Christmas Time

Here are a couple of photos from my time at home. We had lots of snow but were able to make it to the beach for our Christmas. It was really a great time there. These photos are from my cousin Alysun.

Pretty Amazing

Here is a pretty interesting article that I would recommend reading. The Lord has really given us favor and I feel honored to be a part of this work.

http://www.sudantribune.com/spip.php?article29802

Happy New Year

Well I do hope to post some pictures soon but wanted to wish all those that read this blog a Happy New Year. I had a wonderful little break at home with friends and family but am now back in Kenya.

I am excited to see what the Lord has for us this new year. The team here is a blessing to work with and I know the Lord has great things for us to accomplish.

Please continue to remember the Christians in both Sudan and Zimbabwe as they face many challenges and struggle daily to survive.

More later

Edge of the World

Well I know it has been quite a while since I have posted.  This last month of transition has been a bit crazy.  Also, I have just returned from 3 weeks in Sudan.  It was a great trip, seeing some old friends and visiting some of the places I use to live.  

From seeing Ben in Rumbek (Tonj) who I was first working with, to Sergey my old Uzbek friend, to Simon and Aloro - friends in Yei, to the driver Henry who I helped spring from prison, and to many faces that were new to me.  Josh and I traveled many many miles and in 3 weeks were not even able to visit all of our sites.  We traveled mostly by plane (a Cessna 206, 208, Caravan, Dash 8 and the last day was a marathon 12 hours back on the DC-3).   We did take a long road trip, had to avoid rebels from Ethiopia, and bypass mine fields.  We have programs all over and it was really good to go and touch base with staff face to face.  Due to some security constraints, I don't feel I can say every where we went.

So now I am back in Kenya, trying to catch up on emails and meetings.  It is an honor and privilege to be back working with this team and I pray the Lord would give me wisdom in the days and months to come.

I will try and get back to blogging and give you some photos later but wanted to at least get something up.

Thank you for your prayers and the emails, I have really appreciated them.  Please continue to remember the team out here and the Christians that are struggling everyday to survive.  Life is short; take the opportunities you can to bring hope and pray the Lord would use you for His glory.

Final from Zim

Well I have now left Zimbabwe. It is sort of hard to believe that chapter is closed and that the Lord would bring me back to Sudan but He does work in mysterious ways.

The last weekend I was in zim, Brighton and I went to a little animal park and saw a few animals. The first area we could drive through and as you can see from this photo the lions weren't too interested in us or our car.



Then we saw some others in a zoo like setting but I have to say I am sort of glad this guy was behind the fence.



This time of year in southern Africa, the Jacaranda tress are flowering. These are beautiful purple tress that are all over the city (this one in my yard).


I leave you with a sunset photo. Zimbabwe will always be on my heart because of the time I spent there. I am hopeful that SP will one day be able to work there and I ask that you remember this country in your prayers. The people and the church are in desperate need. Pray the government would get its act together and that things can stabilize. One estimate now how the inflation rate at 513 Billion %. At any rate, it was truly a blessing to even spend a short time there and I hope to visit again.


Well for now I am off to Kenya and Sudan. Please pray for my transition as I take over the country director role for our projects - I will need lots of wisdom and guidance in the challenges ahead.

Back in Zim

(Sunset in Liberia)

I have now left Liberia and am back in Zimbabwe.  It was truly a blessing to be able to work with a great staff in Liberia and spend some time with my friend Melanie.  

During my time in Liberia, I got an email informing us the SP did not get registered in Zim.  This really broke my heart as I truly wanted to see our projects running there.  The head office has decided to close the office but to also keep a presence there for when the door might open again.  SP will try to re-register after a time of a reflection.

Given that, I was out of a job but after much prayer and talking with others, I have decided to head back to Sudan to be the country director for our southern projects there.  It is hard to believe I am heading back to where I began almost 2 years ago but I guess that is how it works sometimes - who knows the ways of our Lord.  I will be based out of Nairobi, going in and out of Sudan.

I would appreciate your prayers as I transition up there next week and begin getting a handle on our projects.  I will be posting a bit more on Zim in my next update.

Here are a few last pictures of Liberia:

(Kids running home)

(SP Girls Playing Volleyball)

This is actually the 4th volleyball court I (with help) have built, setup or organized at various SP locations (Yei, Nuba, Harare and now Monrovia, Liberia).  It is great for team building and for a bit of exercise.  I must say though, this court in Liberia is probably the most beautiful with it over looking the ocean.

Finally, here is a staff photo of the team in Liberia.  Thank you again for your prayers during my time there.  Please continue to remember them as they struggle to bring hope in the dark.

Zimbabwe

Please continue to remember Zimbabwe. There was a huge praise this week as the government lifted the ban on NGOs.  However, as you can read from the article below, all is not great yet.  There is still a lot of suffering in zim right now as people can not access the food, medicine or basic supplies they need to survive. 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7593387.stm