Leno

This is Leno! He’s blind and lives about 4 hours away, yet he still hiked all the way to Nagishot (on his own!!) just to have Abbi and me teach him more about God and the Bible!! He’s come to Nagishot before, and Abbi had gone over Genesis and some other books with him last year. This time we went over Matthew and John! We were able to download an audio bible, so for an entire week, we had him come over and listen to each book one time through completely; and after that we broke up each book into chunks, re-listened to the chapters, and Abbi and I took turns talking through each section.

It was really refreshing to have someone who was so interested and dedicated to learning more about God’s word. Leno actually doesn’t claim to be a Christian, but he definitely has an understanding of what he’s hearing. When we would talk about the parables, he was able to explain them so well and even shared some of his own analogies! He definitely has the knowledge, and I’m praying for God to capture his heart. Most people here claim to be “men of God,” but I am so thankful that Leno is real and honest about where he is on a spiritual level. When we asked him if he is a Christian, he just admits to “some what.” But he’s definitely hungry and eager to learn more!

God, thank you for those who are hungry and thirsty to learn more about you. And thank you for the truth of your Word and daily bread that sustains us always.

Hello America. This is Leno in Nagishot. I come from Lotuba. Now I come here to this Nagishot because of this Lisa and I call it Abbi. And I’ve been in need of the word of God for a little bit. Because of some kind of trial in my life. A long time before, I had my vision. But now I am a little bit blind. And so in this word of God I really found the peace of my heart. And hearing about Jesus with the help of these ladies I got the peace of my heart in really knowing Jesus, Thank you. 

Peter Loturi

“I want you to teach me about Jesus. We don’t know him here.”   - Peter Loturi

There are only a few things I know about Peter:

1) He’s been to Kenya before.

2) He used to be a teacher and can read and understand a little English.

3) He’s too old to leave his compound or walk anywhere.

4) He asked us to teach him about Jesus.

Peter is a Didinga man who lives in Thugura, a neighboring village to Nagishot. Thugura has never really been an easy place to visit since it’s about a 3 mile hike on the side of the mountain to get there and the people aren’t always the most welcoming. But one day we went and stopped at a compound that at least let us sit down and talk to them. And after visiting the same compound a few times, Peter told us he wanted us to teach him about Jesus because he was too old to leave his compound to go to church. This was one of my most favorite redeeming moments!! It was such a difference from Nagishot…there have been so many missionaries in Nagishot, and everyone has heard of God and Jesus and many can probably tell Bible stories to you…yet there is so much apathy. But in the neighboring villages, there are no missionaries and no church. It’s different because the stories are actually new for them. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if they’re just interested because we’re white or because Abbi plays her fiddle. Or maybe they are hoping we’ll bring medicine for them…or maybe they just like looking at the pictures. But it really doesn’t matter, because for some amazing reason God helped us to find Peter and allowed me and Abbi and Lokolong (our Didinga friend who helps us translate!) to return to share with them.

God, thank you for Peter, Olga, Regina, their compound, and your providence!!

View of their compound from the hike over...almost there!

Olga Natiki is quite possibly the oldest women I have ever met! The smoke was getting in our eyes

Peter Loturi and Regina Ito

Peter reading through the story book

People Aren’t Always Beautiful

I said this statement so boldly about a month ago. And again, just the other night. But enter: humble pie, just when you need it. I’ll try my best to walk you through my thoughts the past month or so. Sorry about the crazy mess...

Missionary Envy (noun): The bitter state of feeling like a failure and seeing how wonderful everyone else’s ministry is. Often related to feelings of inadequacy and lack of faith.

I’m really hoping that I’m not the only person in the world who’s had this feeling, especially now that I’ve just blasted this on the Internet. But to be honest, it has been easy to become jealous and discontent with things out here. I was reading about another missionary’s experience where the new language seemed so easy to learn, the people were so beautiful, and missions just seemed so great. And that’s when I became a Bitter Betty. I was so jealous because my experiences haven’t been exactly the same. I mean, what happened to the honeymoon stage???

