Burried in Africa

Gone and Back Again

2008-06-09T14:04:00.000-07:00

Sitting back in my parent’s house in Claymont, Delaware, it’s hard to believe I spent anytime at all in Ikotos, Sudan and met all the people I did and had all the experiences I had. The time went by so fast but at the same time while I was there it felt like I had been there forever! When you don’t have much access to the internet, television, the news and outside reports you often feel that you are in a “time warp” in Ikotos and all your friends and family outside seem just like a faint memory from another life!

I flew out of Ikotos almost 3 weeks ago now! The last week I was there I made sure to take lots of pictures of the village, school, my friends, and other scenery. Thank God too, He answered all your prayers about Meghan and I flying out on the same day. It was a little crazy trying to clean up the compound before we flew out, especially since we did not know exactly when my plane was coming and had to wait at the airstrip for over an hour in the hot sun. But Meghan, whose plane was suppose to come an hour after mine, was hesitant to leave me without a proper good-bye, was torn between waiting with me (and a crowd of Sudanese children) and going back to our compound that needed to be swept, some dishes packed up, and the toilet cleaned out. (We both agreed that we would not want to be the first ones to open the toilet after a year of not being cleaned by the time the Scottlands come back next spring!) But everything worked out in the end and she had some friends who were able to help with some of the cleaning.

When my plane did come it whisked me off to Kampala, Uganda where I got to spend the next 6 days in what felt like luxury! I stayed with AIM missionaries and family friends from Delaware, Gregg and Karen Lewis in their beautiful flat in Kampala. I felt so spoiled with all the mangos, bananas, peppers, broccoli, and not to mention MEAT as well as an assundry of fresh and COLD things I was not used to having. It was also wonderful to have a warm running shower, a machine to wash my clothes properly, a toilet that wasn’t full of flies, and a soft bed without insects on the walls and rats in the roof! While in Kampala I got to spend some time down town shopping in the local craft markets, going to a very westernized mall that had a movie theater and a delicious Indian restaurant, and getting my last local Ugandan meal before flying back to the US.

Uganda is called the “Pearl of Africa” because it is so lush and green and fertile, supplying so many fruits and vegetables to other African countries. (They are particularly known for their pineapple!) But even more than that, their pride and joy is being known as the country with the source of the Nile River. Traveling into Uganda after being in Sudan is like a whole other world. You can get pretty much anything you could get in the Western world (although you will pay for it!), roads are paved and practically everyone has a cell phone! Advertisements for cell phones or booths for buying minutes for your cell phone are on every street corner in Kampala! Even more interesting, I found, was how many different ethnic groups were in Kampala, I saw loads of Indians, some Chinese (the Chinese are becoming entrepreneurs in Africa), Australians, Middle Eastern peoples, and various kinds of Europeans (and of course Americans!). In contrast to Sudan, Uganda is very much a developing, progressing country influenced by many outsiders and other foreign countries.

After two long 8 hour flights (and many in-flight movies!) back to AIM headquarters in Pearl River, New York where I had some additional debriefing to my exit interview I had in Kampala, I am back again in the US for the time being. It has been good to see my family again, especially my parents who are back from Nigeria for the Summer for my brother’s wedding this coming weekend and then my own in September! Upon reflection on my experiences in Sudan, I am very grateful that God sent me to Ikotos to teach. Although it was difficult at times dealing with some of the frustrations at the school and adapting to the culture and the uneasy lifestyle, I enjoyed teaching my students very much as well as learning about the country with all its war complexities. I feel I learned a lot about myself and my own selfish tendencies that if I had been in a more comfortable setting I might not have learned. Furthermore, since I grew up in an urban setting in Nigeria, I would have felt too comfortable or “too much at home” if I had been placed in an urban setting as a missionary this time. Consequently, Ikotos was more out of my comfort zone and thus I had to adapt and adjust to more difficult situations. In addition, Ikotos taught me something very important about mission work. Often times in our western mindset we view mission work as statistics, meaning “how many churches has x missionary build” or “how many people has y missionary saved.” But I realized that is not what missions is about! It is about going to the people, living with them, and becoming like them; putting on their culture as Christ came to us and put on our humanity (yet without sin!). Our ministry is not the end result of missions, it is only a means to an end! And what is the end result? It is to make disciples of all nations as Jesus commanded us in the Great Commission. It is not our job to save people or acquire numbers and churches and schools, but it is our job to make disciples. God will do the saving. Therefore, where ever you are in life you are to make disciples of those around you. You do not have to go to Sudan to do that nor can you think “I am not a missionary; I don’t need to tell my boss and peers about Christ.” If you are a disciple of Christ, than you are a missionary where ever you are!

