We made it!

We arrived on Saturday the 25th into Nagishot to an overwhelming welcome.  All of the logistical nightmares we have had vanished as we were given such a warm reception.
The Didinga men and women were dressed in their traditional dancing attire with their spears, bells, horns, panpipes, etc.  They were singing, jumping and dancing together to greet us while children from the City on a Hill school held posters of welcome for us saying “Welcome Kawaja Didinga and N’ga” (welcome white didinga and mrs.)and sang songs for us in formation under the direction of their teacher.  We saw old faces and new ones.  All were warm and genuinely welcoming.

It gets better..

We were then sung and danced from the grass airstrip to the compound (about a mile and a half) and all of our bags and supplies were far ahead of us as is typical of the local Didinga hospitality.  When we got to the compound at the top, the overwhelming part began as there were 4 or 5 times the amount of decked out Didinga dancing and waiting for us at the compound.  They quickly put beaded goatskins and a purse made out of a small fox-like creature on Lauren and danced us into their circles..I have pictures of all this, and will post some to the website when possible.

Then I was blindfolded and led to a field where a black bull had been caught and tied awaiting the slaughter.  They handed me the knife and I will spare the gory details, but it was an honor to slaughter the bull as a part of this community celebration.  Everyone has eaten meat in this area at every meal as we’ve shared the bull with those of this community and with those from Napep who came to join in on the celebration and dancing.  We were told there has not been a gathering of this many didinga to dance in as long as can be remembered!  The earth shook with their dancing and stomping in unison.  An incredible sight to behold.

The next morning, we woke up at 8 o’clock and there were hundreds more Didinga than the day before all ready to dance with spears, bows, etc, and they came to the church welcoming service that William and Eunice so kindly planned for us.  The local chiefs and political leaders were all there to give their blessings and all gave 5 minute speeches of welcome to us into the community(because they were strictly limited…can get quite long winded otherwise) We celebrated with them through dancing and feasting until 5PM, but the dancing continued into the early hours of the morning.

What a welcome!  We were given a reception that we will never forget and certainly felt unworthy of, but we give thanks for it.  We thank you also for your prayers through this transition time as struggle will undoubtedly be a part of it.

Praise God, because He’s the only One worthy of it,
Jonathan (for Lauren also)

We left the US exactly one month ago and we are in our final few hours before heading into Sudan to begin life there. There are moments where I find myself thinking, “Ok Lord, I can do this,” shortly followed by moments where I find myself thinking “Oh no, there is NO way I can do this, Lord.” I guess that is pretty normal. We are doing well, but are learning much about the need to be very flexible and patient here in Africa as our plans never really work out just like we think they need to. There is a saying that you can hear expats remind each other frequenly: “TIA” stands for “this is Africa” and it is a friendly reminder that we are not at home any more and things are just different here in Africa.

One of the things we have had to learn to be flexible about is our expectations for communication with the outside world as we head into Sudan. We were expecting to be able to use our satellite phone to send and receive text emails through our computer, but we have come to find out that the satellite phone is not compatible with Apple computers. Bummer. We have purchased an emergency Compaq mini book to use with our satellite phone, but we are not sure that it is configured properly. There is only one way to know at this  point and it is trial and error. So, until we have our first break just before Christmas, our blog posts and emails may be quite limited.

Despite the technical difficulties, we love to receive emails so please don’t give up sending them. From this point on, our email address is jlinthebush@uuplus.com.  IMPORTANT: We can ONLY receive TEXT emails. This means that we need everyone to help us out by NOT sending us forwards or emails with pictures, videos or links.

You can also send us snail mail at the following address:

AIM SERVE
c/o Lauren & Jonathan Ramirez
South Sudan Team
PO Box 21171
Nairobi 00505
KENYA

All international packages and letters must have the country name written in all caps on the outside of the package. Also, please mark fragile if it applies.

Also, AIM is on Facebook!!  For real. Check it out HERE – a great way to find out what is going on all over the continent of Africa and full of great links.

