Update On The Current Meandering of the Lanes

These past few months have been a challenge. Our lives are lived in the pendulum of extremes. Our difficult times are brutal and our good times are elating. This is part of who we are. I will go back and unpack a few of these events in subsequent posts but for now I am wanting to catch you up on where we are in reverse order. So make a cup of coffee and enjoy the next four minutes. 
We are currently in Johannesburg, South Africa for meetings with our organizations. Jo'burg is cold and we have been loving the chill. Shep on the other hand is concerned with the temperatures. We attempted to condition this equatorial child to the cooler weather by placing him in our freezer three times a day (this last fact is completely untrue). 
Shep has enjoyed the interaction with the other kids. He loves to stand in the midst of the playground and watch the others play. I find this interesting because in Sudan the roles are reversed and the local children generally watch him play. The children here all speak english and my son speaks an odd form of pidgin gibberish, but he has encountered little trouble in the making of friends. 

Our travel to South Africa was nothing short of an adventure. We had planed to make the drive to Wau and catch a flight, but the plane had a mechanical issues and our tickets were canceled. Maridith went into overdrive finding an alternate means of travel. The most efficient option would be to charter a small plane. The least would be to travel by foot, but we estimated this would take six years and we would need to travel with a small militia, which was available for a price. After some discussion we opted to give the boys a raincheck and travel by air, which makes for a less interesting story, it was a good flight nonetheless. I found Juba calm and after tasting the pizza–the best in the country–I understood the abundance of soldiers on the streets. The next day we traveled on to Nairobi and then to Entebbe. Entebbe is a happy place where Mrs. Renee had prepared the most delicious of meals centered around a tender pig. Still after all these years pork takes me home. Being southerner we love pork and I guess if I had to be cast out of the body of a man, I too would choose the body of a swine (please don't think on that for too long). 
Ok, where was I? Yes, Sudan. We labored in Kuajok for only a short time before we saw many lives changed. We had the privilege of hosting Bob and Nancy Calvert last month. Bob led a training for local church leaders and planters. Nancy led the teaching for the women. It was an excited time for us all and a landmark in the work with the Dinka. I will introduce you to one young man named Dhel and the young church he planted in his home...Shoot I got to go. Stay t(y)uned and I will get his story up asap. 
-Much Love