I was able to meet with our SIM NEI personnel, the director and the personnel director are good friends whom we worked with in Sudan.

I was also able to meet with some of our missionaries' sending church leaders. Canberra's people drove 7 hours to meet with me and the NEI director.

Needless to say, I was experiencing a part of the world I had never seen. To some extent, I am a world traveller but wow, it was different. Perhaps I've been accustomed to the very Christian atmosphere of Sub-Saharan Africa, but it was a unique feeling to surrounded by millions of Hindus, Muslims, and Buddhists.

A special bonus: two new NEI missionaries accompanied me back to Nairobi. I was supposed to take care of them but they also cared for me. Buata was especially comforting when I took a very difficult phone call: one of our missionaries Yacob Aga succumbed to cerebral malaria and died in Yabus, South Sudan. I was really upset and he was a good brother to me.

Note: this blog is now linked to our Facebook Notes

Following three years of hard work, more than thirty adult students were able to graduate from our Basic Education Learning Center in Atar, South Sudan.

Where Was the Video Taken?
In Atar village on the lower left

Who Are the Students?
Well, they are not in the video, but about 30 grown men and women studied hard for three years to reach their goal.

Who Are the Teachers?
Getachew&Kelemwa (Ethiopia), Ubandoma & Ruth (Nigeria), Yakub & Tibarek (Ethiopia)

Who is Dancing?
The ladies in the community – ladies in the Dinka culture love to express themselves by this way. These are friends, relatives, and well-wishers.

1. greeted a church in my broken Arabic
2. ate goat liver in the market
3. hung out with great Christian guys
4. prayed with survivors of a plane crash
5. talked to my wife by cell phone from the bush of Sudan
6. discussed the implications of God's grace with our team
7. cycled 2km to church
8. prayed with a family who had been put in jail
9. seen a Sudanese pastor blessed by a donated bicycle
10. discussed with a shepherd how long ago his goat had died

Prayer Requests:
1. safety on the charter flight tomorrow
2. getting back to Bev and the boys tomorrow
3. wisdom in use of my time
4. that God would give me insight into 1 Samuel
5. judgement about our north Sudan team

thank you friends,
Chris

Did you know that in 1000AD, the Anglo-Saxons minted their own silver coins in a distributed network? The coins expired after 3 years to prevent people from counterfeiting them.

It's amazingly similar because to find someone 60 years old is rare in Sudan and nearly impossible to find someone who has reached 70 years old.

It's truly sad to realize that South Sudan may be between 500 to 1000 years behind the rest of the developed world.

On the positive side, I've observed in Sudan that people really know each other the way people in small towns know each other. That's something in common with 9th century England where most people did not use surnames because they did not need them! They have know each other all their lives and rarely traveled more than 50km from home. Relationships must have been deep and abiding. People must have been connected to each other as they tried to survive, fend off disease and Viking raiders, and wring a living out of the land.

One of the interesting things about being a missionary is that God causes me to constantly compare and contrast the world around me with the calling He's given me: Sudan.

More musings later,
Chris

• We had a fantastic Spiritual Life Conference attended by over 100 people. Our entire team emptied out of Sudan (50 people). There were about 5 flights in one week. We managed to put everyone up in local guesthouses. And 3 new team members made it in time for the Conference. Three buses took us all outside Nairobi to a place called Limuru where there is a conference center. It was a massive logistical exercise but God blessed us with fellowship, great teaching, and comfortable surroundings. Missionaries who live in the most primitive conditions and eat beans every day instead ate from a sumptuous buffet. And during our meetings we heard the Gospel spread out before us like fragrant, life-giving buffet. It was a wonderfully refreshing time.
• Our Kenya resident permit has been approved! Until we move back to Sudan, we are legal to have an office in Kenya. Also, entry and re-entry to Kenya is free.
• We had a great reunion with Laiu & Debbie Fachhai and their son Vanoh. Laiu is our former Director who was the speaker at SLC.
• Jonathan and Thomas seem to have evicted the viruses they picked on the flight from US to Kenya.
• Beverly is finally on Facebook! We’re having a contest to see who has more friends. She has passed me like I am sitting still.
• A funny: Thomas has learned my name. Today he said “Chris is Baba”. He’s only 2 years and 2 months old.

