The Jalle Project

Coming home!

2010-03-24T06:13:00.000-05:00

The guys come home today!

Their flight gets in at 5pm (American Airlines). If you can, get there by 4:30 :)

Let's give them a big "Welcome Home"!

Clinic is done!!

2010-03-17T11:20:00.001-05:00

March 15, 2010

Clinic done!

The clinic is done!!! We finished the floor in it yesterday and all the walls are

done including the finish coat, praise God!!

This morning we will be doing a finish coat on the dorm side gable which

will complete all of the outside walls. Today we will also be working on

the second partition for the dorm.

I am going to make a run to Bor today to get some more cement. We have the

time and only need the materials to complete the floors which will

complete the entire building.

We will be heading back to Bor again tomorrow (Wednesday) for

the Pastor Training meeting since Emmanuel's flight was delayed previously. It has not yet been decided if Del will go or not. There is a good chance that he won't because the work that the local guys can do without us at this point is very little, meaning we need to be present in order to pore the slabs.

So everything is going pretty good, we even had a slightly cooler night

last night, and got some much needed rest! We thank God for that.

Thank you for your continued prayers! Give everyone our love! I can't

believe we're going to be home in 1 week, crazy!

David

2010-03-10T13:27:00.001-06:00

NOTE: This email was written by Rick Wood to several individuals listed below regarding a pastor training assessment meeting to be held on March 15th in Bor, South Sudan. It is the first time that this has been attempted here and we ask your prayers over this gathering.

The response is from Emmanuel Chemengich, the Principal of Africa Theological Seminary for ICM (pastor training).

From: Wood, Rick
Sent: March 5, 2010
To: Emmanuel Chemengich; rev.thomas kur

Subject: Historic Meeting
Dear Brothers-in-Christ,
It is with great pleasure and God’s divine timing that a pastor training assessment meeting will soon take place in Bor Town between the Bishop of Bor Nathaniel Garang, Rev Thomas Kur (Dean of Bor Cathedral) and Emmanuel Chemengich, Principal of Africa Theological Seminary for ICM. Emmanuel is also secretary for the Anglican denomination in Kenya (I believe), so there is much in common between you.
The purpose of this God-ordained gathering is to assess the pastor-training needs of the Jalle/Bor area. This includes those who are currently pastors and need additional teaching to better shepherd their flocks, but also those who desire to be trained to spread the gospel to Dinka and non-Dinka areas. As Thomas once shared with me, the only way for peace to exist in Sudan is through the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ to all people. Yet, the gospel cannot be spread effectively without knowledgeable pastors and teachers.
The main questions for this group to answer are:· Is there a desire and commitment from the Anglican Church of Sudan to create such a training program in this area?· If yes to the above, what is the most effective way to make the Jalle area a center for spiritual training and evangelistic outreach for Jonglie State and beyond? · What resources will be required to make this a reality?
Emmanuel will then summarize your discussions and prepare an assessment for Grace Chapel and ICM to review and determine whether there is a way to go forward with the findings.
The reason we view Jalle as a good location for this ministry is its central location to all of Jonglei State and the ability to utilize the buildings that have been built there recently by Grace Chapel Church in partnership with the Jalle Community Center Association.
I’m sure that there are many other questions and issues to discuss than those above but I am trying to build a framework from which to begin these talks. I think that I am correct in saying that whatever assessment comes out of this meeting, it is important that any program be operated by Sudanese for the benefit of all Sudanese.
I apologize for not being able to join you all in Bor for this God-inspired meeting. However, we will be praying for His will to be done and that amazing things will result from these discussions.
Blessing,Rick
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RESPONSE:
From: Emmanuel Chemengich --THE PRINCIPAL OF AFRICA THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY for ICM

Subject: Historic Meeting
To my beloved brothers Rick and Thomas:
Greetings to you and thanks Rick for summing up quite well the primary objective of next week’s mission down to pastor-training assessment needs for Jalle/Bor region. I agree that the questions you outlined forms the core foundational framework to clarify and shape the rest of the assessment mission. I equally agree, as does as ICM organization, that indigenous leadership of local Sudanese churches and individual leaders is vital and the best way to proceed in identifying, developing, and implementing whatever God lays out in our hearts for His training work in Jalle/Bor region. In all, may this Pastors’ Training Assessment Mission meet with God’s approval and enjoy His gracious favor.
I will miss meeting you Rick, but I do know that you and the Grace Chapel partners will be standing with us and this mission in fervent prayers and providing logistical support and guidance as you have done in the past weeks.
Christ’s Peace and renewal to you during this meditative season of Lent,
Your Brother in the Lord,Emmanuel

From David

2010-03-10T13:25:00.001-06:00

To Rick....March 9th

Hey man,

Things are going great on the clinic and dorm. We have kind of changed our
strategy and we are going to finish all the walls before we do any of the
slabs. Creating the partitions within the dorm is a little time consuming. All of
the walls on the clinic are done and include a finishing coat on all of the
inside and a good portion of the outside. It is ready for a slab when we
get to it, however right now we are focusing on finishing the walls on
the dorm. We are 95% complete with the outside walls and should complete
all of the walls including the partitions by the end of this week, which
will leave us plenty of time to complete the slabs next week. I hope that
all makes sense! haha.

It has been really, really hot! We had a few cool days at the very
beginning and haven't seen any since then. It makes sleeping somewhat
difficult and we typically wake up already dehydrated as well as behind on
sleep. So please be praying for our rest and our strength as we find
ourselves fatigued often.

