Hollywood inspires at 30,000 feet

While crossing the Atlantic Ocean this past Monday I was looking for a movie to watch.  I was thinking a romantic comedy would work but despite the plethora of options I didn't find anything in that genre as I began my search through what seemed like a hundred movie options.  By the time I got to movies starting with "F" A Few Good Men seemed like an acceptable option.  It had been years since I'd seen it.

I bet that for many movie goers the favorite scene in this movie is Tom Cruise's character getting Jack Nicholson's character to explode and confess that he ordered the Code Red on Willy Santiago, a Marine who wasn't quite keeping up.  That's definitely a 'rewinder.'

But the scene that keeps playing over in my mind is when Downey, one of the accused, is asking his fellow Marine, "What did we do wrong?  We did nothing wrong!"  And Dawson explains,  "Yeah we did.  We were supposed to fight for people who couldn't fight for themselves.  We were supposed to fight for Willy."

In April Adhanom sent this report from South Sudan, "In Akot my friends tell me that life has become meaningless due to fear from the armed people and possible attack from one of two neighboring tribes."   

When I think of Willy Santiago in A Few Good Men I'm reminded of the many people in the world today who can't fight for themselves and are suffering because of poor governance, ethnic hatred, religious persecution, and the list goes on and on.  Let's fight for the Willy's of this world who are physically weak, bullied, sexually abused, unjustly treated, and exploited.  

One of the best ways we can fight for the Willy's of this world is by praying for them.  By praying against injustice and hatred.  By asking God to use us.  Learn about prayer for transformation with Philip Renfroe (click on link for May 4-10) as he shares in WGM's Concert of Prayer.  

South Sudan Update ~

• Adhanom was able to spend 2 1/2 months in South Sudan before returning to Kenya for R&R and to reconnect with his family.  During his time in South Sudan the country experienced continued fighting. Real peace is going to take a lot of prayer and changed attitudes. 
• The people of East Rumbek County are busy planting their crops - a very good sign indeed! Pray that they will be so busy tending their crops that they will not be interested in fighting.
• Despite the insecurity and daily fear men and women who WGM has had the privilege to connect with continue to implement and use what they have learned through trainings on Community Health Evangelism (CHE) and Biblical Orality.   
• Because of the current insecurity we have not been able to hold surgery or cataract clinics this year.  It's still our hope that in the 2nd half of the year we will be able to send medical teams from Tenwek Hospital to bring healing and hope.  
• Cholera outbreak:  So far 14 people have died and 395 are affected so far.  With the rainy season starting there is significant potential for cholera to spread throughout the newly created IDP (internally displaced people) camps.
• The devastating conflict has left thousands of families facing hunger and under-nutrition. The UN has warned that more than a third of South Sudan’s population, or four million people, will be on the brink of starvation by the end of 2014 if urgent action is not taken.

I feel blessed that so many of you have made a commitment to pray for me and my ministry at least one day a week!   Welcome to all new prayer champions!  You will find updated answers to prayer and requests throughout my blogs and in the "Pray" sidebar.  Here is an excellent prayer for South Sudan - this can be used in your personal devotions or in church services to help you lift up the people of South Sudan.

Now you may be wondering why I was flying over the Atlantic!  I just returned from a trip to Greece and Spain.  In Greece I attended a Medical Continuing Education Conference targeting medical missionaries from Africa and the Middle East.  I thoroughly enjoyed the sessions for those involved in Community Health.  But more than that I enjoyed the chance to catch up with many friends and former colleagues from Tenwek Hospital . . . . like Beth White and Carol Spears . . . .

as well as meet new friends, and friends-of-friends.

A mutual friend wondered if the Jansen's, who work in Malawi, and I might be in the same place as he heard that we were both attending a conference in Greece.  

The education was stimulating, the networking rewarding, but the take-home message for me of this time in Greece is that God is still using the avenue of medical ministries and community health to build His Kingdom!

From Greece I flew to Spain to meet some of WGM's newer missionaries serving with the Missionary Disciple program.  After only a skype introduction earlier this year I was able to meet Nathan and Kenzie Vitatoe and their 2 adorable little girls.  They are working with an inter-cultural and inter-organizational team with outreach to immigrants from North Africa.

I'm still processing all that I saw and learned.  I was able to observe several English classes for children and enjoyed getting to spend time with their team.

