Updates from Sudan
May 28
Hi all,
Just time for a very quick note, have borrowed the Bishops computer again. We have safely arrived in Khartoum without incident. Will be running church errands today and leaving very very early tomorrow morning for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Hopefully we will have time to visit an internet cafe or something and get all caught up on contacting you all.
Our phone which was working to place calls from Renk, but not working to receive them, or allow us to get messages is now working since we are back in an area which has full phone coverage. We have gotten our messages and will be keeping the phone with us, so family, you can call if you need to. It is 9 hours later here so 7, 8 or 9 am is a good time to call and it is cheaper if you call us.
We have so much news to share and so many pictures to show you......
Blessings from all of us to all of you,
Mary Kleine
May 27
Hi all,
Sorry it has been so long since I wrote. It has been very hard to get internet access in Sudan. The Bishop has a special device that he uses so he has graciously allowed me to use his comuter. There is no way I can catch up on everything in the short time I have to write so just a quick update for now. I should have more time when we are in a place with computer access. It was wonderful to read all the notes you have sent back. I wish I had time to reply to each one individually, but not today.
Keep Matt and Joseph in your prayers today. They are traveling down to Maban to visit St. Barnaba. They will be back this evening and we leave at 5am tomorrow for Khartoum. Shirley is working in the clinic and I am going to work with the women as soon as I finish this. We have learned so much and are overwhelmed with all the people here are able to do in the circumstances of their daily life. We are taking lots and lots of pictures and Shirley and I are trying to keep notes, so we will remember things clearly. We have met and heard the stories of many of the people connected with St. Barnaba, Toby John, James Aliet, etc. Toby's 1year old daughter died last week because they could not get her adequate medical care in time. Even so, he made the trip to see us. His wife lives here in Renk with their older children. She is the sister of Grace who takes care of the guest house here.
It is extremely hot today, but we are thankful it has not been pouring rain and prior days, though hot have not been this hot.
I can look across the compound and see the cross on the roof of the cathedral. There is a cross on the top of each of the guest houses. At the service on Sunday, many people carried large crosses and held them up as we prayed. They really are "lifting high the cross" here. May we be able to help support their arms so they can have the strength to keep them raised high.
Love and Blessings along with greetings from Shirley and Matt.
Sudan Trip
Three members of St. Barnabas are traveling to the Sudan:
Shirley Holt, who chairs the St. Barnabas Outreach Commission.
Mary Kleine Yehling, treasurer of St. Barnabas.
Fr. Matt Gunter, rector of St. Barnabas
They will be visiting projects that we have supported through the tithing of our Capital Campaign (about $60,000 so far), e.g., a restaurant run by women in Renk and a brick production project in Maban.
They will visit the Health Clinic in Renk which St. Barnabas has supported through its annual Hope for Sudan Concert (which raised $14,000 this year). Shirley, who is a nurse, will be serving there and assessing needs.
Mary Kleine will visit various projects and assess viability and accountability as we seek to continue our relationship. She will also offer support and basic accounting training to entrepreneurial endeavors.
Fr. Matt will visit with church leaders and preach and teach. He will also make a day trip to visit the pastor and people of our sister parish, St. Barnaba, Maban, and the new church building we funded.
The team leaves on May 20 and arrive in Sudan on the 22nd. They will leave Sudan on May 29. From there, they are making stops in Ethiopia and Kenya.
Mary Kleine is also on the board of the Tyndale Foundation which has given grants to projects in Sudan, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Hence the second and third legs of the trip during which she will check out other projects the Foundation has funded.
As it happens, Fr. Matt’s wife, Leslie, has a nephew who lives in Kenya. He and his wife have just had a baby. Fr. Matt will be visiting them.
The trip ends with a journey to a game park to enjoy the African wildlife. They return on June 6.
The itinerary which Bishop Joseph Garang Atem has provided for the Sudan portion of the trip is here:
Rev. Matt, Shirley and Mary Itinerary from Friday 22 -29 of May 2009
Arrival day Friday 22 May 2009 Rest/ Shopping
Saturday 23:- Travelling to Renk
5:00 Travelling to Renk
1:00 PM arrival
1:30 PM Lunch and rest.
7:30 -8:30 PM Dinner and rest.
Sunday 24:- Matt preaching at St. Matthew Cathedral Renk /touring Renk Town.
7:30-8:30 AM breakfast.
9:00-11:30 AM Worship at St. Mathew Cathedral (The Very Rev. Martha Deng Nior, Dean)
1:00-2:00PM Lunch
5:20-7:00 PM Touring the Town
7:30-8:30 PM Dinner and rest.
Monday 25:- Shirley works at the Clinic. Mary Kleine works with women at the Women’s Center.
Rev. Matt will be at the College seminar teaching or sharing with them any book at Old Testament or New Testament especially Paul’s Letter to Philemon. Meeting with women/Pastors.
7:30-8:30 AM breakfast
8:35-11:30 AM first session at the College Shirley will be at the Clinic and Mary Kleine with women at the Women’s Center
11:30-12:30 PM Students breakfast
12:00-1:00 PM Lunch for Rev. Matt, Shirley and Mary Kleine
1:00-200 second session Shirley back to Clinic and Mary Kleine back to Center.
3:00-4:00 meeting with women
4:30-6:30 meeting with pastors.
7:00-8:00 Dinner and rest.
Tuesday 26:- Workshop at the college for all the pastors and third year Students. Facilitated by Mary Kleine / Shirley & meeting with Elders Chief and Community leaders leading by Chief Bior Kuer
7:30-8:30Am breakfast
8:35-11:30AM workshop at the College
11:30-12:30 PM breakfast for Pastors some Student whom they are in the workshop.
12:00-1:00PM Lunch for Rev. Matt, Shirley and Mary Kleine
1:00-200 PM Workshop continue
3:00-4:00 PM Elders Meeting with all the Partners from the Diocese of Chicago
4:30-6:30 PM Meeting with Community leaders leading by Chief Bior.
7:00-8:00 PM Dinner and rest.
Wednesday 27:- travelling of Rev. Matt, Bishop Joseph, Rev. Abel Mayoum and Chief Bior to Maban
Shirley work at the Clinic & Mary Kleine with Women’s Center also Shirley could join Mary Kleine at Women’s Center.
5:00AM Travelling to Maban for whole day and come back to Renk
Thursday 28:-Travelling back to Khartoum /Gifts shopping at evening hours
5:00 A M travelling back to Khartoum
5:00PM gifts Shopping at Khartoum
Friday 29:- Departure
4:00 AM leave Hotel for airport
6:35 AM travelling by Ethiopian Airlines to Addis Ababa