A new day....another new start!!

So, we had decided on Tuesday night that we could get up early and take a river-boat ride on Wednesday to see a few of the other things around the Kakdwip area.  So, we got up a little earlier than the first couple of days and then headed down to the river.  We boarded the boat and spent about 15 minutes just waiting.....I have no idea on what.  Then, we headed down the river....toward the Bay of Bengal.  Along the way, we got to see a few ferries, some fishing boats and saw the Sunderbans from afar.  About 30 minutes or so into the ride, Andrew asked us if we have our passports with us.  We all reply, “no” and then he informed us that the place where we boarded was actually a customs office for folks who were leaving this area heading into Bangladesh.  OK....well, hopefully we won’t be asked for them when we get back.  About 45 minutes into the ride, we turned around and Andrew showed us where the border of Bangladesh is.

After our refreshing river-boat ride (which, by the way, was the first time all week that I felt a little cool), we headed to the school for a late breakfast and then our time with the kids.  When we were eating breakfast, Brooke said that they had seen the interpreter that we had yesterday heading in the opposite direction when we were on our way to the school.  She wanted to make sure that it was, in fact, the interpreter and it was confirmed.  As the conversation about this went on, we found out that the interpreter said that he wasn’t going to come back because there was too much gospel presented during on Tuesday and since he’s Hindu, he wasn’t going to come back.  So, this is the setting that God provided today.....all of the children with 1 person to interpret!  OK.....well, we'll start off with teaching them a motion song in English and a game that Megan taught us, Streets and Alleys.  So, we split all of the kids into 6 groups (3 girls groups and 3 guys groups) and taught a lesson from Mark 9 on who is the greatest.  One of the other things that we did in our groups was that the kids taught all of us Americans a "motion song" in Bengali.  We had NO idea what they were singing, but we were supposed to add a little "extra" something to the motions.....it was interesting, to say the least!

After this, we went back to the church compound for a delicious lunch and a “quick rest.”  I have to admit, I was finally able to take advantage of the “quick rest” today and actually got a little nap in.  Then, in the afternoon, we were off to visit 2 more villages.

Our time in the villages was pretty much the same as Monday and Tuesday with the structure.  One the second village visit, the people of the village started asking us questions!!!  They were asking Mike and Brooke about their little girl and asking us different questions to find out a little more about who we are.  It was so refreshing because we had been asking questions to others all week long, so it was absolutely wonderful to have them asking us questions.  Then, Mike went back to the school to teach the pastors a little more while we went back to the church compound.

First village of Wednesday

2nd Village visit of Wednesday

Today, we had A LOT of various conversation about the gospel - just amongst our team.  We talked a lot about future opportunities in this particular area of the state and how these people are hungry for truth and they need more resources that are here.  We also talked with our partners a lot about how people in the US, at times, call themselves pastors, but have no true gospel.  OR, they have elements of the true gospel mixed with works or “feel-goodisms” or “name it and claim it” type thoughts/beliefs and how because they have something in addition to Christ, it’s still a false gospel.  One of the main things that were trying to illustrate is that there aren’t nearly as many true Christ-followers in the US as most of the world thinks.  There are a lot who give intellectual assent, but do not worship Christ above all else, which is something that I think that most people really don’t understand.

Later in the evening, at dinner, we got into a fun conversation about singleness.  YAY!!!  My favorite topic!  Mainly, we talked about how a lot of men in the US don’t know what it means to pursue a lady.  Along with that, comes the fact that most single men actually expect the ladies to make the moves....I’m just not OK with that.  So, as we were talking about all of these issues, Mike chimed in (and I’m he probably had now idea how great a compliment it felt) to say that I am using my singleness exactly the way that I’m supposed to use it......to make disciples in all nations.  At the end of this conversation, Andrew told us that he is certified to find me a husband and that he could actually arrange me a marriage!!  Definitely something to think about, huh?  HAHA!!!

All in all, it was a great day!  Can’t wait to do it again tomorrow!

Today is a new day....let’s see what we can do differently today in order to be effective....

So, last night we had to have a little discussion about the benefits/drawbacks of leaving the windows open so that we could have some air-flow in our room through the night.  The benefit - air flow.  The drawback - bugs bigger than you’ve ever seen in your life flying in the room and landing/crawling on you in your sleep.  We went for the unknown of leaving the windows open and risking the creatures invading our room.....which they did.  BUT, I was able to sleep about 2.5-3 hours at a time during the night, which was a welcome blessing and something that hadn’t happened since about a few days before leaving Birmingham.  Tuesday started a lot like Monday with devotion around 7:30 with chai and then breakfast immediately following.  Our breakfast this morning was different and consisted of bananas and eggs with a jelly sandwich.....Megan was pretty excited about this particular breakfast!

After the events of yesterday and our discussions, we realized that 4 hours is a LONG time to spend at the school each morning...especially with translation difficulties.  What we learned from Monday, though, was that we needed to hire an interpreter at this point.  So, what we had discussed was that Michael would take all of the boys with the hired interpreter and the 4 ladies would take all of the girls with Andrew as the interpreter.  We now had a plan and we headed out to the school around 10:15.  Once we got there, they all came into the worship room and we started off by singing a song or 2...one of which we taught them.  They LOVE songs with motion, so we taught them “Lord, I Lift Your Name on High” with motions and all.  After this, we split into our groups and Michael took the guys outside while the girls stayed inside.  Yesterday, the boys stayed inside while the teachers we were with worked feverishly to keep us white-skinned people out of the sun to protect us and to help keep us a little cooler.

