Phil's Travelogue

The End

2010-05-06T06:23:00.001-07:00

Well, I am officially ending this blog. It has been great to share with you through the years with it but Mel and I have started a new one together:

http://philandmel.wordpress.com/

So from now on please link up to this one. I am sure 'we' will be doing a much better job posting!

Cheers -

Phil

Its Official

2010-01-06T21:53:00.000-08:00

Well as many of you have heard - Melanie and I are engaged! It has been a long road for me and Mel has been very patient these past years. I wanted to make sure I was in the right place and by the grace of God he brought an amazing woman into my life. One that loves the Lord, loves people and loves me.

You can check Mel's blog for the engagement picture (we were on the Eiffel Tower in Paris) but here are a few more photos from our trip to France.

Family Visit Photos

2009-12-18T07:46:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos from the family visit:

Mel and I

The mom's playing frisbee at an orphanage

The parents brought some balloons for an orphanage....they really enjoyed it!

Left to Right: Tim and Lynne Scherf, Buz and Linda Bloodgood, Steve and LaNea Ewert

It was really a wonderful time! Thanks for coming parents.

Long Time

2009-12-11T22:51:00.001-08:00

Well it has been way to long since I have posted. It has been a very busy few months with a family visit and lots of work. It was really a blessing to have family out last month and I will be posting some photos (you can also look at Mel's blog)

Things in Sudan are going good with our programs although there are still many concerns for the country itself.

A good article on Sudan:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/12/world/africa/12sudan.html?_r=1&hp

I am headed to France with Mel in just a week for Christmas so I am looking forward to that. We will be visiting some family friends there and just relaxing.

more later...

Some days you wonder....

2009-08-10T22:35:00.000-07:00

We have just started our work in Jonglei as I put on a previous post but the challenges we face are more and more difficult.

Some of you may have read the report on the latest battle:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8194060.stm

It is hard to know how exactly best to approach this difficult area but we are praying that the Lord would give us wisdom to bring hope in that region.

We have also had a tragic situation here in Kenya where the mission agency that we fly with had a plane go down. Please be in prayer for the families of those who pasted away.

More info here: http://www.aimair.org/page21/page21.html

Both the pilot and the mechanic left behind a wife and several children.

Photos

2009-07-30T09:28:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos for you from my last month:

David, Angelo, Josh and Matt in Kurmuk....looking at some fun finances

Kids in Kurmuk

Sunset in Kurmuk

Katie and I in Yei

Traveling Around

2009-07-21T02:45:00.000-07:00

This past month has been a crazy one for me, from visiting various project sites to traveling to Uganda, Khartoum, meeting with the Vice President of Sudan and having a ministry conference for our team.

All my travel went well and it was a blessing to see so much and visit so many places. Last week we had our first ever ministry conference with 80 staff from all over South Sudan. Some of these folks had never even met each other so it was really a blessing to have everyone in the same place at the same time. We had a great time of games, worship, spiritual nourishment, and fellowship.

South Sudan Team

Another blessing was to have my cousin Katie come out for a couple of weeks and volunteer. She did a great job and it was really fun to share a bit of my life with her. Hopefully she will come next summer as well.

Nairobi is cold these days (in the 60s) but Sudan is still pretty warm. In fact, you can be praying that Sudan would receive rain. This year has been very dry and although it makes it easier to work, it is very hard on the people as they plant most of their food.

We continue to pray for peace here and for the hand of our Lord to touch the lives of the people in Sudan.

Sudan...

2009-06-17T23:17:00.000-07:00

Well things have been going fine out here but there always seems to be something to keep me on my toes.

If you are interested, here are two good articles on Sudan that just came out. Both give a good picture of what is going one and the real struggles we face here. In recent days we have had staff shot at, vehicles robbed and as the rainy season gets fully underway, logistics will become much more complicated.

http://www.economist.com/world/mideast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13849342

http://www.enoughproject.org/publications/sudans-election-paradox

Thank you for your prayers and for your support. By the grace of God we move forward.

A New Heaven and a New Earth

2009-05-21T04:23:00.000-07:00

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

5 And the one sitting on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new!” And then he said to me, “Write this down, for what I tell you is trustworthy and true.” 6 And he also said, “It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life. 7 All who are victorious will inherit all these blessings, and I will be their God, and they will be my children.

Revelation 21:1-7 (New Living)

Complex South

2009-04-30T02:48:00.000-07:00

This is a long but interesting article from Bor (where I just was from the last post). I think this is fairly accurate, and reminds me how much prayer is needed here.

Most situations in the world are much more complex then the media portrays. It is not simply one group against another but often involves 100's of years, multiple political agendas and motivations that do not seem logical to the western mind. I am still trying to understand the conflicts here in Sudan but this article gives a little insight.

SOURCE: | The Washington Post - April 25, 2009
By Stephanie McCrummen
Washington Post Foreign Service
Saturday, April 25, 2009

BOR, Sudan -- The nascent government of southern Sudan, a key U.S.
ally in the volatile nation, is threatened by severe problems
including severe cash shortages and growing ethnic tensions spawned by
a national ruling party determined to see the south fail, southern
officials say.

The future of Sudan as a whole is closely tied to what happens in this
oil-rich region, where the rebel Sudan People's Liberation Movement,
or SPLM, fought a brutal, 21-year civil war against the government
rooted in claims of discrimination by a northern, Arab elite. More
than 2 million southerners died in the conflict, and millions more
were displaced.

A U.S.-backed deal ending the war in 2005 transformed the rebels into
a semiautonomous government, and promised power-sharing with the
central government and a referendum on southern independence in 2011.
In the process, the SPLM emerged as a symbol of hope for millions of
Sudanese and became one of the few viable political challengers to the
ruling party led by Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, whom the
International Criminal Court has charged with war crimes in a separate
crisis in the country's western Darfur region.

But as attention has focused on Darfur, the south's troubles have
multiplied. The four-year-old government is facing a $100
million-a-month cash-flow shortage caused by declining oil revenue,
according to a recent report by the group Refugees International. And
across the south, massive cattle raids are overwhelming local
authorities and increasing tribal tensions kept at bay during the war.

In the scrubby landscape surrounding this town where the civil war
began, the spear-and-machete raids of the past have become more like
military operations. Machine-gun toting, camouflage-wearing tribal
militias use satellite phones and launch rocket-propelled grenades to
move thousands of stolen cattle. In February, young militiamen from
the Lou Nuer tribe captured an entire town, displacing at least 5,000
people as southern soldiers stood by and watched, according to local
officials and aid workers, who say that more than 700 people were
killed in the incident. A retaliatory attack by the Murle tribe
against the Lou Nuer this month killed more than 250 people, according
to local officials.

"With this insecurity, we can't collect taxes, we can't open schools,
we can't drill for water," said Abraham Jok Aring, the Bor county
commissioner. "Sometimes people tell me it was better during the war,
because at least then we were getting support from the international
community."

Southern officials accuse Bashir's inner circle of continuing to arm
tribal militias that were used as proxies during the civil war and of
other dirty tricks aimed at destabilizing the region ahead of the 2011
referendum on its independence. They say the north has gerrymandered
boundaries to ensure that oil areas are in the north, undercounted
southerners in a recent census, and dispatched militia leaders to
contested oil areas to intimidate war-weary southerners.

The incidents are "indicative of the ruling party's intention to
sabotage the referendum," said John Prendergast, co-chairman of the
Enough Project, an advocacy group working to prevent genocide. "This
regime will set the south on fire using these proxy militias rather
than allow a referendum to occur."

Corruption and Tribalism

Increasingly, though, southerners are blaming the southern liberation
movement itself.

In recent years, southern officials have been caught up in corruption
scandals in which they have been accused of wasting millions of
dollars. Tribalism is emerging in southern politics, with politicians
accusing one another of manipulating ethnic divisions for their own
gain. Some complain that power is concentrated in the hands of the
Dinka, the tribe of the movement's revered late leader John Garang.
Government campaigns to disarm civilians have been spotty at best,
with weapons left over from the war fueling the cattle-raiding
epidemic devastating southern communities that depend on cows for
everything from marriage dowries to school fees.

"The SPLM has not endeared itself to many parts of south Sudan," said
Taban Lo Liyong, a literature professor at the University of Juba, in
the regional capital, and a frequent critic of the movement. "You
can't keep repeating, 'It's the Arabs, it's the Arabs, it's the
Arabs.' "

The government of southern Sudan started from scratch four years ago.
Newly appointed officials fresh from the bush had to learn to call one
another "honorable" instead of "comrade," as well as how to run a
government. Juba, the swampy capital, was essentially a collection of
straw huts along the Nile River. Outlying towns, including Bor, were
mostly bombed-out bush clearings.

These days, the capital has a few paved roads, power in some spots,
newly constructed government buildings and fleets of government
sport-utility vehicles that clog the roads along with goats and cows.

But as millions of southerners have returned home, the government has
had trouble extending its reach beyond the capital, a problem evident
in this town four-hours away by dirt road.

Maj. Gen. Riak Akon Riak, the state police commissioner here, said he
has 3,000 officers to patrol his state, Jonglei. Most of his police
officers don't have weapons. For the entire force, he has eight
trucks. By comparison, he said, the various tribes in his area are
"armed to the teeth," with people able to acquire a Kalashnikov for
about two cows.

"All the counties around here have tribes that took on the military
culture during the war," he said. "And the police cannot do anything
unless the tribes are disarmed."

Distrust of Government

Just 10 miles or so beyond Bor, the village of Chuet Padol -- an
expanse of a few hundred straw huts and yellow grass ringed by forest
-- has one officer on foot patrol.

Cattle raiders from the Murle tribe struck four times this year, in
groups of 50 or more. Recently, the raiders came in broad daylight,
shooting one herder and shooing away 50 cows into the surrounding
forest, said Daniel Chol Anyeth, a local Dinka chief, who was sitting
under a tree with several other men with little to do now that almost
all their cows are gone.

Like many villagers around here, Anyeth complained that the government
had disarmed his people but not the Murle, some of whom served as
militiamen for the Sudanese government during the civil war. Recently,
southern soldiers intercepted several cases of ammunition that were
being floated down the Nile in a boat from points north, allegedly
headed to Murle territory. People here suspect the Khartoum government
of providing the ammunition to the tribe, which many here accuse of
stealing young children during cattle raids and selling them to
childless families.

The result is growing frustration among locals who suffered through a
war and now must teach their children to hide before a raid.

"We've not received anything from the CPA," said Anyeth, referring to
the peace deal, known as the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. "Even
during the war it was better -- at least we had guns. We've had one
water tap since the CPA. One school. One health clinic."

But many SPLM loyalists say the movement is suffering from
understandable growing pains complicated by the ruling party's
attempts to undermine it.

Many southern leaders acknowledge that much of the movement's success
was wrapped up in the persona of Garang, who died in a helicopter
crash in 2005 and whose photo hangs over every government minister's
desk.

