Picture Perfect Summer Day

I am sitting outside  my temporary home under a large shade tree composing this blog post. If you sat here with me with your eyes closed you could imagine you were in Michigan on a perfect summer day. There is a light breeze blowing, not a cloud in the sky, birds are chirping, you can hear children voices in the distance and it is a pleasant 80 degrees.

When you open your eyes you would be shocked to discover that you must have traveled back to another time. Maybe an old western TV set. Light brown dust covers the ground as far as the eyes can see. Trees spot the horizon and cows, oxen, goats and sheep graze in open areas for anything left edible after weeks of no rain.

We are currently in the dry season,  December to April,  with very little change from day to day  -- just  hot, sunny  and dry. The day reaches its highest  temperature at about 5 p.m. when we are returning from school. As a result it can sometimes be a bit hot for falling asleep. Yet during the night it cools down nicely. My home has solar power. I have several ceiling lights and a fan to make things comfortable. It is pitch black by 8 p.m. and the sun comes up about 7 a,m.

One of my junior teachers took Lydia and me to the market yesterday morning to act as our guide and translator. He did a great job, but he told us he took a ribbing for being with Kahwajas (white people). He really was concerned about us. He gave us specific directions on how he wanted to operate the transactions so that the shop keepers did not try to rip us off because we are white people.

It went very well. I was able to get enough basic supplies for a few weeks. The supplies are very basic -- no meat, no milk, no eggs, no cheese. Pasta, peanuts, peanut paste, rice, sugar, tomato paste, soap, bread and  fresh tomatoes are readily available.

I have oatmeal for breakfast most mornings and the menu for dinner is rice or pasta mixed with various canned veggies that the team brings in from Uganda and Kenya. We have had some local dishes at the market on a few occasions. Eating with my fingers will definitely take some getting used to.

God has been good. I feel safe. I am healthy.  I am working hard with the three teachers I am mentoring in 1B -- Awan, Achol and Akuem  (more about them later), I am enjoying all the students but working on learning all 170 of their names is challenging. The  team gets together for prayer, worship and a meal at different times during the week. They are very supportive of one another. Those of us working at the school meet  with all the  Junior teachers for prayer each morning at 8 a.m.

Thank you for your prayers on my behalf. Please continue to pray for me on Tuesdays.

Khawajas

In South Sudan Khawajas are white people.

White people are a novelty here. As Lydia, Jan and I walk the dusty, well worn path to school each

morning and evening, the path winds through small clusters of huts. The children seem to see us
coming from a long ways away. They start shouting "Khawaja, Khawaja, Khawaja" as they run to greet us.

The are often naked, toting another little one on one hip and very dirty, yet always wearing a big smile with their bright white teeth.

They always stretch  out a hand (Hopefully the right one, it may be a bit cleaner) seeking a handshake or a high five. The excitement is palpable, they got to touch a Khawaja today.

We greet them and smile as we make our way to another world.

I suppose that the Dinka may see white people as those who offer hope and support in this difficult region. Yet we know that only Jesus provides true hope and support for life. We are here as fellow humans with Good News and a desire to help our Christian brothers and sisters who are living in economic poverty, while learning from their example ourselves. As Brian Fikkert said, it is important to remember we are all poor, just in different ways. I am here as a teacher, yet I know that I have things to humbly learn from the Dinka too.

Many of the men and woman at the Parot Community Church provide services here at
Cush4Christ. Some serve as watch men guarding the compound. Woman have a rotating schedule preparing the lunch meal at school. Several woman worked to clean the classrooms before school opened.

Each occupied house in the compound has a woman that is assigned to fetch water for that house 

and do the laundry. During my time here, Abouk delivers water to my home 3 times a week on 

Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. If I am not going to be home I leave my Jerry cans outside the front door. When I return they are full and waiting for me. They are very heavy.

On Saturday, Abouk fills the 3 cans and uses 2 of them to hand wash and hang my laundry to dry. Afterwards we are suppose to have tea together, but this past Saturday I had other plans so I left the

tea, peanut paste and bread for her to enjoy by herself. I look forward to the next time she comes.

