Sudan has many types of lizards I have never seen before!

We are celebrating Shelvis’ birthday today as well as celebrating the things we are learning and experiencing in East Africa by God’s grace.  I just returned from Sudan this week after spending two weeks in Yei and two in Boma.  The story below is about my arrival in Sudan, and there is story about the work in Yei entitled  “Yei PAP Program” in the column on the right side of this page.  

Shelvis is enjoying planning a conference for church leaders in Kenya.  The workshops will highlight the relationships between gender-based violence, the spread of HIV/AIDs, and commonly held perceptions of masculinity.  The conference is planned for May, so please keep it in your prayers.  Thank you, as always, for your love and support!

We soared past small collections of round and rectangular rooves.  Green trees dotted fields of long tan grass.  Shortly after flying over the Nile River, we landed.  Our faces were greeted by hot, thick air as we walked down the aircraft’s metal stairs.  Planes marked with the bold, capital letters “WFP” and “UN,” and helicopters were the only other carriers on the steaming tarmac slab.   We entered a small building labeled “Juba International Airport” in both English and Arabic script. 

Before leaving Kenya, I was told that every 3^rd man in Sudan carries a gun, so I was not surprised that a wooden table covered with guns and ammunition stood next to me as I waited in the immigration line.  (I have not found the 3^rd person rule to hold true).  The airport was buzzing with tall, thin soldiers in tan, green and blue camou uniforms. I took my luggage to one such man to be searched.  He moved a few items around and then pointed to a zip-lock bag of tampax tampons, and asked in a low, serious voice, “what is this?”  My mind raced, searching for an appropriate explanation, holding back a smile and trying to sound serious, “They are for women,” I said.  Without another response, he marked my bag in chalk with an unfamiliar sign, which denoted clearance. 

Outside the airport, we found the sun again waiting to meet us.  I put on my sunglasses and started sweating.  Every second car in the parking lot was a large SUV with a metal cargo rack on top.  We hoisted our luggage and ourselves into the Land Cruiser marked “ACROSS and UNHCR,” and headed for YEI. 

The 100 mile journey would take 5 hours.  From a large radio antenna on the front of the car flew a white ACROSS flag with the printed words: “Transforming Lives and Communities.”  The flag flapped in the wind, leading the car like a ship as we sailed on the rocky red roads.  In Sudan, unlike in Kenya and Uganda, cars should remain on the right side of the road.  In reality, however, drivers crisscross from left to right aiming for the smoothest ride possible, trying to avoid holes.  Of the people with bundles on their bicycles or on their heads, some wore traditional East African patterned materials, others more “western” looking attire.  All the women wore skirts. 

Every few kilometers we passed collections of traditional homes called tukuls. These mud-walled houses displayed beautiful straw rooves, which glistened like gold in the strong sun’s glare.  Between the bunches of tukuls stretched fields often charred from an agricultural method of burning the reeds and grass. 

After two hours we stopped to buy sodas and water in a small town called Lanya.  I noticed a blue kiosk with the phrase “Poverty is not a sin” painted in white letters above the window.  I wondered why the owner made the statement.  The painted words countered the message that poverty is simply an outcome of a person’s sin.  Although newly in the country, I knew enough to know that many complex factors are at play in the economic situation in war-torn Southern Sudan. 

Because our car is labeled as an NGO, we passed through the police stops freely.  If not associated with an NGO, a fine must be paid to cross.  About half way through our trip, however, we encountered a road block that we were not allowed to pass.  The hanging rope displayed a sign announcing “de-mining” was in process; no one could travel for 45 minutes.  A crowd was gathered under the nearest tree: sitting, standing, waiting.  

The unfortunate reality is that mines still lay sleeping in the fields, waiting to be awakened by an unsuspecting person or child.  My Sudanese co-passengers mentioned that hospitals continue to treat people who have lost limbs to these hidden explosives.  During the Civil War, “both the Northern government and the SPLA (Sudanese People’s Liberation Army) placed mines around the areas they controlled,” a colleague explained. 

A few miles further we found Yei town bustling with people.  Stores, kiosks, motorbikes, people walking, people sitting, people running on a large, dirt soccer field.  We pulled into the office compound, and Mary, a Kenyan colleague who also made the trip from Nairobi, introduced me to those remaining in the office after hours.  “James, Agnes, Boniface, Suzan, ….” many names and smiling faces; I longed for the day when I would truly known them.  “This is the office where our program works,” she said, opening the door to a room 3 x 3.5 meters; with my arrival, five of us would share the space.  Thomas and Ben greeted me in the small PAP office and then joined us for the rest of the tour.  

