Sudan was R-A-W

The best word I can think of to describe my trip to Sudan is R-A-W. The kind of raw that is the result of a deep and ugly wound. Not a fresh wound, but one that has been healing already for a long while. When you look at it, you can still tell how gruesome the original injury was (and you can tell it will leave a nasty scar) but you can also see that eventually the wound itself will heal. That was my experience of Sudan.

Everyone I met had been hurt (if not physically, then emotionally). And everyone was healing. I saw a town full of survivors who are just focused on putting one foot in front of the other, one day at a time.
The overall mood of the town where I visited wasn't dark. Even though the peoples' lives have been chaos after chaos for years. There was at least an air of tangible hope present. Life was hard, but they were still fighting to live. Their prospects were minimal, but they were doing their best. They still loved and cared for each other. They were still trying to better their lives.

The land itself was beautiful, rich red dirt and vibrant green grasses & trees. The skies were as big as Montana, beaming both sunlight and pregnant clouds. The houses were simple, mostly mudbrick, one-room dwellings with thatched roofs. Some people had enough money to build a small concrete house while others were still living in pitched tents given to them by the UN.

But the people were the prize of Sudan. Beautiful black skin, giant smiles, skinny but strong and both shy & friendly. Out of a small town of a few thousand, I only met a few dozen. I listened to their stories and heard about their dreams. Understanding where they have come from, the things they have endured throughout the war, throughout hunger, throughout tragedy, throughout poverty... I felt I understood just how desperate the need was for tangible help there. I saw first hand how important the work is that my friends Missy & Dave are doing there.
This is an entire community struggling to start over. With almost nothing. They just need a loving hand to reach out and help them lift themselves up. Physically. Emotionally.

I thank God there is a church presence in the town. Even in the short time I was there, I witnessed people with spiritual needs and emotional needs just show up at the church steps and ask for someone to talk to. Praise God there are believers there to share the burdens and love the people. Sudanese to Sudanese.

And I thank God that the vision was placed in the hearts of Dave & Missy to do more than just share the gospel and then leave without addressing the physical needs of the people. They want to do both. And both are desperately needed.

Sudan was incredibly valuable for me to experience with my own two eyes. I needed to hug the people, look into their eyes, smile, make them feel heard, and loved...