New smells....

My house smells like Africa! Every time he comes back from a trip, there is a distinct smell. I may not have been there but I will always know how it smells. :) We are so glad to have him home. His "clock" is all messed up. He just went to bed and it was 7pm! That never happens in his normal life.

Final numbers come out to be around 1,700 people who heard the gospel message, and over 800 new believers! Praise the Lord!

So here are some pictures from Shad's trip in no particular order. Excuse any nudity, but that is who they are and their culture. I will post some pictures of some of the artifacts that he brought back and gifts for the kids in the next few days..

This is a picture of a Taposa Village from the air. The circles are the live stock corrals or their crops and the other brush looking areas are their toucals (houses)....


Here is a picture of a Taposa family...

These are the Toucals and the ones high off the ground are for storing food and valuables so that the animals don't get it. Each village has an entrance that is closed with a large branch of a thorn bush to keep out the wild animals. The thorn bushes are also the surrounding "fence" for the parameter of the village...

This is a Bore Hole, or as we would call it a well. Most have to walk 2 miles to get water everyday. Shad said they related to the Samaritan Woman's story, regarding the times of day that you would go collect your water...

This is the flooding rain that caused them to delay their first attempts at traveling to the villages....

This is the airstrip that they landed on in Kapoeta. Their pilot was with Missionary Aviation Fellowship and prayed before they took off....

Here is a Taposa woman carrying her baby on her back. The gourd is the baby's shad and someone is holding up. Normally the gourd would rest on the baby while the mommy walks or works in the sun. Shad said that most woman had a baby on their back, a baby in their tummy and another on the hip!

This is James Lacoota. He is the man I mentioned in one of the first posts who is the pastor of the church in Kapoeta. He is a few year older than Shad. Shad said he was the coolest guy and a very charismatic personality...

Can you find Shad? Just kidding. :) Shad sat down and within a few minutes all the kids had surrounded him....

This is the Bograt. The transportation to and from the villages, about 2 hours one way...

This is Jeremiah and Shad. Really made a connection with him. A little of his story.....War broke out right near his village when he was 13 and he joined the army and fought on the front lines from the time he was 15, 17 years! It is amazing that he survived on the front lines, because no one usually makes it through that long....Shad was overwhelmed with his story. He now works with an Awana type program for kids. They want the children to know Christ so that they can grow up knowing Christ. He is of the Dinca tribe....

Remember the post I made regarding the men who said they had been worshiping this God that Shad was speaking about, but they did not know He had a son who came to save them, and give them eternal life? Well, this is the group of men. Every single one of them prayed to receive Christ!....

Here is a closer look at a Toucal. That is a big one, would sleep an entire family of about 12-15...

And this is the American Toucal where Shad stayed. The land was owned by an American driller, who drills the wells and he lets the groups come and stay there...

A typical Taposa woman and her baby girl....

Pray for the Taposa and the people of Sudan. The government is trying to buy off the Taposa, 5,000 strong, by giving them money and guns to kill the Dinca. The Dinca were the main group of people who were attacked in the war. Most of the lost boys were Dinca. Obviously this is wrong, and one would assume that eventually they will also eliminate the Taposa. There is no respect for persons. So the work that the missionary's and groups with e3 is critical. Helping people see the light of the Lord and not to be manipulated by the Islamic government. The peace treaty is up in 2011, so there is only a short time left to reap the harvest before war starts again, which I believe it will since there will be nothing to stop it. Even though the war is only partly over since there is still genocide going on in the Darfur and the immediate surrounding areas (the area that was not included in the cease fire. They also continue to raid and kill in the refugee camps across borders into Chad). Pray for the new believers and future believers to have a hunger for the ways of God and to know the peace that passes understanding.