The groups are receiving their instructions

Once everyone had split up, we divided the girls into 4 groups - 1 for each lady leading the group and we discussed the story of the Prodigal Son.  Since we realized yesterday that they love competition so much, we gave them about 10-15 minutes to discuss the story in each group and then we asked them questions to test their knowledge.  For each question they answered correctly, they were able to roll the large die and then accumulate points.  They understood the story quite well - without the help of any adult....I think that they’ve heard this one before.  After we questioned them, we tested their ability to memorize the scripture (we had told them while they were in their groups to choose 1 girl from each group to represent the group in memorizing as many scriptures as they can).  Most recited 4-8 verses from the story, but what really floored us was that 1 girl recited 14 verses from the story!!!!!  14 VERSES......after only 10 minutes!!!!  Luke 15:11-24....again, 14 verses in only 10 minutes.  And, she didn’t simply tell the story from scripture, she recited the reference with each verse!!!  What a humbling experience to witness.....I doubt seriously that I would be able to memorize 5 verses with reference in an hour and this child was able to memorize 14 verses in 10 minutes WITH scripture references!!

Each group worked diligently to get the understanding of the story and to learn the scriptures

After this, we felt like it was time to add something of a lighter note, so we continued our competition in a pretty creative way.  I had brought some balloons to make some balloon animals, so Andrew thought it would be fun to teach the girls how to make balloon animals.  It was pretty fun, actually!  Each girl made a dog out of her balloon, then the competition was introduced.  All of the balloons were strategically placed around the room while each of us (leaders of the 4 teams) discussed with our teams instructions....left, right, down, forward, etc....  Then, each team leader was blind-folded and turned around a time or 3 and followed the instructions of the girls on the team to pick up as many balloon animal dogs as she could within a few minutes.  My group came in 2nd, but I was pretty impressed with the directions that they gave me.....part of me wants to argue the final results, but I will accept 2nd at this point.  Unfortunately, I can’t find any photos of this particular game.....I so wish that I could, though!

After we finished at the school, we headed back to the church compound, had lunch and were finally able to take a little advantage of the afternoon “rest” by catching a short nap during the heat of the day.

Playing the game of Snakes and Ladders

The telling of the story of the Prodigal Son to those
who stayed to visit more with us

After our rest, we went to visit 2 more hand-pump sites.  When we arrived at the first one, they were very welcoming to our information and our games that we played (same as the previous day with the river-crossing skit, then the lesson on microbes and the Snakes and Ladders game).  They got involved in the roll play and asked us to visit some of their houses.  Mike was asked to share a parable, but was told that he couldn't mention Jesus as there were about 30+ people present and we were in the open.  He told the story of the Prodigal Son and then followed up with questions which were very interesting.  We asked (well, Mike, on our behalf asked) if they had seen people like us before.  They said, "no".  Then, he asked, what makes us so different and they responded that they had not seen people with that "skin color and hair color” - I’m pretty sure that the hair color one was a reference to me as I was the only non-brunette in the group.  This is something that I’ve sort of gotten accustomed to since this was my 3rd visit to the country.....and, I’m a bit taller than most of them too.  We visited a few other houses in this village and then headed out to the second hand-pump site of the day.

One of the houses we were privileged to visit in the first village

Sunset view at the first village we went to on Tuesday

Praying with the ladies with whom we were able to share

When we arrived, it was already dark, so there were very few people present.  We saw the hand-pump site, which was right in front of a Hindu temple structure - I can’t explain the emotions that this brings up in a land where so many gods are worshipped, the One, True and living God is providing clean water to the people and they don’t even recognize it.  It takes me back to the Old Testament so often of how God’s glory gets misplaced and the worship that He alone deserves is given to earthly idols and man-made creations.  It’s Romans 1 lived out on a daily basis!  At this site, there were a couple of ladies present and they invited us in to their home.  Since we were in a home and the men of the home weren’t present, we had an open door to share the gospel with these ladies.  Heather shared the story of the Prodigal Son story with them. She followed the story by asking these ladies if they had ever heard of Jesus.  They responded that, yes, they had heard of him, from the Catholic Church.  They also added that he was one of the idols.  While we know that this was not the message of the Catholic church, this was the message that these ladies received.  So, we were able to follow this statement with explaining how Jesus is not simply another idol, but He alone has sacrificed so that we can have life and He demands all worship from us and He alone is to be praised and worshipped.....there is no other.  I was able to pray with these ladies in their home and the reality that they now have heard the truth of the gospel that God created the world; every human is corrupted by sin; God’s Son, Jesus Christ, was sent to bear the wrath of sin and to prove His power over death by His resurrection; all who believe on Him ALONE will be reconciled to God forever.  These ladies and those in their household have now heard the basic, simple truth that is the gospel and didn’t choose to follow Christ that night.  We will continue to pray for these ladies that God will open their eyes and draw them to Himself to give them forgiveness and restoration that can be found in no other idol on this planet.....not even in one of the multiple millions that are worshipped in India.

After this visit, we went back to the school property for a snack and then time with the evangelists.  Our plans shifted a little and Megan, Heather and I headed back to the church property while Brooke and Roshni visited to try and reduce some of the effects of the motion sickness induced by the heat and rather bumpy, swervy ride to the villages.  Megan, Heather and I decided to use our time as wisely as we could by washing a few clothes and taking care of a few other things before dinner.  When Brooke, Michael, Andrew and Roshni returned, we had dinner and then got ready for bed.

