We just got back last week from a fabulous SLC (spiritual life conference) with our team. Our team meets once every year all together to focus on fellowship, study, skill development and fun. It is only during this time that we are all together as we are spread out between anywhere from 2-4 countries of service during the rest of the year as we seek to help the Southern Sudanese.
I thought it would be fun to share a few highlights in pictures. If you’ve no time for the entirety of this post skip to the bottom. You’ll be blessed by listening to the song at the end.
Kids
Our kids get together with other kids from our organisation and a group of volunteers (this year from Scotland) come to lead kids camp in the mornings. The other huge blessing for them is getting to play with their “aunties and uncles” or other adults in our organisation which bless them with love and a listening ear (that is not mom and dad’s)
Teaching and Training and information sharing
Because we are all in one place at one time we can do some needed trainings and communications such as child safety policies, internet security, communication based on world views, emergency procedure training, stress assessment training and burnout and spiritual training. This year our Speaker focused on the Gospel. We also get to hear about other minstries and work that is being done. Since we are so spread out it is great to hear what others are doing with the southern Sudanese.
Connections that are forged in the “fun” and beauty.
Often when you work in a high stress environment with others it can be easy to be confused about who your enemy is…pretty soon stress starts making those that are working alongside you appear to be working against you (I know it sounds weird but it happens!) The best antidote (or one of them) to this odd occurrence is to laugh, have fun and forge non-stressful fun memories so when the stress comes you can counter it with joy and beauty. This aspect of SLC is so vital for us!
Worship
One of my favorite part of SLC is our worship times. The Scotland team did a great job of leading us in worship, but singing with our teammatees is amazing. We have so many different “heart languages” present and one evening around the bonfire we were able to all sit and sing together (see below). Sometimes our worship was in song, sometimes in words of encouragement, sometimes in walks into nature, and sometimes in study of Truth but it was amazing to be doing it together.
If you’ve gotten this far mabruk (congrats!) because I want to share with you my favorite part. Sitting around the bonfire we started singing “God is so good” in folks heart languages. It was sweet to see kids snuggled on laps whose eyes came alive when their language was sung…my little PJ was snuggled next to me and shouted out “arabic!” and led us (you can hear her sweet voice below) in singing a song she knew just as well in her second heart language as her first. I felt like it was a taste of heaven hearing all those voices raised up in beautiful singing. May you be blessed by the many tongues singing as I was. (Click below to listen)