Thomas, Ben, Me, Mary and Nelson in Yei office

The compound is filled with small homes with tin roofs.  “That is where devotions are held, over there the lunch meals are cooked, next to it meals are eaten, and this is where you will stay…..” 

As I crossed the threshold of my new residence, a feeling of being overwhelmed rose inside of me.  The four of us stood together in the entrance of the cement house for a moment.  Then Ben and Thomas, who live in the surrounding community, asked if they could offer a prayer.  They seemed happy I was there to work alongside them.  The two remained late in the office to greet me, and now they prayed that amidst all of the differences in a new environment, I would remain healthy.  The feeling of overwhelmedness resided, pushed out by a sense of peace.  I appreciated the reminder that no matter where I am, God is always present and God’s Spirit moving.  It is only for me to join in.

Nairobi Skyline

Tumefika!  We have arrived!  We spent the past few days settling into our apartment in the bustling metropolis of Nairobi, Kenya.  We are enjoying reconnecting with friends and with our Nairobi church family.  In order to give you an idea of where we are living, I am including a video on cities in Africa with several pictures of Nairobi.  While in the US, a friend explained to us, in an exasperated tone, that many Americans in her generation are afraid to visit Africa. “The reason,” she explained, “is that the only images we saw of Africa growing up were of people with bones in their noses.”  So, I thought I could try to dispel that stereotype a bit by showing a few images of skyscrapers in Africa before I head to rural Sudan.   To view the video click here.

While home, Nancy was ordained as a Minister in the PC(USA). The outpouring of support surrounding this event encouraged our hearts. A BIG “thank you” to New Life Presbyterian Church and all the people who contributed to making the moment unforgettable.

To Everything There is a Season, Turn, Turn, Turn… Kenya is a BEAUTIFUL country.  While living there, we soaked in our surroundings with awe and wonder(the great Rift Valley, the beautiful skies, the Indian Ocean).  America is also a BEAUTIFUL country, yet the two are quite different.  Unlike the seasons in Georgia (fall, winter, spring, summer), the seasons in Kenya include: the short rains, the long rains, and the dry time in between.  Until I moved to East Africa, I did not think about the fact that some people have never seen leaves change colors.  Since we were home this fall, we realized that absence does make the heart grow fonder.  Our appreciation for the brilliant colors of autumn was heightened this year. 

It’s a Small World After All, A Small Beautiful World…While living in Atlanta, we have been presenting to groups and congregations about our work in East Africa.  We spoke on over 30 occasions and were humbled by the opportunity for Shelvis to share through an interview on CNN (click here to view).  With each opportunity, we told the stories of the people who inspired us in Africa.  We felt as if we were introducing new friends to old friends.  We delighted in the opportunity to remind fellow Americans of our connections in mind, body, and spirit with our neighbors living across the ocean.  Across the ocean, we can learn from one another.  We can be enriched, challenged, convicted, and united by our similarities and our differences.

We spoke with a College Presbyterian Campus Ministry in Spartanburg, SC

Our connectedness with global neighbors overwhelmed me this Christmas season, when I met a man named Benjamin.  I was at a “Multicultural Christmas Celebration” organized by the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, when an older man approached me and introduced himself.  He told me that he reads Shelvis and my website updates regularly.  Benjamin worships with a church in Conyers, Georgia but is connected with several churches in Mexico. He translates our updates into a specific dialect spoken in Mexico and sends the translated updates to the churches in Mexico.  “They are praying for you,” he said.

High School Classmate and CNN correspondent Brooke Baldwin interviewed Shelvis on CNN’s Faces of Faith

How is it possible, I thought to myself, that churches in Mexico, filled with people I have never met, are praying for me?  My understanding of our connection to all whom God creates was deepened in that moment, strengthened by Benjamin’s willingness to reach out to me, sweetened by the faith and love of people in Mexico willing to pray for a unknown young couple, European-American and African-American, who are serving alongside Kenyans in ministry several time zones away.  God is indeed great and this small world quite beautiful.

