The last entry in my Mission Journal was written by Patt and focused on Ethiopia—especially the Women’s Conference there.  I hope you were blessed and encouraged by it as you got a brief glimpse of what your prayers and support make possible. This entree of my Travel Journal focuses on our time in Yei, Sudan, after we left Ethiopia.  Here our focus was on the “Eden Keepers’ Farm” headed by our Sudanese partner, Dr. John Nyikako.  God sovereignly connected me with him several years ago when he was a refugee in Nairobi.

By God’s grace he had been able to escape Sudan during the worst of the war years.  He first lived and worked in Cairo, Egypt, where he earned his college degree.  Then he migrated to Russia where he continued to study agriculture and became fluent in Russian.  After the implosion of Communism, he was able to travel to Germany where he continued to work and study.  There he finally earned his Ph.D in agricultural science.  He was also married to a Sudanese refugee woman.  Together they were able to migrate to England where they had one son.  There his wife also began her college and graduate studies toward a Ph.D.

But in spite of the academic successes and economic opportunities of Europe, God would not give John any peace.  He would not allow him to become comfortable in the peace and prosperity of England.  So God kept convicting him that it was time for him to return home to Southern Sudan which had been totally devastated by nearly 30 years of war and genocide.  It was then that I met him in Nairobi when Patt and I were conducting a Women’s Conference for Sudanese refugee ladies.  I sensed almost immediately that God had sovereignly brought us together.  So another “Kingdom Adventure” began through this friendship and partnership!

Now after several trips to Sudan, we have begun to develop the “Eden Keepers’ Farm” under John’s able leadership.  I hope you will be blessed and encouraged by this pictorial report.  And I also hope that you will be moved to give financially so we can continue to expand this work.  We especially need some monthly support for this work, plus…
• $1,000 to build “Farm Tukuls” for the workers;
• $500 for beds for the Tukuls;
• $10,000 to drill a well for the Farm and homes;
• $30,000 to build a combination “Director’s Home & Guest House” for the Farm Compound;
• $70,000 for a tractor and implements

So please continue to join with us in this timely work of helping to rebuild Southern Sudan—the ancient Biblical Kingdom of Cush!

In His Partnering Love,

PS:  My next Journal entry will be on my bout with Malaria – the world’s number one killer!

An Arial view of the lush scenery of Southern Sudan as we fly in.  Note the one road from Yei to Juba, the capital of the South

Being picked up at the dirt air strip in Yei after our 3 hour flight from Nairobi

The streets of Yei always have a lot of SPLA soldiers from the war

As we were driving to the farm, a former soldier jumped in our pickup truck with his AK-47—which I borrowed

A typical Sudanese woman we passed on the way out gathering bananas

Dr. John Nyikako, a Sudanese Refugee who is our partner at the Eden Keeper’s Farm outside of Yei

We unpack the 40’ container we recently shipped filled with a greenhouse and agricultural supplies

The first heavy task was to unload the water filtration system for the drip irrigation farm

Once it was beside the river, Len, Bert and Kelly began to reassemble it

Len VanWingerden and one of our Sudanese brothers assembly the water pipes to pump from the river

We faced unexpected monsoon rains that made the roads to the Farm impassable—even for a tractor

In spite of the soaking rains, the work goes on—building and cooking

Once the greenhouse is constructed, the water tower is assembled

Without cranes, everything has to be done by hand

Bert Lemkes and John discuss the vegetable seedlings that are almost ready for transplanting

Two of our workers enjoying their daily meal—which will soon be supplemented by fresh vegetables

Everyone works including the women—my sister Judy Baer (left) and Elaine VanWingerden (right)

My sister Judy organizing the Edu-Packs we sent in for the school children

Almost every day there were heavy monsoon rains which made building very difficult

Because of flooded roads, we could not leave the farm two nights and had to sleep in the greenhouse—which is when we probably contracted malaria from the many mosquitoes that were also in the greenhouse

At 5:30 AM each morning before sunrise there is devotions and Bible Study led by John

Len and John stand under the tree and discuss the location of the “Director’s Home and Guest House” we hope to build soon—which we need to raise $30,000 for.  So all donations will be deeply appreciated!

A friendly soldier we met who was guarding one of the washed-out bridges we could not cross

Here is an aerial picture of the road we had to travel to give you an idea of the difficulty of travel in Southern Sudan during the rainy season

A final picture and good-by before flying from Sudan to Kenya—which I will report on next in my journal