Friday, November 12, 2010
3:00 AM
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Sudan to Kenya: Yei to Nairobi
It was so difficult to say goodbye to Sudan this morning. The youth came to see us off as well as the villages waved as we left the compound. Our motivation is that we know we will be returning soon. As a result of this trip we have concluded that their is a strong need for youth focused ministry in Sudan. In our open forum, we discovered that a large portion of Sudanese youth have either lost one of their parents or even worse both to war. Therefore, many boys are dropping out of school and becoming "runners" (where they pick up and drop off goods) and girls are dropping out and selling their bodies for money because they have know one speaking truth into their lives. We have identified a group of youth leaders in the community. People with a passion and a love for youth, some of them youth themselves and we Alice and I along with other youth pastors will be coming back to begin training those youth leaders on how to do relational ministry in Sudan. If everything goes well, there is a good chance that we will be back in March.
We made it into Nairobi around 3:30pm today! Nairobi is a lot different than Sudan. Nice cars, fancy buildings. In certain parts you would think that you are in a city in the USA. Our Hotel is amazing and the restaurant we had dinner at was delicious. If you are ever in Nairobi, Kenya you have to go to Mediterainio.(not sure if that is the correct spelling) Well, off to bed...we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Two days of Safari in Masai Mara.
Trey and Alice.
We made it into Nairobi around 3:30pm today! Nairobi is a lot different than Sudan. Nice cars, fancy buildings. In certain parts you would think that you are in a city in the USA. Our Hotel is amazing and the restaurant we had dinner at was delicious. If you are ever in Nairobi, Kenya you have to go to Mediterainio.(not sure if that is the correct spelling) Well, off to bed...we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. Two days of Safari in Masai Mara.
Trey and Alice.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Bittersweet...
As Alice and I look at the infinite stars in the sky here in Sudan we find ourselves a little sad. We have had such a life-changing experience with the people of South Sudan, we hate to say goodbye. Today we participated in the "ribbon cutting" of the epc 24 hour clinic ward and it was a celebration to say the least. We danced and sang, and at the end of the celebration the village people came around the team and prayed for us... It brought us to tears. The youth presented Alice and I with a gift and said a few words about how blessed the youth were by us coming...But, I feel Like I was blessed by them. To hear their stories brought tears to our eyes but one thing they had in common was despite the turmoil that they have endured because of war... They are hopeful for the future and are filled with the joy of the Lord!
As Alice and I look at the infinite stars in the sky here in Sudan we find ourselves a little sad. We have had such a life-changing experience with the people of South Sudan, we hate to say goodbye. Today we participated in the "ribbon cutting" of the epc 24 hour clinic ward and it was a celebration to say the least. We danced and sang, and at the end of the celebration the village people came around the team and prayed for us... It brought us to tears. The youth presented Alice and I with a gift and said a few words about how blessed the youth were by us coming...But, I feel Like I was blessed by them. To hear their stories brought tears to our eyes but one thing they had in common was despite the turmoil that they have endured because of war... They are hopeful for the future and are filled with the joy of the Lord!
Trey and Alice
Yesterday I had the chance to travel to Yaba Sudan. A tribe about 19 miles from Yei. It took us 3 hours because the roads are so bad but on the way bishop taban told us about his childhood .he was raised by his grandmother. We visited his grandmothers grave site. Alice had a chance to visit another orphanage called harvesters. They feed over 600 orphans per day. She spent some time working in the clinic/ pharmacy. Two girls from Yei waited in front of our rooms to give us both a bouquet of flowers that they spent all day preparing for us. They have been asking us to visit their village b/c their parents want to meet Alice and I. Hopefully we can before we leave.