The Atlanta Globetrotters…We are hitting the air again, returning to East Africa.  I (Nancy) will leave Dec 29^th for Nairobi, Kenya where I will go through training before heading to Southern Sudan.  We are continuing the Presbyterian Church’s Young Adult Volunteer program, yet this term I will be working with an organization called “Across.”  Across has been engaged in community development in Southern Sudan for over 20 years and focuses on holistic transformation, in the areas of education, health, economics and spiritual formation (www.across-sudan.org).  I will cycle between program implementation in Southern Sudan (4-5 week stays) and work in their Nairobi office (2 week stays).  In Sudan I will be living and working in a rural area and may not have regular access to internet, so please accept my apology in advance for slow responses to much appreciated correspondence. 

Shelvis plans to return to Nairobi, Kenya in January.  He is excited to continue working with the Fellowship of Christian Councils and Churches in the Great Lakes and Horn of Africa (FECCLAHA) and serving on staff at Loresho Presbyterian Church.

Please know that we will miss you when we are away, but that you will remain in our thoughts and prayers.

Rafting is a favorite Mather bonding activity. Because of my previous family rafting excursions, I quickly realized that the Nile River was in a category of its own. In the US, rafting seemed to be a technical activity: turning the raft, back-paddling, carefully maneuvering to miss hitting rocks; essentially, trying to keep everyone in the boat. In contrast, on the Nile, most rapids did not require much strategic planning. We simply paddled towards the rapid and then “GET DOWN AND HOLD ON!!!” – falling out of the raft was expected. As rafters we felt a great impulse to “freak out” during the trip, but our guide was extremely laid back. Before going down a big rapid, the guide put us at ease by calmly saying, “The boat may flip over on this rapid, or maybe not. If you fall out, hold onto your life jacket, and just enjoy the Nile…”

Saying “Good-bye” to Nairobi also had its share of overwhelming moments. The hospitality we received was unbelievable. Our co-workers organized special farewell gatherings for us (thank you CWSEA and FECCLAHA!) and the coordinator of our program held a warm dinner in our honor (Thank you Rev. Phyllis!). Our Kenya church family, Loresho PCEA, gave us a luncheon after our last Sunday service (Thank you Rev. Agola and Loresho family!), and members of the church’s couples’ fellowship surprised us with a cook-out two days before our departure. On the day we left, several people tracked us down to give a hug and gift. One church member found us an hour before we headed to the airport to give us a pancho he made by hand. Each farewell event and each person with a gift or a kind word combined to create an enormous wave of love and compassion. We felt so undeserving, and at the same time so grateful. At times I became anxious about the incredible things people were doing on our behalf, but in those moments I felt God’s calming Spirit settle my heart. A voice seemed to be saying, “Just hold on, and enjoy the ride.”

Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few… Pour oil into all the jars… sell the oil and pay your debts. You and your sons can live on what is left.” (2 Kings 4: 3-7).

In the last month of my work with CWSEA, I helped evaluate Improved Livelihoods (IL) programs in Kenya and Uganda. The stories the participants shared about their experience in the program reminded me of the miracle of the widow and her oil (2 Kings 4:1-7). After her husband’s death, the widow was left with her two sons and her husband’s debt. When the prophet Elisha asked her what resources she had to pay the debt, she responded, “Your servant has nothing in the house except a jar of oil.” The woman did not realize that the little that she had (the oil), plus her own abilities, and the involvement of “the man of God,” was enough to meet her needs.

In order to pay her debt, the woman’s own skills were required; she made and sold a product. Her community was also involved; they shared their support through giving empty jars. God blessed their efforts, and the oil multiplied to fill all of the jars.

Elizabeth Wamucea, the leader of a women’s group in Nakuru town, started a business selling bananas. Becuase of her hard work and the help of a seed loan, she is now better equiped to pay school fees and provide housing, food and clothes for her family.

In a similar way, the people involved in the Improved Livelihoods (IL) program use their own skills, the support of their neighbors, and a small gift from the Church community in the US, to transform their situations. In the IL program, community members form groups within their neighborhoods for support and accountability. The participants then take inventory of their own skills and are trained in starting a small business. Next, a small loan, perhaps only $25-$60, is given as seed money to start a business. Once the initial loan is repaid, a larger loan can be taken (often $100-$125). And the businesses grow, slow and steady, and self-esteem grows, in leaps and bounds. As the small amount of money multiplies, the individual, their household, and the community feel the impact.

