Road Trip!

Well, there is a lot new in my life! It includes a site change and a last minute road trip across pretty much all of South Sudan.

A few weeks ago, after a lot of praying and some emails, it was mutually decided that a site change would be in the best interest of all. Between being a lone SLM and the work that was offered in the Vocational Training Center and parish (I do not speak Arabic and I do not know a trade, so both of those ministries were difficult for me to fit into) of Wau, it was felt that I could better serve the mission at a different site.

Enter Maridi: The town of Maridi is a few hundred km from the capital, Juba. They have a few Primary school teaching opportunities for me, I will be teaching Math to Primary 7 and 8 students, some engineering related work as well as working on the opening a secondary school (funding, logistics, etc.).

After knowing my new site I was set to leave on February 2^nd. To make a long story short, the flight on the 2^nd was fully booked and the other flight I was supposed to be on was not operating yet and would be canceled, so I departed by car from Wau to Juba with a stopover in Tonj for a night. Tonj is about 100km (2 hours) drive from Wau. Tonj to Juba is about 500km (11 hours). If you do the math, you can see that this is about 50km/hour… and if you look in your car next time, you can see that this speed is quite slow (as I am sure, like me, 50 km/hr does not mean much to you unless you convert it to mi/hr)… The road was dirt the whole way with pot holes the size of the car itself! Yes, my back paid a HUGE price on this road trip.

Just after Tonj

 The long road!

 We only stopped 3 or 4 times the whole way

There was a hut at one of our stops where 3 little children came running out to the car to see what was happening... Their smiles were one of the blessings I talk about at the end! : )

In a 13 hour car ride you have a lot of time to think. I realized that I was not happy about leaving, but I was very excited about going! Seems contradictory, right? Wrong. Let me explain!

I loved Wau! The children, the town, everything… Wau was a great place to be! It was difficult to say good bye and leave the town. In fact, on my last day, at oratory, I was saying good bye to the kids and I told them, “I have to thank all of you! It was a true blessing and joy for me to come here every Sunday knowing that I would be sharing time with some of the most well behaved, loving children there are!” When I would look at their smiles I felt nothing but joy and love for life! I would look at their smiling faces as they ran around in all their innocence and I saw nothing but Christ in them… then I realized this was my last day in Wau with them… I questioned: “Am I making a mistake with this change?” “Did I get it all wrong and am I leaving the place God wants me to be?” “Am I leaving because I failed at responding and rising to the occasion, or am I leaving because it is where God wants me to go?” It hurt. Good byes are ALWAYS hard. So, that is what I mean when I say, ‘I was not happy to be leaving Wau.’

Trouble! This one is from the summer camp.

Brother Roger made hats for everyone in honor of the feast of Don Bosco!

 Oratory is ALWAYS a good time! : )

At the same time though, I am so excited to be going to Maridi. I know I have work to do, I know I have 2 AMAZING fellow SLMs, I know I have a family and community there to support me in love and faith! I could not be more excited to spend this time of service with Grace and Caitlin! The growth and self realization I found in Wau was amazing, but the work and service I can provide in Maridi will be amazing, and of course, Christ will always provide growth in Him, especially in Maridi! : ) So, I can firmly say that I am excited to be going to a site where there is more fitting work and a stronger community!

As for the questions I asked myself last Sunday at oratory: Since God is amazing, He thoroughly answered them in the car ride and when I arrived in Juba. Little things like a beautiful sun rise/set, no mechanical issues in the car, a warm welcome from the Tonj and Juba communities where I spent the night, and a gift from Luke from Jerusalem when I arrived in Juba all made me feel so happy, at peace and loved! These little blessings are God’s way of saying, “You are my son, and I love you!” Indeed I am, and indeed He does!! : ) Never let blessings pass you by, they are God’s way of telling you that He loves you abundantly and unconditionally! He is in every breathe and every breathe is sent from Him. If we want the most out of life, we can never forget that!

For now, I am safe in Juba waiting for a ride to Maridi. I think I will be leaving early next week! Please pray for the rest of my journey and my new mission!

Peace and Love, Forever!