Overall, everything is going great. Give our love to everyone, and keep the prayers coming!!

david

From Majak

2010-03-10T09:14:00.001-06:00

NOTE: This is from Majak Garang, a friend of William's in Bor who has been helping us with the project.

Dear Rick,

I'm glad to hear from you and I'm very happy to thank my LORD for HIS protection. Also be informed that Jalle Community is very happy to have David and his team back to Jalle to complete the work. All hopes by the community members living in Jalle are put on the Jalle Project. They are also very happy to have the clinic operational by the end of March 2010. Population in Jalle is now triple as many people are returning to Jalle from Baidit and Makuach Payam where they were displaced. Thank you for making this health facility a priority in Jalle as there has been no clinic or health facility in Jalle.

Thank you once again and pass on my regards to all.

Majak

Update!

2010-03-03T08:31:00.001-06:00

March 2, 2010

Hey Rick,

So it seems we have found somewhat of a groove. The Ferro Cement is

working quite well and I think the guys are getting a decent handle on how

to do it. Today is Tuesday, and if I had to guess, I would say that the

clinic walls should be done by Friday and then we will start on the clinic

floor.

Also, the erection team should be done with everything by Thursday. I

have asked them to go through and fix all the doors so that they close and lock

properly and easily and then they are going to weld them shut with just a

little welding so the doors don't get left opened and then damaged by the

wind. The welding can be broken later with a hammer and chizzle.

Over all, I think that everything seems to be going well. The team is in good

spirits and healthy.

Please be praying for our endurance and our ability to love others well

amidst hard work.

david

God is good!

2010-02-26T10:58:00.000-06:00

Hey Rick!
Just wanted to shoot you an email and let you know that the supplies have arrived!! We will unload them tomorrow morning and hit it hard! Praise the Lord for getting the truck here right on time!

A bit of bad news however. John (the local teacher that helps us) his 5 year old cousin was playing with a bullet and it exploded and killed him and wounded his brother. We just left the small funeral that they had for him. So please pray for him and his family.

David

From David --

2010-02-26T08:41:00.001-06:00

Wednesday, February 24

Hey Rick,

We have made it safely to Jalle, we got here late Monday. We had to go back to Bor the next day to get supplies since we had no room and we didn't know what exactly we would need. So Tuesday we got the Ferro cement technician and most of the supplies. Today is Wednesday and we gotten a good day of work in.

Tomorrow we will continue to work, and hopefully secure the transportation of the sand.

Everything is going great! As you could imagine, the locals here were very excited to see that we have returned! They all ask about you and your family, Ty and Fred.

Continue to pray for the team that God would strengthen us and that the communication barriers would come down.

Give everyone our love!!
David

Please pray!!

2010-02-26T07:48:00.002-06:00

Please pray TODAY that the building supplies purchased by the team in Kampala will be delivered soon to Jalle. The truck is now 4 days overdue and we're not exactly sure where it is. The trip is over 1,000 miles long with many obstacles along the way.

Also, please pray for Omar, one of the Ugandans who is leading the work to enclose the structures. David drove him to the nearest clinic, which is about 2-3 hours by car, and given an antibiotic for his illness. Please pray for swift healing and his ability to help complete his portion of the work.

In Christ,
Rick

Photos from the airport

2010-02-22T08:16:00.000-06:00

Here are some photos that were taking of the team when we sent them off at the airport in Nashville!

Checking all the trunks!

Rick, David, Del, and Caleb

Praying over the guys

Update from David!

2010-02-20T23:35:00.000-06:00

So we have made it to Sudan! Praise God! We spent 2 days in Uganda. While we were there, we got our Sudanese visas, and visited William's mother. We also got to spend alot of time with John (Our friend and contact in Uganda who helps us with obtaining supplies and trucking). He is doing great and sends greetings to Grace Chapel.

We arrived to Juba today around 1:00 (4:00 am your time). We have been sitting at a hotel for about 5 hours now, and things are feeling all too familiar! We can't get the money that was wired here until Monday, we also can't meet with the aggregate company until monday, so now we wait.
It's all good, God is in control as usual!

They made it!

2010-02-19T06:32:00.000-06:00

We got word that they guys made it safely to Kampala, Uganda. They should be headed to Sudan tomorrow!

_________________________________________________________________________________

From Kathy Wood:
Just wanted to let everyone know that the guys had an awesome send off on Wednesday, beginning early that morning at our house for packing, fellowship and prayer and then off to meet up with a warm reception at the airport of about 20 others. I know that they felt very loved and knew that they were surrounded by the prayers of SO many!

I have to tell you this...we were all gathered in the ticketing area of American Airlines and near Southwest. The entire group of us gathered around the 3 of them (Del, David and Caleb) and laid our hands on them to pray and on each other. As we were praying, I was near the outer circle and I felt someone gently embrace me and whispered to me..."thank you so much for doing this...we do not see this happen very often around here." I looked behind me as a woman was walking away from me and we both smiled. I think that she worked for Southwest. We are a witness for our Lord wherever we are!

Supplies

2010-02-18T12:54:00.000-06:00

From William:

Here are a couple of pics of the truck being loaded with cement and fencing in Kampala and ready to leave for Jalle!

The Jalle Project continues!

2010-02-14T17:02:00.002-06:00

Happy New Year to you from the Jalle Project team!

