A praise!

Update:

To Rick from David on Jan. 29th

Subject: Good Soil ( A PRAISE!)

Hey man! Today was good! we got two buildings laid out!! the youth has,
to this point, cleared out the area for the primary school and the
secondary school. they're burning the stuff on the secondary sight. We did not dig a 20 by 20 hole
but we did dig a pretty good size hole, and after a couple inches of top
soil we hit clay and the sides seem to hold up just fine. so we may be
ok without rebar. the cracks still have me a little worried but I'm not
too trained in soil analysis.
William will be calling you.
thanks
david

Updates!

From Kathy:
For about 4 days last week we were not in communication with the team mainly due to them being in transit between Juba--Bor Town--Jalle. Now that they are in the area of Jalle, we will start to maintain more dialog.

As they arrived in Bor Town, they were greeted by the elders of the church and local people. As much as Fred, David & William were ready to begin the building process, in Sudan there is much "meeting & greeting" and "talking & greeting" and "meeting & talking" all of which come first...:-)

After getting settled, the emails recently have centered around the procuring of supplies locally and the cost of these supplies. After being shocked at the price of local materials, the team would covet your prayers in asking the Lord to go before them in securing the supplies that they need at a price that is within the project's budget.

David & Fred have also had a few frustrations with getting started on the building process, mainly due to the culture adjustment in Sudan and the way things are done there. They are slowly learning what TIA (This Is Africa) really means. Please keep them in your prayers as they begin to settle in and pray that the Lord will renew their strength each day in this journey.

Please keep David in prayer for the Lord's healing as he is experiencing an upset stomach.
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From Fred dated Jan. 25th on encouragement that they had received from David's mom & again from Rick:

"Thanks for the encouragement. We were just talking about Nehemiah having the sword in one hand and working with the other just yesterday morning...It's quickly becoming evident that we are not just here for construction, which we expected, but weren't sure what else. David & I walked the perimeter of the property and claimed it in the name of Christ yesterday (Saturday). I know that Satan didn't like it so we are just waiting for him to try and trip us up but we know that there are alot of people fighting for and with us!"

After a discussion about supplies, Fred wrote:
"...hopefully we will break ground tomorrow (Monday 1/26) and get the youth to start clearing for the first school building. Again, you know how it is here so only the Lord knows if we will actually start, but I'm going to do everything I can to get them out there."

"Send our love back..."

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From David - Jan. 24th

Praise God! He's moving! He's stirring...the kind of stirring that you can feel but struggle to describe! the stirring that you feel when you know He is doing works beyond comprehension!!
Pray that these people will wrap themselves in Gods love!
Pray that God will continue to shine through us in this dark land!
Pray in the name of Jesus that the strongholds will be cast down pray that these people will be healed as well as this land pray that Fred, William and I be vessels for what God is doing, and submit to His agenda daily!
Pray for this amazing rash on my right arm that God has allowed me to experience for some reason!
and Pray that Gods will be done and that He is glorified!!!


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From Steve Beesley, Fred's dad, on an email received from Fred dated Jan. 25th:

Fred asks for our prayers as there have been some tough times in a strange land that is totally different from what he is used to. The guy's mud hut is 15 x 15 with a tin roof. They did purchase a diesel work-type truck with fuel being $7 per gallon. He mentioned that they were guarded at all times (the Sudanese way of keeping their guests out of harm's way) and were actually visited by a Sudanese general and a few of his soldiers who basically had heard about their mission and came to welcome and meet them. Fred comments that he is well and that he & David make a good team. They both realize that they are totally dependent on God for protection, encouragement, health and all provisions. The team asks for everyone's prayers as they hope to get started today (Monday) on the actual construction, as they spent the day setting up the markers showing where the buildings will go. Fred has been writing in a journal each day, chronicling the events of the day and the things he is experiencing spiritually. In the end, says Steve, he will be able to relate about an experience few will ever have.

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From Fred dated Jan.25th again in reply to an email from Rick:

"Yeah, we have been eating mostly local food. We liked the Ethiopian food that we ate in Kampala and in Juba. It was interesting but after we got over that, it was pretty good. And yes, we have been taking our meds (for Malaria) every day."


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From David - Jan. 27th

"Tell Kathy we are taking our malaria meds every morning, and we are drinking plenty of fluids. we are eating the local food, but not as much now that we're settling in. now it's mostly beans and rice and whatever we brought. I did manage to get sick yesterday, and I'm not quite 100%, but I feel alot better!
We look forward to you guys getting here in march!"

A few updates

Kathy emailed me with some updates she has received from the guys over the past week. See below:


January 13: From our contact in Kampala, Uganda that would be picking up the guys at the airport:
Dear William,
Safe journey to Uganda , we are very glad to see you with visitors and tell them that Jalle students here in Kampala are most grateful to welcome all of here in Jesus name and we are reminded in the scripture that strong carries the burden of the weak .

thanks so much and God be with you all in Air .

Aweng

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January 16: From Fred

Hope all is well there. Our spirits are good and so far, so are our stomachs!

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January 17: From William:

Warmest greetings from Juba, Southern Sudan!

Thanks God we have arrived safely to Africa.

