Merry Christmas!

Our lorry rolled back into town from Southern Sudan this afternoon - and I'm stopping in at the local Internet cafe to give you a little update. I'll write more soon on the details of our past week, but I'll share some highlights now:

• We took the 27 Amazing Grace kids to meet their fellow countrymen in Sudan. All of us piled in a blue lorry (about 40 of us!) and drove the dusty bumpy ride north about 4-5 hours.


• Sudan is under reconstruction, but the nation is so damaged. Every hut has stories of pain, sadness, illness, family deaths and destruction. You just cannot imagine the horrors that these people have had to endure. At times you feel completely overwhelmed at the missing limbs, the requests for help, the sickness, and the lack of resources. And then the next moment you feel so ashamed that you've ever complained about your lot in life, and feel so grateful to encounter these courageous humans who still can smile and give thanks to God. It's very humbling.


• We were very busy over the past week treating wounds, collecting profiles, visiting lepers, hearing stories, and holding these dear orphans' hands in the evenings as the mourning doves called out in the distance and the sun dropped below the mango trees covered in dripping fruits.


• Christmas was unbelievable. Heat most likely in the hundreds. Almost a hundred Sudanese orphans joined the local church service and then headed back for a Christmas program at the orphanage. Josh had coached the kids on a play, and we slaughtered a bull so the kids had soda and meat for a meal (which happens about once a month). The event was very well planned by the staff (although it was 3 hours late) and the chief of police, the acting bishop, the tribal chief, and many other locals came for an sweltering afternoon of dance, song, and speeches - culminating in a football (soccer) game between the two orphanages.

The short summary right now: I'm feeling very hot and tired and worn out. But I'm so grateful for the past week. God gave us safety as we traveled, and we had great meetings with so many people. The team was amazing - working through cultural differences, heat, and new surroundings to show love and care to very desperate people. The community loved them. Our hosts were so kind to us, so warm and grateful that we would spend our week with them. Every small gesture of kindness was so appreciated. And I love the orphans of Kajo Keji. Beautiful eyes and soft voices who give so much more in their innocence and love than we could ever give to them.

We'll be leaving tomorrow morning for Kampala. Please pray for all of the kids as leaving is always hard on them. Please pray that we'll have safety on the road and energy for the coming weeks. Pray that the new team traveling will make all of their connections. And pray for Sudan - the friends that we met are in our minds and hearts - I'll add some profiles here soon. But they need our prayers at this time.

Thanks to all of you - we miss you.