Highlights & Lessons from 2013

As we look back on 2013 we wanted to share with you our top 10 highlights and our top 10 lessons learned living while overseas in South Sudan.

HIGHLIGHTS

#10 - Moving into our Prefab House

After spending two tiring and stressful weeks building a house, we were all very happy to finally move into our prefab

#9 - GTC Board Meetings

Having 10 additional men and women on campus during July and November was exciting as David was able to meet together with them planning and making important decisions affecting the future of the college.  Being able to talk with Sudanese church leaders like Bulus, Yaa, Kuwa and Hassan was very encouraging.

#8 - Afternoon tea time

There is nothing like sitting down with a group of men or women for 3 hours and talking about anything and everything. 

#7 - Vacations in Kenya

Whether it was going to Lake Naivasha, Masai Mara or Mombasa we had great times getting away for a few days.

#6 - Karen’s relationship with Abook

Abook was the dear friend Karen was able to celebrate with on good days and cry with on bad days.

#5 - Trips to Mabaan and Malakal

We always looked forward to travelling to see our teammates in other towns in Upper Nile State!

#4 - GTC Graduation

After many months of preparation the big day finally arrived and we celebrated the accomplishments of the 22 graduating men and women.

#3 - Getting to know Zechariah and Mary

We will always remember talking with Zechariah on campus, spending time at church with him and his wife and our visits together

#2 - Learning Arabic with Deng Bol

We never would have guessed this would be a highlight but it is.  We enjoyed meeting with Deng Bol week after week and seeing our knowledge and understanding of Arabic grow.  It was a lot of work but it was worth it!

#1 - Seeing Rachel grow and thrive

The greatest highlight of our time in South Sudan was seeing our daughter love everything!  She loved playing with her Sudanese friends, she loved playing with the baby chicks at Auntie Viola's house and she loved running outside to play in the sand.  

LESSONS LEARNED

#10 - Rural health care is risky. We lived in a town which was an hour drive from a half-decent hospital and a 3 hour boat ride from the state capital city.  We're very thankful that we never had to experience any sort of medical evacuation because it would have taken anywhere between 6-12 hours for a plane to come and get us.

#9 - Supportive friends are needed.  We were grateful for the emails, facebook messages and Skype conversations we had with some of you while we were away.  It helped us feel like we weren't "all alone".

#8 - We missed Canada.  To be honest we didn't think we would miss home, but we did.  We missed simple things like relaxing by watching a hockey game or by walking to a coffee shop.

#7 - Finances are a lot of work.  Submitting expense claims in 3 different currencies, sorting out a new pay system, and trying to keep track of our accounts in Canada from South Sudan was not easy.

#6 - Language is essential.  Communicating with our house helper, the GTC boat driver, the shop keepers in town and our friends was 100x easier in August, September and October when we had a better understanding of Arabic!

#5 - David is an engineer not a builder, and a project manager not a handyman.  There are things God has made us good at and things we're not gifted at, so there's no need to try to be people we're not.

#4 - We are urban not rural people.  We would much rather live in a city like Hamilton, Ontario or Malakal, Upper Nile State than in a rural town like Melut.

#3 - Taking time to rest is essential.  We have a new appreciation for the word vacation and we will continue to encourage everyone we know (co-workers, friends, family) to have no shame in taking some time away!

#2 - Housing location and conditions are important. Living in a small house, very close to our neighbours, and sharing an outdoor toilet was something we could do for 11 months but not something we'd want to do long-term.

#1 - Be flexible.  Above all these two words summarize our time in South Sudan.

So what’s next as we look forward to 2014?  Karen has her first shift back at the hospital on Friday January 17 and David starts back to work at his engineering company on Monday January 20.  We are also eagerly anticipating the arrival of our second child at the end of March. 

We thank you for following along our journey over this past year or so.  We look forward to seeing you all face to face in the coming months!