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

Building Bridges

One of the projects I had mentioned before was bridge reconstruction.  Much like Sudan, Liberia has very poor roads and bridges making access for vehicles, supplies, and aid very difficult.  So we are working to rebuild some of these.  Here is an example of a local bridge (we crossed this in a land cruiser, and below this is a bridge we rebuilt.  After we built this bridge, other NGOs started working with the communities on the other side.  It is great to see some impact of our work. 

SP is also building bridges spiritually, working with communities that have never heard the gospel through vacation bible schools, water projects, and literacy programs.

Local girl doing the dishes:

Strange looking sun, not sure what that ring was around it but made for an interesting sight.

Liberia Photos

Here are a few photos from Liberia for you.  This is a group of farmers that we are working with on a vegetable farm.  We are teaching them farming methods and providing the resources for them to get started.

 This is a swamp farm that we are helping the community to rehabilitate.  The land is cleared, canals dug and then rice is planted.  It is really a great project and the community seems really excited about it.  Other projects we are doing are reconstruction of bridges, livestock, vacation bible schools, and a little church reconstruction.  The area is a thick jungle, very lush, and quite beautiful.

The Good Samaritan

Here is a story from one of the staff in Zim.  She is a single mom with 5 kids (her husband past away) and has been struggling financially.  Please remember her and the team in your prayers.

"Phil, I have a testimony to share with you. For some time now I have been praying that GOD would put me in opportunities to help people. Well on Thursday last week GOD answered my prayer. I was driving to collect my children from school lunch time and I passed a man who was lying flat on his back beside the road. I had thought that he was asleep so I proceeded to fetch the children. On my way back I noticed that he was in the same position and his hands were shaking. So I pulled over to go and check on him. At the same time a lady pulled over. She too had noticed him earlier but had gone to fetch her gardner and some sugar. The man who had fainted was diabetic as all his syringes and insulin bottles had fallen out of his pocket when he fell. After we gave him the sugar to eat he managed to come around. He told the lady in shona that he had walked all the way from Budiriro (which I understand is very very far) and was going to Parirenyatwa hospital to collect his medication which he gets for free. Unfortunately they were no longer givning free medication.

My heart was so sore. He didnt look in a good condition. So I took the empty insulin bottle to go to the pharmacy to see if I could buy it for him. I didnt have much money myself, only 10usd. Well I was shocked when the pharmacy told me that the cost of the medication was equivalent to 200usd. Well I couldnt afford it. So I went back to where the man lay as I had asked the lady to look after him until I came back. By now he was fully awake and mentioned that the medicine at the hospital cost 750billion. It is so sad to know that he didnt have this amount which seems so little. I counted the cash I had in my purse and I had the exact amount. 750billion! GOD is so so good. So I took him in my car, changed my 10usd, gave him 750 for the medicine, 140billion for transport to go back home and a loaf of bread and I dropped him at the hospital.

Then I received and email out of the blue from Joel Osteen (I subscribed there a year ago but they had stopped emailing me  some time back). The message was talking about sowing into people's lives, that GOD will empower us in every way to be able to help, if it is our desire. Well, I just feel that GOD is such an amazing GOD. He answers prayer in His time and according to His will. When I tell you this story, its not about what I did, its about the way GOD works in all our lives. He sent me to help this man when he so desparately needed help. Something is happening in my life Phil. I am growing spritually and I am not only a listener of GODS word but I am becoming a doer of His word. I am so excited about the plans He has for me. Not only am i filled with hope but I have a desire to be a true servant of Christ. Amen.  Cleo"