jamesinsudan

The End

2006-11-15T22:44:00.001+03:00

Well, since I'm now officially back from Sudan (for almost 3 weeks now) I've decided to retire the ole blog. I've started a new one, however, at jamesknowles.blogspot.com to chronicle all sorts of interesting American nonsense, beginning today. So look me up over there sometime, and thanks for sticking around to hear about the Sudan for the last year or so.

The End

2006-11-15T22:44:00.000+03:00

Italia

2006-10-18T17:20:00.000+03:00

Hey everyone. Haven't posted in awhile because I've been travelling so much lately, but I just wanted to say hello from Florence, Italy, where I'm staying for the next couple of days.

In the last two weeks, I've been in London, Paris, Barcelona, Rome with some friends, Carrie, Bethany and Eva, whose sites you can check out over to the right. We had some good times seeing a lot of very old stuff, since that's what Europe is all about.

Since I've been on my own, I've seen Pisa and Florence, and in a couple of days I move on to Bologna, Venice and Nice. Only 10 more days abroad, though, and then my time overseas is officially over when I get back to the States on the 28th.

Hope everyone's doing well, and I look forward to seeing you when I get home.

Alexandria

2006-09-21T15:22:00.000+03:00

Since I was in Egypt for a week, I couldn't stay in one place, so I took the bus up to Alexandria. The Mediterranean was so blue and wonderful, and there was some pretty neat stuff to see there, including some awesome Indiana Jones-esque catacombs (no cameras allowed).

Here's the Biblioteca Alexandrina, an attempt to recreate the ancient library at Alexandria. This place is incredible!

This is the harbor in front of my hotel. That fort on the far side stands on the spot where the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, once stood.

Here I am at the reflecting pool in front of the library.

Egypt

2006-09-21T15:03:00.000+03:00

So I was at the Sarit Centre (one of our Kenyan/Indian malls) a couple weeks ago, and they had a sign that said "Special! Egypt! $299!" Since I love signs with lots of exclamation marks, I thought, "Why not?" So I spent last week in Egypt. Neat.

Yup. They're big.

The obligatory me-on-a-camel-in-front-of-the-big-pointy-objects picture.

Me and Sphinxy (Me not pictured).

Russ Lee

2006-09-21T14:45:00.000+03:00

All through the month of August, Christian singer Russ Lee and his family were in Kenya. This was part of his "I Will Go Tour," during which he will visit 6 continents and all 50 United States.

Russ and his family did a lot of cool stuff while they were here - they were up in Samburu where I was a couple months ago, and they worked with some church plants in the slums. Russ also did a concert at the Christian Union at Kenyatta University here in Nairobi (picture below).

Russ played for over 1,000 students, and 40 made professions of faith. Hopefully, the campus ministry will follow these up.

The really cool thing was that God has gifted this brother in amazing ways, and he is using them for ministry. Not to sell albums or to gain fame. For ministry. It was cool to see how God really worked through him to minister wherever he was in Kenya.

The 5 Best Sites I Visited Today

2006-08-31T12:22:00.000+03:00

In honor of the ever-popular Internet, here are some sites that were just downright amusing or helpful during another long day at the office.

5. "Potty break mic snafu: CNN’s Phillips chats in the loo during Bush speech"

It appears Kyra Phillips forgot to shut off her mike when she went for a bathroom break during President Bush's Katrina anniversary speech. Looks like she'll have some explaining to do to her sister-in-law.

4. Free Derek Webb

I can't tell you how much I love this album, or how awesome it is that it'll be totally free as of tomorrow, but let me implore you to check it out.

3. Says-It.com

If you have time to kill, and a statement to make, this is the place to go. You can make your own seal, concert ticket, or even church sign (examples follow):

This is the best church sign I've ever seen, but I failed to take a picture. Now I can recapture the experience:

2. Angry Alien Productions

A classic which has expanded its catalogue of 30-second encapsulations of classic film reenacted by bunnnies. Good times.

1. The Purpose Driven Message Bible

And certainly the funniest site I've seen in awhile would have to be Sacred Sandwich's parody of Rick Warren and Eugene Peterson. How many of us are living out this translation of Acts 2?

Thika

2006-08-28T09:29:00.000+03:00

Just up the road from Nairobi is a little town called Thika that has a couple of waterfalls. I decided to drive up there on Sunday and check things out. Somehow I blew right through the place, which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. So the 70 km round trip became 150...it's not like there's a lot else to do around here.

Here I am in front of Thika Falls. It reminded me of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, in that the water is the color of chocolate milk.

The second waterfall was difficult to find, which is weird, because waterfalls tend to be large and loud. I thought I had found it here, but it turned out to be the kiddy pool. Still, an awesome sight.

Finally, I came to the end of my journey. This is Chania Falls, with a little bridge over top that makes it rather picturesque. All in all, an interesting day. Especially when the guy doing the live music on the lawn did his "Barak Obama" impression. Classic.

Truck Full O' Sheep

2006-08-21T10:50:00.000+03:00

'Nuff said.

Giraffes

2006-08-21T10:37:00.000+03:00

This week, determined to not have another boring Saturday in Nairobi, I drove out to the suburbs to the Langata Giraffe Center where lots of white people come to line up and feed these ginormous beasts.

These are all reticulated giraffes, I think. Don't know what the difference is, really, but that's what the signs said.

Here I am feeding this big guy. Their tongues are ridiculously long and bendy. (And moist!)

And here's a sign from above the sink in the restroom. Note that "Love the environment as you love yourself" is apparently on par with "Do not leave water running from the taps." Helpful.

Circumcision

2006-08-16T08:38:00.000+03:00

On my trip up to Maralal I got to take part in something pretty amazing. The rite of passage ritual of the Samburu people is that of circumcision. The young men are circumcised to mark their becoming Moran, or warriors. This ceremony only happens once every 10 years or so, with young men aged 12-21 taking part. It was incredible that it happened while I was there!

