Abukloi School: We Can South Sudan!

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??!!!