Now that I've had a few days at home to do a few loads of laundry and get over jet-lag I'm headed south to Argentina for a week.  There I'll visit with veteran WGM missionaries, Don and Glenda Moon, who are involved in a Missionary Training School that sends Latin American's to serve some of the least-reached peoples in Asia, Africa, and the Middle-East.  Current trends show that missionary sending countries are moving to the countries of the Southern hemisphere.  I'm excited and intrigued to learn more about this ministry. 

As I wrote in my last post God is moving in my heart - letting me see into His heart a bit more.  Please continue to pray with me for the ministry in South Sudan during the coming days and months and pray for real peace as the country grapples with broken relationships.  Pray too that God will continue to lead me and show me more of Himself each day.  

What movie is inspiring you these days?  

'tween seasons

Having lived in perennial springtime for basically the past 29 years (in Kenya) with occasional trips made into summer, fall, and winter climates I'm fairly jazzed by the different seasons.

I know that the official start to springtime is still 20 days away, not to be confused by the start of spring training which is already upon us, but I sense that everyone I know wishes spring would hurry up.

It seems that nature might be a bit confused too.  Almost all the trees, bushes, and shrubs in town are bulging with new life.  

Yet the 20 something degree daytime temps discourage those last remnants of snow from melting. 

Frozen puddles on the sidewalk, in my mind, contradict the green bulbs sprouting just inches away.

And of course NO ONE wants to really believe the weather forcast for Sunday and Monday.

 Monday

Cloudy with snow. High 27F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. 5 to 8 inches of snow expected.

Can we really be all the way through the alphabet to Winter Storm Titan?   This chaotic storm season of 2013/14 reminds me of last years busy Mango Ministry schedule followed by the outbreak of fighting in South Sudan last December.  Despite a ceasefire signed in February the fighting continues both nationally and in local skirmishes.  As everyone in the US is yearning for spring's arrival we are yearning for the return of true peace to South Sudan.

Adhanom returned to South Sudan a week ago to see for himself how things are.  Despite a lot of military movement he is glad to be back.  I was very encouraged by this report I received from him this week after he reconnected with the pastors and community members we have been trainining and working alongside.

I thank God for our involvement in the County.  The progress, though in baby steps, encourages me.  We might still seem far from achieving what one would ideally expect from a Community Health Evangelism program, but the process of transformation as ushered by CHE trainings and Biblical Storytelling can be witnessed here among the people we have trained.  With the ministry opportunties widening, it would be great if we can get other people to come and join me.

I am glad to hear that you are getting more and more people signing up to pray for Mango Ministries.  For now I have the following prayer requests.
1.  Those trained in CHE would implement what they have learned. 
2.  For 2 pastors, being trained as trainers, as they promote CHE and Biblical Storytelling.
3.  For wisdom as I help start a youth ministry. 
4.  For missionaries to come and work with me in the County. 
5.  For peace in South Sudan and this County.
6.  For wisdom and safety as I travel to villages and do follow up.
7.  For God's grace in my life as I live among the people demonstrating a Christian way of living.
8.  For our family's financial support.  

Thank you for your prayers.  Prayer does change things!  According to Adhanom transformation is happening in the lives of those he is investing in.  He is seeing a new season of spiritual growth.  This only happens through prayer.  Will you join us in praying for continued transformation in the lives of the people of South Sudan.  If so, email me what day of the week you want to commit to pray.  I will then add you to my email list and notify you when I put out a new blog update with prayer praises and requests.  Will you prayerfully consider joining Adhanom and Helen Hidug's ministry team with a financial gift?  As you can see from the report above Adhanom's ministry is bearing fruit.

I am also ready for my next season of ministry.  For some time now I've been sensing that God might be leading me in a new direction, although nothing is very clear at this point!  As I continue catching up with champions this winter and spring please pray with me that He will make His will very clear as I explore what He's laid on my heart and push on doors that appear to be cracked open a bit.

For the time being I'm content to enjoy this inbetween time in ministry.  And of course I'll be putting on my boots, scarf, and gloves on Monday for another wild walk in the snow, embracing whatever God brings my way!  

Memories of the way we were ~ 2013

It seems bizarre to think that 2013 is over.  Done with.  It's a thing of the past.  It's a memory.  Mostly good memories.  Hopefully the activities that Mango Ministries has been involved in are not 'things of the past.' Our prayer is that our interactions we've been blessed to have with thousands of men, women, and children have given a hope that is alive and carried forward into this new year of 2014. 

