The Journey continues through October and November

The past five weeks have been busy ones and I’m thoroughly enjoying the chance to sleep in my own bed this week and clean up my desk.  Here’s a glimpse of what I've been doing over the past month or so. 

• Cush Consultation ~ this is an annual conference for people in ministry in South Sudan.  It was good to meet contacts made in years past and be challenged in new ways.  As always the time spent networking and being challenged was helpful. 
• Kampala International University ~ A two and a half week safari (this is what we call a trip in Africa, it does not mean we were stalking lions) began with a stop in Kampala.  In Uganda WGM works with university students ~ some who come from Sudan.  Our team was able to meet with a dozen students and we discussed their concerns for Sudan.  We learned that MANY Sudanese live in Uganda and Kenya and this may be an avenue for future ministry.  I was elated to see my former Lui Hospital colleague, Anna Yawa, who is now a student at KIU.  
  
• Storying Conference in Arua, Northern Uganda ~ our next stop was attending a conference with about 75 other participants from all over Uganda and Kenya.  We learned the technique of preparing and telling stories from the Bible, looking for treasures, and how to ask insightful questions. Reuben and Joseah paid particularly close attention because the next week they would be small group leaders when our colleague Billy Coppedge was to teach a similar seminar in Sudan.  
• Transitioning to Akot ~ Before flying up to Akot we spent a relaxing weekend with the team in Arua that included a shopping spree into the market to buy mattresses, fruit, rice and beans, water purification tablets, a broom, among many other things!  Not knowing how many would show up for the conference we were thrilled that 21+ out of the 30 who were invited showed up.  It was a learning experience not only for the participants but also for us.  The average educational level of the pastors was fourth grade. 
• Sunday Sermon ~ it was encouraging then that when we arrived under the tree where one church service was being held the pastor, who had attended the seminar, was telling a Bible story and the congregation were acting it out!   
• Team meeting ~ After the seminar Billy's family joined us for a few days and we were able to sit together and plan for 2010.  
• Board meeting ~ Then after a few days at home in Nairobi, with enough time to produce pages of reports and proposals, the Sudan Board had a successful meeting.  

•  *  One of the fun aspects of having spent a considerable amount of time on the mission field is that missionary kids grow up and sometimes come back to work with us.  Jonny Adkins joined us to film what we're doing. Please pray as he plows through hours of great footage so he can bring the needs of the Sudanese and vision of Mango Ministry alive.  Watch for a late winter dvd release!
  

As I read back through this I am thinking, "Wow, what a great trip."  And it was a good trip and we saw God at work.  But it was also a hard trip.  Working in Sudan is not easy and everything seems hard.  Not just the logistics of it, although that is certainly true.  But relationships are hard.  Communication is hard.  The heat and lack of variety in the diet is hard.  Things are just hard.  Spiritual warfare is evident.  Reuben was very sick for about a week during the trip and he recovered only to be held at gunpoint two weeks later.  No physical harm was done but Sudan takes an emotional toll on all of us.  

I am so thankful for those of you who are praying for us.  We couldn't do this without you! Thank you for your notes to Reuben and Joseah.  They have been encouraged by the family of God.  

Hanging out in a village during the Sudan seminar reminded me of how comfortable our lives are, how much we focus on eating and food, and how much we take for granted.  

This Thanksgiving season I pray that my heart and yours will break for the people of South Sudan.  

Grateful for His many blessings,

joy

High 'lights' from my week in Sudan

• Virtual Team:  It was good to connect face to face again with part of my virtual team.  Reuben and Joseah are doing well.  I was happy to see they are really getting into the culture, learning the language and becoming real cow lovers.  They are both in Kenya now reconnecting with their families for a short break. 
  
• Freshly baked date bread: After 3 days of trying, frustrated by clouds and rain, a very nice date bread was produced in the solar oven we took up to Akot.  Dates are grown in north Sudan and are available in the larger markets.
  
• New friends:  We were able to meet and share with other missionaries about their work with the Dinka.  We learned about valuable contacts and cultural nuances and made new friends. 
  
• Project visits:  It was encouraging to visit a project that empowers women called, Women for Women. We were able to purchase some produce they had grown that we enjoyed for several dinners.  Thanks to Dr. Clarke, who hails from the south, for the fried okra!       See the Youtube video of the women dancing for us!  
•  Kudos:  The Mango Ministry Team was called together by a respected hospital staff member one day.  He told us that he hears everything that goes on in that community and what he hears about us is good! The community appreciates our interest in learning about them and visiting with them. 
  
