The Virgin Voyage to Juba, Sudan

Billy has gone to the capital of Southern Sudan for pastoral training this week with the four Sudanese men he is discipling! This is exciting because as he has been in Sudan multiple times this is his first time to reach the home of most of these guys and the capital city of Juba. He will have to give us all more details later, but I understand this place is not nearly so modern as Kampala or Khartoum. It's just the biggest town in the south and therefore the capital.

He is staying in a guesthouse with Santos, the one guy who is actually from Yei, the city between Juba and Arua where we usually meet up for training. Today the men will be in meetings in the morning and then have lessons in the afternoon. Tuesday should be training all day and then Wednesday he begins the journey back to us...reaching Arua Thursday morning.

Thanks for praying for Jesus' hand to be upon Billy and John, Santos, Cuba, and Joseph these days as they meet together. Pray revival comes to each of their hearts and to Sudan!

Elsie Jayne and I are happy to be home in Arua after much travel the last couple of weeks. She is sleeping better now that she is in her own bed again and that means I am too!

There is still a meningitis outbreak in the area where we live...many are sick and some are dying...please pray Jesus would intervene. It seems the area affected is small, so people are not responding quickly as they did with the epedemic two years ago. I asked many of you to pray for Elsie Jayne as she is too young for the immunization needed for this strand of meningitis. Well...Jesus answered your prayers!! While we were getting routine vaccinations in Kampala, I asked about it again and the nurse looked it up in a couple of books, asked various doctors, and we decided it was ok for a child over six months who is living in the midst of an outbreak! It's not 100% effective until she is two, so she'll need to get it again then and we will have to be careful who she spends time with now, but she has the vaccine!!! Jesus is so kind to us!

Billy is gone with the camera...so pictures will come later!

Our SuperStar!

There is a new excitement in Arua among soccer enthusiasts (read: EVERYONE). Nick Strong has come from America to coach soccer(we call it football)...at least that is the understanding and he certainly is happy to do it!

Nick is a VIA who has been serving in Kampala. He came the week of Christmas to join us on the Arua Team! We are excited to have Nick and really sense that he is an answer to prayer. Already he has traveled with Billy when Joanna and Elsie Jayne could not and been a great source of encouragement.

This past week he held a football camp for children we have been praying for the past two years, but were not sure how to reach out to exactly. The crew LOVED the camp and really had a great time. Pray that decisions that were made for Jesus this week might continue to cultivate and grow in hungry hearts. Please pray Jesus keeps leading us in follow-up as well.

This little camp starting each day in our side yard was great, but this is not the Coach Nick that all of Arua is talking about. Not only did he have camp responsibilities each morning, but one afternoon he was on the radio on Arua100FM discussing local and international teams. He has been attending practice of a local football team and was even in the New Vision newspaper yesterday! You should be able to find that on line at www.newvision.co.ug

We are all excited about the open doors Jesus is providing for Nick. Pray with us as he has some previously scheduled travel the next three weeks or so and then comes back to join us in Arua. Pray Jesus might continue to mold us into the team He would have us be and that we might all sense Jesus' leading in the doors He opens and closes before us.

Thank you for praying with us over the water situation. It has come from the city now twice this week, so we are really grateful. The dry season usually lasts up to March, so please keep praying with us for this blessing to continue!

Elsie Jayne has just "learned" two new skills...she is enjoying coloring and sweeping these days! Thank you for praying her through malaria...she has just gotten over her first case of ringworm now, so do keep praying with us for healthy babies! Her sister seems to be growing just fine!

WATER

The picture at right is Elsie Jayne's first taste of "tap water" when she was ten months old...we had gone away for a vacation week and she could drink the water where we stayed! Very exciting!!! It's the little things in life...

We are still "kids" but we are realizing the longer we live, that it is the little things that are the big things in life really. It's that way with Jesus and all other relationships.

This week in Arua we are realizing anew the importance of WATER. The city water has not come for five days now (with the exception of about 1/2 hour on Sunday). Usually it comes and fills a holding tank in our yard daily with no problems. Last dry season we had a similar week, but then as quickly as it had stopped, it started coming again.

Will you pray with us that this will not last much longer. We have bought drinking water from town and have that stored up. For now the water to be purchased in town though is sold out. We won't go without as there are wells (locally called bore-holes) all around; we just may get to enjoy the experience of carrying water soon. And with many people (all of town) in the same position, the lines are growing quite long of people waiting to fill their cans with water and carry them home.

Another "little thing" that we realize is not...is our relationships in Nebbi. Those pastors are beginning with Billy today Year Two of pastoral training. We have sensed Jesus leading our own hearts that year one was a bit of filling them up with information-like a lake fills and holds water. We are praying year two might be transformational in that they become more like flowing rivers...that we might be able to see them share the information they are learning with others and see relational transformation through the Alur people group. The prayer is that it might not be just information transfering, but life to life sharing so men and women truly change to become more like Jesus.

Thank you for praying with us over this two BIG little things! We are excited to trust Jesus and see how He will provide...even today for the needs of His people!

Don't forget to thank Him as you get water from your tap (and flush your toilet, and bathe, and brush your teeth) today!

"The LORD, He is the One Who goes before you. He will be with you, He will not leave you nor forsake you." Deut. 31:8

"He Who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ." Phil. 1:6

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD, and He delights in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the LORD upholds him with His hand." Psalm 37:23-24

"For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8:38-39

"If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here." Exodus 33:15

As we see a new African sunrise and walk into a new year, what great hope there is in knowing that He goes before us! We praise Him that He goes before each of you and before our neighbors and friends and those we are yet to meet and get to share the hope of Jesus with in this new year!