Importance of Rest

Living in Sudan over the past year and half, I have grown to see the importance of rest. I am not talking about just physical rest and sleep. After over four months in Mundri, needed emotional and spiritual rest beyond my usual weekly patterns of rest. My thoughts were always scattered and anxiety was building in my heart. It was becoming more difficult to love people and show grace to others as I was increasingly impatient and judgmental. It is so easy for me to fall into patterns of unbelief when things are so crazy in my mind and heart that I am not spending good times in relationship with God.

Praise God because he provided for me to go to Arua, Uganda for a week or spiritual renewal and rest. I spent the week at the beautiful home of a missionary couple we know well. I read books, prayed, journaled, took naps, and had good conversations with Heather and David. At the end of the week, I was ready and excited to get back to Mundri.

Things are in full swing here in Mundri. We are celebrating Thanksgiving tomorrow with many of our Sudanese friends. The kitchen will be a flurry of activity as we take turns using our one small oven until we serve the food. Saturday we will be gathering with many members of the Hai Salaam community and the water office staff for prayers and to dedicate the water project in the name of Jesus Christ. Our Sudanese friends are registering to vote in the referendum at locations all around Mundri. We may even be replacing the hand pump at Bishop Ngalamu Theological College with a solar powered submersible pump this Friday. John has been working hard with a team of Sudanese men to get this project completed.

Looking at the calendar today, I was struck by the fact that I will be leaving Sudan in less than six weeks. This also means that the referendum for independence is scheduled to happen in about seven weeks. Please pray for peace and justice in Sudan. Pray for us as we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with our Sudanese friends.

If you are looking for a book to read over the holiday season, here are few books I have read since I arrived in Sudan that I would recommend.

When Helping Hurts by Brian Fikkert and Steve Corbett
King Leopold's Ghost by Adam Hochschild
What is the What by Dave Eggers
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell