a very Toposa Christmas.

 LALAWA YESU, LALAWA JIK!  

PRAISE JESUS, PRAISE FOREVER!

Christmas Day begins with sunshine, a difference from the two days before which started with rain showers.  We eat oatmeal and gingerbread scones and drink a cup of coffee.  Christmas potpourri from the states fills our porch with the smell of cinnamon.  Then, we lock up our tukels, toilet, shower, and kitchen as we are expecting to have guests on the compound after worship time under a tree nearby.  How many?  We do not know.  Yet.  We walk to the tree and greet those who arrived early.

 Girls from one area, ready to worship

Walker with Charles' daughter, Dorcas

Decked out for Christmas 

 The group around 9:00am.

We wait.  The small group forms a circle, and we begin to sing praise songs.  I am sad and disappointed.  The group looks like the one last Christmas, small and mostly made up of men.  But I know this group gathered is in itself a victory, so I sing along joyfully and am grateful for these believers who came to worship and pray to Jesus alone.

In the middle of a song, a distance sound whisks its way into our ears.  I hear it.  The pounding of drums, the stomping of feet, and the singing of a song.  But what song?  I think it must be a group headed for the other Toposa celebration, where others will be honored beside Jesus.  Surely, they are not coming here.  The words become clearer: "Acamit ayong kuwapa Yesu, acamit ayong kuwapa Yesu, acamit ayong kuwapa Yesu, nyabongari kaku nabo."  It is the Toposa version of "I Have Decided to Follow Jesus."  They are coming.  They are coming here.

I cry as I capture their entrance on video.  They come!  They come!  They are here to worship Jesus, their Savior!  They march around the small group and then join in our song.  They are only the first group to march in from a distance.  It happens again.  And again.  And again.  And again.  Each group marching in from a different area of Toposaland, led by a different leader.  Men come and women come and children come.  We sing and sing and sing for two and a half hours.  At 11:30am, the group looks like this... 

Somewhere between 400-500 Toposa gather under the tree.  

We listen to Luke 2 on the Proclaimer, the audio New Testament.  A Toposa leader stands to retell and discuss the story.  The people listen.  Even with so many in one place, it is quiet.  

Shannon stands and explains why Jesus came.  He tells of the fall in the garden, of the animal sacrifices that were not enough, of the promise of a Savior who would wash away sin.  He explains that Jesus is Savior and the only one who can bring people back into a perfect relationship with God.

We pray together.  Silence.  I can hardly believe that this is happening.

The worship time is over, but the party for Jesus does not stop here.  The leaders tell the people we will continue to celebrate on our compound.  Slowly, the Toposa trickle onto the compound.  We lock the gate; Shannon keeps the keys.

Mindy and I man the water hose.  The people are thirsty, but our water tank runs on solar power and we know that when the sun goes down there will be no more water pumped into the tank.  We let people drink, and then we turn off the hose.

Those who are not thirsty gather in groups.  They are believers and they are Toposa and they form circles and sing.  They dance, jump, shout, and blow their whistles.  

While most everyone celebrates Toposa-style, Carrie and our good friends cook a huge meal behind the house.  Three goats and more maize meal than you can imagine are made into a Christmas meal.

Maria, Nachebe, Regina, Regina, and Kine skin the goats

And stir the massive pot of maize meal

And sometimes I sit with ladies from Lolepan and sometimes I laugh with ladies from Nudwa.  Other times I join a Toposa circle and jump around in the middle with the other unmarried girls.  This is a different Christmas for me.  I am so glad I am here.

Mindy and I soak up sun on Christmas!

Nakai wearing her celebratory sunglasses

After a full afternoon of celebrating, all eat.  Five people or so share a bowl of ugali (think playdough-like grits) with goat meat and juice on top.  There is enough for everyone.  When they finish, they gather their things and head home by foot.

The cooks and some leaders and us on the Toposa Team do not eat while the people are still on the compound, but, once everyone else leaves, there are a few extra maize meal bags and goat intestines left over.  It is the perfect amount.

Jacob, Joseph, and Lokoyo

We eat and laugh and take silly pictures.  I am thankful to these Carrie and these women for their hard work all day over the charcoal fire.  The maize meal and the goat is delicious.

PRAISE THE LORD.  

Praise Him for becoming a man and for coming to die to restore you and me and Toposa men, women, and children to Himself.  Praise Him for giving boldness and courage and fearlessness to the believers and those that listen to His Word to make a stand on Christmas for Jesus.  Praise Him for a smooth day and a good day of fellowship and celebration.  Praise Him for His provision of food for every person that came.  Praise Him for being Immanuel, God With Us.  

Praise Him for He is good and He is glory and He is God.  

Praise Him forever.

from the journeygirls...

...who are "rockin' around Toposaland" this Christmas!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

cry, shepherds, cry.

As I thought about how God chose to declare the message of the birth of the Savior to shepherds, people I see out in the bush with their animals every day, He gave me this song about a few shepherds from His Word and even one here in Toposaland!

