TheJourney in Africa

How you can be in South Sudan . . . but stay in America

A word from Curt: My wife DeDe is a passionate concise writer. She’s also a prayer warrior.  If you need someone praying for you, get DeDe on your list. She serves as Prayer Advocate for our Chadan Cluster.  The post below is from DeDe’s heart. Please prayerfully consider taking on a group, camp, or leaders.   Important Prayer Requests for …

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Saturday Snippets 12 April 2014

A Word from Curt: The word is Sojourn I’m returning from a Soul Retreat. I’ve went to the nearby Islands to write, reflect, and recharge. It was a sojourn. A temporary stay. But isn’t everything? Key Prayer Need: Wisdom as DeDe and I head north this week to the Refugee Camps. Pray for: 1. men and women of peace 2. …

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“Finding my People” 3 Heroes: Gandhi, Luter and Monchyol

A Word from Curt: Two good words today:  Leader and Hero Today’s Prayer Point:  Pray for Pastor John Monchyol in Malakal, South Sudan “There go my people. I’m their leader. I’d better catch up with them.” -Mahatma Gandhi   A leader leads. Gandhi’s words are accurate. You cannot lead without followers. Gandhi led a huge nation, India, to freedom using …

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An Unforgettable Welcome

  Reload and Remount  Driving up to a refugee camp is a daunting event. Thousands of people are stranded here. Run out of their homes by war. They’ve arrived in a foreign country. Been promised much. Often given little. They’re worried. Life is uncertain. They are understandable frustrated. When they see a truckload of whites drive up. They get their …

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What do you do with a Gift Rooster?

              Relationships It’s always about relationships! Current Video: A wonderful way to greet http://youtu.be/KQqV7uU-7Q4 See how Nubian children in West Nile Uganda greet visitors.      The Gifts of Africa: Imported cheese and a rooster named Roho   You never know what a day in Africa will bring. It often involves gifts that were unexpected …

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“Child-Headed Households” and “Unaccompanied Minors.”

   What in the world is a “Child-Headed Household” and “Unaccompanied Minor?”    Friday  21 March Back home in Entebbe Scroll down for prayer needs. The UN has a special term for them. They call them “Unaccompanied Minors.” It means they are  refugees who arrived without an adult. They may truly be orphans.  Both parents are dead and they are separated from …

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#UpCountry: It’s where we’re at

Curt with new friend in Wajo Camp,  West Nile District, Uganda   We’re away (beginning Wed. 12 March) from the world of internet for most of the next week.  DeDe and I are traveling in northern Uganda with a Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief team. They are representing Baptist Global Response and learning how we can touch the needs of refugees …

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Heartbroken . . . but still in Love

    Friday, 15 March Adjumani Uganda Scroll down for prayer needs. A full day of being in refugee camps.  Nothing will break your heart like seeing thousands suffering and facing uncertain futures. Yet even in our heartbreak, we are in love. In love with our Jesus who said, “Come unto me . . .” In love with our fellow …

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Underdogs and a New Slides

Underdogs I’ve not sure I’ve ever seen anything that looked more out of place. As my grandpa said, “It was like a saddle on a pig.” Brand new shiny playground equipment in the midst of a ragtag barren refugee camp. I walked over to a swing set and pushed on it. It was cemented in the ground. Just as I …

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Indiana Jones arrives in Uganda

A volunteer team from our home team in Dry Creek, Louisiana arrives today.  Pray for Pastor Charlie Bailey, Ken Farmer, and Ethan Bossier as God uses them in northern Uganda among the South Sudanese refugees.   “Bro. Henry, do you know who Indiana Jones is?” “No. Does he live in Dry Creek?”                          …

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Duck Dynasty, ZZ Top, and a girl called Daizy Mae

      The Education of Daizy Mae Thomas  Part II    It has been a joy to be with Daizy Thomas, a precocious  8-year-old and her new mother, KB Thomas. They’ve been a joy to us as they await Daizy’s U.S. Passport.  (Please pray that this process will finish soon.  KB has been in country since November 30.)   Update: …

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“. . . fighting over their burying ground.”

Give me land, lots of land   “They fighting over their burying ground.” – “This Land”    John Lee Hooker It’s a story we hear variations on: It’s concerns land disputes in the aftermath of South Sudan’s long civil wars.* The following comes from the article, “Winning the War, but Losing The Peace.**   A Madi man returning from Uganda goes …

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“. . . It doesn’t mean you’ve been discarded.”

A lonely boy named James.   So take that look out of here, it doesn’t fit you.
 Because it’s happened doesn’t mean you’ve been discarded.
 Pull up your head off the floor, come up screaming.
 Cry out for everything you ever might have wanted.
  -“In a Big Country” * *Complete lyrics at end of post   “I found him out …

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