A charismatic and at times ruthless leader, Garang put his young
rebels through political training intended to stifle tribal issues and
instill his vision of uniting all of Sudan's marginalized people.

"Garang's vision was more powerful than clans and divisions," said
Bouth Chou, a local SPLM party official. "I'm not saying the
government is not capable, but you can be effective during war, but
with development, not be so effective."

END

The old west

2009-04-23T01:21:00.000-07:00

Last week I was able to head into a new area of Sudan where we are starting some medical infrastructure projects. The trip went very well with no issues but it is a very tough place and we will face many challenges there - hence we need lots of prayer.

Here is an article about the area; Cattle-rustling leads to warfare in southern Sudan : http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/LM932601.htm

While I was there, several children were stolen by one tribe, so the other tribe got all of there men, all of their guns and went after them. Well here we are driving down the road and all these guys come running toward us with guns. We weren't interesting to them but it still makes you think for a second. It reminds me with out the love of God there is unrest and ciaos.

more later...

Hell's Gate

2009-03-18T01:04:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Mel and I had a great time camping, biking and hiking at Hell's Gate National Park here in Kenya.

Here are a few photos:

Visitors

2009-03-09T21:52:00.000-07:00

Well we had a wonderful visit from Franklin Graham this past week. He met with many Sudan leaders and was able to remind them of the grace and power of our Lord. It was a very busy week but I think what needed to happen did.

Here is a photo of us in Yei:

Please continue to remember Sudan in your prayers as tensions are still very high in the north and there are many in need there. But we press on, asking the Lord for strength and wisdom.

Visitors

2009-03-03T10:28:00.000-08:00

This week is a busy one for me as we have high level visitors from the head office coming. Please be in prayer for their visit.

Couple of interesting things for you. One, if you go to the SP website: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/ you will see on the right hand side a video of our work here in Sudan. Please watch it if you have a chance. I had the privilege to work with Zaki and have truly appreciated his service here.

Here is also an interesting article from Franklin today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/opinion/03graham.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=franklin%20graham&st=cse

Tomorrow my also be a difficult day with the potential of the ICC coming out and again I would ask for your prayers.

Mt. Kenya

2009-02-10T02:45:00.000-08:00

This last weekend a friend of mine from Sudan and I went and hiked Mt. Kenya. We had a great time, hiking over 30 miles in just a few days all the way up to 16,000ft. We left at 3am to make the summit by sunrise. It was amazing to be up on top as the sun came over the horizon.

It might not be climbing a mountain, but hey, get out there and do something interesting, even a little crazy.

Pain

2009-01-21T22:43:00.000-08:00

Not sure if many of you follow the news in Africa but one issue that comes up a lot around my work is the LRA rebels. They have been causing a lot of pain as of late and been attacking areas near where our teams work.

Please remember our teams and for the Christians in this area as they face many hardships.

Here is one story from the BBC:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7837526.stm

And here is a story from one of the pastors we have worked closely with.

1. From Bishop Bismark Avokaya, ECS Diocese of Mundri, sent to church partners January 15.

Subject: Urgent Prayers Needed for Mundri!!

There is insecurity problem caused by the so called Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) of Uganda in two of our Archdeaconries which has affected seven Parishes. It has displaced all the villages in those Parishes and we are yet to get the exact number of the people. However, we are aware that people from Tore Wandi (about 85 miles south of Mundri town), Moba (about 70 miles), Bangolo 50 miles, Ledinwa about 38 miles up to Garia (about 30 miles). These distances are measured from Mundri to locations mentioned.

At least about four people were confirmed dead. One of those killed was Rina's uncle called Wilson who is our Lay Reader at Moba Parish.
What happened was that his last son was abducted together with one of his grandsons. Both were about ten years of age. So Wilson decided to follow the LRA with another young in the hope of securing the release of these boys. But later after walking with the LRA over 20 miles under arrest, Wilson and the young man were both tied. Their hands and legs were chopped off while still alive, and were thoroughly beaten on the neck to death in front of the boys and some other new people they abducted. But the LRA decided to leave these boys to go their way, though they could not know where to go.

However as people were running towards Mundri, a Good Samaritan (who was riding on a motorbike) found the boys on the road and decided to carry them to Mundri. They had arrived Mundri only two days and are now with their cousin sister (who already had other displaced people).
We had the boys in our house yesterday for consolation etc. Both are traumatised like many others and we could not believe our ears as they shared the stories with us.

Also we learnt that Rina's other uncle, Rev Sylvester Yona, who is one of our Pastors, had one of his daughters abducted as well. Rev Yona himself had gone to Juba for medical treatment last November and he is still in Juba. And one of the homes that was looted and burnt at Tore Wandi was said to be his home. As these events took place in his absence, we were told he now so much devastated in Juba. So pray for him too.

Some of the injured are now admitted at Mundri health Centre and the rest in Lui Hospital especially those with gun shots. And about eleven people were reported to have been abducted from Tore Wandi and their fate is not known to date.

Because of the shooting in those areas resulting in a lot of fear, desperation and displacement many people are still trekking towards Mundri from Friday to date. When we saw those who arrived and learnt that many were on the way trekking to Mundri, last Sunday the Diocese decided to arrange, sent a truck to Ledingwa (about 37 miles) to carry some of the women, children and the elderly people who were struggling to reach Mundri.

However, when the driver reached Garia (about 30 miles) before the expected destination, they found the attack had reached Garia and was still going on! Two tractors (which were carrying some of the people to Mundri) were attacked; one man was shot dead, a baby was shot dead from the back of the mother, another man was injured, and so was Wilson's wife injured. Remember Wilson is Rina's uncle (who was killed previously and the tractors were set on fire. This made the driver of the truck we sent to return, but was able to carry some of the women and the children he found on the way.

As I write this message there is a massive displacement of our people into Mundri from these affected areas. Some of the displaced people have been identified by their relatives and are now living with relatives. For instance, at the home of the former Bishop of Mundri are 29 people not to mention the people who reside in his family. In another family, there are 16 people just to mention but a few.

But we are not able to identify all the relatives of these people and some said they don't have extended family members in Mundri. Hence they are now living in the Church (Cathedral) Compound. We did arrange to collect sum cash from Christians in Mundri for emergency to cater for those in the Cathedral Compound and some of those with families around. And we raised few Sudanese Pounds for porridge or fast food as they had spent over three days or so without food on the way. Also we (both Church and local authorities) had informed our Community members in other towns (like Juba, Khartoum, Nairobi etc) to collect whatever they are able to get and sendto Mundri for the same ASAP. For instance, yesterday we got SDG 4,000 (or $2,000) from Khartoum for this. However, because of the intensity and the number of the people, these are not enough.

Unfortunately it is now time for harvest in Mundri areas. The people had left their crops/ grain in the fields. The LRA had burnt most of the homes in those places including the bush/grass around. Moreover whatever basic utensils people had were taken and should peace return in nearest future and they return to their home places, they had nothing to return as far as I am aware of the situation.

Nevertheless, we are hereby praying and asking you to prayers with us as those of us who are in Mundri are even generally in fear, though we are still trusting God to rescue the situation.

The Government had sent some soldiers to Mundri and on to the affected places to contain the situation. But we are counting on your prayers for God Alone has the last word not the gun.

Yours truly, in the fellowship of the Gospel.

Christmas Time

2009-01-08T01:49:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-07T23:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-06T03:04:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

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

2008-10-08T22:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-30T00:20:00.001-07:00

(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

2008-09-02T08:23:00.001-07:00

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

2008-08-26T04:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-11T12:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-04T03:38:00.001-07:00

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"

Liberia

2008-07-29T09:13:00.000-07:00

Well after much prayer and discussion my office decided it would be best if I go and help out at another office while things get sorted out in Zimbabwe. The process there is going quite slowly and while we are waiting for registration to happen I can be of use in another place. My heart breaks for the people there and I hope to be back soon.

So I am now in Monrovia, Liberia, West Africa.

Liberia has just come out of a 14 year brutal civil war and is working to rebuild its self. The office is pretty big here with about 200 staff doing all sorts of projects. One really nice part of this office is we are right near the ocean.

I will give more updates but for more info on Liberia check out:

www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/li.html

More later

How much sugar do you have?

2008-07-09T23:30:00.000-07:00

A friend of one my staff had a knock on their door last night. It was the police investigating some horrible criminal activity. Earlier in the day, the mother of the family had gone and purchased about 40 pounds of sugar to get them through the month. She had purchased the sugar from a local wholesaler. However, she had purchased the sugar at a higher price then she should have. This was because sugar has a fixed price that is so low no shop owner can afford to sell it at that price. So, needing sugar for her family she had to make the difficult choice to either go without or pay the higher price.

Later that night, the police arrived, asking about the sugar; accusing her of hoarding it. You see, since sugar is so hard to find, to have that much is suspicious. They also demanded to know how much she paid for it. Well they went on to search the whole house even into the attic crawl space looking for more.

Eventually they left, taking the sugar. They sold the sugar outside her fence for a 1/5 of the price pocketing the money.

What does 84 Billion Dollars get you...

2008-07-03T05:21:00.000-07:00

I have been around this country for a while now but I think this is the worse I have seen it. I asked my staff and many of them also agree we are in some of the worse times. The markets have always been a bit bare but this week has been especially bad (see photos below - cell phone pictures taken at one of the largest super markets here). 84 Billion might buy you a few loaves of bread (currently 25 Billion for one loaf) or a bit of meat if you could find it but for most people even this amount is out of their budget. Many people only earn around 200 Billion a month, which barely gets them to and from work. Now with many countries not allowing products in, and with the country providing the paper on which the currency is printed stopping its supply we may be in a bit of tough spot for a while. This country has one of the worst economies in the world but some of the highest prices for commodities as almost everything has to be imported. I went to buy a surge protector and found it was $200 USD - guess I will hold off on that for a while!

It is hard to say what the future holds but we ask for your prayers.

Pray for the people of this country
Pray for our registration process to be pushed through
Pray for Justice and Peace

Election Day

2008-06-27T02:13:00.000-07:00

Another photo from this beautiful country, again from around lake Kariba.

Please remember Zimbabwe in your prayers today.
Here is a good summary article of the events currently taking place.

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L26563108.htm

How was your weekend?

2008-06-22T23:41:00.000-07:00

Did you have some fun or sometime to relax?

Did you stand in line for 3 hours to buy 1 loaf of bread?
Was your house burned?
Were you made to attend a gathering you didn't believe in?
Did you watched your relative beaten?
Did you hear your staff cry out because of injustice?

Many have lost hope, many are in disbelieve. The believers cry out for justice, they cry out for a renewal of their land - Oh Lord hear their cry today and bring back hope.

