On Saturday we had a huge celebration. We spent time celebrating God’s faithfulness in providing the building of three different homes these past few months. The Faders, Heskas and us bought two sheep and a goat and we did our best to help the amazing Sudanese woman prepare a celebratory feast. Not pictured is the butchering of the animals which happened prior to our cooking by the men on campus. This post is a bit picture heavy and word light to get a good taste of community life here (and because after such a full day I am feeling at a loss for words) . It was amazing ot celebrate God’s faithfulness with our friends and neighbors. This all happened in one (very full) day.
- Food prep. We cooked for the entire campus…there are over 50 kids alone!
- This is Julia making her food.
- This is Miriam. She is stirring a big pot of intestines. Yup you read that right nothing goes to waste!
- This is Elizabeth preparing the intestines. They stick a reed (boos) through to get out all the “waste” turn them inside out, boil them and them and then chop them up (like ground beef)
- Viola made TONS of bread to feed everyone. She makes these to sell and cooks them in a charcoal oven. I got to help her make quite a few.
- Some of the stew. We cooked on the floor over charcoal
- Here I am cutting up the stomach and intestines. I was pretty tired that day can you tell?
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- After cooking we all enjoyed boon (Sudanese coffee)…of course!
- The girls and I are all ready for the celebration with braided hair and Sudanes Lowa’s (traditional dress)
- Here are the SIM Kawayja ladies ready to celebrate (Karen was wtih Rachel still asleep). Liz (she and her husband are our deputy directors) was visiting from Nairobi what great timing!
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- Here are my sweet girls all ready to celebrate!
- The Faders hosting coffee for all the GTC men on campus
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- Heading over for the ceremony (this little one being carried is just over one year old)
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- Playing games while awaiting the start of the festivities
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- A few words of thanksgiving were spoken (photo courtesy of Bethany Fader)
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- J– said some words of thanks and appreciation for our housing and the gift it is for our family to be here.
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- Here J– is pointing to me and sharing how blessed I’ve been by my friends. To which I let out a Sudanese “yelp” of approval and the ladies and I cheered together
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- Listening to the celebration speeches
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- Everyone went around to pray blessings over the houses
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- Praying over our house
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- Walking over to pray over the Faders home
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- Praying over the Faders home
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- Serving the food (photo courtesy of Bethany Fader)
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- Everyone eating (phtoto courtesy of Bethany Fader)
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- The feast
- The kids eating
- The kids all danced afterwards and sang songs
Dancing
- The kids dance party
- Flower-girl was a bit hesitant but jumped in (that is the church we go to in the background)
- The conclusion to the evening was the ladies going to our house to whoop and dinka dance just as we were putting the kids down. We all came outside and danced with them and laughed and celebrated God’s goodness to us.
I LOVE this, Abuk! Thank you so much for sharing this glimpse of your life and the absolute beauty of God’s diverse creation. I love how He is reflected so beautifully through different cultures. Thank you for the encouragement today! I am praising God with you all for your homes! What wonderful provision!
What a glorious picture of community and perhaps an even greater blessing to me is the embracing heart that it showed me of all your family as they delight in their new home. How wonderful to know that your homes have been covered in prayer not only by those of us so far away, but by your neighbors. Did J– participate in the butchering? God gave him practice on that chicken 🙂
Love, Mom
I smile from the inside out as I look internet at each photo and read your captions. The picture of you looking tired made you more human – otherwise you look like superwoman all the time. With 4 kids in a foreign country, learning new things every moment has got to make you tired – if not that then the extreme heat does for sure. You and your family are a blessing all over the world. Thank you for sharing.
What a treat it was to see all the pictures and the descriptions of each. There is no doubt that you and your family are a blessing to those in your community. May God be with you!!
Hi Abuk & J–! We have been so blessed and encouraged as we read your blog. I can only imagine how exhausting it all is (the heat, the heat, the heat! learning a new language & culture, and the daily tasks that are so much harder over there- that so many of us take for granted here in the US, in our comfortable homes!) Many of us can’t even imagine! It is exciting to see how God is supplying you with His strength and the many beautiful things He is teaching you & those around you, even in the midst of your suffering- it is clear to see God is using you. We want you to know that we are praying for your family continually as is Alderwood Community Church. We will continue to get your prayer requests out & today I am praying Ephesians 3:14-21 over you:
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Holli & Steve Brooks (Alderwood Community Church)
I Love this!!! It brings so much joy into my life to see how happy you all look. You look like you are at “home”.
Love you guys,
Sara