Be sure to look at the 2 posts following this one. I posted some new pic's.

Day 7:
I woke up to see this woman from the village across the stream getting water. Can you imagine waking up to get water each morning from the stream down the hill that people bath in (They are called "The Fellowship of the Naked" in Sudan) as well as animals. We even saw people washing their cars in it upstream:

We spent our day yesterday at the The Morobo Orphanage. As we drove down the bumpy, dirt road, passing only trees, bush, people and scattered huts, I felt as though we were in the place that constituted the "ends of the earth". The orphanage, owned by the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church), and funded by "His Voice For Sudan", sits on the border of Uganda and The Congo. This was a desolate place indeed.

The wake of devastation and poverty left by the war that ended January 9, 2005, is horrific. 7 million orphans are in Sudan today and by 2010, the number of orphans in all of Africa is expected to reach 45 million. There are places under the dirt road that we drove on where thousands of people are buried--murdered by the Muslims of the North:

It is very strange to drive on top of a mass grave and to think that only 4 years ago, these people were being murdered and families were being split forever.

When we arrived at the orphanage, we were led into the church building that sits on their property. As we walked to the church, I would take close up pictures of the children and then show them the picture. They LOVED IT! I knew a camera would be a strange thing to them but I realized, as I was washing my hands in the Entebbe airport today, why they are SO surprised: They have rarely, if ever, seen an image of themselves.
I was sitting in the Entebbe airport in Uganda earlier today, an hour and half away from Yei, Sudan. There is an unbelievable difference in economy here. The airport is very nice in Entebbe, the roads are paved here and in Northern Sudan, especially in Khartoum (not one is paved in Southern Sudan). In the Entebbe airport, there are plush couches, computers; there is fresh coffee, great food like Samboska (a fried pastry shell filled with meat and onion-We call it the "Sudanese Hot Pocket") and they mirrors. I passed a mirror about 30 minutes ago and realized that I hadn't seen myself in 7 days! These kids never see a mirror image of themselves. I loved showing them their pictures. It made my heart so happy to make them giggle and point. Here are a few of those:



When I saw this German girl holding hands with the orphans, it made me want Faith and Evan here with me and for Evan to meet these children and to see, smell and taste a culture that is very different from America:




This is their where they sleep and the clinic is on the left:



We entered the church and they had seats for us in the front. They sang, "Welcome Pastor Vernon(He's the one who runs "His Voice For Sudan") ...Be safe on your journey. Welcome. Welcome to Morobo." Then they sang the same song to Bishop Taban, and then to us. It was humbling. They were so full of joy. I thought of how loud I would be singing at their age to a group of strange visitors, or if I would have even sung at all. There is a joy these children have that is contagious...it is free of pride and "saving face" as they sing so loudly and play their instruments and dance.


Then I was able to meet Esther.

Esther is a beautiful orphan who is so joyful and full of life. I found out from Vernon that she has a hole in her heart. My heart sank as I asked about her surgery and whether or not he was going to be able to afford the $4000 that it will cost her to have the surgery. He told me he had the money and that she was having surgery next month. I loved watching Esther pray as Bishop Taban prayed over the orphans. She was the only one who stood up and prayed out loud.

She has hope in Vernon, Bishop Taban and their supporters in other countries to heal her heart, but it was evident to me that Jesus is her ultimate hope for eternal healing. Thank you God that You have saving this beautiful orphan and made her Your own.