December. Decembers have been milestones in my life twice. The first
time was my college journey to Israel/Palestine in 1996. We were there
for two profound weeks. The second was December of 2013. I left
Malakal, South Sudan on December 6th (after finishing teaching, grading
and submitting grades for the college.) I spent a week in Juba, South
Sudan getting a six month in and out visa, with the help of South
Sudanese colleagues. I believe it was December 13th that I flew to
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia for Christmas. The 14th I went to the
international Christmas Bazaar there, had a wonderful time meeting
friends and purchasing special things from Africa. That night we began
hearing reports about fighting breaking out in South Sudan. I was
never able to return to Malakal. In the Spring of 2015 I returned to
South Sudan, going to Juba. The college (The Nile Theological College)
where I taught had relocated to the Capital and that is where I was
called. By September I had to return to the United States for a hip
replacement. I never went back. The trajectory of my life had/has
changed, beginning with that December of 2013. Well, really beginning
long before that, it kept getting corrected as my call in ministry
became increasingly clear. But doors closed in December of 2013. When
you can't get back into a town, or a country, because of Civil War,
things change.