I want to close my last blog entry by saying thank you to all my supporters for your constant prayers (for I know many of you were praying for me continually!), your financial support in sending me to Sudan to have these experiences and learn these lessons, and also to all of you who visited my blog and took an interest in what I have been doing.

More Sights...

2008-05-18T06:33:00.001-07:00

Meghan and I are true African sisters in our matching tops standing outside our tuukel. The following picture is the church fellowship at our compound. Meghan and I stay in the tuukel to the right. Next is the road to the airstrip and towards school (where I run everyday), taken on a clear day. The following photos are from the celebration in Freedom Square. The soliders, who are stationed in Ikotos, are standing at attention. Over is a picture with one of my students and her two children. She has saved my stomach many times with several meals, of which I am very grateful!

John Garang Celebration

2008-05-18T05:25:00.000-07:00

This past friday, May 16th, I had an chorus of gun fire on my run as the day was declared a national holiday for Southern Sudan and everyone gathered to celebrate the SLPA final victory over pushing the Arabs out of Southern Sudan. John Garang was the general of the SPLA who was celebrated this day, although, he died in a suspected sabotage airplane crash a couple years back. Never the less, in Ikotos, people gathered in Freedom Square (the bus park in Ikotos and also where all relief donations are distributed) for speeches (which could not be heard as the megaphone did not have batteries), singing, marches, and some tribal dancing. Schools everywhere and everything in the market was closed for the day!

In the arena of school and teaching, God answered prayer by having school start up again on the day it was designated on May 5th. Therefore, exams were successfully administered and finished that week; although not all the students were present to take them. So what happens to those students? Well they just get a failing mark for the term, which is alot of students! It is hard being a teacher and having to fail so many students. But apparently, the only term grades that matter are the 3rd Term (which is September-November). Those exams encompass the whole year so it is generally a good idea to attend school throughout the year, but if one fails the first two terms one can still go on to the next grade if one passes the 3rd Term!

Upon reflecting at our time at the secondary school here in Ikotos, Meghan and I have been discussing with the AIC Church pastors and the headmaster what is especially needed at the school. The school does have many teachers, but most of them are poorly trained (only having finished secondary school themselves) and also lack clear vision and purpose for the school and as well as for the students. Sadly enough, many of them are more concerned with collecting money from the school than teaching the students, and believe me the school has no money in it - especially as it is a church school! Consequently, one solution Meghan came up with was to have AIM send a short term group of school administrators and educators to hold a workshop for the teachers, having them reflect on what is the purpose and goal of the school. If you are interested in reading more about this idea for AIC Luther Secondary School, or feel that you have the qualifications and interest in participating in such a workshop, please visit Meghan's blogsite at www.sendmeghantoafrica.blogspot.com. She has written up her ideas more specifically and outlined what the school needs. We also have been working on sending letters to respective seminaries in Kenya and Uganda requesting strong Christian graduates who are interesting in teaching in Sudan. Because we both believe what the school truely needs are teachers with a growing Christian testimony who are at the school to serve. Such African missionaries would also be a huge ministry to Job, the Kenyan Christian headmaster, who is left at the school now with little support and backing against the onslaught of the teachers at times. As a going away present, Meghan and I wrote some encouraging Psalms and Proverbs on some index cards for him to read everyday as he may feel alone or beaten without the support that especially Meghan has been to him over the past year.

