hurry.

After having spent a few days in Malakal, arrangements had been made for me to fly out to Yabus from Rom, a three hour drive North of Malakal. The area is populated by cattle herding groups. It is flat and stretches as far as the eye can see. Quite different from Yabus, located in the neighbouring state.

Second trip in 2010

2010-03-29T16:15:00.006+03:00

On March 10th I left for my second trip to Sudan. It was 40 degrees Celsius when I arrived in Malakal to continue Crisis Management preparations. The day after I arrived, a colleague and I chartered a boat to visit Atar for the first time since the attacks took place late last year. Atar was the site where our compound was burnt down during tribal clashes. The missionaries continue to rest and recuperate from the incident.

My trip marked the first time we were to go back to assess the current situation. Providentially, we were met with many of the people who took part in helping us during the crisis. Many of the community leaders were there campaigning for the upcoming elections. I was able to speak with SIC church leaders in the area as well as our staff who are from Atar and most importantly the county commissioner who was instrumental in providing telecommunications (satellite phone) which helped our evacuation of the missionaries.

Again, as an outworking of God’s providence I was able to meet the Minister of Interior who had called me in Nairobi after the incident took place conveying his personal sympathies. He also sent a delegation of people to visit the missionaries who were recovering in Nairobi.

Do pray for us as we decide on the next steps for Atar. Do pray for missionaries who will be willing to serve in hard places. Pray for peace to prevail between different tribes and for the witness of the Gospel to change and transform the community. I would also like to thank many of you, on behalf of the missionaries, who have both been praying and have sent gifts to the “Relief and Contingency" account to assist in the situation. You have made a difference!

Newest addition to the team

2009-10-04T08:23:00.003+03:00

The newest addition to the SIM Sudan team was not an individual coming from the US, Nigeria, North East India, Ethiopia, or Canada. They did not come on a plane but rather in a shipping container across the ocean! Moreover, it was put together carefully by the talented crew at AIM AIR (a branch of Africa Inland Mission). The newest member of our team is a new Cessna 206 plane!

We recently dedicated the plane to field service. It was a wonderful remind

er not only of the work but who we were going to serve. Ministry can be a very impersonal word at times. It is important to remember that each person is a soul. We are not just doing ministry but ferrying real people with names.

The flights allow us to be in areas that would otherwise be inaccessible by road. It allows missionaries to serve real people: those who are suffering from malaria; malnutrition; lack of education; lack of clean drinking water.

It also helps us to share the Word of God. In the past workdersused boats to reach far off places, today the airplane takes us further and further inland to some of the most amazing places in this world. There we meet with pastors and leaders of young churches and help in the rebuilding of Sudan as both church and nation!

Check out www.ngkilloren.com for a short video clip called “10 months in 3 minutes”!

What we do

2009-10-04T08:18:00.002+03:00

For those of you who are curious as to what we do daily.

Claire:

Process all paperwork for incoming team members and communicate with them before they get here, answering all their questions to the best of my ability
On the Spiritual Life Conference committee and have a part in organizing the team conference in January
Write manuals (bor-ing, yawn) but they have to be written to better help us all (we don’t have many so there are a few to do)
Supervise the orientation process of new team members
Process all ID cards for new team members
Write new Personnel Request Forms when we realize we need more help in a certain ministry
Sit on the Crisis Management Team
Sit on SIM’s Area Council twice a year (I am the note taker)
Do odd, personal logistics for people when they don’t know who to ask e.g.: “Claire, can you send me this book?”
Book people into our Guesthouse and make sure everyone has a place to stay and a taxi to pick them up from the airport
Write a monthly newsletter to the team introducing them to new team members who have arrived and also fill them in on helpful information
Manage a Bible translation office project

Tohru:

Work with project managers for the various Sudan projects (water, health, education, and other)
Act as a board member for the SIC Secondary school
Sit on the Crisis Management team
SIM Sudan council member
Act as liaison person for the Ethiopian, Nigerian who sends workers to Sudan
Write new projects
Donor relations/Publications

May this better shed light on how to pray for us! Thank you so much for your prayers!

By Prayer

2009-10-04T08:16:00.002+03:00

What carries us through those tough weeks when things seem to just be going wrong? What we do at the beginning of the week may have something to do with it. What does an average week look like? The first thing we do at the beginning of the week is to pray.

I collect prayer requests that come from the field by phoning each base station using a satellite phone. We then announce the things that are going on and pray through each of them.

We also share a devotion from the Scriptures to encourage and challenge us. Though life on the mission field can be tough at times, we remind ourselves through the Word that the work that the Lord is doing through us is not in vain (2 Corinthians 15:58).

It’s important to remember that praying may be the most important thing we will do all week! Pray and watch the wonderful answers!

What's next

2009-10-04T08:11:00.001+03:00

October 19-27 – We are going to Sudan! Even better, we are going to Kurmuk and then out to Chali. We have equipment to furnish the Uduk Old Testament Translation Office and Tohru and I are going in to help get it all set-up. On the same trip, we will accompany 2 Kenyan men from an organization called Faith Comes By Hearing. They will be doing an audio recording of the Uduk New Testament read by people from the Uduk church. It will then be put on solar powered ipods and distributed to the community. A very fun project. Please pray for travel safety.

November 1-20 – We are going to take some holidays. We have run out of gas and need some time to rejuvenate. Pray that we can successfully change the channel in our heads for a few weeks. I don’t know exactly what we will do but heading to the beach sure sounds good to me!

It's been 1 year already!

2009-10-04T08:07:00.002+03:00

The familiar temperatures start to roll by again: has it already been a year since we got back!? Sure has!

