Christiane In South Sudan

Marveling at the Timing of an All-Knowing God

2011-09-02T07:44:00.003-03:00

This morning in our team devotions (when we all gather first thing in the morning to read from God's Word and pray together before spreading out to our various ministries for the day), Vicki shared from Psalm 46. A few months ago, in June - just before the South's Independence - I too had shared from Psalm 46 in a morning devotion. Why is that significant? you might ask... well on BOTH occasions, without our previous knowledge, only an hour or two after our devotion time fighting broke out in ares just north and east of us. BOTH times. Let me share Psalm 46 with you:

1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should shake
And though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea;
3 Though its waters roar and foam,
Though the mountains quake at its swelling pride.

4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
The holy dwelling places of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved;
God will help her when morning dawns.
6 The nations made an uproar, the kingdoms tottered;
He raised His voice, the earth melted.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold.

8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,
Who has wrought desolations in the earth.
9 He makes wars to cease to the end of the earth;
He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;
He burns the chariots with fire.
10 “Be still and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
11 The LORD of hosts is with us;
The God of Jacob is our stronghold.

I would like to recount today's events so that you can praise with us, this God of Ours who sees, cares, intervenes, protects, and provides...

7:00-7:30 - team devotions
8:20 - phone call from James Hurun (my Mabaan Dad who is in Renk right now - to tell me that there was fighting in a place called Damazine - in the North, and north of Kurmuk which is about a 1/2 hour flight away from Doro).
8:30 - Nehemiah came to work and confirmed the above information. Vicki and I contacted our office in Nairobi to notify them, and that all was well in Doro.
8:30-9:30 - Christiane Checked email and an Antanov plane flew by (not over us, but close enough to hear it's unmistakable drone) and I updated my FB status with the Damazine News headline from the Sudan Tribune
9:40 - Nehemiah our compound manager came onto the compound looking for me to tell me that he'd just gotten off the phone with someone in Kurmuk who said that the Antanov had dropped bombs there.
9:50 - I contacted our director to give him this news and he then contacted our partners AIM Air to turn around a flight that had just picked up missionaries from 3 organizations in Kurmuk and Yabus to have them return and evacuate the rest of our Yabus personnel (Krumuk and Yabus are very close and often 'share' trouble when it comes).
10:00 - I am 1/2 way through my shower when the AIM Air flight flies overhead to land and re-fuel in Doro... I throw on some clothes and run to the air strip.
10:10 - I, unfortunately, am the first one to inform the people from Kurmuk that their area had been bomed MOMENTS after the flight took them out.
10:15-11:15 - a lot of phone calls and plans being made on the airstrip and discussions of the Lord's provisions. SUCH AS: our mobile networks here in our area have been so patchy and unreliable lately... but for the past 12 hours every text message sent by our friends in Kurmuk to their offices in Nairobi went and was replied to with NO problems - it's hard describe what a miracle this is. Also, they literally were in the air no more than 10 minutes before the Antanov flew over Kurmuk.
11:20 - Plane is unloaded of luggages and the pilots (and our team mate Ryan) fly BACK to Yabus to pick up 2 more SIM missionaries who were not planning on coming out today. We took the rest of our 'visitors' back to the compound to hydrate and feed them a little bit of food.
12:10 - the Plane returns to Doro to pick up original passengers and carry them safely on to Loki and then Nairobi. When the plane re-landed, we were informed that TEN MINUTES after the plane left Yabus the FIRST TIME a plane had flown over and sprayed (bullets) the airstrip. Our pilots were in contact with their base through the whole flight and were only ONE MINUTE on the ground in Yabus, to collect our 2 remaining SIM missionaries, before taking off again.
12:30 - a text back to our office in Nairobi to let our praying team mates there know that all were safe and headed their way, Praise the Lord.

**only a 1/2 hour later HUGE thunder heads rolled into the Doro/Yabus area and unloaded... which would have meant that plane would have been GROUNDED if the timing had been any different**

Another thing we are thankful for, is that, b/c of a bad infection I've had in my leg this past week, I've been here in Doro rather then in Gasmalla as I usually am. My being here today allowed me to be the one communicating with Nairobi, organizing things for our unexpected visitors, etc... allowing Vicki, our other base leadership member to carry on with her special ministry to our local 'Traditional Birth Attendants' that had been planned for today - and would have been delayed otherwise, with Vicki doing all of the above things that I was able to do in stead. Also, only just yesterday did we get more credit put on our Thuraya (Satelite phone) that we have on our base in order to communicate with Nairobi in case of emergencies... had Vicki not noticed we were out and had our office staff not acted quickly to get us more yesterday before our office closed, we would not have been able to communicate with Nairobi during this whole ordeal.

With all this being said, and the evidence of the Lord's Goodness to us and in our circumstances here, we still recognize that for so many of the Sudanese people living in Damazine, Kurmuk, and Yabus the situation feels very different... No airlift is coming for them, they are hiding in the bushes with no belongings and are worried about their children and what has become of their homes. Somehow, the Lord is NO LESS GOOD in their situations, yet it is different. Please join us in the 'prayer battle' for these countries and for the lives of the Sudanese, and South Sudanese in these areas. Please also pray for our friends who are thankful for their safely yet having to deal with the guilt of being safe while people they love are hiding in the bushes... I have no wisdom to give them, no way of understanding even... but I do know "The Lord of hosts is WITH US, the God of Jacob is our STRONGHOLD".

Announcing the New Republic of South Sudan!!

2011-07-11T15:09:00.006-03:00

After decades of fighting for freedom the citizens of South Sudan PROUDLY stand together with heads held high and hearts full of hope as this past Saturday - July 9th, 2011 - they watched, in unity, the 'old' country flag of Sudan be removed from it's perch on the pole and their new country's flag - the flag which started as a symbol of a 'rebel uprising' - was hoisted high and given it's new position of authority over this now independent nation: the Republic of South Sudan!

It's been an extremely exciting weekend here in Doro as we, along with around 50 thousand Mabaan friends, and a smattering of those from other tribes as well gathered in our town 'square' (the football field) to dance and sing and celebrate the birth of the new country!

The 'buzz' in the air was contagious and not one heart was left un-stirred as friends and 'family' danced and cried for joy as the memories of their loved ones long gone, either in death or displacement to far off countries are no longer 'in vain'... what was fought with blood, sweat, and tears, is STILL (3 days later) being reaped in South Sudan with sounds of JOY...

The New South Sudan is in great need of your ongoing prayers, as in so many ways, we've only reached the base of the mountain... Building up a brand new country with strong foundations and lack of corruption is extremely difficult, and the challenges facing South Sudan at this time are enormous. We are so excited, humanly speaking, for this monumental occasion, yet we know that the people of South Sudan can REALLY only experience TRUE FREEDOM and have TRUE HOPE through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Join us in praying for the leaders of this New Nation and for the Church in this Nation... that the foundations being build here would be in the LORD and that the people's hope and trust would not be miss-placed or miss-guided... Pray that the Believers here in this country would themselves know and understand Jesus more and more, and in so doing, turn others toward the true Savior of their Land.

Tears Don't Translate

2011-05-05T05:33:00.002-03:00

Sunday morning I woke up from a deep but short sleep in my new mud & grass house in Gasmalla... The day was new and full of promise and the village outside was alive and bustling.

I had not gotten much more accomplished than getting dressed, eating a little breakfast, and washing my face before I saw my friend Baria headed pointedly toward my house with something in hand... I re-arranged my chair and stool and when she came in I told her to sit – happy, because this was her first visit to my new little house! But, there was something wrong, I could see it on her face – she was serious and had come for something specific... in her hand she was holding the pictures I had given out yesterday from those I had gotten developed during my last time in Nairobi...

I knew almost instantly what was wrong.

“Katta” she started... “I have come to speak with you about these pictures... There is a problem. Look at this picture, is it good?” I remained silent because in my mind, it was a very wonderful picture – of her son and another little boy – the clarity of the photo and their smiles make it actually one of my very favorite that I’ve taken recently... but I knew she was not thinking the same as me. “Katta, look at Samson’s nose... why did you take this picture – it looks like he has no mother. It makes my heart very angry because everyone saw this picture and laughed... to Mabaan, it looks like he has no mother that cares for him, if he’s running around with a runny nose...” My heart was breaking... “ Oh Baria” I said, “people don’t think that... I’m so sorry, you are a wonderful mother.” “Katta this made me angry and I wanted to come and talk to you about it, because you are part of us. When the children come and want you to take their picture and you see this, please, tell them to wipe their noses! When people from your country see this picture they will laugh – what will they think of us?” “Oh Baria, children are like this all over the world – people in my country will not laugh... but you are right. I did not think, when I took this picture. Please forgive me, next time I will do better.”

After this interaction I sat in my little house, tears streaming down my face... but not for the reason you might think. Sure, my heart was heavy because I’d caused my friend pain and a restless night, sure I was ashamed and wondering if everyone in the village thought I had done something wrong by taking this picture... But mostly my heart was blessed. Moments like this I swear it’s like someone has ‘stirred up’ the nearby pot of Eternity and it’s fragrance is released on the wind for a few seconds... you get a glimpse of what is yet to come b/c moments like this I am sure bless the Lord’s heart when His children work out what it means to follow Him well... I do not know if the reasons in Baria’s heart for coming to me were out of Biblical motivation – probably not (since Scripture is not well known to her or any of the women yet), but the truth of it is, what she did was entirely Biblical, and such a blessing to my heart. To think that our relationship was strong enough that she would choose to come to me, to confront me even, and to do it just the two of us (she didn’t bring anyone to translate) made me so proud and humbled me completely. I so love these women – well the whole village really – but they are just so special, and I would hate to do anything to hurt them... But how beautiful is it, truly, when something unfortunate and accidental does occur , that someone can come directly to you and deal with it... Oh, what a blessing to my heart – would that this would happen in all cultures, in all churches, amongst us all in the Body of Christ.

I sat there contemplating all these things and feeling the depth of the immense privilege it is to live and serve the Lord among these people, tears coursing down my face, and I realized that Ama – my Mabaan mom, was now headed pointedly toward my house... and she wasn’t smiling either... Oh oh...

I wiped my face quickly because I knew that she’d be worried if she saw tears and welcomed my second visitor of the morning! Ama had no more than sat down before spouting, “Katta Baria is not good – she should not have come to you like that... You have done nothing wrong. What did she say to you?” I told Ama that I thought Baria’s words were very good – I told her what she said, and then asked her why it was bad that she came to me? “Katta the children come to you all the time for you to take their picture... they’re always dirty and have runny noses... what are you supposed to do, sent them home to get clean before you take their picture!? Baria should not be upset with you... children are like this and your pictures are good...” At this point – my already mushy heart started feeling especially tender towards this women, who, in all honestly I don’t often connect with, was coming to my defence and being very protective of me... tears were threatening (yet again) and I was desperately trying to keep them at bay... “Katta you are here with us under me, and under James – I am your mother, and he your father... if you did something not good we would tell you. She cannot come to you like this – you are part of us. Do not worry Katta, James is coming home tonight (he was on trip to a village church a 6 hour walk away) and we’ll fix this then... Katta – don’t cry! You can’t cry like this... See? Her words were not good – you are crying – ahhhhh, Katta.” As you can tell, the tap was already on, and I couldn’t stop it. :) The other thing I couldn’t do was explain that I was actually crying because I was feeling so entirely loved and cared for that my heart was overflowing... I was a little hurting because I was causing the village grief and tension, but mostly I was just mushy – but I couldn’t explain it! I just kept saying, “Ama, I’m ok – her words were not bad, they were true... really I’m ok, don’t worry about my tears, I’m fine.”

Ama left with a rather distraught look on her face and marched over to my neighbour's house, Tia and Yohanna – who were working outside... from inside my house I could sense what was about to occur and started giggling because I knew that the whole scenario was unavoidable at this point.... “Baria went to Katta and said bad words and now she is crying inside her house!” Oh no... :)

I wiped off my face with a cold cloth and tried to remove the evidence before more drama evolved and decided to go sit outside and read my Bible so people wouldn’t think I was in a heap in my house! But Ama re-appeared... “Katta, give me your bucket and let me go fetch you water for a bath...” “No, Ama, I’m ok – I just showered last night, I’m clean!” “Ah, Katta, your crying and my heart is not feeling good because of it” – I had never seen this look on Ama’s face before... she didn’t know what to do with me and her first reaction was to serve me and try to make the whole situation better... I had so much love in my heart for this lady at this moment – I had no idea she cared so much... she is not an easy lady to read...

So, I perched myself on my little Mabaan stool just outside my house door, took a deep breath to clear my head and opened up my Bible... Within seconds my good friend Joseph had walked over from his house and sad down... “Katta, I heard you were upset, what did Baria say...?” (Joseph is one of our CHW’s working with the Water Project, speaks English, and is very much like a brother to me here in Sudan). Joseph and I weren’t talking long before two of my uncles, the church elders, were on their way over... Joseph gave up his seat for Daaud, and Yohanna plunked himself down on the dirt (this in itself was an act or demonstration of love because unless there is a mat or unless they are in their fields working – I’ve never seen a man sit straight on the ground – clearly Yohanna thought this situation serious enough to not worry about a chair at all). Daaud started “Katta, Baria came to you, and we are not happy – what did she say?” I endeavoured to explain yet again that her words were not bad and that I was very happy she had come to me with the problem... “but Katta, for us, she should not have done this thing... you bring wonderful pictures to us – you take them of our children, go to Nairobi and spend money to bring them back to us... this is a good thing... she is upset because we laughed at the picture – the fault is not yours but ours. Katta, we don’t want you feeling bad like this, you’ve done nothing wrong. We want you to sit well among us...” I just couldn’t handle all the love and affection – of course, tears spilled over yet again (Katta get a grip!!!)...

I managed to keep myself together through church (it was just one of those days that a good song could have set me crying again and then I’d have the whole church worried!!), and by the afternoon was convinced that my tears had dried up (probably had something to do with the 110F degree weather and my dehydration level :) ). I was sitting under a tree with Ama (who was washing clothes) and Falita, when Baria came over and brought all the fixin’s for making coffee... I was wondering if she felt the need to give out a peace offering since clearly most of the village had disagreed with her and was miffed... I made the conscious decision to move my stool over and start helping Baria with the coffee making process... once the beans were roasted and cooled, I picked up the pestle and mortar and started to grind the beans. Baria and I continued to make coffee together for all the ladies, and it was lovely. I wanted everyone to see (by now surely EVERYONE knew what had happened in the morning – for NOTHING is a secret in the village :)) that Baria and I were ok – our relationship had not been affected – she had forgiven me for causing her heart grief, and I was not upset or hurting because she came to me and expressed herself. I have no idea if any of the ladies noticed or if they realized that I was trying to make a point, and was being intentional at reaching out and bridging the gap... But I pray they could smell that sweet aroma of Eternity being stirred up for a brief moment, as the Kingdom of Heaven grew in my heart, and I pray, in their hearts as well...

... but in case you ever wondered... tears do not translate :)

Blind... but still seeing

2011-03-24T15:50:00.007-03:00

I have a friend named Saphia. Saphia is blind, and has been for a long time. I met Saphia WAY back at the beginning when I started living in Gasmalla. She is old (for rural Africa), in her 60’s, and is the aunt of my Mabaan Dad, James... which technically makes her my great aunt.

I have had many humorous interactions with Saphia over the 2+ years that I have known her... one of my favourites being a day I came to visit her before I left for my usual two weeks in Nairobi. She’d asked if I brought her coffee and sugar, which of course I hadn’t, and we were laughing at that while I was trying to explain to her that I would be gone for 2 weeks, and then would be coming back. “Where are you going? To your country?” “No, no, just to Nairobi, I’ll be back soon” “oh Good!!”, she said while her hands moved over my shoulders as if looking for something... Soon she found what she was looking for, as she tucked a finger under my shirt collar, pulled back, and then released what her unseeing eyes had sought. Ouch. Saphia had found my bra strap, and exclaimed “Katta!! I want one of THOSE!! When you come back from Nairobi bring me one of those!!” :) How can you not love someone like Saphia?

The other day I was over across the river for a wedding; I’d walked over with a number of our Gasmalla church ladies. The wedding was for a young man, a relative of James and Ama’s, who is a soldier and well known in the community. There must have been over 400 people gathered for this celebration. We, being ‘church people’, were tucked off to the side – rather separate from the actual celebration, which includes copious amounts of locally brewed wine, and much dancing of the women – most of whom have greatly enjoyed the wine! This wedding also had a number of soldiers in attendance, and as usual, there were groups gathered and scattered under various trees throughout the whole village; segmented by age, station, gender, etc... We must of have been the ‘church group’ (felt a little like my high school days). I’m still trying to decipher how ‘we’ feel about such social events, and if we are separate by choice, or by accident, or by conviction... the jury is still out. At any rate, another topic for another day!

Anyway! We were sitting and enjoying tea and a little girl appeared and sat with us for a while. But, she kept starting at me – not being entirely sure why, I just smiled back and tried to ignore her. Eventually, she found her voice and said, “S-a-p-h-i-a...” She said it so slowly that I thought she was trying to tell me her name, so I said, “oh! Your name if Saphia?” “No, Saphia greets you!” By now, a few of the ladies had realized this little girl was trying to communicate with me and, leaving their conversation, turned to hear what she was saying... “Ah Saphia! Your friend, Katta!” I guess Saphia was AT the wedding, and somehow heard that I was there (news travels fast through 400 people when an unexpected khawaja shows up at a wedding!) and she’d sent this little mite to greet me on her behalf... so sweet!

So Rahilla, one of my Gasmalla ladies said she’d take me over to greet Saphia myself – so off we went! We worked our way through crowds of dancers, drinkers, and children and finally found Saphia sitting under a tree. “Saphia!! It’s me Katta! How are you?” “AHHHHH!! Katta!!!” What followed was a rather loud and exciting set of interactions between us with multiple hugs thrown in. No sooner did we have our greeting out of the way than Saphia looped my arm around her neck and declared, for the 50+ people watching our scene, “We’re going dancing!!” So, off we trotted – Saphia singing out a tune I didn’t know, with us shuffling our feet to the same rhythm, and slowly but surely working our way down the path, to the delight and entertainment of many wedding guests... there goes a khawaja dancing with a blind lady!! Something memorable indeed.

When we worked our way back to the bed she’d been sitting on, we collapsed, giggling – both, I’m sure, for quite different reasons :) Then, turning her body towards me, her eyes drifting off somewhere over my right shoulder, she says to me with a big smile on her face, “Ah Katta! ‘Ya ningu bongiti!” (literally: Katta, my eyes are exhausted for you!)

*I need to insert, at this point in the story, an explanation of this Mabaan phrase. When a Mabaan wants to say that you are missed, or will be missed, or were missed, the way they express it is this; ‘my eyes are exhausted or ‘out of breath’ for you!’ The meaning being, that their eyes were so busy searching the horizon for your return that they are winded from the work of looking for you! Thus, you are missed! Is that not just the most wonderful way to say that!?*

So, as Saphia says to me, ‘Katta my eyes have been exhausted for you!,’ the irony of that phrase against her physical situation hit me like a ton of bricks. My thought was, Saphia, your eyes are exhausted for more than just ME... it’s been YEARS since you’ve seen anything! Of course the phase of saying you’ve missed someone would be the same, whether you can physically see or not, but it struck me full force that this blind women would say how tired her eyes had been, implying that they also were no longer tired b/c now she’d ‘seen’ me...

I recovered from my attempt to adjust my brain to this linguistic reality, and was able to reply that my eyes also have been exhausted for her, but felt a twinge of ... was it guilt?... that my eyes are healthy and seeing.

I’ve been mulling over all this for the past few days, and then just this morning I starting thinking about the spiritual analogies found here, with my dear friend Saphia...

No matter who we are in this world – no matter what our color, gender, status, or belief – we are all in search of something... in fact, when you get right down to it, we’re all in search of the same something. Because we were created in the Image of the One who created us, I believe we are all longing for our reunion with Him... because our soul knows, that only then, will we be fully Whole, fully ‘realized’, even by ourselves... because apart from Him, something is always missing...

Whether or not we’d like to admit it, our eyes are totally winded because of this Something we are looking for... Sure we can distract ourselves for a while, but usually, when we’re alone, looking out over the ocean, or a field, or a landscape full of mountains, we recognize that cry within our hearts... that familiar one we try to ignore because we’re not quite sure what to do with it... that ‘looking’ for Something more... SomeOne...

Even as a Christian, as someone trying to fashion my life and person after Jesus, this ‘looking’ is in me too... but I know it to be a ‘looking’ for more of HIM. Though I know the Truth, and am assured that I will one sweet day be with HIM, here on this earth, that knowledge alone is not entirely satisfying, because still my eyes – both physical and spiritual, long to SEE His face, to be 100% in His Presence.

For Saphia, even in her blindness, she can ‘see’ – her longing to ‘see’ me was satisfied by just being with me... it was satisfied, but not complete, for she didn’t truly see me.

This IS the message of the Gospel is it not? – that God came down to us, to step into that gap that lays between Him and us, because of our sin, for the purpose of re-uniting us to Himself. Because of our human limitations and the ongoing reality of our sin – though it’s been dealt with – we are unable to fully be present with Him here on this earth, and so, even as Believers, our hearts long to be present with Him completely... Being finally complete ourselves; understanding fully His love for us, His forgiveness of us, understanding HIM, and being utterly swept up in amazement of Who our God is... THIS is the Gospel; that this reunion has been made possible, by the One who made us...

One day, Saphia will fully see. One day I will fully see.

Until that day... ‘Ya ningu bonge Yaccuti.

A Sense of Something Greater

2011-02-12T16:51:00.003-04:00

Ok, so MONTHS ago I told you I would fill you in on how our Thomaji Outreaches got started every Wednesday... Below you will find the very long, but very worthwhile story explaining it all :) Please read it, as it was the thing that kept me going for 8 months in the clinic, and something I STILL feel was the start of something still to come... simply, just one of those things were you get a sense that you're a part of something much greater than what you know in that moment...

(this is the email I sent to a select few right when it all happened... with a few edits here and there :P )

Hey to all my loves ones :) February 11th, 2010

Today was one of those days where, while showering off the layers of salt and dirt from myself, a smile creeps onto my face and I ask myself, in all seriousness, does ANYONE on this earth live as an amazing life as I am getting to out here...?! Now, I realize that 'amazing' is totally subjective and that bicycling 4 hours in on very bumpy bush paths, getting cuts and scrapes, and hiking your skirt up so you can cross a river, while gradually getting more and more dehydrated, isn't everyone's idea of an awesome day, but it's pretty much tops for me - these reasons plus many more meaningful ones :)

So, to fill you in - while I am working in the clinic these next number of months, I am, by the sheer Grace and Sovereignty of God, getting to do some of those things that I've been dreaming about, at the village level... There is so much to this story, but for now all you need to know is that every Wednesday I get to take 2 of our CHW's from the clinic and travel out to a village far away (a huge village... 4000ppl, on the other side of the river across from Gasmala) called Thomaji. Our purpose in going is to do Growth monitoring of children under 5, and pregnancy screening - for starters anyway. I had been over to Thomaji a few times in the last year and the needs on that side of the river are a stark contrast to what seems like almost 'urban' Doro in comparison (this place really does have 'the ends of the earth' within it's boarders!) Anyway, so a few weeks ago when Sandy and I started taking about this Wednesday outreach thing, the first village that came to mind was Thomaji...

So, today we went out there for the first time - I contacted the wonderful Pastor Daniel out there to have him gather all the chiefs and leaders b/c we wanted to discuss health things with them. I've been dwelling extra on this for a whole week - feeling extremely insignificant, crazy intimidated, and ridiculously honored to have this opportunity. I mean seriously, who gets to sit in a meeting with like 10 elders of a crazy rural village in SUDAN and make plans with them about improving the lives of their villagers!? Why doesn't EVERONE want this 'job' :)? I hardly slept last night b/c I was so amped and going over and over our conversation (in advance)... trying to think about what they would think of our proposed outreach, what their possible qualms might be, everything...

The Lord is so good. Seriously, He was preparing me for this meeting today. I had this odd feeling I couldn't put my finger on - not just nerves, but that somehow this meeting wouldn't be as straightforward, 'gee that sounds great thanks for coming!' as one might like or expect, given our context... Anyway, while I was prep-ing yesterday I felt strongly that I need to communicate that We (the clinic/SIM) care a lot for their villages and people, and that even though they are so far away from the clinic, we want to help them have and attain good health (among other things!) I soon found out why the Lord had me lead off with that assurance of our hearts for them...

So, it turns out that the people of Thomaji essentially feel "forgotten". You see, they live a good 2-4 hours way from Doro (clinic) and Bunj (market) (it's a huge hunk of land, Thomaji), and all the NGO's and people that have come to help the Mabaan people, none of them cross the river... Thomaji has seen very very little movement in the progression of their lives since returning from the war. They have almost given up and are now very skeptical of anyone who says they want to help... Apparently many have come to say that they would help, but they never come back and nothing changes, no improvements are made. This one, very ballsy chief (who I REALLY like), looked right at me and said, "Really, even though you've come all this way to meet with us, I am thinking that you've only come to exchange words, you aren't actually going to help us or give us medications..." Woof. Ok Lord, so how the heck do I give an answer that doesn't promise something I can't keep, but still instills hope without sounding false and empty?? *deep breath!*

Part of our goal in going out there today was to find out from them what concerns they have for their people - what are their issues as they see them? So, in order to get discussion going we told this story about a village that was pretty much over-run with lions. These lions would come into the village every night, wounding and killing people. Many had died. So the villagers tried to figure out what they could do to solve the problem of the lions... Well, they would build a hospital so that those wounded would get treatment... they did that, but the lions kept attacking - so that wasn't the solution... So, next they built a huge fence around their village - so tall that the lions couldn't jump or climb over it and they put big heavy doors at the entrance that the people would go in and out off.... and that solved the problem of attacks during the night, but this one lady, when she took her two children out to her field was attacked and the lions ran off with her little baby... The problem of the lions was still there... what would they do? The village decided that they need to train some of their young men to hunt and kill the lions. So, when they were ready the men left to track down the lions... two of the men died and a few were wounded, but eventually the men came back victorious b/c they had killed the last lion. This was how they solved the problem of lions...

-So, following a more elaborate telling of that story, we asked these leaders what their "lions" are - what were their big issues that needed attacking b/c they were hurting their people...? This was a huge discussion and there's no way I can tell you all that they said, but, they did say some predictable things like "we need more clean water - our people are drinking from the river" (you should see this river, it's like chocolate milk), "we need a clinic - this is our first priority" (of course it is, and they are absolutely right, they DO need a clinic), etc... But, one of the most heart wrenching responses was from a man who addressed me by name when we came to join the meeting (I have no idea how he knows me, I don't recall his face, but that probably made his words tug at my heart even more). He said, "Katta, we thank you for coming, it's good really. And I like this story about lions very much - it is very applicable for us as we have many lions. But, we will be killed completely by our lions - they are too many, and we have no way to fight them. Our Lions are going to kill us before we can kill them." Holy moly - are YOU crying b/c I sure was... (and dang I was trying not too!) How in the face of that hopelessness can I offer our little "under 5 clinics" every Wednesday and think that they should be excited about it...? I felt like I was sitting before a man who was absolutely starving and I hand him one little peanut and then look eagerly at his face waiting for his gratitude. Seriously. Get real.

But, as we know, SO much, the Lord is SO good, and He gave me, multiple times, just the right (I think) words to respond to them. It's SO hard, man, I can hardly explain it to you, to offer what, in their eyes seems like so little... but it WILL make a difference and it IS a start. I told them that I agree with them, they do need a clinic... and as we know things like that take much time... but, I assured them we were on that road with them... this (monitoring the children) is the first step. I said, "when you want to build a house, before you can build upwards, you need to first dig holes in the ground - you go down before you go up..." Such is it with this - even though their ultimate goal is a clinic, these are the first steps... Amazingly, they seemed ok with this. Even though my ballsy opinionated Chief said "I still think you won't show up next week... but it's a good idea" :) He also asked, rather forcefully, "We are all sick, why are you starting with the children!? What about us!?" ... To which I took a deep breath, prayed, and said... "if we don't start with the children but start with you, there will be no one alive in Thomaji tomorrow... We need to start with the children to make sure that Thomaji people are still living here in years to come. If we start with the adults only, you will all die" (man, it sounds really sinister all typed out, but it wasn't said like that... the Lord put the words in my mouth so well that Daniel could hardly wait to do the translation - and it made my cynical ballsy chief laugh :) Then he said, "ok, ok... start with the children" :)

So... NOW do you think I had an awesome day?? There is SO much more I could tell you - but, I have a splitting headache and my bed is calling my name! But PLEASE... PLEASE keep praying for us every Wednesday... I feel like we are walking a very fine line in order to gain the trust of some of these men. I need SO much Wisdom from the Lord and Discernment of the Spirit on what and when to say things. I also need SO much energy to do this - it's REALLY far from Doro and the work out there is going to be incredibly exhausting (plus the weight of responsibility for the 2 CHW's I take out there). BUT, I AM CONFIDENT OF THIS... the Lord is ALL OVER IT.. it was HIS idea, and HE has NOT forgotten these people (as I told them repeatedly today). HE will give us what we need to accomplish what HE has set out to do - and amazingly enough, He's letting us be apart of it... is there seriously anything better in this whole world then knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord is working and wanting you to join in?? Woof! :)

Ok you guys... I love you - thanks SO much for praying about today - and thanks in advance for praying about EVERY Wednesday! :) I'll try to keep you posted. I'm really excited about visiting that one Chief's village - that will be two weeks from now :) hehe... over time, I pray he trusts us... but more than that, I pray he learns to put is trust in Jesus. Pray for us, pray for them. Thanks you guys. Feel free to pass this email along to others.

An exhausted but very contented, Chris xoxo

**It's important for you to know that this Chief and I are now very good friends :) His name is Binge Loude, and when we arrived in his village for our first week, he came over to our group to greet us, looked right at me & stuck out his hand... "You CAME"... "Yes, we CAME". This exchange IS part of a typical Mabaan greeting, but for both of us this day, it had a double meaning :) Please continue to pray for this man... I'm anxious to have more stories to post about him in the future :)

****Congratulations... you made it to the end****

here it is... finally!

2011-02-09T18:34:00.001-04:00

farwell to another year

2010-12-31T02:21:00.009-04:00

Well... I cheated and am posting this much beyond when the date claims! (my OCD wins again... I wanted one more post in 2010!!)

I realize how desperately far behind I am in my blogging... I`m so sorry. But, thank you for continuing to come here and check to see if I`ve posted anything new... your faithfulness blesses me :)

I will attempt to post today, the video I have played for churches and friends all across Canada. It is a great collage of pictures from my first two years of living and ministering in Sudan - from my time of Language learning, to working in the clinic - it`s all there... briefly :)

There are so many things I wish I`d written about over the past few months... some of which I will try to do during the next few weeks, as some stories and things just really need to be recorded on something permanent... until I write my book that is :P just kidding. Sitting here right now and looking back, I find it rather fascinating how much I just couldn`t bring myself to blog or post pictures on Facebook just after I left Sudan. Somehow posting about it would have forced me to re-live the pain of leaving, and I just couldn`t bring myself to do it. But, sitting back on this continent again, with my people just a little bit closer, geographically, and talk in the air of when we`ll be able to return to Sudan... my thoughts constantly travel back to my final days there... and there is so much for you to hear about.

I`ll do my best! But, in the mean time - enjoy these beautiful faces!

By Faith

2010-08-08T14:59:00.005-03:00

It's no accident that this morning's message in Gasmalla, was on Hebrews 11... the Hall of Faith chapter. Although I could follow along with the Scripture reading, and SOME of what Yohanna said, his point was this... "By Faith all these lived and served God... and this is the sort of Faith that God wants from us..." I have to say, I didn't think too much about this message after the service, but carried on to have a great time with my lovely friends out there...

Then this evening, during our Khawaja Sunday service at the compound - it was no accident - that Rob chose to take us on a 'path of remembrance' for those missionaries who served and died here in the 40's...

By Faith, two couples and one single nurse started out to this isolated land on donkey back, to bring the Gospel to the Mabaan people. By Faith they served here for 3 years (or less for a few), learning language and falling in love with the people. By Faith they stayed although danger was not far off. By Faith they looked danger in the face, and By Faith, the Lord chose to allow that danger to take their lives. By Faith the team of four remaining, buried one of their own on August 23rd, and then his wife the next morning. By Faith the rest stayed on, continuing to give of themselves and serve the Lord their God, by serving His people.

By Faith, all these served and pressed on, believing their labors were not in vain... And, it's with this cloud of witnesses who've gone before that there are those today, who By Faith, continue to serve the Lord by serving His people here in Mabaan. Because of the Faith of those who've gone before, we have the opportunity to have Faith and Vision for today - because of the seeds these Faithful planted, we continue to sow and reap today.

By Faith (some days more than others) we serve here now, choosing to believe that our labor is not in vain (some days this is easier to believe than others)... and By Faith we believe that the Lord, knowing the 'big picture' knows what this tilled ground will look like another 70 years from now. Will the memorial cemetery, where these Faithful lay, have more added? Will this country see yet another war and more destruction? Will the Mabaan church continue to struggle or will it flourish? Will one day... the cloud of witnesses be added too with Faithful from within the Mabaan who go out to serve By Faith, to bring the Gospel to another tribe who has yet to hear?

By Faith we believe. By Faith we walk forward. By Faith we serve. By Faith alone we bring Him Glory.

According to Kev

2010-07-31T17:12:00.003-03:00

Today I thought it would be good to give you a bit of an insight into my everyday life, so you can understand a little of what it is like for me living my life as a superhero nurse in deepest darkest Africa. So, here is a day in the life of Christiane Fox.

6:45am: We have to get up stinking early for team devotions. Well I say we, I never actually go unless I’m leading it. Instead, I sleep in until as late as possible, before going for a freezing cold shower to wake me up. After my shower I head to the dining room to find out what the banter is with my colleagues, and encourage them with a bit of dry sarcasm.

7:45am: Time to head to the clinic for work, so we all (me and my fellow superhero nurses) clamber on to our trusty steed, a Honda trx quad bike 350cc (I’ve got an eye for mechanical detail) and make the 3 minute 45 second journey to the clinic. Although I call it a clinic, the place we work is nothing at all like what you are probably imagining. It’s more of a bombed out shell of a building that smells really bad and doesn’t have proper doors or windows. Here is a picture of the scene that awaits us most mornings:

8:00am: Now it’s time for devotions with the clinic staff (a bunch of Sudanese guys of around my age). At the moment we’re reading through Joshua, I don’t know whose bright idea that was but it’s given us ample chance to discuss circumcision together...what better way to start the day.

8:20am: Time to go out and face the masses (see photo above). Now you might have thought that all these people would be super appreciative that we are here making every effort to attend to their various ailments. Well sometimes they aren’t. We routinely get more people than we can see in a day and have to turn the excess away. Generally, they aren’t happy about this, particularly if they’ve travelled from a long way away, but that’s life.

8:30-11ish: Having upset all the people we’ve turned away and handed out numbers to all those who we will see (kinda like when you’re waiting to pick up the stuff you’ve bought from Argos), it’s time to get down to the serious business of seeing patients with interesting, odorous and occasionally downright disgusting infirmities, and helping our CHW’s do likewise.

11ish time for tea and seriously tasty mandazis. Good times.
11:30-2pm: More clinic craziness. On a good day I’ll get the chance to drive back to the compound to pick up some item of questionable importance. Gives a break from the intensity of seeing patients all day. Sometimes, we get to see some outrageously disgusting stuff, the kind of thing that would make you throw up your dinner. Sometimes we see so many patients I think I might go crazy. Sometimes we see children who are almost certainly going to die. It’s a wonderful world.

2-3pm: Lunch time...

3-6ish??: More patient madness. Sometimes people turn up late afternoon expecting to be seen. Unless they are dying it’s not going to happen...
After clinic finishes it’s time for an evening of fun filled banter. Kicked off with the challenge of cooking over a charcoal fire. Sometimes some of my good friends on the compound will offer to cook for me, although this arrangement is not without it’s problems. They like to debrief about the day and share ‘highlights’, but what if your day didn’t have any highlights..?

After dinner it’s internet time for a while, and then off to bed. If I’m on call, I might get the chance to take a late night trip up to the clinic to save the day once more. On a really good day I’ll get to wake one of my colleagues to come and help me. That is one of my favourite late night activities...

And that’s it, a day in the life of me, and a marked change in tone and language from my previous posts...I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you interested.

(can you tell?? I've suddenly picked up a Scottish accent ;)

Rhoda

2010-06-26T15:43:00.006-03:00

One day every week, we nurses at the clinic are given a 'ministry day' - a day 'off' from the clinic, but with the intention of making the most of the day by getting involved in some other ministry outside the clinic walls. For the past few months, I haven't taken full advantage of this day. After eating some humble pie from a co-worker encouraging me to get my rear in gear, I am finally using this day to do something that I feel is totally valuable, and bringing much Joy to my heart :)

Please met my friend Rhoda :) Rhoda is a wonderful lady, mother of one little boy named Marcus and is currently expecting another (hopefully before I leave for home in August!!), and wife of a fabulous man, named Bulus who used to translate for us at the clinic, but is currently going to secondary school in Yabus.

Rhoda is a lady who is full of joy, always ready for a good joke or laugh, a hard worker (works at the clinic for a few hours 3 days a week keeping it clean - quite a task!), and is very generous... Just before I left for Nairobi two weeks ago, she gave me and Amy (clinic co-hort) a pair of earrings each, directly from her ears to ours :) Rhoda is a wonderful lady.

Rhoda, like most Mabaan women, cannot read. Bulus tells me that she did go to primary school in the refugee camp, but didn't complete her 3rd grade. So... a few weeks ago, Rhoda and I talked about it, and decided that every tuesday, I'd go over to her house, and we'd "do books" together... by the Grace of God Rhoda is learning to READ!!

It's rather amazing to sit with a grown woman, who, although she is younger than I, is so much farther ahead in life, and watch her eyes and lips struggle to identify the letter in front of her. I can hardly tell you how much joy we BOTH get when a letter that she finds particularly hard to remember just comes and clicks into place! We both laugh and grab each other's hands as if we're 5 years old, and then she'll flip the page, grow serious again, and try to remember the next one.

We're only a few weeks in, but she is already improving. In spite of my lack of Mabaan to explain things, and my inexperience at teaching anyone to read English, let alone Mabaan, she is a great student and dearly wants to know how to "do books" :) Please pray for me, as I teach and for Rhoda as she tries to 'study' and run a house as a single mom, with Bulus 3 hours away. It so tugs at my heart that so many women with SO much potential for SO many things, are, day in and day out, doing many things of importance for their families, but with a quiet & deep desire to learn and know, and READ... but have no opportunities to do so. I also pray that this is just the start of something... I pray for more opportunities in the future to give time and energy to wonderful women like Rhoda, with the vision that one day, they can pick up a Bible for themselves, read Jesus words, and be transformed by His truth on their own.

The girls that I work with in the clinic told me the other day, that Rhoda is the Mabaan equivalent of me... I'm not exactly sure that I agree, but I do take it as a great compliment... Rhoda is spunky and has attitude... perhaps therein lies the similarity :)
The day before I flew out I was over at Rhoda's for another lesson, and this time brought my camera. After I took the above picture of the two of us she said to me, "Katta, now take a picture of me with the book, and tell everyone at your home that I am learning to read!" :)

This is my friend Rhoda. And SHE is learning to R-E-A-D. :)

A good day to be me :)

2010-05-26T14:17:00.004-03:00

Today was wonderful. And honestly, there haven't been too many days lately that could be qualified as "wonderful". :)

Today, was a Thomaji day (and I realize that I haven't given you a lot of information about Thomaji - I'll post my original info about Thomaji when I get to Nairobi - it's a real interesting read :) Anyway, I went out with Peter and Kamal (two of my favorite CHW's to go out with) and Sandra, a new girl here, from Canada, who is teaching with Barb at the CHW school. The place in Thomaji we went to is called "Bunj Tolgen" and is the home of the chief (if you know the story) who used really strong words with me at the beginning of our outreaches out there, and pretty much told me he thought I was 'just speaking nice words about coming out to help them, but didn't believe that we would ever come...' So, every time we have gone to Bunj Tolgen over the past three months, I always make a point of letting this Chief know that we have arrived, and will be there to weigh their children for the day.