The next day our office guard called up to say someone was there. I went out to the gate. “Scott?”, I said. “No, my name is Moses.” After a few minutes I determined that I had called a wrong # and Moses had just come 40km into the city to find out what I was talking about.

Turns out Moses had filled out applications to be a teacher in Sudan a few months ago and when I mentioned the country of Sudan he thought I was asking him to come for an interview. At any rate, we started talking and he turned out to be a born-again believer who taught secondary school. We talked about some projects we were involved in and how to do sustainable development. He really encouraged me, saying thank you for being willing to come all the way around the world to help in Africa. We ended up by praying for each other. He prayed that I would be encouraged in my work and thanked the Lord for his job and prayed for his future wife.

Best wrong number I’ve had in quite a while.

Chris for the Crowders

1. A place to live - with Bev's travel to the US in Nov/Dec, Chris's travel to Sudan and an all-hands Spiritual Life Conference in January, we will not have time to move out of our house prior to Jan. Please pray we can find a little house or townhouse in the next 2 weeks!

2. Praise the Lord for a nice minivan. We decided to avoid auto rental costs by buying a car and the Lord led us to a gently-used Toyota Noah minivan. We've already used it for our team and member care responsibilities. In fact, the first day we had it we loaded it up with 5 people and their luggage. Praise the Lord for this ministry tool.

3. An essential ministry tool of ours is the laptop. We communicate to Sudan, Kenya, and the rest of the SIM world using one. Chris, as director of a 70-member team, uses his laptop as a critical management tool. Sadly, Chris' laptop died and had to be sent back to the US (the Kenya Dell place could not get parts). However, a borrowed laptop has terrible issues so rather than struggle we may tap into ministry funds to get another one for him. Didn't want to do it, but it looks unavoidable now.

4. Bev's travel - Bev will travel with a colleague, plus both our boys to visit the family in the US. Please pray for a survivable journey. Thomas is very very active and does not like to sit still on airplanes.

5. Lift up Maria, the housekeeper of our neighbor who just lost her husband last night. He just slumped over and died. He was only 24 years old and in perfect health.

6. Thank the Lord for a great trip to Ktoum for Chris. He was able to sync up with the ministries there, meet with staff, partners, and even work through some very thorny issues with the church.

Well, we made it back to Africa!

The Tale of the Journey
Monday the 16th, After we cleaned the house, dispensed of all our belongings, locked the door and climbed into the truck, Bev looked over at me and said “Wow, I can’t believe we got all that done in one day.” It was a whirlwind. Thomas woke up from his nap to find the house full of people including his Pop-pop and father dismantling his crib. We devoured pizza and washed baseboards. Everyone pitched in and somehow it got done.

In my bro-in-law’s 4Runner pulling a trailer full of our bags and boxes, we migrated to the airport. Bev’s sister Kelly Mooneyham was there to help us. She even parked the truck and trailer – way to go Aunt Kelly!! Thanks to some advance work with the Nashville AA counter our small mountain of things got checked and passed security without incident. We were wiped out by then.

The flight to Chicago took off late and got in late. We thought, man this journey has just started and we’re already tired. Then the flight to London Heathrow was very late and missed our connection to Nairobi,Kenya. Happily, the Lord knew we needed a break.

British hospitality kicked in and we were whisked off by a nice man named Ray in an electric “trolley” to the British Airways counter. He even loaned us an umbrella stroller since we’d been forced to check ours onto the last plane. We were ushered off to the Hilton Heathrow Terminal 4 replete with lunch, dinner, and breakfast. In the room we all passed out for 2 hours, and woke up wondering what day it was. Thomas enjoyed the hotel room. Hopefully they can fix it back up again.