Mango Ministries in review - 2013

fighting seems to be a way of life

If you've been following the news over the past six weeks you will know that South Sudan has been embroiled in a conflict between the Government armed forces and rebel forces.  What started out as a political row turned into an ethnic conflict.  Over 1/2 million people have left their homes to seek safety and approximately 10,000 people have been killed.

many civilians are armed

Friday, January 24th a Ceasefire Agreement was signed.  . . . . and it's my prayer that the journey to peace, healing, and a stable government will ensue.  The hard work is ahead, say many.

Watching and praying have been our focus this past month. WGM's personnel are out of South Sudan although the conflict hasn't reached the areas where we are currently working.  I am in the US on my regularly scheduled Homeland Ministry Assignment and will be sharing about my ministry over the next few months.  I'd love to hear from you.  

This week I have poured through hundreds of pictures taken by our volunteers and missionaries over the past year.  Hopefully the pictures below, and a little narrative, will help paint a picture of how God is using Mango Ministries to help Build His Kingdom.  

1.  Community Empowerment

I'm thankful for the opportunity we've had to train over 85 men and women this past year in what is called Community Health Empowerment or Evangelism.  These participants are adopting life changing principles and are in the process of teaching others in their communities.       We held one Vision Conference and 5 individual weeks of Community Empowerment Training.   

This is our newest CHE class.  We're blessed to have a multi-cultural team of trainers hailing from Eritrea, the US, Germany, and American missionary kids who were raised in Kenya and Oman!  We're also seeing several promising South Sudanese participants develop their training skills!


 CHE training is hardly boring.

It's quite hands on.  Tiana Duncan helps participants make a tippy tap using recycled plastic containers.

Tippy taps are used for hand washing and conserve precious water supplies.

We believe the best learning is learning from each other so group work is encouraged.

Participants get to know one another with games.

Everyone gets their say in identifying community issues.  One rock - one vote. 

This group identified insecurity as their number one problem, garnering 17 votes.  The next most common concern was a tie between lack of roads and lack of a clinic coming in with 8 votes each.

Sometimes it's just easier to draw what you're talking about in the sand.

And participants draw maps of their community that help them identify healthy and unhealthy aspects of their village.

Beans and rice is a common meal in South Sudan and everyone looks forward to lunch break.

After four weeks of training each CHE participant gets an ID badge and certificate as they head out into their communities prepared to teach about creating a healthy home, physically and spiritually as well.

This "Farming God's Way" demonstration garden highlights the increased crop yields of a peanut crop when no-till methods are used (on left) compared with traditional farming practices (on right)(I hope it wasn't necessary for me to point that out but just in case you were confused I wanted it to be clear - FGW doubles the yield from traditional farming methods!)

After training one participant went home and planted a FGW garden of peanuts.  Margit and Tiana, two of our CHE facilitators, were invited to his home to celebrate on harvest day.  As they say,  "Seeing is believing!"

The rainy season in 2013 was especially severe.  Flooding prevented our CHE facilitators from visiting homes as well as preventing many who were blind from reaching our Cataract Clinic :(

2.  Medical Empowerment

Providing clinical staff to Medical Ministries
WGM provided the In Deed and Truth Clinic in Tonj with several medical staff.

One of the benefits of working in a mission clinic is that spiritual ministry is combined with physical healing.  The clinic team enjoy the opportunity to pray with patients and their families.

Our medical volunteers served a combined timeframe of a year treating literally thousands of patients.

Cataract Clinics

Finding blind patients in South Sudan is like …. . looking for shells on the beach!  With very few eye specialists in the country to treat cataracts blindness is very common.  Dr. Ben poses with a prime cataract patient (note the patients opaque right eye!).

The Tenwek Eye Team set up their mobile clinic in Aweil. Pictured above is the make-shift scrub sink. Hey, it works!

 Operating in both Aweil and Tonj the team surpassed their goal and gave sight to 527 people in 2013!

Patients praised God for opening their eyes and giving new life. 

Surgery Clinics

Missionary surgeons from Tenwek Hospital take Kenyan surgical residents to South Sudan to hold surgical clinics with partnering ministries.

There are frequent McGuyver moments when ingenuity is put to the test.  Here Drs. Todd and Damaris use their personal head lamps when OR lights aren't working.

Dr. Carol enjoys a light moment with a patient.  

One of the most immediately transforming surgeries is when a cleft lip is repaired.  

During five weeks of clinics our teams were able to bring hope and healing to over 100 patients who wouldn't otherwise have had access to surgical care.

