A sneak peak at life in Wau, South Sudan

We keep pressing on here in Wau, South Sudan! We have made it through the first month of the DTS lecture phase and have another amazing 2 months to go. We have 7 students and are enjoying having the opportunity to pour into them. As is typically of YWAM Discipleship Training Schools we have many chances to pour into them and to watch as God speaks into their lives! I know some of you are curious as to what a typically day here in Wau looks like, so I thought I would give you a quick overview. We leave the staff house around 7:45 am and walk the half-mile to the classroom. From 8 am until 9 am we either have Base Prayer (on Mon), Group Devotions (on Tues, Wed & Fri) or Intercession Prayer (on Thurs). We give the students a quick break around 9 before diving into the lecture or class time. Each week we have a specific topic that we are covering and normally we have a guest speaker to share on that topic. We are in class from 9 am until 1 pm with a 30 minute break for bread and tea at 10:30. We are so grateful for our speakers and the way the Lord has been speaking through them. Teaching for 3 and a half hours in a small classroom in 100 + degree heat is no easy task and we are so grateful for their commitment to our students. After class we walk the half-mile back to the staff house where the whole school eats lunch together, typically either rice or posha (a very bland cornmeal mixture with very little nutritional value) and beans.

In the afternoons we either have staff meeting (Mon & Wed) or small groups with the students (Tues & Thurs) or we have a One-on-one time with our chosen student (Fri). We are attempting to start an English class at least a few afternoons a week as well, because we have several students who speak little to no English but have the determination to learn! (Everything we do in class and small group times is translated into Arabic for them.) Typically at least once in the afternoons we make the walk back to the classroom (a half-mile each way) either for English class, small groups or just to pick up phones and computers that we leave behind to charge completely. Dinner is served around 6:30 and the students have work duties that are to be completely before dinner. These work duties range from carrying water from bore holes to be filtered for drinking, carrying water from wells for showering & laundry, sweeping and washing the main floor at the staff house, cleaning bathrooms or helping with dishes.
We have one indoor bathroom at the house and an outdoor bathroom. The indoor bathroom has no running water but the toilet – which doesn’t have a seat on it - can be used if you bring your own bucket of water in with you to dump down after you are finished, we take buckets of water in to bath with in the mornings or evenings. The indoor bathroom is connected to our guest speakers’ room, so depending on your timing if they are sleeping or whatnot – you may or may not able to use the indoor bathroom. The outdoor bathroom has two doors similar to outhouse doors. The squatty potty – a deep hole in the cement that you squat over – is in one door and in the second door is the shower basically just a drain on a slab of cement that you again bring your bucket for showering. The squatty potty has cockroaches crawling all around in the evenings and the shower often has spiders. We were blessed last night when the shop across the street from the house agreed to allow us to pay 150 SSP (South Sudanese Pounds – $1 USD =3.6 ssp) a month and they hooked up our house to their generator! So whenever they are running the generator (mainly in the evenings for several hours) we will now have power at the house. This will help in charging computers, phones, having light to see while showering and even a ceiling fan!! We feel VERY VERY blessed!!
Our weekends are spent relaxing and doing laundry (in buckets!) typically, although we are hoping and praying that soon our weekends will be spent at the YWAM property on the Nile river to build permanent buildings so that the next school can be held on our property rather than in a rented house, a small compound with mud huts (where the students are staying) and in a rented classroom. I just thought I would share some little details of our lives and of the school here in Wau. We covet your continued prayers and are so blessed that you are walking this journey together with us!
I know many of you have seen the newest pregnancy picture on facebook and just wanted to add that both our sweet little monkey and Mommy are doing well. It is hot and some days my feet swell, but my husband does a wonderful job taking good care of both of us. We check her little heartbeat every other week or so and she continues to kick and move around – just little reminders that the Lord is protecting her!

The true love of a husband!

As I was preparing for our time here in Sudan, the Lord continually pressed on my heart how important it was that the devil was not allowed even the smallest foothold in our marriage. During the move out of our house and the start of packing for Africa it was evident that the devil wanted that foothold, he wanted to divide my husband and I – he wanted us to not be a united front. I was nervous, we were not even in Africa yet, we were not even in the hard part, and he was trying to separate us. Prayer became my main weapon as I began to fight against the devil and his schemes. I was determined not to allow that foothold – but like I said we were not even in the HARD yet!

As we traveled through airports and across countries it became clear to me that this man traveling with me was not the same man that I married. He was far better than I could have EVER imagined. His desire to put my needs and even basic comforts before his own was stronger than ever before. In the 5 days of travel that it took to get to our final destination Christopher made sure my ever need was met. He allowed me to sleep across several plane seats, gave up his fruit on the plane so that I had good food to eat, carried all the heavy bags, (and let me tell you they were HEAVY!), he made sure I was comfortable and encouraged me to walk around on the long plane rides.

There have been many bumps in the road since we have been here. It has not been easy, pioneering a brand new school, but we have been blessed and my husband has gone above and beyond to take good care of me. Filtering gallons of water a day – that he carries from a half mile away – to make sure that I am drinking good water and plenty of it. Buying me crackers at the market to dip in my jar of peanut butter so that I am getting a good amount of protein! Checking baby heart beat often, making sure that I am getting enough vitamins and nutrients, washing my feet several times a week, killing cockroaches in the latrine (squatty potty) late at night, carrying bucket after bucket of water for my bucket showers since I am not very good at just using one bucket yet, but I am getting better. J He has been so faithful to me and protected me and cared for me more than I ever could have imagined. It has been hard, it is hot, my feet are swollen, all the dust is making allergies crazy, the food is not always agreeing with my stomach, but I know that God is faithful, and I know that He has called us here – so I will keep trusting Him – knowing that He has my best interest in mind and praising Him daily for blessing with a husband who is willing to take such good care of me!

Thank you for praying for us, thank you for covering us in prayer, thank you, thank you, thank you!! Please don’t stop praying, the bumps are still coming and we are still in the hard, but God is faithful and is moving in the school in great ways. Our students are doing well and learning to hear the voice of the Lord this week. Pray specifically for finances as a school – that the Lord would continue to provide for our daily needs and that as a staff we would use wisdom in handling the finances. Pray for the students that the small bumps we are facing would not distract them from all that the Lord has for them! Pray for the staff that we would remain unified!