A Beautiful Country

2008-06-22T12:30:00.000-07:00

A photo for your enjoyment from lake Kariba, where a friend of mine (Josh) and I went a few weeks back. This is truly a beautiful country that needs your prayers.

Pray for the people as they face many difficulties
Pray for the Church as they seek wisdom to know how to respond
Pray for our office and our staff here, for safety and again wisdom to know how to respond

There is much pain here and much uncertainty. For more information visit any major news site. You can also view this site and join with many others in prayer.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/reformed.churches.pray.for.zimbabwe/19733.htm

A little Hope

2008-06-09T06:58:00.000-07:00

I was walking in Walmart the other day, in the states for just a week of meetings, amazed at the availability of goods and the cheap prices. I came home to find the currency had doubled (in one weeks time), prices had tripled and still no bread to be had. However, the most difficult issue was the suspension of food aid. I can't go into detail here, you can find more out on BBC if you want but soon up to 4 million people will be starving in the 'bread basket' of Africa.

Please pray for this land. Pray for our team and our office here as we try and bring even just a little hope to those so desperate.

If I ever get this internet working I will post some new photos of this beautiful land. Thank you all for your prayers and emails this past month, they meant a lot to me.

Breath

2008-05-23T03:00:00.000-07:00

I woke to silence
Nothing
My heart pounding, my breath labored
Breath...

What is it she said?
   'Let each breath remind you of Him'
   'Participate with Him'
Her so filled with His Spirit
   Longing to know the divine
Her never settling for the superficial
   Always pushing to show the love of Christ
Her showing His love to many
   That they may know His hope

My eyes close
My fists relax
I smile a bit
   Knowing she is with her beloved
   Knowing Tera is with our Lord

Who was and is and is to come!

Zim Staff

2008-04-25T13:57:00.000-07:00

God has truly blessed us here with some wonderful staff. It is great to be able to work with each of them (right to left): Shadrack, Alice, Cleopatra, Ruth, Brighton and Me. Please remember them in your prayers as they work to bring hope in difficult circumstances.

Why?

2008-04-23T01:20:00.000-07:00

Some of you have asked me why Samaritan's Purse has decided open an office in Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe suffers from a variety of factors due to erratic weather, high HIV/AIDS rate and an economic crisis.

Life expectancy dropped from 51.8 years in 1995 to 37.2 in 2006; mainly due to a high HIV/AIDS rate but also do to food insecurity.

HIV/AIDS rate has dropped from 20.1 to 18.1 in 2006 through intensive awareness and behavioral change programs but it is still one of the highest in the world.

Over 80 percent of the population is unemployed in the formal sector. This is mainly due to the agricultural decline; the agricultural sector use to employ up to 70 % of the population.

There are currently 1.3 Million orphaned children in Zimbabwe - 77% as a result of HIV/AIDS.

Zimbabwe needs our prayers, they need our help. Please continue to pray for Zimbabwe as it goes through this election time. There is a lot of uncertianity and insecurity for people here. Also, pray for our office as we work to develop the best programs to bring hope both physically and spiritually. This time of uncertainty has also lead to the slowing of our registration process, please pray it can move forward quickly. I hope to post some pictures soon but it is a little tricky right now with the situation to be seen taking photographs. Thank you for your prayers.

More Photos of Mozambique

2008-04-18T02:21:00.002-07:00

Current Picture for NGOs

2008-04-15T02:56:00.001-07:00

Here is a very good and accurate picture of things in Zimbabwe right now from Reuters.

http://www.alertnet.org/db/blogs/50698/2008/03/14-124329-1.htm

Maputo

2008-04-14T00:21:00.000-07:00

Well it has been a long time since I have written on the blog. But, last month I was able to take my home leave and spend some great time with friends and family. Now I am back, from the time I have written a lot has changed at the office. We have hired some actual staff and are starting to actually function. The registration process for us is long but hopefully by God's grace we will be registered by June. The biggest issue right is the current election crisis and the uncertainty of what will happen next. But we press forward.

Me with some of the nieces and nephews:

However, because of the uncertainty there, my office decided it was best I leave for this month. So now I am in Maputo, Mozambique visiting the Samaritan's Purse office there. I have wanted to do this for a while, although the timing is a bit difficult. I can't say too much on this public site but I can say that Zimbabwe needs our prayers during this time. SP Moz is doing some great work in the area of HIV/AIDS, food relief, livelihoods and water/sanitation. They have been great hosts to me here.

Here are some fisherman on the beach in Moz:

To let you know

2008-02-24T08:15:00.001-08:00

I did get an update from Sudan and all of our staff are fine. But please continue to hold up this fragile place in your prayers.

As for me, things are moving along fine down here just trying to get everything set up, get us registered and find good staff. I would continue to appreciate your prayers:

-Wisdom as I hire staff
-For the registration process
-For employment permits for me and another staff member
-Safety during this next month of elections
-And again wisdom as we try to find our niche

Urgent Prayer: South Sudan

2008-02-08T06:04:00.000-08:00

Please be in prayer for the Christians and for SP staff in this area. I am not sure of the current developments but SP does work here and I know some of the staff there. It is not to far from the main base in Yei.

Uganda rebel attack in Sudan displaces hundreds

Wednesday 6 February 2008 04:30.

February 5, 2008 (JUBA) — More than 300 people have been displaced by an attack near Sudan’s border with Uganda in which dozens were abducted, the top U.N. official in southern Sudan said Tuesday.

David Gressly told journalists 40 people were kidnapped in the Jan. 30 attack in Kajo Keji in Central Equatoria State, less than 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the border.

Four members of south Sudan security forces were also killed in the attack, with reinforcements dispatched to the isolated region, southern officials said.

"There is an ongoing looting in the area," Gressly said, adding that some of those abducted had been released but that fear had kept those displaced people from going home.

Local government officials suspect Uganda’s Lord’s Resistance Army rebels were behind the attack, with the state parliament speaker on Monday calling for the suspension of Sudan-hosted Ugandan peace talks over the attack.

The attack happened on the same day the Ugandan government and LRA rebels agreed to extend a ceasefire for one month, paving the way for the resumption of stalled peace talks in the southern capital Juba.

Central Equatoria parliament speaker Zamba Duku said the attackers were believed to be LRA because there are no other military groups in the area.

The leader of the LRA delegation to the peace talks, David Matsanga, last week said the rebels were not responsible as they were 500 kilometres (310 miles) away from the area that was attacked.

"We are not sure that the attack was by the LRA," Gressly said.

Asked if the U.N. had any leads as to what could be unfolding, Gressly said: "Frankly, we don’t understand what’s happening."

A few photos

2008-01-31T03:38:00.001-08:00

Zimbabwe country side on the road to Mutare.

Drove out to Mutare the other day. This is most likely where we will be doing our projects. This is a beautiful country.

Here our my teammates: Shadrack (left) and Brighton overlooking Mutare

First Days

2008-01-24T02:44:00.000-08:00

Well I just wanted to give you a quick update.

Things have been going very well here, very hectic but good. We have found a compound and are starting to set things up. I don't have a lot to say and no pictures yet but thank you all for your prayers. There are lots of things we can work on here and I believe the Lord is opening those doors.

Here are two more articles on Zim:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7203303.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7204350.stm

We have been without power and water for quite sometime now but we are figuring things out.

More later

Life in Zimbabwe

2008-01-13T00:41:00.000-08:00

Well I am headed down tomorrow. Because all of the communications in the country are closely monitored I may not be able to post what I am really seeing there. But I would encourage you, if interested, to read up on the country.

BBC has some good info:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/6982183.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7183009.stm

See the right hand column) for more info. BBC has actually been banned from the country along with any free media but they still have some interesting stories. I have also put some links on this page to various information outlets.

Thank you for your prayers.

Zimbabwe

2008-01-10T02:25:00.000-08:00

Well I am headed out to Zimbabwe on Monday. Here are a few prayer requests:

-Safety as we travel
-Quickly finding a place to stay (long term)
-Favor with local government and UN officials
-Favor with Zimbabweans as westerns are not looked upon with favor there
-Wisdom as we look for the best place and work for SP to be involved in

I will be writing more about Zimbabwe late but it is a country that is in dire need; inflation is over 8000% (highest in the world), it use to be the bread basket of Africa but now millions are on the brink of starvation, and thousands have been killed or tortured by the current government.

Our brothers and sisters there need our prayers.

Final from Sudan

2008-01-08T00:32:00.001-08:00

Well I have now left Sudan and am headed for Zimbabwe. Sudan was an amazing place to me with a complex history and interesting people. I will truly miss my quiet evenings in Kauda and our daily volleyball games. Now it is back to the unknown and new challenges. But I know that the Lord will guide me as He has in the past. It is by His strength that I move, and I pray that with each breath I take I am reminded that He is the Lord; it is through His mercy and grace that I have a new life in Him.

Here are a few last photos for you

Local Girl:

I went on a great hike north of Kauda in Heiban my last week:

Kauda is dry now with the crops harvested:

Thank you for all of your prayers while I was there. Please continue to pray for our brothers and sisters in Sudan. I would also appreciate your prayers as I head to Zimbabwe.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T23:42:00.000-08:00

Well I know it has been a while since I have posted. Our internet here as been very poor lately, one of the joys of living in the middle of the Sudan. It is still not good so no pictures or videos but I did want to let you know a few things happening here.

We had a great Christmas and New Year here, pretty low key but did have some good food and a few games of monopoly.

I had a really nice R&R with my friend Melanie around mid december. Just before I left on that, SP asked me if I could consider going to Zimbabwe and starting a new office. After praying through this I have decided to accept the position there and will leave next week. It is going to be a huge challenge there with lots of logistical and political challenges; I would appreciate your prayer for wisdom and discernment as I am stepping out in a bit of faith. Sudan has been a great place to me, allowing to me experience a lot of the country and have many different jobs.

Please continue to pray for the staff here as they go through a transition time. Also pray for the Christians and the peace process. Finally, remember our brothers and sisters in Kenya as the country as exploded with violence following the election.

I will update when I can with photos and information from Zimbabwe.

2007-11-30T07:41:00.000-08:00

Church Opening

2007-11-15T10:21:00.000-08:00

I was able to attend one of our church openings yesterday, it was a real blessing to be a part of. Here is a little video of the children's choir and some practicing outside.

Please continue to pray for the Christians of Sudan as they face many difficulties, pray that this new church would not just be a building but would be a place of hope and light in a world of darkness.

The last rain

2007-11-13T00:02:00.000-08:00

In a few weeks I will be heading off for R&R, I am looking forward to the time away. Life in Nuba is good but it is also nice to have a break; have some good food and cooler weather. Things have been going okay here. The rain is ending, we had a nice heavy rain a few days ago, just enough to settle the dust, but it looks like it will be pretty dry from now on. It is fairly warm here, with it getting up to 100-110 in the daytime but this is the cool season and it will get warmer.

