Safely HOME

“I applied my heart to what I observed and learned a lesson from what I saw:”

Proverbs 24:32

This verse is part of what Brian Newby shared during our time of encouragement on Friday night.  I have been thinking about this and want to continue to ponder it over the next days and weeks.  To be able to say that this trip changed me will require some sort of continued action on my part.  At this point I don't know what that will look like.  I met various people who are now serving at Harvesters long term because of one or two (or more) times of serving like I just did.  Obviously that is not what the Lord requires of us all.  However, for this sacrifice of time, goods and service to have residual impact I DO want to learn lessons from what I saw.

Here is some of what I saw along the way:

Support and encouragement in various forms as I prepared to make this trip.  I saw my sweet husband willingly let me go knowing that it would mean extra work on his end.  Even though we could not journey together (this time) it was his support that allowed me to be obedient to this call.  The next step was to get approval from my Grammar School Director and Headmaster to be away for so long.  I appreciate that Emily and Dr. Woods both recognized the potential of this opportunity and they gave their blessings.  My three team mates at school have no doubt had to pick up some slack in my absence.  Their prayerful support leading up to my departure was such an encouragement to me.   The parents of my students and my sweet class of 3rd graders have all shown kindness and interest even while knowing that 8 days of school would be slightly different in my absence.  Those of you who have provided financial support and prayers were significant in making this a reality.  For all of those things that I saw prior to the trip, I thank you.

In addition, I have seen the Lord bring together a team of strangers and bind us together through meeting, serving, eating rice and beans for a week, praying, laughing and even tears.  What a lovely bonus to have 4 new friends at home that have seen me sans make up and hair dryer for 10 days!  I do hope they recognize me when we run into each other at church.

As I shared earlier in the week, I was allowed to see the beauty of the Harvesters compound as the Lord opened my eyes to His work.  I witnessed sacrificial service time and time again as I watched and heard of the people that are in that place daily.  People like Mr. Mourice who has been there 10 years and considers the orphans his own children in addition to having his own family in Kenya.  Or Mama Chris who has lovingly created certificates of service for each of the 16 teachers to present at their end of the year banquet on Wednesday.  She and Mark will be treating these dedicated teachers to dinner at a restaurant - an announcement that I was privileged to listen in on, an annoucement that brought tears to the eyes of several teachers.  So many other examples I could give but for now I want "to apply them to my heart and learn a lesson from what I saw."

I am very excited to see my sweet family: Brian and Ty on Sunday, the girls on Tuesday and the rest of my family on Thanksgiving.  It wouldn't be honest if I didn't admit that I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed tonight but in some ways I will miss crawling into the mosquito net covering.   Though the trip will soon be over, it is my heart's desire that my life will not be the same.  Oh that I would be able to apply what I saw, in whatever way the Lord chooses.

So, once more, I thank you for being part of this journey.

Out of Africa

As  I type this we are waiting through our long layover in Doha, Qatar.  This is our third airport today and although it is the nicest, I think that by the time we leave, it will be my least favorite!  

After saying our goodbyes to the children and staff this morning we were driven to the Yei County airport.  We had to ask permission of the security to take pictures but I'm so glad that they let us.  As my friend Michelle used to say, "Mere words could not describe this place!"

This is baggage check, waiting for our plane to arrive.   Our flight was on a larger plane this time and gratefully it went well.  We made a stop at Arua which is just over the border in northern Uganda.  We added a few passengers including one of our own from Northwest Bible Church!  Brian Bain and his friend Roger were on their way back from their own time of serving in South Sudan.  

We spent several hours in Entebbe, Uganda and were grateful for the use of the VIP lounge complete with a massage chair.  The one gift shop gave us somewhere to pass a little time and spend a little money while waiting for our flight.  

My last photo from Africa as we pulled away from the gate.

So now we are 6 hours away from Africa but still many hours from home.  

I thought that I would add more before posting but now I have been awake for 25 hours and don't really have any coherent thoughts left.  We will board our final flight shortly and I hope to sleep for some/most ?! Of the flight.

Please pray for this last bit of our journey.

Friday already?

I began the day a little earlier than I had planned when I woke up at 4:30 and couldn't sleep.  With it being pitch black outside and my two roommates still sleeping, I chose to stay in bed and spend the time in prayer.  In addition to that blessing, I was able to talk to Brian before he headed to bed.  I am so grateful for how he has single parented this week, Saturn project and all!

