Photos From the Leper Colony in Rumbek

We have not posted anything for awhile because we have had computer issues. We did register and test more students last Thursday and Friday. Today they came to receive their exams back, review the class rules, and do a writing assignment. Below are our rules: Classroom Rules Turn off cell phones. No one boy with one girl together. Fighting will result in 2 weeks out of school. Raise your hand to speak. Be on time or you cannot attend school that day. If you are absent bring a letter of excuse. Students only are allowed on the school property (no family or friends). Do not copy other student’s work. Everyone will get 3 pens (blue, black, red). Pens will stay at school, not taken home except one pen for homework. New pens will be given when the ink is empty. Exercise Books will be given to each student. When every page is full a new book will be given. A timetable will be developed for cleaning and slashing. Every student will help. Quizzes will be given often and tests will be given about every two weeks. Students will bring their own cups for drinking. Students will practice good personal hygiene including shaving, clean clothes, and bathing. No braids are allowed. Students will wash hands after using the bathroom. When in the compound speak English only. You might be interested to know that "slashers" are like scickles. We have 3 of them and students use them to cut the grass around the school and a path from the gate. Can you imagine giving high school students sharp objects and telling them to go out and use them?? Thanks for your prayers.

Abukloi Starts Classes

Today was our first long day of teaching and interviewing teachers. We got up at 6:15 and left the school at 6:15PM.  We did interview 5 teachers and now have a slate of 4 teachers to offer contracts to, all university graduates.  We gave out the rules, of which one is to be on time to school or you cannot attend that day.  We will lock the gate at 8:00 which is when school begins.  This morning only seven showed up by 8AM. Hopefully we will have better luck tomorrow. On Sunday we visited a Leper Colony, oh! such poverty. No one should have to live like that. The leprosy has been arrested, but still they are shunned by the community. Ellen. president of  the Board of Directors for Abukloi came with $4000 dollars from her United Methodist Church. Father John from the Catholic compound bought $4000 worth of food for them and hired a truck to deliver it. We went with Father John in his vehicle, what a ride. It stormed the night before and so the roads were flooded.  However the people were so happy to see us and toured us around their village, even showed us their school which they made. They grow their own food and are sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Rumbek. I will tell you the ride out was horrendous, but we did make it in one piece.  A little boy about 3 took my hand( his name was Ahaserous) and never let go until we started passing out packages of cookies to the 100 plus children living in the colony. Oh the children were excited, cookies are such a treat.  Fifty -five families live in the colony. As the country becomes more educated, hopefully these people will be accepted.  We felt bad eating our rice, liver, beans, and cabbage when we returned to the Catholic Compound. Poverty, like we have never seen before. They danced and praised the Lord for bringing such wonderful gifts from the white people of America.  May we always be as thankful and as faithful believers as we met Sunday. All for now, blessings from Rumbek  Bev and Marg.

L to R:  Dr. Rev. Marg Kutz, Ellen Wicker-Cummings and Bev Nelan

I have had an interesting couple of days so asked Bev if I could blog today. I think we mentioned to you that a woman who lives in the compound with us had a baby Saturday night. Last night they came and got me, asking to secure a car to take her to the hospital. She has "a weak heart". So I made some calls and while the car was coming I took th blood pressure cuff that Edie Higgins gave me and went to their house. They were all very quiet as "Dr. Kutz" attempted to manually take a BP without a stethascope. I think her pressure was high but not dnagerously so. But at least they felt cared for and she did get to the hospital. As far as I know no doctor was there when she got there (actually most of her family went with her, including her breast feeding baby - car was packed)so she is still there today. The family walked hom from the hospital last night around midnight. The baby stayed with her. You may also remember that we wrote about President Kiir coming some time. Well, he came today. The whole town shut down so everybody could be there. The market, schools, and offices were all closed and Freedom Square was packed. I had a carmera with me but was told we could not take pictures. However, one of the Sudanese young men with us, Majok, got me a press pass which allowed me to sit with the press. I was sitting next to a man from the UN. When President Kiir came he told me we could go out on the field and take pictures so up I got and walked out there with all these African men and their professional cameras. There I was looking pretty out of place with a tourist camera. One of the military guys with a big gun said, "Madame?" I showed him my pass. Then he asked where I was from. I told him the US. He asked what organization I was from. I told him Abukloi. He said, "Abukloi?". I quickly went back to me seat with the "press core". I thought, "Majok got me into this I sure hope he can get me out of it!" Anyway, I did get a couple of pictures. It was quite an experience to be there with the people of Rumbek as they welcomed their president. He is Dinka and spoke in that language. This is the first time since he began two years ago to come to Rumbek. He will be here tomorrow as well for meetings.