Long story short, what should have been a 31 hour journey became 2 days. The next day we made our Nairobi flight and were picked up by David Njau our faithful taxi driver from Elida Tours. [no charge for the free advertising David]

The Thomas Report
It’s been a trip of firsts:
• Thomas said “No problem!” for the first time
• He fell asleep on us in public for the first time
• He ate an entire ham and cheese sandwich by himself
• He took a nap in his stroller while shopping in Yaya centre
• He is back into the groove of greeting everyone with a hand shake(very important in Kenyan and Sudanese culture)
Not surprisingly we need prayers for his adjustment to the new surroundings. He’s happy meeting new people and going to the store but his little internal clock is off kilter. Hopefully in a few more days he’ll start sleeping through the night again. Yes, he has not done that for a week now.

The Beverly Report
Bev is feeling ok, but it was a very long journey which was tough on her back. Baby Jonathan is kicking and pushing a lot. She feels really cold here in Nairobi – the lows are the 50’s (F) so with no heaters in any houses you can get chilly. It is winter here in Kenya . Wool socks are helping. We opened some boxes and found her fleece jacket also. Please pray for our first meetings with Dr Patel who will be taking up care for her and the baby. We really appreciate him and honestly think of him as God’s provision for us. Bev is also doing the team devotion for our team prayer time tomorrow morning.

The Chris Report
Chris has a strange feeling settling over him that he is somehow responsible for the entire Sudan team. The really strange thing is that it’s true. I’ve already started meeting with our acting director and we’ve had two meals with colleagues who are in town. There are a lot of issues to get my arms around but our team is characterized by a real sense of unity and love. Each team member has a strong sense of calling to be used to build the kingdom in Sudan. I’m walking into a healthy team which has accomplished a vast amount for the kingdom of God in the last years. For that I am profoundly grateful, first to my God and second to Jo-Ann Brant and Laiu Fachhai before her for building a strong organization with a well-formed vision.

Accommodations
Lastly, we’re thankful for a temporary stay at a nice guest house called Gemina Court. It’s worked out well, but we’re more overjoyed to have a brand new 2BR apartment at SIM Kenya’s Rose Avenue to move into! In 2 days it will be ready for us to move in. I’ll send pictures but imagine this: about 15 apartments and flats inside a guarded compound, all occupied by missionary colleagues. It’s a perfect place for us to have our next child, knowing we’re surrounded by friends.

Oh, also, we were met on Wednesday by a gentleman who brought over a rental car for us. It’s a little 1.6L Nissan Sunny and we got it at a great rate. Thanks God for providing wheels for us from Day 1.

It’s late and tomorrow is . . . well Monday. So, I’ll sign off. We hope to write you once a week or as the Lord prompts. We are so thankful for each one of you. Thank you for your prayer and support for our journey thus far. The Lord has provided so much already. We pray the Lord will use us in a mighty way as His hands and feet. We know we could not be the goers without so many people as sending team members.

In Christ and with gratefulness for His Care,
Chris for the Crowders

The bitter wind blasted me nearly sideways, ruffling the hood of my parka. Was I going to make it? With cold-stiffened fingers, I retrieved my receipt and my cash. A short dash, a fumble with the keys, and I was back inside the safety of my car. 42 degrees said the bank sign. What! Only 42F? It feels like the North Pole out there!

Such was my experience last night: a Sudan missionary, acclimated to 110 degree heat, snakes, scorpions, and dust storms – barely surviving a trip to the ATM on a winter night in Tennessee.

How are We
We are very, very well. The Crowders are settled in a missionary house in Murfreesboro, TN. We arrived to find so many blessings: all our family at the airport, a donated car full of fuel, a house all set up for us, a freezer full of summer vegetables, and a pantry so stocked with food (by our church) we didn’t have to shop for two weeks. The Christmas season was so nice and we stayed quite busy bouncing from celebration to celebration. Once again, we experienced the wonder of channel surfing, fast internet, English as a mother tongue, and smooth roads.