One last day of oatmeal for breakfast and even if I have it soon at home it won't have bananas fresh off the tree!  I think that I am just beginning to adjust to the slower pace here and now I'll have adjusting to do when I return home.  After each meal we have enjoyed some relaxed time of visiting, sometimes just as a team and other times with staff that is at the table.  It is so interesting to hear their stories whether it is the college student here from Alaska or the new nurse who just arrived from Uganda...hearing how the Lord has led them to this place is a great topic of conversation.

Today was just a "random" kind of day with my only set commitment being time with Stephen after lunch.  Other than that I spent time taking pictures and sharing pictures with the children I would come across.  The ipad and my camera are magnets for little faces, they love seeing themselves and their friends as you flip through the photos.  

Our team of Texans was pretty thrilled when we discovered we would have TACOS for lunch!  The sweet cooks made fresh tortillas as they had been taught to do by a team here from Mexico.  The avacadoes here are amazing and their salsa would rival any at Central Market.  So what that we didn't have any meat, they were still a treat.  Now we just have to convince them to serve Tacos on Tuesday instead of Friday. 

After lunch Laura (pictured above) taught the cooks to make pie crust which they picked up quickly since they already make fresh tortillas.  Given that she had to modify and use margarine instead of butter and an oven with no temperature settings the little popovers turned out well.  The girls were excited about the chance to learn something new and when they tasted the results they made a plan to cook them again on Tuesday!  Personally it made me all the more anxious for my mother's chocolate meringue pie at Thanksgiving.

Our plans to go into the village were once again ruined with an afternoon rainstorm.  It cooled things off  which no one minded at all.  The rainy season should be over by now but El Nino is being blamed for continued rain.  I'm just hoping that the runway here won't be too muddy when we take off tomorrow.  

Each afternoon we've enjoyed sitting out under a large tree with whatever little ones might gather there.  We've colored, played with bubbles, listened to and sung songs with them and the ladies with longer hair have gotten some lovely hairstyles.  This spontaneous time has been a highlight for each of us.  The picture below is just one of many that will be making its way back to the U.S. 

Tonight was movie night for the kids so we braved the mud and walked over to see them.  They were all settled on their benches just as if they were ready for chapel.  I'm not sure how the movie choosing delegates themselves are chosen but there was some intense deliberation going on as we arrived.  Animated "Spiderman" was vetoed in favor of "Pocahontas" though I'm not sure it mattered since the kids never stopped talking!  Jana and I stayed for about 15 minutes then headed back to our dorm to start packing.  

Just as we have done every evening this week, our team met in the pyatt (our dining hall/pavillion) for debriefing and time of encouragement.   Tonight we were joined by Jay McFarland who is also from our church but he has recently been named to an adminstrative role with Harvesters.  He is visiting South Sudan for the month of November.   His career as a hospital administrator has been crucial to the planning and implementation of the House of Hope Hospital.  

Pictured L to R:  Jay McFarland, Brian and Laura Newby, Dianne Etheredge and Jana Johns. 

We are looking forward to our pancake breakfast in the morning and will then say our goodbyes before leaving at 9:00 a.m.  Please pray for our travel which will be close to 40 hours due to two long layovers.  I am so grateful to each of you for your interest, your prayers and your support.

A field trip - literally!

How can it be Thursday already?!  The week has flown by and tomorrow is our last day to serve.  Today looked a little different because we joined Brian in a walk over to the ALARM compound where he has been teaching this week.  ALARM stands for African Leadership And Reconciliation Ministry.  South Sudan is one of 8 African countries that comprises this organization.   We took a 5 minute walk through cornfields to reach the other compound in time for their chapel this morning.  The 30 or so pastors that are there right now will be graduating from a 3 year program in December.  They were so welcoming to us - each one shaking our hands as we arrived and then again as they departed.  We sang songs, this time in English, prayed and then heard a message from Brian.  

Brian shared a message from Haggai and Ezra (which I learned today were written about the very same time period despite their placement in the Bible).  He spoke about how the older people who could remember the grand temple built by King Solomon cried when they saw the foundation of the temple that would be rebuilt because it would not be as large or as ornate as Solomon's temple.  However, in Haggai God Himself told the people not to be sad because the new temple would be even more beautiful because of His glory and presence.  The gold and the beautiful wood would not be necessary because God Incarnate, Jesus Christ, would be present in this temple.  

