I'll get right to the point; there hasn't been much "ministry" this month. It's been a challenge. I take some consolation in knowing we're the first squad to come to South Sudan. We have the responsibility of being the foundation so that others can come along and continue the work. The foundation for a house doesn't look like much until the walls go up. Trying to figure out what we're supposed to be doing is a daily, even hourly process. It's really stretched my ability to create ministry opportunities.
I've spent many afternoons aimlessly roaming around the property. Without internet or power or even an itinerary for the day, I've been drawn to the kids hanging out around the property. Maybe I'm just a big kid myself. African kids are wildly creative. They can play with a half deflated rubber ball or a stick and a few lines in the dirt for hours, literally. Almost every afternoon I hang out around the school yard waiting for something to happen.
There's this group of boys that I find hanging out most late afternoons. They're rambunctious and mischievous in the best possible way. It makes me miss being eleven. While hanging outside the school one day, one of the boys threw a big rock at a wasp nest. I ran screaming in terror while each of them pounded the wasps into submission with rocks. Somewhere along the way adults become reasonable and rational and it's a shame. Maybe we all need a bit more danger. I hang out with these kids looking for something different.
Sometimes we sneak into the locked classrooms while no one's looking. One of the boys is able to pick the lock and I crawl in through a tiny open window in the door. I'm actually impressed I can fit. There's only a few kid sized chairs and tables in the classroom, but "breaking in" makes it instant fun. I take a few photos and they laugh hysterically at all the funny faces they make on camera. Something about a camera makes them do the wildest stuff.
They like to jump off the roof of this building next to the soccer field. Their tiny limbs flail and fly right into a large sand pit where they land with a thud. They laugh and do it all over again, hoping I'll take a picture. There's a wild abandon in being young boy. Somewhere along the way to adulthood, I've lost that.
You don't see father's playing with their kids here. There's no catch on the front lawn or Saturday soccer games with the with the whole family. This is the first generation of children to grow up without conflict, but I know they have a warrior heart within their little bodies. I wonder what their lives would look like lived in reckless abandon, chasing after God. They just need a little push in that direction.
I don't like the modern image of a gentle Jesus that frankly looks like a wimp. I bet he was ripped like Rambo. He's looking for warriors, ready for battle, not wimps. I imagine these kids being children of a new revolution. The revolution for independence is over, and now the fight for the kingdom can begin. I believe these little children are part of that generation. Keep your eyes peeled, it's going to be something.
Playing ball at the orphanage
Having fun on the playground
Our next door neighbor's children
Jumping off the roof
Playing tag by the well
Right before church
The boys being weird
Our next door neighbor and the baby she takes care of
Hiding out
Kids after church
Susie
Cooking maize at the orphanage
