Merry Christmas from South Sudan!!!

I fly home to the States tonight!  I am pretty excited (I'm not as excited about the LONG flight, but hey, you can't win 'em all)!!!

May your Christmas be filled with JOY, for the LORD has COME!!!

Our Didinga Christmas Play

After months of careful preparation, our little school preformed their Christmas play in front of the church last Sunday.  They did such a great job!!!  

Eager young actors showed up on our porch hours before church (as in, I was still in my pajamas, sipping my first cup of coffee), wound up like eight day clocks, ready to act their hearts out. 

I'm not really a morning person and even here, in the middle of South Sudan, running a comb through the rats nest that is my hair, before venturing in front of the church, seemed like a good idea.  So, the eager beavers were sent on their way, full of giggles and singing, Joy to the World, to collect their friends.  

A task which they partially completed...

Though the students were asked to gather at 9 am, an hour before the 10 am service, our wee Joseph, several of the shepherds, wise men and two narrators either ignored our directions (imagine!) or might have had absolutely no idea what time it was on accounts of not owning a watch or knowing how to tell time....

The fact that several key actors (ie. Joseph, the shepherds, wise men, and 2 of the 5 narrators!!!) were missing up.until.the.very.last.minute!!! was a bit stressful for some people.
 

Thankfully, in true African fashion, mere moments before we were up for the BIG performance little boys with freshly scrubbed faces and girls in their best (or only) dresses shyly squeezed into our classroom (which is also our church).

Amazingly every single student needed for the play arrived.  

They were beyond excited...  and very serious.  

A few days before our church performance Abbi video-taped one of our dress rehearsals.  Her video is pretty cute, but wouldn't you know it - I accidentally left it in Sudan.  So, these videos, taken on Sunday, will just have to do... 

The play was performed in Didinga, the students' mother tongue, but the songs were sung in English.

3 cute Wise Men - 2 feisty boys and a clever little lady!

A serious Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus.

One of our narrators, Bakita.

Singing, We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

 

All 5 Narrators - they did such a great job!

The gifts from the Magi.

Joseph and Mary (Longa and Abuba) - they were pretty proud of themselves!

 

Merry Christmas!!!

My New Students

I had the great privilege of teaching these little ones this past term. 

I hope that you will enjoy getting to know them and praying for them.

Abuba

Abuba (Abuba means grandmother in Arabic)
When she is older Abuba wants to be a teacher.

Favorite Foods: wheat and beans

Favorite Part of School: morning Bible

Chores: Collecting firewood and wild greens from the forest and water from the stream daily, weeding the fields, washing the family’s clothes and babysitting her three younger sisters and one younger brother (it’s extremely rare to see Abuba without a baby on her back).

Prayer Requests:  She wants to know the Word of God and for her hair, which was burnt off as a baby, to grow back.

Samuel Omar

Samuel Omar

When he is older Samuel wants to be a teacher.

Favorite Foods: meat and beans

Favorite Part of School:  He likes learning how to write.

Chores: Collecting firewood from the forest and water from the stream daily, weeding the garden, babysitting younger siblings and cousins, washing his clothes every Saturday and fanning the fire at night.

Prayer Requests:  Pray that he would learn to love God.

Michael

 

Michael

When he is older Michael would like to be a farmer.

Favorite Foods: wheat mandazis (wheat fried bread) and meat

Favorite Part of School: reading

Chores: Collecting firewood from the forest and water from the stream daily, making the evening cooking fire, washing all of his clothes by hand, weeding the fields.

Prayer Requests:  Pray for his upcoming journey to Chukudum village.

Longa

Longa

When he is older Longa wants to be a teacher.

Favorite Foods: wheat mandazis (fried wheat bread) and beans

Favorite Part of School: math and English

Chores: Collecting firewood from the forest and water from the stream daily, weeding the garden, grazing the family’s cows, washing all of his clothes by hand, babysitting younger brothers, sisters and cousins.

Prayer Requests: Pray that he would have a “good heart” and work well.

Fakira

Fakira (Fakira lives with us on the compound as her mother is not able to care for her or her children's needs.)

When she is older Fakira would like to be a teacher.

Favorite Food: fish (tasted it when she lived with her mother in Juba)

Favorite Part of School: English language

Chores: cooking, making the fire, washing clothes, sweeping the compound.

Prayer Requests:  Pray that she would finish school.