Upcoming this week are my last few days in Ikotos! On Thursday the 22nd I will be flying to Kampala and then the following week back to the US. I can hardly believe the time is up, but I also feel that I have been here forever! Meghan will also be flying out to Kenya that same day. This week will be tough as we close out our ministries here in Sudan for the time being and say good-bye to the relationships we have made. This past friday we hosted a church fellowship at our compound and made popcorn to say good-bye. The popcorn was a big hit! We also have been participating in the church youth choir (It takes alot of coordination to clap, copy their dance moves, and act like you know what your singing all at once!) which we did for the last time this Sunday. But one thing we both are looking forward to are some good meals as we haven't had anything fresh in weeks and our food supply is running pretty low!

Prayer Requests
1. Pray for Meghan and I as we say good-bye this week to all our friends and relationships. It is hard to not feel like you are abandoning your new-found friends and ministries.
2. Pray for the headmaster Job, that he will find some Christian support and fellowship, and God would sustain him at the school.
3. Please pray for the school that godly leadership and direction will be provided so that these students can get the best education possible.
4. Pray for the Church in Sudan to remain strong and growing, and that good educated pastors and leaders will also come to the Church as the teaching is often very limited. Yet praise God that the people are passionate about Him and they also send their greetings to the Church in the US.
5. Pray that Meghan catches a flight out of Ikotos on the same day as me (not the day before) so that I am not left alone with very little supplies (as everything will be packed up and locked up before she goes) for a night.

A glimpse into Sudan

2008-05-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

After numerous hours fighting the computer in attempts to post pictures, the computer has won. So here's a little improvisation. This is Kyle, Lydia's non-African half, posting some pictures she has shared with me. As I think you will see, pictures are truly worth 1000 words.

<------ What rugged beauty!

Here are some youth in a village near Ikotos. ------->

<------ The runner in me wishes I could be running on this dirt road tomorrow!

Proof that Lydia has more artistic ability in her pinky than I do in my whole body. -->

<---- Inside the church during a worship service. The people you see standing are the youth choir.

<---- A church fellowship gathering.

Africa's beauty can be found in both it's people and it's natural environment. -->

<---------- Breathtaking!

Exhibit B of Lydia's great eye for beauty. ------->

Sights of Sudan...

2008-04-27T05:57:00.000-07:00

Since school has let out for a couple of weeks, life has slowed down considerably here in Ikotos. Last week, Meghan and I had a visit from our short term coordinator from Kampala. We got to show her the beautiful sites around Ikotos, a visit to the empty school, and a quick tour of the ever so abundant market (where you can buy onions, garlic, salt, a kind of bullion cube, some biscuit cookies, and currently peanuts...not much else!). We also tried to show her how hard life is in rural Sudan by taking her to the bore hole for water (and making her pump for it!), and showing her our outdoor bathhouse and latrine. But of course we had to take her to the best resturant in town where you can get tasty beans with fresh bread made that day. (The only other option on the meau is some tough, grissly, fatty meat...I strongly recommend the beans over the meat even though for the Sudanese consider the meat a speciality.)

After relaxing in Ikotos for a couple days, we all then flew to Torit (a town about 50 km away) for the AIM Sudan retreat. Not only was it great to get some fresh fruits and vegetables, but we also had the pleasure of taking a shower with running water!

At the retreat we had sessions talking about the AIM mission statement for Southern Sudan. That is, we aim to know Christ and help lead others into a vibrant relationship with Him by modeling this in our own lives. Different missionaries took turns talking in each session and afterwards we spent sometime in small groups praying. This was a good time to meet all the missionaries AIM has in Sudan. Not only are there abundant short termers but there is also a pretty large TIMO group (which is an AIM short-term group that comes out for two years and often times the group members end up staying permenantely in the people group they came to). But Sudan is not an easy country to minister in, so there really aren't too many long term missionaries. However, I was surprised by how many Germans were serving with AIM, so I scraped alittle rust off of by German speaking!