The "Sons of Grace Chapel Church" are doing fine and have been received warmly by Jalle Community. The elders are grateful to meet David and Fred on behalf of Grace Chapel, a church remembered in the Bor Region for helping to provide clean water and commitment to make a difference in the lives of disadvantaged people.

Briefing:

We landed in Kampala on January 14, 2009 at 10:30 pm and were received by two Jalle young men: John Aweng and Solom Garang both from Jalle. They are great and have spent most of their time with us in Kampala.

On January 15, 2009, we went to the Government of South Sudan office in Kampala and applied for our travel permit to Sudan. Luckily we obtained our documents and visited Steelworks Company on the same day. We met with Borjn, Tom and some of their staff members. The meeting was a success.

On January 16, we missed our flight from Kampala to Juba. We thought the flight was leaving @11:00 am but it was supposed to be 9:30am. We slept in Kampala and departed on Jan.17^h 2009 for Juba.

Vehicle: Unlike Kampala, the vehicles in Juba are very expensive and have high mileges. Biar and elders said they will provide us with a temporary vehicle while we negotiate a vehicle that is within our budget.

We wish you all well.

The Sons of Grace Chapel Church are in good hands!

William

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January 17:

David emailed to say that they enjoyed a cold drink today by the Nile River with Biar (our brother in Christ and contact within the government of South Sudan) and some of the elders. During this time together, the elders informed them that the community of Jalle is giving Grace Chapel more acreage! Currently we have 10 acres and the increase could be substantial (stay tuned as we are translating their numbers)!

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January 19: Prayer requests written by Fred for the team:

1) Pray against worrying about the project in general. Waking up last few mornings to thoughts of doubting their abilities. Pray that they will lean on God & let Him guide them.

2) Pray for the Lord's direction and for Him to provide all things necessary for them to do their job. Please pray that the Lord will go before them as they negotiate with the local businesses for supplies.

3) The team is asking for everyone to please press in for them and the project daily.

Update from David!

I just got this email from David: 

so we traveled for about 24 hours straight before we finally made it to
Kampala Uganda. it was exhuasting to say the least. we landed there at
about 10:00 pm Uganda time and we were to spend the next day meeting the
people from steel works and get our Sudan travel permits and take time
for william to see his family. we got all of this and more done.

so we made it to Juba today at 11:00 am. it is waaaaay hotter!!
we were greeted by some people that are from Jalle but i think they live
in Juba. they then took us to there compound or house kinda. we hung out
at the compound for a bit and then headed to lunch. after lunch we met
some of the elders from Jalle. there is some communication issues that need to be attacked
with prayer. there is also some big cultural differences between us and
the sudanese which has definitely tested our patients at times. 

tommorow we attend a local Dinka Church and then meet alot more of 

the elders. then we will continue to shop for a vehicle and begin gathering supplies.

Sudan

I just got word that they made it safely to Sudan! Please continue to pray for them!

In transit...

David just called me... the had a good day in Kampala getting things organized. Tomorrow morning they fly to Juba, Sudan - please be praying that they have safe travels and get everything they need for Jalle.

Meet the Team

When praying for the guys, it's always good to have a face with a name. Here's the crew in case you haven't met them yet :)

William









David


Fred

Uganda

Rick got a call from David at 3:00pm today saying they arrived safely in Kampala, Uganda! He sounded tired, but was glad to get off the plane.

Keep praying for them as they are continuing to get things together and head to Jalle!

Introduction

Jalle is a small village located just north of Bor Town in South Sudan. Before the Islamic-based Government of Sudan started its campaign of genocide against the African Christians of the South in the 1980s, this vibrant village was home to over 30,000 people. After over 20 years of civil war, Jalle’s population has been estimated at only 1,500. The rest were either killed or moved to neighboring refugee camps in Kenya and Uganda.

Now that the war is technically over, the UN is pressing the refugees to return to their homelands. The problem is that there is nothing for them to come home to. There are not enough farms to support more people, there is very little drinkable water, no electricity, no schools or health care. The Jalleans live a very difficult life. However, what the they lack in basic necessities and infrastructure is made up by their love of the Lord and a strong community dedicated to overcoming the persecution they have experienced at the hands of radical Islam.

In a gesture of Christian solidarity, Grace Chapel Church in Leipers Fork, Tennessee is partnering with the people of Jalle to build a community center designed to provide a place of worship, schools, medical clinic, clean water and more. This will not only provide services to local Jalleans but will give returning refugees hope and a reason to move forward with their lives. In an amazing show of support by Grace Chapel members, almost $300,000 was raised to fund this project.

As of January 1, 2009, project assessments have been completed and building structures are currently being fabricated in Uganda. These six large steel structures are schedule to be delivered to Jalle in the mid-February timeframe. In preparation for the erection of these buildings, Grace Chapel commissioned Fred Beesley, David Green and William Garang Majok to oversee the construction of the structure foundations before they arrive. They will also provide oversight for the entire construction phase of this project. These strong men of faith with their servant hearts began their journey to Jalle on the morning of January 13, 2009. This blog will be used as a communications tool to post updates of their adventures, prayer requests, successes, challenges and, hopefully, a few pictures when they are able access the internet periodically.

Please keep these young men in your prayers daily as Fred, David and William absolutely covet them for the journey they have embarked upon.