Janet's Place

I am back from my homestay at the wonderful Janet’s place.  She was so generous, so kind, and so encouraging as a sister in Christ.  I stayed for the weekend and got to experience a full range of emotions.  Instead of giving a tedious play-by-play of every minute spent, I will simply touch upon some of the feelings I experienced this weekend.

Fear: 

Yes, I will admit that I felt some fear—fear of not being able to communicate with Janet’s family, fear of being judged by other S. Sudanese women, fear of running into a snake or scorpion in the zara (garden).  I was lucky, though.  God didn’t put me in any situations that I couldn’t get through.  Also, the gentle Aida (teammate Heidi) was there alongside me the whole time.

Guilt: 

I knew the American guilt would eventually creep in while I stayed with Janet and Agnes.  For starters, Janet is in the upper years of adulthood and is still taking care of many people in her family.  She walks a mile to the bore-hole a few times a day and has to carry a ridiculously heavy jerry-can of water on her head, as it splashes all over her face along the way back.  Very little water is drunk during the day, despite how hard she works and how hot it gets.

Material possessions are scarce and very well used.  The children went wild when I brought out pens and paper for drawing, and I started to realize that even what I considered “essentials” for entertainment and education were not available.  I started to realize why it is that so many white people simply give and give without thinking about the long-term effects.          

Agnes was another source of guilt for me.  A young woman in her twenties, she lives with her Aunt Janet and helps with the cooking and cleaning.  Her playful spirit and unrestrained love for all make her appear younger than she is; however, a closer look at her life reveals experience far greater than my own.  She has one child who lives in town apart from her and one who died after several months.  She still cries when he is mentioned.  Like many young Sudanese women, she dreams of moving to America and asked Heidi and me how much money it would cost to get there.  We told her, “Much much.”  Her desire to travel and see the world is one that I can definitely relate to and it is hard to accept that she will probably not get to fulfill her dreams.

Encouragement:  

God was good to encourage me throughout the weekend.  For starters, I got to watch Heidi (who had originally been struggling to learn Arabic) have full on conversations with Janet and her aunt Susannah.  She did most of the talking when I failed to communicate through my few Arabic phrases.  Even though I’m still in the beginning stages, I felt encouraged by those few interactions when I pulled out an Arabic word from the corner of my mind and spoke it to a kid or to Agnes.  Bridging this language gap is just one simple way for me to enter into Moru/ Sudanese culture. 

            The unbelievable hospitality of Janet and Agnes was also a great encouragement to someone as self-conscious as I.  The hostesses served Heidi and me joyfully, while still allowing us the pleasure of helping out in the kitchen and in the garden for a bit.  They asked questions in earnest about the work we are doing with WHM and answered any language question we threw their way.     

Joy:

Observing Janet taught me a thing or two about everyday joy in Christ.  She set about weeding her garden with that peaceful smile of hers and kept it, even when she was killing the snake and the scorpion that crossed her path! Each night, under the bright, silvery light of the moon, she would pray for us, content in the Lord’s righteous provision.  Going to her church on Sunday, I got to observe even more joy!  Nothing beats African praise and worship.  At the end of the weekend, Janet was shocked to find that Heidi and I would be heading back to our respective tukuls.  She wanted us to stay for much longer and told us that she would gladly have us anytime.  I know I’ll be taking her up on her offer.

I know that it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. -Philippians 4:12,13