The work is going well. Everyday we face difficulties but we are moving forward. There was accident the other day up here but no one was hurt and we are sorting through the political quagmire. Our region continues to be in flux and doubt as the political powers 'discuss' how to settle things. Still one of the main issues is the oil around here and where the boundaries should lie. It has been peaceful here, that is truly a blessing; there have been too many years of war and too much suffering. Please continue to pray for the Christians in this area of the world as many continue to face persecution; homes destroyed, walking 45 days with little food or water, being shot, set on fire, chased from ones home while everything they own is set a blaze. As Thanksgiving comes next week, may we remember God's faithfulness, provision and salvation.

He has showed you, O man, what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.
Micah 6:8

Photos

2007-10-21T08:22:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos for you. Things are fine up here, by the grace of God we move forward.

Home sweet Home...here is where I live with another guy.

A local restaurant where she made some great lunch and a nice strong cup of real coffee. Here they often add ginger to the coffee to give it a little extra kick.

Church under construction:

Some local kids:

Kauda

2007-10-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Well many of you don't know this yet but I have changed jobs a bit and have moved to the middle of Sudan. I am still with the same program but have taken on the roll of program manager for the Nuba mountains. We are doing lots of things here including church reconstruction, there is a technical training school, a nursery for plants, and a bible college.

One of the great things is that I can now see my old friend Sergey. Sergey and I know each other from Afghanistan. He is from Uzbekistan and has worked for SP several years now. Here is a photo of us...he is on the left, and Josh, a guy from Canada, is on the right. It is also great to be working with Josh as we went through orientation together and he has a lot of experience.

I am really enjoying the mountains here and am looking forward to some good hikes. I will be putting more photos up later but here are a couple more. Here is a local watering hole:

And today I went for a little motorcycle (Honda 200) ride to one of our projects...here is a photo:

More later....

Anyone have a shovel? Road between Yei and Juba

2007-09-20T01:13:00.000-07:00

Ethiopia

2007-09-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

Well I just returned from a wonderful R&R in Ethiopia. I was able to visit Sarah and James Bauler whom I have know since Afghanistan and I was able to see some of the sites with my friend Dan.

Please pray for James, Sarah and Noah working for Samaritan's Purse in Ethiopia

Pray for Wisdom as they work: James as the Country Director and Sarah working part time for SP and as a full time mother
Pray that they would find/develop meaningful relationships with fellow believers
Pray that the Lord would bless their work and that the gospel would be spread in Ethiopia
Pray for the believers in Ethiopia, that they may be encouraged and blessed as they face many trials

Here are a few pictures of the sites. I was able to go hiking for 5 days (in the Simien Mountains)and was able to see some of the famous rock hewn churches. We hiked about 35 miles, up to 14,500 feet. It was incredibly beautiful and really great to be able to get out in nature for a bit. The nights were cold and usually wet but the days were fantastic. I have tons of photos but will try and put up some interesting ones.

I would encourage anyone who loves to travel to visit this amazing country at some point. Ethiopians are very hospitable, love good coffee (often served with popcorn) and are very friendly. I hope to put more photos up later.

You think your commute is bad

2007-08-21T01:47:00.000-07:00

Peace?

2007-08-17T00:21:00.000-07:00

Please continue to pray for peace and for the gospel to be spread while there is time in this volatile land.

Tension Rises Between North, South Sudan Over Abyei Region
By Nick Wadhams
Nairobi15 August 2007

The government of south Sudan says dialogue with the Sudanese government in Khartoum has completely broken down and a peace deal signed in 2005 is in jeopardy. As Nick Wadhams reports from Nairobi, tension continues to rise over the disputed Abyei region, an area between the two that is rich in oil.Leaders of the Sudanese People's Liberation Army will meet in the southern city of Juba on Friday to try to figure out how to revive the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, a landmark 2005 deal that ended 21years of civil war.But southern officials are warning that they believe the ruling part yin the north, the National Congress Party, is refusing to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. They say they have no desire to resume Africa's longest civil war, but warn that the north may leave them no choice.Of serious concern is the Abyei region, which both sides claim. The Reuters news agency reports that about 30,000 people who had fled the civil war could not return home because of the continued dispute over Abyei.

The southern Sudanese envoy to Kenya, John Andruga Duku, says the north is no longer acting in good faith."The dialog between the SPLM and the National Congress has not produced any result. We have the feeling now that they are using the dialog as a delaying tactic. We will not be the first ones to go back to war but we cannot accept to be pushed around without implementing the CPA. So to start the war, it will require very small mistake here and there. As we speak now, the situation is tense in Abyei and any slight mistake can trigger the situation back to war," he said. The civil war was fought between the largely Christian Sudan People's Liberation Army in the south and the forces of the Sudanese government in the north, which is mostly Muslim. More than 1.5 million people died.

Last month, the United Nations said the north had missed a July 9 deadline to withdraw its troops from some areas of the south. U.N.officials later said that the SPLA had also missed the deadline to withdraw all its troops.Duku warns the failure of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement could threaten efforts to bring peace to the Darfur region, to the west."What is the incentive for factions from Darfur to resolve the issue when they can see that the same government, they are not able to implement what they said they are going to do? So there will be no incentive for the Darfur group to go for agreement with this government," added Duku. Leaders from both north and south say they are also awaiting the results of mediation efforts by Kenya's former president, Daniel Arap Moi, who was appointed envoy for the Sudanese peace process in July. He returned from Khartoum last weekend.A chief mediator in the Sudanese peace talks who is accompanying Moi,Lieutenant General Lazarus Sumbeiywo, says they will visit Juba in September. He tells VOA that it's still far too early to talk about Moi's efforts having succeeded."Until I go there, I don't know, we'll have to get it from Juba, get the version of the south," he said. "We want to see peace prevail in southern Sudan. Peace and prosperity, peace and development, peace and harmony."

According to the peace deal, south Sudan gets six years of autonomy leading up to a referendum in 2011. Its people will then decide whether to secede from Sudan.

Rainy Day

2007-08-14T02:47:00.000-07:00

Well I just wanted to give you a quick update, thank you for those of you who prayed for the situation. Henry the driver is doing fine, still in prison but we hope to have the hearing next week. Samaritan's Purse is a bit out of the situation now as he was not our employee, nor was it our vehicle but we are still trying to help as much as we can.

An update on our 20 ton....well we are starting some churches up north around Rumbek and sent it up with supplies. However, there are apparently around 500-700 trucks backed up on the road and our driver is stuck. Once the driver sees there is a blockage, its too late, and more trucks pile in behind to where they can't go forward, or backwards. There are 3 'bad' spots in the road. Here are a couple of photos.

A 4x4 pickup can make it through these but a loaded 20 ton truck has a bit of difficulty. Please pray for wisdom as we try to figure out if we should move locations. Also pray our drivers as they are pretty much stuck. We are sending a pickup to try and find them to bring the food.
These are not our trucks but it is the road they are on...basically it is a river across the road giving the difficulty.

Another Day in Sudan

2007-08-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

This is a long story but the gist of it is that there have been many challenges these past few days but God is helping us each step of the way. Satan loves to stop our work out here and can complicate, frustrate and irritate us very quickly.

A truck we hired (10 Ton Lorry) was involved in an accident on Monday. We hired this truck because several other vehicles are down and needed this truck for several weeks work. The driver (Henry) was coming back from Kupera (about an hour and a half away) with a load of supplies and a drunk guy on a bicycle collided with the truck. The driver then stopped to see if he could help. A group gather and beat the driver, stole his money (we had just paid him earlier that day), phone and took his documents. He was then taken to the Yei police station where they called for us to come take him to the hospital. Andrew, Matt B. and I went and got him, took him to a clinic where a doctor gave him some pain meds and such. He was then taken back at our compound and rested. He was badly bruised and shaken up but other wise fine. Henry is from Kenya, and seems to be really great Christian man.

Around 8am the next day I headed out with Allison (interpreter/office assistant) and about 8 police officers to see the scene of the accident and bring the truck back. We arrived around 10am and the ‘investigation’ began. After some measuring and questioning we were ready to drive back with both vehicles. But of course the key to the truck was missing. So we drove to the next town so that the police could use their cell phone and try and track down the key. After going back and forth a few times, they just decided to try and hot wire the truck. They did eventually get it to turn over but alas it did not start. So I called back to base to have our 20 ton come and pull it back. (this was around 11:30). It then turns out that the key for the truck was given to a local guy who was just showing up. He gave the key to his brother (so we went to find him), turns out he gave the key to the brother of the injured man and they were both now in Yei (of course they were)!

Switching to the 20 ton - Just on the out skirts of Yei, the 20 ton stopped along the side of the road for some water before coming out. While stopped there, a motorcycle passed by and hit the back of the truck, breaking a mirror. The driver demanded that we pay for the mirror and anything else that might be wrong. So Matt B. (an expat working with us) joined the 20 ton crew at the police station, while I with the rest of the police, waited hoping it would come. After quite of bit of discussion, Matt was asked to pay $100 reckless driving fine and $100 to fix the mirror. Of course this was all bogus as our vehicle was clearly off the road and stopped but at that point it looked like we were going to need to pay something. Anyway Matt goes outside where my ‘friend’ John (head traffic police man) is sitting. Aloro (our driver) recounts the story and John decides he needs to see the place of the incident.

Well while this is going on, the other traffic police and I decide to head back to Yei, thinking we will see the 20 ton any minute and do not need to stay there. On our way we met Maurice (our engineer), who is headed in that direction, who relates the story of the 20 ton above. Maurice agrees to pick up the most important thing out of the 10 ton, a gen/weld, and then continue on his way. So, I arrive back in Yei just as John and Matt are ready to head off to the other incident. I wait behind and they head down the road with the truck I was driving. After helping the traffic police fix their 35mm camera, Matt arrived back saying the matter was settled. I asked how much we needed to pay, and he said zero!

The way is was settle is a bit strange. Matt and John arrived at the scene looking at the incident, John speaking to the driver of the motorcycle and a few others. Nothing was really said at the scene to Matt. On the way back to the police station (mind you this is only about a ¼ mile) a boy was in the middle of the road with his bicycle acting very strange. John (remember he is the main traffic police guy), jumps out and slaps the boy across the mouth making him bleed. He then throws the boy and his bicycle into the back of our truck and tells Aloro to head to the police station. On arriving there, John says that the matter with us is dropped and then turns his attention to the boy. Needless to say, a very very strange outcome but we all get out of there as quickly as we can to avoid any second thoughts. So we all head back for lunch to try to come up with a new plan as the 10 ton is still out there.