People often ask what it’s like here, and sometimes it’s difficult for me to fully share about Nagishot, because there are a lot of hard things here. And it’s hard to explain because you’re just plain tired from everything. You’re angry at people who steal from you and the overall lack of justice. (Confession: I chased a kid who stole money from us. Not my proudest moment). Tired of people constantly asking you for things. Hate how wary you become of people and never trusting their motives. Overwhelmed by the stories of murder, suicide, rape, abuse, adultery, theft, arson, abandonment, drunkenness, and lies. And so deeply saddened and burdened by the apathy towards God and the general contentment to live such a depraved and futile life. These are the things that break me. These are the things that make me most frustrated, angry, sad, hurt, and discouraged. These are the things that just recently threw me into a slump of wondering why I’m here and whether or not there’s any hope. The things that cause me to be awake at 1:16 am saying, “God I’m right here, the Didinga are right here…so where are you?” These are the hard things to share because part of me wants to cover the shame, both theirs and my own.  

So this is just one of my many prideful moments where I forget how sinful and wicked and ugly I am too. Jesus didn’t die on the cross because I’m so beautiful and easy to love, yet in the hard moments I fail to remember that I am no less a sinner and am just as much (if not more) in need of a Savior.

My home church is going through the 9Marks book on evangelism and I love this quote from the author:

“When Paul says that we should see people through the eyes of Christ, he means for us to have a gospel view of people. So we see people as beautiful, valuable creatures made in the image of God. Each and every one of us carries God’s mark. That is why Christians believe all people have dignity, worth, and value.

            At the same time, we recognize that every person is fallen, sinful, and separated from God. All people have twisted the image of God into horrible shapes. That is why Christians are not enamored with people either.

            But in a culture of evangelism, most of all we’re mindful of what people can become: new creations in Christ, renewed and restored by the transforming power of God (2 Cor. 5:17). I long to be with Christians who remember that people are image-bearers. I long to be with Christians who remember people’s separation from God. Most of all, I long for a culture that remembers what people can become through the gospel.”

So I must recant my previous statement (whether I’m feeling it or not), and proclaim that people ARE beautiful when you see them in the eyes of Christ.

I promise you I have some other really exciting stories to share about-- great, redeeming moments. The moments that I treasure and can show you a glimpse of Jesus working amongst the Didinga. But those stories are easy to share, and to be fair I thought I needed to post this one first because this is the other side of those good moments.

I’m so thankful for missionary friends and blog posts that are so raw and honest about their experiences. I’ve needed, and clung to, those stories and confessions to feel a sense of normalcy. I wish I could hide my shame and sin, pretending that I’m not drowning in my own self-pity and general lack of humility, love, forgiveness, and faith. But I recently read another blog post that reminded me that the whole story needs to be told. Both good and bad. And so this is my attempt to let you know that whatever the blog post, Facebook update, or Instagram picture, there’s always the good days and the harder days. I’m just praying that no matter the day, I can respond to God in obedience, with thanksgiving and joy.

 

Our friends' home that got burned down. They lost everything they owned, including all the wheat they had just harvested. When we asked what happened, we learned that someone in their family (not sure who) cut the throat of a man, so his wife came and burned their house down. 

Ministry Life in Nagishot

I’ve been in Nagishot for exactly 1 month! After my home stay, Abbi and I took some time to rest, enjoy the holidays, and also pray about what our ministry here will look like. It’s a newer ministry for both of us since Abbi is going to stop teaching in the schools to have more focused time on discipleship.

Before I got to Nagishot, I was able to spend some time with Geoff and Pat (the Unit Leaders who are currently on home assignment) and they explained to me that often on the missions field, discipleship starts with someone who isn’t yet saved, and continuing to walk alongside them, praying they’ll come to know Christ. They also reminded me of the difference between friendship and intentional relationship. They encouraged me that building friendships is good, but I also shouldn’t forget or confuse it with my purpose here to intentionally share the gospel. These reminders have been really helpful as I pray about ministry here!

Abbi and I are both kind of similar in needing a schedule and some daily tasks to keep us on track with ministry that’s a little more fluid. Here’s a brief idea of what our daily and weekly schedules look like! I’m trying to wake up around 7 or 7:30 am every day so that I can eat breakfast, do my quiet time, get ready for the day, and use the Internet before leaving the house around 10am. Part of our discipleship ministry is intentionally visiting with people, so we’re trying to be out in the community every day in the morning to go visit and invest in specific women we have on our hearts. Some other ministry goals we’d like to start are a bible study for some of the teenage girls and the teachers that Abbi used to work with, and also teach a bible class in the local schools two days a week.