Rick Wood here...first, I want to apologize for not updating the blog since Fred, David and William returned from

Sudan

months ago. I think by May, we were all physically and emotionally drained and needed some time to catch up on family, friends, work, etc.

Let me also thank you on behalf of the team for your prayers during Phase 1 of this project. Spiritual warfare was being waged all around the Jalle area while the team was present, we believe, because Satan did not want our freeing presence in an area where he had dominated for so long. There is no doubt that your prayers carried the team through their most difficult times and kept them moving forward to make amazing progress on the project. We owe a great deal of thanks to David Green and Fred Beesley for sacrificing four months of their lives to this effort.

Second, I want to let you know about the beginning of Phase 2 of the Jalle Project, which is just about to begin. However, let me first recap what was accomplished during the first phase of the project. The team dug and poured the building foundations and assisted in the erection of six large steel buildings, consisting of a church, a medical clinic and 4 school buildings. The work was extremely difficult and the climate almost inhospitable, with temperatures reaching 110F or more. Disappointingly, the rainy season arrived earlier than usual and work on the buildings was cut short. Had the team attempted to stay longer, they risked being unable to travel back to the airport that is located almost 8 hours away due to flooded roads. Overall, the Grace Chapel team has accomplished what no other organization has in this remote area of South Sudan. As a result, the community’s hope for a brighter tomorrow has been elevated to a level not seen in decades.

So, Phase 2 will begin where Phase 1 ended, which includes completing the installation of the roofs and sidings on all 6 buildings. In addition, the team will complete the medical clinic building by enclosing the lower part of the clinic’s exterior walls with cement or block and pouring a concrete floor. This will enable the locals to begin utilizing the clinic once staff have been hired and trained. In addition, Interchurch Medical Assistance (IMA), an organization that has assisted Samaritans Purse with training of medical staff in South Sudan, has agreed to train the Jalle staff and provide medical supplies to make the clinic operational. This is such a praise for the Jalleans since the only clinic currently operational is too far to walk to from Jalle. The people are very excited about this development and are grateful to Grace Chapel Church for making this clinic a reality.

I’d like to mention one other amazing thing about this trip. It has always been our vision that Jalle become a center for Christian outreach by starting some type of pastor training program in the area. After months of discussions and coordination, we have just finalized a meeting in mid-March between the Bishop of Bor, South Sudan and a representative from International Christian Ministries’ (ICM) Kenyan office to meet 35 miles south of Jalle to perform a pastor training assessment (ICM’s primary mission is to disciple and equip church leaders in Africa and is represented at Grace Chapel by Myron and Carol Goodwin). It is one thing to help the people of Jalle with a church, school and clinic, but how much more awesome it will be to leave them with an eternal legacy of Christ’s teachings and to witness its proliferation to all Muslims, Animists and even uniformed Christians in this part of the world. Please pray that this meeting will be fruitful and be the beginning of a long term, Christ-centered training program for our South Sudanese brothers and sisters.

The Phase 2 team will include David Green, Del Hardin, William Majok and Caleb Chandler. They will be in Jalle for 30-plus days. William left on February 8^th to buy and ship the supplies needed from Kampala, Uganda to Jalle. David, Del and Caleb will be leaving Nashville on February 17^th to join William in Kampala and then on to Jalle, Sudan. Please begin praying for the team’s safety and for the accomplishment of God’s will while serving alongside the people of South Sudan. May they see the Son in all that Del, David and Caleb say and do while in the presence of these people. Most of all, pray that God will be glorified and people’s lives changed eternally due to this mission work.

Stay tuned!

Safe and sound

2009-05-04T21:00:00.001-05:00

David and Fred made it back on Saturday safely! We're all very excited to have them back in the States.

Hopefully, we will post more photos here soon!

Please continue to pray for the people in Jalle - that God's spirit would continue to move and change hearts and lives!

Homeward bound!

2009-04-27T06:08:00.001-05:00

David and Fred are coming home!

After a challenging but successful 3½ months in Jalle, Sudan, David and Fred are returning home! They have not only succeeded at laying the foundation (literally) for future Christ-work in this village but they were wonderful ambassadors for Grace Chapel, for the USA and, most importantly, for Christ.

Please join family and friends at the airport to welcome our Grace Chapel sons home on Saturday, May 2^nd at 2:15pm (Northwest flight # 1743). Please check back here before heading to the airport just in case there are any last minute travel changes.

Update!

2009-04-26T17:58:00.000-05:00

Please pray for safe travel for Fred, David, William and the Ugandan erection team as they leave from Jalle to Juba as the roads have become very poor to drive over. From David:

-----------------------------------

Let me first update you on our most recent aventure. On Wednesday afternoon we were about to head back out to the jobsite when all of the sudden about 30 people walked into the compound and informed us that a girl had been bitten by a crocodile. So we walked over to take a look at it and when the pulled the shirt they had rapped it off, it was bad. You could see bone and muscle and tendon. I'm not sure how she got away. So the Sweet and Salty ambulance loaded up and headed for the hospital. We weren't sure how the drive was gonna be or if we would even make it, but we knew we had to try. By the grace of God we made it. They stitched up the little girl and she is doing fine last I heard. We had to crash in the hospital compound because if we had left we would have made most of the journey in the dark and it's hard enough in the light. The next morning we made it back to Jalle safely. Praise God!