Later that day, I was trying to finish some paper work and ask Matt B. to go back the police station and work on getting the 10 ton back to Yei. He ends up spending 2 hours getting yelled at by John (similar to my first experience with him) and eventually I am called to assist. The room (traffic police office) is very tense as I arrive, every one is a bit upset and the police are not happy. Imagine a 10x10 room with around 10 people in there all angry about something. After listening to some long comments about how horrible we are, I basically agree to their terms of providing care for the injured man even if the accident was not our drivers fault. Believe when I say it is very difficult to sit there and have some one tell lies about you. John loves his power, and if you humble yourself to him he is okay but he can snap in a minute and make your life miserable. Anyway we got out of there around 6pm and were glad to have that behind us.

Around 9:30 that night, I was told that the guy on the bicycled passed away. We were asked to send drivers to go and get the 10 ton immediately as the family may destroy it but luckily the police had already sent some one before we got there. This was good as that meant we did not have to drive at night or put our staff in harms way.

This morning the traffic police and 4 relatives of the family came here to the base to discuss the funeral arrangements. You may think this is strange but for us, like it or not, we will always have some amount of responsibility, whether the incident was our fault or not.

After several hours of discussion and a couple of calls to our Nairobi office an arrangement was agreed upon. It is not saying we were at fault but since we are an outside organization we are expected to pay. I did everything I possibility could to get us a ‘fair’ deal on the matter and to up hold the name of SP. And at this point I think we are in good standing with both the police and with the family.

The hearing date is September 27th. The driver will remain in custody until that date. He is now in the prison which is somewhat nicer then the holding cell. I spoke with him today and he seems to be doing fine.

For the truck, it is now back at the police station in Yei. All of the materials in the truck have been off loaded and are now in our possession.

There has been no issue with the family. I think they were accepting of the funeral arrangements and I left them on good terms. So security wise I think we are fine but we are still trying to be a bit more diligent.

There may have been better solutions but I have done what I could. Please continue to pray for wisdom and safety. If you don’t think this is a spiritual battle, then you are crazy.

If you have made it all the way through this story I congratulate you. If you were able to follow it then I think you should come out here work with us!

A few prayer requests:

For Henry, the driver, who is in police custody. Jail is not an easy place to be.
For the court hearing on the 27th.
For the family of the man killed as they mourn the loss of a loved one
For me and the team here as we try and work through these difficult issues
For safety as we move about the country. This could have happened to any of us and with the amount of traveling we do it will most likely happen again

2007-07-09T05:39:00.000-07:00

Well last week we held our semiannual staff appreciation day; here is a group photo from the event. Life has been busy here in Yei. We are building churches faster then ever (around 5 per month) and our staff keeps growing. Right now we are building more housing and working on getting more equipment in but as the rains keep coming logistics here becomes more and more of a challenge. My work is to try and keep things running, making sure everyone has what they need to do their job. No more jail visits, although I did have to go down once to talk with one of our staff as he put his wife in the hospital over a domestic dispute. Needless to say he will not be working for me any longer.

Some prayer requests:

Staff safety as we work and travel
Wisdom as we try and figure out the many logistical issues
And as always, for the Christians of Sudan; for the churches being built, that these would not be mere structures we are building but symbols of hope; that many in this land would know our Lord; that the window of peace would remain for as along as possible.

Thank you for your prayers, emails and comments - they are much appreciated. Thank you also to those of you who helped out on my computer, it is great to have and makes the work much easier.

Lebanon

2007-06-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

Well I just got back from a wonderful few days in Lebanon visiting friends and seeing a few sites. I was able to stay at the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary where I had volunteered 8 years ago. They are really doing some great work there, training pastors from all over the Middle East. Please be in prayer for them as that part of the world is in a constant state of uncertainty.

Pigeon Rocks off the coast of Beirut

What was really wonderful about the trip was to be able to spend time with several friends that I have known for a long time. While I was in Lebanon last time I developed a friendship with a family, specifically a brother and sister - Henri and Janet and we were able to reconnect. I was also able to spend time with some old family friends - Paul and Anges Sanders; Paul directs the seminary. They are doing well and continuing to proclaim the gospel. A friend of mine from World Vision, Melanie Scherf was also able to join me. We were able to see many of the sites and were able to spend a day visiting some World Vision projects.

(left to right) Janet (Henri's wife), Henri, Melanie, Me, Janet and her husband Elle

Famous Ceders of Lebanon - the tree here is probably over 1500 years old. You can see the new trees grow straight up but then as they age they flatten out.

Here are a couple last pictures of the Mediterranean.

Please be in prayer for the Christians in Lebanon as they face many struggles. Lebanon is one of the last Christian strong holds in the Middle East. Many have fled because of the flighting and the country has become more and more Islamic. Please pray that the gospel will be preached throughout this region.

Football Match

2007-06-06T01:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a friendly little football (soccer) match with our neighbors, a vocational training school. Even though our boys didn't have shoes or jerseys we were still able to pull off a win. Actually it was great for the workers to have a bit of a break. Here is few photos:

Here is our accountant Andrew showing his stuff:

The next three are kids who were at the game:

2007-05-27T00:49:00.000-07:00

(Click to enlarge)

Every day is washing day for these young girls

12 yr. old Joyce collects water for washing,

some also use this water to drink

Little girl playing in the grass

Who doesn't love a good fort!

“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10

2007-05-22T07:46:00.001-07:00

Be still, my soul - the Lord is on thy side.
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change, He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul - thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end.

Be still, my soul - thy God doth undertake
To guide the future, as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Be still, my soul - the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

Be still, my soul - the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord.
When disappointment, grief and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love’s purest joys restored.

Be still, my soul - when change and tears are past
All safe and blessèd we shall meet at last.

"Be still my soul" - Katharina A. von Schlegel, 1752

may I rise, my Lord

2007-05-20T07:01:00.000-07:00

My Utmost for His Highest
"Out Of The Wreck I Rise"

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?”
Romans 8:35

God does not keep a man immune from trouble; He says - "I will be with him in trouble." It does not matter what actual troubles in the most extreme form get hold of a man's life, not one of them can separate him from his relationship to God. We are "more than conquerors in all these things." Paul is not talking of imaginary things, but of things that are desperately actual; and he says we are super-victors in the midst of them, not by our ingenuity, or by our courage, or by anything other than the fact that not one of them affects our relationship to God in Jesus Christ. Rightly or wrongly, we are where we are, exactly in the condition we are in. I am sorry for the Christian who has not something in his circumstances he wishes was not there.
"Shall tribulation…?" Tribulation is never a noble thing; but let tribulation be what it may - exhausting, galling, fatiguing, it is not able to separate us from the love of God. Never let cares or tribulations separate you from the fact that God loves you.
"Shall anguish…?" - can God's love hold when everything says that His love is a lie, and that there is no such thing as justice?
"Shall famine…?" - can we not only believe in the love of God but be more than conquerors, even while we are being starved?
Either Jesus Christ is a deceiver and Paul is deluded, or some extraordinary thing happens to a man who holds on to the love of God when the odds are all against God's character. Logic is silenced in the face of every one of these things. Only one thing can account for it - the love of God in Christ Jesus. "Out of the wreck I rise" every time.

Holiday

2007-05-15T22:06:00.000-07:00

There are not many holidays that you can awake to the sound of AK-47s, however, this morning this was how I was awakened at sunrise - 6:30am. Today is the celebration of the formation of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army. Guns are still pretty common around here and are used in many celebrations. I asked Simon how many people had guns and he commented,"Oh, everyone has a gun, I only have one but most families have two or three" (these are assault rifles, usually AK-47s which cost about $100 in the market). I asked where he learned to use his gun and he told me his father had showed him but also his mother (his biological mother; Simon's father has two wives) and his wife knew how to use the gun - everyone does he said.

Most people believe there will be war again before the vote in 2011. This is the vote on whether the south should become its own country apart from the north. The main issues here though is not religious but centers around power, money, and resources (oil). However, as Christian's we know this is a spiritual battle.

Please pray for peace here.
Pray that many would come to know Christ during this window of peace.
And pray that the Christians here would be strengthened as they endure many hardships.

Some large size photos for your enjoyment

2007-05-08T02:37:00.000-07:00

Click to see larger

As you eat today remember....

2007-05-06T04:55:00.000-07:00

This is an interesting little photo show from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/spl/hi/picture_gallery/07/programmes_cooking_in_the_danger_zone/html/1.stm

A few photos

2007-05-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well, this last week has been busy with guests and thankfully there have been no more traffic incidents. One car is still at the impound but we hope to get it out Monday. Kevin and Oliver are fine and back to work. Their cases are not quite resolved yet but it looks like everything will be okay.

One of the people I have started working with a lot is Simon.

Simon is a 21 year old Sudanese man from Yei. He is married with one child and works as our procurement/supply officer. So everyday we are working out what is needed for the sites and how to get it - either trying to find it in town or decided whether we should order it from Uganda or Kenya. Some days it can be very frustrating when looking for various items and not being able to find them. Take for instance welding cables; all of our crews need these for their work and if something happens to a cable we are stuck. Well these cables can only be found in Uganda and it takes several days to get them here. Simon is great to work with and I hope to write more of his story in the coming weeks.

Another person I have been working with a lot is Amon.

Amon is our mechanic and manages the fleet down here in Yei. He is from Kenya, not married and has been with SP many years. He is a great guy and a really hard worker; it is not an easy job keeping all these vehicles running.

Here are a few more photos of the compound:

Shower (when it is raining it is like a double shower)

Dining Room in the middle with two large sleeping rooms on either side

Well, until next time -

Prison Break - Take 2

2007-04-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

Well, some days are better then others!

After writing my last blog entry on Tuesday, I was so happy that I would not have to be revisiting the traffic police any time soon. But as it would happen, Wednesday morning I received a call from one of our sites that he (Kevin, a missionary kid from Kansas) had an accident and that there were multiple injuries. So off I went in the wild, it was about a 2 hour drive to the place he was – I started off at about 9:30am. The basics of the accident were that he was coming around a sharp corner and a motorcycle was suddenly in front of him. He applied the brakes but the bike was in his lane and he could not stop on the sandy soil. There were two people on the bike, the driver broke his leg, arm and maybe some ribs, while the passenger broke his arm. We used the vehicle I was moving in to transport the injured to the hospital in Yei, while I went with Kevin to the police station. We spent time there taking statements and reviewing what happened. They then gave us a choice to either head back to Yei or head on to Juba to have the case heard. I was really hoping to settle this up there but no such luck and I really did not want to face the guys in Yei again but since we have no base in Juba, we headed back. Three soldiers accompanied us in the back (we had to pay for their nights stay and transportation back) - I got them good with a couple of mud puddles though. By the time we reached Yei it was around 5:30pm. So, we go into the traffic police office to tell them what happened. The first 20 minutes was yelling at me for hating the Sudanese people, for not liking black people, just one thing after another. I tried to sit silently not saying anything as whatever I said just further irritated this person. So then we go the hospital to see the wounded, then back to the station, then some more yelling and the writing of statements. Now fortunately for Kevin, they do treat those of us from the west a bit differently. They arranged for Kevin to be held at the UN police office and not in the Sudanese one. Kevin was ready if he had to but was very grateful he didn’t. The UN was really nice to us and very supportive. So by the time we did all this is was around 9:30pm, I hadn’t eaten all day and I was a bit tired but at least Kevin was safe and relatively comfortable; and the injured were in a hospital. However, I found out later that no doctors came to see them because a different patient’s relative had beat the doctors and nurses the day before when a patient had died.