These are the young man, chanting and preparing for their circumcisions. The guys in black are the Moran-to-be and the ones in red are guys who are already Moran.

After the cutting (sorry, no pictures), the Morani drain blood from a cow for the guys to drink (for strength). They pierce the artery with an arrow (as pictured).

They catch the blood in a container as it spurts from the cow.

Then they mix it with cow's milk for the young men to drink. Mmmm...milkshakey!

Samburu

2006-08-16T08:26:00.000+03:00

Here are some pics from my recent trip up to Maralal in Samburu land.

Just one of the beautiful vistas of the Maralal countryside.

Zebras (obviously).

And here is the wonderful (and cheap) Hard Rock Cafe Maralal.

Ryan's Last Night

2006-08-01T12:17:00.000+03:00

My partner (we've been looking for another word for 2 years, but co-worker is a tad cumbersome) Ryan Bell went back to the States on July 23rd, after finishing his 2 year term. Since he's not around anymore, I'm working in Kenya with people instead of in Sudan by myself. Here are some pictures from his last night in town.

We went to Pampa, the Brazilian steakhouse here in Nairobi, on the way to the airport. Because, really, who wants to get on a plane without a belly full of meat?

Here's Ryan, Julie and I at the restaurant. Julie's our Nairobi friend, who works as a treasurer for the Baptist Mission.

And here's the mast picture of Ryan and I, at the airport, as he was getting ready to leave. It's the end of an era. A very short era, but an era, nonetheless.

Mombasa: The Happiest Place in Kenya

2006-07-29T12:31:00.000+03:00

For Ryan's last week in Kenya, we decided to head down to the Coast for a couple of days and visit our friend Dennis, who lives in Mombasa (see last post).

Here's Dennis, looking remarkably African in his Kikoy shirt and holding his brand new "Thinker" sculpture. (He had to show the carver my Kenyan ID to prove that he wasn't buying it for the mzungu tourists).

Here we are on the beach. The guys on the right are Drew and Bret, volunteers with Serve Kenya, helping Dennis out with some student work at Mombasa Polytechnic.

And here's a guy kite surfing. Our only involvement was in watching, but it's pretty cool anyway.

And here I am in front of a Baobab tree. This is for my buddy Nick, who's growing a couple of these mothers. Only a couple thousand more years to go, bro. (BTW, congrats on the wedding.)

So that was Mombasa.

Down on the Coast

2006-07-20T09:04:00.000+03:00

Ryan and I are in Mombasa visiting our friend Dennis Omondi, a missionary with Serve International. We're having a great time just hanging out and whatnot, but by far the best thing that's happened was at Bible study last night, when one of the girls used the phrase:

"Of course the hot chickies can be saved. All the pretty mamas go to Heaven."

She was responding to a guy who had told her she was "too pretty to be saved." Her response got a big "Amen" from us.

The End...Almost

2006-07-18T17:48:00.000+03:00

My time in Sudan has come to an end, but not my time in Africa. I'm working in Kenya until the beginning of October. So I thought I'd put up one last picture from Sudan (well, it probably won't be the last, as I have 4 gigs of pictures as yet unshared).

I suppose this could symbolize the sun setting on my time in Sudan, but really I just think it's a cool picture. Especially if you ignore the fact that this building is our toilet.

Going Away Par-tay

2006-07-14T18:53:00.000+03:00

On our last trip down to Akot, Abraham and Isaac set up a little going away soiree for Ryan and me. We went out to Isaac's church for some singing and dancing, and of course - goat!

Here's a photo of the crowd, an enthusiastic bunch to be sure.

It was quite the formal affair - this fella even wore a tuxedo! (With another shirt under it, since Africans get cold at about 90 degrees.)

Finally, here I am with some of our church leaders (and one of our clinic staff) - (from left) Isaac, George, Barnabas, John Deng, Shadrach and Abraham. Good guys, all.

Like an Arab Pirates of the Caribbean

2006-07-10T18:25:00.000+03:00

Here's some pictures from the Dubai Museum, where they had these freaky displays about the history of Dubai. It was seriously (as the title implies) like a weird Disney-themed showcase of Arab life.

What's in the glass? Nothing a good Muslim shouldn't be drinking, of course. But that smile...

One of the highlights of historical Dubai is, of course, break dancing.

This smile, on the other hand, is easily explained. There's nothing quite like a breeze when it's 120 outside.

Okay, so this isn't from the Dubai Museum, but it's Aquaman! Aquaman, I say!

Wau!

2006-07-01T11:08:00.000+03:00

Some pictures from our recent adventure up to Wau, the magical city north of us that looks nothing whatsoever like the rest of Southern Sudan. Seriously - power, cold Pepsi, burgers - Akot and Rumbek have nothing on this place.

The one drawback is getting there, as you can see from this truck, which was stuck so badly it was just abandoned. We had to pass to the right side of the picture, but fortunately we made it by (which is good because weeks-old diesel in stangnant water produces a terrific odor).

This is the road into Wau. Note that a) it is a road (the only one I've seen in this country) and b) it has streetlights (again , pretty much the only ones around). It is also the first bridge I've seen that hasn't made me think, "Hmmm, I wonder if we should drive on this?"

This is one of the roundabouts in town, which we referred to as "The Corn Roundabout." Obviously.

And here I am enjoying a burger. With olives and some manner of white goo. But hey, it was a burger!

More Food than You Know What to Do With

2006-06-28T18:38:00.000+03:00

Agian this year we brought in some food with the help of Word Hunger Fund. This year, however, we got it in without a) an overturned truck or b) an almost-hostage situation. Both make me very happy.

Here are the guys unloading the truck. We got two of these full of sorghum and beans, which made our little storeroom very full.

Here's a lady praying for the food. The women in front of her are from Episcopal (ECS - the ones with the white doo-rags) and Baptist churches. The SDA and Catholics got some food, as well.