So what we saw of the roads was pretty bad and, needless to say, there were more than a few hairy spots where we would have gotten stuck if God had not had his hand on us. The hospital we went to is before Bor, and talking to the people in that compound, the roads from there to Bor sound just as bad or worse. They said if it rains one more time that we won't be able to get to Bor. We aren't down there and don't know if it has actually rained in that specific area again, hopefully not. So having said all that, we are leaving as soon as possible, which at this point is looking like Sunday. We were gonna leave Tuesday or Wednesday, but we don't see the point in sticking around and hoping that it doesn't rain. Besides that, today is Saturday, and we will definitely finish the work we have left today. All that's left is tightening the bolts on the clinic and putting the erection team's tools in storage.

Thanks
David

Buildings are going up!!

2009-04-24T10:07:00.003-05:00

The buildings are going up with good progress.

Fred wrote a few days ago:

Here are some more pictures of the school and church. Also you can see some of the damage the nasty strom we had this morning did. But the erection team said they can repair it so good thing it happened now and not when we left.

the Church

inside the Church

a school building

school building with busted vent

Continue in steadfast prayer over the team!

Prayer Request

2009-04-17T10:27:00.000-05:00

But a serious prayer concern. We are super low on fuel for the erection team’s generator (used to power equipment and tools during the erection process) and it has rained quite a bit the last couple of days so getting to Bor is not easy. But in order for the erection to be complete we have to get some fuel quick. There isn’t even a gas station in Bor supposedly that sells gasoline - they are all diesel, at least that’s what we are being told. So all that to say we need a miracle.

Update

2009-04-14T06:14:00.000-05:00

From David:

We successfully made it back to Jalle from Jube, and only a day late! It was nice to relax for a couple days, but I was ready to be back in Jalle. Upon our arrival, we could see this glorious structure from the road...the Church framing was complete and it was so cool to see it as we were pulling back in to town!! Also, much to our surprise, we found about 80% of the framing of the first school building done! It was awesome and very exciting! Work is steadily moving forward!

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Please continue to pray for endurance for the guys and that the rain would hold off!

Ty is home!

2009-04-13T07:37:00.000-05:00

Ty Arrives Back Home
After spending one month with Fred, David & William on the site in Jalle, Ty returned home Thursday, very tired, but very jubilant about the work that is being done in the name of the Lord. After all of the work laying the footers, he prayed that he would see the buildings begin to go up before he left Jalle. As the team all prayed together for that reality to happen, Ty said that it was still looking bleak until his very last day on the site when the Lord answered their prayers and the "steel" began to go up! Thank you, Ty, for your sacrificial giving towards this project!
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Pictures of the church!!

2009-04-06T14:24:00.002-05:00

Here are a few photos of the church so far!

Steel in the air!

2009-04-06T07:52:00.000-05:00

The erection team made it here last night and this morning we started in on
the church! There is finally steel up in the air!

Praise the Lord!

The Church has arrived!

2009-04-03T11:01:00.002-05:00

The Church finally arrived!!!! Its here and unloaded. The erection team should be here tomorrow afternoon. Praise God

Fred

Please be praying...

2009-04-03T11:01:00.001-05:00

hey, we had a lady give birth this morning and was continuing to bleed
after the fact and started to lose consciousness. so i took her to the
hospital, on the way back we past the truck with the church, it was
broken down but they almost had it up and running. so they should be
here in the next couple hours. also the erection team caught a bus last
night and should be arriving in juba tonight. william said that biar has
arranged to have them brought all the way to jalle. my guess is that
they should be here saturday.

Foundation is done!!!

2009-03-31T11:14:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, March 31, 2009

From David:

THE FOUNDATION IS DOOOOOOOOOOOOONE!!!!! Praise God! Praise God! Praise God!!! He is mighty, He is awesome, and He is in control!! I believe it was about 10:30 am central African time, that the last pocket on the last building was pored and completed! whoooo!! You don't know how good it felt! I was doing my morning quite time this morning before we went out to finish the foundation and God gave me this cool verse. I Cor 3:10, "According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder (we) have laid the foundation." Glory be to God! For it is only by His grace!! Something else that was cool, the rain has been holding us up from time to time. And ourselves and all the mighty prayer warriors back home have been praying that the rain hold off long enough to get the foundation done. I kid you not, no sooner was the concrete dry, and it started poring! Thank you everyone for you prayers! continue to press in and pray, that as we have finished the foundation of the buildings, that God would continue to lay the foundations for the relationships he is calling these people into with him. God is really moving on the hearts of the people here. His spirit is stirring and God is beginning to speak! Pray for divine appointments! Pray for boldness!

From Rick

2009-03-30T06:20:00.000-05:00

I received word from William on Saturday that the team has completed the foundation work for all but one school building, which just a few weeks ago seemed an impossible task. God is certainly blessing the team with good workers and supplies right now.

We also received word that the final shipment has left Kampala and should be in Jalle by Tuesday or Wednesday. This includes the church building, scaffolding and the erection team’s tools. Once they arrive in Jalle, the erection team consisting of 5 Ugandans will travel to Jalle to begin the erection of all 6 buildings.

Please pray that the shipment and erection team reach Jalle safely this week and PLEASE continue to lift up David, Fred, Ty and William in your prayers.

In Christ,

Rick

Photos!

2009-03-25T20:44:00.006-05:00

**Note** Click on the photo to make it bigger :)

Pastor Jim, Rick Wood, David Wood, Ty Homer - ready to go to Jalle!

Children welcome the team!

A layout of one of the buildings

Women drawing water at the well

Working to fill the holes with rock and concrete

The inside of the tukel (hut)

Some of the elders

Distributing clothes to the children

How they get around..