Although it was nice to have food, fun, and fellowship, Torit is over run by flies and mosquitos and is hotter than Ikotos so after all is said and done, I am happy I am living in Ikotos! (Literally, the flies were like one of the Ten Plagues!) The rest of the month I am just sitting tight until school starts again in May.

Prayer Requests
1. Pray for the "canceled census" as it resumed this week and workers are traveling to various villages to count the people. Pray that the late census time will not push back the start of school too much.
2. Pray for Jordan and Andrea Scotland who are long-term missionaries in Ikotos, but are traveling back to Canada this week for the birth of their second baby.
3. Pray for Meghan and I as we will be the only two ''Khawajas" left in Ikotos.
4. Pray for me as I am taking the initiative to continue building on some relationships through all the time I have now to visit people since school is not in session.

Sudan, Such a Complex Country...

2008-04-13T06:12:00.000-07:00

I ended my blog last time talking about some additional responsibilities I would have to be taking on at the school because of a nation wide census taking place this month on the 14th. However, we just heard after church today, that the census has now be cancelled from the government in Khartom! This could have some pretty serious implications for the Southerners in Sudan, which as of right now, we are all just waiting to see what happens. Please pray that the country still remains at peace, and the peace treaty that was signed a couple years back still remains in tact! I am learning more and more about Sudan everyday and complexities that this country in wound up in given its heavy history of war and fighting. This cancellation of the census is not too far from what has happened before in Sudan. In 1989, The Islamic North had agreed to sign a peace treaty in Sudan where they would not force Sudan to become an Islamic state; however, a couple days before the two sides were to sign the treaty, the Islamic president was overthrown by a more radical Islamic activists who would not give up the idea of an Islamic Sudan. Consequently, the country errupted into war again and the saga continued. I would recommend the book "Emma's War" about a British aid-worker who married SPLA commander Riek Machar if anyone wants to know more about Sudan's history.

Yet, one very positive thing about the government of Sudan is that one of the pastors at the AIC (Africa Inland Church) has been elected to be the Ikotos country commissioner for the SPLA (the political party for Southern Sudan and also the rebel army that liberated the South from the North). This man has an amazing testimony of endurance through the war years and is immensly respected by the community. But God must have him in this position at such a time as this to be atleast one man of integrity and godliness in the Sudanese government.

Another encouraging aspect of this past week happened at a workshop I periodically got to attent with Meghan for the Peace and Reconcilation Commission in South Sudan. After reading so much about Sudan's history and learning about the tradegies in the country, it was so encouraging and uplifting to meet people who cared about peace in Sudan and also forgiveness so that the country can move on and continue building. And that is one thing about Sudan, it is a growing and learning country right now that needs men and women of character and godliness to help it develop into all its potential - for there is alot of potential in this country!

The first term at the AIC Luther Secondary School also ended on Friday after a pretty rough last couple weeks. Between the shortage of teachers who had left for the census, the lack of funds to get enough of the exams photocopied for the students to take, and since the exams arrived late from Uganda (where they had to be sent to get them photocopied), it was decided to wait till the start of the second term to administer the final exams. So hopefully, when school opens on the 5th of May, all the students will show up for the exams and the teachers will be here to administer them so that the second term does not become shorten like the first term was.

In the meantime, while I have off from school, Meghan and I will be receiving a visit from our short term coordinator in Kampala. She will also be heading with us to Torit for a Sudan Team conference next weekend for all the AIM Sudan Missionaries. I am looking forward to going to Torit as it is a bigger town with more food variety and also running water for showers! I am also anticipating getting to meet other missionaries in Sudan and hear about their experiences and ministries.

Prayer Requests:
1. Praise God for the godly man He has put in a position of leadership in Ikotos country and pray for him in his great responsibility.
2. Pray for Sudan, that this cancellation of the census will not lead to more fighting in the country. Even though so much blood has been spilt in Sudan, this is ultimately God's country, so pray that goodness will finally reign.
3. Pray for me and some of the discouragements I have faced at the school. It indeed as been a learning process for me, and pray that I will learn to understand the issues from the "Sudanese perspective" and not my own.
4. Praise God that one teacher has been removed from the school who has caused alot of corruption and misleadings, and continue to pray for a Godly replacement.