Monday: Cleaning Day! Daily tasks take a surprisingly long time here, so it’s nice to have a day to catch up!

Tuesday: Study Day! This is our day to prepare for bible study, youth group, Sunday school, and other things we may have during the week. This is also mine and Abbi’s day to share prayer requests and pray together for each other, ministry, and the women we’re reaching out to.

Wednesday: Blogging day if we need a day to catch up on blogs, newsletters, emails, journaling, etc.

Thursday: Bible Study for the compound and other adults who would like to come!

Friday: Abbi leads Youth Group!

Saturday: Our day to sleep in a little and we’ve started a pancake breakfast tradition :)  There are also two other villages nearby, so we go visit one of them every week.

Sunday: Church and teaching Sunday School for the little kids!

We both really appreciate your prayers! Especially for…

• Us to be in constant prayer over ministry and to seek wisdom, discernment, and clarity from God
• To be bold and intentional with each day and in sharing the gospel
• For us to have humble hearts and trust God with ministry
• For God to guard our mouths to be intentional with our words
• For softened and willing hearts of the Didinga to learn, repent, and be transformed

Abbi and I :)

People here constantly ask if we’re sisters! Sometimes they even ask if one of us is the mother…

Home Stay!

During my first week in Nagishot, I did a home stay and lived with a Didinga family for five days. The purpose of the home stay is to be able to observe and live with a family to learn about the culture, customs, and language here. It was challenging at times, but I’m so thankful for the chance to have gotten to know the family and have my first friends here in Nagishot :) My home stay “mama” is Julietta and she has 4 children: Ya-ya (17), Night (15), Dennis (12), and Jackson (8).

While I was staying with them, I “helped” with a lot of their daily tasks. They were really good about showing me different things and teaching me. I knew they could also tell when things were too heavy or I was too tired, because they would always give me less :) Some of the daily things we did were getting water from the well, going to the marketplace for flour or yeast, buying vegetables, cooking the meals, and washing the dishes. Usual meals included ahat (the Didinga word for “ugali” which is basically water and flour) and some kind of green vegetable; or once we had rice and beans. They also taught me how to make mendazi for breakfast! (It’s a kind of sweet fried bread). I even helped (more like watched) Ya-ya kill one of their chickens for lunch one day. That was definitely a special treat and really sweet of them! They also showed me how to harvest corn, collect coffee beans, and ground flour out of corn with stones. I definitely got to see a glimpse of what daily living looks like. Some of my favorite moments were watching the family laugh together around the fire at night, reading scripture with some of the kids, and the one-on-one times with the two older girls.

Now five days of a home stay can be filled with a whole lot of awkwardness and discomfort. And as I experienced those moments, I felt the most convicted about whether or not I truly love the Didinga people. My heart was really challenged that week, and I think also discouraged at realizing my lack of love, selfishness, and idol of comfort. There were moments when “preach the Gospel to yourself” had such new meaning for me.

But there were also moments where God showed so much grace in how He encouraged and strengthened me. Sometimes at night I would feel so uncomfortable that I just wanted to go to sleep; but I would look up at the stars and be reminded that God placed every single star up there, and in the same way he placed, knows, and loves every person here in Nagishot. One night we all went to bed particularly early and I couldn’t fall asleep, so I just laid there and prayed for their family. I also prayed for God to help me surrender all to Him (I Surrender All). Also, as I was singing Fall Afresh by Jeremy Riddle in my head, it started raining and just felt like kind of a fresh start.

Their family seems so hungry and interested in learning more about Christ. Please join me in praying for true conviction, repentance and growth in their lives!

The family's tukle

From the inside of their tukle

Harvesting Corn

Grinding flour

Grinding flour from dried corn

Collecting coffee beans!

Drying coffee beans

The way to the water well

Showing me their fields

The mom, Julietta

Jackson

Ya-Ya and Night

Oken, Jackson and Ya-Ya

Welcome to Nagishot!