Photos From Entrance Exam

The weather really cooled off yesterday around noon with the light rain that came and it has continued cooler with some breeze - no complaints. This was the perfect way to greet Ellen Cummings. She arrived today from Juba. Ellen is part of Abukloi and is in South Sudan for 2 months doing a variety of things to help the people. She will be with us for one week so will be here for the first day of school. We continue to visit officials and schools, learning more every time. More lesson plans to write tonight - fun!!! News on the street is that President Silva Kiir will be in Rumbek tomorrow. It should be really wild around here as this is really a big deal. Roads have been improved, tree trunks painted, trash picked up, shops swept. It will be fun to be part of this. Thanks for all your prayers and supports. We are hoping to get some pictures either on this blog or the Abukloi website.

High Maintenance Women

You have heard that when people are such back cooks that they can't even boil water. Well, that could be said of Bev and me. Boiling water means having charcoal and/or wood, a kettle or pot, and the ability to make a small, very hot fire. So this is one of the things Rebecca does for us. She comes in the morning to boil water for us so Bev can have coffee or tea. In addition, Rebecca cooks for us, one meal each day, and fills up the water buckets from the well. We just took on another woman today (Amein, I think is her name) who will do laundry and clean the house for us. We will pay her 1 pound per item, which is about .25 Cleaning is 125 pounds which is around $30. All of this work is done by hand so no easy task. We also have a driver. Now that may seem a little unnecessary until you understand driving in Rumbek. There are no signs and few rules. Fortunately, there is very little traffic here in terms of vehicles but there are goats and cows everywhere. The cows aren't much of a problem as they don't run into traffic but the goats are another story. And if you hit a goat you have to find the owner and negotiate a payment for it. The goal is to give money to the owner and then keep the goat for food. These aren't things Bev and I want to do especially since we do not know the language. So we rent the car, buy the gas, and pay the driver. He is used to getting really good money driving for the NGOs here but we assured him that we are not NGO people, just two retired preachers living on a meager pension. Frankly, once school starts it will take nearly all our time preparing lesson plans, etc. for the students. These other responsibilities that are so easy in the states take considerable time. In addition, the people here could really use the money, even if it is pretty small. Just to keep you up to date - we still do not have running water in the house and probably won't the entire time we are here because we cannot find a good way to get water into the water tank. The motor bike driven by our director was stolen. We hope the police or a church member (it was announced Sunday at church) will find it and return it in good shape. Electricity has returned to Juba - they turned it back on - so we missed that. The electricity here in Rumbek may also be turned on but where we live is not on the line. So we will continue with the generator. Last night it ran out of gas so today we had to get a couple men to come and get it started for us - probably put a little gas in the carberator. Next time I'll do it myself - maybe!!

