We are talking one-on-one with some supporters as well as our sending church. Without the blessings from our church and supporters, we do not feel this would be a wise move.

Would you please intercede on our behalf so that we might be able to understand clearly what God would have for us and our ministry? This is an unexpected move early on in our careers as missionaries.

We do not foresee a change in our support requirement, but we are unsure as to how this would possibly effect the financial support coming in right now from our donors.

We are happy to be back with our teammates and Avery has taken to Sudan again quite well.

It’s hot. Our taxi driver told us that the last two days were very cold. During the rainy season, a hot day indicates rain is soon to come. So we’re looking forward to the first ‘real’ rain (+3hr down pour) in Sudan.

Unfortunately with the rain brings some not so fun realities. Our latrines are totally full of water. So using the bathroom is an new challenge and our shower drains are backed up. But the big plus is that with the water catchment system we built a while back, we never have to worry about water supply. Even with the massive amount of visitors (while we were gone) they never ran out of water.

We plan to be here for about two months this time around. Taylor’s sister, Allison, will be joining us for a week in November and then we’ll head back to Nairobi for a little more family time before she heads to South Africa for a bit.

Please pray that we are able to maintain good health. We want to get back to learning Arabic and do so without distractions as much as possible.

Historically the students have been uncompromising in various demands they have. Many if not all of these demands are directed at the head master of the school (an American missionary) and made personal, even though they have nothing to do with her. For example, they have long complained about having to pay tuition (a token amount that doesn’t come close to the actual cost).

This came to a head last week when the students posted their grievances on the wall of the school one morning. SIM chose to close the school temporarily until the local church board (who has been given ultimate authority over the school) can meet and make some decisions about the current events. The local piam (the leadership of the area villages) is resisting SIM’s move to shut the school (however temporary) and saying that SIM would no longer be needed should they shut the school.

The church leadership was to have met yesterday. Please be in prayer with us as our missionaries on the ground there as well as our leadership in Nairobi meet to discuss how we should move forward.

One important difference in the handling of situations in Africa is not so much WHAT should be done, but HOW it should be done. Relationships mean more than anything else in these contexts. Please pray that the missionaries can build relationships through these hardships and become closer with the community there as they work to seek an amicable outcome.

We were very blessed to be able to share with the community about the work Allison and I will be doing in Sudan. They received us with much love and prayed over us. After a quick lunch with the church body, Allison and I excused ourself for the 8 hour ride home. We made it back safe and sound.

Avery always gets a bit of schedule when we go out of town, but is sleeping longer a night. Such a praise for both of us.

Stay tuned as we have a lot going on these next few weeks.

The team is extremely diverse with missionaries from Ethiopia, Wales, New Zealand, England, Kenya, Canada and America. This creates such a unique experience while doing God’s work for his kingdom.

Click the image for the larger version.

We could sure use your prayers as we enter this final stretch of the pregnancy. The room is ready, bags packed, baby car seat installed and ready to go… we just need the baby to want to be here. We look forward to sharing this new joy of our lives with you in the very near future.

Thank you for your many gifts through baby showers and mailings. You’ve blessed us immensely. We hope that we can return some of that blessing with the new child God will be bringing into this world very shortly. Please come and visit us soon after the baby has arrived. Look back here often for updates on the baby and mother. We’re sure to have photos and video up for everyone to see.

The Fix:
For the last 6 months SIM has begun the process of making the major overhaul of changing the entire system from the ground up. I recently heard from the project coordinator and a lot of very important decisions are coming to a head before the end of the year. Some of them involved costs DIFFERENCES of $250k. The vendor they would like to use for everything is just to expensive for the whole package. Since SIM would like to still use portions of their package instead of the whole enchilada (as we say in Texas), the vendor wants to remove the special pricing they had, understandably. So now SIM is in a rock and a hard place.

Pray:
Please take a moment as this is not just about a project, but changing a lot about how SIM is run. How every person’s finances are handled. How your donations are processed, communicated, etc. etc. It will all be better once this is done.

No doubt the worst situation is if everything is delayed. This is such a big project, it will take over a year just to build out and implement. The current system is so outdated, it would be a shame to delay this any further.

Please pray for the SIM leadership, and that if God wills it, that the vendors would be willing to discount products for SIM.

Click here for the latest CNN.com article.

At one point that morning, an African gentleman approached Allison and asked if she knew why ‘America’ was in Sudan. Sensing entrapment, Allison explained the mission work she and I would be doing in South Sudan. After some back and forth he said ‘America is there for the oil’ with a forceful tone. Allison was loving and explained that we were there to share God’s love. He then walked away.

Because of our passion for the people of Southern Sudan, and my patriotism, my soul was injured while watching this exchange between Allison and the African. It truely feels like a spiritual attack.

I will always steer clear of any political talk as our ministry has nothing to do with that and desires to work with the Sudanese people, no matter the politcal situation. But I wanted to share the true disinformation that is spread among people and what it can do to rip people apart. As many of you know, there’s a lot going on right now with the CPA and it’s a very tense time. I just read an article today that quoted the President of Sudan, talking to the military, saying that the west only wants to be involved b/c they want the resources in the South and then goes on to say “Those Americans, those British, and those Europeans are not keen about the people of Darfur, or the people of southern Sudan or the Sudanese people.” Wow, that hurt. There are so many people, just in Dallas, who are specifically working in Darfur and other areas of Sudan to help the people. NONE of them have an alterior motive such as oil or any other financial reason.

This cuts deap into our hearts and those doing work in Sudan. I would ask that you would pray for the spiritual battle which has already started for Allison and I.

Update:
It appears the SPLM has not pulled out of the government but the acting ministers (heads of government arms) were recalled back to Juba, the Southern capital, to evaluate the implimentation of the CPA and brief them on some new SPLM government officials. In effect, this ‘recall back to Juba’ is a withdrawl from the unity government.

More Links:
Sudan Tribune
New Sudan Vision

Monday we will send out our second letter. Our first letter focused on recoonecting with everyone and explaining our prayer and financial needs coming this summer. This letter will focus on explaining our long term needs and reach out to those who would like to contribute on a monthly or annual basis, long term.

We look forward to ministering together with you!

Please pray about how God might have you involved in our ministry and pray for others as they consider their involvement as well.

Their missions board has asked that we submit an application for support from their church. Just last week over Easter weekend we had the opportunity to meet with their missions pastor and find out more about their missions focus and purpose. We wil be turning in the application for support in the next week and would ask for your prayers in how they might be involved in God’s mission for our work in Sudan.