It has been an eventful first year back in the field. It has been full of both ups and downs. Since we have been back, Claire has processed over 25 missionaries from around the world towards working in Sudan. We have seen the graduation of 4 classes of the Accelerated Learning Program. We have seen a greater move towards developing our water projects. There have been huge strides in the work at the clinic. We are also looking to expand church planting work in some uncharted areas. It has also been full of downs which have included the deaths of two AIM AIR missionaries both in their 30s in a plane accident. There were also difficulties in projects like the secondary school and tensions both due to insecurities as well as communities. Sudan continues to be a very difficult field for work.

A psychologist recently reframed it for me in its proper context. Most of us have had 20, 30, or 40 years of stability in our lives which enables us to cope with things when they are stressful. The Sudanese, however have been subject to fighting and insecurities since 1955. This means that the reserves of “normal” life is actually that of war. We may be working with friends who are suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Our God is great, however, and I believe that the hope of the cross is the answer to the many difficulties of life.

“To the One who remembers us in our low estate His love endures for ever. And freed us from our enemies, His love endures for ever.” Psalm 136:23,24

Boat Trip! (by Claire)

2009-05-19T14:00:00.003+03:00

April 20-24 was my first trip into Sudan since I came out to Kenya on January 2. It was to a place I had never been - even better! After a commercial flight to Loki, an overnight at our Loki guesthouse, and a 2.5 hour flight in a 208 Caravan we arrived in Atar. It is such a pretty place; a Dinka village right on the Atar River that flows into the Nile. The land was as flat as a table and dotted with trees. We were coming for the Basic Education Learning Center (BELC) graduation.

Among the highlights of those 4 days - a boat ride. I love and miss being on the water and I got a great chance. We needed a government stamp on all the certificates for the graduates. The government office was a 20 minute boat ride away. I eagerly volunteered to go with Ruth, our Education Coordinator. It was exhilarating! Ok, the 1.5 inch angle bar seating in this 25 foot metal skiff was a bit of a balancing act, but cruising along the Atar River and then the Nile was unforgettable. I was in a boat on the NILE!!! We saw some beautiful enormous birds and a sunbathing monitor lizard. The river was calm and I was introduced to a marine culture I hadn't thought about in the middle of Sudan. The Dinka people are swimming, fishing, river people and not jsut inland cattle herders. I learnt something new!

The way home was just as fun, the wind had picked up and I was lightly sprayed by the waves (and sand from the bottom of the boat). A bit of sunburn and bar-bum, I arrived back at the SIM base. It was the best experience in a long time! I can't wait to live on the Nile, Lord willing it will be soon!

Addis Ababa: the New Flower

2009-05-19T13:50:00.003+03:00

My international travel routine is pretty well set. I travel between Sudan and Kenya every month or so and to Canada and the US from Nairobi every three years or thereabouts. So, when the opportunity arose for me to travel to a whole new country altogether, I jumped at it.

Addis Ababa was a wonderful break for Claire and I. It was a chance for me to see Claire's old stomping grounds. It was unlike any other country I have been in before. I must say that it is unique. Although our main purpose in going was to meet with church leaders who have been sending workers to where we are, we had a chance to be tourists for once.

We both love museums and so we were able to go to one located at the Addis Ababa university. We were also able to meet up with some of the missionaries who had spent the last three years in Sudan. One of them was Sisay who had spent his time serving as a teacher along one of our Nile based stations. During his time, he was able to reach out to community with the students on evangelistic campaigns. We became fast friends when I visited earlier this year. He's now encouraging the churches in Ethiopia in their work of global missions.

One of the final things one must do is drink coffee in Ethiopia. The bean is said to have been discovered by a shepherd boy by the name of Kaldi from where this particular chain derives its name! One day he had noticed that his goats were acting strange after eating red berries. After he did some investigation, he is later said to have discovered coffee. I'm not a coffee drinker but found that when in"Rome" it was nice to have the odd cup!

Perseverance Yielding it's Fruit

2009-05-19T12:07:00.004+03:00

Graduation is usually all about two things: dancing and eating! The Atar community really showed us that they were in the mood to celebrate their first group of graduating students from the Accelerated Learning Program. The ceremony itself seemed to be engulfed with dancing, singing and drumming followed by copious amounts of food!

Only three years ago, this was the site of fierce fighting. Our missionaries who were there at the time had to flee for their lives. They made their way to another larger town only to find that the fighting had also erupted there. They hid under beds for a day and a half with their two young children and made it out of there with their lives. When they returned to their homes in Nigeria their parents asked with assurance: “You’re not going back there again are you?”, to which they replied, “of course we are!”

The determination and faith of these, our friends has yielded its final fruit in the graduation of these students. In fact, they are not called Nigerians but rather Dinkas (the dominant tribe in that area).

So the day ended with great celebration and we went to sleep with full stomachs!

Here There and Everywhere...

2009-05-19T11:57:00.006+03:00

April was a busy month. You know it’s busy when you lose six more pages in your passport to entry and exit stamps! The beginning of April I had a short trip into Abwong for the graduation ceremony of the Basic Education Learning Center (BELC) students. I was invited to preach the message at the graduation. The message was on finding a treasure hidden in a field (Matthew 13:44). I encouraged the students to see their education this way but to also consider the greater treasure of the Kingdom of God. I came back to Nairobi after that and had another short trip into Atar, one of our Nile based stations where we attended the graduation of another class (see below article). The following week was a trip to Ethiopia to visit with the church leaders there who have been sending missionaries to the Sudan field.