And here are some ladies dividing up the bags, which are 50 kgs, so they can take them back to their churches for distribution.

Last Days in Me'en

2006-06-26T16:05:00.000+03:00

Here are a few pictures of our last trip into Me'en (I've been trying to put these up forever, but you know how thatdang ole Sudanese Internet is....well, you probably don't, but it's bad).

Here's Gum (gOOm) and some of the local kids mowing our lawn. They're digging up all the grass because...well, I don't know why, but that's what they do. Can't have grass in your yard! Cow crap, yes; grass, no. Anyhow, they just started doing it when we got there. So helpful.

Here are a bunch of youth who were moving their cattle through our area. They were on their way north to fight with the Dinka Luac, and were taking their milking cows so they would have something to sustain them through the fighting. The problem: they're fighting because the Luac stole their cows. The solution: bring more of their cows up there for the Luac to steal, but give 'em a good whoopin' in the meantime!

And here I am with the chief. He's a happy guy, really. He's just very serious in pictures. He's also more or less the leader of the church we started in Yuarnetic (where his home is, outside of Me'en), so feel free to pray for him.

The end.

Worldwide Caution

2006-06-08T17:57:00.001+03:00

Of all the e-mails I get on a daily basis, the warden warnings from the US Embassy have to be the worst. Any of you who have ever lived overseas and registered with the American Embassy will know what I'm talking about here. About once a month (or three times in one day, as today) I get e-mails from the Embassy advising me about risks to American citizens travelling in particular countries.

I understand the rationale, of course. An informed populace is generally best prepared to deal with any problems that come along. But today's warning was too much.

This one was titled, "Public Announcement - Worldwide Caution" and the basic premise was that Americans need to be careful overseas. I read it over again before realizing, "Oh, wait a second - THAT'S NOT HELPFUL."

Here is a quote from the e-mail: "Current information suggests that...organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks against U.S. interests in multiple regions, including Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These attacks may employ a wide variety of tactics...Examples of such targets include high-profile sporting events, residential areas, business offices, clubs, restaurants, hotels, places of worship, schools, public areas and locales where Americans gather in large numbers, including during holidays."

Note the italicized areas. My questions would be:

Where are these attacks likely?
Any of three continents; we don't really know.

What kind of attacks will these be?
A wide variety, really. We're not so sure.

And where might these take place?
Well, any place you might go in public; oh wait, residential areas were on that list, too. So your house may not be safe, either.

Basically, if you aren't in America, you aren't safe. That's the only message I'm getting from this type of e-mail, and I don't really need it, to be honest. Just not helpful.

Dubai

2006-05-30T12:09:00.000+03:00

Here's a sampling of pictures from the four days Ryan and I spent in Dubai this month. Dubai is in the United Arab Emirates, near Saudi Arabia and Oman.

As vacation spots go, Dubai is pretty sweet, especially coming from East Africa. It's like an Arab America: Chili's, Friday's, Tony Roma's, Little Caesar's...even Marble Slab. It was all there. And there was some stuff to do, as well as eat (see below):

This behemoth is the Burj al Arab, the ritziest hotel in the world (7 stars!). This is as close as we got, since it costs $35 just for a look-see inside. The place we stayed didn't cost that much a night.

Here I am at dinner after our desert safari. That open area behind me was the scene of some belly dancing in which I was (unfortunately) involved. Good times.

And here's one your didn't expect - snow skiing! They built an indoor slope at Mall of the Emirates. For only $35, I can now officially say that I have been skiing in the Middle East.

But this is more typical. The UAE is pretty much one big desert. We took a desert safari, which is basically where you ride in a Land Cruiser and drive all crazy (as evidenced by the tire track going up and down the dune behind me).

Widows and Orphans

2006-05-16T14:39:00.000+03:00

Awhile back, some friends of mine from the States asked if they could contribute some money for whatever project we had going on. At first, I thought we'd use it for the school we were helping the community constructfor themselves in Me'en, but the community proved to be somewhat less than reliable at helping themselves. So I thought about this:

"Religion that pleases God the Father must be pure and spotless. You must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil" (James 1:27).

So we talked to Chief David about who the neediest widows in the area around the church at Yuarnetic were, and we brought in two 50kg bags of maize flour to split between four families. Here's some pictures:

Here's Abraham (our evangelist) telling the ladies the story of the feeding of the 5,000. The feeding of the 4,000 would have been more easily divisable, but I left it up to him.

And here's Abraham praying over the bags of flour. You can tell they're praying because you can see the kid in the middle covering his eyes with his hands. Can't pray without that!

And here are a couple of the ladies sorting the flour into bags to carry home with them.

Overall, this was a cool way for people in America to help us (the missionaries) help the local church (Chief David and Abraham) take care of their people, just like Paul talked about in 1 Corinthians 16.

What Is That (Doing in Sudan?)

2006-05-14T20:46:00.000+03:00

Living in Sudan, you often see something and can’t help but think, “What is that?” This series is designed to let those of you playing along at home experience just a little bit of what that is like.

What is that? Apparently they have Awana in Sudan. No phone, no lights, very few motor cars, but they do have Awana. (Either that, or Goodwill had a bunch of these vests lying around.)

What is that? Yes, even in Sudan you see people walking around with those familiar white ear buds. And I say, "Curse you, Steve Jobs!"

What is that? I found this on a tree in the middle of the village...the January 2005 cover of Glamour. I have to admit, it's better than staring at a regular tree.

What is that? Finally, and most improbably...on our last trip to Akot we found this. Yes, a street sign. There's only one road in this part of Southern Sudan, mind you, and it only goes from Rumbek to Akot, but someone thought it important to let you know when you have arrived there.

That's all for now. Thanks for playing our game.