• Training Opportunities: We were able to arrange for a training October 21st – 24th.  Thirty pastors are invited to join us at Dhiakwei (pictured) – a church training center.  Our colleague, Billy Coppedge, will facilitate a 4 day training on teaching the Bible through story telling.  Participants have agreed to bring their own food although it’s not the season for plenty of food.  Pray for God’s provision in food and understanding.  Also pray that our translators will be right on and in sync with Billy and the small group leaders. 
  
• Stories:  During hospital staff devotions I’ve tried to share a bit of my personal story and walk with Jesus with the staff.  I asked last week if several would share their stories with the group and several shared.  God is at work in the lives of the Sudanese!  I pray that we will be able to hear many more stories from the people of Akot.  Our goal is to have the Jesus story intersect with their story so that each day their story reflects more of God’s kingdom. 

Prayer focus

• Pray as we develop a script and shoot video later this month to help share our passion of bringing the Kingdom of Heaven to the Sudanese.  
  
• While in Sudan this month the Mango Ministry Team will be developing our goals and budgets for 2010.  Pray that we’ll have God’s guidance and open ears to hear the hearts of the Sudanese.
  
• We’re processing several volunteers who are interested in serving in our partnering hospitals and with our community team next year.  Pray for our future team members.  Also remember Memorial Christian Hospital in Werkok and the Akot Medical Mission in your prayers as they provide incredibly valuable services in a complicated environment. 
  
• Pray for our team as we attend a seminar on Bible Storying in Uganda and then as Billy Coppedge leads the same seminar a week later in Sudan.  This is similar to the missionary surgeon’s moto – see one, do one, teach one!
  

Thank you for helping us power these 'lights' in Sudan through your prayers and sharing of financial resources.

Shalom,  Joy

Scouting out the land

I'd be delighted to get an email from Reuben and Joseah saying they brought home a bunch of grapes that took the two of them to carry.  (Numbers 13:17-25) But alas ~ despite the fact that the soil is good and it's raining in Sudan there is not a plethora of fruits or veggies in the local market at Akot. There's hardly anything actually.  That's why I'm very excited about the drip irrigation equipment that has been donated by long time friends of Tenwek.  I'm hoping to see fresh veggies soon that will whet Sudanese appetites for the same. 

I continue to receive good reports from Reuben and Joseah as they've spent the last month scouting out the land.  They are making visits to churches, schools, other development projects, leaders, you name it ~ they're scouting it out.  We're trying to learn as much as we can about the Dinka people.  

For instance we have learned that in all of Lake State (pop. 700,000) there are only 5 High Schools.  Adults are expressing a great desire to learn now that schools are re-opening after the war and have enrolled as students too.  

A nearby Elementary School has 700 pupils and 13 teachers - you do the math!

Bells are very important!  A large bell that is used for weddings, dance contests, or when moving your herd of cattle weighs 22 pounds and can be traded for 5 cows.  

A child is named after the name of a cow that was given for dowry or after an ancestor.  I think you see the theme that cows are an important part of this culture!

Women will come to the hospital for prenatal care but not for delivery.  

We've still got a long way to go in understanding the Dinka people but we're grateful for the warm welcome we've received and people's openness to share. 

I will be traveling to Akot on Friday to catch up with Reuben and Joseah and plan for the next step.  We hope to contact the leaders of the area and explain our desire to do assessments and then select several communities that want to see transformation. We will need their help with that process.  Pray that our communication is clear and transparent.  We definitely need God to go before us.  

In my July Monthly Memo I quoted from a book on Transformational Development called, "Walking With the Poor,"  by Bryant Myers.  One quote referred to the cause of poverty being broken relationships.  As I've continued to read this theme hits me loudly.  "At the center of this relational understanding of poverty is the idea of the poor not knowing who they are or the reason for which they were created.  When people believe they are less than human, without brains, strength and personhood to contribute to their own well-being or that of others, their understanding of who they are is marred.  Similarly, when the poor do not believe that they have anything to contribute, or that they cannot be productive, their understanding of their vocation is distorted as well.  With marred identities and distorted vocations, the poor cannot play their proper relational role in the world, either within themselves or with those around them."  (pp 87-88)  Pray with us that the hearts and minds of the Sudanese will be prepared to understand and grasp the reality of who they are in Christ and what He has created them to do.  

Scouting for the Kingdom,

Joy

PS - My colleague Billy Coppedge will be praying for Sudan this Friday at 12 noon (EST).  We'd love for you to join him at the throne of grace on behalf of the nation of Sudan.  Call 800-868-1837 if you live in the US (code 78396872#) to join this conference prayer.  

PSS - Be sure to update your prayer list from the right-hand column.  

Christmas in August - lots of presents!