I pay her 30 South Sudanese Pounds for each Jerry can of water and 100 pounds* for doing the laundry (That is a steal). The tea is our way of tipping her.

Abouk only speaks Dinka, which is true for most of the women. She is currently having some

challenges with her husband so I am happy that I am here and can provide her with some much 

needed income.

I did not want to ask Abouk if I could take her picture doing laundry so I took the pictures from the house. I hope to be able to share a much better picture of this beautiful Christian woman in the future as we get to know each other better.

Abouk did use the wheel barrow from the compound to fetch the water so she did not have to make 3 trips. But it is still a very time consuming and heavy task. I thank God for her faithful service that allows me to also serve.

* 100 pounds is about $.30

First Day of School

Monday, February 11, 2019, is the beginning of a new school year all over South Sudan. There will be no new lunchboxes, backpacks or sneakers here. But if  the children I met at church this morning are any indication they are eager to move to the next grade and get back to work.

I thought it would be helpful to give you an overview of how school works here as I have learned in the past few months.

The school year consists of 3 terms although not all equal in length. 

February to  Early May  - 3 week break

Late May  to Late August - 3 week break

Mid Sept  to Mid December  - 13 week break

The breaks coincide with planting and harvesting.

All schools in South Sudan charge tuition and it is paid by the term. The government schools also require parents to provide uniforms, school supplies.

The first year at Cush Christian School is taught in Dinka, the local language. They learn to write in their mother tongue. The students begin at age 7 if they are ready. This is known as 1A.

The next year students progress to 1B. This year is spent learning to speak English. I will be helping with this group in the mornings. 

The following year students progress to 1C where they learn to read and write English. This is the only class  at the school that would look like a typical U.S. classroom. Lydia, my fellow traveler, will be working with this group. 

By the time you are 9 - 10 years old you finally make it to grade 2. Grades 2 - 6 use a self paced Christian home-school curriculum that is produced in the United States and sold in 150 countries. So, it is very popular in schools such as Cush Christian School. 

The students in Grades 1A - 6 all  come in the morning. The students in grades 4-6 function as helpers in the morning  this helps them  continue to work on their English skills as well as providing help with the younger students. A free lunch is available at school. The ingredients are provided by Samaritan's Purse but the school is responsible for the preparation and record keeping. Two of the students do that task. I am told it is the same meal everyday Sorghum and beans. The teachers will be enjoying this lunch at the school as well.

The students in grades 1A - 3 go home after lunch. The students in grades 4- 6 spend the afternoon completing the self paced curriculum. I will be assisting with tutoring and testing as they complete each level. 

There are 170 students at the school. They are running out of space. Currently they are working on funds to erect a 3rd building on the property. There is no shortage of students that want to attend the school but there is a shortage of staff and missionaries. First priority is given to students attending the Christian Churches the mission has planted in the community.  

The two reasons the school is in demand - They teach the Bible and they speak good English.

Learning English from a Khawajas is the best.  Khawajas = White person.

Grade 2

This is the outside of one of 2 buildings

Somethings are very different and others are very much the same from one school to another

Lots of windows for ventilation and light / no screens

They are out of space so the class I am helping with is meeting in 3 of these shelters,
9 students in each with a Junior teacher 

Classroom for 4-6 grade

The only wall decorations are these 2 posters made out of
cut up corragated cardboard 

Visitors

My first Saturday here in country dawned with a light breeze, a few puffy clouds, the first I have observed, a bright blue sky, 80 pleasant degrees and drums beating a short distance away.

God is teaching me to appreciate and enjoy solitude. I do not always find it pleasant but I am adjusting. Sometimes I find it can be a bit lonely.

God knew just what I needed today when 10 ladies from the church affiliated with the school arrived at my door. The drums I heard were beating for them 2 hours earlier. The drums were calling them to church.

