Our two teams are leaving August 11 and August 20, respectively. I am particularly excited that the materials and tools to put a roof on the long-unfinished Lunjini Chapel are expected to arrive in Lui this weekend, and the work will be done with supervision by professionals from Missouri and Lund and labor by Moru carpentry trainees. These guys learned and produced a lot last November under the instruction of Carl Rapp and Gary Johnson; Carl is going back to work with them along with Tim Baker on the first part of the August mission and Rick Kuhn will take over for the second part, along with Swede Nils Winqvist. Having two teams lets us -- as a group, if not individually -- stay long enough to get this done.
If you have been following my blog for a long time, you know about the development of our connections with the Diocese of Lund in the Church of Sweden and Blackmore Vale Deanery in the Diocese of Salisbury, C of E. Lund's relationship with Lui predates Missouri's, but we have had the pleasure of watching Blackmore Vale's relationship emerge. In 2009, they sent two team members along with our very large team, and they have had people on all the trips we've been on since then (except Dan and Ev's month in 2011 and Wayne's and my trip in June of 11 for Bishop Bullen's funeral), and they led one trip of their own that had only one Missourian. They have concentrated more and more on efforts to help with education in Lui, and this trip, Jeannie Stevens is returning for the third training with preschool teachers. In the past, other team members have worked with her; this time she hopes to have previously trained Moru women help her train teachers for new preschools.
Annette Joseph will be leading a preachers' conference on using the common lectionary during the first team's time in Lui, perhaps with help from other missioners. Martha Colville will be the team doctor for the first group, and Eva Winqvist, trained as a midwife, will take over the medic role for the smaller second group. Dan Smith is officially the team leader but will only be on the ground for the second part of the trip; Ev Smith is the actual leader for the first part. Ev will also head up the adult ESL team, which will include Carrie Lewis from Blackmore Vale and Missourians Cyndy Rapp, Krista Baker, me, and everyone else we can pull in as they're available.
Everyone has been working hard to prepare, and I think we're ready to go. There is a little instability in South Sudan, especially in Jonglei State, far from Lui, where long-term fighting over cattle raiding and kidnappings between the Murle people on one hand and the Nuer and to a lesser extent the Dinka, continues, with complications from a rebel group and the SPLM. The media keeps predicting problems in Juba because President Kiir dismissed VP Riek Machar and his entire cabinet, but so far that seems to have passed peacefully. In any case, Juba, though "only" 100 miles from Lui, is five hours away over a very bumpy dirt road, and there is little reason to think Moru culture will be much disrupted by the government's internal goings on.
If you have been following my blog for a long time, you know about the development of our connections with the Diocese of Lund in the Church of Sweden and Blackmore Vale Deanery in the Diocese of Salisbury, C of E. Lund's relationship with Lui predates Missouri's, but we have had the pleasure of watching Blackmore Vale's relationship emerge. In 2009, they sent two team members along with our very large team, and they have had people on all the trips we've been on since then (except Dan and Ev's month in 2011 and Wayne's and my trip in June of 11 for Bishop Bullen's funeral), and they led one trip of their own that had only one Missourian. They have concentrated more and more on efforts to help with education in Lui, and this trip, Jeannie Stevens is returning for the third training with preschool teachers. In the past, other team members have worked with her; this time she hopes to have previously trained Moru women help her train teachers for new preschools.
Annette Joseph will be leading a preachers' conference on using the common lectionary during the first team's time in Lui, perhaps with help from other missioners. Martha Colville will be the team doctor for the first group, and Eva Winqvist, trained as a midwife, will take over the medic role for the smaller second group. Dan Smith is officially the team leader but will only be on the ground for the second part of the trip; Ev Smith is the actual leader for the first part. Ev will also head up the adult ESL team, which will include Carrie Lewis from Blackmore Vale and Missourians Cyndy Rapp, Krista Baker, me, and everyone else we can pull in as they're available.
Everyone has been working hard to prepare, and I think we're ready to go. There is a little instability in South Sudan, especially in Jonglei State, far from Lui, where long-term fighting over cattle raiding and kidnappings between the Murle people on one hand and the Nuer and to a lesser extent the Dinka, continues, with complications from a rebel group and the SPLM. The media keeps predicting problems in Juba because President Kiir dismissed VP Riek Machar and his entire cabinet, but so far that seems to have passed peacefully. In any case, Juba, though "only" 100 miles from Lui, is five hours away over a very bumpy dirt road, and there is little reason to think Moru culture will be much disrupted by the government's internal goings on.
The team blogs from luinetwork.ning.com. Anyone can read it; join to comment.
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