My name is
Ezekiel, I like Superheroes, I am 5 ½ years old.
Kindergarten!
Last month I wrote about our language studies. That is going to be our full-time job for the foreseeable future! We have been asking for prayer regarding the regular busyness and distractions that take over and this month has been no exception.
Three weeks ago, we all got on an airplane and went to Lokichoggio, in Kenya, to join the Africa Inland Mission’s South Sudan Unit Retreat. The other people at the retreat are all missionaries doing church planting in our general area, so it was a good time of fellowship, training and encouragement. We spent the week learning about what it means to “abide.” The kids had a program where they learned some Bible stories and memory verses, and the women got to do some specialized things for them. It was a busy, but fun week to rub shoulders with other people who do what we do!
The week after Kenya, I (Justin) had to fly to Juba to get the residency permits for our family. I missed my flight on Monday because the clouds were too low for them to land, twice, so at 3pm we jumped in the truck and rushed to Torit (the 4 hour drive that’s only 50 miles!) in the rain and mud so I could be there to get a flight the next day. Tuesday a MAF charter came and picked me up from Torit to take me to Juba, and when I got there I had to rush to immigration to start working on the fingerprints and paperwork required. Since I rushed straight from the flight, I hadn’t put much thought into clothes. Everyone here dresses up to do things like go to the bank, travel, and yes, immigration. I showed up in my shorts and muddy shirt, and the General at the immigration office asked me why I was naked! That was a fun experience, it was hectic but by the time I flew home on Friday we had 2 year residency permits for our family!
Thirty-Six hours after I got home from Juba, I left again for Uganda. We are excited to have some visitors from our sending church come to stay with us for the next month. I came down a few days early to do all of the normal shopping and car repairs…We got a great deal from a friend on another LandCruiser (that needed lots of repairs) before our other one has had a chance to sell, so it’s been a tight squeeze, but the car is definitely an upgrade. Amy can drive it because it has an automatic transmission, and it runs on diesel which is better than the gas engine we had before that died every time we drove through a puddle (the puddles on the road here get up to the windows sometimes…). As I’m writing this, I’m waiting for the mechanic to finish some of the work so I can start figuring out how to get two vehicles back on this trip! Pray for us this month that our other vehicle would sell, That the logistics of getting the new one back would work out, and that our visitors would have a good visit and clear vision about their future in ministry or missions.
Thanks!
Justin, Amy, Ezekiel and Caleb Culp
Caleb going
full-on redneck. He insisted on wearing
this thing and wouldn’t let us change him!