Sudanese Sunset!

From Rick

2009-03-21T20:07:00.001-05:00

March 21, 2009

Forgive me for the brevity of this post but I wanted to get this short summary up before I get engulfed in my “real” job on Monday. I promise to get some pictures up soon.

On behalf of Jalle Team “B” (Jim Sterling, Ty Homer, David Wood and Rick Wood), I want to thank you for your prayers while we were traveling in and out of Sudan.
Each of our eight flights arrived early to their destinations and the 12 hours of driving to/from Jalle was fairly uneventful, although rough since there are no paved roads in South Sudan.

Once in Juba, we were greeted by Jalle Team “A” (Fred Beesley, David Green and William Majok) and several Sudanese leaders. We were allowed to walk through customs without our things being searched since one of our Sudanese friends is a high government official and they waived us through the line – not that they would have found much more than 5 duffle bags of children’s clothes and 4 trunks of supplies for David, Fred and William.

When we arrived in Jalle, we were able to walk the Jalle Community Center job site. Just for clarification, a community center in Sudan refers to several buildings while typically being a single building in the US. Fred and David have done a tremendous job in overseeing the manual digging of 320+ footers in solid dry, clay soil for the six buildings being constructed. We estimate that the pouring of the footers should be completed by the end of March. The Ugandan team that will be leading the erection of the steel buildings will also arrive by the end of the month to begin their work. We are hopeful that the team’s part of the project will be completed by the first of June.

By the way, Ty Homer will remain in Jalle until early April in an effort to help Fred and David complete the concrete work. Ty was an instant hero by identifying a way to reduce the time and amount of concrete required to finish each footer.

Overall, David, Fred and William are in good spirits and leaning on God’s strength daily to help them through this project. It is a tough place to live, physically, spiritually and culturally. In fact, William is the only one who has gained weight during this time, although David and Fred are looking lean and mean.

Again, thanks for your prayers. The team FEELS them and is what DRIVES them. Please continue to lift them up! Pray that they have plenty of workers and materials to complete their work. Pray for their health. Pray that they will have the opportunity to speak into the lives of the young people working with them (Many Sudanese know they are Christians but don’t fully understand what it means to have a personal relationship with Christ).

More to come…

Rick

Update!

2009-03-18T10:17:00.000-05:00

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March 18th

The second team arrives home tomorrow (Thursday) with the exception of Ty, who will be staying with Fred, David & William to assist in completing the project. Please continue your prayers for travel safety for the second team today & tomorrow and for Fred, David, William & Ty as they continue with their responsibilities, having been refreshed with the love & spiritual encouragement from their brothers in Christ.

As I mentioned in the last update, this team has been very focused on their mission and updates were few. As they return home & collect their thoughts, we will post an update from the trip.

Thank you ALL for continuing to pray & lifting up these teams, the project and the people of Jalle.

kathy

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Brief update

2009-03-16T06:14:00.000-05:00

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March 13th:

Spoke to Rick and son David briefly this evening on the satellite phone. Both teams are doing well and glad to see each other. They have had very productive days on the site and will be meeting with the Elders tomorrow. A big celebration is being planned in their honor and David (Wood) commented that the children have been practicing their songs & dance for days...:-)

Rick confirmed the rumor that David & Fred have grown beards...:-)

The team is focused on their mission, so calls & details from them are few at the moment. The blog will be updated as soon as more info is provided.

Please continue your prayers for both teams as they work together with the people of Jalle to ensure the completion of this project in the time frame that has been allotted. Please also continue to pray for safety in all things & for their continued good health.

kathy

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Safe Arrival!

2009-03-11T06:33:00.001-05:00

Received a text late today that the team has arrived safely in Kampala, Uganda! We are grateful for the Lord's hand of protection over them during these long flights. They will spend tomorrow in Kampala and then leave on the 12th for Juba, South Sudan. Please keep them in your prayers as they continue in their travels.

kathy

They are off!!

2009-03-10T06:46:00.001-05:00

March 9, 2009

THEY ARE OFF!

The second team left for Sudan this afternoon around 1:00 with expected arrival in Uganda late tomorrow evening. Once there, they will among other things, obtain the mosquito nets and bibles with the donations that were given and then leave for Sudan on the 12th. In addition to the trunks of supplies taken for Fred, David & William, there were FIVE large canvas duffel bags filled to capacity with clothes for the children of Jalle!! The response from this request and the donations for mosquito nets were overwhelming and we gratefully thank each of you for your outpouring of love and generosity toward these children & the families of Jalle.

This second team will be resupplying many items needed by Fred, David & William and checking on the progress of the building project. Please keep Rick Wood, David Wood and Ty Homer in your prayers as they travel and as they bring spiritual refreshment & hugs from back home, to the guys.

Kathy

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From Rick - Sudan Politics

2009-03-06T15:59:00.000-06:00

We have had a few concerns communicated to us regarding the political situation in Sudan since the United Nations’ Criminal Court issued a warrant for the arrest of Sudan’s President Bashir the other day. I would like to briefly comment on this issue.

Sudan is currently a single country running two functioning governments. This is a result of decades of civil war and a peace agreement signed in 2006 separating the warring parties. The Government of Sudan (GOS) is ruled by an Islamic regime, including its president Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.

