4 On the Other Side of the World: August 2006

Monday, August 28, 2006

Working in Tonj

I’m sorry that it’s been a few weeks since I’ve been able to write on the blog. Things have been extremely busy here in Tonj since I’ve arrived and yesterday (Sunday), was the first day that I have had off in three weeks. That’s just because the last two Sundays I have had to work in order to meet some pastors and to get supplies and materials here. Since the business men I am mainly working with are Arabs, their days off are on Fridays and it has happened that my materials and supplies have come in on Sundays via airplane from Khartoum. However, I do not think that I will have to be working on too more Sundays while I’m here because after this week my systems should be in place and running themselves for the most part. At least well enough to where I will not have to work seven days a week. Six is enough for me. Working in the real world is quit different from going to school, which has been my life for the past seventeen years or so. I have two main employees of my own here in Tonj, in addition to the large number of church volunteers and pastors that I have to feed every day when they work and manage our work progresses. Some great news for the end of this last week was that I finally got both of our Landcruisers fully repaired, as they both were in bad shape when I arrived here. Both had some damage on them, had never been regularly maintained, and neither of their winches worked at all. Times have been difficult over the past few weeks but there have definitely been more positive things happens occur than negative. There have always been many instances where situations worked out for the good and it was clearly the handling of God that allowed them to workout. We’re almost finished making the blocks for the first of the four churches that I am working with here. The name of that church is Mapel Church. Over the course of the next several months I am here, we will be working to complete all of the concrete blocks for the four churches in this area that are ready for their blocks to be made. Some are as far away as four hours driving and some are much closer. So please be praying for things to continue to work out logistically here as well as for traveling safety as the roads are only getting worse and worse with each rain that we have. It’s becoming very difficult at times to move supplies and ourselves around to these churches. Also, please pray for health as I have been sick now a few times since I’ve been here and have required some I.V.’s and antibiotics. The good news is that I have not had Malaria yet, or something worse. God is doing a great work here in Southern Sudan so please keep praying for our operations here, our workers, and the Church which has undergone a tremendous amount of persecution over the years. I’ll write again on here as soon as I can and I believe that I will be able to update my pictures in about two weeks, so you can continue to see what it looks like here in Sudan. Thanks again for all your prayers and support!!

Sincerely,
Cliff

posted by Cliff @ 9:26 AM   1 comments

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Moving To Tonj

Things here in Yei, South Sudan have been really busy these past few weeks and we’ve gotten a lot done during this time. We are about to finish up one church that’s called Lazira Church here in town. Two weeks ago we began one church in the village of Mongo and this next week we are going to start on another church in the village of Longemere. That church will actually be built up on a giant rock next to a small mountain and will look really great once it’s finished. I, however, will be leaving Yei this coming Tuesday headed to a village called Tonj. Tonj is a very long distance away from Yei, located Northwest from here. It’s actually just southeast of a larger town called Wau. You can actually locate Wau on most maps but not Tonj. Wau and Tonj are not too far south of Southern Darfur as you are looking at a map. There are two churches in Tonj and two in Wau that have collected all of their natural resources and are ready for us to start making the blocks that will be used to build their churches. Once I am there, which should be some time in the middle of next week, I will be on my own and running the operations there and in the area. I'll be managing our men there making blocks at each church site, as well as stock pilling construction materials such as cement, rebar, lumber, and steel in preparation for construction on these churches. I'll be doing a lot of driving and logistics between Wau and Tonj and this will definitely be a different experience than I have had thus far. The area I will be in has a completely different kind of tribal people than here and is more heavily influenced by the arabic north. The people who are there are known as the Dinka and are known to be a little more hostile than the ones here. As well as a little bit less dressed, so I am told. It's hotter there and conditions are a little worse due to a lack of water in the area. I will working mainly with these four churches through September but soon there after I will be meeting with and starting new churches within the "area" (meaning within two or three days drive from Tonj), in order to get them started collecting sand and stones for building. Right now we have four churches going there but have been told we can expect to do up to fifty before we are finished in the area. I'll be flying up on this coming Wednesday after we drive back up to Lui to catch the DC-3 cargo plane. Our block makers will be coming with our new tractor and trailer at the beginning of this week but won't get there until one or two weeks from now. The roads between Yei and Tonj are really bad right now due to all the rain and we have had recently. We heard that there are forty trucks stuck on the road between there and here at this time. That's why I will be flying and our tractor and block makers will take a little while getting there. Please be praying for my safety traveling, the safety of our workers, cooperation with the local church their in Tonj and with the local people, health, my transition into my new position in Tonj, and that relationships will be built while I am there. I know I will have more specific prayer requests in the future, but these will be good for now. Also, please take some time and look at my new pictures that I have been able to post in my Sudan folder under My Pictures to right of this blog. I have several hundred pictures by now but the few that I have posted in there are some good ones that I've been able to take lately. Once I am in Tonj I will have even more limited access to communications than I do now, so I will be relying on Kristine and my family to continue to up-date my blog, so check back here from week to week in order to catch up on what's been happening here in South Sudan. Thank you all for your prayers and support and for taking the time to keep up with me and reading my blog. I will be able to post some more pictures on here around the middle of September when I get a short break back to Kenya. God is good and He's been taking good care of me here in Sudan.

Thanks Again and God Bless!
Cliff

posted by Cliff @ 9:12 AM   0 comments