Recent Goings-On

2006-05-06T20:19:00.000+03:00

Here's some highlights from the last few weeks in Sudan:

The UN sent some people to town to vaccinate the kids for measles. To gather them up they used the siren on a bullhorn (under that table) - an unusual noise always attracts a crowd! On a somewhat sad note, some people wouldn't let their kids be vaccinated because "if they get the shot, they will get malaria and die." We tried to help them see that the UN would not send people to KILL THEIR CHILDREN, but no luck.

This is one of the local kids, Gum (gOOm), with his makeshift shield (cardboard instead of leather).

Gum again (he's always around) entering a little pull-up competition we were having this is number 1/2.

And finally, here's the obligatory shot of cows standing under a tree, which is pretty much what we look at all day long. The ominous storm clouds in the back ground foreshadow the rainy season, which is fast approaching.

Proof the Dinka Want to Know God

2006-04-24T08:23:00.002+03:00

We had a little break-in at our tukel while we were away in Nairobi last month. Well, not a break-in really. It was more of a reach-in. Some youth stuck his long arm into our tukel and knocked over my box of books, grabbed some and ran.

It turned out to be no big deal, since by the time we got back, they had caught the guy, thrown him in jail and gotten my books back. The funny thing is what he took. Out of all the books I had in that box (which, as most of you might guess, was quite a few) he took my copy of Bible Doctrine by Wayne Grudem. Out of everything, he took my systematic theology!

How can anyone say the Dinka don't want to know God?

A Place to Lay Your Head, But Not Much Else

2006-04-08T20:21:00.000+03:00

This week, Ryan and I have been in Rumbek running some errands, and preparing for our brick-making project in Me'en. We've been staying at the new house, the one we spent the last six months having constructed. It was supposed to be finished when we came back to Sudan at the end of March, and it is...mostly.

Here's our new house:

It's an especially nice house for Sudan, with running water, flush toilets, and a nice little kitchen, a la:

The only problem is that that box on the left side of the kitchen contains the stove, and there's another one about 3 feet away with the refrigerator in it. You wouldn't think that would be much of a problem when you live in a mud hut most of the time anyway, but it seemed a wee bit ironic that to cook dinner tonight, Ryan had to boil water over a fire, like so:

And then I had to mix up some good old-fashioned Mountain House dehydrated pasta primavera:

Nice house, nice kitchen, but we're still cooking over a fire on the ground and eating dehydrated food out of bags.

Ah, Sudan.

Reading and Writing

2006-04-08T11:20:00.000+03:00

This past week we ran a Literacy and Evangelism training program in Me'en. This is a program being used by Billy White (a self-supported missionary here in Sudan) to train the SPLA soldiers who can read to teach those that cannot the skill.

We brought up one of Billy's trainers, a Dinka guy named Santino (who is a strong believer and has been to seminary in Kenya), and he led the class for us. Also, Abraham, our evangelist, trained some of the guys using a series of primers that teach basic concepts about God to those just learning to read (above).

We even had a little graduation for the guys who were trained, complete with certificates (those are like gold here). That's me in front waiting to shake people's hands as they come by.

The upshot of all of this was that we sat around all week (while Ryan's dad was in town) while Santino and Abraham did all the work. And after it was all done, you know what happened? Some people from the village up the road came and said they wanted to start a church in their village! Obviously not from our work, but entirely from God. And that's the way we like it.

Three-Quarters Day

2006-04-06T00:01:00.000+03:00

Today is Three-Quarters Day! That is, today I am three-quarters of the way through my two year term, which fnishes on October 6. It's kind of weird to be that far along, on the one hand; but on the other it seems like I have a lot of days left (especially when it tops out at 50 on the thermometer here - that's 50 celsius, mind).

Anyway, happy Three-Quarters day!

A Very DMP Vacation, Part 2

2006-03-28T17:57:00.000+03:00

So the second part of our trip was to Zanzibar. It's an amazing place, which used to be its own Sultinate, but is now part of Tanzania. We spent a day in Stone Town walking around the narrow alleys and markets, and then two days on the beach looking out on the Indian Ocean. Good times.

This is me at the old fort in Stone Town. It's a good perspective through some sweet Zanzibar Doors.

This is the Anglican Cathedral in Stone Town. They have a crucifix made from the tree under which David Livingstone's heart was buried. Seriously. It's weird.

And here's Nick and I on the beach, with a beautiful sand drawing at our feet.

And that was about it. Thanks to Nick for coming out, the IMB for giving me time off, and to God for making the ocean.

A Very DMP Vacation, Part 1

2006-03-28T17:25:00.000+03:00

During my time out of Sudan in March, my friend and college roommate, Nick, paid me a visit in Kenya. It was a merry little reunion, and here's some pictures of us living it up at Masai Mara, one of the game parks here in Kenya.

This is Nick in front of a field of lions. We rode around in these WWII-era British troop transports, which were really pretty sweet.

And here I am in front of an elephant. It was actually quite huge, even though in this picture it only looks about the size of my head. No comments, please.

This is an artsy picture of our guide. The Masai run the park, which is on their ancestral land. It's a little like Indians and casinos, but with less lounge music.

God's Blessings in Me'en

2006-03-17T10:31:00.000+03:00

During our last week in Sudan, Ryan and I hosted a couple of guys from Forest Meadow Baptist Church in Texas. While they were here, God really did some awesome things amongst the people we have been working with. Here are some highlights:

Here I am telling to story of Noah (that's Abraham, our Dinka evangelist to my left, interpreting). This is in the viallge of Amuk, about 9 kilometres up the road from Me'en. The people were very receptive, and we're going to try and continue storying in this village in coming months.

And this is our first real storying centre in Yuarnetic, the village where the chief of our area lives. He's actually the one who told the story (Saul's Conversion), although he opened it with an anecdote about how he was afraid he would tell it "like a woman urinating out of a window....badly." You can't make this stuff up.

Finally, another highlight of the week....fresh guinea fowl. This is exciting because A) Guinea fowl is not rice and B) Guinea fowl is not beans.

