It is our last evening here. Again, the stillness is such a hallmark of life here that it pervades even the sounds of voices, Joy's crying, people going about their daily work. What makes noise is the rain—and it is raining as I write. Actually raining hard! Mary and I are in the Bishop's office getting internet access and waiting for the rain to lighten up a bit before we make our way back to our tukul.
We went to Yambio today, enjoyed the markets, took Bob North to the airstrip and waited 2.5 hours for his plane to come in, be loaded and leave again. You don't "drop someone off at the airport" because you have no guarantee that the plane will 1) arrive and 2) depart, so until you see wheels up with your guest on board, you just stay put.
We had a wonderful visit with the Roman Catholic Bishop of Yambio after leaving the airport. Bishop Eduardo is a wonderful man who works very closely with Bishop Samuel in Peace and Reconciliation work. Bishop Eduardo was very gracious, welcoming us warmly and offering us coffee or tea and a beautiful raised banana bread that was as delicious as it was beautiful. He gave each of us a carved wooden map of South Sudan with the states outlined and named. As we left he gave us his blessing and we reiterated that we will continue to pray for the work he and Samuel are doing.
Although we can't call MAF regarding our flight status until 9 a.m., we will have to be on the road by that time. We are supposed to be leaving Yambio around 11 a.m. We are looking forward to seeing you all again and being welcomed home. It will, however, take some time for us to really process all we have seen and done here and what it all means for each of us.
What is God calling me to do here and now? How does God think I can best serve? Yes, our prayers are essential. But so are our hands and feet, our minds and our hearts, our dollars and any expertise we can give.
Thank you for praying for us as we have traveled and will travel again.
Jeanie Smith
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