With the busy travel schedule though, I have been blessed to have been able to do some of it together with Claire. It’s so much nicer to be able to do these as a couple and I’ve cherished these moments. We are, after all, a team and we’re definitely in it together.

Graduation continued

2009-04-17T11:33:00.004+03:00

The series of graduations continues. Last week we were along the Sobat river. Our friends who work there are settled between a swamp, a river and bush. It is likely one of the hardest places where our people are living.

We went to celebrate the 27 students who had completed 3 years of studies to finish their grade eight. Among them, a young boy who, in his own words, said that he had achieved a dream of his. As a young boy, he was not one of the originally targeted people for the Accelerated Learning Program which seeks to educate mostly the older people who have missed out on an opportunity to have elementary education. However, he was welcomed in and has proved to be a very bright boy. He finished second in his class.

Leaving the station there, we encountered a number of different challenges. It has not been an easy road for our friends to work and live there. Insecurities earlier in the year threatened their lives. Pilots refused to land there during that time. Even when there is no insecurity (predominantly from raiding) the airstrip is unlandable during much of the rainy season. Once you arrive, you must navigate through river and swamp just to arrive at the station. Despite all these things, our friends, as they left the field, counted it a privilege to have been there. The stories that emerge out of these communities like this young boy who recently graduated continue to spur us on. May it also spur you on as well.

Fanan in the village

2009-03-18T09:06:00.006+03:00

Our days in our former station seem sometimes like a distant memory but I was struck by a reminder recently of my time there. On occasion, I would find myself out in the hospital we operated, playing the guitar for the patients at night. I would go from ward to ward playing songs in hopes of easing the suffering of the patients and bringing good cheer. On one of these nights I remember playing for a child who had been admitted for malnutrition. During the day when I had visited the doctor as he was doing the rounds, the child was lethargic: typical of children in her state. Later at night when I went to visit I brought my guitar and started playing for the patients. First, for the men in the men's ward and then I moved into the women's ward to share some music. I got to this child and her mother and started playing. To my surprise, the child started responding to the music, moving, bouncing up and down in her mother's arms as I was strumming away. It was a touching scene which I will likely never forget. The sad end to this story is that the child never made it. I can only hope that the bit of joy that I brought through the gift of music will have sent them off in good spirits.

Last week, I visited one of our other sites where we are conducting a number of our medical work. Among them is a nutrition village started for children suffering from malnutrition. There were three children there being cared for by our nurses when I visited. One of them was a child from a Fulani tribe originally from West Africa. As I entered the nutrition village compound, they were sitting under the tree: the coolest place you could find. I greeted them as the nurse I was with started to go to work. As we started to talk in Arabic, the father was able to voice how cold it got at night and that he would appreciate a blanket for himself and his wife. I was able to convey this message to our nurses who do not speak Arabic. The baby was called Yacoub which is the Arabic name for Jacob. The other children at the village where from families in the area.

Later at night, I went and visited the nutrition village with the station guitar and started playing. People would welcome me with "Fadl fanan!": a welcome to the musician. I sat with them at night and played a number of songs; some in Arabic others in English. Some songs were ones that had translations in many languages and so, as I sang in English, others sang in their local dialects. I remembered my time at my first station and had so much more hope for these children in this village. I always wonder if I will ever bump into these children again when they grow older. Now, at least he'll have a chance to grow into a young man.

Accelerated Learning Program Graduation

2009-02-25T10:52:00.005+03:00

As we flew over the arid section stretching along the border with Ethiopia one could really appreciate the vastness of the country. Land would stretch on for miles in either direction with no signs of people. As we made our way over to our destination, the mighty river Nile started to appear. In the distance, one could see the belt of green bordering either side and firmly in the middle of the river. The caravan plane circled over the village. As it banked to its left, I was able to peer down into the waters of the river. Birds could be seen flying below. As the plane banked some more, the glitter of the sun off the river made it sparkle. There is so much life and vegetation along this Nile corridor. However, as you move several meters away from the river the land is but a flat and seemingly desolate place. Green turns to brown.

We landed on the long airstrip constructed by the oil company during their surveys: now completely abandoned. It’s roughly a 40 minute walk from the airstrip to the compound where we have set up. We walk along the Nile where we are told there are hippos and crocodiles. As you walk away from the banks of the river the dry cracked ground stretches on forever. Bones of dead cattle that succumbed to the elements are strewn on the ground: a section of the skull here and the ribs there. The trees do not offer much shade there. They are acacia trees, primarily good for making charcoal which have thorny branches.

The main event we went in to witness was the graduation of the first set of students from the accelerated learning program. This community living along the Nile had really embraced the project and the teachers that had spent up to three years of their lives there. A bull was slaughtered the day before the celebration and would become the feast for the following graduation day. The students worked hard setting the stage for the celebration. Guests of honour would include representatives from the county commissioner's office, the education minister and others from the government and civil society associations.

The day began slowly and reaching noon, we were underway. Guests started pouring into the building that was constructed for the school. A choir started with song and I opened our time in prayer. Speeches were given and encouragements flowed both from the community members and the dignitaries to keep each child in school. As the diplomas were passed out, the women would yell their distinct Sudanese cry of joy! The student with the highest score was given a gift. To our great joy, it was a woman who had taken top marks. In a country that has seen so much discrimination against women, it was a great achievement. As the name was announced, the father jumped to his feet with pride and pumped his right fist in the air. It was a touching moment for all!

As we closed up the ceremony, it was a bitter sweet moment for the teachers there. As we all walked to the airstrip, many cried the whole way there. As we sat and waited for the plane to arrive, some slumped on the dry cracked earth, I could appreciate how much the people loved our teachers and how much the teachers loved the students. As a visitor in there for a total of five days, the scene was touching and also made tears well up.

