Changing Seasons

Recently, God asked me to do a very difficult thing. I had to say good bye to the people I have lived with, learned language with, done life with, grown to love, and become family with for the past year and a half. I knew that one day I would have to say goodbye, but I didn’t think it would be so soon or because of circumstances due to war. 

I wasn’t ready. Tears streamed down my face as I said my last goodbyes and embraced my beautiful Nuer friends. As we drove away towards the airport, I knew that I was leaving a chunk of my heart with these people. I questioned God as to why He gave me such a love for these people and such a desire to be with them when I couldn’t stay. I didn’t want new friends from a different tribe. I was perfectly happy with the ones I have among the Nuer.

Back in Uganda, one of my friends reminded me how fortunate I was to have been able to spend that time among the Nuer. She encouraged me to not be afraid to invest in the new place I am going, and to not forget the power of intercession for my Nuer friends.

God accomplished whatever purpose that he had for me among the Nuer. He had me with the Nuer for a season, and maybe I’ll one day be reunited with them. I may never see fruit or know what my particular purpose was other than that He called me to the Nuer for a time. He gave me these people to love for a short while, and I don’t know if I could have loved them anymore. He is now giving me others to love, maybe for a short time or maybe for many years. If I loved the Nuer more than I ever thought possible, I know that Jesus will provide an even greater overflow of his love for this new tribe of people.

While my heart still hurts when I think about not being with the Nuer, I am filled with hope and expectation as I look forward to what the Lord is going to do during this season in Tonj.

Nyareat and her family

A Christmas Eve to Remember

On Christmas Eve in Gambella, Laura and I were invited to attend the annual Christmas Eve “Machin”, which is basically a church parade through town. Each Nuer church in Gambella formed a group, complete with drums, flags and wooden crosses. Everyone then proceeded to sing, dance, and march through the streets of town.

Hundreds participated, so many that the crowd of people stopped the traffic of the local Bajaj (rickshaw) taxis. As we danced down a dirt road there was so much dust in the air that had been stirred up from the ground it was as if we were caught in a dust storm, and it difficult to breathe. At one point while crossing a bridge, there were so many people dancing across the bridge at once that the whole structure was shaking (this was slightly terrifying ha).

After dancing/marching/singing for about three hours, I was so tired, sweaty and covered in dirt. Laura and I went home, but our Nuer friends went on to church to pray and worship late into the night. In fact, we later found out that many spent the night at church so that they could take part in the Christmas morning church celebrations.

It was a very joyous time as we celebrated with our Nuer friends the birth of our Lord and Savior. It was so great to experience how different cultures worship God—with their enthusiasm and loud singing, drumming and dancing. As much as I love Christmas and the traditions I have with my family, it was very refreshing to see how Christmas is celebrated outside American culture. The main focus of Christmas was not the decorations, food, or gifts, but one of joyful worship, reflecting on the gift of Jesus.

I now know that I definitely want to be a part of the Nuer celebrations in heaven!