Things of the day that I found very hard to reconcile include:

• The image of Jesus as just one of many idols.  Since this is my 3rd trip to India, this is something that I’ve been introduced to each time, but I’ve never really had the experience of being in someone else’s home who views my Savior as simply 1 idol among many that can be worshipped.  It breaks my heart for them as it’s a clear picture that the god of this world is blinding the hearts of men to keep them from learning about the truth of the One, True God.
• There are hindu temples set up on the sides of the road by each house that we pass....some built of more sturdy foundations than the houses that they are in front of.  It is clear that more value is placed on worshipping a dead god/idol than building the structure that protects them from the rain, heat and scorching sun of each day.  Not only that, but they are completely devoted to the worship of these idols that have no value.  I don’t think that I can explain well the emotions that this brings out in me.

Today was another LONG, HOT DAY!!!!  But, after the day that God has ordained as today, I’m eagerly awaiting what He has in store for us tomorrow!!

Monday....we have A LOT to learn.....

So, Monday was a very event-filled day!!!  And, by very event-filled, I am not sure I’m describing that well enough.  First, this American is not accustomed to the level of heat that we had during the night, so I slept very little.....in no more than 2-hour increments at this point.  After an encounter with a few Indian bugs early in the night, we thought we had a great idea to keep our windows closed through the night in order to keep out the bugs.  I’m not sure if you’ve ever tried to sleep in an oven, though, but let me sum it up to say that it can’t be done!  Well, it can’t be done by anyone except Heather who has a gift that I can’t describe to sleep through ANYTHING for hours on end!  I must admit, I am so jealous of her at this point!  And, after waking up in the oven that we had created in our room, it never cooled down during the day.....it only got hotter.

Our morning started off as planned with devotion at 7:30, led by Mike and then breakfast around 8:30.  We talked about the plan for the day again and felt good heading into it.

We arrived at the school around 9:00 this morning and we introduced ourselves to the children and the teachers and then the teachers were introduced to us in the large group.  We handed out a few globes that we had purchased (basically a beach ball with the whole world on it) to show them where we were from and the route that we had traveled to be able to spend the week with them.  We were, after all, supposed to be "teaching" them English, so we incorporated this into our “lesson” (the funny thing to still think about is the fact that we were supposed to teaching someone English).

Then, we split into 3 groups led by Brooke and Heather, Michael (with the assistance of Andrew) and Megan and Louanne.  English teachers served as the interpreters for the groups led by Brooke/Heather and Megan/Louanne and Andrew served as the interpreter with Michael.  We taught the Bible stories that we had previously agreed to teach and had very interesting interaction with the kids......or, should I say, lack of interaction with the kids.  It was probably one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever had with talking through an interpreter.  We would ask a question and the teacher would turn around and say something to the kids and come back with, “yes.”  I would respond with, “can they tell me why this happened?”  Then, he would say something to the children in Bengali and turn to me and say, “yes.”  Needless to say, a bit frustrating.  Then, we asked the children if they had a favorite story in the Bible to share with us and one child read the parable of the sower.....GREAT STORY!!!  So, that propelled Megan and me to go 1 chapter later in Scripture and read the parable of the sower explained and we expounded with questions to try and make sure that the kids understood and were met with the same challenges in the translation. Then, we decided to teach each other songs in our native language and play a few games.  We also had a snack time and simply tried to continue to build relationship with these amazing kids through the challenges we were experiencing.  We ended our time with the kids around 1:15 with a competition of various relay races and random running in the school yard (by the way, 4 hours is a LONG time when you’re having challenges with language).

The group that Megan and I were privileged to spend time with.

When we left the school, we took a little detour on the way back to the church compound and visited the river where Andrew pointed out the border of Bangladesh and we were also able to see some folks fishing and others simply going about their daily life of traveling by ferry and having lunch or rest.

Our team......taking full advantage of the photo-op!

After we took full advantage of a photo-op at the river, we returned to the church compound for lunch and a “short rest” in the middle of the day.  See the beginning of this post for a reference to the heat and then decide whether or not you think we were actually able to rest.  By this time, it was over 100-degrees Fahrenheit with a level of humidity I’ve never in my life experienced in the US!  So, that “short rest” was definitely short and not very restful.

Then, around 4:00, we received our 2nd coconut of the week (when we arrived on Sunday, we were greeted with coconuts to drink for their nutritious value....the people of this church took VERY good care of us making sure that we didn’t get dehydrated) and piled on 2 “village harley davidson’s” (in the daylight, I now have a much better picture of what this mode of transportation is.....envision a motorized tricycle with a large wooden pallet on the back) and headed to the hand pump sites.  The first one had been there only 1 month.  We introduced ourselves to the people there and then did a role-play of a river-crossing.  The whole purpose for this skit was to show the people that the inforamtion we were about to teach to them was not meant for them alone, but now that they know, they are responsible for teaching the others within the village.  We used pictures to help teach them about protecting their water from microbes and how to increase the sanitation at the hand pump site.  Then, we tested their knowledge by playing a game of “Snakes and Ladders,” which, by the way, they LOVED!!!  

The incredibly sketchy bamboo bridge that we had to cross 1 at a time in order to get to the first village.....Sunderban is to our right at this point.

The group from the first village that came out to be part of our visit and the teaching we were bringing.

The group that gathered from the 2nd village to meet with us

After this, we visited a home or 2 and then loaded up to visit village #2.  At village #2, we participated only in home visits to learn how they are using their newly installed well, which was 3 months old.  We asked questions like how many people lived in the homes that we visited, how much water they use per day and what they were doing with the water they pumped from the well (cooking and drinking are all that’s recommended for these wells).

Then, we packed back up and went back to the school building for training with the evangelists.  What we came to learn was that most of these evangelists are actually pastors and some had traveled from up to 1.5 hours away to take part in this training.  All of these men are being discipled by the pastor of the church that we are serving alongside this week.  Mike led this training with these men and began teaching them about the steps of salvation.  After this training was completed, we loaded back up on the village harleys and went back to the church compound for dinner and then bed time.  We were able to add a little debriefing time in there too.