There are some amazing things going on here and we are grateful for the opportunity to witness these historic moments.

Spiritual life conference (Kenya)

2009-01-13T22:49:00.005+03:00

From the hot Sudanese weather we jumped a plane and landed in Kenya on the second of January. In fact, we joined over seventy other people flying out of Sudan to Kenya for the same reason: our annual spiritual life conference. This is a time for all of SIM Sudan to come together and be refreshed in a temperate climate, with worship, good food, prayer, fun and games, and biblical teaching.

The setting is Brackenhurst, a baptist retreat centre set near the great rift valley of Africa. It is a beautifully green area at a high elevation. In fact it is high enough that for the most part, it is beyond the "malarial line." The area has beautiful terraced fields where farmers plant a variety of crops. The temperature is appreciably cooler especially in the mornings and evenings. The grounds of the conference were well groomed and maintained. Dotting the grounds are flowers of all varieties. There are several chapels, a tea room, a separate dining hall, and an assortment of sleeping quarters. Though these are perhaps all things one would expect in a conference or retreat centre, we come to appreciate every little thing all the more when we come out an area such as Sudan where there is a stark contrast in the living conditions. These things, therefore, came to us as a welcome change of rest and refreshment.

The keynote speaker was the pastor who married Claire and I two years ago in Kenya. We were delighted to be able to see them again. He gave his message to us and encouraged us all to remain in Him (John 15). As we studied, there were some major revelations for me. One of the significant things over which I meditated was the fact that the vine is Christ, God is the pruner and we - as human beings - are the branches. This is a simple truth but we often regard this scripture as speaking to us as individuals. However, this plant is made up of a collection of human beings. As I thought of this in the light of my own role in administration, I began to see how the pruning of my own ministries with the Sudanese were making way for more of the plant's energies to go to other branches (others who are out there doing the ground level work). I have never seen going into administration as a promotion in life but with this teaching it has been helpful for me to see it much more as a pruning work.

We came back to Nairobi feeling refreshed and well rested, ready for what lies ahead in 2009. May the Lord be gracious and kind to us in this year. May he also do the same for you and reveal some wonderful lessons along the way.

Christmas Cards

2009-01-13T22:22:00.003+03:00

Our many thanks to the many people back home who have sent us Christmas cards! We set them up on a string in our tukul (mud hut). It gave colour to the earth tones we are used to seeing. It is also such an encouragement for us in the field to receive words of affirmation and support. We have not felt as though we have come out here alone but with the support of all of you, our friends and family. Many thanks and blessings to you all in the new year!

Christmas morning 2008

2008-12-30T10:55:00.005+03:00

Our Christmas here is unlike many of the Christmases at home in Canada. There are no reminders that it is coming other than the sound of the choirs practicing for that day. We drove three hours through bushy roads, across dry river beds to get to a place called Chali. This is the heart of the Uduk people. Upon arriving there, we were shown to a small room made of grass and wood poles about 2.5m x 2.5m with a roof only just higher than me. It’s a cozy place that will serve to cut the wind. Though we are 10 degrees north from the Equator, it’s quite chilly in the morning hours with a cold wind blowing. As a tradition, the Uduk people gather in one village – some coming from about an hour’s walk away – and celebrate together. Another tradition is that the youth will go from house to house late at night until early in the morning and sing Christmas carols from house to house. They are heard throughout the night. People will offer some of the recent harvest as a customary gift or sweets and candies brought from the nearby markets.

People will start gathering in Chali on Christmas Eve and the last groups arrive at around 6:30am Christmas morning. Many of them can be seen burning little fires and huddling around them to keep warm. The church quickly filled and people spilled over into nearby shaded areas outside of the church. The final count was close to 2,000 people! After the sermon, the choirs would sing their Christmas carols. We would then break for lunch which would be served at around 2pm. The meals include kisra, a thin sorghum bread cooked on a hot plate over charcoal or timber and a stew often including okra and other goodies. Traditional foods also include Kash which is a starchy root which can be eaten raw or boiled.

One of the highlights of the day is the Christmas pageant which re-enacts the birth of Jesus. Crowds gather around an open field where a narrator takes them through the story of the birth. Every year, the characters become livelier as the crowd often break into a boisterous laugh over certain actors. The festivities would go into the night and into the next day when people would gather at another village to celebrate yet again. It is the sweet fellowship with our friends which we have truly enjoyed! It has been a Merry Christmas indeed!

Our Christmas

2008-12-30T10:45:00.002+03:00

This year, Claire and I had decided to not do a gift exchange with one another. This year we decided to put the money into contributing to the church celebrations for Christmas. We did manage to have a bit of a treat on Christmas morning though: a carefully conserved packet of Oreos that we brought into Sudan two and a half months prior and a tin of peaches. We enthusiastically broke into them in the morning before our day got underway. It’s strange to think of all the different kinds of Christmas days we have had. This time last year, we had an equally wonderful Christmas morning with family. We are thankful for all the variety that we have enjoyed over the last number of years. It is truly the small things in life that make things enjoyable!

