South Sudan 2012 - yep, we're going back!!

We spent all of the day Tuesday and Wednesday (11-12 September) flying from Birmingham to Entebbe, Uganda (through Detroit and Amsterdam).  We stayed overnight in Entebbe at the Lake Victoria View Guest House and had a "good rest" for the night - all of about 5 hours of sleep!!  It was great not to have to sleep on a plane, though.

On the 1st long flight....to Amsterdam

When we woke up this morning, it was VERY chilly in Uganda!  So chilly that I wish I had brought a coat with me....I wasn't expecting that at all!  Then, we loaded up and hit road to the MAF (Mission Aviation Fellowship) hanger at Kajjansi Airfield.  This is where we'll be loading up and boarding our 12-passenger plane to get into South Sudan.  Our pilot this trip was Simon (the same guy who took us into Mundri last year).  As we were boarding the small plane, Simon informed us a particular piece of global news that he thought we might want to know about (or maybe he thought we already knew, I'm not sure), but he told us of an attack on the US Embassy in Libya and the death of the US Ambassador there.  There was no other news to report that he was aware of, so we prayed, made the final preparations for take off, and we were officially on our way to Mundri!  Of course, we had to register our exit with Uganda in Arua, Uganda.  The next stop we made was just across the border to drop off 2 other passengers on the plane with us.

One of the benefits of flying in such a small plane is that you never really get up to an incredibly high elevation.  So, you can have a great view of what's going on down below.  As we were flying over Uganda and the southern most parts of South Sudan, I couldn't help that notice that most of their fields look ripe for harvest.  This is the end of the rainy season, so that makes perfect sense that they would be ready.  But, I notice very few people in the field who seem to be bringing in their harvest.  I also took a look around the plane at the 3 other members of my team and couldn't help but think of the spiritual harvest that is also waiting to be sowed and how few people actually brave the challenges of travel that it takes to actually make it into the areas we are going to.  It reminds me so much of Matthew 9:36-38:

Bethany and me while stopped at the Arua airfield

"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.'"

That's EXACTLY why we're here.  We're here to help point the people that we'll interact with during this week to Christ and also to help encourage the workers in the local ministries and churches that are already established there.  The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.  As Don (our team leader) pointed out on this plane ride, "you have to really want to come here in order to do it.  It's not an easy place to get in and out of." He's exactly right!!  It's a place with very little resources and almost no conveniences of the western world...the only way there is by small plane that lands on a dirt/grass air strip (there is a road that runs through Juba that will also lead to the border so that you can cross into Uganda, but this still takes a VERY long time).

The White Nile River in South Sudan!

As we continued our flight to Mundri, the closer we got to the town, the more we could see the effects of a particularly harsh rainy season they have experienced.  The rivers were very swollen and overflowing their banks in many places in the country.  Simon, our pilot, had already told us that some roads had been flooded due to the excessive rain, but you don't really grasp what that means until you see it first-hand from the air.  But, from this viewpoint - you can get a very clear picture!

Once we arrived at the Mundri Conference Center, we were taken to meet the acting commissioner of the county where we were staying.  When we arrived back at the center, we were all quite exhausted after having traveled across 8 time zones with only about 6 hours of "good" sleep, so we decided we would "take a rest" (that's what we all call in the US taking a nap).  When we awoke, we were still very tired, so we covered a few logistical items for the day on Friday and then decided we would just all get in bed early.  So, as Bethany and I were in our room, all of a sudden she says to me, "it's only 8:15?"  I replied, "yep," to which she then asked, "you got anything you want to talk about?"  Of course, since we had been together for about 36+ hours traveling and experiencing the same things, I couldn't think of anything else to talk about at the moment, so my speedy reply was, "nope; I'm good.  Thanks!"  Then, we settled in to try and recover a few extra hours of sleep before we had to be ready for breakfast on Friday by 7:30, then ready to leave the compound by 8:00 to make it to our destination.