Poverty

South Sudan is considered the second poorest country in the world. In most countries there are the haves and the have nots, even in 3rd world countries. But here it is the "have little" and "have nothing". The house we are staying in is considered one of the best. It is of good construction with tile floors and roof. It has good secruity with locked doors, concrete fence and razor wire, plumbing, wiring, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths, sitting area and kitchen. But because there is no electricity in the nation and no water system the plumbing and wiring are nearly useless except for when the generator is running which is for most places, including our compound, from 7-11 at night. This is just enough to give you light to go to bed and recharge your technology. Only very few homes have a generator. Angelo described his uncle's house this way, "Mom, don't worry, it is just like the homes here in the US." He forgot to mention no electricity or water. Now those are game changers! Our plumbing is all connected and the leak repaired but we still can't figure out how to get water in the tank. In Juba there were water tank trucks everywhere but we are not aware of any in Rumbek. The only system we know costs $2,000. This would pump water directly from the well but it would not allow it to be pumped. There are many families who come into the compound to get their water so we cannot use that system for oney reasons and simply human issues.

quick update

We are having internet problems and so trouble posting. We tested 36 students on Friday and have them all scored. We now know the exam was too hard but have a better idea where to start. We will test more this next week and then begin classes the 30th. We are doing well. Thanks for the prayers.

We are having internet problems and so trouble posting. We tested 36 students on Friday and have them all scored. We now know the exam was too hard but have a better idea where to start. We will test more this next week and then begin classes the 30th. We are doing well. Thanks for the prayers.

Today, Thursday, we went to the Catholic Compound where our pre-session classes will be held, to receive students' applications. You may remember that the radio employee suggested we might get 3,000 students apply if we didn't limit the way we do this. Well, that didn't happen. We had 19 students come to apply which gives us a total of 32 as some pre-registered. Of those, 2 are female. Tomorrow we will give them their entrance exam. It will help us know what they need in terms of English. This Sunday we are hoping that all 14 churches in Rumbek will announce the information about the school. This will likely reach different people than the radio did and was the suggestion of the Episcopal Bishop. Those students will register NEXT Thursday and take their entrance exam the following day. We plan to start classes Monday, Sept. 30. What surprised us today was the age of the students. Because we asked for students who had completed primary but not currently in secondary school we got older students. The oldest is 32 and the youngest 14 with an average age of 22. Their stories revealed the struggles of the people here. They really want education but poverty keeps getting in the way. Some of them spoke of needing to help with the cattle camp. Those who do that do not go to school. Many of them spoke of the fees of public schools. It was overcast today with some rain off and on which reduced the temperatures and increased the breeze - no complaints here! We know God sent us here with a plan. Please keep praying we follow the Spirit in this!

FROM BEV

Marg and Bev are keeping very busy in Rumbek.  Unfortunately, their WiFi connection is not the best.  Here is a partial update.  We will try to get their problem fixed as soon as possible.

Today we cleaned the classroom with brooms.  Oh my such dirt! We needed a shovel instead of brooms. We bought slashers to cut the weeds.  Everyone has had fun cutting the weeds.  We interviewed another teacher today, a woman who teaches English.  That makes 4 teacher candidates.  We talked with the boys next door who attend secondary school 1 which is our 9th grade. They are 18,19, and 21.  They had to take time off to run the family cattle ranches and are now back in school. They eat one meal a day of okra gumbo, which is a thick paste made with corn mush and they eat it everyday, as that is all the family can afford.  They grow the okra in the field next to the house we are staying in.  It is amazing that Sudanese people eat only once a day about 7pm . . .

Plan B Day

SEPTEMBER 17 - Tuesday was definitely one of those plan B days and a day we learned much about how the Sudanese people adapt to the weather and the government.  We awoke this morning to the sound of wind, rain, and thunder.  The rain continued until nearly noon, raining hard at times.  The roads which are only dirt (not even a bit of gravel) and full of ruts, huge holes and more were even worse.  Our first stop was the Rumbek High School but it closed due to the weather.  So we tried visiting the Commissioners Office but it was closed too.  In the Sates school is generally closed due to bad weather to keep children from coming out but here there is no way to contact them so they walk to school, attendance is  taken, and they are sent home. 

 

With our morning plans foiled we decided to get some breakfast.  While we were there we got a phone call.  You see the President of South Sudan, Kiir, is considering a visit to Rumbek this week so the military and police were going door to door searching for unregistered guns.  Our house was locked and they were going to break in.  One of our "neighbors" called to let us know.  We sent the driver with a key but before he could get there (remember the roads are terrible) they had broken the lock.  We came home and dealt with this. 