This was an absolutely exhausting day!!  It was fantastic and I feel like we learned a lot - both about how weak we are and how much we can learn from the faith of the people we are going to spend time with this week!!  But, we are tired and sort of at a loss for what to do with these kids tomorrow.  We were able to talk with Andrew about the challenges with the interpreters and he said that the teachers actually felt the same way.  We also felt that maybe the children would be more open without the teachers present.....we shall see how the Lord works tomorrow!!

Kakdwip.....WE MADE IT!!!

"What good is it my brothers if someone says he has faith but does not have words? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and of you of you says to him, 'Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."  -James 2:14-17

WOW......what a journey this has been just to get to this village.  We have been on 4 different airplanes (for a total of 20-ish hours actually in the air), flown through a few time changes (India is 10.5 hours ahead of Central time zone) and had a 3-hour car ride/race down the streets of Eastern India.  When we arrived for worship tonight, we were greeted by some of the children that are cared for by the ministry we will be working with and they gave each of us some precious flowers and a big hug when we arrived.....what a wonderful welcome!!

We were able to worship tonight with the children that we'll be spending the rest of the week ministering to and trying to build relationships with.  Michael delivered a great message to them about the conversion of Saul to becoming a Christ-follower, so this is a great place to set the stage for the rest of the week.

The plaque on the wall as you enter the worship room....I have no idea what it actually says, though.

When leaving tonight, we were told that we were going to ride the "village Harley Davidson" back to the place where we are staying.  Well.....um......I thought to myself, "I don't so much do motorcycles, can't we just walk?"  But, what I didn't know (because it was already dark) that by "village Harley Davidson," what he really meant was motorcycle propelled truck bed that we were all going to sit on.  Only after 1 person fell off of it (he wasn't hurt, though) and we had to stop about 3-4 times because something had to be adjusted underneath it, did everyone else realize that walking sounded like a great idea.  I sure am glad I brought that head lamp I had bought when I went to South Sudan last year.

We did finally get back to the place where we are staying and were able to discuss the day tomorrow and what our plan was.  In the morning, we'll spend time with the school children (grades 7, 8, and 9), then we'll have lunch, and in the afternoon, we'll visit a hand-pump site and them have some more time to spend with some of the children from the schools or other young evangelists in this village.

The building where the church worships, the kids have school and the boys' hostel (the place where we stayed was actually the girls' hostel).

It's going to be an event-filled day and let me just go ahead and tell you all that IT IS HOT!!!!  And, by hot, I mean HOT!!!!  We were blessed with a little surprise when we arrived, though.....we have power in the place where we are staying, so there are fans!!  I didn't know that they would be available, so this was definitely a welcomed pleasure.

Hoping to spread His Name and Renown this week while in India!

This Lenten Journey.....

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.  For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

-Romans 12:1-9

That’s kind of a weighty passage to start this one off with, right?  Well.....this is a lot of what the post is about....our bodies are living sacrifices to be used for God’s great glory and for Him to mold us more into His image as He wills.

So, just to give you a little background on me (I’m pretty sure that anyone who might ever read this actually knows all this stuff, but I’m just trying to make sure), I became a follower of Christ as the age of 11.  So, I’ve lived for 2/3 of my life to this point as a Christ-follower and God has used many events in my life to bring me to the point where He has me today.  And, since that time, I’ve identified myself with the teaching and doctrine in the Southern Baptist Church.  So, you may find yourself asking the same question that one of the elders in my church did: “Why is a good Baptist girl participating in Lent?”  Not only that, Why in the world are others in my small group giving things up for Lent too??  Before you continue reading, I just want to say that it’s my sincere hope that the love and mercy and grace that Christ has shown me in my salvation alone comes through in what you are about to read about this journey.

After having lived 2/3 of my life as a Christ-follower, this is the first that I’ve ever been convicted to participate in Lent.  I’ve heard of it a lot throughout my life and I knew a lot of people while I was in college who practice Catholicism, but I never understood this whole Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday overindulgence leading to Ash Wednesday and giving up something (most of the time, it was something almost insignificant) until Easter...until this year.  For about a month and a half or so leading up to this Lenten season, I was having my regular quiet times with the Lord and feeling incredibly convicted that we (the Church) don’t take enough time to fast and pray.  We (or, at least I) don’t participate in regular fasting for the lost people in our neighborhoods or families that we know by name, much less those that are lost around the world and the people that we have sent out to work amongst them and to tell them about Christ and salvation through Him alone.  We (again, or at least I) don’t fast enough for urgent physical needs around the world to be met or for God to send laborers into His harvest field to work.  As I was working through this conviction, the Lord led to me to give up all food and only take in water 1 day a week and He allowed me to be devoted to spending more time with Him in prayer and in His Word.  Also during this time, my church began walking through the book of Matthew and we came to chapter 4.....where the heading reads, “The Temptation of Jesus.”  My pastor mentioned a book titled Tempted and Tried by Russell Moore, which I quickly purchased and began to read.  As I was reading this book, I became even more convicted toward fasting and prayer and then I came to a part of the book that opened my eyes to this journey I’m on right now.  He mentioned that all of our lives should experience times of feasting and times of fasting.  Then, he gave the analogy about Mardi Gras and Lent and said that this is what they have right - it’s a period of feasting leading to an extended period of fasting.  Now, what I take him to mean here is NOT what Mardi Gras has become today, but rather what it was before when this time served as feasting to rid the home of items that were forbidden during the Lenten season.

