Break, Planes, and this African Life

Yesterday’s departure from Mundri for our break was like a scene out of Home Alone.  The one where everyone finds out they slept in because the alarm clock didn’t go off and they might miss their flight. They jump into a flurry of frenzied activity, throwing things into suitcases, running about the house getting this or that, and squeezing into the airport van hoping that they haven’t left anyone or anything behind.

Ebenezer Totem

1 Samuel 7:12 "Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer [meaning 'stone of help'], for he said, "Till now the LORD has helped us."

One very fortunate advantage of living this crazy between-two-worlds missionary life is the frequent book-ends that mark and divide my time. Quarterly goal reviews with team leaders; yearly team vision retreats; the welcome trek back home to Philadelphia and Canada once a year; and the regular cadence of birthing projects and reporting back as the different seasons unroll themselves like ticker tape.

Reprieve

6pm.  The sun slips away from the scrub of papery straw and dust beyond my window.  Gentle.  Quiet.  A bird or two twittering in the bare tree just to my left.  Empty.  But not lonely.  I breathe out a dry swill of content.

Cruising the Highways and Byways - Part Two: Kajo Keji

Not long after our trip to Garia, we set out on a longer hike out to Kajo Keji and Juba - going southeast from Mundri. Our purpose: to visit the Diocese of Kajo Keji and their Church Community Mobilization Project (CCMP); and to stop in Juba (current capital of South Sudan) for multiple errands, securing supplies, visiting Juba University, and checking out South Sudan's first Agricultural Trade Fair sponsored by USAID.

Cruising the Highways and Byways - Part One: To Garia

What it's Like to Leave; Living on Grace Lane

Foreword:  Preparing to leave is an odd endeavor for me.  You write out this massive list of things you need to do, unsure how long each will take.  You try to plan it out as best you can, never knowing if it'll work.  But you set out excited because you're starting to make progress.  Time passes, things are crossed off.  But unexpected additions come up as well.  And doubt starts to niggle you.