What a trip…

I am not sure where to start after going on such a life-changing experience. Let me first say thank you to all who have prayed for Tom Zurowski and I and our families. Thank you to those who contacted our wives and kids while we were away – it was greatly appreciated.

We arrived safely home Tuesday night from about 33 hours of flying and waiting for flights. One of the goals that I personally had when I went was to encouraging the believers in Sudan and also to be encouraged myself. Now that I reflect on the trip, I hope that they were encouraged even half as much as our lives were changed through the experience.

The trip included everything from meeting students, teachers, local people, influential governmental leaders concerning the school, watching de-miners remove land mines from the war off of school property while the students learned in classes, hearing reports of a Ugandan rebel group (LRA) killing a chief in a neighboring community and heading in the direction of the school and where we were staying, having soldiers dispatched into our area for safety form these rebels who kill, steal, abduct and rape, making friends with a bat who I shared a tookle (shelter) with, and trying to trust God throughout the whole experience.

I quickly found out where my peace laid: in the comfort and familiarity of what I know here in the US. I realized that when your world is flipped upside down, you discover what is really on the inside of a man. For me is was a lonely, scared, uncomfortable, intimidated little man 🙂 I wasn’t so spiritual as I thought I was. Back here in the US, Liz and the family felt insecurities and fears as well. It is a humbling experience to say goodbye at the airport knowing Dad is going to a volatile place and it may be the last time we see each other. Though each day we live we don’t know what may come no matter where we are, this trip seem to bring out thoughts and feelings we had never experienced.

Though we did not have me go to Sudan for my sake, I believe my family and I were lovingly broken in such a way that will help us to be better lovers of God and people. We have a long way to go, but we thank God for the experience. He held us in His loving hands throughout the trip.

As many of you know, the ministry we are working with (Global Response Network) is rebuilding the second largest school ever built in Southern Sudan. The nation is war-torn and as I experienced to some extent first hand, still is dealing with rebels, broken families, fear, a rebuilding government, and the attempt for a people to stand together and restore their lives. I got to see first hand how GRN is helping to do that.

I took so much video on the trip. That was one of my main tasks for the ministry. I will now have the great opportunity to go through the hours of footage we took to edit the videos and create short “movies” meant to help communicate the scope of the Loka Senior Secondary School Project with people in the States and around the world.

I realized quickly that the school that GRN is rebuilding is a great source of life and hope in the community of Loka and for all of the south of Sudan. I feel so privileged to be able to help the students, teachers, workers and people of Southern Sudan in some small way. Now that I have looked into their eyes, seen their lives, kicked the soccer ball around with them and talked with them, I see with absolute clarity the difference we are making in Sudan.

If you have not done so already, I encourage you to visit GRN’s website at http://www.grnconnect.org where you will see some of the video work that I will be doing and its where you can connect with the Loka Senior Secondary School Project.

Well, thank you once again for your love and support for my family and me. Honestly, my family and I are such rookies in “ministry.” We don’t really know what we are doing at times! Please give us feedback on how we are communicating with you and even how we can pray for you. All we know to do sometimes is keep pushing forward, trying to make a difference for Jesus in the sphere where God gives us influence. I do believe that somehow, we all are making a difference as we live our lives totally sold out to God and His desires.

Stay tuned for pics and stories from the trip and our everyday lives. We hope you are encouraged by them!

Jesus is worthy,

John