I wept as I listened to Brian's words because they mirrored what I had experienced just a few hours earlier.  On Sunday evening when we arrived I was overcome with culture shock and I humbly admit, a little disappointment.  The drive through Yei was such a shocking experience - the desperate appearance of the town, the people - and when we arrived at Harvesters I was looking at our surroundings with worldly eyes.  But  this morning, as I walked across the compound to get Stephen's school materials I was struck by the beauty of this place!  The towering Teak trees, the freshly swept red dirt, and the sounds of the happy children are all things that I am going to miss.   Thanks be to God that because He is present here this place is truly beautiful.  

After our time in chapel, the Director named Levi graciously invited us to his home for tea.  He is Sudanese but has lived most recently in Uganda.  He has been at ALARM for 3 years, arriving with his wife but he now lives alone since her death in June.  In addition to our team of five, we were joined by Margaret who serves on the ALARM staff as well. She has been here in South Sudan for five years.  

We  spent a leisurely time of fellowship with these two servants of God hearing about their ministry and their lives.  Supposedly our visit was to bring them encouragement but if we did, then it was mutual!

We headed back through the cornfields and arrived at Harvesters in time for lunch.  The school children began their exams today so they only had school from 9-11.  After lunch and a game of soccer for Stephen, we met for our review of Science and English.  We've been asked not to post any pictures of the children so I can't share it here but I did take a great picture of my new little friend.  I will gladly share with anyone who wants to see.

We did our tutoring session in a different room today and had a very large world map on the wall next to us.  Stephen was very interested in this.  I showed him South Sudan which wasn't actually on the map but I could show him the general area.  I then showed him Texas and he was quite amazed at the distance between my home and his.  He was also impressed with the size of Russia!  I am grateful for how God has made the world seem smaller to me this week, despite the long distance that we've traveled.  

After tutoring I went over to the hospital to give blood and was treated to a room temperature Orange Soda for my giving.  It was a little surreal to be reclining on a hospital bed in a little room in the jungle of South Sudan while drinking Orange Soda!  No pictures of that experience though.  

Once I finish this entry I will go over and read books to the children before they head to bed.  I think this will be the last night we do that since tomorrow night is movie night!  From what I hear this will be quite an experience so stay tuned...

Days 3 and 4 at Harvesters

Tuesday was a good day, a full day and I didn't really find time to write.  I  did get to talk to my third graders via Face Time and that was such fun!  

For the past two days, we've joined the hospital staff for their morning devotional time following breakfast.  Yesterday one of the doctor's gave a message and today the female chaplain, Kijira spoke. This time of teaching and worship began as a time for the staff but it has evolved to include patients and those waiting to be seen by the doctors.  This morning we were given songbooks and sang along in Juba Arabic.  I have no idea what we said, other than Yesua (Jesus), but it was truly a beautiful song.  

This is Kijira leading the devotional this morning.  She works 3 days a week as the female chaplain in addition to teaching Arabic to the missionary staff.

In addition to helping with the children, we are here to help the hospital staff complete their inventory.  This sounds trivial but is required and by having volunteers do this, the hospital saves thousands of dollars.  Today we counted items in the Laboratory where the very patient lab tech, Innocent, answered our myriad of questions.  (Below:  my friend Dianne is having her blood typed by Innocent.  We  will all give blood while we're here since we won't be allowed to do so in the U.S. after being here in Africa.)

The hospital has been open here since 2011.  As you can see from the sign it is a hospital for women and children.  South Sudan has a very high mother/infant mortality rate.  1 in 4 women will die in childbirth.  This little hospital delivers 150 babies a month!  They do many cesarean deliveries and today Dianne and Laura got to be in the delivery room for one of those.   There are three full time doctors, one who is South Sudanese and the other two are from the U.S.  Dr. Jeff Perry and his wife Elizabeth left Colorado Springs 4 years ago to come serve full time.  They brought 8 of their 9 children with them.  Dr. Graham Pool and his wife Lynda came from Australia three and a half years ago.  They just left yesterday with their three children to enjoy a 6 month leave back "down under".  

This is where the cooking and laundry for the hospital staff is done.  

When I wasn't doing inventory I was working with Stephen to help him prepare for exams.  On Tuesday I was able to get his first set of exams so that I could see what it is we need to work on.   This next set of exams is given by the county and we can only hope that the questions are similiar!  He brought his friend Seth with him which was a huge help to both of us.  When we began our review of SST (Social studies) I really needed Seth's help for correct answers.  I learned much about South Sudan during this time:  there are two seasons here - wet and dry; what we call cities they call Payams; their payams are ruled/goverened by chiefs  - though the boys were excited to learn that we have mayors and they do as well.