Gulu, Uganda

2008-03-30T05:33:00.000-07:00

Over Easter weekend I had the opportunity to travel back to Uganda with Meghan, the short term missionary girl I am living with and another shorter termer from Torit, Kelly. I am not going to lie, it was nice to be in civilization again! We were able to eat fruits and fresh vegetables again, as well as yoguart and a little bit of meat. A couple nights we even got some running water from showers! But Gulu is an interesting town because, being in Northern Uganda, it too has suffered much from the war. The LRA is a Ugandan rebel army that also sweept through Northern Uganda and Southern Sudan raiding, pillaging, and looting many villages after the Arabs already went through the same villages. Consequently, driving into Gulu, the outskirts of the town along the road are full of IDP (internally displaced people) camps, where people have fled their villages during times of war to recieve military protection at these camps. But just from looking at these camps one can see poverty written all over. Huts are built close together since that land is not their own, and their source of food is from relief donations, not from farming and the people's own industrious labors. While we were in Gulu we got the opportunity to visit Invisible Children, which is an organization set up to help those children who were night travelers during the war, fleeing from their homes every night to avoid being abducted and forced into child soilders.

Although Ikotos is a beauitful little town, living here is not very different from camping. We go to the bore holes to fetch our own water, take bucket baths, hand wash our clothes, and go to the bathroom in a squatty potty. Not to mention all the critters Meghan and I sleep with every night. I cannot really say how many different insects and bugs we kill or find in our little tuukel. I used to have this terrifying fear of spiders, even though I have lived many years in Nigeria with plenty of spiders, but here in Sudan, I think I have learned to get over it because there are just too many to kill in a day! I try to kill them, but if they get away, I just shrug it off...there are much worse things that could be found like scorpions or snakes. But we dare not shut our tuukel door at night or else we might die from the heat!

Even as I write this now the weather is changing in Ikotos. The rainy season is coming and its a welcome relief to the normal heat. Although I dare say, after the rains it can feel quite cold when one is used to 100 degree weather or hotter! The days usually start out sunny and slightly humid, but my mid afternoon the clouds will roll in and either cause a trenchal downpour or just stir up so much dust and sand with the strong winds that threaten rain. Since rainy season isn't in full swing yet, pending clouds and strong winds don't always bring the rain.

The next two weeks are going to be extrememly busy for both Meghan and I. We found out after we got back from Gulu, that most of the teachers were leaving school two weeks early to help out with the cenus that is happing all over Sudan in the middle of April. Unfortunatly, this means that between the two of us, Job the headmaster of the school, and two other Ugandan teachers who are not affected by the cenus, we will have to take over all the classes for all the senior secondary grades. But not only will we have to teach these classes (from who knows where the teachers have left off!) but the second week is exam week, and although the teachers are expected to have written their exams already, Meghan and I will most likely have to type, print, administer, and grade all the classes that we are taking over. But such happenings at AIC Luther Secondary School is only a fraction of the disorganization at the school. But one positive thing the school does have going for it, is the headmaster Job. He is a Kenyan missionary in Ikotos and is a godly, righteous man to help mend some of the injustices at the school.

Prayer Requests
1. Pray for Meghan and I in the next two weeks as our duties at the school just tripled in weight!
2. Thank God for the relief of rainy season.
3. Pray for Luther Secondary School in Ikotos, that the school system here will improved and that good, reputable, godly teachers will come to the school.

Kawaja! Kawaja!

2008-03-16T05:12:00.000-07:00

I am convinced that all African languages have one thing in common, and that is a word for "white person". In Nigeria it was "Oyeibo" or "Batura", in Uganda and Kenya it was "Mazungu" and now in Sudan I am innundated with "Kawaja! Kawaja!" whenever I leave my compound. This is especially difficult on my early morning runs as everyone wants to greet the "Kawaja" and stare at her "making exercise", because I am also expected to greet everyone back, which can be quite tiring while one is also trying to run! But many of my experiences in Nigeria have left me well prepared for life in rural Sudan. Not only am I a walking subject of amusement for the kids (and adults!), but I am already familar with the slow pace of African life. Nothing gets done fast or on time here.