3.  Church Empowerment

The Coppedge family traveled to Tonj last March from their home in Uganda to continue training South Sudanese pastors how to use Biblical Storytelling to enrich their own spiritual lives as well as giving them a tool to share the Bible with others.

Many pastors who have been taught are now using Biblical Storytelling with their congregations.

Some pastors can read as the picture above shows.  But because of a lack of Bibles in their heart language and a high rate of illiteracy among the general population pastors are able to use oral methods to teach people the Bible.  The Bible actually comes alive.  Very exciting.

In South Sudan World Gospel Mission has been partnering with other ministries.  This past year we partnered with the In Deed and Truth Ministry in Tonj, Partners in Compassionate Care / Memorial Christian Hospital in Werkok, the Episcopal Church of Sudan - Diocese of Akot, International Aid Services in Nyinbule, and with the Government Hospitals in Aweil and Tonj.  We also utilize the services of Mission Aviation Fellowship and Africa Inland Missions's aviation ministries.

I am deeply grateful for so many of you who have partnered with Mango Ministries.
I thank
. . . . those who invite us to minister alongside them in South Sudan and for your commitment to serve through thick and thin.
. . . .  our missionaries and volunteers who share your time and talents - there are many easier places to serve.
. . . . those who help our missionaries and volunteers traverse a country not yet endowed with good road networks.
. . . . those who help support our ministries through financial gifts - we can't do this without your help.
. . . . those who pray for logistics, for safety, for light bulb moments during trainings, and for clinics that offer health and hope, for hearts to be challenged and lives changed - we rely on those prayers.

Doing missions in South Sudan is costly in every way, shape, and form.

Building His Kingdom in South Sudan ~ priceless!

an attitude adjustment

In the past two weeks I've been struck with the irony of the African security situation.

As I oversee ministry activities in South Sudan, a country that has a history of 50 years of war and insecurity, I'm always thinking about security.  Are the staff safe?  What is happening politically that could affect the security situation?  Are supplies getting in?  Are the roads flooded to the point of being unpassable.

The rainy season that is winding up has caused massive flooding in South Sudan this year

Or even just, Where is the President?  Two and a half weeks ago on a visit to Tonj I found that I was surrounded by gun carrying soldiers who were jumping out of technicals (camouflage colored pick-up trucks with mounted machine guns) while we, the passengers, walked onto the stiflingly hot tarmac to load our plane.  No jetways in South Sudan!  All because the President of South Sudan was in the area and possibly at the airport.

We expect to hear gunshots in South Sudan.  We expect to hear news of cattle raids and people being injured and killed.  We expect it because it happens.

But in Kenya, where I live, we do not really expect to have 'security situations.'  Despite being at war with Kenya's neighbor to the east in Somalia.  Despite US Embassy warnings about potential unrest and recommendations to avoid large gatherings and to be aware of our surroundings.  Still, we, or should I say "I", do not expect there to be insecurity.  I open my purse so the female security guard can peek in every time I go into my local shopping mall to get groceries, or buy airtime, or to grab a bite to eat.  Theoretically she is looking to see if I have a gun in my bag.  But still I do not expect that anyone will actually carry a gun into a mall intent on using it to kill and destroy.  To make a political statement.  I have the "it can't happen to me / us / this country" syndrome. But two weeks ago it did happen.

I have been told that Kenya made headline news in America as the terrorist attack on the WestGate shopping mall was reported.  Thankfully our WGM missionaries and colleagues are safe.  But many have died, many more are physically injured, and thousands are shaken to their bones with the reality that all is not right in the world and . . . . THE UNIMAGINABLE CAN HAPPEN TO ME / HERE / NOW!

For 4 days I sat at my desk scanning the internet for news.  BBC, the local Kenya news outlets, Al Jazeera, twitter.  I tried to work . . . tried to catch up, especially since I had been in South Sudan the week before making me even behindeder.  But every hour, or was it every 15 minutes, I just HAD to check and see if there was more news.  I desperately wanted to know what was happening across town.  Unfortunately news was not all that forthcoming which made the search for news all the more desperate and urgent.

And thus passed a week of watching and waiting.

To be honest, I'm pretty tired of being on the edge of my seat, waiting for something bad to happen.
I am glued to email, the newsfeeds, and twitter, waiting for news that something else is going wrong in the world or at least disrupting all my meticulous plans that enable the forward motion of Mango Ministry activities.

