The Long Road....And More

God answers prayers! I have been feeling much better…the rash is drying out and the round of cipro has taken away my stomach pain. On the 13th the American team left Kapoeta heading back to US soil. Kaya and five of our translators from the Bible school that worked with us in Yei and Kapoeta came to pick me up for what would be 10 hours of the worst roads on earth! It was hot and dusty lots of mud and potholes, but not many traffic jams other that the occasional lorry filled overflowing with goods for transport, cattle, goats, people walking along the road, some monkeys and one lion! About the time I thought I could not take one more pothole the road would smooth out for awhile….Praise the Lord! It’s amazing how God works. I feel like I have had some wonderful mentorship with Patricia over the past year and during my first two weeks in Sudan, watching and learning and doing and now it’s like I’m a caged bird suddenly set free to fly! I felt a sudden stirring in my stomach as I crawled into the land cruiser that morning while everyone else was still sleeping and going off on my own….it was exciting and only for a moment a little fear creped in but as the sun rose and we drove further and further away I had a peace come over me and I knew God was with me.
Finally we made it to Yei! This would be my first overnight in Africa alone, for a moment I was a bit scared but God is faithful. Kaya took us to eat in town. I’m sure I was a sight the only white lady in town walking into a restaurant with six African men. I was so tired I could not remember how or why I should eat….so back to my tukul sleep came quickly and so did the next day! Another 5 hour drive to my destination in Kajo Keji….this day I am very dirty, but my soul is refreshed! The roads are the same but the 5 hours seem to fly by. I was contemplating all that had happened over the past couple of weeks. God’s plan for this journey and the opportunities to come to share the women’s studies I have brought with me. My IPod was a source of great joy today and time to enjoy a little bit of home.
Arriving at the compound where I will be living for the next couple of months exhausted but well. It is beautiful here in the mountains of Southern Sudan. I go about settling in and retrieving my daily bucket of hot water for a bath. It’s wonderful what a little soap and some hot water can do! I feel like a new woman! And then food….

So this evening I have been working on some first lessons for the women in the local churches. Tomorrow I will meet Rose she and I will work together teaching many things from the standard of purity and the consequences of sexually transmitted diseases to financial freedom and much more…
A New Day
It was a slow start today but finally my ride arrived! Issac and Rose came on motor bikes and we rode out to Monduluk a small church plant about 10 kil out of town we had aprox 10 women there that we went through 3 lessons with and they are eager to learn more. I discovered we have 11 total churches like this but they are not close by so tomorrow I will have my crash course in riding a motor bike( no pun intended:) WOW... the kids were really excited to see me riding past town…Can you just imagine when they see me driving! I now know how to say
" White lady" in four languages! I’m having a blast and enjoying serving the women here with bible studies and much more…I will keep you posted…..with more very soon. I was also told the comments page is not working so I will try to fix this….Please email me if you cannot post here
mjknorris@yahoo.com
In His Service Always-
MJ