Gideon the worship leader

2008-11-01T20:38:00.002+03:00

Last Sunday (October 26) a number of us went down to visit a church about an hour’s walk south of where we stay. There, to my surprise, leading in the worship team was our old friend Gideon. I had originally met him at one of our pastors and church leaders conferences two years ago. Most of the attendees were church leaders and pastors but Gideon was our sole worship leader. There are some remarkable things you ought to know about him though. First, he plays one of these local instruments which resembles a guitar. It has four strings that are tightened around a bamboo frame using bits of clothing and other fabrics scavenged from around. The shell is made of metal and is covered tightly with crocodile skin retrieved from these awesome predators along the Yabus river. Each string is allowed to ring free and the “chord” is controlled by muting various strings. The “pick” used for playing is a piece of plastic tie used to secure larger box parcels when they are mailed from here to there. Second, he knows all the songs in the hymn books and can lead worship in three different languages. During Sunday services or even at informal gatherings, he can be heard playing worship songs in a combination of Arabic, Mabaan and Uduk. Third, he is utterly and completely blind. He is aided by friends and clansmen but cannot see anything for himself. As he realized slowly who I was from the sound of my voice, our greetings warmed. We were now sharing stories of the time we were together in another town. He was telling me to greet my wife on his behalf and asking as to her whereabouts. I took his hand and acted as his escort as we walked to a nearby tree to take coffee, tea and freshly roasted ground nuts. We sat there and shared for a number of hours and then went to where he was staying with another senior church leader. I again took him by the hand and we walked together in the long grass. Arriving at the house, I asked Gideon to lead us in some songs. There was a particular one that I enjoyed in Arabic that he was quick to oblige. We then moved into the church leader’s home, crouching down low to get through the door which was only a bit higher than the average man’s waist. We sat and talked about languages and other things. Freshly cut papaya was brought, and we washed our hands and partook. Later still lunch was brought to us: porridge of maize flour resembling soft playdough and a soup of peanuts and okra. We left with promises to come again. It’s rekindling these old friendship and building on them that has been my pure joy!

Back in the field!

2008-10-30T10:41:00.009+03:00

Greetings, we are back in the field again! Let me bring you up to speed on all that has happened since we left Canada.

Sept 11 Arrived in Nairobi with all our stuff!

Sept 15-21 Tohru was off to Malakal, Sudan to see the town, meet with local officials and have some orientation time with SIM Sudan leaders who also went up for a week. I stayed in Nairobi with my friend Beverly (whose husband also went to Malakal) and worked in the office.

Oct 7-11 Tohru went to Yei, south Sudan for a conference called Cush Consultation (I stayed in Nairobi). It is a meeting for Christian NGOs, organizations and churches that serve in south Sudan. He met many people and found out what is going on in the south as well as share what SIM is doing. While most organizations are working in the deep south SIM is one of the only few who are working farther north where there are rough conditions and little infrastructure. We are happy to be serving in such neglected areas.

Oct 13/14 We made the 2 day trip into Yabus, Blue Nile state. It takes 2 days because the first day we fly from Nairobi up to Lokichoggio, an airstrip in northern Kenya, and the next day we fly into Sudan. We had a very smooth flight in on a Caravan plane. It had been raining so the truck that came to pick us up couldn’t make it the last 200 metres to the airstrip so we had to walk through the mud with all our stuff. There were people around to help. Then we had a muddy ride to the first river, crossed through that easily in the truck and then stopped next to the big river. There we unloaded the truck and took 4 trips on the boat/barge to get our stuff across. It is a small barge and can only hold 15 people. Then we piled all the stuff into our truck and went the last kilometer to our compound. It took us 2 hours to do all that and the airstrip is less than 3 kilometers away! But it was fun and nothing actually went wrong it just takes forever to do it all.

We live in a big grass-roofed, mud walled ‘tukal’ with a screened in veranda. On the inside plastic lines the ceiling and we have a cement floor. We are still in the process of setting it all up. We have a bed, some tables, chairs and Tohru has been building shelves to keep stuff clean and up off the floor. We are attempting to paint the mud walls white to brighten it up inside. Our closet consists of horizontal bamboo poles that we drape our clothes over and we have a little set of plastic drawers to keep other things in. We have a little kitchen (which is another smaller tukal) for making breakfast over a kerosene camping stove or a charcoal burner, and we have an al-fresco shower made of grass walls, cement floor and a bucket on a pulley system. The bucket has a tap and shower head coming out the bottom.

Oct 21 was our 2^nd anniversary! We celebrated by going to the market and having lunch in a little shack that served beans and bread. It is amazing and a blessing to be back in Sudan for our anniversary where it all began!

There is a great team of people in Yabus. We are 10 adults and 3 kids. There are 2 projects here; a Basic Education Learning Center (BELC) and a secondary school. Tohru and I are here to encourage, help, advise and get our feet on the ground so we really experience life, needs and situations on the field. We have experience, of course, but it is good to refresh and SIM works in different situations than we have worked in before so we need to get up to speed. I was able to substitute teach a class last week in the secondary school and LOVED it! Tohru is leading a small discipleship group from the BELC one afternoon a week as well. We also keep up with our primary roles (as deputy director and personnel coordinator) through email.

We have also been part of 2 memorial services in the last 2 weeks. The first was when some of our team decided to foster a severely malnourished child. Baby Rehab (3 months old – mom had died after birthing her) fought well but passed away 4 days after they ‘adopted’ her despite good feeding. She had come too late. And then the father of one of our teammates passed away. It has been a week of grieving but also singing together (Tohru leading) and getting to know each other in new ways.

We are doing well. We have been really healthy, just suffering from some allergies this last week (we have medicine). The temperature is not too hot this time of year so it has been easy to acclimatize. Tohru has played soccer a few times with the students. Language wise it has been good, Tohru’s amazing language ability has proved true once again and his Arabic is as good as ever. My Uduk survived in my head and is still making its way to my tongue coherently! Yesterday I had an encouraging day in the market with my Arabic. We are both hoping to do some serious Arabic studying once we get to our next station in the new year.