The Government of South Sudan (GOSS) is run primarily by African Christians who took up arms against the government of Bashir when Islamic law was being imposed upon them. Under Sharia law, the southerners would have been required to convert to Islam. The Christians vigorously declined this “invitation”. The GOSS is the authority under which we are working in Jalle. They have a military and these troops patrol its border with the GOS. Could war start again? Sure, but this would not seem to be the event that would start it. Here’s why:

Bashir is responsible for encouraging and, possibly, supporting the current genocide going on in Darfur where over 200,000 have been killed so far. This is why there is a warrant out for his arrest.

Bashir is also responsible for the conflict in Southern Sudan where we are now working. Since 1987 or so, over 2,000,000 were killed due to Bashir but he was never tried for his crimes due to an international law requiring that crimes against humanity be brought forth within a certain timeframe after which the crime was committed. This time limit has passed.

To make a long, complicated story short, the ICC’s arrest warrant isn’t due to the crimes Bashir committed against the South. They are for crimes he committed in Darfur, which is located far to the west of Jalle. There is no rational reason for Bashir to restart a war with the South due to an arrest warrant initiated from an unrelated area of Sudan.

One thing I can tell you is that the Southerners who suffered under Bashir unanimously support this arrest warrant.

I hope this helps unravel some mystery behind Sudanese politics.

Rick

From Rick

2009-03-06T15:58:00.001-06:00

Fred, David, William and all those involved in the Jalle project want to express their gratefulness to everyone who has donated clothes and cash for the children of Jalle. We are absolutely AMAZED by your response to the team’s request. There is no doubt that Grace Chapel is filled with God’s people, that is, those who not only see and hear the need of the suffering but who respond by giving sacrificially.

As Team # 2 prepares to leave on Monday for Sudan, we will not only be resupplying Team # 1 with a large supply of Sweet Sue Chicken, MREs, Gatorade, clothes/shoes and SOFT tp, but we will also be taking 4 large, crammed-to-the-brim duffle bags of clothes. These bags represent about 800 shirts, shorts, dresses and underwear you have donated for the children of Jalle. We also plan to purchase a large number of mosquito nets when we arrive in Kampala to take to Jalle to help reduce the risk of children contracting malaria. Again, all of this is possible due to your compassionate hearts and generosity toward a people you have never even met! This is truly what it means to be Jesus to the poor and suffering.

We will be bringing home many photos to post when we return on March 19th so stay tuned!

Please also keep both teams in your prayers.

Gratefully,
Rick

Supplies

2009-02-26T08:45:00.000-06:00

February 26th:

This update is to let you know that a second team will be leaving for Sudan on March 9th (the airline moved their flight from March 8th to March 9th). The team will include Rick Wood, David Wood and Ty Homer. As mentioned in the February 12th posting, they will be re-supplying William Majok, Fred Beesley and David Green with needed supplies, check on the progress of the building project and assess the next phase of Grace Chapel’s ministry in Jalle. Please lift up this next team in your prayers for travel safety and for the Lord to use them in providing spiritual refreshment to Fred, David & William.

The clothing for children ages 1-11 years old are coming in by the bagfuls...what a blessing this will be to all of the children and to Fred, David & William as they see their church body answer the call. Thank you so much from the entire team!

As we approach the final week, we are still in need of donations for mosquito nets, Dinka bibles (which will be purchased in Uganda) and, of course, some extra funds to ship the trunks of clothes. If you would like to contribute funds for the purchasing of these items, please make your check payable to Grace Chapel Church and include “For Sudan Supplies” in the memo line. Donations can be put in the offering bags or dropped by the church office.

For those of you who do not attend Grace Chapel, you may send donations in the same manner to:

Grace Chapel
3279 Southall Rd.
Liepers Fork, TN.
37064

Thank you all, once again, for your ongoing support and prayers for this project and team!

2009-02-22T14:20:00.000-06:00

February 20, 2009

This email was written to Rick from Fred after Rick let the team know that clothes were being collected for the children of Jalle by the youth at Grace Chapel.

Subject: whoo hoo!

Man, you don't know the joy that it brings my heart that the youth at
Grace are behind this! I was actually thinking of the 8th grade guys that I
led in a small group. Man, that's just awesome! That really pumps me up!

This is huge!!!

2009-02-19T14:11:00.001-06:00

Daniel (a Sudanese local) has just arrived back to Jalle!! He comes bearing the gift of 500 bags of cement! We also received our first correct load of rock last night arround 8:00 pm. so we are set to start mixing concrete! God's timing is good, as usual, as the guys are finishing digging the last couple footers. Daniel also said that a cement mixer is coming. I'm not sure where it's coming from or how it's coming or if it actually is coming, but he said, "I saw it, it's big, and it will be here maybe tomorrow."
He also said that one of the trucks transporting the buildings is in Bor. He said that it's experiencing some kind of problem and should be here soon. Anyways, just wanted to update you on the progress!

Fred

God is good!

2009-02-17T07:55:00.000-06:00

From: David
2/17/09

I would have emailed you sooner with the praise report of being healed, but I had to get back to work!! Let me first say that this was way way worse than the last time I was sick. I couldn't even keep one sip of water down. That's a scary feeling when you're in the middle of Sudan. Within a couple hours in the middle of the night I was completely drained of everything that was inside of me...food and water. It was about 5:00 am when I came back inside from one of my vomiting marathons out front; and I sat down and thought to myself "man does not live on bread alone." But I didn't have the energy to get up and get my Bible, so I just started to say any scripture that I could remember. Fortunately I had just decided to start memorizing scripture the day before. Oddly enough, the scripture I started with was James 1:2-3. So I quoted that over and over again along with any other scipture I could recall, like by your stripes I am healed. As I began to do this and pray with everything I had, which wasn't much at this point, I began to be able to keep water down...one sip at a time. The day consisted mostly of me resting and drinking and praying and reading or quoting scipture. Fred and William went to Bor and got back late afternoon. When they got back we all prayed, and it was great. I immediately felt better!! I crashed pretty early despite the fact that I had spent alot of the day sleeping on and off and this morning I woke up, and other than the fact that I am a little weak, I feel as though I was never sick! Supernatural!! God is good!! I'm back to work today and it's only by the grace of God!

