Good Friends, Good Food, Good God!

The two month mark since leaving home has officially passed. Next big moment is the being here in Mundri mark which is only one week away now. I am still blown away at how fast the time moves here despite the pace of life. I thought I should try to get one more post in here this month before bringing in the month of Christmas. So I feel as if I have not mentioned yet, but I celebrated my first American Thanksgiving while here in Mundri. Gotta love that delicious harvest time food. Pumpkin goodies, including different types of pies and face stuffing goodness. It is a blessing to have people around here who are brilliant cooks. Including my dear Esther Roba who cooks for me and makes the most magnificent fresh bread. I eat way too much at times here.
Good thing the football playing has gone up as well. I might be trying to find my way onto a local club here so that I can play and be number one all star defender. Speaking of which, I scored my first goal since being here. Kind of a big deal, not sure actually when even the last time I have scored a goal period in soccer.  Not for some years at least. Thank the Lord my legs are feeling better because I love those guys I am playing soccer with, and I am hoping to build those relationships up even more outside of football. There are some really quality guys who are unbelievably generous that play there.

One friend of mine Samuel calls me about once a day to talk for a little bit and to see how I am doing. I try most days to go by his store and spend time with him. But this man, he will not let me pay for things. I go to charge my camera battery at his shop, and he does it for me for free. Also food, people here are always offering food, even when I have already stuffed my face with Esther’s bread. Rarely will they let me pay for it as well. The generosity of people, who I feel like I should give to, is flipping my notion of many things on their head. They are always looking out for me and it is a true blessing that God has given me such incredible friends.

Speaking of friends, some sad news of today is that my really good friend Scott from USA left Mundri today. He is going to Uganda for 2 weeks before heading back to the States for a Home Missions Assignment. He is going to be very sorely missed by me and many many people here in Mundri. His ministry blows me away. This man loves relationship and God has blessed so many people through him opening his house and heart to spend time with people and talk. He has been an amazing example of a way to serve God here on the other side of the world. Surprise surprise, it is not all that different from anywhere else. God has created us for relationship everywhere we go. We need to take the time to just sit and talk, to be with people, to open our hearts, to share with them experiences and possessions, quite simply just to love. As Scott has taught me, one of the most important things you can do is just taking to time to know someone. I have already seen God at work in some of my relationships. I have come to teach people about Jesus and to teach in general. Even tonight I had an opportunity to do both. I was telling some of my friends tonight about how Jesus has taken away their sins, and about 10 minutes later I was teaching how the world is round (apparently they didn’t know), how the sun rises, and more. These opportunities would not come, if God did not call me to just live in relationship with people. I am excited also to see all of the relationships that have come from the other work.

*Please pray for Scott as he goes home that God will fill him and provide him with all he needs in this time. Also that God would continue the work that Scott has done here over the last 2 years.**Please also pray for me as I will miss Scott’s friendship here. His friendship has made the first 2 months here an absolute blessing and now represents a time of change in my time here in Mundri.

Today, I finished what has been a relatively busy week. Starting last Friday, continuing yesterday and today I offered a workshop for around 400 students in Primary 7/8 and Senior 1/2. The workshop was super simple and short, but covered some basic advice on how to study better as well as gave the students some practical advice for how to actually take an exam. While it was a bit expensive I also was able to provide tea after one workshop for around 100 people, and printed off about 400 pieces of paper for the student handout I made. I am hoping that the information I gave out will help these students on their exams.

I think that is it for today. Thanks once again for your prayers. Hope you are all doing well. Also, remember that Prostate Cancer is very serious. When you see a bunch of moustacheless faces, including mine, in a few days remember this.

Love God, Stay Strong, Drink Milk

Thomas

I hope you don't mind that I put down in words...

Today feels like a good day for a bit of rambling in the most thoughtful way possible when just letting ideas flow onto the page. So here goes.

