The Difficulties of This Work

On the left is a picture of the bathroom we use in Ler. It's separate from the tukul hut where I live. And here's a picture of the inside of the bathroom . . .



Today I'll answer another question I'm often asked . . .

What are the difficulties involved in your work?

Ah, where do I begin? Please don't think I'm getting negative, but I want to give you a realistic picture of what's it's like to work here.

I think the most pressing difficulty is to do this work without a "community;" often, we are solo in the field, or the only non-native person among the natives, and this can become wholly taxing! We need to go out in two's at least (very good Biblical example for this, I dare say; and even the UN sends its people out in twos), but Across does not yet have the human-power to do this, so… it seems that too many of us get wearied quickly, complain a lot, get negative without realizing that is what we've become, and become sick in mind, body and spirit…I pray against this for myself, and trust the Holy Spirit to keep looming larger and larger with/in my daily living/activities in the field.

We do have a half hour "devotions" every morning (on most of the bases) on the bases, where all the local and seconded staff come together, sing praise/worship songs in either English, the mother-tongue of the people or else in Arabic, read the scripture with some exposition, and we pray for whatever needs are raised; this pretty much serves as the means of "community," mostly, and apparently is working, for even when people leave and go else where, what they always say they miss are these devotions; so far, they have not meant a whole lot to me, except for when the people sing in their mother-tongue or when they sing in English, but the patterns and rhythms are in their own language. Then, I usually experience (yes, experience because the Spirit of the Lord Jesus can be experienced, the same way we experience love/loving each other in any/all of our love relationships as human beings) the presence of the Lord and the oneness of the Body of Christ.

Practically, everything u can imagine is a "difficulty:" the lack of maturity/maturing Believers; the lack of trained pastors & evangelists; the lack of people to train and help equip them; the lack of training places for this to be done; the water we drink; the water we bathe in; the bed we sleep on; the hut/house we sleep in; the roof over our heads; the lack of permanent structures to live in; the toilet we use; the food we eat; where & how the food is cooked: the people who cook (lots of times, they're sick!), the flies; the mosquitoes; the snakes; the scorpions; the roads and lack thereof that we walk/travel on; the too much sun/heat at times.

I'm not finished yet! There's also the lack of electricity or solar power; the cost of everything always so high; the place of worship; the cultural and lack of cultural exchanges; the flagrant, destructive (satanic!) tribalism, even in the Church; the flagrant, oppressive devaluation of women and their overburdening work! The physical and verbal abuse of women; the sometimes disregard for children and animals; the way even the smallest child, girl child especially, is expected to begin working from very early in life; the paternalistic, still overly colonial attitudes of "Christians" we work with; always this inability to see ourselves as are in relationship to others as well as to ourselves; the lack of funds and donors to support or help us to help the people with basic, but dire needs, like healthy drinking water that is near to where they live, and so and so on…

Certainly in the midst of all these difficulties I have to remember to "Rejoice in the Lord always." The circumstances often don't give reason to rejoice, but I can always rejoice in the Lord who loves and cares for me. Please keep me in your prayers!

That's it for this post. What you you think about what I just shared? Leave your comment by clicking the link labeled 'comments' below.

It's Picture Time!

Greetings from Sudan! I thought you might be interested in getting a glimpse of the houses or buildings I encounter in Sudan. The dwelling huts are called tukuls. On the left is my first tukul. This tukul is modern in that the walls are made of block and it has a metal roof.

To the right is a semi modern tukul with a traditional thatched roof. The people use whatever is available to build their huts. Most often the walls are made of sticks and sometimes plastered with mud. The floors are most often dirt, but modern tukuls have concrete floors.

Below is our deluxe bath/toilet facility:) Notice the stick walls.

Here's a picture of Irene, a dear Kenyan sister with whom I shared the tukul. She works from SLC. You also can see me and Jolly, the Ufandan English tutor at the Yei Teacher Training Center. (YTTC)


Our major base of operations in Sudan is the village at Yei. Below is the teacher training center classroom building. You can also see the YTTC staff offices. Pretty fancy by local standards, heh?




Finally, below is a view of the Yei River that runs by the village.

That will be it for this post. You can leave your comments or questions by clicking the link labeled 'comments' at the end of this post.

God's Good and Perfect Gifts

HalleluJah in the highest!

Recently, through one of my neigbours, I came again to taste our Father’s abundant goodness. Stephen is a 20 year old Kenyan, who is the foster son of a Marta, a fellow PCUSA mission-coworker, who’s been ministering in Kenyan over 10 years. He will be 21 years old in June, and I’ve been searching for the best, gift for him. I’ve spent so much time talking with about growing in grace and knowledge of our dear Lord Jesus, you’d think he’d get tired of all my “preaching,” but in fact he responds with, “Hey, Ingrid, you know, you’re my booster; you really boost me all the time.”

Well, it dawned on me that as his “booster,” I was searching to find him just the perfect gift because he’s become as precious to me as my nephews in Belize, and I want only to be good to him: this goodness means giving him what is best for him. (I know you know where this is leading, especially those of you who are loving parents). If, I, in my imperfect capacity to love, desire the best for one I love, how much more does our Father in His perfect, infinite love and goodness to us, desire to give us His best? Because he is omnipotent, giving us the best is never a problem, except when we get in the way of Him doing so.

Of course, I realize that this is not such a new revelation. What’s made it more meaningful is this: in the midst of searching for the best gift for Stephen, our Father gave me what could be the best gift for me at this time: Since last year, I’ve been hunting all over Nairobi for a particular song. I’ve asked my brothers and sisters in Christ to please send me this song, for I know how much it would nourish me (I can still remember singing it in the choir that was assembled to sing at Ruth Bell Graham’s funeral: it had seem then that the angels in heaven had come and sang with us!), but no one’s been able to send it thus far. Well, I purchased a gospel music dvd for Steven’s birthday, and last night I played it (to make sure it would be something that would really minister Christ to him), and the very last song was Richard Smallwood’s “Total Praise,” sung by Donnie McClurkin, a favorite gospel singers.

So that is what I mean by being overwhelmed by our Father’s oh so tender goodness unto us. Last night, weeping with thanksgiving and praise, I understood that all of my concerns about whether His goodness would extend to all areas of my life, especially in my capacity as Across’ new Donor Relations Manager, were being enveloped in His abundant goodness unto me. Now, I am encouraged and strengthened anew knowing that in His abundant goodness, He not only goes with me, but before me as well, arranging the meetings and preparing the hearts of those through whom the people of Southern Sudan will be richly blessed.

Thank you for joining me in giving deep thanks and praises to our great God and Saviour, Jehovah, Lord Jesus, for His abundant supply in all areas of my life, that I may faithfully and fruitfully minister Him in Southern Sudan, Nairobi and wherever He places me, amen.

For His Utmost Glory, Ingrid

P.S. The picture is of me and Stephen taken in the lobby of the hilton hotel, Nairobi; we'd gone for his 21st B-day celebation dinner; 'was his choice because all his life he's lived in Nairobi, but had never set foot into the Hilton, but have always wanted to do so...