Urgent Prayer Request

2009-02-16T11:59:00.000-06:00

From: Fred
Date: Feb 16, 2009

Writing to let you know that David is pretty sick. He was up pretty much all night with stomach problems. I know he would appreciate it if you could get something up on the blog or get a prayer chain going to lift him up. He laid in bed all day and is still feeling pretty bad. He started the cipro medicine earlier today and I've been making him drink plenty of water and some gatorade. But none the less nothing works better than prayer. Thanks, I know he'll appreciate it as much as I will.

Stupid goat!

2009-02-13T22:50:00.001-06:00

Update: From David..

Sent: Thursday, February 12, 2009

from: David
To: Wood, Rick
Subject: stupid goat!

We decided to recruit more (local) guys to dig the footers so that it wouldn't take as long, however, we didn't have enough digging bars (for all of them). So Fred stayed behind in Jalle, while William and I drove to Bor to get more digging bars and some other supplies. We left Jalle around 9:30 and were pulling into Bor around 11:00. Now I must say before I go any further, that there might be more goats in Sudan than there are actual people; so when we're driving, it is fairly common to have to slow down or stop and wait for goats to get out of the way. There are also a good bit of cattle, but the goats seem to enjoy getting in your way more than the cattle. So as I was saying, we were pulling in to Bor around 11:00 and about to head to the market when this suicidal goat darts from the brush straight out in front of the land cruiser. I hit the breaks, but it's a dirt road and all I do is slide. The inevitable happens, and the goat is no more. I feel bad, but there wasn't much I could do. At this point I am instructed by William to stop the car, at which time he and the other 2 or 3 locals in the car turn around and look at the goat for about 10 seconds. I am then told to continue driving. It's a sad day for goats in Sudan, but we move on after a brief moment of silence in the car. We head to the market, do all the shopping we need to do and are done in a reasonable amount of time. We are about to head out of town, when we are flagged down by an official. He says that there has been a goat "hit and run" reported and the vehicle description matches mine. I think they also may have mentioned that the driver was white, which narrows the line up considerably. So the official gets in our car and instructs me to drive us to the police station. Once at the station, we fill out a full report on the goat incident. At the completion of the report, we all load back up in the car. We are now accompanied by the chief of police. We head out to the area where the accident occurred and when we arrive at the crime scene we meet the owner. He then throws (in a non-gentle fashion) his dead goat into the back of the land cruiser; he joins us in the car as well, and we proceed back to the station. There are now too many people in the car to count. Upon arriving to the station a meeting is held. The attendees include William, myself, the goat owner, the goat, and about 10-12 people who apparently specialize in goats. At this meeting we were to decide how much the owner of the goat should be compensated for the death of his goat. After much...MUCH discussion, the amount decided on was 320 sps ($160). This is admittedly a little high, however, the owner of the goat did argue that his goat was pregnant (this has yet to be proved). After paying the owner his money we were free to go. All in all, it was an interesting experience.

Updates / Help children in Jalle!!

2009-02-13T06:26:00.001-06:00

From Fred: Sun 2/8/2009
To: Wood, Rick
Subject: stuff

Hey rick,

just sitting here thinking about stuff that ya'll could bring for us
and had a cool thought. The kids here, i would say up to age 10 or so, seem
to either not have clothes or the ones that do wear them are really ragged
and worn out. We were thinking that it would be super cool to get a trunk
or bag that is nothing but clothes. I'm sure that people would
gladly give whatever the expense is for having another piece of
luggage shipped or we would even sacrifice the precious MREs (Meals Ready to Eat) and "Sweet Sue" chicken (packages), for the kids to be clothed.

Thank you again for all that you are doing for us. Especially all of the
prayers and keeping people updated. I can't express how good it is to
know that people are hearing how we are doing and being updated on how
they can be praying for us.

Fred

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February 12th:

Blog readers...this is in response to Fred & David's request for clothes for the children of Jalle.

Help the Children of Jalle, Sudan!

A second team of Grace Chapel men will be leaving for Jalle, Sudan on March 8th to re-supply William Majok, Fred Beesley and David Green with needed supplies, check on the progress of the building project and assess the next phase of GC’s ministry in Jalle.

Fred and David have shared with heavy hearts that most children between the ages of 1 to 11 years old have either no clothes (literally) or, those that do are extremely ragged and torn. They have requested that the team leaving for Sudan next month bring light-weight t-shirts and shorts for both the boys and girls. The girls could also wear comfortable casual skirts or dresses (the temperature gets up to 110 degrees). If you have these sized items in new or very good condition, please drop them off in the travel trunks located outside on the porch entry way during the weeks of February 15th thru March 1st.