Someone asked me what one of my favorite things is so far, and one thing I really love is how beautiful it is here! The land here is so fertile and there are so many crops. Nagishot definitely has its rainy season, so it’s nice and green. And since we’re so high up in the mountains, there’s always a nice breeze.

I’ve been here for two weeks now, and I’m still so struck by the beauty of this place. It’s awesome to be able to see every day how good God is in creating such an amazing landscape. And I thank God that He uses His creation to remind me of his goodness and sovereignty, especially as I pray for the Didinga people. I’m reminded that God has so purposefully created Nagishot, and in the same way he has purposefully created each person here and placed them here for a reason. Please pray with me for the Didinga people: For their hearts to be softened and to realize their need for a Savior, their minds to know the sovereignty of God, and their eyes to be opened to see His beauty and goodness.

Greetings from Africa!

So far, my short time in Africa have been filled with a lot of praises! There were some complications getting a flight into South Sudan, so I actually spent more time in Uganda and some time in Kenya! Here are some of the ways God has been so gracious to me in the past two and a half weeks:

On my flight I was still feeling a little sad about leaving home, but I ended up sitting next to a pastor! His name was David and he was on his way to Uganda to speak at a pastors conference. We had a really good talk about missions and he reminded me of so many passages where God talks about his love for the nations. That conversation left me feeling so encouraged and excited!

I also got to spend Thanksgiving with Kim! We had a huge thanksgiving dinner with the other GSF missionaries and I got to meet all the kiddos at Good Shepherd’s Fold and see her ministry there! After that, Kim came back to Kampala with me and showed me around the city a little bit. Someone suggested we go visit a mosque, and that was definitely an eye opening experience for both of us and definitely deepened our prayers for those who don’t yet know Christ as their savior. I was so thankful to get to spend time with Kim and I think we both left feeling encouraged and blessed!

After spending time with Kim, it worked out that I was able to attend a Short Term Retreat for the Eastern Region with Seb and Danielle (they are the Central Region Short Term Coordinator and Administrator). It was really awesome to meet other short termers and hear about their experiences so far. It was also a great way for me to be more thoughtful about particular things for my time in South Sudan. One of my favorite parts was sitting in on a meeting (yes, I voluntarily sat in on a 3 hour meeting because it was so interesting!) with Seb, Danielle, and the coordinator for the Eastern Region. As they were asking each other questions and strategizing new plans, it was so evident how much they really care for not just the short term program as a whole, but for each individual short termers’ spiritual growth. And it was really great getting to know Seb and Danielle better…they’re hilarious! Despite the 15-16 hour bus ride from Kampala to Nairobi and then back again, they still agreed to drag me along J

After two weeks of trying to figure out how to get me to South Sudan, we finally had a plan! (Thanks Danielle!) I admit, I was getting kind of antsy to get there. I loved my time in Nairobi and Kampala, but a big part of me just wished to be settled in at Nagishot. But God used his word and people to remind me to trust in His sovereign plan. And after an 8 hour car drive to a new city, spending the night for 7 hours, and then a 1 hour flight...I made it to Nagishot!!

Thank you all so much for covering me in your prayers! Already in my time in Africa, God has been teaching me to be flexible, challenging me to trust and rely on Him fully, showing me the idols of my heart, and reminding me of his power, might, and steadfast love for me and His people. A few prayer requests for now...

• For God’s grace in adjusting to a new place, getting used to a new culture, trying to learn a new language, etc. For God to show me how to love selflessly and to fully invest in the people I meet.
• For boldness for the sake of the gospel, that no fear would hinder me from sharing Christ’s love
• I’ll be doing a homestay and living with a Didinga family for a week. Please pray for God to open my eyes to how I can love the Didinga better and for new relationships to grow with this family.
• For wisdom and discernment for Abbi and me as we pray about what our discipleship ministry will look like
• Pat and Geoff as they are on home assignment until April. Please pray for a blessed time with their daughters during Christmas and good rest amidst a lot of travel.

Visiting GSF in Uganda!

With Kim at GSF!

Visiting a Mosque in Kampala

Kampala

Smacking lips with a giraffe

Flying into Nagishot!

Aerial view of Nagishot

Finally made it! Praise God!