Ten full days have passed since I arrived in Nairobi. After gearing up and orienting last week, I had the joy of spending the weekend in Kijabi with my Aunt and Uncle's family. Kijabi is located along the Rift Valley, about an hour's drive north of Nairobi. Getting out of the busy city was an incredible blessing. Devotional time in such a peaceful and beautiful environment helped me prepare for the months ahead in Sudan. I also enjoyed learning about a few tropical diseases from Dr Rob, hiking with my cousins, playing Rook, and Aunt Nancy's yummy cooking!
Since returning to Nairobi, I've finished preparing for Doro. Joanna, another member of the Sudan team arrived on Monday, and its been fun rooming with her. We had dinner with Dr Rob tonight and enjoyed our last bowls of ice cream for a few months (as there is no freezer in Doro).
In the morning, we'll be taking the six-hour flight to Loki, then on to Doro, Sudan. I will be living in a tukul, or grass hut, with another nurse. My routine will mostly involve helping at the clinic and learning how to diagnose and treat the various conditions. The clinic has been busy, with two nurses seeing 125 patients on Monday! Dr Rob will be with us for about a week, so it will be helpful to learn as much as possible from him.
PRAYER NEEDS: 1. That I will continually surrender to Jesus so His love can work through me 2. Wisdom in learning Mabaan language and in tropical diseases3. Strength and health for the long hours in the clinic 4. Team unity and protection 5. Cultural sensitivity 6. Those who don't know Jesus would surrender and find the joy of a relationship with Him 7. Keeping Christ my priority and maintaining devotional time
Thank you for your prayers! You have been a blessing to me! If you would like to receive email updates while I'm in the village, please email me at julielidbeck@gmail.com. I will add you to my mailing list. Thanks again!
"Welcome home!" The guard at the gate to the SIM guesthouse greeted me in Kiswahili, his face lit with a broad smile.
I have been walking the short distance from Nakumatt, the "Walmart" of Kenya, to my current place of residence in Nairobi, Kenya. The evening is warm; the air is heavy with the promise of a thunder storm. Although crickets chirp loudly, heavy traffic drowns out the subtler noises of the night. Pot-holed streets are choked with cars, buses, bikes, and foot-traffic and my fellow pedestrians seem fearless of the vehicles weaving three-deep on a two-lane road. Traffic attempts to obey one rule: "Don't hit anything", although this is subjective, it seems. Despite the apparent disorder, drivers are considerate to the tide of pedestrians; I pick my way across the river of vehicles to the side street where I live.
I enjoy observing the flow of humanity around me as I traverse dirt paths that boarder the street. During the past three days on Kenyan soil, I've found the population of Nairobi to be a genteel people. As I walk, I think back to Andrew, a taxi driver that I met yesterday. His story, I believe, is common to those residing in this growing, striving city. Andrew was raised in a village among a cattle-herding people, one of several sons responsible for overseeing the livestock. He smilingly recalls sneaking a dip in the river while his cows grazed on forbidden land; "I was so afraid of getting caught by my father." Working through his boyhood years, Andrew rarely enjoyed the refreshment of a cool swim on sweltering Kenyan afternoons. After completing college courses, Andrew was forced to search for work in distant Nairobi. He now drives for a tour company and has three children. When I asked him how he enjoys his work, he thanked God for employment and demonstrated graciousness. He could be bitter that his college education is not being utilized, or that he is estranged from his home village. Instead, he states, "There are so many beautiful things about driving for safari. When I am out on the Reserve, it is just me, the animals, and quiet."
I have now arrived at the blue gate that separates my living quarters from the bustling life of the city. After a gentle knock, Peter, the guard, greets me at the gate with a warm welcome. I do indeed feel at home! He produces a work-sheet of Kiswahili phrases for me to practice. In the morning when I leave, I will say, "Habari ya asumbuhi. Naenda SIM headquarters, tuonane mbandae!" Which means, "Good morning. I'm going to the SIM headquarters, see you later!" My new friend is a patient teacher; I'm thankful for the practice!
I greet a fellow missionary as we cross paths by the SIM guesthouse entryway. Up three flights of stairs, and now I'm "home" in apartment B3. I review my purchases for the village and anticipate leaving for Sudan next Wednesday. For now, this apartment and the surrounding city blocks are my home. I navigate the streets between the marketplace, the Yaya center, and the SIM headquarters. Nairobi is located just south of the equator and the sun is on a rotating schedule with the 6:30's. The evening is brief, but beautiful. I watch the sunset, framed by swaying palms, acacia, and exotic cactus plants that I am yet unfamiliar with. The roar of the rush-hour traffic gradually succumbs to subtler sounds of the night: an occasional bark, crickets, a baby crying, water pumps creaking.
"Yes." I smile to myself, "God has brought me here. And wherever He wants me, I am home."
