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| Celebrating, fall style, for my 28'th birthday! |
I’m missing the seasonal change going on right now in my
home state of Virginia. This is
the time when the leaves become infused with fiery colors, lighting up the
forests with their warmth. They
fall to the ground in crunchy piles and smell like a vintage earth. I love how the sky is a deep blue, and
the air is just brisk enough to keep me outside and moving (hopefully moving from
harvest festival, to apple orchard, to local winery…). This time of year is a lovely repose
before the awfulness of a Virginia winter, with its icy rain and erratic
temperature swings. I hold onto
the season for as long as possible, in hopes of prolonging the weather-induced
peace that is Autumn.
The season is changing here in Mundri, as well, though not
in the same way as back in the states.
Lulu tree leaves are eaten away by droves of fuzzy caterpillars and, in
time, the trees become skeletons.
The rest of the greenery is slowly dwindling down to withered branches. Those of us on the team get caked in
red dirt after riding bikes to and from town. It gets in our mouths, under our nails, and coats our
hair. And the temperatures rise…
and rise. Yes, we are starting to
feel the effects of an African dry season. Granted, I have only been given a small taste of it, but I’m
preparing myself for (what I have been told is) a considerably long season of
monotony in climate. The dry
season typically goes from November until April. Although it is hot, many people prefer it to the rainy
season. There are no unexpected
rain showers to raise the river levels and muddy the roads, impeding
travel. There is less death, as
fewer people struggle with infections and malaria. People can even spend time
outside under the stars without having to worry about mosquitoes eating them
alive. I’m glad to have a break from the daily downpours we’ve been getting
here in Mundri; however, I know I will miss the beauty of a violent African
storm.
I’ve also been feeling a change in myself during this time—a
sensation that a new season in my Mundri life is approaching. The Lord has been giving me increased
boldness to step out into the Moru community and meet new people, ask more
questions, and offer more of my skills.
The World Harvest team has recently been preparing for our upcoming
vision retreat, in which we will discuss where we see the team and its S.
Sudanese partnerships headed in the future. My head has been swarming with ideas of how I can use my
God-given passions and gifts to bless the community here. I’d love to start a children’s worship
service at a nearby church and train teens and young adults to keep it
going. I want to have frequent
film showings in the town centre for all to enjoy; we could train some of the
students at the theological college in the audio/visual setup so they could
partner with us and have a greater sense of ownership in the event. I want to hold more teacher trainings. I
want to start journalism and creative writing clubs at secondary schools. I
want to foster a creative and critical mindset in the young people here. I want to start Bible studies. I want to give generously. I want to do a lot of things.
The key is discerning which of these projects will benefit
the people of Mundri and which are just pipe dreams—ambitions that Jennifer
Disse has to puff herself up and make herself feel useful and important in the
world. God has given me a passion
and energy for serving the people of South Sudan for a reason. His gifts are not in vain. However, I must keep my overwhelming
sense of self in check, as I go about making great plans of all that I want to
do. Without the Lord, I can do
nothing. I was listening to a Tim
Keller sermon the other day and he asked the simple question, “What gets you
out of bed in the morning?” If it
isn’t the love of Jesus Christ, there needs to be some reevaluation of my goals
and priorities. I’ll admit that,
since I’ve been in S. Sudan, I’ve been urged more by a sense of obligation and
pride than the overwhelming love of Christ. I want more of that in my heart as I plan my work here. Even the most well thought out
community projects can fail.
Economical and developmental experts from around the globe can
congregate and establish plans for the future aid of the world’s newest country. The only thing that I’m certain will
continue after the last NGO has left South Sudan is the love of Jesus Christ
for the people here.
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God's mercy,
to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God...
-Romans 12:1
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