Training...

TRAINING..... This word implies many different things to many different people. But in South Sudan, the word "training" means a lot to the average person in the village. Because of the lack of formal education for the far majority of people, one of outcomes since the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2005 and independence in 2011 is the demand for and organization of many schools in the country - from nursery schools to primary schools to secondary schools to vocational schools and colleges and universities! Most parents still struggle to raise school fees for their children, but people of ALL AGES are eager to attend school and any training available. In our first 3 months here in Yei, we have attended and assisted with trainings in "Farming God's Way," as well as meetings with TBAs (traditional birth attendants) and pastors. What a blessing for us to experience the enthusiasm for learning and the joy of sharing that knowledge with others! We should never take the blessing of public education in our country for granted. The picture shows Lynn involved in a training in Kisangani UMC - first with TBAs and also with the congregation. Preparing for these trainings involves hours of planning and creative thinking and simple resources but also patience and listening as conversations are translated into several different languages at times. But the joy of an idea understand and the relief and satisfaction experienced at the end of the session is considerable. Yes, we are glad to be involved in this ministry of health education in South Sudan. God is opening our hearts and minds to the great need and helping us start each day with energy and enthusiasm to use the gifts and knowledge we have been blessed with in our lifetimes!

Moving Forward!

25 June 2012 We have now been in Yei for nearly 4 months and we beginning to see signs of progress! First off - we are in the process of visiting with the Safe Birth Committees of all the 18 United Methodist Churches in the District of South Sudan. Our efforts with Juba Arabic make those visits more personal and more fun for us...and for the church members and TBAs (traditional birth attendants) we are helping to train. Names and faces are becoming more familiar and relationships are beginning to deepen. We thank God for this progress! Secondly, our little house on the UMCOR compound is nearly finished - YEH! It will be good to settle into a place and hide the suitcases at last! We are grateful for Stephen, the contractor, who motivates his team of builders and is on schedule with the work. Praise God! Thirdly, the 2012 Toyota Hilux 4 WD Double-Cab pick-up arrived 3 days ago and just awaits the final paperwork to allow us to use it in the health ministry here! We also learned this past week that we are a finalist for a funding grant called Saving Lives at Birth! Should we get the 2 year seed grant, this vehicle will make a major difference in allowing us to reach more villages in a month. Thank you Kentucky Annual Conference of the UMC! Every journey has its ups and downs! We are feeling amazed at how God has moved us along so quickly in the work of community health education and prevention! Thanks to all who support us here - we truly could not do it without YOU! :-)