The highlight of my Tuesday was playing with precious Anna Peace who is the newest orphan here.  She is about 18 months old and absolutely adorable!  (Don't panic Brian, there are ridiculous adoption laws in place in South Sudan and it is all but impossible to adopt)  After we played, the sweet baby let me rock her to sleep.  What a privilege and delight.

I worked with Stephen a bit more this afternoon in preparation for his Christian Religious Education exam tomorrow. I told him that I would have my friends praying for him - so please do!  A rain storm changed our afternoon plans to join some of the students for their village Bible studies.  Hopefully we can do that tomorrow.  

The week is half way over which is hard to believe.  I miss Brian and Ty (and I always miss my girls) but I am beginning to realize that saying goodbye on Saturday will be difficult.   Again, I thank you for your prayers and the financial support that have covered this trip.  YOU are part of this journey - you just don't have to sleep under mosquito netting.  

If  you haven't done so yet, I would encourage you to learn more about Harvesters and the story of how it came to be.  www.hrtn.org  

Mrs. Wieters' day at school

Gratefully, we had another good night's sleep.  I would have slept longer but at 6:00 am our alarm went off and we could hear the kids begin their morning singing.  We dressed and went over for a few minutes of their chapel time before heading to breakfast.

I was invited by the Director of the school, Mark, to join the teachers for their morning devotional.  We gathered in the "teacher's office" which is one room with desks around the perimeter.  There are 16 teachers, most of which are men.  The headmaster has been here a little over a year, the deputy headmaster has been here 5 years.  The kids are taking exams this week and next and on 11/30 they will begin their summer holiday.  In other words, I am visiting during what is the equivalent of our May!  One of my favorite moments this morning was as we were wrapping up our teacher devotional with Mr. Thomas sharing prayer requests.  Many of those requests were for this very fragile country and their government.  Just as one of the teachers began praying for these things, the 600+ students gathered around the flagpole outside began singing.  I was touched with the thought of these two things happening simultaneously - the "elders" praying for the country and the future leaders of this country singing.  It might seem a stretch to call these children the future leaders but truly the children here on this compound are living healthier lives with an education that is superior to most of the other children in the country.  Not to mention the discpline and structure that are part of their daily lives.  All things that future leaders need!

Once devotionals ended I joined Mama Chris who is Mark's wife.  She works with a little group of the most at risk 7-8 year olds.  I was able to be part of their "intervention group" for English.  Mama Chris is an art therapist and liscensed counselor who has stepped up to be a teacher for this new adventure.  She and Mark left their home in Wisconsin and arrived here in June.  I spent some time in their home on Sunday and they literally have a revolving door!  The  next class I stopped in on was a class which would be about the same age, maybe a little older, than my own 3rd grade.  Their teacher did an excellent job on an adjectives lesson, even letting me participate by checking their papers after they finished their "exercise".  His  class was a manageable size of 28, compared to the classes of 40+ and the preschool class (one class, one teacher) that just graduated 70 little bitties!

Lunch followed and then I spent an hour or so helping the rest of the ladies in my group do inventory in the pharmacy.  (Dad, who knew that my inventory days in your dental office would be such great training!)  One of my favorite parts of the day was a spontaneous gathering of preschoolers with coloring sheets.  They were full of giggles and energy and wanted to show me their antics.  I even had sweet little Gloria fall asleep in my lap.  

We are about to head over to the dorm to read to the children before they go to bed.  We did this last night and I'm pretty sure that might be why I slept so well!

Prayer requests:  a sweet boy named Aaron that I met on Sunday is being treated for Malaria as of today;  our Outreach Pastor is teaching 30 men who are training to be pastors - I know he would appreciate your prayers; I have been asked to help a 12 year old boy named Stephen prepare for his exams.  Stephen has never been in school prior to January and he is SO eager to learn.  I have no idea what is on his exams so that makes this a daunting task.  Please pray for me to have creative ideas to help him and that he will do well.  

This is our dorm for the week, with my roommates Jana and Dianne.

This is the library where we did our small group session.

Yei, it's Sunday!

18 hours of travel so far... 4 more to Entebbe then another 3? To Yei.  Grateful for how smoothly it has gone so far.  The 15 hour flight was "only" 13 due to strong tail winds.  Our hotel in Doha was very nice and provided us with a lovely dinner, comfortable beds and a great shower!  Right now I am grateful for the empty seat next to me, Brian's noise canceling headphones and endless choices for in flight entertainment.