As I read that, I became more and more convicted by the significant picture that this time period and level of sacrifice represented.  I also presented the conviction to my small group as something I was struggling with and I also challenged them to pray to give up something for Lent and that we could all hold one another accountable and walk through this journey together.  During this time, I was praying specifically about what God wanted me to give up.  WELL.....if you know me, you know I like to eat!  I sincerely enjoy food, but since I’ve gotten a trainer, my list of foods I could eat a lot had rapidly dwindled.  Here’s how the process went as I sought the Lord in what to give up:

• First, I thought, “I could give up going out to eat.”  Would this really be a sacrifice since my trainer had already limited me to no more than 2 meals out per week?  My answer was No, not really.
• Then, I thought, “I could give up fried food.”  After realizing, once again, my trainer had limited my amount of that too, only she said I could only eat fried food once a month!!  So, that’s not really a sacrifice either....
• Option #3 was, “I could give up sweets.”  I don’t really have a sweet tooth and it’s nothing for me to go without sweets for 40+ days.
• Thought #4, “I could give up meat.”  NOW we’re talking!!!  I eat some type of meat for almost every meal every day!  As I continued to pray through this thought, I was led to more and more information on the Daniel Fast, which is based from the first chapter of the book of Daniel.  In case you don’t know anything about the Daniel Fast, you cut out all meat, all animal by-products, all caffeine, all sugar (and sugar substitutes), and all preservatives.

The more I prayed about this last option, I knew that’s where the Lord was leading me to follow Him.  I’d had a couple friends to do the Daniel Fast for the 21 day time frame and they all lived, so surely it can’t be too terrible, right?  One thing did come to my mind, though.....I haven’t known anyone to do this for an entire Lenten season (a total of 45 days from Ash Wednesday to Good Friday; 47 days from Ash Wednesday to Easter).    But, with as much as I had been praying about it, I had no doubt in my mind that this was what the Lord was leading me to do.

Now, to the point of this particular post.....since this is day # 33 (not that I’m counting, but at this point, I’m totally counting - I have a completely new perspective on how long 40 days ACTUALLY is.....it’s MUCH longer than you might think), what all have I learned from this journey?  I know that you’re probably expecting me to say that I’ve learned that food really isn’t that big a deal and we can live on so much less than we think.  And, while, yes, that’s definitely true (to a degree), I’m going to be a little more real with you than that.  I’ll just outline a few of the lessons that I’ve learned so far:

• I really feel like I have a greater appreciation of those who lived under the Old Covenant Law and sacrifice systems.  I wonder, with all of the restrictions placed on them regarding food and so many other things, how in the world could they do it??  Many people have told me, “yeah, but it wasn’t as hard for them to find things without preservatives back then.”  While that’s entirely true, it was still very restricting for them to limit their intake to only certain types of fish and no animals with a split hoof, etc....so, I feel like I have a small picture of some of the things that they experienced
• I don’t really enjoy eating anymore.....I just do it because I have to in order to make sure I have enough energy to finish my workouts or to not be too hungry
• Grocery shopping is no longer enjoyable in the least bit (It wasn’t too enjoyable before, but it’s even less enjoyable now).  But, I have to walk past all of the food in the store that I can’t have to get to the very few items that I actually can have
• It’s FAR more expensive to eat this way!!!  But, praise God that it’s very hard to eat out and still follow these rules, so I’m saving some money that way in order to be able to offset the costs of eating so many fresh or specialty foods
• I get tired MUCH more easily and I find that I actually do need between 7-8 hours of sleep each night rather than the 6-7 hours I would typically get
• My body does actually feel better!  Even without the caffeine!!  My main challenge is being able to get enough protein for good muscle health and the ability to finish my workouts (I do still have a protein shake each morning - this is the only thing that I allow myself to have that’s not “fast friendly” but I didn’t think it wise to go from eating about 100g protein each day down to less than 50g for 45 days).
• I’ve gained 1% body fat in the past 33 days!!  That’s right, I’ve started boot camp and been working out for over an hour 5 days a week and have gained 1% body fat.....I typically don’t eat foods this high in fat on a regular basis, but in order to get natural sources of protein without meat, I don’t really have a choice.
• I feel like I don’t have much time to focus on my singleness (or the fact that I don’t really like it) because I am having to cook all the time and find meals that follow the rules of this fast
• I find that I’m thinking so much more about food than I ever have before trying to make sure that I don’t mess up....although, I am almost positive that each time we take communion on Sunday, I fail (at least I’m almost positive that our crackers have some sugar in them and I doubt that our grape juice has no sugar or preservatives added).
• I have been so comforted in the fact that God does provide such good gifts that we can’t even imagine or ask for (Ephesians 3:20-21).  I’ve seen him work so much in these few weeks (almost 5 at this point) because of my simple obedience to follow Him and give up certain food items
• Every week, when “I fail”, I’m always reminded of God’s grace and mercy and provision that He allows me to not only follow Him, but also to be able to follow Him in this journey in particular.  I’m reminded constantly that there is no quality in me that can sustain this practice for even a day without God’s divine strength and grace leading me to rely solely on Him during this journey.  It’s a great reminder that goes back to the section of Romans 12 quoted above with regard to using the faith in the proportion that it’s given.....He has definitely increased my faith and added responsibility to me throughout this journey in ways and places that I had no idea He was going to

Here are a couple of questions I’ve gotten along the way that could also give you a little insight into this amazing journey:

