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September 30, 2007
Bird's Eye View of Yabus
Dear friends,
Sometimes Chris and I forget to tell you about where we live and some of the people we get the privilege of serving here in Sudan. So I thought I would give a little bit of a bird's eye view.
So many people are hopeless. They have been oppressed for so many years, they feel like no one cares about them. Many have had so many family members killed during the war by Antinov bombers and by land mines. Many have even watched family members die from starvation. Our Sudanese friends either sleep on the ground or on a rope bed. They have no furniture. They buy sacks of sorghum grain, and they grind it to make something called kisera. They do eat bamia stew which is an okra stew. They dry the okra and can use it throughout the year.
All of our friends also cook on three stones over a wood fire. If there is a celebration, they may kill a goat or a chicken or even a pig if they belong to the Mabaan tribe. The Uduk and Berta tribes typically don't eat pork. The Berta tribe is mostly Muslim. They live in very small mud huts. Goats come and drink the water from the same place they drink. They have to carry 20 liter jerry cans (on their heads) of water from the river to their houses. They poop and pee outside and don't even build latrines, so they have to go in the bushes. It is amazing that in the year 2007 people are still living in such a fashion. But they have been oppressed for so long that they can't imagine their life in any better situation. We have come to give hope, education, healthcare, and to try to give love through friendship.
Today I was comparing a normal Saturday here and one in the US. It is so absolutely light-years away from each other. But I have a hope that someday development will come for my Sudanese brothers and sisters. They deserve running water, healthcare, electricity, clean drinking water, and the privacy of a toilet just as much as we Americans.
For those who don't know our precious Savior, we have come to share the gospel. For those who do, we have come to offer discipleship, encouragement and mentoring. But I think the most valuable thing that we get to do is love our brothers and sisters and let them know that people in the US and all over the world are praying for Sudan and for the difficult situation that has been caused from 25 years of war.
We have recently had the privilege of seeing three churches planted in an area where a tribe called Como-Ganza are living. They had churches many years ago that were burned during the war and had never come back together. With the encouragement and assistance of our Ethiopian missionary colleagues, we have seen these churches singing praises to God in their own language and becoming hungry to learn about the Bible.
Can you please pray with us that our Sudanese friends would feel encouraged and loved and that those who don't know our Father would come to know Him soon?
:)Bev for Chris, Bev, and Thomas
Published at September 30, 2007 10:01 PM
