What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Stronger!

IMG_0369I love South Sudan and the people of South Sudan.  It’s the most challenging place of all my travels.  Why? Consider first that there’s a war going on.
  • Shooting was taking place 25 miles away from us.
  • Currently underway there is starvation.  Kid’s less than a mile from us were hungry with no food!  If you don’t have money to buy food on the black market things are tough.
  • There is no electricity in the whole country unless you own a generator.  But getting fuel to run it is a big problem, .
  • South Sudan is mostly desert.  It’s hot, hot, so very hot and there is no letup.  The fan in the hotel room, which has heated up far above the outside air, runs to 11pm when the generator shuts off.  You better get to sleep before it quits.  But even if you do, you’re up by 1:30am trying to get back to sleep in a pool of sweat.  If you are able to sleep the Malaria pills can cause dreams and nightmares, and yes they did.
  • And the attack bugs in the room!  They can be vicious!  I know.  I won the war but the bug won the first battle.  The bite spread it’s toxins on my arm for days. It all took place under the mosquito net.
  • And then the Juba airport is the most miserable experience.  Six months ago someone tried to steel my passport. It’s an experience with hundreds of people going through three lines in unbearable heat only to be followed by another line for your passport stamp.  It’s utter chaos and it all happens in a small room.  It’s the part of the trip I dread the most.
  • Finally, stay off the roads from town to town.  You can get robbed and possibly killed.  So on this trip we flew with Missionary Aviation from Juba to Torit.  Those guys rock!

So you might be asking, “Why do you go?”  My answer is, “Because God is blessing there.”  To date networking with the Petros Network I’ve had the honor of helping train 126 men and women, all Church Planters.  We trained 74 and added 11 new church planters three weeks ago!  These men and women have planted churches in 126+ unchurched villages.  Some have planted as many as five churches. They are incredible!  Well over 100,000++ people have come to Jesus through these men and women.  Why would I not want to go?

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