SO! When we arrived today I got a super warm greeting from that chief, he kept his hand on my shoulder for a good minute after we'd greeted (a warm gesture in Mabaan),
AND he stayed the whole time during our bible and health teaching and weighing process (usually he finds something else to do) AND came over with me to assess a sick lady at the end of all that AND laughed at a joke I made :) Then, when we were leaving, Peter was explaining to him that that was our last day there until after the rains, he was totally understanding and just made a little speach about how happy he was that we'd come to do anything at all, b/c everyone else has ignored the people of Thomaji. I left him with the assurance that even though we would not be able to go out during the rains, I would be thinking of them and praying for them. This man was a big blessing to me day, and I praise the Lord for the encouraging steps forward I see in him, and in 'our' relationship. May he one day know and trust the Lord for himself.

It was also a wonderful day because we were able to start giving out the 500 mosquito nets I purchased (with ministry funds - many thanks to the hundreds of people who have contributed to that). We made many people happy :) I also go to see Mohammed, one of our favorite patients at the Doro clinic - a burn patient we had living with us for almost two months. I had lots of encouraging Mabaan moments (and let me tell you, THOSE are hard to come by these days too!), and was given lots of (undeserved) credit for 'knowing all of Mabaan' by the village ladies who delighted in talking with me and Sandra over coffee. It was a productive day too, we assessed and weighed 73 children, and 10 pregnant ladies, and gave out almost 80 mosquito nets. Let's see... what else... I got to stop, all be it quickly, in Gasmala and see many of the faces that I love so much. We biked back racing the rain the whole way and WON... we got back, wet, but beat the utter DOWN POUR just in time... AGAIN :) I had a wonderful shower in the rain - cold air, and sun-warmed water, while the sunset, that I couldn't see, turned the whole sky the coolest hazy shade of orange... I'm currently drinking my favorite Twinings Strawberry Vanilla Roibos tea, wearing my long lined pants and a sweatshirt :)

It was just a wonderful day to be me :) Which you could have traded me for a few hours to enjoy the bliss and challenge of living in Sudan - until the day when you can visit, you'll just have to live vicariously through this blog :)

I hope that were ever you are reading this from, that it was a good day to be you :)

Peace

2010-04-28T15:13:00.003-03:00

Good News... Great News! The election results are finally in (after an almost 10 day delay) and, for the most part peace has remained in Sudan!! Praise the Lord :) This means that we are going home! I fly in less than 12 hours out to Loki (northern Kenya) where I'll stay tomorrow night, and then early on Friday morning I'll be Sudan bound yet again! :) After 5 weeks in Nairobi (that I thought was going to be 2)... I am VERY anxious to get back and see all those that I love. My Mabaan Mom and Dad are supposed to be coming to Doro to see me (I'm sure they also have business in town... I don't think I'm THAT special), and I'm excited to see our guys that we worth with everyday at the clinic... so many friends that I have missed!! Now I just need to be patient until I can get out to Gasmala and grab an armload full of my kids :)

Thank you... TRULY, THANK YOU for praying for this country during this past month. I am thoroughly impressed with the whole election process (in spite of many allegations of fraud and mismanagement that have plastered media - African media, that is - I sorta doubt that the west has covered this much) I am thrilled and flabbergasted that the people in the little corner that I live in even got to vote... Until you've seen the enormity and remoteness of Sudan (particularly the South) I don't think one should say too much about how badly the process was... I am impressed, and stating it for the record :)

May the Peace of the Lord continue to spread throughout this country and beyond.

Elections - Prayer Needed

2010-04-10T11:42:00.002-03:00

(this photo is of an SPLM party member who came to Gasmala one day promoting their local candidate and the party as a whole. They sat with the men for a while, then this man came over to the ladies group and sat to give them his speech about the candidate. Then he promptly turned the poster over and had each of the ladies - all of whom are illiterate and have never held a pen in their hands, really - practice making the check mark inside the circle so that they would know what to do on election day, and so that their vote would count. I was impressed with this effort and SO proud that even in a country who has gone through the turbulence that Sudan has... the Women are voting... Praise the Lord :)... oh, and that's my Mabaan Mom, Ama, practicing her vote :)

April 11th - 13th is election time all over South Sudan. Please people, on behalf of millions of people, and thousands of Believers, I ask you to be praying for Sudan during the next few weeks. As you can imagine there is great potential for insecurity and really, the future is unknown to all of us, but the Lord. We certainly hope for the best for this country, the people undoubtedly deserve a fair election with an outcome that will benefit everyone - from bush hut to city street.

My friends and family in Sudan have been praying diligently for their country for years... and I am ashamed to say that they assume the world wide Church is doing the same - but you and I both know that's not the case. The confusing politics of this country has made people lose interest long ago, I'm afraid. Even I myself have not been devoted to prayer as I should have been.

If you are willing, please join with me in praying and fasting for the country of Sudan and for her Believers - those who follow after Jesus Christ and claim Him as their Lord and Savior. These people have seen heart ache that I cannot understand, yet their Faith in the Lord and His Goodness remains.

I can't help but feel that we are standing on the edge of the ocean, watching the tide pull back off the shore, and are left wondering if it will return in a regular sized wave, or if one of gigantic tidal proportions is coming our way... even though we can't yet see it...

Please join us in praying for the Beloved people of Sudan.

Still Twitching

2010-03-10T12:14:00.005-04:00

Ok, so I JUST killed THE MOST disgusting and BIGGEST spider that I’ve seen since I’ve been in SUDAN... and it was IN my HOUSE!!!!!!!!!!! Ahhh... now I’m all twitchy and creepy and feel like there are more lingering around every bottle or book in my hut! :P Seriously it was BIG... and not one of those flat black ones.. it was HUGE and stood OFF the ground like a full inch – the body was ROUND (not flat like all the others) and was so big it actually had a PATTERN on it!! Black, white and brown... and it had eyes... RED ones that reflected in my head lamp light!!! SOO Creepy!

Anyway, he was on my table, casually chilling out on the side of one of my big clear containers that holds all my spice containers... so I prayed (out loud, b/c that’s the only way I can cope with these crazy things), grabbed my “fly” swatter, and swung as hard and fast as I could... I hit it, but as I suspected, couldn’t kill it b/c it was TOO big for the swatter’s force – I worked up my nerve and peered underneath my table cloth were, again as I suspected, it was clinging to the underside (creeeeepy). So I took a deep breath and unleashed the wrath of my “doom” can on it, where it ran (even now I’m getting the shivers) to the far under-side of my table... I could see it’s grotesque legs twitching from where I was squatted, so again – with the doom pointed at this horrid creature, I sprayed until I was certain he would not be long for this world. :) Within 10 seconds the dizzy eight legged monster dropped to the floor, trying to flee for its life, but it was no use... for I was NOT going to let it get away (lest it be a very sleep-less night for me!)... I hit it two more times with my “fly” swatter before I was satisfied enough that it was dead. So I scooped it up onto my swatter and, with MUCH adrenaline pumping through me, gingerly maneuvered through the mosquito net at my door (keeps the bats off my porch), and out of my hut to go and get some well deserved praise from whoever was still awake in the dining hall! It was show-and-tell of the most disgusting kind :)

Needless to say I am just a little proud of myself :) (but still looking over my shoulder!)
(Photos taken by Kevin... the spider I killed was the same kind, just a titch smaller... look at the size of that thing compared to his boot!!! augh!)

Together at Last!!

2009-12-30T16:29:00.001-04:00

...and her name is...

2009-12-29T07:02:00.005-04:00

Katta :)

Katta Ula oci Katta Bowa

Over Cooked

2009-11-29T09:44:00.008-04:00

So, last June (ish), when working with our CHW (Community Health Worker) students in Gasmala - doing the 'Under 5 clinic' (where we weigh babies to see if they are growing at a good rate or getting malnourished) and Antenatal (seeing and assessing pregnant mothers to see if every thing is going as it should using really basic skills) I encountered a lady named Mary for the first time.

She was laying on my bed (we were working out of my tent in Gasmala) with her belly in the air ready to be assessed, and as soon as the CHW touched her, she cried out in pain. So I tried - same thing. She was supposed to be about 5-6 months pregnant, but sure didn't look it, had a lot of pain all on her right side, no abnormal bleeding or anything like that (I'm gunna down play the nasty terms for you non medical folks), and had been seen by other people in our Doro clinic months previously. So, not being an expert (or really, knowledgeable at all, besides what we get in our nursing training)I went out in search of Barb, my coworker and the CHW's teacher, who was doing the same thing in another tukul.

When I told her about our lady she was SURE that she'd seen her before and told her to go to the clinic to be seen by Dr.Emily (who was with us at the time). So, together we went back over to see her - sure enough, same woman. So, after a 'conference' with Mary and her husband, we stressed that she needed to go to the clinic b/c her pain was NOT normal, and we didn't have the necessary ability to assess her further in the village (not that the clinic has much more mind you!). So, with faith that she would take our concern to heart, we let her go.

The next time, about a month or two later when doing follow up 'clinics' in the village, I had Mary again. Same story. This time she HAD been to the clinic and she reported to us that they found nothing abnormal. Huh. That's odd considering her intense abdominal pain... Again, she was guarding to the point where I was uncomfortable probing deeper then surface in order to assess her. According to my measurement, she wasn't hardly 6 months along (still), and she hadn't gained any weight at all in the past two months. By this time, in my head, I'm starting to doubt if she is even really pregnant but had some sort of tumor/growth or something going on that, to her, is presenting as a pregnancy. So by this time it's August - I was just about to go home to Canada for about a month, and she was "due" to deliver, according to LMP math, next month. After stressing AGAIN that she NOT deliver in the village - since we really didn't know what was up with that abdominal pain, we set her off again.

A whole month or more later, when I got back from home and we are in Gasmala again seeing kids and prego moms, Mary walks into my tent again! "Still no baby?" I say to her... "oh, Kata... no - when is it going to come!?" So, she lays down for us to assess her again, this time she is at least measuring at about 8 months, and has gained weight. So, on the with assessment (as much as we could do, she was STILL having that R sided abd pain)... the CHW pulls out or fetalscope (the wooden cone shaped thing you've seen in the movies) to assess for a fetal heartbeat and I'm thinking - yeah, the likelihood of that is like zero to none... and low and behold... "here is it" he says. "What!?" I say, and promptly get out of my chair convinced that I'm going to hear the placental rhythm... "Well, I'll be..." There is was - strong and fast... a Baby. Not only that, but the head was engaged - this baby was gettin' ready to meet the world! So, we tell her, it shouldn't be too long - maybe a few weeks, and out she went.

I continued to see Mary when I was out in Gasmala every week - she is actually James' (my Mabaan Dad) neice and lives close. And week after week, she'd walk by with that big belly and I'd say, "Mary - still!?" and she'd say "oh, Kata, when!?"

So, about two weeks ago now - mid november, I stopped to talk with her and had James there to help me with Mabaan. As I asked her questions I found out that she'd been having back pain for about 4 days, and the baby had stopped moving. So, even though James asked me to assess her right there (I had nothing with me!), I told her to get to the clinic as soon as she could (which was going to be the day after tomorrow).

Saturday evening (the day she was to come) rolled around and still no Mary. Where was she? Finally at about 5pm Masir, one of the clinic CHW's came to get me - she'd arrived. When I got up to the clinic with Scottie (who is working in the clinic for about 5 months), Mary tells me that she left Gasmala that morning and because she was having so much back pain, it took her all day to get here - the walk usually takes about 1 hour - 1 1/2 hours. She'd walked alone, and brought no food or belongings with her, even though I'd told her to prepare to stay in the Doro area for a few days when she came (just in case). So, Scottie and I started over - going through all the details with her and previous assessments. She told us that her water broke (but not fully, really only leaking) about 4 days ago, and at that time her body started contracting as if the baby was going to come. But, after a day or so it stopped and hadn't started again - and the baby had stopped moving. She had no other fluids or fever, or complications, other then the bad back pain. And, as I'd feared, when we pulled our Doppler out to find the baby's heartbeat, there was nothing. Scottie and I just looked at each other. We knew there was nothing we could do about it that night, we needed to talk to Dr.Rob, Sandy, and Sarah (who all knew lots more then we did), and we needed to tell her to stay in Doro and come to the clinic when it was open again on Monday - unless something started happening. How long until a body started to expel a dead baby? I didn't know. But, with no fever, we felt fine to leave her for the time being (we gave her meds to cover our bases for infections, and pain). "But Kata, I want to go home tomorrow" she said to me with pleading eyes... "Mary, you really can't - there is something wrong and we don't know what. If you go home, the problem will get bigger. You need to stay and come to the clinc on Monday." "OK."

Monday morning rolls around, and b/c Sandy said she was my patient, I was up there waiting for her - Sarah was going to assess her, and I wanted to learn AND wanted to be a familiar face for Mary. We waited - then I went out to search for her. I went to the place she was staying and asked after her. "We don't know where she is - she went back to Gasmala yesterday." What!? Seriously. After all our efforts and trying to help her, I felt like she'd thrown it back in our faces. How do you make people care about their own health... and why are we bending over backward when they don't!? For the love. I felt like she'd made a fool of me, b/c I asked the clinic to make exceptions for her. I got on the phone and called James. I was ticked, and he knew it. He assured me he'd send her back - he was rather frustrated as well. So, later that night, who walks into our compound? Mary was back - tired, but moving easier then the day before. I asked her why she went back, and her answer was "I was hungry". I'm still not sure what I think about that - I don't think that's the whole story, but anyway, nothing could be done right then. I told her to come to the clinic the next morning first thing, and we'd see her. So she left to stay the night with James' relatives in Doro (a different place then the time before). We weren't about to make more exceptions for her & see her right then, since it didn't seem like she was too concerned about herself. She'd have to wait until morning.

So, now it's Tuesday morning - my flight for Nairobi is the next morning, and finally she is THERE at the clinic waiting for us when it opens. Sarah reviews the history, asks more questions, and the does her assessment. THIS time, through the doppler come the strong pulsating sound of the baby's heart. Praise the Lord! We have NO idea where that heart beat was 36 hour previous, but we could NOT find it! So, with that bit of good news, Sarah calls Dr.Rob to find out what he thinks since now, Mary is about 10-11 months along in her pregnancy... yep you read that right. She was supposed to deliver in September, and it was November 24th. The answer came, "Induce her!" So, Sarah pulled out the text books, and we readied an IV and the meds while reading up on how one goes about inducing someone in the bush - this was to be the first induced delivery in our Doro clinic. I went back in to tell her the good news. After MONTHS of making a good home for this baby, she was SO happy to find out that she would mostly likely be having it that day! Finally! :)

I stayed with her most of the day - again she'd come with no family, and Mabaan women always deliver with help from family and friends... I didn't want her to be alone with Kawaja's she didn't know. So, about 6 hours later, a rather hilarious, but I'm sure horrible, phase of transition labor started where she kept moving from the bed to the floor saying: "Kata... I need to go out side... let me go out side..." - "no Mary, you can't, you have to stay here where we can help you..." (2 minutes later) "Kata, I need to go outside." "Why Mary?" "Kata, please." "Mary, you really need to say." (a minute later), "Kata, take me outside, I need to go to the bathroom", "Mary you can't, if you go to the bathroom outside the baby will come, and then what will happen?" (2 minutes later) "Kata, I need to go outside", "Mary you need to stay here..." (I realize that this sounds rather cruel to those of you who haven't been around a woman in labor... but trust me, she was fine - she didn't have to poo like she thought, it was the baby's head, and if she went outside and started pushing that baby would have come out and we'd have been up the creek to help her if there was a complication). WE finally got her to lie down, and she complained that she was hot and wanted to go out side b/c there was wind out there - "I'll bring the wind in here!" I told her, and started fanning her with the curtain... that kept her calm for about 10 minutes... praise the Lord. Then she got up once more, slid to the floor, got in a squatting position, and made eye contact with me. I raised my eyebrows, and she responded with one nodd and click of her tongue... It was time. I communicated with the rest of our team (Sandy, Amy, and Scottie) as well as two of James' relatives (at least there were two Mabaan women there, even if they hardly knew Mary), and everyone got into place. Since Mary was squatting (the best position in my very inexperienced opinion), there was only room for Sandy's hands, the rest of us stood watching and ready with tools and towels. I watched Mary's face, as still, even with the two Mabaan ladies there, she looked to me as being her support person (can you imagine!).

Mary pushed maybe two or three times, and Sandy barely had enough warning to catch the beautiful and perfect baby girl that came out crying! :) Mary had tears streaming down her face - it was finally over, and my eyes were welling up with tears, with pride over my friend who'd been through so much in her life, and endured SUCH a long pregnancy. The baby was here, and Praise be to the Lord of Hosts who'd brought this strange pregnancy to such a beautiful end, and with no big complications (she bled more then she should have, but Sandy go that under control with some great prompting and directions from Dr.Rob via Satellite phone in Nairobi).

With Mary laying down in bed once more, and the baby at her side, we all breathed a sigh of relief that it was over, but none of us more happy than Mary. Eventually her family started to show up and meet the newest edition to the clan - they showed up with food and clean clothes and smiles - it was such a familiar routine but in a completely different context - the only thing missing was the bouquets of flowers.

Twelve hours later I went up to check on my new favorite mother/daughter duo... the baby's skin was darker (the pink from yesterday giving way to the beautiful dark color she will end up being), wrinkly, and dry - which is apparently common and indicative of babies who have been "Over cooked" such as this one! She is beautiful, and Mary looked much better after some rest :) I have to be honest with you and say that I do hope they name the baby Kata - that would be quite an honor. But, no matter what they name that gorgeous little one, she is SO precious in the eyes of Jesus, as is her mother... and I can hardly tell you what a privilege and honor it was to be alongside this woman as she brought her into this world. As I watched the Lord give this woman a gift - her daughter, I felt a similar overwhelming feeling as the reality of my own gift from the Lord sunk in... As much as I am a Kawaja, and will always be one :) these people have opened their lives and hearts to me, they have allowed me to walk with them through tough times, labor pains, hunger, joys, and blessings. I am, and will always be, I expect, utterly amazed at the gift that that is from the Lord. May He be glorified in these relationships, and May, by His Severe Grace and Mercy, He the Lord and Savior of this new little life.

First Kill

2009-10-24T09:48:00.003-03:00

So a few nights ago I got to kill my very first snake :) I've seen a few (not tons) of varying lengths, shapes, and sizes... but this is the first one that I killed. Now... don't judge me too harshly... I realize that it's small... but when was the last time YOU killed a snake!? hehe

According to Dr. Rob, who loves to research snakes... this is a poisonous one, but not a lethal one (he found two options of what it could be)... sorry to disappoint but it's not a Black Mamba :P

Overwhelmed yet?

2009-10-23T08:23:00.003-03:00

Yesterday I was down by the river in Gasmala with my friend Deborah... just enjoying our time, smiling at the wet and dark little bodies playing and laughing in the water, admiring the green all around us and the amazing thunder heads forming across the way...

All the serenity came to an abrupt end as, along the path, we came across a lady, well into her 60’s I would guess, ‘laying’ in a very uncomfortable position, twitching, in the throes of a seizure. As I came around the rest of the bush that had her half hidden, I looked into the bewildered faces of a few children standing by watching the scene unfold. I approached her on the other side I walked up from, knelt beside her head to get a better look at her face... did I know this woman? Her face was so distorted from the seizure that I couldn’t tell, but I noticed the necklace she had on and knew... I’d definitely greeted her this morning while I was sitting with my women having coffee – she had come by to visit with my friends. I said to one of the kids I recognized, ‘Who is she?’... ‘I don’t know’ they said... ‘Go get someone’, I requested – trying to imagine how to help this women with my little Mabaan, knowing full well that there wasn’t an adult around for a good distance. (that kid never did go).

