Introducing Some of the Littlest in South Sudan

Yaar
The daughter of a single mother, she is rejected by her father and toddles at the edges of society. But her mum is a strong, dynamic, eager Dinka mother and she is struggling to give her the very best. Her mother is even buying and saving cows herself to ensure she can independently chose the best for her little girl. Little Yaar now often spends lots of Sunday with me, sitting on my lap at church and playing at the compound afterwards. She is a blessing. I pray that she has the courage of her mother, built on a trust that Jesus loves her.

Aluets
There are three little Aluets amongst my friends' homes and many more of the same name scattered around the village. One is around three, one is around eighteen months old and one is just six months old. In the Dinka villages, names often run in the family making it much easier to remember. Aluet means cloudy. They are all beautiful little girls. Especially in the coming season of mosquitoes and malaria, pray for their protection. Two of them were serious will last year.

Madut
A little, wriggling baby boy, only a couple of weeks older than Joseph Joshua, he is the fourth child of his mother. Long before he was born, during the fighting of the North-South war, his mother was shot and the bullet remains in her stomach. Having never seen a doctor, the bullet remains and often causes her severe sickness. She recently fell ill again, causing fears that she would not survive to look after and breast feed her little Madut. Pray for mother and son.

I would appreciate your prayers too. I always feel like a child in South Sudan. Like the little children, I cannot speak Dinka nor walk very far very fast nor do anything very practical. And even the Dinka children know how to do things that I am still to master, such as eating sugar cane. Plus, like a little child, I am completely dependent on my Father in that land. I will soon be traveling back to South Sudan, so also please pray for safe and fearless travel. It is always hard to say goodbye to mum and dad, as well as the promise of seeing friends and our green and rolling land. In the sadness, fears and doubts rise up. So, prayers are much appreciated. But I know God is calling me on and I know I have a second home to return to in South Sudan. The thought of seeing friends makes be crave my return.