When visiting Improved Livelihoods groups, I marveled at the stories of financial, emotional, individual and communal growth. One of the groups, called the Kamuthi Marathon group (pictured above), started an Improved Livelihoods savings and loans program in 2005. CWSEA provided the funds and OAIC (the Organization of African Instituted Churches) trained the group and walked with them through the process of selecting, starting and managing their own businesses. The group included men and women, and they worked together to create a great sense of unity and love within their group.

Joyce is a group member as well as a teacher at the school the Kamuthi Group supports.

During our visit, the members explained, “We do not know how we would have survived the effects of the post-election violence in Kenya, if it were not for the support of our group.”

As the group members began making a profit with their entrepreneurial projects, they started a small school for orphans in their community who are unable to pay school fees. The group pays for uniforms and food for the children, and one of the group members serves as a volunteer teacher.

One of the women from the group (pictured below right) is skilled in hair dressing. Before receiving a small loan from the program, she worked casually doing hair when she could find a client. After receiving the loan, she was able to rent a room in the market for a salon. She now employs two hairdressers in her salon, and she is training three other girls in hairdressing. The members of the Kamuthi group are incredibly motivated to use what they have received and worked hard to grow, for the benefit of their community.

The miracle captured in 2 Kings 4 depicts God multiplying something small, which, when added with an individual and a community effort, provided sufficiently for a family. The miracle I witnessed with the Kamuthi group shares a similar storyline, yet it has a more communal impact.  It was a miracle of a small gift, multiplied by hard work, for the benefit of many.  The members’ care for each other and for their surrounding community was beautiful and inspiring. 

Mary Obiero manages the Improved Livelihoods Program for CWSEA and does a wonderful job!

Miracles continue to take place in our modern context, in many different forms. The lesson I learned from the Kamuthi group, is that our impact can be great if we: 1. use and develop our individual skills 2. combine them with the skills and resources of others 3. share our lives, skills, and the overflow of our work with our community – locally and globally.

And as lives are transformed, as families are able to provide for their own needs and as they reach out to uplift their neighbors, God is glorified. Amen

Nzumari African Art, a group of Kenyan young adults, uses puppetry to communicate a message of peace.

Our team of male and female contributors represent specific countries and a variety of contexts from Africa and North America. Among the contributors are Archbishop Valentine Mokiwa (The President of the All African Conference of Churches), Dr. Mercy Oduyoye (Former Deputy General Secretary of the World Council of Churches and Founder of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians), Dr. Dale Andrews (Boston University’s Martin Luther King Jr. Chair of Homiletics and Pastoral Theology). In addition, the book highlights the stories of “ordinary people” who lead extraordinary efforts of reconciliation within their communities. I was informed recently, that former Nobel Peace Prize Winner Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu (above, right photo) endorsed the project and will right the Foreword for the book.

The text invites its readers to explore biblical narratives that shape the Christian faith tradition and to relate the biblical characters to one’s personal life. In other words, the readers interpret the text within their own context, cultural background, and life experiences, all with the aim of achieving personal and societal transformation.

Putting  the Bible study together makes me feel like I can contribute to change in the world in some small way. The realization is humbling. Most importantly, this project reminds me that God is able to do “exceedingly more than we can ever hope for or imagine.”

The distant sounds of roosters were obscured by the immediate laughter of children swaying to and fro inside a neighbor’s party. The lights and sounds of the celebration seemed to beckon anyone willing to enter. Several Indo-African women pranced into the gathering with toddlers in toe. The fabrics from their silky, colorful Asian wraps seemed to flow effortlessly behind them as they walked.

Across the street stood a beautiful white mosque with ivory minarets reaching into the night sky. Lights from within the towers projected a green tint against the surrounding clouds. The sound of an Imam’s prayers could be heard over loud speakers. His distinct tenor provided a musical descant above our heads. Although unable to understand the Arabic, we appreciated the practice of prayer.

Nancy and I smiled as we considered all the beauty we witnessed walking along the road. We never imagined the diversity and multitude of cultures we would find here. Our evening stroll gave us a glimpse of the different ethnicities, religions and nationalities present in the Nairobi community. Our “Date Night” became a moment for us to pause and appreciate each other and all those who live around us.