The lifeguard in me took over the situation as I was drawn back to her face... at this point she was struggling to breathe around the phlegm/spit that had accumulated in her mouth, so Deb and I turned her onto her side, into the recovery position, and I held her head while the seizure eventually came to an end. Just as her body started to lay still once again, three older teen-aged girls who’d been swimming on the other side of the river, came over to see what the commotion was about, since our crowd of observing-and-not-helping children was growing. Again I looked down at this beautiful lady but this time, her eyes were starting to see, and you could tell that the fog left over from such an expenditure of energy was starting to clear. “What’s your name” I asked her... She looked at me, but said nothing... “Awa” one of the new girls came to her rescue.

At this point these girls seemed to think the best thing for her was to ‘get up and brush it off’, so they started to pull on her arms to get her up off the ground. “No. Leave her to rest” – the last thing we needed was her stumbling, half conscious, only to fall and injure herself. I was mulling over all my thoughts and observations: how she was acting, what questions I would ask if I could... and since I couldn’t, what could I attempt to ask her... and what in the world would have happened to her if no one was around... what would have happened if she had seized while IN the river that I was sure she had been planning to cross. By God’s Grace we don’t have to know the answer to that question.

I concluded that this was not the first time this woman had experienced a seizure since, as she was ‘coming too’ she never once said anything, looked confused, or asked what happened... she seemed all too aware of what had occurred.

Once she started to look around (even though I tried my best to make the onlookers leave, only two did) at all the faces peering down at her, I asked, “Do you want to drink water?” She nodded, so we helped her sit up for a long drink from my Nalgeene bottle. Deb and I were still discussing what in the world to do for her when she decided to stand up. Eventually, it was decided that the girls, who apparently knew of her would help her get across the river with her bag of grain (which had been dropped a few feet away) without it getting ruined (the river is above neck level now that the rainy season is coming to an end). So, we helped her find her shoes that had somehow been strewn in two different directions long before we came upon her, and then they headed a little further upstream to cross.

Deb and I sad on the edge of the river bank to watch the process – there was no way I was going anywhere until I saw those feet on terra firma on the other side. If anything happened to her between our bank and the other, I was goin’ in! No need – she crossed just fine, and was the strongest swimmer out of the younger entourage escorting her. Eventually she was across, dressed again, and on her way with her grain perched on her head, as it had been originally.

I walked away from the whole thing, quite frankly, really troubled and dissatisfied. Not so much with my inability to communicate with her, as my realization that it wouldn’t have mattered. What can be done for people in a land with no resources? For people with infections, ‘simple’ illnesses, or injures enough can be done to restore them, if not prevent it from occurring again. But for someone who had struggled with something like epilepsy for years, if not their whole lives, pretty much, next to nothing can be done. The meds she would need would require so much monitoring and adjusting, the resources are lacking and rather non-existent, and it would be a logistical impossibility. The answer?... to let her walk away... and pray that she felt even a little cared for in the process.

Overwhelmed yet?

"Well done, My good and faithful servant"

2009-10-06T08:19:00.006-03:00

My Pappy is gone. Not far, in one sense – he’s with Jesus. But, so far that I’ll not see him on this earth ever again. It’s a hard one to wrap your head around at times, seeing as I’m so far away from the whole situation.

I’m filled with a mixture of sadness & grief, and joy & relief. You see, it’s been a long journey for my Pappy. His health has been a challenge for a good 12 or so years... I (in my head) have thought of him as a cat with 9 lives... no matter what has been thrown at this man, he has always seemed to land on his feet – literally even! The doctors told him after his first stroke that he’d most likely never walk again. But, my Pappy, the stubborn and determined farmer/fisherman, didn’t let them have the last say. Within a year he was on his feet and walking! These last 6-8 months have been a pretty steady decline for him, physically, and the more time that went by and the weaker he got, the more I found myself wishing that the Lord would just come and take him Home.

He was ready for it you know, in many ways. Most importantly he had everything right with his Savior – he was confident in his salvation through Faith in Jesus, and would tell anyone who asked him about his Faithful Lord who got him through many a though circumstance. Pappy has loved and served the Lord faithfully all my life, and way before that even. He has always given testimony of him with his life and with his words. Especially his stories. He has many of those – stories of angles who the Lord sent to help in difficult times, another one who he actually spoke with once, and other times when the Lord pressed him to pray for people and he later found out that it was a great time of need for them. All these and more I’ve grown up listening to my whole life. All of these I wish we’d taped – even though we talked about it numerous times, we never did do it.

Pappy had this certain way he’d move his head that I must say will always be one of the things that I’ll miss the most and remember the most. He would use it as if it was a wink – and perhaps he couldn’t wink, I’m not sure... but he’d catch your eye, do his little half smile and move his head from center to left and back again, in a little jerking fashion that I have grown to love and cherish over the years. For whatever reason it always made me feel special, and reflected the teasing nature we all loved so much about him. Even weak and in his hospital bed he managed to get one of these head-winks out to me as I sat at his bedside just a few weeks ago. I remember marking it in my memory, at the time, because it so struck me how much I’d miss that little trade mark of a man I’ve loved and respected for my whole life.

I remember thinking, for much of my life, actually, that I was Pappy’s favorite :) I’m not sure why, but I always thought we had a special bond – but, probably all of us grandkids felt that way, which speaks a lot about Pappy in and of itself. Anyway, I always thought I was special to him... I remember following him around the barn (this was back when I thought I had a ‘special way’ with animals too... man, the delusions of my childhood are all coming out!) wanting to help out with everything... milking the cows, fixing things, collecting the eggs... all of these chores were probably quickly forgotten as I inevitably drifted into the hay loft to play with the kittens and pretend to be a farmer myself. I also remember the smell of Pappy when he’d come in for lunch from being out in the barn. For a reason I’ll never know I have this very distinct memory of Pappy walking briskly across the yard, from the warehouse to the house, with that certain walk – not a limp, but a lilt perhaps, and whistling... he’d smell of hard work and hay and soil, most likely from the potatoes, and he was wearing those navy blue coveralls and those big boots...

“Heerrreee Kitty kitty kittyyyyyy!” He’d yell after our lunch time meal, giving the cats the plate scraps of whatever fabulous meal Nanny had just slaved over.

For as long as I can remember, Pappy has had his own name for me – maybe this was one of the reasons I thought I was extra special.... Pappy has always called me Christy. Yes of course there were times when he called me my full name, but never ‘Chris’ that I can recall – almost always Christy. This was so special to me that I never allowed anyone to call me Christy... even if I had just met them and they seemed to think that “Christiane” was too difficult to say or remember, and they asked if they could just call me ‘Christy’, I would say “no, actually, you can’t – only my Pappy calls me Christy.” It will remain this way until the day I die.

I have another really distinct memory of Pappy... first thing in the morning. I remember being really young – gosh, maybe 8 or younger even, asleep in the pink room, and hearing Pappy go down the stairs early in the morning... I’d wait for a while, maybe fall back to sleep even, but then I’d wake up, creep down the stairs – not go into the kitchen from the hall, but walk through the living room into the family room, see my Pappy kneeling at the couch with his head bowed Praying... He was always there when I woke up and I apparently loved it, because every morning I would ‘sneak’ into the room, crawl up on the ugly brown leather chair of his (which would always squeek and blow my cover) and sit and watch him until he’d finished. I don’t know what I’d think about or what I’d do... and the whole time I’d know Nanny was in the kitchen... but in there with Pappy was where I wanted to be. So, I’d wait for him to finish up with Jesus, then he’d sit back on his heels, turn to look at me and say, “Christy, let’s go have some eggs” :) That’s another thing... My Pappy makes the perfect soft boiled egg.

Pappy always loved to tell the story about me from when I was really little and he had me at the mall... Apparently I was about 2 maybe 3 and he, Janna and I were sitting out on one of the mall benches waiting for mom and nanny, and I had said or done something funny – I can’t remember – but whatever it was prompted a laugh out of Pappy... somehow it greatly offended the 2 year old in me because I walked over to him, reached up and slapped him across the face! My Pappy always laughed re-telling this (I always laugh too, but the really sorry, humiliated sort of laugh that brings tears to your eyes – not because it’s so funny but because you hate to hear it again), he’d do that “humph” laugh that would put his head back and say, “so I said to her, ‘M’lady, you’ll only ever do that to me once’...” and he was right.

One thing however, that touches me to this day, is a secret that Pappy and I share... so secret in fact, that I’m not sure even I remember it. I had been staying with Nanny and Pappy one summer – I was young – and sometime happened... I did something, something I shouldn’t have, and Pappy had to talk to me about it. Later on when Mom came back, pappy told her that something had happened, but he never told her what... He’d said, “It’s between Christy and me.” And after all these years, it’s remained that way. I can come up with something I think it might have been, but I’m not sure that even I know. But my Pappy would not break my confidence, he kept his word, and our secret remains until this day...

As I sit here writing this, tears streaming down my face, I realize that this is the only contribution, other than my prayers, that I can make to my Pappy’s Home-going. I was out in Gasmala when it all happened, and by the time I returned to Doro and my email, I’d missed it all, funeral too. I’m SO happy that my beloved Pappy is now with Jesus, I wouldn’t wish him back to this world for a moment. However, I would have loved to have joined my voice to the chorus of cousins who sang in his remembrance, or to have given some thoughts to my cousin Josh who spoke so well on behalf of the family and all us privileged grandchildren. But, for reasons I can only speculate, and possibly never understand, I do trust that my Lord knows what He’s doing, and I just wasn't meant, or needed, to be a part of it. So... this is my contribution; these insufficient words, in memory and gratitude of a man who loved the Lord faithfully and boldly his whole life, and who loved his family – all of us – so well.

I love you Pappy. I will cherish forever the things the Lord taught me through your life. It was certainly not in vain. You’ve fought the good fight, run the race, and now, received your prize, Jesus Himself, in full. I know for a fact, that on September 29th, the chorus of the cloud of witnesses got just a little fuller as this special man joined in the Praises of his Lord and Savior. Home at long last.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust’... ‘Because he loves me,’ says the LORD, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation’.” Isaiah 91:1-2,14-16

All my love to you Pappy.

Your Christy

Coming Soon...

2009-08-27T16:16:00.005-03:00

Thanks for your patience! I leave for my two weeks at home in Nova Scotia in about 24 hours from now... I can hear the ocean already...

Coming Soon:

More on Yiiga

More on my life in Sudan

More on the people I love

Stay Tunned! :)

Echoes of War

2009-07-15T13:44:00.006-03:00

(an article I wrote for our "Medical Progress Notes" that goes out quarterly)

Sometimes I think I forget the context in which we live.

For 4 days every week I get to be a ‘fly on the wall’ in a village called Gasmala where I go to learn Mabaan, the local language of the people. I get to watch their routines, their conversations, the interactions between husband & wife, parents and children. I get to “participate” in jokes and stories that they tell. I learn from them, not only the language of Mabaan, but the culture of their people – the things that are important to them, the things they cherish.

There are days when I get caught up in the “now” - in what I am seeing at that very moment; the laughter, the sharing, the working, the playing children... I forget that under all the happy layers and appearance of normality there is a current of remembrance; a dull and ever-present awareness of everything that has transpired on this land, long before the laughter that I see today.

I have found myself ‘snapped back’ to a reality that I can’t grasp when the people there casually tell me, “oh, when we first came back we collected many bones in this spot” on our way to the river. Or “...and here was a big battle ground where many of our people died... and those holes in the ground are where the soldiers would stay and shoot from.” I have walked by bullet casings and not noticed. I sat reading one day while two little boys ran by playing with a real gun. Not a toy. It was not plastic. It was a real gun. Everything was disabled and safe mind you, but none the less it hit me like a ton of bricks. These children have grown up with war. These adults don’t just see a tree or a field, they see a land mark where someone they knew was killed, or a house was burned.

Every single night in Gasmala the church families gather for a time of worship, a short devotional, and prayer. Every night when they go over the things they need to pray for they pray for their country, that peace would stay, that God would give wisdom to those who are in positions of power, and for the many Mabaan people displaced in the West, in Khartoum, and in the Refugee Camps.

Even with all this I struggle to comprehend what they have seen and gone through for their whole lives. And I realize just how free I have been for the 26 years I have been on this Earth. I am convicted by their dedication to start over, start fresh. Many left more ‘affluent’, although not necessarily easier, places of living to go back to the basics of living the bush, cooking over a fire, and growing their own food. They came to this relatively opportunity-less land because it is their home, because they love it, because here they are free, even if only for a time.

“Forget the former things, do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.” Isaiah 43:18-19

Yiiga

2009-06-13T09:50:00.005-03:00

Have you ever had a day were everything just blesses your socks off? I had one of those the other day (a month ago now...) ...

It was rather wonderful right from the start. I emerged from my tent in Gasmala (after a huge thunder and lightening storm from the night before) to find Tia (one of my favorite ladies) and her little grandson, Babylon, greeting me from not too far away :) Babylon said "Kawaja, I niini?" (which is, in english, 'White person, did you sleep?') and Tia corrected him, for the 20th time that weekend, "her name is Kata..." so then he just smiled and said, "Kata, i niini?" To which I replied that I did indeed sleep well :) Then he trotted over to share with me a plum which he pulled from a little pile he had tucked away in his grubby little hand :)

The morning continued with enjoyable interactions while I 'packed up camp' and prepared for the bike ride back to Doro... the morning entertainment for everyone was to discover that the ground was in fact DRY and the weird "On Kata" (Kata's house... my tent) DID keep the rain out... it was quite a marvel to everyone, especially Pastor Hurun's wife who was convinced that come morning I would have been afloat :)

So I said my goodbyes and headed off on my bike with a travel buddy named Peter, who was also heading into Bunj (the town just past Doro) on his bike. It was one of those rides that went by especially slowly - Peter's bike isn't exactly what you'd call 'bush worthy' - but was very enjoyable... because I was biking so slowly I got to just look around and SEE all the amazing things along the way and have my breath taken away yet again by a God who loves me so much as to grant me the desires of my heart... down to the very last detail. As I drove my little bike through the dirt and mud of this 'road' in the middle of the bush, on such a sunny-and-perfect-cloud-day, I just couldn't get the smile off my face :)

So I arrived back to Doro to find that the Congdon family and Justin (the rest of his family were to follow next week) had arrived safely the day before... it's always exciting to see friends and have new faces around...

Then, after a little visit with Nancy it was time to check email... my inbox was overflowing with love from home, in response to the news letter I had sent out just hours before leaving for Gasmala days ago. It was rather amazing how many people wrote back addressing the email to "Kata" :D Again... just couldn't stop smiling. Thanks for the emails you guys... I just can't tell you how GREAT is to hear from you. REALLY.

The next thing was probably the 'cherry on top' for my day... Pastor James (my 'dad' from Gasmala) was bringing the village 'crazy man' for Dr.Rob to assess. Some of you may know that I just have a heart for the psychological aspects of what these people have gone through, and it has been my prayer to somehow be used by the Lord in this area of people's lives... So, I asked Dr.Rob if I could sit in on his assessment (I wanted to learn and hear what questions he would ask, among other reasons). There was little I knew about this man prior to our meeting that day... I knew that he was feared in the village, really had no friends other then pastor James who would visit him, and that he talked to himself. When James arrived with him I was looking for an excuse to go out to where he was waiting to interact with him. "Would he like some water? - it's a long walk here..." "yes, kata, bring him water." Perfect :) So I approached this beautiful old man, who had seen so much in his life, and was a broken shell of someone he'd once been... his eyes looked uncertain, and his hands trembled slightly. He sat with his legs crossed, wearing a baby blue shirt (pants too of course, but his shirt just stuck out to me) and a crocheted barrett, holding a walking stick. I come over, stuck out my hand to greet him and said "I niini?" His eyebrows shot up as he realized the Kawaja had just spoken Mabaan and returned the greeting with a smile. I gave him the water, and we were friends. This 65 year old man had won my heart, and I was done for :) James asked him if he wanted more water and he said "no, but when I do, I will ask her for it." ... :)

This man, about 15 years ago, had burned his house to the ground in the middle of the night - I think all his family escaped alive, however, left him shortly after. This was the start of his mental illness from what we can tell... If you are doing the mental math, this started DURING the time of the war, when he was still living/hiding in the bush near Gasmala (I've been told that Gasmala was quite a battle zone). After this, he went to a Refugee camp in Ethiopia, called Sherkole, where he stayed until a year ago, returning on the back of a Lory (truck) like thousands of others. Since then he's been largely ignored my most villagers who are scared he will kill them, and, as he told us, sometimes goes for up to four days with no food. He told us about the voices he hears in his head, that sometimes he sees people others can't see, and other struggles he's had along the way. Dr.Rob did a thorough assessment with mental, spiritual, and physical aspects, coming to the conclusion that this man has a genuine mental illness (rather then a solely spiritual problem) or a physical problem/illness that is manifesting with these psychological symptoms.

I just sat and watched throughout the meeting, and couldn't keep myself from smiling at this beautiful man, desperately loved by God, who has seen more trauma then I can imagine, who had a slight smile on his face because he had no idea what Dr.Rob was doing... prodding and poking and listening and asking him to balance with his eyes closed and his arms outstretched :) And I just had this heart-conversation with Jesus that went something like this... "Lord, I just love people who are hurting like this... rejected castaways that have yet to discover just how much YOU love them..." "Chris, I'm reminding you of why I brought you here, remember... to tell people about MY FREEDOM... I make beauty from these ashes..." "Lord, would You just use me... can I be a part of it?" ...

I was thankful that Dr.Rob didn't ask me to pray when we were finishing up, because I wouldn't have managed through it... as it was I sat there with tears running down my face because I was breathing deeply of a Life Worth Living... THIS is what it is about... not medications and treatments, though those can be wonderful... but just loving on people who need to know that there is Water they can drink, and NEVER be thirsty again. Jesus has not abandoned them, Jesus is not afraid of them, Jesus has made them - down to every molecule... and loves them enough to have died, even if only for them.

Before we stood to part ways, this man looked over at me, put his fingers to his mouth and said in Mabaan, "Drink"... I said, "Do you want to drink water?" He smiled and nodded, looking shy yet pleased that we were communicating. I smiled and started off... Never before have I gone on such a joyful errand. When I presented him with a very full cup, he drank it all, then stood up with his walking stick and started off home...

You guys, can you pray for this man? His name is Yiiga. Pray that the church in Gasmala would really reach out to him - follow the example of their pastor and love on this man that the world has rejected. Pray that he will KNOW of the Love of Jesus and be forever changed by the Living Water. Pray with me, that if the Lord see's fit, this man would be spared from further struggles with mental illness, that the medications we gave him would make a difference, and that he would one day give testimony of our miraculous Lord. I hope and pray that I am within ear shot one day when this beautiful man says "yes" to the question, "Do you want to drink Living Water?"

"Toola Kaata" ( "the Girl Kaata") - Part 1

2009-05-14T14:15:00.003-03:00

Kaata came from a Kawaja village in the year 2009 to Mabaan. And she stays in Doro with her friend Vicki. And she goes to Koongaji, village of Gasmala to stay with Pastor James Haruun Ewo.

Her heart is very good. She came from a country called Kenada, which is a village of Kawaja's. She stays with us even though there are many pigs. And she eats our strong (fermented) Mabaan food. And goats are there sleeping near to her house.

(more to come...)
*translation by Kata

Long Overdue

2009-05-14T13:54:00.004-03:00

HI Everyone! I'm so sorry for my long silence! :) Hard to believe a whole month (plus a bit) has gone by since I last posted, there is so much say yet I know I'll never get it all out! Let me be brief... Everything is Fine. (haha, just kidding - that was more so to give my parents a flash back to my high school days where my answer for everything was "fine" :P )

These past few months have been filled with trips to Gasmala and a growing Mabaan vocabulary - Praise the Lord. We had a few really big dumps of rain, and then nothing for like a week and a 1/2... Needless to say, we're dyin' for rain again! What had been turning an incredible shade of fluorescent green has now gone brown yet again. This past week we were "dumped on" by the Sahara to the north of us... Sand storms up there created really really bad visibility and air quality for us for over 48 hours. We coughed and prayed for it to pass! In the picture I'll post here it looks like fog, but I assure you, it's dust. It's nasty stuff.

