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November 15, 2005
High Drama
Hello all, Chris here just writing to say hello and tell you the news - no other reason. It feels a bit odd to write to you all as a group - but I sense that you like it. And the good thing about email is if you're busy you can put it aside until you have time.
So, yesterday was a crazy day. We are adjusting to the fact that each day brings its own high drama.
I went to the next village called Dem Monsuer ('Dem'), and Bev stayed back in Kurmuk to do her work. She puts in about 8 hours at the hospital. Usually when I pop in to see her, she is going on teaching rounds with all the new nurse trainees. Most of the nurses are guys from the military (surpised?), and many were called up for duty recently. So, the hospital is hiring a huge crowd of new nurses, again all guys. Bev goes around the wards seeing each patient, all the while talking through everything she is doing. Today she was telling them how to do wound care. Also she is teaching classes three afternoons a week.
But I digress. I spent the night at the SP farm in Dem. Gabriel Majok, an evangelist from our church had gone with us. Also we had a turnboy named Mamout who helps with the vehicle. We had come to encourage the church and when we got there we found the church full of people waiting for us. We talked to them a bit, and then retired for the evening back to the farm.
I made us a meal of Zatarain's red beans and rice (thanks to Tom and
Carolyn!) on my camp stove (thanks Luke Brown!). The Sudanese guys laughed their heads off at the stove and the box meal. But it smelled so good they gobbled it up.
At 5am we were up. Man, do the Sudanese get up early. Nothing like the BBC in Arabic to greet the dawn. Garbriel and I hurriedly got our sermons synced up; then we headed to the church. We made a brief stopoff to help with an SP school project that was having issues.
The church was full of people singing in Mabaan - then everyone jumped up and ran out. "Huh?" I thought. They had heard the approaching voices of the other churches coming to join. Soon, four different churches had arrived. Each one got up and sang their special songs, to the delight of all.
We moved outside and had a time of preaching. I taught on the origins of sin using storyboards of Adam and Eve. I asked questions and when people gave the correct answers everyone would clap loudly. It was cool. Then Gabriel taught on the fruits of the Spirit and how we can love each other in practical ways.
I should mention that I spoke in English (which a few understood), Gabriel would translate into Arabic (more understood), then another guy would translate into Mabaan (almost all understood). One wonders what message came out the other end!
Then we handed out special baptism certificates to nine of eighteen people who were baptized after a recent showing of the Jesus film. That was quite encouraging. The rest were off somewhere or had gone to visit their families in the refugee camps in Ethiopia.
We headed back to Kurmuk after a quick lunch of chicken and kisera (spongy bread stuff). I tried not to drink the local water, still my stomach has been rumbling. But God is graciously keeping everything where it should be.
The truck got stuck in a huge rut once, but we managed to push it out. Then we found a bunch of ladies who were walking to Kurmuk (four hours) with sick kids. We kicked some of the guys out of the truck to make room for them and then proceeded slowly down the road. The road is so bad it makes you feel sorry for the truck.
When we got back I was exhausted but revived a bit when I saw Bev. BUT, then a guy came to see me. Wearily I trudged out to the gate to see who it was. It was my friend Simon who speaks English very well. I was shocked to hear he had been in prison for four days without food. They gave him a guard so he could come see me. Turns out that the security police picked him up on suspicion of being a spy for the Government of Sudan. I suppose it is possible, but having some Kenyan shillings in your wallet does not make you a spy. Anyway, he wanted prayer and some food so we prayed together, and then I watched as this Christian prisoner shared his only food for four days with his guard.
Then more high drama, but first back up to a few days ago. SP has watchmen for the several compounds around town. One is my buddy. His name is Bala, and he has a donkey cart to take water around town. He's a really soft-spoken guy, and miraculously I can understand a lot of his Arabic. A few days ago I asked him if he understood "Al Kalamat bita Rabuna" (the word of God or God's truth). He replied that he knew about God through the Koran. We chatted some more, and then he surprised me by asking for a
Bible. So, fast forward to yesterday - I took a Bible out to Bala and the other guard Mohammed. With great care and reverence (and a translator) I gave it to them. Bala surprised me by opening to the first page and reading out loud in Arabic all of Genesis 1. His Arabic is quite good to be able to read like that. It is very complicated, classical Arabic. He liked the maps in the front also. I silently prayed that God would not allow his Word to return empty.
Then, we went to bed.
In Christ,
Chris for us both
Published at November 15, 2005 09:39 AM