In addition, there is a great need for mosquito nets to help prevent malaria in the children and a deep spiritual thirst for bibles written in the Dinka language since these are so scarce. If you would like to contribute funds for the purchasing of these items, please make your check payable to Grace Chapel Church and include “For Sudan Supplies” in the memo line.
----------------------------------------------------------------

For those of you who do not attend Grace Chapel, you may send donations in the same manner to:

Grace Chapel
3279 Southall Rd.
Liepers Fork, TN.
37064

Thank you all for your ongoing support and prayers for this project!

God is a God who provides!

2009-02-11T11:16:00.000-06:00

February 11th:

The following email was sent to Rick from a group of The Lost Boys here in the United States. Philip Akol lives in New York and he represents a group called "Jalle Youth (USA)". After Grace Chapel's meeting with the Elders of Jalle in Kenya last May, Reverend Thomas charged those Lost Boys living in America with the responsibility of helping this local project succeed as well. With financial hardship already upon them as they struggle to support themselves here and family back in Sudan, this is their amazing response to this charge.

To: Wood, Rick
Subject: Thanks From Jalle Youth (USA)

Dear Mr. Wood,

You and Grace Chapel Church have our sincere gratitude for giving our people a second-chance through Jalle Community Center Project. Your initiative has electrified everyone in the community including those of us in the United States. Therefore, we want to send you $10,000 as a token of our appreciation.

Thanks,

Philip Akol

Today, Grace Chapel received this sacrificial gift. Please pray with us as we thank our Lord for all of those He is bringing together in His name for the love of His people.

Update!

2009-02-10T11:56:00.000-06:00

February 10th:

We have received a report that the building structures were loaded on the trucks and they will be leaving today from Uganda. Please pray for the safe transport of these materials and the drivers from Kampala, Uganda, crossing the border into South Sudan and the travel up into Jalle. Please pray for our Sudanese brother, Daniel, who will ride with the drivers providing them with the directions to Jalle. Daniel is a true servant who has aided the teams on past trips with his ability to locate and provide necessary supplies and services at crucial times.

Thank you all for your prayers daily for this team!

Rock on!

2009-02-06T06:29:00.000-06:00

Feb.6th:

*(In previous blog report we mentioned that Jackson is a foundation technician that we are employing for a short time to work with the team).

From David
Subject: rock on!

"So we just got back to Jalle from Juba. We have Jackson*...whoo hoo! And we paid for the rock...if (the trucker gets the ok), a truck might leave tomorrow (with the rock to Jalle). We will keep you posted. Fred is having stomach issues and has been for the last couple days, so
keep him in your prayers regarding that.We are quite tired from
traveling the last couple days, pray that we are renewed and ready to hit
it hard with Jackson! "
thanks!
David

Good news!

2009-02-05T09:09:00.003-06:00

From David: Feb 4th 11:00pm (CST)

We are in Juba. We have come here for a couple reasons: One is to pick up Jackson. Jackson is the technician form the Steelworks company...and he has finally arrived!! This is very good news. The other reason is to pay for the rock that is to be transported to Jalle, this is good news too. Also, we bought sand in Bor and they finished transporting it to Jalle today! after we pay for rock tomorrow, we will head back to Jalle.

Now all we are really missing is cement. Things are coming along! God is providing! He always does!! As the project starts rolling and we start to get busier and busier, be praying that God renews our minds and our strength daily and that everyone works well together, Ugandans, Sudanese, Americans. Also, pray that we remained focused on God and that we continue to lay our agenda down daily (despite moving forward in the project), and be sensitive to what He's trying to do in us, through us, or with us!

Also, know that are we are praying for everyone back home daily. we miss you guys! Love you guys! And really appreciate your prayers!! Don't let up even for a minute!!

Update

2009-02-05T06:24:00.001-06:00

February 4th update:

*Today the team drove to Juba, South Sudan to buy rock, one of the components needed to make concrete. They will also be picking up Jackson, a foundation technician, who will be assisting the team in building the foundation for the structures.
*Another Sudanese source should be delivering a supply of mortar, also for the concrete mix, within a few days. These items to make the concrete are critical components that need to be in place before the steel structures arrive within two weeks ( the sand was delivered yesterday--a major PRAISE! ) Please pray that the team will be able to secure these items without any further delay.
*The four school buildings, the church and medical clinic structures are scheduled to be transported from Kampala, Uganda to Jalle (South Sudan) by the end of this week by truck. Please pray for the driver's safety, and for the safe delivery of these structures on this long journey. Pray that the border crossing will be without incident.
*Please pray that Jackson, the foundation technician, will conclude that the site is ready for construction without any further excavation or modification.
* Continue your prayers for the team daily--for wisdom in their decision making, for strength, for their health and for their time with the Lord as they seek His guidance and comfort.
*PRAISE--Thanking the Lord for His daily provision for William, Fred & David and for healing their bodies during times of discomfort.

Personally, the team seems to be healthy once again and their spirits are rising as they see the site cleared for the buildings and the supplies starting to be transported in. Please continue to lift them up in your prayers daily as your prayers are what sustains them. Thanking all of you... for them!

A praise!

2009-01-31T12:48:00.001-06:00

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!

2009-01-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

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.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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..."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

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.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

2009-01-20T06:18:00.006-06:00

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

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

January 16: From Fred

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

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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)!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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!

2009-01-17T16:39:00.006-06:00

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

2009-01-17T07:57:00.001-06:00

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

In transit...

2009-01-15T12:34:00.001-06:00

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

2009-01-14T17:35:00.001-06:00

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

2009-01-14T17:12:00.000-06:00

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

2009-01-13T13:52:00.000-06:00

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.