So that was our last week in Sudan. We finished our fast track of stories through the Old and New Testaments and we had two men say they wanted to follow Christ just from hearing the stories, without any concise, simple, human Gospel presentation, which I think is pretty cool.

Pray, if you will, for the group at Yuarnetic and the people in Me'en who have now heard the story of Jesus and now must listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit as to what to do next.

Naked Farming

2006-03-16T10:35:00.000+03:00

So this would be a What Is That? post, except I didn't have my camera with me. I was out for a stroll around Me'en the other day, and I walked past this older gentlemen who was digging up last year's sorghum roots in his garden, in preparation for cultivation, which begins next month.

Not unusual, you say. Ah, but you couldn't be more wrong, because this guy was doing his farming absolutely buck naked!

Now some of you might think I am being cruel, mocking a man who is so poor he cannot afford clothes (this is Africa after all, and the Dinka have only been wearing clothes for 50 or so years). But again you would be wrong, because his clothes were laying on the ground next to the path on which I was walking. He had taken them off to keep them from getting dirty.

Think about that next time you're in your garden.

Fun With Quotes

2006-03-07T18:25:00.000+03:00

So I was going through my quotation archives the other day, and some of these intrigued me, so I'd thought I'd share with the world - the world being the 5 or so people who actually read the nonsense I write here. Anyway, let's begin:

In the "Why Am I Out Here In the Middle of Nowhere?" Category:

It's interesting how you sometimes have to leave home before you can ask difficult questions, how the questions never come up in the room you grew up in, in the town in which you were born. It's funny how you can't ask difficult questions in a familiar place, how you have to stand back a few feet and see things in a new way before you realize nothing that is happening to you is normal. (Donald Miller's Through Painted Deserts)

And in the "Don't Waste Your Life" Category:

Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways. (Stephen Vincent Benét)

Also the "Does It Really Say What I Thought It Said?" Category:

Our interpretations reveal less about God or the Bible than they do about ourselves. They reveal what we want to defend, what we want to attack, what we want to ignore, what we're unwilling to question. When Judgement Day comes, God might ask a a lot of us how we interpreted the Bible – not to judge if our interpretations are right or wrong, but to let our interpretations reveal our hearts. That will be telling enough. (Brian McLaren's A New Kind of Christian)

Then there's the "Why Do I Have So Many Books?" Category:

Even when reading is impossible, the presence of books acquired produces such an ecstast that the buying of more books than one can read is nothing less than the soul reaching towards infinity...We cherish books even if unread, their mere presence exudes comfort, their ready access, reassurance. (A.E. Newton)

And finally (and aptly) the "Why Are You Telling Us What These People Think?" Category:

The man who never reads will never be read; he who never quotes will never be quoted. He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains proves that he has no brain of his own. (Charles Haddon Spurgeon)

Hope some of these make you think.

Who's the cat that won't cop out, when there's danger all about?

2006-03-07T17:08:00.000+03:00

No, not Shaft.

I'm talking about The Sheriff (Shut your mouth!).

Well, actually he's not REALLY a sheriff. To tell the truth, he has a tendency to get himself arrested by the local constabulary. But he is a cool guy, and he stops by our place every once in awhile to chase away the hordes of unruly, gawking children.

Somewhere along the way he got this nifty uniform, though, thus our nickname for him. Just another of the interesting people you meet in Sudan.

Campolo, Einstein and Divine Relativity

2006-02-22T12:07:00.000+03:00

Recently I’ve been reading Tony Campolo’s Speaking My Mind, which is kind of a catch-all for a lot of different theories and questions he has about God and Christianity. While I don’t agree with Campolo on a lot of what he says, he does ask intriguing questions.

One subject that he addresses in the book is that of the Evangelical approach to science. I just finished Bill Bryson’s excellent book A Short History of Nearly Everything, which was a brilliant, concise account of the history of, well, everything. He begins at the Big Bang and follows the history of the universe and the earth through scientific discovery.

I say this to note that this is something that has been on my mind of late. Campolo addresses the subject, noting that in some ways evangelicals have tended to fear science, or to attack scientific discovery, as though it were flying in the face of what we believe.

But Campolo notes that many scientific advances and theories may actually help us explain what we read in the Bible. The example that I liked the best dealt with his interpretation of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity.

As you know from high school physics, the Theory of Relativity says that as objects approach the speed of light, time slows down for them. Therefore, if you could travel at the speed of light, it would be, for you, as though no time had passed at all, when here on earth, days, years or millennia could be going by.

Campolo relates this theory to God, whom he says is outside of time. For God, our time is relative to him in that, though it passes for us in the sense of hours, days and years, for God, all things are. God is I AM. Everything, past, present and future is present for God. All of history is an eternal now.

The deduction Campolo draws from this that was really striking to me involved the crucifixion. He submits that since all eternity is now to God, Christ is being crucified even now. Therefore, when we sin in this present age, that sin is heaped upon Christ at Calvary. Likewise, when Abraham sinned, his sin was immediately (from God’s relative perspective) placed upon Christ.

Campolo posits this is what the author of Hebrews is talking about when he says, “They are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt” (6:6). Christ is, as Kierkegaard said, “the eternally crucified.”

Interesting stuff. At least it was to me. I think Campolo makes an interesting application of theory here, although I’m not sure it’s totally correct. Just something that challenged me lately, especially with respect to the way in which our sin still brings consequences not only to us, but to our Saviour who took the punishment, as well.

Thoughts?

Living the High Life

2006-02-22T11:46:00.000+03:00

Thought you might be interested in seeing what life is like for us in Me'en now that our tukel's finished. Here are some choice pics.

Here's the new place. It may not look like much, but it's pretty big inside, and it stays nice and cool during the day. (And yes, that's our solar panel right behind me, so we're not roughing it TOO much.) At least when I die I won't be able to say I never lived in a hut in Africa.

This is my bed, and here I am doing what I do most during the days. I'm averaging about a book a day, mostly due to the fact that the Dinka just chill inside all afternoon, given that it's 110 degrees or more most days.