 

So much of our time has been spent not on the school but on "survival".  We are wanting to get running water in the house so a contractor has been here this week making that happen.  He was also able to get us in the house and then replace the door mechanism. We are close to having running water.  The plumbing is done but we still need water in the tank.  So tonight we are carrying water and "showering" with a pan and cup.  Actually, we are really getting the hang of it but it will feel very good to stand under that cold water!

Marg

Today we made a significant contact with the Minister of Education and got his blessings.  We also got an announcement on the local radio.  We have changed our plans based on a conversation with the Episcopal Bishop here.  Currently we have 16 applicants (ages 14-30!).  If we still need more applicants we will advertise in the 14 local churches this Sunday.  The Bishop helped us with those contacts.  Thursday potential students are to come to the Catholic Compound to apply.  Then Friday they will return to take the entrance exam. 

Also, Angelo and Moses are helping us create a more comfortable life for ourselves here at Uncle Jacob's compound.  We are trying to get running water and a man came today to give an estimate on doing that.  They have also spoke with a local young woman who will clean and cook for us.  We will pay her which will help her and us.

Speaking of food, most people here eat only once a day.  We asked our driver and he said it is for two reasons.  One is the work involved of gathering fire wood, making the fire, preparing the food and cooking it.  Then washing the dishes is complicated also.  The other reason is lack of money.  When you think about that, it is pretty daunting.  Bev and I are getting used to one meal a day but I have to admit that she is adjusting better than I am.

It is clear here that the women and girls do all the work around the house (carrying water, cooking, washing clothes, cleaning the house, watching the children, shopping, gardening, etc.).  So few men have jobs that you see large groups of them just sitting under the trees playing cards and talking.  The women are starting to notice but it does not seem to be changing.  However, this morning Bev and I noticed that we were washing our clothes and sweeping out the house while Angelo and Moses sat in the cool of the morning and talking.  We apparently have become Sudanese women - but Bob and Oliver should not expect this change to last.

It is difficult to find time to post on the days we are "transitioning".  Yesterday was one of those days so I will briefly fill you in on the last two days.  Yesterday (Saturday) we fly to Rumbek.  The flight was about 3 hours late but we are learning that is more normal than not here.  So we just go with the flow.  Once we arrived there was a group of young Sudanese men who met us at the airport and got our things to Uncle Jacob's Rumbek home.  He has 4 wives and each has a house in a different town.  The wife who was to live here moved to Australia so the house is empty.  It is large with tile floors.  We got the generator working (had to recharge the battery and buy gas).  The generator runs from about 7-11 in the evening which provides lights to get ready for bed and a ceiling fan until the air outside cools off enough to sleep.  There is a plan to complete the plumbing so we can have running water in the house.  At this point our well is pumped and carried from a well on the property.  Getting a shower is an art that we will learn:)  There is no kitchen in the house as the women still prefer the old way of cooking outside.  Bev and I watched the women this morning with their usual chores like washing the dishes and starting the fire.  The fire was started by an older woman smoking a pipe.  It all still so foreign to us but we suspect it will be quite normal by the time we leave in December.

Today we worshipped with an Episcopal and Anglican congregation.  The Episcopal church had at least 1000 in attendance.  We were introduced and given an opportunity to speak.  Angelo translated for us.  We left that service early to attend the Anglican church.  There were about 400 people present, the majority were children.  Again we were introduced and given an opportunity to speak.  This time Moses (another of the Lost Boys here) translated for us.  His brother is a leader in that church.  At one point some of the choir came to the front of the church and jumped up and down to the drums.  Angelo joined them so Bev and I got out there as well and jumped as best we could with bad joints!  I have to say, the crowd went wild!!!

White people are very few here in Rumbek.  The children in particular really stare at us, taking in our face, feet, hands, etc.  They love to shake our hands - it's like a dare to them.  The brave ones start and then the others gradually come forward to touch us.  The older folks are more "composed" with their curiosity.