For Kevin, the reason they said they were having him stay at under protection was because of the way things work around here and because of some very difficult circumstances. First, it turned out that the person hit on the bike was just coming from his brother’s funeral. His brother, if you can believe this, was killed three days earlier on the same corner while driving a motorcycle. When this happened the people of the village burned the vehicle that hit the motorcycle and threatened to kill the driver – praise the Lord this did not happen to Kevin. The second reason for the protection was that the driver was part of the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA). They have also been known to take revenge when one of their own is hurt.

So, in the morning I first worked for Kevin’s release. The family insisted that the injured go to Uganda for treatment because no one at the hospital was treating them. Although the accident was not Kevin’s fault we agreed to pay for all medical bills. So to keep the peace, we hired a car to transport them and sent them with one of our staff down to Uganda. While the car was being hired, I met with the traffic police and the relatives of the family. I wrote up several things and worked with the family to agree that Kevin could be released into Samaritan's Purse custody until the case could be heard. So off to the judge (with the traffic police guy who hated me – actually though he asked how my morning was) we went to have him agree. The judge neither spoke nor looked at me but he did agree to let Kevin go with us – this was Fantastic. So by 12:30pm I had Kevin back at the compound. Next I needed to work on the vehicle. Of course this is the second vehicle we have there in police custody and this one had very little damage; we really needed this back to be able to do our work. So for the next 5 hours I worked on this. We again went to the judge, signed more papers, this and that, here and there. But praise the Lord, I did return with the vehicle by 5:30pm. Small victories, but victories non the less. I hope not to visit that place for some time, although I still need the other vehicle.

Some prayer requests around all of this.

We have serious vehicle issues. Many of our vehicles are broken down, our mechanic has malaria and one car is still in police custody. Please pray that our vehicles are protected and can be repaired quickly. Please pray that these two cases are resolved quickly and the injured are healed; neither one will be finished until the injured are better - in Kevin’s case this could take a while. It definitely feels like we are in a spiritual battle over here.

I am thankful that both Kevin and Oliver are safe and back here with us. These were some long days but the Lord has been faithful and we will keep moving forward.

Prison Break

2007-04-24T10:07:00.000-07:00

Have you ever seriously considered breaking someone out of prison? Have you ever seen injustice right in front of you but been helpless?

Well these have been my thoughts the last few days. As I posted last time, one of our staff, Oliver, was in a car accident. He lost control over a rough spot and put it on its side. Traveling with him was a woman and her baby. Neither Oliver, nor the baby were injured but the woman sustained a head wound and was taken to the hospital, while Oliver was taken to prison though he shouldn’t have been. It is a little hard to describe how it works here but if you are in a car accident the driver goes to prison until any injured are released from the hospital or it can go to court. However, that is only if someone is hit or there is another car involved, not with one vehicle. So we were all confused in this case as Oliver was taken but no one outside the car was hurt, it was simply an accident in an Samaritan's Purse vehicle.

So he was taken Saturday night, and we were told to come back in the morning to get him out. Now, this is not a nice jail cell, it is very crowded, no light, no bathroom (you use the corner of the cell) – sort of what you might imagine over here. So on Sunday several of our staff went to help get him. However, they met one road block after another and were told to come back on Monday. On Monday, this happened again and they were told to come back Tuesday. Monday night we went to take him food and found that they had moved him to the prison (as oppose to the jail). The prison was actually a little nicer because during the day they could go outside but it closes at 5pm. At any rate, the police had told us that if the family of the injured agreed for Oliver to be released he could be. However, one of the issues was the husband, the woman was married but the husband had not paid the full dowry (usually many cows over here) so she was not officially his wife, therefore only the father of the girl could say whether it was okay to release Oliver.

Tuesday, we went to get the father from the bush (deep off the main road). This took several hours, then it was off to the police station to get Oliver released. We were a little concerned how the family might react but the father in particular was very understanding and really wanted to see Oliver go free. From about 12 until 6:30, this is where I was with a few of our staff. How to describe what took place…mostly it was a lot of waiting around, getting this signature, meeting this guy or that guy, or going to someone’s house to get him to sign and then more waiting, Just when we thought we were close, they told us they needed the husband now, luckily he was at the hospital not far away. By this time it was about 4:45 – why do I know this? Well we were also told that the prison closes at 5pm and will not open. It seemed as if they wanted to harass us all day and not let him out just to spite us. One of the guys slowly, painfully slow took a signed piece of paper at 4:58 to this other guy who we thought was the end. Well, 5pm came and went – we feared we had lost the battle but we were not going to leave without a fight. So we kept on, working the system trying to find the right people. There were many times during the day when I wanted to ring someone’s neck but this probably would not have been a good move on my part. Well to end this story, they did reopen the prison and we did get Oliver out at around 6:30. Wow, was he happy to get out. He thought he was in for another night. Tomorrow we will roast a goat for him. Our vehicle will stay with the police until the woman recovers but she is expected to be fine.

Thank you for those who prayed. It is only by His grace and mercy that we had victory today. You never know what tomorrow may bring, hunger, prison, death – enjoy today while you can, live today, love today. Let your light shine in the darkness that those around you may see the hope you have found in our risen Lord.

Home sweet Home

2007-04-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

Well after some discussion with some of the management over here, looks like they want me to stay on and work as the compound manager here at the Yei base. It is not quite as hard core as I wanted but I am willing to fill the need and I think I can be an asset. It does mean that I will be doing some more computer work but will also have opportunities to get into the community Mostly, like I said before, it is a lot of getting things to where they need to be at our sub bases and then making sure this compound runs smoothly. There are probably around 50 staff here at the compound (work shop and metal shop). So now I am working to get the rest of my things sent down from Tonj. Someone else will replace me as mobilizer up there. I am glad to be where I can be used for the kingdom and it will be good to be in one place for a while.

Some prayer requests:

Today, one of our staff (Oliver) was in a car accident. He is fine but there are a lot of complications with it, pray for a quick resolution.
As I start my new role for wisdom and direction as we work toward excellence and stewardship
In this role, I am in need of a computer (going with a Mac this time) , prayer for the funds and someone willing to bring it
Prayer for my relationships with the staff, that I may be a blessing to them
Prayer that the hearts of the Sudanese people would be broken for Christ, that the churches we are building would be used to bring hope throughout this part of the world.

2007-04-19T08:33:00.000-07:00

So after work one day I went next door and played a little football with the kids, it was a good game but they really took it to me ( I was playing goalie). Actually it was great to get out and have some fun with them.

Besides playing football, other very popular thing to do around here this time of year is to pick mangos. Sometimes they can be really hard to get to...this guy was reaching with his stick to try and get a good one (he is in the red shirt, holding a stick down to the right). I have had several really good ones - one of perks of being in Southern Sudan!

Anyway, things are going fine over here. I am still in Yei for a while as we sort things out for where I should be. It has rained several times over here, which is nice and helps to cool the air.
Anyway, things are going fine over here. I am still in Yei for a while as we sort things out for where I should be. It has rained several times over here, which is nice and helps to cool the air. We are currently working on about 10 churches in this area, 3 up in Tonj, 4 around Lui, and about 7 just about an hour from here, and there is a whole other operation up in the Nuba mountains. This year the goal for the whole program is around 100 churches. At any rate it is a lot of coordination as we try and get supplies to all these sites. A lot of our supplies come up through Uganda and we stage them here in Yei . Well I am beat so that is all for tonight.

Thiet Church

2007-04-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

Here is the story of Thiet Church which I mentioned a few days ago. This was written by a colleague of mine last year. How many of us have ever had to face this type of situation? Have you given yourself in serving another today? Have you proclaimed the Word of God in your life? Believe me that life is short and today is the day.

Thiet Church is located in the Bahr El Ghazal region of southern Sudan. In the ‘70s, evangelists from the Episcopal Church of Sudan (ECS) visited the town of Thiet and established a church there. Over the next two decades, the church grew and by 1994, attendance reached 300 people. In the same year a temporary structure was built. The building was made with mud walls and benches and a grass roof. Until that time, church meetings had been held under a tree.

Only six months after Thiet Church was erected, the Government of Sudan (GOS) invaded Thiet and set fire to the entire town. The army burned down everything in the village, including the church. The people fled to nearby villages and returned days later to find their town in ashes. Because it was a dry time of year, in only took a few hours for the GOS to burn down the entire village and leave. The invasion had come without warning, and the people lost everything they had.

“When you hear the people coming, you just take your kids and run, you don’t have time for anything else,” said Santino Manut, a former pastor at the church.

When the soldiers left, the people of Thiet cautiously returned and began to rebuild their homes. The congregation at Thiet Church met under the trees and began to rebuild the church when supplies became available. Despite all of the devastation, the congregation continued to meet faithfully four times a week. In the winter of 1995, one year after the invasion, a new church building was constructed.

Unfortunately, for the people of Thiet the invasion in ’94 was not the only attack from the northern government. The GOS routinely bombed the area for seven years beginning in 1992. The worst attack came in 1998, when eight bombs hit the town. That incident killed 27 people in the town, including one woman who attended Thiet Church. One bomb fell through the roof of the church, but did not explode. When the congregation returned to assess the damage, a few people tried to explode the bomb themselves, but were unsuccessful and were forced to bury it. Remarkably, soon after the bombing, the roof was repaired and worship continued at Thiet Church. Throughout the war and in the midst of bombings, Thiet Church persevered and continued to meet together four times a week. Today the congregation consists of about 450 people. The church frequently has to repair the grass roof because of rain and termites and is eager to build a more durable structure. Now that peace has returned to southern Sudan, the people of Thiet Church have hope that better times are ahead and are eager to build a new church to replace their decaying mud and grass facility.

“A new church would be a new beginning,” said current pastor Joseph Ayei, who has pastored the church for the last seven years. “People have started coming back to church since they found out a new building was being built. Even the elders of the town have started coming [to church].”

Pastor Joseph AyeiJoseph Ayei has been the pastor at Thiet Church for the last seven years. Though he is now a faithful preacher of God’s Word, earlier in his life Joseph fought against the government as a rebel soldier in the Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) When he was a young man, Joseph had good reasons to be angry about the civil war that was destroying many lives in southern Sudan. In 1984, his village was burned to the ground. At that time he did not have a strong faith in God, and his anger towards the government motivated him to join the SPLA.