Peace is a fragile thing. This weekend I had the unique opportunity to take part in a anti-war rally that involved many of students that I am working with. I had initial hesitation about getting involved, you know the whole being a foreigner and not wanting to stir the pot. It did not take long to get me excited though, as I saw hundreds of students taking part in at least what seemed to be free, democratic action. Wanting to encourage something in these youths, which I and from what I have seen many young people back home lack, I quickly jumped in, grabbed my camera and was on my way. The signs for the most part stated a desire for education and development and not for rebellion. While I did not know this at the time, a politician in South Sudan had gathered together a militia of sorts in Mundri East County and had begun training to march on Juba when some sort of fighting broke out and 2 people were killed. Peace is a fragile thing. This country not yet 6 months old already has people trying to bring it down. Hence this peace rally denouncing the actions of this man and staking a claim
in a desire for development and education, no more war. There has been far too much fighting and people are sick of it. That being said, earlier this week some sort of gun shot went off (non-violent intents is the information that I have gathered) and sent some of the children running near the school I was visiting. It blows my mind coming from Canada how fragile the peace is and how much of a toll fighting has on the people from around the world.
**Please pray for the government, and for the nation that they would find ways to not just sustain peace but actively strive for it.**

I think I saw a dung beetle today though. At least it was a beetle rolling a small ball of something.

I finally visited one of Mundri's secondary schools here, Mundri Secondary, and it was hauntingly beautiful. Speaking of war, this school had been bombed during the war and it has left this school compound empty shells of what used to be buildings. Then when money was supposed to come for reconstruction, that money somehow disappeared. Despite that, I walked up to the school compound to see children playing football, to hear laughter, to see trees surrounding, to find this place with a destructive path seem so peaceful and beautiful. Strange how God can redeem certain places; people too come to think of it.

I got to celebrate my first American Thanksgiving, five days early. Food can be so good and combine it with good company and a reminder of how thankful of all things I have, it has a healing quality. Based on my five fingers I am thankful for family, friends (all over the world), forgiveness, adventure (being here in Mundri), and wouldn't you know it: amazing food.

Language is a funny thing. Why does it take forever to learn. I want a Matrix program to teach me how to speak Arabic and Moru.

Speaking of patience, I have to wait until March for Mangoes.

Slightly glitchy photo of George,
Caia, and Me

I apparently have less to rant about than I thought when I sat down. This week is a busy one though so please pray. I have organized at this point three workshops, all the same but for different people and different days. Starting Friday I am giving all Primary 7 and 8's a workshop on study and exam prep tips. I will give this workshop two more times, once Monday at Motherland Secondary, and then finally on Tuesday at Mundri Secondary. I hope to also give it at Comprehensive Academy but I have yet to meet with their headmaster. Please pray, and also we are having a small budget for tea and snacks and handouts. Please support ACEM if you feel God tugging on your heart. We also hope to start building a permanent office, rather than just half my house, and start building a school in the new year. All of these things require money and we are praying and hoping that God will provide all we need in His timing (can I help if I hope His timing is sooner rather than later?)

Much love for all of you. And any Americans reading this, Happy Thanksgiving!!!
TK (Thomas Kanada) [a nickname George gave me before I explained Canada starts with a C not a K. I think TK still sounds better]

Is this routine I sense?

The week has come to a close as Friday night is now upon South Sudan. The sky is dark, there is no light in my Tukul other than the glow from my computer screen. The battery powered fan is perhaps the greatest invention... ever!

I don't really have too much to say today, beyond the fact that I now finally have some more pictures of my time here. My camera has been sitting idle with the battery dead for about 2 weeks now, but yesterday I finally got it charged and went on a picture taking roll. I decided to take some pictures of where I live, some of the kids and the view, and also to prove that I am actually doing some work I took some pictures of the students. Which means obviously I wasn't teaching at the time, but you kind of get the point.


So today I taught at Hay Malakal, a Seventh Day Adventist school today. Had around 10 students come out. It was kind of a weird day as I did not want to be there, but regardless I was able to teach about recycling today... maybe inspired the students to start thinking more about throwing trash on the side of the road. Also got to teach about soil erosion and conservation... really riveting topics. Final topic of discussion today, drumroll please, circumcision. Got to love that CRE. All three weeks so far, sex or sexual organs have come up in that class. I think we are almost past this unit. At least that is my hope. The most amusing but frustrating part of teaching today though was some younger students who came in and were super distracting. I was able to laugh it off for the most part, but man it sure was not easy.

The teaching continued tonight too as I had a student in secondary school stop by my place to work on geography. I was so happy to see an entire unit covering a case study of BC and our use of resources. I told him to study that one closely.

Oh ya... Bible Study, this week by candlelight!

This is the second week of trying out Bible study in Moru and English and well it went a bit better this time I think. We moved Bible study to Scott's house, and made some pizza which really only us North Americans ate, and then worshiped and read the bible together. Essentially what we ended up doing is picking a verse, have someone read it in Moru and then try to explain it in English. This allowed us all to wrestle with what the verse was really saying. It was pretty fun. 7 people were there this Thursday, let's see how it grows. So please pray that God will take that seed and let it grow.