As you can see by that picture the construction of the hospital continues by the Grace of God! We have been encouraged by many things in this process and are getting excited as each stage comes and goes :) I'll have more pictures as things keep progressing! Keep this in your prayers during the summer (our rainy season). WE currently have a team from the US with us for 2 weeks, then a team from Scotland will be coming a week later for another 3 weeks - these people are great provisions and will keep things moving at a nice pace :)

So, that is my brief update :) The only other thing I wanted to tell you, is that I am having a book written about me :) Now, don't get too excited, I dont' think it will be ready for publication for quite some time...

Pastor James, my Mabaan Dad, came over to me a few weeks ago and said "Kata" (my name here...) "I am writing about you, and want you to read it"... He, quite literally, has started a book (he's about 2 paragraphs in at the moment) about me and my life in Gasmala :) How amazingly sweet is that... I just couldn't stop smiling. He was so proud of himself, yet excited to show me he cared enough about me to put pen to paper and chronicle my life with them. My cup Runneth Over. He says "Maybe, as I write it, little by little it will become a book... one day it will be published, I dunno. Then the children will always remember Kata who lived with us... is it not good?" :D How can you not love people like this?? I feel honored indeed.

I will start translating them, and little by little post what he writes :) Even if it's only ever published on my Blog, I'll feel like a million bucks. The Lord gives Blessings abundant, and don't ever forget it :)

Rain Drops Keep Fallin' On My Head

2009-04-09T15:10:00.007-03:00

So today something terribly exciting happened. After 6 LONG months of dust and dry, cracked ground, the heavens opened and Lord Poured forth RAIN :)

The clouds started to form in the late afternoon... dark and grey-blue, very promising... And so the observations started :) We stood out side for hours, watching the clouds form... watching them pour out rain in regions far away... the winds kicked up bringing dust and cooler air from the North - which I'm told is always the direction the first rain comes from... We stood around, did a little jig to encourage the clouds, laughed and told stories... and waited...

And then it happened... the first drop :) Then another, then another... then, an absolute downpour... you could almost hear the trees crying with joy :) - oh wait... perhaps that was the crazy Kawaja's running around dancing!

It's rather amazing what a little rain will do for your soul... the promise of Green, higher river waters, growth of crops, cooler temperatures... *sigh, our cups runneth over.

Remember the Mabaan in prayer - some of who have yet to get their roofs up and ready/repaired for the rainy season, that the crops (that weren't destroyed by last year's flood) would flourish, that Malaria would not run rampant but that this would be a year of decreased infections, that wells would put forth clean and abundant water for villages all over the province, and that above all these people would KNOW of the SOURCE of the LIVING WATER that NEVER RUNS DRY.

Flying By

2009-04-05T19:18:00.006-03:00

How in the world did two weeks in Nairobi go by without me blogging ANYTHING! Heavenly days! May apologies people... I will try to do better! It certainly isn't because there is nothing to say!

I leave in the morning to fly to Lokichoggio, in Northern Kenya, where I'll stay the night and then leave from there to fly back into Doro the next morning (April 7th).

My time in Nairobi has been sooo nice. I think the most giddy I've ever been in my whole life was the 24 hours leading up to coming, and then the next 2 days after getting here! I know two months isn't really very long to be in the bush, but I felt like I was re-discovering a life I once knew... light switches that would stay on as long as you wanted, water coming out of taps that I didn't have to pump or scoop, SITTING to go to the bathroom... man! It was sure exciting :) I also was VERY happy to discover that my feet can indeed return to their natural pink color... the black dirt stains weren't totally permanent... it just took 3 baths and much scrubbing to find the pink again!

I enjoyed eating some foods that are absent in Doro, such as fresh milk (well, technically that exists, we just don't drink it...it's REAL fresh :), yoghurt, beef, cheese, broccoli (man, I was craving broccoli!)- lots of great treats!

My first morning in Nairobi I was standing in the kitchen by the sink (yay for sinks!) filling up the kettle (yay for kettles!!) with water for my tea, when I just got this big wave of joy, contentment and "homey" feelings... I pondered it for a few minutes to try and figure out what was feeling so wonderfully familiar as to make me this elated inside... I realized that it was the way the sun was coming in the window! Now I know that sounds rather crazy, but it's true. I hadn't noticed until that very moment that we have no "windows" in Doro - no glass... everything is screen or just open. And that familiar sort of "heat" created by sun beams traveling through glass was just an amazing feeling... I was over joyed :) Isn't that ridiculous!? I felt like I was on some sort of "upper" for the first few days back (I can assure you I wasn't)... but it was really fun.

Anyway, I'm really just posting a quick one to thank you for your patience and to promise more posts in the near future! I have spent so much time uploading pictures onto facebook (b/c it takes too much bandwidth to do it in Doro) that I've totally neglected my blog! But - I will rectify that as soon as possible!

Please pray for our flights and that my supplies that I'm trying to get back into Doro (on various different flights over the next month or less, hopefully) would find their way in quickly and easily and not take any detours to that "place" in Loki where things get lost (like my first broom attempt and Sandy's table!) :) Thanks everyone and I'll post again soon! Love ya's :)

Thank You for your Patience

2009-03-09T14:06:00.004-03:00

HI everyone! This is just a quick blog post to let you know that I am alive and well in spite of my blog-silence :D These past few weeks have felt very full as I've traveled back and forth to Gasmala for Lanugage Learning, done laundry and email catchup on days "off" while continuing to review Mabaan, and head to the market again to gather more supplies for the next few days out there! I really have been enjoying my time, but I find it emotionally draining as my need to communicate and express myself is certainly squelched by being surrounded by a language that is complicated and very different. The women are wonderful and are so good to me - patient and really wanting to be helpful in my learning process. I am amazed, really at this opportunity and get really overwhelmed by what I gift from the Lord this is when I stop and think about it. I must say though, that I am looking forward to my 2 weeks in Nairobi that are coming up on the 24th of March. I find my moods changing more frequently and things are annoying me that weren't 2 weeks ago... like flies landing on my arm and tickling me when I'm already hot and cranky and don't want anything in my personal space!!! Didn't they get that memo!? For the love ;)

Anyway, I SOOO appreciate all your prayers and reminders of love that you are sending me via email, blog comments, or Facebook :) I'm anxious to get to Nairobi in hopes of being able to talk by phone with more of you and do some extended emailing (we've been on restrictions out here, and only get to use our internet for certain times of day and can't do downloading or other things that take up band width - another reason for the length of time since I've posted). Please please don't stop praying - if anything increase it as these next 2 weeks go by... I don't want to start spacing out or lacking motivation... I'd like to finish off this segment well.

I love you all, and am SO very thankful for you. Thanks for caring and following along. Much Much love across the ocean! :)
Christiane.

No Small Thing...

2009-02-22T11:29:00.003-04:00

I can hardly describe to you the extent to which one wakes up with excitement-to-overflowing on a day that we are to receive a plane in Doro. When you live day in and day out with the same group of faces, doing much the same (all be it rewarding) tasks, with little awareness of the outside world, knowing that a plane is on it's way and will arrive around lunchtime makes me giddy enough that it feels like Christmas. I'm sure this isn't something you'll be able to understand from where you sit reading this entry, but, I do declare it to be true :)

Over a week ago, we were expecting a plane that was coming to pick up a two short term guys who'd been here for a few weeks. Now, by this time I'd learned not to "hope" that my missing box or order of eggs or other goods from Loki would arrive... the disappointment can feel devastating, so best to try and forget about the possibility... However, this particular day all my things did arrive! My last box that I'd waited 2 weeks for - containing laundry soap, my cell phone chord for charging, toothpaste (which I was quickly running low on), a quick-dry bath towel, and a bunch of goodies that I'd been given for my birthday (dried fruit, and a package of Peanutbutter/Choc Oreos - woah nelly!). When I opened my box I could hardly contain myself as I found in it more items I'd forgotten that I had packed in there, last minute... like 5 shiny green granny smith apples... :D Heavenly days! And not only that, Leah (our logistics gal in Loki) had sent me 2 FLATS of eggs (when I'd ordered 2 doz.), AND Leah had also sent our Doro team POTATOES and CARROTS. We were all fit to be tied :) !!

As much as life here in Doro is good, it isn't always easy. But, I have been blessed by the realization that I am feeling, possibly for the very first time, true and genuine appreciation for the little things in life... well, here they are big things. May God give us the Grace and Gratitude to truly appreciate these things no matter what our circumstances.

Update on Rahil

2009-02-14T09:46:00.003-04:00

Hi Everyone, thanks so much for your prayers for this little girl, Rahil, and her family. I wish this update was going to contain wonderful news of a miracle... it's not. The short version of her story is this... After 36 hours of IV malaria treatment, our dear little Rahil started to improve, for which we praise the Lord. On about day 3 our clinic people went up there in the morning to find her IV had come out. Even with the IV treatment she'd been receiving, she was still dehydrated, and they were not able to get another IV in. That left oral treatments as the only option. From this point on, her condition started to deteriorate once more. On Day 4 she was looking quite bad, and Sarah, our Physician's Assistant said, "there's just no life behind those eyes..." The next morning, at about 5 am the parents took Rahil home to die. Here in Sudan, our team is noticing that it is really important for people to die (at least the children) at their home. I can't say I'm sad to report that Rahil is now in the loving arms of Jesus :) But, I wish, for the parents benefit, a miracle had occurred. Our God He is Mighty and His Will prevails, even when we don't understand, or get our way. I do know, that in all things He get's the Glory, one way or another. The story of this family isn't over... He is still at work in them. Perhaps, as I move to Gasmala (where they are from) you'll hear more of this family and what the Lord is up too in their lives... let's keep praying for them. (again, this picture is not the child I'm referring too)

Prayer Needed

2009-02-06T15:05:00.004-04:00

It's hard to sit here before my computer and figure out what to say about this situation. There is so much I wish I could relay to you, but the English language and this computer separating us makes that difficult. We have a child at the clinic, this every moment, who needs a major miracle to survive. Yesterday, when I was out in Gasmala (the village I will move to, to learn Mabaan), Vicky and I were asked to see a child who was very lethargic and ill. Vicky, with better eyes for this sort of thing, saw the severity of the situation and told the mother to get to our clinic in Doro first thing the next morning (it was all ready well into the afternoon and would have taken her 1-2 hours in the hottest part of the day to get to the clinic that day). Today, this mom did come (along with the Gramma and another woman) to bring the child. However, by the time they arrived, the child was comatose and seizing. Diagnosis? Cerebral Malaria. All day the child has been receiving treatments for this, as well as fluid for rehydration. I wasn't at the clinic today (technically I'm not supposed to be until I'm well on my way with Mabaan, so I don't get side tracked into the needs there), but I did go up in the evening just to see that child and the family, since I'd met them yesterday. What was intended as a quick trip to the clinic turned into a 2+ hour visit involving big discussions with the father who wanted to take the child home. Oh man. Through the translator, myself and a visiting short term doctor tried to answer the family's concerns and encourage the father to NOT take the child back to Gasmala, where she could surely die. The dad was concerned that the child wasn't breastfeeding, and all we were giving her was water (the IV fluid). How to you explain to someone that even though this liquid is clear, it still contains nutrients and is helping to keep the baby alive - even it if doesn't 'look like' milk. We tried a few different approaches, it would help for a few minutes, and then he could circle back and insist on taking the child home. The women on the other hand all wanted the child (who is raging with fever and gasping for breath) to stay and get the full treatment. So much prayer required. I was asking for wisdom from on High continually, and eventually, was able to pray for the family, that sweet little girl who is only 7 months old, and for the dad... I prayed that the Lord would give him wisdom to make the best choice for his child. Eventually, with the help of Dr. Angelina who came to our rescue (she is Sudanese, not Mabaan, but could speak in Arabic with the father) and convinced him she needed to say with us so we could do our work. Our prayers are answered... for now, they will stay. But, I am not so naive to think that he won't put up the same fight again tomorrow. Please be praying along with us, that the Lord would use this situation to make HIMSELF known to this man. I believe (only through observation of the 'traditional medicine talisman' around his neck) that this man is not a Believer in Jesus. I do pray that he would see the Lord's Healing Power in the life of his child...Pray with me that we could have opportunity to really share Christ with him, and with the women who brought this litte one. Please also pray for this baby. She really is SO sick, and is, at this point, showing many of the signs of "poor prognosis"... especially for one so little. It really, really will take a miracle of the Lord to bring her though this. BUT OUR GOD... HE IS ABLE. But even if He chooses to not heal, though He is able, May He receive the Glory - no matter the outcome. Let's be praying :) (picture is not this child)

For Julia

2009-02-02T02:18:00.003-04:00

My dear Jules requested a post on the drama of my hand injury... So here it is! :) I'm afraid that the picture doesn't look like much, but anyway, it was! The story goes like this: I had borrowed a broom from Sarah, one of the girls here, so that I could kill a spider on the wall of my Tukul - this is no surprise to anyone - I have spider issues... So, in the vim and vigor I was using to kill the sucker, I didn't notice that the end of the broom handle was exposed metal, and not a plastic covering... Needless to say, the metal gouged into the palm of my hand giving me quite a deep cut that went beyond the skin layers into the subcut tissue and really, was worthy of a stitch. Amazing enough it hardly hurt, but bled like a bugger. Sarah (our Physician Assistant) didn't think putting a stitch would be worth it, as it was smack in the middle of my right palm and, with me using it so much, she didn't think it would stay. So! A long story short, I've been doing my best to keep in clean by covering it with a tensor (*important to note that it's the R hand that is used for all greetings and so you can imagine how quickly germies could enter if it wasn't cared for!). It's looking pretty good, a good 1/2 of it is all closed off, and the other 1/2 is giving a bit of trouble - not infected, but not exactly closing up completely.... wish I had some skin glue :) So my love, Jules - that's the story :) Hope you enjoy the picture!

Here and Loving it :)

2009-02-01T09:22:00.004-04:00

Greetings from Sudan everyone! Praise the Lord we arrived safely on Wednesday afternoon, about 2:30, Sudan time. The flight here was long and in a small plane! We were about 3 hours from Nairobi to Loki (north Kenya) on an MAF (Missionary Aviation Fellowship) plane, then after a short break in Loki for customs and potty break, we flew for another 3 hours to arrive in Doro! The flight was... interesting! I must admit that I find flying in such planes hard on my head... by that I mean that I think too much about just how small the plane is, and just how high we are flying... the mathematics of it in my heads seems to equal out with us plummeting to the earth below! Thank the Lord that His mathematics come out to a different end sum! :) I did however, take that 6 hours as a BIG opportunity for the Lord to teach me about my fear and HIS PEACE... We had come very good conversations, and I spend lots of time worshiping, along with my MP3 player, among clouds that would make ANYONE sing!!

Upon arrival in Doro, these were our Greeters - a lovely sight is it not?? :) I got busy moving my self into my tukul (my hut), and getting the tour of the hospital and nutrition village and everything. More photos of all this to follow eventually - I'm in no rush to snap shots, as I'll be here for a good long time :) Hope you are patient! :) I am growing a great fondness for showering outdoors at sunset, and for the sounds the lizards make at night in my roof!

I'm really just posting to let you know that I'm here safe and sound, and that I really am just loving it :) I am right where the Lord would have me be, and the contentment in my heart reaffirms that for me daily. Thank you for caring and following along, and even more so for your prayers that got me here - and your prayers that will keep me here :).

Sudan Here I Come!

2009-01-27T12:50:00.004-04:00

So, I officially leave for Sudan in less then 12 hours! I have a bit more packing and rearranging left to do, and a few emails, then I'm off to bed for a very early morning! :)

To be honest, I've had some mixed feelings about all this - not that I'm not totally convinced of the Lord's Will in me going to Sudan, but just experiencing a lot of little fears or questions and feelings of inadequacy! :) But, I had a really good time with the Lord today, while sitting on my room porch looking up at wonderful clouds...

I was reading Jeremiah 17:7-8... it says at the beginning, "blessed is he who puts his trust in the Lord, and who's trust IS the Lord." Humm... Then it goes on to say that, "he will be like a tree planted by streams of water, not fearing the drought, and always bearing fruit" (well, that's my paraphrase). But I was just thinking about how, for a tree, life is water - with out it, it will die. And then the Lord brought an image into my mind of what my 'trust' in Him looks like... the picture was of me, eyes squeezed tight and me holding my breath! Ha! - what sort of trust is that!? :) Sure I was willing to "jump" - I trusted that much... but, I was un-trusting enough to feel the need to shut my eyes, hold my breath and wait, or at least be prepared, for the crash! I have not been a tree planted by streams of water, experiencing life...

Wow. Clearly I am having trust issues. I spent sometime praying, and chucking at that accurate image of myself, as the Lord spoke to my heart and pretty much told me to take a "chill pill" :) He reminded me that He has CALLED me here... He has prepared me in ways I don't even know yet... I am more prepared then I think I am, or He wouldn't be putting me on that plane tomorrow morning. I need to TRUST my Father. He KNOWS me. He knows His plans and hopes and dreams, not only for me, but for the people of Sudan. If I'm going to trust in anything - it sure won't be myself... it sure won't be the pilot or the plane... Why not trust in the ONE who holds the WHOLE world in His hands... created it all, and loves me beyond measure. I want to put my trust in the one who produces that fruit in me because the roots go deep into the soil, getting life from the stream.

Who am I not to trust a God like that? :)

Happiness

2009-01-22T12:08:00.004-04:00

Hello Everyone! Thank you for your patience as you've waited for me to update this blog! It's been 2 weeks (ish) now that I've been back in Africa, and it's been wonderful :) It feels very normal to be here, yet "new" because I've never before been to Kenya, and Nairobi is very urban!

As you will hear in my newsletter (if you receive those) I arrived with no glitches, all my luggage, and no problems with getting my visa or going through customs! Thank you for praying! I went almost directly to our SIM South Sudan Spiritual Life Conference, where I finally got to meet the WHOLE South Sudan Team, and start getting to know people! Those of you who know me well, know that big group settings like this are out of my 'zone of comfort', which made for some moments of feeling overwhelmed - but overall it was such a blessing! The Lord really started to make it a reality that I will be heading to Sudan shortly... :) The photo here is of the whole Doro Team - both with short term and long term people.

The last few weeks I've been going through orientation, getting my feet under me, gathering supplies for Sudan, and trying to organize my stuff and get an understanding of how things work within the SIM Sudan office, here in Kenya.

I will be flying into Sudan on January 28th ** so please keep that in your prayers!! I am hoping to get another newsletter out this week before I go so stay tuned! Thanks for your interest and faithful checking of this blog, I will do my best to keep it "up to date" with some pictures (although, the internet isn't exactly "fast" here :P So if I can't upload pictures, or at least, very many, be patient with me - and keep reading, even if it isn't as interesting as it is with photos! :)

I love you all and love hearing from you!
More to come... :)

I Go Before...

2009-01-06T03:49:00.002-04:00

"My Promise"

Child of my love, fear not the unknown morrow,
Dread not the new demand life makes of thee,
Thy ignorance doth hold no cause for sorrow,
Since what thou knowest not is known to me.

Wherefore go gladly to the task assigned thee,
Having my promise, needing nothing more,
Than just to know, where'er the future finds thee,
In all thy journeying I go before."

F.J.Exley

God's Just Like That :)

2009-01-05T01:12:00.002-04:00

HI Everyone!

I'm just writing a quick note to those of you who follow my blog to give you the update on me leaving! The last you probably heard (unless you get my prayer updates - different then the newsletters) was that I was hoping & praying for my support to go back up so I could in fact get on that plane on January 6th!

I am SO happy to report, that the Lord has provided in FULL, and I am indeed leaving for Africa on January 6th as planned! :) I am amazed at the way He works and in His perfect timing! There is so much I could say about that, but I'm trying to keep this short so I can go to sleep! These last few weeks with holidays and final preparations, packing & friends visiting - from near and far - have just been nutzo... awesome, but completely crazy :D You should see my living room floor right now!

Anyway! I hope to update tomorrow night too - before I head off. I had actually wanted to send out another Newsletter before I left, but, honestly... that's a bit too ambitious right now :P

So, that's it for now! Thank you SO much for praying about all this, and for all the encouragement you passed along to me with each "bump" along the way. I can't wait to start updates from Africa :) Stay tuned people....!