1. Are you enjoying this?   The physical effects and desires to eat almost everything I’ve given up - NO.....I am certain that I wouldn’t willingly give all of these things up without the Lord leading me to!!  BUT, the lessons that I’ve learned from God and the amazing time I’ve been allowed to spend with Him - ABSOLUTELY!!!!
2. If it’s not something you’re enjoying, why don’t you just stop?  There are a number of reasons I don’t stop, honestly.  The first, and probably most simple, is that it’s a matter of simple obedience.  I feel like my generation is so tempted by the here and now that if we aren’t enjoying an experience or it’s not making us “happy,” we know that we can just stop and the effects would be over.  But, to me, this is a commitment to the Lord, not to myself or to anyone else on the planet.  It’s between the Lord and me and I know that He will sustain me in my weakest moments when I want a steak or when I sit beside a birthday cake for 3 hours at a party for a family member....these are the moments that God uses practical things that He leads us to so that He can show us even more grace and mercy in the midst of temptation and trial.
3. Is this something that you plan on continuing to practice? NO!!!  There are aspects that I’ll most likely try to continue to implement, but mostly, I won’t continue to eat this way.  A part of me is a little concerned about timing to add certain things back into my diet and I will definitely be spacing it out a bit.  But, I’ll be ending my fast on Good Friday and I already plan to eat a salad with some feta and pita bread, to have some meat and to have a piece of cake!  I’m thinking it’ll be at least a week before I add anything fried back into my diet, but we’ll see.
4. You know that most Catholics take Sundays off as days of celebration, right?  Are you doing that?  To answer the first one.....I didn’t know this until after I started.  No, I’m not taking Sundays off.....I feel that this entire journey is a celebration of Christ’s sufficiency to cover my sin and the fact that I have no abilities or ground that can stand before God apart from Christ because I have no power apart from Him.  I also wonder, on a practical, human, level - what good is it to take off every Sunday?  You really only fast for 6 days at a time....it’s a whole lot easier to give up something for 6 days knowing that you’ll get a chance to indulge in it again every 7th day.  I simply feel that it takes away from the power that’s necessary from the Holy Spirit to maintain the journey if you take a break every 6 days....it would be far easier for me to try to follow this pattern on my own terms and in my own power, rather than having to completely rely on the sufficiency of God through Christ and His Spirit in order to walk this journey.

In the past few years, I have been known to say that what happens to me isn’t for me alone, but others can also learn and grow from the experiences God has brought into my life.  So, if you have any more questions about this particular journey or anything else you want to know, definitely ask.....I am convinced that God teaches us things for our good (of course), but also to share for the edification and building up of others!  Hopefully, someone will be encouraged by this.....hopefully.

It's now time for our journey back to the states...

When I left off yesterday's post, I mentioned that Friday's update would include information about how we can pray for the people of South Sudan.  One thing that I think that it's important to remember (this is just my opinion, though) is that we are DESPERATE for the LORD!  We need to remember that we bring nothing to the table except dirty, nasty hearts that are not worthy of love or grace or mercy in any way.  We are all guilty of rebelling against God and we are desperate for Him!  If it were not for Him giving us air to breathe, lungs to breathe it, blood and a heart to pump it through our bodies, we are not here.  All of this are pictures of God's grace and mercy to us......He gave us life!  And, there is NOTHING that we can do to repay Him!!!  That's a key when it comes to remember how to pray for the people of South Sudan.  There is NO WORK that a human can perform that is worthy of earning God's grace and salvation.  It's a free gift and is offered to all......we are responsible for how we respond to this gift.  In light of that, the first way to pray for these people is pray that God will open their eyes to the truth in scripture that we are God's workmanship, created in His image and we are saved by grace, through faith alone, and that not of works so that no man can boast.  Pray for their purity.  When I say purity, I am simply asking that you pray for the pure peace of God to reign in their hearts and to draw them unto Himself.  As technology and communication abilities increase and as the people of South Sudan are shown pictures of the affluence and overwhelming waste in America, pray that God would guard them from the distraction of the desire for earthly riches and kingdoms here on earth.  Pray that God will continue to give them a spirit of hospitality

Our sweet partner Jeffries with his wife and youngest son

Friday morning, we started the day like all of the others with waking up - although, the rooster was now gone.  We were also able to find the cricket that had spent the past 3 nights in our room serenading us ALL NIGHT LONG (of course, just to be awakened by the rooster several mornings) and help it's serenading come to a quick end.  Then, we made sure that all of our things were packed well and put in the appropriate places and then we had breakfast, which this creature of habit was very excited about - Mundri bread and eggs.  :0)  Then, we visited with a few of the children who are needing sponsorship through 4 Corners and said hello.  The next hour left us starting to say our goodbyes to our new friends and our brothers/sister in Christ.  Jeffries's wife was able to come and say hello and it was such a nice treat to be able to meet her, the woman that has joined with a such a sweet man whose desire is for the LORD and to see his people come to know the LORD.  We also said our goodbyes to Paul (Archbishop of the world), Repent, Sudanese Mark, Herbert, and a few others and took a few more pictures.  Then, it was 9:30.....the time that we needed to be loaded up in the truck to head to the Mundri "airport".

one last South Sudanese sunrise before we leave

Bethany, Archbishop, and me

We were able to spend some more time there with a few of these men while we waited for our plane to come.  We also had another committee of small children to see us off.  Greg (our pilot) landed the plane.......just so you know, the place were the planes wheels actually touch down is the main road that leads to Juba from Mundri!  Yep....we had to stop traffic for the plane to land.  Greg then loaded our luggage under the plane, gave us our boarding passes and then we boarded the plane to head back to Juba.  As we were about to take off, we saw our friends who were there to send us off and a flood of emotions came to me.  I wonder what Archbishop of the world would think of being inside a plane and coming to the US?  What about Coffee?  They have only seen pictures of where we live and heard stories about the excess and the worldly comforts that we have and only recently have they come to know a land without war where the people no longer have to live in the bush for fear of being of killed by the oppressive army from the north.  What would they would think if they could see their own homeland from the sky?  Would they wonder the same thing that I do......where in the world to all of the people live?  From the sky (even flying low), it's almost as if there are so few people in South Sudan, yet there are so very many.  Would they pray for them the same way?  How will my prayer life for them be different now that I have seen them and experienced a moment of the life that they live?  I was overwhelmed with happiness that they don't have to experience the battle that we do with materialism and all of it's faults.  I was also very sad knowing that they still have many areas of struggle that pull them to things of this world before the draw them to God.   From what I understand, Mundri has experienced a lot of development and there is now bars a lot more noise there than before......so, it's only a matter of time before the things that we in America struggle with start to creep into South Sudan.