In order to receive military training, Joseph was sent to train with soldiers in Ethiopia, where he met many others who were also filled with anger and bitterness. He was trained to operate the guns on a tank, and became close companions with his comrades on his tank crew as they fought in many battles in the following years.

In 1992, Joseph’s life would forever be changed during a battle against the GOS near a city in southern Sudan called Bor. In the heat of battle one evening, Joseph’s tank was hit by a rocket from an enemy tank and his body was riddled with shrapnel and bullets. The other four soldiers in the tank were killed, and Joseph remembers seeing one of his friend’s head decapitated. Because he was sitting higher up in the tank as the gunner, Joseph was able to escape the burning tank by climbing out the window. He slept beside the tank for the night but did not cry for help because he feared GOS troops would kill him if they knew he was alive.
By the morning, the fighting had subsided and SPLA medics came and took Joseph to a hospital in Kenya. When a doctor finally examined him, he found that Joseph had shrapnel lodged in his legs, hands, stomach and neck. Some of his teeth were even broken. After a few days, Joseph asked one of the nurses about his comrades in the tank and was told that they had all been killed.

“The medics told me to thank God because they had all died and I had lived,” Joseph recalls. “That is why I decided to become a pastor, because of the new life God had given me.”

Joseph realized that God had given him a second chance and found there was an alternative to anger. While recovering in the hospital, he dedicated his life to Christ and promised the Lord that he would become a pastor if he ever became well enough to leave the hospital.
Four years later, Joseph followed through on that commitment and was ordained as a deacon for the ECS. In 1999, he became the pastor in Thiet, where he has served faithfully to this day.

Pastor Joseph has never fully recovered from his injuries and still has shrapnel lodged in his body that doctors have not been able to extract. His health has deteriorated of late and he may have to travel to Kenya to receive treatment if things don't improve. However, despite the lingering effects of his injuries, Joseph continues to preach the Word of God week after week.

Shake and Bake

2007-04-10T03:34:00.000-07:00

Okay this is the second time I have written this blog so hopefully this one works. So Ben and I went to Wau for Easter, basically just to use the internet and get some cold drinks. We were able to find some goat and chips at a little restaurant and it wasn't too bad so that was nice. The bad part about Wau is that it is 2 1/2 hours away so it is a long drive but it was a good day. Here is a street in Wau:

The next morning I awoke to find that our driver's wife and family were sick and that he would not be able to take a little trip that was planned and as Ben knows the most about the projects up there, the task fell to me to drive. So I threw a few things in a bag and together with Emmanuel, a great guy working for us, we headed off down the road in our 4 ton truck.

A few things to note about this truck, first the radio does not work (luckily I have some little speakers for my ipod), second the gas tank leaks (we had to stop every 100 miles and refill the tank by hand – more diesel in my clothing), third it is that it is a right hand drive (Afghanistan prepared me well for this), fourth is that this vehicle was not made for these roads and really does not do well (there are some huge potholes out there) - hence the shake, and fifth is the fact that there is no a/c (poor poor phil – I am making fun of myself here) and here is the bake. But this also means having the window open and getting a nice layer of dirt all over.

So off we go, 386 miles in 15 hours. At one point we had traveled for 2 hours and I realized we had only gone 30 miles! Actually the trip went fine, we traveled through Mango tree forests, swamps, land mine fields (the road was clear but you definitely didn’t want to use the shoulder), vehicles the LRA had attacked and burned, and some crazy bridges. One bridge in particular was a real challenge. We arrived to find that there was a 6x5 hole on one end and there was no way around it. It was about a 20 foot drop, and would not be pretty if we didn’t make it but there was only one road and we had to go. So we said a quick prayer and started finding logs to lay across. Apparently this has been this way for about 2 weeks but hadn’t been repaired yet. Well we made it across fine but I have to say I was a bit worried as I drove across.

I had already driven 12 hours and an hour past dark, as we are not suppose to drive at night, so we found a nice little rest stop (it was a stop anyway) about 3 hours outside of Yei for the night and relaxed a little. At any rate we got in around 10 this morning with no real difficulties. It was great to spend sometime with Emmanuel and learn his story which I hope to tell in a future blog. Here are the two of us:

Upon arriving in Yei, I came to find out that I was going to need to stay here for a few weeks. One guy is headed up to another site and so they need someone here to help run the base. So…I am hoping to have my clothes sent down (as I only brought an extra shirt) on the next flight but I am glad to help where I can. The rains have started here and we might even get some tonight. I desperately need a shower (pun intended).

Well that is all for now –

Tonight’s special: Three cheese sauce with goat meat on spaghetti

2007-04-08T01:20:00.000-07:00

So I am now in Tonj and have begun to settle in a bit. My partner up here, Ben, is a great guy, just recently graduated from University of Missouri in civil engineering. He has been up here about a month, so he is new but I am learning a lot from him about this place.

What can I say about Tonj? Well it is quite a bit warmer up here as oppose to Yei. Since I have been here the temperature in the day is between 115-120 degrees, dropping to around 85-90 at night (at least it makes the cold showers nice). We are expecting the rains to start in another few weeks; the problem then will be the roads and the mosquitoes. All around Tonj there are places that flood and some houses are even on stilts, thus making many roads impassible or at least very difficult even with a 4x4 (there are no paved roads in southern Sudan). This will make the collecting of building materials a challenge.

Our compound is fairly simple. Ben and I share a room and we have power in the evenings from a small generator but power is an issue and there is no fan at night. There are two others here as we are sharing the compound with another NGO. Joseph (Sudanese) is the compound manager and Kate (Ugandan) is a nurse that is working at a clinic on site here. The clinic is currently overwhelmed with cholera cases and she has been working very long days and nights. She has very little help and is 7 months pregnant – wow she is tough! This area really faces serious issues with water and sanitation. There are very few pit latrines and bore hole wells. Some families have to travel over 1 mile for water. This has been the biggest factor for cholera. A lot of people have to go to the river for water, and everything goes on at the river: bathing, washing vehicles, washing clothes, swimming, bathing animals, etc. Most people really don't have a choice and I know would rather not get their water here as it is very polluted.

A woman and her baby:

Praise the Lord we do have water filters at our camp but one problem or challenge we have had since I have been here is that there is no cook. Now for most of you in the states this might sound strange but over here it is very helpful to have someone to cook for you as we don’t have time to shop, nor do we have time to cook. So Ben, Joseph and I have been taking turns – we don’t want Kate in there after being about cholera patients all day. Hence the title of this message: Three cheese sauce with goat meat on spaghetti – this was Ben’s special dish and actually it wasn’t too bad but it was a little strange. Last night I made macaroni and cheese with some corn (mmm…everything yellow) – I tried to ignore the fact that the date on the boxes was Nov 23, 2004. At any rate I really don’t care to much what I eat as long as I find something cool to drink. Here is photo of a woman cooking in Thiet:

We are currently working with three church sites before moving to Rumbek:

Mapel Church: N 07۫ 17.589’ E028۫ 26.554’ Elevation: 1552 Distance (as the crow flies) from compound 26.16 miles – takes about 1 ½ hours one way (beginning on walls – about 2-3 weeks from competition)

Thiet Church: 07۫ 36.284’ E028۫ 48.745’ Elevation: 1356 Distance from compound 16.54 miles – takes about 45 minutes one way (almost done, finishing work underway)

Tonj Church: 07۫ 16.708’ E028۫ 40.869’ Elevation: 1440 Distance from compound .14 miles – takes about 2 minutes (completed). Here is a photo, this will be the general size and design of most the churches:

Most days I am running supplies to the various sites (diesel, concrete, water, tools, etc) trying to make sure that building crews have everything they need. There is no communication between the sites and us so it takes a physical visit and supplies can be very hard to find here. Like I said before, a lot of things come from Yei and Uganda but as that is a hard two day drive one way, you can’t exactly hop down there. Today I went to Thiet to bring the carpenter out there and get the trap to cover the slab at Mapel, then headed out to Mapel after lunch (last nights mac and cheese with some rice). But, at Mapel I found that the cement mixer was busted and we need to get the one from Thiet to bring over – we don’t drive at night so this will to wait until tomorrow as it was already 5pm but it is a constant back and forth.

Guys playing a card game in Tonj:

Well I guess that is all for now. I am planning to share some of the stories I am hearing and I want to tell you more about some of the staff we have working with us. Most people have been very kind and welcoming. Thank you for your prayers. Please pray that the cholera epidemic would end, that Ben and I would have favor with local pastors and officials and that we would have wisdom in working with our staff.

“Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God-the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!”

Psalm 43:3-4

Panyana Church Opening

2007-04-01T08:36:00.000-07:00

Hello All,

This will probably be my last blog for a little while as tomorrow I head up to Tonj and there is no internet up there. Today we went to a church opening, which was very interesting. It lasted about 5 hours, mostly full of speeches but was still neat to see.

Here are a few photos from the day.

Here are some cute kids:

Panyana Church: most of the churches we are opening in this area are Episcopal; this is actually a church that was renovated not built (you can see the walls are brick instead of block), SP did the windows, doors, front, floor, and a few other things:

Inside the church (it was pretty full - this is an understatement):

Well I pray all of you are well. It has been somewhat hot today, proabably in the 90s with high humidity so I think I will go find some water.

A couple of prayer requests, tomorrow I really get into it so just prayer that I will find my way and have wisdom in what I am doing. Also, that I will build some strong relationshiops with the guys I am going to live with. Thank you.

phil

Friday in Yei

2007-03-30T05:57:00.000-07:00

So it was a day off today because we are having a church opening on Sunday (usually we will have Sunday's off - but we did a bit of work anyway. Here are some photos from the day as we drove out to see some more churches.

Downtown (D town for those of you in Pittsburgh) Yei:

Here is inside one of the old churches:

Here is a church in the beginning stages of being built with the foundation layed out:

Like I said before, churches have to collect several materials: two kinds of sand, one from the river, the other from a pit. These two are mixed together for block making. A church will make there own blocks (around 1000) but we have someone there to assist them. They also need to collect stone and break it into small pieces for the foundation. The last thing they need is mirrum (a reddish dirt), that is used to help level the foundation before the slab is poured. Here are some photos of these materials (top left are blocks, top right is river sand in the front and pit sand in the back, bottom left is river sand, blocks, and mirrum, botttom right is stone):

And here is one nearing completion with Jeff and Peter (site manger):

have a great day,

phil

The Yei Base

2007-03-28T07:42:00.000-07:00

Greetings from Yei,

So for the next few days I am getting oriented here, working with a guy to learn what I am suppose to be doing before heading up to Tanj. Basically I will be part of a three man team: a engineer, logististion and I will be the mobilizer.

The steps in building Churches is pretty simple although the process and work is quite difficult.

