At one site, there were 2,000 long-horn cows tied up closely and staked to the ground. (To the Dinka people, cows are very important.) "For every two cows, there was one child or one teenager. They literally live among the cows," he went on. "When it rains, they put up cowhide shelters. To keep warm, they make little piles of cow maneur which they burn. The younger kids have no clothing, and their dark skins are covered in while dust from the fires. They even sleep among the cattle to keep the cows safe."
Don talked of speaking to one of the leaders. This guy has 400 cows, and when things got bad in Sudan, he took his cows and walked for two months toward Uganda, where things were safer. Now that there's peace in Sudan, he once again walked for two months to get back to Southern Sudan. This man has been living among his cows for 20 years. (That's just a year short of how long the war in Sudan lasted.)
"My God is the Father of Jesus," he told the team. "I trust Jesus as my Savior." He cannot read or write, nor can any others at the cattle camp. Except for one guy. This one guy can read, and every Sunday, he reads to the others from the Bible.
When they asked if the children knew any songs, they pulled up a cowhide drum and a stick and started singing a praise song that said "Jesus is the tree, we are the branches, and someday we'll be together in heaven."
"This was a very moving experience," Don said. "I kept thinking how we can do ministry among these people."
In the afternoon, Steve Fitch did a seminar on planting the guava, mango and papaya seeds he had brought. The Sudanese team are planning on starting work on this project immediately. They'll be planting the seeds in plastic tubes, and by the time the rain comes in April, they will be ready to replant the seedlings.
Samuel (Teimuge), Don and Steven Reech had a long meeting about ELI's plans while the rest of the team brainstormed ministry ideas.
On Sunday, they will be in church from 7:30 to 10. "This is because it gets too hot after 10," Don explained. "Plus, by 10 o'clock people have to go and milk their cows."
After church, they will be meeting with pastors to talk about spiritual development and challenges. They will also try and visit a Christian clinic and hope to continue discussing future plans.
On Monday, they will head to Bor, which is by the Nile River to finalize plans and discussions. On Tuesday, they fly home.
Don assured me that everyone on the team is doing well, and that no-one is sick. They tried resting for an hour this afternoon, but it was too hot. It cools down to comfortable temperatures in the evenings.
They have decided to continue staying at the NGO where they slept the first night since there is no water at ELI's site yet, and staying at the NGO means they're closer to a place where they can eat.
Please continue to pray:
- for clarity regarding future steps
- for continued health and safety
- for the children and teenagers the team met today
- for each of the children that attend the ELI school
- for God to speak to and through the team at tomorrow's meetings
No comments:
Post a Comment