Trey and Alice
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Blessed by the Chief:
Yesterday was pretty amazing. We celebrated the 200th water well being built by Water Is Basic. When we pulled into the village hundreds of villagers greeted us with singing and dancing. They seated us and commenced with the service. Music, dance, skits and speakers. They treated us like kings and queens. It was humbling to say the least. The chief elder ended the ceremony by speaking. At the end of his message came to Alice and I and laid hands on us and prayed for us. At the end of his prayer all the villagers began to laugh. Bishop Taban explained to Alice and I that the chief prayed that we would have 10 kids starting tonight..Lol
Yesterday was pretty amazing. We celebrated the 200th water well being built by Water Is Basic. When we pulled into the village hundreds of villagers greeted us with singing and dancing. They seated us and commenced with the service. Music, dance, skits and speakers. They treated us like kings and queens. It was humbling to say the least. The chief elder ended the ceremony by speaking. At the end of his message came to Alice and I and laid hands on us and prayed for us. At the end of his prayer all the villagers began to laugh. Bishop Taban explained to Alice and I that the chief prayed that we would have 10 kids starting tonight..Lol
Today we got a chance to experience a very amazing thing today that is bringing life and a future to the country of Sudan....drilling of a water well. This water well will give water to between 500-1000 villagers. We walked over to where they were receiving water from before and it was horrible. Same place animals go to bathe as well as
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
That's what God placed in my heart today. In America we get in such a rush that we don't take time to enjoy the journey.
Today my amazing wife served in the EPC clinic where she was able to love on the patients and staff. Alice has already come up with a plan for the pharmacy at the clinic to become more efficient. Alice is sooo amazing.! I'm proud to be her husband!
Trey and Alice.
Enjoy the journey...
What an amazing day today! After finishing the youth seminar yesterday evening I realized what better way to understand the youth of Sudan than going to their homes, so we met up at the compound and we all walked the town of Yei Sudan as a group. Each youth wanted me to see where they lived so I went to each of their huts and met their family and friends. They even took me to the Chief of Yei's home and introduced me to him. I was so honored. Of course we walked through town so i could see the schools, hospital, market, town square and where they liked to go. They were so excited for me to be with them. I was too... Before any of that happened, I went with Bishop Taban to Uganda which is only about 30-40 miles away but because of the condition of the roads it took about 2 1/2 hours one way. Riding in the front seat with this inspiring man, on a dirt road full of holes and bumps yet seeing some of the nicest country side in the world was amazing. He was not in a rush to get to our destination. In fact we stopped a few times to speak to people and to enjoy the journey.
What an amazing day today! After finishing the youth seminar yesterday evening I realized what better way to understand the youth of Sudan than going to their homes, so we met up at the compound and we all walked the town of Yei Sudan as a group. Each youth wanted me to see where they lived so I went to each of their huts and met their family and friends. They even took me to the Chief of Yei's home and introduced me to him. I was so honored. Of course we walked through town so i could see the schools, hospital, market, town square and where they liked to go. They were so excited for me to be with them. I was too... Before any of that happened, I went with Bishop Taban to Uganda which is only about 30-40 miles away but because of the condition of the roads it took about 2 1/2 hours one way. Riding in the front seat with this inspiring man, on a dirt road full of holes and bumps yet seeing some of the nicest country side in the world was amazing. He was not in a rush to get to our destination. In fact we stopped a few times to speak to people and to enjoy the journey.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Amazing Day!!!
Today's church service was absolutely wonderful and emotional! Trey preached an encouraging message that was very well received. He did a great job. Bishop Taban (56 year old) our tour guide and pastor of the church, introduced Trey to the church by carrying him on his back. That was definitely a first;) After church, me and the rest of the team went to the sudanese orphanage while Trey stayed back and hung out with the youth of the neighboring village. This was day 2 of a youth seminar that Trey did. The first time anyone has ever done anything specifically to reach out to the youth. He had a room full of people. Normally when we think of youth we think of 12-18 but in Sudan, you're considered a youth if you're not married so there were youth from 12-30 years old. They played games, experienced
small groups for the first time, studied
the bible and sang. They met from 2pm-6pm each day. The number of youth kept growing and growing the longer they went. Trey was definitely in his element. Trey and I are currently looking at the stars in the
Today's church service was absolutely wonderful and emotional! Trey preached an encouraging message that was very well received. He did a great job. Bishop Taban (56 year old) our tour guide and pastor of the church, introduced Trey to the church by carrying him on his back. That was definitely a first;) After church, me and the rest of the team went to the sudanese orphanage while Trey stayed back and hung out with the youth of the neighboring village. This was day 2 of a youth seminar that Trey did. The first time anyone has ever done anything specifically to reach out to the youth. He had a room full of people. Normally when we think of youth we think of 12-18 but in Sudan, you're considered a youth if you're not married so there were youth from 12-30 years old. They played games, experienced
small groups for the first time, studied
the bible and sang. They met from 2pm-6pm each day. The number of youth kept growing and growing the longer they went. Trey was definitely in his element. Trey and I are currently looking at the stars in the
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