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Day Eight.
Hot tears slipped out from behind my sunglasses and burned down my cheeks. Each time I waved at the mass of Sudanese under the tree, they all waved back with big, bright smiles on their ebony faces. How do I love these people so much? Why does my heart break so badly every time I have to say goodbye? When will it be the day when we can move into our own mud hut and stay?
As the Cessna rumbled down the red dirt runway, I craned my neck to see them as long as I could. Those beautiful, tall, reed-thin Sudanese people who have stolen my heart. As the wheels left Earth, I leaned back in my seat and let the tears flow freely. Would this be the last time I am in Sudan? Will the South ever see independence? When will God bring me back for good?
Oh Sudan, how I love your people…
Snapshot of Tuesday:
-Early visit to Tonj Secondary School
-Packing (because I procrastinated)
-Pictures on the compound
-Saying goodbye to IDAT staff
-Drive through Tonj to the airstrip
-More AK-47s
-Final group shots
-Flying back to Uganda
Bob and I went back to the Tonj Secondary School again in hopes of stepping into at least one classroom for observations. However, when we arrived and met with the teachers, we quickly learned that the man in charge would not be letting us into a class. He was unfamiliar with Aid Sudan and the purpose of our visit, and it seemed that maybe there were some accountability issues that he didn’t want to deal with. Bummer.
So we headed back to the compound to get packed and ready to head out. We also took the opportunity to get some group shots before we left the IDAT compound.
This is Stephanie and I. I had actually been following Stephanie’s AWESOME blog for several months before ever even finding out that we would be staying with In Deed and Truth. I had only hoped that while we were there we could meet up with her at some point…I had no clue that I would get to spend an entire week with her! Her blog is Midwife on a Mission, and you should definitely read it to help you better understand the struggles that women in Sudan face.
At the airstrip, there were a lot of people milling about, and in particular there were a few SPLA soldiers. Now, last year I desperately wanted to get a good picture of soldiers with their guns, but Jengmer cautioned against taking any kind of pictures of the soldiers. If you remember, I snuck a shot, but it didn’t satisfy me. So this year, I asked Sabet if he could talk to the soldiers about me taking their pictures. They were happy to oblige!
Okay, so as I’m taking the pictures of the soldiers, Sabet asks me if I want to get a picture of me holding the gun. Not wanting to miss a golden opportunity, I of course say, “YES!!” So, the soldier in green has given me his AK-47 to hold, and the soldier in blue is slapping me on the back as I laugh at the absurdity of the whole situation: white girl from rural Indiana stands on dirt airstrip in Southern Sudan holding SPLA soldier’s automatic assault rifle!!
I’m still laughing, and the soldier in blue is trying hard not to smile!
I was actually told that I needed to look very solemn for these shots, because that’s the way the SPLA soldiers typically pose. I couldn’t do it! (P.S. I’m told the soldier in blue is actually holding an AK-74U, for any of you who might care =). )
As I was smiling for the other pictures, the soldier pushes gently on my shoulder signaling that I should squat down. They help me prop the gun up in proper fashion for this shot…
When that insanity was over, I took these shots at the airstrip…
Beautiful sisters.
Sabet and Suzy in a cute, American-style pose…
Sabet and Suzy in a traditional Sudanese-style pose…
The scene that ripped my heart out…
Tonj falls away.
Trip reflection:
Last year when I left Nasir, I was heartbroken because I had fallen in love with a people and a place. Though impoverished, I saw so much joy and a simple life free of many of the evils that entrap us in the States. Though moments certainly gripped my heart in Nasir, I left feeling hopeful for the lives of the Sudanese.
Not that I don’t still feel hopeful, but God revealed many new things to me…things that I had read about and things that I at least knew, in part, from last year. However, God made some things quite clear to me. The women in Sudan face hardships that I could only imagine: lack of clean, accessible water, young girls being captured and raped, high infant and maternal mortality rates, and gross lack of education. The facts were laid out in front of me, and I could not ignore that Sudan is still so very far away from remotely developed. There is still much joy amidst much suffering, and that is something that God shows me to remind me that my woes are not really worth the drama that I give them. The people of Sudan are amazing and resilient.
After spending a second mission trip in Sudan, I am more convinced than ever that my heart belongs there and that serving there is what I want. How could I not?? God handed me a book, opened up my eyes and heart, and I am in this now. I am responsible for what I know and I must speak up. Will you join me in praying for positive change in Sudan, for God’s Word reaching the unreached, and for a peaceful solution to a violent history? Will you join me in making noise for Sudan?
Thank you for taking this journey with me.
