Church Opening

I was able to attend one of our church openings yesterday, it was a real blessing to be a part of. Here is a little video of the children's choir and some practicing outside.






Please continue to pray for the Christians of Sudan as they face many difficulties, pray that this new church would not just be a building but would be a place of hope and light in a world of darkness.

The last rain

In a few weeks I will be heading off for R&R, I am looking forward to the time away. Life in Nuba is good but it is also nice to have a break; have some good food and cooler weather. Things have been going okay here. The rain is ending, we had a nice heavy rain a few days ago, just enough to settle the dust, but it looks like it will be pretty dry from now on. It is fairly warm here, with it getting up to 100-110 in the daytime but this is the cool season and it will get warmer.

The work is going well. Everyday we face difficulties but we are moving forward. There was accident the other day up here but no one was hurt and we are sorting through the political quagmire. Our region continues to be in flux and doubt as the political powers 'discuss' how to settle things. Still one of the main issues is the oil around here and where the boundaries should lie. It has been peaceful here, that is truly a blessing; there have been too many years of war and too much suffering. Please continue to pray for the Christians in this area of the world as many continue to face persecution; homes destroyed, walking 45 days with little food or water, being shot, set on fire, chased from ones home while everything they own is set a blaze. As Thanksgiving comes next week, may we remember God's faithfulness, provision and salvation.

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

Photos

Here are a few photos for you.  Things are fine up here, by the grace of God we move forward.

Home sweet Home...here is where I live with another guy.

A local restaurant where she made some great lunch and a nice strong cup of real coffee.  Here they often add ginger to the coffee to give it a little extra kick.

Church under construction:

Some local kids:

Kauda

Well many of you don't know this yet but I have changed jobs a bit and have moved to the middle of Sudan.  I am still with the same program but have taken on the roll of program manager for the Nuba mountains.  We are doing lots of things here including church reconstruction, there is a technical training school, a nursery for plants, and a bible college.  

One of the great things is that I can now see my old friend Sergey.  Sergey and I know each other from Afghanistan.  He is from Uzbekistan and has worked for SP several years now.  Here is a photo of us...he is on the left, and Josh, a guy from Canada, is on the right.  It is also great to be working with Josh as we went through orientation together and he has a lot of experience.

 I am really enjoying the mountains here and am looking forward to some good hikes.  I will be putting more photos up later but here are a couple more.  Here is a local watering hole:

And today I went for a little motorcycle (Honda 200) ride to one of our projects...here is a photo:

More later....

Anyone have a shovel? Road between Yei and Juba

Ethiopia

Well I just returned from a wonderful R&R in Ethiopia.  I was able to visit Sarah and James Bauler whom I have know since Afghanistan and I was able to see some of the sites with my friend Dan.

Please pray for James, Sarah and Noah working for Samaritan's Purse in Ethiopia

• Pray for Wisdom as they work: James as the Country Director and Sarah working part time for SP and as a full time mother
• Pray that they would find/develop meaningful relationships with fellow believers
• Pray that the Lord would bless their work and that the gospel would be spread in Ethiopia
• Pray for the believers in Ethiopia, that they may be encouraged and blessed as they face many trials

Here are a few pictures of the sites.  I was able to go hiking for 5 days (in the Simien Mountains)and was able to see some of the famous rock hewn churches.  We hiked about 35 miles, up to 14,500 feet.  It was incredibly beautiful and really great to be able to get out in nature for a bit.  The nights were cold and usually wet but the days were fantastic.  I have tons of photos but will try and put up some interesting ones.  

I would encourage anyone who loves to travel to visit this amazing country at some point. Ethiopians are very hospitable, love good coffee (often served with popcorn) and are very friendly.  I hope to put more photos up later.