Step one is to find the Churches and take an assessment of whether they need to be rebuilt. The main qualification here is that they were destroyed during the war. Currently there are 570 church sites identified.
Step two is to meet with the church and see if they are willing to partner with SP in rebuilding. If agreed, they sign a contract agreeing to provided/collect the sand, stone, and water for the project. SP then agrees to actually build the building; a team of builders will be brought in for the actual construction.
Step three is for the church to begin collecting supplies. SP provides the transport but it is up to the church to provide the labor to go and collect the supplies. It also includes breaking stones and clearing the site. This is where I will come in - my responsibilities will to help motivate the church in collecting the supplies, keeping them encouraged and making sure they have all the tools, transport and other materials they need. SP does not just want to give a hand outs but realizes that somethings need to be provided if anything is to be accomplished. This process can take up to a month or more depending on how quickly the church volunteers work. Sometimes they will work very very slowly, in which case we may move to another site until they are more serious.
The fourth step is to have the building team come in and construct the church. The Yei compound is the main staging area for all materials moving north. Both iron (for trusses) and wood (doors, windows, pews, pulpits) projects are done at workshops here. Most of the wood is mahogany.
And finally there is a grand church opening (I am going to one on Sunday so I will get to see what that is like.

One issue here is the feeling from the churches that more should be done (i.e. the church should be bigger or there should be better benches, etc). I know this will be a frustration, but in many ways this is part of working in development.

For those of you interested the SP Compound in Yei is at:

N 04 05.560'
E 030 39.905'

Elevation at 2983ft

Everyone I have met as a part of this project is a guy around 25 years old - I am the old guy out here but I guess I am just trying to still be tough like them.

SP Compound in Yei:

Wood working shop at the compound:

until next time -

phil

Heading for Yei

2007-03-27T06:31:00.000-07:00

So tomorrow around 6am I am head out for S. Sudan - Yei (on the boarder of Uganda). There are actually commercial flights going in now so I will catch a flight in with another guy coming back from R&R. So after Yei I head to Tonj. Below is a sat map of the area, you can find a larger one at:

http://www.respond-int.org/Respond/viewmapdetails.html?map_id=367

Follow the red line from right to left and Tonj is at the end.

Another good map is through google, Google Earth will be better but this isn't too bad: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=sudan&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=7&ll=7.373362,29.421387&spn=3.311773,8.547363&t=h&om=0

I think the largest city I will be nearby is Wau.

Unfortunately, I think I will only have very limited email capacity here and will probably will not be able to update my blog for a while but I will as soon as I can.

Well that is all for now. May our Lord fill you with the fruits of the Spirit that you may share the love of Christ with those around you.

a fellow servant,

phil

Stop over in France

2007-03-25T10:02:00.000-07:00

Well friends and family I am now in Kenya for few days of orientation before heading up to Sudan. Samaritan's Purse has a nice guest house that I am staying at so that is a plus. Before getting here I spent a great couple of days in France. Here is a photo from the top of a mountain (Mont Sainte Victoire in Aix - southern France) that a friend of mine and I climbed:

And of course what would a stop in Paris be without seeing Norte Dame:

Well, on Wednesday I finally get to Sudan - I am interested to see what it will be like. I may not be able to post much to my blog up there but will whenever I can or when I get back through Kenya.

One more photo, here is sky picture from southern France:

Orientation Week - Boone, NC

2007-03-16T14:12:00.000-07:00

Well I am here for a week of orientation. Above is a picture of the crew that went through it with me. Two others are headed to Sudan, while the others are headed to South East Asia and El Salvador. It has been a good week but all of us are ready to head out. From left to right it is me, Margeaux (Field Support Unit based in Boone, Josh (headed to Sudan), Terry (Field Support Unit in Boone), Jared (headed to Sudan), Mike (headed to Indonesia), and John and Connie Bowman (John was in Afghanistan with Tera and I for a short time) they are head to El Salvador.

Here is another photo from where we took a little hike at Bass Lake just near Boone.

I hope and pray all of you are doing well. I will write more when I am in Sudan.

phil

First Stop Zambia

2007-02-16T23:38:00.000-08:00

Before heading to Sudan, I needed to finish a few things with my current job at World Vision, one of which was coming to Zambia for a week. Above is the Zambian Sky on a beautiful day.

Above is a photo from a caregiver meeting. My team and I at World Vision have been working to supply community caregivers with carekits. To learn more about this program click:
http://www.worldvision.org/get_involved.nsf/child/cg_home?Open&lid=topnav_church_caregiver_kits&lpos=topnav

Recent Trip by Franklin Graham

2007-02-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here is a news article on what is happening in South Sudan with SP (Samaritan's Purse).

Frist Joins Evangelist Graham on Trip to South Sudan
By Stephanie McCrummen
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, February 9, 2007; A16
JUBA, Sudan -- The jet took off Wednesday morning headed for Juba, the fledgling regional capital of southern Sudan and a place at the moment resembling a hot and sandy construction site.
In the pilot seat for the flight from Kampala, Uganda, was Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham. And in the entourage were several members of his Christian charity group, Samaritan's Purse, along with former Senate majority leader, onetime rumored presidential contender and, for now, surgeon and civilian Bill Frist (R-Tenn.).
He had traveled to the group's far-flung health clinics before to operate on patients who, he granted, often had no idea who he was. The mission this time was a meeting with leaders of the semiautonomous region that only recently emerged from one of the bloodiest and longest-running civil wars on the continent.
But a U.S.-backed peace agreement between the southern Sudanese and the government in Khartoum is faltering badly as world attention has shifted to Darfur, the western region of the country where the government is accused of waging a campaign of violence that the United States and others have labeled genocide.
In the south, the conflict revolved mainly around oil-rich areas along a disputed border with the north. Like Darfur, it is layered with an ethnic dimension. But unlike Darfur, the conflict had a religious dimension and was cast at times as a war of persecution by the mostly Arab and Muslim government against the darker-skinned southerners, who mainly practice Christianity and indigenous religions.
It is that religious facet that has continued to draw in U.S. evangelical groups such as Samaritan's Purse, which has provided humanitarian relief in the region for a decade. Graham, who recounted with some relish diving into foxholes during wartime trips to the region, said his group has counted at least 500 destroyed churches amid a wider landscape of ruin. He was heading to Juba to tell leaders of his intention to rebuild all of them, he said.
The jet landed before noon in a cloud of sandy dust.
By then, about 90 flights had already buzzed into the small but busy airport, most carrying contractors who are building roads and government ministries from scratch, and living in encampments of tents that are so in demand that they rent at times for more than $150 a night.
A group of two dozen southern Sudanese leaders greeted Graham, Frist and the rest on the runway, and soon a convoy of trucks, SUVs and sirens was rumbling down the reddish dirt roads.
The first stop was the headquarters of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM), the former rebel group that runs the region.
"We call it the wild west," Barnaba Marial Benjamin, the minister of regional cooperation, said to the visiting Americans. "You put down your tent under the tree, and you begin something."
Benjamin told Frist and Graham about all the roads that have been built -- "A miracle," he said -- but as the meeting continued, the news about the peace process was decidedly mixed.
Pagan Amum, secretary general of the SPLM, accused the ruling party in Khartoum of orchestrating an attempt to undermine the hard-won Comprehensive Peace Agreement in advance of a vote on secession scheduled for 2011.
Specifically, he said, the government is cheating the south out of oil revenue, building up its forces in the crucial, oil-rich Abyei province and dragging its feet on resolving the border demarcation, all in violation of the agreement reached two years ago. Amum also accused the government of funding militias to harass and drive away contractors.
"These are calculations for something bigger," he said. "It is part of a major plan."
Among other things, Frist asked about the availability of clean water. Benjamin explained that water was a problem: bullet holes in water tanks, toxic asbestos pipes. But soon it was time to go, and after firm handshakes and thank-yous, the convoy took off again.
The line of white trucks and vans rolled through town, kicking up dust as people stopped a moment to stare, then went back to hauling wood planks, selling cinder blocks and digging trenches.
More than 100,000 refugees have returned to the south in the past year or so, including Miyong Kuon, who lived in Omaha during the war and was among the crowd following Graham's group. Though there is little in Juba to love besides sand and sky and heat, Kuon said it still felt like home. "Even if it's a tent, home is home," he said.
Kuon waited while Frist and Graham met with the southern Sudanese president, Salva Kiir Mayardit, a tall, bearded man who wore a black bowler-style hat.
After the meeting, Kiir told reporters that in his view, the central government "lacks the political will" to implement the peace agreement, but he also blamed "extremists in both camps" -- including his own -- for blocking progress.
"We are all convinced that going back to war will not be the solution," Kiir said.
Frist told the crowd that he would report back to whoever would listen that southern Sudanese were committed to peace but that more outside oversight was necessary to make it work. Then, the convoy took off again.
In the late afternoon, the group met with an SPLM general and finally with the energetic speaker of parliament, who urged the U.S. government to consider Darfur and southern Sudan as different manifestations of the same, problematic Khartoum government.
Graham told the speaker that God had not abandoned the people of southern Sudan.
Afterward, the group posed for photos amid half-constructed buildings and low, twisted trees. And about 5 p.m., the convoy headed back to the airport.

Its Offical

2007-01-30T07:40:00.000-08:00

Beginning March 11th, 2007 - I will be heading to South Sudan for at least one year with Samaritan's Purse. Hopefully I will be able to keep this blog up although I am sure it will not be as good as my cousins, at least it should give you some idea of what I am up too. I do covet your prayers during this time of transition.

My job in Sudan will be to locate and verify the history of destroyed churches in Sudan.

Here is a story from one pastor there:

"Philip Ayou Kuku was spared much of the persecution and hardships that many pastors faced during Sudan’s civil war. Most of those years, he was in the national capital serving as general secretary of the Sudan Church of Christ.But as soon as the war ended last year, Pastor Philip returned to the remote village in the Nuba Mountains where he was ordained more than 40 years ago, where the brick church built by missionaries had been destroyed, and where he didn’t even have a grass hut to sleep in.What compelled him to leave his family behind and go to such a desolate and dangerous place? The news that Samaritan’s Purse was going to rebuild churches like his all across southern Sudan.“The people here need a church and a pastor,” said Pastor Philip, who preaches to congregations meeting under shade trees in five war-ravaged villages in the Nuba Mountains while the buildings are under construction. “This gives them hope.”Pastor Philip beamed with pride as he watched Nuba workers pressing concrete bricks and raising the walls, incorporating the one standing corner of his old church. Construction takes about three months, and then the workers move to another village.Samaritan’s Purse has similar teams building churches in locations across southern Sudan. We also are developing Bible schools to teach pastors and evangelists. God is raising up new church leaders to replace those martyred during the war, but very few have even basic Bible training.The people of southern Sudan see the peace agreement as an answer to prayer and an opportunity for evangelism, with churches at the center of the communities they will rebuild. As Isaiah prophesied, “Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings” (Isaiah 58:12, NIV). "