Monday Nov. 30

Dr. Nandi and I Munching on Sugar Cane

More of the Mbotonya Boys

Teacher Iris With Baby Godfrey

I can't really say the time here has gone by quickly as it seems I've been in Boma and away from home for a long while, but it has been a very good trip. All the staff are so excited to go home and see their families in Kenya - we are flying out together with MAF this Friday from Boma to Nairobi. Edwin, our new project manager, has a week old little baby waiting for him. He and his wife have been trying to have a child for some time and she just delivered a little girl, Joy. When I pass Edwin I sing, "You've got the Joy, Joy, Joy….." and he puts his hands on his chest and sings, "Down in my heart".

School closed last Friday with all the students getting their grades for the year and place in their class they achieved. There were some very unhappy students that did not make the top 3 spots in each class. That is good since they are learning that to advance you must make an effort and work hard which is a foreign concept in Boma. We will start anew in January with four classes, K-3. We had a very wonderful time with the pastors this past Thursday. After class in the afternoon Pastor Godfrey, Dr. Nandi and myself went to their camp and did some ministry with them. Some of these men are believers and some are not even born again. So we started with a prayer of rededication which we all prayed together and then they each came to one of us and we prayed for them to be filled with the reality and power of God's Spirit. God was present and it was a significant time in the Lord for these men - and for me too.

I have seen some of the challenges that are here in Boma in a new light on this trip. The young men who are now in power (the Mbotonya defeated the older Titi group during last spring's annual generational fighting) are quite lawless and immature. Imagine a class of average college freshmen party dudes being in control of our government. They are calling the shots and if they want to have a meeting, you all go and meet. If they want to have a dance, you all go dance. And, if you are a Mbotonya and do not join them in a scheduled activity, you are tied to a tree and beaten. One of our young masons did not show up for work one day and then came in late. He had been crying and said he was "under arrest" and scheduled to be beaten because he came to work rather than joining the Mbotonya of Jongali in their raid on Bien the week before. These guys run things by fear and some of the pastors and even our teacher James are member of this group. That was part of our prayer time on Thursday as these pastors must stand firm in Christ and say "no, this is not right", even if it costs them. Change will come when such sacrifices are made. The kids in the village of course imitate their older siblings, but the school is having an impact here. One of the government officials told Rosemary not long ago that the kids being taught in our school would not grow up and participate in this negative aspect of the Murle culture. This is a matter for much continued prayer that the enemy's stronghold in this area would be broken.

On a lighter note, Rebecca, who is one of our compound workers, had a little baby boy last week. On Sunday we went over to visit and take her some gifts. Little Godfrey is sooooo cute! We all held little Godfrey and prayed prayers of blessing over he and his mother. Afterwards, I helped some of our guys carry timber (lumber) from the school construction site to the compound. I had a long 2X10 resting on my shoulder for the ¼ mile walk down to the compound and when I went to throw it on the stack I noticed a spider about ½ the size of my palm sitting right where my ear had been. Scary things seem to be bigger and badder in Boma. At least there have been very few snake sightings this trip and we have seen none in the compound.

We showed the Jesus film last night but about ½ way through it started to rain and we had to scramble to get things packed up. It continued to rain all night and now into Monday. I don't know the affects of prayer regarding weather, but please pray for dry weather towards the end of the week. Rain will mean no truck coming up here to get us and as I have walked down to catch a plane in the mud once before, that one experience is enough.

Observing Dr. Nandi, Pastor Godfrey and our excellent Kenyan staff at work here in Boma has reinforced my conviction that we are indeed blessed to have a partnership with Nairobi Pentecostal Church and CITAM (the 7 sister churches of NPC forming Christ Is The Answer Ministries) . Kenyans are just much closer to the Sudanese culture than we in the west and have insights and wisdom into this culture that would take an American years to acquire, if at all. CITAM and SEA Partners are drawing up papers to formalize our partnership and I can not imagine how we could do this without their involvement.

We now have mangoes, papayas, bananas, sugar cane and limes growing and ripening in the compound. At times, this truly does feel like a tropical paradise. After a couple of weeks of just water and tea, ½ litter of water with a fresh lime squeezed in and a spoonful of sugar makes for a very nice beverage.

Blessings from Boma;

Micheal