A day in the life: Yesterday I had a busy market day. (Background – I had determined in Kurmuk that we were under utilizing the local market for our supplies. Knowing we were going to a remote place with little logistics, I really wanted to make a good effort at the market this time) Tuesday is market day. I had gone last week but didn’t buy much. So yesterday I was determined to do some good shopping for the team so I set out at 8:00am to beat the heat and crowds waiting at the river boat. Once there, I bought vegetables! And didn’t hold back. But then realized that I had to carry it all home again. I probably had 40 lbs of stuff in 3 bags; 1 over my shoulder and the other 2 hanging painfully from my fingers (the 2 pumpkins didn’t help much!). I then walked all the way to the boat (1 km), crossed the river and then walked another 1 km home. It was 11:00 am and probably 33*C and I had to stop about 15 times! I was sending my husband telepathic messages to come get me on the quad bike but apparently there was no network. J I was POOPED! But so happy! The pumpkin soup that night was a wonderful reward. I am going again next week! But I will rethink my carrying strategy because it is so worth going even if I am wiped out for the rest of the day! (I’m going to pre-arrange a ride from the boat next week and maybe take a helper) I’m the only one who is free to go on Tuesday mornings so I will happily take this on as my ministry to this team.

May you also be blessed through the accounts and the pictures!

Vast and open land

2008-09-27T11:28:00.002+03:00

These are the images you can expect to see at this time of the year (the rainy season) in Sudan. It is a vast and open land, the largest country in Africa. The rains bring about a lush green which blankets the country's southern portions. From the air, one can appreciate how unending the land feels. As I entered Sudan again for the first time after being away for more than a year, there were distinct expectation that I had of myself. Would my language skills come back? Would the heat quickly exhaust me? Would I feel at home? I was now landing in a larger town. I had spent most of my former time in remote areas accessible only by charter flights. In contrast, this town was accessible by commercial flights and seemed decades ahead of what I'd known. As I eased into the culture again it was obvious, yes, I could feel at home here. Though my language had taken a beating of not being used, I was quickly able to muster some words and string them together in light conversation. I believe there to be some new lifelong friends in this new place. Meeting with others who are working there, I also felt humbled and grateful for the great team we had. I hope to continue to learn and grow much through my brothers and sisters there.

First day back in Nairobi (September 12, 2008)

2008-09-12T21:57:00.001+03:00

Claire and I have safely arrived in Nairobi after numerous hours of flying. We took off from Montreal and stopped in London on our way to Nairobi, Kenya. The sweet smell of that something familiar greeted us when we disembarked the plane in Nairobi. Not an odious smell but one that is both familiar and ‘warm’. The wait was over and we were, in many ways back in familiar territory. We were first enthusiastically greeted by a couple of long time friends who came and picked us up. We do thank all of you who have so earnestly prayed for us and for safety along the road!

Today (the day after our arrival) we spent much of the time meeting with both old and new faces within SIM. We spent much of the time greeting fellow colleagues and catching up briefly on the last year’s worth of news that we’ve spent apart. Opening the compound door for SIM Kenya we were greeted by an exclamation of “OOoooh Aiii Yai!!!”: a heartfelt exclamation of both amazement and joy! No double pumping handshakes here, only the long clasp of old friends... we felt truly welcome. We will likely spent at least a fortnight here to get acquainted with staff and come to a better understanding of our new roles.

With the return to Nairobi we start to also look towards the next leg I (Tohru) am hoping to get in on a trip to Sudan this coming Tuesday and meet up with our director who will have gone ahead of me. We are trying to see if there are spaces on UN or AIM Air flights and so this comes as a prayer request as well. Do pray that there would be a way for me to get in on some important meeting times with our director and other leaders in SIM Sudan. Claire will stay and prepare for our entry into Yabus which is another part of Sudan altogether. After I return from my short trip we hope to both go straight to Yabus. We will let you know how things work out!

Airport Security

2008-09-12T21:46:00.001+03:00

Airports are the safest place on earth. Of course there’s the security cameras, the sniffer dogs, the high tech x-ray machines, metal detectors and all that jazz but I’m not really referring to all that. As I was walking through the airport on our way to Nairobi, I was thinking of how peaceful I felt. When you’re in an airport, you’re not yet in the storm of the hectic and sometimes stressful work. Likewise, when coming home, the airport is the in-between stage of leaving something physically, spiritually and emotionally demanding but not yet entering the home culture which has many more demands of its own. The airport is an altogether peaceful place where I could calmly prepare for what lay ahead. It’s a wonderful grace of God to give time to travel to reflect on the things you’ve left and the things you’re moving towards. As Claire and I traveled to our destination I felt as though I could be more ready for the task ahead. Strange that the journey can help to grow you just as much as you think the destination can.

Return to Sudan

2008-06-11T01:45:00.003+03:00

We have enjoyed our time at home in Canada. Calgary was a nice stable place for us and we have enjoyed our stay tremendously. God had provided a wonderful place for us to housesit. Now our thoughts turn to the task ahead and to our new roles in Sudan. I will be taking on responsibilities as the deputy director and Claire as the personnel coordinator for Sudan. It is with great humility that we aim to enter these new roles to help serve those who serve others.

There are numerous challenges with the work in Sudan: environment, logistics, insecurities, etc, but we go with the support of friends and family. It is these that carry us through with their prayers. Our hearts quicken their beat as August fast approaches. Please continue to remember us in your prayers as we aim to serve diligently and as we are given grace to do so!

Graduation: Finished the studies!