Elizabeth Achon

Elizabeth Achon

When she is older Elizabeth would like to be a teacher.

Favorite Foods: roasted corn and ahat (a very thick corn porridge, which is the staple food in most East African homes.)

Favorite Part of School:  writing and morning Bible

Chores: Collecting firewood and wild greens from the forest and water from the stream daily, cooking and weeding the garden.

Prayer Requests: Pray that she would be “close to God”.

Bakita

Bakita

When she is older Bakita would like to “teach the Word of God”.

Favorite Foods: cassava and mandazis (fried wheat bread)

Favorite Part of School: English and “my teachers” (how sweet is that!!!)

Chores: Collecting firewood and wild greens from the forest and water from the stream daily, making dinner, bathing the younger children on her compound, remudding the walls of her home when needed and washing her clothes by hand.

Prayer Requests: pray that she would give herself fully to God.

Safari

Safari

When she is older Safari would like to “teach the Word of God” in Nagishot.

Favorite Foods: beans, cabbage and meat

Favorite Part of School: “My favorite part of school, is school and writing and my teacher.” 
Chores:  Collecting firewood and wild greens from the forest and water from the stream daily, weeding the garden, making dinner, washing her clothes by hand and babysitting her little sisters.

Prayer Requests: Pray that, “good would return to our home”. (Last month Safari’s four year old sister died and her mother was bit by a snake - two events the family are convinced were the result of witchcraft.)

Lomidiko

 Lomidiko

When he is older Lomidiko would like to “work” (which should be easy enough…) and be a doctor.

Favorite Foods: sukuma wiki (kale) and cabbage

Favorite Part of School: learning English and math

Chores: Collecting water from the stream daily, weeding and hoeing in the garden and washing his clothes.

Prayer Requests: Pray that he would “know the Word of God” and have a “good home”.

Aramoi

 

Aramoi

When he is older Aramoi would like to be a pastor.

Favorite Foods: avocados and mandazis (fried wheat bread)

Favorite Part of School: math and English

Chores: Slashing and weeding in the fields, washing his clothes and planting seeds.

Prayer Requests: Pray that he would have a good home, be able to finish school, get a good wife when he is older (he's a planner) and for the health of his mom (she has been quite sick for many years).

Ark Angelo

 

Ark Angelo

When he is older Ark Angelo would like to be my airplane pilot!

Favorite Foods: pumpkin and ahat (a very thick corn porridge, which is the staple food in East African homes.)

Favorite Part of School: morning Bible and playing football at recess (at least he’s honest!)

Chores: Collecting firewood from the forest and water from the stream daily, weeding the wheat field and washing his clothes.

Prayer Requests: Pray that he “would not sin so much” and that his compound would come to know God.

Logadishi

 

Logadishi

When he is older Lagadishi would like to be a teacher and traveling pastor.

Favorite Foods: chicken, cow and ahat (a very thick corn porridge, which is the staple food in most East African homes.)

Favorite Part of School: English and math

Chores: Collecting firewood from the forest and water from the stream daily, weeding the bean field, washing the dishes and his clothes and taking care of Joyce’s kids, Poi and Yaya.

Prayer Requests: Pray that he would finish school and for his family.

Dennis (I don't have a current picture of Dennis because he missed most of the school term.)

When he is older Dennis would like to be a farmer.

Favorite Foods: mandazis (fried wheat bread) and meat

Favorite Part of School: Engligh and math

Chores: Collecting firewood from the forest and water from the stream daily, washing his clothes and making fences to protect their family’s fields.

Prayer Requests: Pray that his home would be “good”.

Trash or treasure???

Today was the last day of the 2012 school year.  Whoop!  Whoop!

After results were distributed and discussed, the classrooms swept and scrubbed and the grass outside the school slashed we celebrated in true Sudanese style…

How?

Well, for months Abbi and I have been saving our tin cans, empty shampoo and lotion bottles, egg cartons, cardboard boxes and well, (don’t judge!) most of our garbage. 

There was jumping up and down, spontaneous clapping, shouts of joy, uncontrollable laughter, dancing and the biggest smiles of the term today while our students chose a partner and took turns picking their “treasures” from our trash bin.

Once the materials were distributed, each group set to work making their very own terah (planes) and toromile (trucks).

Their joy was contagious. We all had a good time!   

For, as the saying sorta goes, one teacher’s trash is another student’s treasure!