After my first day in Ikotos, I had to catch a ride to Torit, a town about 3 hours to the north of Ikotos to get my SPLA (Sudanese Party Liberation Army) pass, which is like an immigration pass to live in Sudan. (It is not very hard to sneak into the country if one were to try!). Not only did we leave closer to 2:00 pm after being told we were leaving at 12:00, but we also had to drive around town looking for the engineer who was suppose to be traveling with us. When we found him we were told that he had been "busy resting" and was now eating lunch (since he had been sleeping while the others members of the NGO organization we were driving with had been eating). When we finally left, we tore down extremely horrible roads that had more like craters than what one might consider a pothole in the US. Yet this did not deter this driver's carelessness. Even the Sudanese passengers with us were making comments about the bad driver. Nonetheless, even with a pretty long stop in a town on the way to Torit for a small NGO meeting, a few stops along the way to get out and greet some "big men" in vehicles traveling the opposite way, and practically driving over villagers who loitered on the road by bohr holes collecting water, we made it to Torit still in about 3 hours!

Ikotos is a beautiful town and the drive to Torit is still quite breath-taking. The mountains and hills are crafted from massive boulders and rocks that would be any mountain climber's dream. Even more impressive are the Sudanese villagers that dwell in these mountains and hike down to get water and then back up balancing 20 L jerrycans on their heads! (Many villages moved to the mountains to hide during the war and are only now starting to descend back down.) One of the ladies in the car with me going to Torit said that the white marks on the mountains are trails that the villagers follow to get up and down, and some of these white marks look like they go clear off a cliff!

After returning from Torit, I have spent most of this week with a host family which has plunged me into the culture and language of a Sudanese family where not much English is spoken. Not to mention the interesting foods I have had to eat. The first night there, I was outside the compound playing soccer with some of the young boys. It was getting dark, near dinner time, and one of the ladies from the compound told me to come eat with her and her family. She put some asceda (a tastless, grainy, and extremely thick white starch made from flour and water) and soup onto a plate and gave it to me. A very strong fishy smell waffled up to my nose. I broke off a little piece of the asceda and dipped it into the soup which was slimmy and hung down from one's mouth as they ate. In the moonlight I got a glimpse of shinny fish like bodies and eyes in the soup. My stomach turned. Apparently small dried fish is a speciality to add to soups in Sudan. I managed to take a few bits of the dish before saying in my broked Arabic that it was too much food and I was full. Fortunately, that is a good excuse to use in Africa because they are quite keen on enormous portion sizes. However, much to my dismay, that soup was on the menu the next night too!

Even in my short time since I have been in Sudan, I have learned quite a bit about the present politics of the country. Sudan had been in a civil war for 22 years, fighting against the oppressive Northern Arabs that only want to enforce Muslim law, political and religious, on the whole country. Evenmore, they have suppressed and oppressed the Southern, black half of the country and exploited their natural resources (one of which is oil) so they could build and modernize the Northern half, while leaving the South in still a pretty primative lifestyle. Since the northern part of Sudan is mostly desert, the southern half actually has more resources that have left the country fighting. Momentarily Sudan is in somewhat of a truce with the North, where the president of the country is a Northern, but the vice-president is a Southern. On April 11 of this year, every Sudanese who has been displaced out of Sudan becasue of the war is suppose to return to his own village and a census will be taken of the people here (kinda like Bible times around Jesus' birth!). In the year 2011 everyone will vote whether the South should separate from the North or not. It is very common in Sudan right now to see alot of NGO (non-governemental organizations, such as the UN) vehicles and compounds (that is how I have internet access in Ikotos now!) that are all here to help build up the country. However, these elections that will take place won't necessarily promise peace, I have learned. Naturally the Southerns want to separate from the oppressive North and will most likely vote to become the "New Sudan", but problems may still occur. Currently the Sudanese Liberation Party Movement (which was formly the Sudanese Liberation Party Army), is the leading political party in the South, and since its previous name involved "army" it is basically a military political party, which is a receipe for corrupt power; particularly in Africa. Evenmore, not only would the miliatry have most of the power in Southern Sudan if it separated from the North, but as one teacher from my school told me, separation will now mean that the different tribes in the South will fight each other over power, resources, and everything else man fights over. Whereas before, when the country was together, the different tribes of the South were actually united, fighting the wicked North together; they would now become divided fighting over power in the new governement. Yet fighting is nothing new for Sudan, so people would not hesitate to fight as many of them have only know war.