2008-06-10T05:30:00.003+03:00

It’s been a long road of studying this season in my life. This last year can be summarized as the culmination of the end of 11 worksheets, 28 reflection responses, 32 book reports and papers, 6 term papers, 1 thesis paper, and 3 final examinations totaling approximately 12,000 pages of reading over 10 courses. This year has been a tremendous time of growth for me academically and personally. I have truly appreciated all the faculty and friends that have, through their authenticity, spoken into my life. Hearing their hearts expressing the longing for authentic transformation of the nations for Jesus’ sake continues to spur me on in my own endeavours. I’ve had the great privilege of being able to serve as a worship leader for the seminary chapels and to also share in one of the services.

As others feed into me, it continues to encourage me in my pursuit of lifelong learning. It reminds me of the verses in Psalm 1. By meditating on the counsel of the Lord (and in the many people he puts my way), I am like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit season after season. As this season comes to a close and a new one starts, I look forward to the fruits it will yield.

On the road again...

2008-06-10T05:18:00.001+03:00

The open road is calling us and we must respond! As we prepare to head back overseas we will be making a quick trip visiting our many supporting friends and churches across Canada. Although many have commented on the fact that it seems to be an incredibly packed and busy schedule, we continue to tell our friends that we would not trade our support team for anything in the world. That includes you!

There is an interconnectedness that we have as workers in the field supported by friends. We are more than family with all of you! Though economies go up and down, we have been able to count on your wonderful support.

What does our itinerary look like, you might ask. Thanks to our good friends at Google, here’s a quick overview. Unfortunately we won’t be able to see all of you but our main stops this time will include Nashville, Winnipeg, Vancouver, Victoria, Sointula, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.

Life in Sudan

2007-06-28T06:57:00.000+03:00

Here are some pictures of Tohru in Sudan. On the left side is Tohru embarking on a DC3 aircraft to go to Kenya from Sudan. Flights come in and out of Sudan every 2 weeks for supplies. Due to flight scheduling it would take two days to enter Sudan from Kenya. Flights stop in Northern Kenya for the night and make early runs into Sudan.

The picture on the right shows one of the local houses. It's called a tukul and is made of 'local' materials which include poles, bamboo, mud and grass. This picture was taken in April 2004 during the dry season when temperatures reach close to 50 degree Celsius. The rainy season starts in June and goes until October. The colours of the landscape really change at this point from brown to green.

The town is located in the Blue Nile State which is on the eastern side of Sudan bordering Ethiopia. The southern part of the state counts approximately 210,000 people of different tribes.

Here on the left, Claire is visiting a friend who has recently given birth. Culture dictates that women stay indoors up to 40 days after they give birth with their child. At this point family and friends will come and prepare food for her for the duration. After the 40 days are over she can come out and present the baby to the rest of the town. During this initial time, people come and visit and give gifts to the mother and child congratulating them. It is also important at this point to have a feast and to invite as many people as possible from the town to share in the joy.

On the right is a picture of the road and people walking a great distance to get food from a distribution. The walks may be 10 or more kilometers which would mean a two hour walk. The tall grass is also typical of the rainy season. When the roads are bad they become impassable for vehicles at which point the best way to travel is by all terrain vehicles (ATV) or by foot.

The green picture on the left shows one such ATV across the river in June after it had crossed one of the year-long rivers. The ATV was turned off, then floated across the river by 4 men and then restarted on the other side. The air in the tires gives the bike enough buoyancy to be able to comfortably float across without being swept away. As seen, at the deepest point, the river was waist high. Communities are divided along natural boundaries such as rivers. Many people are found near water sources which sustains them during the long dry season. Water from the rivers are used for everything from washing clothes, cooking and drinking.

Wedding in Paradise

2007-06-22T19:52:00.000+03:00

October 21, 2006

O that you could have seen the beach that day! Colours meshed so nicely as in a Monet painting. There is just something soothing about the sound of waves at any time of the day. At a distance, they are a soothing background like a gentle massage to the ears, closer still, their energy starts to impress and stir.

We arrived so that we would have ample time to relax and to enjoy the beach before our “big day”. Daily, local market people would bring us, the catch of the morning fishing outing. Red snapper, prawns, lobster, squid and other strange fish I had never seen before. The housekeeper would wash, gut, clean and prepare the fish for us daily. It was like living in a fancy seafood restaurant with fresh produce from our garden which was the Indian ocean.
Who could ask for a better routine: wake up in the morning to the smell of the sea; go for a pre-breakfast dip in the ocean, come back and have eggs with toast and fresh papaya with lime; followed by more swimming and tanning. Lunch is grilled and perfectly salted red snapper with lemons. The afternoon may follow with a nap, some reading, playing on the guitar.

The day came about not a day too early. It had rained heavily the night before and was raining through most of the morning. Our afternoon wedding wasn’t to be spoiled. Here, rain on your wedding day is a true sign of blessing from God. My best man and I retired to his quarters to prepare for the wedding. The ceremony had been split in two: one for the district commissioner who was to marry us legally and then one for our Indian pastor. The clouds parted to give us a most beautiful scene as we married our lives together. She looked so beautiful, I thought. My beautiful wife!

Pictures on the beach were some of the most natural and relaxed moments as our first steps as a married couple. She would be mine forever, and I hers. It was our wedding in paradise, not quickly forgotten. To this day, we like revisiting that day with the many pictures and videos taken.

We wish all of you at home a blessed year. May your loved ones always be close to your heart and in prayer. May our God watch over us all and reveal to each of us His good and perfect will. AMEN.

