The first six months of TIMO are designed to allow new missionaries an opportunity to adjust to a new culture, build relationships within the community and begin to learn the local language. April 14th signifies our sixth month in Sudan. Our team will start our “Formal” ministries in the beginning of May.
The small Unicef school that has already been established in the Hills has requested a strong presence from our team. As a certified teacher, I will most likely be filling this role. Yet, I have at times, struggled to find the relevance of an English taught education in a community lacking a written language, questioned the hours students spend idly sitting at attention while their teachers bathe at the stream and wondered how I, being the only female teacher at the school, will fit into this strongly patriarchal society.
The school has asked that I teach Bible, along with anything or everything else that I wish. So, even with all of my concerns, I have realized that the school is an open forum, an amazing opportunity to share the Gospel. So, starting in the first of May, I will be teaching Bible three days a week. As my Didinga is still in its infancy, each lesson will be translated when needed by the local Didinga teachers. The benefits of this translating are multifaceted. First, it allows me to be able to communicate with my little pupils. Second, not only the students, but the teachers will have the opportunity to hear and consider the Gospel. Finally, without conducting formal teacher trainings, new teaching techniques may be subtly modeled and discussed with the local teaching staff.
One other day a week, I will be playing nurse at the newly established TIMO clinic. I will most likely be bandaging wounds, praying with families and delivery and administering medications to those in need within the community.
Currently, the Didinga’s closest medical facility is ilocated in Chuckadoom, a whole days walk away. In the last 5 months our team has seen and dealt with numerous medical tragedies. With two registered nurses on our team, we hope that the clinic will be a powerful testimony of God’s healing hand.
Other members of our team will be involved in the following ministries:
*Community Health Evangelism – CHE
*Storying the Bible
*Elderly Ministries
*Farming God’s Way
*Prayer Ministries
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