The November Mission

Here is the November mission team, minus me and our two English members. From left, Marc, Anne K, Dan, Ev, Deb, Susan, Sam, and Wayne. I have been shockingly derelict in my duty to keep the news coming, so here's a little summary of what we think we're going to do.

We are going to Lui, Buagyi, Mideh, Lanyi, and Kediba. In each of those places, Anne K will lead us in carrying out her art project at the local church primary school. At the same time, Wayne and Dan will be leading pastors' conferences, and Anne P and Warren will be leading administrative workshops. Ev and Sam will confer with primary school teachers and administrators, while Deb and Susan talk parish nursing with the Mothers' Union and pastors, and Marc surveys and discusses local farming practices. I plan to count heads and shoot photos.

We had thought of sending Marc and Deb to Juba to discuss agriculture and parish nursing with ECS staff. Turns out they'll be in Rumbek most of the time we're in Lui, and there's currently no health person on the ECS staff in Sudan anyhow. So the plan is that Robin, the TEC missionary to ECS, who is an agriculturalist, will stop and see Marc in Lui on her way back to Juba from Rumbek. We are keeping a trip to Juba on the table, but I'm hoping nobody will have to go there.

The Rumbek meeting is provincial synod, or something like that, and apparently Bishop Bullen will also have to attend, meaning that he'll be in Lui only the last couple of days we're there.

My biggest worry about the trip? Eleven people sharing two bathrooms and two "shower" stalls.

In other Lui Connection news, I'm happy to report that we are now in touch with the Diocese of Lund in the Church of Sweden, which has had a connection to the Moru people -- as much in Khartoum as in the Diocese of Lui -- since the 90s. That rounds out our wonderfully international Lui Link! Stephen Dokolo, by the way, is in Kampala waiting to leave for a visit to Lund. We wish him a safe journey and look forward to hearing about it.

The American part of the mission team is meeting November 7th to plan and prepare. We hope to connect with Anne P and Warren via Skype so it's a whole team meeting for a little while. Please keep the team in your prayers as we prepare to go to Lui and while we are there, and of course as always please keep our Moru friends -- and all of Sudan -- in your prayers.