I quoted from Exodus 33:13-14 in my last email: "Remember that this nation is your people." The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."   As I think back on the past 3 weeks it's true that His presence was with us as we traveled to Sudan - but in reality His presence is our present.  

We enjoyed the gift of koinonia as our team and families gathered at Tenwek officially launching Mango Ministries.

We also enjoyed the gift or fruits of the land as we savored cool watermelon at Werkok that Reuben helped plant 3 months earlier.   

 

Reuben and Joseah may have felt like it was Christmas with their new Suzuki 125 cc motorbikes that flew in with the team.  They are able to travel around the county where we are making our base in Akot, South Sudan.  

A real gift for me and Joseah was seeing so many of the Bibles that we helped distribute last year. We're praying that God's Word will continue to speak to the people of South Sudan. The man on the left gave his heart to Jesus last year when he received his Bible!

Another present we hope to share with many folks is the telling of Bible stories in culturally relevant ways. Billy Coppedge shared stories from formal church services to a captive audience in the back of a land cruiser on a trip to town.  

Please continue to pray that God's presence will continue to rest on the team.  Join me in thanking Him for the presents we have been blessed with and that the Sudanese will acknowledge Jesus as the greatest present of all.  

What gifts has Jesus given you this summer?

Thankful,

joy

Harrowing Experiences

Luckily I haven’t had a harrowing experience recently.  Just pushing on in what seems like the mundane work of getting a new project started.  Lots of computer work and a bit of networking, which has been fun.

When Reuben was sending reports of his agricultural project in Werkok he would write that he had been harrowing.  I thought to myself, “he’s afraid?”  But that didn’t fit the context.  He said he, “did harrowing with the tractor.” The dictionary says that’s to break up land by pulling a harrow over it.  He was preparing the soil for planting. 

Just as Reuben was physically preparing the soil for planting I am excited to focus our prayers on harrowing the ground in Akot: to prepare the minds, attitudes, and spirits of those Jesus leads us into relationship with. 

Team Preparation

• Finalization of team make-up.  Praise the Lord we have just added another team member – Joseah Sang (left).  Joseah was one of the Bible Distribution Coordinators who worked with me last year and before that we worked for many years together at Tenwek Community Health.
  
• Team meeting and orientation in Kenya in early August
• Clear communication
• An understanding of Dinka culture and basic language acquisition
• Wisdom in selecting Kingdom Villages to target – villages where God is at work and wants us to join Him
• Always lots of logistics:  Sudan visa’s, flight coordination, purchase of motorbikes, etc.

 Community Preparation

• We hope for welcoming Church and village leaders
• People will not want or expect handouts.  For over 20 years the country was at war and the UN and others were involved in relief activities. Some people have gotten used to receiving assistance.  Our desire is to come alongside people who want to be part of the process of building their lives. 

Updates

Dr. Martin (left) is very busy at Werkok Hospital.  Thankfully the needed medicines have arrived.  Gunshot wounds, a drowning, and enlarged spleens are a few of the patients Dr. Martin has seen in recent weeks.  Let’s continue to pray for peace and safety as he reports that there are too many guns around. Also, lets pray that Dr. Martin will be encouraged as he shares Jesus with the staff and patients. 

Reuben is headed to Akot today for a quick trip.  He’s accompanying Martha Kosge, a nurse from Tenwek Hospital, who will be taking a report back to Tenwek on the needs and opportunities for service.  They are accompanying an American doctor who will be working at the clinic for the next three months.  Let’s pray for Dr. Clarke McIntosh’s transition to a whole new world of medicine. 

On Wednesday July 22^nd the Hague will announce whether Abyei will be considered part of North or South Sudan. Abyei is a town in the middle of North and South Sudan and is coveted by both because it is rich in oil.  Pray that the decision will be accepted by all and that peace will prevail.

Thanks for covering the Mango Ministries Team and our activities with your prayers!

Shalom,

Joy

Getting to know you. . . .

As I mentioned in my last Monthly Memo, God has led us to Akot to begin unfolding Mango Ministries.  I thought it would be a good idea if we were to get to know more about Akot and the people who live around this small town.    Akot is located

in Lakes State, one of ten  States in South Sudan  - with a state

 population of approximately 696,000.  It is the size of Maryland and Delaware combined - only without any paved roads and certainly no I-95!   The population of Maryland and Delaware is 6,500,000 or roughly ten times that of Lakes State.  The Nile River lies on the eastern border of the State. 

The predominant ethnic group of South Sudan are the Dinka and they inhabit Lakes State.  They own cattle, that are kept in cattle camps,  and grow their staple food crop - millet.  There is a six month long rainy season followed by a six month long dry season.  

