It’s always good to hear our kids say “home sweet home’ as we bounce along the dirt airstrip in Tonj with our team waiting anxiously under terminal “tree” to greet us. We are blessed with children that don’t get tired of the heat, dust and poverty surrounding them. Thank you Jesus for these three special blessings in our lives, Hannah, Agum and Jedidiah.

It was a crazy week for us with the embassy appointment requirements as well as packing to go back to Tonj. We were blessed to get a flight share that could carry our family and our new pastor Kibe. It has been a long time since we flew out of Wilson airport and avoided immigration in Juba, so it was a very nice treat for us. They welcomed us at Rumbek airport and cleared our family as Southern Sudanese returning home!! And 30 minutes later we were landing in Tonj and it felt so good to be home. Little notes were waiting on our doors that just made it so much more special.

And even though February is typically the hottest month we are now enjoying cool breezes. Pray for us as we prepare for 6 weeks of visitors from Diguna mission, Every Village, World Gospel Mission, Simply the Story and the Bridge International.

Thank you so much for the covering of prayer for Agum’s visa appointment. It went very well and we were encouraged. Even if things do not work out we know the embassy are for us and will help us to know exactly what is required. We were asked to wait a few weeks while they verify her papers and documents so we are just waiting to get that email! As soon as we know we will be sending out an update. Again we really appreciate your prayers and words of encouragement.

Dear Family and Friends,

We just entered our 5th year without taking a furlough because of the difficulty in getting Agum’s adoption finalized. We are really in need of a family time in the USA, visiting family, friends, churches and ministry partners. Sabet was finally able to get a court order stating we are the adoptive parents, stamped by the high court in Juba. This has been a long road for Agum who has been part of our family for the past 4 years. With the country separating and no proper policies in place, it has not been clear to us the correct path we should take in pursuing the adoption. The American Embassy in Nairobi were very helpful but even they told us they had not processed any Southern Sudanese adoptions since the country separation. So in order for Agum to travel with us on our furlough we need to apply for her to have a visitor non-immigrant visa from the US Embassy. This has to be done in Kenya as the South Sudan embassy has limited services. In order to get her a visa we need to satisfy embassy officials that we have legal parental rights and she is able to legally travel as part of our family. We hope and pray that what we have finally received from South Sudan courts would satisfy that requirement. Then secondly, we have to show that we are planning to only visit with her and return to Africa after the visit! With our ministry supporting our furlough I think this can also be shown to be the case. So we have set up an interview for Agum at the US Embassy in Nairobi for Wednesday 13th February at 6:45 am. We then leave to return to South Sudan on 15th February. We were warned that the process may need an investigation before issuing a visa and this could take time, so we are hoping they will email us while we are in Tonj and we can collect the visa in April and then leave for the USA the same month. This doesn’t give us much planning time but we are trusting the Lord and His timing for issuing this visa. We have a great peace about the whole process. Agum tearfully asked us a month ago if we would go to America without her and we told her absolutely NOT. So our request is to please pray the Lord’s will be done on Wednesday as we go to this appointment and for Agum’s heart to be protected throughout the process.

We love you all and hope we get to see you in person very soon. Thanks for standing in the gap.

Sabet and Suzy

We had a glorious end to 2012 – Christmas spent with Sabet’s Mum in Nairobi. This was her first time to Kenya and a special treat to all of us to have her with us. I love Christmas and making a fuss, so it was an extra blessing to be able to bring Bodo and Aman, two of the four orphan children living with Mama Sabet. We had so much fun with them, and in true African style, we fellowshipped and feasted!! Thank you Jesus for the joy of having these precious ones with us to celebrate your humble birth.

Then we headed off to a missionary retreat at Brackenhurst, to be refueled spiritually for the year ahead, uplifted and united as a team and while there we celebrated Hannah’s 11th birthday having afternoon tea at a local tea plantation.

The speaker at the conference, a Kenyan Pastor called Ken from Emmanuel Baptist in Nairobi, shared two themes. In the morning he spoke from Joshua about leadership and in the evening from 1 Peter on suffering. These two areas are always crossing the missionaries’ path, leadership and suffering. It’s almost like the one can not exist without the other when you are serving the Lord.

But there is great encouragement found in the Word as scripture gives us God’s promises and reminds us HE can be trusted no matter what is going on around us in the world. “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified: do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9. And 1 Peter reminds us that HE is our living hope, we are to be holy as HE IS HOLY. We are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, the end is near, let us focus on the things above and not on the things of this world. Pain is inevitable but being miserable is optional. I felt like I got a good ticking off and then a loving shove in the right direction by God’s own hand as he launched us into 2013.

2013 didn’t quite start the way I had scripted it to, but God in His infinite wisdom and plan for us, prepared us divinely for such a time as this as the past 2 weeks were very difficult as we faced seemingly impossible challenges and decisions. What I can say is, HE was with us, giving encouragement and wisdom and this morning as I read Galatians He reminded me again, to NOT grow weary in doing good for we SHALL reap if we do not give up. The message was clear, You’re doing great, I’m with you, keep going, I’ve got your back, don’t quit!!

So thank you for your prayers. We took an extended time in Nairobi and took advantage of our team all being in the same place for once. This was not an easy decision with the clinic closed but a necessary one to prepare ourselves spiritually, mentally, emotionally and to get the physical rest before going back. The constant demands and spiritual depravity of the people we serve in Tonj drains all our reserves quite quickly, so your prayers for our wellbeing are greatly appreciated. We feel this time has been worth it, we are one with each other and one with our Lord Jesus. We are ready, armored and strong for battle. We are willing to count it all joy and to lay down our lives. Thanks for standing in the gap through your prayers and financial offerings. They are not taken for granted but are the very seeds the Lord uses to bring new life to the people of South Sudan. Here’s to a NEW life in 2013, we want to always be learning, growing, reaping and sowing. The harvest is coming, if anyone feels called to help us please let us know!!

Much love in Him.

Suzy for the Kuj’s and the Tonj IDAT team