And this is the most important room of all, in all its sophisticated splendor. There's a sheet we hang over the door for when...well, you know.

And that's our place. It may not be Paris, but it's home. Let the envy begin.

What Is That? Part Rou

2006-02-16T09:50:00.000+03:00

What is that? A giant, charred boa constrictor that the locals killed and then set on fire? I think it is.

What is that? A kid wearing glasses? Nope, just some wire twisted up in knots and worn on his face for decoration.

What is that? A Sudanese toupee? Just maybe. This guy walked by with this....whatever it is on his head and I had to get a picture.

Thanks for playing along.

P.S. "Rou" is Dinka for "Two". Just FYI

Winners!

2006-02-06T14:09:00.000+03:00

This is just a celebratory post to celebrate the victory of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XL.

Ryan and I, along with Billy Wilson (a volunteer) and Chris (a bush pilot from New Zealand) were able to watch the game live at the Norwegian People's Aid compound in Akot. It started about 2 AM our time, and ended just after 6.

We had popcorn, Pringles and Great Value drink mix imported from the USA. It was great, except that instead of good commercials, they showed the same 5 ESPN commercials for the entire game.

Ah, well. You can't have everything.

Life in Me'en

2006-02-05T15:24:00.000+03:00

I wanted to bring you a few pictures of our first few days of life in Me'en, as we are waiting for our tukels to be completed.

This is what our car looked like, all loaded down for the 4 hour drive. That sheet of zinc almost fell off about a dozen times. It's amazing how we need so much to live in a place where the people have so little. I'm such an American.

This is our current campsite, right across the road from where construction is taking palce on our new place. It's about the only shade tree in town, so we're lucky to have it. Plus, it makes for a nice place to be stared at by the local children. Its not as hot as being stared at out in the sun.

And here I am enjoying a little John Piper in the shade of our camp while cows cool down beside me. Oddly enough, I didn't notice how odd this scene was until our volunteer pointed it out and said we needed a picture. I've been here too long.

A Story

2006-02-05T15:17:00.000+03:00

So this happened awhile ago, but we were laughing about it today, so I thought I should tell it to everyone via the good ole Internet.

A few weeks back, Billy White (the 71 year-old former Army Ranger who lives on our compound in Akot) and I were driving form the airstrip in Akot back to our compound, a distance of about 3 km.

A small boy asked to come with us, so Billy put him in the back seat, since he likes to give kids rides (most of them have never been in a car before, and their eyes get HUGE!).

So we return to the compound and are sitting around enjoying some lunch when we see Mary, our cook, talking to Billy's Land Rover.

Ryan goes over and asks what's up, and sees the little boy STILL IN THE BACK SEAT!

He was so quiet we forgot he was there, and just parked the car, and the kid didn't know how to open the car door, so he just sat there for half an hour.

We get no end of amusement at that story.

NOTE: The car was parked in the shade and the kid was in no way hurt or traumatized. He was not made late for any engagements, as this is Africa and he had nowhere much to go.

What Is That?

2006-01-30T11:22:00.000+03:00

Living in Sudan, you often see something and can’t help but think, “What is that?” I want to share with all of you playing along at home just a little bit of what that is like.

What is that? The ugliest chicken ever? Hmmm, just could be.

What is that? A grown man walking around in a nightgown? Bingo!

What is that? Me with a giant snake on a stick? Uh huh. We killed this one feet from Ryan’s bed. We’re not sure what it is, but since it’s green, the locals say Mamba.

Farewell, Gordon

2006-01-30T11:14:00.000+03:00

Many of you who have been out here to Sudan know Gordon Mayom. He is among the most talented, gifted, God-called Dinka men we have, and I believe one of the most amazing Christians in Southern Sudan today. He loves Jesus. What more can be said?

This week, Gordon will be leaving Sudan for a season to pursue his education in Uganda. Thankfully, he will be able to tie into the Baptist Mission there, and will hopefully be able to plant some churches amongst expatriate Sudanese living in Kampala. But he will be missed.

Here's a little picture we took after his last church service on Sunday. Gordon's on the left, Mary is on the right, and the little one there is their newest, born 10 December. His name, I KID YOU NOT, is Jeff Gordon.

Ah, Sudan.

Thoughts on the Situation in Sudan

2006-01-30T11:10:00.000+03:00

I was reading Philip Yancey’s The Jesus I Never Knew today, and I found the follow passage interesting. Yancey is talking about visiting Russia immediately after the collapse of the Soviet Union, and he says:

The editors [of Pravda] remarked wistfully that Christianity and communism have many of the same ideals: equality, sharing, justice and racial harmony. Yet they had to admit that the Marxist pursuit of that vision had produced the worst nightmares the world has ever seen. Why?

“We don’t know how to motivate people to show compassion,” said the editor-in-chief. “We tried raising money for the children of Chernobyl, but the average Russian citizen would rather spend his money on drink. How do you reform and motivate people? How do you get them to be good?

Seventy-four years of communism had proved beyond all doubt that goodness could not be legislated from the Kremlin and enforced at the point of a gun…Goodness cannot be imposed externally, from the top down; it must grow internally, from the bottom up.

This really impacted me because here in Sudan we consistently see people making poor, irrational choices. People often refuse to truly help the community, and corruption eats up much of the money that could be used to better peoples’ lives. Sometimes I just want to scream, “Why?”

Why don’t people here understand that they are making their country worse-off by not helping one another, by not cooperating with the organizations sent in to try and build a stable government. Why will some people not even help themselves by growing food, preferring instead to wait for the UN to drop it out of the sky?

Yancey hits on the answer here: lostness. The difference between the change experienced in Christianity and the change that governments or NGOs or anyone else try to force is that Christianity changes the heart. Goodness must grow internally from an individual and work its way up to effect everything else.

