Monday and Tuesday Mary and I went house to house visiting ladies and inviting them to a women’s Bible study on Tuesday afternoon. It was a lot of walking in very hot weather and I’ve come to appreciate the slow pace of the African stroll. These home visits often included a sermonette, a song and a prayer. Along the way we met Samuel, a very old man near the end of his life. He and his family seemed grateful for our visit and we all prayed together. Pastor Kevin Kinsinger visited him the next day to offer pastoral comfort as well. Samuel knew the Lord and died a few days later.
One really exciting story we heard on our visit was by some women who had killed a large anaconda that had made a home inside of Zion Church. They saw the hole and dumped boiling water down until the snake came out. Then they all took sticks and promptly dispatched the huge snake. They planned to return to the church on Sunday to make sure he didn’t have any friends down there. They called this “working on the church”. This is very different than our church work days when we clean out the church kitchen or organize the library.
Mary Garang and Teresa Janzen teaching time management
The women we visited were happy to see us and to hear of the lessons we would offer. Some said they couldn’t come for a variety of reasons. One woman said she couldn’t leave her house because she is being troubled by monkeys that destroy things while she is gone. In spite of ruckus monkeys, thieving crows, snakes, goats and other distractions, by Tuesday afternoon, thirteen ladies joined us under the lalobe tree for a lesson on time management.
After the lesson, the ladies asked to meet again, so we had a Bible study on Wednesday using the Simply the Story (STS) technique to share the story of the widow and the jars of oil from II Kings 4. They really liked the lesson. I gave them some seeds for their garden and told them that if they were faithful to tend them, God would multiply them as he did the oil. One woman asked if there were men like Elisha today, whom she could ask for help when in need. We then had a nice discussion on seeking wise council.
Over the next few weeks, Mary and I continued to teach Bible study using the STS method. One of my major goals was to have Mary teaching on her own before I left. I’m very grateful that that goal was accomplished. Mary shared the story of Mary and Martha from Luke 10. Please pray for Mary as she continues teaching on her own.
Some of the other things I did while I was in South Sudan include helping Dan during some of his workshops, visited farms with Dan and Michael, worked on my Dinka language, met with key ministry partners, visited the leper colony, delivered the Sunday message to 1536 attendees at St. Andrew’s Cathedral, and made lost of visits with chatting, praying and tea drinking. I also delivered the 253 baby hats and 80 wash cloths made by Shiloh Community Church and Calvary Church to the traditional birth attendant at the Werkok hospital.
Here are some more photos:
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- A gift of baby hats presented to the traditional birth attendant.
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- Cooling off with a cup of avocado juice
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- Having fun in Bible study class
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- Mary teaching literacy class
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- Mary sharing the story of Mary and Martha using STS method
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- Resting on a termite mound.
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- Teresa’s first Bota ride.
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- Morning devotions at the MGC clinic
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- Bible study on Jonah
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- Leveling the ground for our classroom.
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- Ladies class
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- Mary teaching ladies how to use the talking Bible
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- Teresa and Mary preparing lessons
Yin ci leec (Thank you!)
Teresa