Because He is SO Faithful,
Christiane :)

MSF Video

2008-12-29T09:28:00.005-04:00

Just wanted to make you aware of a very good video put out by Doctors Without Boarders (MSF). If you want to know more and see what the current situation in Southern Sudan is, this is very much worth watching.

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/publications/topten/article.cfm?id=2603

(copy and paste it... I can't seem to make it a link)

Roller Coasters

2008-12-15T12:49:00.003-04:00

I've never been much of a theme-park girl. Well, perhaps Bush Gardens or Disneyland - somewhere with lots of cool animals (like Goofy!). But, I just don't get a thrill out of the rides... the adrenalin rush tends to make me more nauseous then exhilarated :) Somehow, though, the Lord must feel like it's time to get me used to the ups and downs of adrenalin rides...

This whole 2 year+ process has not been without it's bumps. Some bigger then others. It's been easy and hard, a blessing and a pain, all at the same time :) The most recent "downward drop" on this roller coaster came about a week ago, just after I'd sent out my last Newsletter with the exciting info that I had a ticket booked back to Africa! I told everyone that I had reached 95% of my monthly support and was praying for that remaining 5%, and then I'd be boarding a plane on January 6th! Well, the following day I got an email from SIM...

I was informed that someone in the financial dept discovered that we'd been using the exchange rates from the summer, and now, about 4 months later, the exchange rates look vastly different. Making the necessary change in my 'monthly support-need tally' dropped my percentage from 95%.... back to 82%.

You see... the good thing about this roller coaster I'm on right now is that, I know the dude controlling it. Yes, there are twists and turns on this ride that I didn't see before I took my seat and pulled the big, black, puffy shoulder guard down. But, it's quite possible that if I had known about all these twists and turns, I never would have had the courage to do anything but watch from ground level. What else is there to do but ride it out, and TRUST that when you arrive at the end of the ride, it will have been the most amazing and mind blowing experience you've been on yet!

After all, the dude controlling the ride actually made the ride...with His own two hands... I wouldn't want anyone else running it. And besides, with everything He's got invested, He wants me to arrive at the end safe, sound, and smiling, just as much as I do! Actually, I dare say, even more. I'm in good Hands.

I'll fly away, Oh Glory, I'll fly away

2008-11-28T12:59:00.004-04:00

It's been 4 and 1/2 years. Four and a half years since these feet of mine touched African soil, and these lungs breathed in African air. Pardon my nostalgia, I can't possibly express what I feel, as that is about to change...

I am very excited to tell you, that I have a one-way ticket to Africa. Not the jump-up-and-down-and-scream type of outward excitement... But the quiet, stirring anticipation of something I've long waited for. The kind of excitement that brings tears to my eyes as I type, because I know that what lays ahead of me, is the story I've been realizing in my heart for 25 years. A story that God has had written since the very beginning. The Prologue is almost over... On January 6th, get ready to turn the page.

Rebuild the Ancient Ruins

2008-11-08T12:01:00.007-04:00

In effort to keep giving you an idea about what I'll be doing in Sudan, this entry will be about the "Rebuild" project itself.

If you've been following along, you've read about the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people returning to Sudan after having fled for their lives from the war that has torn the country apart. Since the start of their return, back in 2005, many NGO's (non-government organizations) have been doing relief and development work all over the southern part of the country, in effort to meet the, at times, insurmountable needs.

SIM has had an active ministry in Sudan for over 100 years, having to leave for periods of time during various wars, but has maintained a good relationship over all with the government, and with Sudan's people (Lord willing this will continue).

The repatriation of so many people is a challenge that I can only imagine at this point. In response to this huge challenge, SIM started a project called "Rebuild South Sudan: Church and Nation". The premise of this ministry is to partner with the already existing National churches to rebuild the infrastructure back into the South, by empowering, training & educating the local people, and sharing the Love and Hope of Jesus along the way. There are a few ways this project is going about doing this - allow me to give you a brief overview:

1) Water and Sanitation Initiatives - getting wells dug and latrines built so people have access to clean and safe water asap
2) Teaching Educators - depending on the resources available in the camps, kids may or may not have had any opportunity for learning up until now... SIM is teaching teachers so schools can re-open and education can start in villages again
3) Health Care - as you know and will hear more of in the years to come, we are rebuilding a previously existing hospital in D, as well as training local people in basic health care with the goal having the hospital and surrounding clinics operated and run by National people as soon as able.
4) Agriculture - believe it or not, many Sudanese youth or young people have little to no knowledge of how to work the land for their livelihood. Many of them grew up in the refugee camps and never got the opportunity to learn these skills from parents.
5) HIV/AIDS Education & Prevention - pretty self explanatory and a big need of course, all over Africa. These people have been through enough... Who better to bring this important information to Sudan people's then the people of Sudan.

Through all of this SIM desires to make known the person of Jesus, and give Him Glory for the wonderful things He has, and will do in the beautiful country of Sudan.

Flood... Please Pray

2008-11-03T10:11:00.003-04:00

I have received news from Sudan that requires our faithful and urgent prayer. There has been flooding in the Mabaan area that has destroyed crops and cut off access to food supply. The corn and pumpkin crops that usually sustain people until the sorghum (a grain) crops are ready in December, have been completely wiped out in areas. Also bridges between the Doro area and the nearest supply towns have been washed out, making it nearly impossible for food to come from other areas to sell in the markets, for those who might have had the money to purchase it. I have heard that people are surviving on just a handful of grain per day.

"The SIM team in D. is facing a situation where the local people who work in the clinic and people from the church are not getting enough to eat," wrote my co-worker. The people of Doro as well as our team working there need much, much prayer.

The Team had designated October 29th as a day of fasting and prayer for this situation. That day has come and gone, so perhaps you'd like to join me on November 4th (tomorrow - sorry for the short notice), or pick another day. This is an opportunity to "stand in the gap" on behalf of this ministry and these precious people.

Pray

for the SIM team to have wisdom in how to respond to this crisis and to their friends.
for an end to the flooding.
for the Lord to supply food to the people who are hungry and suffering.
for the many refugees who have returned recently and haven’t been able to farm or settle in completely yet.
and as the Lord leads you

About Doro

2008-09-15T17:30:00.014-03:00

Once I leave this great Canadian soil, I'll be calling a little village named "Doro" home. Doro is located, of course, in South Sudan, about a 24 hour-ish walk to the Ethiopian border, just about 1/3'd of the way up the country.

Doro used to have a good sized town and SIM ministry there before the most recent war(s). In the '40's there was an SIM hospital serving the region, but it has been destroyed (along with everything else) in the last 25 years. This picture you see here, is of the hospital now.

Doro is one of the most under-served regions in all of South Sudan. The people here lack access to even basic education, health care, and many resources. I have been told that 25% of all children under the age of 5 years old, die. Malnutrition, Malaria, intestinal worms, and so many other diseases are often the culprits. A girl is also, more likely to die during childbirth, then to finish grade 8. This speaks to both the lack of health care and the lack of education.

Women and children are not the only ones effected. Our team Doctor was surprised to find that Leprosy was not uncommon to find among those returning to the Doro region from Refugee camps. Although I'll speak about the project I'll be involved with in a different blog post, I'll just say that the team over there is hoping to start a specific outreach to those affected by leprosy, like this man in the photograph.

Doro is pretty far "off the beaten path", and as far as I know, there are no roads coming to or from it that lead to a major town/city. (this picture is of "Downtown Doro" - click on any photo to see it enlarged). In order for us to get in and out of Doro, we will be flying. This picture is of our landingstrip. I can't even tell you how excited I am to fly over the villages and rivers of Africa in a little plane like this :)

The other thing I can tell you about Doro right now is about the people groups. I do believe there are a few tribes/groups of people in this region, however, the majority are "Mabaan". The Mabaan people speak, yes, you've got it...Mabaan (not Mabaanese) :) I have been taking Mabaan lessons from a friend here in Halifax who is from just outside Doro. He has been a great teacher, friend, and motivator in this time of waiting until the Lord says, "ok, Chris... let's GO."

About Sudan

2008-08-31T23:14:00.010-03:00

Country "Stats" :)
-Sudan is the largest country in all of Africa :)
-Capital & place of Goverment: Khartoum, found in the North
-There are 134 different Tribal Languages - the Trade Language is Arabic.
-They can experience temperatures up to 52'c (124'F) !!
-The estimated population is around 41.2 million (has to be general due to war and ongoing genocide)

The War: The most recent war in Sudan started around 1983 (the year I was born, incidentally) and lasted a devastating 21 years, and ended only in 2005 with the signing of a Peace Agreement between the North and South armies. Allow me to explain some of the tensions as I understand them...

There are 3 reasons that tension exists between the North and the South in Sudan. First of all - if you divide the country in thirds, the top 2/3's are considered "the North" and the bottom 1/3'd "the South" (just to give you some geographical understanding!). So. The 3 reasons...
a) Ethnicity: North - Arab, South - African
b) Religion: North - Muslim, South - tribal beliefs & 'Christianity'
c) Economic: North - Sahara desert, South - good farm land & oil fields

As you can see, there are enough reasons there for this great divide to make a war "justifiable"... In the process of gaining access to the vast oil fields in the south, the northern army "slashed & burned" their way through village after village. The people of the south raised up a "rebel army" to oppose the gov. army (called the Sudan People's Liberation Army - SPLA), and the 2 sides of this war were created. In the end, approximately 2,000,000 people were killed, and 4,000,000 had to flee for their lives and seek safety in neighboring African countries or abroad.

The Refugees: With the war's end in 2005, these Refugees (remaining on the African continent) started to return to their homeland... Trucks of people were brought home to villages long gone and replaced with grassy fields... Old war equipment, ammunition, land minds, and grenades strewn about were there to greet them. "Home" was not how any of them remembered. After these 21 years, as you can well imagine - there was nothing there for them to return too. Schools, hospitals, villages, water wells - all, either gone or destroyed. No infrastructure, no health care, no education system, no roads, no clean water... Welcome Home.

A New Direction

2008-08-31T16:26:00.007-03:00

So... it's time to stop chronicling the general happenings of life, and start the information flow about Sudan!! :)

If you haven't heard yet, I'm on my way to Sudan - yep, moving... long term relocation :) I'll be Nursing in a very rural hospital in a village called Doro, on the east side of South Sudan. I am hoping to be updating my blog on a 2 month basis as well as sending out newsletters and prayer guides for all those interested... if you haven't been receiving either of those so far and would like to, please just send me an email and I'll get you on my "send too" list right away! Make sure, over the years to come, that you leave me a little note/comment to let me know you were here and if you have any questions or responses to any of the thoughts, stories, or pictures I'll be posting!

I hope you are up for the adventure along with me - this should be interesting!

Stay tuned for some pictures and information about Sudan and the work I'll be doing there in the next few weeks :) Lord willing I'll be on a plane in 4-5 weeks, so I've got lots I can tell you about between now and then!

Thanks for all your love, prayers, and support.

Meagan Monday

2008-07-25T23:46:00.012-03:00

Yeah, I know... I'm still months behind on my blog updates... but here is the last one from my time out West in May :)

This was "Meagan Monday"... the date we took out to Elk Island - the first time either of us had ever been there.

Meagan and I were in the same tutorial group at the start of our 3rd year of Nursing... I'd just gotten back from Africa and had shared a few applicable stories with our group and, as she tells it, she decided that she'd "get the rest outta' me"! I was sort of a shy, unfriendly type... I'm thankful she got curious enough to try and crack my shell :) As little as we have in common (seriously, major opposites, from taste in shoes to our definitions of a good time! haha) I absolutely love this girl to death :) Enjoy our photos.

This was our picnic... in the rain I might add... meag lent me her mittens :)

Solo shots (looks like Africa in the background, don't you think?)

Meag trying to see if the Fairy Tale really does come true... (we're still waiting...)

Double-chin-sky-shots... my favorite :D

Thanks for your friendship Meagan...You'd better move in to the hut down the path from me in Sudan... we've gotta keep up tradition!
I love you, I really do :)

People I love...

2008-06-19T11:02:00.017-03:00

Ohhh, after almost a whole year I was back in Alberta for 3 weeks in April/May... it was SO good for my heart! So many people I've missing being with, talking with, praying with... *sigh* So good.

Here are a bunch of Pictures of me with some of the people I love!

Sure didn't get to see enough of this one... this is my Amy :D

Kelly (a friend from U of A Nursing) and her boyfriend Jeff came to visit me at the Navs conference... they live in Medicine Hat - I was great to connect with them.

Our Girls Small Group from the conference... Wonderful group of women - we learned a lot together.

Me and Nabeel (Jabbour) - he spoke at the conference... wonderful man

Kristen and I - new friend from Ontario :D (excited for you to come visit Kristen!)

Me and my Gen :) Love you girl - praying for you this summer...

...And this is Craig :)
This was actually a hilarious day, cause we can just never get a picture of us that looks natural or good of both of us at the same time... we must have tried this about at least a dozen times... good grief :D Excited to have you home again soon!

This is Me and Erika - my favorite and terrifying Nursing Instructor who thinks I'm Amish :D

Me and Emily Rudd, my hilarious friend who always gets Earl Grey tea, even at Steeps where there are like 100 flavors... tisk, tisk :D

Me and my Taul Pan (real name? Paul Tan) ... (oooo, and my Mazda 3 rental in the background - yay!)

Simon and Renee (finally, a picture without me in it!). These are 2 of my favorite people. Thanks you guys for the talks, times of prayer, and encouragement. You are both such a Blessing.

Phil and Marcia Leskawich (Marica is also known to me as my Gandolf* coming to save the day on a white horse... long story, let's just say these 2 have been an advocate for me in times where I really needed one!) Love you both.

Whew... you've made it to the end... last picture... me & Paul, and Langano Skies Ethiopian food :D Mmmmm... best way to end the trip... seriously, we were on our way to the airport!... Priorities!

Feeling Loved...

2008-06-16T10:19:00.010-03:00

Well, this post is dedicated to all the crazy people who helped plan and were a part of my dramatic 'welcome home' day in Edmonton! Our car drove right from the airport to Langano Skies, my favorite Ethiopian restaurant... this I thought might happen :) But, there were like 13 people there... that I wasn't expecting. After eating yummy food that I've been craving for like, a year, we started the drive back to "the Happy Place"... only, on the way I got blind folded and kidnapped! Again, not expecting that! Then I proceeded to try not to barf as I was driven around the city, after 7-8 hours of air travel already that day, with my eyes covered :P Then I was lead by the hand into a building that I couldn't figure out (back at the airport maybe?), up an elevator, down a dark hallway... (what the heck?), entered another room (more light in this one), and was instructed to "sit" while my blind fold was whisked off to reveal that I was in... "The Africa Room" of the Fantasy Land Hotel, in West Ed Mall! Hilarious... the girls had talked about renting the room for a night last year before I moved home, and now, there they'd gone and done it... I have hilarious and wonderful friends :D

Everyone who had been at Langano soon "re-arrived" and the rest of the evening we spent laughing, hanging out, playing Bolderdash (thanks to Pam... she ALWAYS wants to play Bolderdash), and then, Camile (who apparently organized most of it) started handing me little love notes that people had mailed or email her, from home or across Canada. This was a prayer shower for me before I went to Sudan! I felt loved :) They'd organized for Janna to phone from Ecuador, and I got to talk to Julia, Pedro, Luigi, and Coco :) My Cup Ranneth Over!

A while later the boys all left, leaving the girls to hang out in the hot tub and stay up late talking into the night :) - I died earliest though...that time change is a killer :P We had a great time, lots of laughs and I really felt loved and very blessed - which, I'm pretty sure was their goal :D

Springtime Happenings

2008-05-30T15:00:00.006-03:00

At Peggy's Cove with My Daddy :) We saw Pilot whales that day!

Joanna's 'Bachelorette Party'!? Just kidding, restaurant error... it was just her 25th Birthday instead!

It's that time of year again... mmm, fruit :)

Next blog update... My trip out West... stay tunned!!

Paul Brandt Concert!!

2008-04-10T23:43:00.004-03:00

I got tickets to the Paul Brandt Concert for my 25th Birthday from Mom and Dad! It was here in Halifax early February - Julia and I went and reminisced about our by-gone Alberta days and singin' along with Paul while drivin' through the Rockies :)

The Concert was Great (and I'm not even a big concert kinda girl!) and I just super enjoyed how much he interweaves his Faith in the music... probably most of the people had no clue he was quoting Scripture in almost all the songs. Good fella'.

Here's us with our brand new CD's... cracked 'em open for the drive home :)
One Song on my CD is really good... I think I'll blog it sometime cause it just really resonates with me... anyway... stay tunned :D

Miss you Jules!! Love ya ;)

Feliz Ano, 2008!!

2008-03-12T00:03:00.005-03:00

My deepest apologies to those of you who know the meaning of this word (ano) without the ~ on the "n", when it would mean "year" ... "Happy New Year!" I do not mean to offend, I simply have an old computer and can't figure out what command or key sequence will give me an "N" with ~ on top :P

Anyway! Enough trying to dig myself out of hole ... pardon the pun...haha :)

Happy New year! This year, in keeping with our new tradition from Ecuador, we celebrated the passing of 2007 with an "Ano Viejo" (again, my apologies)... an "Old Man" to burn as a symbol of forgetting and moving on from the regrets of 2007.

Beth and Janna (although, mostly Beth) made him... his name is Ivan Malo, and the choseing of this name has a story, although, you'll have to ask my sister about it -I don't feel at liberty to publish it all over the internet :)

Here he is burning away, our old man... in Ecuador everyone lays their Ano viejo's in the middle of the street to burn (they are filled with newspaper/straw, and firecrackers!) them on the stroke of midnight. We set ours alight at 1 am in Canada, which is 12 midnight in Ecuador.

Luckily no cops came running to our house and no neighbors complained at the Roman Candles that came shooting up in our back yard from the lap of Ivan Malo !! :D

Christmas 2007

2008-03-09T18:02:00.012-03:00

Well, I seem to be getting so far behind that I need to speed up the entries!! Over Christmas we had the privilege of having Nanny and Pappy over for a whole week and all to ourselves :) We did our usual Christmas morning thing, breakie down by the fire while we slowly open stockings (knitted by Nanny many moon's ago :) and gifts... it was really nice... here are a few photos:

Ok, my Nanny has to be one of the funnest people to buy a gift for - especially if the gift is clothing or jewelry ;) She guesses what it is first (a trait my mother is also annoying good at), then gasps is surprise, then goes on and on about how you "shouldn't have" or it's "too nice" for her to wear, or "it must have cost so much!" but at her first chance and with not much prodding she's got it on, showing it if with a big grin loving every compliment and soaking up every ounce of attention :) She is SO funny... she knows it too :) And at 81 years old -she look amazing in just about anything!Aren't they just wonderful? :) Pappy is trying on his new Christmas duds, and Nanny is in her housecoat, all ready for bed - she made me crop the photo so no one would know ;) oops!
Shortly after Christmas we went up to New Brunswick to visit the family up there... We made the traditional stop in at the Fredericton Market on Saturday morning and stood in line -despite the show- at our favorite Suflakie stand... mmmm...
This picture is of Hannah, Shauna & Ben's first girl, she's grown a lot since the summer! We hear that she is an awesome singer, and knows all the lyrics to the Gaither Vocal Band CD's (like a good member of the Fox family ;) but we couldn't convince her to sing for us... too many eyes watching I guess... at least she's humble about her talent!
This is the newest edition to the family, Gracie (Shauna & Ben's 2nd girl). It was our first time meeting her, she is really sweet :)
Played "Memory" with Sydney and Jada (Sonya & Pat's 2 oldest girls... Payton is the youngest and I don't have a good picture of her this time around...), watched their 1st ballet recital on video, and read story after story... :) They are SO much fun.
Apparently Christmas of 2007 will go down in the books for being the year of babies! While we were in Fredericton my cousin Sarah and her husband John announced that they were expecting a baby in 8 months and 28 days! Sarah told us all the day after she took the test! hahaha.. they are just a tad excited :) Sarah and Jeremy Marsh also made their announcement and little baby Marsh is to arrive in August! Another cousin, Stephanie and her hubby Matt are having a baby in June... this picture is of her and Jay when the 3 of us met up at Tim Horton's one afternoon in NB, on our way to PEI...

And that was Christmas 2007!

