Update 9 SUDAN

Greetings From Sudan!After a good night's sleep in Kenya we had a wonderful team devotion and began our journey into Sudan. As we pulled through the small town of Lokichoggio, we began to sense that there was something different about this place. The friendly smiles and waves that we experienced in Uganda have been replaced with what seemed to be looks of disgust. As we went to take pictures of the local people, men came to our vehicles and begin to shout, forcing us to lower our cameras. Our drivers told us how sad it was that the people here have nothing more important to do than to harass the newcomers. This was difficult because we really wanted to take pictures of the Turkana Tribe women. They were dressed in a traditional wrap around dress called the kikoi, they had reddish hair worn in a mohawk style; but by far the thing that most caught our attention was that their necks had been stretched by the colorful beaded necklaces they wear. Because of the fact that their necks have been so stretched, these women are forced to wear these necklaces 24/7 for support. One thing I can promise you, I will sneak in a good picture of these women before we leave!

As we moved our way between Kenya and Sudan, I think we were hit with the fact that we were now in the remotest parts of the earth. (Acts 1:8) There seems to be nothing here but desert. The roads are dusty, dry, and rocky. About the only people we have seen besides the military presence have been the goat, cow, and camel herders. Most of the people here are herders and they have to protect what they own. This is why this morning we have seen children as young as 10 years old, walking with their arms laced around AK 47's. I think the realization that we were in a war zone hit us as our vehicles drove head on into the SPLA's military convoy. It is not every day that the vehicle you are driving in is looking down the barrel of a tank. As the men walked by with their AK 47's and RPG's, (rocket propelled grenades), sitting on their shoulders, there seemed to be a hardness here. While some smiled and waved, others seemed to be interrogating us with their eyes. If I said our hearts did not begin to race a bit, I would be lying. The bad news is that when we got to the checkpoint, the military escorts we had hoped we would have had already left the area. The good news is that because the goat herders were out on the roads, we knew that it was safe to travel.

When we arrived at the compound in Sudan, we noticed that there were a large number of cats. Rich is allergic to cats so we kept chasing them away until one of the local workers told us that cats keep the cobras away. So Rich replied with, "Here kitty kitty kitty!!

"On a serious note, in the midst of the darkness of this place called Sudan, we were reminded of the simple fact that we have been called here for the purpose of letting our lights shine. Isaiah 60: 1-3 says: "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, the darkness will cover the earth and deep darkness the peoples; but the Lord will rise upon you and His glory will appear upon you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.

"Here's what we know; we have been called, many of you have sent us out, many of you are praying for us, God is with us, and that is all the comfort that we need.Tomorrow we will be visiting the Taus Tribe where we have 58 Promise Children. We will be sharing the Gospel, interviewing the children and their families, and learning more about how the Taus Tribe survives on a daily basis.We covet your prayers.

These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer.Acts 1:14a