Back in Torit, Sudan--Apr.8-08

Upon arriving back into Torit I immediately left for the local hospital, not for myself, but rather to “see” the work being conducted by a visiting eye clinic team that came up from Uganda and stayed at our AIM compound for the week. So the week has already been full.

The local secondary school is still not in session…for many reasons. One is that the school system is in chaos, but we’ve covered this in previous writings haven’t we? The other reason school was closed was due to a national census that the government had spent months training hundreds/thousands of employees for the sole purpose of registering the entire South Sudan.

And now, as of today, the national census has been cancelled indefinitely. Ouch. Rumblings are starting again. The South saying the North is behind the stoppage, the North blaming the South. The Northern government registering and claiming the entire nation as either M. or animist, no Christians apparently! The Southerners are expressing anger at the North. So where do we go from here? This may become international news soon. For all the wrong reasons unfortunately. Let us continue to pray for this obviously fragile peace.

Torit itself continues to build at a rapid rate, we have another cell phone tower!
And this weekend ALL, the AIM South Sudan workers will be congregating at our Torit compound for our yearly retreat. Beginning Tuesday, the 15th of April ( Taxes! ) fellow missionaries will be arriving by land and place to stay with us here in Torit. It will be a crazy and filled week indeed….what a life.

Please write when you are able. Some of you have been giving and praying and blessing me behind the scenes in unbelievable ways. What fantastic confidence you have in His work here…may I burn into the work here. No matter what is before me, thanks so much.
A few, short prayer items if you will….
For continuing outreach in the community of Torit…I am praying for relationships with Jesus to develop with many of the Arab men and teachers I work with daily in & outside of school.

A healing body and specifically lower back….yes. How much fun I know.
But to have a developing injury in a area when ALL my transport is based on carrying and lifting and walking…makes a tender injury slightly concerning. Love total healing and relief and I know He can do this…

The month of May will see many fellow friends and co-workers leaving the Sudan and specifically Torit. Phil and Linda Byler, will be leaving for a four month furlough back to Pennsylvania. Kelly Miller will be leaving Torit this month for a "permanent" return to Virginia and several other fellow South Sudan colleagues will be returning to Canada or the States. Always in transition…..

Love, Lovelace