here to there

Traffic jams in Nairobi, Kenya where I am based have become infamous according to this BBC article. It's becoming increasingly hard to get from one side of Nairobi to the other side!

Sitting in traffic jams is frustrating but Adhanom (center) has had some very different experiences in South Sudan as he makes follow-up visits necessitating a river-walk to a waiting motorcycle taxi.  

I'm so excited that Mango Ministries has two new volunteers.  They have successfully mobilized their support teams and in late August they moved from the US to Africa. 

Joining Adhanom, as a Field Facilitator in South Sudan, is Whitney Smith who comes from Fort Payne, Alabama.

And joining me in Nairobi, to help with the heavy load of logistics and travel planning, is Tim Conaway.

I was able to attend Tim's comissioning service at Trinity United Methodist Church in Mullica Hill, NJ, hours before I flew back to Kenya at the end of my Homeland Ministry Assignment.

Part of Tim and Whitney's orientation was spending time as a team in Arua, Uganda with the Coppedges and Adhanom.  They all learned about Biblical Orality - teaching Bible stories.  

Tim even got to tell a Bible story on the radio.  

Since the Mango Ministry team is spread here, there, and everywhere (actually just Uganda, 

Kenya, and South Sudan) the chance to have facetime was a big treat.  

On the orientation tour our next stop was Aduel, South Sudan. . . .

. . . where Adhanom, Whitney, and Tim met with the pastors who are learning Biblical Storytelling.  

Our next training is October 9 - 11th.  Please pray for Billy Coppedge as he leads this training.  We're excited when we get feedback that pastors are learning Bible stories and telling them within their circles of influence.  To financially help WGM train pastors click here.  

 

Then we were off to Tonj where we spent time with some of the 

Pastors and CHE participants Mango Ministries is working with and where Whitney will be based.  

We enjoyed taking afternoon walks to learn more about the community.  

Here Dr. Denny, volunteering at the In Deed and Truth Clinic,

is fascinated by the peanut butter grinding machine.    

Whitney practiced speaking Dinka with the girl who served us kerekede (hibiscus tea) in Tonj.  

We've got some exciting activities ahead of us in the next few weeks and many will be traveling here, there and . . . . you get the picture. 

Kakuma church roof shingles and cross made from cooking oil tins donated by the US

We're taking a team led by Dr. Philip Renfroe to the Kakuma Refugee Camp in northern Kenya to hold a Samaritan Strategy Vision Conference.  Some of the participants will be from South Sudan and Sudan, among other African nations!  What an opportunity.  

Congregation in Kakuma Refugee Camp from the Nuba Mountains of Sudan

Please pray with us that the church leaders who attend this conference from October 21 - 24th will have their eyes opened to amazing things that God wants to do in their lives, in the refugee camp, and in their home countries throughout Africa. 

And speaking of eyes opened, one of the most heart-wrenching things I see is when a blind person has arrived at a cataract clinic on the last afternoon when the equipment is being packed away.  During our clinic in Tonj last year this child came leading 2 gentlemen, but they were too late.  Pray with us as the In Deed and Truth Clinic staff screen surgical candidates for sight giving surgery.  Pray for preparations including obtaining necessary documentation and transporting supplies and the team to Tonj.  

Would you like to give a financial gift to enable a South Sudanese to put their stick down?  

Will you give someone the opportunity to walk by faith and sight?

A gift of $150 will make that happen.  Any amount you can give will help us help South Sudanese to see.  Click here for online giving towards cataract surgeries.  

And last but not least we will be holding the 3rd week of Community Health Empowerment training October 27 - 31st.  We are looking for people to adopt a CHE group and pray for them.  We are expecting God to do amazing things in these people's lives and use them as change agents to facilitate transformation in their communities.  Will you join the transformation process and PRAY CHE.  Email me if you'd like to adopt a CHE group and I'll email you a group profile with names, pictures and other information.  

Thanks for reading all the way to the end of this long overdue blog post.  I'm excited to have so much to share.  Challenges abound, but grace abounds even more.  Thanks for sharing the journey!

PS ~ be sure to check out my Mango Ministry teammate's blogs.  Links are in the left hand column towards the top.