Other than that here are some of the adorable children that live near me or on the same plot as me.

Also I want to take this boy home with me... his name is Conda.

Finally, please pray as I am trying to organize a workshop to train students on how to study better and prepare well for exams.

Love you all,
Thomas

Teaching, Bible Study and Football = Great Week!

It blows me away sometimes how God's plans can definitely be quite different than our own (I think there is a chicken fighting for its life in the kitchen as I write this, so I will try to stay focused). I came into this weekend to once again have the opportunity to teach somewhere between 50-90 students again. Friday came about and there were 20-24 students who came to the extra teaching time that I am providing through ACEM for Primary 8 Students. I was much more confident this time through, and I hope the students learned more. I definitely think we had more fun. We played Simon Says to work on their English listening skills, I learned their names, we played with fire a bit, found out who the first polygamist in the Bible was: a foolproof mixture for learning and fun if you ask me.

After this I went home and started to prepare for students at 2 different schools on Saturday. I showed up Saturday morning at the first school, and take a guess how many students were there. ONE! Technically two, but the boy left to spend time with his father and he forgot the questions he had at home. So instead of teaching the brilliant lesson plan I had worked on, I sat for about 2 hours with this girl, who was the same age as me with 2 children in Primary 8, working on SST. Being slightly discouraged by the lack of students showing up, I went home for lunch, delicious bread, gnut paste and honey... my favourite!!! The afternoon came quickly as I went to the last school of my weekend. 2 o'clock came around and 2 students came rolling in. I thought oh boy, here we go again. Well by the time we were done around 8 students had come. More or less, we did the same thing at this school though. I told them give me your questions and we will work on them together. By this time I was not all that discourage by the lack of students coming out (mainly because I told myself it is because of a lack of communication this week as I got sick and was unable to visit the schools). Instead I was able to focus more on relationship building, but also I was able to learn another lesson. These students need this extra teaching, but more than that they need resources to study. Only few students actually have a textbook (most in sad shape), or bible, or any other resource they need to do assignments or study from home. So, I am now hoping to establish some sort of after school drop in tutoring center. That being said, I would love for (there goes the chicken again) any advice from those who might be more knowledgeable about such things on how best to implement something like this. Also, I have been asked for a bunch of English Bibles, which to buy here are a bit expensive, so I was wondering if anyone from back home would be willing to donate some?? On top of that, please pray as more projects are now in the works and we hope to get some more work done in the next month and a bit.

Two other quick stories to share with you. On Thursday I hosted my first Bible Study here in Mundri. I was able to borrow a guitar from a fellow kawaja here, and I invited a bunch of friends over. Only 4 people came out, but we had some fun playing and singing songs on the guitar together praising God. We then sang some songs in Moru and Arabic. This was all followed by eating together and digging into God's work in Moru and English. This week, I am praying that God will take it and expand it so that it can continue to grow and that I can continue to speak into young people's lives here through God's word.

Finally, I must say that today I am very very sore. This is because yesterday there was a football match, and I got to play. A few weeks ago a group of the best players from Mundri here all got to go to the capital city of the state to go play in a football tournament. The boys made it to the semi finals so they did awesome. However, now that they are back, many of the players who did not go want to prove that they should have been on the team. As a result, last night the left behinds (aka. Red Stars) played the team that went to Yambio. I made the Red Stars as a reserve, BooYah! The final score 5-3 for the team from Yambio. We did pretty good though, put up a decent fight for sure.

That is all for now,
Love you all and thank you so much for your prayers

Thomas

*Prayer Requests
-School building project proposal
-Supplementary Teaching Time
-After school tutoring center
-Provision of Bibles
-Team from America here to do water sanitation training
-My good friend Scott heads back stateside at the end of the month and he will be sadly missed so please pray for his last 2 weeks here and also for all of the young men he has had an opportunity to impact while he is here.

Am I a teacher now?

I survived my first experience of teaching school subjects. Whether any of the students learned anything, who knows. I learned something though, I can talk for a really long time if I am given the space and stage to do it. Between Friday and Saturday I taught around 9 hours of class covering subjects from English, Science, Social Studies, and Christian Religious Education to around 90 different students at 3 different schools here in Mundri West County. I truly am unsure how useful that time was for the students themselves, but I now have a much better grasp on how to structure that time in a much more productive way for those students: at least that's the hope. We did get to have some fun working on pronunciation from a great poem involving a whole wack load of tricky words in English. For those who have had to learn English as a second or third language, I am so so sorry. Our language is ridiculous. I also got to play duck duck goose with 2 of the classes (my rational was that it helped them remember at least two animals that are raised by poultry farmers). Also, I shot a water bottle cap across a classroom in an attempt to teach that air can be compressed. 