This helps me put things here in perspective. And it makes me appreciate the Christian heritage that my country has, even if it is almost undetectable in modern American culture. After living here, and seeing the effects of sin and living contrary to the laws of God, I am so thankful to have come from a place where our system is based on something more.

Pictures from Me'en

2006-01-28T10:38:00.000+03:00

Here's some photographic evidence that we did travel to a village in the middle of nowhere. It's called Me'en, and it's where Ryan and I (and Abraham, our Dinka evangelist) will be working for the next 5 months. We're building some tukels there, and we're gonna start doing chronological Bible storying and whatnot within the next few weeks. Here's a few pictures to get you acquainted:

This is what I looked like after a 45-mile, 11 hour bike ride in 100+ degree heat. Not pretty.

2006-01-28T10:31:00.000+03:00

This is a local chief, by name David Deng. I had just caught him sleeping in my bed when I snapped this picture. Check out that guilty look on his face.

2006-01-28T10:26:00.000+03:00

Here is a four year old driving cattle. Not at all a big deal around here, but still odd enough to my American mind to warrant a picture. As you can see, Me'en is pretty much in the middle of nowhere.

2006-01-28T10:16:00.000+03:00

Here I am filtering water with the MSR Miox, possibly the greatest invention EVER. You put a couple of drops of water in this thing, shake it up with some salt, and then it shoots an electric charge through the salt water. Then you just dump it in your water and shake. BAM! Clean water. No joke. We used it for a weak and no sickness whatsoever. Also no sore arms from that stupid Katadyn pump. Sweet!

2006-01-28T10:09:00.000+03:00

And this circle will, one day very soon, I hope, be our tukel in Me'en. This guy is digging the foundation for it, which they will fill with bricks and dirt. My new home!

House

2006-01-17T10:40:00.000+03:00

Here's a picture of the fabulous new Rancho del Rumbek (aka the Rumbek House). So far it consists of a foundation, brick walls and a tin roof. And all that only took four-and-a-half-months! Sudanese efficiency, you know. Seriously, though, could they go any slower?

Anyhow, I thought you might like to see our new digs. Hopefully I'll have some pictures soon of the new tukels (that's huts to you non-Sudanese) we're building in Pakam so we can live with the people up there. I bet they won't take 4 months!

Back to the Grind

2006-01-11T22:44:00.000+03:00

So tomorrow, 12 January, I'm returning to Sudan after a monthlong hiatus. So this blog will feature some actual posts from Sudan, instead of just from Uganda and Kenya. And this missionary will be doing some actual mission work, as well, instead of just learning the language and fighting off government officials with a stick (NOTE: no government officials were harmed during my tenure in Sudan. Many were offended.)

Anyway, I promise actual news from Sudan in the future. Check back often. (Not too often, though; I am in the Sudan.)

New Year's in Uganda

2006-01-05T16:10:00.000+03:00

As Ryan and I were suffering from terminal boredom after sitting around in Nairobi during Christmas, we decided to take a little trip over to Uganda to visit some friends. One 14 hour bus ride later, we were there, and here's some pictures to prove it:

Here's a traditional Ugandan "Welcome Watermelon". And when I say traditional, I am, of course speaking of the ancient traditions of Fang Fang Chinese Restuarant in downtown Kampala. The lady in the background is Kari's mom, who requested this shout-out.

Here I am with Ryan and Kari (a Journeyman from Mbarara, Uganda) at Bujugali Falls on the Nile River. We paid a guy 5,000 shillings to go over the falls on a plastic jug. (That's almost $3!) Ryan was unimpressed.

Here's Ryan and myself at the Source of the Nile in Jinja, Uganda. From here, it's only 3 months and 4,000 miles to the Mediterranean! (Note: the sign is not actually the source of the Nile. It's actually Lake Victoria, which is behind the sign.)

Finally, here we are with Christy and Kari at the world famous Heritage International School in Kampala (of which Christy is the principal). The president of Uganda came and dedicated the school (thus the plaque), although he was about 4 years late. He is not pictured.

Anyhow, that was Uganda. You may not be able to tell from the pictures, but it's a lot cleaner than Kenya, and the people are really nice, so it was a good trip.

5 Interesting Things - #1

2005-12-27T18:19:00.000+03:00

Number One doesn't so much concern Kenya specifically. It's more of an I-was-out-one-day-running-errands-and-was-really-bored type of thing. Anyways....

The most interesting thing I did in Kenya over the holidays? Pierced my eyebrow. Yes, in Africa, what's wrong with that? It does look pretty sweet, I have to admit. Comments are welcome.

5 Interesting Things - #2

2005-12-26T23:47:00.000+03:00

On Christmas Eve, our friends had the idea that we should do something for somebody else, in the spirit of the season, so we went to The Nest Children's Home in Limuru.
It's a place where kids whose parents are in prison are taken to be raised. It's really an awesome place, way ahead of most other orphanages in Africa, and actually has its own website here.

5 Interesting Things - #3

2005-12-26T23:33:00.000+03:00

For #3 we're going back to nature with a little trip to the Aberdares Country Club near Mount Kenya.
We spent a few days just relaxing by the pool, making hats out of our napkins. and trying to golf around the warthogs. (Note: this last one was apparently not such a good idea, as my first drive almost hit a guard in the head. Fortunately, he ducked.)

5 Interesting Things - #4

2005-12-26T23:23:00.000+03:00

This one's interesting mostly because you shouldn't be able to do it here. Recently, an ice skating rink has opened on the far side of Nairobi. And not just any ice skating rink. The Largest Ice Skating Rink on the Continent of Africa! (The largest of three is still the largest.) Anyhow, we went with some friends, the Mays, whose parents are missionaries here in Nairobi. It's nice to be cold at Christmas.

From left to right: Austin, Ryan, Me, Hannah and Xan.