As we head into Sudan, you can pray for us in the area of logistics. We still have to purchase food supplies today and are waiting on 75% of our luggage to arrive from Nairobi tomorrow morning before we fly out for Sudan. Please pray that it all arrives safely! Pray for a communications miracle so that our satellite phone will work properly for email purposes over the next two months. Pray for our minds and emotions as we are both pretty tired from all of the rushing around and logistical hoops we have been jumping through. We are excited to greet the Didinga people and the Lakus tomorrow, but are quite worn down. Pray that we will feel the comfort of the Lord as we arrive in Sudan and get used to our new home. I expect to have a real emotional rollercoaster response during this first week, so please pray that the Lord will be near and we will cling to His promises like: “Never will I leave you; Never will I forsake you.” Pray as you feel led…we covet your prayers during this precious time of transition over the next few weeks.

Peace and grace to you, Lauren

As we enter into the last week of our Africa Based Orientation just south of Nairobi, Kenya, we are extremely blessed. Our travels have gone well thus far, we are learning invaluable information about life in Africa (topics include African worldview, spiritual warfare, HIV/AIDS, Islam, staying healthy on the field, etc.), and we have had the privilege of meeting many other missionaries in the AIM family. One thought has come to my mind several times over the past week or so and I wanted to share it with you.
 
I Corinthians 12:12 – 27
The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ…there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it: if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
 
We are each just one small part of the larger body of Christ. I know this may sound elementary, but this passage in Corinthians has really spoken to me over the last week because of its profound implications. Paul addresses two common issues in the church in this short passage. On the one hand, we can look at ourselves as the foot and say, “I am not a hand therefore, I do not belong to the body,” revealing an insecure and self-deprecating heart within us. OR we can puff ourselves up as the eye and say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” fostering arrogance and unhealthy independence. Paul very specifically says, “In fact, God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.” 

our graduating class of new friends going to the nations. much love.

Whew! What good news. As I look around my fellow AIMers, I see people who are gifted and called to places that I would have no idea how to serve…crisis management coordinator, nursing in Mozambique, training teachers in the urban city centers, running the AIM AIR hangar…the list is endless. I see some who are going into far more dangerous conditions than I am and I am humbled by their service. Then I look around me here at Scott Theological College (location of our training course) and I see young men and women from Kenya, Sudan, and Tanzania who have come from such dire circumstances and are deeply committed to serving the Lord with their lives. We have met two of the most delightful young men from Southern Sudan who are studying here in order to go back and plant churches in Sudan because they believe strongly in the role that the church must play in the quest for peace in Sudan. They have given us such hope and life for the Sudanese! Lastly, I think of where we are going and the wonderful family we will get to serve with – William and Eunice Laku. They are such faithful servants and we are so fortunate to be a part of the Body with them. We have received word that Eunice’s health is not so good and William is worn out from several weeks of travel, working to find relief food to help the villages that are currently being impacted by severe drought and famine. But still, they are warmly welcoming us and even preparing some “SURPRISES” for our arrival in just one short week. Let us pray for the Laku’s as they are a precious part of the Body that we care for and honor. Each one of us has a specific role to play in this commission given to us by King Jesus. My role and your role and the Laku’s role is vital in this beautiful mosaic. We were never meant to be or to function as anything other than the role given to us by God, but yet the Body would not be complete without each one of us.
 
Now for the REALLY good news! We have received word here at orientation that two of the girls that were on another AIM team serving in the Didinga hills and had to leave early (check in our previous blog posts for the full story) have decided to return and continue ministry among the Didinga. They will not be able to go back to the neighboring area of Napep, so they will be joining us in Nagishot instead. Praise the Lord – we are going to have a small team! Their names are Elly and Tianne, both from America, and they may be coming as early as January 2010. We are so excited to receive this news! Please join us in praying for them as they make the final preparations to return to Sudan.
 
Love to all, Lauren