How is Chris
I am great. Let me give you the Physical, Spiritual, Social, and Professional scorecard. Physically I’m healthy but I’m a bit light. Six weeks of Kenyan food put eight pounds back on, and as of today I’ve put on another six pounds. I started running 3 miles at a time and have now joined the YMCA. Spiritually, I feel close to the Lord through studying the Psalms each day. I just hit chapter 40 today. However, and this links to the Social, I would love to be meeting with a group of guys in Nashville on Wednesdays. Also, I’ve been able to reconnect with Jake, Scott, Luke, Wade, Carl, and some other good friends. Hopefully Brian Gresham and I can get out to his family’s farm for a few manly activities. Professionally, I’m driven down to my knees as we contemplate the challenges of our next assignment. Nothing is firm yet but it’s possible we’ll be in some form of leadership which brings challenges of all kinds. The way I see it, this 40-year old’s life is about half over, therefore it’s time to fix our eyes on the author and protector of our faith and accelerate to maximum cruising speed.

How is Beverly
Beverly is glad to be with friends and family. She is sharing the little joy named Thomas with all who wish to be dazzled by his giant smile. She has been able to have a date with her husband and is so absolutely excited about a Bible study that starts this week. Being a missionary in the middle of nowhere can leave a lot of desire for fun time with the girls back home. So she is trying to fill up her tank while she can. We also just found out that the Crowders are increasing in number again. We have a baby Crowder due August 25th. So please be praying for mama Thomas to have a lot of energy to incubate and still run around chasing little Thomas! Thank you all for your love and support. It is so great to see so many loving faces and just to get to have fun with you all. We are missing our Sudanese friends and our co-workers in Sudan. So please don’t forget to keep praying for the country of Sudan and for our co-workers.

How is Thomas

Thomas is a happy, silly little boy. God has given him a Careful Explorer’s personality. He enjoys life with gusto yet with a measure of caution. He checks things out before leaping. His best friends are 1) his Mama, 2) Elmo, and in a tie for 3) his Pop-Pop and his Grampa. His little cousin Abigail Grace is quite possibly his first girlfriend. His vocabulary, over 70 words, is frankly impressive to us. He misses his friends in Sudan, especially our guard Daniel and his donkeys.

How is Sudan
Sudan is a still at peace but the next three years are critical. Since the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the two parties have embarked upon attempts to integrate their warring factions, develop new government structures, but all the while the original reasons for the conflict still simmer. Recent events have shown me the Northern government’s intentions: continue half-hearted gestures at peace while seeking other non-combative ways to get at the vast oil reserves in the South. SIM, having an open door for ministry in the south, intends to push ahead to strengthen the church and God’s people in the South. All the while, we pray for peace.

How is Kenya
At press time, our team has been able to travel to a retreat center for an annual Spiritual Life Conference. After an apparently rigged election that sparked all kinds of tribal conflicts, things have calmed down a bit. Please pray for the opposition and President to sit down to settle their differences. Kenya is and has been blessed by God as a peaceful, democratic launching pad for many different Gospel missions. Interestingly, the President of South Sudan, Salva Kiir spoke last week in Malakal regarding the Kenya situation. He said: "We have to conduct a free and fair election [in 2011] in order to not repeat the Kenyan experience in our country." I never dreamed Kenyan violence would provide a negative example for Sudan.

Our Schedule
Jan 18-20 Covenant Presbyterian Church, Tullahoma, TN – Missions Conference
Feb 3-5 meeting colleagues in Charlotte, NC; Chris teaching a class on writing and web sites
Feb 23 Happy Anniversary! Trip to a secluded mountain B&B courtesy of our wonderful family
Mar 1 Bev shares at WECC Women’s retreat
March trip to Texas: Houston and Austin
June15 return to Sudan for 2nd term
August 25 next baby Crowder

Every blessing in our Savior,
Chris, Beverly, and Thomas

No one was hurt but the $10,000 quad bike is a total loss. It’s sad for a lot of reasons, the largest being that it was a great tool for preaching and evangelism. Please pray that a divisive situation would not result because the child of one of our colleagues was responsible. We don’t care so much about the loss – it’s only stuff. We just don’t want Satan to use the resultant bad feelings to divide any of us from the other. Please help all our team to look past the monetary loss to love and forgive one another (John 13:34, 35) and to praise God that no one was hurt.

If you like to be a part of providing around $12,000US for a new one, please write and let us know.

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