This flighting attitude has pervaded so much of Sudanese lifestyle. Indeed I have already seen it in the school I teach at and in day to day life. Many Sudanese are used to living on refugee camps or having food distributed to them from NGO agencies, so they are not accustoming to working for their own food (Although this is not the case for everyone! The mother of my host family is a very hard working lady!). There is still a mentality of living for the day and not planning for tomorrow because who knows if you'll be alive tomorrow! Similarly in the schools, the Sudanese system is only just developing so the education system is quite poor. Sudents are often very old for their grade level and their system of learning is only to copy and memorize their notes, not to understand and apply the knowledge.

Yet still there is hope for the country. Not only are foreign agencies assisting Sudan, but even their brother countries in Uganda and Kenya have many people working in Sudan. Evenmore, the church of Jesus Christ is very much alive and active here, and even though the country has been ravaged by war there are still the amazing testimonies of so many Christian Sudanese people.

Prayer Requests:
1. Pray for the country of Sudan. For peace to occur with the future elections and for tribes to work towards reconcillation rather than their own gain.
2. Pray for the further educational and economic development of Sudan.
3. Pray for me as I continue to struggle to learn the language. I have my moments of insight which I praise God for!
4. Thank God for the relationships I have built already with my host family, the cooks at the school who love teaching me Arabic, and even the missionaries here.

Kampala, Uganda

2008-03-03T05:38:00.000-08:00

After a trip up to New York, orientation for a couple of days, befriending an Indian couple who invited me over to their house in India for a delicious curry meal (and actually gave me their curry dinner on the plane!), a 15 hour layover in London (which included me falling asleep on the floor of the British Museum with my bags tucked under my feet), and eventually getting off the ground in London to land in Entebbe, Uganda; I finally made it to Africa. Kai! After being away from Africa for so long (almost 4 years) I had forgotten how much I love Africa! However, this being Africa, upon my arrival here, I found out that my MAF flight to Ikotos, was canceled on Tuesday, so now I have to wait till Thursday to fly into Ikotos.

But I have been enjoying my time in Kampala. Kampala, for me, has a lot of the same feel as Jos, my home city in Nigeria, except bigger. The first day I got here I was surprisingly awake enough to go into town (despite my two nights of "sleeping" on the plane). Megan Nelson, the short term coordinator, took me to a traditional Ugandan restaurant where I got to sample some of the local cuisine. Uganda is no place for dieters who don't eat carbs! There were all of the following: matoke (a banana type fruit that is pounded into a very thick ball, just like pounded yam), white potatoes, sweet potatoes, cassava, boiled yams, rice, chapatis, pumpkin, beans, cabbage, and a groundnut stew that was poured over the starches. This is not a diet one can eat a lot of without feeling very full! After that meal we went to some craft shops in town, which would beat any craft or home decor store in America! Although I must say I am biased to African goods! And of course, before I left town that day I had to make sure I bought a couple mangoes, and nothing can beat a good African mango. I have been trying to get my fill of good pineapples, bananas, and mangoes before going to Ikotos because I have heard over and over again the food choices are lentils, beans, rice and beans, rice, lentils, and then there are some rice, lentils, and beans...not much fresh produce.