Bethany and me

I decided to make myself useful and learn how to do a little work here.

And now, the plane is here.....

It was only about a 30-minute flight to Juba, but it seemed so lonely in some ways.  When we got to Juba, we deplaned and headed in the airport to obtain our permission to exit and then head back to Uganda.  WELL.....this was a much more lengthy and confusing stop than we had a imagined.  Apparently, when we came in the country on Saturday with our letter of invitation from GOSS (Government of South Sudan), they did not issue us our entry visas.  SO, now we had to obtain entry visas - on the way out of the country - before we could get our stamps of exit in our passports......interesting process!!!  But, we were able to obtain our entry visas and our exit stamps, then we had to sign out on the ledger as a record of our visit.  We then flew about 2 hours, through rain and some decently rough winds for the little charter flight that would seat 9 passengers to get to Entebbe where we would go through customs and obtain another entrance into Uganda.  Another, very short (about 5 minutes) flight awaited us to get back to the MAF hanger where our drivers were waiting to take us to the guest house to get cleaned up and have a late lunch.  Well, we didn't really have time to eat a whole meal (and it was like 5:00 and the 4 Corners staff in Kampala, Uganda was getting us pizza for dinner), I enjoyed a little cheese and bread.  I knew that my days of being able to simply eat were coming to a QUICK end because my trainer was going to put her foot down when I returned the week of Thanksgiving.  10 days of eating Clif bars, fresh chicken, rice, cheese, etc....then Thanksgiving week was going to mean that I would probably have A LOT more rules to follow until the end of the year.  :0(  Oh well.......

After this, we all loaded up in the cars again and headed to the house of the 4 Corners staff and, let me just say, the had the absolutely BEST pizza in the world in Kampala, Uganda!!!  Or, maybe it's just that I haven't eaten real pizza in almost a year.....OR the fact that I haven't really eaten cheese since May.  Yep, that has to be it!!!   But, while we had pizza, we were able to meet a few others who were instrumental in the ministry that 4 Corners is doing in Uganda......1 guy who actually said that he knew my mom!!  SERIOUSLY???  I went all the way to Africa and met someone from Alabama who knows my mom!!  TALK ABOUT A SMALL WORLD!!!!!  We also met the lady that helps the staff members in their home and were able to purchase a few items from her to help her in caring for her 6-year old daughter....what a treat to be able to share with her and help her in a way that we could....and for it to be a reward to her for her hard work.  After a short time of fellowship, we loaded up and headed to the airport in Entebbe, Uganda and our trip was now quickly coming to an end.  We were able to spend a few minutes getting some souvenirs in the airport......before the power went out.  But, no worries, there was back-up lighting, only no back-up air conditioning.  :0(

Well, the plane was just a couple of minutes behind schedule, but we were able to board and were on our way to Amsterdam.  The flight was great on the way to Amsterdam, and now we are on the final leg of our journey.  I type this with about 7 hours left before we get back to Atlanta (it's Saturday now), then onto Birmingham and back to the "real world" of work on Monday.  I hope that the things that I've seen and experienced in South Sudan change the way that I live in Birmingham (or wherever the LORD leads me in my life) differently than I have.  I only pray that the LORD will use this 2-3% of 2011 to make His name great in my sphere of influence and that He will be praised by the works that He has already ordained for me to do and the life that He has given me to steward.  I will 1 day be accountable to Him for it.....I pray that I've allowed Him to lead me and not taken over it myself.  John 3:30 says, "He must become greater, I must become less" and that is my prayer.

Our last ministry day!

       Today is our last ministry day here in South Sudan.  In so many ways, it has gone so quickly, but in so many others, it has taken so long!  I have always been a person who has enjoyed the journeys and not been one of those people who got finished with the ministry and then wanted to be home.  But, I must admit now that we are finished with our field work, I want to be home!!  I am sad to say it, but I am missing a few comforts from home today.  The simple thought of using a hair dryer, having a full-length mirror (to see how badly my clothes that I have worn this week do not match), my contacts, checking my e-mail/facebook and cooler temperatures are very very exciting thoughts to me!  I want to eat some fried food with a little bit of salt, too!
       Today started like most others by leaving the compound a little after 8:00 and heading to the last village on our schedule, Wiroh.  Now, I want to go on record by saying that I was wrong in yesterday's post by saying that the road to the other villages had been the bumpiest road in all creation.  TODAY, we experienced an even worse road.  I also want to go on record by saying how thankful I am for the LandCruiser that we were able to use all week that was able to get us into the village - yes, we did think that it was questionable at times.  And, if anyone wants to see video of us coming out of this village, don't you worry, I have it.  You will want to take your dramamine before you watch it, though.  As we are driving over some of the large rocks, Yancy proclaims, "we have now reached the ends of the earth."  Archbishop's singing today couldn't have been more timely as it served as a great distraction to the fact that we were about to ether turn over on the side I was riding on or hit someone on a bicycle who didn't get out of the way fast enough or any number of other irrational thoughts that were going through my head.  Of course, the songs were the same, "Isaac drives the vehicle," "Alleluia," and "white people make the fire light,"
       As we were driving to this village, I was struck by the awesome reality that the gospel definitely has not yet reached the ends of the earth.  Even with the technology that we take for granted every moment of the day, there are still a world of people who do not have the benefit of using it and still have not heard the true, life-giving gospel of Jesus Christ.
       When we arrived at the village, we were greeted by the chief, Gordon, who informed us that he had just buried his mother yesterday.  We visited with him for a few minutes before the pastor (the chief's brother) came and the bell was wrung to notify everyone in the village that it was time to come.  We also took a brief rest.  During our resting, Archbishop of the world told us a story about an iron that was lying on the ground near where he was sitting and how in the previous days, it could be used a dowry for a wife since the iron was so versatile.  OR, if the person was a chief of the village and had this iron, he could use it for 2-3 wives.