I arrived in Kenya just a few days ago, and I feel like a five-year-old in a physics class. Everything is interesting and new; the cultures, so diverse. I wish that I could understand all the subtleties at once, but I suppose that would take the joy out of learning. But I get ahead of myself...
Unfolding myself from the square-foot seat that corresponded with my ticket from Amsterdam, I was eager to stand and stretch after two 9-hr flights. The scenery had been spectacular and diverse: craggy Rocky mountains, broad ice sheet of Hudson Bay, glaciers of Greenland, crimson morning above the Atlantic, Holland's waterways and fields, the stark dunes of the Sahara. My brain was foggy from lack of sleep and the 14-hour time zone differential. There was no problem obtaining a Kenyan visa, picking up my box, or going through customs. Then I stepped out into the pick-up area. People were everywhere holding signs for their corresponding travelers, families embraced with joyful exclamation, taxi drivers solicited service. An hour had passed since leaving the DC-10, and yet I saw nobody holding the SIM sign. Nobody to pick me up. Sweat beaded on my forehead and I suddenly became aware of the humidity.
Walking outside, I searched for the SIM taxi. No taxi. Ok, Julie, time to problem-solve. I had the info about transportation, phone numbers, and address. No cell coverage. Um, I'll get a taxi to the address listed. I tried unsuccessfully to take funds out of an ATM. Exhausted, hot, and feeling like I was alone on Mars, I felt tears starting to overflow.
Pray! The thought brought confidence as I knew that my God would supply all my need (Phil 4:19) and provide wisdom. Suddenly a man came up beside me and offered me his cell phone. I called several of the numbers that had been provided, but all contacts were unavailable. Again, I felt my helplessness acutely. This time, God encouraged me with: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness," (2 Cor 12:9). Ok, Julie, surrender your need for control. Trust Jesus. I borrowed someone else's cell, no answers. More prayer. I made one last call. An answer!
Business at SIM headquarters had caused the pick-up to be overlooked, but I'm grateful for the lessons learned in that first hour on Kenyan soil. Complete surrender and trust in Christ is the foundation for all that I am to do as a believer and missionary nurse. How wonderful to see how God worked out transportation! Turns out that another missionary was at the airport at the same time, so we shared a ride into Nairobi. The missionary and his wife had spent their entire lives working on an Eritrean translation of the Bible for Wycliffe. They are two-years out from completion! What an amazing testimony to see the joy of a life lived for Jesus Christ!
A warm shower and peaceful sleep revived me, and I have spent the last few days orienting with the wonderful staff at SIM Kenya and Sudan office. I'm now living in the guest house and walk to the local markets for supplies that I will bring to Doro.
Psalm 103 shouts encouragement from the pages of the Bible before me. David writes, "As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him. For He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion. Bless the Lord, O my soul!" (vs. 13, 14, 22). This passage reminds me that He loves me and I am in His care. No matter where He leads, this world is not my home; it is the place for me to be surrendered to His will and share His love.
The driver at the airport chuckled when he picked me up. "This is your first time to Africa, yes? Well, welcome to Nairobi!"
... and I'm eagerly anticipating what God has ahead in Sudan! These past few weeks have been crammed with faith-building experiences, and through it all, God has been faithful to provide for my needs! A few weeks ago, I found a party to take over my apartment lease... but the plan fell through on the day I was to move out! So another party stepped up to the plate (or so I thought). A week later, I found out that they never showed up... there is a lot more to this story, but the conclusion is that God provided! I'm confident in Jesus' love and perfect will for my life (Jer 29:11), and amazed at how often I trust myself; "A man's heart plans his way, but the LORD directs his steps," Prov 16:9.
As I try to anticipate what awaits me at the end of a 16-hr flight, my thoughts turn to the Mabaan people of Sudan. The depth of suffering that they have endured is beyond what I can comprehend. Although plagued by war, famine, poverty, and disease, they are characterized by hospitality and warmth. I am humbled and excited to meet these amazing people that Jesus loves and specially created for His glory. I pray that God will give me wisdom as I endeavor to learn some Arabic and Mabaan, care for those with various diseases at the clinic, and share His love in Doro, south Sudan.
Timeline: leaving Seattle tomorrow afternoon, arrive in Nairobi, Kenya at 7pm on Sunday. I have heard that I will have a few weeks of language learning at Malakal in Sudan prior to joining the team at Doro. Thank you so much for your prayers and support; you are as much a part of this as I am! I'm so grateful how Christ extends grace to me on a daily basis, and I yearn to share the joy of the Divine romance with others.
I will have access to my gmail account on occasion when I'm in the village at Doro. My email is: julielidbeck@gmail.com. The mailing address is: SIM Sudan Box 79252 00200 City Square Nairobi, KENYA