Back in Canada

2007-04-30T22:00:00.000+03:00

Claire and I have just finished our 2 and 3 year terms in the field and have returned home to Canada to start a short but new chapter of our lives. Our work in across the different countries of East Africa continue to call us back and we look forward to returning to the field in the not so distant future. Sudan will be in the back of our minds as we continue in this new season.

Claire and I will be home for the next year or so while I study at the Canadian Theological Seminary in Calgary. We will shortly both be in SIM as full time long term missionaries and will also be looking to raise support over the next year. The change comes with many new blessings and challenges but we feel God's leading. One of the great reasons for me to join SIM is to be able to work in the same organization as my wife and to enjoy also the great prayer support the staff and even retired missionaries show currently active ones. Living to a degree of dependence with God for all my finances is something that I have not been accustomed to but it is stretching me in new and exciting ways.

We hope to be back in Sudan in the following year (2008) and we long for those days again with anticipation!

Sudan: A brief history

2007-01-22T16:58:00.000+03:00

Sudan has been in its latest civil conflict since 1983. This war has claimed the lives of over 2 million people.

In January 9, 2005, the warring parties of the GoS and the SPLA\M signed a Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) which brought about peace in the region for the first time in over two decades. Many who fled the country into neighbouring Ethiopia, Uganda, and Kenya are now returning to their homelands.

Welcome home: Chali church

2007-01-20T18:19:00.000+03:00

Chali El Fil Christmas 2006

The cooler temperatures already seemed to indicate a changing of seasons: a new season was beginning. The dry land was starting to become denuded of the tall grass that once overwhelmed the area: people are coming back!

“E wagada!?!” the greetings can be heard throughout the day: “How are you!?!”. “Eh!!!” The high pitch exclamations rise from friends and family that have been reunited for their first Christmas since the cessations of hostilities in the longstanding Sudan civil war. Many of these faces are seeing home for the first time in over 15 years. Young boys have become men; girls, women. Children born in the refugee camps were seeing their “homeland” for the first time.

“Eh, Claire! Wagada!?! Aii, aii!!! E wagada!?!” greetings call out to us as we come and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour together. The morning is warm, in fact, just perfect, much like any other Sunday you would picture in your mind in any part of the world. Children playing in the dirt, women talking to friends in the shade of a tall tree, men shaking hands with the elders… except that this church has seen war. We do not mean only the battle over human hearts but battle that has claimed lives. The grounds is soiled with the blood, sweat and tears of those who fought. Bullet holes remind us where we are and how far we’ve come. This is the first Christmas of peace and we are privileged to be a part of it.

This phrase “Home church” has taken on a new dimension here in Chali. Many people who have been exiled because of persecution and war have fled into neighbouring Ethiopia, all the while, their hearts longing for their home.

At the center of the community that remained during the fighting stands a church that was constructed by the early missionaries who arrived in Sudan in the 40s. They left a Christian legacy still present to this day. The current church was built as an expansion on an old church which used to dot Chali. Many buildings used to stand here: an old market, schools, clinics, a bakery, and a mosque. Now, all buildings stand in ruin. Some have lost their walls, all have lost their roofing. Some got away with small cracks, while others have huge punctures in their sides. The huge holes, like punctures in their lungs, seems to take all life out of them. Yet there is life being breathed back into this one building… Chali church. It’s walls are bursting, not from mortal shells but from the people who entering to worship God. Here there is music, here there is life and colour! People are remembering their old tunes, those hymns of old, those Christmas carols. People are smiling because they are back and never have to leave again. And though the land is riddled with scars of the ways of old, shells and more devious contraptions of the military mind, they have arrived home. And this is where they have come to pray and worship… back in their home church.

Donkey's New Owner

2007-01-20T10:08:00.000+03:00

December 2006

It all began in June 2005 when 43 boys from an area called Ingessena arrived to Kurmuk exhausted from their long journey. Arriving from 3-5 days walk away, they arrived looking for a place in school where they could learn. Unfortunately, the first thing some of these boys saw was the inside of a hospital ward, as they suffered from things such as malaria from their long journey. Their parents sent them off without any money or extra clothes: they simply arrived on Kurmuk’s doorstep. We took them in and provided some essential things for them such as blankets, some food items, beds, mats and eventually helped them build a compound where they could stay. In another move to help them sustain themselves, we recently provided them with a donkey and cart so that they can provide water for the community and receive some income.

Today, many of the boys are able to speak and write in English and are still in school learning the importance of schooling. Who know what they will become years from now!

Girls' Program: All the colours of the rainbow

2007-01-20T10:01:00.000+03:00

December 2006

What does girls’ program and a rainbow have in common? Well, both infuse colour into our lives. Once again, GP opened in December to all the children of Kurmuk town. Children clamored into the classrooms to enjoy the many lesson plans, crafts, English, math, and art classes that are offered three semesters a year. Here, there are no classes designated by number but by colour. “Red, to arts; pink, in math; green, class 2” and on it goes. In the mayhem of children, each has remembered her colour and knows where to go.

It is now in it’s second year and we have seen some of these children grow into young women. They’ve acquired small skills that are supplemented by their own formal schooling. We are creating an environment conducive to learning in an area which has not seen the development of women; and what better place to begin than in the youth. This is where lessons are learnt or lost; in these formative years, we are trying hard to teach important life lessons and I believe that we are getting through. More and more these young women are realizing that they have an important role to play in the development of peace in their region. We wait with great anticipation for that day when they will themselves step up to that plate and have a swing at contributing in their own way. Until then we enjoy hearing the giggling, watching all the shy smiles, and perceiving the breakthroughs in their eyes when they crack that math problem!