Thanksgiving Eve in Boma

A Mbotonya Boy Destined to Become a Fashion Designer

The Boys of Mbotonya Out Announcing an Upcoming Dance

Yes, The Lord does have a plan for Sudan and yes His purposes are and will be accomplished because He is God and he loves these people. But situations do arise here on a regular basis that put your faith to the test. The Mbotonya (men 19-28) got together Tuesday night and for hours blew their horns, chanted and sang. I thought it was for a dance but when it continued about 4:30 this morning I knew something was up. Happens at the last dance in Bien some of the boys from that village had injured a boy from Jongali so they were going for a revenge beating of the Bien boys. Thankfully, the chiefs of both villages made peace and fighting was averted. I just returned from the Catholic DOT school compound where the guys decided to slaughter a cow and have a feast instead of fighting. As is most always the case, this planned revenge attack was fueled by alcohol which continues to be such a prevalent problem in Boma. The wages for what little work the men do is most often spent on "nyan" which is their cultural adult beverage of choice. As in every place, nyan is so devastating to families, communities and individuals. I discovered this week that the translator for the Murle Bible (New Testament and Psalms) used the word "nyan" for wine as it was the only word close in their language. So, even Jesus Himself turned water into nyan. But, a very good God thing happened on Tuesday in this regard. Dr. Nandi gave an excellent talk to the chiefs and village leaders on the medical issues involving alcohol and smoking. They sat and listened and asked questions for over 2 hours. At the end they said they would take this information back to their people but wanted him to talk to everyone as a group. People from Kiawa, Bien and our village of Jongali are coming together next Tuesday to hear Dr. Nandi address these issues. Even better, the "Mbotonya" are having a dance that evening and the chiefs are going to be there and tell them they must listen to Dr. Nandi before the dance begins. At the end of the meeting Pastor Godfrey told the men that Dr. Nandi is a very good doctor, but there is a Dr. of Drs. whose name is Jesus and that He is the only one who can fill the emptiness in their lives. So yes, God is working and His purposes are being accomplished in Boma. Please be in prayer for these meetings on next Tuesday the first of December; I will let you know how the day goes. This will be part of the pastor's training because unfortunately several of these guys enjoy their nyan as well.

I have been thoroughly enjoying our nightly devotions with the staff. We are going through both Genesis and Esther chapter by chapter. Some of these chapters are a little tough - one night I was responsible for Genesis 38 (if you are not familiar with this chapter, read it and try to think of an inspirational Bible study to prepare on it). As I told the group, God's Word is so amazing in that it is alive and speaks to us even in sections we may at first find very difficult or boring. We ended up having a very good discussion. The thing I have enjoyed most at these times together has been the singing of hymns. I have not sung hymns on a regular basis since I was a kid and it has been wonderful to revisit them. It doesn't hurt to have 9 Kenyans who can all sing beautifully (most all anyway, as Bernard has a singing voice even worse than mine). "All to Jesus I Surrender", "On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand", "Blessed Assurance", it goes on and on and the words to these hymns are so very powerful. I am predicting a come-back for hymns, maybe arranged in a more modern style, but these words need to be sung and heard.

We showed the Jesus Film last Monday evening and will show it at least once more before leaving. Also on Monday we received word that a little Kachipo child had died; she was visiting her grandparents up here in Jongali but her parents are in Lower Boma. We desparately need some kind of medical services here in Upper Boma and I know the Lord will be providing a clinic for these people soon.

I am still eating my 6-8 mangoes per day. I felt terrible this afternoon as one of my little friends brought me 3 perfect mangoes and asked if he could have a balloon - the kids love balloons as they have no toys or anything like this in Boma. He had helped me gather grass seeds to make the Rocket Stove so I told him I would go get him one. Not thinking, I gave it to him in front of several other kids, two of which were older and jumped on him, bit his arm and ran off with the balloon (these two kids were not a part of our school). I went out later and snuck him another balloon and then with my hand shielding my eyes began searching for the "naughty boys" asking them if they had seen these "naughty boys". They all thought this was very funny for some reason. Speaking of the Rocket Stove, the one I made here actually came out pretty good and has been a source of discussion among all the Sudanese who have come into the compound and seen it. I have given up on trying to get the pastors interested enough to learn to make them. So to whom have I now turned? Why the women of Boma, of course. About 12 of them who were working just outside the compound were forced to come in and take cover when a rain storm hit. I had my Rocket Stove under this cover and was trying to get a fire started. I don't know what it is here, but I can't even get paper to burn well. They got a good fire going and I showed them the steps in making a stove - literally showed as none of them spoke English. I showed them some pictures of the process and had all the materials to make a stove there. They were excited and agreed to come another day to help me make one. The women in Boma rock!

Thanksgiving dinner here will likely be a mound of ugali with all the trimmings - kale and maybe boiled egg stew - and I will enjoy it all very much. The pastor's training did not take place today because former Pastor Peter, our interpreter, was in Bien this morning helping to negotiate peace. The pastors just enjoyed catching up on writing all the notes from both presenters. I made bricks all morning and ended up making about 90. After another short rain storm this afternoon, it is again a beautiful evening in Boma.

Enjoy the holiday and blessings from Boma;

Micheal