"Cry, Shepherd, Cry"

A young boy protects the lambs

From attacks by wolves and lions

His heart looks to the Lord above

This shepherd turned king

Heard a voice, commanding…

CHORUS 1:

Cry, shepherd, cry

Tell your heart message

To the One who listens to you

Cry, shepherd, cry

For one of your sons

Will reign on the throne forever

Cry, shepherd, cry

Cry, shepherd, cry

Men on the hills watching flocks

One night, so quiet then loud

Their eyes look to heaven above

These shepherds listening

Hear many voices, singing…

CHORUS 2:

Cry, shepherds, cry

Go tell this message

For the people listen to you

Cry, shepherds, cry

For the world must know

That the Savior is born tonight

Cry, shepherds, cry

Cry, shepherds, cry

A Jewish man, set apart

Teacher, Master, Friend, and Lord

His heart looking to Father above

This Shepherd the High King

Heard a voice, comforting…

CHORUS 3:

Cry, Shepherd, cry

Your death will be the message

For all those who will listen and believe

Cry, Shepherd, cry

This pain is temporary

For the salvation of souls many, once and for all

Cry, Shepherd, cry

Cry, Shepherd, cry

A Toposa boy, years later

Hears of that God man, that Savior

His hearts looks to the Lord above

This shepherd, a missionary

Hears a voice, encouraging…

CHORUS 4:

Cry, shepherd, cry

Proclaim this message

To all who will listen to believe

Cry, shepherd, cry

For as you have known

Christ is salvation alone, teach them

Cry, shepherd, cry

Cry, shepherd, cry

Cry, shepherd, cry

Cry out, you shepherd, cry

HAPPY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!

the One who made the stars.

I was anxious a few nights ago when we headed to the village gathering to hear God’s Word.  I greeted the people and joined them in song, but my heart would not be still.  I began reciting verses from God’s Word in my head and then mouthing them to myself while the voices around me sang loud.  I decided to fix my eyes on the stars, the millions and millions of stars sprinkled across the vast expanse of sky above me.  I joined in the Toposa songs again with my eyes still fixed on the stars. I realized we were singing a certain song for the second time, which is not abnormal at a Toposa worship gathering, but this time it was extra meaningful.

Nyakuj kang namere kangare

Ipoloto iyong eloit nyibore daan.

My God who made the stars

You are greater than all things.

And in the middle of the chorus, up above, where I was looking, a giant stream of extremely bright, white light shot across the sky, leaving a blazing white trail lingering behind it.  I actually stopped singing and blurted out loud, “Is this for real?”  It was more than a falling star, which is a pretty normal occurrence to see in the night sky. 

I researched online for a little while we returned home, and some websites say that it was a part of rock comet, a meteorite of some kind that gets close to the sun and then breaks into many bright pieces that resemble shooting stars.  Apparently, this happens every mid-December!

But it doesn’t matter what kind of matter it was.  It was God’s reminder to me to stay my gaze on Him.  He knows my heart and when I am feeling anxious about something.  And He is faithful.  Always.

“Be my rock of refuge to which I can always go;

give the command to save me,

for You are my Rock and my Fortress.” 

Psalm 71:3

He is the One who made the stars.  He is greater than all things, anything and everything that comes my way. 

And He is my God.

exterminators.

It's a good thing that two of our Toposa friends and Benton were around this afternoon!  A mouse decided to make an appearance mid-conversation up high in the rafters.  Napio grabbed a bow and shot arrows in the ceiling toward the rodent. 

 Here's the terrified little critter way up high.

 Benton dislodging arrows while all looked on from below

 Benton trying one last shot...

And let's just say I'm glad the exterminators were here this afternoon. 

Oh, and that there is one less mouse in Toposaland.

visitors and a road trip.

 This week our translator, Charles, helped out with the Church Leadership Training, which left Mindy and I with time to visit with our friends and get started on our new storying project.  We sat down and chose 49 Old Testament stories and 39 New Testament ones (though the audio player on which we will record the stories already has a Turkana New Testament)!  We definitely need God's guidance on order and if any need to be added/not included.  (Of course, we wish that the Toposa could have every Old Testament story, but the memory card can only hold so much.)

 Namana and her daughter, Lokuron

Nakorot and I

The Lesleys came up to help with the leader training and get to know more of this area of Toposaland, where they'll be moving in about two and a half months.  Holly's birthday was on Wednesday, and we celebrated with noisemakers, a candle, and brownies!

Mindy and I gave our final AIDS stories presentation at the leader training.  They really understood the stories and are ready to teach them to others and live, themselves, in such a way as to "keep AIDS from their villages."  Here's Charles and I teaching, and the four guys who helped out as the "Four Sons" from the "Old Man and His Sons" AIDS story.

After the leaders' training ended on Saturday, each leader was given a giant bag of sorghum.  Shannon took his car to Karkamugue with some of the Texas team members who came to teach, Carrie and other team members took another vehicle toward Nataragat, and Mindy and I filled up the truck with...

sorghum and...

men!

We headed "around the world" starting with Napei Ngoroco and made the big circle, ending up in Najie!  We passed gardens where women sat aloft on their ngapem, slinging mud at birds to keep them away from the sorghum.

We met with some crazy post-rainy season terrain, but those ravines and huge ruts couldn't keep us from moving forward.

Naturally, we met with some car trouble. What's a road trip in South Sudan without it!  Our car detected bad fuel and needed us to drain the water from the fuel.  Here I am finally pumping the water out, with loads of help from the two leaders beside me whose hands were able to loosen the nozzle.

At least the car trouble wasn't this bad!  We passed this grounded truck on the way to the final village.  Glad we didn't attempt this road during rainy season!

"Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and even though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy..."

1 Peter 1:8

sic 'em.

Mindy and I made a bet about the Texas Tech - Baylor football game, as those are our alma maters:  

The loser of the game would wear the other team's shirt that week...

Sic 'Em Bears.