5 Interesting Things to Do in Kenya Over Christmas

2005-12-26T20:50:00.000+03:00

A lot of people ask me, "So, what do you do in Kenya when you're out of Sudan?" Pictures of us buying supplies and going to meetings aren't that interesting, so instead, I decided to throw up some pictures of the 5 Most Interesting Things to Do in Kenya Over the Christmas Holidays. Or at least the 5 most interesting things that Ryan and I actually did. Number 5...

Out in the Rift Valley there's a sweet volcanic crater called Mt. Longonaut. So one Saturday, Ryan, Julie and I decided we would climb it. That's pretty much the whole story, but here's some pictures.

This bottom one is the crater itself. Once you get up to the rim, you go all the way around, up the peak, back down and around and then climb down. Fantastic views; sore legs.

"A Plea for Realism"

2005-12-12T08:06:00.000+03:00

So I was kicking around the web this morning (on my high speed, FREE new Internet connection. You don't know how big a deal that is in Africa!) and I found this essay, which won first place in a contest judged by Caedmon's Call. It's called "A Plea for Realism," by Ernesto Alaniz, and you can check it out here, but I wanted to share some quotes.

"American believers desire God in and only in that spot that has been designated for Him. He gets His ten percent. He gets His Sunday morning and a midweek shot, but the rest of MY life and MY money and MY time are MINE. I will follow MY dreams, I will buy nice things for MY family, and support that family with MY job. Missions – the whole rest of the world- is only important if they are one of MY passions."

So convicting to me. Why do I do what I do? Because I am a 'missions person'? Or is it out of obedience?

"We may have to leave our comfortable, reputable, safe community to go and be a part of another. We may have to become African to reach Africans."

This goes just as much on the field as it does from home. As Derek Webb says, "Like the three-in-one, know you must become what you want to save, 'cause that's still the way He takes to the world."

"I could probably write some clever best-seller and have a speaking schedule. That is the life I would live if this life were my own. Alas, I belong to Christ. So I leave this comfort to go love orphans. It is not what I am “called” to do. It is not my “passion.” It is what God has commanded of all His children. And I am one of those. So I pray, and I go."

Why is it so hard sometimes to give up our dreams and desires for something that is so indescribably better that it makes our wants look like rags? But it is.

Anyway, this essay resonated with me, as it may with you, whether you are in Orlando or India. Check it out.

Mmmm....Thanksgivingy

2005-12-05T12:23:00.000+03:00

No turkey. No stuffing. No pumpkin pie. Just hot dogs and french fries. Soooooo good.

Abwong

2005-12-05T11:40:00.000+03:00

My recent trip to Abwong with some of the medical volunteers we had in was a big success. The place was pretty sweet, and we saw a whole bunch of people who did NOT have malaria. Good for them, bad for the volunteers. You know what I mean.

Me and John, from SC, hiking through the marsh. It was about 2 km through this to the river, carrying our stuff on our heads 'cause of the depth. No big deal if you're a 6'7" Dinka, bigger deal if you're a 5'6" white boy.

Here I am doing triage, applying very nicely the English degree I got at UCF. One guy had a finger swollen to the size of a bratwurst. The big kind, with onions and peppers and everything. Too bad I didn't get a picture of that...

They also let us pose with the machine guns, but I haven't found those pictures, yet. Next time.

A Little Trip to Cattle Camp

2005-12-05T11:26:00.000+03:00

Here are some pictures from a cattle camp Ryan and I visited near our village a month or so back. It was great, except for the urine they slipped into our milk when we weren't looking. Zesty!

In continuing with a fine Sudanese tradition, here's another picture of a cow with big horns. A Very big deal around here, I assure you. This one even has some nifty tassels, which are all the rage if you have a particularly sweet bull.

And here's Ryan and myself, looking especially white in the middle of a crowd of guys from cattle camp. Notice the ash they smear on themselves to keep the flies away. Every morning they pile up all the poo and then burn it, then spread it all over themselves. Fortunately, I am white enough already.

Another Team Gone

2005-12-02T11:05:00.000+03:00

Here're a couple of pictures from the team that came out to Akot for two weeks in November. It was mostly members of Idlewild Baptist Church in Tampa, with a few people from Mustard Seed Int'l, the organization that's working on building a new clinic in Akot to replace the one we're currently running.

Here are our pastors with a couple of members of the team, Scott and Bala, being presented with goats. (FREE GOATS! That's like winning the Sudanese lottery....if they had one.)

Here I am testing this lady for malaria at a mobile clinic. The Dinka don't care for being poked in the finger with a little metal thing, but they routinely hit each other in the head with ebony clubs. Go figure.

Here's the team, along with Ryan and myself, sporting lovely new shirts (The high-point of Southern Sudanese fashion, I might add).

These guys all did a great job doing medical work, storying and just spending time with the Dinka. Thanks, guys.

Vacation Pics from Cape Town

2005-11-26T16:41:00.000+03:00

Thought I'd share some pictures of our little excursion to Cape Town after the recent Journeymen Retreat in South Africa:

So here's Ryan and myself atop Table Mountain, looking out over the Atlantic. God does good work.

Here's me and some penguins chillin' at the beach. Penguins. In Africa. Who knew?

And finally, here's Julie (a Journeyman from Kenya) and I in the South Atlantic aboard a whale watching ship. (We watched two.)

So, Cape Town is quite simply the best place I've ever been out of the 4 continents I've managed to cross. Highly recommended.

R.I.P. Beatrice

2005-11-22T13:42:00.000+03:00

Here's our pet chicken, Beatrice, and I playing pirate. She died a short time later. Beatrice, you will be missed.

Me getting attacked by a lion

2005-10-31T10:52:00.000+03:00

We went to this game park down in South Africa where you can go inside the cage with the baby lions. Only this one wasn't so small, really. Good times.

Only one year late...

2005-10-31T10:43:00.000+03:00

So my trusty ole Buzznet site has proved not so trustworthy, so I'm starting anew here. (Well, not so anew - I've had this site for a year.) Anyhow, this'll be the new place for pictures and info about life in Southern Sudan with the Dinka. So let's get started.