Tonight we are to meet with the Episcopal Bishop.  The Virginia Episcopalians have a close relationship with them so he knows Angelo.  We want to build relationships with the community leaders so we will know better how the school can best meet their needs.  Many of the ideas we had about the school are changing.  Teacher training is important to the education here so we may try to find ways to do that while we are here.

Our plan is to meet with more leaders and head masters of the schools this week.  Angelo and Moses leave on Saturday to go back to Juba and then the US.  We have a lot of listening to do before then.  Please be in prayer for us that we will listen for what it is that God wants us to do in this place.  The needs are so great and we are so few so we want to do what has already been designed for us.

Josh (choir director at Chester UMC), when the congregation likes what the choir is singing they give money to the choir director by sticking it in her hair or putting a necklace around her neck.  That would be more common in a strip joint in the US but here in South Sudan it is the choir director.  How great is that??!!!

Today Bev and I got up ready to get our bags out and on our way to Rumbek.  There are no flights from Juba to Rumbek until Saturday and we had done most of what we needed to do here in Juba so we thought driving there would give us more time to do the many things we have to do in Rumbek before we can start with the students.  But alas, as is very common here, plan B became plan C.  The car we were going to borrow belongs to a relative of Angelo but this morning he went to the hospital due to very high blood pressure.  Things were complicated in his family so that plan fall apart.  So we took the luggage back to the hotel we had been staying in and fortunately they still had 3 rooms for us.  So this gave us time to go to an internet cafe and catch up with you.

Tomorrow is a "free" day for us.  We hope to visit St. Francis, an Episcopal School here in Juba run by the Episcopalians here and in Great Falls, VA.  We also hope to go to the Juba zoo.  We understand it is an "open range" zoo in which you drive your car.  So many people in the US asked us if we were going to do a safari while we were here.  We told them we were starting a school not tourists.  But we are calling this our safari.

This morning we met with a reporter from Rumbek who was in Juba for a conference.  He suggested rather than advertising for students through the radio that we go to the head masters of the primary schools and ask them to invite several students from their 8th grade to apply to our school.  He said if we use the radio we could get as many as 3,000 students apply - not manageable.  We believe we will take his advice.  He will help us with this process as he knows Rumbek well and is "well connected".  We are learning that is key here.

Keep praying for the school - the selection of students is most important in the next week.

Marg 

Bev and I have arrived!  We are safely in Juba making plans for accommodations and the school.  We now have the curriculum to review and we even got to interview 3 teachers yesterday.  The teachers are male Sudanese and have excellent qualitifications (educational background and experience).  We hope to leave for Rumbek tomorrow via a UN flight.  We hd great direction from Angelo and all his family and friends.  They are very excited about the school in Rumbek.  Keep us in your prayers.

Preparing the Way by Marg Kutz

When I was 18 years old I was recovering from a breakup with a long time boyfriend.  The plans we had made together were over so I was seeking new direction.  It was then that I heard God calling me to teaching mission in Africa.  When I was 19 I dropped out of college to do a year's missionary work in the US.  My call to mission work was confirmed so I returned to college to prepare.  After I graduated I applied for both the Peace Corps and UCC Mission Board.  Both groups suggested I teach in the states for a few years and then apply again.  In the meantime I had me a dashing young man, Bob Kutz, and fell in love and were engaged to be married.  I could not reconcile my call to foreign mission work with my engagement.  Eventually I gave the ring back.  But when God made it clear I was to marry Bob we were married and the call to mission work went on the back burner as I prepared for work as a United Methodist pastor.  Now after 39 years service in the church what never left the back burner has been moved to the front burner.  I leave Sunday for South Sudan to start a secondary school for 90 ninth graders.

I am so grateful to God for allowing me this privilege to serve in this way.  While I certainly would have had much more physical stamina when I was 25 I feel everything in my 65 years has prepared me for this divine adventure/promise.

Please follow our blog as Bev Nelan and I both fulfill childhood calls to mission work in Africa.