Perhaps the best part of my teaching experience though was when I got to the 3rd school (Mundri II). I was exhausted Friday after only teaching for 3 hours, imagine how I felt after teaching another 3 on Saturday morning and doing some lesson prep in between that first lesson and going to the last school. Not really looking all that forward to teaching. I trucked along anyways and got to the school at 2 which was when I said we would start. Only 2 students were there. At the other schools there had been a teacher to unlock the classroom and to get me chalk and was there as a form of support. At this last school, just 2 students. I thought, well at least I won't have to teach for long. After waiting for about 10-15 minutes about 10 more students showed up and together we started wandering around the school checking windows to see if there were any that were unlocked that we could climb in. We found one, the Primary 5 classroom. So in we all hopped through the window. It was quite the mess inside. I think there was all of one desk that was somewhat still in working condition while the rest of the seats were either half broken plastic chairs or rocks, or little kids seats. In and among this mess we started to scrounge for chalk. With all of the little nubbins combined I began to teach. Throughout the lesson a rain storm came along leading us to close half the windows leaving us in near darkness. So much for any students reading anything off the board. All in all we had at least a good time, laughed a lot for sure. **Please pray as I prepare myself for teaching again this weekend. Also please pray that the students will be a bit forgiving with my first time and come back.

Today I spent a bit of time getting ready to move into a Tukul for an indefinite period of time. I am excited to get outside of this gated compound and to have a bunch more people come for visits. That being said, I am inviting a bunch of friends over on Thursday to host a dinner/games/worship/bible study/movie night. We will see how it goes. I hope that at least some come out and that we can have a bit of fun looking into God's word together. Also, on Wednesday I am heading to a friends field to help him with his Cassava. That should be a good experience. It will be good to get my hands dirty for once, enough of this project proposal writing and teaching (please pray for our project proposal and that God will provide the money for us to build an office, and start work on the school).

Love you all and hope to hear from you soon.

Thomas Canada (as I am now called)

Reality Check

Today while out and about, checking in with schools about teaching curriculum, greeting students and teachers alike, I came across an event that struck a chord in my heart and really brought some gravity to my time here. After barely leaving one of the school compounds I noticed the sound of wailing. Walking a bit down the path I noticed a group of women and some men gathered around weeping and crying out. As I stood there trying to figure out what was happening I noticed a woman sitting in the middle of the gathering with a still body wrapped in cloth. Even though I could not understand what people were saying, I quickly realized a young child had died not all that long before I came to walk by. This caught me quite off guard, and I did not know what to do. I wanted so badly to go and talk to those grieving and offer some form of condolences, but lacking the language skills to do so I just stood there. Also, not wanting to impose on the family in any way I tried to stay back. I had no clue how to react, I could not just walk away as if nothing was happening, yet I was absolutely powerless to do anything to help these people. So I did just about the only thing one can ever do in every situation. I began to pray. I just there, dumbfounded in the road praying. Praying what I do not even know. What good did my prayers do, again not a clue. But, there I was just praying, blown away by the fragility of life and how hard it is for many people here in Mundri to live.

This moment in many ways impacted me, but maybe the greatest way is the powerlessness of me. I can so often come into a situation thinking that I can fix it, if I just do this everything will be better. But, just like for this poor grieving family, I can't really do anything but pray. Thank God He listens to our prayers! They are sometimes the most powerful way that we can spend our time. 

That being said thank you for your prayers. I love you all.

Thomas

Prayer Requests:

-The family who lost a child today.

-Tomorrow I am starting an ACEM Supplementary Teaching Time for Students in Primary 8. I am covering 4 subjects (Science, English, Social Studies, and Christian Religious Education). I need your prayers for wisdom, love, knowledge, patience, endurance (as I am teaching for 9 hours between Friday and Saturday, and all to follow for a while).

-My quadriceps are acting all funky and this is stopping me from playing football. So quick healing would be appreciated because that will allow me to continue building relationships through sports. I have seen many friendships develop so far and I do not want to see this stop. So also pray for the relationships.