Traditions...

2008-02-28T19:22:00.013-04:00

One of the nice things about living at home again is being around for all the Traditions :) You know me and Traditions... we go back a long ways and aren't so easily separated ;)

Mom and Dad making our yearly "Almond Butter Crunch" Christmas Candy - they've been making this since before Janna and I were born - now THAT's a tradition ;)

Look at us being helpful... we always get the important job of painting on the chocolate -this year we got a bit confused I guess... Janna seems to have chocolate fingernail polish even!!

Decorating our Christmas Tree

The MacIsaac Christmas Party - every year my Nanny's side of the family has a big gathering in O'Leary PEI, of all her brothers and sisters (15 at one point -less now), their children, grandchildren... and on it goes... not everyone can make it every year, but the show must go on! year after year after year after year... perhaps it's from this side of the family that I got my affinity/need for traditions!

Nanny and Pappy and grandchildren (at least the ones present)

Christy and Pappy
( just in case you are wondering at the name change... My Pappy has called me "Christy" for as long as I can remember -it's his nick name for me, not "Chris"- "Christy" and he's the ONLY one on the planet who's allowed :) (even strangers or patients when they get my name wrong and call me Christy, they get the whole story... "sorry, you can call me Chris or Christiane... but my Pappy is the ONLY ONE who calls me Christy"...)

Of course, another tradition that goes without saying and is sorely missed when one of the families is away... That is the Bryant/Fox Christmas Eve gathering :) We have pictures of this event from WAY back... one where I'm holding Jamsey in my lap and he's pretty new! Here's a few pics of our 2007 Christmas Eve, with EVERYONE present (no kids were in Africa, Australia, or Ecuador!)

That's most of the "pre" Christmas ones (that come with pictures anyway ;)

Here comes Santa Clause, Here comes Santa Clause...

2008-02-13T16:54:00.019-04:00

Woah, sorry about the delay people! Finally here are some pictures from the Holidays! These are the "leading up to Christmas" ones :)

Our Wednesday Morning Ladies Bible Study - the highlight of my week!

Carol sing at Peter's house... awe I love our Church!

Baking with our small group Youth Group girls

Kristen making rice krispy squares

Laurissa packing up boxes of Christmas goodies to be delivered to special people

This is most of our YG girls (grades 9 & 10) From left to right, back to front: Me (Christiane), Regan (Rudolph), Erin, Fiona, Kristin, Heidi, Laurissa (kissy), and Cerys :)
This picture was taking at the Christmas party after our "gift that keeps on giving" night where we walked around Spring Garden Road (downtown Halifax) giving out gifts to random people we felt the Lord put on our hearts - we had a blast... my favorite was the 2 ambulance drivers we waved down at a stop light... they probably thought someone had died! haha, they just got chocolate instead :)

Janna and I spent a day in Tatamagouche with Sam, one of our all-time favorite people. She had just recently had a baby in November, and this was our first time seeing little Danny :) (and first time meeting Marcus too for that matter! AND my first time getting there without getting lost -haha!)

He's just beautiful - and she's such a proud mommy :) It was SO good to see you guys!

And this final one is of my Nanny teaching my Dad how to make biscuits for our Seafood Chowder on Christmas Eve! I love this picture :D

Serving In Mission

2008-01-20T01:06:00.000-04:00

As most of you will know, I've been in the process of going to Sudan for almost a year now. It all started last February, gained momentum through 2 orientation courses in Toronto this fall, and a an interview where SIM (Serving In Mission) accepted me as a new member and Sudan said "come on over!!" :) Yay! So, here are a few pictures of SIM related things from this Fall...

This is myself, Erin & Don (who are now married) & their new little girl Mahayla, and Craig -at the SIM annual fall retreat at Malagash in September :) This little group is a bit of a "Benin Reunion"...we all were on the same team to Benin, West Africa, 7 years ago

On a walk downtown Toronto in October when I was there for 3 weeks for 2 different courses! Whew... exhausting, but both really good!!

This was our MissionPrep course -the first 2 weeks... It was really, really good -there are still things that I need to process through! I met some really great people, all of us working with different organizations and going to different places around the world -Brazil, Vietnam, France, Ethiopia, Sudan, East Asia... cool :)

This last pictures is of Dan, Me, Sarah, and Sonya -the four muskateers for the first 2 weeks, then Sarah went home to get married, and Carrie (who I apparently didn't get a picture of) came to the SIM guest house for the remaining week of SIMCO. Good friends, laughed a lot, went through a lot, made many trips to the grocery store, and watch a lot of TV in the evenings... when we didn't have homework that is ;) Oh the memories!

Thanksgiving with the Tan Man

2007-12-18T13:23:00.000-04:00

About a week before Thanksgiving my friend Paul made a spontaneous decision to come to Nova Scotia for a visit!! He was here for a week and it was great to show him around to some of my favorite places and introduce him to some of my favorite people :)

Of course, the first stop was to Peggy's Cove where we stayed for a few hours, both of us doing work or reading on our own corner of Peggy's rocks :) I just love sitting and 'BE'ing there, listening to the waves crash and the spray catch the sunlight... mmm, nothing better, really... hopefully Paul caught a bit of that awe and appreciation that afternoon... actually, I'm pretty sure he did cause he asked if we could go back sometime, but we never got too --next visit Paul ;)

Another day we went on a hike with a bunch of people, to Cape Split, in the Valley (where all the apples and exciting things grow). Jordan and Julia both were there -they know Paul from when they lived in Edmonton, along with Ally, Kristen, & and Luke -it was a fun day. It felt like a pretty long hike before we finally got out to the cape... but eventually we could all collapse in the grass and wind to relax and enjoy the amazing view (pictures never do things like this justice!) The cliffs here are just crazy... if you ever fell, you'd just die -happy thought huh? It was a really peaceful afternoon, and from here we went for some fish and chips -all part of the experience!

Paul and I had multiple expeditions out to find the perfect leaves... unfortunately we had a really warm Fall here and our leaves all turned at least 2 weeks later than normal, meaning that Paul wasn't here at their peek -bummer. Anyway, I have a few pics of some nice leaves... you'll just have to use your imagination a little bit (those of you not from out here!)

And what would be a trip to NS to visit me without a stop in at camp!! Malagash is probably the thing that means the most to me (besides people) so I was really glad I could show Paul around. Of course, he HAD to get a picture at the anchor- it's tradition :) We also went for a walk down at the beach and sloshed through the water to get out to the sandbar (cold, wet jeans on a windy day? no problem :P)

I love this last picture ... I didn't even realize, but Paul pointed out that this street in my subdivision is his first name (his Chinese name) - Howe Tan! I tried to tell him that I had it specially put in for his visit but he didn't believe me :P It was fun to have you here Paul and great to show you some of my life back at home -Thanks for comin' to 'lil ol' Nova Scoter :)

Apples, Apples, Apples

2007-12-14T10:38:00.000-04:00

At long last!! -I am FINALLY home for the Fall (the true, red, orange & yellow fall!) so that I can pick apples... my FAVORITE thing to do in Nova Scotia in the Fall :D For as long as I can remember, either our family or the youth group would go to the valley for Apple Picking... the orchards always have free apple cider for you and you fill up your big clear plastic bags with either 5 or 10 lbs of MacIntosh, Gravenstine, or Cortland apples -and of course, you can eat as many as you'd like while you are picking... my absolute favorite are the Cortlands... mmm :)

This year, my first apple picking was with mom and dad... we also got pumpkins too -we spend the whole day in the valley which was really nice -I'd forgotten how beautiful it is down there...
We got lots of fresh veggies, stopped for curd at the cheese factory, ate fish and chips at a little fishing cove -it was an awesome day!

The next time I went apple picking, it was Jenn's Birthday, and a bunch of us went. I don't have a picture of it, but I was attacked by a ladder at one point, then a big apple fight began -dude... those really hurt when they connect with you!! :) (you can't really see it, but in that picture there are a few apples flying through the air!)

It's so nice to be home, doing the things that I've missed for so long, with the people that I've missed for so long :) I am enjoying Nova Scotia... just in case you couldn't tell...

Another Cousin Wedding

2007-12-10T21:43:00.000-04:00

ON September 1 my cousin Jessica got married... hard to believe that we are all 'technically' old enough to be getting married, like all of our parents did at this age! Woof! But, before I show you pictures of that, I have this AWESOME one of my Nanny... doing her hair in the kitchen before the wedding... The very best part is that she is knitting a stocking. Now it's important for you to understand the significance... Nanny has knit ALL of her 4 children and their spouses (3) and ALL of the grandchildren (10) one of these stockings... and now, in the last year and a 1/2 she has been knitting stockings for the new generation of in-laws (now 3)!! Awe :)

Another thing is that there are a bunch of new windmills on our cape. Right now there are 11, but eventually, they are going to put up 51!! It's smart though... PEI is one of the windiest places on earth! They are sorta pretty and sorta ugly all at the same time -but they are HUGE!

Anyway, Jess and Mitchell's wedding day was fun! We had all of us cousins in attendance except for Janna (this picture is missing all the Ellis girls cause they were in the wedding party and hadn't yet made their appearance! Speaking of appearances, here is Jess right after her's! She and Mitchell were listening to the special music. I think Jess was just gorgeous that day (well, everyday!) but seriously she was a beautiful bride! Mitchell looked pretty proud of her :) It was a great wedding, with only one glitch (Mitchell's grampa wasn't feeling so good... there was a bit of an intermission -which I think I might schedule into my wedding down the road, just enough of a breather to realize "oh dang! I'm getting married right now!" and take it all in :D)

We got to take a whole Ellis Family Photo, which was great -again, only missing Janna. Dad was doing pop-a-wheelies with Pappy's wheelchair -I think he only found it funny for the fist 2 :P

After the wedding, while the wedding party was doing pictures, the fam all went back to the farm for a lobster lunch :) mmm... It was Krista's first time having Lobster -not too sure what she thought of it, she said she liked it, but I imagine it will be something that grows on her over time! But it was yummy for the rest of us -Pappy enjoyed himself, of course... awe... look at him, I love this man.

Then we were off to the reception in Summerside... speeches, dancing, cake, laughing, gifts, people, corny jokes, good food, and of course, the same almond butter crunch candy that all of our mothers have made forever -it is now the official "favor" at all cousin weddings to date :) I made all of us 'remaining' single cousins make a pact that there would be no more weddings in our family for another 2 years minimum!! -we've had 3 in a year and a 1/2 -woof!!

Congratulations You Two!! :) Mitchell, Welcome to our crazy and dysfunctional family :) Now bring on the great grandchildren, right Jess?? ;)

Happy Birthday Julia!!

2007-12-06T10:55:00.000-04:00

In August a bunch of us were really sneaky and came up with a marvelous plan to kidnap julia and get her all the way to Peggy's Cove for a surprise Birthday party for her, of course, without her knowing it...

I was supposed to get her there, which is tricky cause I'm not always the best liar! But, we'd hung out the night before and were planning on going to Peggy's the next morning -the only problem was that we'd stayed up until 2 am and I had to get her to our destination by 10:30!! I was so worried that she's suspect something was up cause I am NO early riser and for us to be there on time would mean we'd get like 5-6 hours of sleep only... hummmmm. So, I made up some crazy excuse why we shouldn't sleep in but get to Peggy's asap in the morning.... "the summer is almost over julia and we have to beat all the tourists or the place will be packed!!" Ridiculous... I was SO sure she saw straight through me!

But she bought it!!! We were late, but we got there and she was SO surprised to see everyone waiting for her on a blanket on the rocks! I was perfect :D

We had an awesome breakfast just sitting on the rocks... random people (tourists) were taking our pictures as if we were part of the scenery, like the ocean or the lighthouse! We laughed a lot, toasted Julia with some sparkling apple cider saying all the things we loved about her (at which point I accidentally dumped my glass of juice in my lap so it looked like I peed my pants- great! :P) Anyway, it was an awesome morning, Julia was surprised and all was well in the world :) Love you Jules, Happy Birthday!

Fox Family Beach Day

2007-11-29T12:49:00.000-04:00

This is a post I should have done a while ago, but I forgot about this day until I came across the pictures the other day! I guess I blew my OCD fetish about chronology! :P Oh, well, these pictures are just too cute to skip!

So, at some point in July the Fox's, Fox's, Esson's, MacLellan's, Kaley's, Watanabe's, and Macaloon's all gathered at Parlee Beach in New Brunswick for some fun, food, and laughs :) This was the fist time that I'd seen everyone since I'd moved home, so I had lots of fun playing with the girls in the water... Actually, Jada and I went searching for hermit crabs... she was pretty cute playing around in the tidal pools in the sand bars -she was scared of the crabs at first, but after watching how I picked them up from behind and put them in our bucket, she wanted to try too! When we got back to our patch of sand she exclaimed to everyone, "we got cwabs!" "you got what?" "Hewmit cwabs!!" She played and talked and patted them for at least 1/2 hour :)

Sydney and Patrick played in the sand for a while... apparently the little fishes were tasty... and Hannah was content in the water with her little bucket and matching swim outfit! :)

After a good time of swimming and hanging out we went to a picnic site for dinner! Mmmmm, what would a Fox Family day be without food?? ;) And more specifically, without shrimp... this time they were still frozen however, so Sarah came up with a plan on how to melt the ice!

We had lots of fun... good food, telling stories, laughing, playing Frisbee, entertaining children... a good day :) We took a family photo even! Something we haven't done in a while... we're still missing a few bodies, like Janna, and the Dreiers -but one of these days we'll get us ALL together :)

Here comes the Bride!!

2007-11-26T11:18:00.000-04:00

After all the planning, hoping, preparing, and dreaming...

Here comes Kimmy (sorry, I was standing at the front and don't have pics of her coming down the isle... but she walked out to the worship song, "How Great is our God" which was amazing :) She was beautiful...

Kim and Min, and Kim's Dad and Mom (after the ceremony)

Maddie, Min's Niece was the flower girl

Some layout/decorations ...

The head Table

Cutting the Cake

Frist Dance... apparently Maddie was feeling left-out :)

Amanda and her little man 'Maddox' & Brides Maids and some Groom's Men

Me and Kimmy Ho

Whitt 3 Girls Alumni

Briercrest Alumni (30 in total!)

Decorating the Car

There they Go... the happy couple... "Hawaii Here We Come!!"

Bachelorette and Getting Ready...

2007-11-24T13:25:00.000-04:00

After a nice dinner out with Kim's Bridesmaids and a few friends...

We dressed her up and took her out!! :D

Her task, which she chose to accept, was to find 10 single men and get her picture taken with them... at the local park where there was a lively out door Band playing... the place was packed!

She asked many random men... but I think my favorite was the Police men :)

What's a Bachelorette Party without a little dancing in front of a crowd?? ... remind me to never get married for this very reason :D

So, the big day arrived... here are some 'getting ready' pics!

Kimmy getting makeup done

Sara, Nicole, Melissa and I all doing hair and makeup

Time for the Dress!!!

Min HO here we come.... :) "We're goin' to the chapel, and Kim's gunna get marrrrried..."

More from California

2007-11-24T11:38:00.000-04:00

Here are a few photos of my time in California ~ time between Disney and the Wedding

Kimmy and I can't be together without watching our favorite movie, "Runaway Bride"... 3 times :)

Kim, Min, and I stayed up until 2 or 3 am on a few occasions working on the favors, programs, name tags and center pieces for the wedding... whew... Min and I just LOVE wraphia ;)

Programs ~ designed by Kimmy D herself :)

Favors and Name tag napkins... also designed by Kim

Kim and I at her Bridal Shower

Kim opening gifts... Melissa and Nicole on either side

More at Kim's shower...

Rachelle and Adam sang "In Christ Alone" during the wedding -it was beautiful... I got to spend some time with Rachelle, which was just awesome -this was the first time I'd seen her since Briercrest... I just love this girl :)

Sarah and John -another awesome couple. Honestly it was a BBC Whitt 3 reunion down there, it was so great to see everyone, hang out, and catch up on life... My Cup Ranneth Over!

Disneyland ... where dreams come true ...

2007-10-05T23:16:00.000-03:00

What could be more fun then a whole day with one of your closest friends in a land where all your wildest dreams come true!? :)

This is Me and Kimmy -I went down to California for her wedding in August :) More blogs to come on that!!!

Now -sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not going to sit here and bash Disneyland saying what a money-grabber-turn-even-the-best-kids-to-brats-tourist-trap it is (although that might be slightly accurate). For those of you who know me- you know that I'm not your typical "let loose" sorta gal to run around to all the rides, eat 10 lbs of cotton candy (well, maybe), and get all giddy... But, I have got to say, that after a day at Disneyland -even the most reserved persons start to act a bit different :P

It's so funny -and I spent most of the day observing- because the majority of the adults are more into it than the kids... walking around with Mickey ears, or Pirate Hats, or face paint -laughing hysterically at friends, genuinely enjoying their children (until 6pm when every child in the park starts whining, smiles turn to pouts, and little arms are being dragged while clinging to larger ones...), standing in 2-hour long adult ride lines!! Now, I really am not a "rides" person -the anxiety and adrenaline are NOT that enjoyable to me... which is why, of course, the Tarzan Treehouse was my favorite :) It used to be the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse -back in the good old days of childhood -or in Christy Miller... but today, it's Tarzan -with the same jungle sounds playing, and a real life "Trashin' the camp" scene :P

Kimmy convinced me that the Pirates of the Caribbean ride didn't have a "drop" in it -although I had some distant memory of one from when my mother "forced" me on the ride when I was little -I'm still traumatized slightly that she took me on that -it creeped me out now and I'm 24!! Oh, and yep... there is a drop -one where I screamed and Kimmy yelled "Oh no, I'm SO sorry..." all the way down :D

My favorite ride (Tarzan doesn't count as a ride) was by FAR the Indiana Jones Adventure one... I was sorta dreading it -thought Kim might be trying to fake-trick me again ;) But once we were on and going, I just love it (and was still slightly terrified until it was over!) The very last part you are coming up to this smoke screen that they have an image projected on, then you drive through it and you see Indiana Jones and this huge boulder rolling behind him ...right at you... closer... closER ... IJ jumps out of the way ... CLOSER!!! ...then you DROP! right when you think it's going to fully run you down & Disney has a serious safety issue on their rides hands and you are going to be on the front page of the LA newspaper tomorrow! Honestly I was so relieved that we dropped that I didn't even mind it! haha! Then you roll to a stop thinking -that was amazing... how did they do that?? :) I would go back on that one in a heart beat :) (-and I don't even have any pictures of it!)

So what is the perfect way to end a Day at Disney? Peanut butter cup Caramel apples and the Fire Works Show! Ok, so I know this might sound ridiculous, and I KNOW my description will not do them justice, but these were by far the best fireworks I've ever seen in my life. They start sorta normal -pow-pow-color, you know... but then... in flies a real-live Tinkerbell!! and she is "lighting" up the castle and whizzing here and there (that person in real life MUST take Gravol before doing this!!) the whole time with music playing over the loud speakers -but not just any music, some really inspirational music and theme songs from movies... then the fire works go off in time WITH the music and suddenly, when you aren't expecting it, fireworks start going off all AROUND you! 360 and I'm not kidding! You have to turn to see them all and the whole time your heart just gets more and more excited and you think about the day that went by -all the fun and memories and you truly do start to think "yes, all my dreams WILL come true!!" :D Seriously - IT HAPPENS! This place is MAGICAL!! I CRIED EVEN!! hahaha (I wish that were just a tad more shocking...)

As "magical" as this place is, I couldn't help but wonder at the other 2/3 of the people on this earth... what would they think if they came to Disneyland for the day -would their kids be entertained or terrified? would they feel free or overstimulated? would they pick bread over cotton candy? would -after everything was said and done- they rather return to their games with sticks and rock and other kids? The "culture" of entertainment that seems so natural and normal to us was really making me think all day long -I greatly enjoyed my time, and it really was hard to go home -I would have rathered stay ... but I wasn't sure if I liked that ... Food for thought --it was an awesome day though! :)

"I LOVE my Red Room!"