While I am in Kampala I have had some orientation to short term missions work; what is expected, what are AIM's goals, and making sure one's relationship with God is cultivated if one expects to minister Jesus to others. Oh, and did I forget to mention being pulled over by a police officer for running a redlight, just after the missionary I was driving with finished telling me that the lights in Kampala don't work :)! Naturally, the officer only wanted a bribe but not until he made us drive to the police station and told us we would have to leave our car there, get a receipt from the police station, and only after we paid the bank (which it being Sunday would have to wait till the banks were open on Monday) could we pick up our car and take it with us. However, Africans are relational people and after befriending the officer, talking to him in Swahili (the missionary is fluent in Swahili, French and Luganda the Ugandan language!) and asking for forgiveness, we got off free without having to pay a bribe or leave our car there overnight.

Of course I make time for some runs in the morning around a road outside of the guesthouse I am staying at. Unfortunately there are two problems to running here. One is, Kampala, being at a little bit of altitude, has left me huffing and puffing as if I had never run before. The second problem occurred when I asked the guesthouse keepers if I could run around here. Their reply, "Sure, but you need to run with the dogs. One on a leash and the other one following you." My heart sunk. I absolutely hate dogs. I almost considered not running. Needless to say, dogs know nothing about pace, and I definitely won the race of the day to who made it back to the compound first :)! Yet between running at altitude (I believe it is about 3600 feet) and pulling a dog on its leash through half of the run as it either wanted to bolt off one way or the other, I was quite spent at the end!

Prayer Requests: Some of you have requested I post prayer requests on this site and if you don't have time to read the entries you can just read the prayer requests and pray for me!
1. I am getting pretty excited to travel to Ikotos, but I realize and hear from a lot of missionaries that it is a tough place to live just with the temperature (easily reaching 40C), food, and other daily accommodation that make life easier in more westernized settings. So pray for my adjustments in daily life.
2. There are no written materials in the Juba Arabic language which they speak in Ikotos, so while I am in Kampala I have no way of getting a head start on all the learning I will have to be doing. So please pray for my brain to be like a sponge when I get there!
3. I have been having some trouble with my anti-malarial medication. Apparently, almost a week ago I didn't take my pill with enough water and it has irritated my chest/esophagus, which has made it particularly painful and uncomfortable to eat and swallow. So please pray for my chest to start feeling better and for my body to not react this way again, so I can keep taking my anti-malarial in Sudan.

Accomodations in Ikotos

2008-02-17T14:09:00.000-08:00

While I am in Sudan I will be sharing a "mud hut" with another short term missionary girl who has been teaching at the same school since the fall of last year. The following link is to her blogsite which has pictures of her home, giving an idea of the rural a setting of Ikotos.

http://sendmeghantoafrica.blogspot.com/2007/11/pictures-of-my-house.html

This link has picture of the secondary school I will be teaching at:

http://sendmeghantoafrica.blogspot.com/2007/10/aic-luther-secondary-schooll.html

Travel Preparations

2008-02-17T12:34:00.000-08:00

I am realizing, in my preparations for traveling to Africa for 3 months, that I don't actually know a whole lot about what is needed for daily life in Africa! Yes, I did grow up in Nigeria, but all I ever had to do was pack up my stuffed animals and running shorts into my alloted cardboard airline box that my dad distributed out and follow my parents onto the plane. Now on my own I am discovering that traveling to Africa involves alot more work and planning, such as doctor appointments, filling malaria prescriptions, getting vaccinations, aquiring passport photos, applying for visa applications, getting my finances in order, juggling what is neccessary and what is a luxuary while weighing luggage, and of course writing supporters!

Not to mention the emotional roller coaster of anticipating the unknown! Initially I was feeling alittle nervous about going to the "war-torn country of Sudan" - especially after being so well aware of the realities of violence in African countries including Nigeria. But God has mysteriously seemed to replace my anxities and doubts with peace and excitement. As I look at my travel "to do list" I have been amazed to see how God has bought everything together - even to the minute detail. Such provisions have proven evidence to me of God's blessing and hand in my endeavors to Sudan. And I am excited to see what God has instore for me in Ikotos.