On Saturdays a group of 11 ladies have a prayer meeting and worship time together. Afterwards they meet with a long time missionary, Jan here at the compound for bible reading and bible study. Jan has been here 10 years after serving 15 years in Senegal. She is fluent in Dinka, the local language.

They wanted to meet Lydia and myself. We had previously met some of them at the school, in the market or working here at the compound.

But more than that they wanted to thank us for coming, learn about our families and to pray for us.
After all the introductions, handshakes, hugs, smiles and laughs they prayed for me all at the same time.

Most of the volunteers coming to Cush Christian School have been 20 year olds. They were happy to have an older woman and they told me they prayed that I would come back and bring my husband. That is a bit funny because one of the first questions one of the junior teachers at the school asked me was why I had gray hair.

Having their children in school is very important to them. All South Sudan school curriculum includes learning English. But it is well known that learning English from a Khawajas ( white person) is the best.

Feeling at Home

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I left Midland on Thursday,January 31 at 9am headed for Parot Village in South Sudan. I arrived here on Monday, February 4 at 5pm. A long journey but thankfully we all arrived safely with only one missing bag. (More about that later)

I have been asked if it is what I expected and if anything surprised me. Yes, it is about what I expected and all the surprises have been good ones.

School starts Monday so I have had a few days to make my new home comfortable,  try to get some rest, visit the market for supplies, do some work at the school, attend a teacher meeting and meet some of the students and people in the community.

I have attached some pictures of my home away from home.
The first one is a view taken looking out  my front door. You can see the sunsetting in the distance.


This desk is at the foot of the bed. I am sitting here right now composing this blog.

 The home is equipped  with lighting and electricity that are solar powered.

These plastic chairs are very popular here. If anyone has a chair this is what they have.

Below is my dish washing set up.

Wash, rinse in bleach water, dry  and put away before the dust lands on the clean dishes.

This is a propane 3 burner stove for cooking.

Propane is not always available so I am told to use it sparingly.

I actually have not cooked anything yet. But there will be time for that.

To the right is the water set up.
The large black barrel on the floor is where the water collected from the well is stored.
The smaller black barrel is also full of water and used for hand washing. Hand washing is very important here but often neglected by the locals. If you look below the sink you can see a blue bucket, no plumbing the water goes right through the sink into the bucket and you dump it outside before it gets too heavy.
The tall white plastic containers are the water filtering system. You pour the water in the top. After the water is filtered you can use it for drinking and cooking.
The blue jug on the counter is filled with filtered water and wrapped with a wet cloth to attempt to keep the water little cool.

This is a large home  by African standards built by the first family to come here and start training pastors. It is often used by visitors. I do feel blessed to have a safe, comfortable, fairly clean place to spend my time here.

Thank you  for all your prayers on Tuesday.
They have been felt.

Blessings,
Tami

We finally meet

Lydia and Tami 

As I was beginning my preparation to go to South Sudan so was Lydia.

Lydia graduated in May from Dordt College with a degree in Elementary Education.  We have been communicating with one another for several months. We finally met on Thursday evening at the hotel in DC.

Lydia is planning to stay in South Sudan for one to two years. (But you still only get 44 lbs luggage allowance)

The Mission that oversees Cush Christian School has two compounds where they operate the school, a small seminary and a Christian radio station. They have enough housing to accommodate 3 volunteers at a time. The school is growing and they need volunteers to teach and help the students make good progress.

I am happy to have a traveling companion and fellow teacher to enjoy this journey with.

We also met up with Scott at the airport in DC  Scott has been serving in South Sudan for 10 years. He was instrumental in starting the school. He is returning with us after being home to visit family over the holidays.

 After many hours of travel we arrived in Juba, South Sudan. Our luggage took a longer route but 3 of our 4 bags have caught up with us. We are catching up on our sleep and preparing to depart early Monday morning for our final destination.

A Day in the Life of a Student at Cush Christian School

I am currently in route.

I thought you might find this interesting. Over the years several volunteers have traveled to support the school as I am doing. The attached article was written by one of those volunteers 4 years ago.

I attach it here for your enjoyment!