The bell

       We also learned that this village has approximately 1800 people who live here.  I received another name when we arrived and introduced ourselves to the people - "Noelle."  HUH?  I mean, I get where Lois or Loassa (or Lohassa - however it is spelled), is much more appropriate in this culture, but Noelle?  I don't see the jump here, but oh well, I guess I'll take it.  I am their guest, right?
       So, when the people arrived, we did our usual thing and separated and Bethany and I worked with the ladies while the men split into 2 groups and Daniel and James walked to get some photos.  We did the gospel presentation today and I noticed that the only one who brought their Bible was a younger girl in the front and her Bible looked just like mine!  I even pointed this out to archbishop of the world and he said that it was an English Bible.  I told him that we wanted her and 2 other women to complete the assessment after lunch and he could choose the 2 other women at that time.  When he called her aside to speak with her about talking with us further, I told her that the Bible I brought with me was just like that one.  She opened it up and it said that it was given to her, Sarah Moses, by Amy Platt!!!  WHAT????  That's my pastor's sister!!!!  Of course, I took a picture of her with it and I fully intend to e-mail Amy so that she will have it - a reminder of the work that was done in South Sudan last year and to know that Sarah has been reading her Bible (and for those of you who might wonder, no, I don't know Amy Platt, but I know how I can find her).  :0)

This was about 1/3 of the people who came for today

       We continued with the teaching of the oral rehydration solution and it went very well.  One thing that I've been surprised by in each village is that they have the items and utensils that we need.  They are able to bring sugar, salt, water, pot/pitcher to mix it in, spoons for measuring and a cup for drinking.  This is not quite what I had pictured would be the case, but I'm excited that it is.  Each time we do the presentation, the ladies tell us that they like the pictures and they listen intently and even engage when we ask them questions to help them internalize the information.
       We did not take a break for lunch today, but it was great!  We were able to have archbishop of the world engage the women and children in some singing and dancing which brought him great happiness.  After this, we went under another mango tree to ask the ladies the questions from the assessment.  Since Sarah evidently could read English, we gave her our materials that we had used to teach.  She and her friends were sitting under the mango tree looking at them and recognized people that they knew, which gave them even more to be excited about with regard to sharing the information.  They understood that now that they had received the information, they had a responsibility to re-teach it to others.  As we completed our assessment questions, again, the main theme of working (being good, not doing bad things, etc....) continued to be a main focus, but the people here did tell us more about the role of faith in salvation, which was a positive sign.  However, they are still very much involved in a works-based mentality when it comes to their salvation and this is something that we are very concerned about, as it can never be Jesus (PLUS) anything!!  It has to be Jesus alone.....He is worthy of it and He demands it!
       Most of our drive back was filled with taking photos/videos of the awesome road that we traveled along and holding our breath and trying any way that we could to help the truck make it up the next big rock hill.  It was ridiculous!!  In Lui (about 20 miles from Mundri, where we are staying), the truck started to smoke, so we were able to get out of it for a few minutes while Daniel led us in stretches that Bethany vividly remembered from band camp (I have no idea why we thought that 8 white people on the side of a dirt road in Africa doing stretches was a good idea, but there we were, well, shall I say there were 4 of us involved, but still).  We shook hands with people who were passing through Lui walking to Mundri and others who were just passing through on their way home.  It was an adventure, to say the least.  The rest of the drive back, unfortunately, held little interest to me as I tried between the bumps in the road to catch a little cat nap.  TRIED being the key word here!
       Then, we arrived back at the compound and it was time to get cleaned up for the evening.  When I came in from the shower this evening, the foot of a rooster in the front of the building was a NICE sight for me to see.  You know what it meant?  It meant that I wasn't going to get a wake-up call from that stupid rooster on our last morning in South Sudan!!  I must admit, I was a little excited (sadly).  Bethany even admitted that her first thought was, "Louanne will be happy to see that."  Then, we both realized, OH, it's chicken for dinner - YUM!  And, it was delicious....a little dry, but very tasty!  We also had rice and Mundri bread, which no meal in South Sudan is complete without, and a soup that was also very good.  After dinner, we entered into our devotion, led by Daniel, and then into prayer time for the people of South Sudan (that will probably be Friday's update).  There was also a time of sharing and, again, archbishop fell asleep......I think we need to finish earlier for the man who has eaten 72 Christmases (although we have no idea what that means........he responds this when we ask how old he is).  All-in-all it was a fantastic day!!  I look forward to coming back here and getting to know these people better in the future.  I will have to give credit to all of my friends who said, "South Sudan is so much easier to reach people than it is in India."  In so many ways they are right, but unfortunately, there's a growing minority where this is not the common practice, and it's sad that South Sudan is changing so quickly!