A LITTLE BIT OF POTIA AND A LOT OF LOVE!

June 8, 2012 Today and yesterday I was introduced what life is like in Africa again. On Wednesday we were getting ready to go into Sudan on Thursday and there are a lot of little things that must happen. Nothing seemed to go right; the ATM was not working, there was no communication and we got off of the plane in S.Sudan and there was no one there to greet us. But, just like everything that seems to go wrong in Africa it always works out in the end. We situated the money, called someone to email someone else, and our ride showed an hour later. We got to Goli and all is going well! We have finished our first full day and our excited to be here. Evan has been introduced to a little bit of life in S. Sudan and potia(cornflower and water mixture, sukakamaweki(a type of greens), and beans. He has been called a Kawaja (white man) and has met all of the people I so desperately love. Tomorrow we are planning on going to Yei to show Evan what town and market looks like. Today Evan was taken by some of the pastors on an intense tour of ECTC, even on a 2 mile walk to more ECTC farming grounds. He had good conversations and is learning a lot. He might even preach in the village via an interpreter, while we are here. I have been put in charge of the library, which has not been in use for this whole school year. I will be organizing it and setting up the library in a workable fashion. Hopefully, as I am working with the librarian for the Bible College, we will be able to come up with a workable solution that will stick this time. I will also be teaching Senior 1(9th grade) geography for the time that I am here. Keep praying that Evan and I will be open to learning and relationships will be made and renewed. We thank the Lord for this amazing opportunity to be here and are so blessed. The last two days I am constantly reminded to thank the Lord with all of my heart that I have been given the opportunity to be reunited with my Sudanese family after my last abrupt absence(if you remember I was evacuated because I had to have an appendectomy and was not allowed to return). I have never been hugged so much in my life. Before I came I was happy to see my old family, but I did not realize how much I longed for it until I arrived. It was a reunion like no other. Of course the reunion of my close friends made me excited, like today being able to just sit with Susan at break time and talk like no time has passed, but I think what touched me most was seeing some of the kitchen ladies from before. Forever in my mind will be ingrained the vision of Mama Charity when she looked at me for the first time, she looked like she had seen a ghost and then I almost cried when she came and hugged me- no joke she hugged me for 10 minutes straight. She hugged me than let go, than look at me and said “Oh Daniella” and then hugged me and did that over and over and over again. I was so humbled by that and when Sukanema(she is my friend I wrote about that is raising all of her children on her own) came running to me and she was crying; she was so happy and I was the same! I am so blessed by these people; they truly are my family. I am so lucky to have the chance to return; thank you Lord! Praise the Lord, because He is GOOD!!!