The Dinka are noted for their height.  A notable Dinka is Manute Bol who played for the NBA from the mid-80's to the mid-90's.  At 7'7"  tall he was an impressive blocker!  

The Dinka are historically animist with many converting to a nominal Christianity during the last century when missionaries came and began ministering.  The Bible has been translated

into Dinka but one hindrance to it's impact is a low literacy rate.  It is estimated that only 5 percent of the population can read.  There are several evangelical churches throughout the region but with minimally trained leadership.  The impact of the church in the life of the village is negligible.  They are very expressive people and worship services are lively with vivacious music, drums and dancing.  

If you're looking for summer reading recommendations and would like to learn more about the Dinka of Sudan I'd recommend any of the following:

• What is the What by Dave Eggers
• God grew tired of us: A memoir by John Bul Dau and Michael S. Sweeney
• They poured fire on us from the sky: the story of three lost boys of Sudan by Benjamin Ajak, Benson Deng, Alephonsian Deng, and Judy Bernstein
• Lost Boys of Sudan:  An American Story of the Refugee Experience by Mark Bixler

Hopefully as you know more about the area we are headed to and the people who live there it will make it easier to pray specifically for transformed hearts and lives.  

A few prayer updates:

• Reuben leaves Werkok today and flies back to Kenya tomorrow.  After two months in Sudan he's ready for his R&R!  Pray he will have safe travel and a good time catching up with his family.  
  
• Dr. Martin arrived in Werkok a week ago and is transitioning into the work at the hospital.  There is a shortage of medicines and I told him we'd pray for a miracle like the loaves and fishes to happen with the medicines.  A shipment of medicines is in the works but is not there yet.  He also said there are lots of scorpions!  
• Fighting with the neighboring tribe, the Murle, around Werkok has escalated in the past week.  Let's pray for peace and safety of all.  
• Continue to pray for the Mango Ministries Team God is bringing together.  
• Pray for our plans of initiating work in Akot - that God will guide us each step of the way.  Pray for hearts that want to see God's Kingdom come to Akot and a willingness to work together towards that with us. 

Thank you for making this journey with me!

Joy

Team Meeting

Dear Team,

I was lying in bed last evening.  Not necessarily wanting to lie in bed - but needing to be in a low impact activity for the evening to allow continued healing for my back.  God shared this with me to share with you.

I have been reading and studying Esther in recent days.  Last night I was rereading a book that mentioned Nehemiah and I was reminded of how these two books and people are similar.  

Esther and Nehemiah were both involved in a mission bigger than themselves.  What they were about was not selfish, but it involved God's plan for the people of Israel.  The book I'm reading* is about creating your personal or organizational mission statement and also developing a vision statement.  As I thought about Mango Ministries I think our vision can be boiled down to, "We want the Sudanese to know Jesus and see Him transform their lives."

The second thing Esther and Nehemiah have in common is that they had found favor from their Kings.  

Esther 2:17 says ". . . and she won his favor and approval more than any of the other virgins."  Nehemiah 2:8 says, ". . . And because the gracious hand of my God was upon me, the king granted my requests."     

Esther and Nehemiah had a goal that was bigger than themselves.  They also found favor with their kings who then granted their requests.  


My desire is to have a goal that is much bigger than me.  Something I can't accomplish on my own - something God will have to do.  In a recent TV show an FBI investigator says to a teenager who had been caught trying to bring down a bad guy, "So, you want to be a hero?" To which the teenager looked him in the eye and said, "Don't you?"  We all want to make a difference and bring down the bad guy.  In Sudan poverty and war have been the bad guys.  They have wracked the people for long enough.  With God's transforming power that can change.  But that’s much bigger than me or even us.

So let's focus on finding favor with the King of Kings.  

And then let's come boldly to Him and make our requests:

• To supply the perfect mix of teammates: multi-cultural and multi-disciplinary
• Men of Peace who will be the entry point in the communities we will be targeting
• Partnering organizations:  important meetings will be held soon concerning the work of Akot Medical Mission and Memorial Christian Hospital (Werkok)
• The peace process in Sudan:  north/south relations and implementation of the CPA, the crisis in Darfur, and conflicts between neighbors and tribes
• Finances
• That we will proceed with fervor for the task ahead and have wisdom amidst any confusion.  

Thanks for answering the call to be part of the Mango Ministries Team!

Expectantly waiting for more than I can ask or imagine,

Joy

*  The Path; Creating your Mission Statement for Work and for Life, by Laurie Beth Jones

PS ~ a formal newsletter will be coming out within a week's time with fresh updates on what is happening in Mango Ministries.