I love flying!

So for the Thanksgiving Holiday I went to Torit, Sudan for a retreat with all the other AIM missionaries here in South Sudan. It was a time of prayer and fellowship that I truly needed. We shared our ministries and how God has been working on our hearts throughout our time here. It was such a blessing to hear how God is working all over South Sudan to bring Gods Glory to a broken people. My flight to Torit and back was on a small 6 seater plane flown by AIMair. I have never been in such a small plane and I was concerned that I would get sick or feel claustrophobic in the small area. But I absolutely loved it! The plane was small so we had to fly lower and I was able to get a great grasp for the terrain in Sudan. We crossed over large areas where there is nothing but small bushes and trees, not a tookle in sight. Then we would fly over small villages and I could see the different types of tookles that are designed according to local resources. I thought this was so interesting! Each area had their own way of doing things. We also flew over the mountains and it was so beautiful! The mountains here do not look like the mountains of Colorado. There is no snow on top, only trees and large rock facings, but they are beautiful in that uniqueness. At this retreat we had a few Germans that were there and when I was speaking with one of them he was looking at the plane I flew in on and he said "you flew in that? It is no bigger than a wheelbarrow!" I laughed so hard! And from where we were sitting, it really didnt look much bigger than a wheelbarrow. We had such fun at this retreat. Lots of laughter, lots of food and fellowship.
We also went on a one day trip up into the mountains to see a bible school that had been started by AIM a very long time ago, but had to be abandoned due to the war a few years back. So it took us about 3-4 hours by road to get there, and this is going about 20mph or less most of the way due to the horrible condition of the roads. At one point we had to all get out of the car so that it could cross this river without getting stuck. The water went up over the hood of the car. The whole time we were praying, please make it across. But both cars made it safely and we went just a little further then had to get out and hike the rest of the way. The hiking was difficult as the "trail" didnt look as if it had ever been used. I just kept praying there were no snakes in the tall grass. We made it safely to the area and it was so neat to see the buildings which are only foundation and walls. The area was so beautiful and some of the local church leaders are looking to build up this school again. Praise God! It will be a lot of work, and it will not be reachable during the rainy season, but I think they can do it! We spent time there, having a picnic lunch and taking lots of pictures then we made the trek down the mountain and the return to Torit. I do want to give you a picture in your mind of what the roads where like. Imagine that you are driving on an old dirt road, one that doesnt seem to have been used in a long time, so nature has begun to encroach upon the road. There is really only room for one car, so heaven forbid if another comes along there would be no way to pass. The grass is taller than the car, whipping on both sides its so close. At times you cannot even see where the road is going, it seems to just disappear, then reappear after a short time. The bridges, if there is one, are just logs laying across the divide and you pray the whole time you are driving across that nothing slips. This is Sudan, this is what the roads were like to this place. Once you get closer to a town, then the roads widen out and there is room for cars to pass, but they are still so full of pot holes that you must go very slow. There were a few times that my head almost hit the ceiling, or did. This was a truly amazing adventure.
After we returned we had a Christmas themed evening, full of carols and gingerbread house building. I was having a rather difficult time feeling like it was Thanksgiving, let alone Christmas. But the other missionaries made it feel like such a little family with so much love and support, that I was able to feel very much at home. The days are so warm and the nights are cool like a desert. I keep thinking, where is the snow?