I'm sure it is time for an attitude adjustment.  It's so easy for my world view to slip into a Western and secular view that looks at what is wrong.  And there's always something wrong going on in the world, isn't there? Instead I want to focus on the way Jesus sees the world and on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy.  (Philipians 4:8)

One of the things on my 'to-do' list today is to write my monthly report for WGM Headquarters.  As I'm scanning through the monthly reports sent to me by Adhanom, Tiana, Margit, Nathan, and Bonnie I am absolutely reminded that God is good and He is at work in South Sudan!  

He is there.
His people are sharing Jesus.
He is working in the hearts and souls and physical lives of people.
His Word is powerful.

Bonnie Anderson, an FNP, is spending 5 weeks at the In Deed and Truth Clinic (IDAT).  She is challenged with the varity of patients coming to the clinic but also loves the fact that each patient receives prayer.

Bonnie prepares to inject a scorpion sting with lidocaine

Nathan Hitchcock, an Emergency Room Nurse, is spending 6 months in South Sudan at IDAT.

During a trip to 'downtown' Tonj Nathan found a friend

Margit Mueller and Tiana Duncan are Community Health Empowerment faclitators in Tonj working with In Deed and Truth.  Pray as they use CHE to build relationships in the community and encourage lives based on Biblical truth.

Adhanom (squatting) teaches CHE participants about Farming God's way to increase crop yields.

The Tenwek Cataract Team is in Aweil this week holding a clinic.  They're off to a great start having done 31 surgeries last Saturday.  

High 5's with a satisfied patient from a cataract clinic in 2012

God is using each of these folks to further His Kingdom in South Sudan!  Excellent!!

I only carry water on my head for photo-ops!   Thankfully I have many creature comforts in the home I have been blessed to live in here in Nairobi.  Despite the fact that I don't have to carry water from a bore hole I am feeling burdened with the load of work I am carrying.  Please join the Mango Ministries team in praying for wisdom as we plot out the best way forward.

I don't know how to say this bigger, with more emphasis, and with more weight:

I am extremely grateful for each of you!
In addition to the people pictured above you are co-workers with Mango Ministries.  You are an important component of empowering South Sudanese to transform their communities and beyond!   I feel your prayers.  My ministry is sustained by your giving.  And I'm encouraged by your notes and cards.  Thank you!









  

Bittersweet

There is a shelf on my fridge door reserved for chocolate.  I understand that a nibble every day is good for you!  At any rate the book review below caught my eye and then perfectly hit the spot.  Here's a long overdue catch-up post.  

"The idea of bittersweet is changing the way I live, unraveling and re-weaving the way I understand life.  Bittersweet is the idea that in all things there is both something broken and something beautiful, that there is a moment of lightness on even the darkest of nights, a shadow of hope in every heartbreak and that rejoicing is no less rich even when it contains a splinter of sadness.  'It's the practice of believing that we really do need both the bitter and the sweet, and that a life of nothing but sweetness rots both your teeth and your soul.  Bitter is what makes us strong, what forces us to push through, what helps us earn the lines on our faces and the calluses on our hands.  Sweet is nice enough, but bittersweet is beautiful, nuanced, full of depth and complexity.  Bittersweet is courageous, gutsy, audacious, earthy."  

Amazon book review, Bittersweet

Bitter

Growing pains. I am definitely suffering from growing pains! Not physically, but Mango Ministries is in a growth spurt.  One definition of organizational growing pains is when there is a gap between the size of the organization and the capacity of it's infrastructure to support it's size.  In the past 5 years Mango Ministries has grown by leaps and bounds!

In 2009 we were working with 2 partnering ministries.  We sent 2 men to live in Akot to faciliate community transformation, we sent: one doctor to a partnering health ministry for 2 months, a videographer who produced a Mango Ministries video, and we facilitated a Biblical Storytelling training.  We were learning the lay of the land (and so many other things!), and building relationships.

Our small team in 2009: Billy Coppedge (far left), Reuben Kirui (2nd left) and Joseah Sang (far right)

This year we have 4 staff who are living in South Sudan.  We are actively partnering with 4 Ministries and have made lots more friends.  By the end of the year our plan is to have sent 6 medical teams consisting of 25 volunteers and lots of medicines and supplies, we'll have sent 3+ short-term volunteers, we will have conducted 6 Community Health Evangelism trainings and a few others on various empowering themes.  And we will have facilitated 2 official trainings on Biblical Storytelling (the 2nd is happening this week in Tonj) and several smaller follow-ups.

CHE trainer, Beth Muehleisen, and recent CHE participants with their mango seedlings

Lots of growth ~ yet our supporting infrastructure is basically unchanged five years into this.  As the Country Coordinator and the only full-time long-term WGM missionary involved with Mango Ministries I'm experiencing growing pains!

Sweet

Introducing Nathan Hitchcock, Tiana Duncan and Steph Craker!  

These are our newest Mango Ministry volunteers and I'm so happy to have each of them participate with us in God's Kingdom building.  I don't think they could be any more color coordinated if they had tried!

Nathan was introduced to WGM Africa several years ago when he was part of a team working in northern Kenya with the Africa Gospel Church Missions Department along with Dr. Dan and Cindy Tolan.  Nathan is a nurse and will be helping at the In Deed and Truth clinic in Tonj for 6 months.  This is malaria season so he's getting a work-out with the high patient load.

Tiana is the daughter of Terry and Karen Duncan, former WGM Africa Regional Directors.  It's real special for me to have Tiana join our team as I've known her her whole life.  I was one of two nurses in the operating room ready to receive her and her twin sister when she was born.  Tiana is joining our Community Health Evangelism team and comes to us with a background in micro-finance.  She will be based in Tonj and will be with us for a year.

Steph Craker is joining the team for a month and comes to us with a background in Social Work.  For those of you from South Jersey you may know Steph's grandparents - Rev. Wilbur (Hoppy) and Donnabelle Hoffman and her parents, WGM missionaries, Denny and Michelle Craker.  Isn't it a small world!!

Bitter

Last week the President of South Sudan dismissed the Vice President, Ministers and Deputy Ministers from their duties.  To date this broad policitcal move has not resulted in a disruption of Mango Ministry activities.  But the potential for increased insecurity sure does exist!  Almost 3 weeks ago South Sudan celebrated their 2nd Independence Day.  Many news outlets have mixed reviews about how independence is going so far.  Despite the President's recent decree insecurity continues to be a very real problem.  Guns are used to settle far too many disputes.  Think, "The Wild Wild West."

July 9th Independence Day Celebrations 2012

Sweet

The goal of Mango Ministries is to see lives transformed so that we are all living in full relationship with Jesus.  Investing in people's lives through training is one way that transformation takes place.  This year we've had lots of opportunity to train!  We are using Simply the Story (Biblical Storytelling) and Community Health Evangelism (CHE) training tools.  

Christine Stanfield and Andrea using Biblical Storytelling to train pastors in Tonj

CHE:  Making a map of their village helps participants understand community dynamics better

At the end of 4 weeks of training participants receive a certificate - maybe their first ever. 

This is the beginning as these empowered men and women will go out and train their communities with a focus on spiritual and physical wellbeing.  

Bitter

I'm tired.  Not the kind of tired that a good Saturday morning catch-up on sleep will remedy. Some call it culture fatigue. I'm tired of the constant uncertainty of what is happening in South Sudan due to insecurity and changing politics, flight changes as I schedule lots of people to fly into South Sudan, unannounced changes in immigration policy, nightmare traffic and road conditions in Nairobi making it a major chore to do business, unannounced electric outages for up to a day at a time, poor phone connections with South Sudan.  Do you get the picture?

Sweet

Faithful.  Jesus is so faithful.  I was able to attend meetings at WGM's Headquarters in Indiana in June. Times of spiritual encouragement and retreat were really soothing to my weary soul.  And I have always been in the minority in that I love attending meetings!  It was a lot of fun to be with many other WGM leaders.  

2013 Field Director's Retreat ~ World Gospel Mission Headquarters

I'm remembering that sweet without the bitter isn't really sweet at all.  I'm learning to take the bitter and rest in the assurance that God will use it for His glory, in His time, in His way.  And I don't have to orchestrate solutions to life's curve balls on my own.  

Please pray with me for strength and perseverance to lifes daily challenges.  Pray with me for fun times to re-energize my soul.  Pray with me for consistency in spending time with Jesus in His Word and prayer.  Pray with me and our South Sudan Executive Committee for discernment and wisdom in how to bridge the gap between our current limited infrastructure and the growing opportunities to be involved in ministry.  There are more prayer requests and praises in the sidebar - thanks for standing in the gap.  

To those who are champions of my ministry I want to say "thank you" for being so faithful.  Your prayers, financial gifts, and your interest in what I'm involved in and how God is at work in South Sudan really bless me.  And countless blessings are being realized by the South Sudanese as Mango Ministries grows.  I appreciate you more than I can express.