2007-10-04T09:52:00.000-03:00

Years ago I had this vision of painting my room red... and it took years to convince my mother that yes I would love it when we were done, and yes, she would too! As we (but mostly my parents-how did I weasel my way out of that one!?) started painting the intense "Chilli Pepper" red all over my walls I saw fear in their eyes...! "Just give it time, I have to get my stuff up on the walls... You'll catch the vision I promise!!" Here is the (mostly) end result... and I absolutely LOVE it... and about once a week, mom will walk in my room as the sun is setting and say "you know... this room really does look nice with the evening sun coming in the window..." YAY! :D -the vision is caught! That picture above my bed was given to me by a few girls from my hall at Briercrest and I got it dry mounted -I love it... (oh, those curtains were my friend Meagan's that she didn't want any more -I love them too!) A bright orange chair -perfect :P ...So many happy African faces... :D Edmontonians -please note the new "happy place" sign location This wall is still awaiting a picture from Edmonton (Meag -the mirror you made me looks so good in here!) Some may find it too bright -too colorful, others too cluttered with pictures and things, and even though Pam Hobbs says "oh my... I don't think I could live in here!"... I LOVE my red room!

My Mora Berry Car

2007-10-02T12:58:00.000-03:00

Hello... I would like to introduce you to my car...

I bought her in July, she is a 2nd hand 1999 Nissan Altima... and (since I have no pet and need to name something...) her name is Mora -because she is the color of a Mora Berry from Ecuador (mmmmm... the best juice ever... along with passion fruit!). Not only is she sort of purple (which is better than burgundy... I hate burgundy cars -sorry if you have one), but she is blonde on the inside which makes me happy, and she likes to play my country music, roll down her windows and go on road trips :)Mora is pleased to meet you :)

A Big Piece of the "Home" Puzzle

2007-09-05T15:26:00.000-03:00

I don't think I can even put to words what it was like to finally be back at Malagash. Seriously. My first week and a 1/2 in Nova Scotia felt a little odd, but when I was back at camp, suddenly, everything felt familiar again and I felt like I was home.

It was like water to my soul to spend time with so many people I haven't seen in years... Anna, Betty, Colby, the Walsh's, Laura Boyce... it's a long list :) Technically I was camp nurse for 2 weeks; the 1st Jr. Teens, and grades 3-5 camp. However, when I wasn't in the nurses station doctoring a cut or headache, I was in the kitchen. I thought that after having been gone for so long, the last place at camp I'd want to be spending time would be the kitchen... but truly, it blessed my heart :) It took me about 24 hours to have all the ropes come back (even then I had to ask once in a while where some random tool's home was...). I have SO many memories in that space, and they all camp back during that week... like working the dish washer with Fiona and Nathalie, peeling so many potatoes (which is hardly ever done now), seeing Tracy's bright face come around the corner and give me a hug each morning, Karen Douglas saving the pot that we'd made Rice Krispy Squares in for Denis who would always sit on the freezer out back to polish it off, making cookies on the HOBART, hiding away in the walk-in (the old walk-in with the iron handle) on the hottest summer days... oh! So many memories :D

Oh! So many NEW memories... like grape eating contests and random fun with the kitchen girls, late night talks with as many people as possible (Luke and Jordan, Anna, Laura, Karen and Julia -I LOVE these times...), Late night "Pie Parties" with who ever is around (we polished off 4 left over pies that night... Islay eating the lion's share ;) -Shhhh, I don't think "Beddly" knows still !!), wandering around the field and through the woods blind folded and holding hands on our way to a staff party at Brian and Elaine's, Sunset swims with the Kitchen girls and Anna, praying on the beach with Anna, Mission Impossible spent the best way: laying on the wet grass with Jenni and Julia talking about Friends quotes :), "Brian the Bridge Troll", Making 3 runs into the Tatty hospital in 24 hours (those stories are too long for one post), learning more than I ever imagined about some of the staff's "irregularities" in system functions (that is a delicately as I can put that on a blog!), Drawing with Kevin (camper who sprained his finger) in the nurses station while waiting for the rest of the camp to come down from the Staff/Camper Soccer game (where he sprained his finger!) :P And conspiring with Laura and all the campers, against all the counselors, to steal all their bunks and hide them on the motel deck! This was SO fun... and I must say, in spite of some bad reviews from staff, the campers LOVED this late-night activity :D Laura and I got quite a kick out of it ourselves ;) (FABULOUS idea Laura!!)

All in all I cherished every moment of my time at camp. The Lord is so Faithful, in general, but also specifically to that place... His ministry continues for generations as He raises up new people to labor there... it's a training ground for many, a huge place of growth for all, and special to everyone who set's foot on the land (at least it should be :D)

Sweet Home Nova Scotia :)

2007-09-05T10:00:00.000-03:00

Yay! I'm home... where the air is humid and salty, the cows are black and white spotted and the dirt is red... and all the buildings are covered in bouys!!! :D (I'm just kidding about that last part you know... I feel the need to clarify and not feed the stereo type you westerners have that all of us from Nova Scotia are fishermen!! --although the next picture won't help either, but I think it's hilarious :P)

These pictures are from my first Saturday at home when I took off on a road trip with Ma and Pa Fox to Lunenberg Nova Scotia... I haven't been there since I was really, really little. It's a quaint little town with lots of history... It's a nice little tourist trap but also very enjoyable for those of us from here that just love our province :) There are lots of little unique shops and crafty places, really, really yummy restaurant's. (Now that's what I call a "flower pot"!)

We had a loverly day with lots of laughs -as always. It's nice to be home.

Women After God's Own Heart

2007-08-28T16:57:00.000-03:00

This is my last post from living in Edmonton... There will be a lot said here -perhaps not so much in quantity of words, but in the weight of their message (I hope). There will be lots of details skimmed over perhaps, and some hidden messages that only their intended receiver will understand... however, I pray that you all will find some blessing here too.

At the beginning of the last "academic year" (around August/September -ish) the Lord was starting to bring out many themes for me (and in some cases, the whole girls Navigator group) for the year. The spiritual concept of a river had been tumbling around my head during the summer, and the idea of "bearing fruit"/growing deep. I was reading Psalm 1 one day and came to these verses "...But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leave does not wither, and in whatever he does he prospers." I remember feeling that the Lord had hinted those verses at Me and my 2 friends from Navigators Amy and Genevieve. The reasons were multiple and different for each of us... (and even now, reading them thinking about these 2 girls that I love so much brings tears to my eyes!) I had shared these verses at a staff (Navs) prayer time in September, and Kath Blacklock also shared how she had been feeling that "growth" and "grow up" was being laid on her heart to pray for both the U of A, and U of C campuses for the year... Intersting :)

As you may have read in my past blogs this year, there have been some really difficult times -but, by God's Grace, some of those same times have been the high points in what the Lord has been doing and showing us in Edmonton. The past few weeks that I was there I was struggling with leaving -not because I didn't want to come home- but because I would no longer be a direct part of people's lives who I love so much... more specifically these two beautiful women here :) After seeing the Lord do SO much, and to see at the same time where He has yet to "go" or "take" them, leaving was like only getting to see the introduction of a movie and then walking out... -but not just any random movie, one that the Producer has asked you to be directly invested in, perhaps to even play a small charater role... but then He asks you to leave way before you get to see His ending...

Well, our Lord is so faithful to us, as He gave me a glimpse of what He was doing one night while I was hanging out with Him. A while before (like months) He had really impressed upon my heart Isaiah 61:1-6 in relation to Africa (more specifially, Sudan -where I am going this next year... Surprise! if this is the first you are hearing of it :P). I hadn't read it in a while but that night I pulled out (I think I was feeling the need to be reminded of why I was leaving)... I love the way the Holy Spirit works in and through Scripture... I started just bawling while I read it as I saw (almost visually) how it was relating to both leaving these girls and heading off to Sudan... It speaks of my passion for them all to find the FREEDOM that only comes from Christ, and the vision the Lord has given me that they all will not be bound by the sins and choices of generations before them (war, families torn apart, addictions, spritiual poverty...). It says that "they will be called OAKS of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that HE may be glorified." AMEN. I'm crying as I type cause I can hear the heartbeat of our Father in these verses, and for me personally, the echo of this heartbeat brings Sudan and Amy and Gen to my mind. I was (and am) so greatful to the Lord for this time with Him becuase He showed me how during the year He had begun this process of 'firmly planting us' and how in ourown time (that He ordained) the fruit would start or continue to be born (Psalm 1) then 'brought the ear to a close' so to speak, for me by helping me see His vision for these girls to be "called oaks of righteousness." My Cup Runneth Over :)

Girls these verses are my prayer for you... that you will keep giving Him the room to grow you into these "Oaks of righteousness", that HE alone will bind-up and heal your broken hearts and set you Free, causing you to forever Praise Him and not mourn, that He will enable you to raise up what has been destroyed and be called 'ministers of our God'... that you may bring Him Glory all the days of your lives :)

More Memories and People to Cherish

2007-08-23T23:31:00.000-03:00

To accurately represent my time spent at different places out here, I should have a whole blog dedicated to my favorite Ethiopian resteraunt (sorry, that is one word I've NEVER been able to spell)!! This last time we went the food was SOOOOO good... mmmm, oh- I can't even tell you how much I could go for some Ethiopian food right now!! Ohhhh, and some tea... mmmm. Ok, I must stop now -it's just that our Ethiopian "eat-in-facility" (how I avoid having to spell) in Halifax just doesn't compare with Langano Skies.

Even though I'm risking giving the impression that this blog entry is entirely about food, I'd like to show you my favorite Ice Cream place too... it's called Marble Slab, and yep, you guessed it, we don't have one in Hali ;) All the icecream is made on location, so you pick your flavor and then get to pick what you want in it from all the different kinds of candy they have there (you can sorta see all the jars in the picture) Moving on...

Too my Roommate :D Awe, Pumpkin, how I love thee ;) 2+ years of laughter really... I have so many stories to tell about this girl... Bathroom lab samples, Kitchen mould growth, Livingroom "Friends" marathons while we pig out on "Crispy Chicken Pecan Salad" from Boston Pizza, Bedroom CheezeWiz nights, Back stairway TreadMill from "Lead-vill" (aka... it was the heaviest thing known to man!!)... oh the list is long :) Pam I miss laughing with you into the wee, wee, wee hours of the morning, and praying with you over the drama of our lives :D Olga, you too love... I miss you making me laugh, your postive spirit and just watching you be an amazing mom to your kids... you are awesome :) Oh, this is Dana everyone, Scott and Olga's newest kiddlet (they have all now moved to East Asia!)

Here are a few pictures of a fun-rain-filled night that Gen and I went out and played during a big thunder storm! It was so much fun, and we got totally soaked -it was raining SO hard. We have a few "special" qualities of our little Happy Place appartment, one of them being our windows -the one in the living room is our favoite, mostly because once it's up, it takes a crow bar to get down, and once it's down it takes a crow bar to get up :D When the storm started that night the window was UP and for the life of us we couldn't get it closed... so the rain and wind pelted in until we got this towel rigged up with some packing tape (which I ended up running out of, probably due to this project!). The funniest part was that Grace had moved in and was sleeping on our big green bed right beneath the window, and she started freaking out, swatting at Gen and I, and squeeling "close the window... oh my gosh!... close the window" and laughing :D Gen and I almost peed out pants laughing so hard... never a dull moment in the Happy Place :D

I took this last picture with Paul's camera on the way to the Airport the morning I flew out... and I think it speaks for it's self :)

Coming to an End

2007-08-22T23:21:00.000-03:00

I have some photo documentation of my last official Navs gathering that I attended before I moved... felt sorta wierd, I've gotta say. There were lots of people there, and a few that I hadn't seen in quite a while too, so it was nice to get to see them and say goodbye.

We had a BBQ (there is rarely navs without food), and they even had a special "going away" cake for me... ahhh, but not just any cake... an icecream cake.... ahhh, but not just any icecream cake... a peanutbutter and chocolate icecream cake from Baskin Robins -mmmmm it doesn't get any better than that for Christiane :) Do my friends know me or what!!

I wasn't the only one who enjoyed it either... as evidenced by the big icecream streaks left on Gen's shirt from licking the cake plate!! hehe...

We also had a nice camp fire, and ate s'mores... mmm. Actually, I need to say that Gen started the fire (with some suggestions from the peanut gallery on-lookers) and was pretty proud of herself :P

It was a fun night... we had a nice photo shoot in the back yard... little did Amy and Gen and I know that it was the first of a few before I would leave... :P

I have more pictures of that night then I do things to say for inbetween them! :P

But, I can say this... I think I only had a slight inkling at the time for how much I would miss Navigators when I got home... and even now I think it will hit me even more in the fall when I'm not helping out at the booth during kick off week... When I call back and listen to Paul and Amy taking about plans for this coming year I feel a bit of emptyness in my heart that I'm no longer out there and a part of that. Don't get me wrong, I do know that it was time to come home, but the last 5 years of my life -and this past year in particular, the Lord used the ministry of those people in my life more than words can say. Truely I am blessed and SO thanful for the people God has placed across my path... my cup runneth over. Paul, Amy, Gen, Brian and Kath, Simon, and all the rest of you... thanks guys, for allowing the Lord to work mightly in and through your lives. I miss, miss, miss you :)

The things I will miss...

2007-08-14T19:18:00.000-03:00

I'm writing this post WAY too late, however, I had taken a bunch of pictures a few months ago, of things around the city of Edmonton that I knew I would miss after moving away... here is my tribute to Eddy-town, my good friend for 5 years...

Flowering trees... in the Spring, there are SO many of them and they are just georgous! The white Lilacs flower first and the whole ciy smells fabulous... then the purple lilacs and chery blossoms... hummmmm...

One of my favorite things is my walk too and from work really early on Spring mornings. There is this long row of bushes that get's covered with pick flowers -for some reason they always have reminded me of Ethiopia, which makes be breath in deeper and point my heart towards Jesus every time I pass on that side walk... I already miss this part.

I don't have a picture really of this next thing I will miss, but I'll just tell you... I miss walking :) I seriously walked almost everywere... to work, to the University, to friends places, to the gerocery store (except when Paul and I would go to Superstore), to Crankpots and the Market with Meag, for Ethiopian food... :) When Janna came out to visit me one time we kept walking places and when we could set out she'd always ask, "how long to get to _____?" and my answer would always be "oh, about a 1/2 hour..." it soon became a running joke that it was only a 1/2 hour to get anywhere in Edmonton :P But, on these many daily walks I would go on, I would always come accross the trade mark "Listen" signs that were posted all over the Belgravia and Garneau areas... here are a few of the 100+ I'm sure. I dunno what they mean, but I like them!

Then there are a few little odd, perhaps nerotic ones like this next picture... of an unfinished wall in Amy's house. I have started at this wall many a time and wondered... "seriously, did they just not have enough paint for that last, not even, one square foot!!?" My OCD kicks in everytime -but I'll miss this little patch soon enough (although, truth be told, I'll miss this patch only cause when I'm looking at it, Amy is around :P)

...Well, there are many more things that I know I'll miss and don't have picutres of to share with you... my hospital, my appartment, the University campus, the ETS system (cause the Metrotransit in Hali leave much to be desired), the river valley, Hulbert's coffee shop across the street :) I know that there will always be a piece of my heart reserved for Edmonton, and when I sing along with Paul Brant I'll feel as if I too am proud to be an Albertan!! That being said, I am "Nova Scotia Bound" and that is nothin' to complain about... I know where I'm from don't you worry :D Thanks Edmonton for 5 wonderful -at times LONG- years... see you soon I hope! :)

My Plastic Family

2007-07-07T22:11:00.000-03:00

This entry is a tribute to the 2+ wonderful years that I had the prevelage of working with the 3D3 Plastic Surgery team at the U of A hospital in Edmonton :D I am seriously going to miss these guys SO much when I am back home...

From some of our very memorable foul-mouthed drunk/high patients, escaping convicts in orange jump suits, sad trauma stories, and gool 'ol run of the mill wired jaw boys, I have LOVED this place :)

My last night shift a few weeks ago, Liz and Margaret threw me a going away tea party! Awe, they were so sweet! Liz even carefully wraped her good china tea cups in her bag so that it was official ;) We poured ourselves tea and ate cupcakes full of icing sitting the middle of the hallway giggling and hoping none of the patients would right their call bells :P

Every night that I am on night shift I am faithful to this little green chair by the waterfall... I always come with my tea and bagel and my Beth Moore Bible study to sit and enjoy the sound of water for an hour and 1/2. Some nights I struggle to stay awake and keep my eyes open, other nights I'm totally allert and enjoy praying for people while I sit and stare off into space, other nights I sit and think about all the kids up on the 4th floor that have thrown pennies and dimes into the fountain making a wish... probably to get out of the hospital and home with their toys :) Some times, especially in the summer I watch the sky through the glass roof as it gets lighter and lighter at 4:30 in the morning (one of the things I love about living in Edmonton-daylight from 4:30am-11:30pm). Ahhhh, I love my little spot by the fountain... I'll miss my little spot by the fountain.

Before I left Edmonton I wanted to take a few of the ladies out and have them try... yep, you guessed it, Ethiopian food! :) I was really impressed with them! I was scared that a few might really dislike it, but I was as pleasantly surprised as they were about how much they enjoyed the food! Yay!

Thanks for everything you guys, all the laughs, the wisdom and encouragement. You are the best team I could have ever hoped to work with. I'll miss you lots, and I'll forsure keep in touch -I'll need to make sure you "make good" on your ideas to fund raise for me... hahaha, just kidding :) Love ya's, Keep on keepin' on.

The Last Road Trip

2007-06-23T03:29:00.000-03:00

A few weekends ago I rented my last "rent-a-prize" car in Edmonton (a sexy silver mint green Hyundai number which stunk of smoke) and headed South with my Amy... We were off for one last road trip (after a quick stop at a gas station for a Vanilla air-freshener on the way out of the city!), some quality time, and some goodbyes in Calgary. We were going to stop into Drumheler to see the 'Bad Lands' where all the dinosaurs where found, since I'd never been there, even though I've been meaning to go for 5 years!... But, that didn't happen, cause we spontaneously changed our course through Red Deer to visit some of Amy's friends at a camp in the back woods then arrive into Calgary through the mountain scenic route, yes, ...one last time. It's my favorite stretch of Mountains, around the Colombia Ice Fields, and I was really happy I got to see it again! The most beautiful part is (see picture) mountains with a lake at the bottom... water makes everything-even mountains more beautiful :)

Further down the highway we saw a bear off on the side of the road! It was so exciting. And he was just so cute wandering around munchin' on food. We watched him for about a 1/2 hour... a great touch to our time in the Rockies :D

The rest of our weekend was spend visiting people! It was so great to to see so many and have good conversations, but it was tiring :) We spent the morning with Brian and Kath Blacklock (a special Navs couple originally from England), then the afternoon with Phil and Marcia Leskawich -an SIM couple that have been really special to me the past 5 years. In the evening we went out for dinner with Renee and Rachel -2 Calgary Navers :) It was great! The next morning, I had breakfast with Renee, then was off to church for one last service listening to my favorite prof from BBC :) I also ran into Matt & Leila, and Owen & Lauren! After goodbyes and thank yous at "the Swamp" (U of C Nav girls house) and the girls who let us crash on the couches we headed north on the highway! Only one last stop... in Red Deer to see Jenn & Rick Cochrane one last time :) It was a fun and exhausting road trip! Thanks for commin' Aim :) And thanks for risking your life to lean over backwards if our hot little car to take this picture of the clouds :D
Love you all...

My Happy Place

2007-06-21T15:59:00.000-03:00

I'm sure most of you are aware by now that I am moving home to Nova Scotia in just a few days... This post is a tribute to my favorite place that I've lived in in Edmonton-2 whole years!

Welcome to...
The living room -it's the new thing, a bed in the living room!
SO nice for movie watching!
Our very white kitchen
Many cups of tea and more than a few dozen "Christiane's Chocolate-Peanut butter Cookies" made here!
Our "beach theme" bathroom :)
(When a girl of the ocean moves to the mountains, she does what she can to keep "home" close! -too bad you can't see all our beach pictures! OH, but you CAN see my bright purple bath mat that I dyed in the kitchen sink!)
Pam's bedroom... a typical day... no comment :D
My "Farm Life Green" African room... I LOVE my room

I hope you enjoyed the tour!! I'll post pics of my next African RED room when I am home :D