(The first paragraph was written on our second flight.  Now I am writing from Yei, at The Harvesters compound.  We have spent most of our first day here which will likely be different from the weekdays to follow.  Before I write about today I will back up to our safe arrival. )

My quick email update mentioned that we had 3 safe and uneventful flights.  That alone is miraculous!  The flight from Entebbe to Yei was on an 8 passenger plane piloted by Jonathan who flies for AIM- African Interior Missions.  I was nervous but at the same time filled with "peace that transcends all understanding."  There were some small bumps, I practiced some breathing exercises and went through the alphabet praising and thanking God.  When I got to Z and praised our God for zealously pursuing me, I opened my eyes to see a rainbow!  From what my new friend Laura said, it was the 5th rainbow we'd flown through/by.  In the clouds and rainstorm that Jonathan was maneuvering through, God was reminding us of His presence.  After that I was able to keep my eyes open and enjoy the remainder of the flight.  I was surprised by how green Africa is.  It really was beautiful to get an up close view from above.  Our landing on the short and narrow mud strip was impressive and we only slid a little bit!  

We were met by Mr. Maurice from Harvesters.  This dear man has served here for 10 years!  There had bee some miscommunication so Security and Immigration had already gone home for the day.  Plan B for this involved Mr. Maurice driving us into town to the Immigration office.  There is really no way to describe this drive but I will try.  Yei has no paved roads.  We have arrived at the end of the rainy season which wreaks havoc on unpaved roads. Mr. Maurice 's skill on theses roads rivaled our pilot Jonathan's.  He had to avoid goats, cattle, people on foot and boda-bodas (motorcycles with 2 or 3 people riding or carrying their goods).  I will admit that I was not mentally or emotionally prepared for the extreme poverty that we saw in this 30 minute drive.  I have seen nothing like it.

After we left our Passports at Immigration, Mr. Maurice drove us to the Harvesters compound.  We arrived at 5 pm just as the dinner gong was sounding.  We quickly put our things in our room and walked to the pyatt - the building where our meals are served.  The missionaries and their families eat here or in heir own homes.  We met an Australian family that has been serving here for four years.  After dinner we had a brief orientation and then walked back to our dorm.  I am in a room with Dianne and Jana.  Brian and Laura are in a separate apartment.  I think our lights were off and we were asleep around 9:00 pm.

Sunday morning began when our alarm went off though we didn't really need one.  Seconds later the gong to wake the children was rung!  I am thankful to say that we had a good night's sleep, complete with the sound of rain on our tin roof.  Throw in some hot water for a shower and the day was off to a great start!  We gathered for breakfast and then walked over to where the children were gathering for their song time.  This was so much fun, our first interaction with the kids ranging from those barely walking to older teenagers.  They welcomed the 5 of us, some with hugs and many smiles.  I had fun taking pictures and then showing the kids their beautiful faces.  After song time the kids were dismissed for their Sunday school classes.  I ended up in a room with little girls ranging in age from 3-8 or so.  The class was taught by one of the older girls, probably about 12 or 13 years old. She had an assistant who carried a small switch for crowd control.  This was a very effective and surprisingly gentle way to get their students to listen attentively.  Once Sunday school ended we all walked over to where church was starting.  The church was built early on in the Harvesters history, in 2002 while war was still raging here.  The church is attended by others in the community of Yei.  Though I could understand very little of the singing, I am certain there was tremendous joy in the room!  We were made to feel welcome and a part of the service - despite not being able to sing along.

Lunch followed church and we enjoyed the roasted chickens prepared for Sunday.  After we had eaten I watched several of the missionary kids run in and grab chicken bones off of their moms' plates.  I knew they weren't giving them to the dogs so I just had to ask.  The kids were throwing the bones up in the air to the hawks were circling - much like I grew up throwing breadcrumbs to the Galveston seagulls!  

I'm looking forward to Monday where I will be with the kids at school.  I know it will be very different from the little piece of Heaven where I teach every day.  Please pray that I can be used and helpful to the kids and teachers here.

South Sudan // Day 1

My mom has prayerfully and obediently answered a call to spend a week in South Sudan with Northwest Bible Church. As He has been over and over in this family, the Lord was so faithful to provide the funding necessary to get her there. He has also surrounded our family with an incredible community of believers who faithfully uplift one another in prayer. To those of you who have committed to praying for my mama and her team this week, thank you! 

In the interest of updating efficiently and preserving memories of her trip, I asked my mom to step in and "guest blog" for my travel blog this week. So here she goes!